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The Blasphemous Bragging Butcher vs. The Bountifully Blessed Beloved | Psalm 52 Lorin Bilhorn, HBC Elder Download PULPIT CURRICULUM as PDF PULPIT CURRICULUM as DOC
The Presence of a Faithful God | Psalm 34 Chris Peterson, HBC Elder Download PULPIT CURRICULUM as PDF PULPIT CURRICULUM as DOC
The Prayers That Find God | Psalm 27 Ronald Laitano, HBC Worship Director Download PULPIT CURRICULUM as PDF PULPIT CURRICULUM as DOC
When the Dogs Howl | Psalm 59 Pastor Austin Duncan, Camp Abide 2026 Speaker Download PULPIT CURRICULUM as PDF
It’s the second message of our summer sermon series: Psalms of David! This week, Elder David Duncan leads us through Psalm 51.
Join us for the kickoff a new summer sermon series: Psalms of David! This week, Pastor Scott Willms leads us through Psalm 40.
Join us for a special message from Kyle Cerrito - our Outreach and Young Adults Director at HBC - on How to Reach the Nations.
A Psalm for Easter Sunday: Psalm 16 Pastor Adam Ashoff Download PULPIT CURRICULUM as PDF PULPLIT CURRICULUM as WORD DOC.
Holy Week is here! Join us as Pastor Adam kicks off the Holy Week in the Psalms series, beginning with Psalm 118 on Palm Sunday.
Join us for a special message from our brother in Christ Shannon Hurley! As the founder and operator of SOS Ministries in Uganda, Shannon visits HBC to provide a ministry update and a stirring reminder for us: LIVE FOR THE KING.
Jump back into 1 Samuel with us! We’re entering a new “era” of the book (hence our new graphics!): the ascent of David, God’s chosen king.
Pastor Adam opens up 2026 with a new series entitled Reoriented: Christ is All in All of Life. In it, he will unpack Colossians 3:16-25 to address core areas of the believer’s daily life.
As we head into 2026, Pastor Adam reminds believers of the lifeblood and essential discipline that prayer is.
Tune in for week #4 of our Advent Sermon Series: “Songs of the Coming King.” This week’s sermon lands in Psalm 110.
Tune in for week #3 of our Advent Sermon Series: “Songs of the Coming King.” This week’s sermon lands in Psalm 72.
Tune in for week #2 of our Advent Sermon Series: “Songs of the Coming King.” This week’s sermon lands in Psalm 72.
Join our Advent series for 2025! We’re unpacking the “Royal Psalms” and their prophetic messages that point to the Coming King.
The Gracious Christ | Colossians 3 Pastor Scott Willms Download PULPIT CURRICULUM as PDF PULPLIT CURRICULUM as WORD DOC.
The Glorious Christ | Colossians 2 Pastor Scott Willms Download PULPIT CURRICULUM as PDF PULPLIT CURRICULUM as WORD DOC.
A King Without Regrets | 1 Samuel 15 Pastor Adam Ashoff Download PULPIT CURRICULUM as PDF PULPLIT CURRICULUM as WORD DOC.
Saul's Foolish Fall Into Failure Pastor Adam Ashoff Download PULPIT CURRICULUM as PDF PULPLIT CURRICULUM as WORD DOC.
Faith That Climbs When Others Fall Pastor Adam Ashoff Download PULPIT CURRICULUM as PDF PULPLIT CURRICULUM as WORD DOC.
Here I Fall: The Beginning of Saul's End Pastor Adam Ashoff Download PULPIT CURRICULUM as PDF PULPLIT CURRICULUM as WORD DOC.
Here I Stand Pastor Adam Ashoff Download PULPIT CURRICULUM as PDF PULPLIT CURRICULUM as WORD DOC.
Saul's Surprising Rise to Leadership Pastor Adam Ashoff Download PULPIT CURRICULUM as PDF PULPLIT CURRICULUM as WORD DOC.
The Sovereignty of God in Salvation Pastor Adam Ashoff Download PULPIT CURRICULUM as PDF PULPLIT CURRICULUM as WORD DOC.
The Sovereign Selection of a Hesitant King Pastor Adam Ashoff Download PULPIT CURRICULUM as PDF PULPLIT CURRICULUM as WORD DOC.
The Sovereignty of Searching Pastor Adam Ashoff Download PULPIT CURRICULUM as PDF PULPLIT CURRICULUM as WORD DOC.
Seeking Worshipers Pastor Ronald Laitano Download PULPIT CURRICULUM as PDF PULPLIT CURRICULUM as WORD DOC.
The Glory of God is Everlasting Pastor Adam Ashoff Download PULPIT CURRICULUM as PDF PULPLIT CURRICULUM as WORD DOC.
