Thank you for reading this sermon from Christ Fellowship. I hope and pray that this sermon will be a blessing of grace and truth to you. With that said, let me encourage you not to use this sermon as a replacement for your local church. Christ Jesus did not establish his Church simply for us to consume content. Instead, He calls us to be part of a real, covenant family.

All of us are familiar with “no-win” situations. Your boss asks you for honest feedback. A family member asks you to pick a side in a conflict.

As a pastor, I sometimes encounter what feels like a no-win situation when I prepare to preach a difficult text. If I say what the text says, I risk making some enemies. But if I soften the message, then I’m not being faithful to God.

By coming to earth, Jesus put Himself in a no-win situation. God sent Jesus knowing that his own people were going to reject Him. Jesus knew He was going to be crucified. He knew His ministry was going to cause division.

Remember from last week, Jesus is now in Jerusalem. We are days away from his crucifixion. The religious leaders have begun to openly challenge the authority of Jesus. They are trying to catch Jesus in a no-win situation.

But so far, Jesus has evaded their efforts. And He just finished telling a parable in which He clearly implied that God was going to transfer the covenant blessings of Israel to the Gentiles. And this is where we will pick up today in Luke 20:

19 The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people.

These religious leaders feel caught in a no-win situation as well. They want to kill Jesus, but they are afraid of the consequences because many of the people are still following Jesus.

20 So they watched him and sent spies, who pretended to be sincere, that they might catch him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor.

In dramatic detail, Luke tells us about this plot. They need Jesus to say or do something they can use against Him. And if he does, then they can accuse him before the Roman governor. This is like a bad Senate confirmation hearing, right?

21 So they asked him, “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and show no partiality, but truly teach the way of God.

Sure you do… That’s a blatant lie, right? They don’t believe this at all. They are pretending to be disciples in order to ask this question:

22 Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?”

This is a no-win question. If Jesus says yes, then the crowds will abandon Him, and the religious leaders win. Nobody loves the Romans and nobody wants to pay taxes.

If Jesus says no, then the Romans will see Jesus as a threat, and the religious leaders win. The Romans wasted no time in stomping out potential rebellions.

23 But he perceived their craftiness, and said to them,

24 “Show me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar’s.”

A denarius was a Roman coin and in the Roman Empire everyone used Roman currency to conduct business. The only exception to this was the coin that the Jews were allowed to use for the temple tax. Otherwise, they did not have their own currency. They bought and sold using Roman currency like everyone else.

All Roman currency had the name and titles of the Roman Emperor at the time it was minted, and all coins officially belonged to the current emperor… not to the person using it. The emperor required the people to trade using his currency and every year he demanded a tax from the people that had to be paid in Roman currency.

So, when Jesus asks to see a coin, he knows they all have one in their pockets. He knows they are all carrying the symbol of a man who thinks he is god and thinks he owns everything they have. The Jews may have hated their position as a Roman province, but they were also benefiting from Roman trade. They were using Roman coins.

25 He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

26 And they were not able in the presence of the people to catch him in what he said, but marveling at his answer they became silent.

The plot fails. Jesus evades another attempt on his life. But for our purposes, I want to put verse 25 back on the screen and focus on what it means for us.

25 He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

It’s easy to hear this and think of it as a clever reply and keep moving. But it’s a very instructive and convicting statement.

Let’s start with the simple and obvious implication here that Caesar is not God. They are two different authorities.
There are things we may owe to the rulers of this world. We are commanded to submit to and to pray for the rulers of this world. But they are not gods.

The authority of Caesar is trivial compared to the authority of God, signified by the fact that new inscription had to be made on these coins every time an emperor died. There were roughly 85 men who held the title of Caesar.

There is only one God. There is only one Alpha and Omega. There is only one King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

God is sovereign over every authority in heaven and on earth. Daniel 2 says it is God who removes and establishes kings. Job 12 says it is God who makes nations rise and fall, builds some up and abandons others.

This is a simple point, but an important one. Caesar is not God.

Second, I’m not going to do a deep dive this morning into politics and economics. But Jesus explicitly commands us to pay our taxes. To put it differently, Jesus does not reject the authority of human governments, even those that may be unjust or pagan.

God is clearly granting governments the right to levy taxes on their people. And on some level, we are all benefiting from the system. I won’t go any further than that, because Scripture doesn’t… except to say that we are required by God’s Word to obey the civil authorities unless doing so contradicts obedience to God.

One such case can be found in Acts 5, when the high priest orders the Apostles to stop preaching the Gospel and Peter responds, “We must obey God rather than men.”

But most of the time, the civil authorities are not asking us to violate our conscience before God. Jesus says pay your taxes.

Finally, and most importantly, Jesus commands us to render to God the things that belong to God.

We should ask the question, “What am I supposed to give to God?”

We can find a good answer to that question in Deuteronomy 10:

12 “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,

13 and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good?

That’s it! Sounds easy right? All we need to do is perfectly obey God with everything we are and with everything we have!

It’s not easy, is it? It’s daunting and impossible and we’ve already failed miserably. If obedience to God was like paying taxes, we’d all be in jail. But I want you to see how Moses finishes that chapter:

14 Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it.

15 Yet the Lord set his heart in love on your fathers and chose their offspring after them, you above all peoples, as you are this day.

16 Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn.

17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe.

18 He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.

19 Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.

20 You shall fear the Lord your God. You shall serve him and hold fast to him, and by his name you shall swear.

21 He is your praise. He is your God, who has done for you these great and terrifying things that your eyes have seen.

22 Your fathers went down to Egypt seventy persons, and now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars of heaven.

Moses describes God as a loving and impartial father who set his love upon His people. He describes God as a just and mighty King who works justice for people who need it. Why? Because WE are His currency.

Roman currency bore the image of Caesar and that’s what the world values. But who bears the image of God? Human beings. WE were created by God as His image bearers. WE belong to Him. WE are what He values. We were put on this earth to spread His glory everywhere.

But we’re also like an old penny that has been used and abused for so long that you can hardly see the face of Lincoln anymore. The image of God has been marred by our disobedience and rebellion.

But in Colossians 1, Paul calls Jesus the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. By faith in His life, death, and resurrection we are united to Christ and God is restoring His image in us. Ephesians 4 says that we are being restored after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

What it means for us now to render God’s things to God is first to repent and believe – to receive and rest upon Jesus Christ as the One who restores our value… and second, to grow in your faith and obedience. When the Gospel takes root in your heart it will produce fruit and that fruit looks like worship, and prayer, and good works.

Finally, rendering God’s things to God means we start to love and value the people God loves and values. Let the world have the rest.

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On Wednesday nights, we have begun studying theology and the first section deals with the authority of Scripture. Our study in Luke happens to dovetail nicely with that theme. Now that Jesus is in Jerusalem, days before his crucifixion, the religious leaders begin to challenge the authority of Jesus. They are looking for a way to trap him and turn the people against him. Let’s start reading at the end of Luke 19:

47 And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy him,

48 but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were hanging on his words.

20:1 One day, as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came up

2 and said to him, “Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority.”

Remember, that Jesus just finished clearing out the court of the Gentiles in the temple – driving out the money changers with a whip. It’s not just His teachings, but also His public actions that are being called into question by the religious leaders.

And their question here is about authority. Who or what has given you the authority to correct us? They ask this question because they saw themselves as the custodians of faith and practice. They saw themselves as the ones responsible for interpreting God’s Word.

They consider Jesus to be a human rabbi, at most an equal. More likely, they considered Him to be an illegitimate teacher and blasphemous, because He said and did things that implied divine authority.

In their eyes, Jesus was an untrained rabbi with no formal endorsement. But the people loved Jesus. As Luke said, they hung on every word he spoke. And so, the religious leaders were desperate to discredit Jesus.

3 He answered them, “I also will ask you a question. Now tell me,

4 was the baptism of John from heaven or from man?”

This is a brilliant reply, because it exposes their own failures to define authority.

5 And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’

6 But if we say, ‘From man,’ all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet.”

7 So they answered that they did not know where it came from.

8 And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Jesus refuses to play their game. But He takes the opportunity to expose their own hypocrisy. These men are not looking for the truth. They are trying to preserve their own way of life.

And I think this is a good moment for us to ask some hard questions about the way we approach God’s Word. When we come to God’s Word, are we doing so in a self-interested way?

Pride and fear of change are powerful impulses that can keep us from submitting to God’s Word. We don’t have the right to question Jesus. He has the right to tell us who God is and who we are. And we should respond in humility, repentance, and faith.

I think it is also important to acknowledge the clear distinction between His authority and human authority. Human authority has its place, as we have discussed at Family Night. But the writings, creeds, confessions, and edicts of humans must never be considered equal or above the inspired Word of God.

9 And he began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard and let it out to tenants and went into another country for a long while.

10 When the time came, he sent a servant to the tenants, so that they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed.

11 And he sent another servant. But they also beat and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed.

12 And he sent yet a third. This one also they wounded and cast out.

13 Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’

14 But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.’

15 And they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them?

16 He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.” When they heard this, they said, “Surely not!”

This is the reply of the religious leaders to the parable. Surely God will not give our inheritance to someone else! So they understand what Jesus means by this.

The servants were the prophets sent by God, including John. They were rejected by the people. And now God has sent His own Son, but they are going to reject Him as well. Giving the vineyard to others means that God will transfer His covenant blessings to the Gentiles.

It’s at this point that the religious leaders respond in shock. “Surely not!” In Greek, this is a strong statement of disbelief, something like “May it never be so!” or “God forbid!”

17 But he looked directly at them and said, “What then is this that is written:
“‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone’?

18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”

Jesus defends Himself from Scripture, claiming to be the fulfillment of another Messianic prophecy. He’s making it so plain for them. He’s giving them every opportunity to repent.

But they are going to reject Him, trusting in their own judgment instead of His authority. And therein lies the issue. This is what Scripture consistently teaches about humanity.

God’s Word presents to us an uncomfortable reality. He challenges our assumptions. And instead of examining our hearts and humbling ourselves under God’s assessment, we retreat into self-justification.

Surely Not! Surely, I’m not in any real danger. Surely, God will not reject me. Surely, I’ve been good enough. Surely, I’ve done my best. Surely, I’ve earned His favor.

I’m becoming somewhat of a mechanic by necessity. I’m trying to save some money on repairs. Full disclosure, it takes me 5 times longer than it should to do anything. And part of the problem is that I have a tendency to think I understand the issue, I do it my way, and then later realize I did it wrong.

Thankfully, there are repair manuals and YouTube videos that explain everything. I’ve also got a good friend who knows way more than me about cars.

If I would just humble myself and consult the experts in advance, I would save myself a lot of time and frustration.

Very often, as sinful humans, we try to approach life on our own terms instead of submitting ourselves to the Designer. God tells us, in His Word, how life is supposed to work. But our own instincts, which are twisted by pride and self-sufficiency, continue to revolt against our intended design.

This is why we keep coming up with creative ways to hurt ourselves and others. This is why we submit to the laws we are personally comfortable with and reject or minimize the ones we personally struggle with.

It’s also why we are far more likely to submit ourselves to human interpretations of God’s Word that suit our own preferences instead of letting God’s Word and the Holy Spirit undress us before His holiness – just like the religious leaders in our text.

So, what do we do?

First, I think we need to submit ourselves to Christ’s authority in every area of our life. We don’t get to pick and choose. If God says it is good, then it is good. If God says it is bad for us, then it is bad. We need to make an honest appraisal of our lives through the lens of Scripture. He has told us what is good and what the Lord requires of us.

Second, it needs to be done in humility. Expect it to hurt. No one in this room, me included, is living a life that is perfectly pleasing to God. Far from it. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

Third, I think we need to examine the foundations of our faith. That’s a major reason why we are studying theology on Wednesday nights. Jesus calls Himself the chief cornerstone.

The Apostle Paul in Ephesians 2 teaches that the church is built on the foundation of the Apostles and the Prophets, with Jesus Himself serving as the Chief Cornerstone. He’s talking about the Word of God, which is now complete. It’s the primary means of grace that God uses to convict and purify His people.

And the primary doctrine that our salvation depends on is union with Christ. By faith alone, we are united to Christ in His death and resurrection. All the benefits of the Christian life flow from that relationship.

Finally, we need to feel a burden for people who are still living in active rejection of Christ. The Gospel is both an opportunity and a warning. If we reject the cornerstone, we will be crushed by it. But if we receive and rest in Christ, we will be saved. This is the mission of the church – to reach the lost and make disciples of Jesus.
Father, thank You for the authority of Your Word and the mercy You extend to us through Your Son. Forgive us for resisting Your authority and help us to submit every area of our lives to You. Help us be people who trust in Christ as the cornerstone of our faith and help us proclaim His truth in humility and with boldness. And as we come now to your table, make it a means of grace for us – that we might experience our union with Christ together. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

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Before we read today’s text, I want to remind you about the purpose of the Gospel of Luke. It was written specifically to convince Gentiles that Jesus is the Christ… that they might know God as their Father through Jesus. They were the outsiders. They were the outcasts. They were the unwanted. But as we draw near to the end of this book, Luke goes out of his way to show Jesus pursuing and loving the Gentiles. Luke 19, beginning in verse 41:

41 And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it,

I don’t want to rush past this. I want us to pause for just a moment and picture Christ weeping for the city of Jerusalem. Jesus loved the Jews as well. And this is another picture of the heart of God – His concern for the lost and his concern for the fallen condition of this world. Jesus is feeling it. He’s letting Himself feel it. We should feel it. He wept over it…

42 saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.

“Things that make for peace” could also be translated the “terms of peace”, like a treaty or a ceasefire agreement. But this peace is not between Rome and Israel. He’s talking about peace with God… reconciliation with the Father, the reason Jesus came to earth. It’s what the entire Gospel of Luke is offering us.

What should have been obvious to them was now hidden from them. The people have already rejected Jesus, because they have completely misunderstood His mission. And it had serious consequences.

43 For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side

44 and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

This is a prophecy. And it happened. In 70 AD, Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans and the people were scattered. According to Jesus, it was the people’s rejection of the Messiah that led to their destruction.

It is ironic that this scene follows the triumphal entry, when the people gladly received Jesus into Jerusalem. At that time, they believed Jesus was the Messiah – but He didn’t turn out to be the kind of Messiah they expected. In a few days, another crowd would be calling for his execution and none of these people are going come to His defense.

And so, Jesus weeps for them. He weeps because He cares deeply for their souls. They have rejected the Savior appointed by God. They have failed to recognize the presence of God in their midst. They will go on trying to worship God in an ignorant, distorted way having rejected His grace. And it will have serious consequences.

Do you know this morning that Jesus cares deeply for your soul as well? And for your neighbor’s soul? And for your enemy’s soul? He rejoices with us in repentance and He weeps in our rejection, because He cares.

When Jesus enters the city, He goes immediately to the Jewish center of religion and culture. He goes to the temple.

45 And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold,

46 saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers.”

All four of the Gospels include this event – the cleansing of the temple. Matthew tells us that Jesus overturned their tables. John tells us that Jesus used a whip to drive people out. So, this is a very different mental image than Jesus’ weeping for the city.

In my opinion, the best Super Bowl commercial in history was made by Reebok twenty years ago. Office Linebacker Terry Tate. A company hires an NFL linebacker to enforce company policies by tackling employees and yelling in their face. It’s hilarious because it’s so out of character for those two worlds to come together.

That is the kind of thing happening here with Jesus. It seems so out of character. He’s in the temple driving people out with a whip and knocking over tables! Jesus is angry.

The money changing itself was not wrong, but they were over-charging for the exchange rates. They are taking advantage of people. They are exploiting people’s desire to worship God. And this sends Jesus into a holy rage.

Because God’s church should be accessible to everyone, including the poor. And this is something we need to talk about, because the American church is full of this nonsense.

People are attending worship in churches, and they are constantly hearing messages about giving by pastors who are trying to exploit their desire to honor God.

But church’s leaders getting rich on the backs of their people makes Christianity look foolish. Every time God punished Israel in the OT, one of the main reasons was because her leaders were exploiting the poor for profit.

It sends the message to outsiders that Jesus just wants your money. Or that we are using Jesus to get your money…

That should not sit well with us. It should make us angry. It made Jesus angry back then. I imagine it still does. But that’s not the only reason Jesus is angry.

Arguably worse than the exploitation of the poor was that the Gentile courtyard was being used as a marketplace, interfering with their ability to worship God at all!

Most Jews despised the Gentiles, and they hated the fact that they were supposed to allow a space in the temple for them to come and worship the true God. Gentiles were “technically” welcome at the temple, if you don’t mind all the animals and people yelling out prices while you try to pray.

Jesus had a serious problem with the fact that the temple was not accessible for the Gentiles.

This is something I think Jesus is extremely passionate about. And notice, the people don’t try to stop him because I think they knew there was a problem with it. They just didn’t want to be the ones to deal with it.

But Jesus cares deeply about His place of worship being a place where everyone can come and find Him. And so, at this church, we want to serve our community by making our worship accessible to everyone who lives here to the best of our ability. We’re even trying to remove the language barrier with live transcription.

John says that Jesus was consumed with zeal for his father’s house. But that means something more than the temple.

The word “house” is used all over the New Testament to refer to the local church.
And so, Jesus does this as a sign pointing us to something bigger.

The days of this temple and the old system of sacrifices are almost over. He is declaring in his actions that this is not how you get close to God anymore.

“Cleansing the temple” is ultimately symbolic of our need to be made holy by Jesus – because our worship is always distorted and deficient apart from him. And yet, we are deeply valuable to Jesus so much that he gave His life as a sacrifice to make our worship acceptable.

The best way to interpret the passion of Jesus for His Father’s House is to consider His love for His church – for us! He is zealous for us, for our holiness.

Jesus appears strong here. But there was never a stronger moment in the ministry of Jesus than the moment when he appeared his weakest. On the cross.

That’s where Jesus conquered sin and took the full punishment for our sin on himself. He died to free us from our exclusivist, self-righteous, self-indulgent hearts.

Jesus is showing us how much He loves us – how much we wants His bride, the Church, to be pure. And if the temple of God is now the human heart, where His Spirit rests, then we need Jesus to keep cleaning house.

One of my favorite songs is the ballad of Love and Hate by the Avett Brothers. The song tells a story about a husband who is portrayed as selfish, cold, and indifferent, living recklessly and focused solely on personal gratification. He leaves Love behind without a thought, engaging in activities that feed his desires and disregard the consequences.

His wife, on the other hand, is selfless, patient, and faithful. Despite being abandoned and hurt by Hate, she remains loyal and hopeful, preparing for his return and continuing to care for him in his absence. In the end, Hate returns, weary and broken from his journey. This is how the song ends:

Hate stumbles forward and leans in the door
Weary head hung down, eyes to the floor
He says, “Love, I’m sorry” and she says, “What for?”
“I’m yours and that’s it, whatever”
“I should not have been gone for so long”, he says
But Love replies, “I’m yours and that’s it, forever”
“Your mine and that’s it, forever”

Love welcomes him back with unconditional love.

But that’s impossible without sacrifice. And that’s how the Gospel works. Jesus doesn’t just weep for us. He’s working towards a blood-bought vision of what we will be one day, a vision described in Revelation 19:

7 Let us rejoice and exult
and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his Bride has made herself ready;
8 it was granted her to clothe herself
with fine linen, bright and pure”—
for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

It was granted her. She didn’t earn this. It was granted her. Jesus will dress His bride in His own righteousness such that it becomes our righteousness.

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Every culture has its way of celebrating the arrival of someone important. In medieval times, when a king entered a town, the people would line the streets, waving banners and laying out their finest cloths to prepare the way.

We don’t have a king, but we do something similar for celebrities. Think about the grand entrances we create for famous people: red carpets, flashing cameras, the cheering fans.

In Luke 19, we see Jesus making His grand entrance into Jerusalem—and in many ways, the people receive Him as they would a conquering king.

But His arrival was also marked by humility and it teaches us something important about His identity and the nature of His kingdom.

28 And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

What did Jesus just finish saying? It was the parable from last week and the last sentence was a grim warning to the enemies of God, “Bring them here and slaughter them before me.” The disciples probably thought of it as a battle cry. Is Jesus going to conquer His enemies and claim His throne?

Luke has been building to this moment. Jesus is finally approaching Jerusalem for the last time. And when Luke says Jesus is going up, he means it literally. Jericho is 800 feet below sea level. Jerusalem is 3000 feet above sea level. The journey took all day long going up.

29 When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples,

30 saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here.

These are villages on the eastern outskirts of Jerusalem. But notice the intentionality of Jesus here. He has purposefully orchestrated this event.

Jesus knows that the people will think of a specific prophecy, from Zechariah 9:9, that the promised king will come to them humble and mounted on the colt of a donkey. He wants the people to make that connection. Jesus is announcing Himself as their King.

31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’”

32 So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them.

33 And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?”

34 And they said, “The Lord has need of it.”

Every parent has had the experience of their child asking “why”. Why do I need to clean my room? Why do I need to turn off the TV? Why do I need to finish my homework? Why do I need to go to bed at a certain time?

And every parent has, at some point, replied with the same four words – “because I said so.” I don’t always need to explain “why” as the parent. I need you as the child to obey even if you don’t understand.

“The Lord has need of it” is like that. It’s not a real explanation. It’s just a power move. He’s commandeering the donkey.

And I think it’s important here to recognize the obedience of the disciples and the owners. They may not fully understand what’s happening, but they still obey.

Obedience isn’t just difficult for children. It’s difficult for all of us. We don’t want to follow the rules unless we understand… unless we can see the value. What’s in it for me, Jesus? Why is better to do what you want me to do? Why can’t I just do what I want to do?

If Jesus is making a public display of His Lordship in this moment, then we meant to ask these questions. What might the Lord need from me? What might He be asking of me? Do I need convincing, or will I trust Him and obey?

35 And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it.

36 And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road.

Some gave their cloaks to make a saddle. Others used their cloaks in a symbolic way, as act of honor and submission to royalty. In 2 Kings 9, the people do the same thing to honor Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat. These people are declaring their unconditional support for Jesus and His claim to the throne.

And so now we are moving from obedience to worship.

37 As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen,

38 saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

This is from Psalm 118, a song that was always sung by pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem. And they are singing in recognition that Jesus is their King! And as we begin to recognize the worthiness of Jesus, we respond with worship as well. But not everyone sees it.

39 And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.”

40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

And that completes our text for today.

Jesus here is intentionally and publicly confirming his identity as the Promised King in a way that everyone would understand. This is why the religious leaders begged Jesus to stop. They were rejecting His claim, and they were afraid this would draw Roman attention and retaliation.

But Jesus replies by saying it would be impossible to keep them from worshipping. And if they stopped, the stones would cry out! Creation itself recognizes the significance of this event and the identity of its King.

I want to make two observations about this story.

First, consider the image of Jesus riding on a young donkey. Have you seen a donkey? It’s not a regal animal. A donkey is a beast of burden… a humble animal. It’s the animal of a commoner, not the animal of a king. Jesus is intentionally contrasting himself with earthly kings seeking ambition and power. It’s a symbol that Jesus is rejecting the path of violence and conquest.

Luke tells us the donkey has never been ridden before, meaning it has not been broken. Unbroken animals do not typically cooperate with being ridden by a human. But this donkey willingly accepts the burden. Likewise, Jesus is riding to Jerusalem to willingly carry the burdens of His people on His own back.

Second, let’s talk about the crowds. Luke identifies the crowds as “the whole multitude of his disciples.” Almost every sermon I’ve ever heard about this story has made the same claim. I’m sure you’ve heard it before. I’ve probably even said it at some point. “The same crowds singing Hosanna on Sunday were yelling crucify Him on Friday.”

It’s a point that preaches well, but it’s probably not true. For the most part, these were probably two different groups of people. But… if you had told this crowd, the followers of Jesus, what He was on the way to do in Jerusalem, they would have been shocked and confused. He’s going to disappoint them, and they are going to scatter in fear and sadness.

I love the application Tom Wright adds at the end of his commentary on this story:

“Are we going along for the trip in the hope that Jesus will fulfill some of our hopes and desires? Are we ready to sing a song of praise, but only as long as Jesus seems to be doing what we want?

The long and dusty pilgrim way of our lives gives most of us plenty of time to sort out our motives for following Jesus in the first place.

Are we ready, not only to spread our cloaks on the road in front of him, to do the showy and flamboyant thing, but also to now follow him into trouble, controversy, trial and death?”

Before the resurrection and the gift of the Holy Spirit, the disciples were certainly NOT ready to do that. Jesus went to the cross alone, bearing the weight of their sin and ours.

After the resurrection, the disciples would begin to understand what Jesus had accomplished. They would begin to understand their King and the nature of His kingdom.

And now that we know the Gospel—that Jesus did for us what we could not do—there is a call before us.

Following Jesus is not a matter of ceremony and public displays of devotion. It’s a matter of costly discipleship. It requires enduring faith through suffering and sacrifice.

Our King rides in on a donkey and petitions us to follow Him. It comes with a choice and a cost. Trust, Obey, and Worship Him. Or don’t. God will be worshipped either way.

One day, every knee will bow. One day Jesus will return, not on a donkey but on a warhorse. This is the final depiction of Jesus in the Bible, from Revelation 19:

11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.

12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself.

13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God.

14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses.

15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.

16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

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Caleb did an excellent job last week with the story about Zacchaeus. Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. When he finds them and saves them, they respond with tremendous gratitude. Zacchaeus is a remarkable story of grace and change.

But Luke follows it immediately with a grim parable—a sharp contrast of expectations and consequences. After witnessing the transformation of Zacchaeus, we find a story that challenges our response to grace and the King who gives it.

11 As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately.

Luke gives us the context to make sure we understand the purpose of this parable. Jesus is using it to correct our concept of God’s kingdom.

12 He said therefore, “A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return.

13 Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Engage in business until I come.’

A mina was a large sum of money, possibly a few months wages.

14 But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’

Pause here for a moment. Imagine I started telling you a story about a former president. Some of the members of his administration broke into the offices of an opposing political party in a hotel to plant listening devices. But they were caught, and the president lost his job.

This should sound familiar to most of you, even if you weren’t alive at the time. This was the famous Watergate Scandal that led to the resignation of Richard Nixon.

Most of the people listening to Jesus would have immediately associated the start of this parable with a specific historical event. 30 years prior, Archelaus (the son of Herod the Great) had to go to Rome (a far country) to claim his throne before Caesar.

But the Jews hated Archelaus and sent a delegation to argue against him becoming ruler. They mostly hated him because he had about 3,000 Jews killed on the first Passover after his father died. He also built a palace and an aqueduct in Jericho, which is where Jesus was, so it’s very obvious that Jesus meant for the people here to think of Archelaus.

But why? Why would Jesus use this as the background for his parable? The people had good cause to hate Archelaus. The man ruled by fear and violence. Jesus rules with grace and truth. Really the only thing Archelaus and Jesus had in common is that both kings faced rejection.

And at this moment, the people loved Jesus. But their love for him won’t last. The moment Jesus defied their expectations, they rejected him too. And so, Jesus uses this parable as a challenge to prepare his disciples for life in God’s kingdom.

What will you do if this doesn’t go the way you think? What will you do in my absence?

15 When he returned, having received the kingdom, he ordered these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by doing business.

It’s interesting that Jesus chooses to present the kingdom of God in business terms, something he does often. The implied question is obvious: will you be faithful with whatever God provides?

16 The first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.’

That’s an absurdly large profit! But notice that the servant recognizes that the mina never belonged to him. It always belonged to the king.

17 And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’

That’s an absurdly generous upgrade in responsibility!

18 And the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made five minas.’

Notice again… “your mina”. It belongs to the king.

19 And he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’

Do you see the pattern here? The king is generous, but there is a standard being set. Even though the reward is extremely gracious, it is given proportionate to the servant’s effort.

20 Then another came, saying, ‘Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief;

21 for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’

This verse is the key to understanding the parable. How does this servant excuse his lack of effort? He blames the king! He says, “I’m afraid of you.” And then he accuses the king of unfair expectations.

But the problem is not with the king. The problem is with the servant’s perception of the king. The instructions given by the king were simple: “Engage in business until I come.”

That’s actually an incredibly low expectation. Do something… anything… anything at all until I get back. There’s no threat attached to it. It’s just a simple instruction. Certainly the king has the right to tell his servants what to do with his own resources!

22 He said to him, ‘I will condemn you with your own words, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow?

23 Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’

Even the most minimal effort would have been accepted. Just put it in the bank instead of holding it in your pocket! Jesus is not expecting perfect results here, just faithfulness of some kind. But this servant rejects the authority of his king by doing nothing and then blames his lack of effort on the king!

24 And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’

25 And they said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten minas!’

26 ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

27 But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me.’”

I told you this was a grim parable. It’s not a happy ending. So, what do we do with it?

Well, remember the context. Luke tells us that Jesus uses this parable to correct our understanding of God’s kingdom. Is Jesus really my King? What if this doesn’t go the way I think it will? What will I do? How will I respond?

When Jesus gets to Jerusalem, things will not go the way people expect. Jesus will not start a political revolution. He will be betrayed, arrested, and crucified. His disciples will scatter.

And then, after the resurrection, Jesus physically left His disciples. He gave them gifts and instructions, promising to return in the future. Would they be faithful?

Is Jesus really my King? What if this doesn’t go the way I think it will? What will I do? How will I respond?

These are good questions for us to ask at the start of a New Year. It’s possible that 2025 will be a great year for you, full of unexpected blessing. It’s also possible that you will experience unimaginable suffering. Nothing may go as planned. Will Jesus still be your King? What will you do? How will you respond?

Jesus says, “Engage in business until I come.” The business, of course, is kingdom business… not just making money. It’s a bigger, broader principle. What will you do with whatever the King has given you? Your time? Your gifts and abilities? Your opportunities?

The greatest deposit Jesus entrusted to us is the Holy Spirit. And the greatest instruction He gave us was “go and make disciples”. Luke will make this plain at the beginning of Acts. But this principle extends further, because everything we have belongs to the King and has been entrusted to us for the sake of His kingdom.

The resources, gifts, and abilities that are given to us belong to Jesus and they exist for the benefit of the kingdom of God. Just as the minas did not really belong to the servants, none of these things really belong to us. They are given for God’s purpose and plan. We can and should enjoy them. But it all belongs to Him.

This has the potential to really change the way we think about our lives. We tend to compartmentalize the various things in our lives, and we typically break everything down into two major categories: spiritual and secular.

Church, Prayer, Bible Study, Works of Service and Mercy, etc.
Vs.
Work, School, Play, Art/Music, basically everything else we do…

But this is a false dichotomy. This is the way Satan wants us to think about religion. If we keep all the religious stuff over here and all the other stuff over there, then we can’t expect this to have much influence over that.

But every part of our lives is subject to the kingship of Christ, and because that is true there is a spiritual aspect to everything we do. Everything is meant be done for the glory of God.

We are meant to glorify and enjoy God not just on Sunday mornings, but in everything. You can play sports for the glory of God. You can make a good business deal to the glory of God. You can cook a delicious meal for the glory of God.

You’re not just a husband or a wife, a father or a mother, a son or a daughter, an employee or a student, an artist or a musician or an athlete, who happens to be a Christian. You’re a child of the King and you’ve been given gifts and abilities to use for the glory of the King and to spread the influence of His kingdom!

Another fun implication of this principle is that no jobs are better than others. The world places greater value on careers that earn the most income. But it doesn’t work that way in the kingdom of God. Carpenters are no less important in the kingdom of God than engineers. Janitors are no less important than doctors.

Kingdom business isn’t just church work; it’s any activity done in obedience to God and for His glory—whether parenting, serving your neighbor, or excelling in your career.

Are there areas where you compartmentalize your faith? What would it look like for Jesus to reign over those areas?

This is a different way of thinking about our life—in service to God and His kingdom. This is not a duty, or an obligation, so much as it is an act of gratitude. It is an act of joy from a heart that is overflowing with gratitude for what the King has done.

We follow a God who became a man, lived most of his life as an ordinary carpenter in a small town, and then after a brief ministry, He died on a cross for His people. Unless you recognize the spiritual significance of the work of Christ, his life looks absolutely meaningless.

The same is true of his followers. The world may not see the spiritual significance of your life as a Christian, but to God your life holds vast importance. And so let us not live our lives in fear of failure or insufficiency like the wicked servant in the parable. Let us live our lives in faithfulness, knowing that our life and everything we have belongs to King Jesus.

But I wouldn’t be doing the parable any justice if I didn’t end the way He does. There is a day of judgment coming, when those who have rejected the King will face His wrath.

But the King’s generosity is also on the table. Right now we have an opportunity to respond together to His grace… to respond together in repentance and faith as we come to the table of the King.

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Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel (which means, God with us).

A mom walks into her daughter’s room and finds her curled up in the bed, holding a photo of her dad, tears streaming down her face. It’s Christmas Eve and her dad is a soldier, deployed overseas during the holidays. He has kept in touch with letters, video calls, and recordings of bedtime stories. But it’s not the same. She looks at her mom and says, “I miss him. I wish he was here for real.”

She’s feeling the absence of someone she loves. Even with video calls, nothing can really fill the void of someone’s presence. We feel the distance… we feel the absence and we don’t like that feeling. It reminds us that something isn’t right about this world. Absence makes us feel lost.

I have a framed picture of my grandmother on my nightstand. I miss her at Christmas more than ever. But that’s not a bad thing. It’s a very human thing, to miss the people you love. God understands that feeling and speaks directly to it.

Christmas tells us that God Himself is not absent or distant. He is with us! His presence brings the comfort, security, and peace we are longing for.

God Himself bridged the gap between absence and presence. His nearness is the heart of the Christmas story.

From the very beginning, humanity has known the ache of God’s absence. In Genesis 3, after Adam and Eve sinned, they hid from God, and the close fellowship they once enjoyed with Him was broken. They had never felt absence before that moment.

The Bible describes a world groaning under the weight of this separation. Even the people of God have felt it, as evidenced by many of the Psalms:

Why, O Lord, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

Even today, in our darkest moments, God can feel distant. When sickness or injury happens, when relationships become a struggle, when the bills start to pile up… we start asking where is God?

It’s because of sin that we feel this absence… It’s not because of God. But Christmas is God’s resounding declaration that sin will not have the last word.

Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel (which means, God with us).

This is not just a comforting idea; it’s a present reality. God has already closed the gap. He has already stepped into our world, not as a distant observer, but as a fully present Savior.

And nothing else is going to work. Nothing us is going to help.

Think of a child lost in a store, frantically searching for a parent. They may be surrounded by strangers offering help and promising safety, but nothing is going to calm that child down until they see their mom or dad. They don’t want to hear a stranger’s words—they need mom or dad’s presence.

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, God wasn’t sending help from a distance. He wasn’t sending another prophet. He was coming for us Himself.

His presence among us means we are not alone in our fears, our struggles, or our questions. The transcendent God became imminent—near, physical, knowable.

And His presence is not temporary; it’s eternal. In Jesus, the separation caused by sin is undone. Through His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus has opened the way for God to dwell with us forever.

Jesus didn’t just come to visit; He came to stay. His presence is with us now through the Holy Spirit, and one day, we will experience it fully in the new heavens and new earth.

Revelation 21:3 announces God’s plan:

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.

This is the ultimate answer to absence—eternal communion with God. Imagine the finger of Jesus personally wiping away your tears, because that’s the promise! …

There’s a tradition in some cultures during the holidays where an empty chair is left at the table, symbolizing a loved one who couldn’t be there.

On that first Christmas night, the “empty chair” of God’s apparent distance was filled. In the most unexpected way—in the form of a baby—God Himself took His seat at the table of humanity. The Creator entered creation to be with us.

He didn’t just send prophets or angels to speak on His behalf; He came in person, bridging the gap between heaven and earth.

This matters because His presence gives us peace. When life feels overwhelming, we can rest in the assurance that God is not far away. As Psalm 34:18 reminds us:

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

His presence also gives us purpose. We are not aimless wanderers in a meaningless world. God’s nearness transforms our daily lives into opportunities to walk with Him, reflect His glory, and share His light.

And finally, His presence gives us hope. In a world where absence often feels more real than presence, Christmas reminds us that God has come and will come again. The promise of Immanuel means that even in the darkest valleys, we are never alone.

As we gather this Christmas Eve, let us remember that the heart of the gospel is not just what God has done for us but that He is with us. His presence is the antidote to absence, the fulfillment of our deepest longing, and the greatest gift we could ever receive.

Perhaps you came here tonight feeling distant from God or unsure of His nearness. If that’s you, know that God’s name is Immanuel because He refuses to be absent from His people. He doesn’t just tolerate our presence; He delights in being WITH US.

So, as we light candles, sing carols, and reflect on the miracle of the manger, let us marvel at this: the God of the universe is not far off. He is here.

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One of the reasons I love Christmas is because of the tradition. It’s warm and familiar and somewhat predictable. We listen to the same songs. We watch the same movies. We put up the same decorations.

Of course, there’s a healthy dose of chaos thrown in the mix as well. We scramble to get everything ready – finding the perfect gifts, making plans with family, finishing up the semester. And for many there is probably a fair amount of anxiety or grief or other emotions.

But for Christians, this season is meant to be a relief from the chaos of the world. We are meant to calm down and quiet our hearts and remember the joy of the Incarnation. We are celebrating the coming of the Son of God and Son of Man in the person of Jesus.

This year, we’ve been walking through the four names or titles of Jesus from Isaiah 9:6 –

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

The last one – Prince of Peace – is our focus today. In Hebrew, it’s the name “Sar Shalom” and “prince of peace” may not be the best translation. If you do an image search for “prince of peace” you’ll see paintings of Jesus releasing doves or welcoming you into his arms, but “Sar Shalom” is not a soft and passive name.

Everywhere else the word “Sar” is used in the Bible it refers to a military leader, so a more direct translation would be something like “the warlord of peace” or the “commander of peace”. And that sounds strange to us, because war and peace are opposites.

But the second word, “Shalom”, also means something more than the absence of conflict. It means stability and order… the absence of chaos or the opposite of chaos.

In fact, there’s a hint of this even at the birth of Jesus. Look again at Luke 2:13 –

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

These are angels singing and declaring peace on earth. But notice what Luke called them – the heavenly “host”, a word that in Greek means “army”. So, these are not babies with harps. This is an army of angels that showed up to witness the birth of Jesus, the Warlord of Shalom.

I think this brings a bit of depth to how we think of this title “Prince of Peace”. The peace of Jesus is not simply the absence of conflict, but the presence of something far greater. Jesus came to earth to secure a new world order, to restore and bring stability to everything, and to end the chaos of sin and death.

And I think it is important to recognize that the world talks a big game when it comes to peace, with very little actual peace to show for it. It is the way of the world to cry “peace” when there is no peace. Instead, the history of the world is a long and violent one.

On Christmas Eve in 1914, German, French, and Scottish soldiers were fighting in the trenches of the first World War. But that evening, the fighting stopped, and the Germans began singing Silent Night. The Scottish soldiers recognized the song, and they joined in with their bagpipes.

Eventually, the soldiers ventured into the area between the front lines and agreed to a Christmas Truce. The soldiers exchanged gifts, played soccer, and shared stories. They even had a worship service!

But the next morning, the high command on all sides was furious and the soldiers were forced back into battle, which was more intense than it was before. And that’s the world we live in.

But Jesus came to do what we cannot seem to do, no matter how bad we want it and how much world leaders talk about it.

Of course, the peace that Jesus brings is not just about ending wars or resolving conflicts between nations, though that will come in His time. The peace of Jesus—the shalom He promises—is far deeper and more personal. It is peace with God, peace within ourselves, and ultimately peace that will encompass all creation.

The foundation of Jesus’ peace is reconciliation with God. Without this, any other kind of peace is temporary and incomplete. Sin has created a barrier between humanity and God—a barrier that no amount of good works or personal effort can overcome.

But Jesus, our Prince of Peace, came to tear down that wall. Paul writes in Romans 5:1:

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

This peace is not something we achieve; it’s something we receive. It’s a gift, bought by the blood of Christ. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus bridged the chasm between a holy God and sinful humanity.

The warlord of peace fought the ultimate battle against sin and death and emerged victorious. His victory means that we no longer have to live as enemies of God. Instead, we are brought into His family as beloved sons and daughters.

This reconciliation changes everything. It’s not just a legal status—it’s a relationship. And when we embrace this truth, when we truly understand that we are already at peace with God, it becomes the anchor for every other kind of peace in our lives.

The chaos of this world often finds its way into our hearts and minds, doesn’t it? We live in a culture of anxiety, where stress and fear seem to dominate everything. We worry about our finances, our relationships, our future, and a million other things. The holiday season often intensifies these feelings rather than easing them.

But Jesus provides us with an alternative. He says in John 14:27:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

Notice the contrast. Jesus says my peace is not like the peace of the world. The world’s version of peace is fragile and fleeting, based on circumstances. It’s the kind of peace we feel when everything is going well, but it evaporates the moment trouble arises.

The peace of Jesus, on the other hand, is steadfast and unshakable. It’s a peace that doesn’t depend on external conditions because it is rooted in His unchanging presence and promises.

The Apostle Paul communicates this concept of peace in Philippians 4:6-7:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

This is a kind of peace that defies logic. It’s not that our problems magically disappear, but that in the midst of them, we experience a supernatural calm. It’s the assurance that God is in control, that He is good, and that He is working all things for our ultimate good and His glory.

And when we are at peace with God and have His peace within us, it overflows into our relationships with others. Paul writes in Ephesians 2:14:

For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility.

In this context, Paul is talking about the division between Jews and Gentiles, but the principle applies to all human relationships. The peace of Jesus breaks down barriers—whether they are cultural, racial, political, or personal. He calls us to be peacemakers, to love our enemies, and to forgive those who have wronged us.

This is perhaps one of the most challenging aspects of following Jesus, especially in a world that seems increasingly divided and contentious. But as Christians, we are called to be agents of His peace.

This doesn’t mean avoiding conflict or pretending that everything is fine. True peace often requires hard conversations, repentance, and reconciliation. But with Jesus as our Prince of Peace, we can do the hard things with courage and grace.

Finally, the peace of Jesus points us forward to the ultimate peace that will come when He returns. The world is still full of chaos, violence, and brokenness, but it won’t always be this way.

The Prince of Peace has already secured the victory, and one day He will bring it to completion. Isaiah’s prophecy continues in verse 7:

Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore.

This is the hope of Christmas: that the child born in Bethlehem will one day reign as King over all creation. He will put an end to every war, wipe away every tear, and make all things new.

That is the shalom we long for—a world where everything is as it should be, where there is no more chaos, only perfect peace.

So, what does it mean for us today to live under the rule of the Prince of Peace? It means resting in His finished work, trusting in His promises, and letting the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, as Paul says in Colossians 3.

It also means sharing His peace with others. It means being intentional about reflecting the peace of Jesus in our families, our schools, our workplaces, and our communities. It means being an agent of stability instead of an agent of chaos – for the glory of Jesus.

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During the Advent season, we are working our way through the four names or titles attributed to Jesus in Isaiah 9:6 –

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Each of these names reveals something beautiful about the character and mission of Jesus. This morning, we will focus on the title “Everlasting Father.”

At first glance, it might seem unusual to refer to Jesus as “Father,” since He is technically the Son of God. But Isaiah is not concerned here about roles within the Trinity. Instead, this title speaks to the eternal, fatherly love that Jesus embodies. He brought the love of the Father to us.

Jesus Himself describes this relationship best in John 14. To encourage his disciples, that they are known and loved by the Father, Jesus tells them – “I am in the Father and the Father is in me.”

Jesus says this because it is true, in some mysterious way. The Father and the Son are in perfect union with each other. But He also says it because He wants his disciples to know and experience the love of the Father for themselves – through Him!

There’s an old classic book called The Railway Children. In the story, a family is broken up when the father is wrongfully accused of a crime and sent to prison. The mother and her three children are forced to move to a small house by a railroad office.

The owner of the railroad is an elderly man. He meets the family and feels compelled to start providing for some of their needs. But the man also knows he can never take the place of their missing father. Eventually, he discovers that the father was wrongfully imprisoned, and he uses his money and influence to correct the injustice.

At the end of the story, the children see their father stepping off a train – free and home, their family restored by the kindness of a stranger who made it possible.

Likewise, Jesus is our Advocate, seeking to restore our relationship with His Father. He knows that we are floundering, desperately in need of the love, safety, and care that we were created to experience. He knows that we seek it in all the wrong ways. He was moved by compassion to do something about it.

The difference of course is that WE caused that rift, and He had to suffer injustice to repair it. The only way we can experience the love of the Father is through the cross of Jesus.

Why would He do that? We know it was grace, that we don’t deserve such sacrifice. But what it tells us is that the love of the Father must be so amazing, so rich, that Jesus was willing to die for us to experience it.

In fact, in John 14 – just before Jesus says He is one with the Father, he says, “In my Father’s house there are many rooms, and I’m going to prepare a place for you.”

I’m bringing you home with me! You’re going to meet my Father and you’re going to live with us forever. What does that sound like? It sounds like adoption – because that’s exactly what it is and how the Bible describes it.

To all who believe in the name of Jesus, it is granted the right to become children of God. He has chosen us for adoption in himself as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ.

And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

I want to pause here and say, I know that for some the word “father” carries a lot of emotional weight. Some think of a loving, steadfast presence, someone who protected, provided, and guided them. Others may feel pain, loss, or even anger when they hear the word, due to broken relationships or unmet expectations.

But God is a perfect Father, even if you struggle to imagine what that could mean. He doesn’t abandon us when life gets hard. His care isn’t fleeting or conditional—it’s eternal and unchanging. Psalm 91:4 says:

He will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.

Even in your most difficult moments, God sees you, He knows your fears, and He is committed to protecting you as only an Everlasting Father can.

Unlike human relationships, which can waver or fade, His love endures forever. His love is not bound by time, nor is it diminished by our failures or circumstances.

Throughout the Gospels, we see the tender care of Jesus for people. He embodied this fatherly love time and time again, moving toward people in need, offering compassion, healing, and restoration. His care wasn’t superficial or temporary; it reflected the unchanging heart of God.

But Jesus also called people to repentance. He takes us the way He finds us, but He doesn’t leave us that way… and He doesn’t take us home that way. He called us to leave the world behind and follow Him home.

Practically speaking, what that means is that it’s not enough to intellectually acknowledge that God is love. It’s meant to be embraced. HE is meant to be embraced. We are meant to find our hope and security in His embrace.

1 Peter 5 invites us to cast all our anxieties upon Him, because He cares for us. James 4 invites us to draw near to God, promising that He will draw near to us.

This relationship with our Everlasting Father – it won’t be perfect on our end until Jesus returns or until we die and go to be with Him. We may struggle to feel it… to believe it… to embrace it.

But for His part, it is perfect and unchanging whether we feel it and believe it or not. And that’s because His love for us is not anchored in our efforts to love Him. His love for us is anchored in God’s own character and nature, demonstrated by the redemptive work of Christ on our behalf.

If perfect love exists in this world, it would have to be the kind of love that persists through even the worst offenses.

In 1974, 10-year-old Chris Carrier was abducted by a man who held a grudge against Chris’s family. The man drove him to a remote place, stabbed him, shot him, and left him for dead. Miraculously, Chris survived but was blinded in one eye. The man who did this was never caught, and Chris’s life moved on.

Years later, when Chris was an adult, he received a phone call from a hospice nurse. The nurse explained that a man named David McAllister was dying and had confessed to being Chris’s attacker.

Instead of seeking revenge, Chris chose to visit McAllister in the hospice. When Chris met the frail and blind McAllister, he saw a broken man who was nearing the end of his life. Over time, Chris not only forgave McAllister but also began visiting him regularly. Chris talked with him, brought him meals, and shared the gospel with him.

McAllister, who had no family or friends to care for him, was shown compassion by the very person he had tried to kill decades earlier. Before McAllister died, he expressed sorrow for his actions and placed his faith in Christ.

That’s the kind of love we’re talking about… a love that honestly makes no sense to us. We expect fathers to love their children. We don’t expect people to love their worst enemies.

But that’s God of the Bible kind of love, because we deserve love and forgiveness as much as old Mr. McAllister did – which is to say not at all. And nothing we do right is ever going to change that.

But one question remains:

How do you know you have the love of the Everlasting Father in your life? It’s the same as it is with any relationship. The person who loves you starts to rub off on you. His love starts to change you.

It starts with placing your faith in Jesus – today and every day, because He is our connection to the Father. And over time, we begin to recognize His love spilling over into our lives. We start to recognize His fatherly care and provision in our lives.

We start to see His character developing in our life – things like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. And when we fail, which we will, the humility to confess it and repent.

We start to develop peace and contentment, even in the midst of difficult circumstances. The promise of eternal life with Him becomes an anchor.

Most importantly, a deeper personal relationship with God begins to grow. The evidence of it is worship – not just on a Sunday morning in this room, but an every moment kind of worship. We start to live every moment before the loving face of our Father.

I imagine, in a much more perfect way, that God looks at me the way I look at my children when I feel proud of them. My heart literally fills with joy and I’m sure that is reflected in the way I look at them. And I want them to know it and feel it.

How much more amazing must it be to know and feel the love of a perfect Father? Especially knowing I could never do anything to earn it?

But this is where some of us go in the wrong direction. We know we don’t deserve it, but sometimes we get stuck there and it prevents us from really experiencing God’s love for us.

And I want you to know, Jesus really, really wants you to experience His love. My favorite example of Jesus demonstrating the love and concern of a father is found in John 2. In fact, it was His very first miracle. Jesus attended a wedding feast and provided 180 gallons of wine when the party ran out – that’s almost 1,000 bottles!

In our culture, it’s the father of the bride who pays for the wedding. But at that time, it was the groom’s father who was responsible for the feast and the groom’s father failed. But Jesus showed up and proclaimed Himself the life of the party!

That was the first impression Jesus made in His ministry. It must be one of the first things God wants us to know about who He is.

He’s the father who shows up. He’s the father who loves you. He doesn’t want you to be miserable and embarrassed by life. Not anymore.

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.

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In the movie Talladega Nights, race car driver Ricky Bobby sits down with his family to enjoy dinner. And like every good Southern family, he prays before the meal. But he addresses God as “Lord Baby Jesus”. His wife interrupts the prayer to remind Ricky that Jesus grew up. He didn’t stay a baby – and that it was odd to keep praying to him as if he’s still a baby.

And this was his reply: “Well, I like the Christmas Jesus best, and I’m saying grace. When you say grace you can say it to grownup Jesus, or teenage Jesus, or bearded Jesus, or whoever you want!”

This is a lighthearted moment, but it reflects a deeper truth: we sometimes diminish the full picture of who Jesus is. And that is especially true at Christmas with songs like Silent Night and Away in a Manger.

There is something mysterious and amazing about the fact that God put himself in a manger – that the Messiah was a baby. And yet, we are not meant to keep thinking of Jesus as a baby. We need to graduate from “Christmas Jesus”.

For that purpose, we are using the season of Advent to consider the four prophetic titles of Jesus found in Isaiah 9:6.

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Today, we will focus our attention on the second title: “Mighty God”.

This title is a bold claim: that the promised Messiah of Israel was going to somehow be God Himself. Unlike the surrounding nations, the Israelites believed in only One God. The God of Israel did not share His glory with the false gods of other nations.

But when this prophecy was given, Israel was in trouble. God was allowing the ruthless, violent nation of Assyria to threaten Israel because of their spiritual wandering. Isaiah spoke of invasion, destruction, and exile.

But he also prophesied about a time of restoration and a King who would establish an eternal reign of peace and justice. This title, El Gibbor… “Mighty God”… was a declaration that the Messiah would be something more than another human hero like Samson or David; God Himself would come to earth and deliver His people.

And only in Jesus do we see the fulfillment of this name. Jesus is the ultimate champion who fights for His people and triumphs over every enemy. The identity of Jesus as Mighty God is affirmed repeatedly in the New Testament through His preaching, His miracles, and His resurrection power.

Jesus taught with a divine authority that astonished His audience. He spoke not as someone who knew and understood the Law, but as someone who wrote it. He declared sovereignty over it. He claimed to fulfill it. He claimed to have the power to forgive sins. He claimed unity with the Father. Seven times he declared Himself to be the great “I AM”, the name of God revealed to Moses at the burning bush.

The power of Jesus was also displayed in His miracles. He commanded the wind and the waves. He fed thousands of people with a few loaves and fish. He healed people. He raised people from the dead.

But the greatest demonstration of the power of Christ was His own resurrection. By rising from the dead, Jesus proved His power over humanity’s greatest enemy—death itself. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15 that death has been swallowed up in victory, and this victory belongs to our Mighty God, Jesus Christ.

Why does this matter? It matters, because the power of Jesus is not abstract or distant; it is deeply personal and transformative. This is Incarnational truth, no less personal than the title of Wonderful Counselor from last week. Not only is Christ offering us empathy and wisdom… He has the power to repair and reverse our problems.

The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in saving us from sin. There is no addiction, failure, or shame that is too great for the Mighty God who redeems and restores.

The Mighty God meets us in the moments of our greatest weakness. According to 2 Corinthians 12, Christ’s power is made perfect in our weakness.

Jesus is also claiming the title of Mighty God over our lives, which makes this a call to repentance. He is not only the Savior who rescues us. He is the King who reigns over every aspect of our lives. But this is where we need to pause and talk about the difference between Christ and the powers of this world.

When we start talking about God claiming authority over people, it can sound restrictive and oppressive. That’s because of the way power is typically used in our world. And so, it is important to understand that God doesn’t use His power in selfish, oppressive ways.

Worldly power focuses on external control and appearances, but Jesus uses His power to change people from the inside out – transforming hearts and renewing minds.

Worldly power is often pursued for personal gain, control, or dominance. It’s focused on self-promotion and conquest.

But the power of Jesus is rooted in humility and sacrificial love, something He demonstrated by washing His disciples’ feet and ultimately by dying on the cross. He could have called legions of angels to His side, but He allowed Himself to be crucified unjustly as a substitute for us.

Worldly power is temporary and fleeting, focused on wealth, fame, or political control. It fades and is often replaced by something or someone else.

But Jesus used his power to change things for eternity, establishing a kingdom that will never end.

Worldly power tends to elevate the strong and exclude the weak, prioritizing those with status, influence, or resources.

But Jesus uses His power to embrace the marginalized and powerless. “God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong.”

And so, yes, Jesus is the Mighty God who claims ownership and authority over your life. But that’s a very good thing, not a bad thing! And He is calling on you to trust Him.

The question we are meant to ask ourselves is this: Are we placing our hope in His power, or are we looking to someone or something else for security?

Often, we try to rely on our own strength to navigate life’s challenges. But the invitation of Isaiah 9:6 is to rest in the might of Jesus, who carries the government on His shoulders. Will we surrender our burdens to Him, trusting in His power to sustain us?

There’s an old story about a group of passengers who were on a ship in a severe storm. They began to worry that the ship was in danger of sinking.

The passengers were whispering “Are we going down? Are we safe?” One passenger said, “I’ve got to find out,” so he made his way up to the top of the ship, through the wind and rain to the pilot house, where the pilot of the ship had his hand firmly on the wheel.

The pilot turned and saw the fear in the passenger’s face and just smiled at him, not even speaking a word.

When the passenger made it back down, he said, “We’re going be all right. I’ve seen the face of the pilot, and he smiled at me.”

I’m convinced that if we could see the face of Jesus in our most difficult moments, we would see a peaceful smile. His intention would be to calm our hearts. Do not fear.

I’ve felt the smile of Jesus in some of my most difficult moments. I’ve prayed anxious prayers, my faith hanging by a thread, and I’ve remembered His character and His words.

Take your burdens to Christ this morning and trust in the power of the Mighty God who is sovereign over everything.

In the words of Corrie Ten Boom, a Holocaust survivor, “Look at the world—you’ll be distressed. Look within—you’ll be depressed. Look at Christ—you’ll be at rest.”

Where is your focus today? On the chaos of the world, your own inner fears, or the Mighty God who calls you to rest in Him?

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Every December, we pause to consider the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. As Christians, we believe that God became “like us”. He became a man, born under the laws that govern mankind. And if there is one verse in the Bible that we most associate with the Incarnation, it has to be Isaiah 9:6:

We’re going to take the next four Sundays, the season of Advent, to look closely at these four names of Jesus starting with “Wonderful Counselor”, which is a title of wisdom.

And to get a sense of what that means, we need to think about how we measure wisdom. There’s a difference between knowledge and wisdom, right? You cannot have wisdom without knowledge, but you can have knowledge without wisdom.

That’s because wisdom is more than having the right information. Wisdom is knowing how to apply that information through experience, insight, and good judgment.

Proverbs 2 describes wisdom as knowledge with understanding. Psalm 111 describes wisdom as something we practice with understanding. Ephesians 4:15 tells us to speak the truth in love. John 1 describes Jesus as being full of grace and truth.

Speaking with wisdom is more than speaking the truth. It’s speaking the truth in love, tempered with grace. That’s how the Bible describes the wisdom that comes from God.

To give an example, imagine someone at work makes a costly mistake and the boss publicly shames them in front of the entire team. That’s truth without wisdom, right? It would be much better to discuss it privately and coach the employee to a better result.

Listen to how James 3:17 describes wisdom:

Wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

If you think about the best counselors, the best mentors, the people in our lives we most respect – it’s always the people who have information, but they also know how to leverage that information for our good. And most often, they are speaking from experience.

That’s because God built us as humans in such a way that wisdom is relational. It is experiential. It’s interconnected.

In fact, most of us recoil when we meet the “know-it-all” … the person who seems to have all the information with none of the care and concern. The Bible has a lot to say about that kind of person as well.

The Proverbs teach that a man who is wise in his own eyes is worse than a fool. 1 Corinthians 13 says that if I understand all mysteries and have all knowledge, but have not love, I am nothing. James 3 says that boastful, arrogant knowledge is earthly, unspiritual, and demonic.

This is something we need to consider carefully, because we live in the “Information Age”. Almost all the information that has been acquired by humanity is now available to us. And we don’t even have to go searching for it anymore. Artificial Intelligence can provide us with that information in seconds.

But information alone will not make the world a better place. It won’t end wars. It won’t cure all diseases. It won’t solve world hunger. Even in the cases where we have the right information to solve some of our problems, we know it isn’t that simple.

Think of any problem in your personal life. Go home and start a conversation with ChatGPT. Try it. I’ll give you some ideas. Try asking it, “How can I be a better spouse?” or “How can I be a better parent?” or “How can I quit my addiction?” or “How can I get out of debt?”

And you know what? It’s going to give you excellent information. It really will. And I have no problem with you getting the information you need to improve your life. All truth belongs to God. It doesn’t matter where you find it. In that respect, AI is a very helpful tool.

But you know the information alone isn’t the problem, don’t you? In fact, you probably already know most of things AI would tell you to do. We know what we should be doing. We just refuse to do it.

Have you ever known what the right thing to do was, but found it difficult to follow through? I can think of several examples in my own life. I know what I need to eat if I want to be healthier, but I keep choosing the unhealthy options. I know I don’t need to spend so much time looking at screens, but I keep doing it anyway.

You can read every book on money management and still stink at managing money. You can read every book on marriage and still have a terrible marriage.

That’s a problem artificial intelligence has no power to solve. What do you do with a world full of humans who have more information than we’ve ever had before and very little change in terms of solving real problems?

Every year there are conferences where the world’s greatest experts get together to discuss major problems and very little changes. How do we have unlimited access to information, but world happiness is in decline, people are still starving to death, and bombs are still dropping?

The Bible describes our condition clearly. Hosea 4 says we destroy ourselves because we have rejected knowledge. Proverbs 1 says that we hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord. Romans 1 says we suppress the truth, claiming to be wise but instead we have become fools. God has given the world over to that darkness.

And how terrible would it be if all I did for you was just give you more information? And that’s exactly what passes for a sermon in a lot of churches. Self-help. You too can have a better life in three easy steps… but it does nothing to change your heart.

God did not solve the problem of sin and death by sending us a better teacher with better information. God sent the Wonderful Counselor, who lovingly but firmly calls us to repentance.

Jesus knows everything there is to know… past, present, future – Jesus sees it all with remarkable clarity. None of it gets muddled up in his brain. He forgets nothing. He misses nothing.

But the knowledge of Jesus is something more than cold, calculated information. Jesus is not the deistic supercomputer of the universe. Instead, Jesus has intimate, experiential knowledge of what it means to be human.

He has felt pain. He has felt sadness. He has felt hatred and injustice. He quaked with anger, and he bled with grief. He felt the sting of death.

This is what makes Jesus so much more attractive than any other religious figure in history. For me, specifically, it was knowing that Jesus had experienced abandonment because I know what that feels like too.

Jesus is God’s perfect example of “knowledge with understanding”. Unlike us, Jesus had all the information and He did the right thing. He did the hard thing. He did it without flinching and without complaining. Hebrews 4 describes Jesus as a great high priest who can sympathize with us in our weaknesses but remained without sin.

Jesus was the wisest person to ever walk the planet. Repeatedly in the Gospels, we see Jesus demonstrating His wisdom in the way He dealt with real people.

Consider the woman caught in adultery. The religious leaders brought her to Jesus, expecting Him to either condone the punishment of stoning her or go against the law. But in His perfect wisdom, Jesus responded, ‘Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.’

He exposed the hypocrisy of her accusers while offering mercy to the woman. He cut through the human pretenses, showing He not only had knowledge of the law but a deeper wisdom that upheld both justice and grace.

Consider the encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus approached her with deep understanding, revealing personal details about her life that no one else knew. Yet, He did so with compassion and grace.

Rather than condemning her, He offered her ‘living water’—a promise of spiritual fulfillment that required repentance, but also had the power to heal her shame and brokenness.

Jesus is the wisdom of God incarnate. And He invites us to come to Him with our burdens. Come with our grief and our guilt and our shame. Come to Him as the Wonderful Counselor.

The counsel of Jesus is unique because it doesn’t simply point us toward a better version of ourselves; it points us toward Him. In coming to Jesus, we find not only direction but transformation. He changes our perspective, He reshapes our priorities, and He fills us with a hope that is anchored in His unchanging character, not our feeble efforts.

Trust that His wisdom is perfect, even when it challenges your own understanding. Trust that His empathy is real, even as you walk through your most difficult trials.

Approach the Wonderful Counselor with confidence. Seek His counsel daily, not just in times of crisis, but as a way of life. James 1 says that if we lack wisdom, all we need to do is ask God for it in faith. He gives it generously!

This Advent, take time to sit in the presence of the One who knows you fully and loves you completely. He knows you better than you know yourself. He knows your past, your present, and your future. He knows what you need and what you don’t need. Trust Him.

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We’re going to read two stories that can also be found in Matthew and Mark, and in all three cases the two stories are found together – one after the other. And so, it is clear to me that we are intended to read them together, which changes how we understand the second story. You’ll see why when we get there. Let’s start in Luke 18 verse 15.

15 Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them.

Why were they bringing infants to Jesus? Because the infant mortality rate in the ancient world was extremely high. One third of all babies died before they reached their first birthday. Half of all children died before reaching their fifth birthday. Half!!

That’s one of the most depressing things I have ever heard. And so, far from being a cute story, this was a deeply sad reality. These parents were desperate for a blessing, but the disciples don’t see this as a valuable use of time and energy. They tell them to go away.

16 But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.

What a beautiful response this is… Jesus speaks to the immense value of a human being, even the smallest ones.

He speaks to the free invitation of the Gospel, that we ought not to place barriers between anyone and the kingdom of God. And He speaks to the nature of the kingdom of God – that the humble, the simple, and the most helpless people belong.

17 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

Jesus says, you cannot get into the kingdom without a childlike dependence on God. And that’s the setup for the next story in Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

18 And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

We don’t know anything about this man except that he was rich and powerful. Some suggest that he was a member of the Sanhedrin, the great Jewish Council. That may have been the case.

But notice the stark contrast here. The disciples tell the parents to go away, when all they wanted was the possibility of a blessing that might allow their children to grow up and live a normal life.

This guy shows up looking wealthy and important and the disciples let him right on through. Surely Jesus will want to meet him. But Jesus doesn’t seem impressed. In fact, he sounds bothered by the man.

19 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.

“Why do you call me good?” is not a trick question. This is Biblical theology.

Jesus is quoting Psalm 14, where David writes that God looks down on the children of men to see if anyone is good and his conclusion is “not even one”.

Jesus IS God, but the rich man doesn’t know that. And so, from the beginning, this man’s understanding of himself is flawed. And his question, what must I do to inherit eternal life, it’s based on that bad theology.

The better question would have been, how can anyone inherit eternal life if no one is good? And that’s exactly what Jesus wants us to learn. But first, he plays along and gives the man an answer to his question.

20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’”

Jesus starts to list the Ten Commandments in no particular order. But the man seems to interpret Jesus.

21 And he said, “All these I have kept from my youth.”

Most of you know the rest of the story and we will read it in just a moment. But already, this man has revealed his problem. It’s not his love of money. It’s his self-righteousness.

He looks at the evidence and passes judgment on himself, choosing to believe his own assessment instead of the verdict of a holy God.

God says, “No one is good, not even you.” But this man says, “I disagree. I’m actually a pretty good guy.”

And if he believes THAT he will never enter the kingdom of God. You see, this isn’t really about law keeping and law breaking at this point… it’s about trust. Will you trust what God says about you? Will you trust what God says you need?

This is why the story about the babies comes before this one. Babies have no choice but to trust adults. They are completely helpless. They can’t do anything for themselves. They can’t feed themselves.

They can’t clean themselves. They can’t even put their own clothes on. They have to trust someone else to care for them. And that is the only way we get into the kingdom of God. And that is what Jesus is about to teach his disciples.

22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”

Notice, that Jesus doesn’t waste time arguing with this man about his law keeping. Why? Because all that matters in this moment is whether he will repent.

Jesus gives him a clear, direct command. Do this and follow me.

23 But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich.

24 Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!

25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”

There’s a lot of debate about what that last sentence means. But there’s no way to avoid the fact that Jesus thinks rich people have a very small chance of being saved. I’m not going to sugar coat it. That’s clearly what Jesus says. It is a long shot for a rich person to get right with God.

But it’s not really about the money. It’s about trust and obedience.

It’s important to understand that wealth was seen as a sign of blessing at that time. The general belief was that rich people deserved to be rich and poor people deserved to be poor. They didn’t get that from the Bible! But that’s what people believed. Wealth was evidence of blessing. God must really love you if you have a lot of money.

And so, this man’s wealth reinforced his own self-righteousness. And he was not about to give away everything he had worked so hard to achieve, especially to people who didn’t deserve it… the poor.

That’s the core issue here. It’s not love of money. It’s not even a lack of concern for the poor. It’s pride. And this is why I have such a major problem with the health and wealth teaching that has become so common in today’s churches. They are teaching something that is directly opposed to the message of Jesus in this story.

Health and wealth teaching can keep you out of the kingdom of God if they are reinforcing your belief that God owes you something, or that He has blessed you because you’re such a good person.

Now, notice how his disciples respond to this teaching.

26 Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?”

They are starting to see the point. Their worldview is crumbling. If that man isn’t good enough for God, then how can anyone be good enough for God? Bingo.

27 But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”

In other words, salvation is not earned by us. It has to be accomplished by God.

But just when you think maybe the disciples are starting to understand, the extrovert of the group takes the opportunity to get some special attention from Jesus.

28 And Peter said, “See, we have left our homes and followed you.”

To me, this is one of the funniest moments in the Gospels. Jesus literally just said it is impossible for us to earn a place in the kingdom of God. Impossible.

And Peter automatically responds with his own evidence. Look Jesus, we did good, right? As if he is proving Jesus wrong. “That loser couldn’t give it all up, but we did!”

You see how easily pride creeps into our hearts and how difficult it is to receive grace with empty hands. We desperately want to believe we don’t need any help.

But I love the patient response of Jesus to Peter.

29 And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God,

30 who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.”

Why is this such a good response? Because it accomplishes two things. On the one hand, Jesus commends his disciples for their effort. He is telling them, “Good job.” You trusted. You obeyed. You followed me. And following me requires sacrifice.

But, on the other hand, this is also a tremendously humbling reply.

A few years ago, a homeless man in Boston found a backpack sitting outside a shopping mall. He opened the backpack and inside he found $42,000 in cash. Without hesitation, the man took the backpack to the police, and they were able to find the owner.

News spread quickly of the homeless man’s integrity. Another guy was so moved by the story, he started a GoFundMe. It went viral and they ended up raising over $150,000, completely changing the homeless man’s life. That’s more than three times the amount in the backpack! The reward was disproportionate to his actions.

And that is why should be humbled by the promises of Jesus in verse 30. It’s because the reward is insanely disproportionate to the sacrifices of his people! The sacrifices are great, but the reward is exponentially greater.

In both Matthew and Mark, Jesus says they will receive 100 times more than what they gave AND eternal life!

In other words, every good thought we have, every good action, every good thing we do… whatever we deserve for it is a single drop of water in the ocean of Christ’s righteousness, which is available to us by faith.

Likewise, we tend to think that Jesus was asking the rich man in the story for a lot. But it was nothing, really. All his wealth was a single drop of water in the ocean of God’s wealth. It felt like Jesus was asking a lot only because the man didn’t know who Jesus was!

This is why I think we need to be careful how we apply this story. Some people think this is a call to radical living – that we aren’t serious about Christianity if we don’t give literally everything up. But that tends to create another source of pride.

And repentance looks different for all of us. Some of you might need to get rid of some wealth to follow Jesus. Jesus knew this man’s heart and knew this was what he needed to hear. But there are a thousand different ways to trust in yourself.

Lay down your pride. You’ve got nothing to offer a holy God who owns everything. Lay it down and trust Him. Follow the King. He’s already paid it all.

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Sometimes, when we approach the Bible, our knowledge of it can get in the way. We can make assumptions about things before the story has had time to work.

For instance, when we read the Gospels, the Pharisees already have a bad reputation with us. We know that Jesus had major problems with these men. We know that they were the ones primarily responsible for the plot to kill Jesus.

But the original audience did not think of the Pharisees the way we do. They were respected and admired by most of the people in their own time.

Very often, we are supposed to be identifying ourselves with the Pharisees. But that is difficult to do if we already have a bias against them. So, for this morning, I want to encourage you to approach this story with a fresh perspective. Don’t assume too much, because you might risk missing any personal application. Luke 18, beginning in verse 9:

9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt:

Again, Luke gives us some important information even before he tells the story. The target audience here is the self-righteous person… a person whose self-righteousness leads them to treat others with contempt.

Here’s where the bias comes in, because most of us immediately think of religious people or churchy people. But the statement here is ANYONE who trusts in themselves that they are righteous. In other words, I am my own standard of right and wrong. And with that definition, we really live in a culture of self-righteousness. Everyone does what is right in their own eyes. That’s what self-righteousness means!

And I have to say, I have really appreciated the providence of God these last few weeks in providing us with Scripture that serves as an opportunity for wisdom and conviction surrounding a Presidential election.

There is a spirit of self-righteousness and contempt in our country on both sides of the political aisle that has no place in the Church of Jesus. We could ALL use some humility as we reflect on current events and this parable cuts deep to that end.

10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

If you remember, this section of Luke began in chapter 15 when some of the Pharisees criticized Jesus for eating with tax collectors and sinners. In some ways, this parable is the high point of that theme.

Jesus tells a story with only these two characters. The audience is probably the Pharisees. So, Jesus is effectively saying, “Imagine you and a tax collector praying in the temple.”

11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.

Standing was the typical posture of prayer in the temple, most likely facing the center of the temple – the holy place. The Pharisee begins his prayer of thanksgiving with a list of things he’s not guilty of.

But in Luke chapter 16, Jesus highlighted the sins of the Pharisees. They were lovers of money and experts at bending the law for their own purposes, even in cases of divorce.

And so, the irony here is that the Pharisee declares himself innocent of sins that he has probably committed! It’s easy to believe yourself to be innocent and superior when you are the standard of your own righteousness.

We also get the impression that he is looking around the room as he prays, comparing himself to the other worshippers instead of fixing his attention on God. He compares himself specifically to the tax collector. Then he says:

12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’

Notice, he offers these words as a self-defense. How do I know I’m better than these other people? Because of these spiritual disciplines.

It should be noted, these are not bad things. Fasting twice a week was a personal choice – not something required by God’s law. Tithing was required, but the Pharisees clearly missed the spirit of the law in their efforts to keep the letter of the law.

These were good spiritual disciplines. Noble efforts. But they are also a weak self-defense in the presence of a Holy God. The Old Testament is full of indictments against the people of God for keeping the outward disciplines with a wicked heart. Stop fasting and tithing if you’re doing it to get something from God!

Jesus offers a similar indictment in Matthew 23, directed specifically at the Pharisees – you tithe your spices, but you have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness…

Self-righteousness can be very deceptive… it can be very difficult to see, especially in yourself. It hides under a pile of evidence we amass for ourselves, insulating us from the truth.

Self-righteousness can also be very confident. This man feels safe with God. He doesn’t seem insecure or confused about his relationship with God. And yet, according to Jesus, he is wrong. He is deluded. He is far from God. And now let’s turn our attention to the second man.

13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’

Be merciful to me. There’s a closer translation that says, “Be merciful EVEN to me” or “let there be atonement EVEN for me!”

This is a man aware of his sin. He is aware of his unworthiness. He is aware of his need. And that’s because he is also clearly aware of the holiness of God.

He has an obvious humility. In fact, the tax collector demonstrates a posture of shame. He’s looking down and he’s beating his own chest. That’s what shame looks like. And what does shame feel like?

It’s more than just “I did something wrong”, which is guilt. It’s a belief that “I AM something wrong.” Something is wrong with me. I’m not who I should be.

And so, we have these two men – side by side – praying to the same God. One comes in self-confidence and a short list of reasons why God should be proud to have him around! The other man comes in shame, asking for mercy.

14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

The tax collector receives mercy, which is what he asked for. The Pharisee asked for nothing and got nothing, because he didn’t think he needed anything.

In the end, this is more than a cute story. It was a clear message to the Pharisees – you sat in the place of self-righteousness, passing judgment on my dinner guests. All the while, you yourselves are facing judgment without the mercy of God.

But it’s also another call to repentance… an invitation to humble ourselves under the holiness of God and seek His mercy.

At your lowest point, you are perhaps closer to God than you realize. At your most confident, you are perhaps farther away than you realize.

And so, we are being called to repent specifically of our self-righteousness. But remember, as I said earlier, self-righteousness is tricky. It’s deceptive. And it suffers from a false confidence.

For instance, consider again the prayer of the Pharisee: “God, thank you that I’m not like these sinners.” That’s an obviously self-righteous attitude. Right?

But what if we flip it? What if the tax collector glanced in his direction and said, under his breath, “God, thank you that I’m not like that Pharisee?” Do you see? It’s tricky.

You are not immune to self-righteousness just because you’ve lived a difficult life outside the church!

Perhaps you identify more with the tax collector in the story. You’ve always felt marginalized by the church… like an outsider. Church people drive you up the wall! But if you search your heart, you realize that is equally self-righteous, don’t you?

“God, thank you I’m not like those religious people!” And it extends outward from there.

God thank you I’m not like those Republicans. God thank you I’m not like those Democrats. God thank you I’m not like those… fill in the blank…

Jesus told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt.

I can make a case for myself, but I can’t make a case for you. You’re a lost cause.

Treating other people with contempt comes from the belief that you are better than or more valuable than those other people… according to Jesus, this is a deep, serious spiritual problem.

The only answer to this problem is right there in verse 14. Humble yourself or you will be humbled.

How is a person justified? The Apostle Paul answers that question clearly in Romans 4 verse 5. We are justified not by works, but by faith. God justifies the ungodly, counting our faith in Jesus as righteousness.

In other words, Jesus decides who gets to be righteous. Not us. It has nothing to do with our efforts or our feelings about the matter. It is a gift. It cannot be earned.

Which of those two men seems to believe that? The Pharisee? Or the tax collector? It was the tax collector. But it’s not too late for the Pharisee. Otherwise, Jesus would have never told this parable. This was a mirror, held up to show us how foolish we have been, to believe that we deserve the favor of God.

Christians see this most clearly by returning time and time again to the cross. Why? Because the cross of Jesus puts two things on display at the same time… it was my sin that held him there AND it was the love of God that held him there.

There is atonement EVEN for me… mercy EVEN for me… thanks be to God in Christ.

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Years ago, there was an episode of Judge Judy. A young lady claimed that the defendant stole money from her purse. She begins to list all the items that were in her purse at the time, including a bluetooth earpiece.

At that point, the defendant speaks up and says, “There was no earpiece in the purse, your honor.” The Judge laughed, along with the entire courtroom, and she immediately awarded the plaintiff $500.

Most of the time, justice is not that simple. It’s complicated and court cases can take months or years to resolve.

But in the 1st century, every court case was settled quickly like the TV shows. Both parties came ready with arguments and witnesses. The judge heard both sides and then gave a verdict. This was true in both civil and criminal cases. If someone wronged you, then you had to bring the charges. There was no prosecutor.

There was a legal term in Greek for what happened when the judge sided with you – it was called justification. If you win the case, then you were considered “justified”. This word is borrowed by Jesus and the Apostles to explain our relationship with God as Christians.

This Sunday and next Sunday, we will look at two related parables dealing with the concept of justice and justification. Let’s begin in Luke 18 verse 1.

1 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.

Luke gives us the application of the parable before he tells it. Jesus wants us to do two things. Keep praying and don’t give up hope. Keep praying and don’t give up hope.

2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man.

This is our first character. The judge. He doesn’t care about God, and he doesn’t care about other people.

What are the two greatest commandments? Love the Lord your God and love your neighbor as yourself… this is a character with the power to change people’s lives for better or for worse. But he only cares about himself.

3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’

The second character is a widow. Being a widow in the 1st century Roman empire was extremely difficult. There was economic hardship, but there were other social challenges. A widow was often dependent on male relatives and charity for support. She had limited legal rights, especially with property and inheritance.

All of this helps explain why justice was a difficult proposition for her, especially with a judge like this one. He has no heart, and yet, she keeps taking the same case before him.

4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man,

5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’”

He gets sick of hearing about it, so he finally gives her what she wants! She pesters him into submission!

6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says.

7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?

This is an argument from the lesser to the greater. If even a selfish, heartless judge can provide justice, how much more likely is it that a good and righteous Judge will give justice to his elect?

The word “elect” is important. It’s the plural form of the word “eklektos” and it means chosen people. If you read the entire Gospel of Luke in one sitting, you would find this word in only one other place.

In Luke 23, as Jesus is being crucified, the religious leaders mocked Jesus by calling him the “eklektos”… the chosen one.

That is not a coincidence. It hints at the mysterious union between Jesus and God’s people. The irony behind their mockery is that Jesus was, in fact, God’s Chosen One. And justice was accomplished for God’s people through the cross. That is where Jesus took on the sins of His people.

The Holy Spirit then unites us to Christ and His righteousness, declaring us “justified”. The cross was God responding to the cries of His people. It’s how God accomplished justice for His people. Now look at verse 8.

8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

That’s the end of our text for today and before we talk about that last question, I need to explain a translation problem. Everything in the Bible is not equally clear and this is one of those unclear moments.

Our translation says, “Will he delay long over them?” and then Jesus answers the question saying he will give justice “speedily”. But it can also be translated in this way:

“Will he not bring justice even though he delays long over them?” and then Jesus answers, “He will bring it suddenly.”

Do you see the difference? I think Jesus is being intentionally vague. God will bring justice. It may be soon. It may be delayed. But it will come. The timing is a matter of faith. And so, Jesus ends with the question, when he comes will he find faith?

Remember, Luke already told us the purpose of this parable. What does Jesus want his disciples to do? What does this kind of faith look like?

It looks like someone who keeps praying and doesn’t give up hope! Until justice comes. Until Jesus returns.

It looks like the persistence of the widow, who against all odds, kept taking up her case… Why?

Because it’s the kind of faith that trusts in a God who cares about justice even when no one else in the world does.

This parable follows the end of chapter 17, where Jesus teaches his disciples to expect suffering in the kingdom of God. The world is against us. Like the judge in the parable, the world neither honors God nor cares about His people.

What is the result of such hostility? It’s that God’s people will begin crying out to Him for justice! Jesus is preparing His disciples for life in a world that hates God and hates God’s people.

He knows it will be difficult. He knows it will be difficult to pray. He knows we will struggle with hopelessness. He knows that we won’t feel seen or heard. He knows it will feel pointless and that we will grow weary.

And I think it is worth noting that God can and often does use the broken systems and institutions of this world to bring justice. The judge does the right thing in this situation, even though he does it with the wrong motivation. It’s not a result of his character, but the widow’s persistence.

Likewise, God can use people in authority to bring temporary relief. God is not allowing the world to be as bad as it could be. Romans 13 teaches that the governments of this world have been instituted by God for our good. And for that reason, Christians care about public policy. We care about justice, even when we don’t see it from the world.

The ship of this world may be sinking, but we still care about our neighbors. We care about hurting people. We want to see God’s kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.

I love that I get to pastor a church full of people who care about their neighbors and don’t need credit or praise for it. But I want to shine a spotlight on some of the ways this church cares about the kingdom of God.

We have families who foster and adopt children. We have people serving with and giving to local non-profits. We have people using their skills to repair homes and vehicles. We have someone in this church leading a regular Bible study in Desoto County Jail. Someone in this church gave a kidney to a stranger!

When we send out a request for meals, you fill up the schedule. You’ve given away countless things you could have sold, including vehicles. You ask how you can pray for each other, and you do it.

All of that is part of what the Bible means by the word “justice”. And you know what else I love about our church? We are not divided by politics. And I hope we never will be. Most of you will vote Tuesday if you haven’t already, but you won’t do it because you believe the government is going to solve all our nation’s problems.

You’ll vote knowing that even the godless, corrupt governments of this world have their use. God is sovereign over every one of them, and they will rise or fall at His will. You’ll vote knowing that our ultimate hope is not in human systems of justice.

Our ultimate hope is in the God who created us. In Psalm 68, God calls Himself the Father of the fatherless and the Defender of widows. He will not leave or forsake His people. He will raise the poor from the dust, because the kingdom of God belongs to them.

He may delay for His own purposes. He may send us into the wilderness. He sent Jesus to the cross and no servant is greater than his master.

And what does Jesus teach us here? Keep praying and don’t lose heart! Today, tomorrow, Tuesday, and until Jesus returns.

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If someone asked me to preach a sermon 9 days before a presidential election and told me I could pick any text, I might actually choose this one. And in God’s good providence, it’s just where we happen to be this morning! I hope you find it to be as challenging and encouraging as I did.

20 Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed,

21 nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”

By now, everyone has seen Jesus perform miracles. They know He is special. They know He is powerful. But the Pharisees are getting anxious. If Jesus is the Messiah, why is wasting time with preaching and miracles? Why doesn’t he go to Jerusalem, declare himself king, and lead the rebellion?

This was a politically motivated question. But Jesus tells them plainly they are looking for the wrong type of kingdom. He says that even now the kingdom of God was in their midst, or within their grasp.

Whenever Jesus talks about the kingdom of God, He describes it as an active, available option. It’s “at hand”. The time is now. You might even think of it as a military recruiting poster urging us to sign-up for battle.

But Jesus is also clear that the kingdom won’t come the way they expect. It’s not like the governments of this world. They want Jesus to save their nation from the Romans, but that’s not why He came.

22 And he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.

Notice that Jesus stops talking to the Pharisees and switches to the disciples. And He says something that they probably did not understand until later. He says, I’m here with you now… but I’m going to be leaving.

23 And they will say to you, ‘Look, there!’ or ‘Look, here!’ Do not go out or follow them.

24 For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day.

In other words, when Jesus returns it will be obvious to everyone. It will not be a secret.

25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

Once again, Jesus is predicting his death. The words “suffer” and “rejected” are important, because they connect Jesus to Messianic prophecy in the Old Testament.

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.

The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.

Jesus does not intend to establish His kingdom by force, but by sacrifice. It was never going to be a peaceful transfer of power between the world and the kingdom of God. God would either had to destroy this world… or suffer in our place.

And that is how Jesus chose to establish His kingdom.

Last week, I got to visit Washington DC with my son, Leo. Outside the White House and outside the Capitol building workers have already begun construction on the temporary structures used for the inauguration. That’s what happens when a new president takes office.

After the inauguration, they will tear the structures down, but the President will still be the President until a new one is elected.

The life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus is what we call the Inauguration of God’s Kingdom. The entire Old Testament was building up to that moment.

When Jesus ascended to heaven, the visible evidence of His inauguration disappeared. But Jesus is still King. And one day, He will return.

In the meantime, we think of God’s kingdom as having two realities. We call them “already” and “not yet”. Some things about the kingdom we already have – the Spirit of God is already applying the work of Jesus to save souls, to change lives, and to build God’s church.

Things are beginning to change, and we participate in that kingdom work. We do that by living as kingdom-minded citizens at home, at work, at school – everywhere we go.

But some things about the kingdom we don’t have yet. The world has not recognized the rule of King Jesus. We still wrestle with sin. We still die. Things are still corrupted. And this helps explain the answer Jesus gives to the Pharisees.

Now, what do you think their follow up question would be? It’s a question we are still asking today – when is Jesus going to come back? Jesus anticipates that question and gives the following answer.

26 Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man.

27 They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.

Why did God send the flood? Do you remember? Genesis 6:

The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

But Jesus does not say anything in this verse about wickedness or evil. There’s nothing wrong with eating, drinking, and marrying – right? Hold on to that thought.

28 Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building,

There it is again! Jesus highlights the everyday lives of the people – not their wickedness, even though the people of Sodom were extremely wicked.

29 but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all—

30 so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed.

These were the two most obvious events of judgment in the Old Testament and what did they have in common? Two things:

1) God destroyed almost everyone.
2) None of them saw it coming.

And here in Luke 17, Jesus highlights not their wickedness but their worldliness. They were living their normal, everyday lives. Like us, they were busy with personal goals and ambitions, personal happiness, and current events. But they did it without any concern for God. They had no awareness of the danger they were in.

Jesus continues:

31 On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back.

32 Remember Lot’s wife.

What did she do? She looked back and died.

33 Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it.

34 I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left.

35 There will be two women grinding grain together. One will be taken and the other left.”

Some people think this is talking about a rapture –believers taken to heaven and unbelievers left behind. But the last verse eliminates that possibility.

37 And they said to him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.”

In other words, the taken ones are not the saved but the dead.

Jesus may be talking about the fall of Jerusalem. He may be talking about the future judgment. He could be talking about both. Either way, the application here is the same.

When Jesus returns, He will take the world by force, and it will be too late for many.

And so, a Christian living in the kingdom of God today is like being Noah before the flood… or Lot living in Sodom before the rain of fire. That’s what Jesus teaches His disciples.

This is not business as usual. There is a judgment coming and most people around us are completely unaware. They will not see it coming.

There’s a sense of urgency, as well as a sense of detachment. What do I mean by detachment?

Think of it as having one foot in a lifeboat on a sinking ship. We are ready to go at a moment’s notice just like Noah when the ark was completed. We are IN the world but not OF the world. I like the way 1 John describes this.

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.

17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

What does all this mean? Brothers and sisters, it means that we are not living our best life now. We’re on a sinking ship. This life is temporary. As Christians, we know this is NOT all there is. We are not satisfied with this world of sickness and death and corruption. We will not live our lives as if this is as good as it gets.

Last week, in Washington DC, I was struck by the proximity of monuments and memorials. On one side of the street is a great monument to the achievements of men and on the other side of the street is a war memorial remembering hundreds of thousands of fallen soldiers. And it’s like that all around the capitol.

It was a great reminder that humanism has failed. There were more war-related deaths in the 20th century than in all other centuries combined. And that’s after the Enlightenment!

Sickness, death, and corruption will not change no matter who gets elected next week. As Christians, we know this, don’t we?

It matters. The election matters. Everything in this life matters. But our hope is not in better leaders or a better economy or better science. Our hope is in King Jesus!

The things we see are temporary. The things we don’t see are eternal.

The kingdom of God is not a distant dream. It’s a present spiritual reality. It’s the most important reality, which means that voting is NOT the most important thing you will do in the next two weeks.

If you are a Christian, then what you are doing right now is the most important thing you can do. Worshipping King Jesus. Hearing His Word. Praying about the things that concern you. Expecting His return. Living your life in daily faith and repentance. Learning to let go of the things in this world that are holding your heart captive.

No matter what happens, the kingdom of God is forever. And forever will King Jesus be praised!

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Last week’s sermon was one of the most difficult I’ve ever had to write. But the Lord was merciful on me this week. Much easier sermon to write. Easy to write… still very convicting. This is a brief series of teachings that Luke combined on the topics of servant leadership and humility. Chapter 17, verse 1:

1 And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come!

As Christians, we should be helping each other overcome temptation. But we are often guilty of tripping each other up.

The religious leaders at that time were especially guilty of this as we have talked about over the past few weeks. But there is a more general warning here to all Christians and especially church leaders who might be guilty of causing spiritual problems for others. And it is a stern warning! Look at verse 2:

2 It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin.

That’s a really graphic and absolute form of death! Jesus obviously thinks it is a very serious thing to lead people into temptation.

But sin loves company, doesn’t it. If we can drag other people down with us, it makes us feel less evil somehow. Because we aren’t the only ones doing it. And that’s how you eventually get an entire culture to be OK with sin. Everyone is now doing it! But it started somewhere…

And so, Jesus says in verse 3:

3 Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him,

Notice the repeated emphasis on the danger and seriousness of sin. Jesus commands us to fight! We’ve been talking about this in our men’s study on Wednesdays.

There’s an enemy inside us that hates God and His Word. It never rests and it will destroy us if given the chance.

Notice also that Jesus extends my responsibility beyond myself. I’m responsible for my brothers and sisters as well. He wants me to pay attention to myself, but also to the sins of others in the church.

I feel like I need to provide a clarification here. If this is done from a spirit of self-righteousness, it can hurt people and divide the church. Notice that the command to rebuke my brother’s sin comes AFTER the emphatic command to pay attention to myself!

This is not reckless judgment to make people feel like outcasts. Instead, it is the truth spoken in love to restore the relationship. Jesus commands us to speak up because we need it too. Accountability is a two-way street.

This accountability is also tempered with a second command – to forgive, with this added instruction.

4 and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

Jesus commands forgiveness as many times as it is required. And truth be told, we find this difficult. The more times a person sins against us, the harder it will be to offer forgiveness. It feels a bit like holding your breath under water – longer and longer and longer until you can’t take it anymore.

But if you read these four verses together, the point is that we ought not to think only of ourselves. I am a servant of Jesus and He wants me to serve my fellow believers in humility. With that perspective, forgiveness isn’t about me at all! It’s a gift I am commanded to give people for the kingdom. It’s not about us.

I love the way Ralph Davis summarizes these verses. He says:

“We are often too spineless to rebuke and too resentful to forgive. Jesus requires of us both courage to rebuke and compassion to forgive. He demands both guts and goodness.”

And the disciples were just like us. They knew this was a difficult command. Look how they responded.

5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

In other words, we are going to need some supernatural assistance if you want us to do that! I’m not sure we can do this! But Jesus is quick to respond.

6 And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

This is one of the most misunderstood verses in the Bible. He’s teaching something about the nature of faith, but it is not what many Christians assume.

If you read this verse out of context, it sounds like faith is a power-up. Faith is a like a Mario Brothers mushroom we need to find to do great things for God. But that’s the opposite of what Jesus is saying. That’s exactly the kind of misunderstanding he is trying to correct!

The disciples assume they need MORE faith. But faith is not an issue of quantity at all. It is not a great faith that we need. We only need a little faith in a great God. And that’s good news, because we are not people of great faith.

Tom Wright describes faith as a window. If I’m looking through a window at something outside, it doesn’t matter how big the window is. A tree in my front yard would look the same whether I’m looking at it through a six-inch window or a six-foot window.

The power isn’t in my faith, but in the object of my faith.

How does this apply to rebuke and forgiveness? Jesus is teaching us that the power to do what He commanded does not come from me trying harder to do it on my own. Instead, it is a byproduct of the work of God’s Spirit within me and my union with Christ.

This is actually another lesson in humility. Stop thinking about your own ability to keep my commands and instead consider how God has dealt with your sin. He rebuked it, called you to repentance, and offered perfect forgiveness.

And that keeps us from taking the credit when we get it right, which is the point of this final parable.

7 “Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’?

8 Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’?

9 Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded?

10 So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’”

I’m convinced this parable was intended to be funny. We’re supposed to imagine a servant being treated like a king for doing the normal, everyday work he was supposed to do.

Jesus is basically saying, and pardon the reference, “What do you want, a cookie?” You did what you were supposed to do. And this would have produced some uncomfortable laughter among the disciples as they considered his point.

And this is one of the easier parables to explain. Nothing we do for God ever puts Him in our debt. Nothing. That’s not why Christians obey God.

We don’t seek to obey God because we have to, but because we get to.

And Jesus thinks this is something about the hearts of his disciples that he needs to correct. Very often, they demonstrated a concern for their own future. They felt entitled to great things because they were following Jesus.

But Jesus wants them to be humble. He owes them nothing. He owes us nothing.

God’s grace is like sitting in the bleachers watching a baseball game and having a million-dollar ball land in your lap. You did nothing and now you’re rich.

A few weeks ago, Shohei Ohtani became the only baseball player in history to steal 50 bases and hit 50 home runs in a single season. That 50th home run ball was picked up by a man who will get around $2 million dollars at auction. And he did nothing except pick it up. Ohtani did all the work to make it valuable.

This parable is meant to reveal our pride and our own sense of entitlement – the feeling that God owes us something when we “perform well”. He did all the necessary work! I’m a recipient of His grace.

But this parable does something else. The servant does not deserve to be treated like the master. But what if the master chooses to become a servant? What if the master chooses to reward the servant far beyond what he could ever have asked or even imagined? What if the servant contributed almost nothing to the work and still received the reward of a king?

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,

6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,

7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

There is nothing more humbling for the Christian than the reality of the cross. It is a constant refrain in our lives… I deserve far less than I think I do. But God has given me far more than I could imagine.

And Paul says this MIND is ours in Christ Jesus. What mind? The mindset of a servant. In my struggle against sin, I am a servant of the Lord. In your struggle against sin, I am with you as a servant of the Lord. I’m learning to forgive, because I’m a servant of the Lord.

I already have everything I need to do what Jesus is asking me to do, because He’s a good master and He’s already done everything that was necessary for me. The most deserving gave His life for the least deserving.

My job is to daily pick up the baseball. Pick up His means of grace, earned through Jesus not me, and fight the sin which so easily drags me down. And one day, the temptation will end, and the trumpet will sound. No more tears. No more pain. No more death.

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Today’s parable is only found in the Gospel of Luke. Before we read it, I want you to know that I agonized over this sermon. It is very difficult to preach faithfully, and I ask for your prayers.

19 “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.

20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,

21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores.

It’s important to understand that the audience has never known someone so wealthy that they feasted every day, but it sounds amazing. It is far more likely they have encountered someone like Lazarus.

It is also important to know that the general belief was that rich people deserved to be rich and poor people deserved to be poor. And the audience would have recoiled at the mental image of this man, with sores being licked by the dogs.

Jesus has successfully placed two men side-by-side who were exact opposites in terms of status and wealth. But none of it matters at death.

22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried,

23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.

24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’

Notice that he doesn’t ask to be free of his torment. Instead, he asks only for a moment of relief, and he speaks as if Lazarus is still beneath him! Send Lazarus down here! As if Lazarus is just a servant. Keep that in mind, but I’m going to go ahead and read the rest of the parable.

25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.

26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’

27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house—

28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’

29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’

30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’

31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”

The thing about parables is that they are easy to visualize but somewhat difficult to understand because Jesus is being intentionally vague. He has not yet done everything He came to accomplish, and so he speaks almost in riddles at times.

On the surface, if you read this one quickly, it sounds like Jesus is sending rich people to hell and poor people to heaven – and there’s nothing anyone can do about it.

And that may be what the audience hears Jesus saying, which would have frustrated them further. Remember, they think rich people deserved their wealth and poor people deserved their suffering.

But the difference between these two men is not just wealth and poverty. The difference is that one of them has a name and the other one does not.

There are more than 40 parables in the Bible. In most of those parables, there are human characters. But only one character in all the parables of Jesus has a name. Only one.

Lazarus. And his name means “God is my help.”

In other words, this is not just a story about a rich man and poor man. It’s a story about a lost man who happens to be rich and a poor man who puts His trust in God.

And that changes the story dramatically. He’s not in hell because he’s a rich man. He’s in hell because he’s lost. God is not his help. God is not his treasure.

If you read this parable as if one man deserves heaven and the other deserves hell, you’ve missed the point. The riches and the poverty are meant to illustrate that, in the end, only one thing matters – are you a friend of God.

Neither of them deserves heaven. Both deserve hell. But only one of them has God’s help.

And now we need to talk about hell. Of all the historic Christian doctrines, hell is the one people have the most problem with. I’ve heard it many times as a pastor… “I just can’t believe a loving God would send people to hell.” “How can finite sins deserve eternal suffering?”

But when you read the Bible, you discover that Jesus talks about hell far more than any other character in the Bible! It makes us uncomfortable (and it should), but Jesus thinks we need to hear it.

And we learn a few things about hell from this parable.

First, hell is a place of eternal separation. Abraham says there is a great chasm between heaven and hell. The Apostle Paul says in Thessalonians that hell is eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord. The only experience we would have of God is His wrath.

Second, hell is a place of eternal disintegration. The most common word used to describe hell is fire. But there’s a misconception about fire. Fire doesn’t technically destroy anything. It disintegrates things.

Fire is a chemical reaction in which nothing is actually lost. Instead, it just breaks everything down. And here’s the crazy part – scientists do not understand fire! It’s sort of a mystery. We know what it does, but not why.

And that’s how the Bible describes hell. It’s a place of disintegration. Apart from God, things start to break down. That makes sense, because the Bible describes the physical universe as being held together by God. In Him, all things hold together. All things live and move and have their being.

Sin began the process of breaking everything in the universe down. Death and hell bring it to fruition, because we are separated from the presence of God.

Third, hell is a place of eternal justice. Even though it makes us uncomfortable, hell is a completely fair and appropriate doctrine.

The most common objection to hell is that no one really deserves it. Why would a loving God send people to eternal punishment for temporary sins? We struggle to think that anyone has really earned that. But consider the opposite question…
Has anyone actually earned eternal life? Has anyone been good to enough to deserve unending bliss? And yet, here’s the crazy part. Most Americans believe they will go to heaven when they die. Almost half of them believe heaven can be earned. And only 2% believe they are going to hell when they die. Is it possible we’ve got some things mixed up?

The rich man doesn’t ask to be released, does he? He asks for temporary relief, but not release. I think that’s a clue about the nature of hell.

The Bible describes hell as God simply turning us over to the rebellion and emptiness we chose. It’s a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth, which is a description of anger and bitterness. And we see hints of this in the story.

The rich man felt entitled, even in hell. It seems like he is concerned for his brothers, but he isn’t… he’s blame shifting. It’s a way of saying, “You didn’t give me all the information. If you had, I wouldn’t be here.”

He’s suppressing the truth. He still feels entitled to more. And he will not ask for forgiveness.

I love how C.S. Lewis explains this:

“In the long run the answer to all those who object to the doctrine of hell, is itself a question: ‘What are you asking God to do?’ to wipe out their past sins and, at all costs, to give them a fresh start, smoothing every difficulty and offering every miraculous help?
—
But He has done so, on Calvary. To forgive them? They will not be forgiven. To leave them alone? Alas, I am afraid that is what He does.”

In other words, hell is simply God giving unrepentant sinners exactly what they want. Romans 1 teaches that all men have enough of the truth available to them to know they need God… but they suppress the truth in unbelief and God hands them over to their rebellion. Even a man rising from the dead will not convince them! A little foreshadowing there…

One final thing we learn about hell. It can be avoided. Why does God tell us about hell? So that it can be avoided. It’s not too late to repent.

He also tells us about hell so that we would know what Jesus suffered for us in love.

The horror of the cross was not simply the pain, the humiliation, and the death. It was hell. Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

That verse is a direct quote from Psalm 22 and the very next question in the verse says, “Why are you so far from helping me?” It’s the opposite of Lazarus – God is not my help.

In some way, in that moment, Jesus felt the Father turning Him over to the justice meant for His people. Jesus was offered no help. All so that we could be offered God’s help.

And that is the message here – we need to be saved from the poverty of sin and the disintegration it causes. Sin makes us less human. It’s gradual suicide against our own humanity. And it leads to death, followed by eternal separation from God, eternal disintegration, and eternal justice.

But not if we die in Christ. Jesus took our place on the cross, facing the wrath of God for our sin, experiencing death and hell for us. Three days later he rose from the dead, securing victory over sin and death and making it possible for us to receive mercy from God instead of justice.

Our part is admitting our sin and receiving His mercy.

Reject God’s mercy and you get his justice.

Receive God’s mercy and you get a name. You get a place. You get wholeness and hope.

This is the Gospel, and it is depicted for us in the Lord’s Supper. If hell is disintegration away from the presence of God, then union with Christ is integration, being made whole again by the presence of God. The table is a visible picture of that integration, receiving Christ and being nourished by Him.

Let’s pray and ask His blessing over it.

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We’re in Luke 16. We’re going to cover the first 18 verses today and it’s a difficult text, so let’s buckle up and direct our attention to God’s Word.

1 He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions.

You can think of this man as a financial advisor or an accountant, responsible for handling the money of the rich man.

2 And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’

He’s being laid off. And notice that he isn’t given the opportunity to defend himself. The rich man assumes the information is true and then fires him.

3 And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg.

I love this verse. It’s kind of an honest assessment of himself, right? “I’m too lazy for this and too proud for that.” And this is in a time and a culture when it wouldn’t be easy to find another job like this, especially with a reputation for being a bad manager. His options were very limited, so he came up with a plan!

4 I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’

5 So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’

6 He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’

7 Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’

This is why when a company fires someone, they call security to escort them out of the building!

This sounds extremely illegal, doesn’t it? It sounds like a very bad idea. And in those days, he’s not going to white collar prison for cooking the books. He’s going to a slave camp or the bone yard.

But that’s not what happens in this parable at all! There’s a surprise ending!

8 The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.

This is shocking right?! The rich man congratulates him for his actions, even though he’s taking a significant financial loss.

How could that be? Well, there is an important context that I think helps explain this parable. Luke doesn’t tell us because his original audience would have known this.

Jesus is probably referring to a business practice called usury, something that was forbidden by God’s law. Jews were not allowed to charge interest on loans to the poor.

Exodus 22:25 – If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall not be like a moneylender to him, and you shall not exact interest from him.

But the Jews in Jesus’ day completely disregarded this law. They figured out a clever way to lend money that would keep them from being brought to court on charges of usury, and the practice was so common, even the Pharisees would have accepted it.

This is how it worked: If I borrowed 50 measures of oil, the lender would write 100 measures on the promissory note. The note wouldn’t say anything about principal and interest; they just made it look as though 100 measures is what I borrowed.

If you read the parable in light of that practice, it is likely that the manager was simply eliminating the unfair interest. The owner then found himself in a hard position. He could challenge the receipts, but then he would have to explain the interest to the courts (which was technically against the law). Or he could commend the manager and make the best of the situation. And that’s what he does.

The way Jesus explains this parable in the next few verses lines up perfectly with that interpretation.

9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.

The term “unrighteous wealth” is a little misleading. He’s talking about money, which is morally neutral. But Jesus wants to make a distinction here between the temporary benefits money can buy and the eternal blessings of His kingdom.
Just as the manager in the parable planned for his future, Jesus wants His disciples to live with a long-term view of this life. We might call it a kingdom perspective or an eternal perspective.

A simple way to restate this verse is to say that you can’t take money with you to heaven. The only thing you can take with you are relationships – other people. Make your investments there. Use your money for the kingdom.

I love this quote by Warren Buffet, one of the wealthiest men alive: “I’ve never met someone who felt unsuccessful when at the end of their life a lot of people loved them. I know a lot of rich people with buildings named after them and no one really cares about them.”

I think that’s what Jesus is teaching here. But now he adds a layer to it.

10 “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.

Jesus is still talking about money, and He says here that how we handle money reveals our character. If you can trust someone with little things, you can trust them with big things.

Many of Jesus’ other parables are about this type of stewardship. Our faithfulness in the little things reveals our character.

11 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?

Notice, he’s saying that how we use our money is a litmus test for how we will serve God’s kingdom.

In 1 Timothy 3, Paul gives the qualifications for elders and deacons in the church. Elders must not be lovers of money. Deacons must not be greedy for dishonest gain. Both must be able to manage their own household well. That’s an example of what Jesus is talking about here.

12 And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?

Common sense, right? If you have proven yourself incompetent, then no one is going to trust you.

Jesus has been building up to this next verse, which is probably His main point.

13 No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

This is begging a question. Do I really love God above everyone and everything else? Am I motivated by service to His kingdom above all else? Where is my treasure? Because that’s where you will find my heart.

If you want to know what’s most important to a person, look at how they spend their money. It’s really that simple. The resources I have, all of them, including my money, my time, and even my abilities – all of it belongs to God. He gave it to me to steward. Am I devoted to the giver or the gifts?

Do I love the gifts more than the giver? Am I using them to serve God? Or am I a slave to those gifts? You cannot serve God and money.

14 The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him.

Why did they ridicule Jesus? Because everyone in that culture believed that money was a sign of God’s blessing. Rich people deserve to be rich. Poor people deserve to be poor. That’s how they thought about money, and deep down it’s how we think about money too.

15 And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

That’s a really strong response. This is not a hammer and a nail. This is a sledgehammer and a nail. Jesus tells these men, “Your love of money is an abomination in the sight of God.”

In the Old Testament, only the worst crimes against the law were called abominations. Jesus knows what He is doing… He’s telling these men that they are far worse than they think they are.

But remember, He’s saying it in love. They will not repent unless they see their sin.

16 “The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then, the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it.

Jesus often says that entrance into the kingdom is not easy, particularly for those who think they are keeping God’s law.

17 But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void.

This is a very important verse. The Pharisees believed that Jesus was soft on the law. That’s one of the main reasons they rejected His teaching.

And if we’re going to be honest, a lot of Christians today think that Jesus was soft on the law – or that the law is bad or opposed to the Gospel in some way.

That could not be farther from the truth. Jesus is not pro-Gospel and anti-Law. That’s a very simplistic misunderstanding of the Gospel.

The Law of God is perfect and permanent. It represents the character of God. It communicates God’s eternal standard of righteousness.

It’s not Jesus who minimizes the Law. It’s us. It was the Pharisees. Anyone who thinks they are keeping the standard of God’s law on their own is gravely mistaken.

This is the point Jesus intends to make. You keep the easy stuff, the external stuff, to make yourselves look good in the eyes of other people. But God sees your heart. He knows what you’re really like on the inside. God’s law exposes all of us – even the most religious among us.

And now Jesus provides one more example of how God’s law exposes the Pharisees.

18 “Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.

That’s another sledgehammer, right? Especially for us… divorce is extremely common today. The Bible does give legal grounds for divorce in cases of adultery and abandonment, but Jesus is referring here to situations where God does not permit divorce.

This verse is why I will not, in good conscience, perform a wedding for someone who was previously divorced without Biblical grounds. And our elders take this very seriously. We are not quick to grant people grounds for divorce. Marriage is God’s business. It’s not something we invented, and divorce is having a major impact on our society. The fabric of humanity starts to unravel when marriage is forsaken.

I know this is a tough subject. Please let me know if you have questions. You can come to me or any of the elders if you want to talk about it. But this is what Jesus teaches.

And this verse seems out of place in the chapter, but it’s not.

Usury and divorce were two areas where the “law abiding” Pharisees had become lazy. They tolerated these sins, even though God’s law forbids them, because of technicalities and loopholes.

And so, Jesus shows the Pharisees that even though they believe they have a high regard for God’s law, they have really missed some of the most important matters of God’s law.

We may look righteous before men, but God knows our hearts. Remember, this chapter follows the story of the lost son and the older brother. Jesus is still trying to love these older brother types. He’s holding up a mirror for us. Will we let the Law expose our sin? He has not come to call the righteous to repentance, but sinners.

All of this is meant to humble us, not make us feel better about ourselves if we’re doing a good job with money and marriage. The Law condemns us all! You’ve failed somewhere, even if it’s not in these areas.

We don’t come to Jesus by living a perfect life. We come to Jesus by grace through faith. All of us have fallen short of the glory of God. None is righteous apart from grace. All of us equally need the grace and forgiveness of God that is only found through faith in Jesus Christ.

And as I said earlier, God’s grace does not erase the Law. Jesus kept it on our behalf, but when He makes us a part of His kingdom it becomes our delight – to serve the King. We start living with an eternal perspective. We start valuing relationships more than we did before. We start to value what God values instead of what the world values. We start to worship again.

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Last week, we started the parable of the lost son, and I told you that Jesus invented a character that would be equally despised by everyone in his audience, not just the religious leaders. Even the tax collectors and sinners would have hated the younger son.

He requested his share of the inheritance from his living father. He left the promised land to live among Gentiles. He wasted all of it in reckless living. He became the servant of a Gentile with the dirty job of feeding pigs, an unclean animal.

But there’s another character in this story and he’s about to be introduced to us. And really, he plays the key role because Jesus intends for his audience to read themselves into the story as this character.

25 “Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the older brother is hard at work. He comes to the house, probably dripping with sweat from his labors, and he hears the party.

His father wasted no time celebrating the younger son’s arrival. In fact, they started the party without the older son.

26 And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.

27 And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’

Remember also from last week, the gifts that were given by the father would have been given at the expense of the older son’s inheritance! How do you think he’s going to respond?

28 But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him,

Notice that the father pursues the older brother just as he pursued the younger brother. He goes outside to meet him… to love him… to invite him inside.

29 but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends.

This response tells us a lot about his heart. First, it reveals a sense of entitlement.

This translation uses the word “served” in English, but the Greek word is closer to “slaved” … I have slaved for you… but where is MY reward?! He feels entitled to more.

Second, it shows us that, deep down, the older brother wants the same kind of transactional relationship with the father that the younger brother wanted. He’s not serving because he loves his father, but because he wants his fair share!

And his opinion of his younger brother reinforces that interpretation.

30 But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’

“This son of yours…” he can’t even refer to him as a brother. His sin was inexcusable. He shouldn’t even be part of this family anymore! And yet, you have honored him with the best of everything we own! … …

The hook is set. The audience of Jesus in on the edge of their seats, because they completely agree with the older brother.

With the younger brother, Jesus had created a character they would all despise. But with the older brother, Jesus had created a character they would all empathize with!

No one listening to Jesus feels compassion for the younger brother. Much more likely, they are all feeling sorry for the older brother! They believe he’s right and the father is wrong! Even the tax collectors and sinners would have felt this way.

31 And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.

32 It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’”

And that’s the end of our parable. Your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found. In other words, I’m not going to apologize for celebrating repentance. And your brother’s life is worth far more to me than possessions!

What we have in this parable is an opportunity for the self-righteous to recognize that they are also in need of repentance.

I love this quote by Ralph Davis:

“Some sinners smell of the hog pen; but others reek of the church pew — and Jesus appeals to them as well.”

That’s the message of this parable. C.S. Lewis captures this idea in one of his lesser-known books, The Great Divorce.

It’s a story about a group of people from hell who take a bus ride to heaven. They get to talk to some people they knew in their earthly life, people that are now in heaven. But it doesn’t go very well, and everyone who came from hell chooses to leave heaven and go back down to hell.

Why? Because they can’t believe that the people in heaven got in! One of the men from hell meets a person from heaven who had actually been a murderer in his former life and the person from hell didn’t want to “go to any place where they let people like him in.”

Near the end of the book, Lewis writes: “Those that hate goodness are sometimes nearer to God than those that think they have it already.”

In Luke 5, Jesus says, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” In other words, if you think you aren’t a sinner, then you’re more lost than the people who know they are lost! Only lost people can be found!

If you ever find yourself lost in the woods, what do they tell you to do? Stay put and wait. Maybe start a fire. But if you start moving, you’re probably going to get more lost than you already are. The people that think they can get themselves to safety are more likely to never be found!

Spiritually speaking, the most difficult people to reach are the ones who think they already know everything… the ones who think they are already better than most people… this is clearly the attitude of the older brother and Jesus wants the religious leaders to see this as a look in the mirror.

I slaved for God! I never disobeyed God! Others may squander their time and resources on loose living, but not me! And yet, they were no different from the sinners they despised and compared themselves to, because they were still separated from the Father!

They are being invited to the party, but they refused to go inside. Why? Because they would have to repent as well. They would have to let go of their sense of entitlement. They would have to let go of their pride. They would have to admit their own need of grace.

Finally, I think it is important to consider the older brother’s perception of his father. Not only does he have the wrong view of himself… he has the wrong view of his father.

What kind of leader wants people to slave for them and obey orders with no reward? We call that a dictator!
The older brother doesn’t see his father as a father. He doesn’t see himself as a son. He sees his father as a tyrant. He sees himself as a slave. There’s no love here.

And I would ask you, how do you see God? Do you pray to him like a father? Or do you speak to him in pride when you do well and shame or fear when you fail?

You will never love God if you feel slighted by him, as if he is not rewarding you fairly for your efforts. You will never love other people if you are focused on your own worthiness and everyone else’s sin.

But if you have experienced the love of the Father… His pleasure in finding and restoring you… His joy that invites you into His kingdom, not because you deserve it but because He claims you as an adopted child at the cost of His only Son… then His love will spill over into your life. You will begin to find joy in His grace for you and for others.

We don’t know how the story ends. Jesus doesn’t tell us if the older brother went into the party. He leaves it open for his audience to decide – will they repent and enjoy the kingdom of God? Or will their pride keep them from the Father?

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We’re in Luke 15, where Jesus shows us God’s heart for lost people. He tells a story about a lost sheep and another story about a lost coin. Now he tells us a story about a lost son. But we’re going to split the story into two sermons. We will look at the younger brother today and the older brother next week.

11 And he said, “There was a man who had two sons.

12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them.

It is difficult for us to understand how offensive this request would have been. The younger son was entitled to one third of the family estate, but not until his father died! His father is still living! This is deeply offensive, unloving, and rebellious.

Shockingly, the father grants his request – something that would not have been easy to do. This wasn’t a withdrawal from a bank account. Livestock must be sold. Family land must be sold. The whole family suffered to make this possible. The whole family suffered the shame of this request.

13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living.

He left the Promised Land and wasted everything he had.

14 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need.

15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs.

Not only did he leave Israel, he’s now the servant of a Gentile – feeding unclean animals.

16 And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.

Perhaps you are starting to feel sorry for this young man. Most of us have heard this story before… we know what happens next. You know he’s going to be welcomed home. And even though we know he’s suffering the consequences of his own actions, we are starting to feel sorry for him.

But I need you to know that the audience listening to Jesus would have been disgusted by this man. No one had ever heard a story so shameful. Jesus has managed to invent a person that even the tax collectors and sinners would despise, not just the Pharisees.

And so, if we’re going to rightly understand the point of this story – we need to think of someone we would despise. Think of the kind of person that cuts against the grain of your most important values… and then you’re getting close to understanding how offensive this man would have been.

17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger!

18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.

19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’

This is basic repentance. He came to his senses. He confesses his sin. He knows he deserves nothing. He knows he will be at the mercy of his father.

But the audience of Jesus is getting nervous. Perhaps they can guess where this story is going. But you have to understand, there was not a Jewish family in all of Israel would receive this son back into their household!

20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.

Jesus tells this story as if the father is waiting and watching and hoping that his son would return home. He feels compassion before he even hears the son’s confession! He runs (something dignified Jewish men never did) and publicly displays affection for someone he could have rightfully disowned.

21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

This is his rehearsed speech! But the father doesn’t even let him finish.

22 But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet.

23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate.

24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.

Remember the shepherd threw a party for a lost sheep, something no one would have done. The woman threw a party for her lost coin, a party that surely cost her more than the lost coin, also something no one would have done.

But this time it is absolutely scandalous! Ridiculous in the minds of his Jewish audience. No father would do this. They would sooner have a funeral for this young man than throw a party. He had committed actions that you don’t come back from.

Much more likely in that context is that the father would have him beaten and thrown out on the street, or he would refuse to see the son at all.

And so, Jesus has now invented a story about a man that even the worst sinners would despise, being shown a kind of compassion that even the most righteous people would question. But if we are to understand God’s love for sinners, this is where we have to go.

Notice that the father doesn’t start loving the son after he repents. He has always loved his son. He never stopped loving his son. Notice also that the son’s repentance isn’t even that good. He underestimates his father’s love. And so do we.

In our heart, we struggle to believe God is a good Father. We are more likely to think of God as a hard and emotionless father, the kind of dad that might take us in a candy store and let us buy nothing to teach us a lesson.

But Jesus tells us about the Father he knows – a good Father, merciful and full of love and compassion… the kind of father that runs to us and hugs us back into his favor.

Do you know God to be this kind of Father? Did you know He is the kind of Father who wants us back in the family, even the worst of us… the ones who have run the farthest from Him?

But it is not without cost… the Father gives the younger son a lavish party with the best robe, a ring, and a fattened calf. All of these items were costly and significant.

But the younger son has already squandered his inheritance. And do you know what that means? It means this lavish welcome-home party comes at the expense of the older brother’s inheritance.

We will meet the older brother in the story next week and he’s not happy about this.

Thankfully, Jesus is our true older brother. It was the willing sacrifice of Jesus that secures and proves the Father’s love for us.

Romans 5:8 – “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Nothing more costly could be given. The shocking cost of a robe, a ring, and a slaughtered animal pales in comparison to the death of God’s only true Son.

But that is exactly what was given. And it pleads with us to recognize the depths of our sin – that it would cost so much to bring us back into the family – and the depths of God’s love – that He was willing to do it.

What does this mean for us? Well, first it is an invitation to return to the Father. It does not matter how far from God you have wandered! Come to your senses, confess to him, return to Him, and know that He loved you before you ever sought forgiveness, even before you were born.

Second, the story of the younger brother challenges us to show compassion to people we personally find hard to love, even people who have deeply wronged us. It will never be easy… Forgiveness will always cost us something, just as it cost God something. But knowing our own sin and God’s forgiveness will soften the way we respond to other people in their sin.

Some of you may have read the book The Hiding Place, the story of Corrie ten Boom, a Christian woman who survived a Nazi concentration camp during World War II.

After the war, Corrie traveled the world sharing her testimony about God’s love and forgiveness. One day, while speaking at a church in Germany, she encountered a man who had been a guard at the concentration camp where she and her sister were held. This man had been particularly cruel and seeing him brought back painful memories. After her talk, the man approached Corrie, thanked her for her message on forgiveness, and extended his hand, asking for her forgiveness for the atrocities he had been part of.

In that moment, she felt the weight of bitterness and anger. She realized she could not forgive him on her own strength. She silently prayed, asking God to help her. As she extended her hand, she felt a powerful sense of God’s love flow through her. She forgave the man, not just in words but from her heart.

Afterwards, she described feeling a profound sense of peace and freedom. This experience deepened her worship of God, as she understood His grace in a new way.
Forgiving this man also became an act of worship, because it demonstrated her own trust in God’s forgiveness and justice.

And that is how the Gospel transforms lives.

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We happen to be in Luke 15, a text that is perfect for celebrating our 10th anniversary as a church, because it serves as a powerful reminder of the mission of the church – why we exist and what we pray the Lord will continue to do with us.

1Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him.

Luke wants us to see that something about Jesus is attractive to these people, in particular. These are the outcasts of Jewish society. They want to be close to Jesus. But not everyone appreciates this.

2 And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

The Pharisees are concerned that Jesus is attracting “the wrong kind of people” to his ministry. We’ve talked about the Pharisees before, but I want to make sure we know who we’re dealing with. You probably know them as self-righteous religious leaders – and they were – but there’s more to it than that.

When the Romans conquered Israel, the Jews responded by dividing into several parties. There were the Essenes, the Zealots, the Sadducees, and the Pharisees.

The Essenes were like the Amish. They ran off into the wilderness and completely separated from the surrounding culture.

The Zealots were the radicals. They attempted to fight the Romans, usually by acts of terrorism.

The Sadducees wanted to live in peace with the Romans, but they had to liberalize their religion to do so. In other words, they compromised on many of their beliefs to embrace the Roman world.

But the Pharisees were like the moral majority. They were conservative, they didn’t compromise for the sake of Roman culture, but they also didn’t fight like the Zealots. Because of this, they became the popular group among the average Jews.

If the average American Christian had to choose a team in that political context, most would have supported the Sadducees. But many of us would have probably supported the Pharisees.

And they did not like Jesus, because Jesus chose to spend his time with the kinds of people they rejected. The Pharisees didn’t like Jesus because he welcomed the poor, the prostitutes, the tax collectors, those half-breeds known as Samaritans… Jesus called them all to repentance and offered them a seat at his table! He developed a reputation of having frequent dinner parties with these kinds of people and it infuriated the moral majority.

But Jesus did not endorse any of those political parties and He is going to respond to this criticism in a way that exposes something about us… all of us. We tend to think that the problem in this world is some other group of people.

If you’re rich, you think poor people are a problem. If you’re poor, you think rich people are the problem. If you’re religious, you think pagans are the problem. If you’re pagan, you think religious people are the problem. If you’re conservative, you think liberals are the problem. If you’re liberal, you think conservatives are the problem.

But Jesus offers us a different way of thinking about people and a different way of thinking about ourselves.

3 So he told them this parable:

4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?

Jesus phrases this question as if the answer is obvious. Any of you would go after a lost sheep, right? But stop and think for a moment. Jesus specifically says that searching for the one lost sheep will leave the 99 “in the open country”. That’s code for “defenseless” … without a shepherd! This man is risking 99% to save 1%.

In other words, this is not what is best for the majority. In fact, most shepherds might not go after the one lost sheep, for that reason. But Jesus sees it as a worthy mission!

5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

Why must the shepherd lay the sheep on his shoulders? Because the sheep must be carried home. It’s too weak or too scared or too stupid to go home willingly.

There’s an extremely funny video on the internet of a sheep stuck in a ditch. Someone comes and pulls it out of the ditch, but the sheep starts running away, and jumps right back in the ditch again.

Rescuing sheep is never an easy proposition. Sheep are cute but incredibly dumb animals. And yet, the shepherd rejoices to be carrying his lost sheep home.

6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’

Surely, the Pharisees are now asking the right question. Who values one sheep that much?

Like many of Jesus’ parables, this one is a bit ridiculous. I don’t think most people would throw a party for a lost sheep. It’s just not that valuable.

But apparently Jesus disagrees with us. He sees incredible value in this one lost sheep. And now we come to the punchline:

7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

It’s probably best to read that last part with air quotes. Luke has made it abundantly clear that we all need repentance, but some people think they don’t. And that’s the only real difference between the Pharisees and the “sinners”. Repentance.

Jesus pulls the rug out from under his critics. He’s telling them that these people they rejected have more value in heaven than they do! And just in case they missed that point, he tells a second parable.

8 “Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it?

The coin has value, and in this case, nothing is being risked by searching for it. It is, however, a 10% loss compared to 1% in the first parable. It seems like a worthy effort but look at verse 9.

9 And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’

Another party, this time for a lost coin. And once again we should ask, is this really something worthy of a celebration? Apparently, Jesus thinks so.

10 Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Again, Jesus shows us the heart of God. He places a tremendous value on lost people being found. Every repentant sinner is cause for celebration in heaven!

If you drop a penny down a sewer drain, are you going to go looking for it? No, because it has no value. You only go looking for that which has value. In telling us these parables, Jesus is telling us that we are of high value to God. All of us, no matter who we are or what the world thinks of us.

And I would ask you, what’s the alternative? If God doesn’t exist, then why is a human valuable? If you study human psychology, you will learn that self-esteem is highly important to human development. In other words, we need to feel valuable to live a healthy life. And so, let’s do a quick experiment.

I want you to think about a situation that would make you feel really good about yourself. If this were to happen to you, it would make you feel so good about yourself, you’d never ask for anything ever again.

Most of us will naturally think of success or health or money or fame or body image. Think about how good you would feel about yourself if you achieved that thing.

Here’s the crazy part – the people who have the thing you want, if you interviewed them, they most likely struggle with feelings of inadequacy just like you. It’s never really enough, because your value isn’t determined by you at all.

That’s the thing about value. Something needs to be valued to be valuable. There’s always an external standard. Why is a dollar bill valuable? It’s just a piece of paper! It only holds value because we think it does.

The same thing is true of human beings. We have value because God says we have value.

And we have a God who values people even when their performance isn’t the best! Of the one hundred sheep, he leaves the 99 out in the open, unprotected, to go after the one whose performance was the worst! He throws a party for the reject!

God has a heart for the lost sheep of the world. You can be the worst at everything, and He still chases after you. He values you immensely. And we know this because chasing after lost sheep required the death of Jesus. That’s how much He values us.

Hebrews 12 says that Jesus endured the cross for the joy that was set before Him… a joy that Jesus Himself describes as finding lost sheep!

And we want to be a church full of people who are humble enough to know that we were lost. We were sinners in need of repentance. And we want to be a church full of people humble enough to pray for, seek out, and joyfully welcome in lost sinners.

We are celebrating 10 years of God’s faithfulness. And from God’s perspective, the biggest cause for celebration is that we’ve had more than 40 professions of faith in this church – not people who transferred membership. These are lost sheep being found by Jesus at this church.

I think it also worth celebrating that Christ Fellowship reflects an important part of God’s vision for the church, found in Revelation 7 – all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues.

The church should be the one place in this world where we no longer see class divisions, race divisions, political divisions, any other kind of divisions – because our value has nothing to do with any of that! We are one in Christ!

But repentance is necessary for all of us.

Have you ever seen a herd of wild sheep? No, because sheep can’t survive without a shepherd. We can’t survive without a shepherd, and we will die in the wild unless He carries us home. Trust your shepherd. Rest in His arms. Be welcomed at His table.

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When I became a Christian, I was obsessed with the question Jesus answers at the end of Luke 13 – and that’s our text for today.

22 He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem.

Remember, Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem for the last time. This is the final preaching tour of Jesus.

23 And someone said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?”

We assume we know what this person is asking because we know what the New Testament teaches about salvation.

But it is very unlikely that the person asking this question even knew what they were asking. The word “saved” means rescued from danger or healed. But who or what were they being saved from? The Romans?

Matthew 19 suggests that even the apostles were confused about salvation at this point. Very likely, they did not completely understand salvation in terms of sin and forgiveness.

But Jesus is going to answer the question in reference to eternal salvation from sin and death by entrance into the kingdom of God. How many will be saved?

And he said to them,

24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.

Notice, these people are seeking to enter and will not be able! These are not people who are openly rejecting Jesus. These are people trying to get in! But not everyone trying to get in will get in. That’s what Jesus clearly teaches.

Also, focus your attention on the word “strive”. That word in Greek is agōnizesthe. It means to struggle… to fight… to agonize over something.

In other words, don’t think salvation will be easy. It will demand everything you have. It will be the fight of your life.

Not in a works-righteousness sort of way…

But there is a cost. There is a sacrifice. There is nothing easy about repentance and faith. There is nothing easy about being a disciple of Jesus in a world that hates Him.

25 When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’

There’s a clue here about what Jesus means by salvation. According to Jesus, the question is not “do I know Jesus?” but “does he know me?”

26 Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’

The original audience literally did those things. They spent time with Jesus. They listened to his teaching. They didn’t hear about Jesus. They heard from Him directly. And yet, according to Jesus, many of them will not be saved.

27 But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’

Most of the people following Jesus were lost! That’s a sobering thought, isn’t it? They witnessed miracles. They heard the best preaching. They shared meals with Jesus. And they were lost!

How lost were they? They were “going to hell” lost. Look at the next verse.

28 In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out.

Remember, these were Jewish followers of Jesus. He names the historical figures they respect the most and says those people will be saved… but not you. You’re out.

Jesus uses this expression “weeping and gnashing of teeth” several times in the book of Matthew to describe hell, a place of sadness and anger and darkness.

This is surely not the answer this follower of Jesus was expecting when he asked how many would be saved! But the next verse is the most shocking.

29 And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God.

Just when it sounds like no one will enter the kingdom of God, Jesus says people from everywhere will enter the kingdom of God! Imagine how shocked and confused his Jewish disciples must have been.

30 And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”

This is another way of saying the humble will be exalted and the exalted will be humbled.

What is Jesus talking about? In the original context, he’s talking about Jew and Gentile. His answer to the question, “How many will be saved?” could be summarized in this way.

Fewer than you expect (if we are talking about Jews) and more than you can possibly realize (if we are talking about Gentiles).

But there is a larger message that spans all of human history, including us.

Salvation is not a reward. It’s a gift. It is not earned by status or privilege or proximity. Instead, we receive an invitation… we walk through a door… we enter into a relationship… we sit at a table with King Jesus for eternity.

But in this life, it comes at a cost. And it came at great cost to Jesus Himself.

31 At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.”

Herod was the puppet king of the Jews. He saw Jesus as a threat to his favored relationship with Rome.

32 And he said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course.

33 Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.’

Jesus intentionally stirs the pot! He leans into the danger. Jesus knows he is marching towards His own death. But now, in this moment, Jesus pauses to grieve the rejection He is about to face from His own people.

34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!

Jesus talks about hell more than anyone else in the Bible. And yet, in this moment, we see clearly that He takes no pleasure in the destruction of the lost.

35 Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

This is a veiled prophecy. The Jewish temple will be destroyed. But Jesus doesn’t call it “my house” or even “my Father’s house” as he did before.

When it is destroyed by the Romans, it will only be “your house” because God will no longer associate Himself with a temple made by human hands. The Jewish people will not be saved until they accept Jesus as the Messiah.

But what is the message for us, since most of us are not Jewish?

There is a broader message here about salvation and repentance.

Being lost is easy. Being saved is hard. By that I mean, it’s not something you can fake.

Why do people watch the Olympics? Because it’s the best in the world competing to be the very best. Most of the athletes have devoted their life to a specific sport. Dedication. Determination. Sacrifice.

And then there’s Rachel Gunn, also known as “Raygun”… apparently, anyone can be an Olympic athlete now. All you have to do is move to Australia and become a breakdancer. It’s funny because we all see the difference. If anyone can do it, then it doesn’t mean anything.

Salvation – entrance into the kingdom of God – is both free and difficult. That’s how Jesus consistently describes it. It’s a free gift. It’s earned for us by Jesus. We contribute nothing to our salvation except the sin that made it necessary. It’s all grace!

But in another very real sense it costs us everything. It demands our life. It’s a life-long struggle. We will be humbled. Make no mistake: being a Christian is not easy.

Listen to how J.C. Ryle described it:

“There is a common, worldly kind of Christianity in this day, which many have, and they think they have enough – a cheap Christianity which offends nobody and requires no sacrifice – which costs nothing and is worth nothing.”

Would you know the difference in your life between this kind of cheap Christianity and the kind that Jesus describes in the Gospels? … … But … before we turn this into a new form of self-righteousness, in which we start comparing ourselves to other Christians…

Remember how Jesus describes the people who are shut outside the kingdom. He called them “workers of evil”. In Matthew 7, he calls them “workers of lawlessness”. In other words, these people are still lost in their sin. They are still enemies of God.

They aren’t shut out of the kingdom because they didn’t try hard enough or work hard enough to get in. That can’t be right. No! They are shut out of the kingdom because they lack repentance.

When it comes to the kingdom of God, striving IS repenting. That’s been the message throughout the Gospel of Luke. Do you want to know God? Do you want to be a friend of Jesus? Do you want to be found worthy of His kingdom? Then you better repent and believe. Otherwise, you will stand before God on your own – without the work of Jesus.

Let me say it a different way. What makes someone a good Christian? Or a good church member? Is it the most gifted? The most wise? The most missional?

There’s only one good answer, because every list you might come up with can quickly become a source of pride – which is antithetical to the Gospel. So, what makes someone a good Christian?

The answer can never be anything more than this: someone daily living a life of repentance and faith. More and more aware of their sin. More and more aware of the goodness of God. More and more ready and willing to give up anything and everything for His kingdom and His glory.

In a word… humility. The first will be last and the last will be first. As demonstrated by our Savior, King Jesus, who humbled Himself on the cross.

And there’s only one way to His kingdom. Repentance and faith in His death and resurrection. But it will… it must… change your life forever.

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We’re in Luke 13. At the beginning of the chapter, Jesus teaches about the importance of repentance. He gives a warning and a sense of urgency. Trees that don’t bear fruit will be cut down and cast out.

And now Luke gives us an example of Israel’s lack of fruit.

10 Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.

11 And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself.

This woman has some kind of severe disability, but she still shows up to worship after 18 years! By itself, that is an incredible testimony. This is someone everyone in town probably knows. And she’s proving the point Jesus made earlier in the chapter – she’s not suffering because she’s a worse sinner than everyone else.

12 When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.”

13 And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God.

Jesus sees her, stops preaching, calls her to the front, and heals her on the spot. Notice two things. First, Jesus uses the word freedom. You are freed from your disability. Second, notice that she immediately worships God.

Jesus sees this as an act of freedom. And it results in worship. Freedom. And worship.

14 But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, “There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.”

This is an absurd accusation, only because Jesus did not break the Sabbath by healing this woman. He’s wrong about this situation, but he’s not wrong for trying to keep the Sabbath.

The Sabbath is a serious thing. Listen to how God explains it in Exodus 31:

13 “You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, ‘Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you.
14 You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death. Whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.

15 Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death.

16 Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever.

17 It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’”

If someone works on the Sabbath, put them to death. That’s serious business. And so, the ruler of the synagogue has a right to be upset with Jesus IF he really broke the Sabbath.

But that’s not what’s going on in the man’s heart. Very likely, this man is upset because Jesus has upstaged him. He’s not truly concerned with God’s law.

Jesus healed at least seven people on the Sabbath, according to the Gospels. In every case, the religious leaders were quick to condemn him. They obviously considered healing to be a violation of Sabbath law.

But Jesus did not break God’s law. He broke their interpretation of God’s law.

15 Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it?

He points out their inconsistency. They make exceptions for necessary tasks. The animals still need to be watered. And that’s ok! God did not forbid such things. What God forbids is our normal labor practices. We are commanded to rest and worship. But some tasks cannot be avoided, and God permits these things.

But Jesus adds a category of tasks that are acceptable on the Sabbath – works of mercy.

16 And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?”

“Ought not” is a bit weak. In Greek, it says “must she not be”. In other words, Jesus sees this healing as a necessary task. If watering an animal is necessary, surely this counts! Surely, providing freedom for this sister, under the bondage of disability for 18 years, is an act of necessity!

The Sabbath is the day of freedom! It was established to teach us how to depend on God – to rest in Him, with Him.

It’s absurd that the religious leaders don’t understand this. The “church” was not working correctly if this is what it had become.

17 As he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame, and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.

Jesus not only frees this woman from the oppression of Satan. He frees the people from the oppressive rules of their spiritual leaders, rules that go beyond the written Word of God.

Now we come to the end of our text for today – two short parables that further explain something Jesus wants us to know about God’s kingdom.

18 He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it?

19 It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.”

A mustard seed is tiny. The image of a man trying to even sow a single mustard seed is funny, if you think about it. I would most likely lose it before getting it in the garden.

But the mustard tree (which is a real thing in the Middle East) grows to be 20-30 feet tall.

20 And again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God?

21 It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.”

Yeast is even smaller than a mustard seed – a single-celled microorganism, smaller than a grain of sand. But three measures of flour is a lot of flour! That would make enough bread to feed the whole town!

These parables both illustrate something small that is packed with enormous latent energy. Think of an acorn. There’s a whole forest in one acorn. This can become a tree that produces hundreds of acorns that will produce more trees and more acorns – that’s the idea.

Likewise, the kingdom of God is bound up in these small events. A woman experiencing freedom from physical bondage on the day of worship… that’s the kingdom of God breaking into our world. It’s the kind of evidence God provides that Jesus reigns – right here and right now in the lives of His people.

One action. One person. On one Sabbath. And Jesus says this is what the kingdom of God looks like.

Do not take for granted the little things that God calls us to do for His glory. The little things matter.

When I became a Christian in college, it was the little things that meant the most. Someone invited me into their home to share a meal with their family. Someone asked me how they could pray for me. Someone asked me to help serve the church.

We have no idea how much of an impact these small kingdom moments might have…

Seeing someone new and welcoming them to church.
Seeing someone alone and going over to greet them.
Praying for people on the prayer list.
Providing a meal.
Serving in the nursery.
Serving on the tech team.
Showing up to family night and loving each other.
Showing up to worship faithfully, even when it’s not easy – like the woman in our text.

Do not underestimate the small things. Listen to what Jesus said in Mark 9:

41 For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.

A cup of water! Somehow, in God’s good providence, little acts of mercy – even the most basic actions – can have ripple effects in the kingdom of God. A need is met, providing rest and freedom for the person being served.

In the case of a cup of water, freedom from thirst. In the case of the disabled woman, freedom from physical bondage. In every case – relationships… help… love…

Derek Redmond was a British sprinter competing in the 400 meters at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. He was a favorite to win a medal.

But during the semifinal race, Derek tore his hamstring and fell to the ground in pain. Despite the injury, he was determined to finish the race. He struggled to his feet and began hobbling toward the finish line. But something even more amazing happened.

Seeing his son’s determination and agony, Derek’s father Jim ran onto the track from the stands, brushing off security.

Jim wrapped his arm around Derek and supported him as they walked together to the finish line. The whole crowd, moved by this display of love and perseverance, gave them a standing ovation. No one remembers who won that race. But everyone watching the Olympics that year remembers Derek and his father.

And any father would do the same. This just happened to be an Olympic race. And I think what Jesus is suggesting in these parables is that we don’t understand the reality of our circumstances.

The universe is watching God’s kingdom come and it’s happening in all the small moments where love and freedom are breaking into this dark and chaotic world. The angels are rejoicing!

Every small act of service or compassion for the glory of Christ is making the highlight reel of the kingdom! Love one another. Support one another. Stay in the race together. It may not feel important, but it is.

When Jesus makes it to Jerusalem, He’s going to be crucified. And no one will see it for what it really was. They will see defeat and shame. They won’t see the victory, the freedom, and the Sabbath rest accomplished by Jesus for countless people in that one act of love.

His body was bent under the weight of our curse so that we can be free. And in Christ, we are free.

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Christians around the world were shocked and offended by some of the scenes at the opening ceremony of the Olympics. One of them seemed to be an artistic rendition of the Lord’s Supper.

I’ll spare you of any personal commentary this morning, except to say that such things ought to be a reminder to all Christians that this world is lost, and we want people to be saved. We mourn for this world. We pray for it. And we remember God’s grace for sinners like us.

As we return to our study of Luke, remember the purpose of this book. Luke wants to show us the heart of God specifically for lost people. That desire will be highlighted by some of the most beautiful stories in the Bible in the weeks ahead… the parable of the great banquet, the prodigal son, the story of Zacchaeus… we have some great stuff ahead. And so much of it will reveal the heart of God for the lost.

But first, we have to look at a sad and sobering story this morning. Luke 13:

1 There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.

The Roman governor apparently had some worshippers killed during Passover – likely because of political tension. There was incredible tension between the Jews and the Romans at this time and Pilate was known for doing things like this.

But remember the context. Jesus is now headed to Jerusalem, just before Passover, with a large group of Galileans! Most of his followers were from Galilee.

Some of them remember this recent event and they are nervous about this journey, for good reason. They share this story with Jesus as a caution or even in fear. But look at how Jesus responds.

2 And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way?

This is a shocking reply, honestly. Jesus responds to an act of terrorism by bringing up the sin of the victims! He completely sidesteps the injustice to focus our attention on something worse than human tragedy. Verse 3:

3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.

Jesus was certainly aware of the religious and political tensions. He knows that some people are trying to get Him killed. He knows that some of His followers are afraid.

But Jesus simply will not be distracted from His mission – to seek and to save the lost.

Jesus uses this tragedy as a signpost pointing to a greater tragedy. I like the way Ralph Davis puts it, “Earthly disasters are eternal caution lights.”

And then Jesus doubles down on this lesson with another example.

4 Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem?

Both of these stories would make headline news today, but compare them. In the first story, the Galileans were victims of human violence.

But in the second story, these people were victims of a seemingly random event. How often does a building fall on people? Not often! We would call that an act of God!

And at that time, most people assumed that such a random tragedy was secretly deserved by the people who suffered. It must have been karma. But Jesus says,

5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

Those people didn’t suffer and die because they deserved it more than you do. And this is a shocking response to our fears, isn’t it?

Some of his followers are afraid and Jesus basically says, “I’ll give you something worse to be afraid of.”

It sounds insensitive, but it was a gracious warning. And then Jesus illustrates further with a parable.

6 And he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.

7 And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?’

8 And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure.

9 Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’”

This parable gives important context to the previous verses. Obviously, all people are being called to repentance and faith. But here, Jesus is specifically talking to His people – the Jews.

Jesus has now spent about three years in public ministry among His people. And the truth is that very few of them have repented. They had the Son of God among them, tending this garden. But they refused to believe.

Jesus is going to Jerusalem, in part, to give them one last chance to repent. But they will reject Him and in 70AD the Romans will bring buildings down on the whole city.

Why? Why did they reject Jesus? The answer to that question is clear across the Gospels. The Jews refused to accept Jesus because He did not meet their expectations. They wanted a liberator… a political revolutionary… a warrior king.

And mixed with these unmet expectations was a fear of Rome and a misunderstanding of Messianic prophecy. Put it all together and the problem is obvious. They were concerned with the temporary – not the eternal.

We see it clearly in our text. These followers of Jesus were concerned with what might happen to them in the days ahead, but Jesus focuses their attention on the providence of God and His mission to preach repentance.

Jesus communicates a warning, a sense of urgency, and an opportunity.

The warning is that God has been patient, but there is a final judgment coming – something more severe than death. Anyone who does not bear the fruit of repentance will be cast out of God’s garden forever.

And there’s a sense of urgency as well, because life is short and unpredictable. God owes us nothing – not even our next breath. Every opportunity we have to turn and follow Christ may be our last. But this is such an opportunity – to repent and believe… to trust God with our future and focus our attention on His kingdom.

And it’s my job to tell you, in direct application of this text, that Jesus is far less concerned with America and her politics, or Ukraine, or Venezuela, or even Israel – than we are. Jesus did not want his followers to fear the Romans or the Jews – but to fear God. To trust Him.

I’m not saying that none of it matters or that God doesn’t care at all. We should pray for this world. We should care about the welfare of our city and state and country.

But God is sovereign. Jesus is King. Listen to how the Scriptures describe our relationship with the world we currently live in:

We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. – 1 John 5:19

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. – 1 John 2:15

This world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. – 1 John 2:17

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. – Romans 12:2

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. – Colossians 3:2

You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. – James 4:4

This is not an application that I’m trying to shoehorn into the text. It’s a big part of what the Bible means when it calls us to repentance. The people rejected Jesus because they were too concerned with the Romans to consider God’s plan.

We are living in, quite possibly, the most anxious period of human history. We hear about terrorist attacks and other tragedies daily. For thousands of years, it would take weeks or months for important news to spread.

By comparison, everyone in America knew about Trump’s assassination attempt within minutes! Before radio and television, most Americans wouldn’t have known about it until the morning newspaper was delivered.

We’re anxious about the election. We’re anxious about war. We’re anxious about inflation. We’re anxious about what kind of world our kids are going to grow up in… I understand.

But Jesus would have us trust the providence and plans of God. Repent of our fears and lack of faith and remember that a good King sits on the throne of heaven.

We can trust Him because Jesus went to Jerusalem, knowing the obvious danger. He willingly offered Himself as a martyr, not to save the Jews from the Romans – but to save His people from sin and death… people from every tribe, nation, and tongue.

And He invites us to His table, though we don’t deserve it, by repentance and faith in Him.

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Have you ever heard someone say something like this: “The god of the New Testament is nothing like the god of the Old Testament. I worship the god of the New Testament, because he’s a god of love and forgiveness and grace. The god of the Old Testament was angry and jealous and violent.” Have you heard something like that before?

Well, that person is probably not familiar with the story in Acts chapter 5.

But I want to start reading this morning at the end of Acts chapter 4:

32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.

The early church had an understanding that their lives belonged to the Lord Jesus and His kingdom.

33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.

34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold

35 and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.

The Holy Spirit led the early church to a lifestyle of radical generosity. Motivated by the grace of Jesus, wealthy Christians gave to the church and the leaders distributed these gifts to the needy.

And then Luke shares an example to show us the heart of a man named Barnabas who becomes important later in Acts.

36 Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus,

37 sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

Now, watch what happens next in chapter 5.

5:1 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property,

2 and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land?

4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.”

5 When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it.

6 The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him.

7 After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.

8 And Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much.” And she said, “Yes, for so much.”

9 But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.”

10 Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.

11 And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.

12 Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico.

13 None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem.

14 And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women,

15 so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them.

16 The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed.

This is a heavy story, because if we are honest what they did doesn’t seem that bad to us. And yet, God killed these two people on the spot. It sounds so severe!

Ironically, the name Ananias means “God is gracious” in Hebrew. And yet, God doesn’t seem to offer him any grace in this situation. Sapphira means “beautiful” in Aramaic. But this is tragic, not beautiful.

So, what did they do? Why was it so bad? Why was God so angry?

Very often, preachers will use this story to manipulate people into giving with fear or guilt. But that cannot be the purpose of this story. Look at 2 Corinthians 9:7:

Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

In other words, God doesn’t want us to give to His church out of fear or guilt – so that can’t be the purpose of Acts 5.

So, without fear or guilt, let’s consider this story in context. Luke tells us about the cheerful generosity of the early church. He tells us about the powerful work of the Holy Spirit led by the apostles.

And then he tells us specifically about the example of Barnabas. Barnabas gives the money from the sale of his land as a clear act of worship and devotion to God. His heart was in the right place.

But what does Peter say to Ananias?

3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit…

And then again in verse 4:

Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart?

If you focus on the lie and miss the heart condition that produced the lie, then you will miss the point of this story. All sins are born in the heart. Satan bears some blame here, for stoking the fires of sin. But ultimately, Peter blames Ananias.

What Ananias proves by his actions is that his heart is not really changed. This gift was an act of worship, but not worship of God. It was an act of self-worship.

If we are giving to God only to get something from Him, then we are really giving to ourselves. In other words, right actions coming from the wrong heart are not right actions in the eyes of God. He sees the heart and He is not pleased with fake expressions of love or generosity.

But why did God judge these two people so quickly and so fiercely? If we are honest, we are all guilty of doing things with bad motivations. I can admit that I’m even guilty of giving with the wrong motivations at times. Do we deserve to die for it?

Well, the answer is actually yes. Yes, we do deserve to die for it. If you don’t believe that, then you don’t really understand how offensive our sin is to God. That’s kind of the point. That’s why Jesus had to die in our place. Sin is rebellion. All sin. Every sin.

Part of the disease is that our hearts do not want to admit we deserve death for it. We read this story, and we think, “Wow, God, that’s so cruel!” But that’s only proof we don’t get it.

And yet, God is gracious. He doesn’t kill us where we stand. In fact, stories like this are very rare in the Bible. This is the only time it happens in the New Testament.

And that’s because there’s something else going on here.

Look again at verses 3 and 4:

3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit…

You have not lied to man but to God.”

And then in verse 9, when his wife comes in:

9 But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord?

Peter sees this sin as something more than just lying about their gift. This is about the Holy Spirit.

And I think that’s what Luke wants us to see. This is still very early in the book of Acts. This is very early in the history of the church. We have story after story of the Holy Spirit doing amazing things.

Right before this, we have a story of radical generosity instigated by the Holy Spirit. Immediately after this story, we see more signs and wonders and healings led by the Holy Spirit.

God is actively building His church, but it is young and fragile. In fact, Luke uses the word “church” for the first time here in verse 11. They were the ekklesiai – the “called out ones”.

And so, God was busy doing something new. He was calling people to Himself, calling them out of the world. He was building a new kind of community. And He was with them. His Spirit was no longer associated with the temple. God’s people were the temple.

The Church is the holy place. The Church is the resting place of God with men.

Now, that changes the context of this story, doesn’t it? Right in the middle of this new, amazing work of God’s Spirit, we have a story of someone acting like they are part of it – and they are not.

Their gift was not motivated by the work of the Holy Spirit. It was selfish. It was wicked. And God chose, as He has the right to do, to protect the reputation of His young church.

He did not allow this couple to make a mockery of Him. Instead, He made an example of them.

And it worked. Luke says the Church was filled with a healthy fear of God. And the Spirit continued to move and more than ever, verse 14 says, believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of men and women.

In other words, God used judgment here as a means to a very good end.

How should we respond to all this? Well, I think we can begin with considering that God is very interested in protecting the peace and purity of His church. We are the bride of His Son. We are His work. And because He is concerned with that, we should be to.

We have a responsibility to hold one another accountable, to confess our sins to one another, and to pray for one another. The elders have a responsibility to protect and care for the church. The deacons have the responsibility to lead us in service, especially to the poor.

Second, I think we can use this as an opportunity to examine our hearts. What things might we be doing only to be seen by others, to look like we are godly people, when deep down we know it’s only to feed our pride? If our giving, or any religious action, is not motivated by love and done for the glory of God, then it is worthless.

And I think, finally, we should be grateful for the grace of God – that He doesn’t punish all of us as our sins deserve. I am also a liar. I am guilty of doing and saying things only for the approval of others, and not for God. I am not as generous as I should be. My heart is a mess. Every day of my life is better than I deserve. But God has been gracious to me in Christ Jesus.

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This morning, we will finish 1 John. We’ve studied this letter with a focus on the Father’s love for us. But there has also been a strong emphasis on the Christian response to God’s love. We respond to Father’s love with love for Him and for His church, but also in faith and obedience.

As we come now to the end, notice how John describes his purpose.

13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.

Compare this verse to the end of John’s Gospel where he says he wrote “so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

In other words, John wrote his Gospel to unbelievers – to convince them they need Jesus.

But this letter was written to Christians – people who already believe in Jesus. They already have eternal life. John wants to give them assurance, not to cause doubts about their salvation.

14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.

The phrase “according to his will” is important. John is not giving us a blank check. Instead, he’s telling us that God is a good Father. He will give us what is good for us… what He wants us to have.

Parents, we understand that we can’t give our children everything they ask for. That’s bad parenting! But if it is in power to give something, and it won’t hurt them, then our love compels us to provide it.

We can have the same confidence when we speak to God in prayer, that He loves us and cares for us. He also knows what we need better than we do. But as we grow spiritually, we will also start to ask for things that God wants us to have… righteousness, peace, forgiveness, humility, rest…

15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

That’s an incredible promise! John says that God answers our prayers immediately, even if the results aren’t visible to us until the future. We already have the answer! It has already been given!

But now we come to a specific example, and I’ll tell you up front – it is difficult to interpret John’s meaning. Let’s read it and then I’ll do my best to explain.

16 If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that.

17 All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death.

I know that’s confusing. And you’ll be happy to know that it confuses even the best Bible scholars. And there are several good explanations. I’m going to share the one I favor.

There are two questions here: First, what are the sins that lead to death? And second, why does John not say that we should pray for people committing these sins?

In one sense, all sin leads to spiritual death. But believers have been delivered from spiritual death by faith in Jesus. And yet, they continue to struggle with sin.

These are the people John tells us to pray for – our brothers and sisters in Christ who are struggling with sin. We should pray for each other, that we would experience deliverance from sin through repentance and faith.

With that understanding, the sin leading to death is likely a reference to the people who have abandoned the church because of false teaching. John has already mentioned life and death in chapter 3, as a way to describe people who love the church and the people who abandoned the church.

John seems to be saying, don’t waste your prayers on them. They have rejected Christ. It reminds me of God telling Jeremiah to stop praying for his people, “As for you, do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer for them, and do not intercede with me, for I will not hear you.”

Notice, John doesn’t forbid us from praying in this way. But he doesn’t command it either. If you remember, John is drawing a line between the family of God and the world. Sin does not have the final authority in the life of a Christian.

18 We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.

John repeats again, the Christian life is not characterized by habitual, unrepentant sin. Why? Because of our union with Christ. Someone who is united to Christ will grow to hate sin and love righteousness.

He says that Jesus protects us, and the devil cannot touch us. Think of a bodyguard standing watch over someone. Jesus will not let the devil touch us. But look at the next verse.

19 We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

What does that mean? How is it possible that the whole world lies in the power of the devil? Doesn’t the entire universe belong to God?

Yes, God is the King of the entire universe, but the world does not currently honor Him as King. There is a spiritual battle going on, and the world is being heavily influenced by the Devil.

This is why we should be careful of our engagement with and endorsement of the world’s agenda. This world, as it currently exists, is not our eternal home. Our faith does not rest in the systems and powers of this world.

In Philippians, Paul calls us children of God living in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation. In James, we are told to keep ourselves unstained from the world.

John also wants us to be mindful of this.

20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

John says something here that he hasn’t clearly said anywhere else in the letter, until now.

Jesus is not only the Son of God. He’s not only the way we become connected with the Father… He’s not only the way we receive eternal life. John says clearly and directly: Jesus IS God! Jesus IS eternal life!

That’s not a surprise to most of us, but there are still people today who claim to worship the God of the Bible and deny that Jesus is God. They’ve resurrected this old heresy, believing that Jesus was just a human or perhaps an angel, but not God.

Remember, the people who left the church John wrote to were denying the deity of Christ. This is not a minor theological issue. It’s incredibly important. John has argued clearly that you cannot be saved if you deny this.

And then John abruptly ends the letter with this final verse:

21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

This should seem out of place to us. John hasn’t mentioned idols at all in this letter. In fact, John does mention idols in his Gospel or in any of his other letters. This is the only time he uses that word!

But this is not out of place. In fact, it is kind of the perfect mic drop moment, because it emphasizes the true identity of Jesus.

Jesus is God. Denying the deity of Christ makes someone an idolator. They are worshipping a false god.

But think back over the text we read today. A misunderstanding of who God is leads to all sorts of problems, even in the life of a Christian. John wrote these things to encourage Christians because they needed the encouragement. Idolatry is a problem even for God’s children.

We ought to have assurance of eternal life, not based on our feelings or our performance, but because of the promise of God through Jesus!

We ought to have confidence in prayer, not because we deserve the answers, but because God is a good Father who loves us deeply!

We ought to pray for one another in our struggles with sin and have victory over our struggles with sin, not because we are strong and holy, but because we are united to Christ!

And so, if we are struggling with assurance of salvation or confidence in prayer or habitual sin, John’s diagnosis is crystal clear – you have an idolatry problem!

You’re not worshipping the real Jesus. Because if the real Jesus is the object of your faith in this moment, then His work for you and the Father’s love for you in Christ would be ministering to you in those struggles.

If you walk away from 1 John only thinking about your faith, your love, and your obedience – in other words, focused on the fruit of the Christian life – instead of the source of that fruit, then you’re completely missing the point. Abide in Christ… rest in Him… be at home with Him… and you will bear much fruit.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus and know the Father’s love!

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We’re coming to the end of John’s letter. One more Sunday after today. And we’re going to finish strong with a text that is both encouraging and challenging. Chapter 5 verse 1:

1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.

This is a simple statement. Faith in the person and work of Jesus, faith anchored in truth, is proof of new life – new birth. We are God’s children if we believe.

But connected to that faith is also love – love for God and love for God’s children.

2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments.

John adds obedience into the mix. Faith, love, and obedience – these things go hand in hand.

3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.

What John corrects here is our tendency to exalt some Christian virtues over others. And if you look at the greater Church, you will clearly see this tendency.

Some Christians focus almost exclusively on the need for good doctrine, minimizing the importance of love or the need for obedience.

Some Christians want to be known for their love, but they ignore the importance of good doctrine and the need for obedience.

Some Christians are experts in the law… they can tell us what we should be doing, but they are weak on doctrine and weak on love.

If you follow the argument John is making, it’s clear that the people who left the church loved to argue about doctrine (even though they were wrong about it) and yet they failed to love others and they refused to practice obedience.

This lack of love and the failure to pursue godliness was evidence that they were not really people of faith.

John says that loving God looks like obedience! It’s not a burden, but a joy! We find delight in God’s law. It shows us a better way to live. We begin to recognize our sin as the source of death and destruction in our lives. We want to be better because we love God and hate sin.

God’s love at work in us gives us the desire to love and please Him.

4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

John is showing us how these things are connected. Faith – Love – Obedience. Faith is not a simple head knowledge of some facts about God. It’s a form of trust in God that always results in victory over the world. It’s a powerful force at work in our lives!

To put it simply, faith loves. Faith obeys. Love believes. Love obeys. People who obey believe. People who obey love. Do you see his point?

You can think of it almost as a triangle. Three aspects of the Christian life. Faith. Love. Obedience. All connected to each other.

But here’s the key… who’s at the center of the triangle, according to John? Jesus.

The entire Christian life is an overflow of response to Jesus. The writer of Hebrews calls Jesus the author and perfector of our faith, who went to the cross BOTH for love of His people AND ALSO in obedience to the Father. The cross itself is a blend of these three ingredients. And the faith, love, and obedience we experience as Christians is all anchored in Him.

John continues:

6 This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.

7 For there are three that testify:

8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree.

John argues that Jesus is the anchor of our faith because Jesus in more than an idea. He’s a person who lived. We have internal evidence that Jesus lived – the work of the Spirit. And we also have external evidence – a historical reality… the water and the blood.

Most likely, John is referring to the baptism and the crucifixion of Jesus. In those two moments, Jesus most clearly identified himself with us in our humanity. Visible, public, historical realities. A lot of people witnessed both events.

9 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son.

At his baptism in particular, the Father spoke and blessed Jesus for everyone to hear – “this is my Son in whom I am well pleased.”

10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son.

In other words, our faith is confirmed in the evidence – the internal work of the Spirit, the external voice of the Father, the visible work of the Son. Our faith in not blind. It’s not a leap into the unknown. For the Christian, it is a concrete reality. And it has real, tangible benefits.

At the center of it all is a relationship with a real Person – flesh and blood, but also perfect and eternal. He can be known and experienced and trusted, today. And forever.

11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

This is really John’s final word to the people who left the church. Jesus is life. No Jesus, no life.

And notice the adjective. God promises ETERNAL life to everyone united in Christ. Eternal life!

John mentions the promise of eternal life more than any other Bible writer. Incidentally, John also lived longer than all the other apostles. He was the only one not to die as a martyr, instead dying of old age. But he still died.

Truth be told, we don’t really know what to make of this promise… eternal life… Our experience is that everyone dies. You took a first breath, and you will take a last breath.

But we all live with a nagging feeling that it’s not supposed to be this way. People aren’t really supposed to die. Death is not natural.

If you remember my semi-depressing Easter sermon, I told you about the science of death.

We think aging is natural because it happens to everyone, but there is no law in biology that explains the aging process. We actually have genetic mechanisms that are capable of regulating and repairing our aging cells indefinitely. At some point, these mechanisms start to malfunction in every single human and there is no scientific explanation – not even a solid theory.

But the Bible explains it… We die because we sin. Underneath the physical death we all experience is a form of spiritual death. If Adam had never broken covenant with God, then he would never have died. He rejected the authority of God’s Word, making a choice that severed his life-giving connection with the Creator.

And I believe this is the best explanation for what we experience. It explains why death feels so wrong. It’s not the way things are supposed to be.

The Bible’s explanation also tells us something important about God. He means what He says. God said we would die if we sinned, and He meant it. Not trusting God led to death – and it still does.

But that’s not the end of the story. It doesn’t have to be. God made it possible for us to trust Jesus and live. If we die IN CHRIST, we will rise IN CHRIST. And we will share in eternal life with Him.

This is the point of Christianity. But if that is not your hope, then you have no real motivation to believe or to love or to obey. Without Jesus, you might as well eat, drink, and be merry… for tomorrow you may die. But this life… it is in God’s Son.

And He invites to a different table… an eternal fellowship. No more temporary joys…

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The word love appears 29 times, so that’s almost two loves per each verse. So I have a lot of love to talk about this morning, which is great. And I think this passage is helpful for us because it answers a lot of questions that we have about love.

Maybe you struggle to even understand what love is, you struggle to believe that you’re loved sometimes, or you struggle to know how to love other people. And so this passage is really helpful because it all connects back to God’s love, God as the source of love. And it answers that question that we ask over and over again, are we loved? And so this passage is a resounding affirmation that God does love us.

And so we’re going to begin starting in verse 7 and read through verse 8. So 1 John 4 verse 7. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. So I feel like John would be a really good pastor if he was here today.

As we see throughout this letter, he always, not always, but he begins his address with beloved over and over again. It’s his favorite way to just address his people by saying beloved. So I think I might suggest to Mike that next time we announce something, he just starts it with beloved.

You know, we have coffee and donuts at the church. But that might feel weird, so I don’t know. I don’t know if we’ll do that.

But John, he just wants us to know, and he just wants his people to know that they are loved. Loved by him, loved by God, and he wants them to love one another. And if you look at this text, you can see why he wants them to love one another.

He says that love is from God. If you love, you are born of God, and whoever loves, they know God. He even goes so far as to say that if you don’t love, then you don’t actually know God, because God is love.

And so he’s saying the source of all the love that we have comes from God himself. If we’re born from the one who is love, then love is in our DNA, and that’s what comes out of us. That’s what we grow up into.

So his point is that we can only love others if we belong to the one who is love. That also raises a question that we need to answer. What does that statement mean that God is love? So I think we hear this statement skewed in our culture today.

We have different denominations that will maybe say God is love means that we just accept everyone. We don’t call for any repentance of sin. We tolerate sin.

We accept it because God loves everyone. So it’s kind of skewed in that way, but I think it can also be skewed in the other way, where God only loves us based on our obedience. As long as we’re obeying God, then he loves us.

As long as we’re doing good as a Christian, then we have God’s love. So I think the Bible denies both of these errors, both of these misunderstandings of God being love. I think the right understanding that John puts forth here is that everything God does comes from his love.

At the core of who he is, God is love, and all of his works, all of his acts come out of the love that he has. So when God judges sin and he pours his wrath out on sin, even that still comes out of his love because he loves holiness, he loves justice, he loves what is right, what is fair. When he shows mercy and grace to us as sinners, that comes out of his love, his love for his people, for this world.

So nothing that God does can be unloving, and everything that God does comes out of his love. Let’s go ahead and go to verse 9 and 10, where John continues this thought. In this, the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only son into the world, so that we might live through him.

In this is love, not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins. So if God is love, then John is saying the love of God is manifested in Jesus Christ. God’s love is shown to us perfectly through Jesus, who has come to die for our sins.

This is where we see God’s love shine the brightest. In order to really understand this love that he has, we need to understand the depth of our sin. We need to know that we all, by our very nature, deserve the wrath of God.

We all walk in sin. We all walk in rebellion to God. Yet Jesus, being the propitiation for our sins, means that he has taken this wrath that we deserve upon himself.

He has taken the punishment that we deserve for our sins and given us life. He takes death upon himself. He gives us life.

He takes our punishment on himself, and he gives us the reward for his obedience. He gives us the righteousness that he has earned and deserves. So this is really the agape love that we’ve talked about the past couple weeks.

It’s an utterly perfect and selfless love that comes out of God. I love how John puts it in verse 10, that love isn’t that we have loved God. Love is that God has loved us first.

Paul makes a very similar statement in Romans 5.8, where he says God shows his love for us, and that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. So what can be more loving than a God who looks on a creation that has rebelled against him, who has turned against him, who mocks him? He looks at this creation, and he says, I will sacrifice the person I love most in this world to save you. You people who have turned against me, I’m going to send my only son to take your punishment on himself so that you can be saved.

And so this is a pure, this is unselfish, and this is a sacrificial love. And this is the love that God has for you. God saw you at your very worst.

He saw you at the depths of your sin and your rebellion against him, and instead of turning away, instead of sending his wrath upon you, he was filled with love for you. So filled with so much love that he sent his son for you to die for you, save you from your sin. And so if you’re unfamiliar with the Christian faith, if you’re not a believer this morning, I really urge you to just consider this love.

This love is unlike anything else you will find in this world. It’s not transactional. It’s a love that is free.

It’s a love that does not take from you. It just gives to you. It’s not a love that fades.

It’s an endless love, and it’s not a love that you have to earn. It’s a love that’s given to you because Jesus has paid the price for it. So come and believe in this love.

Believe in Jesus who has died for your sin. God does not love us because we love him. He loves us so that we can love him.

That’s what John’s trying to get across here. This also leads us to verse 11. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

So it’s almost as if John is saying, look at how amazing the love of God is. If God has poured out this love for us, how can we not show this love to other people? And this really should stir our hearts when we contemplate how God loves us, the grace that he gives to us through Christ. It should stir our hearts and motivate us to love others.

How can we neglect other people who have wronged us when we’ve wronged God and he’s forgiven us? How can we ignore the weak and the helpless when God has saved us out of our helplessness and out of our weakness? So the selfless love that God gives to us, it transforms us in how we love and allows us to love selflessly as he does. Verse 12. No one has ever seen God.

If we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. So John, he starts by making a kind of interesting argument here. He starts with no one has ever seen God and it seems kind of out of place because he just got done talking about the love of God.

But it makes sense if we consider what John says after it. He says no one has ever seen God. But if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

So what John does here, he makes a really incredible comparison. But in order to see it, we kind of have to zoom out from the rest of the passage and go back through the progression that John’s giving to us. So he begins by declaring that God is love.

So he starts there. God is love. All love comes from God.

Then he goes to, we see the love of God in Jesus. In the sacrifice of Jesus, God’s love is displayed. And now he makes that same point, but he says the love of God is now displayed in how we love one another.

In our sacrifice, God’s love is seen. Just as Jesus reveals God through his love, we now reveal God too through our love. And we don’t do it perfectly like Jesus did.

It doesn’t affect salvation. But Jesus, he shows us this example of how to love others and show them the love of God. So it’s incredible that we as humans, as people of God’s creation, we get to reveal him to people through our love.

John’s saying that nobody can see God, but his presence, it dwells among us as we love one another. And this is really why our church family is so important. This is why it’s so important that we know and that we love each other, because this is where we experience the presence of God.

This is where the body of Christ is, right? It’s physical language. Because our lives, they get really difficult throughout the week. I know that a lot of us are maybe stressed with our job.

Maybe you’re stressed with your kids. There’s a lot of illness and there’s a lot of unknowns in the future that cause us to worry. On top of that, we’re all at war with our flesh.

We’re trying to battle against sin. And when we have all this just coming down on top of us in the middle of the week, it’s really hard to see the love of God in those moments. It’s really hard to remember that he is with us in those moments, because it’s a fallen world that we live in.

We’re in a world that tries to do everything it can to distract us from the love of God and to forget that he’s actually there and that he’s present. And this is why we really need each other. We need each other because we show each other the presence of God.

We remind each other that God is here, that he has not abandoned us to our sin. He has not abandoned you to the world and the loneliness that you may feel. So when we come and we hear the gospel proclaimed, when we worship as our church family, when we give to each other and support those who are in need, all of these things, they remind us that God abides in us as a people, that God dwells among his people.

This is really the point that John’s trying to drive home here. So we see this even more in verse 13. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his spirit.

So we’re reassured that God abides in us because we love one another, and we know that we love one another because his spirit is within us. This kind of goes back to the language of being born of God, that whoever has been born of God, they’ve been given a new life in God. And this new life enables them to love one another as Jesus loves us.

And so when we love one another, really what happens is we’re assured that the spirit dwells within us, because the fruit of the spirit, it is love. It’s this love that the spirit is producing within us. Romans 8, 7, and 9, this spells it out pretty clearly as well.

Paul says in this text, for the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law, indeed it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if in fact the spirit of God dwells in you.

So when we were in our flesh, when we were controlled by our sin, controlled by our sinful nature, we weren’t even able to love one another selflessly. All of our actions came out of a selfish place. We were dead in our sin, dead in our trespasses.

But now, when we love one another, we’re reassured that we’ve been given a new life. When we show the selfless love of God to one another, we know that the spirit dwells within us by the grace of God, and it’s transforming us to look more like him. So our love for one another, it doesn’t bring God to us, it actually shows that God already lives within us.

So it’s there for our comfort, for our assurance. John continues to give assurance the rest of this passage. Let’s go to verse 14 and 15.

And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And so we know that God dwells in us because we have his spirit, and we also know that God dwells in us because we have professed faith in Jesus as the Son of God.

Paul makes a similar statement in 1 Corinthians, where he says, no one can say Jesus is Lord except in the Holy Spirit. So this confession of Jesus, this faith that we have in Jesus, even this is a gift from the Spirit, where we come to know, come to believe in the love that God has for us. So our love for one another points us to God abiding in us.

And then our faith that we have in Christ also assures us that we are in God, that God is in us. Verse 16. So we have come to know and to believe that God, believe the love that God has for us.

God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. So these are the marks of our Christian assurance, that we’ve come to know Jesus, come to believe the love that he has for us, that we’ve come to place our faith in him as our Savior. This is when we fall on our sin, when we fall short, we can go to Jesus, we can know that he has died for us, that we are forgiven of our sins, we can cling to him in faith, be assured that he loves us, and we can be assured that we are in God through the love that we showed to one another.

This is kind of like how if you meet someone, or something, it’s kind of how like if you meet someone you can really tell when they live in the South. If they’ve lived in the South their whole life, you can usually figure that out from how they talk. Maybe they have a Southern drawl, maybe they love country music, maybe they love sweet tea, and so all these things, they kind of point to this person lives in the South.

You want to assume this person lives in New York or anything, but just how you would know they live in the South, in some way you can tell that the South lives in them, is expressed in them, because the whole the culture of the South as a whole, it comes out in this one individual, in the way that they talk, maybe in how they interact with people. So growing up in the South, it’s molded them into someone who represents the South. And so likewise, this is kind of how our love for one another shows that we live in God.

Our love for one another, it’s not just, it doesn’t just show where we live, it shows who we live in. When we love people, it shows that we know of God to love, and that we rest in God to love. And it also shows that God lives in us, that God has grown us up, and he has molded us and shaped us to love one another like he loves us.

And so this love, it shows that God is in us, and that we are in God. And really, this should change how we love people. It should change how we view others, and how we interact with them.

First of all, I think this should humble us. I think if we’re tempted to take pride in how well we serve people, and how well we love people, this should remind us that all of the love that we show to other people comes from God. And it should really, it should drive us to praise him, that he dwells within us, that he’s redeemed us, and that he’s enabled us to love one another.

So it should drive us to humility, praising God who lives within us. But second, this should also comfort us. I know that if you’re like me, you always feel like you should be doing more.

You feel like you’re not loving people well enough, and you feel like God may be displeased that you’re not loving people well enough. And if you’re not loving anyone at all, this may be true. If you’re just locked in your room, not interacting with anyone.

But the very fact that you are loving people shows that God isn’t displeased with you. It shows the opposite, that God actually dwells in you, that he dwells in you with love. And so we don’t have to be burdened by guilt that we’re not doing enough all the time.

We can rejoice that God has actually prepared good works for us to walk in. So we can rejoice in him. We can praise him that he’s enabled us to walk in these good works.

And we can trust him as he leads us to love one another. So this isn’t a condemning love, this is a freeing love that we have that enables us to love, that reassures us that God is in us. And this confidence in God is what John points to in the next verse.

So let’s go to verse 17 here. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is, so also are we in this world. And so think about earlier in our text, in verse 13, John said, if we love one another, then two things are true.

So one, God abides in us, and two, his love is perfected in us. And so John, he just finished explaining what it means that God abides in us, that he lives in us, we live in him. And now for the rest of the passage, he’s going to explain what it means that God’s love is perfected in us.

Which really is a good question to think about, what does it mean that God’s love is perfected in us? What is John saying here? So I think we can all agree, it doesn’t mean that we love one another perfectly. I think what John is getting at is that God’s love is shown to be fruitful within us. God’s love is completed in us.