The Glory of God & Christ’s Redemption Pastor Adam Ashoff Download PULPIT CURRICULUM as PDF PULPIT CURRICULUM as WORD DOC.
The Glory of God & the Fall of Man Pastor Adam Ashoff Download Pulpit Curriculum PDF Pulpit Curriculum DOCX
The Glory of God Pastor Adam Ashoff Download Pulpit Curriculum PDF Pulpit Curriculum DOCX
The Sovereignty of God Todd Jacobs Download Pulpit Curriculum PDF Pulpit Curriculum DOCX * View transcript The Sovereignty of God
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Good morning, HBC. Every summer I come up here, there are more people out there, which is a blessing. God's providing the growth. I'm Todd Jacobs, one of the elders here. If you've not met me, I'd love to do so afterward. If you've never seen me, you've either never been here before or you're looking downward. So I'm batting ninth in our summer series on God's attributes. Baseball fans, what kind of hitter do you put ninth? In the National League - in the old National League, it was the pitcher. The worst one! Your greatest hope for the ninth hitter is he gets hit by a pitch. So one of my all time favorite baseball players... who is that? Randy Johnson - did not love his mullet, but I love him because he's my height; he's about my age, and he was one of baseball's all time greatest pitchers, but he was a lousy hitter. Huge strike zone. 125 batting average. I'm just setting expectations for the rest of this hour. All right, let's take Randy down, enough of him. Today's message is God is sovereign…not a joking matter. My main goal today is for you to come away more confident than ever that God is absolutely sovereign over everything.
Let me pray again. Heavenly father, we need your help. We need your help to understand, to embrace your sovereignty, to rejoice over it, and to be comforted by it, not crushed. We thank you that you are a loving Savior and a sovereign Lord whom we can trust. Help us to do so now. In Jesus' name, Amen. So God's sovereignty is seen throughout the Bible, and it's already come up this summer because you cannot completely separate God's attributes from one another. They are distinguishable, but not completely divisible. God isn't made of Legos. You don't take some holiness bricks and some righteousness bricks and sovereign bricks. And let's bury those wrath bricks down deep under a whole bunch of love and grace bricks. He's not like that. God's attributes aren't like features on your smartphone that you toggle on and off. God is completely all of his attributes, completely all the time. God's sovereignty is inseparable from his entire being and from all the other attributes you've already heard this summer. God's sovereignty is a lofty truth. We can't out-loft God's actual loftiness in our minds. So I wonder how lofty is your view of God's sovereignty? But it's also a practical truth. It's Bunyan's impregnable rock to which we cling, and Spurgeon's soft pillow for anxious heads. Don't we often reverse that? Clinging to that flimsy pillow of our circumstances and laying our heads down at night on the hard rock of our worry? Lots of other things do seem to be in control, don't they? They loom large in our lives. Death. Disease. Politicians. Technology. Money. What's really in charge? Is it a toxic cocktail of human free will, the devil, physics and chance? Are any of those comforting thoughts? More importantly, are any of them true? No. There is only one sovereign. Isaiah 44:6 says, Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: I am the first, and I am the last; besides me there is no God. It is good for us to know that God is good, that he's loving, and he's a merciful father, that he does draw near to his brokenhearted children. It's also good to know that God is righteous and holy and a sovereign king, and we are his subjects. He is a loving king. He is a gracious king. He's a righteous king. The common link - he is king. I have three points today. First is sovereignty defined. Second is sovereignty declared. Third is sovereignty depended on.
First sovereignty defined. What is sovereignty? I have a slide for the first textbook definition, the short one. It’s a short one from one theologian. "God's sovereignty is his exercise of power and rule over his creation as its king." Straightforward. I've got a longer one. You do not or should not even try to write this down, but I think it's going to put all the cards on the table about what we mean by God's sovereignty. So bear with us here. "Whereas omnipotence tells us how much and which powers God has, sovereignty clarifies the extent to which God uses those powers. Divine sovereignty is God's power of absolute self-determination. God does his own actions and they are in accord with his choices. God's choices are determined only by his own nature and purposes. To say that God's sovereignty is absolute also means that his choices and control cover all things. God is the ultimate, final, and complete authority over everything and everyone." Wow. Now that is sovereignty. So I wanted to make an effort to blend those two into something that is both simple and yet as complete as I can make it. So one more slide. This is the eminent theologian Todd Jacobs, so take it with a grain of salt, but here it is. "God's sovereignty is his rightful and constant exercise of absolute rule and control as the unchallenged King over his creation, which is the entire universe, all things seen and unseen." All things seen...That's all the earth. That's all the stuff that's out there in space that we keep discovering. That's all living creatures. It's all space. It's all matter. It's the entire universe. All things unseen...Subatomic particles, all forces, energies, laws of physics, the spiritual realm. God is king over angels, Satan, demons, and all human souls, all of which he created. God rules over time as a property of his creation. Time is not an eternally self-existent thing to which God is subject. When God created space, time came with it. That's the only reference to the theory of relativity you'll ever hear from me from the pulpit, but that's where that comes from. And it's true. Prior to Genesis 1:1, there was no prior to. God is not subject to time. God doesn't wait to see what will happen before making his plan, as if he's dependent on our actions. To worship a god who only reacts to our actions, subject to our wills and decisions, is to worship an idol made out of moldable clay. That's Gumby, not Yahweh. God delegates authority in a sense, right? He delegates authority to governments, parents, husbands, church leaders, employers, and even to the devil who Jesus called the ruler of this world. But these are all always under God's ultimate authority. Next slide...R.C. Sproul, I have to quote R.C. and get in his name, because my favorite Pittsburgher of all time is in Cuba today. So one of my other top favorite Pittsburghers said, "If God is not sovereign, then God is not God." A longer quote from Sproul..."God's sovereignty prevails in every instance. Some have said God's sovereignty ends where human freedom begins, but it is blasphemy. And a moment's thought will reveal it to be so. The sovereignty of God is not in any way limited by, conditioned on, or dependent on man's authority. Our freedom is a gift from God. It is real. We exercise and enjoy freedom, but it is everywhere limited by God's sovereignty. That is what we mean by sovereignty. God is sovereign. We are not." If you like it really simple, here it is, the end of sovereignty defined. God made all; God rules all, no exceptions. That's sovereignty defined. I wish all three of my points were that short. But you're not in such luck today.
Second, sovereignty declared. What does the Bible say about God's sovereignty? Psalm 115:3 says, Our God is in the heavens. He does all that he pleases. God himself says in Isaiah 43:13, There is none who can deliver from my hand; I work, and who can turn it back? Our sovereign God is the almighty King of the universe all the time. He knows all. He rules all. What he wants, he wills, and what he wills is what happens. Now, the word sovereign itself is rare in most English Bibles, but from beginning to end, the Bible declares, demonstrates, and outright assumes the rightful sovereignty of God as the creator of all things. What you do see repeatedly in the Bible, directly related to God, are these words: King, kingdom, throne, rule, dominion, reign, and most of all, Lord. Here's a short Bible survey. There are many scriptures, and you probably have a favorite or two that I'm going to leave out. But here we go. Let's begin at the beginning. Genesis 1:1, In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. There was a beginning to time, space, matter, to everything except God himself. It all began exactly when and how and because God alone decided it would. As creator he has the absolute right and power to rule over everything. First Chronicles 29:10-11 David prays, Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel, our father, for ever and ever. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. Daniel 4:34-35, At the end of the days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will, among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand, or say to him, what have you done? In Luke 1:32-33, the angel announces to Mary Jesus's coming birth and says he will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. Jesus is proclaimed as King to the Old Testament prophets, to the Gospels, and all the way through to Revelation. In the Bible's last chapter, that glorious, wonderful vision of our eternal future. Revelation 22:3 says, No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. Amen.
We could do this all day, but you get the point. God is the sovereign King of creation from beginning to end. We see the fullness of God's sovereignty expressed in his other attributes. You've already heard that this summer. So let's look at that in Scripture. Adam started us off with eternality. God's eternality is a sovereign eternality. Exodus 15:18 says, The Lord will reign forever and ever. Psalm 10:16 says, The Lord is King forever and ever. Lamentations 5:19 says, But you, O Lord, reign forever; your throne endures to all generations. Last week we heard from Kurtis about grace, and earlier from Chris about mercy. God's grace and mercy are sovereign grace and mercy. Kurtis taught last week on Exodus 33:19. God said to Moses, I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you my name, the Lord. And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. Kurtis also taught about sovereign grace from Ephesians 2:8-9 and Romans 9, so I won't repeat those today. David taught us about God's wisdom. God's wisdom is sovereign wisdom. Job 12:13-15 says, With God our wisdom and might; he has counsel and understanding. If he tears down, none can rebuild; if he shuts a man in, none can open. If he withholds the waters, they dry up; if he sends them out, they overwhelm the land. Proverbs 19:21 says, Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. Lorin taught on holiness. God's holiness is sovereign holiness. God says in Isaiah 43:15, I am the Lord, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King. And most well known, perhaps of all, is Isaiah 6, the first five verses...In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his glory! And the foundations of the threshold shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts! Scott taught on love. God's love is sovereign love. Romans 8:38-39, For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. In John 10, Jesus declares that nobody can snatch his sheep from his hand or the Father's hand. Christian, nothing can separate those of us who are in Christ from the love of God. Nothing. That's not because we're so lovable. It's because God's sovereign grasp on you is unbreakable. He alone decides on whom to set his steadfast, covenantal, faithful, sovereign love. And when he does, it's unshakable. He chose to love us by his will. First, John 4:19 says it as plainly as possible. We love because he first loved us. We haven't had the attribute of wrath, but God's wrath is sovereign wrath. Jeremiah 10:10 says, But the Lord is the true God; he is the living God and the everlasting king. At his wrath the earth shakes, and the nations cannot endure his indignation. At the final judgment... Revelation 19:15-16 says this of the returning Jesus Christ, 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. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. God is not just a king. He is the just king. He is the king. We might not sense or trust in God's sovereignty all the time, but our feelings don't change the truth that God is now and forever the sovereign ruler of the universe. He is the King whose throne will never end and never be moved. To summarize point two...The Bible declares that God is sovereign over everything. Period.