Because as we abide in God’s love, it achieves the goal that it is set out to do, which is to produce more love, right? This is the love that God has, that it produces even more love within us, and it completes us, it makes us whole in him. And this is what gives us confidence that we’re in God. This is why John talks about confidence when we think about judgment.

This doesn’t mean that we’ll be saved from judgment because of how well we love people. This means that we can be confident that we’ll be saved from judgment, because God has brought us into his family through his son. Through Christ, we have been adopted as sons and daughters of God, and we know that we belong in his family.

And if you’re in Christ, then you do belong in his family. You’re a child of God that belongs to him. John says, as he is, so are we in this world.

And so since we’re God’s children, we walk like God’s children. We reflect him in what we do. We bear his image.

We love one another. We’re trying to point people towards our father who has loved us. Like I said earlier, love is in our DNA.

So we know that we walk in love because Christ has saved us. We walk, we have the status that Jesus does as a son of God, that God’s love will never fade for us. We have this assurance because God is a good father.

So no matter how much his children annoy him, ignore him, disobey him, he will never cast his children out of his family. He will teach them. He will discipline them.

But like I said earlier, he is a God of love, and everything he does will be out of his love. So this is the confidence that we have, that if you’re in Christ, you belong in God’s family, and he will never cast his children out. Let’s go to verse 18.

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. So John’s saying we’re living in the perfect love of God that drives out our fear. Because as we saw earlier, God’s love, it’s shown in Jesus who has come, and he has died for us on the cross.

And so when Jesus takes this punishment on himself, this means that we don’t have to fear punishment anymore. Punishment has to do with fear, and so when punishment is removed, we no longer have any reason to fear. This is what the perfect love is.

It’s a love that gives us assurance. It’s a love that gives us hope and confidence in God, and it’s a love that completes us. I think we all, this is all the love that we crave.

Every human, they desire this kind of love, a love that is complete and full. Let’s all take a second and think about our middle school and high school relationships. I know we would love to do that this morning, but think about your first crush, and if you’re like me, this was a terrible experience for you.

Because if you were like me, you wanted more than anything to just ask this girl out. Even though I was in like seventh grade, I wanted to ask her out on a date. I wanted to know her because I thought, man, if this girl likes me and I know that she likes me, then everything in my life will be okay.

Everything’s going to be awesome. The only problem was as much as I wanted to ask this girl out being in seventh grade, I was even more scared that she was going to reject me and say no. So everything would be great if she said yes, but if she said no, then my world was over in my mind.

So in the end, I didn’t ask her out because I was too scared that she would say no, which was probably a good thing since I was in seventh grade, and I’m over it now, so not to worry. But the point is we all have this deep desire for love, but we also have this deep fear of being rejected. So we all want to love that we don’t have to fear that we’re going to lose.

And when we come to God, God’s love is all that we want, right? We know that if we’re in God’s love, everything will be okay. Everything will be fine. He’s sovereign.

He’s in control. So we know that His love will fulfill us, and we also know that His love will never cast us out if we’re in Christ. We know that He dwells in us forever.

He abides in us. So it’s a perfect love of God that fulfills us forever, and it’s a love that reassures us we’ll never lose it. So if we’ve been perfected in this love, if this love has come to bear fruit in us and reassure us that we’re in God, then we lack nothing, right? We know we’re complete in God.

And so again, I urge you to consider, if you haven’t professed faith in Christ, know that no other love in this world will satisfy you. All other love in this world, eventually it will run out. Eventually it won’t satisfy you anymore, or it will reject you.

I urge you to come consider this love that God has, a love that will fulfill you and that will never leave you. Let’s go to verse 19. We love because He first loved us.

And so perfect love, it drives out our fear, drives out our fear of condemnation, our fear of judgment, but it also transforms how we love one another. This is really the beautiful picture of the Christian life, that it’s just a cycle of, we receive God’s love and we give God’s love to one another. It’s actually very, very simple.

We’re loved by God. We love other people. This is what John is trying to get them to believe.

He calls them beloved over and over again, because that’s who they are. In the core of their being, they are beloved. And that’s who we are.

We’re people who are loved by God and we’re people who love one another. Verses 20 through 21. If anyone says, I love God and hates his brother, he is a liar.

For he who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And this is the commandment we have from him. Whoever loves God must also love his brother.

So going back to 21, or 20, this is an interesting argument that John makes here. He’s saying, remember, he’s writing to a group of people who are in the midst of apostasy. They’re in the midst of false teaching.

And it’s likely that some of these false teachers, they’re practicing a form of mysticism, where you go, you retreat by yourself, you go deep into prayer, deep into meditation, you’re seeking this spiritual experience from God. Which sounds great, but the only problem was they weren’t loving God’s people. They were neglecting God’s people.

They were even, as John says, hating God’s people. And so really they’re showing that they don’t actually love God. He’s saying that they can’t love a God who they do not see if they’re not loving his people who are right in front of them.

This is kind of like what he’s getting at here. They can’t love God, yet fail to serve his people. This would be like saying you love the father of a family, but when that father leaves the house, you seek to harm his kids.

So if you’re going to harm his kids, you’re showing that you really don’t care about the father. You actually hate the father because you’re harming what matters most to him. You’re harming what he loves the most.

And so this is why we have the command to love one another. Ultimately, our love for God is shown in how we love his children, how we love our brothers and sisters in Christ. I know that parents are really pleased.

Nothing makes them happier when they see their kids just loving each other, just forgiving each other, sharing with each other. I know it just fills their parents’ heart with joy when they see their kids walk in love for one another. So this is what we’re called to as a church family.

We’re called to love one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. We’re called to walk in obedience, forgiveness of each other, giving selflessly to each other, and just being a family because that’s what pleases God, and that’s what fills us. And nowhere do we see this love more clearly than in Christ.

I think the biblical picture of Jesus that we sometimes forget is Jesus as our big brother. We talk about him as the son of God, and if we’re sons and we’re daughters of God, this makes Jesus our brother, the first son of God. And Jesus, he’s a perfect older brother.

We know that older brothers, they’re supposed to look out for their younger siblings, right? And Jesus, he does this perfectly. He actually leaves his father’s house. He goes out, finds his brothers and sisters, gives his life for his brothers and sisters so that they can be brought back home to the father’s family.

So Jesus, he’s this perfect older brother that we have. And this really, reading through the passage this week, brought me a lot of comfort as an older brother. I think having a younger brother who passed away, I think it really reassures me that Jesus is an older brother who’s looked out for him perfectly.

He showed him the love of God here on earth. He gave his life for him, and he loved him by bringing him back home to the father safely. So we all have this perfect older brother who looks out for us.

He brings us into the family of God. He teaches us how to love one another, and he shows us that God is a father of love. This is a Savior that we have.

This is a Savior that you have. So I just urge you to praise him, trust in him, and follow him in his love. Let’s pray.

Father, we just come, we just praise you for giving your son for us. We just thank you for the fact that you are love, that all you do is in love, and that you have brought us into this love. Just an amazing blessing that it is.

Let’s pray that you teach us to walk in love for one another, that we show each other the love of Christ, that we give selflessly to each other, that we forgive each other, that we just come and praise you as your children. In your name I pray, amen.

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11 For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

This was the command Jesus gave to His disciples at the last supper. And again, this is not a friendship kind of love, or a romantic kind of love, or even a family type of love. It’s that special word – agape. It’s a God kind of love. Permanent. Unconditional. Sacrificial.

12 We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous.

The opposite of sacrifice is murder. If you remember from last week, there are two groups of people. People of the world and people of God. Children of the devil and children of the Father.

The story of Cain and Abel highlights a particular kind of hatred that John wants us to see – a hatred for righteousness.

13 Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.

Why? Because, like Cain, the world hates righteousness and loves lawlessness.

We see it in media and entertainment – where characters who engage in immorality are frequently portrayed as glamorous or successful, while those who uphold Biblical morals are depicted as naive or weak.

We see it in politics and business – where people who engage in bribery and fraud often prosper, while people with integrity are marginalized.

We see it in the general acceptance of behaviors and lifestyles that were once considered wrong even by pagans.

But notice the key distinction that John makes between people of the world and the people of God.

14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.

One group is spiritually dead. The other is spiritually alive, and the evidence of that life is love – active, sacrificial love.

15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

John borrows here the language of Jesus from the sermon on the mount where Jesus equates hatred to murder. Harboring hatred in your heart for someone is abiding in, or being at home with, death.

This is interesting because murder is not the unforgivable sin. Paul assisted a murder and was forgiven. David committed murder and was forgiven. Jesus was actively being murdered on the cross and asked the Father to forgive them.

Instead, I think John here is thinking of the people who left the church and now hate the body of Christ. These are the antichrists we talked about last week. Their actions do not suggest that they have personally experienced the sacrificial love of Christ, as he says in the next verse.

16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

Jesus perfectly demonstrated the kind of love He wants us to have for each other: active sacrifice. This is God’s vision of a sacrificial community. That’s what He wants His church to be. Now, look at John’s example.

17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?

John typically uses plural words – we, our. But here he switches to singular. Do not close your heart to a brother in need. You. He makes it personal, that we should ask ourselves is my heart closed to a brother or sister in need?

By saying it this way, John forces us to be specific. As one commentator says, “Loving everybody in general may be an excuse for loving nobody in particular.”

Who specifically has been a recipient of your sacrificial love? And notice, John also moves from a big sacrifice to a small one. In verse 16, he’s talking about laying down your life for a brother. In this verse, he’s talking about providing for physical needs.

In other words, true love is not only revealed in the big sacrifices. It is also expressed in little ones. And if you think you’d make the big sacrifices when you’re unwilling to make the small ones, then you’re lying to yourself.

18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

Love is action, not words. This is what Jesus means when He tells husbands to love their wives. Don’t just say it… prove it.

This is deeply convicting to me, because I’m strong with words and often weak with action.

19 By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him;

20 for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.

Remember, John is not trying to cause doubt. He’s trying to encourage believers in their faith. We know our love is deficient. We know that Christians aren’t always the perfect example of love.

But there is also no condemnation for those in Christ. And so, John says to us, listen to God, not your heart. He knows the truth and His Spirit will reassure the heart of a believer.

21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God;

This is the ideal mental state of the Christian – resting well… at home with God.

22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.

Once again, John is speaking of our relationship with the Father. He’s a good Father! As Jesus said, your Father in heaven knows what you need before you ask. This is not a promise of temporary blessing. It’s a promise of eternal love and rest. We have a good relationship with the Father because of Jesus.

23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.

24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.

It’s important to hear these words, not as a statement about what could be – but as a statement about what IS… what is already true. We believe. We love. We abide. We already have this kind of relationship. We’re not trying to get it. And we know it because the Spirit of God lives in us.

But once again, John pivots. He focuses our attention back on the false teaching.

4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.

This is clever, because the false teachers in this case are overly concerned with the spirit world. They denied that Jesus was really God in the flesh.

2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,

3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.

See what John did there? If you want to know the Spirit of God, then you must believe Jesus took on flesh. If you deny that, then you don’t have the Spirit of God.

4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

This is a strong, beautiful statement. You are from God. You have overcome the world. It’s done. It’s already true. You’re not working for it to be true someday. Have confidence! The Spirit IN YOU is greater than the spirits out there.

5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them.

6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

John says “we”, referring to the apostles. And he can make this claim of authority because they had direct contact with Jesus. They witnessed his life, death, and resurrection. They had been sent by Jesus to spread the Gospel. If the apostles were not teaching it, then it was not from God.

The world is full of error. This is why it is so important that we devote ourselves to the teaching of the Bible – that we listen to God’s Word.

Now… as we think back over today’s text and the past few weeks, what do we notice? John keeps going back and forth between truth and love… knowing God and loving God… he’s showing us the relationship between the two. You cannot separate true knowledge of God from love.

It is this relationship between truth and love that makes the Gospel so beautiful. It produces both confidence and humility. It allows us to be seen and still be loved! And it motivates the kind of sacrificial love that Jesus calls us to.

It’s a love that can see another person for who they really are and still move towards them instead of away from them, because I know myself and I know I’m not worthy of the Father’s love, but He gave it to me anyway.

More than that, He keeps giving it. Some of us are prone to doubt God’s love because we keep messing up. Surely, at some point, God will be done with me… right?

No! It’s not possible! Stop feeling sorry for yourself!

You might ignore His love, or neglect it, or waste it, or misunderstand it, but God will never stop giving it. Sacrificial love always knows the truth and gives anyway. That’s what makes it different.

It’s what makes our God different. You won’t find a God like this anywhere but Christianity. You won’t find this message “out there”. And we need to keep hearing it.

If so much of what is wrong with the world, according to John, is a lack of love… if that is our bent, our struggle as humans… to know and feel the safety and security and warmth of loving relationship… and if that is what the God of the Bible is offering us, without condition… and it changes us from the inside out and motivates us to love others in the same way…. Then may we not neglect it.

Be here as often as you are able, to hear the good news, to experience the love of the Father, and to show it.

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Let’s get back into 1 John.

18 Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.

Some people think that John and the other apostles thought Jesus was coming back very soon, in their own lifetimes, and that this is an example of them being wrong. Clearly Jesus did not return soon, at least by our standards.

Instead, the last hour is better understood as the entire period of history between the resurrection and the second coming. We’ve been living in the “end times” for 2,000 years, which is nothing to God and nothing compared to eternity. And yet, the New Testament talks about it with a sense of urgency. The point being, don’t waste your time.

We also need talk about the word “antichrist”, which means “against Christ” or “instead of Christ”. John is the only person to use this word in the entire Bible. My belief is that John is simply referring to heretics or false teachers and those who follow them. And the very next verse supports that idea.

19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.

There’s a lot of doctrine in this verse. First is the idea that people can be with us, but not of us. It’s possible to be a member of the church and not be a true child of God. We call this the visible and the invisible church. Only God knows who are truly saved.

Second is the idea that true children of God will persevere. God always finishes what He starts. True salvation can never be lost.

In context, John is trying to help this church understand why some of their members left. They were led astray by false teaching, and they became deniers of Christ. This is a church that split over heresy, something that has happened over and over again throughout history. Lest we romanticize the early church… but John offers some encouragement.

20 But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.

Anointed means “set apart or chosen for a purpose”. In other words, God picked you and you know the truth.

21 I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth.

This is an important verse. John is NOT writing this letter to cause everyone in the church to start doubting their salvation or to start a witch hunt for weak believers. He’s writing to encourage them in their faith, not to create more doubts!

22 Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.

This is a simple test of knowledge. Is Jesus the Christ? This is basic Christianity. But the people who left this church denied it, probably because of an early version of the Gnostic heresy. They denied that Jesus was God. And John says, they aren’t Christians anymore.

23 No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.

In other words, you can’t have a relationship with the Father unless you accept Jesus. To be clear, this test excludes Jews and Muslims from the kingdom. They claim to worship the same God as us, but they deny Jesus. John says, they can’t know the Father unless they embrace Christ.

24 Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father.

John uses the word “abide” 16 times in this letter. It’s one of my favorite Bible words. It means to make yourself at home. Lay down roots. Stay put. Rest. “The dude abides”… if you get that reference, then you’re out of your element.

But read the verse again with that definition. Let what you heard from the beginning make itself at home in you. If what you heard from the beginning puts down roots in you, then you too will stay put and rest in the Son and in the Father. You’ll be at home with them.

25 And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life.

You’ll be at home with them FOREVER! I want you to see something here. Once again, John moves from talking about an idea or a belief to a relationship… a fellowship. Safety. Permanency. Rest. In a word… Home.

Christianity is not just an empty set of beliefs. It’s life and light and love. It’s eternal promises that we begin experiencing now. Put down some roots!

26 I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you.

27 But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.

28 And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.

In other words, be with Jesus now so that you will recognize him when he returns.

I love this quote from Herman Bavinck. “God is only known in proportion to the extent that He is loved.” Do you want to know God? Trust Him. Love Him. Abide in Him. Be with Him.

To illustrate, I want you to think of your favorite celebrity or athlete. I don’t really have one, but the Celtics just won the NBA Championship, and Jaylen Brown was the finals MVP, so I’ll use him as an example.

If Jaylen Brown is your favorite player, then maybe you know he’s from Marietta, Georgia. Maybe you know he played one season at California before entering the NBA draft where he was selected 3rd overall by the Celtics. You might even know that outside of basketball, Jaylen is a vegetarian and he loves chess. You can know a lot about him, but that doesn’t mean you know him. You don’t have a relationship with him.

And this is the point John is making. Knowing some things about Jesus does not mean you have a relationship with him. Doctrine without love is empty. Faith is a direct, personal knowledge of God. It’s not a cold, distant acceptance of truth that may change if someone convinces you otherwise. Do you know God? Do you love Him? How can you tell?

The answer is you will become more like him.

29 If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.

You’ll become more like your Father in heaven by abiding in Christ, the righteous One. Just as every child takes on some of the traits and characteristics of their parents.

3:1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

John here begins to make a distinction between the world and the children of God. He’s describing what it looks like to practice righteousness. And notice the context is the love of the Father. Living a righteous life is somehow deeply connected to the love of the Father.

2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.

God’s work in us is not finished, but He is transforming us – making us more like Him over time. The more we are exposed to the character of God, the more like Him we become.

3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.

This is the opposite of righteousness. John defines sin as lawlessness. This is not making mistakes. This is willful rebellion… intentionally breaking God’s law. He’s making a distinction here between the sin we struggle with as believers and the sin that characterizes the world. Children of God do not practice, or intentionally and repeatedly break God’s law on purpose.

We fail, but we are burdened by our failures. It breaks our heart when we realize we have broken God’s law. We hate the struggle with sin. We know sin is a problem. The world does not.

5 You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.

6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.

That verse, by itself and taken completely out of context, makes it sound like true Christians never sin. But John has already corrected that notion. He clearly teaches that Christians still sin.

The difference is conviction and repentance. Our relationship with God stops us and holds us accountable. Notice he uses the word “abide” again. If you’re at home with the Father, you’re not going to be comfortable with your sin.

Imagine watching something on TV that you know you probably shouldn’t be watching and then your mom or dad walks in the room. It would make you very uncomfortable. And that’s the idea here. Does your sin make you uncomfortable in the presence of God? If it does not, that’s a problem.

Let’s finish reading.

7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.

8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.

10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

John adds this bit at the end, loving your brother, as a further test of righteousness. It’s something we will look at closely in the coming weeks.

But I want us to see that there are only two groups of people here. There are children of God and there are children of the world, also known as children of the devil.

There’s no such thing as 50% child of God and 50% child of the devil. No one is 1% child of God and 99% child of the devil or 1% child of the devil and 99% child of God.

You are either born of God or you are not born of God. You are abiding with Him or you are not abiding with Him. You know the love of the Father or you do not know the love of the Father.

And I want to be clear, because this is easy to get twisted. John does not focus our attention here on outward signs of holiness. It’s tempting to make it about that, but that’s not his point. He is clearly talking about something that happens in the heart of a Christian – something only we can see on the inside. Are you comfortable with your sin?

If you are comfortable with your sin, then you are lost. You can’t be in the presence of God and be comfortable with your sin.

If you know God… if you love Him… then you will start to hate your sin. It’s not going to disappear overnight. And it won’t go away entirely until Jesus returns. But it will bother you. Your love for God will make you want to change. Knowing the Father’s love for you will make you want to change. That’s kind of the point of Christianity. Love demands sacrifice and sacrifice is uncomfortable.

My uncle Tim was recently diagnosed with incurable brain cancer. He’s almost 80 years old and he knows the Lord. But he’s also a perfect example of what I mean when I say that love demands sacrifice. Many years ago, Uncle Tim gave one of his kidneys to save his brother’s life. That’s not an easy thing to do. But some people do it – willing to sacrifice and endure pain because of love.

Imagine giving a kidney for a stranger! Very few people are willing to do that, but we have one in our own church. Now imagine donating an organ to an enemy! That’s crazy talk. What about giving up the life of your only son for enemies? Now you’ve arrived at the Gospel.

And if you love God, it’s because He loved you (an enemy) to the point of great sacrifice – enduring the pain of the cross and suffering the curse of sin and death for you. And John says He did that from a place of love for you and hatred of sin.

If you know that love, then sin will make you uncomfortable. As it should.

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1 John is a beautiful letter, written to early Christians who were struggling to believe the Gospel. There was a very specific form of false teaching at the time that had already led many people away from the Church. This false teaching denied the humanity of Christ Jesus and the reality of sin.

John wants to defend the Christian faith against this false teaching – but his argument is more than logic. He’s going to defend Christianity by appealing to light and life and love… fellowship with the Father and fellowship with the Church.

Christianity is not an empty system of beliefs. It’s a relationship and a fellowship. It changes everything. It makes a difference in your life and I’m excited for us to look at this together.

1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—

The word of life is Jesus – not an idea, but a person. He’s an eternal person. He had no beginning, and He will have no end. But Jesus has a voice and a real body. He smiled. He wept. He hugged.

2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—

John’s talking about the Incarnation – God the Son, who was with the Father, came to earth and took on flesh. He was “made manifest” – visible, tangible, real!

3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.

This verse is crucial to our understanding of the letter. The Apostles personally witnessed the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And then, they preached that good news for a purpose – not simply to convert people to a religion, but to draw people into fellowship with God and with His Church.

Fellowship is the Greek word koinonia – it’s a bond of love that has a shared goal or purpose. And it is impossible to understand the blessing of salvation without this bond. It describes both our union with Christ AND our union in Christ with each other. It is the experience of salvation.

Think about almost every hero story we find to be compelling as humans – every book, every movie, every TV series… Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, the Avengers, Stranger Things – there’s always a shared purpose or a common goal that the relationships form around. And it’s the relationships that drive the story forward. That’s not just good story telling – it’s the image of God in us. The shared experience matters to us.

John continues:

4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

John includes here a second purpose in writing this letter. Joy. That’s a word that means so much more than happiness. It’s deeper. It’s richer. It’s a confidence, an assurance, deep in the soul… a heart at peace. A heart resting well in the Father’s love.

And now we get to the main body of John’s letter.

5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

Light and darkness are universal ways of describing good and evil. Many eastern religions think of god as a balance of light and darkness. John says no. God is pure light. Not even a hint of a shadow exists in God.

6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

John will use this phrase “if we say” three times. He’s referring to and correcting a couple of false beliefs. But notice, it’s not just that we think the wrong things. These false ideas threaten our fellowship.

This first one is the claim that we can have fellowship with God and at the same time walk in darkness. That’s impossible, because you won’t find God in the darkness. And that’s because God is holy – He doesn’t dwell in darkness. He doesn’t associate with evil.

But there’s more here than the typical understanding of holiness versus sin. A theme we easily miss is safety versus danger. If you have fellowship with God, then you’re walking in safety. Walking in darkness is unsafe, which is why most animals are active in the daytime. It’s why we avoid dark alleys. It’s why so many people are afraid of the dark!

That’s another way to think of this. Yes, he is talking about choosing sin instead of God. But what does that mean, practically? It means choosing danger instead of safety. And that’s absurd! No one walking in safety would choose to abandon that safety for danger. Unless we are convinced the darkness isn’t dangerous. And that’s what sin does to us… it’s deadly, but it has us convinced we are safe.

7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

Our safety is provided by union with Christ, whose blood cleanses us from all sin. And because we have union with Christ, we also have union with each other. John describes it as walking together in the light – which means we have safety in numbers!

So, what is John correcting here? He’s correcting the false idea that sin isn’t a problem – that we can have real, meaningful fellowship with God and His church without repentance. He’s challenging the belief that we can follow Jesus and keep living the exact same life we lived before. It doesn’t work.

Now for the second false belief:

8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

In the first part, John taught that light and darkness don’t have fellowship with each other. But here, he corrects the other extreme – claiming that we have no sin at all.

And he uses simple words to make sure we understand. You can’t be a true Christian if you deny your own sin.

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Confession is necessary. It is impossible to walk in the light without confessing our own darkness. Confession leads to two new realities – forgiveness and cleansing. Both are required to restore our fellowship with God. We need to be forgiven and we need to be cleansed.

John doubles down on this by repeating it.

10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

In other words, God says we have sinned. If we deny our sin, we are calling God a liar.

To summarize what we have read so far – sin is real. Darkness is real. It’s not OK to keep walking in it without repentance. We need to confess. And when we do, we are brought into fellowship with God through Jesus, where we have safety and joy in His forgiveness. But let’s keep reading:

2:1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

John explains how the God of light and holiness can have fellowship with sinful people like us. The answer is that Jesus became our advocate. John portrays Jesus in legal terms as the One who pleads our case before a judge – like a defense attorney who has never lost a case. But Jesus does more than plead our case, because He doesn’t use our record. He uses His own record. Look at verse 2.

2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

That word propitiation means that Jesus offered Himself to the Father as a sin offering. Instead of pleading our record, Jesus offered His own perfect record and stood in our place as the accused.

In other words, Jesus argued our case before the Father – not by claiming that we are innocent, but by suffering our guilt.

John adds that this sin offering was good enough for the sins of the whole world. Not that everyone will be saved. John himself says in chapter 5 that only those who believe in the Son of God will be saved and that we must be born of God.

Instead, he means here that Christ’s death was sufficient for all who believe and has been made available to the whole world – not to any specific race or class of people – because all of us are equally guilty because of sin.

And in the very next verse, John provides a test. How do we know we have fellowship with God? How do we know this forgiveness is at work on the inside? How do we know we are walking in the light? John says:

3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.

The order is crucial here. John started with the reality of Christ, the reality of sin, our need for confession and repentance, our trust in the work of Jesus our Advocate – and only now, after establishing our fellowship with God through Christ – only now does he mention obedience.

Our obedience is not the grounds of our fellowship with God, but it is the evidence of our fellowship with God. It’s not the cause, but it is the test.

Jesus often illustrated this with a fruit tree or a vine. An apple tree produces apples because it is an apple tree. A pine tree doesn’t produce apples because it is not an apple tree. If I staple apples to a pine tree, it doesn’t make it an apple tree.

Obedience works the same way. God does the work necessary on the inside to help us produce fruit on the outside. And really, no tree produces fruit on its own. It needs healthy soil and water and sunshine. It is our continued fellowship with God and His people that makes obedience possible.

Our roots sink deeply into God’s means of grace and as we experience fellowship with Him, we grow. But the opposite is also true.

4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,

No evidence? No fellowship with God. If you’re not producing any apples, then you’re not an apple tree. And now we come to the heart of the matter and the heart of this sermon series. The true test is the Father’s love. Do you know it? And do you show it?

5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:

6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

This is the first mention of the word “love”, and it is arguably John’s favorite word. He uses it 39 times in his Gospel, more than all the other 3 Gospels combined. He uses the word love 26 times in this short letter, more than any other book in the New Testament besides the Gospel of John.

In English, we only have one word to describe a concept that the Greek Bible splits into four different words – four types of love. And John specifically uses the word “agape”, which is the highest form of love.

It’s not a friendship kind of love or a romantic kind of love or even a family kind of love. It’s deeper – a kind of love we aren’t supposed to think is even possible.

It is a selfless love, a sacrificial love, an unconditional love, and a love that never ends. It’s a love that isn’t based on temporary feelings but on a permanent decision to love without expecting anything in return.

And here’s the crazy part. It’s a love that God extends to the undeserving, the ungrateful, even to His enemies! It’s a forgiving love, a healing love, a transforming love.

This is the kind of love the Father has for His people and it’s the kind of love He commands us to have for each other. It is the basis of our fellowship with Him and with each other.

Let me try to say this as simply as I can – your obedience is a response to that love, never the cause of it. God doesn’t love you because you deserve it.

You obey because you believe He loves you. Any other way would cheapen His divine love into something conditional and earned…

Instead, it is a love so amazing, so divine that it demands my soul, my heart, my all. This is the Father’s love for you, a sinner.

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This morning, we come to the end of Luke chapter 12. This has been a difficult chapter. Jesus tells his disciples not to fear death, but to fear God who can cast them into hell. He tells them to expect persecution, but not to be anxious. And then He tells a parable about an unfaithful servant being cut into pieces!

But the most difficult verse in Luke 12 is what comes next.

49 “I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled!

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus describes His mission in many different ways. Most of the time, He says it in positive ways. I came to seek and to save the lost. I came not to be served, but to serve. I came to bear witness to the truth. I came that you may have life and have it more abundantly. We like that version of Jesus!

But Jesus also says things like this. I came to cast fire on the earth, and I wish it were already burning!

Casting fire on the earth is judgment language. That’s how His audience would have understood it. But Jesus is being intentionally vague, and I’m convinced this has a double meaning. He is talking about the coming judgment, but also the coming Holy Spirit. Jesus will cast both kinds of fire on the earth, creating division.

And as we finish the chapter, this will make more sense. Look at the next verse.

50 I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished!

It’s interesting that Jesus gave us a sermon on anxiety just a few verses earlier, but now He tells us that He is himself in great distress about something. What is it that Jesus faces? It’s the cross. But why does He refer to it as a baptism? Most likely this was a Jewish idiom describing some kind of hardship.

Very often in the Old Testament, God’s judgment is described as a consuming fire. That’s what Jesus is talking about. Jesus knows that, on the cross, He will face the consuming fire of God’s wrath. He will be swallowed up by it, facing the judgment of our sins.

In 1 Peter 3, Peter explains that water baptism signifies more than just the washing away of sins. It signifies salvation from judgment.

Judgment is coming. It will either fall on Jesus or it will fall on us. That’s the message. And it creates a dilemma – a crisis.

51 Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.

Jesus says something very similar in Matthew 10 – I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.

And again, this is not what we WANT to hear from Jesus. We want to hear more about love and peace and healing. Jesus does bring all of that. He makes it possible. But it’s not promised to everyone.

The Gospel divides all of human history. It divides even the most basic human institutions.

52 For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three.

53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

Family was extremely important to Jewish society… it still is. And Jesus promises division even among families. What could cause this kind of division, the kind that would cause even families to fragment?

It’s important to understand the historical context. In the Jewish mind, their enemies were the Romans. They believed the Messiah would deliver them from Roman oppression. But Jesus repeatedly challenged that expectation.

Jesus came to deliver His people from the wrath of God – the consequences of sin and judgment. But that message would bring great division to the Jewish community, even splitting families.

Why? Why is the message of the Gospel so divisive? Why did it get Jesus killed? Why did it get his disciples killed? All but one of the Apostles died a violent death for preaching the Gospel!

It’s because there is a very powerful enemy, that absolutely hates and rejects the love of God. I’m not just talking about Satan, although he qualifies. I’m talking about sin… specifically idolatry. The Gospel creates division when people love their false gods more than they love their family.

I’ve experienced this firsthand, because I’ve been actively shunned by close family members for almost 30 years now because of my faith.

Having said this, it’s important to realize that God hates this division. The Gospel demands a response, and this often results in division between those who accept Jesus and those who reject Him.

But the Gospel also provides a means of reconciliation and forgiveness between people who once hated each other. And one day, Jesus will return, and He will bring perfect peace to the world.

Until then, we have a decision to make.

54 He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens.

55 And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and it happens.

56 You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

In other words, there is a crisis coming and you don’t see it. You’re focused on temporary, physical things and you’re ignoring the spiritual realities of the kingdom of God.

To use a modern example, how many times have we missed important things around us because our eyes are glued to a screen? That’s the idea here. We have apps that give us all the information we need – news, weather, stock updates, entertainment. But we’re losing some of the more important aspects of human life. Connection and community involvement.

The crowds had Jesus, performing miracles right in front of them and announcing the kingdom of God! But they missed it.

57 “And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?

58 As you go with your accuser before the magistrate, make an effort to settle with him on the way, lest he drag you to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer put you in prison.

59 I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the very last penny.”

In other words, don’t waste your opportunity. Make peace with God before you’re standing in judgment.

And now, if you put it all together, what is Jesus saying? He’s teaching about the coming judgment. Fire is coming. What will that mean for you?

When gold is mined, it usually comes out of the ground mixed with impurities. The raw ore is taken to a refinery where it is placed under intense heat. As the gold melts, it begins to separate from the impurities. They float to the top and are removed, leaving behind pure, refined gold. The finished product is far more valuable than the raw ore, but the transformation requires fire and division.

This is the way the Bible often describes God’s plan for the earth. He will refine it by fire. We don’t like hearing about judgment. It’s not our favorite topic.

But we must understand, there is no transformation without division. There is no peace without a sword. There is no mercy without judgment. There is no forgiveness without the cross. And there is no salvation without repentance.

If you don’t understand sin and judgment, then you can’t really understand the cross. What exactly is Jesus saving you from? Or did you think Jesus came to give you a peaceful, easy life that still ends in death?

It’s possible you’ve heard about Jesus your entire life and still don’t get it. And I would urge you to look at the cross of Jesus with fresh eyes this morning. What does it represent to you? Love and forgiveness? Yes. But at what cost? It wasn’t just a brutal death. Jesus allowed Himself to be swallowed up by the fires of God’s wrath for your sins.

Sin is a bigger problem than we want to admit, if that’s what it required for God to save us from it.

I want to end by reading a letter Jesus wrote to the church in Laodicea. This is Revelation 3, beginning in verse 15:

15 “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot!

16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

For context, Laodicea was a wealthy city. They had a banking center, a large textile industry, and a medical school.

But the city’s water supply was brought in from a distant source by pipes and arrived lukewarm. Neighboring Hierapolis had hot springs and Colossae got its water from cold mountain springs. The irony is the church in Laodicea was materially rich, but they had to drink bad water.

Jesus uses that reality to explain their spiritual life. There self-sufficiency and their pride had crippled them as a church. Those are both themes we talked about in Luke 12, right? And so, what advice does Jesus give this church?

18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.

In other words, you need something from me that you cannot produce on your own. You’re going to need to humble yourself and receive it. You’re going to need to regard yourself as poor, blind, and naked spiritually for that to happen.

In other words, you’re going to need to repent.

19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.

20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

I love you, Jesus says. I desire fellowship with you. But you’re going to have to repent.

And this is the key to understanding Luke 12. The only difference between the saved and the lost is union with Christ by the grace of God, received by repentance and faith. And you can eat with Him today…

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We are living in what many academics call the “age of anxiety”. Americans today are far more anxious than we were 100 years ago – and that’s not just because of awareness and reporting.

Two separate studies involving thousands of children show that normal children today report more anxiety than psychiatric patients in the 1950s. In fact, each new generation reports more anxiety than the previous generation.

There are many possible factors. For instance, there has been a decline in social connection fueled by higher divorce rates, more people living alone, and a lack of trust in people and institutions. There are also more perceived threats being perpetuated by constant media coverage.

When people don’t feel connected and safe, they tend to feel anxiety. And that makes sense. It certainly explains a lot of my own struggles with anxiety.

But there is a spiritual component as well. The Bible talks about anxiety many times. And you might be surprised to hear the way that Jesus addresses our anxiety.

22 And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on.

23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.

The context here is important. Last week, we read about a man in a legal dispute with his brother over an inheritance. Jesus responded with a parable – a story about a rich man hoarding up more and more riches for himself, not realizing he was going to die without enjoying them.

“Therefore” Jesus says, connecting this statement to the parable… because your life and your possessions belong to God and because you are meant to value God and other people above everything else… do not be anxious about the future. About food… about clothing…

It’s easy to say something like this to rich people, but most of the people following Jesus were not rich. Most of these people were working poor. Jesus said this even to people who were struggling to get by.

He says to everyone “do not be anxious” because “life is more than food, and the body more than clothing”.

Notice he says, “more than”. Our life is not less than food and clothing… we can’t survive without those things. But we need something else, something we may not see or realize, that we also can’t live without.

What is it? Let’s keep reading to find out.

24 Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!

God feeds the birds, and you are more valuable to God than the birds. But not just any birds… ravens!

Ravens were unclean birds, known for eating the flesh of dead animals and even people. Throughout history, ravens have been associated with death in literature and poetry. That’s the bird Jesus chose to represent God’s care and concern for US!

There is, perhaps, an element of grace here. Jesus may be saying, “Cheer Up!” God even takes care of carrion birds! But there’s probably another lesson as well. I’m reminded of something C.S. Lewis wrote.

To paraphrase, he said that our problem is not that our sinful desires are too strong but that our desires for God are too weak. We spend our time fooling around with food and drink, sex, and ambition when infinite joy is available to us!

I think this is closer to the point. Jesus pleads with us – don’t you know that there are more important things in life than the stuff you’re getting anxious about? He continues:

25 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?

26 If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?

Medically speaking, anxiety is reducing our life span. Nothing is gained by our constant worry. Much is lost.

27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

28 But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!

Compared to us, birds have short lives. Grass and flowers have even shorter lives. But for the time they are meant to live, God provides everything they need. By comparison, Jesus is saying the same thing to us. For the time we are meant to live, God will keep us alive. For that reason, our anxiety about the future demonstrates a lack of faith.

As I said earlier, anxiety is a complex problem, but there is always a spiritual component. Jesus says quite clearly it is a faith problem. But we should be careful to define the word “faith”, or we can quickly damage people’s faith instead of encouraging it.

Most people think the opposite of faith is doubt, but it’s probably more accurate to think of it as self-sufficiency. Rather than trusting and depending on God, we believe it is our job to get what we need. We are running out of time or resources or energy and that’s why we worry.

That makes sense when you consider what research is telling us about anxiety. Underneath anxiety is very often a lack of connection and feelings of safety. People are learning to cope through self-sufficiency. But it doesn’t work, because we weren’t created to be self-sufficient.

And this is exactly where Jesus takes us next.

29 And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried.

30 For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them.

How does Jesus confront our anxiety? By telling us about a relationship of safety and provision… by telling us that we are not orphans scavenging the streets for leftovers… we are children loved by a perfect Father!

31 Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

More good news. More connection. More safety. More provision. Do I believe this is my Father’s world? That I’m a child of God? That I have an inheritance that will last forever? And now comes the test of faith.

33 Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.

34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Jesus says, “sell your possessions and give to the needy”. He doesn’t say “sell ALL your possessions and give it ALL to the needy.” But, nonetheless, it is still a test of faith. How will I know if the kingdom of God has really captured my heart unless I’m willing to let go of my self-sufficiency? How will I know if I trust my Father when I continue to be worried about temporary things?

Having said that, this is a difficult passage to apply faithfully. If I ended the sermon here, different people would have different responses.

Some of you are free spirits who never worry about anything. Some of you are giving yourselves ulcers because you worry so much. And some of you have some really difficult circumstances you’re dealing with.

And so, when Jesus says to you, “Do not be anxious about your life,” it hits differently depending on the person.

And so, I want to put up some Biblical guard rails in how we apply this to our lives.

First, there is a type of worry that is evil, but there is a type of worry that is good and right. Jesus Himself sweat drops of blood the night before He went to the cross. What was He so concerned about? Doing the will of His Father! I think that proves that God created us with the capacity to experience anxiety of some kind and that it’s not all bad. The question is, WHAT are we anxious about?

Second, we should care for our bodies. We should think about what we put in our bodies and what we keep out. But there is a difference between caring for the body God gave us and being obsessed with it. It’s possible to live a healthy life without being obsessed about fitness and dieting. And remember, we are not promised tomorrow. In Christ, we are promised eternity – but this body is still going to die.

Third, Jesus is not giving us a license to be lazy. Able-bodied Christians are expected to work for a living. Birds aren’t fed by a miracle while sitting lazily in a tree. Birds work hard for their food. Paul commands the church in Thessalonica, “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.”

Fourth, Jesus is not prohibiting us from planning ahead. How do birds eat in the winter? Most of them migrate hundreds or thousands of miles! Proverbs 6 encourages us to consider the way ants store up food for themselves. It’s a good idea to save and plan.

Fifth, Jesus is not exempting us from times of trouble. He commands us not to worry, but He doesn’t promise an easy life. God feeds the birds, but birds sometimes get eaten or fly into windows. Grass withers. Flowers fade. He provides for them until, in His good providence, it is time for them to die.

Finally, Jesus is not exempting us from taking care of other people. In the end, God promises to provide for His children. Very often, the Church is how God feeds and clothes people who are unable to do so. God’s church has always been known by this. The early Christians gained a reputation in the Roman empire for supporting not only their own poor but anyone in need.

This is an important point. Jesus could command His disciples not to worry about having their needs met, even widows and orphans, because God would be using the Church to meet those needs!

So, with those guard rails in place, what IS Jesus asking us to do? Some of you are worried that I’m not being clear enough about what Jesus is telling us to do as His disciples – so here it is.

And it’s simple and clear. And we need to resist the temptation to add to it, or make it prescriptive.

He’s telling us to trust His Father. The Father knows what you need and when you need it, including the path of suffering. Trust Him. That’s it.

And know that the Son of God walked a difficult path before you. Even when you struggle to trust God, remember that Jesus trusted Him perfectly in your place.

When this sinks in, and not before, will you begin to live a simple life focused on the kingdom of God. You will start to give generously. You will find gratitude in your heart. You will stop comparing yourself to other people. And you will become better stewards of God’s provision.

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I want to start this morning with a Mother’s Day illustration to introduce our text. Imagine a mother surrounded by her many children, all of them giving her gifts and cards for Mother’s Day. One by one, the children tell their mother how grateful they are for her love and care.

But then one of the children says, in front of the whole family, “Actually, I don’t feel loved and cared for. I don’t feel like I’m being treated fairly. I feel like you show favoritism to my siblings. And, in fact, I don’t even want to be a part of this family anymore.”

Ladies, I’m sure that as a mother, that would crush you – to know that one of your children felt this way, whether it’s true or not.

When you read the Bible, you discover that most humans don’t see God for who He really is. We don’t see Him as a loving Father. Most people secretly think God is a cruel or absent father. One of the ways we could rightfully describe sin is by calling it rebellion. We are rebellious children – all of us. And it crushes God’s heart.

As we have studied the Gospel of Luke together, we have been looking for the heart of God. And very often, Jesus has shown us the heart of God by exposing the human heart and pointing us in a different direction. He shows us that we have it all wrong. We see the world upside down. The problem is not with God, but with us. This is one of those stories.

13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

This is a very awkward, loaded request. We don’t know the details, but probably this is a younger brother locked in a legal battle with an older brother over their father’s estate.

No doubt, the younger brother feels he is being treated unfairly and he wants justice. And so, he asks Jesus to put spiritual pressure on the older brother.

14 But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?”

Jesus refuses to get involved. Ironically, Jesus is the Judge with a capital J over all of us! And I’m sure Jesus knew exactly what would have been fair and right, but He doesn’t use His authority to solve the problem. Instead, He uses His authority to expose the man’s heart.

15 And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

Notice Jesus isn’t speaking directly to the man, but to the whole crowd. He tells them to guard their heart against covetousness.

Coveting is the subject of the 10th commandment, and it is the opposite of contentment. Instead of being grateful for what we already have, we want what someone else has.

But it’s more than just wanting something we see. We become frustrated by not having it. It becomes a runaway desire. We long for it. We feel entitled to it. We begin to resent the ones who have it. Much of our conflicts start here, which is explained in James 4:

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel.

This is the real issue at the heart of most relationship problems – desires that are out of control, something we feel entitled to have. Jesus confronts this tendency and reminds us that life does not consist in the abundance of our possessions, which is a lesson we can never hear enough as Americans.

I don’t think there has ever been a time or place in history when people have faced so much temptation to covet. Much of the marketing that we consume every day is begging us to covet!

We are being tracked constantly. Companies know exactly what we want before we do! Our devices are now listening for hints, tracking our daily routines… they know us better than we do!

The world is changing, getting better at feeding our desires. But nothing has changed about the human heart. Listen to what Jesus says next.

16 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully,

17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’

18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.

19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’

20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’

21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

This is a simple parable. It reminds me of that song from the 90s by Alanis Morrisette – Ironic. “An old man turned 98. He won the lottery and died the next day.”

This parable is like that song. It’s not difficult to understand. It’s a story about a rich man hoarding his wealth for the future, not realizing he had no future.

It sounds like bad luck, but Jesus calls it foolish. And that’s the part that makes this parable more difficult to understand than we first realize. What exactly is Jesus asking us to do? None of us knows when we will die! God doesn’t give us that information.

On the surface, it sounds like Jesus is telling us not to save money! But that is also foolish when you consider the Bible’s teaching on money as a whole.

The Proverbs are full of instruction to save for the future and leave an inheritance for your children.

Joseph is promoted by Pharoah in Genesis to preserve God’s people through a famine by building storehouses like the ones in this parable.

And later in this very chapter, Luke 12, Jesus will tell a parable about a servant who was a bad steward of his master’s resources.

And so, I don’t think the problem with the rich man was THAT he saved. His problem was WHY he saved… He is clearly focused only on himself. He’s putting his faith in money and possessions instead of God.

Listen again to all the personal pronouns in this parable:

17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’

18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.

19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’

The true correction here is that none of this really belongs to the man – not even his own life. That’s the irony. Listen again to the response of God in verse 20:

20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’

That question at the end drives the point home. Whose will they be? Answer: not yours.

You think all of this belongs to you? Your house? Your land? Your money?
Your soul doesn’t even belong to you…

Think back to the start of the sermon – to the brother asking Jesus to settle his inheritance. What is Jesus saying to that man?

It’s possible that money had become more important to the man than his own family. And nothing will destroy a family quicker than money problems. Maybe that was the issue.

But I think Jesus is simply encouraging us to dig deeper and evaluate our motives. Are there desires in my life that are running wild? Even destroying relationships? Are we frustrated by what we don’t have? Are we afraid of what we might lose? And underneath it all, is there an assumption that we are entitled to more than we have?

Jesus exposes all of this. And part of the correction is that we start to recognize what verse 20 says about us – that nothing really belongs to us, not even our own soul. Certainly not our worldly possessions. We came into this world with nothing, and we will leave it with nothing.

Who am I to feel entitled to anything? I didn’t create myself. I’m not keeping myself alive. I didn’t get to choose my parents or my ethnicity or my gender or my personality. I have no control over my future. This is part of the correction here – to let go of the illusion of entitlement and control. To accept reality. To lean into it and be content.

And yet, that’s not the only lesson here. Look again at what Jesus says in verse 21.

21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

The alternative is to be rich toward God. But how does someone become rich toward God? In context, I think it means this: stop treating your soul as if it was made for yourself. Your soul not only belongs to God… it was made for God!

In other words, we are meant to find our treasure in Him! We are meant to value God above everything else. As Paul says in Philippians 3:8,

I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.

Gaining Christ frees us from the love of money and the desire for every new thing the world puts in front of us… We become more and more content with what God promises in Christ.

And all of it made possible because of what Jesus already accomplished for us. He laid aside His rights and became human. He suffered and died to share His inheritance with us, as a perfect and gracious older brother – holding nothing back. Because of Jesus, these words are true – applied to us by grace through faith. And I’ll end with these words, from Romans 8:

16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

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Last week, Jesus challenged the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and the lawyers. And I didn’t spend a lot of time talking about hypocrisy, because that is our topic today. We’re going to do a deep dive into hypocrisy – something that Jesus talks about quite often in the Gospels.

It’s also something that I hear often as a pastor from people who don’t attend church. They will say something like, “The church is full of hypocrites.” But when I ask what they mean by that, they will say something like this: “church people sin just like the rest of us.”

And if that’s what you mean by hypocrisy, then yes. I’ll be the first to admit… I’m the chief hypocrite. I’m just the spokesperson. I’m also a client! We do sin just like people outside the church.

In fact, you can’t even be a true Christian if you’re unwilling to admit that you have a problem with sin. That’s the first vow we take when we join the church – we publicly admit our sin.

But that’s not what Jesus means by hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is not Christians who still sin. Hypocrisy is religious people who pretend that they don’t sin. Let’s begin reading Luke 12:

1 In the meantime, when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

This sounds like a music festival. People are now trampling one another to get to Jesus. He has become wildly popular because He has placed Himself at odds with some of the most powerful Jewish leaders. Everyone wants to see where this spectacle is headed.

But notice that Jesus is not speaking to the crowds here. He speaks to his disciples first – his faithful followers. And He says Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees.

Leaven is the yeast we use to make bread rise. And how much yeast does it take to make bread rise? Not much. It only takes a little.

Jesus is warning His followers to be on careful guard against this type of hypocrisy – the kind that pretends to be godly but doesn’t really love God.

It dangerous because, like yeast, it’s small and hidden, but it will have big consequences later.

He’s really talking here about a culture. That’s the context when we look back at chapter 11. This is a culture of hypocrisy where people are encouraged to hide sin and keep up appearances.

It’s a culture that is highly contagious and can easily permeate an entire church community.

Think about it… if someone comes to church and they have a problem with breaking the 8th commandment – which means they steal things. And they start stealing cell phones and wallets from other people in the church.

At some point, they will probably be caught. And it’s very unlikely that their sin will rub off on other people – that one day we will have a church full of thieves. That’s not a highly contagious problem.

But hypocrisy works differently. When people start to hide their sin from one another and pretend to be sinless, it quickly creates a culture of pride and shame. Pride on the outside and shame on the inside. And that destroys Christian community faster than any commandment breaking ever will.

We have a serious problem when we can no longer identify and admit our sin. Jesus continues:

2 Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.

3 Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.

In other words, trying to hide your true self is pointless. The inner life will not stay hidden. Your true colors will be revealed.

In a broader sense, the mission of Jesus will also be revealed soon. The religious leaders are turning on Jesus. Their intentions will be made public when they call for His death. And the disciples will also face persecution and death.

4 “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do.

5 But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!

Why does Jesus now begin talking about fear? What does hypocrisy have to do with fear?

The answer is A LOT! Hypocrisy is a problem because we fear what other people think of us. It is driven by a dysfunction in our perception of self… We question our value. Our worth.

Have you ever been attacked by a goose? One of my children was recently attacked by a goose because he walked too close to its nest. But do you know how you can avoid being attacked by a goose? By making yourself look big. The goose is sizing you up and if he thinks he can take you, he will try.

I remember a scene in an old movie where an African boy encounters a hyena in the wild and he puts a log on top of his head to appear taller than he is. The hyena sizes him up and runs away.

We all have this tendency – to try and make ourselves look bigger and better than we feel inside. This is how the Bible describes pride – puffing ourselves up to look bigger. We do this because we are afraid of the opinions of others – easily swayed by them. This is the exact behavior that Jesus is challenging.

But he challenges it in an odd way. He says, basically, the worse they can do is kill you. Which is kind of shocking, right? Wow, Jesus. That sure sounds like they can do a lot! They can kill me… surely that’s reason to fear?

But Jesus clearly doesn’t want his disciples to fear potential murderers – or even death in any form! Instead, He directs their attention to God.

He clearly teaches that God is the only One who should be feared… and the reason is startling… because God can send you to hell!

This is a not a light topic, nor is it a topic I want to brush past. But I need to say clearly, hell is real. And Jesus Himself talks about hell more than anyone else in the Bible. If you have questions about it, please ask. I’ll do my best to explain.

But in this context, Jesus uses hell to get their attention. Wake up! You’re worried about what these other people think of you. The better question – the eternal question – is this: what does God think of you?

And if I heard Jesus say this, it would make me cower. And I would be ready for the hammer to fall. Tell me what God thinks of me… tell me I’m a miserable sinner… tell me why I deserve hell… but that’s not what Jesus says next:

6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God.

7 Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Fear God, Jesus says, the one with the authority to cast you into hell. But two verses later, he says fear not. You have more value to God than you realize.

Jesus warns us of hypocrisy – but then what does he attack it with?

He confirms our value. God sees you for who you really are. And He cares for you.

In other words, stop caring so much what other people think of you. Instead, measure yourself by the promises of the One who knows you best and cares for you most.

You’re in good hands. I’m in good hands. That is the cure for hypocrisy. Attune yourself to God’s opinion of you. But what if you don’t? There is a danger.

8 “And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God,

9 but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God.

10 And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

Jesus asks us to acknowledge Him consistently and boldly… to claim Him publicly, without fear of what anyone else thinks… to stand for truth no matter what the world thinks of us.

Notice that Jesus allows room here for failure and doubt in verse 10. We may speak a word against Him. But there is a kind of denial, a kind of rejection of Jesus that will not be forgiven.

What He refers to is not temporary denial, but permanent apostasy. In other places Jesus calls it grieving the Holy Spirit. And the good news is, if you are worried about committing that sin – you’re most likely not! Let me know if you have further questions about it.

Now, these last two verses should always be read together.

11 And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say,

12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

Verse 12 by itself has become an excuse for lazy preaching. I’ve heard preachers say, “I don’t write sermons… I let the Holy Spirit guide me.” That’s not godly. That’s lazy. The letters of the apostles encourage careful study of the Word and preparation when teaching. The context here is answering persecution, not preaching.

And the concern of the disciple in that context is not “what if I say something wrong” but “what if I fail Christ”?! Jesus encourages us to trust Him even in those dark moments. He will not forsake us.

Ralph Davis tells the story of a Baptist preacher Cornelius Martens who was arrested by the Communist Party in 1920s Soviet Union. While being questioned, the minister said these words, “I do not fear death, because I would be going home to the Lord. But if God has decided that my hour has not yet come, then you can’t do me any harm.”

As the story goes, they tried to shoot him but the gun jammed and they let him go!

That is exactly the point of today’s message. We are being offered an eternal perspective.

I want you to think back to the first day of school – whichever one you can remember. I’m thinking of first grade. It felt so scary, didn’t it? And now, looking back on it, it wasn’t a big deal. But it felt like a big deal at the time.

I imagine that all of the early Christian martyrs who have been sitting in heaven now for 2,000 years, in perfect union with Christ for all eternity… I bet their death doesn’t feel like a big deal anymore. On this side of it, death feels like a huge deal.

But according to Jesus, it’s not. Not for His people. And that is the ultimate cure for hypocrisy. To not fear what other people can do to you. To not fear even death.

And so, the challenge is to stop the image management and believe what Jesus says of you, what He promises you.

It’s OK to be honest with people. You don’t have to hide. Hiding your sin hurts you and it hurts us! It makes us all more afraid and more ashamed. It makes some of us more arrogant.

Because this is the truth: you’re worse than you think you are, but God is better than you think He is.

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We’re in Luke chapter 11, where the ministry of Jesus takes a sharp turn. This morning, we will begin reading in verse 37.

37 While Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to dine with him, so he went in and reclined at table.

Most of us think of Pharisees as religious leaders, and many of them were synagogue leaders. But they were also middle-class businessmen, generally loved and respected by the people.

Jesus already had a reputation for eating and drinking with “sinners”, but He was also willing to eat with Pharisees.

38 The Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first wash before dinner.

Washing up before eating is a good, healthy habit. Most cultures do it, including ours. But that’s not why the Pharisee expected Jesus to wash up.

This had become a religious and cultural expectation. The Jewish people at that time believed you were ceremonially unclean if you didn’t wash up before eating.

In other words, Jesus was being morally judged for something that God had not commanded. But watch what happens next.

39 And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.

Wow! Imagine inviting someone to your home for dinner. You clean the house. You cook dinner. And the first words spoken by your guest is a deeply offensive personal attack against you! He calls you greedy and wicked. But wait, there’s more!

40 You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? 41 But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you.

Jesus calls his host and the other guests fools! To their face! Why is this ok?

It’s more than ok. It’s actually gracious of Jesus. It is gracious of Jesus to call these men to repentance instead of condemning them on the spot.

Please understand – the Pharisee is not judging a mortal rabbi. He’s judging the God who wrote the law! He’s hosting the King of the Universe and all he can think about is a petty ritual.

Jesus is gracious enough to hold up a mirror, shine a light on the Pharisee’s hypocrisy, and call him to repentance. The Pharisees loved to mock Jesus because he ate with “sinners”, but EVERYONE Jesus ate with was a sinner. The only difference is that some of them didn’t know it.

And Jesus doesn’t pull any punches.

42 “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.

A “woe” is a serious warning about coming judgment. And it sounds bad, but it is actually merciful. It’s like being pulled over by a police officer and he lets you go with a warning instead of giving you a ticket.

Jesus is saying, “Be careful or something worse is going to happen!” This is the first of three woes. This woe addresses their hypocrisy. They obsess over the outside while neglecting the inside. But read carefully – what does Jesus say?

“These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.” In other words, the problem isn’t your desire for personal holiness. Sometimes we give these Pharisees a hard time because of their respect for the law. But that’s not what Jesus criticizes. God expects us to care about personal holiness.

The problem is that they are doing the easy things and neglecting the more important things. And that is always the temptation with religious people. Give me an easy list of things I can do to look holy. Tithing your herbs and spices is easy compared to loving and serving other people.

Jesus calls this what it is – cleaning the outside and neglecting the inside. He’s asking us to look closely at our motivations. Why do we do the things we do?

For the Pharisees, the motivations were complicated. This was not just a desire for religious purity – if it was, I don’t think Jesus would be calling them fools. These customs and regulations also carried political and cultural significance, which is why the Pharisees had popularity even though they were in the minority as religious leaders.

In other words, the rules they kept were a way to separate from and protest against Roman authority. The rule-keeping was a source of both religious and national pride. But it was crowding out love and mercy, which Jesus calls the weightier matters of the law.

If there’s a clear application for Christians in America today, this is it. We must not allow our Christianity to become nothing more than a source of religious and national pride. (repeat)

In fact, pride is the topic of the second woe.

43 Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.

They loved the attention. They loved the recognition. There was an obvious lack of humility, which Jesus sees as further evidence of their hypocrisy. They aren’t doing any of this for God.

But Jesus is gracious again to hold up the mirror. Look at your neglect of love and mercy. Look at your pride. And if that isn’t convicting enough, listen to the third woe:

44 Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without knowing it.”

This is, by far, the most offensive thing Jesus says. Walking over a grave made someone ceremonially unclean – unable to worship God for at least a week.

What then is Jesus saying? He’s saying, “You are defiling the people. You don’t realize it and they don’t realize it, but you’re making it impossible for people to follow God. You’re making them unclean. Your hypocrisy is harming others.”

This is highly offensive and the offense was taken.

45 One of the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying these things you insult us also.”

There were lawyers also at this dinner party. They were experts in the Mosaic law and Jesus turns on them as well. Notice there are three more woes given.

46 And he said, “Woe to you lawyers also! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.

More hypocrisy… More works-righteousness… these men were the source of all the oral traditions that were added to God’s law. But they don’t even keep it themselves.

47 Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed.

48 So you are witnesses and you consent to the deeds of your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their tombs.

49 Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,’

50 so that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation,

51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation.

This is an interesting argument Jesus makes. What he’s saying is that these lawyers are guilty of killing the prophets they are trying to honor! Why? Because they continue the tradition of ignoring God’s Word in favor of their own opinions.

52 Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.”

In other words, they had God’s Word but they don’t understand it. They viewed the Bible as a book of rules instead of a book meant to reveal God’s character and plans for His people.

I’m going to give you a spoiler. The key of knowledge is God’s promised Messiah! In Luke 24, after the Resurrection, Jesus reveals this to His disciples.

25 And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!

26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?”

27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

Jesus is the key that unlocks our understanding of the Old Testament. Without Jesus, the Jews remain in darkness – to this day! And the true Israel of God is the New Testament Church, because the Holy Spirit has opened our eyes to Jesus, the key of knowledge!

But in this moment, Jesus was rejected.

53 As he went away from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard and to provoke him to speak about many things,

54 lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he might say.

Instead of repentance, they respond to Jesus with resentment. They begin to hate him. Why? Because they were still blind to the light.

I want to make one more comment about the danger of this position – when your heart is turned against Jesus.

It’s not just that God dislikes this attitude of self-righteous pride. Jesus pressed them hard because it leads to destruction. This way of living breeds hatred for outsiders and its why the Romans eventually destroyed their temple and scattered the Jews.

We need to look for this attitude in ourselves, inside the church, because Jesus clearly describes this taking place within religious community. I would ask us – when we judge the people around us, in this church or in other churches, or even people outside the church – is it because of our respect for God’s law or is it something else?

Are we really motivated by a desire to honor God, and to see other people honoring God, or is there a deeper need for us to be seen as godly or even to just be right? … Please hear me… smug, self-righteous people are not healthy Christians, and they are damaging to the body of Christ.

This is the danger of sin. There are really two ways of running from God. One of them looks like running from God, but the other one looks like honoring God. The problem is in the heart… the inside, not the outside. And so, the rest of us may see you as someone who loves and honors God – but inside is pride and self-righteousness.

If you know anything about the Gospel, it is that the truth is meant to set us free! It is not meant to further burden us. Yes, God wants us to honor Him with our lives, absolutely, but it starts with humility, not effort.

Godliness without humility is worthless. Knowledge without love is worthless. And that’s the message today. The Pharisees and scribes were right about many things, but they lacked humility and love. It was not a genuine work of God’s Spirit.

The Christian doesn’t obey God only because He must. We obey God because we want to, not from a sense of pride or self-righteousness – but from a heart of gratitude and dependence.

What might Jesus confront about us? What woes might He give us? It is a severe mercy – but it is a mercy because it is an opportunity to repent and trust our Savior. Even Pharisees like me…

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We are in Luke chapter 11, and I’m really excited about this sermon, because I don’t think I’ve ever heard one on this text. It’s probably not very familiar and that’s because it takes a little work for us to understand it. We’re going to do that work this morning. Let’s begin in verse 29.

29 When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This generation is an evil generation.

What a way to start a sermon! Jesus looks at the crowd and says, “Y’all are evil.” Why? Because:

It seeks for a sign,

Pause here. Jesus says the people are evil because they seek for a sign. That may seem harsh to us because it seems reasonable for people to want a sign. If someone claimed to be a Messiah from God, we would want to see proof as well.

But this is not the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. At this point in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus has healed countless people, cast out countless demons, filled a net with fish, raised a couple of people from the dead, calmed a storm, fed thousands with a miracle feast, and STILL the crowds keep asking for more proof.

By now, we should begin to realize this is a significant character flaw. No sign will be enough. These people aren’t looking for reasons to believe. They are looking for reasons NOT to believe.

I remember what that’s like. Before God changed my heart, I was actively rebellious. I was angry with God. I read book after book trying to comfort myself in the belief that God might not even exist. I looked for reasons NOT to believe.

Jesus simply calls this what it is. Evil. They were already given all the evidence they needed and still they rejected him. This rejection will build as we continue studying Luke and it will end in the murder of Jesus. Even with a mountain of evidence that Jesus was their Messiah, they will crucify Him. And so would we.

This generation seeks for a sign, Jesus says,

but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.

Out of nowhere, Jesus brings up the story of Jonah.

30 For as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.

Jonah was a prophet in the Old Testament and not even a very good one. God sent Jonah on a missionary journey to an evil city, but Jonah didn’t want to go. In fact, He tried to go the other way. He didn’t want to preach to the enemies of Israel, but God forced Him to go.

He arrived in Nineveh angry and preached a simple, half-hearted message of repentance. To his surprise and frustration, the entire city confessed their sins and turned to God!

The connection between Jonah and Jesus is magnified in Matthew’s Gospel. Jonah spent three days in the belly of a great fish. Jesus spent three days in the grave. That is the sign Jesus refers to.

But let’s continue.

31 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.

You can find this story in 1 Kings 10. This is the Queen of Sheba, most likely an Ethiopian queen meaning she travelled 1300 miles on a camel seeking wisdom from Solomon.

What we have here is Jesus telling a crowd of locals that ancient Gentiles have more respect for the Word of God than they do. That’s the point of his sermon.

32 The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

This is the message. God sent a B-team minor prophet to an enemy nation. He didn’t even want to go. He preached a terrible sermon. And yet, God opened the hearts of the entire city!

Now God has sent the Greatest Prophet – His own perfect Son. He came willingly to His enemies, with love in His heart. He healed the sick. He fed the hungry. He raised the dead. Sign after sign. And still, the people rejected Him!

A Gentile queen travelled a thousand miles to seek wisdom from a human king. But God has sent the Greatest King – the King of all creation. We didn’t go to Him. He came to us bringing perfect wisdom from God!

And now, Jesus tells the crowds (who knew these stories better than we do) that they are guilty of rejecting prophecy and obvious wisdom from God – declared to them with power and every sign imaginable – and still they rejected it.

Now, look at how our text ends.

33 “No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light.

34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness.

35 Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness.

36 If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.”

Before the eclipse, what’s the one thing you heard repeatedly. Do not what? Do not look directly at the sun without protection. The sun is brighter than you realize, even if 99% of it is covered up by the moon.

And so, we all had these special glasses with lens so dark that the only thing you can possibly see through them is the sun! No other light will pass through these lenses. And we all trusted these cheap paper and plastic glasses to protect our eyes.

But imagine trying to get around with these glasses on every day. You might as well be blind. You can’t see anything through them except the sun.

This is the basic point of the illustration Jesus uses here. The problem is not the absence of light. The problem is with your eyes. They are full of darkness and no amount of light can pierce that darkness.

Now, how does this connect with the previous verses about Jonah and Solomon? Put it all together, what is Jesus teaching?

He’s saying that in the past God has used a tiny flashlight to reveal His Word to people who were really far away from Him. But it didn’t take much… God can use a bad sermon from a bad prophet… God can draw someone to Himself from a thousand miles away with a little fragment of wisdom.

Compared to the little flashlight of Jonah or Solomon, Jesus is like an industrial spotlight shining directly in your face. The problem is not with the source of light. The problem is with our eyes. The brightest light in the world could be 10 inches from your face and you’ll never see it if you’re blind.

Jesus is telling the people – you don’t need any more signs. You need eyes to see what God has already done.

I want to give us two applications – two takeaways… one for skeptics and one for believers.

First, if you are a skeptic – you’re not sure what to think about Jesus. Very likely, you’ve told yourself that you just need more proof. I just need God to make it obvious. I just need someone to say something or show me something that I can’t deny… that I can’t refute… then I’ll believe.

And Jesus says to you, that’s not really your problem. You don’t need more evidence. You have the Bible. You have the historical evidence. You have the testimony of billions of Christians scattered around every continent on the planet. All creation is crying out in witness to its creator with the light of a trillion stars.

You don’t need more evidence. You need the scales to fall off your eyes. You need a new heart. You need God to take your rebellious, evil heart and exchange it for a new one. And He’s the only One who can do that. And if you ask Him to do it, He will.

Instead of asking God for more evidence, maybe ask Him for the eyes to see what He’s already done for you. This is an invitation, but it’s also a warning. It’s a call to repent and believe.

Second, for believers, this is a reminder to pray, which is how chapter 11 started. Jesus taught us to pray for His kingdom to come. The most important way that God’s kingdom comes is by conversions.

We need to pray for the lost. We need to pray for specific people that God would open their eyes to see His glorious light. We need to pray for the scales to fall off.

But please understand, I don’t at all mean that in an arrogant way. I sometimes wonder how it must sound to people outside the Church – we’re praying for your poor lost souls…

No, please understand! It’s a miracle I’m a Christian. If you’re a Christian, it’s a miracle. It’s a gift of God. Someone prayed for me when I was lost. I would still be lost if not for the grace of God! It is always a miracle!

Every true Christian knows this was our story too. I was a rebellious enemy of God – angry with Him, blaming Him for my problems instead of looking at myself.

Who will deliver me from this curse of darkness? Thanks be to the Lord Jesus Christ, who said these words: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

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Last week, Jesus taught us to pray. Luke follows that teaching with a story and this story helps us understand WHY we need to pray. We need to pray because we’re at war. And we need some understanding of this war and our enemy to compel us to pray.

I love this quote by Samuel Chadwick – “The Devil fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks our wisdom, but he trembles when we pray.”

And that’s because He doesn’t fear us – but He does fear God. Luke 11, verse 14:

14 Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled.

Somehow a demon was preventing this man from speaking. That doesn’t mean that every physical problem is the result of demonic activity. But it does mean that such things are possible.

And that is the nature of this war. The Bible clearly teaches that there are unseen spiritual forces at work in our lives – no less real than the air we breath.

God has power over these forces, as Jesus demonstrated. But a significant part of the battle, for us, is a confusion and a mental resistance to these spiritual realities. Notice how some people responded to this miracle.

15 But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons,”

16 while others, to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven.

They doubt. In this case, they accept the reality of demons. Virtually everyone did at that time. Instead, they doubt the source of the power that Jesus demonstrates.

Notice how Jesus engages these doubts.

17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls.

18 And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul.

19 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.

Jesus uses logic to answer their doubts. Doubt is a mental exercise and I appreciate that Jesus patiently answers their doubts with logic.

He uses two simple arguments. Argument 1 – if Satan is using his own power to cast out demons, then he is damaging his own kingdom. Argument 2 – couldn’t you make the same criticism of your own exorcists?

The point here is that when we are lost, we are so bent against the kingdom of God, we will turn to anything to justify our position – even disregarding simple logic.

Seeing the total eclipse on Monday – the ring of fire in the sky with several planets around it – it made me want to worship God. How amazing that the moon is the perfect size and distance from the earth to make something so beautiful, something that serves no purpose except to be beautiful. To surprise us with beauty, maybe once in our lifetime.

There is no way such things are cosmic coincidences. That we are the perfect distance from the sun and in the perfect place in our galaxy with the perfect atmosphere and tilt and rotation and a million other things necessary to sustain life. Indeed, the fool says in his heart – there is no God. And we see that same resistance here. But…

20 But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

And there it is. This is the claim of Jesus… the claim of the Bible. The kingdom of God is being revealed to you.

21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe;

22 but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil.

In other words, our enemy is strong. But Jesus is stronger. The kingdom of God is actively overtaking the kingdom of the enemy. The dividing of spoil is what happens after the battle has already been won. Jesus is right now actively plundering the devil’s kingdom. And He gives us an ultimatum.

23 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

Pick a side. Pick a team. Neutrality is not an option with Jesus. He’s forcing you to make a choice. You should not delay the choice because of what Jesus says next.

24 “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’

25 And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order.

26 Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.”

This is a bit cryptic, but the message is simple. The demon will come back if nothing replaces it. And it will bring friends. Spiritually empty is no better than spiritually dirty. You must become empty to be filled – that’s true. But unless the Holy Spirit takes up residence, you are still vulnerable to the enemy.

The same is true of sin. You may work hard to rid yourself of something you’ve decided is bad behavior. But something else will quickly replace it. The human heart will never cease making idols until something more powerful takes up residence in your heart. This is the reality of the war we are living in.

This is why repentance and faith are necessary in the kingdom of God. It’s the daily emptying and filling of the Christian life – the daily rhythm of living in a warzone. Daily remembering our allegiance… daily submitting to our King.

To paraphrase a pastor friend – “There is nothing in our culture that is going to help us focus on the unseen realities of Jesus and his kingdom. If you are not intentional about this, the only reality will be entertainment. The only reality will be your bank account balance. The only reality will be what your children do on a field with a ball. The only reality will be who gets elected and what their policies are.”

There are unseen realities fighting for our allegiance. That’s really the point of this story. We don’t just need Jesus to cast out demons. We need Jesus to claim authority over US!

This must be the point because look at what happens next.

27 As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!”

Someone in the crowd, at least, wants to honor Jesus rather than question Him. And yet, Jesus responds with direct authority.

28 But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

In other words, you can be blessed too! How? By hearing and keeping the Word of God.

But what does it mean to be blessed? That word, in contemporary religious language, usually means success or physical health. When we think of someone who is “blessed” we think of someone living the kind of life we wish we had. And that’s a message that sells, which is why so many preachers are peddling that kind of blessing.

But that’s not what the Bible means. That’s not what Jesus means. I know this because very often the word blessing is used in the same sentence as the word suffering. We can be blessed even in the most difficult circumstances.

And that’s because the word “blessed” speaks of the condition we experience by our union with Christ. It’s being at peace with God and at peace with others. It is the experience of being filled up with the message and the mission of the kingdom.

And prayer is a key part of experiencing that blessing. What did Jesus just finish teaching His disciples to do? To pray. And so that is the most immediate example, fresh on their minds, of what it must mean to hear the Word of God and keep it. To pray!

There are other practices, yes. But prayer is our primary way to engage with the spiritual realities of this world. Why?

I love how Jack Miller describes prayer in one of his letters. He says:

“God-given prayer and praise have as their essence a waiting on God, a willingness to be wrought upon by the hammer and the fire of the Almighty, until the chains of self-centered desires fall away, and the love of Christ becomes the deepest hunger of the inner life.”

“From God’s side our constant seeking of His face is nothing less than the establishment of Christ’s rule over us, His conquest of us, His equipping and empowering us to serve Him in a manner that we are ourselves miracles.”

This is deep stuff, I know. But this is what it means to be blessed. I must decrease so that He may increase.

Jesus emptied Himself so that we might know the love of God and be filled with the fullness of God. But you can’t know this truth, you won’t know this truth, unless you submit yourself to the means of grace. Regularly hearing the Word, because you can’t keep it unless you hear it.

And if you think you don’t need it, you’re underestimating your enemy. But even more so, you’re underestimating your God.

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1 Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”

This is Luke’s version of the Lord’s Prayer – also found in Matthew 6. I want to make a few general comments before we read it.

First, I want us to read this prayer as a student. “Teach us to pray”, he says. I think it is interesting that we have no record of Jesus teaching his disciples to preach. But he did teach them to pray. He demonstrated prayer and instructed them to pray often.

Second, I want us to read this prayer as a pattern, or an example. We can say it as it is written, but it’s meant to be a model or a pattern.

Third, I want us to think of this as the prayer of a missionary, because this was the audience. He’s teaching missionaries how to pray. And in a sense, that’s all Christians. So, I want us to read this prayer as missionaries of Jesus.

Lastly, I want us to read this prayer with a group mentality, not just as individual Christians. Normally, we think of the Lord’s Prayer as a bedside prayer to teach our children, but as we read it, I want you to notice that Jesus uses plural pronouns. Give “us”… forgive “us”… lead “us”… This is a prayer for the church, a community of disciples depending on God together in prayer.

To illustrate the importance of this, consider the fact that the church happened through prayer. In the book of Acts, all of these things happened because of corporate prayer:

the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost,
signs and wonders at the hands of the apostles,
bold witnessing to the Word of God,
the conversion of many priests,
the sending out of frontier missionaries,
the establishment of new churches,
the rescue of apostles from prison,

Now, let’s read the Lord’s Prayer together as students and as missionaries.

2 And he said to them, “When you pray, say:

“Father, hallowed be your name.

You are my Father – someone who cares for me, someone who knows me, someone who loves me. And everything I have to give, every bit of honor that this world can come up with, it all belongs to you.

Jesus first points us to God and His glory, because without that priority in place, the other requests might seem self-serving. But they are not. They are asked for a purpose – and that purpose is the fame of God, the glory of God.

Your kingdom come.

We want you to rule in our hearts and in our lives. We want you to express your sovereign rule over this earth in the same way it is felt in heaven. We know God already rules over everything. He is already King. But the earth is not completely convinced of this yet.

This is us asking God to convince the world that He is Lord. Wake us up. Reveal your glory. Do you see why this is a missionary prayer? This can only happen by God’s Spirit working through His church to accomplish the mission Jesus gave us – to make disciples of all nations.

3 Give us each day our daily bread,

In other words, “God, we need your provision in physical things.”

Some are quick to spiritualize this and speak of the daily bread as God’s Word or something like that, but I think the simple request for food is important here. There is one giver. Everything you have, everything I have – none of it really belongs to us. It all belongs to God. He gives. He takes.

That’s why the 10th commandment exists. Envy or coveting something that we don’t have is sin, because it means our hearts don’t trust God for provision. It also corrects the greed of a heart that hoards physical things without generosity.

4 and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.

In other words, “God, we also need your provision in spiritual things.”

We look to Him, not only for our physical needs, but also for our spiritual needs. This does not mean, as some believe, that we must daily ask God for forgiveness or else we will be condemned. Instead, this is a prayerful reminder that forgiveness is a lifestyle. We are spiritually dependent on God. We can do nothing good except in response to His grace. So, this is a prayer for restoration. This is a prayer for reconciliation, with God and with one another.

And lead us not into temptation.”

In other words, “God, we need your guidance.”

Again, this is the prayer of a missionary which helps explain this line. We know that God, as James 1 says, does not tempt anyone. So, what does Jesus mean?

I think his meaning is explained well by his own prayer for the church in John 17. Jesus prayed there for his people to be IN the world but not OF the world. He says, “Don’t take them out of the world, but keep them from the evil one.”

So, this prayer is a way of asking God to help us proceed into our mission as a church with care. Jesus knew that He would be sending His church into a minefield. They would need the Holy Spirit to provide direction. And He did. There were times when the Apostle Paul wanted to go somewhere, and the Spirit directed Him somewhere else.

And that is the Lord’s Prayer in Luke. As I said, it’s a bit shorter than the one in Matthew. But this is the prayer Jesus taught his disciples, perhaps more than once.

It’s a prayer that forces us to dig down into our hearts, into our need, to find rest in God’s power and His plans so that the Great Commission might be fulfilled.

But notice what follows:

5 And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves,

6 for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’;

This seems like a funny situation to us – like asking your neighbor for a cup of sugar in the middle of the night. But in this context, the friend is trying to avoid the shame of poor hospitality.

7 and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’?

In other words, this is a very inconvenient request.

8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs.

The word “impudence” might also be translated as “shameless audacity”. As we might say, “the squeaky wheel gets the grease!”

Jesus gives this parable immediately after teaching us to pray. He is assuring his disciples that God will answer persistent prayer for genuine need. And he continues:

9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

There’s an important bit of information that we lose here in English. The verbs ask, seek, and knock are all present imperatives, and they are continuous. In other words, they imply persistence. Keep on asking. Keep on seeking. Keep on knocking. Don’t stop.

But I need to make an important clarification here. Jesus is not promising that God will give us ANYTHING we ask for. And I’m glad that’s not true. If I had received everything in life that I thought I wanted or needed at the time, I would have missed out on some of the biggest blessings God had planned for me.

Let’s look more closely at what Jesus says. He says, ask and IT shall be given to you. But what is the IT? What is it we should be asking for and seeking after? We know this doesn’t include anything, because of the context.

What did Jesus just teach us to pray FOR? God’s kingdom… daily bread… forgiveness… guidance… that’s what He promises to give when we ask.

This is why context matters. Jesus is commanding us to ask for and seek after the things God wants for us, not what we want for ourselves. And that is reinforced by the last few verses:

11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent;

12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?

13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

This last bit addresses a key problem in our hearts. We have a tendency to struggle with prayer because we struggle to believe that God is really good! That’s why we struggle to ask God in dependence and with persistence – because we don’t see Him as a Good Father. We don’t really think God intends to give us the good things we need.

A few years ago, I read a story about a golf tournament in Arkansas. As part of the tournament, they offered a prize for anyone who hit a hole in one on a specific hole. The prize was a brand-new pickup truck. Of course, the odds of hitting a hole in one are very small, even for professional golfers.

The club assumed no one would do it and they decided not to buy the insurance to protect themselves in the unlikely event that someone did it. Well, some guy made the shot, and the club didn’t want to give him the truck. Of course, he sued and probably won.

But here’s the thing. I think a lot of people believe in their hearts that God is really holding out on us like that. He makes all these promises, but we’re not sure He is going to deliver on them.

We suffer and we blame God. We don’t get what we want, and we blame God.

And this is what it boils down to. Either God is keeping something good from His children, or we want something He’s not offering us because it’s not what we really need.

And that is the heart of this teaching – something every parent in the room can understand.

Our kids want a lot of things they don’t need, things that may actually be harmful to them. How many of your kids would eat the entire bag of Easter candy if you didn’t set some limits?

James, the brother of Jesus, clarifies this. He says, “You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.”

This is important, because a lot of Christians will tell you that God will give you anything if you have enough faith – money, health, you name it… you claim it. And that’s foolish. If that’s true, then God isn’t a very good Father.

Prayers are not magic words that we use to twist God’s arm into making things happen. God is not a genie in a lamp waiting to bless us with a new car when we make the wish.

I can’t imagine that sort of thinking brings much glory to God either, because we have a lot of Christians now wondering why they’ve had to suffer and why God didn’t give them what they asked for and they are left thinking it must have been something they did wrong or that God doesn’t really hear them or care.

Jesus wants us to pray. Prayer demonstrates a heart dependence on God. It proves that we trust Him. Prayer is the means of God’s provision and God promises to provide what we need for His mission in our lives. He promises us a kingdom and the righteousness of Jesus we need to gain entrance to that kingdom.

My future is secure. I don’t need a bigger answer to prayer than that. Everything else I do for the rest of my life is connected to that. Jesus is not just Lord over a part of my life. He is Lord over the whole thing. Let’s pray.

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If we are going to celebrate Easter today, and I mean really celebrate Easter the way it is meant to be celebrated – with every cell in our bodies crying out with joy to the Father – then first, we’re going to have to talk about death.

I miss Andy Winberry and Debbie Simpson. I miss Roletha Williams and Michael Ford.

I miss my grandmother. I miss her a lot. She died two years ago at the age of 95. By our standards, that’s a long life. But death is evil. We try to make the best of the situation, but it’s just wrong. People are not supposed to die.

20 years ago, a band named Death Cab for Cutie released a song called “What Sarah Said”. The song is about sitting in an ICU waiting room while someone you love dies. And we don’t really want to be there. The grief. The anxiety. The pain. We don’t like facing death.

But the song ends with these words, and they hit me like a truck when I first heard them: “Love is watching someone die… So, who’s gonna watch you die?”

My grandmother loved and served her family selflessly her entire life. She knew how to make us feel special. And I wanted to be there for her when she died.

I got the call on a Sunday afternoon that she and my Aunt Tommie were both close to death. Tommie was 97. They were sisters, both widows, and they lived together. I made it to Grenada just in time to watch my aunt die.

And I was determined to sit with my grandmother – to be there for her, to hold her hand, to sing hymns, to tell her she is loved. For four days, I sat there waiting– barely sleeping. On the fourth day, I had to leave to go to my aunt’s funeral. And just as the graveside service ended, we got a call from the sitter that my grandmother had passed.

I was heartbroken that I wasn’t there with her. And yet, it was clearly the Lord’s will to take her in that moment. I felt the cruelty of death – that even at 95, it’s evil. It’s wrong. It’s not natural. And we never get used to it.

And that’s where we have to begin if we want to celebrate Easter the right way.

I want us to consider the argument from 1 Corinthians 15, beginning in verse 12.

12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?

There were apparently some Christians denying the hope of the resurrection. And even though we would say we believe in a resurrection, practically speaking – I’m not sure how much that belief really affects our daily life. Paul continues:

13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.

14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.

In other words, there is no point to this! We are wasting our time if we don’t believe in the resurrection. Last Wednesday, at family night, we talked about the decline of the mainline churches. It’s not complicated. They don’t really believe the Bible anymore. So what’s the point? Potlucks and bingo night? There are better social clubs out there. It’s a waste of time.

15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised.

16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised.

17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile, and you are still in your sins.

Without the real bodily resurrection of Jesus, there is absolutely no point to Christianity. None! If there is a problem in this world, Jesus didn’t solve it. If the resurrection didn’t happen, then Christianity is gutted of any relevance.

And this next verse delivers the knockout punch.

18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.

Without a resurrection, death is final. It’s the end. Our loved ones are gone…

19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

What’s the point? No one even expects you to come to church anymore. And if you keep coming, but you don’t really believe in the resurrection – this really is a waste of your time. Go fishing. Play soccer. Enjoy a nice brunch.

20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

In the Old Testament, the Israelites were expected to bring God the first yield from their harvest. It was a way to thank God for the harvest and it demonstrated that they trusted God to provide. It was a representative portion of the entire harvest.

In the same way, Paul says that the resurrection of Jesus was a kind of firstfruits – proof that God would provide resurrection for all His people!

21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.

22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.

23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.

He’s explaining here the redemptive, historical theology of the resurrection. We die because of Adam. The first human sinned and brought death into the world. Death is not natural. Humans were not created to die.

If you don’t believe me, look up the science of death. We think aging is natural because it happens to everyone, but there is no law in biology that explains the aging process. We actually have genetic mechanisms that are capable of regulating and repairing our aging cells indefinitely. At some point, these mechanisms start to malfunction in every single human and there is no scientific explanation – not even a solid theory. Google it!

And I believe this is the best explanation for what we experience. It explains why death feels so wrong. It’s not the way things are supposed to be.

The Bible’s explanation also tells us something important about God. He means what He says. God said we would die if we sinned, and He meant it. Not trusting God led to death – and it still does.

But that’s not the end of the story. It doesn’t have to be. God made it possible for us to trust Him again and live. We will die once, but it doesn’t have to be permanent.

This is the point of Christianity – trusting that God raised Jesus from the dead! If that happened, then we have hope!

But pay close attention as we come to the end of our text.

24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.

All this business about sin and death and evil – all of it is connected to this fundamental question. It’s the question the entire universe is begging us to ask. Who’s in charge? Who has the right to decide your fate? Who has the right to tell you what to do with your life?

It’s not you. You realize that don’t you? I know every marketing campaign you’ve ever seen says otherwise, but they just want your money. The truth is that you have no control over your life. Every plan you make is a tiny prayer to your Creator. If you haven’t realized that yet, you will understand as you get older… as your body starts to fall apart. Even the powerful people of this world, the wealthy, the famous – none of them escape death.

And what is Jesus doing right now, while we all grow old and die? He is actively delivering the kingdom to God by destroying every other power.

That’s battle language. God is at war. And this is how our text ends.

25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.

26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

Notice, Paul uses the word “destroyed” not defeated. Why? Because death is already defeated.

In ancient Rome, gladiators fought to the death in the arenas, but they waited to deliver the final blow. The crowds had the authority to pass judgment on the defeated warrior with a turn of their thumb. You’ve probably seen it movies.

This is the picture Paul gives us – King Jesus is standing over death, already helpless at his feet, and He’s waiting for the Father to give the signal. But the signal has not yet been given.

And so, we die, until the last of God’s enemies are under his feet. But that means there is still time. You don’t have to be an enemy of God. He invites you to profess faith in Christ – to trust Him again. To believe in the hope of the resurrection. To live like it’s true, no longer fearing death – because he’s an enemy on his back. The boot of King Jesus is pressing down on death. The sword is already at his neck!

If we reject Christ, the sad reality is that we will face God’s wrath along with death – as an enemy of the kingdom. When we die, we will either die a friend of Christ or an enemy.