Now sovereignty, like his other attributes, should not be a dry fact for our chin scratching. We can get that way. It's a glorious truth for worship. If you rightly see God's sovereignty, you will be awed. And if you fully believe it, you will be comforted. When Jesus was born, Herod feared him as a coming king. Most of the Jews of Jesus's time rejected him as their king, even using his claim of kingship as a reason to have him crucified. Pilate and the Roman soldiers mocked him as a supposed king. But guess what? He is king. One day he's going to come back and make that undeniably true to everyone who rejected or believed in him. For now, Colossians 1:13-14 says that God the Father has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Are you in that kingdom? Have you bowed the knee to the Lord Jesus Christ? Philippians 2:9-11 says, Therefore God has highly exalted him, and put on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Amen. Every knee in all creation will bow to King Jesus in one of two ways...As his willing, adoring subject or as his doomed enemy. There is no second chance after you die. Purgatory, prayers for the dead…they're myths. They do nothing to alter your eternal destiny when you die. There is no second chance. The Lord Jesus calls you today to trust in him, and bow the adoring knee to him as King.
Before going on to point three I want to address some questions. If God is completely sovereign and he is…why are we morally accountable for our sins? Do our actions matter? Why evangelize? Pray? Worship? Why do anything? Why is there evil? And isn't he responsible for it if he's sovereign, good and all powerful? If you've asked any of those questions...Congratulations! You rightly understand what's been said about God's sovereignty. If you think you have simple, completely satisfying answers to those, you've probably distorted or neglected some biblical truths. We have centuries of the best Christian thinking, if you need those for help. There's also been a lot of not so best thinking; pat answers about human free will, the devil and creation's curse might look good on X or TikTok, but they don't ultimately answer our deepest questions. And they don't always square with Scripture. Here are some brief thoughts… I think all of these are biblical, even though we don't have time to exposit all of them. Number one, we do have God given wills and minds, and we do make real choices. And we are each morally responsible for our choices because the Bible says so. Paul, after writing about God's sovereign mercy and election, wrote in Romans 9:19-21, You will say to me then, why does he (God) still find fault? For who can resist his will? Paul says, But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to the molder, why have you made me like this? Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? Did you notice Paul doesn't answer his own rhetorical questions? He just warns us to stay humble. So as you ask God your questions and search scripture, be careful how far you go. Don't doubt him. Trust him. Second, God as Sovereign commands many actions that include prayer, sharing the gospel, worship, and many others. Using his sovereignty as an excuse not to do them makes no sense. We do them because he's our king, and we listen to him. He has also ordained those as our responsibility and his means to his ends. I don't know exactly how prayer changes things or affects God when he already knows everything and has already ordained everything, and that his will is not subject to mine. But I know prayer does change things. We are to pray. We are to evangelize, to worship and do many other things. And all of those things do make a difference. Third, God is not responsible for evil. Despite the difficulties this raises when viewed in light of his sovereignty and his power and his goodness, the responsibility for evil always rests with the creature who committed it as a moral agent. God is neither the author nor the approver of sin. God himself does not tempt us. I don't know how to fully reconcile the existence of evil with God's sovereignty over all things. I don't ultimately know why God allowed, ordained, willed, decreed (choose your favorite verb) the fall of Satan and of man, and the entrance of evil into this world. I don't believe God-given free will by itself totally resolves the problem, and sometimes might unintentionally deny God's absolute sovereignty if it's overemphasized. I believe this question calls for faith and humility. God willed and controlled all the events that led to the greatest injustice in world history. Peter said of Christ's crucifixion in 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. One author writes about this verse, I have this on a slide. I love this quote. "Here, too, is the mystery of divine sovereignty and human responsibility. Those parallel lines, to our finite minds, never meet. Those who try to make them meet succeed only in distorting both. It is possible, but by no means certain, that in heaven the parallel lines in question will be seen from a different perspective. In this life, they must not be tampered with. They are both true and that is enough." I think that's a good place to leave things. Divine sovereignty and human responsibility are both true, and that's enough.
Finally, point three, sovereignty depended on. I have three final reflections for application. Because God is our sovereign King, we can suffer faithfully. We can wait hopefully, and we can obey lovingly. Suffer faithfully, wait hopefully and obey lovingly. First, suffering faithfully. Many of you are suffering or know someone who is. One of the privileges the elders have is to know and share in many of your sufferings, to pray for them. So I want to take some time here. Spoiler alert: doctrine is sometimes hard,
suffering is always hard. My desire today is to provide comfort to the sufferers. But I also want to be truthful about suffering. The Bible teaches all of the following... Number one, some suffering is a direct consequence of our personal sins. Our response to that should be repentance, realizing that God can and often does sometimes let sin's consequences persist. Second, some suffering is God's loving discipline of his children. Our response should again be repentance and spiritual growth. Some suffering is from persecution for following Christ. Our response to that should be to rejoice, glorify God and look ahead to our great reward. And finally, the big category that I think we face, some suffering is from evil actions of humans or demons, or simply from the cursed physical creation since Adam and Eve sinned. How should we respond to those? Each Sunday, including today, we sing about our King, our Lord reigning on his throne. We sang those very words this morning. In other words, sovereignty doesn't show up in the songs because, hey, that's hard to rhyme with. So we'll say throne, rule, reign, King. All of those refer to his sovereignty. But let's be honest, singing about that in here, in this comfortable room with our beloved church family, is a lot easier and not the same as trusting in it when we feel alone and we're suffering. It doesn't always seem as if our loving father is in control. We might doubt, forget, or outright reject his sovereignty. We'd probably never say that with our lips, but we can act as if that's true. We might restrict our belief in God's sovereignty to the good things, how he's blessing us, and then respond to suffering with anger, despair, and doubt. It's easy to leave God out of our suffering, except when we ask him to please remove it. That's not wrong to do. It's easy to act as if it's entirely up to us to overcome our suffering, as if it's something outside his will. Is God just watching the sin stained world and creation's curse unfold? Does he sit back and wait for suffering to happen, and then decide if he'll relieve it if we pray enough? Is God's sovereignty that passive? Is the devil or the world ultimately sovereign over our suffering? The Bible, as we've said, says that God is absolutely sovereign. He is holy. He is pure. He is sinless. We dare not charge him with any guilt for sin or evil, but evil, sin, disaster, disease, death, and suffering are all very real. Is God in control of all of that? In Isaiah 45:7 God says, I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord who does all these things. Amos 3:6 says, Is a trumpet blown in a city, and the people are not afraid? Does disaster come to a city, unless the Lord has done it? Lamentations 3:37-38, Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come? Again, God was sovereign over every detail of Christ's betrayal, suffering, and death. Jesus repeatedly prophesied this. Luke 22:22, Jesus said at the Last Supper, For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined. And then in Acts 4, praying to the sovereign Lord, believers prayed to this...That's how they address their prayer, Sovereign Lord. In this city, they were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. It was God who cursed creation in Genesis 3, not the devil. Romans 8:20-22 teach that God Himself has subjected creation to futility. Even those things that make us groan are under God's sovereignty. How many of you memorize Romans 8:28? I bet a bunch of you. We know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. I would encourage all of you who love that verse and have memorized it to now memorize verse 29 right after it, and to never separate the two. For those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be what? Be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. Brothers and sisters, one of God's great purposes through suffering is to conform you into the image of Christ. Our sinless Lord, who needed no sanctification, suffered greatly. Should we be spared? James 1:2-4 says, Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. James isn't saying yay, cancer! Yay, pain! Woo hoo! I lost my job. He's not saying to cheer those things. Those are real sorrows. But what he is saying is that we should be joyful about passing the test of faith, about the steadfastness that comes from passing it and going through it, and the righteousness that comes at the other side. Another of God's purposes for our suffering is for us to learn to trust His Word. Psalm 119:71 says, It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes. Four verses later, 75 - I know, O Lord, that your rules are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me. Who afflicted the psalmist? Who was it? God afflicted him. Although we cannot always know God's specific purposes, suffering is always an opportunity to grow in our trust in him, our dependence on him, to examine, to see if our hope and joy are truly in him and not in some temporary thing. However you are suffering, remember God is sovereign. He is wise. He is loving. He has good purposes, even in our suffering, including when we can't see them, and we often can't. There are times when we need to steer someone back from suffering, despair, or bitterness, but remember to be gentle. Let compassion and service to the sufferer be your first instincts. We don't mourn and weep without hope. But we do mourn and we do weep. And we suffer together. 1 Corinthians 12:26 says this, talking about the church, If one member suffers, all suffer together. One of God's purposes for someone else's suffering might be for you to grow in compassion and service to the sufferer, ministering to suffering. This is my only rant about social media and smartphones here, and then I'll stop. Ministering to suffering requires in-person, face to face, hands-on ministry to one another. Texting, emails, social media posts are not a substitute. Not saying those are always bad. They're not inherently evil. They are not a substitute for the face to face ministry to suffering people. Suffering is one of many reasons why we need a real church. You need to be part of a church, not just an invisible member of the “church universal”. And don't hide your suffering from your church. You might be withholding a God-given opportunity for someone else to learn how to minister.