This is why Jesus said over and over again, “Repent and believe, for the kingdom of God is at hand!” He’s intentionally claiming authority over your life. But you absolutely need to count the costs. Becoming a friend of Jesus will make you an enemy to this world. And the enemy wants you suffer like a traitor until your last breath.

But today, we celebrate! Today, we mock the enemy! Death has no victory over Jesus, and it has no victory over me! It has no victory over my grandmother either because she loved Jesus. More importantly, Jesus loves her.

My grandmother was not alone when she died. Physically, she died in an empty room. But she was not alone. As Jesus stands over death, ready to strike the final blow, he also stands at the bedside of every believer – ready to receive them and lead them home at final breath.

How do I know this? Psalm 116:15 – “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” LOVE watches us die and the dead in Christ will rise!

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This is one of the stories that we only find in the Gospel of Luke. It’s also one of the most famous stories in the Bible, familiar even to people who know very little about Christianity. It’s the parable of the Good Samaritan.

Several years ago, I did four sermons on this one story because it is so rich. You might want to buckle up today, because we are going to cover a lot of ground.

25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

26 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?”

27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

28 And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

That might be the most important verse because it reveals the heart of the man Jesus is trying to teach. He asks this question to justify himself. What does that mean? It means there is a deeper question he wants Jesus to answer. It’s not “who is my neighbor?” but “Have I done enough?” At what point can I say that I have fulfilled this commandment?

He assumes, like most of us, that we can keep the law on our own – we just need the information. Years ago, I asked a group of middle school students this question, “How many of you think that God will only save you if you are a good person?” Almost all of them raised their hands. Then I asked a second question, “How many of you think you are good enough right now?” Only one person raised her hand. At least for most of them there was some humility, but like most people on earth their faith is in themselves. We think God is waiting on us to get it right.

That’s what this lawyer reveals about his heart. Who is my neighbor so I can be sure to do what I need to do to justify, or save, myself. What is the problem with this? It’s that even if you choose to help someone, it is not motivated by compassion for the other person but by a desire to save yourself.

30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead.

The road in the story was a notoriously dangerous road. It was a 17 mile drop through hill country. There were a lot of twists and turns, boulders and caves. It was a popular road for thieves. Stopping to help someone would leave you exposed. You could end up like the man you are trying to help. And thieves were known to set traps like this for “good neighbors”.

And so, we have already learned the first lesson. Being a good neighbor can be risky. It might cost you something. They might drag you into their mess. You might get used.

31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side.

32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

You have two men that are recognized by everyone as being “holy men”. They are religious leaders in the nation of Israel. They do what is expected of them. They keep the religious purity laws. They make sacrifices when they are supposed to. They know the answers to all the Bible questions.

But they both go out of their way NOT to help a man in their path who is hurting. So it is possible, according to Jesus, to be very religious and yet at the same time be a terrible neighbor.

It is possible for a church to be known for being a place of Bible study, worship, men’s programs, women’s programs, youth and children’s programs, a lot of religious activity and at the same time NOT be known for love and concern for their neighbors.

33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion.

The man who turns out to be a good neighbor has the reputation of being the least religious of the three men. To Jesus’ audience, a Samaritan was considered to be a half-Jew: worshiping in the wrong places, only caring about part of the Bible, theologically confused, and unclean. In terms of keeping the law, they would have assumed this man to be far beneath the priest and the Levite.

But it’s worse than that. Jesus intentionally brings race into the story. Jews were taught to hate Samaritans. There were racial slurs associated with this hate – “dogs”, “half-breeds”, “unclean pagans”. And these were people who were actually half-Jewish.

By using a Samaritan as the hero, Jesus is intentionally challenging the Jewish idea that they are better than other groups of people. We call this “ethnocentrism”.

Ethnocentrism has no place in the kingdom of God. It’s the idea that “my people” matter more than “your people”. But there are only two types of people in this world – God’s people and lost people. And we are told to love both as we love ourselves.

I think this is something that all of us struggle with. The “us” versus “them” mentality. The world pushes us into categories. We get caught up in it. Our hearts like feeling a sense of belonging… feeling like part of a group. It’s easy to do.

But Jesus intends to challenge our boundaries. This man’s worth, his value, has nothing to do with his race.

On that point, I think it is important that Jesus does NOT tell us the race of the man on the side of the road. He intentionally leaves this information out of the story. Why? Because the man’s ethnicity doesn’t factor into the need for a response. The priest and the Levite were not more obligated to help the man if he was Jewish.

It is also interesting that the Samaritan is in hostile territory because of his own ethnicity. It is more dangerous for a Samaritan traveling this road alone than a Jew. This would be like a Ukrainian medic crossing over Russian lines to help a Russian soldier. Honestly, that makes this story almost unbelievable… Jesus wants the lawyer to think, “Would this ever even happen? Would any Samaritan do this?”

But this is the story Jesus tells.

34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him.

35 And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’

This is obvious generosity. He gives time. He gives money. But this is not radical generosity. It’s a little inconvenient. It’s a decent expense. But it’s reasonable.

This is not the shocking part of the story. The shocking part of the story are the circumstances, the risk involved in stopping, and the ethnicities of the men. The time and the money are less important to the story.

Notice also that the Samaritan goes on with his business. He has other obligations. He has other people depending on him. Jesus doesn’t release him from those obligations.

Instead, this is a lesson about margin. We should leave some room in our lives to love and serve people that God puts in our path. We don’t get to use ALL of our time for ourselves. We don’t get to spend ALL of our money on ourselves. This man had a little extra time and money to spend if needed.

But it’s impossible to be a good neighbor if we have no time or resources available for others. And now we reach the end of the story.

36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?”

37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

Notice the man can’t even bring himself to say the word “Samaritan”.

Mercy is the key word. A good neighbor is a merciful neighbor. In other words, it doesn’t matter if the person in need deserves our help.

This is important, because in those days everyone assumed bad things happened to you because you deserved it. Very likely, the religious men walked by because they reasoned with themselves that this man got what he deserved.

The Samaritan in the story did not just provide the correct resources – he did that – but he is also offering the man an opportunity to have his dignity restored. He raises the man up, follows through on the process to see the man’s life restored to peace. He comes back. It’s about restoration, not just money. He was a concerned, merciful advocate.

In the same way, the Bible teaches that Jesus was our concerned advocate – that God had mercy on us. While we were still sinners, while we were still helpless and turned away from Him, God chose to show us mercy. 1 John 2:1 actually calls Jesus our “Advocate” before the Father, the one who makes it possible for a sinful person like me, with no resources – no righteousness to my name – to stand before a Holy God. Jesus is my advocate because He stands with me and makes His resources, His righteousness, available to me by faith.

Christians believe that we are now united to Christ, which means we are now sons and daughters of God. No matter our past struggles or our present circumstances, we are loved by God as children by a perfect Father. Our status has changed. Our identity has been restored. I am not worth only what I have or even what I do – I am a child of the King.

That’s the kind of mercy God shows us and it restores us. And that’s the kind of mercy He calls us to show the people God puts in our path, people who need merciful neighbors.

God will put people in our path that need us to love them. I am certain of that. And I think the message here today is that Jesus is less concerned with our church getting our religious activity right and more concerned with us going out of the way to respond to the needs of people in our community.

I hope Christ Fellowship will exist for a long time. But if one day we close our doors, I hope people notice we are gone – not because of our programs, but because of the people we loved and served when they needed us.

It requires us to do some things that will not benefit us. It will be inconvenient. It will cost us something. We may not even see the results of our actions. We may never know what our help meant to the other person or to God’s kingdom. But Jesus says to us, “Go and do likewise.”

We want to be a church of compassionate neighbors. We want to be people who respond to the compassion of Jesus for us in compassionate ways. We want to move into people’s lives the way Jesus moved into ours.

Is there someone in your life right now who needs you to go out of your way to love them?

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As Caleb said last week, the disciples come down from a mountaintop experience with Jesus and return to the hard realities of ministry in a sinful world. They witnessed the glory of the Son of God, they came down from that spiritual high, and they were immediately met by a crowd of people wanting Jesus to fix their problems. One of them was a father with a demon-possessed son. That’s a significant reality check!

The church was a mess then and it’s a mess now because people are a mess. But Jesus loves His people. He is patient with us, even in our worst moments.

But while they were all marveling at everything he was doing, Jesus said to his disciples,

44 “Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.”

45 But they did not understand this saying, and it was concealed from them, so that they might not perceive it. And they were afraid to ask him about this saying.

The obvious question is “Why did Jesus tell them something they weren’t meant to understand?” The answer is simple. It was so that after the resurrection, they would remember his words and know that the death of Jesus was a surprise to THEM, but not to Jesus. It was God’s plan all along. Jesus knew what was going to happen.

But at this moment, they don’t understand. And that is obvious because of what happens next.

46 An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest.

Imagine a grieving father, sitting at the funeral of his only son. His neighbor approaches and says, “Since your son won’t need his bicycle anymore, would you consider selling it to me for a good price?”

Terrible. Insensitive. Jesus foretells his death, and his disciples argue about rank. But Jesus is not offended… He is patient. He gently teaches them a powerful lesson.

47 But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side

48 and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great.”

Notice, Luke says that Jesus challenges the “reasoning of their hearts”. What are they arguing about? It’s their own value. Their own merit. In their eyes, this child has little value… little merit. Except that Jesus claims Him and places Him by His own side.

And then Jesus reasons with them. Whoever receives this child in my name receives me…

We believe that children followed Jesus often in His ministry. To the disciples, they were probably a nuisance, not important at all. To Jesus, these children were extremely valuable.

If Jeff Bezos visited your home unannounced, how might you receive him? Chances are, you would treat him like a king, to the best of your ability. Why? Because he’s extremely wealthy and if he visits you, he might be planning to bless you with some of his wealth. That’s what the word “receive” means in the text. The disciples believe Jesus is the Messiah, sent by God.

And Jesus says, “I want you to receive a child like you would receive me.” Receive a child in the same way you would receive a king. Receive people who have no influence as quickly as those who do have influence. If you do that, then you will begin to attract the kind of people meant for the kingdom of heaven. That’s a powerful lesson in leadership.

At every stage of life, we find ourselves looking up to the people who are one step ahead of us in life. Young children look up to older children. Middle schoolers look up to high schoolers. High schoolers look up to college students. Young adults wish they had more opportunities to learn from older adults. But often in our society, the people we look up to don’t have time for us, and we don’t have time for those younger than us.

We forget that our younger brothers and sisters in Christ are not here for us to overlook and ignore. They ought to be treated like kings and queens, not nuisances. We should see the same leadership and energy being applied to every generation in the church – from cradle to grave. Love and serve the children and youth of this church.

If Jesus had to teach the Apostles to do this, then I imagine He would give us the same lesson. I’m especially thinking of the men. Notice, appreciate, value, and serve the children and youth among us.

This obviously made the disciples uncomfortable, because one of them changes the subject!

49 John answered, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.”

This sounds almost like a boast… John seems proud of the fact that they did this.

50 But Jesus said to him, “Do not stop him, for the one who is not against you is for you.”

This is another brief lesson in humility. The kingdom is bigger than your little circle of Christians. In the end, there are only two sides: the kingdom of God or the kingdom of this world.

And so, Jesus is correcting an attitude of exclusivity – an assumption that God can only be at work in ways that I expect… in people that I expect. And we can safely conclude that such attitudes have been a big problem in church history.

We have a long, violent history of rejecting people who don’t follow Jesus “with us” as John says. But I don’t get to be the judge of who’s really a follower of Jesus. Jesus can handle that job without me. And there are most likely true followers of Jesus scattered across most every denomination or gathering of professing Christians around the world.

This is why we make it very simple to be adopted into our church. It’s a simple profession of faith in the basic Gospel message. We don’t care what kind of church you came from. You don’t have to agree with us on all the secondary issues. We may have significant disagreements, but if you are living a life of repentance and faith in Jesus, then you are welcome.

This is also why I am highly disheartened and skeptical of any church or denomination, no matter how old or how large, that claims they are the only true church… the only true followers of Jesus.

And I’m going to name them. Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists, Amish, Mennonites, Quakers, and most every cult – all of these groups have this in common… they claim that they are the only true church. And that doesn’t sound much like Jesus at all.

51 When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.

This is a nod to a prophecy in Isaiah 50 – that the Messiah would set his face like flint while he endures humiliation and disgrace. Jesus knew what was going to happen and He approached His suffering with courage and resolve.

52 And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him.

53 But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem.

Already, Jesus begins to face rejection. This village refuses to provide hospitality and the only explanation given is that it somehow moves Jesus closer to His death.

54 And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”

This is not a crazy idea when you consider the history. The Samaritans did not worship God as they should have.

Bible trivia question: God sent fire from heaven to consume his enemies three times in the Old Testament. The first was Sodom and Gomorrah. Do you know who called it down the second and third times? Elijah. Who did James and John just meet up on the mountain? Elijah.

They were ready to go Old Testament on this village because they just met Elijah.

55 But he turned and rebuked them.

56 And they went on to another village.

And now, Luke ends the chapter with a litany of brief encounters with prospective disciples. Pay close attention to the next few verses.

57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

In other words, count the costs. These people to follow a man of influence and power, not a homeless man. But that’s what Jesus was in this moment… homeless and rejected.

Will you really follow me anywhere? Are you willing to be homeless?

59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”

60 And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

Man, that’s tough love! Why are you concerned with physical death? Be concerned with spiritual death! In other words, the business of the kingdom is more important than even your family commitments. Are you OK with that?

61 Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.”

Let me say goodbye. I’ll be right back.

62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

We might ask, does Jesus even want these people to follow Him? He seems to be demanding so much, almost like following Jesus is going to cost us everything.

And there’s an important tension here. We are tempted to interpret these verses one of two ways, and neither is exactly right.

On the one hand, this text has been used to beat Christians up for not being “sold out” for Jesus. But I’d love for someone to tell me what that looks like because everyone seems to have a different opinion of what it means to be a “sold out” Christian. And last I checked, none of those “sold out” leaders are homeless and none of them have abandoned their families.

In fact, your opinion of what a “sold out Christian” should be doing can quickly become more important to you than Jesus. You become focused on certain truths or certain moral actions. And it still won’t be enough. Because you’re missing the point of this chapter.

On the other hand, some Christians are tempted to read this as if Jesus doesn’t really want us to follow Him – as if this is an impossible challenge only meant to highlight our need for grace. Jesus is going somewhere we cannot go. No one can really follow Him. We only need to trust Him to go and do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.

And of course, there is an element of truth in that. Jesus did do something for us that we could not do for ourselves. We receive that work by faith.

But we are also united with Him in His death and resurrection. And Jesus means it when He commands us to follow Him. He means it when He says count the costs. He means it when He says we must be willing to give up everything for the sake of the kingdom.

And that leaves us in a tension. It’s the tension of following Jesus without looking back. But how can we describe it in practical terms?

One of my favorite scenes from the Chronicles of Narnia comes near the end of Prince Caspian.

The children are in a forest. Some of the children think they have seen King Aslan, the great lion, walking through the woods, but he is blurry to most of them. One of them can’t see Aslan at all. But Lucy, the youngest, she can see Aslan clearly and perfectly.

One night everyone is asleep, and Aslan begins to call Lucy. She goes and speaks to him, and he tells her that she must lead the others because she is the only one who sees him clearly. She is afraid to lead because she doesn’t think they will believe her. Because she’s the youngest. But she agrees to try and the other children follow her, which keeps them safe in the end. Listen to this line from the story:

“He led them to the right of the dancing trees—whether they were still dancing nobody knew, for Lucy had her eyes on the Lion and the rest had their eyes on her.”

Can you see in your mind the picture of a little girl following a great lion through the woods and all the older children trailing along behind her? I think this is the point of Luke 9.

Jesus says, “Follow me.” Keep your eyes on me. Not on what’s happening in the world around you. Not on what other disciples are doing, unless their eyes are on Jesus. It’s not about what you’re giving up or not giving up. It’s about watching Jesus. The rest will work itself out if you’re following Him.

We follow Christ and our hope is that others will come as they see Christ in us. It isn’t us, it’s Him. All true disciples are doing nothing but pointing people to Christ. He’s the way. He’s the truth. He’s the life.

What I’m saying is this – stop obsessing about what it means to follow Jesus and just stay with Him. That’s what it means to live in the tension between “my yoke is easy and my burden light” versus “take up your cross”. Just follow.

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Good morning, I’m excited to preach this text this morning, because Jesus and his disciples are about to head to Jerusalem. Which means Easter Sunday is one Sunday closer, which also means the Crawfish boil is one Sunday closer. So a lot of things to be excited about in the coming weeks. But a lot to be excited about today too, we’re looking at two stories today: the transfiguration of Jesus, and Jesus healing a demon-possessed boy. A lot going on.

But lets go ahead and look at the transfiguration.

I think a good question for us to ask is, what is happening here? What is actually going on in the resurrection. Maybe this is just me, but I’ve never really understood the transfiguration. If one of our youth kids came up to me and was like “Caleb, what is the transfiguration, and why is it in the bible?”. I would be like, you should probably go ask Mike that question, because I’m not sure. I know Jesus’ face was glowing, they were on a mountain, Old Testament figures there. I think it’s in the bible because it’s awesome. Which I think is still part of it.

But I wouldn’t be sure where to start, so I think that’s a good place for us to start today: What is happening in the transfiguration, and why is it happening.

Because this is a unique story in the gospel narrative. Nowhere else in the gospel do we see Jesus shining, Nowhere else do we see Moses and Elijah appear, or a cloud of God’s presence enveloping the disciples. So It’s a unique event, and it has deep significance, for us.
So what is the transfiguration. The first thing Luke tells us about it is that Jesus took Peter, John, and James up on the mountain to pray. We remember that last week, Jesus was praying alone, then Peter confessed that Jesus was the Christ of God, but he didn’t really know what that meant.

The disciples and the rest of the Jews would have expected the promised savior of the Old Testament to come in and overthrow the Roman government, to bring in an earthly kingdom with his power. Instead, Jesus announces that he’s going to die, and he calls his disciples to follow him in this path. not what was expected of the messiah.

In our passage today, we again see Jesus praying, but this time instead of Peter identifying Jesus’ title God will fully reveal who Jesus is, in a way that the disciples hadn’t seen before. On the mountain, God pulls back the curtain and shows Jesus in his glory. His face is shining, all of his clothes are dazzling white Luke says.

In this same passage in Mark, Mark says that his clothes became intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. Which I thought was a funny way to describe it, “The best bleacher you know couldn’t get these clothes this white.”
The point here is that Jesus is radiant, shining bright with his glory, because this is the same glory that he shared with God the father from eternity past.

The disciples had only seen Jesus in his human appearance. They’ve seen him do miracles and they’ve heard his teaching, but Jesus still looked like a normal guy.

But here Jesus takes it to a completely new level. Jesus is showing them that he is God in the flesh. He didn’t give up his divinity when he took on human flesh. He’s still God.

It’s almost like Undercover Boss, if you’re familiar with that show. Each episode the ceo or owner of a huge company would disguise themselves as a normal worker in a warehouse or factory for a week. They would work with their employees, getting to know them and what their job was like. Then at the end, they would reveal themselves as the ceo or owner. That’s why you’re always nice to people at your job, you never know when you’re on undercover boss.

But this is way better than undercover boss. Instead of a CEO acting like an employee, the God of the universe actually becomes a human.
Jesus has experienced humanity, he’s been hungry, he’s been tempted, he’s just been living with the disciples. I can tell you from living with a bunch of guys over the past 5 years that its not always the most clean or pleasant experience. But Jesus has entered into it, the full human experience.

But Now Jesus is fully revealing himself as God to the disciples. He’s not just another guy, this is God himself. The glory that is shining through Jesus here isn’t an outside source of glory. It’s not like someone is shining a flashlight on him.
In Exodus 34, as Moses is coming down Mt. Sinai, his face is shining because he was in the presence of God. The glory didn’t belong to Moses, it was just reflected onto him because he was in the presence of God.

But when Jesus goes up on the mountain here, he’s shining because the glory belongs to him, he is God. He reveals his divine nature to the disciples here, giving them just a glimpse of his glory.

His glory isn’t just seen in his appearance, but is also revealed through Moses and Elijah being there. And it must have been confusing for Peter, John and James. They’re about to fall asleep, but they wake up and see Jesus, Moses and Elijah all radiating glory.

This would have been mind boggling for the disciples to see, specifically the fact that Moses and Elijah are also there with Jesus. They’re two of the greatest figures in the Old Testament, in their national history.

For Americans it would be like George Washington and Abraham Lincoln appeared out of nowhere, two of the most important figures in American history. In Israelite history, Moses was famous for leading them out of slavery in Egypt and through the wilderness towards the promised land. He also wrote the Torah, the first 5 books of the OT that the Jews lived by.

Then Elijah was probably the most well-known prophet of God, calling out evil in Israel and defeating the enemies of God. Here they both are with Jesus, sharing in his glory.

And this isn’t the first time they’ve been on a mountain in the presence of God. When Moses and Elijah lived on earth, both of them went up on mountains and heard the voice of God.

On Mt. Sinai, God spoke to Moses and gave him the law for the Israelites to follow. On Mt. Horeb, God spoke to Elijah and told him to anoint the next king of Israel.

Now they’re both back on a mountain, and notice what God says this time. “This is my Son, My Chosen One, listen to him!” God is raising Jesus up above the two greatest figures in Old Testament history.

Jesus isn’t just as servant of God as Moses and Elijah were, he’s the son of God. When Elijah was on the mountain, God told him to go appoint the new king of Israel, when Jesus is on the mountain, God says this is my chosen one! This is the king of my people!

When Moses was on the mountain, God gave him his word in the ten commandments to return to the people of Israel. When Jesus is on the Mountain, God says listen to him! He is my word.

When the cloud of God’s presence is lifted, Jesus is left alone, Moses and Elijah are gone.
God is proclaiming that Jesus, in all his glory, surpasses anything the people of God had seen before. He is everything that God has promised to provide for his people, they simply need to listen to him.

This may be a helpful reminder for us. That while Jesus took on the form of man, he is still fully God. He still speaks with the full authority of God himself. I know that I can get so caught up in the humanity of Jesus. the fact that Jesus understands me.

He knows my struggles, he knows my sin, he knows my fears. He’s a friend who can sympathize with you, be with you in those moments. And that is 100% true and beautiful, and we need that.

But we also need the other side, not only is he our friend, he’s our king. He doesn’t just understand our problems, he rules over them as the God of the universe. He has triumphed over our sin, and he calls us out of it as our king.

The fact that Jesus is God in the flesh makes it so much more amazing that he set aside his glory and took on the form of his subjects.
This is what the transfiguration is. Jesus is showing us the glory that belongs to him. The glory that he shared with the father from eternity past, the glory he has as the fulfillment of all God has promised to his people. This is our king that knows us.

The transfiguration is about where Jesus from, but it’s also about where he is going. Notice what Jesus is talking about with Moses and Elijah. It says that they spoke of his departure. The Greek word for departure here is exodos.

There are two things I think Luke wants to communicate with this word exodus. The first thing that comes to mind is the Old Testament Exodus that Moses led. Like I said earlier, the exodus in the Old Testament was when God freed the Israelites from their slavery, and they began their journey towards the promised land.

Exodus also means “death” here, literally to depart from life. What Luke is showing us is that Jesus’ death in Jerusalem will lead to a greater exodus for the people of God. God’s people won’t just be saved from a physical slavery, Jesus will liberate them from the oppression of sin by dying for them. This is what Jesus is going to accomplish in Jerusalem.

This is why Jesus has set aside his glory and came to earth in human form. He didn’t just come to live with humanity, he came to die for it. He set aside his glory, the eternal, perfect communion he had with the God the father. He set it aside to come and to die for us.
he saw our suffering and our sin, and out of love he came off of his throne and bore our suffering for us. He paid the punishment for our sin. That’s the good news.

But still haven’t answered the question of why. Why is Jesus showing the disciples his glory now? Well, what did Jesus just say to them in our previous passage? Take up your cross and follow me. Where is Jesus going? To his death. To his departure in Jerusalem.

The disciples have a hard road ahead of them. They’re going to see Jesus betrayed, they’re going to see him crucified. Peter James and John will all face a life of persecution.

What Jesus is showing them is that this suffering isn’t meaningless. They may follow Jesus in his suffering, but they will follow him into glory too. He’s showing them where they’re going. Jesus’ departure in Jerusalem doesn’t end with his death on the cross, it also his means that he will resurrect and return to glory with his Father in heaven.

So as the disciples follow Jesus in the suffering of this world, they know that the shining face of Jesus awaits them in heaven. That’s why Jesus shows them his glory, it’s for their hope.

And I think that’s why the transfiguration is in the bible for us too. It’s for our hope. It’s so we know that Jesus himself, in all of his glory awaits us with loving arms.

Think about the exodus, God didn’t free the Israelites so they could stay in the wilderness. God freed them so they could enter into the promised land.
This is the exodus that Jesus has brought us into. He’s freed us from our sin so that one day we can dwell with him in the full presence of God, beholding his glory face to face. The transfiguration is in here to give us hope.

But this also begs the question, what do we do until then?

I can kind of relate to Peter in this story. One because sometimes I also struggle to stay awake while praying, but also because of his reaction to seeing the glory of Jesus, Moses and Elijah. He wants to put some tents up and have them stay for a while. And I get it, I wouldn’t want this to end either.

You’re up there with Jesus in his glory, Moses and Elijah two famous figures from the Old Testament. Peter’s probably like, can’t we just enjoy this moment.

But Luke says that Peter didn’t know what he was saying, I feel that too sometimes. Peter didn’t understand that Jesus wasn’t going back into glory yet. He had still had a mission to accomplish in Jerusalem. And so they go down the mountain. We’ll finish with this story in verses 37-43.

I think Luke puts this story right after the transfiguration for a reason. In the transfiguration, we have a literal mountain top experience. Everything is amazing, they’re beholding the glory of Jesus.

Now, Peter, James and John are snapped back into the reality of a broken world. It’s kind of like when you’re a kid, and you go to summer camp for a week. It’s awesome, you’re not even thinking about the outside world you’re just having a great time. Then you come back home and you have to pull weeds out of your mom’s garden, and your brother is being annoying. Back in the real world.

But this story is worse than that. This boy is possessed by a demon that doubles him over with pain, makes him foam at the mouth, bruises his entire body. This is a clear picture of spiritual oppression.

And it’s a clear picture of the mission Jesus is on. He has come to liberate the captive. This is Jesus continuing in his mission to free the oppressed, one that he’ll accomplish when he reaches Jerusalem.

But the disciples are still a little behind. In Luke 9:1, Luke says that Jesus gave the disciples power and authority over all demons. But now the disciples were unable to cast the demon out. In Matthew’s gospel, he makes it pretty clear that the disciples weren’t able to cast the demon out because of their lack of faith.

And here I think is our answer to walking in this broken world, its faith. Because we have those mountain top experiences of our Christian life too. Maybe it’s your baptism, maybe a time when God delivered you from great suffering, or just a period when you felt really close to him, when you feel like he is near.

But then you come down from the mountain, and you face the reality of a broken world. You’re overwhelmed with family responsibilities, job frustrations, stress in your close relationships, anxiety about your future, personal suffering or the suffering of those you love. And you feel so alone during it.

But Jesus is saying I’m still here. He hasn’t gone anywhere. The Jesus that was on the mountain in all of his glory is the same Jesus that enters into the midst of your suffering in the valley.

And the way you get through the valley is by trusting in him. Trust that he has the power and the love to sustain you through anything that you’re going through right now. That he is still present with you, in the messiness of your life, defeating your sin.
Because the truth is, Jesus is still revealing his glory to us.

Listen to these last couple verses of the story, Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. And all were astonished at the Majesty of God.

This word for majesty means the glory of God. The same glory that Jesus had in the transfiguration. Not shining through his face but demonstrated in his actions. He shows his glory here by defeating the demon, healing the boy, and returning him to his father.

He shows us his glory by defeating our sin, making us whole again, and returning us to our father. Brings us into the family of God.

This is what strengthens our faith, through the Spirit. The way that we walk in faith is by beholding the glory of Christ as he reveals himself to us in the gospel. The more we behold him, in his glory, the more we become like him.

I’ll end with these words from Paul, coming from 2 Corinthians 3:18 “And we all, with unveiled faces, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”

Simply behold the glory of Jesus. Trust that he is your savior, Trust that he is your king. Rejoice that he is bringing you into glory with him.

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In 1519, Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés landed in Mexico with a small army to conquer the Aztec Empire. To prevent his men from retreating and ensure their commitment to the fight, he ordered his ships burned, leaving his men with no choice but to conquer or die. It was a point of no return.

We are in the middle of Luke chapter 9, which is the turning point of the Gospel. Jesus is about to have a conversation with his disciples. This conversation is the turning point also in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark. This is the moment when Jesus begins His journey towards the cross. This was His point of no return.

18 Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”

I don’t want to brush past the fact that Jesus was praying when He decided to ask this question. So much of the ministry of Jesus was bathed in prayer, which is an example to us.

Now, consider the question. Who do the crowds say that I am? Jesus knows the answer already, so this is a teaching moment for the disciples. We might ask ourselves the same question. What do the people outside the church say about Jesus?

The question assumes we are listening… that we care… what do our neighbors think about Jesus? Our coworkers? Our classmates? We should want to know the answer to that question.

Local demographics tell us how our neighbors see Jesus: only 29% of our neighbors strongly agree with this statement: “Jesus actually rose from the dead as the Bible taches.” Only 23% of our neighbors strongly agree with this statement: “Jesus is the only way for human salvation from sin.” Did you know that? Does it surprise you?

19 And they answered, “John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.”

In other words, the crowds had no idea who Jesus really is. They were confused. They thought Jesus was some sort of reincarnation of another important man.

20 Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”

Bingo. Peter gets it right. Jesus is the Christ. He is the Promised Messiah. And I would expect Jesus to congratulate Peter. Good job! Great answer! But Peter didn’t win any prizes. Instead, Jesus rebukes them!

21 And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one,

In English is says “strictly charged” but everywhere else in Luke the word is “rebuked”! They give the right answer, but Jesus rebukes them. Why? Jesus commanded them to tell no one,

22 saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”

You have to understand how shocked and confused the disciples must have been when Jesus said these words. It’s a prophecy about Himself. And it’s a prophecy that seems to contradict everything they expected from the Messiah.

This is why Jesus rebuked them and commanded them not to tell anyone He is the Christ. It’s because they get the right answer, but they don’t know what it means.

Jesus says to them – “I’m who you think I am, but I’m not who you think I am.” You understand the job title, but not the job description. I’m the Christ, but you don’t know what that means for me. You also don’t know what that means for you! This is a point of no return!

23 And he said to all, (not just the twelve) “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

This is another one of those slam on the brakes, wheel screeching moments. This is the first time the word “cross” is used in the Gospel of Luke. Jesus will say the same thing again in chapter 14. And the last time the word “cross” is used will be at the crucifixion of Jesus in chapter 23.

Crucifixion was the most brutal form of public execution in use at the time. To put this in perspective, consider the excitement among the disciples when Peter suggests that Jesus is the Christ. Could it be?! Is Jesus really the Christ of God?! Our Savior has come at last?!

And then Jesus immediately bursts that bubble! I’m going to suffer and die and if you follow me, you will need to suffer and die every day. There is no other way to understand these words. Shocking. Pain in your belly shocking.

And then Jesus offers three justifications for this shocking revelation and one promise.

24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.

This first statement is a mind-numbing paradox. If you want to live, you’ll have to die… it’s an argument that doesn’t make much sense at this point. But the key words are “for my sake”. A life lost for the sake of Jesus is not lost.

25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?

Jesus presents us with a dilemma here – a choice. If I choose the world, I lose myself. And so, I must give up or let go of the world to keep myself.

This question reminds me of the creature Gollum in Lord of the Rings. In his final moments, he wins the fight with Frodo, biting the One Ring off his finger, but plunges to his death at the bottom of the volcano. While falling, he cradles the ring and then dies trying to hold it out of the lava while he sank.

That’s the grim picture that Jesus begs his disciples to consider. What’s the point? Why try to keep this world and lose yourself in the process?

26 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

In this final plea, Jesus cuts straight to their deepest thoughts and feelings. He knows that his people are judging him for these words. They don’t understand.

In fact, it’s Peter who made the profession of faith. But it was also Peter who seemed most ashamed of Jesus’ response! In Matthew’s account of this conversation, Peter takes Jesus aside to privately rebuke him! And it’s the exact same word in Greek we talked about earlier!

“Stop all this talk about crosses and dying, Jesus! You’re going to scare everyone away!” And Jesus responded to Peter by saying, “Get behind me, Satan!”

The command, “Get Behind Me!” is a military command, it means fall in line. Know your place. Stay in your lane.

And that fits with what Jesus says here in Luke – remember who I am. I’m coming back in glory! And I’m coming with the kingdom of God:

27 But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”

He finishes at least with a positive, encouraging promise. In the end, there’s good news. But let’s back up and consider this more closely. What is Jesus asking us to do?

Deny yourself. Take up your cross. Follow me.

Deny yourself. What does that mean?

Is it like being on a diet and choosing not to eat a bowl of ice cream? Is that what Jesus wants us to do? Have better willpower against sin? Deny your desires?

It’s actually deeper than that. He doesn’t just say deny sin. He says deny yourself.

Jesus is going to use the exact same word when he later tells Peter that he will DENY Jesus three times. Peter is going to turn from Jesus and run. This is the same man that claimed Jesus was the Messiah.

The good news is Jesus forgave Peter. And Peter was restored. But that event tells us something about the word deny. Jesus wants us to turn and run from ourselves.

Why? Because sin is not “out there”. Sin is “in here”. It lives in our hearts. The Devil doesn’t make us do it. We don’t get to blame our circumstances. We don’t get to blame our friends. We don’t get to blame our childhood.

Sin isn’t just the bad stuff we do. Sin is a condition. Sometimes is looks like self-gratification. Sometimes it looks like self-sufficiency. But the key word is SELF.

Being humbled is being brought to the end of yourself and the beginning of Jesus. Deny yourself.

What about “Take up your cross?”

A cross to us is an important symbol of our faith, but a cross to a 1st century Jew was pain and death. Everyone had seen people carrying a cross.

It wasn’t a noble thing. It was a shameful thing. It meant you were a criminal… or an enemy of the state.

This was a great way to test the resolve of the disciples. Even if Jesus meant this as a metaphor, it was shocking. But many of these men would literally die on a cross for their faith.

What was Jesus saying? What does He mean by taking up our cross?

I believe that taking up our cross is turning from the world to follow Jesus and that very often it is going to feel like a painful, shameful walk.

The world has no love for the kingdom of God. It will not honor those who reject selfish ambition for the cross. The world will reject us. It will try to destroy us. But according to Jesus, only in this kind of death will we find life.

Jesus wants us to experience life in the kingdom of God. But there’s only one way. Take up your cross.

Finally, what exactly does Jesus mean when He says, “Follow me.”

In part, it means this: “Don’t get ahead of Jesus.” Behind Jesus is the only safe place to be.

Jesus, as our leader, had to go before us. He must always go first.

Harriet Tubman, the conductor of the underground railroad, led hundreds of slaves to freedom. But they had to follow her. She knew the landscape, the waterways, and the escape routes. They did not. They were at the mercy of her leadership. Trusting her led to freedom.

And that’s what it means to follow Jesus. We trust Him to lead the way to salvation. We don’t make our own way. He doesn’t point us in the right direction and say “good luck”. We follow Him from beginning to end.

Luke is setting the stage for the death and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus will be the first to deny Himself. He will be the first to carry his cross. And then, He would be the first to rise from the dead.

Following Jesus is simply falling in line behind Him. Trusting Him. Trusting His provision. His plans. His providence.

We begin to trust our Savior with everything. We surrender our lives to Him. And this is the key point. It often feels like death… before it feels like life.

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Jesus only did one miracle that occurs in all four Gospels, so that miracle must be extremely important. It’s when Jesus feeds the multitude and that is our text today in Luke 9, but we are going to start reading a few verses earlier.

7 Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead,

8 by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the prophets of old had risen.

9 Herod said, “John I beheaded, but who is this about whom I hear such things?” And he sought to see him.

I think Luke tells us about Herod at this point to let us know that the ministry of Jesus is beginning to gain attention. Now, even Herod has heard of Jesus. News about Him has spread. People are debating His true identity, but by the end of the chapter the disciples will know who Jesus is. He’s not just their rabbi.

10 On their return the apostles told him all that they had done. And he took them and withdrew apart to a town called Bethsaida.

11 When the crowds learned it, they followed him, and he welcomed them and spoke to them of the kingdom of God and cured those who had need of healing.

12 Now the day began to wear away, and the twelve came and said to him, “Send the crowd away to go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and get provisions, for we are here in a desolate place.”

13 But he said to them, “You give them something to eat.” They said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish—unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.”

14 For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.”

15 And they did so, and had them all sit down.

16 And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing over them. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.

17 And they all ate and were satisfied. And what was left over was picked up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.

Experts say that about 15 people die in the world every minute from hunger-related illnesses. If that is true, then almost 8 million people a year die from not having enough food. But ironically, there are far more deaths each year linked to people having too much to eat! 1.4 billion people worldwide are considered medically unhealthy because of their eating habits.

I’m saying this to make us intentionally uncomfortable, because understanding this text means we have to understand hunger. But most of us have never felt hungry for any significant period of time. So, we are going to have to imagine that feeling of hunger, that pain in your belly that you can’t satisfy. Because this text is all about hunger.

There is a large crowd following Jesus. The other Gospels tell us that Jesus had been teaching them all day and that he had compassion on them for their hunger.

But there are too many people to feed. The need is too great, and their resources were too small. But that is right where God wants us most of the time. He wants us to feel hungry.

Things taste better when you are hungry, right? If you have ever fasted, either for spiritual reasons or maybe before surgery or a medical test, you had to skip a few meals and when you finally ate it was glorious, right? Even if it was a peanut butter sandwich, it was the best peanut butter sandwich you ever ate!

That is why God wants us to be hungry sometimes. And I don’t just mean physically hungry, but spiritually hungry. He wants us to know that we need Him. This has always been God’s way.

Think of the Israelites receiving manna in the wilderness. The point of the wilderness was to break them and make them dependent on God. God kept 3 million people alive for 40 years by dropping bread out of the sky.

But the people kept grumbling and complaining because they wanted something more. The crowds following Jesus wanted something more. They wanted Jesus to keep performing miracles. They wanted comfortable lives. They didn’t really want Him. But Jesus has compassion on them and feeds them anyway.

And He goes beyond the need! He provides more than enough to satisfy them. In the last verse, Luke stresses that they had eaten their fill. But in meeting this need, Jesus exposes a deeper spiritual need. In the Gospel of John, this connection is plain because Jesus calls Himself the bread of life.

The point being that we are choosing to fill ourselves up with something that will never satisfy us. And God won’t let us be content with that.

I think this is a fairly simple application. We might just ask ourselves – what am I trying to fill my soul with that will not satisfy me? What is it that seems to work for a little while but leaves me feeling empty? What might I be trying to self-medicate with? Is it working? I’m guessing not.

And God won’t let us be satisfied by those things. Isaiah 29:8 says this:

As when a hungry man dreams, and behold, he is eating and awakes with his hunger not satisfied, or as when a thirsty man dreams, and behold, he is drinking and awakes faint, with his thirst not quenched, so shall the multitude of all the nations be that fight against Mount Zion.

But the good news is this: Jesus delights to feed hungry people! All you have to do is come to Him and admit your hunger. He is more than enough!

This is a good time to talk about the Lord’s Supper – and IF I had planned a little better, I would have had this text fall on first Sunday. Later in the ministry of Jesus, he is going to bluntly tell people that if they want the kingdom, they would have to eat His flesh and drink His blood.

A lot of people quit following Jesus after he said that because they misunderstood him, for obvious reasons. And yet, Jesus said it like that on purpose – knowing people would walk away. Because entrance into the kingdom of God means radical separation from the things of this world and radical union with Him!

Jesus meant that we must be united to Him to be saved. We must receive Him and He must become One with us in Spirit. Breaking our dependence on everything else means daily resting in and remembering that Jesus has given Himself for us that we can be satisfied in Him. He has satisfied all the spiritual sickness and death that plagues our lives and one day He will return to eliminate physical hunger and sickness and death once and for all.

But there is one more beautiful thing about this text I want us to see. It’s that Jesus lets us help! He lets us handle the bread!

In all of this, Jesus was concerned with training his disciples. He allows them all to help pass out the food. And then they collect the leftovers. Jesus let them help. He let them handle the bread.

He lets us handle it too. If we are His disciples, we have a role to play. We are not the ones who create something out of nothing. Only God can do that. Only God can save. There is no magic formula for us to use that will get someone else into the kingdom. But Jesus gave us His Word and the message of the Gospel and instructed us to handle it. Speak it. Live it. Use it. Feed others even as we eat with them.

Martin Luther once said that we are all just beggars showing other beggars where to find bread. If you are hungry and someone feeds you and you see that they have an abundance of food and you know that there are other hungry people nearby, what will you do? You will spread the word!

That’s our calling. That’s why Christians exist. We are the ones who get to tell people they are dying of starvation, but they are also sitting in the middle of a grocery store with their eyes closed! To do that we have to understand that we are no different from the people we are trying to reach except for the grace of God.

There is also no reason for us to be stingy, or hold on to the message for ourselves, because Jesus shows us that there is really an abundance of grace. An overflow really. Twelve baskets leftover! It never runs out. Don’t hold on to it.

But something else that we learn from the example of Jesus is that sometimes we have to care about the person’s felt need before we can convince them of their spiritual need. In other words, we should care about the person’s actual hunger.

Very often people need the church to show them the love of Jesus before we tell them about the love of Jesus. This is important. We have been given more than a ministry of Word. It’s also a ministry of Deed – a ministry of action.

And yet, we can never lose sight of the deeper spiritual need. We can provide temporary relief for people, and we should. But we still die. The only thing that leads to eternal relief is the Gospel. We have to give the Gospel or else we they will just be hungry again.

If you are hungry this morning, if any of this is speaking to you, I hope you know that Jesus does care about your circumstances. He sees you. He knows what you are feeling. Is it possible that he wants you to feel hungry, that he has sent you into the wilderness so that you will feel a need and know that you have nothing to satisfy it on your own?

Sharing the Gospel with people, I often see a look – it is a look of stunned disbelief, not excitement. It’s a look of someone searching to figure out what they are supposed to do to get right with God. But the response God wants is not “how can I pay for this bread”. It’s the response of someone starving who just found a feast with a sign that says, “free food”. They dive in face first!

Don’t sit there in skeptical, stunned disbelief. You are hungry for God. Take and eat. Call on the name of Jesus and He will fill your soul.

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This morning we will begin Luke chapter 9 and I have to tell you, growing up as a Jehovah’s Witness, this was probably the most important paragraph in the Bible. This and the parallel passages in Matthew 10 and Mark 6. This is why they knock on your doors, and I did it almost every Saturday for years.

And I have to be honest with you, it’s why I’ve gotten back into the practice of knocking on people’s doors. This is the first time in the Gospel of Luke that Jesus tells his disciples to do something practical. And as we read Luke – if you sat down and read it one setting – you’d be eager to know what the ministry of the disciples would look like.

He told them they would be fishing for men in chapter 5. He named the twelve in chapter 6. He taught them what compassion looks like in chapter 7. He told them they would be casting seed in chapter 8 and that they shouldn’t be afraid to go anywhere or do anything for the sake of the Gospel. And now, finally, in chapter 9 Jesus gives his disciples clear instructions. He sends them out on a mission trip – not to the ends of the earth, not yet – but to their own neighbors.

1 And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases,

2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.

The big idea is that Jesus is multiplying Himself, right? He’s sending them to do all the things that He demonstrated for them. And of course, that’s what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.

We learn from Jesus and then we go and share what we have learned. We have our marching orders. “Go and make disciples, baptizing them and teaching them to DO all that I have commanded you.”

Jesus continues to multiply himself, which is why Christianity began with these 12 men but has resulted in billions of disciples. But notice the specifics.

3 And he said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics.

Get dressed and go, with nothing but the clothes on your back. In other words, trust God to provide. That feels incredibly radical to us, but this was a hospitality culture. People were used to the idea of receiving and caring for rabbis and their disciples. Nevertheless, they are trusting God to provide and that’s an important part of the mission – then and now.

4 And whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart.

Again, trusting that God would provide through the hospitality of their neighbors.

5 And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them.”

Shaking the dust off your feet is like saying “I wash my hands of this.” Jesus is saying, don’t take it personally if you get rejected. Their fate is in God’s hands. You did what you could, now move on.

Remember from the parable of the Sower, God’s kingdom is God’s work. He uses us to cast seeds, but it is His work to produce fruit. Do not be discouraged if the seed doesn’t take root.

6 And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.

Healing has been mentioned three times, so I should say something about it. There’s a lot of confusion today in the church about healing ministry because there are some pastors who claim to be performing healing miracles with little or no evidence to show for it.

This is probably a longer conversation if anyone wants to have it, but we are told clearly how the church should deal with sickness. James 5:14 –

Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

We do have authority, as His disciples, to ask God for healing. I pray with people who are sick or injured all the time. I ask God for healing. I believe He can do it. And sometimes He does. But Jesus didn’t actually heal every sick person He met. And that’s up to Him, not me. It’s not magic. It’s the grace of God. If you have more questions about that, come see me.

Now, let’s think carefully about what Jesus teaches his disciples to do in this passage. You might be tempted to say that this was a special project for the apostles. But in the very next chapter, Jesus will send out 72 with even more detailed instructions!

Clearly, Jesus intends for His church to be doing something like this. Knocking on doors… talking and praying with people about the kingdom of God…

We should also remember that there wasn’t anything special about these men. They were not professional ministers. They were fishermen and tax collectors.

But Jesus told them to do something, and He provided what they needed to do it. And they did it. They went out and knocked on doors and proclaimed the kingdom of God to their neighbors.

And I think it is important to see that the power here was in the message and not the messenger. There’s no way these guys were gifted public speakers yet. Jesus didn’t send out 12 Billy Graham’s or 12 Charles Spurgeon’s. The power was in the message and not the messenger.

If a person you’ve never seen before runs into this room right now and says, “There is a bomb in this building and everyone needs to get out now!” What are you going to do? You will run out as fast as you can. Will it matter to you what the person looks like that told us? Not really. It doesn’t matter if a police officer or a clown brings that message. If he says there’s a bomb I’m out. Why? Because that’s a message that gets people moving and it doesn’t matter who says it.

The same is true with the Gospel. The power is in the message. We are jars of clay, Paul says, carrying the light of truth. We are not the light. We bear witness to it. God was able to take a group of 12 average to below-average men and build his church because the power was not in them but in the Gospel. We go in and with the Holy Spirit!

So, what does that mean for you? It means that whatever your opinion of yourself may be, it doesn’t really matter. God can use anyone for His purposes and very often He chooses to use the most unlikely people.

He delights in showing mercy to people who don’t deserve it. He majors in producing beautiful, righteous people from the rejects of society. He created the universe out of nothing, and He has not stopped doing things like that.

So, you may feel worthless and useless, but God says to you in Christ that you are His precious son or daughter, and He wants you on His team. You are actually more useful to God if you feel empty because there is more for Him to fill. People whose hands are full cannot receive grace.

If you’re doubting this… if you are doubting that God can use anyone, remember the names of these twelve disciples. They are listed back in Luke 6. One of them was named Judas. You know… Judas? The guy who betrayed Jesus for money?

At this point, no one knows that Judas is a false brother except Jesus. But what do we learn from this? We learn that Jesus can even use unconverted people to accomplish His will.

Judas did not obey Jesus from a humble heart. We have no idea why Judas stuck around at all, but he did. He was not a believer. And yet, he was with the twelve on this mission and we have no reason to believe that he failed to carry it out. He was out there healing people and preaching the kingdom from a heart that didn’t believe it.

That is both amazing and scary.

It is amazing because God can still save people through the ministry of bad men. Paul says the same thing explicitly in Corinthians. It really is about the power of the message and not the messenger. So, before I should ever think of myself as great or worthy or gifted, I need to be reminded that there’s nothing special about me. God is the one with the power to change lives. John 15 – Jesus says, “Apart from me you can do nothing.”

And it is scary because there will be people who will be in and around the church their whole lives and appear to be with us and appear to be doing good work and seem like they get it, but they don’t. And so, this is an opportunity to search our hearts. Why are we following Jesus? Is it because we love Jesus, or because we are trying to use Him or get something from Him?

The last thing I want to say, very simply, is that I think it is time for God’s church to return to this kind of ministry. Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses are out there doing it as instruments of Satan because they have the wrong message. They are not sharing the Gospel.

WE have the Gospel of the Kingdom, and we have clear instructions. I’m going to take this more seriously as your pastor. I’m going to do more of it because I believe Jesus can change people’s lives. I want to see God’s kingdom come in Horn Lake as it is in heaven. And you can come with me.

I’m not handing out Gospel tracts or trying to get into religious debates with people. All I do is ask if I can pray for them and if the Spirit provides an opportunity to share the good news or meet a need of some kind, then I do my best with the opportunity. And I’m trusting God with the results.

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Luke 8:40-56

Last week, we left Jesus on the banks of the Sea of Galilee returning back from a trip to the other side of the lake, where he saved a demon-possessed man. The people of that land were afraid and begged Jesus to leave, which He did. Luke chapter 8 beginning in verse 40:

40 Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him.

41 And there came a man named Jairus, who was a ruler of the synagogue. And falling at Jesus’ feet, he implored him to come to his house,

42 for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying.

As Jesus went, the people pressed around him.

43 And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all her living on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone.

44 She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased.

45 And Jesus said, “Who was it that touched me?” When all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you!”

46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me.”

47 And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed.

48 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.”

49 While he was still speaking, someone from the ruler’s house came and said, “Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the Teacher any more.”

50 But Jesus on hearing this answered him, “Do not fear; only believe, and she will be well.”

51 And when he came to the house, he allowed no one to enter with him, except Peter and John and James, and the father and mother of the child.

52 And all were weeping and mourning for her, but he said, “Do not weep, for she is not dead but sleeping.”

53 And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. 54 But taking her by the hand he called, saying, “Child, arise.”

55 And her spirit returned, and she got up at once. And he directed that something should be given her to eat.

56 And her parents were amazed, but he charged them to tell no one what had happened.

I want us to think of this passage almost like a split television screen, where you’ve got two football games on and you want to keep up with them both. Luke sandwiches these two stories together on purpose.

We need to imagine Jairus in the background nervous that Jesus is stopping to deal with someone else… We need to sense the fear of a man who is about to lose his only daughter.

Fear is really the theme of this chapter. The disciples afraid of the storm and the power of Jesus to calm the storm. The Gerasenes afraid of Jesus begging him to leave.

Fear is a powerful motivator. According to psychologists, it is the most powerful emotion in the human brain. If someone wakes you up in the middle of the night and tries to convince you to get out of bed and stay awake until morning, it’s going to take a lot of convincing.

But if someone wakes you up in the middle of the night and tells you that your house is on fire, how quickly will you jump out of bed? Fear is a powerful emotion.

Jairus fell down at the feet of Jesus and begged him to heal his daughter, fearing for her life. When the woman realizes that Jesus knows what she has done, she becomes afraid and falls down at his feet.

In both cases, Jesus deals with the underlying fear by encouraging faith. But fear is difficult to deal with.

Have you ever tried talking someone out of being afraid? Is it easy to convince a person who has a fear of spiders to stop being afraid of spiders? Snakes? Heights? No, because fear isn’t always rational.

And what Jesus does about it here is supernatural. It’s an act of God.

God actually has to replace our fear with faith. And just like fear has an object, so does faith. We fear SOMETHING or SOMEONE. In the same way, faith is always in SOMETHING or SOMEONE. It has an object. What we need is for Jesus to redirect our attention away from the object of our fears to the object of faith – to God himself.

We’ve all seen movies where someone is in a dangerous place, like on the edge of a cliff, and they need to walk or jump to safety – and what does the hero always say? Don’t look down, look at me! It’s going to be alright.

That’s what Jesus is telling us – take your eyes off of sin and death for a moment, don’t be frightened by this world anymore, look at me. Specifically, look at the cross, because that is where God made the exchange of fear and faith possible. Just as Jesus took the disease away from this woman, the death away from this girl, and replaced it with health, He took our sin and replaced it with His righteousness.

It is important to understand that this woman who reaches out to touch the corner of Jesus’ robe is not putting her faith in some kind of magic prayer cloth. She is trusting what the Jews understood to be the coming of the Messiah.

This is actually a fulfillment of Messianic prophecy in Malachi where it says, “The Son of Righteousness will come with healing in his wings.” The word wings is similar to the word fringes. Her faith is in that promise. She is trusting in Jesus and he replaces her fears with confidence.

What are you afraid of? What has most of your attention? What do you obsess about every day? What is it you don’t feel like you can live without? What would hurt the most if you lost it?

What if you started asking Jesus to replace those fears with faith? What would your life begin to look like?

I also want us to notice, both of these stories are about people who were forced to deal with their faith publicly.

It was a big deal for Jairus to ask Jesus for help. As a religious leader, he was being watched. Jesus was not popular among the religious leaders. Going to Jesus would have threatened Jairus’ position as synagogue leader.

But he throws himself on the ground at Jesus’ feet, which is not a dignified position for an important Jewish man! He is down in the dirt begging Jesus to help in front of a crowd of people!

Why? Because his love for his daughter is obviously more important to him than his job. This is convicting to me as a husband and a father. Men, do we have that kind of love for our families? If we believe that Jesus is our only hope and the only hope for our families, wouldn’t that motivate us to take every opportunity to get them to Jesus?

Are we more afraid that our children won’t be good at a sport or an instrument or that they won’t be successful? Or are we more concerned for their souls?

The woman who touches Jesus is actually trying to stay unnoticed. She was hoping for a secret healing. She did not want to draw attention to herself. But Jesus stops and calls her out in front of the crowd. And she is scared! She is trembling with fear!

Jesus forces her to admit an embarrassing problem in front of a crowd. He doesn’t do it to shame her. Instead, he does it to strengthen her faith and release her from the shame of her condition. Everyone knew she had a problem, but now everyone knows she is healed! And God gets all the glory for it.

Our faith is not meant to be a secret between us and God. Jesus has every intention of broadcasting the faith of His disciples to the world. The idea here is NOT “look how much better I am than you because I am a Christian…” NO! Instead, Jesus exposes our weaknesses to other people and his power to do something with it.

There’s one last thing I want us to consider… and this is where we really see the heart of God.

I think this is actually the most important reason why the Bible puts these two stories together. Jesus stops and makes Jairus wait on Him.

Jairus’ daughter is 12 years old, almost old enough to be married in that culture but not quite (crazy, I know). This is an important detail because it means she is still a virgin and probably not having “women’s issues” yet. Stay with me… how long had the older woman been dealing with her bleeding? 12 years. That is not a coincidence.

The entire time that Jairus’ daughter has been growing up happy and healthy (until now), this woman has been an outcast. She wasn’t just sick. She was ceremonially unclean, which meant that she was not welcome in synagogue. Guess whose responsibility it would have been to make sure she stayed away? Jairus, the synagogue leader…

Jesus is not stopping to help a random woman. He is stopping to help a woman that Jairus knew. Now, we don’t know what Jairus is thinking in this moment. But the application is clear: If he wants Jesus to heal his own daughter, then as a leader in the church he also needs to have compassion on this woman.

But if we are honest, we are tempted to compare the two, and I think Luke wants us to do that. It is easy to look at the precious, innocent young girl and the urgency of the situation and we want Jesus to hurry up too! I wouldn’t blame a father for being impatient. It would be easy to say that his daughter needs it more right now. The other woman has been waiting 12 years. Can’t she wait another half an hour Jesus?

But we underestimate how much dirty people matter to Jesus. I’m using that phrase only to make a point, because to God we are all the same. All broken, all dirty, all helpless. No human soul is of more or less value than another human soul. It is our broken world that compares people and devalues people.

But Jesus is teaching his disciples to have compassion on the least and the lonely.

I have had many people over the years tell me that they are afraid to come to church because of who they are and what they have done. They are afraid people will find out. They are afraid they will be judged. They are afraid we will reject them. I think many of them desperately want what they have heard about Jesus, but they are scared of being known. You can see that in this woman that He heals.

Just as Jesus loved this woman, people outside the church need us to love them back not his presence. They need us to stop and notice them. They need us to lift up their heads and offer them peace and acceptance. They need us to meet them in their fears and love them well.

1 John 4:18 – “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.”

I don’t really have perfect love to offer anyone, but I follow someone who does. And He invites you to follow Him too. He invites you into His church family. This church doesn’t belong to me. It belongs to Jesus. And if you feel Him calling you out of your fears to trust Him and follow Him, then you belong here, and I don’t care what kind of person you were or what kind of person you are. You matter to Him.

We are messy people too and so we will disappoint you at times. But we are all connected to someone who will not disappoint you. We are one in Christ.

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We are looking for the heart of God in the Gospel of Luke. Today, we will see it in the way Jesus brings dramatic and lasting change to a man’s life.

26 Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee.

This was the other side of the sea of Galilee, the destination we talked about last week when Jesus calmed the storm.

27 When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs.

28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.”

29 For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.)

30 Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him.

31 And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss.

32 Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them permission.

33 Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned.

34 When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country.

35 Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid.

36 And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed.

37 Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned.

38 The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying,

39 “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.

Have you ever changed the oil in a car? It’s routine maintenance. The oil gets dirty and needs to be replaced. You drain the dirty oil and fill the engine back up with clean oil.

A lot of people tend to think of the Christian life in that way. We get “spiritual” when we feel like we need a tune up. It’s like taking a shower when we feel dirty. We jump back into church. We get a little positivity and then we get back into life and forget about God until we feel dirty again.

That is NOT what it means to follow Jesus. Jesus does much more than change our oil. He yanks out the entire engine and replaces it.

This man experienced that kind of radical change. He was an unclean as a person could be – living among the dead in an area with thousands of pigs. The Jewish disciples have multiple problems with this man’s spirituality. He was literally and ceremonially unclean. They were absolutely questioning Jesus even bringing them to this place! And through a storm, no less!

But the man’s life was a powerful metaphor. He was a man living among the dead. That’s how the Bible describes all lost people – the walking dead. Your body is alive, but your spirit is dead in sin. So, Jesus doesn’t just fix the man’s external problems. Jesus frees him from spiritual bondage and death. He removes the graveyard outside and inside.

This is perhaps the most dramatic conversion in the Gospels, but really it is no less miraculous than any other conversion if you understand sin and death. If all we needed was a tune-up, then we wouldn’t really need Jesus.

Jesus went to extremely dramatic lengths to create the kind of change that we actually need. This was not a simple magic trick. In order to actually save us from sin and death, Jesus would have to do much more…

When we get to the end of Luke, Jesus will metaphorically trade places with this man. He will be naked, isolated, outside the town among the tombs, bound and under guard, as he is crucified.

Jesus was willing to become like this man for him. That’s how committed Jesus is to change in our lives… And it wasn’t just the physical pain and death. It was Jesus facing the wrath of God for our sins that was the real commitment. He didn’t do that for us to get a tune-up. It was not for us to get a temporary oil change, but to have a complete overhaul. The question is, do you really want that kind of change in your life? Do you even see the need for it?

Rejecting change is rejecting Jesus. And we see it in this story.

The people of the region were frightened, and they begged Jesus to leave. I can think of two reasons why – 1) the value of pigs. 2,000 pigs drowning in the sea was a major blow to the local economy and they wanted Jesus to leave before he did any more damage. But I think there was a second reason. 2) the fear of transformation.

We don’t really like change. Victims often prefer to stay victims, as crazy as that sounds. Sin works that way in our hearts. We willingly choose sin over Jesus. We willingly choose this world over His kingdom. Even as a Christian, this is a struggle for me. I often see a need for change in my life, but my flesh doesn’t want God to change it.

When I talk to people who are skeptical of my faith, and if they are really honest, I have had numerous people tell me that the Gospel sounds nice, but they don’t accept it because they don’t want to change. If they accept Jesus, they know their life has to change.

And notice that Jesus leaves at the request of the Gerasenes! He is not forcing Himself upon these people. He leaves them, for now, in their unbelief. He lets them have what they want.

You know that is basically all judgment is? Judgment is God giving us over to the desires of our hearts and letting them destroy us. Paul explains this clearly in Romans 1:

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.

19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.

20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools,

23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,

25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator…

That’s pretty clear – judgment is giving people what they want. A person who doesn’t want change can’t have Jesus. Rejecting change is rejecting Jesus.

The real question underneath Paul’s words in Romans is this: Who is Lord over our lives? Am I in control? Or is God? That’s the fear of the people that ask Jesus to leave. It scares them to think that maybe they are not in control of their own lives. Sin is a desire to rule in God’s place. We want to be in control of our own fate.

And until God breaks that rebellion in our hearts, we will reject change and we will reject Jesus. We will submit only in the areas that we are comfortable with. We will obey only when it is convenient. We will worship only when we feel like it. We will serve only when it benefits us.

Following Jesus is trusting Him with everything.

Do you believe there exists such a love in this universe, a love so powerful, that it could change everything? That is what Christians believe.

As the hymn writer Isaac Watts said, God’s love for us in Jesus is a “Love so amazing, so divine, it demands my soul, my life, my all.”

We see this in the life of this man. He really wants to go with Jesus, but Jesus doesn’t let him. Instead, Jesus leaves the man ALONE with an exceedingly difficult job to do. Jesus wants him to preach to the people who are afraid of Jesus and asking him to leave.

If it were me, I would be asking this question, “How do you expect me to reach people for Jesus who are literally rejecting Jesus in the flesh right now?”

But Jesus just gives him the job and the man does it, no questions asked. That is faith. It is also a lesson to the disciples. In Luke 12, Jesus tells them a parable about a servant who wastes time while the master is away and does nothing but indulge himself. And then Jesus says this:

48 Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.

Who is the person who has been given much? If you understand grace, if you know the love of Christ, then the answer is every Christian has been given much. And so much is required in return.

But when Jesus says, “much is required”, it’s not a demand or an obligation to those who know His love. It’s more of a desire to give from gratitude with everything we have. And the more we learn about His love, the more we want to give back – the more we want to share it with others.

This is why Jesus tells the man plainly, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”

We learn to trust God with everything only when we see our lives and our future as a gift.

Change should not be scary for the Christian. What should scare US is staying the same. We shouldn’t want to keep sinning. I should want Jesus to take away the evil desires of my heart and replace them with good ones.

This is how Paul describes our struggle in Romans 7:

21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand.

22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being,

23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.

24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?

25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

What does Paul want? Change! That’s the heart of the Christian. He wants Jesus to change him, to deliver him. And He knows Jesus can do it. He knows Jesus is committed to our change because of the cross.

Do we want Jesus to change us? Or does that scare us? Do we want him to leave? Would we rather have control of our own future? Or can we trust Him with it? Am I finding comfort in feeling like a victim? Pride in thinking I don’t need help? Or… am I finding rest in God’s perception of me?

Don’t underestimate God’s grace for sinners and don’t overlook someone who seems, from our perspective, to be a lost cause. God delights to use the weak and humble people of the world as a way to shame the wise and prideful people of the world.

God’s Spirit daily reminds me of these two realities:

1) I am a sinner deserving the judgment of God. I deserve to be hurled off a cliff into the abyss. I prove it daily.

But (2) God has loved me in Christ and there is no condemnation for me because Jesus threw himself into the abyss at the cross.

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Our text this morning is a brief, powerful story from the life of Jesus. Luke 8 verse 22:

22 One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.” So, they set out,

23 and as they sailed, he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger.

24 And they went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm.

25 He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?”

This is very clearly a story about faith. What does it mean to have faith? And I think the story provides us with three ways of thinking about faith.

First, Jesus wants his disciples to TRUST HIS PLANS.

We want to focus immediately on the fact that Jesus can calm the storms in our life. He calmed the storm. He can do it for me. He can do it for you. What’s the storm in your life?? Yes! But first, we need to deal with this: Jesus put them in the storm!

Whose idea was it to go across the sea at this moment? It was Jesus’ idea! Was the storm a surprise to Him? Did He seem surprised? Why did He put them in danger? Why did He lead them into a storm?

And here’s the hard truth: Sometimes the Lord leads us directly and intentionally into troubled waters. Before we rejoice over the miracle, we need to deal with this: God puts us in the storm… on purpose!

The Old Testament clearly portrays God as the author of the wind and the waves.

Jeremiah 51:16 – “When he utters his voice there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain, and he brings forth the wind from his storehouses.”

Psalm 148:7-8 – “Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all deeps, fire and hail, snow and mist, stormy wind fulfilling his word!”

God commands the storm from beginning to end.

Peter, one of the men in the boat, would later realize this and use it to encourage people who were being tortured for their faith. Some of them were even being burned alive!

1 Peter 4:12-14 – “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.

But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.

If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.”

Jesus can calm the storm. But we must first realize that God leads us into storms for a reason. And according to Peter, the primary purpose is always the glory of God.

When we look at our circumstances, and everything around us seems to be falling apart and beyond our own control, we are encouraged not to hang our heads in despair. Instead, we are meant to turn to Jesus. We are meant to trust Him. Trust His plans.

Second, Jesus wants his followers to TRUST HIS PRESENCE.

Jesus is literally sleeping! My family jokes that I can fall asleep anywhere. I’m not sure I could sleep through a storm in a rowboat. But they have to wake Jesus up! And what do they say:

“We’re all gonna die!” In Mark’s Gospel, they also ask a question. “Don’t you care?” And isn’t that the question we ask?

It is incredibly easy, from our perspective, to look at the world around us and ask that question. Global crisis after global crisis. Local crisis after local crisis. Personal crisis after personal crisis. Does God even care?

I sometimes ask it too. Is God up there taking a nap? And I think Jesus is just as patient with us as He was with His own disciples. Our perspective is limited and because of that, we are always tempted to ask “Why”. Why is this happening? Why doesn’t God do something? Why must we suffer?

The Bible’s answer to these questions is always the same. God doesn’t give us the details we want about the present. He only offers us two things: a promise and His presence.

1 – Jesus told them the destination. He said, “Let us go to the other side.” That implies that they will make it to their destination. If they took Jesus at His word, they would never have been afraid.

Think about life from the perspective of a young child. They have a limited perspective. They have a lot to learn. There are times when children are afraid, but we make them promises. “If you jump, I promise I will catch you.” “I won’t let you sink in the pool.” “I won’t let go of the bicycle until you learn to balance.”

God filled up a book with promises that even when things get difficult the end will be worth it. He has told us the end of the story!

And if you think about our promises to children, what is it we are really promising. Not only that they will be safe, but that we will be with them. And that’s the real answer to the question, “Doesn’t God care?”

2 – Jesus put himself in the storm too. He did not just send His disciples into the storm. He went with them. And He would promise them many times that no matter what they would face in life He would always be with them.

It’s OK to ask the question – God, do you care? But God doesn’t promise to take away the storm immediately. What He does promise is that there is a destination, and that He will be with us on the way. Trust His presence.

Finally, Jesus invites his followers to TRUST HIS POWER.

The disciples vastly underestimated Jesus. He calms the storm, and it makes them afraid.

What happens when we underestimate God? It leads to fear. That’s essentially what it means to lack faith – to assume that God is either not powerful enough to help or that He is not interested in helping. All of these men believe in God. All of them believe that Jesus was sent by God. But that’s not faith.

In the very next story, Jesus is going to confront a legion of demons and they immediately recognize Him. They knew exactly who Jesus was, what Jesus was capable of, and they feared Him because He is their enemy.

If we are followers of Jesus, then we are no longer God’s enemies. And that means we have nothing to fear. Why would we fear a storm if we believe our lives each day are really in the hands of God?

These men were just as safe in that boat as they would have been in their beds at home. And maybe that’s why Jesus was asleep. To make that exact point… why are you afraid of something that cannot take your soul?

Fear is perhaps the primary emotion of unbelief. It demonstrates that our hearts are in doubt that God can do what He has promised to do.

To be clear again, God has not promised us an easy life free of storms. What He has promised is to deliver His people from the hurricane of sin and death. And one day He will end the storms completely.

There is a beautiful picture in Rev. 4 of the throne room of God. Listen to verse 6:

“Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal.” Beautiful, yes. But there is more to it than that.

The water is perfectly still. There are no waves, no tides. No chaos. In the Bible, the sea always means chaos. And God is promising peace – a perfectly still sea. No waves. No storms.

But first, Jesus needs to prepare His disciples for life in the middle, before that time comes.

I believe the calming of the storm is really about Jesus preparing the disciples for his death and resurrection.

Jesus would tell them many times that He was going to die and rise again. But they don’t get it, because when it actually happens, they all freak out and go into hiding. They were afraid and confused. Perhaps they thought, “Doesn’t God care? Why is Jesus dying?” Even though Jesus told them His plans, they didn’t accept it. And the whole time Jesus was hanging on the cross He was showing them just how much He cared. [arms wide] But in that moment, they saw it as loss and failure.

What storm are you in right now? Jesus invites you to trust Him. He has told us the destination. He has promised to be with us. And He has the power to follow through on that promise.

And if that’s not enough, and you are tempted to doubt His love, look again at the cross. Only my God, the God of the Bible, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, was willing to sail into the storm we call sin and death for us. And if you believe this, then every storm you live through becomes an opportunity to give God glory.

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This morning we will read the Parable of the Sower, which is an important parable because 3 of the 4 gospels include it. That alone makes it one of the most important teaching moments in the ministry of Jesus. But first, Luke gives us a few other details about the ministry of Jesus. Luke chapter 8 verse 1:

1 Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him,

2 and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,

3 and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.

Luke wants us to know that there are women also following Jesus and that these women have also put their life, reputation, and property on the line to do so. Why? Clearly because their lives were also being changed by Jesus! They served in different ways from the twelve apostles, but they were clearly a valuable and important part of the ministry effort – from the beginning!

But Luke also wants us to see a congregation forming around Jesus. His travelling companions were becoming a church. Let’s keep reading.

4 And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable,

5 “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it.

6 And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture.

7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it.

8 And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Jesus uses parables anytime he talks about the kingdom, because openly talking about a new kingdom in the Roman empire was a bad idea. And He trusts that God’s Spirit will be at work in the hearts of people who “have an ear to hear” as he says.

The crowd knows all about the topic of this parable. It’s just basic farming. Most of us know a little bit about farming because we live near the Delta.

What is strange about this parable is that the farmer’s method of planting seeds is terribly inefficient. In those days, farmers would scatter seed before plowing the soil. But what farmer would intentionally throw seed on a path or on rocky soil? It sounds to the crowd like he is wasting seed.

Years ago, I wanted to plant some grass under a tree in my backyard, so what did I do? I spread the seed in that area. I didn’t throw the seed on my driveway. That would be a waste!

The farmer sounds a little careless to the crowd. Shouldn’t he be more careful with his seed? And yet, the punchline is that he still produces an insanely large crop! Normally, a farmer could expect to get 5 or 10 times his seed at harvest. This farmer yields as much as 100 times more. That would get the crowds’ attention.

But what does it mean? Let’s find out.

9 And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant,

10 he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’

11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.

12 The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.

13 And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away.

14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.

15 As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.

That’s a clear, simple explanation. But there are really two messages here – two applications. One for the crowds and one for the disciples.

This is the message to the crowd: My kingdom is coming, but most of you will not benefit from it. In other words, it is a warning… a moment of crisis.

The question is this: Where do I stand personally in my relation to the kingdom of God?

Am I the one who has ignored God’s Word? Or am I the one who responded a long time ago with joy and now it means nothing to me? Or am I the one who has allowed everything else to come before God’s kingdom?

Don’t assume that being around Jesus is enough. Unless your heart is good soil, you will be excluded from the kingdom. Good intentions, positivity, trying to live a good life – none of that is enough. Either God’s Word is rooted deeply in your heart, or it is not.

Of course, the problem is that most people will hear this and it will have absolutely no impact on their lives… no conviction. No assessment of their heart. No change of direction. Not unless the Spirit of God breaks up the soil.

And that brings us to a second application here – for the disciples.

God’s kingdom is God’s work. Jesus is the farmer. He is inviting his followers to help cast seeds, but only God can make them grow. A crop of this magnitude from this amount of seed is a miracle. The work of the kingdom is always a miracle.

Our job is to cast seeds. But Jesus teaches his disciples not to be discouraged when the seed doesn’t take root. Many times, it won’t, or at least we may not be around to see it.

I can attest to that. As a pastor, I’ve met hundreds of people over the years and in many cases I have tried to love and serve and share the Gospel with them. And most of the time it bears no obvious fruit.

Sometimes people are completely resistant to God’s Word and they won’t respond at all. Others respond quickly to the Word, and it can be exciting, but it doesn’t last. Others may be in and around the church for years, but God’s Word never really becomes a priority for them.

That’s because in an unbelieving heart the motive is not repentance and faith. Instead, it was only about what God might be able to do for me. And when they realize God’s not that interested in our temporary happiness, they bail.

God’s kingdom is about breaking the curse of sin that separates us from Him and hurts everyone and everything in this world. It’s responsible for the sense of despair and anger and fear that is all around us. And this is God’s heart.

God is interested in dealing with that and helping people recover from it. His work creates joy and healing and contentment, but it doesn’t necessarily make us happy and comfortable all the time. It’s an invitation to a greater purpose and to a community. Look at what Jesus says next. Verse 16:

16 “No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light.

17 For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light.

18 Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.”

This is actually another warning and a challenge. How are we receiving the Word of God? Is the kingdom of God our chief priority? Can other people see that, because if God’s Word and His kingdom are the most important thing in our lives, then it won’t be hidden or secret. It will be obvious. It will be on display.

That’s the calling of the disciple – to bring glory to God… to put Christ on display in our daily lives. And that involves community. Look at how our text ends.

19 Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd.

20 And he was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see you.”

21 But he answered them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”

I love this because it is so shocking and blunt. This is Mary and James… this is the biological family of Jesus! And Jesus makes this statement at their expense. Not because He doesn’t care about his family, but because He wants to teach his disciples something important about the church.

This right here… this community… it matters more than your biological family. Not that your family doesn’t matter. It does. But in the eyes of God, this is more important.

God’s Kingdom, God’s Word, and God’s Church are all tied to one another. Please hear me.

You can’t have the blessings of the kingdom without Jesus. You can’t have Jesus without His Word. You can’t have His Word without His church. Let me repeat that.

You can’t have the blessings of the kingdom without Jesus. You can’t have Jesus without His Word. You can’t have His Word without His church.

What does Jesus say? “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”

There are a lot of people who have convinced themselves that they can have Jesus without the Bible and without the church. And I understand why they have come to that decision. I understand the struggle. I’ve heard the reasons…

“Church people are so judgmental!”

“Churches are too focused on money!”

“Churches don’t do anything for the community!”

And very often, there’s a lot of truth behind those excuses… or some very personal experiences of hurt or even spiritual abuse.

But I also know that the people in North Mississippi are lonelier than they’ve ever been. Anxiety and depression are the new normal. Broken families are the new normal. Addiction. Alcoholism. It’s everywhere.

We need community. We need people in our lives who care about us. Most of all we need Jesus, and this is where Jesus promises to be. We need His Word, and we need His people around us.

This is not a perfect church. You won’t find one of those. But we are a family… trying to follow Jesus together… and we’re always adopting.

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A few weeks after the birth of your first child, reality is starting to sink in. You’ve got a baby. You can’t take him back. He’s yours. And you’re starting to get into a rhythm. You have less time for yourself as you care for the baby. Your time gets more valuable as you have less of it to spare. Your life begins to reorient around the baby’s needs. It was no different for Mary and Joseph with baby Jesus. He was a real human baby and that’s where we begin today.

Luke chapter 2 beginning with verse 21.

21 And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

22 And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord

23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”)

24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.”

Mary and Joseph are a little over a month into parenting and at this point you probably couldn’t tell much of a difference between Jesus and any other baby. They were following the custom of their people and the law in taking him to the temple.

It was a routine event and the temple was likely busy with a lot of people doing similar things. They are probably in the court of women. And they are approached by two people.

25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.

27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law,

28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

29 “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word;

30 for my eyes have seen your salvation

31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”

33 And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him.

34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed

35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

We know very little about Simeon. He’s not a priest or an expert on the law. He’s probably an older gentleman, because we assume he has been waiting a long time for God’s promise to come true. He played a small but special little role in the birth narrative of Jesus. The Holy Spirit informed Simeon that he would see the Savior before he died.

In other words, Simeon’s bucket list had one item on it. His whole life was made complete simply because he sees Jesus. Luke, who wrote this, is telling us that this is a baby who has not only changed the lives of Mary and Joseph, but as Simeon prophesies, a baby that will change the entire world. The whole world will reorient around this child.

Simeon prophesies that he will lead to the rising and falling of many. And that has been true. Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection have had a tremendous impact on history whether you believe it or not!

Now Luke tells us about a second person who approaches the family of Jesus.

36 And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin,

37 and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day.

38 And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

We don’t know much about Anna either. Her name means grace. She belonged to one of the so-called “lost tribes” of Israel. Her father’s name is similar to the name Jacob gave the place where he wrestled with God and said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life is preserved.”

As a prophet she, like Simeon, receives special revelation from God. Luke says she was very old and the text could either mean she is 84 years old or that it had been 84 years since her husband died, which would make her at least 105. She either lived in the temple or else spent every possible minute there.

But the most important thing we learn from Anna’s brief encounter with Jesus is that this moment also shapes her life. It’s what she has been waiting for her entire life. And she can’t wait to tell other people about it.

Simeon and Anna understand that seeing Jesus is both a special event for them AND a reality being prepared for all people. Jesus came for Gentile and Jew, male and female.

What Luke is saying here at the end of the birth narrative is this – Jesus changed the lives of Mary and Joseph, but He did not belong to Mary and Joseph. He came for all God’s people. Jesus’ birth changed everything for the whole world.

This is not just an old man and an old lady in the temple who walk up to tell Mary what a cute baby she has. This is God keeping his promises to people who were waiting for a Savior – and some of them had been waiting a long time.

Jesus was an answer to a promise. He was an answer to prayer. He was Simeon’s entire bucket list. He was the singular hope of a widow whose husband had died at least 60 years ago. Think about that. Anna would have been still a young woman, probably early 20s, when her husband died and yet she never remarried.

Do you think she wanted to be married? Did she want a family? The pressure at least would have been tremendous, especially in that culture. She was probably extremely poor. But she spent the vast majority of her life worshipping, fasting, and praying for the Savior to come.

All of this serves as a confirmation that Jesus is who He said He was – the Promised Messiah. And it also serves as an example for us because we are also in a period of waiting. We wait for the return of our King, Jesus.

But do we really? Is that what shapes our lives? Most of the time, I tend to be preoccupied with the immediate future and all the things I would like to have or experience. I’m thinking about this coming year – my goals, my plans.

Most of us have a picture in our head of what we want our life to look like before we die. And we are easily disappointed, either because things don’t work out as we expected OR because when we get what we wanted it never satisfies us the way we thought it would.

But Simeon and Anna are a reminder to us that there is one way to never be disappointed. If all I ever hoped for was Jesus, I would never be disappointed again. If all I expected or anticipated was the return of my Savior, I would never be disappointed because He will return. He will fulfill His promises, every one of them, just as He fulfilled His promises to Israel the first time around.

The simplest way to say it is that Jesus is enough. He is enough.

The Christmas season is great at churning up discontentment. For many it is the most depressing time of year because it can be a reminder of all the things you don’t have.

Maybe it’s family. Maybe family relationships are tense and everyone you wish you could see and be on good terms with this year it’s just not happening.

Maybe it’s a spouse. Like Anna, maybe you are a widow or a widower, or maybe your home is broken from divorce. Or maybe you want to be married and it hasn’t happened yet. Or you don’t want to be, but you still feel the pressure.

Maybe it’s children. Maybe you can identify with Anna as day after day she watches other people with their happy families and beautiful babies walk into the temple and pass her by.

Maybe it’s a job. You see other people working and enjoying the fruit of their labors, but nothing seems to be turning up for you or else you don’t like the job you have.

The problem is not that any of these things are bad things to want. Most of the things we want are generally good or at least harmless. But it’s not just that we want them, is it? It’s that we become frustrated by not having them. And that creates jealousy, envy, and discontentment.

But Jesus is enough. Jesus is enough for the person who finds himself in a career they didn’t dream about as a kid. Jesus in enough for the mom who spends countless hours doing underappreciated work for uncooperative children and husbands. Jesus is enough for the children who didn’t get everything they wanted for Christmas this year.

That may sound like I’m over spiritualizing things, but this is actually very practical.

Finding Jesus to be enough helps us in two situations, and we can follow the pattern that Simeon sets up for us. Jesus is responsible for the rising and falling of many. In other words, He humbles the proud and he raises up the fallen.

What is life like for the proud? What’s it like when it seems like you have most everything you want? On the one hand, we may experience greed. We may begin to feel entitled to what we have and even want more because it never feels like enough. It’s like the post-Christmas hangover that a lot of us feel, when we get bored with all the stuff we got two days later!

But sometimes pride looks different. We can also experience a false sense of guilt because we feel unworthy of having the stuff we have. We may even think we are being spiritual by focusing on our unworthiness, but actually in both cases – guilt or greed – we are making it all about us. We are focused on the gifts and not the giver.

Stuff has become more glorious than Jesus, when really all the stuff was supposed to do was remind us that God is good. Everything we have comes from God. Both guilt and greed reveal our hearts. They tell us that Jesus is not enough for us. Contentment, the middle of the road, comes as a response to God’s generosity. We receive his gifts with joy also knowing He is the giver.

But what is it like when we don’t have everything we want? We may begin to resent or even hate the people who have what we want. Our hearts begin to fill with bitterness and anger. When that happens, not only is Jesus not enough for us – He becomes the opposite of what we want. We begin to hate God, because we believe He is the one holding out on us.

There is only one way to attack the root of that bitterness and jealousy. You need something to focus on that will never leave or forsake you. You need something that won’t ever disappoint you. You need a promise to believe in that amounts to every blessing you can imagine for your life and more.

And there’s only one such promise that will do that. It’s the promise of the Gospel. It comes from faith that Jesus really is enough. We need nothing or no one else. Jesus alone can satisfy the deepest desires of your heart.

But I want to be clear about what I mean when I say that Jesus is enough. All of the problems of this world are a result of sin. When I say that Jesus is enough, I mean that He is enough to solve each and every one of the problems our sin creates.

He provides a way for us to be reconciled to God. He offers forgiveness and rest. He promises to renew our minds and hearts and make us holy. He promises to raise us from the dead. He promises that He will return and live with us in peace and prosperity forever. That’s what I mean when I say Jesus is enough.

But what does life look like practically when Jesus is enough for a person? Very briefly, I think from Simeon and Anna we learn that you start to live a life of worship, waiting, and witness.

Both of them demonstrate spirit-filled worship of God in the temple. Both of them offer thanks. Both of them demonstrate dependence on God through prayer. If Jesus is enough, then we will attend worship because our best link to Him until He returns is through the gathered worship of the church. This is where He promises to be. Second:

If Jesus is enough, our lives are also characterized by waiting. Both Simeon and Anna are waiting to meet the promised Messiah. We are also waiting for something. We are waiting for His return, when all the wars and tears and deaths and hurts will end.

Does your life mirror the type of waiting we see the whole New Testament encouraged us to? Are we expectant? Are we anticipating the coming of our King? Can other people tell that it matters to us? If you don’t find in yourself a longing for the return of Jesus, then very likely you are busy insulating yourself from the suffering of this world with temporary pleasures.

And finally, if Jesus is enough then we will bear witness to his sufficiency. We will want others to know that we have found the only thing we really need. Simeon and Anna were witnesses of the Messiah’s birth. It was not given to them just for their own sake. It was given to be shared with all who were looking forward to the redemption that Jesus would bring.

My encouragement to us as a church is that together we make 2024 a year of worship, a year of waiting, and a year of witness. Let’s be the crazy old people who won’t leave the temple until they see Jesus! Who can’t wait to tell people about Jesus!

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This morning we set the backdrop for the birth of Jesus – darkness. God sent His Son into a world of darkness and death. We can’t begin to appreciate the joy, the hope, the love, and the peace of Christmas until we see it against that backdrop of darkness.

And with that backdrop set in place, let’s now read the famous words of Luke 2.

1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.

2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria.

3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town.

4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,

5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.

6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.

7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.

10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”

16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.

17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.

18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.

19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.

20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Zechariah, Joseph, Mary, and the shepherds…

All of these people have something in common. They were visited by angels, announcing the birth of Jesus. And each of them responded in fear. And then the angels told them not to be afraid. That’s not a coincidence.

Luke also uses the word “fear” 16 times throughout his gospel – twice as much as all of the other Gospels combined!

Every time God does something the people didn’t understand, they were filled with fear. And every time, God’s response was, “Do not fear.”

This is something we need to understand about ourselves as humans. Richard Nixon once said, “People react to fear, not love. They don’t teach that in Sunday school, but it’s true.”

In other words, if you want people to do something make them afraid. Politicians and advertisers understand this, don’t they?

As a result, we currently live in a culture saturated with fear. The world is smaller than it used to be. We can know about everything that happens anywhere in the world. And then we either grow numb to it OR we grow more anxious and afraid. Neither of those is the correct response to the evil in this world.

The correct response is to mourn when we see something broken and wrong. But as Christians, we are commanded not to fear. Why? Because every single fear is answered in the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The angels say to Mary, and Joseph and the shepherds – do not be afraid.

Instead, be filled with joy. Hope has arrived! Do not fear what men can do to you. Do not fear even death. Jesus is the answer for all problems of all people!

He completely fulfilled this prophecy in Isaiah 41:

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

God fulfilled that promise in Jesus. And if it is true, then we really don’t have ANY reason to be afraid. Ever. Never ever.

Even so, a lot of people struggle with this question: Why does God continue to let things happen that make us afraid? Why are we still surrounded by so much darkness?