So, I've ducked the hard one. What are we to make of the Book of Job? In Job's first two chapters, God gives Satan permission to severely afflict Job. After great financial loss, and the deaths of his children, Job said in 1:21, The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord. Then the book says, In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong. After Job was further afflicted with sores from head to feet, in verse 2:10, Job said, Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity? In all this Job did not sin with his lips. And then at the end of the book, Job 42:11, it says that after God restored Job's health and prosperity, his family and friends rallied around him and consoled him and comforted him for all the adversities that the Lord had brought on him. It does not say that Satan had brought on him, though that is true. Both Satan's activity and God's sovereignty over Satan were instrumental in Job's suffering. Friends, be careful that you don't restrict your view of God's sovereignty in an unbiblical way that undermines your faith and suffering while you're suffering. Don't restrict your view of suffering to the here and now, and forget that God always has eternal purposes. Is it comforting to think that Satan, or any other physical or spiritual power, could cause something outside of God's will? Is that comforting? How then, could we really trust God? How then, could we really believe his promises? Are we to fight on our own against suffering as something outside of his will? I am not saying you should be totally passive. You can avail yourself of modern medicine. You can take a new job if your job is miserable. You can flee abuse. You can take any number of wise and sinless actions to seek relief from suffering. The Bible shows God's servants praying and acting often when they are facing hard times, all the while trusting God. There is no comfort in divorcing God's sovereignty from our suffering. That only leads to doubt and despair. There is nothing...nothing outside God's sovereignty, including our sufferings' causes and results. And this ought to comfort us. About this tension, one theologian gives this summary. I think it's my last slide. "So in the end, infinitely wise, all knowing permission is the same thing as bringing something about. And oh, how good it is to know that the permissive will of God and the more direct will of God are always wise and always pursuing the highest good for those who trust in him." Suffering is never easy. I skipped from Job 2 to Job 42. The vast bulk of the Book of Job shows him and his counselors struggling to make sense of this, and they don't always do it that well. Always go to God. Always go to God. His love and compassion for you are real and so is his sovereignty. I don't know why you suffer. I don't always know when I suffer, why it is. But we can always trust God with our suffering. There will be mystery. There will be wonder. There will be human limits that call for faith. You can trust him when you don't understand. We do not worship a God that we can fully understand. So what current suffering is calling for you to trust in God and His sovereign purposes. Take some time. Write it down. Share it. If you need more help in dealing with suffering, I have two book recommendations. There's one many of you I hope have read, Trusting God by Jerry Bridges, and also one I read this summer simply called Suffering by Paul David Tripp.
Many of you know, um, for half the summer, about seven weeks, I was suffering with this outbreak of painful sores in my mouth. I felt like yellowjackets were stinging me. They would come and they would go and get worse and heal, then new ones would come and no one could figure it out. Three trips to the dentist, two to my doctor, multiple texts, finally into an ENTs office. And, um, it was hard to talk. It was hard to eat and it was hard to sleep, and those are three of my favorite things. The sleeping one was really the hardest. Um, and, uh, it was tough. It was tough on Andrea to watch me go through it. And, um, so many of you have suffered so much worse, I hesitate to even bring it up, but it's fresh. And reading that book on suffering was so encouraging to remind me of much that I have folded into this message. Um, people ask me, I was supposed to preach July 6th and I had to punt it to now because I just couldn't talk back then. And God is good, it's all gone now. And, um, I've been asked many times by many of you here who have been praying for me, what finally caused them to go away? How should I answer that? Was it the medicines at the end? The final ones? Was it time? My body's own immune response? Was it your prayers and mine? Was it simply God acting? Yes. Yes. I hope that helps.