Consider first that God doesn’t let anything happen to us that He wasn’t willing to experience Himself, even though He didn’t have to. His family had to run to Egypt to escape terrorism. And then Jesus endured rejection, abandonment, abuse, torture, ridicule, and death for people who didn’t deserve it. There has never been a leader more worthy of our respect and allegiance than Jesus.

Second, He tells us that He is with us in the midst of the darkness. I AM WITH YOU. Present tense. Forever tense. He’s with us. Literally right now and He’s not leaving your side. If you are united to Jesus by faith, literally nothing can separate us from Him.

And you might say, “Well, I can’t see Him.” I know. You can’t see gravity either, but you know it’s there. It’s why you don’t walk off a cliff. And we don’t even understand why gravity exists. We just know it’s there. I feel the same about Jesus. I’m just as certain He is with me.

Finally, I believe that Jesus is physically coming back one day because He said so.

Fear and darkness go hand in hand, right? You don’t have to teach a child to be afraid of the dark. They just are. And in the darkest, coldest time of the year we celebrate the light of a God willing to send His only Son, perfect and holy, to be born of a woman – born that man no more may die.

And one day, our King will return and He will end the tears and the sickness and the death and He will even end the darkness. In the meantime, God invites us to trust Him… to give thanks for the first advent of Jesus, to trust His presence with us now, and to pray for His second coming.

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Have you ever considered the fact that babies spend nine months in darkness before their birth. Complete darkness. Their eyes begin developing 17 days after conception. By week 28, babies are conscious and they can open and close their eyelids. But there’s nothing to see except darkness until that scary moment of birth.

And that’s where begin today – not with the birth of Jesus, not yet. But with his cousin, John.

57 Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son.

58 And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.

59 And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child.

As a fun fact, this is one of the many reasons why I believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God. God had commanded the Israelites to circumcise male children on the eighth day. For thousands of years, no one really understand why – because there is no significant theological reason for it. But there is a scientific reason!

It turns out, human blood requires prothrombin and vitamin K in order to clot. Infants have neither of those until a few days after birth – but guess what. Both of those factors peak on the 8th day before leveling out! In fact, it is the only day in a male’s entire life when this would normally be the case. Pretty cool, right?

But let’s get back to the text…

And they would have called him Zechariah after his father,

60 but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.”

61 And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.”

62 And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called.

63 And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered.

64 And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God.

Remember, Zechariah had doubted Gabriel’s message and God took his speech until now. Zechariah obeys by naming his son John and immediately God restores his speech.

65 And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea,

66 and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him.

67 And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,

68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,

for he has visited and redeemed his people

69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us

in the house of his servant David,

70 as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,

71 that we should be saved from our enemies

and from the hand of all who hate us;

72 to show the mercy promised to our fathers

and to remember his holy covenant,

73 the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us

74 that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,

might serve him without fear,

75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

I’m not going to say much about the previous verses, except that Zechariah is making a prophetic announcement about the coming of the Messiah.

But he’s going to finish with a prophecy about his son, John. And we’re going to focus our attention here, because we will talk about Jesus tonight.

This morning, we will use John the way God used John – to prepare the way for Jesus. And the verses we are about to read provide us with an important backdrop to the birth of Jesus.

Speaking of John, Zechariah says this:

76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;

for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,

Now, pay close attention to the next few verses.

77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people

in the forgiveness of their sins,

78 because of the tender mercy of our God,

whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high

79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,

to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

What would it mean for us to prepare our hearts for the birth of Jesus? That’s why we are here on Christmas Eve. How can we prepare our hearts for Christmas?

I want to walk back through verses 77-79 slowly and I want us ask this question: who is Christmas for?

77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people

in the forgiveness of their sins,

Who is Christmas for? It is for the people of God. And what do they need? Forgiveness of sins. But they don’t know that’s what they need. And so, the ministry of John was a ministry of repentance – to give God’s people a knowledge of salvation… to humble us and lead us to repentance.

Christmas is for people who need forgiveness.

78 because of the tender mercy of our God,

whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high

Who is Christmas for? It is for people who need the tender mercy of God.

That word, tender, is a very interesting word. It’s probably the right word in English to convey the meaning – “tender mercy”, but the Greek word is “splanchna” which by itself means “guts”, as in your inside parts.

Luke uses the same word in Acts 1:18 to describe the death of Judas. “falling headfirst he burst open in the middle and all his splanchna gushed out”.

Why does Luke use this word to describe God’s mercy? Because this is what we need to know about God. The one who has the power to forgive our sins comes to us from a place of deep mercy.

He moves toward us… He visits us from on high… moved by a sense of mercy or compassion that He feels in His guts. And, of course, Jesus was willing to have his side pierced with a Roman spear for it.

Christmas is for the people who need to know this deep, tender mercy of God.

Now let’s talk about the sunrise. “whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high…”

79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,

to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

Who is Christmas for? It is for lost people… people sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death.

One of the best lines in a song that I’ve ever heard is on the Zach Bryan album that came out this year. “The sun’s gonna rise tomorrow somewhere on the east side of sorrow.”

Post Tenebrus Lux. After darkness, light. That was the motto of Protestant Reformation. It comes from the Latin translation of Job 17:12.

This is the backdrop of Christmas. Pain and sorrow. Darkness and death. If you’re feeling the weight of these things, then you’re closer to understanding the meaning of Christmas than the rest of us.

Christmas is not just for happy people. It is maybe least of all for happy people. Christmas is for the people who hate it the most.

If you are struggling to find a sense of joy while everyone around you celebrates, then you are exactly who Christmas is for.

This faith has always been about light overcoming the darkness, from the first moments of creation – God said let there be light, and the dark void was filled.

And if you really want to see the stars at night, what do you have to do. You have to get away from the lights of the city into the darkness of the country. And there in the darkest places, the stars shine brighter.

The joy of Christmas will always mean the most to people in the darkest seasons of their life. That’s where the tender mercy of God, the forgiveness of sins, and the way of peace will mean the most to you.

When your strength fades, when your health fails… in pain, in tears, in grief… after darkness, light. We sang about this minutes ago, the words written by Edmund Sears 170 years ago.

And ye, beneath life’s crushing load, whose forms are bending low,

who toil along the climbing way with painful steps and slow,

look now! for glad and golden hours come swiftly on the wing.

O rest beside the weary road, and hear the angels sing!

It’s been a hard year for some of you… maybe the worst year. And this may feel like the darkest Christmas. But, so often, this is when God visits His people.

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Christmas is celebrated by Christians around the world. We don’t all celebrate the same way. But in most places, you will find at least two things: gifts and decorations.

We decorate our homes to remember and honor the birth of Jesus. Decoration is putting beautiful things on display. And did you know that our worship as Christians is a form of decoration? The purpose of worship is to put God on display.

Of course, God is glorious and beautiful already. We are not adding anything to Him by our worship. We are simply bearing witness to our experience of God.

This morning we will read Mary’s song, commonly called the Magnificat.

Last Sunday, we read about Mary, a teenage girl from Nazareth, who was told by an angel that she was pregnant with the Son of God.

And her response is worship. She uses her words to decorate God. Let’s read about it together. Luke 1 beginning in verse 39.

39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah,

40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.

41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit,

42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!

43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.

45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

Mary goes to visit her cousin, Elizabeth. Remember that Elizabeth is also pregnant, even though she is an older woman.

If you think about it, there could have been some tension here. There could have been some resentment on the part of Elizabeth that her teenage cousin was pregnant, or some pride on the part of Mary. But that’s not what happened. Instead, they celebrate – even baby John!

Have you ever wildly celebrated something? So much that it makes you want to sing and dance? I felt that way 20 years ago when Roxanne said “Yes” and a few years later when she told me she was pregnant.

As we read Mary’s song, it is best to think of it like that. Mary is overwhelmed with emotion, so much that she breaks into song!

46 And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,

Think of a telescope. A telescope uses a small piece of bent glass to help us see something far away and big as it really is… things like stars and planets.

Mary is saying, “I want God to look bigger to me! I want to see Him as big as He really is!”

That’s the idea behind worship. We just want God to be bigger. We want Him to be more significant to us. We want Him to have a bigger place in our lives. I want Him to be worshiped in my life the way He is worshiped in heaven.

47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

Why do I want God to be bigger to me and to other people? Because He saved me!

But wait, that means the virgin Mary was a sinner too! She needed to be saved just like us! Does that mean God put His perfect Son in the womb of a sinner? Yes! Just as He puts His perfect Spirit inside every Christian!

That’s amazing and it’s humbling.

48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.

For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

Mary identifies herself as God’s servant, but she also recognizes that carrying the Son of God in her womb is no small thing. It is a tremendous blessing!

But it wasn’t given to her because of who she was. It was given to her because that’s the kind of God we worship. He cares deeply about the least and the smallest.

This is a song about grace. It’s a song about unexpected and unearned favor.

49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his name.

When I think of “mighty” and “great” I think of God parting the Red Sea. I think of the ten plagues. I think of the walls of Jericho falling. I think of the sun standing still. God did all of that and more. He holds the universe in the palm of his hand.

And Mary uses those kinds of words in Greek. He is “DUNATOS”. That’s the same word we get the word “dynamite” from. He is powerful. He is able to get the job done. He does “MEGALA”. He does big, loud, surprising things.

But that’s not what Mary means. Her experience of God is different. He has done something great and powerful, but for her it came as something small and helpless. That’s the mystery of the Incarnation. God is able to get the job done. He will accomplish His plans. He is mighty to save. And He did it with a baby in a manger.

Mary is bearing witness. God has broken into her life and done something amazing. And He did this “for her”. It’s personal. It’s powerful. He has impacted her in a lasting way, and she wants to tell the world. She wants people to hear about it for generation after generation.

50 And his mercy is for those who fear him

from generation to generation.

This is actually the turning point of the hymn. She sings first out of her own experience, bearing witness to what God has done for her. But now she’s turning her attention towards God’s faithfulness to His people. “From generation to generation” … that’s covenant language.

God is faithful to families. Mary is a product of that mercy. She recognizes that she is part of a much bigger story. Her Jesus was the answer to the promise God had made to an entire nation.

In fact, Mary’s song is not unique. In 1 Samuel 2, Hannah sang a very similar song when she gave birth to Samuel! The thread of God’s mercy runs through every page of the Bible. What has God done?

51 He has shown strength with his arm;

he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;

52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones

and exalted those of humble estate;

53 he has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent away empty.

As we have studied the Gospel of Luke, we have seen this same theme over and over again – that the kingdom of Jesus will turn everything in the world upside down. God will make things right. He will bring justice.

54 He has helped his servant Israel,

in remembrance of his mercy,

55 as he spoke to our fathers,

to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

56 And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.

This is how Mary celebrated the good news of the Incarnation. She worshipped God, remembering His promises and bearing witness to His grace.

There is something here that needs to be said about the way Christians worship. Today, in our churches, a lot of Christians think about worship as an experience. And it can be. Corporate worship can be an experience. It can be freeing, unifying, uplifting. That’s all true. But that’s not the point of it.

Worship is not about my coming to an event to get an experience. We were never meant to judge the worship gathering based on our subjective interpretation of the experience. A lot of people walk into churches thinking, “I sure hope the music team brings it today. I sure hope the pastor hits a home run.” In other words, I hope this is worth my time…

But that’s backwards. The means of grace are here and available regardless of how we feel when we walk out. It’s not really about us coming to get an experience. It’s more about us coming to respond to what God has already done.

In other words, this isn’t just about me. I don’t engage in faithful worship attendance only for my own sake. I’m not just here to “be fed”. We’re here for each other. We’re here for our kids. We’re here for the lost.

We do this stuff over and over again because we believe we have a responsibility to bear witness to God’s mercy generation after generation. Our worship together is a perpetual invitation for others to join in.

Think about how at the end of the movie Elf the girl starts singing all by herself and then slowly everyone else joins in until you have one big choir and then the whole city starts singing.

Jesus says that the kingdom of God works just like that. It starts small and insignificant, easily missed. Like yeast or a mustard seed. But it grows and spreads.

It started with one little family – Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac. Then it became a nation. Then it spread to the whole world.

Brothers and Sisters, we are not meant to EVER step away from that chorus. Our worship is an invitation for others to worship. Worship is the most important thing we do. Do our kids know that? Do our neighbors? Does our family? Our worship attendance says something very important about our faith in God.

What does verse 50 say again?

50 And his mercy is for those who fear him

from generation to generation.

Our worship proves us to be people who “fear” God, not in a cowering, scared kind of way – but in a humble, reverent way. We believe that God is extending mercy to us. He has promised to take our guilt and our misery. Worship is our response to God’s mercy, not the cause of it. Mercy can’t be earned. It has to be given. And it has been given.

Magnify the Lord! Rejoice in your Savior! He has done great things for you!

Let’s change the way we think about worship. It’s not about us. It’s about Him! And the next generation needs to see God magnified in our worship and our lives – so much more than we magnify success, entertainment, and sports.

Our kids know what we care about most. They see our priorities. And if you’re thinking, I don’t have kids… or my kids are grown… guess what. MY kids need to see you in worship. We have a lot of young people in this church. They need you! Notice them. Learn their names. Value them. We are part of a covenant family together! Your presence matters! Be a part of this community.

According to Lifeway Research, “teens who had five or more adults from the church invest in them during the ages of 15 to 18 were less likely to leave the church after high school.” That’s not rocket science. It’s basic community.

And I know it probably seems like I’m taking a rabbit trail here at the end of the sermon, but we can’t magnify the Lord together if we don’t show up. We need you and you need us.

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We’re looking for the heart of God in the Gospel of Luke. What is God like? What does God want? What does He want for us? What does He want from us?

For Advent, we have gone back to the beginning of Luke. And today, we will read about the angel Gabriel’s visit to Mary.

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,

Nazareth was a very unlikely place for God to initiate his plans. This town is not mentioned in the Old Testament. And according to Nathaniel in John 1, it had a poor reputation. It was a small town, with maybe 500 people. But this is where God chose to send Gabriel…

27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary.

Luke will mention the fact that Mary was a virgin three times! He wants to make sure we know it. Mary was a virgin.

28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”

29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.

30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

Twice, Luke uses the word “favor”. It’s actually the same Greek word we normally translate as “grace”. Mary is receiving something special that she had not earned and did not deserve.

It’s also worth noticing that Luke does not describe Mary the way he described Zechariah and Elizabeth – as righteous and blameless, almost to make sure we know that Mary had not done anything to earn God’s favor.

In fact, contrary to Catholic and Orthodox theology, we have no reason to believe that Mary was anything other than a sinner like everyone else on the planet. The idea that Mary was sinless or somehow not born with original sin is impossible to defend from the Bible.

And it’s theologically important that she was a normal human being! Mary was just like everyone else, except that God chose her for a very special purpose.

31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.

32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,

33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

This is a direct link to multiple Old Testament prophecies about the promised Messiah. And Mary obviously knows her Bible well enough that she doesn’t question it. What she questions is how it will happen, not from a place of doubt – but from a place of confusion.

34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.

In other words, God will make you pregnant – not your fiancé. Try to imagine being a teenage girl hearing an angel tell you that God is going to make you pregnant and that you’re going to give birth to the most important person ever!

And before she even has time to consider that, the angel gives her more news:

36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.

37 For nothing will be impossible with God.”

38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Because most of us have grown accustomed to hearing about the birth of Jesus, we sort of take it for granted. We don’t stop to think about how strange this might sound to people who’ve never heard this story.

In fact, for many people, the virgin birth is a barrier to belief. It’s too much. It’s too outrageous.

But for me, it really strengthens my faith in the Bible. Because it’s so odd and so mysterious, but also so perfect in the way it fits the overall story.

First, consider that Jesus had very humble beginnings. God invades the life of this teenage girl from some little town. Her fiancé is a quiet carpenter – a blue collar man. No doubt they were expecting a simple, ordinary life. No wealth. No fame. No power. Just a boy and a girl. Nothing special except their distant ancestry. But it’s perfect.

Why? Because the human men who were responsible for writing all this down could not and would not have made this up. If you’re making this up and you’re trying to convince people that Jesus was the most important person who ever lived, then you wouldn’t make him a resident of a town like Nazareth… and you wouldn’t make him the son of a carpenter… and you wouldn’t make a teenage girl a central character… unless this is how it actually happened!

Second, the virgin birth strengthens my faith because of how well it fits the redemptive plan of God as a whole. Why did God do it this way?

The answer to that question is not as warm and fuzzy as we want it to be. It is easy, because of the way we celebrate Christmas, to miss the meaning of the virgin birth entirely.

I want to share a quote by Scottish pastor Donald Macleod. He said:

“The virgin birth is a sign of God’s judgment on human nature. The race needs a redeemer, but it cannot itself produce one: not by its own decision or desire, not by the processes of education and civilization, not as a cause of its own evolution. The redeemer must come from outside.”

In other words, God did it this way because we are completely unable to produce our own savior. God did for us what we could not do for ourselves. And the entire Gospel story is wrapped up in that idea – that we cannot do for ourselves what needed to be done. God had to do it. He had to step in.

But our redeemer also had to be a human for God’s plan to work. Only a second Adam could fix the problem caused by the first Adam.

And so, in the brilliant, mysterious plan of God – He worked out a way for the redeemer of mankind to be BOTH God and man.

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;

Hail the incarnate Deity,

Pleased with us in flesh to dwell,

Jesus, our Immanuel.

Mild he lays his glory by,

Born that we no more may die,

born to raise us from the earth,

Born to give us second birth.

Jesus was born to die in our place – and that only works if Jesus is both God and man. That’s how the virgin birth fits the plan.

But the most important question this story raises is not “could this happen?” Instead, the most important question is this: “What if it did?” What if this really happened, as billions of Christians believe it did? What would it mean?

It would mean what the angel Gabriel said it means. He tells us exactly what the birth of Jesus means. Look again:

32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,

33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

It means a King has been born, that we are his subjects, and that we owe Him our absolute allegiance. Let me say it again because this is THE key point. Jesus is YOUR King! You owe Him your absolute allegiance.

The world considers it outrageous that we think of Jesus in this way. But Mary’s humble obedience is a model for us. How did she respond to Gabriel’s unbelievable news?

“Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”

I am the slave of the Lord. Let it be. She fully submits. And that was not easy to do, under the circumstances. It was a very risky thing to do. If Joseph rejected her, she could have been stoned to death for adultery.

In fact, we probably don’t give Mary enough credit in the Protestant Church. Catholics and Orthodox give her too much credit, but we don’t give her enough. Listen to this quote by J.C. Ryle:

“No woman was ever so highly honored as the mother of our Lord. It is evident that one woman only out of the countless billions of the human race, could be the means whereby God would be ‘manifest in the flesh’ — and Mary had the mighty privilege of being that one.”

She was, as Gabriel said, highly favored. And yet, we will miss the point if we don’t also see ourselves in Mary. She did nothing to earn that favor. And neither do we.

Mary received this good news in faith and God’s Spirit came to rest upon her. Do you understand, that same reality is available to all of God’s children because of what Jesus accomplished?

We receive the good news in faith and God’s Spirit comes to rest in us too! Remember, Luke also wrote the book of Acts. And what happens at the beginning of Acts? God’s Spirit comes to rest on the entire church! And did you know, that’s actually the last time Mary is mentioned in the Bible. She was with the other disciples. Her role in the story was completed at Pentecost!

This is the promise to every believer in 1 John 4:

13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.

14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.

15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.

Christians experience a new birth that is really no less of a miracle than the virgin birth. What God did in Mary was a foreshadowing of what God does in every believer – new life in Christ, ordained by the Father, purchased by the Son, and applied by the Spirit.

Will you submit yourself, in humility, to the rule of Christ in your life? Will you see it as an undeserved blessing that God would visit you and offer His Son? That Jesus died in our place and rose from the dead so that God could dwell with us and in us and promise to make all things new?

Let’s thank Him and praise Him for the good news of the Gospel.

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We’re going to stay in the Gospel of Luke for Advent, but we’re going back to the part we skipped in August – the first two chapters… the story of the birth of Jesus.

Our goal is the same – we want to see the heart of God. What is God doing? What does God want? What is He like? And as we read, keep in mind, this is actually the first story Luke tells us.

5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.

Luke tells us about a married couple – a priest and his wife. And he connects them to Old Testament history, something he’s going to do over and over again in this story. He traces their family tree all the way back to the time of Moses.

6 And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.

In other words, they were Old Testament believers – looking forward to a Messiah in faith, demonstrating their faith through obedience. Remember Genesis 15:6 – Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.

7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.

And who does this sound like? Abraham and Sarah! Another Old Testament connection.

We have a priest and his wife, faithful to God in spite of the fact that they were old and childless. In ancient times, a woman without a child was openly mocked by other women. It was assumed that she had done something wrong and had been cursed by God.

And so, we have two things side by side – faithfulness and suffering. Keep that in mind.

8 Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty,

9 according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense.

This was probably a once in a lifetime opportunity for Zechariah. It was a great honor to serve in this way. It was probably the first and only time his number would be called.

10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense.

The incense actually signified the prayers of the people rising up to God as a pleasant aroma.

11 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.

12 And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him.

It’s understandable that Zechariah was afraid. He was already nervous, having entered the Holy place and knowing that his job was serious. Remember, priests had been killed in the Old Testament for offering the wrong incense at this altar.

13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.

The name John means “Yahweh is gracious.”

14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth,

15 for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.

This suggests that John was under a Nazarite vow from birth, linking him to two more figures in the Old Testament – Samson and Samuel. All three men were set apart by God for a special purpose. The first two men prepared the way for David. The third man prepared the way for David’s heir.

16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God,

17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”

Finally, the angel connects John to Elijah – the great prophet. And notice his mission – to prepare the people for God. In a sense, there are already God’s covenant people. But there was still a need for repentance. And that was John’s ministry – to preach repentance and to prepare people for Jesus.

18 And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.”

Just as Abraham doubted this news, so does Zechariah. It sounds too good to be true. And I love the Bible’s honesty. Luke describes Zechariah as righteous, but he’s obviously not perfect. He’s standing in the Holy place, listening to an angel, and still the man doubts!

19 And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.

20 And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.”

God uses a rebuke as an assurance. He proves His power to fulfill this promise by taking away Zechariah’s ability to speak. If one is true, then so is the other. Zechariah gets the message.

21 And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple.

22 And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute.

How do you explain in sign language that you saw an angel?!

23 And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home.

24 After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying,

25 “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”

Amen. This is the word of God.

First, consider that it had been 400 years since the people had heard from God. 400 years of silence. All they had was a book. No prophets. No angels. No words from above. Just a book that most people couldn’t read. A book that ended with Malachi, whom the angel quotes to make sure we remember it has been 400 years!

But God had obviously been at work because there were still faithful believers like Zechariah and Elizabeth.

It’s been 2,000 years for us – with just a book and the Holy Spirit, working silently behind the scenes. And still God’s church is growing, in every corner of the world.

Second, consider that God chooses to work in amazing ways through ordinary people. From the perspective of the other priests or their neighbors, there was nothing special about Zechariah and Elizabeth. But God loves using ordinary people.

He also loves answering ordinary prayers. This happens during the hour of prayer; the time designated for people to enter the temple courtyard and pray together. And what does the angel say to Zechariah? Your prayer has been heard!

You can trace the connection between incense and prayer from Exodus to Revelation. Revelation 8 teaches that God will initiate the end times because of the prayers of the people rising before him like incense.

Prayer is an important, irreplaceable part of God’s plan. Ordinary Christians praying ordinary prayers. Our prayers are a big deal to God.

Consider also that when God takes away Zechariah’s speech, who is the only person Zechariah can talk to until God restores His speech? God. He couldn’t talk, but he could still pray!

Third, consider again the context I mentioned earlier. God speaks to a man and a woman who are experiencing both faithfulness AND suffering. And so often, that is the life of the believer.

A dear friend of mine has been battling some sort of kidney disease for the past several months. They still don’t know the exact problem. This week, he sent me an update. He wrote:

“I am as confident of God’s love and presence as I have ever been. My wife and I are as close as ever. And I’m not despairing over my future.

Physically, I am in the same place I have been for the past five months, and I can’t tell you how discouraging it is to write that sentence. I still don’t know if I will ever feel better or be able to work a full work week.”

Both things are true at the same time, and so often this is where God meets us. This is what the Christian life looks and feels like.

But consider also the faithfulness of God. Something amazing is about to happen in Luke. God is about to fulfill His promise of sending a Messiah. The way is being prepared. A couple thousand years of hopeful prayers are about to be answered. God will do what God says He will do, in His time.

Let’s look more closely at what that preparation looks like. Look again at verse 17:

This is a reference to Malachi 4:6, a prophecy about John. It says:

And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.

What does this mean, the turning of hearts between fathers and children? This is rather unexpected, because it is so specific. But it makes sense when you think about it.

How did the original promise of a Messiah come to the earth? To Adam and Eve about a son of promise. How did it come again to the Israelites? To Abraham and Sarah about a son of promise. How did it come to Zechariah and Elizabeth? A son of promise.

The story of the whole Bible can actually be told through this lens – the lens of families and more specifically of fathers and their sons.

Perhaps the greatest curse a land can bear is broken relationships between fathers and sons… and we should know this. We’re living it out in modern America. There are more than 18 million kids growing up without a father in this country.

These kids are twice as likely to die in infancy. 4 times more likely to live in poverty. 5 times more likely to commit suicide. 9 times more likely to drop out of school. 20 times more likely to experience behavioral disorders. 20 times more likely to commit serious crimes.

90% of all homeless and runaway children come from fatherless homes.

This is a very significant problem – and it’s a very complicated problem. But like every social problem, it is caused by sin. It’s a curse.

And this is just one of many reasons why we need Jesus, but it’s the one God chose to highlight on page one of Luke’s Gospel. Why? Because God wants us to see His heart for the fatherless.

Psalm 68:5 – Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.

James 1:27 – Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

Isaiah 1:17 – Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.

The Gospel is the answer to many problems, but close to the heart of God is a promise of hope to the fatherless. And the church is meant to be the place where this particular promise of the Gospel begins to manifest itself. This is where Jesus starts to repair families.

What have we been saying all along? What does Jesus want for us? What are we learning from Luke? Jesus has a perfect relationship with His Father and He wants to bring us into it!

God is our Father! We are His children! There is certainly a good application here we can make for earthly fathers staying and loving and caring for their own children. Break that generational curse!

But the best motivation to do that is the sacrificial love we find in the Gospel. Jesus died to break the curse of sin and death and to bring us into the family of God. This is the Christmas story so many need to hear – especially the fatherless.

God is your Father and in Jesus He says to you, “You’re mine. I love you. And I’m proud of you.”

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It’s good to be back! I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving meal. If you have a big family, then you probably saw some folks you don’t see very often. And with big family meals, there’s usually someone that enjoys making a scene or saying something completely off the wall. You know what I’m talking about. It’s usually an uncle, right? In my family it’s me.

Our story today is like that. Jesus gets invited to a dinner party and it is full of drama. Let’s read it together – Luke 7, verse 36.

36 One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table.

The Pharisees were popular religious leaders, known for their emphasis on personal piety. They were expert law keepers – at least they thought they were, and so did everyone else.

37 And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment,

38 and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment.

It is commonly taught that this woman was a prostitute – and that may have been true, but not necessarily. Many women carried perfume like this. I think it is more likely that she was known as an adulterous woman, someone with the reputation of being a home wrecker.

Either way, what she does here is shocking. She crosses all sorts of cultural barriers. Even letting down her hair like this was considered scandalous – something like wearing a bikini to church!

And that’s what every other man at the table will see. What she’s doing is outrageous. It’s embarrassing. But Jesus let’s her do it!

39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.”

Notice that he doesn’t say this out loud. He says it under his breath.

But he immediately judges both the woman AND Jesus! His attitude is one of superiority. “What is wrong with this woman? What is wrong with Jesus? I would never do something like this! I would never let something like this happen to me!”

And because of his self-righteousness, he is completely blind to what is actually happening.

This woman obviously doesn’t care what they think of her. And neither does Jesus.

40 And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.”

Notice that Luke didn’t tell us the name of the Pharisee until now. Jesus provides his name. Notice also that Jesus proves Himself to be a prophet by answering Simon’s private thoughts.

41 “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.

42 When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

43 Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.”

I love that Jesus uses the word “judged”. There’s a bit of comedy here because the question was extremely simple. A young child could answer this question, and yet, Jesus tells the important religious leader – “you have judged rightly”.

It’s also important that both debts are rather large. One is shockingly large, but both of the them owed a lot of money.

44 Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.

45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet.

46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment.

Remember, Simon was an “expert” on keeping the law, including all of the customs and rituals of cleanliness.

But he failed to show Jesus the basic hospitality required at the time. Each of these three things were expected signs of hospitality – especially to a rabbi! You were supposed to receive your guest with a kiss, anoint their head with oil, and wash their feet. Simon did none of it.

This woman did for Jesus what the host was unwilling to do. And maybe she did it because Simon had a reputation for being a bad host!

But more importantly, this was an act of repentance. From a distance, she came to know Jesus as a man of compassion, with the power to forgive sins. She was drawn to him, ignoring social conventions to demonstrate her love for Jesus.

And Jesus is not embarrassed by her at all! He defends her! He exalts her! He was willing to let everyone else at the table judge him harshly for her sake!

47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”

48 And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

49 Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?”

50 And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

What a powerful story! It may be my favorite in the Gospel of Luke.

First, I want us to notice that loving this woman did not require Jesus to IGNORE her sins. That’s not what it means to forgive sins. In fact, Jesus publicly admits that her sins were many.

In other words, she’s exactly the woman you think she is. She has committed many sins. Jesus says it plainly.

And so, if we read this story and we walk away thinking that sin is not a big deal to Jesus, then we have missed the point. The point is that Jesus loves and forgives her EVEN THOUGH her sins were many.

If we deny the reality of sin, then we will gut this beautiful story of all its meaning. Jesus is approachable and compassionate and kind, but the impact of the story is created by the amount of debt this woman brings!

And she obviously knows this. She’s not coming to Jesus denying her many sins. She comes in humility, believing Jesus would receive her… expecting nothing, but somehow knowing that He had the power to forgive her.

Do we understand that we come to Jesus with a great debt – all of us! We come with many sins to the feet of the only One who has the right to judge us for those sins. That’s the real scandal of this story.

And the other people at the table seem to recognize this. They ask an obvious question, who is this who even forgives sins?

It’s a valid question. If this woman has committed adultery, who had the power to forgive her? It would be the one she sinned against, right? The man’s wife!

If Jesus was only a rabbi, then he did not have the power to forgive this woman on behalf of someone else. But Jesus is declaring Himself to be something more than a rabbi. And He’s changing the way we normally think about sin and repentance.

There’s a hint of this in the Old Testament, in the story of David. David commits murder and adultery. He’s confronted by the prophet Nathan and then David writes Psalm 51, a prayer of repentance.

Listen to what David says:

3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.

4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.

Notice, David says to God, against you and you only have I sinned.

And we might ask, “What about Uriah?!” What about the man David murdered so that He could sleep with his wife?

Didn’t he sin against Uriah? The answer is technically No. What he did was wrong – it was horrible. But sin is a spiritual word. It refers only to our relationship with God. The Bible teaches that only God can forgive sin, because sin is an offense against God’s law. We didn’t write the law – He did.

Adultery is an offense against God. Murder is an offense against God. Lying is an offense against God. Disobeying your parents is an offense against God. Stealing is an offense against God. Gossip… Bitterness… Envy… these are all offenses against God.

Sin always involves other people. But the offense is always against God.

Jesus is able to forgive sins because He is God. That’s the claim. The other men at this table were more shocked by that claim than by anything this woman did! They stop thinking about her sin and focus on Jesus.

And there we find the Gospel. Jesus takes their disdain for this woman on Himself. He becomes the object of judgment instead of her. And that’s exactly what happened at the cross. They crucified Jesus for claiming to be God. But it was God’s plan, that Jesus became the object of wrath for sin instead of us. Forgiveness of sins required atonement.

But there’s one last thing I want us to notice. It’s easy to see how Jesus loves the woman. But Jesus loves Simon too.

Simon was a terrible host. He insulted Jesus publicly!

But how did Jesus respond? You might think that the loving thing to do would be to ignore the insult. But that’s not what Jesus did. In fact, Jesus responded with brutal, public honesty.

Jesus is fearless and direct. He tries to reach Simon’s conscience with the parable. He invites Simon to look at the woman with different eyes.

Jesus confronts Simon’s self-righteousness in love! He’s giving this man an opportunity to repent as well… an opportunity to see himself as a man in need of forgiveness.

The heart of God is both tender and bold, when necessary. Sometimes He gently invites us into forgiveness and sometimes He smacks us in the self-righteous noggin.

Jesus loves them both, and yet one of them is clearly closer to the kingdom than the other.

What about us? Where do you see yourself in this story?

You are either a sinner who sees your sin, or you are sinner who doesn’t see your sin. Both need the grace of God. One just doesn’t know it yet. Is that you? Is Jesus confronting your self-righteousness this morning? Your self-dependence? Is He showing you your debt?

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We are called Christ Fellowship because, at the center of everything, we want to gather around the person and work of Jesus Christ. We believe Jesus IS a real person who lived in history, died on a cross, and was raised from the dead… and that we are united to Him by faith.

We spend time together studying the Bible because we believe it is God’s Word. It tells us who God is, we why exist, what He expects of us, and what He did to save us from the misery of sin and death.

I don’t spend much time in my preaching telling stories or sharing advice or trying to entertain you, because I don’t want to distract you from the Word of God. I want us to learn Scripture together, because I believe what Hebrews 4 says –

The Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

I believe the Holy Spirit uses the preaching of God’s Word to change people’s lives. I don’t need to dress it up and I certainly don’t need to try and use God’s Word for my own agenda. My goal is to rightly handle the Word, as Paul says in 2 Timothy, and I trust God to do the rest.

This morning we are in Luke chapter 7 – a story that clearly shows us the heart of God. It’s one of the most compelling stories in the Bible and I’m excited for us to study it together.

11 Soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him.

12 As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her.

This is a funeral procession. They are on the way to bury this man. But we need to consider the differences between a 1st century Jewish funeral and a modern, American funeral.

For us, a funeral may happen days or even weeks after the death takes place. But a Jewish funeral, even today, happens within 24 hours. This mother’s grief is fresh. She may still be in shock.

For us, funerals typically involve quietly crying. And no one makes much noise at all expect for maybe the family on the front row.

A 1st century Jewish funeral was loud! People wailed. There were professional flute players and mourners, typically hired by the family to add to the procession. Even poor people were expected to hire a few. That extra noise allowed the family to openly grieve without fear of embarrassment.

It was also expected that the whole town would attend the funeral – in this case, there were probably around 400 people walking out to bury the widow’s son.

13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.”

Jesus ignores the crowd and the flute players and the professional mourners. He immediately sees the widow. He focuses on her.

Luke tells us that Jesus had compassion on her. Compassion is a feeling. It’s emotional language.

In contrast, consider the emotion of anger. What does anger physically look like? A tense body? A red face? A clenched jaw? A raised voice? It looks threatening to another person.

What does compassion look like? It looks calm… Focused. It speaks softly. It gently moves towards another person. It feels the other person’s pain and moves in.

Why might Jesus feel compassion for this woman? What does He see?

He sees a woman who has lost everything. She is already a widow and now her only son is dead, which is a huge economic disaster. He deeply understands this and senses her loss.

The modern equivalent here is something like losing your income, your health insurance, your pension, your savings, everything!

We also know that grief is extremely stressful. Grieving people experience sadness, anger, guilt, and fear – sometimes all at the same time!

In ancient times, people felt extremely guilty when a loved one died. Everyone assumed they were being punished for some particular failure.

And remember, this woman’s son died hours ago. This is raw.

And Jesus approaches this woman, and He tells her not to weep. He’s either being incredibly insensitive, or He is intentionally introducing hope.

This is a mother weeping for her dead child. When is it OK for a mother to tell her child not to cry? When she knows the pain will go away… It’s ok, child. Don’t cry.

Jesus is the ONLY One who has the right to tell us not to cry in the midst of suffering, because He is the ONLY One with the power to do something about it.

14 Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.”

Notice that everyone kept moving UNTIL Jesus touched the casket. Jesus doesn’t wave them down or shout over the noise of the wailing crowd. He’s not trying to draw attention to Himself.

Instead, He walks directly to the source of the pain and immediately fixes it.

15 And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.

This entire situation is really about the woman. He goes to her first and offers hope. He goes to the son second. Then he returns to the woman. This was a gift for her.

Understand, this was not a gift for the son. One of the reasons I am convinced that Jesus raised very few people is because no one really wants to live and die twice in this world.

Jesus did it a few times to demonstrate His power over death. But it was not a blessing for the dead man. The Apostle Paul said, “To die is gain.” I’d much rather wake up in the next life than wake up again in this life.

Still, it has a great effect on the crowd.

16 Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!”

17 And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.

The people worshipped God for what they saw, which is good. But notice, Jesus doesn’t seem concerned about their opinion of him.

If a modern preacher raised someone from the dead, what would happen next? “Preacher goes on world tour with formerly dead man” … sell the book rights… the movie rights… take up an offering in every town!

Not Jesus. He raised a man from the dead. Gave him back to his mom. And walked away…

Why? What does that tell us about the heart of Jesus? It tells us this was genuine compassion. This was NOT a means to an end. Jesus did not use this grieving woman to build a platform for Himself. His concern for her was genuine.

Likewise, God does not care about numbers or success the way we do. Love is not concerned with any of that stuff.

This story is about how God loves us. He looks at us. He feels compassion. He acts on our behalf.

Notice also, Luke never mentions the woman’s faith. He told us about the faith of the centurion last week. Very often, the Bible tells us about the faith of the people Jesus helped. But not here. There is no mention of her faith at all.

And that tells us that Jesus had the power to help whoever He wanted to help. He was not always bound by the faith of the person in need, as some modern preachers would have us believe.

One last thing… the reason everyone stopped when Jesus touched the casket. They were shocked… contact with a dead body made you unclean for a week. Even touching the pallbearers made you unclean. No one did that unless it was necessary. It was a risky thing to do in Jewish society.

But this is what Jesus does. He goes right to the source of the pain, no matter the cost.

It might help to consider that Jesus still does this. He still meets us right in the middle of our pain and suffering. He still sees us. He still moves towards us. He still has the power to do something.

He may not do what you want or expect Him to do in those moments. Jesus didn’t raise every dead man or heal every sick servant. But One day He will. He promises to One day make everything new. No more sickness. No more death. No more tears.

And He proved His love and His power to do it at the cross. Jesus met us right at the source of ALL pain. He carried our sin and fell under the judgment we deserve.

God looked at humanity. He was moved with compassion. He did something about it.

As followers of Jesus… as people who have experienced His compassion… we are also being taught by the Spirit, how to show compassion for the people we meet. How to see them… how to move toward them… how to meet their needs if we can or pray if it’s something beyond our ability.

I would like us to be known as a compassionate church. Jesus said, they will know us by our love for one another. There is no perfect church, but love covers a multitude of sins.

Consider ways we can do this together. Consider ways we can serve together.

Let’s pray to the God of compassion and ask for His help.

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Imagine meeting the greatest man who ever lived and imagine that the only words he says to you are the greatest compliment he’s ever given.

That’s the story we will read today. Jesus, the greatest man who ever lived, gives the most unlikely person the greatest compliment you will find in the Gospel of Luke.

1 After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum.

2 Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him.

3 When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant.

4 And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy to have you do this for him,

5 for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.”

It is rare that you would find a Roman official who is loved by the Jews. The Romans were occupying Judea. But this man has earned a reputation of being a friend of the Jews.

6 And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof.

7 Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed.

We can already see this man’s heart. He has a tremendous respect for Jesus and obvious humility. But there’s more.

8 For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

9 When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.”

10 And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well.

What an amazing compliment… Jesus publicly honors a Roman centurion, saying to a crowd of Jews, “This man has more faith than any of you.”

Why? What is it about verse 8 that shows Jesus his faith? Let’s read it again.

I have to admit, this used to be a very confusing passage for me because I did not understand Jesus’ perception of his own ministry.

The centurion recognizes that Jesus is a very powerful man BECAUSE he is a man under authority. That made no sense to me because I thought power came from being IN authority. But Jesus commends the centurion for his faith, because he gets it.

In God’s kingdom, all power and authority are DERIVED from God. The centurion had authority because he was a servant of the emperor. His authority was derived from the authority of his ruler.

Jesus, likewise, received power and authority from the Father. He willingly humbled Himself. Taking on human flesh, Jesus willingly became a servant, submitting Himself to the Father’s will.

This is a major theme in the Gospels, especially the Gospel of John.

I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me. – John 5:30

I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. – John 6:38

The Apostle Paul explained that Jesus submitted to the Father willingly for the glory of God and to demonstrate to us an important aspect of the Kingdom. (Philippians 2:5-11)

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,

6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,

7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,

10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Over and over, Jesus demonstrated incredible power. He showed his power over sin, death, sickness, demon possession, and even the weather.

But, in His own words, Jesus did all of that was under the authority of the Father!

The centurion recognizes that Jesus is a servant and Jesus calls that “faith”.

Think back to the beginning of Luke – to the first picture we have of Jesus… the first recorded words of Jesus. He was missing for three days. Joseph and Mary find Jesus in the temple. And what did Jesus say to them? (Luke 2:49)

“Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”

These are the first words of Jesus in the Bible – honoring His Father. But it is also the first sign that something is wrong with everyone else.

Jesus became aware of the fact that we don’t have the kind of relationship with the Father that He does. And that He was the only One who could fix that.

Think about the fifth commandment. Do you remember the fifth commandment? “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.”

Paul calls this the only command with a promise. If we obey, we will be blessed.

I once heard this described as a “circle of blessing”. Our parents set appropriate rules and boundaries for us. They tell us what they expect from us. When we honor and obey our parents, it’s like standing inside a circle of blessing. There are rewards for staying inside the circle. But if we step outside the circle, there are consequences.

Jesus is the only person who has ever lived that never stepped outside of the circle. We were all outside the circle, but Jesus only ever did what His Father wanted. Even His death on the cross, when He carried our sins and guilt, even that was obedience to the Father.

And that’s how Jesus made it possible for us to get back inside the circle of blessing. His perfect obedience is available to us because God says that we can be united to Jesus by faith.

And what is faith? It is trusting the authority of our perfect King. We trust that He did for us what we could not do for ourselves.

Just like the centurion, we are not worthy to go to Jesus. We are not worthy even to receive Jesus. But we ask for help in faith, trusting His power to make things right.

Like the servant, we were sick and dying and helpless – lost in sin. Only an encounter with Jesus could save us.

And when that happens, God places us back inside the circle of blessing – something the Bible calls “union with Christ”.

Our union with Jesus is the foundation for all the blessings we have available to us, including the power to change and mature as believers.

It’s important to understand – we get back in the circle because of Jesus. We stay in the circle because of Jesus. But now that we are back in the circle of blessing, God absolutely desires our obedience.

God wants us to live every moment under His authority. He wants us to become more and more like Jesus – for our lives to begin to mirror His character and His mission.

We are called to a life of service in God’s kingdom. Every single Christian…

We are called to submit to God’s will for our lives. It’s a good and perfect will, but the path looks and feels a lot like the path of Jesus. Glory at the end, but a lot of suffering in the middle.

Jesus has the power to make everything new. And One day He will do it, because He is a good King. But if you want to experience that world, faith and repentance are absolutely necessary.

The Gospel is both an invitation and a challenge at the same time. God is inviting into a new life – a life only available to us because of what Jesus did. But He is going to ask a lot of us.

God takes us the way He finds us, but He never leaves us the way He found us.

Think of the best teacher you’ve ever had. Or the best coach. Or the best boss or mentor. Think of that person. Chances are, they did two things well.

They gave you access to their knowledge, their experience, maybe even their life. But they also challenged you to be better at something than you were before.

And you didn’t hate them for it. You appreciated it. You’re a better person because of their investment in your life. Part of it was the relationship. Part of it was what the relationship demanded of you. And you were grateful for it. That’s why you’re thinking of them right now!

This is also true for followers of Jesus. He’s invited us into His world. He gives us a seat at His table. He’s done everything necessary. We’re in.

But He’s also challenging us to start living for Him. Seek His kingdom. Turn from our sin. Enjoy the relationship AND get to work. Not because you have to, but because you GET to! Because He put you back in relationship with the Creator… He’s given you new life… He’s given you a purpose and a calling… and you’re grateful!

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We’re in Luke chapter 6, where Jesus continues teaching about the kingdom of God – how his kingdom is different from the world.

This morning we are going to look at 4 brief parables. Parables are word pictures and very often they were meant to be funny, almost like a first century meme. They won’t seem as funny to us, but in a time with no TV, internet, or photographs – this was comedy.

39 He also told them a parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit?

Take a moment to imagine this – one blind man leading another blind man towards a pit. That’s the image of the meme. Now imagine this text written underneath – verse 40.

40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.

Put the image together with that caption. Blind man leading a blind man towards a pit. The first blind man is the “teacher”. The second is his “disciple”.

It’s funny! It’s supposed to be funny because it is absurd. But there’s a simple message. Stop following the wrong people. Specifically for the crowds listening to Jesus, the message was stop following religious leaders who think they know where they are going but are blind to the kingdom of God.

And there’s a deeper question we might ask of ourselves. It’s a soul-searching question. Can I lead someone else where I have not been myself? Have I experienced the grace of God and the blessings of His kingdom? Would I even know it when I see it?

We need a guide. We need a teacher. Even a blind man can learn to avoid a pit with the help of a guide. But he can’t do it alone. And that’s what Jesus intends to teach us. Understanding the kingdom of God starts with recognizing that you cannot get there alone. We don’t even know where “there” is! And we don’t see the danger we are in.

To make it very simple – Jesus wants to challenge our false sense of direction. We think we know where we are going, but we don’t. Because apart from Him, we are lost.

41 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?

This is the second parable. Take a moment to imagine this one as well. You’re focused on a speck of sawdust in someone else’s eye, but you fail to notice the log in your own. That is the image of the meme, and it is also intended to be funny. Now let’s read the caption:

42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.

This parable is very similar to the first. The issue is still a form of blindness, but Jesus digs a little deeper. The previous question was this, “Can I lead someone else where I have not been myself?” This is a new question, “Can I fix someone else when I can’t even fix myself?”

It’s a funny way of saying, “Look in the mirror! Look at yourself first!” We actually do spend a lot of time looking at the faults of other people. Why? Because it makes us feel better about ourselves.

But Jesus intends to challenge the false sense of pride that gives us. My biggest problem is not other people. It’s me. I’m my own worst enemy. But unless the Spirit holds up a mirror, I’ll never see it.

43 “For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit,

44 for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush.

This is the third picture and again there is a note of humor. Imagine trying to pick grapes from a thornbush. But this is also getting more serious, because now Jesus has us all looking in the mirror.

And now that I’m looking in the mirror, what am I looking for? The answer is fruit. Do I see good fruit or bad fruit? Do I see a good person or a bad person?

But Jesus anticipates the common response to that question. Our natural instinct is to focus on behavior and make a better effort. I’ll try to replace the bad fruit with some good fruit. Problem solved right?

If we don’t like what we see in the mirror, we change clothes or we cover the blemishes with makeup. But that doesn’t work in this case. The fruit is evidence – not effort. It’s evidence of something we don’t have the power to change!

If I attach apples to a pine tree, it doesn’t make it an apple tree. That’s the image of the meme. Here’s the caption:

45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

In other words, look deeper than the surface. Jesus intends to challenge our false sense of righteousness. My problem is not that I sometimes make mistakes. My problem is a corrupted heart. I can’t change my own heart. I’m worse than I think I am. And so are you.

46 “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?

Notice, Jesus does not say “why do some of you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? He says it to the entire crowd.

In other words, Jesus says to the entire crowd, you’re worse than you think you are. You have a false sense of direction. You have a false sense of pride. You have a false sense of your own righteousness.

Exactly how bad are you? I’ll tell you! You’re the kind of people who honor me with your words but not with your actions. And it’s worthless. Your religion is worthless.

47 Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like:

48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.

49 But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”

This is the final parable and it’s not funny at all. It’s serious. It’s an example of one thing: wasted effort. Wasted effort and wasted resources.

What’s the point of this final parable?

So far, Jesus has challenged our false sense of direction, our false sense of pride, our false sense of righteousness, and now he challenges our false sense of security. That’s what this final story is about. Security.

If we refuse to obey Jesus, then we will have no safety from the coming storm. If you want security, then you better hear and do what Jesus commands.

Again, most people will hear this and automatically assume that Jesus is looking for better behavior. And you’ve missed the point.

Think more carefully about this parable. Two men building two houses. Both of them provided exactly the same amount of effort and from the outside each house looks the same.

What was the only difference between them? The foundation. The first man “dug deep” and laid his foundation on what? The rock.

In other words, the difference was not his effort at all! The difference was the rock upon which his effort was built!

What then is Jesus telling us to do? Repent and believe. Turn and trust. Trust in something outside of yourself – specifically, Him. His righteousness. His effort. His resources.

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Jesus is presenting Himself as the Rock! He’s commanding us to stop wasting our efforts on self-discovery and self-righteousness. Those are worthless alternatives to the kingdom of God.

Think about those two alternatives – self-discovery and self-righteousness.

The first path says, “Be whoever you want to be!” The second path says, “Be what everyone else expects you to be!”

The first path says, “Be a free spirit!” The second path says, “Be a good citizen!”

And the world provides us with countless experts in these alternative lifestyles. Books, podcasts, videos – there’s an endless supply of content telling us how to have a better life.

Do this, not that. Eat this, not that. Buy this, not that. We spend our time, our efforts, and our money on the next big thing.

And Jesus says to us – all of it is wasted. It will fall to ruin. It will be swept away. Death comes for us all, and after that the judgment.

What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?

Self-discovery and self-righteousness are both rooted in self-dependence.

None of it matters without Christ. You’re finished before you started.

Dig deep. Look in the mirror. What do you see?

Forget the prayer you prayed twenty years ago or the aisle you walked. Most often, even that was an act of self-dependence.

Are you – today – living in dependence on God? Are you seeking first His righteousness and His kingdom? Is your house built upon the Rock?

Jesus wants us to have the kind of relationship with God that He has with the Father. Let’s pray together and ask for help.

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This morning we will look at some of the teaching of Jesus.

These are rules Jesus wants us to follow. But more importantly, they show us what God is like! We see the heart of God in these rules. This is how God treats us and I think it’s important to remember that as we read.

27 “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,

28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.

Remember last week, Jesus gave four blessings and four warnings. He basically divided the entire human race into two groups – the kingdom of God and the kingdom of this world.

He also said that his people, the people of the kingdom, should expect persecution. That’s also important to remember as we read. This is how Jesus wants His disciples to respond to persecution. Love them. Do good. Bless them. Pray for them. That’s your response.

And He now illustrates this in four ways:

29 To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either.

30 Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back.

31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.

What does it mean to love your enemy? What does it mean to bless them? To respond to hatred with good?

Jesus illustrates for us with four simple examples. But, as they say, simple doesn’t mean easy.

Hitting a fastball is a simple concept. Swing the bat at the ball. But it might be the most difficult thing to do in all of sports. The best players in the world strike out most of the time.

Simple, but difficult. There’s nothing easy about turning the other cheek. There’s nothing easy about meeting injustice with grace. There’s nothing easy about showing love to an enemy. Simple, but incredibly difficult.

And yet, that’s exactly how high Jesus raises the bar for His disciples. The standard is grace – giving people something they clearly do not deserve. None of these blessings have been earned by the other person, but Jesus says, I want you to give them anyway!

And the foundation of this command is verse 31 – the golden rule. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. But in context, we can rephrase it slightly. Show grace because you need grace. The next section makes this clear.

32 “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.

33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.

34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount.

35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.

36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

We should stop and consider how radical this is – offensive even. Love people who don’t love you. Do good to people who do evil to you. Love your enemies. Lend to people expecting nothing in return.

If I’m honest, part of me doesn’t like this at all. Grace is offensive… to people who don’t think they need it.

Remember, the kingdom of God turns everything upside down. Grace is not the way of the world. The way of the world is that people get what they deserve, or at least what we think they deserve. But who gets to be the judge of what people deserve?

Good question. Let’s find out.

37 “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;

38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

On the surface, most people like this part of the sermon. You get what you give…

And so, who are you to judge me? Who are you to condemn me? And that’s a fair question.

It is not our place to judge other people. Jesus commands us not to judge others. He commands us to forgive.

But most people quote this verse assuming that Jesus is giving us the license to do whatever we want to do. Don’t judge me! I can do whatever I want. Right?

But that completely misses the point. Only guilty people NEED to be forgiven. Only guilty people NEED to be shown mercy and grace.

Jesus is actually saying that all of us deserve judgment and condemnation and because that is true, none of us is worthy to judge anyone else. We NEED forgiveness, so we better learn how to show it. That’s the message!

Now, what would the world be like if everyone believed and practiced these things? There would be no revenge. There would be no racism. No classism. It would be a completely different world.

But it’s not that kind of world, is it? We live in a world of division and hatred and retribution. You hurt me, I hurt you back. But the kingdom of God operates differently.

To help us understand this, Jesus tells a powerful story in Matthew 20. He says the kingdom of God is like a landowner with a vineyard. He needs workers, so he goes to the market at around 6am and hires some men. They agree to a fair wage and head into the field.

The landowner goes back into town a few times during the day and hires more workers under the same arrangement. But as the day progresses, he doesn’t lessen the pay. Everybody gets the same wage. Even the workers he hired an hour before sunset got a full wage.

As we might expect, the workers he hired at 6am are upset when it’s time to get paid. They felt entitled to more, even though they agreed to the wage they got. They’ve worked a full 12 hours and the last people hired only worked for one hour. But the landowner replies that he has a right to be generous to the latecomers if he chooses and he has not been unfair to the other workers. No one forced them to work.

But we don’t like this at all. We want to be paid in direct proportion to the work we do, and we want everyone around us to be paid in the same way. If our boss is going to be generous with someone else, he’d better be generous with us.

But this attitude makes it very difficult for us to understand the grace of God. It is very difficult for people concerned with their own rights to understand grace, when they believe they deserve a better life.

If I can be so bold, we are being called to live as if we have no rights in this world. No right to comfort. No right to property. No right to wealth. No right to honor.

The civil authorities may preserve such rights on our behalf, and they should. Ultimately, justice will be served by God. But WE are being called to voluntarily self-sacrifice, to voluntarily surrender our rights, in love. And of course, that’s what Jesus calls us to – because that’s exactly what He did for us.

Jesus practiced what He preached. And in doing so, He showed us the heart of God.

Jesus laid down His right to crush His enemies with a single word. A legion of angels stood ready to annihilate the people who spit on their King, stripped and flogged Him, pressed thorns into his head and mocked Him, then nailed Him to a cross. He has the right to judge me… to condemn me, but He laid down that right to receive me as a friend.

And this is really what the kingdom of God is all about. That’s what Luke 6 is about. It’s what the parable of the generous landowner is about. The kingdom of God is different from the kingdom of this world.

How should we respond? The answer is repentance. We are being called to repentance. But when I say that word, it sometimes leads to confusion.

The word repentance makes us think of sin. Examine your heart. Identify your personal failures and confess those things to God. Yes, but repentance is much more than that.

A pastor friend of mine posted this statement and I agree completely:

“Repentance is not primarily about being sorry for your sins. Repentance is primarily about changing the way we think. So, when Jesus said, ‘Repent and believe the good news, the kingdom of heaven is at hand,’ he was saying ‘Change your way of thinking and have confidence in me, for the kingdom you hoped for is inadequate compared to the kingdom that is available now that I have come.’ That’s the good news.”

In other words, compare the world that Jesus describes to the world that exists and ask yourself, which kingdom do I want to be a part of? If your answer is “the kingdom of Jesus”, then turn from the world and follow Jesus.

Simple, but difficult. Why? Because it’s not one choice you make and then move on. It’s an everyday battle to actively repent and believe – a million daily choices until Jesus returns because these two kingdoms are at war.

And we won’t get it right every time, because the battle is happening in our hearts. But if you are a son or daughter of the Most High God, remember that He is kind even to the ungrateful and the evil.

I’m thankful to be counted among that group. I’m a son of God because He is kind to the ungrateful and the evil – people like me.

And so, I’ll close with this simple application. Simple, but difficult. Who is your enemy? Who in your life, today, needs to experience the grace of the new kingdom… from you? What might it look like for you to forgive and actively love the person in your life who least deserves it?

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I’m very grateful to Caleb for preaching not once, but twice – and doing a great job with Luke. This morning, we will pick up where he left off last week – chapter 6 verse 12.

12 In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God.

I don’t want us to rush past this verse. Let’s pause here and consider again the importance of prayer in the ministry of Jesus. Before making a very important decision, Jesus pulled an all-nighter. He devoted hours to prayer. He deprived himself of sleep to pray.

It begs the question – if Jesus felt the need to spend hours in prayer before a big decision, why do I usually feel that a few minutes is sufficient? If I pray at all?

This is the kind of relationship Jesus invites us into. His relationship with the Father is available to us and it looks like prayer.

13 And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles:

14 Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew,

15 and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot,

16 and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

Twelve men – chosen by Jesus. He chose twelve for a reason and they all knew what it meant. Twelve men, representatives of the twelve tribes of Israel.

But one name stands out. It’s the last name recorded by Luke – Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

I’m grateful for Ralph Davis pointing this out in his commentary because I would have missed it. Consider the fact that Jesus spent all night praying about this decision and still He chose a man who would betray him.

This is very instructive for us. It tells us that the purpose of prayer is NOT to prevent bad things from happening. Prayer is not good karma. Saying “prayed up” doesn’t magically protect us from problems. Jesus prayed for hours, and He still chose Judas, because that was the mysterious providence of God. The Father loves Jesus and still He allowed this betrayal.

God may not give you the answer to prayer you want, but He loves you no less.

17 And he came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon,

18 who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured.

19 And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all.

Luke wants us to see that Jesus is now wildly popular in the entire region, now even beyond Judea. Crowds are gathering, many of them looking for healing. These are Jews and Gentiles.

And among the disciples are both rich people and poor people, even among the twelve. That’s important because of what Jesus is about to say to them.

What follows is a sermon that is very similar to the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew 5. It may or may not be the same occasion. We cannot be sure.

20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said:

Notice, Jesus speaks to his disciples – not necessarily to the crowds. He is primarily concerned here with teaching the twelve men whom he just prayed over and selected.

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

21 “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.

22 “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man!

23 Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.

24 “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.

25 “Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. “Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.

26 “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.

There are four blessings and four warnings.

Jesus promises blessings for the poor, the hungry, the sad, and the persecuted. But He warns the rich, the well fed, the happy, and the popular. And it’s really two groups of people, not eight.

The first group, the poor, will inherit everything, but the second group, the rich… they already have their wealth. The poor will eat, but the rich will starve.

40 years ago, the movie Trading Places was released, featuring Eddie Murphy and Dan Akroyd. The plot of the movie is that Akroyd, a wealthy businessman, is forced to trade places with Murphy – who plays a street hustler.

When I read this sermon in Luke 6, that’s what comes to mind. It sounds like the kingdom of God is about rich people and poor people trading places.

But that’s not the message. We need to read more carefully.

If you read carefully, Jesus compares the way things are to the way things will be. But it’s not a simple exchange. The poor are not trading places with the rich. That would actually make the poor worse off than they already are!

Instead, look carefully at what Jesus promises the poor. Not earthly wealth, but what? The kingdom of God. Jesus says that the rich have something, but it is not the kingdom of God. And so, they are not trading places. Instead, the poor receive something far better than money.

We can summarize what Jesus teaches His disciples in this way. Things are not the way they are supposed to be, but God’s kingdom will turn everything right side up. He will change the way the world works.

That is the covenant promise Jesus makes us. My kingdom will make everything OK. None of my people will be hungry! None of my people will be sad! None of my people will be excluded!

And how does He want His disciples to apply this truth? What does it mean today?

Jesus intends to describe for his disciples the ways in which his kingdom looks different from the kingdom of this world. It’s a call to be different.

Stop pursuing temporary happiness. Stop worshiping at the altar of wealth, food, entertainment, and popularity. None of that provides lasting joy.

We have a great illustration of this, which is provided by the lottery. Nothing can instantly turn a poor person into a rich person like the lottery. This week, someone in California bought a Powerball ticket worth 1.7 billion dollars. 180 million people bought tickets, but there was only one winner.

And I get it. I understand the appeal. I’ve absolutely daydreamed about what I would do with all that money. But I’m also certain it would destroy my life.

Did you know that 70% of lottery winners spend or lose all their money in less than 5 years? Easy come, easy go. Read their stories and what you will find is that most of them wish they had never won. If you don’t believe me, go home and later today, Google the phrase “regret winning the lottery” and see for yourself. Pages and pages of stories about people who wish they had never won.

Everyone started asking them for money. They become a target for scams. It put strain on their marriages and other relationships. Winners report feeling guilty for winning. They become bored with life. Suicide is common. Winning the lottery would literally ruin your life!

You’ve heard all of this before. But it doesn’t matter to most people because we are controlled by our desires. Deep down, we know that life is short, and we believe that we have to try and get our best life now. Eat, drink, and be merry – for tomorrow you may die. And so, we play the lottery because we are living for the moment.

But what if Jesus is right? What if His offer of lasting happiness is real? What if there really is an inheritance that will never run out? What if you can be forever satisfied? Forever joyful? Forever accepted?

But you can’t have both. It’s either His kingdom or the kingdom of this world. And there is a real choice to be made – repent and believe OR keep living for the moment. It’s also not a one-time choice. Repentance and belief is a daily choice.

And I have to warn you, because Luke does – don’t assume you’re choosing the kingdom of God just because you’re around Jesus or because you’re part of a church.

Luke makes a point to tell us that one of the disciples will betray Jesus. Matthew tells us that Judas did it for only thirty pieces of silver – which was maybe enough to buy a smartphone in today’s currency.

Think about it. Judas was part of the greatest Bible study in the history of the church. His pastor was Jesus! His friends were the apostle! He witnessed countless miracles. He shared countless meals with the Son of God. And still, Judas chose the kingdom of this world.

That’s a warning to us. We can be around Jesus our whole lives and still actively reject Him. Judas had a better opportunity than any of us to see the person and mission of Jesus – and he rejected Christ. He rejected the kingdom of God in favor of the kingdom of this world.

At the heart of this rejection is very often a misunderstanding of the way the kingdom of God works. And that’s actually the main point here. Two weeks ago, when Caleb preached about Jesus healing the paralytic and forgiving his sins, he made an important observation.

At that time, everyone assumed that bad things happen to people because of their sin or the sins of their parents. And they assumed that if people were rich and healthy, it must be because they were good people. Why? Because people always get what they deserve, right?

Wrong. That is the philosophy of this world, but it’s not the Gospel.

No one gets into the kingdom of God because they deserve it. No one except Jesus.

Sometimes bad things do happen to us because of our sin. And sometimes good things happen to us when we obey. But according to Jesus, that has nothing to do with the blessing of the kingdom.

We get into the kingdom with Jesus, or not at all. Jesus hints at this in verse 22. Look again:

22 Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man!

He’s saying that the world will reject you because you’re with me. And by extension, that’s the only way we get into the kingdom of God – because we are with Jesus.

How? How does it work? How do we inherit the kingdom of God?

To put it simply, it’s by trading places with Jesus.

You see, He became poor so that we could inherit His kingdom. He became hungry so that we could be filled. He wept so that we could rejoice. He suffered and died for our sake, so that we could enter the kingdom of God – even though we don’t deserve it.

“For our sake God made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

This is who we follow by faith, not for a temporary blessing – but for an eternity with Him, our good King! And He will make everything OK. None of His people will be hungry! None of His people will be sad! None of His people will be excluded! And none of His people will deserve it.

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This morning we will read a brief story from Luke chapter 5. This story is also found in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark. That tells us this is a very important example from the life of Jesus, probably because it allows us to see the heart of God for even the most marginalized people in society.

12 While he was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy. And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.”

13 And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him.

14 And he charged him to tell no one, but “go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”

15 But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities.

16 But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.

Verse 16 is not the main point of the story, but Luke includes this detail so that we might better understand Jesus. He needed to be alone with His Father. Behind the public ministry of Jesus was a prayerful dependence on His Father. Luke wants us to know that Jesus did none of this for attention. Now, let’s talk about the leper.

A leper was a person with a very contagious skin disease. People avoided them and lepers were supposed to avoid other people. They were usually forced to live in leper communities because no one else wanted them around.

And so, it was an act of faith for this man to run up to Jesus and kneel before him, especially with great crowds of people following Jesus. The crowds probably gasped and scattered back at the sight of this man. Most rabbis would have commanded the leper to leave immediately. But Jesus does not tell the man to leave. The man asks Jesus to heal him. Jesus reaches out and touches the man. And immediately, when Jesus speaks the man is clean. That’s the story.

Now, imagine being this person. No one wants you around. People walk a little further away from you than normal. They glance at you when you aren’t looking and then look away to avoid your eye contact. You have not felt human touch in a long time. No hugs. No kisses. No handshakes. No pats on the back. Just a lonely, painful existence with no hope it would get better. There was no cure for this condition.

But you’ve heard of a rabbi named Jesus who has the power to heal, and you hear that he is coming to town so you take a chance and put yourself in his path. And then Jesus reaches out and touches you – probably the first human touch you’ve felt in a long time.

Can you imagine what that must have felt like? And then in an instant you are healed. More than that – you are socially acceptable again. The priests will accept you back into worship. People won’t avoid you anymore. You can be human again!

That’s what Jesus can do. He can heal people, not just of their sickness but of everything wrong. He can give us our humanity back! He can make us acceptable and loved.

And Luke wants us to understand, once again, Jesus did not do this in order to be seen. He did it because he wanted to and because He could.

The Bible word for what Jesus demonstrates here is “compassion”. But it is important to see that compassion is more than just removing the condition. Jesus also removes the shame underneath the condition.

Shame is that deep feeling of inferiority – the feeling that you don’t belong.

And this is the kind of world we live in – a world where people take pride in making others feel rejected for things that they have no power to change. We have a long, violent history in this world of marginalizing people when we should have compassion.

And Jesus teaches us something about compassion. He removes the condition, but He also removes the shame. He tells this man to go to the temple and present himself as ceremonially clean. This was necessary for the man to be restored to community.

If you stop to think about the people in our communities who are struggling the most – physical illness or disability, mental illness, financial difficulties… underneath those obvious needs there are usually deeper issues. Broken relationships. Past abuse or trauma. Sometimes it may be the consequences of bad decisions, yes – that’s true. But very often they also deal with a deep sense of shame.

It’s this thought – not only that something is wrong, but that something is wrong with me. I’m the problem. I deserve this. And the world excels at reinforcing that shame. It kicks us when we’re down.

But we need to be careful when we consider the solution to this problem. The Bible doesn’t solve the problem of shame by telling us that there’s nothing wrong with us and that we should cheer up and act like nothing is wrong.

Instead, the Bible presses into the reality that something IS very wrong about our world. Something IS very wrong with us.

Jesus heals this man and then encourages him to take the necessary steps to resolve those broken relationships. Jesus knows that this man’s identity is tied to his community. He needed more than just physical healing. He needed people back in his life.

The kingdom of Jesus is not just about making us temporarily happy. It’s not just about fixing the surface problems or the physical problems that we usually focus on. More important to Jesus is our heart and our relationships and our future. He’s not interested in temporary relief. He’s interested in permanently restoring our broken world.

It’s also not just about individuals. Jesus intends to restore entire communities! Notice that Jesus wants this man to get back into community with the same people who were actively rejecting him! This is why Paul calls the Gospel a ministry of reconciliation. God with people AND people with people.

Now, let’s consider how Jesus does this. Jesus reached out and touched an “unclean” man. He chose to dirty himself with this man’s condition. We already know from Luke that Jesus did not need to touch this man to heal him. He’s already healed people with only His words. So, why does Jesus touch the leper?

It was more than a simple act of compassion. It represents the entire mission of Jesus. It shows us how God intended to solve the problem of shame.

This is important because popular culture gives a different answer. We’re told to recognize shame, to talk about it, and to be more vulnerable in our relationships. All of that is good advice. But it absolutely does not solve the core issue. It helps us cope with shame in healthier ways, but it does not erase the shame.

Every human on the planet feels shame because of sin. It becomes amplified when we feel alone or marginalized, but shame is a universal problem. Honesty and vulnerability and community – these things help with the feelings of shame because they bring us closer to how God designed us to behave. But they don’t really solve the problem.

The Gospel informs us that only God can permanently heal shame.

He did it by reaching down into the world, embracing us in our sinful condition, and nailing our shame to the cross.

Jesus heals people. But it’s not just about sickness. He also heals the shame underneath. He gives us the freedom to start living a life of acceptance and love, because He gives those things to us even when we don’t deserve it. He tells us that we are washed and righteous and welcome. He makes us family.

I wonder if you believe that Jesus is the answer to whatever sadness of heart you feel? Do you believe He is willing to accept you even when others are not? That He sees you and will take you in?

Faith in Jesus is not a self-righteous act. It is an act of desperation. It is knowing that you have nowhere else to go but believing that Jesus has the power to make you whole again.

Some of you have felt like this leper and you need to hear that Jesus can heal you. He can restore you. He can give you back your humanity. He can give you a community.

But there’s also a message here to the disciples of Jesus. We need to be the kind of community that welcomes people who are recovering from their shame. We don’t need to be like the crowds who backed away when they saw the leper.

We need the eyes of Jesus to look at people with compassion and embrace them as He did. We will only do that if we know ourselves to also be spiritual lepers and that God has been gracious to us.

As Christians, are we living a cleansed and grateful life? Do we believe that Jesus actually has the power to fix US? Do we even think that we need to be fixed?

If you ignore the hurting people in this world and you ignore the hurt that you have caused to other people, then you won’t think you need Jesus. You will just be better than all the dirty people out there who are beneath you. If you believe you are already clean by your own efforts then Jesus will never be that important to you.

But that’s not how followers of Jesus engage the world.

We’ve been studying early church history on Wednesday nights. The early church grew rapidly because it was radically different than any religion the world had ever experienced. By the grace of God, the followers of Jesus were different.

Christians had a reputation for serving the poor, not just the Christian poor – but all the poor. When plagues spread in ancient cities, the Christians were the ones who stayed and risked their own lives to care for the sick and bury the dead.

Listen to how one historian describes the early church:

“All in all, no more attractive religion has ever been presented to mankind. It offered itself without restriction to all individuals, classes, and nations; it was not limited to one people, like Judaism, nor to the freemen of one state, like the official cults of Greece and Rome. By making all men heirs of Christ’s victory over death, Christianity announced the basic equality of men, and made transiently trivial all differences of earthly degree. To the miserable, maimed, bereaved, disheartened, and humiliated it brought the new virtue of compassion, and an ennobling dignity; it gave them the inspiring figure, story, and ethic of Christ; it brightened their lives with the hope of the coming Kingdom, and of endless happiness beyond the grave. To even the greatest sinners it promised forgiveness, and their full acceptance into the community of the saved. To minds harassed with the insoluble problems of origin and destiny, evil and suffering, it brought a system of divinely revealed doctrine in which the simplest soul could find mental rest… Into the moral vacuum of a dying paganism, into the coldness of Stoicism and the corruption of Epicureanism, into a world sick of brutality, cruelty, oppression, and sexual chaos, into a pacified empire that seemed no longer to need the masculine virtues or the gods of war, it brought a new morality of brotherhood, kindliness, decency, and peace.”

This is the beautiful community – the church that God intends to build. It’s the community of Jesus. When Jesus begins to heal the shame of a person, He leads them into this community and never again will they be alone with their shame.

This is who we are supposed to be. This is how we are supposed to be known.

May God give us the grace to be a community of compassion… a place where lives are restored and shame is erased.

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We continue our study in the Gospel of Luke and we’ve come to one of my favorite stories. It’s one of my favorites, because I love to fish.

One morning recently, I went fishing with a friend and we both did very well – we caught several smaller bass. After a few hours, we decided to finish up and we started walking back along the shore getting a few final casts. It was getting hot, and bass don’t usually feed as much in the middle of the day. But on my final cast, I hooked a nice fish – probably about four pounds. My best fish of the day came at the most unexpected moment.

And it reminded me of this story.

1 On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret,

That’s just another name for the sea of Galilee.

2 and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets.

These little details are important. This tells us it was morning because they fished at night. During the daytime, the fish were more likely to see the net. So, the workday is almost over. The nets were being washed.

3 Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

Near Capernaum, there are inlets along the coast that form natural amphitheaters. Jesus often used these as teaching venues.

4 And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”

Most people won’t realize, this is a ridiculous command that Jesus gives Peter. Remember, they fished at night, and they normally fished in the shallow waters, not the deep. It makes no sense, and it was immediately questioned by Peter.

5 And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.”

You can sense the frustration. Simon already knows that Jesus is a rabbi with a special gift for teaching. He already knows that Jesus is capable of miracles, because Jesus healed his mother-in-law in chapter 4.

But now, Jesus is stepping into Peter’s world. This is Peter’s best skill. It’s how he feeds his family. Imagine me going to Josh Edward’s fabrication shop and telling him how to weld. Bad things would happen.

Peter assumes it will be a waste of time and energy, but he obeys anyway. Why? Because He recognizes the authority of Jesus even though he doesn’t understand. Master… at your word… Peter trusts even when he doesn’t understand. That’s important.

6 And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking.

7 They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.

I think Jesus made his point. Now, watch how Peter responds.

8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”

This is the first time Luke uses the word “sinner”. He will go on to use that word 17 times.

It’s striking that Peter describes himself in this way, because there’s nothing in the story to suggest that Peter was known as a particularly sinful man. This word will be used by the religious leaders to describe tax collectors, prostitutes, and criminals.

But Peter seems to recognize how different he is from Jesus, how unworthy he is to even be in his presence. We find a similar response by Isaiah when he sees a vision of the throne room of God. “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips”

It’s also important to notice that Peter changes the title he uses for Jesus. He called him “master” before the miracle. Now, he calls Jesus, “Lord”. So far in Luke, that word has ONLY been used to describe the Lord God.

And so, Luke is beginning to reveal the true nature of Jesus. Jesus has not only come to tell us about the Lord. He IS the Lord!

9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken,

10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”

11 And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

In Jesus day, the most important people were not necessarily the richest people, they were the religious leaders. Priests, scribes, rabbis – they were the people everyone looked up to. They were the best of the best.

If you were born in Israel as a Jewish boy in the 1st century, then you would have started school around age 6 to learn the Old Testament. By age 10 they were supposed to have the first 5 books memorized. Memorized!

By the end of this, most kids had dropped out to learn the family trade because they couldn’t do it. But the ones who succeeded went on to memorize the rest of the Old Testament. Of course, by the end of this, most of those had dropped out. But the best of the best of the best applied to become disciples of rabbis to continue their education and one day possibly to become rabbis.

Jesus was a rabbi. The men he calls to follow him were dropouts. They didn’t go to him. He went to them. They were fishing, which meant they weren’t good enough to be disciples. They had not memorized everything. They weren’t smart enough.

So, these young men, probably between the ages of 14 and 20, were given the opportunity to follow a rabbi, one of the most important people in their culture. They immediately got up and left. It was an opportunity they never believed they would have.

Think about this – Jesus calls these young men to follow him and no one else believed these young men were good enough to be disciples! He takes people that the world thought were least likely to succeed and he turns them into the apostles!

They have a lot to learn. They will need to be humbled and shaped by Him. But Jesus did not go looking for the best and the brightest. He picked the least.

And this shows us the heart of God! His kingdom is for everyone. It’s for the rich and the poor, the handsome and the ugly, the smart and the not-so-smart… all types of people. He wants all kinds of people represented.

So, if Jesus calls you, it is not because you are smart enough to understand the call, or because you were good enough morally to earn his call, or because of anything you did. Jesus calls us to prove that he can turn anyone he wants into a child of God.

We don’t initiate the relationship with God. He always initiates it with us. He comes to us and calls us and invites us into a relationship that we don’t deserve.

“Follow me” he says “and I will make…” Jesus is saying he will go ahead of them. He will lead. We follow. He will do the work necessary to turn us into something useful. We may not understand what He is doing or why. He just wants us to trust Him. Follow Him.

Jesus says he will make them “fishers of men” – I’ve never met a fish that wanted to be caught. Fish get yanked into the boat, whether they like it or not. That is the metaphor Jesus uses to describe evangelism and conversion! It’s not an accident.

Fish don’t swim into the net on purpose. They don’t consider the net and make a decision about it. If they see the net, they run! They get swept up by it. That’s what happened to me. I wasn’t looking for Jesus – I was running from God. He came and He called and He yanked me into the boat.

Look at Jeremiah 16:16-18 –

16 “Behold, I am sending for many fishers, declares the Lord, and they shall catch them. And afterward I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain and every hill, and out of the clefts of the rocks.

17 For my eyes are on all their ways. They are not hidden from me, nor is their iniquity concealed from my eyes.

18 But first I will doubly repay their iniquity and their sin, because they have polluted my land with the carcasses of their detestable idols, and have filled my inheritance with their abominations.”

In this context, God’s fishing is about judgment. Getting caught is NOT a good thing.

But Jesus flips it! He calls the disciples to help Him rescue people from a judgment they don’t realize is coming. We will see more and more in this Gospel that Jesus is pursuing people who are not worthy, who don’t even realize they are in danger. Is that you? Has He set the hook? Is He calling you to follow Him?

But there’s more here I want us to see in the story. Once Jesus catches you, He demands priority over everything else.

Fishermen were not poor. They made a better living than most people. You had to own the boat and the nets. You typically had hired workers helping. So, these men were not leaving behind a bad life. They were taking a huge risk.

This was the family business. Family meant everything back then. They had probably been in the fishing business for many generations. They would fish again and see their families, but this call to immediately leave it for the moment and trust Jesus was radical. Jesus is asking them to make following him the priority even over their family business.

Let’s try to put this in modern American terms. Jesus is saying to us, “I am the priority over your dreams, your career, your dating life, your spouse, your kids, your education, your financial plans…”

Jesus is not asking us to fit Him into our busy schedule… He is demanding our complete and total allegiance.

It doesn’t mean your career and your family will stop being important. But it will greatly affect how you order your life and how your faith impacts every other area of life. In other words, you will start asking the question, “How does Jesus impact my career, my family, my free time…”

Mostly it means that you will begin to trust God with all that other stuff. Jesus will later say, “Seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness and all these other things will be added to you.” It may not look the way you planned. But you’re following the King of the universe!

What Jesus did for these young men was show them that the world is bigger than their little plans and bigger than what they thought they were worth. He showed them how to care about people who have nothing. He showed them how to forgive and love and lead.

The truth is, we are all spiritual dropouts waiting for a call from Jesus. He might be calling some of you right now to abandon the life you think you need and follow Him into a bigger story. That story begins with us believing that He did what we can’t do. He bought forgiveness for our sins on the cross and He traded His righteousness to us. All we do is receive it with empty hands and follow Him.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus

Look full in His wonderful face

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim

In the light of His glory and grace

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We’re looking for the heart of God in the Gospel of Luke and this morning we will begin to see Jesus do some of the things He said he would do last week. Speaking of last week, I’d like to commend Caleb for doing an excellent job with that text.

We’re going to pick up this morning in verse 31. Luke chapter 4:

31 And he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the Sabbath,

32 and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority.

Authority comes from the word “Author”. Authority is something coming from the original. Jesus speaks to the people as if He is the original source.

Every other teacher these people had ever heard would base their teaching on the words of others. They would quote other people’s opinions or speak only from the words in the Bible. No one offered their own explanations – except Jesus. He didn’t copy someone else.

Jesus had the right to speak with authority because He authored the Bible. John literally starts his Gospel by calling Jesus “the Word”.

But as we are going to see in a moment, Jesus doesn’t just speak. He acts. He verifies his authority with powerful signs. He casts out demons. He heals people. With His words.

And this is making an important connection with God’s Word in the Old Testament. God spoke words and the world came into existence. God made promises and then He did those things. In the same way, Jesus speaks and then immediately backs it up.

As Americans, I think we struggle to understand or appreciate this kind of authority. The most powerful person in our country is probably the president, but he doesn’t have absolute authority. He has derived authority. He derives it from the constitution and from the people. And it’s temporary. Presidents can be impeached. They have term limits. And they have limits placed on their office. But the authority of Jesus is different.

So, to be clear about what Christians believe – we believe we are following the author of life. He has authority over everything in our lives because everything in our lives originated from Him. God’s kingdom is not a democracy.

What that means is that Jesus will press in on you the reality of God’s kingdom. God owns this world. He owns your life. He has the authority to tell us who we are and how to live. He has the power to lead us in any direction that He wants for His own reasons. Your vote doesn’t count.

And that kind of authority makes us uncomfortable… but look at what Jesus does with it. We’re going to read two short stories back-to-back.

33 And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice,

34 “Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.”

Take note of the fact that the demons know exactly who Jesus is. We will come back to that.

35 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm.

36 And they were all amazed and said to one another, “What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!”

37 And reports about him went out into every place in the surrounding region.

38 And he arose and left the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was ill with a high fever, and they appealed to him on her behalf.

39 And he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her, and immediately she rose and began to serve them.

Notice that Luke tells us about the teaching of Jesus, but then immediately gives us two examples of how Jesus used his words of authority – not only to teach, but to act.

Jesus used his authority for others! He used it to show people the heart of God.

He did not use his authority so that people would bow down and tremble. He is not demonstrating power for the sake of power. People saw his power and they marveled at it. Some of them were afraid! But Jesus clearly did these things from a heart of compassion, using his authority for the sake of others.

Jesus used his authority to drive out demons, showing the people that He came to make a difference in even the darkest and most difficult places. He was willing to engage with the most difficult people. He has the authority to change their lives… to author a new story.

Jesus used his power to heal Simon’s mother-in-law, and then she immediately begins to serve them. But it is important to see that before she can serve them, she needed to be served. Jesus needed to heal her. He served her and then she served them.

He shows the people, by His kindness – “the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve”. God Himself has the heart of a servant.

And this was only the beginning.

40 Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them.

41 And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.

This is the most interesting and confusing verse in the chapter.

Jesus heals every sick person in this entire village, but then He tries to keep his ministry quiet by silencing the demons. And there are a lot of theories about why Jesus seems to be protecting his identity. But it seems pointless, because His fame spread anyway.

I think there is one really simple explanation. Humility. Jesus was not just a servant. Jesus was a humble servant. He did not do these things to make a name for Himself. He did them because He genuinely wanted to help.

And so, we see the heart of God in the ministry of Jesus – and we’re going to see it every week in the Gospel of Luke… a God who cares, who serves…

But there’s something else here I don’t want us to miss. And Luke tells us twice, because He doesn’t want us to miss it either.

In verse 34, a demon-possessed man cried out in a public synagogue “you are the Holy One of God”! That is a very direct claim about the identity of Jesus, in front of a bunch of witnesses.

Maybe the people are in shock because someone is shouting in worship. Maybe they dismiss his words because they know he is demon-possessed or because they think he is crazy. But they obviously don’t walk away believing that Jesus is the “Holy One of God” or even asking questions about it. They completely miss it!

And then in verse 41, Luke tells us that more demons are cast out and that they also make public professions – “You are the Son of God”. That’s even more direct.

Luke makes it clear that these DEMONS had a better understanding of who Jesus was than the humans did. The people were starting to believe Jesus was a good teacher and that He was able to perform some miracles. But only the demon knew exactly who Jesus was.

This is something I hope you’ll really pay attention to…

A lot of people assume they are safe with God because they believe in God or because they know some things about God.

You may even accept the knowledge that Christianity is completely true. But that does NOT make you safe with God. It does not make you a friend of Jesus. Listen to James 2:19:

“You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!”

What’s He saying? You believe there is one true God. Good job. But the demons don’t just believe it, they know He exists. They knew Jesus was Him. But they don’t love him. They don’t follow him. They don’t like him. And they certainly don’t trust him.

The story of the week in college football was Deion Sanders at Colorado. Coach Prime was already famous, but now a new generation of young people will know his name. And yet, knowing His name is not the same thing as love. Appreciate, respect, maybe even fear – but not necessarily love. Even the Colorado fans will turn on him if he loses every other game this season!

You see, there is also a big difference between knowing God exists and loving Him.

Jesus would later say that on the last day many will call out His name presuming that they are His friends and He will say to them, “Depart from me, I never knew you.”

Jesus was becoming famous. The whole town was gathered at Simon’s doorstep to witness these miracles. They could see Jesus doing things a man shouldn’t be able to do. And Jesus kept doing it. Look how the chapter ends:

42 And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them,

43 but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.”

44 And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.

You know, there are a lot of skeptics today who say they would believe in Jesus if they could see Him perform some of those miracles with their own eyes.

But Luke it setting us up with this story. It’s not enough. A lot of people saw Jesus do amazing things and they still were not His friends. They didn’t trust Him. They didn’t follow Him. They even wanted to kill Him.

Knowing about Jesus does not make us His friend. What does?

The short answer is that we don’t make ourselves a friend of Jesus. He makes Himself a friend of ours.

There’s a hint of this in today’s story. Jesus had to heal Simon’s mother-in-law before she could serve them. And this will be true of all the physical healings. They all point us to a deeper need for spiritual healing. God has to change something at the level of our soul before we can repent and believe.

And this bothers us, again because of the issue of authority.

The lie of this world is that we have authority over our own lives. We think that we are running the show. We may not be literally possessed like the man in the story, but in our hearts we wrestle the same demonic attitude.

We question God if something doesn’t go our way. We think He is a threat to our plans. We worry about what He is going to do to us. And the truth is that God has proven He is willing to do whatever it takes to release His people from the bondage of our own rebellion and lead us into His kingdom… even death on a cross.

I still struggle to accept the authority of Jesus in my life every day. I’m a planner and I find myself thinking, “If God would just stick to my plans everything would be great.”

A lot of Christians think they can manipulate God with their faith and their prayers. “I said it. I declared it. God has to do it.” That’s ridiculous.

Whatever authority we have been given as Christians is not meant to be used for ourselves anyway. It is for others. Start believing God for a blessing in someone else’s life and we might see some things happen! That’s more how God’s kingdom works.

Jesus is the authority. He used his authority for others. Knowing about Jesus doesn’t make him your friend. May He give us the grace to turn from our own path and follow His and trust more and more each day in His power and authority over our lives.

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We’re coming to a somewhat difficult part of Galatians this morning, so let me start with a quick summary of the letter so far.

This letter is about the pure Gospel of grace. The Apostle Paul wrote this letter because he was concerned that these churches were deserting the Gospel by distorting the message.

Some men were teaching that these new Christians also needed to adopt Jewish laws and customs in order to be saved. Paul fiercely objects to this on the grounds that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

He explains the purpose of the law – not to save us – but to convict us of sin. In fact, Paul repeatedly talks about the law as a period of slavery or bondage. Remember the illustration of the prison?

Imagine that you were born in a prison. All you’ve ever known was the inside of a prison. All you’ve ever seen is bars and cement. You get the same meals every day – bland, simple food. You wear the same clothes every day. And that’s all you remember because it is all you’ve ever known.

How could someone convince you that the world is better outside of that prison? They could describe it to you. They could show you pictures. They could sneak in better food. But all of that would be very depressing unless you also had some hope of getting out!

In a similar way, the law is good, but it can’t get is out of prison. It holds up a mirror, showing us our chains, showing us the bars and the cement. It doesn’t let us stay comfortable in the prison of our own sin. It makes us long for something better.

But it would be very depressing if all we had was the law, showing us and reminding us of our folly with no power to change the circumstances. Instead, we also have a promise that Jesus will rescue us from the prison of sin and death!

And in fact, he has already freed us from bondage and adopted us into the family of God.

Now, we’re ready for chapter 4 verse 21.

21 Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law?

22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman.

23 But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise.

If you don’t know the story, you can read about this in Genesis 16. God promised Abram and his wife a child. But they had doubts, thinking Sarah was too old. She was 77 years old at that time.

Sarah then had the bright idea to let her husband lay with her Egyptian servant, Hagar. Abraham agreed to this scenario, believing that God “needed a little help” to fulfill His promise.

Hagar gets pregnant, but it starts a lot of household drama. Sarah then abuses her and runs her off. Thirteen years later, God finally gives Sarah a son at the age of ninety.

As a quick side note, at the end of that story, Moses tells us that God was gracious with Hagar. He saw her suffering, visited her, and gave her a promise of her own.

In the end, Abraham had two sons – Ishmael, the illegitimate son of a slave woman, and Isaac, the son of a free woman.

One child was born “according to the flesh”. The other was “born through promise”. Paul uses this story to demonstrate the difference between dependence on works versus dependence on God, also known as faith.

24 Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar.

25 Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.

26 But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.

This does not hit us the way it should, because we don’t feel the weight of the personal offense. These three verses were highly offensive to Jewish people. Highly offensive. Verbal assault!

Why? Because the Jews were direct descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But Paul says that allegorically they are more like the children of Hagar and Ishmael.

At that time, in that culture, to these people – this was a highly offensive suggestion – even as an allegory. Ishmael was the forefather of many of Israel’s enemies. This would have infuriated Paul’s opponents.

But Paul knows what’s he’s doing. Both Jesus and John the Baptist questioned the Jewish dependence on their ancestry.

This is John in Matthew 3:9 – And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.

In John 8, Jesus tells them directly that they are children of the Devil – not children of Abraham!

Here in Galatians, Paul’s allegory is clear. People living under the law are living as illegitimate slaves. Christians united to Christ are children of promise – free, legitimate heirs of the kingdom.

Another important side note here: It was not common for Paul to use allegories in his teaching. In fact, I’m pretty sure this is the only time in Scripture Paul uses an allegory.

It was a tactic far more commonly used (and misused) by his opponents. It’s possibly Paul used it here to take a shot at them for their weak teaching methods. He also saturates his allegory with quotes from Scripture – something His opponents never did.

27 For it is written,

“Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear;
break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor!
For the children of the desolate one will be more
than those of the one who has a husband.”

This is a quote from Isaiah 54. Paul interprets this to mean that there will be more Gentile believers than Jewish believers. Far more Gentiles will become children of God through faith in Christ.

28 Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise.

He’s talking directly to the Galatians here, non-Jewish converts. He’s telling them – you don’t have to work to become children of promise. You already have it!

29 But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now.

In Genesis 21, Ishmael mocked Isaac believing he should be favored as the oldest son of Abraham. But Ishmael was not the child of promise.

30 But what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.”

This was the request of Sarah, asking Abraham to cast out Hagar and Ishmael.

31 So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman.

Paul used Ishmael and Isaac – one son born by ordinary means and one son born by supernatural means – to illustrate the difference between Judaism and Christianity.

It was not enough to claim Abraham as their father. The real question was this: which covenant are you living under? The covenant of works or the covenant of grace?

This is where it gets a bit complicated. The law was given to Israel after Abraham, meaning that it was part of the covenant of grace. And we’ve already talked about this, that the law is a good thing. But it was never meant to be a means of salvation.

We are not saved by law-keeping. Trying to live that way is trying to live under the covenant of works. And that’s a very bad idea, because people living under the law will not inherit the kingdom of God. Only people living under the promise of grace.

The point is this: we don’t become Christians by any human means. Not by works. Not by intellect. Not even by choice. We become Christians by a miracle work of God’s grace.

How should we apply this? First, I want to say something about the division this causes between people. People living under the law do not understand grace and they will persecute people who do.

It’s not always the world out there causing problems for the church. Very often, it’s the church that causes problems for the church. It’s people on the inside – professing believers – who don’t really understand grace. It’s the people who pridefully believe they are better, more religious, than everyone else in the church – they are the ones who cause the most problems.

And pride is such a tricky thing. It’s not always the law-minded people who struggle with pride. Gospel-minded people can also struggle with pride. If you think your understanding of the Gospel is better than everyone else’s understanding of the Gospel… if you think to yourself, “I’m so glad I’m not like those legalistic Christians.” Beware! You might be the problem too!

Second, I want us to focus on the benefits of living under the covenant of grace. It means that, by faith, all true believers are children of Abraham and, therefore, recipients of the promises of God.

And I cannot stress this part enough – it had literally nothing to do with us. That’s what grace implies. Isaac had nothing to do with his supernatural birth to a 90-year-old woman. Isaac was something only God could do! And that was the point.

That is our religion – not what man can do for himself, but what God must do for us. This is a supernatural faith. We do not trust in ourselves, that we are righteous. We trust only in God through Jesus.

Self-reliance leads to slavery. It cannot save us. Faith in Jesus leads to freedom. And as an act of faith, we come now to the Lord’s table.

A lot of Christians think of this table as just a memorial or a symbol – but it is far more than that. It is itself a promise of grace and a means of grace. Jesus promises to be spiritually present with us when we eat this together. Real spiritual presence… not just symbolic. Real grace. By faith, we are receiving the work of Jesus on our behalf.

In other words, something supernatural happens when we take this meal together. And because of that, the table is not for everyone. It is for the children of Abraham, born under the promise of grace.

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What does God think of you today? I ask this question often when I meet with people, because it cuts right to the heart of our faith. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ – if you believe that Jesus lived a perfect life, that he earned the blessing of God, but then took the curse of God for sin on the cross in your place – if you believe that, then you are united to Christ Jesus by faith and you have been declared righteous in God’s sight.

You have also experienced the adoptive love of the Father. You are a son or a daughter of the King. And so, in a very real sense, you are loved today by your Father in heaven. We know also that God’s love is perfect and unfailing. It doesn’t change. If he has set his love on you, then you will never be condemned by Him. You won’t be able to sin your way out of God’s love.

But there is a misconception that comes with this. When I ask that question, what does God think of you today, there is often a tension in the answer – even for me. I believe I am forgiven; I believe I am loved by God, but I don’t think God is always happy with me.

He’s not always delighted by my decisions. He’s not always delighted by my actions. Maybe you feel that God is disappointed with you today. And the misconception is that some people think our salvation, our justification, our adoption means that God is never again disappointed with us – that He always delights in us, every day, no matter what we do.

And that’s not entirely true. God loves us like a perfect Father loves His children – without partiality. He doesn’t love some of us more than others. It’s not what we do that makes God love us. But God is certainly disappointed when we fail. And He is delighted when we are faithful.

Parents, we understand this don’t we? We love our kids, but we don’t always like the things they do. Their behavior drives us crazy sometimes! It’s no different with God, and I want to show you why.

We are back in Galatians chapter 4 this morning. Paul speaks directly to the Galatians, who were Gentile converts to Christianity. He’s been saying that they have been adopted into the family of God. They are not second-class Christians. But they are acting like it…

For context, I’m going to read verse 7 again and then continue with the text:

7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

This is who you are by God’s grace, through faith. This is our status in Christ.

8 Formerly, (that is, before you became a son) when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods.

The Galatians were pagans, worshipping false gods. This is who we all are before Christ.

9 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?

This is an important verse. Notice how Paul flips the script on what it means to become a Christian. We think we became a Christian because we came to know God. But Paul says, more accurately, God chose to know us.

In John 15, Jesus reminded his disciples that they did not choose him, but that he chose them and appointed them to go and bear fruit. In Matthew 7, Jesus says that on the last day, what will matter is not whether we think we know God – but if He knows us.

This choice of God, to know us, is the basis of Paul’s argument here. If God initiated this relationship, how is it possible for Christians to turn back to this old, powerless way of thinking.

He’s talking about the law again. These Christians have been listening to false teachers who required them to take on the Jewish rituals and customs. For instance:

10 You observe days and months and seasons and years!

He’s referring to all the Jewish festivals and holy days.

11 I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.

Now you can sense the extreme disappointment that Paul feels, right? Paul taught them the Gospel – that they come to know God by grace, not by works. And now, they have started to believe that getting close to God is accomplished by ritualistic observance of the ceremonial law. This is a major step backwards – and so, yes, Paul is disappointed.

But so is God! This is not just Paul speaking. This is the inspired Word of God! God is disappointed with his church.

And now, the letter gets very personal.

12 Brothers, I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong.

In order to become the apostle to the Gentiles, Paul gave up many of his Jewish habits. He did that for the sake of the Gospel. And at the time, he was well received by the people. He’s pleading with them to return to that humble, receptive posture.

13 You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first,

14 and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus.

We don’t know the details, but it’s clear that the church cared for Paul in a time of sickness or disability.

15 What then has become of your blessedness? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me.

This was a figure of speech at the time. It meant someone giving a great sacrifice. This church had shown great love for Paul.

16 Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?

What a great question… the popular message will always be the message people want to hear, not necessarily the message they need to hear. Especially in our culture today, telling the truth will make you an enemy of the world.

17 They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them.

Who are “they”? They are the Judaizers – the teachers pushing Gentiles to adopt Jewish customs in order to be saved. Paul sees through the smoke. These teachers are motivated by self-glory, not the glory of Christ.

18 It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you,

19 my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you!

20 I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.

Notice that Paul uses the imagery of motherhood to describe his personal relationship with the church. He has already said that God is their Father through adoption. Paul describes himself as a mother, anxious for her children and painfully laboring for their deliverance.

What does Paul want for them? He says that Christ would be “formed in you”. What does that mean?

He’s already taught that Christ dwells in them. They are already united to Christ. They are already justified. They are already adopted. What then must it mean that Christ would be formed in them?

He’s talking about sanctification. He’s talking about growing in their knowledge of Christ and the fruit of the Spirit – which He will explain in chapter 5.

The Jewish teachers want to remake these Galatians in their own image for their own glory. That is the goal of their “discipleship”.

But Paul wants these people to become more like Jesus for the glory of God.

It’s important for us to consider how this might apply to our churches today. The reality is that many, many churches, and many pastors are teaching and doing whatever they need to do to gain a following – to gather the most people.

And in many cases, the motivation is self-glory. I know because I feel the same temptation. It’s a powerful force. It is incredibly tempting to take advantage of people’s desire for a better life, their desire for spiritual awakening and build a ministry with my own brand at the center of it.

And yet, Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:5 – “What we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.”

This must never be a church with me at the center of it. This must be a church with Jesus at the center. This is not about me. I want you to know Christ and His word. I want you to become more like Jesus. If you ever get the sense that I want something from you other than that, run.

Finally, I want to go back to that question I asked in the beginning. What does God think of you today? It’s a question that really digs into our sanctification – our growth as Christians over time.

Our sanctification is rooted in our justification. We begin the Christian life by grace, and we continue to live it by grace. I won’t get very far if I start to believe that God accepts me on the basis of my own works.

God accepts me because of Jesus. My sin was pardoned at the cross. The perfect righteousness of Jesus has been given to me. I received the work of Jesus by faith and now, I can never be condemned. And my growth as a Christian, my sanctification, is rooted in all of that.

But God can still be disappointed with me on a daily basis. I’m loved. I’m forgiven. I’m accepted. I’m His son. But sometimes my behavior causes God anguish just as the Galatians were causing Paul anguish. And I believe it is very helpful for our sanctification to know this.

Christian, God is not happy with our sin. He’s not ignoring it. It pains Him. Our sin pains the One who was crucified because of our sin! And rest assured, God is not going to let His children continue sinning without consequence.

What good parent would do that? Is it love to let our kids do whatever they want without feeling consequences? Of course not! And when they do suffer, when they do fail, we don’t reject them – we receive them back in love.

And how does the Bible define love? In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul says in verse 4:

4 Love is patient and kind… But then in verse 6, he says:

6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.

This is the tension of God’s love for us. He is patient with us. He is faithful. It’s a love built on the firm foundation of Christ Jesus – his death and resurrection. But God’s love does not rejoice in our sin. And neither should we.

Let’s pray and ask God for help to become more like our Savior.

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I’ve recently been looking at my family tree and it has been fascinating. As you can probably guess, I have a lot of Irish, German, and Scottish ancestors. But I also have roots in the Middle East. My great grandfather was born in Lebanon!

Here’s something that’s true for all of us. No one on the planet had the opportunity to choose their ancestors. In fact, there’s only one person in history who made that choice. It was Jesus. He was born into the family he chose. And it was a humble, working-class family.

This morning, I want us to focus our attention on the working-class father of Jesus – a man named Joseph. God was, of course, the true Father of Jesus. But Joseph played a small role in the story.

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

and they shall call his name Immanuel”

(which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

Here’s what we know about Joseph. Joseph was poor. When his family visited the temple, all he was able to afford as an offering was a pair of pigeons. By trade he was a tekton, which is a general term referring to someone who worked with his hands, probably with wood or stone.

Church tradition labeled him a carpenter and early evidence suggests that he may have been a maker of yokes and ploughs. He lived and worked in a small rural town called Nazareth. The town had a poor reputation.

Joseph was also a man of few words. In fact, he has no speaking parts in the Bible. At the temple, Mary speaks for them both.

So, the Bible depicts Joseph as a quiet, blue-collar guy.

This is the man God chose as the legal guardian of His only Son. Not a priest. Not a scribe. Not a wealthy man. Not a powerful man. God picked a working-class guardian for Jesus.

He was also a descendant of David. The angel calls him Son of David. But there was nothing royal about Joseph.

Now let’s look at his character.

Notice Matthew calls Joseph a “just” man. We don’t know how Joseph heard that Mary was pregnant. She may have sent word. Or it’s entirely possible that town gossip reached him, because they were not yet living together. We think Nazareth was a town of less than 500 at that time. Everyone knew everything about everyone.

Can you imagine the inner struggle going on for Joseph? He had two lawful options. He could out her publicly and subject her to the shame and punishment of an adulteress. This option would have most protected his own reputation. OR, he could choose to divorce her quietly and mostly protect her reputation. The Scriptures call him “just” specifically because he is planning to choose the second option. Isn’t that interesting?

Think about how often Jesus’ ministry would be marked by disputes with the Pharisees about “strict observance of the law”. Jesus always interpreted the law with love as the background. He would let his own reputation go to associate with outcasts and that’s what Joseph is doing because he doesn’t yet understand how Mary became pregnant. He was a just man. He sought to protect Mary when he could have rightfully judged her. He was self-forgetful.

Second, Joseph was a faithful man. It is no coincidence how much Joseph’s story lines up with the story of the Old Testament Joseph.

Both men had a father named Jacob. Both men go to Egypt to save their family. Both men learned things from dreams. Matthew is saying that his Joseph is clearly being used by God.

It was also not immediately clear that either Joseph would be faithful. In verse 20, it says after Joseph had “considered” this, the angel came in a dream. The word “considered” is a bit weak by itself. It means that Joseph was struggling with his reality.

Life isn’t going how he had planned. His own dreams for a family with Mary and a house of their own seem to be fading at this point. But then God gives him a different dream. Four of them actually. And Joseph obeys every word. And in a period of a few years, by God’s command, he drags his little family from Nazareth to Bethlehem to Egypt and back.

That’s basically what it means to be faithful. It means obeying God’s will for us even when our hearts may be telling us something else. From an earthly perspective, Joseph had a lot of good reasons to walk away from this circus. But he was a just man. And he was a faithful man. He stayed. He obeyed.

The last point I want to make is this: Joseph was a just man and he was a faithful man, but Joseph was just a faithful man.

He was not the main character, and he didn’t need to be. Jesus was not a part of Joseph’s story. Joseph was a part of Jesus’ story.

It is tempting to look at the life of Joseph and honor his grace and his faithfulness and we should, but please don’t stop there. Why was he so engaged? Why is Joseph so faithful? Because he believed the promises of God! He looked beyond his earthly identity and trusted in a bigger story that God was calling him to be a part of. This is what we talked about last Sunday in Galatians.

Jesus is perfectly just and faithful. He invites us into his family through a perfect act of grace. But we become part of His story. He does not become part of ours. And our part is that we learn to be just and faithful like our Savior, showing people grace like he has shown us.

And that is enough. Just be faithful with what God has given you. You don’t need a bigger story than that. You are a part of the biggest story in the universe right where you are now – right where God has you today.

Let me try to illustrate. Bill Clem in his book Disciple invites us to consider two scenarios. In the first scenario, three drama students have one year left to complete their degrees at a private college. They figure out how much money the last year will cost them and they decide to drop out and come up with their own play. They will write, direct, and star in their own three-man play in a garage. Everyone they tell is skeptical. Parents, friends, professors – everyone says that this is too risky and will not give them the meaning or produce the impact they are hoping for. That’s the first scenario.

Here’s the second. Another drama student also has a year left before she finishes her degree. She auditions for a small part in a Broadway play and gets a callback. She is eventually offered the part. It’s not a lead role, but it would mean working with some of the best in the business. Everyone SHE talks to encourages her to go for it. What’s the difference? A small role in something big is usually much better than a lead role in something we invented.

As Pink Floyd said, “Do you want a walk-on part in a war or a lead role in a cage?”

That really is the question we all have to wrestle with. Joseph had this choice. He could have walked away and started fresh with his own plans, but he chose to take the small part in God’s epic drama.

We are tempted to think that we can simply invite God into our little story and give him a walk-on part in the story of ME. But that’s not how it works. The story we would write for ourselves is a distortion of reality. God’s story is reality. He gives out the parts. But will we be content? Jesus gives this story meaning. He’s the only one who can give any story meaning.

I have been guilty many times of wanting more than what God has already given me. I think our culture is extremely self-focused and I am a product of it in many ways. We have an overly important sense of self, believing that our lives should be better than average.

I appreciate what Jared Wilson says about this: “You know, it’s possible that God’s plan for us is littleness. His plan for us may be personal failure. It’s possible that when another door closes, it’s not because he plans to open a window but because he plans to have the building fall down on you. The question we must ask ourselves is this: Will Christ be enough?”

In other words, do we trust God with the story he is writing? I honestly don’t like to read long sections of a book in a sermon, but this one is so good I have to. It’s from a book called “God of the Mundane” by Matt Redmond (not the singer):

“There is a God for those who are not changing anything but diapers. There is a God for those who simply love their spouse and pour out unappreciated affection on their children, day after day. There is a God for the mom who spends her days scraping the trampled mac and cheese off the kitchen floor. There is a God for the man who hammers out a day’s work in obscurity for his wife and kids. There is a God for the just and kind employers. There is a God for generous homemakers, generous with prayers and dollars and time. There is a God for the middle-class people staving off cancer, struggling to raise teenagers, and simply hoping against hope they keep their jobs. There is a God for the broken home with a full bank account but an empty bed. There is a God for those children tending to the health of their aged parents. There is a God for the mean times in a culture drunk on the weekend’s promises.

We may flirt with greatness, but the fact is — for the Christian and non-Christian — ordinary is the divine order of the day for the vast majority of us. Kids, bills, coupons, cable, home repair, gas in the tank, church attendance, inexpensive pleasures, discount shopping, and family reunions are what we are made of. There is a God delighting in the ordinary existence of the unknown faithful doing unknown work. There is a God of grace for those who live out their faith everywhere but do not want to move anywhere.”

That is such a refreshing message, isn’t it?

Paul urged the Thessalonians to live a quiet life and work with their hands. He said it again in Timothy.

You may not see what God plans to do with your life. Joseph didn’t. He followed the instructions and provided for his family, but Joseph disappears before Jesus starts his ministry. We assume he died sometime before then. Mary got to see the end result. Joseph did not, at least not from earth. And we may not get to see what God intends to do with our ordinary lives.

The angel instructed Joseph to call the baby Jesus because he will save his people from their sins.

When we have kids, our focus shifts a lot from our own needs to theirs. How much more for Joseph to know that he had to provide for a baby that was the hope of the world? His whole life would have been re-oriented.

And yet, Joseph could only offer two pigeons as an offering for sin at the temple. But God allowed him to have a hand in raising the once and for all sacrifice for sin, His own son.

It is a beautiful picture of the Gospel, because like Joseph we are not really up for the task of receiving Jesus. Joseph needed Jesus to save him from his own sin as much as we do.

This is for everyone this morning, but especially our graduates. What will it be? His story or yours?

All of us want to buy the lie of Satan that we were meant for greater things and that God is holding out on us. We want God’s role in the story, but he will not give His glory to another.

Will you receive Jesus and name him your Savior? Will you take a walk-on part in His story? Will you be content with a life of quiet submission to the Father and enjoy eternal life in His presence?

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On Monday, my family celebrated Adoption Day, the sixth anniversary of L and A officially joining our family. In God’s perfect providence, this is also the week when Galatians introduces the concept of adoption as it relates to our relationship with God! And so, I’ve had the pleasure of reflecting on all of this.

Remember last Sunday, we talked about the purpose of the law. Paul teaches that formerly, the Jewish people were enslaved under the law. It was their guardian until the promise of God was fulfilled in Jesus.

And so, before we begin reading, I want to explain the difference between legal guardianship and adoption. It worked very much the same in the ancient Roman empire as it does today.

Guardianship is temporary. In ancient times, the guardian was often a servant or a slave. Today, it might be a relative or a foster parent. But when the child becomes an adult, the rights of the guardian are completely terminated. There is no lasting, legal relationship.

Adoption is much more permanent. In fact, in most states, adoption cannot be reversed at all unless it was fraud. You can legally divorce your spouse. You can’t legally unadopt a child. They even change the names of parents on a child’s birth certificate!

Galatians borrows the idea of guardianship to explain our relationship with the law and adoption to explain our relationship with God. Let’s begin – chapter 3 verse 26:

26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.

Before we talk about adoption, we need to see the context. How are we sons of God? In Christ and through faith. Adoption is an important doctrine, but union with Christ is more fundamental. Adoption is one of the many blessings possible because of our union with Christ.

27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

We should be careful with this verse. Some interpret this to mean that water baptism is necessary for salvation. But remember Paul’s purpose in this letter. He’s arguing that the sign of circumcision is not necessary for salvation. It’s impossible that Paul would now say that baptism is necessary for salvation, especially when he argues that baptism replaces circumcision in Colossians 2.

Instead, Paul is talking about an outward sign demonstrating an inward reality. Being baptized into Christ means joining the visible family of God – the Church. We have “put on Christ”. We are now dressed for the part – the role of being a son or daughter of God.

It’s like a wedding ring. The ring doesn’t make me married, but it tells people I am married.

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Literally, we are all one person in Christ Jesus. Unity – incredible unity. Why are we one? Because we share the same faith, the same baptism – we have put on the same Christ.

This verse is one of the most powerful statements in the history of the world and it was WAY ahead of its time.

We are united in such a way that the typical barriers in society have no power over God’s church. We are children of God first. We are united in Christ first. In other words, we are Christians before everything else.

But I want to be clear. These distinctions still matter. In isolation, this verse seems to erase all distinctions between people entirely. But we know from context that can’t be Paul’s meaning. The Jews were still Jews. The Greeks were still Greeks. Men were still men. Women were still women. Some Christians were still slaves.

What then does Paul mean? He means to say that being united in Christ is our primary distinction. Everything else comes second. For instance, I am not a white Christian. I’m a Christian who also happens to be white. In other words, my “whiteness” is less important than my faith.

I don’t decide who I worship with (or don’t worship with) based on categories the world has established. My faith in Christ is more important than my culture. Sunday morning is still the most segregated time of the week for American Christians because other things have become more important than our union in Christ. We are not White Christians, Black Christians, or Latino Christians. We are Christians. We are One in Christ.

I’m not suggesting color blindness. The Gospel does not erase our ethnicity. It’s about where we find our primary sense of belonging. I’m not a social label. I’m a human being. I’m a child of God. I’m also not a victim. Look at what Paul says next:

29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

I can’t possibly overstate this. Christians are not victims. Let me say that again. Christians are NOT victims. We are heirs with Christ Jesus – heirs of the kingdom. All the promises of God for His children – we get those promises. That’s who we are.

Of course, bad things happen to us. I’m not trying to diminish the pain or hurt you may have experienced in the past. Suffering is also part of the Christian life because the world hates Christ. Paul himself experienced shipwrecks and beatings and discrimination and all manners of persecution.

And yet, Paul was no victim! Why? Because Paul knew the promises of God! He believed the promises of God. He didn’t believe he had earned those promises. He did not feel entitled to them. But he trusted God to follow through.

Look at how he explains this:

4:1 I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything,

2 but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father.

He’s saying that an inheritance can’t be accessed by a child until the child becomes an adult. Until then, a child is practically no different from a slave. And in Roman society, children had basically the same rights as a slave. Everything changed when they reached adulthood.

3 In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world.

He’s repeating what we studied last Sunday – under the law, God’s people were enslaved under the conviction of sin. Just as elementary school lays a foundation for greater learning, the Old Testament laid a foundation for God’s plan to be fulfilled.

4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

These two verses are incredibly rich. It’s another summary of the Gospel message. It tells us when Jesus came, who He was, what He accomplished, and why He did it.

At just the right time – at the perfect moment – God sent Jesus. And sprinkled all over these verses are reminders that this is not a man-made Gospel.

It’s just not the way humans do things. Only God would do it this way. The origin stories of other religions were written during or after the lifetime of one person. Muhammed. Buddha. Joseph Smith.

Not the Gospel. God had spent a few thousand years preparing the world for His Son BEFORE his arrival. Generations upon generations, leaving no doubt in my mind that God wrote this story.

And the virgin birth? Not even Joseph would have believed that if not for divine intervention. Nothing explains why the disciples of Jesus were willing to die for this story except maybe that it wasn’t a story… it was the truth.

They really believed Jesus carried the curse of the law – crucifying their sin, conquering death, and redeeming the children of God. Why? So that we might receive adoption as sons.

6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

In other words, if you are a child of God, then you will know it. God will seal that knowledge with the presence of His Spirit. Our hearts will cry out to our Father the way the heart of Jesus cries out to His Father. Papa! Daddy!

7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

The Bible describes our salvation in many different ways, but this is perhaps the most personal and the most precious.

It is especially true today when so many people have terrible or non-existent relationships with their earthly fathers. The failures of men in our culture to stay and love their children is a crushing blow to society and it will have devastating impact on our future.

But here in the Gospel we find hope. In fact, this was always part of God’s plan. 42 times in the Old Testament, God speaks directly to people known as “the fatherless”. And with so many in our community and even in our church who struggle with this identity, I want to clearly connect these dots for us.

When Jesus was baptized, the Father spoke to Him directly. He said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Those are the three things every son desperately wants to hear from their own father. You’re my son. I love you. I’m proud of you.

If we don’t get that, it leaves a deep wound. Jesus heard those words, but do you know what happened next? Let’s look at Matthew 4:

1 Immediately, Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

How is that for a parting gift? You’re my son. I love you. I’m proud of you. Now, go battle the enemy. Also, don’t eat.

2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. Understatement of the year.

3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”

Jesus responds with Scripture. Three times Satan tempts Jesus, and each time Jesus resists with Scripture. But look more closely at the words of Satan in verse 3.

The real strategy was not to tempt a hungry man with food. That’s too simple. The real strategy was to sow doubt in the mind of Jesus. “IF you are the Son of God”. In other words, is that really who you are?

Jesus had just heard the voice of His Father, but that’s what Satan attacks. Prove it. Prove to me you’re God’s Son.

And Satan is still doing that to us. You don’t belong to anyone. No one cares about you. No one loves you. No one is proud of you. No one claims you. Prove it. And with sad and angry hearts, so many people hear those lies and they crumble.

But here’s the good news. If the Gospel is true – if I can be united to Christ Jesus by faith, then everything God says of Jesus is also true of me – because of my union with Christ. That’s what adoption means! I have a Father in heaven who claims me. He loves me. He’s proud of me – not because of my own righteousness, but because of Christ. And I belong with His people. We claim you because He claims us.

You don’t have to be an orphan. You don’t have to be a victim. You don’t have to be alone. Everything true of Jesus is now true of God’s adopted sons and daughters.

With my wife’s permission, I want to close by reading part of the Facebook post she wrote to celebrate Adoption Day:

“Today is a day to celebrate how we became a family of 6 but also to allow room to feel ALL the feelings of today – of the many things gained but also many lost – that shattered hearts can feel the cracks and broken places and simultaneously feel the places Jesus is healing back together. Adoption is such a beautiful picture of the Gospel – of being adored and chosen and brought into a family, and it’s more beautiful in contrast to the depths of the brokenness. We pray that our children see and understand how their own story is a beautiful contrast of hardship and hope and that Jesus shines all the more brightly and receives all the glory and honor and praise.”

God writes every good story. Brothers and sisters, we are no longer slaves, but children, and if we are children, then we are heirs through God.

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Most non-Christians assume that Christianity is like every other religion. Keep the rules. Get the blessing. Keep the rules. Get the blessing. It’s the way humans are wired. And that’s why every religion focuses on behavior.

Pray this prayer. Assume this posture. Light this candle. We believe that our behavior has spiritual consequences.

We all believe it because it is true. Our behavior does have spiritual consequences.

Psalm 119 verse 1 says: “Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord!” Good behavior does lead to blessing.

But this is where the similarity between Christianity takes a different path from other religions. The Bible is also clear from beginning to end that getting the blessing of that verse is not as simple as other religions make it sound.

In Joshua 24, after the nation of Israel had taken possession of the promised land, the people renewed their vows to follow and obey God. But listen to what Joshua said to them:

You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins.

You are not able. That is what separates the Christian faith. These two ideas were held in tension until the cross of Jesus. Serve the Lord. You’re not able. Keep the law. You’re not able.

We’re in the middle of Galatians 3 this morning. The Apostle Paul continues his argument that the Jews have misunderstood the purpose of the law and it is now hurting their understanding of the Gospel.

15 To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified.

We don’t add things to a contract after it has been signed. God doesn’t do that either. The original terms of the arrangement have not changed. God has not changed the way he deals with his people.

This is why I’m not a dispensationalist. The Bible is not the story of God changing plans repeatedly. It is the story of one plan slowly being revealed.

16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ.

Paul draws a line from Abraham to Jesus and rightfully so. We’ve talked about the covenant with Abraham before. Remember the cutting of the animals and the path of blood? That’s how people made official promises to each other. They walked the path together as a statement – if I break this promise, you can do this to me!

But God put Abraham to sleep and walked the path alone. What did that communicate? It was God’s way of saying, “I will keep my side of this covenant and when you break your side, I will die.” That’s what Jesus did! Paul sees that connection between Abraham and Jesus. The work of Jesus was the object of even Abraham’s faith.

17 This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void.

Moses came along hundreds of years after Abraham. God made a covenant with Moses, but it wasn’t a completely new thing.

18 For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.

The plan did not change. The promise did not change. God did not move the goalposts. God simply provided some new information. Why? What was the purpose of the law?

19 Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary.

God gave us the law to reveal sin – to help us better understand our need for Jesus, whom Paul calls “the offspring”.

This argument is meant to show that God’s covenant with Abraham was primary and His covenant with the people through Moses was secondary. This is why Paul says it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. That would be Moses.

God spoke directly to Abraham, but He spoke to the Israelites through Moses.

20 Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one.

In a typical negotiation, there are two parties, and a mediator would represent both parties. But God’s covenants work differently because they are unconditional and unilateral.

In all of this together, Paul is defending the idea that God’s covenant with Abraham was more significant, and that God has not changed the plan.

But now, Paul anticipates an objection. The Jews would probably ask if the Mosaic covenant contradicted the covenant with Abraham.

21 Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law.

In other words, Paul says that how you answer that question depends on the purpose of the law. If God provided the law as a way to be saved, then it definitely contradicted his covenant with Abraham! But that was never the law’s purpose.

22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

He calls the law “Scripture” to reinforce his belief that God provided the law and that the law is good. But why did God give us a law? Because the law imprisoned everything under sin. What does that mean?

Let me try to illustrate it. Imagine that you were born in a prison. All you’ve ever known was the inside of a prison. All you’ve ever seen is bars and cement. You get the same meals every day – bland, simple food. You wear the same clothes every day. And that’s all you remember because it is all you’ve ever known.

23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed.

Captive. Imprisoned. Longing for something better but trapped. For most of Israel’s history, they were longing for the fulfillment of God’s promise.

It was like the train whistle in that Johnny Cash song. He’s stuck in prison, but he can hear the train in the distance. I bet there’s rich folks eatin’ in a fancy dining car. They’re probably drinkin’ coffee and smoking big cigars.

That’s what it feels like being captive under the law. All the law did was make them want the Messiah more! That was exactly the point of the law, according to the Apostle.

24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.

25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.

In other words, because they are now justified by faith in Christ, the Jews were no longer waiting for the Messiah, held captive under the law.

Now, let’s talk about why this matters for us.

First, let’s talk about the importance of church history. We are tempted to only see what God is doing in our moment – our churches, our families. We forget that God was at work in all the generations before us. We have something to learn from that.

Paul weaves together 2,000 years of history to show us how God worked. Jesus did the same thing with his disciples after the resurrection – explaining to them how God had been at work since creation.

Many of the problems we have today with doctrine and Christian ethics could be avoided if we considered God’s work in the past.

Second, I think it is important for us to know that God doesn’t move the goalposts. The Christian faith is not a bait and switch, but some Christians and some churches make it sound that way.

They make it sound so simple – pray this prayer, believe in Jesus. But once you’re in, they start loading you up with other things that sound necessary for salvation. And that can be very confusing.

We need to be clear that Christians are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, as revealed by Scripture alone, to the glory of God alone.

God absolutely intends to sanctify us, to make us more like Jesus. But if we are united to Jesus by faith, then we are already justified. We are no longer condemned. That doesn’t change.

Finally, we need to see the value and necessity of the law. Sometimes Christians with good intentions talk about the law as if it is a bad thing, because they want us to focus on grace.

But that is a false dilemma. The law is good. We will not yearn for Christ without it.

As John Stott says, “Not until the law has humbled us even to hell will we turn to the gospel to raise us to heaven.”

This is why it is so important that we know God’s law and examine our lives with it. If we cut away the parts of God’s law that offend us, we are making it less likely that we will yearn for Christ. The law is supposed to offend us. Its job is to expose our sin.

If we decide for ourselves that certain sins are OK, because of the pressure of society or because of our own personal preferences, then we are effectively choosing the comforts of our prison cell over the promises of Jesus.

If God’s plan is to save us from sin and death, then maybe we should trust His Word and the conviction of His Spirit to tell us what’s wrong with this world instead of listening to the world to tell us right from wrong.

Remember the tension we talked about? Keep the law. You’re not able. The greater the tension, the more we will feel our need of grace. The more we will need Jesus.

But if we dull our sensitivity to sin, if we soften our understanding of sin, if we start to believe that no one really deserves the condemnation of a holy God – then we won’t feel a need for Jesus at all. And Christianity becomes pointless.

Jesus died on a cross. He suffered the wrath of God for sin. That tells us that sin is a much bigger problem in God’s eyes than we want to believe. And that’s why Christians keep going back to the cross. It forces us to remember how much we need the grace of God. It resoles the tension between God’s law and our inability to keep it – between God’s holiness and His love.

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This morning, we continue our study of Galatians. Paul begins chapter 3 by speaking directly to his Gentile brothers and sisters. The tone of his words speak volumes:

1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified.

The word “crucified” is in the perfect tense. It means something has been completed and still provides benefits or results. For instance, we dug a well and it’s still providing water. We planted a field and it’s still providing food. Jesus was crucified and his finished work is still enough for us.

And so, we could say this verse another way. How stupid can you people be? What spell are you under? We gave you a clear explanation of what Jesus accomplished and how it still benefits you. Have you lost your mind?

2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?

Paul assumes these people have received the Spirit. That they were already believers. But they have obviously forgotten how that happened. What was their role in the process? Did they enter the kingdom by doing good works or be responding to the finished work of Jesus?

3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?

Again, he questions their judgment. How stupid can you be? You started the Christian life by the Spirit. Are you now being perfected by works?

4 Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?

5 Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith—

Why does God bless us? Is it because we have earned His blessing by doing good? Or is it by responding to the finished work of Jesus?

6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?

The New Testament references this verse, Genesis 15:6, three times. It’s an incredibly important verse, because it demonstrates that God aways intended to accomplish salvation in this way – justification by faith.

This is a whole-Bible doctrine – not a Paul doctrine. Faith in God counts as righteousness. We can escape the condemnation of God by trusting God to provide righteousness on our behalf. That’s specifically what Jesus accomplished.

This was an important argument for Paul because the Jewish Christians had no counterargument. This was written before Moses was born. There was no Mosaic law. And Abraham would not receive the sign of the covenant, circumcision, until two chapters later!

7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham.

8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.”

9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

Not only was faith revealed to Abraham, so was the ultimate plan of God! The promise of faith was not exclusive to Israel. The Jews considered themselves to be the sons of Abraham. But Paul argues that God always intended to bless the Gentiles through faith. They also had the right to be called “sons of Abraham” – not because of law keeping, but because of faith.

10 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.”

The law condemns. Remember that. The law condemns.

11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.”

Faith justifies. The law condemns. Faith justifies. The law condemns.

12 But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.”

These two ways of living are mutually exclusive. That’s his point. You can try to live by works or you can live by faith. You can’t do both.

13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—

That’s from Deuteronomy 21:23. When someone committed a capital crime in Israel, they were stoned to death. Afterwards, they hung the body on a tree for a few hours to signify the judgment of God. It was purposefully displayed to demonstrate the curse of sin. It was difficult to ignore the consequences. Sin brings death. It brings the curse of God.

But consider Jesus. He was nailed to a cross – publicly displayed as a curse, even though he committed no crime. Beaten. Bloodied. Nailed. Hung. Gasping for air in pain. Becoming a curse. For us.

14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.

The key word is “receive”. That’s the only word that describes our role in the story, our part. We passively receive it. Empty handed.

In fact, we must be careful not to think of faith as a work. Faith is not something we do. Faith is only a means, or a conduit, by which we receive Jesus.

Our confession describes saving faith as accepting, receiving, and resting. Those are all intentionally passive words, because we are being careful to say – as Paul says here by using the word “receive” – that God is the One doing all the work.

The law says, “Do.” Jesus says, “Done.” Faith justifies. The law condemns.

I appreciate the illustration Cyril Chavis uses in his new book to explain the blessing of justification. He says imagine that you receive an invitation directly from God to attend the greatest feast in history. As you read the invitation, you notice these words: “Dress to impress, or no entry.”

Knowing that God is perfect and holy, you visit every store in Memphis looking for the perfect outfit. You find the most expensive, most extravagant outfit in the city. You show up at the party feeling good about your choice.

But when you arrive, God looks you over and says, “You didn’t finish reading the invitation, did you?” At the bottom of the invitation, in bold print, it reads: “I will provide the attire.” And then God gives you the most amazing clothes you’ve ever seen – bright white and shining like the sun.

And that’s exactly the picture God gives us in Revelation 19 – it has been granted believers to wear fine linen, bright and pure. Our righteousness is a gift from God, received by faith in Jesus.

If you really want to understand this, you’re going to have to personalize it. Consider your own story. Think about the things you have pursued in your life. Career. Strength. Beauty. Athletics. Relationships. Hobbies. Think about the things we spend our time doing. There’s a universal human experience in all of those things. We never feel like we’ve done enough.

For instance, professional body builders reach the highest level of physical performance possible for human beings. We look at them and we marvel. But they look in the mirror and they see some muscle group that needs to be better. It never feels good enough.

And that’s exactly how it feels living under the law. My friend Ricky describes it as a feeling that God is like a policeman in the rearview mirror waiting for a reason to turn his lights on. He felt like that even when trying so hard to be good. Listen to how Ricky described his college years:

“In college, I awoke at six every morning and attended five Bible studies a week, plus prayer meetings. All it ever did was cover me with even more guilt because I wasn’t everything, I thought I ought to be. One summer I worked at Christian camp and felt guilty about it because I thought I wasted my summer trying to help rich kids. The next summer, I signed up to help poor kids, which was a disaster. I desperately wanted those kids to love me, to see my sacrifice for them, and appreciate me. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was just using them to fill a void in my heart. Once, when I saw how little they respected me, I got so angry that I threw a basketball at one of the kids. The true nature of my service was revealed: I was there only for myself.”

I can relate to every word of that. It may not have been religious works for you, but it has been something. Some effort that never felt like enough. You’ll never earn enough money. You’ll never be talented enough, or smart enough, or pretty enough, or good enough, or healthy enough. I’m not talking about what other people think about you. I’m talking about how you see yourself. That’s the curse of the law.

It’s not only that you are guilty in the courtroom of God. You’re guilty in the courtroom of your own soul. It’s never enough. And we do this to our kids without even trying. It’s second nature. We push them to perform. It may not be the law you grew up with, but you’ll replace it with some other law – some other way of life that’s the best way of life. We all do it. And it’s a curse. And we keep passing it on, generation after generation.

The very thing we don’t want to do, we inevitably end up doing. All you have to do is look at human history.

If you’re a parent, then you know how difficult it is to watch your own child suffer. And yet, that is also a universal experience. We’ve all been there. I’ll never forget sitting with my son for hours after he severely burned his hand in a fire. He was in immense pain. I remember thinking how much I wanted to take that pain on myself – how badly I wanted to trade places with him so he wouldn’t have to suffer. Given that option, I’d have done it instantly. No hesitation.

This is what makes the Gospel so remarkable to me. God the Son took the curse in my place. He traded places with me. And yet, Jesus did hesitate. Only for a moment, and probably only for our benefit – so that we might better understand what He chose to do.

Hours before the cross, Jesus was in deep emotional distress as He prayed to the Father. He said these words, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

The emotional distress of Jesus in that moment had nothing to do with the torture of the cross or even death. Like a parent loves a child, Jesus was ready and willing to suffer and die in our place. No… his distress was something else. He called it the cup. What cup?

He’s talking about the cup of God’s anger for sin. He’s talking about drinking judgment. He’s talking about that curse.

Try to put this in perspective. Any decent parent would willingly trade places with their own suffering child. But raise your hand if you would let your only child suffer unjustly in the place of people who deserve it?

None of us, and in fact we would consider that to be a weird form of child abuse. The only way it works in the Gospel is because The Father and the Son are One God. The lender Himself is the One paying the debt.

But consider exactly what that means! Why would Jesus willingly place Himself under a curse for us? The only answer is unconditional love expressing itself through sacrifice. A gift like that can never be earned. And in fact, to try and earn it is to mock the sacrifice by making it look conditional. That is the good news at the heart of Paul’s argument.

All we do to be justified is passively receive the good news.

But what’s the opposite of passively receiving something? Actively rejecting it. And that’s the default condition of every human being until God changes our posture by grace. You’re either passively receiving Jesus or actively rejecting Him. There is no middle ground. There can’t be.

Faith justifies. The law condemns. Faith justifies. The law condemns.

Will you today passively accept, receive, and rest in what God offers you in Christ?

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There is nothing more important we could be doing right now. God’s Word has the power to change your life forever – not because of my preaching, but because of His Spirit. I don’t need to sell you anything. You’re not here for me. You’re here for Jesus. And today we will find Him in Galatians 2.

11 But when Cephas (that’s Peter) came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.

Unlike the false teachers who were talking behind Paul’s back, he confronted Peter directly. Why?

12 For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. 13 And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.

This sounds like a high school lunchroom drama. Peter switches tables when the cool kids walk in. And peer pressure even gets to Barnabas.

Paul calls this hypocrisy, and he challenged it because it had major implications for the early church. Peter’s actions did not match his beliefs. This is how Paul explains the problem.

14 But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

Peter did this publicly. Paul addresses it publicly. If Paul let this go, then everyone would assume this hypocrisy was OK.

Remember, Peter has already agreed with Paul’s presentation of the Gospel. Not only in principle, but in practice. Peter no longer followed the ceremonial law himself unless the right people were watching. This was a serious problem. His conduct betrayed the Gospel he claimed to believe.

His actions also risked dividing Jews and Gentiles into first-class and second-class Christians. This was Paul’s concern.

15 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; 16 yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

Three times Paul uses the word “justified”. This is a legal term, and it means the opposite of condemned. It speaks to this question: how does a person escape the condemnation of God? That was the question of the rich young man in Matthew 19: what must I do to be saved?

Every religion on the planet answers that question with some form of law – the works of the law, as Paul says. Jews believed (wrongly) that they would be justified by keeping the law. This is why it had become so easy for them to think of themselves as first-class people and everyone else as second-class.

Instead, Paul teaches something different. We escape the condemnation of God by faith in Christ, not by works of any law. Paul didn’t make this up. In fact, Paul will explain clearly in chapter 3 that the Jews have always misunderstood the purpose of the law. It is good and right, but it’s not how we are justified. The law can only condemn us. God’s people have always been reconciled to Him by faith, not works.

One more time, to be clear. We are not saved by doing good things. We are saved by grace, through faith in Jesus. This is the truth of the Gospel. This is the primary article of all Christian doctrine. In the words of Martin Luther, this is the knowledge that we must beat into our heads continually.

17 But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! 18 For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. 19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God.

Paul seeks to answer a common objection. People who rely on works will always claim that the Gospel is a license to sin. It goes like this: “If I believe in Jesus, can I then live however I want? Does it really matter if I sin?”

That’s what he means by asking if Christ is a servant of sin. If we keep sinning deliberately, is Jesus going to just keep pouring grace on it?

Paul responds by calling this an absurd question. I’m not just believing in Jesus; I am united to Jesus. Dying to the law also means living for God. And now we have come to the most famous verse in the letter:

20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

Paul takes the legal reality of the Gospel and makes it personal. Verse 20 sings to us. Grace is an experience, not just an idea. It’s a person, not just a principal.

And notice, Paul does not say “I was converted by faith”. He says, “I live by faith” – continuously. Daily. This truth is set to repeat in the playlist of his soul.

Because believing what God says is true of me will change the way I see God, the way I see myself, and the way I live my life.

Who am I now? I’m someone who died and rose again in Christ. The old me, the me before Christ, is dead. The new me, the me united to Christ, is alive. Jesus loves me. He gave Himself for me. I did not earn it by doing good. It was a free gift. I received it with empty hands. If I try to offer something in return, if I depend on the law, then Christ’s death was pointless.

And this was the problem with Peter. He believed all of this, but in a moment of sin his actions demonstrated unbelief. And so, Paul turns the question of law keeping back on his accusers!

This is his argument to the Jews: you’re concerned that new believers will ignore the need for holy living, that they will keep sinning without remorse because of grace. You’re afraid that people’s actions won’t match their beliefs.

And Paul says, I completely agree with that concern… and I’ll give you an example. Peter says he believes the Gospel, that Christians are justified by faith. But in this moment, his actions don’t match that belief!

You see, anytime our conduct is not in step with the Gospel, it’s a problem. It’s a moment of practical unbelief. It sends mixed signals to other people.

And this cuts both ways. It’s a problem for people who try to add requirements to salvation. AND it’s a problem for people who ignore the consequences of their own sin.

Both of those problems are examples of losing step with the Gospel and they are really two sides of the same coin, which is Paul’s exact point. When your focus becomes something other than Christ, you start drifting out of step with the Gospel, and that can express itself in both ways – legalism (which is works righteousness) or license (which is living in unrepentant sin).

Peter’s mistake was that he refused to fellowship with other believers in that moment, even though they professed the same faith in Jesus. And plenty of Christians make the same type of mistake today – refusing to fellowship with believers because they didn’t receive the same mode of baptism, refusing to fellowship with believers who disagree with matters of secondary theological importance, refusing to fellowship with believers of a different skin color, refusing to fellowship with believers from a different social class…

God doesn’t create these kinds of barriers to fellowship. We do.

Peter needed to hear again the voice of Jesus – “What God has made clean, do not call common.” The only barrier between us and God is a lack of saving faith in Christ Jesus. We must accept the people whom God accepts, on no other basis than a valid profession of faith.

And yet, we find here also a defense of church discipline. Jesus gave his church the keys to the kingdom. The elders of the church have a responsibility to make sure everyone in the church is keeping in step with the Gospel – meaning that we are united in Christ… one faith. One body.

God wants us to confront legalism (as Paul confronts Peter). But He also wants us to confront unrepentant sin. Always in love, always prayerful, always with the hope of restoration. This is Paul’s objective here… not to cast out the brothers who failed, like Peter and Barnabas. No! But to restore unity and to get everyone marching in step with the Gospel once again!

But if that repentance did not happen, Paul was ready to break fellowship with these men for the sake of the Gospel! And for the sake of his Gentile brothers and sisters in Christ!

There are plenty of churches today making the mistake of continuing fellowship with people who claim to love Jesus but are unwilling to repent of things that God says are not OK.

All of this is serious business. Grace is powerful. It’s beautiful. It’s life giving. Life changing. But remember what it cost God – it required the horrific death of His only Son. And when we receive grace, we die with Christ. We die to the law, and we die to sin.

I want to end by trying to explain this one more time, in simple terms, because it is so incredibly important.

Our tendency is to come to God asking one of two questions:

What must I do? OR What can I get away with?

God, what must I do to be saved? OR God, what can I get away with?

These are both terrible questions. Grace teaches us to ask new questions of God, better questions – questions of faith.

Who am I now, in Christ?

And how should I now live to bring Christ glory?

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It should not surprise us that in the early days of Christianity, our great enemy – the Devil – did everything in his power to crush the church and her leaders. He used persecution, but he also used lies. And as we get further into the letter to the Galatians, it will become obvious that Paul was dealing with a false rumor.

Some people were spreading lies about Paul’s teaching – specifically that his teaching was different than the teaching of Peter, James, and John.

Last week, we finished the first chapter of the letter, where Paul defends His Gospel by saying it came from God, not men.

In chapter 2, Paul will defend the unity of the apostle’s teaching.

As we study this together, please keep in mind – this is one of the reasons why I believe the Bible. Humanly speaking, the early church should not have survived. The persecution… the lies… the struggle was real. It makes no earthly sense why this little religion is now the world’s largest faith. And yet, Jesus said, the gates of hell will not prevail against His church.

1 Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me.

14 years after his conversion, Paul travels to Jerusalem with two brothers in Christ – one is a Jew and the other is a Gentile. And I love the boldness here. This was risky, possibly even dangerous.

Paul makes a statement by taking Titus with him. This is the statement: We’re not going to get together and argue about a theological theory. I’m going to put one of these people in front of you. He refused to let “Gentile Christians” become an idea. These were people with souls.

And we would be well served to remember this in our own debates, especially when we are talking about brothers and sisters in Christ, who believe the same basic things about Jesus.

This week, I read a great story about RC Sproul speaking at a church conference. RC Sproul was a Presbyterian theologian known for teaching Reformed theology. We have one of his books on the book table.

But during the Question and Answer time at this conference, someone asked Dr. Sproul if he thought he would see Billy Graham in heaven. I assume the person asking was concerned about the fact that Billy Graham was not Reformed. Sproul was also known for his quick wit, and I love his response:

“No, I don’t believe I will see Billy Graham in heaven.” And the whole audience gasped! But then he continued, “Billy Graham will be so close to the throne of God, and I will be so far away from the throne of God, that I will be lucky even to get a glimpse of him!”

That’s beautiful! That’s unity in the Gospel. And I say that believing that Dr. Sproul had much better theology than Billy Graham. It matters, but it is a matter of secondary importance.

2 I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain.

Paul does not doubt his message at this point, but he understands that the Church would be divided if the apostles preached different messages. He was not called back to Jerusalem because the apostles doubted him. Instead, God led him to return.

Notice that the apostles have these discussions in private. They were eager to preserve the peace and unity of the Church. And notice how Paul refers to the other apostles. He calls them “those who seemed influential”.

I think that is an important correction for the way we think of Christian leaders. These men were literal disciples of Jesus. Think about all the things they experienced! But Paul doesn’t think of himself or the other apostles as self-important celebrities. These men understood their place in the kingdom.

We should be careful of elevating leaders in the church to positions of great influence. Not even the apostles were comfortable in that role.

3 But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek.

This is the mic drop moment for me. Paul says, I took Titus to Jerusalem. We met with the other apostles. They didn’t force circumcision on Titus. Boom. What now, Judaizers?

We haven’t talked about this yet, but circumcision was THE major practical issue. Many of the Jewish Christians were demanding that Gentile Christian men must also be circumcised. They wanted to keep some of the ceremonial laws as requirements for faithful followers of Jesus. In other words, they wanted to keep Christianity in the Jewish world.

This group was known as the Judaizers and they operated as a faction, desperate to control the early church. Paul called them “false brothers”. This was not a secondary theological issue.

4 Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery—

5 to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.

Here, Paul introduces the language of freedom and slavery. This will be an important subject in the letter. We’ll come back to it in a moment.

6 And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me.

Again, Paul downplays the influence of men, and he says that they “added nothing to me.” In other words, they did not edit Paul’s Gospel.

There are really two ways of changing the Gospel – and both are equally dangerous. Paul is concerned here with people trying to add something.

It is very common for Christians, churches, and entire denominations to add things to the Gospel. We might add moral requirements to the Gospel for two reasons. The first is simply bad theology. It is common for people to misunderstand the nature of grace and poison the Gospel with works-righteousness. That’s not an issue of secondary importance. This sort of bad theology destroys Christianity altogether.

But we also run the risk of distorting the Gospel when we are unwilling to adapt our preferences and traditions for the sake of the lost. This is the influence of conservatism. If we load new believers up with expectations that are cultural and not Biblical, the Gospel can easily become lost in the confusion. It may not be our intention to create a new form of works-righteousness, but it can happen anyway.

We must be careful of adding to the Gospel. But we must also be careful of subtracting from it. Paul doesn’t specifically address this concern here, but He will later in the letter.

Many Christians will subtract from the message in an attempt to make Christianity more attractive. This is the influence of liberalism.

It has become common in the last 100 years for some professing Christians to say they love Jesus, but they disagree with Paul. They are usually referring to Paul’s teachings on certain matters – especially when it comes to sexual sin.

But something I encourage you to consider is this:

You will find no contradictions at all between the teaching of Jesus, Paul, and the other apostles. None. Not about the Gospel, or really any issue at all. There are zero contradictions. And that means there is only one true version of Christianity, because the New Testament is completely unified in its message.

Ignoring parts of the Bible we don’t like is a dangerous practice. We are all tempted to downplay or minimize the reality of sin and judgment to make Christianity sound more accepting and tolerant, but when we do that the Gospel loses its power. Jesus demands our repentance. He doesn’t suggest it. Jesus also talks about hell more than anyone else in the Bible. This is what the Gospel saves us from! Sin. Death. Hell. The wrath of God.

We must be careful of adding OR subtracting anything from the Gospel.

7 On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised

8 (for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles),

9 and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.

10 Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.

And this is where we will end our reading of the text for today.

Let’s look briefly at verse 10 and then we will consider the rest of the story as a whole.

Peter, James, and John encourage Paul to continue preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles and they ask him to remember the poor.

Concern for the poor is a big theme in the New Testament as a whole. It is an important response to the Gospel. Followers of Jesus cannot help but care for the needs of the poor. The early churches were known for their generosity.

But this request had a special purpose. The Jewish churches were much poorer than the Gentile churches. They were asking Paul to use his influence to help bring unity between the churches – not only in theology, but also in support. Wealthy churches helping poor churches.

One of the things I love about Presbyterianism is that we do this… not perfectly, but we do help our sister churches and we have benefited from the generosity of other churches.

Now, let’s consider the message of the text as a whole.

Paul’s argument continues to reinforce the idea that there is only one Gospel.

I understand that there are many churches and many denominations around the world. We disagree about all sorts of things. But there is only one Gospel and the things that are necessary for salvation are sufficiently clear in Scripture.

There can be no debate about the basic content of the Gospel message – our need for repentance and faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Any church or denomination that adds or subtracts something from the Gospel message ceases to be a true church. It becomes a false church. It becomes like every other religion – dependent on some form of works-righteousness or more concerned with human traditions than the glory of God.

And yet, the church has had many different expressions throughout history – even in the first century. Why? Because of what Paul describes as our freedom in Christ.

We must resist any attempts by professing Christians to alter the message of the Gospel, either by adding to it or by subtracting from it. And while we should stand firm in our convictions of what we believe the Bible teaches, we should also be slow to condemn professing Christians who disagree with us on secondary issues.

This is because God has given the church some wide margins, especially in terms of cultural expression. We have some very important things in common. But we are also very different.

How do we live in this tension?

We must condemn the things God condemns, but we must also accept the people whom God accepts. And we must lay no further burden upon fellow believers except that which Scripture clearly teaches about the Gospel, careful to maintain unity in Christ.

This is why you can be adopted into Christ Fellowship by a simple profession of faith in Jesus. You don’t have to agree with me about Reformed theology or infant baptism. You may disagree with us on all sorts of things, with some exceptions. If the Bible calls it sin, then it is sin. We’re not bending on that, because it would be subtracting from the Gospel.

But we’re also trying to be careful not to add any burdens to you that Scripture does not add. You’re welcome here even in disagreement about other important things. As my friend Chris Accardy wrote this morning, “It is more important to have saving faith in the Lord Jesus than to know exactly how you got it.”

The four apostles who gathered in that private room to discuss the Gospel – Paul, Peter, James, and John. All four of them wrote part of the New Testament. And it is clear from their writing styles that they were very different men. They were each concerned with different problems in the church. They emphasized different doctrines and practices. They never contradict one another in Scripture, only because they were writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

And these men were far from perfect, as we will learn next week. But the Holy Spirit protected the message of the Gospel that day. Thanks be to God!

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I’m aware of the fact that many of the people who grew up around Christianity now consider themselves to be non-religious. And most of them have left the church because what’s the point? And the Bible agrees! If Jesus did not really rise from the dead, then, in my opinion, the Christian faith is just another human mythology, and this is an absolute waste of your time.

However, there are now churches full of people who no longer believe what the Bible teaches, but they still gather because they value the community, or the music, or the culture. For some people, it has become a folk religion. And to be honest, it really bothers me. It makes me angry.

I’m one of the crazy people who still believes Jesus was actually born of a virgin, that He lived a perfect life, that He died as a substitutionary atonement for sins, and that He literally rose from the dead. I believe every Word the Bible teaches. And I’m not alone.

There are people on every continent worshipping Jesus today in thousands of languages. Christianity is not a folk religion, or a mythology reserved for a specific culture, ethnic group, or moment in history. Christianity is the only Truth. It’s the only Way that leads to God. And it is an all or nothing proposition.

That sounds exclusive and intolerant to modern ears, but in reality, Christianity is the most inclusive religion in the history of the world. There is only One Way, but the Way is open to anyone – regardless of their social status, ethnicity, or language. No other religion in this world has the footprint of Christianity, and for me that’s proof enough that the Bible is worth our attention.

I’m going to be reading from Galatians chapter 1 this morning. Galatians is a letter in the New Testament. It was written after the resurrection of Jesus by the Apostle Paul.

Paul was a missionary church planter. He started the churches in Galatia very early in his ministry, probably during his first missionary journey. So, this letter was written to some of the first non-Jewish Christians in the world.

Understand, Christianity began as a Jewish Messianic movement. The followers of Jesus believed He was the Promised Messiah, that He was crucified for their sins, and that three days later He rose from the dead.

But in the very beginning, most of the people who believed this were ethnically Jewish. It wasn’t until after the dramatic conversion of Paul and his missionary journeys that a lot of non-Jewish people started believing in Jesus.

And that caused a big debate in the early church. The Jewish Christians didn’t know what to do with the non-Jewish Christians. Many of them believed that these Gentiles (that’s what they called them) needed to become Jewish in order to be real Christians, but Paul argued that the message of the Gospel would be destroyed if that happened.

By adding requirements to simple faith in Jesus, these teachers were distorting the Gospel. We talked about that last week. And now we come to verse 10 of Galatians 1. Please give your attention to the reading of God’s Word:

10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Seeking the approval of men – this was the central issue… The Jewish Christians wanted the new believers to become Jewish. And if that happened, Christianity would have died in the first century. Paul knew that… but more importantly, God knew it and God protected the message of the Gospel. He protected these new Christians.

God did not care about the Gentile Christians becoming Jewish… humans did. And Paul did not care about gaining the approval of his own people… He cared about God, not men.

And that is exactly what I want us to focus on this morning. This faith, the Christian faith, is by God, for God, and about God. It is not a human invention. It is not a folk religion. It is not a mythology. This is about God, not men.

11 For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel.

12 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

13 For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it.

14 And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers.

This is one of the reasons I believe the Bible is true. Paul’s conversion makes no sense without divine intervention. Why would a man known for persecuting Christians so quickly switch sides? He was the most unlikely convert!

Paul, formerly known as Saul, already believed he was doing the work of God! And he was further motivated by the opinions of his peers. Converting to Christianity meant abandoning his status, his culture, everything… no man at that time, in that culture, would ever do this without a significant and compelling motivation. But look at how Paul explains it.

15 But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, 16 was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles,

We’re going to look very closely at this part of the story.

He says God “set me apart”. God is the subject. Paul was the object. God initiated this conversion. God instigated it. God acted and Paul was acted upon. But notice when this happened…

“Before I was born,” Paul says. It says in Greek, “From my mother’s womb…” In other words, God set Paul’s conversion in motion before Paul was born, meaning before Paul could contribute anything to his own conversion.

Being a baby in the womb is the most passive human experience we have. We do nothing. We are kept alive by a passive connection to our mother. And we have no choice in the matter. We don’t choose to be conceived. We don’t choose our parents. We don’t choose our birthday. We don’t choose the circumstances of our birth.

And yet, Paul says that God set him apart before birth – at a time when Paul clearly had nothing to do with it… no choice in the matter, at all. And the passive language continues:

He “called me”. God is the subject. Paul is the object.

“By His grace” – remember what the word grace means? It means undeserved or unearned blessing. It means receiving a reward when you deserve punishment. Paul says, God called me – me! Even though I did nothing to be set apart… I did nothing to deserve a call. On the contrary, Paul was a complete enemy of God.

And yet, God was “pleased to reveal His Son to me.”

I want to pause here and read the story of Paul’s conversion in Acts 9:

1 Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest

2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

3 Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him.

4 And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”

5 And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.

6 But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.”

7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one.

8 Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.

9 And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

Jesus appeared to Paul on the road. Paul was not on his way to learn about Jesus. Paul was not seeking after Jesus. Paul’s heart was not “soft to the message of the Gospel”. Paul didn’t give in the “opiate of the masses.” Paul was on his way to persecute more Christians.

Jesus had died a few years earlier and Paul knew what the Christians believed – that Jesus had rose from the dead. And Paul had probably spoken to eyewitnesses, but he rejected their testimony. His intention was to eliminate this Messianic cult.

Jesus was the only Person in the universe who could realistically convince Paul to convert to Christianity. And here’s the point… that’s always true. For everyone… no one is seeking after God. No one. You’re not here today because you’re looking for God. God wanted you here. That’s why you’re here.

Conversion is the business of God, not men. If you start following Jesus today, it is because God set you apart before you were born. It is because God called you. It is because God revealed His Son to you. God chooses to work through the preaching of His Word, but I’m not convincing anyone to believe. It’s His Word. His gospel. His power.

But the story continues:

I did not immediately consult with anyone; 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.

18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days.

19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother. 20 (In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!)

This is important testimony. Paul includes this information to show that the Gospel message was not a human invention. There was no conspiracy or plot to start a new religion. Paul was not a strategic convert, employed by the early church to legitimize the faith.

In fact, the Christians were afraid of Paul. They didn’t trust him for years. And the Jews wanted to kill him. All of this reinforces the origin of the Gospel message. Paul did not reason his way to belief in Jesus. He wasn’t discipled by the Apostles.

What explanation does this leave? How does a deeply religious man, well respected and admired in his own context, abandon his religion and culture so quickly to join the movement he spent years trying to kill? Is it possible that God actually did what Paul claims?

21 Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ.

23 They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they glorified God because of me.

Who did they glorify? GOD. Not Paul. Not the apostles. God.

And why does God get the glory? Because God did this – beginning to end. Not men.

Paul references his personal testimony in almost every letter. He tells the story three times in the book of Acts. It was always an important part of his presentation of the Gospel. And it never makes Paul sound like a good guy. It required Paul to share the most embarrassing, shameful thing about his past.

But every time it made God sound awesome – because of grace.

And grace is what sets Christianity apart from every other religion. I’m very confident in that statement because I’ve looked for it. You won’t find it anywhere else. Grace, as the Bible defines it, is a completely unique concept. No other religion has a similar concept.

The idea has been borrowed by works of fiction. In fact, many of the best-selling novels of all time feature plots based on the concept of grace. The world loves the idea of it, but it’s clearly not a concept we invented.

Grace is the masterpiece of God. It must be because it defies human understanding. And in every circumstance, it points us to God.

I’ll give just one example – but there are many. Katherine Koonce was one of the victims at Covenant Nashville a few weeks ago. I want to read some of the words spoken by her husband at her funeral:

“Katherine would be embarrassed if our admiration of her distracted us from other wounded households… She was a champion for others, and among the first to recognize when someone is isolated and lacking support, burdened by shame, therefore honoring Katherine compels us to remember a 7th family, equally wounded in the loss of someone dear to them. We count on the Lord and our community to support them generously, extravagantly, and to offer them the hope that sustains. We are trusting in the strong and loving embrace of a strong and loving God to take each of the 7 that died and heal their wounds and their souls.”

That, brothers and sisters, is what grace looks like – and I would argue that such words are impossible… incomprehensible… apart from the hand of God.

God invented grace. It’s how a man who lost his wife can ask his community to love the family of the person who took her life. It’s how God turned a persecutor of the church into a leader in the church. It’s why the perfect Son of God died in the place of sinners like me and you. It’s how He invites us into the family of God.

Grace brings God immense glory. And there is no other Way… it’s not a folk religion. He is risen.

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This morning I’m excited to begin a study of Paul’s letter to the Galatians. In 22 years of ministry, I’ve never actually preached this letter – even though it has been extremely important in shaping my own faith. But that ends today. It’s time, and I think our church is in a good place to receive this letter.

As you see on the screen, I’m calling this series “200 proof grace”. That is intentionally provocative, because Galatians is a provocative letter. The phrase “200 proof grace” comes from a quote by an Episcopal priest named Robert Cay-pon. Writing about the Protestant Reformation, when we broke away from the Catholic Church, Cay-pon says this:

“The Reformation was a time when men went blind, staggering drunk because they had discovered, in the dusty basement of late medievalism a whole cellarful of fifteen-hundred-year-old, 200-proof grace – of bottle after bottle of pure distillate of Scripture, one sip of which would convince anyone that God saves us single-handedly.

The word of the Gospel – after all those centuries of trying to lift yourself into heaven by worrying about the perfection of your bootstraps – suddenly turned out to be a flat announcement that the saved were home before they started…

Grace has to be drunk straight: no water, no ice, and certainly no ginger ale.”

The reformers re-discovered the Gospel of Grace. Pure, unadulterated grace. It must not be watered down. Nothing should be added to it. And that, in brief, is the message of Galatians.

The leader of the Reformation, Martin Luther, was especially motivated by Paul’s letter to the Galatians. He called it “his own epistle” and said that he had “wedded himself to it”.

In other words, grace is not something we receive and then forget. It shapes the entire Christian life from beginning to end.

And with that, let’s drink it together. No water, no ice, and certainly no ginger ale.

1 Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— 2 and all the brothers who are with me,

To the churches of Galatia:

Notice that Paul claims this title, apostle. He connects this claim directly to Jesus. It’s a title not given from men, nor through men. Meaning, humans have nothing to do with this specific call. It was something only the Lord Jesus could grant. And that’s why it is completely inappropriate for someone to claim that title today. There are no living apostles.

Second, notice that Paul immediately reminds us of the resurrection – something we will remember and celebrate together next Sunday. In simple form, Paul is already preaching the Gospel of grace with his first breath – God raised Jesus from the dead. The entire Christian faith hinges on that fact.

Finally, this letter was written to a collection of churches throughout the region of Galatia, which is modern day Turkey. Most of the people reading this letter were Gentiles – believers who were not ethnically Jewish.

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

This is the official greeting, and the first word is “Grace”.

I’m not going to assume we know what that word means. It means receiving some kindness that I didn’t deserve. It means being given a gift when I deserved a punishment. It means getting ice cream when you deserve a spanking. It means getting a promotion when you deserve to be fired.

Grace to you, church, and peace from God. And then Paul immediately follows with a perfect summary of the Gospel message.

But in order to understand the solution, we need to clearly define the problem. None of us can honestly look at the world around us or read the news – even from just this past week – and deny that we have a serious problem with evil. We may try to ignore it, distance ourselves from it, or make excuses for it. But evil is real. It’s not an illusion, as Buddhism claims.

That’s the easy-to-understand part of the problem. Evil is real. The hard-to-understand part of the problem is what the Bible calls “sin”. And here in verse 4, Paul uses that word in a personal possessive way – “our sins”. He’s saying, we are the reason Jesus needed to deliver us from evil.

In the words of Taylor Swift, “It’s me… I’m the problem. It’s me.”

In technical terms, a sin is a thought, desire, or action that breaks or fails to keep some part of God’s law. But it’s also a tendency we have to do those things. We have a tendency to be rebellious against the God who created us. And how, then, should we be treated by God? We should be treated like rebels! We should be punished severely.

But, according to Paul, in an act of pure grace, Jesus gave himself for our sins for three reasons: 1) to deliver us from evil, 2) to carry out the will of God, and 3) to glorify Himself.

Jesus knew what He came to do and why He came to do it. And notice already that we are passive recipients of this grace. This was a rescue mission by a powerful, capable Savior to rescue helpless, powerless people. That’s what the word “deliver” means – to be rescued from bondage. And what caused the bondage? Our own sin.

But immediately following this brief, God-centered greeting, Paul launches into the purpose of the letter. No time wasted. Let’s get to the point.

6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.

It is clear that Paul is disappointed. He clearly wanted better things for these Christians. The word “deserting” is interesting because it carries the meaning of being a turncoat. It’s not simply that they were walking away from the faith. They were joining the enemy.

Think of it like a Ukrainian soldier joining the Russian army… or a politician announcing a switch to the opposite party.

This would have absolutely shocked the Galatian Christians – and that was exactly what Paul wanted to do. They certainly had no idea they were in danger of abandoning Jesus for the enemy, but Paul believes they are in such danger.

The danger comes from distorting the gospel message. The word distort means here to corrupt something. How do you corrupt something? By adding something to it, making it impure. But this carries even more weight.

For instance, we know that pure gold is more valuable than impure gold. And yet, impure gold still has value. But when the Gospel message is corrupted, according to Paul, it becomes no Gospel at all. When impurities are introduced, it ceases to be valuable. In fact, it becomes dangerous.

It’s more like adding a drop of poison to a glass of water.

And in the coming weeks, we will talk more about the men who were causing these problems, poisoning the pure grace of the Gospel. Paul sees them as enemies of Christ.

8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

This is also a clear and powerful warning, repeated twice for emphasis. Paul curses these men for messing with the Gospel. And this is no ordinary curse. Paul uses the word “anathema” – the same word used in the Greek translation of the Old Testament for someone or something that God has devoted to destruction. Paul is calling down God’s judgment down on these false teachers.

And so, if we really want to translate this into modern English, it would read more like this: if someone preaches a different gospel, Damn them! And then he says it again, in case you didn’t hear him. Damn these men. And it’s a divine damning, in case you want to put that together, but I couldn’t bring myself to say that out loud.

So, we might ask the question, “Is that Ok?” Should Paul have said something like this?

The answer is, yes, it is OK, for 4 reasons:

1) He’s writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Meaning, this is really what God says.

2) This is a universal curse, because he applies it even to himself… even to the angels. Paul says, if I change the message – may God curse me as well.

3) Other people’s souls are at stake. People may perish under the wrath of God if the Gospel message is distorted.

4) The glory of God is at stake.

I want you to think of a book or even a movie that you love. Imagine hearing someone try to explain the story to someone else, but they get the story wrong. It’s annoying, right?

Now imagine that you’re the writer. That would be even more annoying.

Now imagine how God feels that He provided the perfect plan to rescue mankind from sin and death, but people keep trying to add things to the story.

Imagine taking a Rembrandt painting and splattering some neon paint across it. Adding something destroys it.

The glory of God is at stake when it comes to the Gospel. Jesus is God’s masterpiece. He’s not OK with us adding anything to the death and resurrection of Jesus. He’s also not OK with us believing that some other story is the truth or that all stories lead to God.

And so, the conclusion we must draw from this introduction is a simple one, but extremely important. There is only one Gospel. There are not many ways to God. There is one way to God. Jesus is the Way – the One who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

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I was inspired by our men’s Bible study and so next week we will begin a study of Paul’s letter to the Galatians. Galatians was the first letter written by Paul and Timothy was one of the last – written about 15 years later. They are very different letters, and I’m excited to be following one with the other, because I think our church is in a good place to receive the message of Galatians.

But for now, let’s finish our study of Timothy and it is a great text.

11 But as for you, O man of God, (that’s Timothy) flee these things. Remember, Paul was talking about the love of money… Timothy, flee from the love of money. Instead:

Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.

Paul addresses Timothy as a “man of God” – a title not used often in the Bible and He’s calling Timothy to a better life – a godly life. This list sounds very similar to the fruit of Spirit listed in Galatians 5. This is how I want you to live. And that’s not legalism… that’s the result of God’s Spirit at work in Timothy’s life.

It’s also a simple description of repentance. We run from something bad, and we run to something good. Flee! Pursue! With urgency! Without hesitation!

As John Owen famously said, “Be killing sin or it will be killing you.” Run from it.

Paul keeps this energy in verse 12.

12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Fight Timothy! FIGHT! Take hold of eternal life! “Take hold” is not like gingerly picking up your coffee mug. It means to violently seize or grab something, like a wrestler grabbing an opponent. Like Jacob wrestling with the Lord. Timothy, latch on to eternal life like a dog latches onto a bone. Don’t let go!

It reminds me of Hebrews 10:23 – hold fast the confession of your hope without wavering. In both cases, the writer emphasizes our future hope. We have a better chance of fighting the good fight today if we hold fast to our hope for tomorrow. And that makes perfect sense, because our hope for tomorrow is that the battle is already won.

Christians already know how this struggle ends. And that’s valuable information, right? Imagine travelling 20 years into the future and buying a book that tells you the outcome of every major sporting event for the past 20 years? Every March Madness Bracket. Every Champion’s League winner. You’d make a lot of money!

Imagine knowing today that death is already defeated and that one-day God will wipe away every tear? Take hold of that. Tackle it to the ground! That information is far more valuable if you believe it is true.

And how do we violently grasp eternal life? Paul tells Timothy that he should remember two things: His calling to the faith and his confession about the faith. In other words, Paul says I want you to remember the promises God made to you in Christ and I want you to remember the promises you made to God in public. Remember God’s promises and your promises.

This is why we adopt members of our church by a public profession of faith.

Do you sense the energy starting to build here?

As Paul continues, this sounds more and more like a coach giving a halftime speech.

13 I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession,

14 to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,

15 which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords,

16 who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

Do you see what Paul just did for us in writing? He demonstrated exactly what it looks like to take hold of eternal life… it looks like worship! He starts thinking about Jesus and he breaks into this grand announcement. He sounds like Michael Buffer introducing the heavy weight champion of the universe!

And how do I know he’s taking hold of eternal life? I know because he’s talking about the 2nd coming of Jesus and he specifically mentions the immortality of Jesus. And what is our hope? We will share the inheritance of Jesus because we are united to Him! And Paul can’t handle the thought of it! He’s in rapture over it.

Now… take a deep breath… common sense would tell us that we have come to the end of the letter. That’s how I would probably end it. Except, this is not the end of the letter. There’s more… and it is unexpected.

17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.

This is one of those screeching tire moments. He’s already talked about the dangers of loving money. Why does he bring this up again? And why here?

The answer is simple. It’s because rich people have the hardest time taking hold of eternal life. We have the most difficult time remembering and longing for our promised future hope.

Why? Because of our present comfort. Isn’t that exactly what Paul says? We can’t place our hope in wealth and in God at the same time.

And so, Paul adds this command:

18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share,

19 thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

There it is again… take hold. Rich people can take hold of eternal life too. It’s just more difficult for us – and again, I say us because by the world’s standards we are all wealthy.

And it’s not wrong to have money. The question is, what are we doing with it? Be generous, he says. Be ready to share. And look carefully at the first half of verse 19. “thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future”

We know from context, Paul’s talking about good works and generosity. But if you take it out of context, what does it sound like. It sounds like saving for retirement, right? Storing up treasure for the future? Isn’t it interesting that Paul uses that language to describe what he wants rich people to do… but that he’s not talking about money?

This is certainly not how we think about the future as Americans. But it forces a moment of conviction and maybe a moment of clarity.

If I believe my future hope is eternal life, that this doesn’t end at death, then why am I so focused on providing a secure future for myself in this life? Why am I so worried about not completing my bucket list?

Why am I not far more concerned with the people in my life and the people I want to take with me into the kingdom? Is that not the legacy that matters most?

To be clear, I’m not saying it’s wrong to save for retirement. I’m saying don’t waste your retirement. Don’t waste the resources that God provides on yourself. Not just your money, but your time.

Take hold of eternal life. Store up good works and generosity.

20 O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,”

21 for by professing it some have swerved from the faith.

Grace be with you.

And that’s the end of the letter. Paul makes one last attempt to protect the church from false teaching… to protect the Gospel. And then he ends with a simple blessing… Grace be with you.

About a year later, Paul wrote a second letter to Timothy. It’s the next letter in our Bibles. We aren’t going to study it, but I encourage you to read it later. He says many of the same things in the second letter.

But at the center of the letter is a verse from what we think was an early hymn or creed:

If we have died with him, we will also live with him;

if we endure, we will also reign with him;

It shows us that the life of the Christian is characterized by sacrifice and suffering. The path to life is one of death. The path to glory is one of endurance. No pain – no gain. No cross – no crown. But it continues:

if we deny him, he also will deny us;

if we are faithless, he remains faithful—

for he cannot deny himself.

Some have taken this to mean that even if we renounce our faith, we will still be saved. In context, that’s not at all what this means – because it clearly says that Jesus will deny us if we deny him. Jesus said the exact same thing in Matthew 10:33.

Instead, I agree with John Calvin’s interpretation of this verse:

“Our faithlessness cannot in any way detract from the Son of God and His Glory. Being all sufficient in Himself He has no need of our confession. It is as if he had said, ‘Let all who will desert Christ, for they deprive him of nothing; when they perish, He remains unchanged.’”

Remember that when the New Testament was written, Christians were in great danger of being killed for their faith. Paul himself was beheaded shortly after writing these words.

Remember also the letter Jesus sent to Ephesus through the apostle John many years later. They were not a perfect church, but Jesus wrote this encouragement:

2 I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false.

3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary.

This is good news. It tells us that Timothy did a good job and that the church listened to Paul. But they weren’t finished. Jesus continues:

4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.

5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.

Galatians will allow us an opportunity to remember our first love as a church, but for now I simply want to end this way… the Christian life isn’t over until it is over. Keep on fleeing from sin. Keep on pursuing righteousness. Keep on defending the Gospel. Stay generous. Stay humble. Why?

Because Jesus is more than worth it! He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

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Originally, I planned to finish 1 Timothy today, but that’s not going to happen. I’m splitting chapter 6 into two parts. But let’s begin reading together in verse 1.

1 Let all who are under a yoke as bondservants regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled.

This is one of several places in the New Testament where instructions are given to Christians who were slaves. But before I explain the instructions, I want to make some general comments.

The Bible never endorses the kind of slavery that existed in American history. In fact, the African slave trade is something that was punishable by death in the Old Testament. God did not allow people to be stolen and sold as property. Exodus 21:16 – “Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death.” That’s pretty clear.

What the Old Testament did allow was voluntary servitude. There was no such thing as a middle class because they didn’t have modern economics. Some people owned land and animals and everyone else worked for those people. You were a master, or you were a servant. That’s how society worked in the entire world.

When Paul wrote 1 Timothy, there were more than 50 million slaves in the Roman Empire. If the apostles told slaves to revolt against their masters, the Romans would have immediately crushed the early church. Paul seemed to know this, because he encouraged slaves to honor and respect their masters – so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled.

And yet, the seeds of abolition can be found all over the New Testament… especially in Paul’s letters. The Bible has had more impact on the institutions of slavery and other forms of tyranny than anything else, by far.

It was good Christian ethics that took down the institutions of slavery around the world. It is the influence of Christianity that has helped dismantle the caste system in India. Any tyranny that exists currently in the world is influenced by pagan or atheistic beliefs. And so, if you hear the nonsense that the Bible supports slavery, I’m setting the record straight.

Paul describes slavery here in verse 1 as being “under a yoke”. What works under a yoke? An animal. That’s a nod to the dehumanization felt by slaves. And what does Paul say in Galatians 3? In Christ Jesus, there is neither slave nor free. The Gospel spiritually undermines and eventually dismantles barriers in society like race and class. So, no, the Bible is not pro-slavery.

Verse 2:

2 Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful on the ground that they are brothers; rather they must serve all the better since those who benefit by their good service are believers and beloved.

For our purposes, it is probably best to think of this in terms of business relationships. Employers and employees… contract labor… and the message here is not to take advantage of people because they are Christians.

As an example, instead of expecting a discount from a Christian business owner, pay a fair price. Serve all the better. Go above and beyond. Respect and honor people.

Paul continues:

Teach and urge these things.

Meaning – everything I have said in this letter. And now, we have come to the final section of the letter. Paul returns to the subject of false teachers.

3 If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness,

4 he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing.

Puffed up means “filled with smoke”. They think they know what they are talking about, but it’s only hot air.

He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions,

5 and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.

Notice the problem is not controversy, but an unhealthy craving for it – motivated by a belief that godliness is a means of gain. It’s not clear in English, but Paul is talking about money when he says a “means of gain”. It’s financial gain they are after.

In other words, these men are teaching bad doctrine, they are dividing the church, and they are motivated by greed. We know that the city of Ephesus was wealthy at this time and Paul was concerned that some of the leaders were using the faith as a way to exploit that wealth.

Paul defended the pursuit of godliness earlier in the letter, but here he says that greed corrupts that pursuit. Another way to say it is this: if you think of following Jesus as a way to get blessed financially, then you’re missing the point. You’re doing it for yourself, not for God. That’s the problem with all the health and wealth teaching. It has nothing to do with Jesus.

6 But godliness with contentment is great gain,

7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.

8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.

Contentment is being satisfied with what you have. But to be clear, Paul’s not saying that people who are destitute should be content with their extreme poverty. We know that because he says be content with food and clothing. He’s not telling starving people to be content.

Instead, this is an indictment against Christians who want more than they need – which is the vast majority of American Christians. Every single one of us should feel some conviction on this point. Why? Paul continues:

9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.

10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

Look carefully at these verses. Paul is not condemning people who are already rich. Nor is he saying that money itself is evil. He makes it very clear that he’s talking about the heart.

“Those who desire to be rich”… “The love of money”… this is heart language. And what is the danger? What is the risk of this love? This desire?

Ruin and destruction. Self-inflicted harm. Wandering away from the faith.

This fits with the teaching of Jesus.

In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus talks about some seed falling among the thorns. He explains:

As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.

Three of the four Gospels tell the story of the rich young man walking away sad after Jesus tells him to sell everything and give his money to the poor. And in all three stories, Jesus says this to the disciples after he walks away:

Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven.

24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.

We should pay close attention to this – because by the world’s standards Americans are all extremely wealthy. The poorest 20 percent of Americans consume more goods and services than the national averages for all people in most affluent countries. And in places like Haiti, Afghanistan, and Uganda, people are consuming 30x less than the poorest Americans.

I say this because so much of how we think about contentment is influenced by what we see around us every day. It is difficult to be content when we see so much wealth around us.

The heart problem is a tendency to believe that God is holding out on us. We start to focus on all the things we believe we deserve. And that problem is confronted by the tenth commandment – do not covet. Do not desire things you see other people enjoying.

And you may be thinking, that’s easy for people to say when they have everything they want. I hear you. But this is what the Bible says will make us truly happy. To be content with what we have. And modern psychology actually defends this view.

By and large, people in poor countries live happier, more socially fit lives than people in affluent countries. If you want to see this for yourself, watch the free documentary called “God Grew Tired of Us”. It follows three orphans from south Sudan who were given an opportunity to travel to the United States. They were provided with jobs and education. But they were miserable, and they missed their friends in the orphan camps.