Second, wait hopefully. Don't freak out. These last two are really quick. Suffering was the big one. These are going to be 3 to 4 minutes each. I'm glad that the clock is broken, so I don't even know how long I've been talking. Thank you in the back. Kurtis set the bar at 56 minutes last week, I'm trying not to go over that. I'm not Kurtis, obviously. Um. Here we go, wait hopefully. Number two, wait hopefully. So, worry is rampant today. It's rampant here in this church, it's rampant in our culture and it crosses generations. Worry is a type of self-inflicted suffering. When things don't go our way, when we can't control the outcome, we worry. Now, maybe especially for the men in the room that often comes out as anger. But the root is the same. When you think through the big messy wad of your worry or your anger, what is that root? I want to suggest that it's this: you aren't sovereign. You aren't omniscient, and you aren't omnipotent. In other words, you aren't God. Our worry says in our hearts, no matter what else we pray, not your will, Lord, but mine be done. I have good news for you. There is someone who is omniscient and omnipotent and sovereign, and he's way wiser than you, and he's way better than you. He knows the best who, what, where, when, and how, and he always chooses it, whether we like it or not. You can trust him while you wait. Look at New Testament passages about worry. Not now, but write these down. Look at Matthew 6:25-33. Look at Philippians 4:4-9. Look at the Old Testament when God's choicest servants were most distressed; Abraham, Moses, Jacob, David, Job, Paul. God usually does not answer their worry with why this is, he answers with who I am. Is there
a lesson for us? I think there is. God is not going to always give us the why, but he has promised us who he is. Like Romans 4:28, many of you memorize Philippians 4:6-7. Be anxious for nothing. Do you know the four short words that immediately precede it? The Lord is near. The Lord is near. That is not a reminder from Paul for our heads to embrace God's omnipresence. That is a balm for our hearts. Do you know where Paul was when he wrote those words? Was he in a cozy chair with his Bible, journal and fresh coffee? He was in prison. He was in prison when he wrote those words. When things look bad or uncertain, God gives us the promise of his sovereign character to break us out of our worry. His sovereign character, all that he is is promised, and ultimately, Christian, what are we waiting for? What are we waiting for? That day, which will be here soon for some of you, maybe for all of us if he comes back, that day when we see Jesus Christ face to face. He will be our King. Brothers and sisters, is that worth waiting for? Yes. While you wait, you can believe in and rejoice that God is totally sovereign. He will sustain you. So what are you worried about? What are you worried about? How can submitting to God's sovereignty help you through that worry while you wait? Write it down. Think about it. Pray about it. Take it to scripture. Share. Our sovereign God's will and timing are always perfect. If you want more help for worry, I recommend this book, Consider the Lilies by Jonny Ardavanis.
Finally, in a couple of minutes, because God is our sovereign king, we can obey lovingly. Many earthly kings and dictators have been evil. And I get it, there is biblical warrant for civil disobedience when obeying would clearly be sin against God. But guess what? The King, God, is perfect. He is wise and he is just. He is full of compassion and mercy, but he is the King. There's no defense for disobedience to this King. He is the King of kings. All earthly kings are mere subjects that do his will. Proverbs 21:1 says, The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will. God has given us commands to obey as a sovereign lord ought, and his commands are right, and they are good. On the night before his crucifixion, Jesus said repeatedly in John 14 and 15, what? If you love me - what will you do? You'll keep his commandments. He said it four times in those two chapters. 1 John 5:3 says, For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. Friends, love for God and obedience to God are inseparable. That's not legalism. That's saving faith. That's what it looks like. And it befits the sovereign king of the universe. Who else are you going to obey? It's a joy to obey him because our Father always knows best. God's sovereignty can never be an excuse for us to sin. Hey, he's sovereign. He's going to figure it out. And we certainly can't neglect loving one another because of it. If you have been saved by faith in Jesus Christ, then you do love to obey him because he's your King. So how specifically should you repent from your disobedience and lovingly obey him today? God, and I mean God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit is the sovereign King of the universe. We believers are his willing subjects, redeemed by his sovereign grace and secure in his sovereign love. We love him; we obey him even while we suffer, even while we wait, according to his sovereign plan.
Pray with me. Heavenly Father, your sovereignty is...hard to grasp sometimes and hard to trust in sometimes, when we suffer, when things don't go the way we would want them to go. Help us to trust you then, especially, Lord. Help us to know that you are the sovereign King whose plans cannot be thwarted. And your plan is to have us with you forever in sinless heaven. Help us to wait with great joy and patience for that day. In Jesus name, Amen.