Deep down we know this, but our sin fights it tooth and nail. We know the stories of lottery winners who say they wish they never won the money. We see the dysfunction of celebrities who have everything they thought they wanted.

The only way to fight this heart condition is with the Gospel. And that’s spelled out for us clearly in Hebrews 13:5 –

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

What motivates the Christian to be content – to see money as a tool and not an object to be loved and desired? It is the belief that Jesus will never leave or forsake us.

He is the answer to every potential problem Paul addresses in this chapter. Remember that God the Son became a man, submitting himself to the yoke of the flesh to ransom us from the slavery of sin and death. Remember that He humbled Himself – emptied Himself – taking the form of a servant and dying the death of a criminal to save us from sin and death.

He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

One of my favorite C.S. Lewis quotes, from Mere Christianity – he says it like this:

“If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”

Every temporary happiness offered by this world is a rush of brain chemistry. It never lasts. But our experience of God through faith in Christ – that’s something that moves our soul. Jesus is the path to lasting contentment. He is the living water, a well that never runs dry. The best part – his yoke is easy and his burden is light.

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This morning we will finish the fifth chapter of 1 Timothy. Next week we will finish the letter.

And I get to awkwardly talk about my job for a few minutes this morning, because that’s where our text begins.

17 Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.

18 For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.”

We learn two things here about the early church.

First, this is where we get the distinction between teaching elders and ruling elders in the Presbyterian church. In chapter 3, Paul lists the ability to teach as a qualification for all elders. But some of them also “labor in preaching and teaching”, which clearly implies that some elders did not. So, we have two types of elders in our church.

Second, Paul clearly expects these teaching elders to be compensated for their labors. He defends this by quoting both the Old Testament and the words of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke, which he calls Scripture! That’s fascinating, because it means the Gospels were already accepted by the early church as having authority.

Anyway, this is why we pay pastors a salary. And personally, I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to labor in the Word and my family has always felt God’s provision for us through His church.

I would like to add, this is not a justification for preachers to get rich by exploiting the church. And unfortunately, that is happening in many places which is shameful and dishonoring to Christ.

And that brings us to another practical question answered by Paul. What do we do with elders who bring dishonor to the office by some moral failure or significant error in teaching?

19 Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses.

20 As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear.

Again, we learn two things here. First, Paul sets up a way to protect elders from false charges. This is a boundary that goes all the way back to the law of Moses. In general, the accusation of one person was not enough to convict someone of an offense.

However, this rule has been abused by many churches over the years and has rightly become a subject of debate in the past decade because of the “me too” movement. Many churches have been guilty of covering up serious allegations against church leaders because the accuser stands alone in his or her testimony.

And unfortunately, false reports do happen, even though they are extremely rare. The problem, of course, is that there are almost never other witnesses to these crimes.

Thankfully, we are learning how to better handle situations like this in the church. Our denomination recently published a lengthy paper considering these issues from the perspective of Scripture. I can provide it for you if you are interested in reading it, but I’ll offer a few points from the study:

According to the laws of most states, churches are not qualified to handle their own investigations into serious accusations of abuse. There are mandatory reporting laws that govern how we should handle many of these cases.
In cases where reporting is not required, but the accusation is serious, churches would be wise to involve an unbiased third party to investigate.
There are also special rules in our book of the church order that dictate how churches should handle charges against elders and pastors.
Finally, I want to add one point that I found especially helpful from the study. The law concerning two or three witnesses was NOT universal in the Bible. Look at this, in Deut. 22:

25 “But if in the open country a man meets a young woman who is betrothed, and the man seizes her and lies with her, then only the man who lay with her shall die.

26 But you shall do nothing to the young woman; she has committed no offense punishable by death. For this case is like that of a man attacking and murdering his neighbor,

27 because he met her in the open country, and though the betrothed young woman cried for help there was no one to rescue her.

What do you notice about this? No witnesses. And yet, the law says to believe the woman and put the man to death. This clearly implies that false reports of this nature are rare. Again, we have civil laws that deal with criminal charges. The point here is that churches should be careful not to cover things up on the basis of this two witnesses requirement.

Paul continues:

21 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels I charge you to keep these rules without prejudging, doing nothing from partiality.

In other words, do not automatically believe the person you are closest to. This also reminds us that a person is innocent until proven guilty. Even in the church, we have due process.

I’ve been asked before what Paul means by “elect angels.” I honestly don’t know for sure, but probably he means the ones who aren’t fallen.

22 Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, nor take part in the sins of others; keep yourself pure.

In other words, the best way to avoid scandals in the church is to be extremely careful who you ordain. From earlier context, that’s what Paul means by laying on hands. If we elect bad men to office, we become partially responsible for their failures.

23 (No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.)

At first glance, this verse seems out of place. Probably, Timothy was abstaining from alcohol in an effort to keep himself pure. Paul remembered it as he finished writing verse 22 and wanted Timothy to stop doing it.

Wine was useful as medicine in some situations and safer to drink than water. This is also why Presbyterians, including me, have been known to partake in moderation and in accordance with local laws.

Finally, the chapter ends with this statement:

24 The sins of some people are conspicuous, going before them to judgment, but the sins of others appear later.

25 So also good works are conspicuous, and even those that are not cannot remain hidden.

Paul recognizes that some people are really good at hiding their sin – but the truth comes out eventually. The same is true of good works. What’s his point?

Don’t judge a book by its cover. People often have better or worse character than we might assume by a first impression.

Some have called this the iceberg principle. Most of what we can know about a person is under the surface. And so, Paul instructs Timothy to use discernment. Take time to look under the surface. There’s often a difference between appearances and reality.

This is a good opportunity to say again that what we often look for in church leaders is not necessarily what God wants us to be concerned with. We look for personality and charisma. We look for a dynamic speaker, someone with a gift of persuasion. Someone who looks the part of a leader. We are culturally drawn to celebrity types.

Do you remember what the Lord said to Samuel when he rejected David’s older brother as king?

“Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

What did Jesus say about the religious leaders in his day?

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness.

So, you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

What did the Apostle Paul say about his own ministry?

1 Corinthians 2:1-5 –

And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom.

For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling,

and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,

so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

2 Corinthians 4:5 –

For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.

Finally, remember that even Jesus was not what He seemed to be. Speaking of the Messiah, Isaiah 53 says:

He had no form or majesty that we should look at him,

and no beauty that we should desire him.

He was despised and rejected by men,

a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;

and as one from whom men hide their faces

he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

But this was our King – our Savior. And this is a very common theme in the Bible. There are more than a hundred verses teaching us not to judge people by their appearances.

And yet, if we are honest, that is what we do most of the time… especially when we pick our leaders. We look for the obvious choices and sometimes miss the humble servants who would be a much better fit.

But we have a responsibility to dig deeper, and to be honest with each other about who we really are – not just leaders, but all of us.

Don’t be two people. Be you… the good, the bad, and the ugly. By the grace of God, we are all a work in progress. There are certainly things about each of us that need to change. But hiding those things doesn’t do us any good. Expose your darkness to the light and bring your light into the darkness.

This is also an encouragement to be slow in our judgment and patient with other people in their sin. The goal is always repentance and restoration, but there are provisions here for people who persist in sin without repentance.

We practice church discipline, not because we want to, but because we must. To protect God’s church. This is all serious teaching, important teaching. This is part of what it means to fight the good fight of the faith.

A lot of practical wisdom but remember the big picture we talked about last week. Jesus is building a family in every local church. These instructions were given to help guide us toward His vision for the church. They protect us and make us better able to fulfill our mission. Let’s pray for God’s help.

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Sometimes I sit down to start preparing for a sermon, I read the text, and I get really excited about preaching. That did not happen this week, at least not at first. It was a challenge for me to figure out what to do with this chapter, but when I finished writing the sermon, I realized there is a simple beauty in this text, and I hope you will see it.

1 Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, 2 older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.

This is an instruction to Timothy about how he should conduct himself as he ministers to people in the local church. We are family and we should relate to one another with the care, concern, and respect of family members. Fathers. Brothers. Mothers. Sisters.

He adds “in all purity” to suggest that this closeness is also an appropriate boundary, especially as he relates to the younger women in the church. She’s a sister, Timothy.

Now, Paul teaches about how the Church should care for widows and that is our main focus today.

3 Honor widows who are truly widows. 4 But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God.

5 She who is truly a widow, left all alone, has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day, 6 but she who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives.

7 Command these things as well, so that they may be without reproach. 8 But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Let me start by saying that God obviously wants to be known as a God who cares for widows. We see it constantly in the ministry of Jesus. We see it all over the New Testament. But God was especially vocal about this in the Old Testament. Exodus 22:22-24:

You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child. If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry, and my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.

Those are strong words! From God! Listen to how God describes Himself in Psalm 68:5 –

Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.

Isaiah 1:17 reminds God’s people of this:

Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.

Finally, James, the brother of Jesus, says this in James 1:17 –

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

This is obviously a big deal to God. The word widow appears in the Bible more than a hundred times – almost as many times as the words “mercy” and “grace”, believe it or not.

But in 1 Timothy 5, Paul suggests that some families are abusing the system. Not every widow is equally needy, and so Paul gives some instructions to the church on how to handle these cases. This is especially helpful to the deacons, because this is part of their unique ministry.

His primary concern here is widows who have children and grandchildren who are old enough to provide for them. In context, the Roman world had laws to govern how widows would be cared for. When a woman married, she took a dowry with her – a payment from her father. If her husband died, there were two options. If she had children old enough to manage her dowry, then she would stay in the family home and her oldest son would manage the finances. Otherwise, she could return to her parent’s home and take the dowry back with her.

Even the pagans knew how to take care of vulnerable women. And the early church had rightly taken up the responsibility of caring for women who had no family and no dowry. But what happens when the widow has a family, but they refuse to care for her? Paul says they are denying the faith by refusing to care for these women.

This is a challenge to our culture as well. It is not really the responsibility of the state to care for our older family members, or at least we shouldn’t be relying on that entirely. We have a responsibility to make sure our folks are cared for. And as a church, when we are considering the needs of a person, we should also consider what the family of the person is doing to help.

9 Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age, having been the wife of one husband, 10 and having a reputation for good works: if she has brought up children, has shown hospitality, has washed the feet of the saints, has cared for the afflicted, and has devoted herself to every good work.

Enrolling widows probably refers to the practice of the early church to provide regular financial support for these women. But notice the qualifications! This is interesting, because this looks very similar to the list of qualifications we find in chapter 3 for elders and deacons!

Paul encourages the church to only provide financially for widows who meet these qualifications! Over sixty, meaning she was probably unable to work or get remarried, one husband, good reputation… has she used her gifts to serve the church? Has she been generous herself?

In other words, don’t provide ongoing financial support to everyone in need. There are qualifications. And he continues:

11 But refuse to enroll younger widows, for when their passions draw them away from Christ, they desire to marry 12 and so incur condemnation for having abandoned their former faith.

13 Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not. 14 So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, manage their households, and give the adversary no occasion for slander.

15 For some have already strayed after Satan. 16 If any believing woman has relatives who are widows, let her care for them. Let the church not be burdened, so that it may care for those who are truly widows.

This is a notoriously confusing text.

We could summarize this paragraph by saying that young widows make terrible widows. That’s basically what Paul is saying. They aren’t good for the church, so they should just remarry. The church should not be providing for them financially. And I know that sounds pretty harsh by itself.

But what do we do with verse 12 and verse 14, side by side. Paul says that the young woman’s desire to marry brings condemnation for abandoning their faith. But then in verse 14, Paul explicitly says they should get married anyway!

There are a few different ways to interpret this. It’s possible verse 12 refers to a pledge these women made to remain widows and that they usually don’t keep it. More likely, he’s saying that the cares of the world become more important than their devotion to Christ, but allowing them to marry protects their reputation.

Either way, Paul gives the church some clear guidelines on who they should be giving money to – widows who really need the help. By extension, we can apply this wisdom to anyone the church considers helping. Wisdom seeks a balance between compassion and carelessness.

In many cases, giving money does more harm than good, and that seems to be exactly the concern of Paul in this chapter.

But there’s a greater context here that I don’t want us to miss. Some of what Paul says may seem harsh or insensitive. But remember the context.

If the Holy Spirit is at work in the local church – if the people are worshipping Jesus together, serving together, caring for one another, and living open lives of faith and repentance together – then the context is a complex web of relationships. This is basically a large extended family.

Paul is trying to help the local leaders protect that balance. Healthy relationships. And some of this may sound weird to us because we are so individualistic.

A few weeks ago, I read about an 85-year study that was recently published by Harvard University. The researchers gathered health records from 724 participants from all over the world and asked detailed questions about their lives every two years until they died.

They were trying to answer one simple question: what makes people happy in life?

Contrary to what you might think, their conclusion was not success, money, exercise, or a healthy diet. This 85-year study concluded that positive relationships make us happier, healthier, and help us live longer. They call it social fitness. The happiest people were the ones with healthy relationships. Period.

And that makes perfect sense to the Christian, because we were created by a relational God. Our Savior spent most of His earthly years in a normal family with a mom, a dad, and siblings. He attended church every week. As a rabbi, he had close friends and closer friends and He demonstrated a gift for making outsiders feel noticed and welcome.

And for the past 2,000 years He has been actively building a community of people from all walks of life. He calls it the Church. And God’s vision for the local church is that we function like an extended family. That’s the context of 1 Timothy 5. This is an internal family discussion.

The church needs widows as much as it needs elders and deacons. The church needs moms and dads and children, old people and young people, single and married. We need haves and have-nots.

Don’t lose sight of the forest for the trees. There are technical instructions about how to care for widows, but the big picture is a community of faith, a community of Jesus, a group of people who are One in Christ.

Sometimes we get lost in the day to day details of our relationships. The ups and downs. The problems. And that’s true in the church as well. But the beauty is in the mess, as they say. Ordinary churches doing ordinary things, things that go unnoticed by the world… things like bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the saints, and caring for the afflicted…

Jesus sees. And Jesus loves it. This is what He died for. We are who He died for. The Church was a widow for three days… but God raised our husband from the dead. He’s alive and He’s the Head of the Church. May we love one another as Christ has loved His Church.

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We’re in 1 Timothy chapter 4 and Paul now speaks directly to Timothy again. Verse 6:

6 If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed.

Imagine sitting in a restaurant and the waiter comes to bring your food. He sets the plate down in front of you and that’s what Paul tells Timothy to do.

“Put these things before the brothers” like a waiter serving a meal. Specifically, feed the church as you have been fed. As you have been trained in the faith and trained in good doctrine, serve that to your people.

That is the nature of discipleship in the kingdom of God. The best teachers are also the best students. You can’t give what you don’t have. You can’t serve what you haven’t eaten.

And what specifically is on the menu? The words of the faith, also known as “good doctrine”.

God tells us in the Bible what to believe and how to live. That’s the menu, Timothy.

Give them the good food. But there’s junk food out there too.

7 Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths.

That’s the junk food. Bad doctrine. False religion. What’s a myth? It’s a religious story that sounds good, but it’s not real. It has no value. But people will believe almost anything if they think it has value.

And Paul says have nothing to do with it.

Rather train yourself for godliness; 8 for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

Notice the word godliness. That word shows up 15 times in the New Testament, but it occurs 9 times in 1 Timothy alone! Simply put, godliness is a way of life. It’s a spiritual orientation.

Together with the previous metaphor, Paul teaches that spiritual training is similar to physical training, but of more value. How do we train ourselves physically? By eating good food instead of junk food, and by exercising.

So, Paul says, I want you to pursue godliness the way an athlete pursues fitness. As a way of life. I want you to build and strengthen your awareness of God, growing in both your knowledge of Him and your commitment to Him.

We’ve talked before about the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Some people pursue fitness because of the intrinsic value. They like the way they look or the way the feel or the personal health benefits. Other people may pursue fitness because of an extrinsic motivation – to win a sporting event or a competition. Or a soldier might train to be better at combat. There’s an external goal.

Notice Paul says that godliness is of value in every way. There are personal benefits AND external benefits. Specifically, he says there are present benefits and future benefits. We’ll come back to the benefits in a moment, but first a question.

Does this sound a little bit like legalism? Train yourself in godliness… Gospel-centered Christians get a little nervous around verses like these. The emphasis on behavior and works… words like godliness make us nervous, especially if our background or former church experience involved a lot of works-righteousness.

It’s important to talk about this, because words like discipline and training and obedience and godliness… these are not bad words. These are Bible words. These are sanctification words. But the order is crucial.

I love how R. Kent Hughes explains this:

“Underlying much of the conscious rejection of spiritual discipline is the fear of legalism. For many, spiritual discipline means putting oneself back under the law with a series of Draconian rules that no one can live up to—and which spawn frustration and spiritual death…

But nothing could be further from the truth if you understand what discipline and legalism are. The difference is one of motivation: legalism is self-centered; discipline is God-centered. The legalistic heart says, ‘I will do this thing to gain merit with God.’ The disciplined heart says, ‘I will do this thing because I love God and want to please him.’ There is an infinite difference between the motivation of legalism and discipline!”

Motivated by the Gospel, Paul tells Christians to pursue godliness, because living the way God wants us to live is good for us and good for other people too. It’s good for the world!

9 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance.

The last time Paul said those words, he finished with this: that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. A simple statement of the Gospel, offered in humility. But here he uses the same phrase to encourage Christians to pursue godliness. Maybe that’s because faith without works is dead? And even the greatest champion of the Gospel of grace knew that.

10 For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.

Toil and strive – those are words of vigorous, exhausting effort. Why? Because our efforts have real implications for how we fulfill the Great Commission. Jesus is our hope and He’s the only real hope of this world – and because we believe that, we pursue godliness. It has something to do with our mission and we see that more clearly in the next several verses.

11 Command and teach these things.

Paul says “teach these things” 8 times in the letter. Teach what things? I think it includes the centrality of Jesus, but also all the other stuff Paul has said in the letter – and will say in the letter, including all the difficult stuff that challenges 21st century cultural norms.

And now Paul gives Timothy three specific instructions concerning his own ministry. First:

12 Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

Timothy, be an example. Let your example speak for itself. It doesn’t matter what other people think about you. Take the high road. Live for an audience of One. God’s opinion of you is all that matters. Speech. Conduct. Love. Faith. Purity. Show us your faith, don’t just tell us about it. Second:

13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.

Timothy, devote yourself to the public reading, preaching, and teaching of Scripture. This is why we are doing this right now. Third:

14 Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you.

We don’t know what gift Paul refers to. It may have been a teaching gift or something else, but this event sounds a lot like ordination. This is how we do it in the Presbyterian church. We give a charge, elders lay hands, and we pray.

Finally, Paul says:

15 Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress.

20 years ago, NBA star Allen Iverson made headlines for a press conference. He was in a conflict with head coach Larry Brown about his failure to attend team practices. This is what Iverson said:

“I’m supposed to be the franchise player, and we’re talking about practice. I mean listen, we’re sitting here talking about practice, not a game, but we’re talking about practice. Not the game that I go out there and die for and play every game like it’s my last, but we’re talking about practice man. How silly is that?”

Iverson went on to say the word “practice” 22 times in the interview. His coach responded after the press conference by saying, “Iverson said the word practice more times than he has shown up for practice.”

I sometimes wonder if this has been my attitude and the attitude of many in the church when it comes to pursuing godliness. Jesus already won the battle, and that’s true, so why do I need to do anything?

I’m saved by grace. It’s finished. Why do I need to put in any effort? What’s the point?

But Paul tells Timothy to practice doing the things God has called him to do. Immerse yourself in them. Why? Because the church needs to see the progress of her leaders.

And by extension, the world needs to see that the Gospel has the power to actually change lives! Not just the power to theoretically change lives – to one day make a difference maybe. No! Jesus cares about seeing His people change now!

“Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” – Matthew 5:16

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” – Ephesians 2:10

“Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” – Galatians 6:9

This is Gospel-motivated effort, not self-righteous effort. But it is effort, nonetheless.

This encouragement to practice presupposes that we have visible flaws as well! Perfect people don’t need to practice, right? That’s kind of sounds like Iverson’s argument. I’m so good I don’t need practice.

That’s not the attitude Paul encourages here. Instead, we know that we are all a work in progress. I need practice because I have a long way to go, by the grace of God.

16 Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.

That’s a practical theology statement, not a systematic theology statement. Timothy has no power to save anyone. Jesus saves. But Jesus has chosen to use our efforts in His ministry to lost sheep. And that raises the stakes here. This is why Paul says that our pursuit of godliness has value in this life and in the next.

God’s Church is the means He has chosen to use to draw people into the kingdom. Our efforts bear fruit by God’s grace. Souls are at stake. And remember… it starts with prayer and repentance. So, let’s ask God for help.

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The Apostle Paul now turns his attention away from elders and deacons to talk about the churches they are serving. And I must say, I’m very excited about this text. It’s not as commonly known as some of the verses we have already studied, but it might be my personal favorite section of the letter.

3:14 I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, 15 if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth.

Notice he says, “I want you to know how you ought to behave.” It is true that we have freedom in Christ. But it also true that God has expectations of His church.

I’m grateful that the Apostle Paul was providentially delayed from visiting Ephesus and that he felt the need to write this letter, so that we now have it. God knew that His Church, throughout history, needed to read these things – not just the local church in 1st century Ephesus.

We also are the household of God, the church of the living God, meant to be a pillar and buttress of the truth. Together, we have a calling and a purpose.

The word “household” is the same word used earlier in the chapter for the families of elders and deacons. Likewise, the Church is God’s family. And just as parents should have no favorites, we are equally loved by God, our Father, as brothers and sisters – siblings in the household of faith. There is no favoritism in Christ. God doesn’t love elders more than he loves new believers.

We are also the church, or the assembly, of the living God. We are conscious that God promises to actually be among us by His Spirit. He’s not a cold and distant deity. He’s a present reality for us, active and alive and concerned for us.

Finally, Paul says we are meant to be a pillar and buttress of the truth. In construction terms, this is the load bearing part of the building. In his letter to Ephesians, Paul has already taught this same church that Jesus Himself is the chief cornerstone, with the Apostles and prophets providing the foundation. Now he says that we are the frame of the building. We hold fast to the truth, and we raise it up to be seen by the world.

Next, Paul gives us a summary of that truth – the truth of the Gospel.

16 Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness:

He was manifested in the flesh,

vindicated by the Spirit,

seen by angels,

proclaimed among the nations,

believed on in the world,

taken up in glory.

This was likely an early poem, hymn, or creed used by the church to describe what they believed about Jesus. The structure of the creed is debated, but I prefer to read it as three couplets: flesh and Spirit, angels and nations, world and glory.

This was the view of John Stott, who interprets the couplets as the revelation of Christ (in the flesh and by the Spirit), the witnesses of Christ (the angels and the nations), and the recognition of Christ (by the world and in glory).

However, you choose to read it, it is clear that Paul wants the Church to focus on Jesus. Who is Jesus? Why did He come to earth? What was His message? What did He accomplish? That’s the mystery of the kingdom and the basis of the Gospel.

I think it is worth mentioning that this verse stands at almost the physical center of Paul’s letter. In this letter to Timothy, Paul gives a lot of instructions about how the church should operate… how we ought to behave. But it’s also clear that these instructions are only held up and sustained by the true Gospel.

This is how the Church lives out the mystery of the Gospel. Jesus Christ is the epicenter of our godliness. If we get the truth wrong, we lose everything. And that’s where Paul returns next, back to the false teaching.

4:1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, 2 through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared,

Notice Paul says “some will” not “some may”. This is revelation from God. Some people will depart from the faith. This is not a lost salvation, because that’s not possible. Instead, this is talking about people who once professed the true faith, people who were part of the visible church, that have abandoned God’s truth for lies.

It’s interesting that he says these liars, in order to embrace and spread the lies, needed to have their consciences seared. That’s a medical term for cauterization. In other words, their consciences have been anesthetized or deadened.

Paul is talking specifically about bad leadership. This is the practical reason why the qualifications for elders and deacons listed in chapter 3 are so important. When churches are led by people who lack character and lack a commitment to God’s Word, the result will be a devotion to the enemy – not to Christ.

This isn’t hyperbole. This is reality. When churches stray from the true Gospel, they become synagogues of Satan.

I’ve been listening to a podcast that explains the differences between historic, Biblical Christianity and the various cults that claim to be Christian. Sometimes the errors are difficult to spot, because the counterfeits look and sound a lot like the real thing. How do we tell the difference between Biblical Christianity and false Christianity?

They used a great illustration from the banking industry. How do banks train their employees to recognize counterfeit money? It’s not by focusing on counterfeit money! They actually spend more time handling real money – how it looks, how it feels, the texture, the color. They become experts in handling real cash and that’s how they learn to spot a fake.

I think that’s exactly what the Bible is saying. We should become so familiar with the true Gospel that we can spot false teaching a mile away. Mormons. Jehovah’s Witnesses. Hebrew Israelites. To name a few… all of these folks talk about Jesus, but they are counterfeit religions. Paul calls this stuff the teachings of demons.

But he actually has a specific type of false teaching in mind in Timothy. He’s talking about false teachers, verse 3:

3 who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.

He’s describing a version of asceticism – holiness by rule keeping. These teachers were going beyond Scripture to bind the consciences of believers with new rules.

Specifically, they were telling people that God commands them to remain single and to stop eating certain foods.

This is interesting, because Paul speaks to both of these issues in 1 Corinthians 7 and 8. I want to show you, because this is an important distinction.

First, the issue of singleness:

6 Now as a concession, not a command, I say this. 7 I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another. 8 To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single, as I am. 9 But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

Notice the clear preface – this is not a command. This is a wisdom issue. You have freedom in Christ to make this decision. You’re not a major league Christian if you remain single and a bush league Christian if you get married.

But these false teachers have twisted this into a command. “You’re only going to be holy if you stay single.” And Paul says that is demonic teaching. Now, let’s look at the second issue – abstinence from certain foods. Paul talks about that in 1 Corinthians 8.

Some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8 Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. 9 But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.

Notice that Paul tells mature Christians to exercise wisdom with newer Christians. Be patient with them. It takes time for a mature conscience to develop. It was not wrong to eat this food, but the mature should be patient with the weak.

And yet, the false teachers in Ephesus – claiming to be the mature ones – are telling people the opposite, that mature Christians avoid such foods while weak Christians keep eating. And this kind of thing should sound familiar to us, because it happens all the time in churches.

It may not seem like a big deal, but it’s obviously a big deal to Paul. He seems to think the entire message of Christianity is at stake here. And he’s right!

When we twist issues of wisdom or preference into issues of faith and holiness, we are laying an axe to the gospel of Jesus. There are some things, even in the letter to Timothy, that Paul says as commands from God. This is how God wants us to behave.

But we must be extremely careful not to speak where God has not spoken, or to go beyond what God says, or to contradict what God says. When we do, we rob people of their freedom in Christ, and we threaten the very heart of the Gospel.

It confuses the Gospel message, that God does not accept us into His household because of our works. Instead, He declares us righteous by faith in Christ.

But what happens when you tell people they need to believe in Jesus, but they also have to give up things that God doesn’t clearly tell them they have to give up? We cast a burden on people that God has not cast on them.

For instance, you may encourage people not to smoke for health reasons, but you better not try to tell them it’s a sin (unless they are underage). You may choose not to drink alcohol, but you better not try to tell other people that drinking alcohol is a sin. It’s not. Overindulging is a sin, just like overeating is a sin.

You may choose to remain single, but you better not tell other people they can’t get married. You may choose to put your kids in private school or public school or homeschool, but you better not try to tell other Christians that the other options are sinful. Moms, you may choose to work or not work. You may choose to use daycare or not. Do you know why? Because you have freedom in Christ and God hasn’t spoken on any of that.

This is a serious thing. It must be because Paul calls this kind of legalism the teachings of demons. It’s not from God! Jesus said, it’s not what goes in a person that defiles them. It’s what comes out of the heart.

4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.

Everything is good. Nothing is to be rejected. Be careful of twisting your personal preferences into laws. It damages the Church, and it weakens our witness of the Gospel. Freedom in Christ is an essential doctrine if we are going to do what Jesus called us to do. We must not add or subtract anything from the Word of God if we expect to reach the lost.

One of my fathers in the faith likes to say that we all have a tendency to think that if we follow Jesus, we are going to miss out on something – that He’s not really enough for us. We think that God’s law is like an electric fence around an amusement park – that God is keeping us from having fun. But really, God’s law is more like police tape around a crime scene. He’s telling us to stay away from pain and death – to trust Him.

And we demonstrate trust in God through obedience, motivated by the grace we have in Jesus Christ. But if we add something else, rules that God hasn’t given us, we are teaching people that Jesus isn’t really enough for us. And that makes grace really hard to understand. And it makes God seem less good.

Be careful. Know the real thing so you can spot the counterfeits.

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Yesterday, our elders and deacons finished up an officer’s retreat and we had a great time together. We talked about all the things we love about this church – all the ways we have seen God at work in this church. We identified a few blind spots. We also did some dreaming about the future, prayerfully considering where God might lead us.

And I’m excited to tell you this morning that we have decided to open nominations for new elders and deacons! In God’s good providence, we’re in the perfect place in 1 Timothy to consider exactly what that means and what we should be looking for as we nominate men for elder and deacon.

We want to encourage you to carefully consider the qualifications listed in the Bible as you pray about who to nominate. I’m going to start by reading the first 13 verses of 1 Timothy 3.

1 The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 2 Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.

4 He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, 5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?

6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.

8 Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. 9 They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless.

11 Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. 12 Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. 13 For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

The word overseer is often used interchangeably with the word elder. It’s the same office, so I’m going to stick with the word elder (since that’s what we call them at Christ Fellowship).

Elders are primarily responsible for the spiritual needs of the church, teaching and shepherding the members of the church. Deacons are primarily responsible for the physical needs of the church – mercy and service.

The Apostle Paul highlights at least four basic qualifications for elders and deacons.

First, we are looking for men who are called. We are looking for men who are called.

Paul says,

1 The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.

We know Paul isn’t referring to worldly ambition because he condemns this in other places.

Everywhere in the Bible, it is God who calls men to positions of service. Men never call themselves. But there is a desire to serve, a willingness to serve. The desire is not for the office or the position. According to Paul, the desire is for the task or the work.

So how do we know if a man is called? We look at his life. Does he enjoy the work of the church? Is he already doing the job of an elder or a deacon without the title?

Over and over, Jesus teaches his disciples that leadership is NOT a position or a title. Leadership is service. We don’t aspire to be recognized. We don’t aspire to have authority. We aspire only to serve God.

As D.L. Moody once said, “We only work for one person.”

Leadership in the church is not something you surrender to. No one should have to twist your arm into doing the work. It will be a delight to the one whom God calls.

And so, I want to say to the men of this church, if you don’t want to do the work, then you are not called to do it. If you’re not already doing the work, then you aren’t called to the office.

And to the church, you are looking for men who enjoy serving – men who are already doing it. Men who are called.

Second, we are looking for men of good character. Men of good character.

As I read the list of qualifications Paul gives, this seems to be his primary concern. God wants us to look for men of good character.

The trouble with this is that character is not only what someone appears to be. Character is who someone really is. That was a problem in the Corinthian church. The people were gifted, but they lacked character.

The world looks for gifted people, people with a lot of skill. We will be tempted to choose the men with the most knowledge. Or the men with the most worldly success.

God wants us to focus on the man’s character. But how do we see that? The only way to see it is through relationships.

How can you know if someone is self-controlled? How can you know if someone is gentle, not violent? How can you know if someone is a lover of money or not? You’re not going to see any of this on a Sunday morning. We need men to show us who they are in real relationships.

God wants us to have the kind of relationships in the church where we know each other.

So, we are looking for men who aren’t afraid to be known. Their character must be visible to us. Their lives must be on display. There is nothing to hide.

Of course, this is not a standard of perfection. Remember, Paul has already described himself as the chief of sinners in this same letter. In a very real sense, no one is really qualified to lead God’s church.

Instead, the question here is one of reputation. This is what Paul means by “above reproach”.

Does the man have a reputation of being violent? Is he known to be quarrelsome? Is he known to be a drunkard? Is he respected? If he is married, does his wife think he should serve as an elder or deacon? What would his friends say?

We will ask these questions because the character qualification is a protection for the church.

There will be difficult decisions to make. There will be heavy discussions. We want men of character representing us. Not men with quick tempers and an ax to grind.

Men, if you lack character, then God is not calling you to be an elder or deacon.

Church, look for men of good character and good reputation. If you don’t know him, don’t nominate him.

Third, Paul tells us to look for competent men.

Paul says that both elders and deacons must manage their household well. Elders must not be recent converts. Deacons must be tested before they serve.

All of this is a measure of competency. Can they do the job? If a man’s household is not well-ordered, then how can we expect him to manage the church? If he’s a recent convert, how can he shepherd other Christians towards maturity?

There is also an additional qualification for elders. They must be able to teach. They must be able to share in the ministry of the Word. This doesn’t necessarily mean he’s a good preacher, but he must be able to help lead the discipleship of the church.

How do we know if men can do this? They need to be tested. They need to demonstrate an ability to handle God’s Word. They know it. They know and understand doctrine.

Men, if you haven’t been tested, then you aren’t being called. We don’t need to make someone an elder or a deacon hoping they will one day learn how to do the job or one day learn Scripture.

Church, the men that already demonstrating an ability to do a good job are the ones you should want to lead you.

Look for competent men.

Finally, we are looking for Christian men. This may seem obvious, but it absolutely needs to be said.

The kind of maturity we need to see is the men who serve the church as elders and deacons can only happen as a result of genuine faith in Christ. It’s not a product of self-righteousness or pride. It’s produced by faith and repentance and steeping in humility.

Paul will end his letter to Timothy with several warnings.

Sin very often hides in darkness. Some men are very good at hiding their real motives. Some that seem to be Christians are not.

We must be careful that the men we choose are more than just outwardly religious.

All of the qualifications Paul gives should be understood as the fruit or the evidence of a deeply changed life. They are the fruit of the Gospel.

Some of that evidence can be faked. But the humility and the confidence found in Christ is not something people can fake.

Remember again that in chapter 1 Paul calls himself the chief of sinners. This is a man who was probably the most important leader in God’s church. But he had no agenda to make much of himself.

At the same time, he was not afraid to stand up for the truth. He was not afraid to fight for the unity and purity of the church.

This is what the Gospel does to us. We make less of ourselves and more of Christ, just as Christ Jesus humbled himself on the cross for us.

And so, this is really the most important qualification. Don’t consider men who want to look good.

Look for men who will point you to Jesus. Because that will be their job. Men, help us see Jesus. Church, choose men who want you to see Jesus.

Christ Jesus is the only true head of the Church. May He lead us in wisdom and protect us from the enemy.

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The text we will read today is very offensive to contemporary Western culture. And so, before we begin, I want to make two general comments.

First, I believe the Bible is God’s Word. I believe that the Bible, in its original manuscripts, is completely without error and without fault – including our text for today. This is what God wants us to know and how God wants us to live.

Second, I believe that the Bible’s view of women is far better than the world’s view of women. Contemporary Western culture is currently seeking to destroy any distinction between male and female. Gender is becoming meaningless.

But the Bible teaches that God created men and women different on purpose. God sees men and women as equal in value, but He has given us different roles to play in creation.

2,000 years ago, that was radical and progressive teaching. When the Bible was written, the world did not value women. In fact, the early church was very attractive to women because of the way they were being treated by Christian men. And I would argue that many of the positive advancements of women in society are because of the Bible’s influence, not in spite of it.

But we have a decision to make. Will we accept the Bible’s view of gender or this world’s view of gender? Did God design men and women differently on purpose? Do we have different roles to fill, assigned by God? Or should we reject the Bible’s view and embrace the view of the world? Our text will force that issue for us today.

I’m only going to make a few brief comments as we read and then at the end, we will take it as a whole.

8 I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling;

In other words, pray for the sake of prayer – not as an excuse to get together and argue. Worship should be peaceful and orderly.

9 likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, 10 but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works.

Paul addresses women in the churches. Not a specific group of women, but all women.

He instructs women to dress with modesty. Some have taken this as an absolute command against hair styling and jewelry of any kind. I see it more as a command against trying to dress like the world or to draw attention to yourself in public.

In defense of that view, I would suggest Revelation 21:2, where the glorified Church is described as a bride adorned beautifully for her husband. But the emphasis is on her character, not her appearance.

11 Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.

The context here is public ministry of the church. Paul forbids women to publicly teach men or have authority over men.

Numerous attempts have been made in the past 70 years to limit the scope of this command, or to explain it away somehow. Most commonly, it is suggested that Paul is only talking about a problem specific to this church or this culture. But that possibility is eliminated by the very next verse:

13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve; 14 and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. 15 Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.

Paul defends his prohibition of women teaching or having authority in the church on the grounds of creation and the gender roles established by God.

There’s a similar argument in 1 Corinthians 11, where Paul does allow women to pray or prophesy in public worship – but only under the authority of men. There also he refers to the creation of Adam and Eve.

And then in 1 Corinthians 14, he writes this:

As in all the churches of the saints, 34 the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. 35 If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.

Clearly, this is not something Paul meant only for Ephesus. Instead, Paul understands that God created men and women differently and that God does not allow women to teach or have authority over men in the church. God has been very consistent on this issue.

And I want you to understand that this isn’t really open to debate. I know that some churches and denominations in the past 70 years have started to ordain women, but those churches and denominations have a lower view of the Bible than we do. They will tell you that Paul is wrong about this. And that means that being in favor of women’s ordination is essentially the same thing as denying the authority of the Bible.

Let me clarify. I’m talking specifically about women serving as pastors or elders. Those are the offices of teaching and authority. There are no examples of female pastors or elders in the New Testament. Likewise, there are no examples of female priests in the Old Testament.

There are some examples of female leaders. The Bible does permit women to exercise leadership gifts in the church. But not women’s ordination. The Bible does not permit women to publicly teach or hold authority over men.

I think it is worth mentioning again, this has only become an issue in the past 70 years because our culture is making it an issue. The denominations that practice women’s ordination are in rapid decline. The Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church, the vast majority of Protestant churches around the world and throughout history – we all understand that Scripture forbids it.

This is not a debate in the African churches or the South American churches or the Asian churches. It’s only a debate for some American and European churches who have a weak view of the Bible. They are giving in to pressure from the culture to destroy God’s creative distinction between men and women.

This is a much bigger problem than women serving as pastors or elders. Paul could easily have said, “I do not permit women to be elders.” He doesn’t say less than that. In fact, he says more than that. It’s not just about being excluded from an office. It’s about the function of the office. He forbids women to teach or have authority over men. In other words, don’t even act like a pastor or an elder. There’s no loophole here.

This is about God assigning us a gender at birth and God deciding what that means for us – what our purpose will be in the family and in the church. We need a Biblical theology of ordination, but more than that, we need a Biblical theology of manhood and womanhood.

Scripture teaches that God created us male and female as complementary expressions of His image. Men and women reflect truth about God and His world together in ways that men alone or women alone could not. This is not a traditional idea or a cultural idea. It’s a reality that transcends culture, because men and women express this reality in every culture.

Scripture does not teach that men are superior to women, that men rank higher than women in the eyes of God, or that women are second-class creatures. Men and women are completely and fully equal in the eyes of God. Equally valuable. Equally necessary.

But men and women were created to fill two distinct roles in the family and in the church. Men have been given the responsibility of headship in those two areas, but headship is not a 1950s sitcom or an excuse for patriarchal oppression.

Instead, the Bible describes headship as the first to serve… the first to sacrifice. And Paul makes it very clear in Ephesians 5 that God designed men and women this way for a much greater purpose than we may realize. Our design carries Gospel intent. Ephesians 5:

22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because we are members of his body.

31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. 33 However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

He’s talking about marriage. More than that he’s talking about God’s design for men and women. And even more than that, He’s really talking about Jesus and the Church.

If we reject what Paul says here, then we are rejecting God’s purposes in the family and in the church. This is meaningful theology that we cast aside when we choose to accept the culture’s lack of distinction between men and women.

What I’m describing here has become known as complementarianism, and it is the historic Christian perspective on gender.

I want to share a lengthy quote by a lady named Mary Kassian, and I completely agree with what she says here:

“Essentially, a complementarian is a person who believes that God created male and female to reflect complementary truths about Jesus.

Complementarians believe that males were designed to shine the spotlight on Christ’s relationship to the church (and the LORD God’s relationship to Christ) in a way that females cannot,

and that females were designed to shine the spotlight on the church’s relationship to Christ (and Christ’s relationship to the LORD God) in a way that males cannot.

Who we are as male and female is ultimately not about us. It’s about testifying to the story of Jesus. We do not get to dictate what manhood and womanhood are all about. Our Creator does. That’s the basis of complementarianism.

If you hear someone tell you that complementarity means you have to get married, have dozens of babies, be a stay-at-home housewife, clean toilets, completely forego a career, chuck your brain, tolerate abuse, watch Leave It to Beaver reruns, bury your gifts, deny your personality, and bobble-head nod “yes” to everything men say, don’t believe her. That’s a straw (wo)man misrepresentation. It’s not complementarianism.”

What we are really fighting against is not a culture that promotes women, but a culture that promotes self. Let me say that again. The world isn’t defending women. It’s defending self. The world can’t even define the word “woman” anymore without offending someone. The world is defending the false idea that people can be whoever they want to be.

The Bible says we don’t have the right to decide some things about who we are. And rejecting who God says we are doesn’t make us happier or healthier as a society… it makes everything worse. Thankfully, our Creator has every intention of putting things back where they belong.

That includes all the ways women have been hurt and devalued by men throughout history. We’re not going to solve that problem by blurring the lines between genders. Jesus is going to solve the problem through grace and truth, because He loves His bride fiercely.

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This morning, we come to the end of the first chapter in Paul’s letter to Timothy. The Apostle defends his understanding of the Law and the Gospel, and we might summarize it in this way.

God’s Law shows us right and wrong. It functions like a mirror by showing us our sin. We don’t get to decide for ourselves what is right and wrong. God created us. He gets to decide.

The world will always push Christians towards a more tolerant view of sin. But Paul urges Timothy not to let false teaching take root in the Church. Very often, that false teaching concerns the Law, and there are two major errors. One error tries to make the Law irrelevant. The other error tries to make the Law our means of salvation.

Paul responds to both errors by offering himself as an example of the power of the Gospel. He calls himself the chief of sinners, arguing that the grace and mercy of God stand in sharp contrast to our sin. And so, the Gospel is received in two movements – I’m worse than I think I am, but God’s grace is sufficient. And now, we are ready to continue:

18 This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, 19 holding faith and a good conscience.

Timothy had been identified at a young age as a future leader in the church.

But notice how Paul describes Timothy’s job as a pastor. He calls it warfare. My guess is that most Christians don’t think of this life as a battle, but that makes it extremely easy for the enemy to take us down.

The Bible consistently portrays this life as a battle between spiritual forces of good and evil. There is a real enemy, and he is constantly attacking the two things that Paul mentions: your faith and your conscience.

And better yet, if he can convince you that you’re not even at war, he will have his way with both your faith and your conscience. He’s called the Father of Lies and he will feed you doubts about yourself and about God every waking moment if you let him… fight, Paul says. He continues:

By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, 20 among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.

Notice that Paul specifically mentions their names, the sin they committed, and the consequences of their sin.

We think that being handed over to Satan means that these men were excommunicated. They were cast out of the church, with the hope that they would repent.

But I want to remind you of something from last week. When Paul called himself the chief of sinners, do you remember what sins he had committed? He said, formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent…

He was a blasphemer. And what sin did these two men commit? Blasphemy. Blasphemy is showing contempt for God, probably in this case by false teaching. That would get you kicked out of the church.

But we might ask – was it fair for Paul to have these men cast out of the church, when they had committed the same sin as Paul?

This is where our modern tendency to tolerate sin affects our judgment. The difference between Paul and these two men was repentance. Paul knew himself to be formerly a blasphemer. These two men have not yet repented. Why were they cast out? So that they will repent and learn not to blaspheme.

Remember, Paul says that God is patient with us in our sin. He extends mercy and grace to even the worst of sinners. But He doesn’t allow us to keep living in unrepentant sin, to believe that something is OK with God when it’s not OK with God.

And now, we are ready to move on to chapter 2, where Paul gives several instructions for the Church. Here’s what he wants us to do:

1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.

I want you to pray. And I want you to pray for everyone, even the people you least want to pray for – the people who can make life more difficult for you as a Christian. Why? So that we can live a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified.

It suggests that Paul sees the battle being won, not with words and arguments, but with prayer and a godly example. You might say that Paul is urging us to be more passionate in our prayer than in our politics.

I think it also worth mentioning that the Bible frequently encourages Christians to a quiet life of prayer. Modern church culture encourages Christians to do big, bold things for Jesus – but what Jesus really wants from us, in most cases, is a simple, humble life of prayer.

But why, specifically, does Paul encourage us to pray for all people? He continues:

3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Verse 4 is one of the more difficult verses to explain in the letter. It has been used and misused many times, so we need to consider it closely. Before we do, I want to give a quick disclaimer – there’s no way I can deal with this completely in a few minutes. If it raises questions or concerns, let’s plan a time to discuss it.

Paul says, quite clearly, that God desires all people to be saved. Some of you may not see the problem here, so let me phrase it as a question. If God desires all people to be saved, then why doesn’t he save all people?

The most common answer to that question is free will. God wants everyone to be saved, but people reject the salvation being offered through Jesus. In a sense, that is absolutely true.

But the trouble is that Scripture also teaches that none of us would accept Jesus without divine intervention. Salvation is an act of God and God doesn’t save everyone, so what do we do with this verse?

Given the context, because Paul mentions the Gentiles in verse 7 and because of the controversy in chapter 1, some people explain this by saying what Paul means is not literally “all people” but “all kinds of people”. God desires for all “kinds” of people to be saved. And that is a true statement – because Revelation tells us that God will save people from every tribe, nation, and tongue.

But we are also not in the habit of inserting words into Scripture that aren’t there. And I don’t think it is necessary. I think we are safe to say that, in a sense, God does desire all people to be saved. Paul meant exactly what he said.

In this way, Paul argues that the Gospel is not a message for some people. It is a message for all people. We should want all people to be saved. We should pray for the salvation of everyone we know – everyone we meet.

At the same time, there is a mystery in Scripture regarding the sovereignty of God and the free will of man when it comes to salvation. But it is a mystery, and we don’t need to defend God by adding words to Scripture.

5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.

There it is again. Paul says that Jesus gave himself as a ransom for all. And again, Paul’s not arguing that all people will actually be saved by Christ’s death. He’s saying that Christ’s death was sufficient as a ransom for all people.

Again, some of you may have questions about this. Let me know.

7 For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

Paul again uses himself as an example, defending the idea that God’s grace is being extended to all people. This is why God sent me to the Gentiles, he says, because God wants the good news to be carried into the whole world.

And that is our text for today. There are several takeaways.

First, don’t miss sight of the forest for the trees. Our tendency is to focus on verse 4, because it is difficult to interpret and somewhat controversial. But in doing that, we miss the clear logic of Paul’s argument as a whole.

We are in a battle for the faith, a battle we need to take seriously. People’s eternal souls are at stake. False teaching is a serious offense, because it can keep people from hearing and understanding the true Gospel.

Our primary role is to pray for people, all people, specifically that they come to know Jesus as Savior.

The big picture here is that this is a high stakes battle. People are losing their souls. To paraphrase the words of Richard Baxter from the 17th century:

If you have the heart of a Christian, then think about the lost people around you. There is but a single step between them and death and hell; if they die without Christ, they are lost forever. Is your heart made of stone? If you don’t believe the Word of God, and the danger of sinners, why are you a Christian yourself? If you do believe it, why do you not pray for the lost?

This is what I think Paul is trying to communicate. We get them impression from this letter that the Ephesian churches, in particular, struggled with exclusivity. They treated the Gospel like it was special knowledge for insiders. That would explain Paul’s instructions to pray for all people to be saved.

Paul had written the letter to the Ephesians only a few years earlier, a letter rich with the message of the Gospel. Already, the church was giving in to false teaching.

About 30 years later, the Apostle John wrote the book of Revelation which includes a letter from Jesus to the churches in Ephesus. And what it shows us is that Paul and Timothy’s labors in Ephesus were not in vain. The church learned its lesson about tolerating false teachers. Listen to what Jesus says to them:

2 I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. 3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary.

4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.

Thirty years later, they are doing a good job of rejecting false teaching, but apparently, they have one serious flaw. They’ve lost the love they had at first. And what does that mean, that they have lost the love they had? I think it at least means their desire to see lost people saved – to pray for it, to work for it – as Paul had charged them in 1 Timothy 2.

Church, this is a matter for repentance for us. Good theology is important, but equally important is that we have a soft heart for people who need Jesus. We should commit ourselves to both. In both cases, people’s souls are at stake.

Father, give us sharp minds to recognize and separate truth from error. But give us also soft hearts, eager to pray for and pursue your lost sheep. We so quickly forget why we are here and what’s at stake. Help us to be a church that is both solid and approachable – a church more like Jesus.

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Last week, we began a study of 1 Timothy. If you haven’t already, I would encourage you to go back and listen to it or read the manuscript on our website. It is very important to understand the purpose of Paul’s letter.

It’s also a very important prelude to our text for today, words that are rich with good news. But the good news is only good when held up against the bad news of our sin. What we are about to read is powerful and compelling, but it only makes sense if you first believe that humans are law breakers by birth and that we are responsible for the pain and suffering of this world.

I saw a quote this week that helps explain why this is so difficult for us to understand. The writer says, “The Gospel sounds very strange to a generation that has been told they are perfect, that loving themselves is virtuous, that their heart is always right, and that nothing is more important than being happy.”

The doctrine of sin has no place in a culture like that. We don’t really know what to think of sin. But it is impossible to understand the Gospel without knowledge of sin. I want to convince you of that this morning, because Jesus cannot bring meaning to your life unless you first believe that you have committed treason against the God of the universe and that you deserve a traitor’s death. If you don’t believe that, then you don’t believe the Christian Gospel.

We are only looking at 6 verses today and we’re taking it slow. Paul says:

12 I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord,

The root word of “strength” in Greek is the same root word as dynamite. This is immense power. But when Paul says Jesus has given him this strength – it’s less like Superman and more like Iron Man. Superman is powerful. Iron Man is just a normal guy in a powerful suit.

Paul claims the strength of Christ, but it isn’t Paul’s strength. He’s being empowered by someone else. Why? Why is Jesus giving Paul strength?

because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service,

There are two ways to read this line, depending on where you place the emphasis. If you put the emphasis on “faithful” and “service” it sounds like this:

Because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service… that makes it sound like Paul earned his place, right? It sounds like he’s praising himself. But there’s another way to read it.

Because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service… and that can be heard two ways. It can be arrogance, or it can be sarcasm. The context proves this is sarcasm. It implies a question – why would Christ Jesus judge someone like ME faithful? Why would He appoint someone like ME to his service?

We know this is Paul’s point because of what he says next:

13 though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent.

This is a brief version of Paul’s testimony. But if you read the book of Acts, you will discover that Paul was always brutally honest about his past. He hated and persecuted Christians. He rejected Jesus as the Messiah. He held the coats of the men who stoned the first deacon to death!

This clarifies his intent in verse 12. Paul wasn’t bragging on himself. He’s bragging on Jesus.

Paul’s testimony has nothing to do with his own good works. Instead, he shares his rap sheet… his criminal record. He tells us what kind of person Jesus saved.

And he continues:

But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief,

I was ignorant. I was blinded by lies, but Jesus showed me mercy. Mercy means “I didn’t get what I deserved”.

14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

Grace means “I got the opposite of what I deserved.” Instead of punishment, I was rewarded. Jesus rewarded me with faith and love. These were given to me – gifted to me. And now we come to the key verse.

15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.

That first part is a way of saying, “If you hear nothing else, please hear me say this.” Jesus came to save sinners and I am the worst one I know.

This is a simple, powerful argument. If God can save me, then he can save anyone.

Paul offers himself as an example – not of a saint – but of a forgiven sinner, and in his mind, the worst sinner he knows!

I want to pause here and remind you that last week, Paul explained the Law by listing some of the worst sins he could think of – beating your parents, murder, adultery, homosexuality, enslaving people…

And now, just a few verses later, Paul says he’s the worst. Worse than those people!

And it’s important to notice he says “I am” the worst, not “I was” the worst. That’s significant humility coming from the most important apostle, missionary, and church planter in the history of the Church. And we know it’s not false humility, because Paul quickly points us to the real hero.

16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.

Why did Jesus save me, the worst sinner? He did it to make me an example. Again, if Jesus can save me – He can save anybody.

What is Jesus showing us by saving the worst sinner? His perfect patience. And I think that word “patience” is a key word in this text.

Remember Paul’s purpose for writing Timothy. There’s some false teaching going on in the church concerning the Law. It is very likely that some people in the church are not being patient with the sinfulness of new believers. This may be what Paul meant when he said they were using the law unlawfully – not to patiently guide one another to repentance, but to condemn or shame people in their struggles.

There’s actually a progression in Paul’s life that can be tracked by his letters. In one of his first letters, to the Corinthians, Paul calls himself the least of the apostles. Years later in his letter to the Ephesians, Paul calls himself the least of all the saints. Paul wrote Timothy near the end of his life – and He now calls himself the chief of sinners.

Do you see what’s happening to Paul? He was becoming more aware of his own sinfulness over time. And I think that’s a perfect picture of real sanctification – how we grow as Christians. More repentance, more faith. Less pride and self-righteousness. More dependence on Christ.

I’m reminded of the parable Jesus tells his disciples in Luke 18 – the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector.

9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’

13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’

14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

This is the point of Paul’s message. Be careful of using the Law as a way to justify yourself. It only leads to arrogance and contempt for others. The people who are closer to God are the ones that know their sinfulness and need of a Savior.

What this means is that we need to be patient with people. We need to be patient with unbelievers. It should not surprise us to see unbelievers doing things that lost people do. We need the eyes of Jesus to see people with compassion and pray for their deliverance.

We also need to be patient with our brothers and sisters in Christ. The Christian life is a marathon, not a sprint. We want to help each other finish the race well, but we understand that growth takes time.

Finally, we need to be patient with ourselves. Typically, when we get frustrated about our lack of progress it’s our pride talking, not a desire to be more like Christ. Be patient with yourself. If God began the work, He will finish it.

But to some of you, that may sound like an excuse to claim Jesus and do whatever you want. And that raises a very important question: How do you know if God is really at work in your life or if you’re just using the Gospel as an excuse to do what you want? The answer is worship. If your desire to worship isn’t growing, then you aren’t growing.

The most important result of the Gospel working itself out in the life of a Christian is that they want to worship God! Look at how Paul ends:

17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

That’s what we call a Doxology. Paul is so moved by his own words, thinking about what Jesus has done for him, that he breaks into spontaneous worship.

And this is how God works. He patiently teaches us two things at the same time and by teaching us these two things, He makes us more like Jesus, more dependent on Jesus, and more grateful for Jesus. It’s very simple:

I’m worse than I think I am, but God is better than I think He is.

Last week’s sermon and today’s sermon are almost like those two lessons, those two movements – side by side. We don’t get to decide what’s right and what’s wrong. God created us. God defines us. And we are all worse than we think we are.

But thankfully, God is also much better than we think He is. How was God able to show mercy and grace to even the worst of sinners? By sending His only Son to die in the place of that worst of sinners. To Him be glory and honor forever and ever, Amen.

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This morning we begin a 10-week study of Paul’s first letter to Timothy. I’m calling it “fight the good fight” based on Paul’s instruction in chapter 6. He tells Timothy to flee evil and pursue righteousness, commanding him to fight the good fight of the faith.

And in many ways, that is the theme of this letter letter. How do we, as God’s church, fight the good fight? It seemed to me a good way to begin our new year together, so let’s do it.

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,

This is a letter written by the apostle Paul. He begins most of his letters in the same way, taking care to rest his own authority in the will of God. No one in the Bible claims the title of “apostle” for himself, which means there are no true apostles alive today. The Apostles were named directly by Christ Jesus, whom Paul mentions three times in the first two verses.

2 To Timothy, my true child in the faith:

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

This is a standard greeting, but notice the personal touch. He calls Timothy my “true child”. In Greek, the word is legitimate. Timothy had a Gentile father and a Jewish mother, meaning the Jews would have considered him illegitimate. But Paul claims him as a son because he led Timothy to Christ.

3 As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, 4 nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith.

Paul left Timothy in Ephesus to help guide the church in his absence. Timothy already knows why Paul left him there, which means Paul expects this letter to be read by the churches. This is an open letter to Timothy. He’s telling the churches that Timothy has the authority to challenge false teaching in Paul’s name.

This is the first and most important problem in the church that Paul confronts in the letter. We don’t know exactly what these people were teaching, but the troublemakers were probably leaders in the church – maybe even elders.

What this means for Timothy is that fighting the good fight of the faith is first a battle of doctrine. Theology. What we teach in the church matters. The integrity of the church and the blessing of God depends on it.

We need to know the difference between good doctrine and bad doctrine – especially our leaders. This is why, in our denomination, pastors, elders, and deacons all require significant training and testing in Bible knowledge and theology.

We have to know the difference between good teaching and bad teaching. Failure in this has led to false religions like Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Hebrew Israelites, and many others. It has led to heresies like universalism, oneness theology, and prosperity teaching. It has also led churches and entire denominations to abandon the good things they once believed in favor of modern ideas that are contrary to Scripture.

That’s what led to the Presbyterian split 50 years ago and it’s causing a split in the Methodist church right now. Doctrine matters. Why? Because of verse 5:

5 The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.

You may be tempted to think that doctrine is a head thing, not a heart thing. And that is a risk – that theology becomes only a head thing. To pride oneself in knowledge. But for Paul, good theology is actually a heart issue. He’s saying that Christian love is impossible without it.

We can’t love God if we don’t know who God is. We aren’t capable of loving others well if we are committed to false teaching.

Here’s an example. Some Christians believe that if you have enough faith, God will heal any disease. That’s false teaching but imagine a brother or sister in Christ is dealing with a chronic illness and you believe that false teaching. You might think the disease is their fault – that they must not have enough faith. Would you love them well in that instance? No…

According to Paul, there’s a lot more at stake than we realize. Purity of heart. A clean conscience. A sincere faith. That’s a summary of what it means to be human. What we feel. What we think. What we do. What we believe matters. Our humanity falls apart when we believe the wrong things about God and His Word!

6 Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, 7 desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.

This gives us a clue about the kind of false teaching going on in Ephesus. It was some kind of distortion or preoccupation with the Old Testament Law. This was a common problem in the early church. It was also the spirit of the age, almost as a form of entertainment. People loved having spiritual debates and discussions.

But it could have a very damaging effect on the Church for leaders to say things beyond or contrary to what Scripture taught – especially in the early days of the church.

8 Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, 9 understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane,

Paul begins here to correct this error by explaining the purpose of God’s law.

Used properly, the law is good. Used improperly, the law is dangerous. Paul spends a lot of time in his letters to the Galatians and the Romans defending this idea.

Throughout church history, we have identified three proper uses of the law from Paul’s letters. The first use of the law is a mirror – it shows us our own sinfulness and need of forgiveness. The second use of the law is civil – it has been used as a standard for protecting people from the harmful actions of others. The third use of the law is a guide – helping people who already love God to obey Him.

It’s clear that Paul has in mind the first use of the law and possibly the second. He says the law is for the lawless. It’s for sinners. And then he gives some specific examples.

for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10 the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers,

Look carefully at this list. More than likely your focus is on one or two of these groups of people, and we will talk specifics. But first, notice that Paul gives an example from the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth commandments in order. Did you catch that?

The fifth commandment is to honor your father and mother and Paul gives a particularly heinous example – someone who strikes his father or mother.

The sixth commandment is do not murder.

The seventh commandment is do not commit adultery. Paul divides this one into two examples – one covering heterosexual sin and the other is very specific – men who practice homosexuality.

The eight commandment is do not steal and here Paul uses the most extreme example – stealing another human being to enslave them.

The ninth commandment is do not lie and Paul here gives two examples, private and public. Lying and perjury.

I want us to see this, because very often we will hear Christians say that all sins are the same. In one sense, that is true. All sin is destructive. All sin is evil. All sin deserves the wrath of God. All sinners, apart from the grace of God, are equally doomed.

But practically speaking, all sin is not the same in terms of immediate, real-world consequences. Some sins are more heinous than others – more destructive. For instance, Jesus taught that hating someone breaks the sixth commandment. And yet, murder is obviously far more destructive than hatred.

With that in mind, notice that Paul seeks to correct our understanding of the law by drawing a sharp contrast between what the law can and cannot do by listing these sins. He specifically mentions some of the most heinous actions a person can commit: beating your parents… murder… enslaving people… and yes, he includes homosexuality.

We should pause and focus on that one for a moment, because it’s the only one on Paul’s list that modern readers question. Everyone in our culture agrees that the other stuff is bad for society. But as you are aware, people’s opinions regarding sexual sin have shifted dramatically in the past 60 years. So, we need to talk about it.

Paul uses a word here that literally means men who lie with men. This is not a reference to male prostitution or pedophilia, as some modern interpreters have suggested in an effort to excuse homosexuality.

The Bible as a whole is very clear on God’s view of sex. According to God, there is only one healthy way for human beings to express themselves sexually – in the context of a marriage between one man and one woman. This is how God designed us. Anything else is an expression of our sinful nature – it’s not what God intends for us.

If you struggle with this, I understand the tension – because we live in a world that is, and always has been, very sexually confused. All sin feels right to us at the time and we should not be surprised that the world wants us to accept different definitions and lifestyles.

But I believe the Bible is God’s Word and I trust what He says about this. The Church needs to stand its ground on these issues. We don’t get to decide what qualifies as sin and what doesn’t.

This has always been a problem. I don’t need to remind you that some Christians once tried to defend slavery from the Bible and that was clearly wrong. It’s the very next sin Paul mentions. Likewise, it is wrong that some Christians today are trying to defend homosexuality from the Bible.

That’s kind of Paul’s point here. He’s arguing with these so-called teachers of the law by saying that the law is pretty clear about itself. We know what the law says. We know what God forbids.

And why do we have the law? Paul argues that the law exists to show us our lawlessness, such as the sins he mentions and, he continues,

and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, 11 in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.

And this is how our text ends for today. Paul says to Timothy that good doctrine lines up with the Gospel message. That is perhaps the most important criteria for us to decide if something is good teaching or bad teaching. Does it fit with the Gospel?

And so, what I want to do is talk briefly about the relationship between the law and the gospel.

Notice that Paul sees no contradiction between the law and the gospel. The moral code of the gospel is no different from the moral code of the law. Embracing the Gospel of grace does not give us the freedom to reject God’s law. The law doesn’t become useless after we become a Christian.

There is something the law can’t do. It can’t save us. It can’t redeem us. It can’t make us righteous. And in Christ, it can no longer condemn us. In terms of salvation, the law is powerless. But in terms of moral standards, the law and the gospel speak the same language.

God takes us the way He finds us, but He never leaves us the way He found us. God worked salvation for us to make us more like Christ. And so, the law of God remains a useful tool for both the Christian and the non-Christian. For believers, it helps guide us to the life God wants for us. For believers and unbelievers, it shows us our sin and drives us towards Christ.

I want us to look quickly at what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6. He uses a similar list of sins, but notice what he says:

9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

None of these people go to heaven and that should make us nervous because everyone in the room falls into at least one of these groups. But look what he says next:

11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Past tense. In other words, believers are no longer defined by their sin. We are still in the struggle, but our chief reality is washed – sanctified – justified in Christ.

If we are going to fight the good fight of the faith, we must know what God’s law says and what it doesn’t say. We cannot assume for ourselves what God is OK with and what He’s not OK with. We don’t get to make that call. The world doesn’t get to decide right and wrong. That’s why we have God’s law.

Our job is listening to God’s voice, receiving His Words with humility, and where the law reveals our sin, we must repent and trust in the work of Christ to fulfill the law on our behalf. That is our only path into God’s Kingdom.

I also want to encourage you to be humble in your engagement with some of these more difficult social issues. There is a lot of confusion in the world concerning gender and sexuality. We should be patient and humble with people. But we absolutely do not have to affirm something that God does not affirm. The world says that love demands affirmation and that’s not true. We can and should love every person we meet, but love does not demand affirmation. You do not have to enter into the delusions of a broken world to show love.

We want the best for people and the best for people is what God says is true of them. Resist the lies. Fight the good fight of the faith.

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If you’re anything like me, you’ve spent a lot of time eating and watching sports for the past several weeks. The weather has kept us inside a lot. There’s been plenty of soccer and football to watch. The holidays in general involve lots of food and sitting around.

And now we are starting to feel that post-holiday let down. I feel like I need to make some changes. And I’m not alone. Far more people buy exercise equipment in January than any other month. Far more people sign up for gym memberships. Far less people eat fast food. Most of us try to make healthy changes at the start of a New Year.

And I don’t want to discourage anyone from doing that. But we also know how difficult it is to change. Statistics show that most Americans “fall off the wagon” by February 9 – just 40 days into the New Year.

And it’s not just health decisions. A lot of Christians start the New Year with goals to read the Bible in a year, to attend church regularly, to give more – but for many it doesn’t last.

Why is change so difficult? Why does it feel like there are powerful forces working against us? I’m sure we could find some helpful information in the world of psychology, but at the end of the day I would argue that we don’t really want to change. We don’t change because we don’t want to. We want something else more.

We’re going to look at a story from the Gospel of John today – John 5 beginning with verse 2.

2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. 3 In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed.

This pool is still there in Jerusalem, to this day, just as John described it, but without the people.

The reason so many people were gathered at this pool back then was because they believed it was a source of healing miracles.

In most of your Bibles, you may notice that verse 4 is missing. That’s because it was probably added much later and not written by John – but this is what the verse said:

4 For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.

That explains why so many people were gathered at the pool. But it was a false hope – a superstition. And John tells is in the next verse that:

5 One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.

Imagine this. At first glance, it seems like this man had some serious conviction. He’s waited by this pool for 38 years waiting to be healed! Most of us give up on change in 38 days.

This is remarkable because 38 years is longer than the life expectancy of half the population back then! It’s a really long time to be waiting for a miracle. But watch what happens next.

6 When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?”

Do you want to be healed? Do you want to be healed? That seems like an ignorant or insensitive question to us. Of course, this man wants to be healed! Doesn’t he? Why else would he be here? Why else would he have waited so many years? But look at what he says.

7 The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.”

Does he answer the question? No. Instead, he invites Jesus to what we might call a pity party. Everyone always beats me to the water. It pulls at the heart strings. It makes sense. But I have a hard time believing that he’s been waiting for 38 years with no chance of being first in the water.

And he doesn’t really answer the question, does he? I think this tells us something about human nature. It shows us why change is so difficult. The man is so focused on his own solution to the problem, he ignores the possibility that Jesus has a solution.

Listen to how one writer describes this dilemma with reference to addiction.

“It seems like overcoming addiction should be so simple, and especially for the Christian: Instead of doing that thing, how about next time you just don’t do that thing? Instead of opening that bottle, keep it closed. Instead of buying those pills, buy some groceries. Instead of typing in that web site, type in a different web site. Instead of walking through the doors of the casino, choose not to even go near the casino. But addiction is far more than making bad choices instead of good choices. Addicts are not simply satisfying a need or following habits, though they are doing those things as well. Addicts are actually seeking the good life and are convinced it can be found in and through the addiction.”

We could say the same thing about our failed resolutions. We give up on them because we convince ourselves we would be happier doing the opposite. And maybe we even enjoy a little self-pity from the failure!

This is why change is so difficult. Whatever we believe will make us happy in the moment becomes our pool of Bethesda. But watch what Jesus does with the man’s pity party.

8 Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” 9 And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.

Jesus solves the problem in an instant. But notice He does it on his own terms. No angel. No water. Just a few words. He doesn’t let the man find healing in the way he expects to find it.

This is irresistible grace. It is unexpected. It is unearned. It is a free gift. But it’s also a command to something different. And this is the only way God chooses to fix a problem. It will never be on our terms.

God’s solution to every problem must be received with empty hands. Otherwise, we run the risk of pride, and as the story continues, we will see that Jesus is far more concerned with the man’s heart than his feet.

Now that day was the Sabbath. 10 So the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed.” 11 But he answered them, “The man who healed me, that man said to me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk.’”

What are these men concerned about? They are concerned about someone breaking God’s law.

12 They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” 13 Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place.

14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.” 15 The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him.

Most often, we are quick to judge this man. He runs to tattle on Jesus with the healthy legs Jesus just gave him.

But what does the man want? He wants to be accepted by His people. This is what all the Jews wanted. Their focus on the law was a source of national pride and honor.

On the surface, it’s not wrong to be concerned with breaking God’s law. That’s exactly what Jesus is concerned with. He tells the man to stop sinning! What is sin? Breaking God’s law.

But just as the crippled man ignored Jesus to focus on the pool, so also the people rejected their Lawgiver to focus on their version of the law.

16 And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. 17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”

18 This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.

They weren’t wrong. That’s exactly what Jesus did. He made Himself equal with God. But instead of accepting that, the Jews rejected Him. They’d rather kill Him than accept His version of change.

And that’s the human heart. That’s why change is so difficult. Our pride always gets in the way. We will do what we believe is going to make us happy.

For some, it’s the path of self-help. We pride ourselves in making good choices and we look down on those who make bad choices.

For others, it’s the path of self-medication. We choose what makes us happy in the moment and we look down on those who judge us for it.

James 4:6 says, “God gives grace to the humble but opposes the proud.” That was the ministry of Jesus then. It’s still the ministry of Jesus now.

If there is a barrier between you and God, it is not God’s fault. In pride, you have refused Him. You have chosen self-help or self-medication. And in that case, what should God do with you? Is it his responsibility to fix you?

We skipped over an important detail in the text so that I can bring it up now. How many people did John say were sitting around the pool of Bethesda?

a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed.

A multitude. And these are all people who arguably have it worse than most of us. And how many of those people did Jesus heal? One.

Why didn’t Jesus heal them all? Why don’t we ask that question? Jesus had the power to heal them all. Why didn’t He? Why did He only heal one man? And why that man? Did He deserve it more than the others? Clearly not… He didn’t even seem grateful.

It’s an important detail that Jesus didn’t heal everyone He met. That’s because every person Jesus chose to heal was an act of grace.

Fairness would have been that Jesus heal no one, because literally no one deserved it. The barrier between us and God is far worse than we think it is. The only thing standing between me and God’s anger is God’s grace.

We will never understand or even want God’s grace unless we first see our unworthiness to receive it. I did nothing to become an object of His grace. To say that at first, I didn’t even want it is the most honest truth of it.

Do you remember the very first question Jesus asks the man at the pool? “Do you want to be healed?” Do you understand now why he asked that question? Jesus could ask us the same question today.

The proud have no need for healing. We would never come to Jesus except on our own terms. He has to break us, expose us, bring us to life, and place us in a state of grace. He does it this way because there is no other way and because He gets all the glory.

Proud, self-righteous people make terrible worshippers. Humble people who know they have received everything as a free gift make excellent worshippers!

And if you have experienced the grace of God, that’s exactly what you want to do. You want to worship Him, not just on Sunday mornings, not just as a New Year’s resolution … but with your whole life! Not to earn anything, but because you already have everything in Jesus.

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Last week, my family watched Spirited, the new Christmas movie with Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds. It’s a musical comedy based on the classic Charles Dickens story, A Christmas Carol.

The movie is OK, but it raises a very important question. What do you do with someone who is unredeemable? That’s a basic plot point in the Bible too, so it got my attention. The best moment in the film is when Will Ferrell’s character sings these words:

Am I forever unredeemable?

Can I be the man who breaks

From a lifetime of mistakes?

Can my worst be left behind?

And do I deserve to find

The kind of love that I could lean on every day?

Or will I learn I have to stay

Unredeemable?

It’s a human question – an important question. It hits a nerve because the Bible places all of us in this category of despair.

But this is Hollywood and the answer given by the movie was disappointing. How do I become redeemable? The last song of the movie tells us to do a little good, give a little more, work a little harder than we did the day before.

And that’s the basic answer given by most religions. Do you feel unredeemable? Try a little harder. And that’s what most people think life is all about. And it means that most people think about God the way they think about Santa Claus. He’s watching to see if we are naughty or nice.

But that’s not the God of the Bible and it’s not the Christian faith.

I want to read a chapter from the Bible that you won’t typically hear during a Christmas sermon, because it’s found in the book of Revelation which contains a lot of symbolism and mystery. But I want us to be clear about whose birth we are celebrating tomorrow, and this chapter will help us do that. Revelation chapter 5:

1 Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals.

The chapter begins in the throne room of God, which was described in detail in chapter 4. God sits on a throne holding a scroll that contains his will… literally his will.

At that time, a legal will often had seven seals and seven witnesses. With reference also to the book of Daniel, the scroll contains God’s plan or destiny for the world.

2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?”

Opening the scroll means carrying out the plan and purposes of God. Who is worthy of doing this?

3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, 4 and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.

John begins to feel despair at the possibility that nothing will ever change – that nothing will ever get better. What if no one is worthy? What if this world is unredeemable?

5 And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

This is the turning point. Someone is found worthy! And there is only One person it could be. The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David – it is Jesus, the Messiah!

6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

Notice that Jesus is described as both a Lion and a Lamb. One animal is fierce and powerful, the other is gentle and mild. He has seven eyes, which represent His perfect presence. He has seven horns, which represent His perfect power.

And notice that the lamb looks as though it had been slain. If the scroll is a will, it can only be legally opened once the person has died. And that is the symbolism here. Jesus is worthy because He died! Now, let’s finish reading the chapter.

7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. 8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, 10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”

11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”

13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” 14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

After Jesus takes the scroll, there is an instant response from ever creature in heaven and earth. What would this be like?

To put it in perspective, there are 8 billion people currently alive on planet earth. 1 billion of them watched the World Cup final last Sunday. There were about 80,000 people in the stadium.

I have a friend from Brazil that attended the final. I asked him what it was like, and he said it was magical. Imagine the energy in the stadium watching the last moments of the game, when the last penalty was kicked – everyone on the edge of their seats watching a ball roll into a net.

It was a great game. It was watched by a record number of people. But in the end, it was only entertainment. A billion people took the time to watch, but it changed nothing about our lives and 7 billion people don’t really care at all.

It meant the most to the players who won, and many of them actually fell down in tears, celebrating their victory.

By comparison, Jesus receiving the scroll causes every single creature in heaven and earth to instantly cry out in worship with all that is in them. Physical emotion pouring out of every single creature. Every angel. Every human. Every animal. As if all of them had just won the greatest prize in the universe.

All of it because the unredeemable have been redeemed – from every tribe and every language and every people and every nation.

How do we experience this kind of emotion? How do we experience the joy described in this vision? This is what we want Christmas to be about, if we believe in Jesus.

I want to suggest that to experience the kind of worship described at the end of this chapter you must first experience the kind of despair described at the beginning. Do you remember? John said, I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy.

If you’re going to celebrate Jesus the way Jesus is meant to be celebrated, then you first must feel the despair that no one else is worthy – and that includes you. And me.

Martin Luther said it well:

“God has assuredly promised His grace to the humble, that is, to those who lament and despair of themselves.

But no man can be thoroughly humbled until he knows that his salvation is utterly beyond his own powers, devices, endeavors, will, and works, and depends entirely on the choice, will, and work of another, namely, of God alone.

For as long as he is persuaded that he himself can do even the least thing toward his salvation, he retains some self-confidence and does not altogether despair of himself, and therefore he is not humbled before God, but presumes that there is—or at least hopes or desires that there may be—some place, time, and work for him, by which he may at length attain to salvation.

But when a man has no doubt that everything depends on the will of God, then he completely despairs of himself and chooses nothing for himself but waits for God to work; then he has come close to grace.”

This is the Way. We will worship Jesus when we really believe He is the only One worthy of it. Until then, we will enjoy our traditions, sing our carols, light our candles, try a little harder, give a little more – and be no closer to the God who created us… the God who redeems the unredeemable.

The table before us is an opportunity to feel both the despair and the joy typical of people who love Jesus. That’s the mystery of the cross… It’s both the worst thing ever and the best thing ever at the same time. The judgment of God intersected with the mercy of God. We come to the table feeling completely unworthy of what it represents, but we leave confident and cheerful because of what it represents.

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Christmas is one week from today and our topic is the exaltation of Christ. We are moving beyond baby Jesus in the manger this year to talk about the glory and worthiness of our risen Savior.

There is perhaps no verse in the Bible that lifts Jesus up higher than Hebrew 1:3 and that is our text this morning.

He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

If you watch sports on TV or listen to sports radio, then you are very familiar with a debate that all sports fans love to have with each other. Who’s the greatest of all time?

Is it Michael Jordan or Lebron James? Is it Leonel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo?

These debates are fun, and the arguments usually revolve around what the person has accomplished. It has nothing to do with who the person is. We talk about statistics and trophies and rings.

But greatness in the Bible always has as much or more to do with a person’s nature, or their character. You cannot separate a person’s nature from their accomplishments if you want to consider the Bible’s idea of greatness.

With that in mind, I want to introduce you to a better Jesus this morning than the one most people believe in.

The person this verse describes is certainly a much better Jesus than the one most people think about at Christmas.

This verse tells us HOW Jesus reveals God to us. Part of how Jesus reveals God is by what Jesus accomplished. But just as important, if not more important, is what Jesus is like.

If you ask the average person on the street, “Who is Jesus?” An unbeliever might say, “Jesus was supposedly a guy who died on a cross for people’s sins.” A believer might say: “Jesus was the guy who died on a cross for my sins.”

Even in the church, the focus is almost always on the work of Christ. What did Jesus do? What were His miracles? Why did he die on the cross?

All of that is extremely important, but we cannot separate the WORK from the PERSON.

In Great Britain, when a royal, a dignitary, or a high-ranking official walks into a dinner party or a ball, someone announces their arrival. But they don’t list off the person’s accomplishments. They announce the person’s TITLE. This is how they would introduce the queen before she died:

“Her Majesty, Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith.” All of it WHO she is.

That’s what the writer of Hebrews does here. He tells us WHO Jesus is, not only what Jesus accomplished. He tells us both because they cannot be separated one from the other.

And this morning, my goal for us is a simple one. I want nothing more than for each of us to leave here with a bigger view of Jesus. I want him to be more to us than just a baby in a manger and even more than the man who died on the cross. I want the man who died on that cross (and rose again) to be bigger and better than we thought He was.

First, the writer says Jesus is the “radiance” of the glory of God. In other words, Jesus is the shining and visible light that emanates from God Himself. He is not like the moon, reflecting the sun’s light. Jesus is more like the actual light from the sun. The sun is far away, but it’s light reaches across space to earth.

In the Old Testament, God radiated something that the Hebrews called His “Shekinah Glory”. This is what Hebrews 1:3 calls Jesus. Jesus is God coming to earth, like the light from the sun.

But what is “glory”. Do you remember from our study of Samuel? The “glory” of a king or a priest was something displayed in his wardrobe. Important people in ancient times wore lots of heavy, ornamented robes to show that they were important. The heaviness of the garments was a display of “glory”.

Jesus bears in His Person the radiance of God’s glory.

He is also the “exact imprint” of God’s nature. In other words, Jesus is not a counterfeit but an exact copy. He isn’t made of similar stuff, but the same exact stuff. Jesus is equal in substance to the Father.

This can’t mean anything else except that Jesus is literally God. To see Christ is to see what God is like.

This one verse destroys any heresy that says Jesus is not God. God would not allow His Word to say these things about anyone else.

Jesus is called God’s Son, but not in the same way that Eli is my son. Eli bears some of my DNA and looks a little like me, but he isn’t my clone. Jesus, however, has exactly the same nature as the Father.

He also “upholds” the universe. In Greek mythology, there was a titan named Atlas who held the earth up on his back. But this word “upholds” is different. It means that Jesus has the power to create, preserve, control, and bring to an end everything. He’s not only holding the world in his hand. He can do whatever he wants with it.

That’s the baby in the manger. That’s the man who died on the cross. The man who with a single word could change everything we know… The one who became God in the flesh… The one who creates and sustains all things…

This is the man that Hebrews 1:3 says made “purification” for sins. This is the only phrase in the verse that highlights the work of Jesus. Everything else focuses on His Person, His worth, His value, His identity.

In other words, Jesus was able to make purification for our sins because of WHO HE IS.

Only God in the flesh could accomplish that.

We understand the idea here. There are certain things that only a president can do. There are certain things that only a rich person can do. There are certain things that only a king can do.

The only person who can forgive sins is God, because He is the one sinned against. The only person who can pay the penalty for sins had to be a man, because man committed the first sin. Jesus had to be both.

Hebrews will spend a lot of time talking about the priesthood. That’s probably because God is about to let the Romans destroy the temple in Jerusalem. The sacrifices will end. The Old Covenant will be eliminated completely. And the writer of Hebrews is preparing Jewish Christians for this.

They don’t need the sacrifices if they have Jesus. The priests and the sacrifices were always about Jesus.

Priests in the temple never sat down. When they were at work, they remained standing until they left the temple. But notice what Hebrews says about Jesus.

“After making purification for sins, he sat down…”

This expands on what we talked about last week. What that means is that Jesus finished the work. His sacrifice as a priest for His people was a one-time thing and it was enough. He finished His work. He did something the other priests could never do. He sat down.

You see this in sports. Near the end of a big game, if a team has a big lead, they will usually send their star player to the bench. The player will sit down to loud cheering and the coach will send in a player that usually doesn’t get a chance to play. The star did their job. There’s really nothing left to do. The coach is just letting the bench guy experience the moment of playing in a game.

As a side note, that’s our role. Jesus sat down. The work is finished. We are not adding anything. We aren’t stealing his spotlight. We aren’t robbing him of any glory. But He loves us enough to let us play even though the game is already won.

Finally, the writer says that Jesus sat down at the “right hand” of God. This is the position of favor, honor and authority. What that means is this: Jesus not only finished His work, but it was perfect. Even though He humbled himself and died on the cross, in the end He lost nothing. But He gained everything.

He resumed His rightful place of honor having purchased the souls of millions with His own blood.

So, who is Jesus?

Jesus is the Prophet through whom God has spoken His final word.

Jesus is the Priest who has accomplished a perfect work of cleansing for His people’s sins.

Jesus is the King who sits in the place of highest honor, ruling over all things.

Why is all of this so important? I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross. Why do I need a bigger and better idea of Jesus than that?

And that’s a great question. We live in a time in history when we don’t really need to “know” anything. Most of us have an entire world of information on our smart phones. If I want to know something about God, I can just look it up.

But this is not just useless trivia. The Bible is an invitation to know and follow and be loved by the God who created you.

Think about whatever you want for Christmas. It doesn’t matter if you’re a kid or an adult, I bet you spent a lot of time thinking about your Christmas list. You did some research. You looked at reviews. You spent time deciding what to ask for. Why?

Because you see value in it… You believe that gift is going to make you happy. And that’s ok! I don’t want to make anyone feel guilty for enjoying Christmas.

But let’s be honest for a moment. Do we care to learn more about God the way we care about our Christmas list? Is He at least that valuable to us?

The evidence in my life says no. My phone tells me how much time I spend on it and it’s an embarrassing amount of time. I wish I could say it’s all on the Bible app or a prayer list, but it’s not. My hobbies get my time. Random videos posted by strangers… that gets my time.

Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”

I don’t know about you, but I quickly and easily forget what this feels like – to believe that Jesus is worth more than everything I’ve got!

I underestimate the effect of sin in my life. I forget how easily I drift – how quickly I become disinterested in the things of God. But God has never let me stray too far and every time He brings me back, it feels like Christmas morning.

When I was a child, my family did not celebrate Christmas. Most of you know I was raised Jehovah’s Witness. But one year, when I was about 6 years old, I got to stay with my grandparents for Christmas and I think my grandmother tried to combine every Christmas I missed into that one year. I woke up to presents everywhere! It felt like a dream coming true! I’ll never forget that feeling.

That’s what the joy of our salvation is supposed to feel like, I think. If you don’t believe me, listen to Psalm 126.

1 When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,

we were like those who dream.

2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter,

and our tongue with shouts of joy;

then they said among the nations,

“The Lord has done great things for them.”

3 The Lord has done great things for us;

we are glad.

If you’re like me, you’ve forgotten again that Jesus is the greatest of all time. You’ve forgotten the joy of the kingdom. You’ve drifted again into selfishness and laziness. You’ve forgotten the gift of forgiveness and unconditional love of the Father for His children in Jesus Christ.

So, what do we do? We repent and believe. We open the gift again. We laugh. We sing.

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Most of the time we celebrate Christmas in the church by talking about the birth of Jesus. And that is a valuable thing to do, because the Incarnation is an important miracle. But we almost never talk about the present. What is Jesus doing right now and why does it matter?

The Bible tells us and that’s our topic today. We’re going to look at three places in the New Testament, starting with Ephesians 2:

4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Where is Jesus? Seated in heaven. Now look at Colossians 3:

1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

Where is Jesus? Seated in heaven. Finally, look at Hebrews 12:

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Where is Jesus? Seated in heaven. Seated at the right hand of God. Where has Jesus been for the past 2,000 years, according to the Bible? Sitting down.

Jesus was only a baby for a short time. He was physically present on the earth for only 33 years. But He has been sitting down in heaven for 2,000 years! He’s alive. He’s breathing. He has a pulse. And He’s sitting in heaven.

This is slightly confusing to us because we think of sitting as a position of weakness. We think of the player sitting on the bench, like Cristiano Ronaldo. We would rather be in the game.

And so, it might be easy for us to think of Jesus sitting and assume that He is sitting idle while the world falls apart. Is Jesus powerless or unconcerned? Is He sitting there watching history from His throne the way we watch TV from the couch?

But that’s the wrong image because Scripture portrays sitting in a much different way, especially sitting on a throne. Jesus is in a position of power and authority. He’s ruling. He’s watching. He’s praying. He’s leading.

And in context, if you look closely at each of the verses we read – there is a direct relationship between Jesus and the church. Who we are has a lot to do with where Jesus is!

Let’s go back and look more closely, starting with Ephesians 2.

4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

The Apostle says that we are loved by God. We have been made alive with Christ. We have been saved by grace.

We have been raised up with Christ. We have been seated with Christ. We have an inheritance of immeasurable wealth.

But focus on that second promise on the screen. God seated us with him in the heavenly places. Past tense. It has already happened.

Look around… are you physically seated in heaven? Do you see Jesus? No. So what is Paul saying? One day we will actually be with Christ physically.

And in the greatest sense, there is a future reality implied – a time when we will exist in perfect harmony with God and dwell in a fully repaired world with sinless bodies and no death.

But he says “seated” in past tense to imply that in some sense we are already on the next level with Christ. Our future is so certain, Paul can talk about it as if it has already happened!

This is no small thing. It begs a question – am I seated in the knowledge that I am seated with Christ? Am I resting in the knowledge that I am resting in Christ? The Apostle is telling us to define our lives by our hope.

In some ways, we already know how to do this. We are taught to think a lot about the future. We define ourselves by our hopes and dreams, especially when we are young.

People asked us constantly – what do you want to do when you grow up? What do you want to be? And I always had an answer ready – I’m going to work for NASA one day! That was my dream. And when I started college, my major was Aerospace Engineering. I even had an internship working in a lab with a graduate student designing a plasma rocket system.

I went home from for Christmas break excited about my future. There was just one problem. I’m terrible at math and science. I got my first transcript in the mail, and I was devastated to find that I had failed Calculus and Chemistry. My dream died that day.

Many of you have probably had moments like that. Recovering from broken dreams can be difficult. Failure stinks. What do you do when you realize the future you imagined is out of reach? I could have kept trying, but God didn’t make me an engineer and that’s not the point.

The point is we know what it feels like to define our lives by the future, by our hopes and dreams. And the Apostle is leveraging that feeling, because the Bible takes the guess work out of our future.

The future of the Christian is not defined by our successes and failures. We are defined by our hope in a perfect Savior… a risen King.

Imagine if you knew with certainty where you will be in 10 years. That would be pretty cool, right? Maybe. I guess it depends on the answer.

Better yet. Where will you be in 1000 years? Is that a crazy question? No. Not if you believe God’s word! God says, “Let me tell you who you are and make it a little easier for you. Let me tell you where you are going.”

We have been granted a seat in the eternal kingdom. If we are united to Jesus, then we don’t have to worry about the future and if we don’t have to worry about the future, then we don’t really have to worry about the present.

Because right now, Jesus is preparing a place for us. John 14:

1 Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

Most of the time, we allow ourselves to be defined by our worries. And so, what do you worry about?

Are you worried about the future? Are you worried about the past? Worried about your marriage? Or your parents? Worried about grades? Worried about money? Worried about finding love? Worried about your health? Worried about death?

“Let not your hearts be troubled…I go to prepare a place for you”

If you’re ever in a situation where you go through a line to get your food and then you have to find a seat, it can be awkward right? What if all your friends got to a table first and they filled all the seats leaving you to sit somewhere else? That is a horrible feeling, right? But if one of your friends remembers you and saves you a seat, it makes you feel like part of the group.

This is what Jesus is saying to the Christian: “Stop acting like you don’t already have a place at my table!”

We should know what it feels like to be loved eternally in Christ! We should always feel included, accepted, cherished, on the inside!

The only reason we wouldn’t feel that way is because sin has deceived us again. God loves and accepts His children in Christ, and we didn’t do anything special to earn it. It’s just true. You are ok! And I know is an everyday struggle, to believe God’s promise, to live like this is true.

But if we believe Jesus is coming again, then it will change our lives right now!

One of the first things they teach you in Wilderness training is that if you get lost in the woods, and you have no idea which way to go, then you should stay put. Moving decreases the odds that a search party will find you.

What if no one is looking? What if you believe no one is looking? What should you do then? Move. Try to find your way home.

But if you know someone is looking and you know that staying put is the best thing to do, what will you do? You will sit and wait.

The Marines have a saying – no one gets left behind… In the movie Blackhawk Down, which is based on a true story, a pilot named Mike Durant was badly injured in a crash and surrounded by enemies. His fellow marines fly around the city announcing over a loudspeaker: “Mike Durant, we won’t leave you behind.”

Two men volunteered to drop in and protect Durant. Both were killed and Mike was captured, but eventually released. He kept flying and retired as a decorated veteran.

The Bible tells us clearly, many times, that Jesus won’t leave his people behind. You aren’t left behind! Stay put and believe He is coming back.

What if you don’t believe He’s coming back? What will life look like for you?

You will try to save yourself… which is what we all do every day in different ways. We want our lives to get better now, and we believe we can do it better than God, so we work hard at making that happen. We try to be what we think we should be and it’s like walking in circles lost in the woods.

This is not as good as it gets. Our longings for something more will someday be a reality.

The only way you will stop trying to be satisfied with what this world offers is to long for Jesus to return. And He will.

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If you remember, our focus for Advent is the Exaltation of Christ Jesus. We are celebrating Jesus – lifting Him up.

This morning, we will begin by reading the story of the Ascension – Acts 1, beginning verse 6.

6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.

10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

According to Luke, Jesus visibly rose into the air like a superhero and disappeared behind a cloud while his disciples watched. Think about what it must have been like to see this!

The physical body of Jesus somehow left the earth and went to heaven. This was a visible picture of everything we discussed last Sunday. Jesus was literally high and lifted up!

This is significant for at least three reasons.

First, this is a dramatic end to the earthly ministry of Jesus. If there was any doubt that Jesus was the promised Messiah, the Ascension erased those doubts.

Some may have questioned the miracle of the Resurrection, but there’s absolutely no way to explain a man rising into the air and disappearing. This was two thousand years before CGI was invented. No one on earth had ever seen anything like this.

Second, it settled the issue of what Jesus came to do. He did not come to establish an earthly kingdom. That’s what everyone expected the Messiah to do. The disciples were crushed when Jesus was arrested and crucified. They assumed He was a failure. But then, He rose from the dead and appeared to them alive.

All of that happened in the days leading up to this moment. And naturally, they now assumed Jesus was finally going to restore the Kingdom of Israel. But Jesus says in verse 7 that it still isn’t time for that.

And then Jesus physically left the earth. It was clearly not His mission to restore Israel in the way they expected. Instead, He came to make disciples – to seek and to save the lost. And those were His parting instructions to the disciples. Go be my witnesses in all the world, empowered not by my physical presence – but by Holy Spirit.

Finally, it’s important to know that Jesus was not leaving His disciples on their own. He wasn’t actually leaving them at all, in fact Jesus is present with us right now. Not His physical body, but His spiritual presence. Jesus had been telling his disciples for a long time that He was going to go to the Father, and that it was a good thing not a bad thing.

Why was it a good thing for us that Jesus returned to heaven? To answer that question, we need to look elsewhere.

One place we can look is Ephesians 4, beginning in verse 4:

4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

The Apostle is encouraging the churches to stay united, because they share the same Spirit and the same faith in God.

7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.”

Paul here links Psalm 68 explicitly to Jesus. He’s the King leading captives and giving gifts. But if you look carefully at that Psalm – Paul took a small liberty with his quote, inspired by the Holy Spirit, of course.

Here is the actual verse side-by-side with Paul’s quote:

You ascended on high, leading a host of captives in your train and receiving gifts among men.

“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.”

Do you see the difference? Instead of receiving, Paul changes it to giving. What’s he saying?

It helps to understand the historical context. When an ancient king won a battle, he usually came home with two things: captives and spoils.

Captives were enemy soldiers that surrendered. Sometimes they were enslaved. You can keep your life, but now you work for me. Sometimes they were traded back for something else.

Spoils were the valuables gained by conquering your enemy (gold, food, livestock…)

The king had the right to choose what to do with his captives and his spoils. Sometimes, the king would choose to come home and share the wealth with his people. And this is what Paul says that Jesus is doing. He’s giving away the gifts He received.

Jesus ascended to heaven after winning a great battle. He carries with him a host of captives (in a good sense, people he won back from the enemy) and he is giving gifts to men (sharing the spoils of war).

Paul borrows this idea to explain that the Church is the evidence of Christ’s victory, and He is actively sharing both His inheritance and the gifts of the Spirit with God’s church.

This is part of the reason our Christmas tradition involves the giving of gifts. It’s not just because of the wise men bringing gifts to Jesus. Jesus brings good gifts to us. He’s a good king, sharing His best with us.

This is a way for us to redeem the practice of giving gifts at Christmas. The world sees it as an opportunity to consume and self-gratify. But for the Christian, it is an opportunity to delight in our King, to give freely and joyfully as Christ has freely and joyfully given to us.

Now, let’s look quickly at the next two verses in Ephesians 4:

9 (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? 10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)

Paul says if Jesus went up, He must also have gone down and the one went down has now gone so far up that he can now FILL ALL THINGS. I know that’s confusing and again some context helps.

In ancient times, most people thought that their gods were limited in power and limited to the regions where people worshipped them. The gods people worshipped were local. If I travelled to an area where no one worshipped my god, I need to be careful because he has no power here.

Paul disputes this idea, saying that Jesus has complete power and authority over the entire universe – so much so that He fills or completes all things. He’s not just another local deity.

This is a really big idea, and I want to try and help us understand how to apply it.

There is a sense in which we all feel as if our lives are incomplete. This is especially true, I think, around the holidays. We are meant to enjoy this time of year, resting, and celebrating with the people we love.

But for many of us, this time of year also highlights the things we feel are missing. Grief hurts more as we miss lost loved ones. Poverty hurts more if we don’t have money to spend on gifts. Depression hurts more when everyone around you seems happy and you’re not.

If there’s something about your life that doesn’t seem complete, the holiday season can make it feel worse – not better. Even if you don’t feel that way right now, at some point, we all feel this nagging reality that something is not right. This world is not the way things are supposed to be.

The retail industry wants us to feel this way, because we are more likely to buy things to try and fill the void of incompleteness.

According to the Bible, we feel incomplete because of a spiritual problem. We were created to have a vital connection with God, but that connection was broken.

Everything we do to try to fix that connection on our own only will frustrate us, because only God can fix the connection and Jesus is His solution.

Our immediate response to that is to doubt it, because we are a lot like the ancient people. We also worship created things instead of Our Creator. And our gods are also limited in power and confined to their local spaces. We don’t really tend to believe that God has the power to heal the places in our lives that hurt the most.

Think about it like this… We divide our lives into categories. Work. School. Relationships. Entertainment. Hobbies. Church. And we think of them as separate.

But that’s a problem because Jesus has no interest in being one of many. He’s not content to be “part” of my life. Jesus has every intention of filling all things. He completes everything, meaning He brings order and purpose and value to everything else in the Universe.

This is why Jesus ascended, according to Paul – so that we can’t possibly think of Jesus as confined to one place on earth – because He is not one place on earth. If Jesus stayed in Galilee, it would be far more difficult for every nation, tribe, people, and tongue to know and follow Him. His disciples would have stayed preoccupied with his local presence.

Instead, Jesus is now working to fill all things. He is now working to complete the incomplete. His reach has now extended far beyond ancient Galilee into the entire world.

Genesis 1 tells us that God created order from chaos. He gave the universe form. He filled the void.

He made the sky and the sea and the land, then he put stuff in them and gave them purpose.

This is how we are meant to think of what Jesus is doing right now by expanding His kingdom. Jesus is currently active in giving form and filling voids through the lives of His people. We are a new creation. The old has passed away. The new has come.

He absolutely has the power to heal the part of your life that hurts the most. He’s in it with you right now. If you are a brother or sister in Christ, then Jesus has never once left you, not even for a moment.

How many of you have heard the phrase, “when two or more are gathered in my name, I am there also”? That comes from Matthew 18, and we use it out of context all the time. In context, Jesus is talking about church discipline – elders gathered to handle conflict.

Jesus is not saying that He only shows up when we gather. That’s bad theology. Christ Jesus is in and with every believer all the time.

Listen to Ephesians again:

14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—

that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

In the words of St. Patrick:

“Christ with me,

Christ before me,

Christ behind me,

Christ in me,

Christ beneath me,

Christ above me,

Christ on my right,

Christ on my left,

Christ when I lie down,

Christ when I sit down,

Christ when I arise,

Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,

Christ in every eye that sees me,

Christ in every ear that hears me.”

And so, we exalt Jesus as King – not over a small earthly kingdom on the other side of the world, but as King of the entire universe. He will set captives free in every corner of creation. He will share His gifts with us.

And He has shared with us the gift of this table.

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Perhaps the most famous one liner from any speech given by an American president is this one: “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” Who said that? John F. Kennedy said that during his inaugural address. The idea is simple. He’s asking, How will you contribute to the public good?

It’s a great line – but we are going to turn it on its head today. I’m going to give you the main point of 2 Samuel 7 in a memorable way before we even read it, because this chapter is the most important in the book and one of the most important in the Bible. Here’s the main point:

“Ask not what you can do for God, but what will God do for you.” (repeat) That’s not the emphasis of modern American Christianity, but it is the emphasis of Biblical Christianity. God is far less interested in what we are going to do for Him and far more interested in our trusting Him to do something for us. There is no quid pro quo in the kingdom of God.

7:1 Now when the king lived in his house and the Lord had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, 2 the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent.” 3 And Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you.”

David is talking about building a temple. And you can see the good intentions here and even God’s prophet thinks this is a good idea.

4 But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, 5 “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: Would you build me a house to dwell in?

The key words in that question are you and me. Read it with emphasis. Would YOU build ME a house to dwell in? Are you talking to me?! In other words, God questions their plan and their motives.

If we have learned anything about God in our study of Samuel, we know for sure that God is not leaving his kingdom in human hands. Do you remember when the ark was captured by the Philistines? How did it get back to Israel? God brought it back on a cart pulled by two milk cows. There were no humans involved.

There’s a very important lesson coming up for David and for us.

6 I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling. 7 In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’

God says, “Have you ever heard me say anything about building a house? No. And do you know why you haven’t? Because my people have been on the move. And I’m determined to be with my people. I care about my people, not a temple.”

8 Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel. 9 And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you.

And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. 10 And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly,

11 from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. 12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.

13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, 15 but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you.

16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’” 17 In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.

This is the longest speech by God since He spoke to Moses on Sanai. That alone is enough to demand our attention. But what does God say?

He makes a lot of promises, right? He reinforces some old promises and makes some new ones. In some ways, these promises will be fulfilled in David’s son, Solomon. But this is bigger than David and Solomon.

Tertullian said, “If you tell me this chapter is only about Solomon, you will send me into a fit of laughter.” Who is it really about? Jesus.

And what’s the message? God is not leaving his kingdom in human hands. God is not leaving his people behind. And God is not leaving his plan to chance. One day, the Son of God will come – a descendent of David – and He will establish a kingdom, He will dwell with His people, and He will get the glory for it all.

God never uses the word “covenant” here, but most commentaries highlight the similarities between this text and other covenants God makes in the Old Testament. It certainly sounds like a covenant. Specifically, it reminds me of God’s covenant with Abraham in Genesis 17.

In both places, God says over and over again – “I will”. Let ME tell YOU what I WILL do. Fifteen times in eight verses God tells David something He did or will do. It reads like a jackhammer on David’s self-reliance. “You’re going to build me a house? Sit down, shepherd boy, and let me tell you what I’m going to do for you.”

18 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? 19 And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord God. You have spoken also of your servant’s house for a great while to come, and this is instruction for mankind, O Lord God!

Obviously, David is humbled. And notice that phrase at the end – “instruction for mankind”. David makes an important connection here that we might easily miss. That phrase in Hebrew is “torah ha-adam” – “law for Adam”. In other words, David is saying to God, “I see the way you deal with mankind. Your plans have not changed. Your character has not changed. Your covenant has not changed.”

That’s a win for covenant theology and a mark against dispensationalism. God is not changing his plan. He’s only revealing more of the same plan. God is moving our focus, but the plan remains unchanged. Adam was our representative. Abraham was our representative. Moses… David… all of them standing in for our greater representative to come – the Lord Jesus.

20 And what more can David say to you? For you know your servant, O Lord God! 21 Because of your promise, and according to your own heart, you have brought about all this greatness, to make your servant know it.

David knows his place. He sees God as the Giver and understand himself to be the receiver.

22 Therefore you are great, O Lord God. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

David’s understanding of God’s grace leads directly to worship.

23 And who is like your people Israel, the one nation on earth whom God went to redeem to be his people, making himself a name and doing for them great and awesome things by driving out before your people, whom you redeemed for yourself from Egypt, a nation and its gods? 24 And you established for yourself your people Israel to be your people forever. And you, O Lord, became their God.

David rehearses the story of God’s salvation, which is what we do in worship, right?

25 And now, O Lord God, confirm forever the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, and do as you have spoken. 26 And your name will be magnified forever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is God over Israel,’ and the house of your servant David will be established before you.

27 For you, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. 28 And now, O Lord God, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant.

29 Now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you. For you, O Lord God, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever.”

Notice that David’s prayer began with praise and ended with petition – which is a great pattern for our own prayers and mirrors the prayer Jesus taught His disciples.

Also notice the content of David’s prayer requests. David doesn’t ask for anything new. All he does is repeat back to God the promises God just made!

Why does David do that? Why is He asking God for the things God just promised him? Is it because David doesn’t trust God? I don’t think that’s why. I think it’s actually a demonstration of David’s trust in God.

We see this a lot in Scripture. When Moses interceded for Israel in Numbers 14, he repeated God’s promises back to Him. When Hezekiah interceded for Jerusalem in Isaiah 37, he repeated God’s promises back to Him. When Daniel interceded for the exiles in Daniel 9, he repeated God’s promises back to Him. The Apostle Paul’s prayers for the church are dominated by God’s promises. Why? Are they afraid God forgot? Are they concerned God won’t follow through?

Parents – if you tell your kids you’re going to do something fun, but you don’t tell them when it is going to happen, what are they going to do? They are going to ask you about it constantly. Dad, you said we would get ice cream. Dad, you said we would go to the park. And hopefully, they know you to be faithful – that eventually you will follow through. But they keep asking anyway? And when we do this as parents, we do it on purpose. Why? To build anticipation.

I want to suggest that God is a good and faithful Father who loves building anticipation in His children. He’s building an audience.

God has always intended to save His people from sin and death, but He wanted His people to know it. He wanted them to recognize His salvation when it came. He wanted them to witness it. And those prayers indicate hearts and minds prepared to witness God’s salvation.

David says to God, “I’m bringing nothing to the table. This is all you, God. I see you. Do what you said you’re going to do. I’m watching. I’m waiting. I’m ready. Let’s go!”

We are the spectators. It is possibly our most important job in the kingdom. We sit in the stadium of God watching Him win the game and our job is to cheer. And because He is so amazing, we want to tell as many people as possible so they will come watch the game with us.

I can’t summarize the message of our text better than this. This comes from the ESV Transformation Study Bible:

“How easily our imaginations can be captured by, and our energies exhausted by what we want to build for God, when what he really wants is for us to sit attentively, witnessing what he is building so that we may marvel and give him thanks!”

And all I might add is that we also tell other people about it.

In John 2, after Jesus cleared the temple, the people asked him a question:

18 So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?”

21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

In other words, Jesus is the temple. He is the place where God dwells with man. His death and resurrection accomplished the work necessary to bring us back into fellowship with God.

In Acts 17, when the Apostle Paul visited Athens – a pagan city – he used their elaborate temples to share the Gospel.

24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.

Is your religion about what you will do for God, or what God will do for you?

What does your worship tell you about your faith? What do your prayers tell you about your faith? Are you fascinated and humbled by the grace of God? Are you obsessed with His promises? Or are you too busy trying to build a religion?

God would rather have your heart and live in a tent.

“Ask not what you can do for God, but what will God do for you.”

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1 David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. 2 And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale-judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the Lord of hosts who sits enthroned on the cherubim.

David intends to bring the ark to his capital city. He knows that the ark represents the presence of God. He later calls it the footstool of God, recognizing that God is the true king over Israel. David knows himself to be a servant of God, the real king. His intent in moving the ark could not have been better.

3 And they carried the ark of God on a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. And Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart, 4 with the ark of God, and Ahio went before the ark.

Despite their intentions, they are already doing things the wrong way. There are two problems here. First, the ark was only supposed to be carried by a particular family of Levites – the Kohathites. Second, they placed the ark on a cart, and it doesn’t matter that the cart was brand new. The ark was supposed to be carried with poles on the shoulders of the Kohathites.

None of that may seem like a big deal to us, but apparently it was a big deal to God.

5 And David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the Lord, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals. 6 And when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled.

He had the best intentions. He was trying to keep the ark from falling on the ground. He was attentive and careful. But, as RC Sproul once said, “The presumptuous sin of Uzzah was this: He assumed that his hands were less polluted than the dirt.”

7 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God. 8 And David was angry because the Lord had broken out against Uzzah. And that place is called Perez-uzzah to this day.

The band stops playing. The people stop singing. The procession comes to a halt because God struck a man dead for touching the ark and it didn’t matter what his intentions were.

They named that location “the place where God broke out against Uzzah.” And David was angry because the Lord “broke out” against Uzzah. The same root word is used four times in chapter 5 verse 20 to describe God breaking out against his enemies.

What this means is that God is dangerous – even with His own people. He is not safe.

This was God’s breaking point. They were handling the ark all wrong anyway. Uzzah touching it was simply the last straw. It was God’s “breaking point”.

The question we all want to ask is, “Why did God kill Uzzah?” Instead, we should be asking the question, “Why didn’t God kill the entire assembly?” He had every right to do so. They had broken all the rules! God was actually very gracious with everyone else, including David.

Uzzah became the object of God’s wrath to teach an important lesson. God is holy and He takes worship very seriously.

As Tim Chester writes, “God is not there for us. We are here for Him.” And He is not OK with us inventing ways to “worship” Him. This is why many Christians feel more comfortable approaching God in a way that pays respect to His holiness.

9 And David was afraid of the Lord that day, and he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?” 10 So David was not willing to take the ark of the Lord into the city of David. But David took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.

David was so troubled by this incident that he stops the party and cancels his plans. He went home angry and afraid, without the ark. And maybe that was for the best. This event changed David. Maybe he needed to get his heart right. Maybe he needed to take some time reflecting on the Word and reading the Levitical law before trying this again.

11 And the ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and all his household.

Notice that the ark is not a curse unless it is handled incorrectly. It was always meant to be a blessing to God’s people.

12 And it was told King David, “The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing.

Has David learned his lesson? Was three months long enough?

13 And when those who bore the ark of the Lord had gone six steps, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened animal.

Notice the ark is being carried. Notice also that David added sacrifices, which were completely unnecessary. But it demonstrates that David now understood how serious this was. Now we are ready to read the rest of the story.

14 And David danced before the Lord with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod. 15 So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the horn.

16 As the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, and she despised him in her heart.

17 And they brought in the ark of the Lord and set it in its place, inside the tent that David had pitched for it. And David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. 18 And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings,

he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts 19 and distributed among all the people, the whole multitude of Israel, both men and women, a cake of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins to each one. Then all the people departed, each to his house.

20 And David returned to bless his household. But Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, “How the king of Israel honored himself today, uncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants’ female servants, as one of the vulgar fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!”

21 And David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me as prince over Israel, the people of the Lord—and I will celebrate before the Lord.

22 I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in your eyes. But by the female servants of whom you have spoken, by them I shall be held in honor.” 23 And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.

This is a fascinating story, and it reminds me of the plot of the 1984 movie “Footloose”. Michal has a problem with David’s dancing because it was indecent. And she’s technically right. Dancing and leaping and whirling around in a linen ephod was almost certainly immodest.

And this is a good opportunity for us to talk about dancing in worship. Many churches today teach that dancing is not an appropriate form of worship, because it is not mentioned specifically in Colossians 3:16 and because God never gave specific instructions in the Bible concerning dancing in worship.

The Apostle Paul does give instructions for public worship in 1 Corinthians 14. Dancing is not mentioned and at the end of the chapter he says that everything should be done decently and in order.

However, Psalm 149 specifically mentions dancing as a form of worship. And whatever David and the people were doing in 2 Samuel 6 was clearly an act of worship. Notice, however, that it was not a performance, and it was not done in every situation.

In fact, David makes it clear that his dancing was not for the eyes of the people. It was for God. Michal’s concern was what others will think. David’s concern was what God will think.

In light of all this, I would urge us to be charitable with our brothers and sisters in Christ from other backgrounds and cultures who use dance as an expression of worship. If it is not a performance, then it is probably not out of bounds.

But that’s not the main point of the text. We have these two stories side by side for a reason. What do the stories of Uzzah and Michal teach us about God when we read them together?

I think the question that David asks in verse 9 and his response to God is the key. Do you remember the question? “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?”

If God is so holy that one error deserves death, how can I handle the things of God? But, at the same time, God is so good and so full of blessing that David can’t resist.

“I will be humiliated in my own eyes,” David says. “I will celebrate before the Lord.”

In other words, there is a place for both reverence and joy in our worship. And David captures this perfectly in Psalm 2:11, where he writes, “Rejoice with trembling!”

Rejoice with trembling. The joy of the Lord and the fear of the Lord coexist in our worship.

But do they? Is this how we approach God when we worship? Is this how we think of God at all? How would you evaluate your own worship? What happens in your heart when you worship?

Of this passage, W.G. Blaikie said this, “There are times to be calm and times to be enthusiastic; but can it be right to give all our coldness to Christ and all our enthusiasm to the world?”

Most of us in this room don’t really care who wins the Super Bowl tonight, but if you enjoy watching football then you will probably pick a team to cheer for. It’s more fun that way. And some of us get very enthusiastic about sports.

The same men who will shout praises to a grown man carrying a leather ball across an imaginary line will stand quietly in worship barely whispering a hymn. That can’t be right.

We dare not walk into the presence of a holy God under the pretense of worship and give him half-hearted praise. But that’s exactly what we do.

And for many of us, the pandemic has been a season of drifting even further away. We desperately need to recapture the joy of worship, the joy of fellowship, and the joy of our salvation!

But this is not something we can manufacture. I can’t change your heart. I can’t even change my own heart. All I can do is ask myself again the same question David asked of himself.

How can the ark of the Lord come to me? How can the presence of the Lord come to me?

There’s a clue in our text. Did you catch it? David attempted to move the ark twice and something died during both attempts. Uzzah died the first time. Animals died the second time. How can the presence of the Lord come to me? Answer – through sacrifice.

And that’s where we find the Gospel today. How can the presence of God come to a sinner like me? How can God remain holy and choose to show mercy at the same time? Only through the sacrifice of Jesus.

And even though David had no way of understanding it at the time, somehow this box that should have been his curse was instead his blessing. And only God could make that happen by His grace. God does not accept us based on the quality or quantity of our worship. He accepts us based only on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

We could ask Uzzah – why were you so worried about the cart when everyone else was worshipping? We could ask Michal – why were you so worried about David’s dancing when everyone else was worshipping? Why are we so disengaged and disinterested from God and His Word and His church?

What is it that God wants from us this morning? I want to end with some of David’s words in Psalm 51.

8 Let me hear joy and gladness;

let the bones that you have broken rejoice.

9 Hide your face from my sins,

and blot out all my iniquities.

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,

and renew a right spirit within me.

11 Cast me not away from your presence,

and take not your Holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,

and uphold me with a willing spirit.

15 O Lord, open my lips,

and my mouth will declare your praise.

16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;

you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

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4:1 When Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, heard that Abner had died at Hebron, his courage failed, and all Israel was dismayed. 2 Now Saul’s son had two men who were captains of raiding bands; the name of the one was Baanah, and the name of the other Rechab,

Pause here for a moment, because the writer is about to do something very strange. He’s going to interrupt this story to tell us about something that happened years ago, when Saul died.

4 Jonathan, the son of Saul, had a son who was crippled in his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel, and his nurse took him up and fled, and as she fled in her haste, he fell and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth.

The writer is about to tell us the story of Ish-bosheth’s death, but first he stops to tell us about Saul’s grandson. He’s about to be the only member of Saul’s household left alive. He would never be king because of his condition, and he had no claim to the throne anyway, because his father Jonathan had publicly renounced the throne in favor of David.

Nevertheless, the writer thought it was important to mention him at just this moment and we will come back to it. But let’s keep reading.

5 Now the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, set out, and about the heat of the day they came to the house of Ish-bosheth as he was taking his noonday rest. 6 And they came into the midst of the house as if to get wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.

They also beheaded him and travelled by night to David at Hebron.

And they said to the king, “Here is the head of Ish-bosheth, the son of Saul, your enemy, who sought your life. The Lord has avenged my lord the king this day on Saul and on his offspring.”

This story should sound familiar, because it is so similar to the death of Saul and the story of the Amalekite in chapter 1. These men think they are doing David a favor. They even use theological language to explain what they did. We were the instruments of God to accomplish His will!

9 But David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life out of every adversity, 10 when one told me, ‘Behold, Saul is dead,’ and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and killed him at Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his news.

11 How much more, when wicked men have killed a righteous man in his own house on his bed, shall I not now require his blood at your hand and destroy you from the earth?” 12 And David commanded his young men, and they killed them and cut off their hands and feet and hanged them beside the pool at Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-bosheth and buried it in the tomb of Abner at Hebron.

They suffer the same judgment as the Amalekite. It was technically true that God used those men to accomplish His will. But what they did was also wicked. It was murder.

If you’re struggling with the idea that God can use murder to accomplish His will, remember that the Bible sees no contradiction between the free actions of men and the sovereign will of God. Case in point is the death of Jesus. Listen to how Peter describes the death of Jesus at Pentecost:

Acts 2:23 – “this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.”

Was it the plan of God for Jesus to be crucified, or was Jesus killed by lawless men? Yes. Both. There’s no contradiction between man’s free will and God’s sovereign will.

And back to David, God’s plan was to keep David free from guilt. David inherited the kingdom without killing anyone. His kingdom will at least begin as a kingdom of justice and righteousness. David’s rise to power was messy and violent, but none of the guilt was on David. The same was true of the humiliation and exaltation of Christ.

What makes the cross such a glorious plan is that Jesus was able to carry the guilt of His people while remaining personally sinless. He was the perfect atonement – the perfect scapegoat. And it was the perfect beginning to a perfect kingdom of justice and righteousness.

And now, we finally come to the moment when David becomes king over the entire nation.

5:1 Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “Behold, we are your bone and flesh. 2 In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was you who led out and brought in Israel. And the Lord said to you, ‘You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over Israel.’”

3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel. 4 David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.

If you’re counting, this is actually the third time David was anointed. The first time was by Samuel as a teenager. The second time was when he became king of Judah. And now he’s anointed a third time as king over all Israel. In other words, the kingdom of David was gradually expanding which foreshadowed the way God’s kingdom grows in Christ.

Jesus used a lot of parables to explain the growth of the kingdom. More and more people will recognize the rule of Christ over time and that’s exactly what we have seen throughout history. More and more people are coming into the kingdom, worshipping the risen Christ – people from every tribe, nation, and tongue.

And we can learn some other things about our relationship to Christ and His kingdom from this text.

Notice that this is the first time the word “shepherd” is used alongside “king” in the Bible. And that’s what David was – a shepherd. This was God’s intention, to establish a kingdom where the king would be known as a humble, loving servant. And that’s how Jesus wants to be known by His people. He is a wise and just King, but He is also a good King.

Second, look at the other language used by the people in verses 1 and 2. “We are your bone and flesh”. In other words, you are one of us. This is husband language… marriage language straight out of Genesis 2. Adam said to Eve – you are bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh.

They also tell David that he was the one who led them out and brought them in. They’re talking about his leadership in battle. Going out and coming in was military language. They’re saying, “You were with us in the battle.” That’s Savior language.

And finally, they quote back to David the promise of God. Yahweh said to you… In other words, David is the fulfillment of a promise. Put it all together and you’ve got prophetic language, priestly language, and kingly language.

David is then, at least for the moment, foreshadowing the Immanuel Principle of the Christ. David was one of them. He was with them. And he was the fulfillment of God’s promises.

In a much greater sense, Jesus is the King who is One of us, the King who is with us, and the King who is the fulfillment of God’s promises to us. He is literally bone and flesh. He is the great Shepherd King. He is the great High Priest. He is the Lord’s Anointed.

This tells us something about the way God operates. History is a mess and if we only look at snapshots then we may find ourselves confused and discouraged. We may look at one difficult thing and ask, why did God let that happen?

My dad was rummaging through some of his parents’ things this week and he found a journal my grandfather started when he left training camp for World War 2. He wrote details of his voyage across the Atlantic Ocean and apparently his infantry division landed in France a few months after D-Day.

They participated in the Battle of Brest, but then the journal abruptly ends two pages in. My grandfather wrote nothing more, even though he stayed in Europe until the war ended. And he never talked about it with anyone.

I have no idea what my grandfather saw, but I can imagine that the snapshots… the horrors of war… put sin and death in stark contrast to the kingdom of God. Of the same war, Eisenhower said this, “I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its futility, its stupidity.”

After David assumed the throne of Israel, he immediately conquered Jerusalem. It was no easy feat, because the Jebusites had a stronghold in the city. Listen to what they said to David:

“You will not come in here, but the blind and the lame will ward you off”—thinking, “David cannot come in here.” 7 Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David.

8 And David said on that day, “Whoever would strike the Jebusites, let him get up the water shaft to attack ‘the lame and the blind,’ who are hated by David’s soul.” Therefore it is said, “The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.”

This is a fascinating little detail that the writer adds. Let me explain. The Jebusites are mocking David by saying that their stronghold is so impervious to attack that even the blind and the lame could defend it. But David goes around their defenses by sending his army up the water shaft in the middle of the stronghold.

And then there is a strange statement at the end of the verse: the blind and the lame shall not come into the house. No one thinks that David was actually hated people with disabilities. And in a few chapters, David is going to show kindness to Miphiboseth, the lame son of Saul.

So, what does this mean? He’s talking about the enemies of God being cast out. But consider the fact that everywhere else in Scripture, the blind and the lame are mentioned with compassion – not as enemies of God, but as objects of God’s faithfulness and love.

In Job 29, Job demonstrates his righteousness by being eyes to the blind and feet to the lame.

In Jeremiah 31, God promises to gather to Himself people from the farthest corners of the earth and among them will be the blind and the lame.

And when Jesus announces His ministry and describes it, what does He say? The blind will see and the lame will walk.

But when you put all this in context following 2 Samuel 5, what do we learn? The enemies of God, the ones David calls the blind and the lame, the ones who would never be allowed into the house… God actually made a way for them to come into the house. And not just to come, but to belong. And not just to belong, but to see and walk again.

And that’s us. We who have no right to enter the house of God or to included in His family – He brings us in and seats us at His table. It may not feel like much today, but God is at work.

It took 800 years for the promise to Abraham to come true.

In time, Jesus will conquer all of his enemies. Sin and death will be conquered. The blind will see, and the lame will walk. No more sickness. No more tears. Because our Immanuel… tie in.

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This morning we will consider a brief story from 2 Samuel chapter 2 and before I begin, I need to say how greatly indebted I am to Ralph Davis’s outline of this text and his emphasis on what the story teaches us about the kingdom of God.

1 After this David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?” And the Lord said to him, “Go up.” David said, “To which shall I go up?” And he said, “To Hebron.”

Notice already that David continues to speak to God before he makes decisions. This is something Saul failed to do.

Notice also that God tells David to leave his Philistine city and travel to Hebron. This is a significant moment because Hebron is a significant city. Hebron was the place where Abraham chose to settle down in the land of Canaan.

In other words, God told David to settle down in the town of Abraham, which is probably a nod to his promise to Abraham in Genesis 17:6 – “I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you.”

There is now a king living on Abraham’s land.

2 So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 3 And David brought up his men who were with him, everyone with his household, and they lived in the towns of Hebron. 4 And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah.

Notice that David’s kingdom begins small. At this point, David is only recognized as king over one tribe – his own tribe. When God’s kingdom begins in earnest, it begins small.

And there is actually an important Bible principle here. Jesus, the true David, talked about the kingdom constantly. He referred to the Gospel as the Gospel of the kingdom. And he used a lot of parables to describe the kingdom.

One of the main points Jesus makes about the kingdom is that it starts small. Matthew 13:

“The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

When we were a young church plant, I used to quote Zechariah 4:10 all the time. “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.”

Our church has grown, but the principle of the kingdom remains. Everything God starts will begin small. It’s how He works. So, when you think about the ministries you are involved in – small groups, Bible studies, outreach efforts – be careful not to measure success the way the world measures success. It may begin small and bear little fruit, but God rejoices in that work.

After everything David has been through, his kingdom begins with a town and a tribe. But it will grow.

When they told David, “It was the men of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul,” 5 David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead and said to them, “May you be blessed by the Lord, because you showed this loyalty to Saul your lord and buried him.

6 Now may the Lord show steadfast love and faithfulness to you. And I will do good to you because you have done this thing. 7 Now therefore let your hands be strong, and be valiant, for Saul your lord is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.”

We don’t know if the people of Jabesh-Gilead turned to David. The writer doesn’t tell us. But this was a bold and winsome attempt by David to expand his kingdom. These people were clearly loyal to Saul and Saul was an enemy of David.

Even so, David sends them a message that honors their loyalty to Saul and again he honors Saul, his enemy. David blesses them and makes a promise to them without expectation.

This is another example of how God seeks to grow His kingdom. It begins small, but it grows. And it grows not by hostile takeover. It grows through humble, gracious appeal. It spreads through good news.

David refuses to take the kingdom by force. He’s waiting on God. He’s trusting God to clear the path when God is ready. The only effort David makes is this kind of effort – loving his enemies and blessing those who curse him.

This is a lesson for us in evangelism. Jesus taught his disciples to pray for God’s kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven. God is already king over heaven and earth, but everyone does not recognize that kingship. Just as one tribe recognized David as king, the only people on earth who currently honor God as king are His people – Christians.

But that number continues to grow – in every nation, among every tribe – people of every language and culture are hearing the good news and responding to it. God’s kingdom has always grown by winning converts from among his enemies. That’s who we were, and our job is to keep making disciples – praying and working for more people to recognize the kingship of our God, on earth as it is in heaven. In Horn Lake, as it is in heaven… In Desoto county, as it is in heaven…

And just like David with the people of Jabesh-Gilead, we are not responsible for how people respond to the Gospel. We just keep loving and praying and waiting on God. BUT!

8 But Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul’s army, took Ish-bosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim, 9 and he made him king over Gilead and the Ashurites and Jezreel and Ephraim and Benjamin and all Israel.

10 Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David. 11 And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.

This son of Saul has not been mentioned until now. We have no idea why, as a grown man, he was not fighting beside his father on Mount Gilboa. It’s a little suspect and it will become obvious who had the real power as the story moves on – it was Abner.

Abner uses the last living son of Saul to gain power over the remaining tribes. And it is important to see this for what it is. Abner is in open rebellion against God. Abner had witnessed many times the promise of God to establish a new kingdom with David. He heard it from Saul’s own mouth – David will be king. But Abner chose to reject the plans of God.

And what Abner teaches us is this: until Jesus returns, there will always be opposition to the kingdom of God. The world and the devil will not go down without a fight.

Jesus faced constant resistance and mounting pressure during His ministry. He was tempted by the devil, harassed by demons, hated by the religious leaders, condemned by his own people – because He was the embodiment of God’s kingdom walking in the kingdom of the world.

There’s a powerful scene in the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe when the great lion, Aslan, walks slowly to meet the Witch – knowing he is about to be killed. The monsters surround him mocking and sneering at him. The beat him, bind his paws, shave his mane, and drag him onto the stone table. Lucy looks at her sister in tears and asks, “Why doesn’t he fight back?”

We could ask the same thing of King Jesus as we read the story of the cross. With a single word, Jesus could have crushed his enemies and forced every knee to bow. But that’s not how God wanted to establish His kingdom.

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

The Apostle Paul helps us understand that we are now a part of the war Jesus initiated – not a physical battle, but a spiritual battle.

Ephesians 6:12 – “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

The battle for the kingdom is a spiritual battle. The people we think of as enemies are not the problem. Sin and death are the problems. Our job is to stand our ground and trust our King.

But the most pressing question is this one: if David is Jesus in this story, who are we? Perhaps we are the people of Jabesh-Gilead. We have heard the good news and the free offer of blessing by a gracious king.

But first, we need to recognize the tendency of our hearts to respond more like Abner. We will try to take what we want by force – God’s will or not, we don’t care. I know what I need better than God does. I know what’s best for me. I’m not going to talk to God and ask what He wants me to do. I’m not going to submit to His authority. I’m going to do it my way.

That’s the impulse of sin. It looks like open rebellion against the kingship of God. In the moment, it feels like freedom. But in reality, it is foolishness and death and bondage.

This is the battle going on inside all of us. Will we submit to the will of God, or will we give in to the rebellion? Our hearts will always try to convince us that rebellion is freedom, but rebellion is always death.

Listen to the words of Psalm 1, which is probably my favorite Psalm:

1 Blessed is the man

who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,

nor stands in the way of sinners,

nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,

and on his law he meditates day and night.

3 He is like a tree

planted by streams of water

that yields its fruit in its season,

and its leaf does not wither.

In all that he does, he prospers.

4 The wicked are not so,

but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

This is a clear metaphor. Righteous people are like a tree. What’s a tree? It’s a big thing stuck in the ground. Unless someone else digs up a tree and moves it, it will be stuck right where it was planted until it dies. But the tree is alive and strong, and circumstances have little effect on the tree.

The wicked are like chaff. Chaff is the husk of the seed, the part we don’t eat. It’s worthless and the wind blows it away. Think of it like a tumbleweed. Unlike a tree, tumbleweeds aren’t stuck to the ground. They move freely wherever the wind takes them.

So, this is the question of the Psalm: would you rather be a tree, stuck in one place but alive? Or would you rather be a tumbleweed, having an appearance of freedom – but dead?

Here’s the best part of the metaphor. Trees are alive, but they have absolutely no power to control their life or their future. They need sunlight and water and soil. None of it they can provide for themselves.

And this is true for us – we have no power to create the circumstances of spiritual life and growth. We have no power to move ourselves into the blessing of God’s kingdom. Jesus is the source of our life – the living water. Revelation says that one day even the sun will disappear because King Jesus will be our light. So, what is our job for now? It is to stand our ground and sink our roots deeply into the waters of life.

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Last week we finished 1 Samuel by reading about the death of Saul. But Samuel is really one book with two main characters – Saul and David. We are meant to compare them, and we have learned a lot already by comparison.

David was anointed by Samuel almost 15 years before he actually became king. Saul had been anointed and then crowned almost immediately.

Saul became king without any period of testing or suffering. David, in contrast, suffered for years before becoming king. He was tested repeatedly. He was not perfect, but his life was marked by humble preparation, unlike Saul.

And that is an important background as we come to 2 Samuel. In the kingdom of God, patient, humble suffering always comes before exaltation. It was true for David. It was true for Jesus. And it will be true for all servants of the King.

And now, I’m excited to begin studying 2 Samuel with you. Chapter 1:

1 After the death of Saul, when David had returned from striking down the Amalekites, David remained two days in Ziklag.

2 And on the third day, behold, a man came from Saul’s camp, with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. And when he came to David, he fell to the ground and paid homage. 3 David said to him, “Where do you come from?” And he said to him, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.”

4 And David said to him, “How did it go? Tell me.” And he answered, “The people fled from the battle, and also many of the people have fallen and are dead, and Saul and his son Jonathan are also dead.”

5 Then David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?” 6 And the young man who told him said, “By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and there was Saul leaning on his spear, and behold, the chariots and the horsemen were close upon him.

7 And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called to me. And I answered, ‘Here I am.’ 8 And he said to me, ‘Who are you?’ I answered him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’ 9 And he said to me, ‘Stand beside me and kill me, for anguish has seized me, and yet my life still lingers.’

10 So I stood beside him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown that was on his head and the armlet that was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord.”

If you remember, 1 Samuel 31 tells a very different story about Saul’s death. Saul’s last words were to his armor bearer: “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and mistreat me.” The armor bearer was too afraid to do it, so Saul fell on his own sword.

But the Amalekite tells David a much different story. According to this young man, Saul asked him (an uncircumcised pagan) to kill him. And not just any pagan, an Amalekite. Saul lost his kingdom because of the Amalekites, so this story is complete garbage. The man is lying. And it’s not difficult to figure out why.

The Amalekite assumes that David will reward him for killing Saul. He travels several days and arrives in ragged condition to give David the symbols of Saul’s kingdom – the crown and the armband. He embellishes the story hoping for a job in the new government. It doesn’t go as planned, but first there’s some more important business for David.

11 Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and so did all the men who were with him. 12 And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son and for the people of the Lord and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.

This grief is central to the story. In the Bible, how stories are told is almost as important as the story itself. The Bible has structure and there’s meaning in the structure. If you read 2 Samuel 1 in a hurry, you would summarize the story by saying it’s about the lie of the Amalekite and David’s judgment of the Amalekite.

But much more important is this grief. David and his men grieve for the man who tried to kill him multiple times. And it isn’t a show. It’s genuine and it lasted all day.

They grieved over the death of Saul and Jonathan, but they also grieved over the vulnerability of Israel. They wept and they fasted, and it was sincere.

It would be easy for us to say that Saul doesn’t deserve this kind of grief. Jonathan maybe. But Saul? And yet, this is what righteous men do in the Bible. They grieve loss, even when the loss was necessary.

Jesus was described as a man of sorrows and grief, not only because of the cross. On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus stood overlooking the city and wept – grieving the sin and death of this world.

In today’s church, we make much of joy and hopefulness – and we should. But lament is also a big part of the Christian experience, because having the Spirit of Christ Jesus means we will start to see the world with His eyes. The darkness will sometimes cause us grief.

13 And David said to the young man who told him, “Where do you come from?” And he answered, “I am the son of a sojourner, an Amalekite.” 14 David said to him, “How is it you were not afraid to put out your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?”

15 Then David called one of the young men and said, “Go, execute him.” And he struck him down so that he died. 16 And David said to him, “Your blood be on your head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed the Lord’s anointed.’”

Let’s pause here for a moment to appreciate how God exposes the sin of the Amalekite. He is judged for the intentions of his heart. David doesn’t know the man lied, but it doesn’t matter. He was condemned by his words, and he lied for personal gain.

And this is a warning to us. Listen to what Jesus said about the religious leaders. They were respected by the people, but Jesus knew their hearts were evil. Luke 12:2-3 –

2 Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed or hidden that will not be known. 3 Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.

In other words, God knows what we really think and He’s in the business of exposing us.

Parents, we understand this, don’t we? We are praying our kids will make good decisions and when they don’t, we are praying they will be caught. Am I right?

17 And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and Jonathan his son, 18 and he said it should be taught to the people of Judah; behold, it is written in the Book of Jashar. He said:

19 “Your glory, O Israel, is slain on your high places!

How the mighty have fallen!

What follows is a song of grief. In this song, David shows a tremendous amount of respect for Saul and Jonathan. Again, we understand the respect for Jonathan. But Saul?

The respect David had for Saul, in spite of everything Saul did to him, is striking. It tells us two things about David with clear application for us.

First, David’s respect for Saul reminds me of the words of Jesus in the sermon on the mount – love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Saul was an enemy of David, but Saul was also the Lord’s anointed, and David understood that.

Why are we commanded to love and respect even our enemies? The simple answer is this: because I’m not better than my enemies. Every person on the planet was created in the image of God. And according to God, that’s reason enough to love them.

David’s relationship with Saul was more complicated than this, but at minimum we could describe them as political opponents. Can we even say, as Americans, that we love and respect the people who disagree with us politically? Doubtful. But love your enemies at least means that and really, far more than that. That’s the first lesson.

Second, David’s respect for Saul shows us that David was clearly not driven by a desire for power, as the Amalekite assumed. David was driven by a fear of displeasing God.

This is related to the first point, because the concern is still the glory of God. Disrespecting the anointed of God, or the image of God, is not OK with God.

And what we will learn about David in the next few chapters is that he is still waiting for God to lead, even after Saul’s death. He’s not going to take the kingdom. It will be given to him by God. David will not rush to grab power. He will honor Saul and he will wait.

And this is so convicting to me personally when I consider how I normally operate. I’m so often driven by a fear of what others think about me or by a desire for what I want – not by a fear of displeasing God, a respect for His law, or a desire for God to be glorified through me.

And this is even more convicting when I consider the connection to Jesus Christ. His mission on earth was a mission of perfect patience and dependence on God. Satan tried to tempt Jesus with earthly power and Jesus refused.

There were several moments when the crowds of people tried to take Jesus and make him king by force. They wanted a violent revolution. But instead of leading violence against others, Jesus himself chose death. “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

And in the face of that death, Jesus pleaded with the Father to remove the cup of judgment. This was not a fear of death or pain, but a fear of displeasing God. In order to bring forgiveness, Jesus had to bear the curse of our sin. He had to associate himself with our failures and suffer rejection in our place. And we know it was a fear of displeasing God, because Jesus prayed to the Father – not my will but yours be done.

When you become a Christian, the Spirit brings a deep conviction. I’m not OK with God. God is not OK with me, and something needs to be done. That’s the first feeling I experienced. And I began to feel the weight of it. My life does not bring God glory. It does not honor Him. And then comes a godly fear of His holiness, the danger of that realization. But is quickly followed by the amazement of the Gospel – the Spirit brings peace in the words of Jesus – “It is finished.”

God does not want us to respond to that conviction with a commitment to try harder, without first leaning into Christ. When Jesus preached the good news, he said “repent and believe” not “repent and try harder”. We have killed the Lord’s anointed, but He welcomes us into His kingdom by faith.

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This morning, we return to our study of Samuel with the death of King Saul.

1 Now the Philistines were fighting against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa.

Mountains in the Old Testament are generally associated with worship. Saul dies on a mountain, in a sense providing a sacrifice to remove the curse of his own rule from the land.

2 And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul.

The death of Jonathan feels like a real tragedy, especially because it happens with no fanfare. He has been an important part of the story and a good, honorable man. But this was the plan of God. Jonathan served his purpose and now he dies beside his father.

3 The battle pressed hard against Saul, and the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by the archers. 4 Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and mistreat me.” But his armor-bearer would not, for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword and fell upon it.

5 And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him. 6 Thus Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor-bearer, and all his men, on the same day together.

7 And when the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley and those beyond the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled. And the Philistines came and lived in them.

We studied chapter 30 several weeks ago but remember that David’s life was also in jeopardy. David’s own men wanted to kill him, because the Amalekites had pillaged their city and taken their families. But David, faced with the possibility of death again, turned to God again. The text says that David “strengthened himself in the Lord.”

David in peril, turned to God. Saul in peril, took his own life. These two stories, side by side, highlight the main theme of 1 Samuel one last time. Is God enough? Will you trust Him? Will you fear God more than men, or circumstances, or anything else?

Fearing God, if you remember, means giving Him ultimate weight in your life. It means ascribing to Him the glory, or the weight, that He deserves. And Saul proves it is a matter of life and death.

And this was not a surprise to God. This was God’s plan. Saul was meant to die that day on that mountain in that way.

8 The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.

The fact that Saul’s body remained to be plundered by the Philistines is significant. In ancient times, soldiers never abandoned the body of their king like this. It means his men had already fled in fear or they didn’t care enough about Saul to give him a decent burial. Either way, Saul died alone and abandoned.

9 So they cut off his head and stripped off his armor and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines, to carry the good news to the house of their idols and to the people. 10 They put his armor in the temple of Ashtaroth, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan.

Once again, this was not a surprise to God. This was the plan of God. Saul and his household were being punished as God intended.

But in the eyes of the Philistines, this was a victory of their god over the Hebrew God. It says they carried the good news to the people. Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Yahweh defeated by Ashtaroth! Saul and his sons hang dead on the walls of our city!

They underestimate God, of course. This is a temporary defeat and there is a hint of the Gospel, even in this defeat.

11 But when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 all the valiant men arose and went all night and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and they came to Jabesh and burned them there. 13 And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh and fasted seven days.

The men of Jabesh-Gilead show bravery in reclaiming the body of Saul. They remembered Saul’s rescue mission early in his reign and God uses them to give Saul a proper burial.

God only allows His anointed king to hang in disgrace for a brief moment, but this was the first official king of Israel hanging dead on a city wall.

Do you remember the song of Hannah from chapter 2? Hannah was the mother of Samuel and she said this:

The Lord kills and brings to life;

he brings down to Sheol and raises up.

The Lord makes poor and makes rich;

he brings low and he exalts.

God raised Saul up and God brought Saul down. But put yourself in the shoes of the Israelites in this moment. Our army is defeated. Our king, the one we asked God to provide, is dead. His sons are all dead, so we can’t make one of them a king. The average Israelite must have been scared and confused. Is it our fault or God’s fault? Either way, it feels like failure. It feels like defeat.

What do we do now?

I bet the disciples felt something similar on the weekend after Jesus died.

Their rabbi had been brutally killed; his body hung on a cross for everyone to see – Satan basking in what looked like God’s defeat.

Think of the women in Mark 16. On the morning of the third day, they went to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus with spices. They didn’t actually know how they were going to do it, with a giant stone rolled over the tomb – but they went because it was the right thing to do.

He may be dead, but He was still our rabbi. Just as the men of Jabesh-Gilead went to retrieve Saul’s body. He may be dead, but He was still our king.

This connection between the death of Saul and the death of Jesus seems obvious, with one important difference. Saul, of course, deserved it. Jesus, of course, did not.

Jesus was brought low and then exalted by God. The women discovered an empty tomb. There was no body to anoint with spices, because God’s anointed One was alive!

We have to see the big picture because the big picture tells us something important about God. God’s glory is very high on God’s agenda. He was not content to let Israel have a “king like all the other nations”.

1 Samuel 31 uses the word “fell” four times. The men of Israel fell slain on Mount Gilboa. Saul fell on his sword. The armor bearer fell on his sword. The Philistines discovered Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.

This is significant because the same form of this word was used back in 1 Samuel 5. I want us to read part of that story again.

1 When the Philistines captured the ark of God, they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2 Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and set it up beside Dagon.

3 And when the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and put him back in his place.

4 But when they rose early on the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the LORD, and the head of Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off on the threshold. Only the trunk of Dagon was left to him.

God is such a good storyteller; I don’t think this is a coincidence. The false god fell with his head cut off. But there’s another example in 1 Samuel 17.

49 And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground.

50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David. 51 Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.

The giant fell and David cut off his head.

What’s the connection? In the end, God protected His glory even from his own king. Saul fell and his head was cut off, just like the false god and the pagan warrior. Saul fell short of the glory of God. And this is me and you in the story. Romans 3. All have fallen short of the glory of God.

God’s glory is very high on God’s agenda. The question is, how high is God’s glory on our agenda? How much does His glory matter to us?

I know that sounds like a very churchy question. I even struggle to find a good answer to that question but think back over the stories in 1 Samuel. What’s the real difference between someone who cares about God’s glory and someone who doesn’t?

The answer, I think, is what you do in a moment of crisis. Story after story. Crisis after crisis. This has been the recurring question.

In a time of crisis, do you reach for God and His strength – or your own?

Before the people had a king, the Philistines captured the ark and God brought it back without help from anyone else. He used two milk cows and a cart.

Saul lost the kingdom when he stopped listening to God.

In contrast, David showed us that every victory belongs to God. When David killed Goliath, he didn’t do it to make a name for himself. What did he say? “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

And at the end of Saul’s life, while David faced the same threat of death and reached out to God, Saul reached for his own sword.

And that is a picture of all humanity. In the end, at the point of crisis, we will reach for God and His strength, or we will fall on our own sword.

Saul rejected God in that moment, consumed by pride and unbelief, and so will we apart from Christ.

Brothers and sisters, it is in the moments of crisis that our faith is tested. Is God enough? Will you trust Him? Will you fear God more than men, or circumstances, or anything else? This is our calling – 1 Peter 5

6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

As we come to the Lord’s table this morning, it is one of the ways that Jesus himself promises to restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish us. It preaches the Gospel to us. It reminds us that we are not getting what we deserve. Jesus took what we deserve and gives us a seat at His table. We have all fallen short of the glory of God, but the suffering and humility of Jesus – our King – has brought us near to God.

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Deuteronomy 6:4-9

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Acceptance by some group of people is a basic human need – perhaps the most important human need outside of the obvious needs – food, water, shelter, clothing, and safety.

As small children, that group is our family, but as we grow older, we start looking for other groups to find acceptance as we prepare to leave the nest.

And there are often painful moments along the way. Some of us know what it felt like to always be picked last for sports. Some of us know what it felt like to have a friend pick a new group and leave us behind. Some of us know what it feels like to be rejected even by our own family members.

And that need doesn’t go away as an adult, does it? Everyone needs a tribe.

I have a friend who, as a teenager, was involved in a gang, but a police officer started to pursue him – not as a criminal, but as a young man. He helped my friend get to college and now his job is working with Gang Prevention Units at various police departments.

His goal is not to get them to leave the gang, because he knows that won’t work. Instead, he helps them make better choices and find other influences. According to my friend, it is this basic need – the need for acceptance, for a tribe – that draws young men into gangs. In his words, “It could have been a youth pastor or any other adult male, but when I most needed guidance, as a 13-year-old boy, it was a gangster that took me under his wing.”

This was a long introduction to make a simple point. Everyone wants to feel accepted. Everyone wants to belong. But why are we talking about this the Sunday before Christmas?

There are two reasons: First, if you don’t feel like you have good community – if you don’t feel like you have a tribe, then the holidays are especially difficult. It seems like everyone else has people and you might be feeling acutely alone. But second, and more importantly, all of us have this deep longing for acceptance – and this is actually an important theme in the Bible. The Advent of Jesus Christ is a direct response to that longing.

Our text this morning is a Messianic prophecy from a minor prophet. Micah 5:1

1 Now muster your troops, O daughter of troops;

siege is laid against us;

That first sentence in Hebrew is a play on words. The writer is mocking the fact that God’s people did not have a strong enough army to defeat the enemy at their gates.

This is probably Sennacherib’s siege in 701BC when Hezekiah was king. You can read about that siege in 2 Chronicles 32. Sennacherib was the king of Assyria, the most powerful nation in the world at that time. The Assyrians were known for their brutality. Israel, in contrast, was always a small nation compared to the giant empires rising and falling all around it. Let’s keep reading.

with a rod they strike the judge of Israel

on the cheek.

This is a way of saying that the enemy is humiliating the king. The idea is that he is so defenseless he cannot even protect his face. And according to 2 Chronicles, Sennacherib did in fact send messages to Jerusalem to mock and humiliate Hezekiah during the siege.

The historical records of this event are very interesting. The Assyrian records claim that Sennacherib destroyed 46 cities in Israel and that his army had Hezekiah trapped in Jerusalem like a caged bird. But mysteriously, the siege ended, and the army retreated – even though Assyria had a much larger and much more advanced military.

Greek historian Herodotus claimed that the army was overrun by field mice, which may have been a reference to the plague.

But according to the Bible, God protected His people by sending an angel to rout the Assyrian army. 2 Chronicles says that Sennacherib went home with “shame of face” and was killed by his own sons. Several years after the siege, that’s exactly what happened. He was assassinated by his own sons.

I’m telling you all of this because I think the history is an important backdrop to the prophecy in verse 2. It says this:

2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,

who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,

from you shall come forth for me

one who is to be ruler in Israel,

whose coming forth is from of old,

from ancient days.

Bethlehem was a small town in Ephrathah, similar to how we write a city and state. Horn Lake, Mississippi. Bethlehem Ephrathah. The town’s name means “fruitful house of bread”.

But in Hebrew, the sentence says that the town was “insignificant with regards to its existence among the clans of Judah”. The adjective “little” relates to quality not quantity. It is the “least” or the “weakest” of all the towns.

In other words, God was planning from ancient days for the most insignificant place to give birth to the most important person in history.

The town of Bethlehem is famous to us because of the birth of Jesus – the nativity story. But in the context of Micah 5, Bethlehem was a small, insignificant town. This is like saying that the greatest player in the history of football will come from the Detroit Lions.

If you’re not a football fan, all you need to know is that the Detroit Lions are almost always the worst team in the league. When I tell people I’m a Lions fan, they usually chuckle – because they know the Lions are terrible.

When this prophecy was written, the only significant thing about Bethlehem was a bit of history – it was the hometown of David. Otherwise, no one had thought about Bethlehem in several hundred years. But now, the prophet Micah is introducing the town of David as the birthplace of the Messiah, in the middle of a great conflict between powerful nations. Verse 3:

3 Therefore he shall give them up until the time

when she who is in labor has given birth;

then the rest of his brothers shall return

to the people of Israel.

This basically means that Israel will be insignificant for the next several hundred years until Jesus is born. And that’s what happened. Israel was used and abused by other nations and empires.

4 And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD,

in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.

And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great

to the ends of the earth.

5 And he shall be their peace.

Imagine how important this prophecy would have been to God’s people, while they were conquered over and over again between the time it was written and the birth of Jesus. And because of prophecies like this, most people were expecting the Messiah to be a great military leader – like David. They were not expecting someone like Jesus.

But if you remember, David was not born an obvious choice to be king either. He was a shepherd boy – the youngest son of Jesse. Everyone was shocked when Samuel anointed David. And this prophecy makes that connection by calling the Messiah a shepherd.

Jesus was not the obvious choice, but he was the right choice. One of my favorite episodes of The Office is the one when the office employees play basketball against the warehouse employees. When Michael Scott, who is the boss in the show, chooses his team for the game, he picks the players he assumes will be good at the sport based on stereotypes and most of them were actually terrible at basketball.

One of the things we have learned about God from our study of Judges, Ruth, and Samuel is that He absolutely delights in choosing the weak and the small to demonstrate his power. It should not have surprised God’s people that the Messiah would be like that.

Think about the ministry and life of Jesus. He began his ministry by choosing to get baptized by his cousin, a strange man wearing camel skins. Instead of choosing normal rabbinical students as followers, he chose fishermen and tax collectors. Instead of building friendships and alliances with the other religious leaders, he had dinner parties attended by prostitutes and he called the religious leaders “snakes”.

It’s almost like Jesus was trying to get Himself killed. He accepted all the wrong people and rejected all the right people. And in the end, His own people rejected Him.

You could categorize so much of the ministry of Jesus as a ministry of acceptance and rejection – his acceptance of the least and the weak and the marginalized. His rejection by the people who should have known better.

Even the birth of Jesus fits this theme. God used a teenage girl, not yet married, to carry His Son! God led her fiancé to accept her in spite of the potentially shameful circumstances. Baby Jesus was accepted and worshipped by dirty shepherds and foreign Gentiles, but the king of Israel tried to have him murdered.

And that’s the Christmas story. That is God’s story of how He was able to embrace and accept sinners into His family through the rejection of His only Son – Jesus Christ. It’s a beautiful story and best of all, it is a true story.

Our acceptance by God is a free offer through the work of Jesus on the cross – He was rejected so that we could be accepted into the kingdom by faith.

And this is where most sermons typically end. But I want to take it a step further today.

It is important to sometimes say, this is not a blanket acceptance being offered by God. God is not overlooking our sin. He’s punishing it at the cross and if we do not experience His renewing grace in our lives, then we will face the wrath of God alone – without the cross. Repentance is not optional.

I need to say this, because we live in the age of tolerance and inclusion, as long as you accept the cultural definition of those words. The culture wants us to believe that anything goes – that none of our choices is a problem – that nothing about us needs to change. There’s nothing we really need to repent of.

But the God of the Bible is not offering us blanket acceptance. It is important that we not do not cheapen God’s grace by preaching acceptance without repentance.

Listen to how Micah 5 ends. Verses 9-15.

9 Your hand shall be lifted up over your adversaries,

and all your enemies shall be cut off.

That’s the good news. God will provide victory over the enemies. But look what comes next:

10 And in that day, declares the LORD,

I will cut off your horses from among you

and will destroy your chariots;

11 and I will cut off the cities of your land

and throw down all your strongholds; *

12 and I will cut off sorceries from your hand,

and you shall have no more tellers of fortunes;

13 and I will cut off your carved images

and your pillars from among you,

and you shall bow down no more

to the work of your hands; *

14 and I will root out your Asherah images from among you

and destroy your cities.

15 And in anger and wrath I will execute vengeance

on the nations that did not obey.

In other words, God says, “I’m going to save you, but I’m also going to destroy all this other stuff you’ve been depending on. I’m accepting you, but I am not accepting your sin. The idols have to go.”

God will bring victory, but victory doesn’t mean that God will tolerate our sin. Victory, according to God, is victory over sin and death. That’s what Jesus accomplished for us and for the glory of God.

The simplest way I can say it is this: God takes us the way He finds us, but He never leaves us the way He found us.

This is not the blanket tolerance of the world. This is much better… much more authentically human. In Christ we are new creations. The old has gone. The new has come. Listen to how Peter describes the people of God:

You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Brothers and sisters, that is the acceptance we long for. That’s it. And in Christ Jesus, this is who we are. Repent and believe, for the kingdom of God is at hand.

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Tuesday was the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

1941 was a good year for Americans before the attack. It was the year of Bugs Bunny, Walt Disney, Captain America, and Wonder Woman. The economy was recovering well from the 1930s. Life was more comfortable for more Americans than it had ever been. By December 6, Americans were thinking about Christmas.

But on December 7, 1941, a date which will live in infamy, the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.

Now, imagine with me – what if that attack had been an invasion? What if America had been conquered and our grandparents were exiled to a foreign land?

Or what if that happens tomorrow? Imagine being forcibly removed from our homes and exiled to a strange country. Imagine life as we know it gone.

And in order to keep this “What If?” scenario Biblical, imagine that all of this happens because of our sin – both as a nation and personally. That’s the context of Isaiah 40.

Things had been good in Judah for many years. The people were living in peace and prosperity. But in Isaiah 39, God tells Hezekiah that Judah will one day be conquered by Babylon and the people will be exiled because of their sins. The days of peace and prosperity will end, and it will be their fault.

And now, we come to our text. Isaiah 40:1-5:

1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.

2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,

and cry to her

that her warfare is ended,

that her iniquity is pardoned,

that she has received from the Lord’s hand

double for all her sins.

3 A voice cries:

“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;

make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

4 Every valley shall be lifted up,

and every mountain and hill be made low;

the uneven ground shall become level,

and the rough places a plain.

5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,

and all flesh shall see it together,

for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

On the heels of a devastating prophecy, that God’s people will be exiled in a foreign land, God immediately provides good news. It will not last forever.

But we have the benefit of looking back through history and we know that this carries even greater significance. This is not just about returning from exile. This is also about Jesus Christ.

With that in mind, let’s look more closely at the text.

Notice that the first word is repeated – “comfort, comfort”. This is the Bible’s way of emphasizing a word. “Comfort, comfort, my people.”

And this is not what we think of when we hear the word “comfort”. This is not chestnuts roasting on an open fire, a warm cup of hot chocolate, and a soft blanket. This is the comfort of good news in response to bad news.

“Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her…” 1) that her warfare has ended and 2) that her sins have been pardoned.

To the first point, it’s like the difference between December 7, 1941, and August 15, 1945 – the day Japan surrendered. The war was over. Husbands and fathers, sons and brothers were coming home. There was a physical comfort – good news that the hard times will end.

But it’s the second point that carries the most weight. Her sins have been pardoned. The reason for the exile is being addressed. God will do something about the problem they created. He’s going to solve that problem.

Notice also this good news is not for everyone. It is covenantal. It is for “my people” God says. These are my people, and the verse is written as a command. Comfort my people. Comfort MY people.

And notice how the message is given. “Speak tenderly,” God says.

Most of us probably don’t have to wake our kids up on Christmas morning. They usually wake us up. But if you’ve ever had that experience, how do you do it? It’s not like a school morning when you flip the lights on and bark at them to get out of bed. No. You do it gently. “Wake up kids, it’s Christmas!”

And apparently, that’s how God wants this good news delivered. Gently. Tenderly. Like waking us up on Christmas morning.

Again, this is for God’s people. It is explicitly not for everyone. But what is the difference? What is God doing for His people that makes them special?

Isaiah answers that question at the end of verse 2. “She received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.”

At first glance, that doesn’t sound like a good thing, does it? But the reason it is good news is because God is saying the payment has been made. And this is where it gets interesting.

The sins of the people technically deserved death and eternal punishment, not just exile. No one should have walked away from the exile believing that they had served their time and earned their own redemption. The punishment did not fit crime. They had not, in fact, paid double for all their sins.

And it is on the heels of that proclamation that we find a massive foreshadowing of the Gospel message. Look at verses 3 and 4 again:

3 A voice cries:

“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;

make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

4 Every valley shall be lifted up,

and every mountain and hill be made low;

the uneven ground shall become level,

and the rough places a plain.

We know that the voice in the wilderness was John the Baptist because all four Gospels reference verse 3 when they introduce John. All four of them.

We don’t make much of John in the church. Most of the time, we skip right over his ministry, thinking of it as a footnote to the “more important” parts of the Christmas story. But if all four Gospels mention John’s ministry, it may be more important than we realize. We need to pay more attention to John’s mission. And his mission, according to the text, was to “prepare the way” for Jesus.

But what does that mean? What does the prophecy say? It says he will make a straight highway in the dessert. Lift up the valleys and knock down the hills. Level the ground. Smooth out the rough places.

What does that sound like? Last year, everyone living in Horn Lake celebrated. Do you know why? Because the city finally repaved Horn Lake Road. I’m not exaggerating when I say that it was ten years overdue. Horn Lake Rd. was like a minefield of potholes. It was a mess, but now it is glorious.

John’s ministry was a bit like repaving Horn Lake Rd. There’s a king coming, and we can’t have the king driving down a street with dozens of potholes. He deserves a comfortable ride.

The irony of course is that Jesus was born into humble surroundings… no palaces or red carpets. No comforts at all, really. In fact, they had to run to Egypt to avoid an assassination attempt. But that’s not what the prophecy means. What needed leveling was the hearts of God’s people. We are the uneven ground.

Do you know what John’s sermons sounded like? Luke 3 gives us an example. He told people to bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And when the people pressed him for examples of what he meant, this is what John said:

10 And the crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?” 11 And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.” 12 Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?”

13 And he said to them, “Collect no more than you are authorized to do.” 14 Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.”

John tells them to bear fruit in keeping with repentance and every single example John gives is about what? Money. Sacrificial giving. Giving up what you don’t need for people who do need it. In other words, the fruit of repentance, according to John, looks like giving up personal comfort for the sake of others. This was from a man who ate bugs and wore camel skins. And according to the Bible, this is how John prepared the way for Jesus.

He taught the people to value sacrifice more than their own comfort. He taught them to share with people in need. And this is not a coincidence, when you link it back to Isaiah. In the first chapter of Isaiah, God lays out his case against the people. He calls them children who have rebelled against their father. And then he says this:

16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;

remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes;

cease to do evil,

17 learn to do good;

seek justice,

correct oppression;

bring justice to the fatherless.

plead the widow’s cause.

That sounds like the kind of stuff John told people to do, doesn’t it? And what did John do to people? He baptized them. He washed them in the Jordan river!

Now, here’s a Gospel connection and an application. First the good news: John’s ministry prepared the way, but it wasn’t the way. Jesus Himself is the Way. It’s actually impossible for us to make ourselves clean. No amount of doing good or avoiding evil will be enough. John demonstrated the need for repentance, but faith in Christ Jesus was also necessary.

In Isaiah 51:12, God says, “I, I am He who comforts you.”

Jesus is our comfort. He is the bread of life. He is the light of the world. He is the door, the gate, and the good shepherd. He is the resurrection and the life. He is the true vine. He is the living water. And all of that is true because Jesus left heaven and experienced the opposite of comfort – the curse of sin, death, and the wrath of God – in order to draw us back into God’s favor.

I’ll be the first here to admit. Christmas is usually all about me. And if I’m honest, it’s not just Christmas. It’s 365 days a year. How can I squeeze the most comfort out of this life? How can I get more satisfaction? And when suffering comes, my first thought is not usually “run to Christ”. Very often, it is “how can I self-medicate my way back to feeling comfort”?

But as we remember what Jesus gave up for His people this Christmas, may we also bear fruit in keeping with repentance – making low the hills, lifting up the valleys, smoothing out the rough places – preparing our hearts for the Savior.

The glory of the Lord shall be revealed,

and all flesh shall see it together,

for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

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This morning we will continue our Advent series – Season of Longing – as we prepare to celebrate the arrival of Christ Jesus. We are looking at human desires from the perspective of the Incarnation and this morning we will consider our longing for control.

Our text is Daniel 7, just two verses. And before I read, I want to say that I am particularly thankful for an essay by seminary professor Fred Zaspel called “Jesus Christ, the Son of Man”. It was very helpful in writing this sermon.

13 “I saw in the night visions,

and behold, with the clouds of heaven

there came one like a son of man,

and he came to the Ancient of Days

and was presented before him.

14 And to him was given dominion

and glory and a kingdom,

that all peoples, nations, and languages

should serve him;

his dominion is an everlasting dominion,

which shall not pass away,

and his kingdom one

that shall not be destroyed.

This is probably the most important vision or prophecy in the book of Daniel, which is a book full of visions and prophecies. Many of the themes in Daniel are repeated in the book of Revelation and many of the visions were about ancient kingdoms and powerful kings.

But this vision is unique because it is clearly Messianic. This is a prophecy concerning Jesus but notice how Daniel describes him. He says, “there came one like a son of man”.

The phrase “son of man” is used over 100 times in the Old Testament, but this is the only place where it explicitly refers to the Messiah. And that is strange, because Jesus refers to Himself as the Son of Man eighty times in the Gospels. In fact, it was the title he most often used to describe himself and in Matthew 26, he explicitly links his use of the title to Daniel 7.

What makes this even more strange is when you look at all the other hundred times this phrase “son of man” is used in the Old Testament. Everywhere but Daniel, it simply means “human being”. A “son of man” was a Hebrew idiom for “human being”. That’s it.

And many times, writers used the expression to create distance between humans and God. For instance:

Numbers 23:19 – “God is not man, that he should lie,

or a son of man, that he should change his mind.”

Or the words of David:

Psalm 8:4 – “What is man that you are mindful of him,

and the son of man that you care for him?”

God is not like us. We are not like him. That seems to be the point.

But then you get to Daniel, and everything gets confusing. Daniel sees the Messiah being given an everlasting kingdom, but this Messiah looks like a “son of man”.

And then, of all the titles Jesus could have chosen for Himself, most of the time he uses this simple idiom – the Son of Man.

What does Jesus mean by it and what does it have to do with us?

In Daniel, the vision is a contrast between the Messiah and all the other kings. All the kingdoms of the earth are ruled by men who are described in Daniel as terrible beasts and all of their power was temporary. But God’s kingdom will rest in the hands of a man who is somehow also God!

By calling himself Son of Man, Jesus is claiming to be that king – that man who is somehow God. But it’s also the most humble title Jesus could have claimed for Himself – first because of what it actually means, which is simply “man” and second because of how Jesus chose to use it. Listen to some of these examples:

Matthew 8:20 – “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

Mark 8:31 – “He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed…”

Luke 9:44 – “Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.”

None of that sounds much like a powerful ruler, does it? It sounds more like Jesus is a homeless, powerless, nobody. There’s a humility here that is impossible to miss.

And yet, nowhere does Jesus let us believe that He’s lost control. He told His disciples about his death and resurrection so many times because He wanted to make it obvious that He was always in control. The great King of the Universe was choosing humiliation and death. He was not surprised by it.

But for this to make any sense, we need to go back to the beginning. Because of our sin, the Old Testament makes it very clear that there is a distance between us and God. He is not like us. We are not like him.

But before sin entered the world, things were different. Genesis 1 explicitly says that we were created in God’s image and given a task – to fill the earth and rule over it as His representatives. God created us, in many ways, like Him. And He gave us authority to care for the earth.

But Adam and Eve forfeited this responsibility when they disobeyed God and rejected His authority. And the great irony of the story is that their sin was a desire to be “more like God” than they already were. They wanted more control. And they quickly realized they wanted something they could never have.

That desire for control is everywhere and it is easy to spot when you consider the emotions it creates. When we don’t feel like things are going according to our plans, it usually produces anxiety, anger, or both. Feeling out of control makes us anxious or angry.

And this comes straight out of the Bible.

Proverbs 16:32 – “Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.”

Proverbs 10:24 – “What the wicked dreads will come upon him.”

Pay attention to your emotions. They are often telling us about this desire for control. And if we stop to evaluate the things that are causing us to become angry or anxious, most of the time it’s something we have no control over. We are spending emotional energy trying to figure out how to fix something we can’t fix.

And the question the Bible repeatedly asks us is this: Do we believe Jesus is king or not? Do we believe He is good or not? Do we believe He cares about us or not?

The hard part is that God is asking us to trust Him with all this even though we can’t see the big picture. Paul calls it living by faith instead of by sight. And what makes it so difficult is that God’s kingdom isn’t fully realized yet. The world is contesting the rule of Christ. Every knee has not yet bowed. Every tongue has not yet confessed. That’s why it is difficult to trust God with all the stuff we can’t control.

But thankfully, God did not wait on us to trust Him. He came to us, and He’s been in control the whole time. Jesus becoming a man and doing everything for us is meant to shatter the illusion that we have any control at all over our own destiny. We think God wants us because of our faith, but it has nothing at all to do with us.

I read a story this week about a missionary serving with the Masai people in Tanzania. At one point, the missionary shared with one of the tribes elders his own struggles with faith.

In their conversation, the Masai elder pointed out that the word the missionary had been using in Swahili to convey the word “faith” was not a very good word in their language. The word they were using for “faith” meant literally, “to agree to something.”

The Masai elder explained that to believe like that was similar to a hunter shooting an animal from a great distance. The hunter only needs an eye and a finger. But true faith is more like a lion going after its prey. The lion uses his eyes, ears, and nose to locate the prey. Then he crouches, and stalks along the ground.

The lion gets into position and pounces. All the power of his body is involved and as the animal goes down, the lion envelopes the prey in his arms, pulls it to himself, and makes it a part of himself. This, said the elder, is the way one believes, making faith a part of oneself! The missionary nodded in agreement, but the elder was not done yet.

He began to encourage the missionary, saying: “We did not search you out. We did not even want you to come to us. You searched us out. You told us about the Most High God. You told us WE must search for God. But WE have not done this. Instead, God has searched us out and found us! All the time WE think we are the lion. In the end, the lion is God!”

And that is the point. It has always been the point. We’re not God. He is. We’re not in control. He is. And to prove the point, God became a man. The lion of the tribe of Judah became the lamb who was slain. The circumstances of the Christmas story and ultimately the mission of Jesus prove that God has everything under control.

And what we need to do with all our anxiety and anger about failed plans is take them to Jesus in repentance. For that reason, I want to end with one verse from John 16. Before Jesus said this, he was telling the disciples about some of the difficult things they would endure in their lifetimes. And then he says this, to them and to us:

“I have said these things to you, that IN ME you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

He did it with broken body and shed blood and He invites us to join Him at the table of repentance and faith. [Fence the table] Pray. Words of Institution.

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In the church, we call the Christmas season “Advent”, which means arrival. And we’re talking, of course, about the arrival of Jesus. The Israelites were waiting on the arrival of the Messiah. For us, Christmas is a time to remember the arrival of Jesus and that’s what we will do over the next four weeks. The series is called “Season of Longing” and we will look at how the arrival of Jesus relates to our deepest longings as human beings.

This morning we will consider the longing for significance and our text is a Psalm of King David – Psalm 103.

1 Bless the Lord, O my soul,

and all that is within me,

bless his holy name!

David begins with worship.

2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,

and forget not all his benefits,

And what are the benefits of the Lord? He’s the One:

3 who forgives all your iniquity,

who heals all your diseases,

4 who redeems your life from the pit,

God forgives sin, heals diseases, and redeems life. In other words, God deals with our spiritual problem and the physical problems that sin causes – sickness and death. But there’s more! God replaces those bad things with good things. He’s the One:

who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,

5 who satisfies you with good

so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

He replaces sin, sickness, and death with covenant love, mercy, goodness, and renewal. What else does God do?

6 The Lord works righteousness

and justice for all who are oppressed.

7 He made known his ways to Moses,

his acts to the people of Israel.

8 The Lord is merciful and gracious,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

9 He will not always chide,

nor will he keep his anger forever.

10 He does not deal with us according to our sins,

nor repay us according to our iniquities.

Notice the emphasis on how God deals with His people. He is patient. He is merciful. He’s not dealing with us according to our failures. In fact, David begins searching for a way to make God’s love for His people sound larger than life.

11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;

12 as far as the east is from the west,

so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

God’s love is impossibly big. His forgiveness is impossibly wide. But God is not removed and distant from us…

13 As a father shows compassion to his children,

so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.

He’s near to us, like a loving and concerned father.

And then for a brief moment, David shifts the focus away from God. Right in the middle of the Psalm, he starts talking about us – about humans.

14 For he knows our frame;

he remembers that we are dust.

15 As for man, his days are like grass;

he flourishes like a flower of the field;

16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,

and its place knows it no more.

In other words, who are we that we should receive all those benefits from God? Who are we that God deals with us in mercy and love? Who are we that God deals with us at all? We are dust. Our days are like grass. Our good days are like a flower – here one day and gone the next.

In a word, we are insignificant. David highlights the insignificance of mankind and then he quickly brings us back to thinking about God.

17 But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,

and his righteousness to children’s children,

18 to those who keep his covenant

and remember to do his commandments.

David reminds us that God’s benefits are extended through covenants and carry generational blessings to covenant keepers. Now, pay close attention to the end.

19 The Lord has established his throne in the heavens,

and his kingdom rules over all.

20 Bless the Lord, O you his angels,

you mighty ones who do his word,

obeying the voice of his word!

21 Bless the Lord, all his hosts,

his ministers, who do his will!

22 Bless the Lord, all his works,

in all places of his dominion.

Bless the Lord, O my soul!

Notice that David concludes this Psalm by highlighting the significance of God, His angels, and His creation. God is King and everywhere is His kingdom. The angels are His mighty ones busy doing the will of God. All creation bows in worship to God.

And then, as a tagline or a footnote after considering the vast significance of God and the universe, David adds his own little voice. “Bless the Lord, O my soul!”

If we wanted to map out the flow of this Psalm, it might look something like this:

God is awesome. (vs. 1-13)

We are insignificant. (vs. 14-16)

God is awesome. (vs. 17-22)

That’s the Psalm. Now, why are we here? We are here to consider the human longing for significance and how it relates to the Incarnation of Christ.

Let’s start with the author of the Psalm, a man we’ve been studying now for months. David was the most significant person on the planet during his own lifetime and arguably one of the most significant people who ever lived on the earth. They wrote songs about David while he was alive! How many people in history can say that?

And yet, in spite of that fact, David demonstrates a remarkable humility in the songs he wrote. David did not believe his own press. He was far from perfect, but he was humbled by his relationship with God. David knew his place. He was the king, but he was still made of dust. Compared to the God of the universe, even the most significant person on the planet felt his insignificance.

Now stop to consider the longing for significance that we experience in our culture. In the eyes of the world, the most significant people on the planet are the most newsworthy. Political figures, celebrities, professional athletes, influencers… these are the people we think are most significant, followed by people in high paying careers.

I did some research this week on young people’s career aspirations versus reality. A major study was published last year on the career goals of 600,000 15-year-olds from 41 countries. Exactly half of them said they want to work in one of ten popular careers – including actors, athletes, dancers, and musicians. But in reality, less than 1% will end up working in these jobs.

In fact, only 4% of adults say they are now working the job they dreamed of as a child. And the odds of your name ever being listed on Wikipedia is 1 in 10,000. But we are fascinated with those people.

Last week, my son and I saw Soulja Boy in his yellow McLaren on I-55 outside Batesville. I instantly felt cooler and all I did was see a car with a celebrity in it.

By our 20s, most of us know we will never be famous, but we still feel a longing for our life “to count”. We want our life to matter. We want to do something important. And while I don’t believe that desire is all bad, I do think it is skewed by our sin.

Some of that longing for significance is more than just a desire to have value – it’s actually a desire to be equal with God, to sit in the place of God. Deep down, there is a desire in the human heart to actually be the most significant person in our own lives. And very often, our words and actions reveal that desire.

My sin wants me think I’m the most important person in every room I enter. And that’s not OK.

There’s something Jesus said very often to his disciples – “the first shall be last and the last shall be first.” Have you heard that before?

Let’s think about Jesus for a moment. At Christmas, we celebrate his birth – but consider what that means. We believe Jesus is God in the flesh. God became a man.

What did David say about humans in Psalm 103? God knows our frame. He remembers that we are dust. We are insignificant compared to God’s eternal majesty. But what did Jesus do?

He became dust! He became one of us. In a sense, Jesus gave up his significance to become like us. Listen to how Paul describes the Incarnation:

4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,

10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Our longing for significance is right there. WE count equality with God as something to be grasped. Jesus did not. Though He is actually equal with God, He emptied himself to become like us – by choice. And after he did that, God exalted Him and gave him a name above every name.

As Scottish pastor John Duncan once said, “The dust of the earth now sits on the throne of the universe.”

And what does that mean for us? As a Christian, I am significant because I am not my own… I belong to God in Christ Jesus. I could become the most famous person on the earth in my lifetime, and it wouldn’t add anything at all to what Jesus has already accomplished for me.

I’m never the most important person in my life or in anyone else’s life. That’s not where my significance comes from. It doesn’t come from the numbers on my paycheck or my 401k. It doesn’t come from the size of my house or the price tag of my car. It doesn’t come from the number of followers or friends I have.

My significance comes directly from the Lord of heaven, who is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

Christmas is a great time to remember that the universe is bigger than me. It’s a great time to be humbled by the birth of Christ. It’s an opportunity to repent of my selfish and self-promoting tendencies. And it’s an opportunity to love and serve others, counting them more significant than myself.

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1 – Jesus told them the destination. He said, “Let us go to the other side.” That implies that they will make it to their destination. If they took Jesus at His word, they would never have been afraid.

2 – Jesus put himself in the storm too. He did not just send His disciples into the storm. He went with them. And He would promise them many times that no matter what they would face in life He would always be with them.