The Grace of God Pastor Kurtis Massey Download Pulpit Curriculum PDF Pulpit Curriculum DOCX
The Righteousness of God Ronald Laitano Download Pulpit Curriculum PDF Pulpit Curriculum DOCX * View transcript The Righteousness of God
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Well, Good morning, HBC family. My name is Roland Laitano, and if I haven't had a chance/privilege to meet you. Maybe you're new to the church. You're new, and you've seen me behind that microphone with a guitar. I'm the worship director here at the church. Um, and I have the joy usually in leading in song. And this, I have the privilege of bringing do the Word of God, and I'm going to get right to it. I have a question for you to start this morning. What determines right and wrong? Is it always that easy? Just ask this guy. Let me set the scene for you. The date is July 23rd, 2018. It's the fourth inning of Sunday's game between the Chicago Cubs and the Saint Louis Cardinals. The Cubs first base coach picks up a foul ball and tosses it to a smiling youngster in the stands, wearing a Cubs hat endearingly too large for him. But the kid bobbles the baseball and drops it. Now what people saw next shocked the world. Video clips all over social media showed a man who was sitting behind the boy scoop up the ball the boy dropped and give it to a woman next to him. Outrage, anger, calls for justice. Tweets and social media posts began a moral barrage aimed at this evil man who would dare steal a baseball from a little boy. There could be no doubt...this is live. We all saw it. And again, I remind you, this is happening live. The Cubs front office quickly dispatched a staffer mid-game down to the seats, and gave the little boy a new ball signed by Javy Baez, the Cubs shortstop. The little boy smiled under the brim of his boat sized hat and held two baseballs, and what the cubs discovered from people nearby was that the evil man in question wound up with four foul balls during the game, but gave three to children, including one to the little boy who had appeared to be swindled. He also gave one to his wife, the woman next to him, as it was their anniversary. Julian Green of the Cubs said in a statement. Unfortunately, a video that was quickly posted and unverified has made a national villain out of an innocent man.
So I ask you again what determines right and wrong? And is it always easy to make that distinction? If you're joining us today for the first time, we're in the middle of a sermon series on the attributes of God. Attributes are qualities or features. They're capacities or descriptions of God himself. They tell us what God is like. It's important that we remind ourselves of two things for this sermon, and really, for all the sermons that have come and all the sermons that will come after. First, these divine attributes are just ways of describing a person. God is a person. He's not a thing. He's not a concept. He's not a power. He is a person. When we use these attributes to describe God, we're describing a person, a divine person, God himself. When we celebrate birthdays with my family. We will often go around the dinner table and ask everyone, hey, what are the three things you enjoy or you like or you appreciate most about the birthday person, right? And what follows is everything from seriousness to ridiculousness, right? But the descriptions that are used, the attributes that are used to describe that person, usually tell something endearing about them. This is what this person is like and this is what we like about them. And that's what we're doing in this series. Second, these aren't man-made words for God. They are God made words for God. We live in a time when people are really concerned about their identity and their self-expression, and they want to be known and described in specific ways. Well guess what? God is a person too, and he wants to be known and described in certain ways. He is concerned about his identity. He's revealed himself because he's so concerned about his identity. And in the Bible, we know his name, his self-expression, his purposes.
So in this series, we're simply taking God at His Word by using the words he uses to describe himself. So far, we've looked at the eternality of God, the love of God, the holiness of God, the wisdom of God, and the goodness of God. But this morning we're looking at the attribute of the righteousness of God. Pray with me. Father, give us eyes to see, ears to hear and joyful hearts to obey and submit. Help me, O Lord, and help us glorify you as we receive your Word. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.
Psalm 11:7, Psalm 129:4 and Psalm 145:17 all describe God this way. They all say the Lord is righteous. And what does that mean? What is the Bible trying to say when it calls God righteous? Well, we get a hint inside the word itself. The first five letters of the word righteous spell the word right. So righteous, righteousness has to do with what's right. But not everything that's right is righteous. Knowing that two plus two is four makes you right in math, but it doesn't make you righteous. So righteousness...when God is described as being righteous, this is a moral attribute. This is an ethical claim the Bible is making about God. God is righteous. He is moral. He is ethical. Theologian Wayne Grudem gives this helpful definition. God's righteousness means that God acts according with what is right and is himself the standard of what is right. Theologian John Frame gives another helpful definition when he says, the main idea of divine righteousness is that God acts according to a perfect internal standard of right and wrong. All his actions are within the limits, if we can use that term reverently, of that standard. So the righteousness is the structure of God's goodness. I love that word picture, but God's righteousness is the structure of God's goodness. You see how good God is by witnessing his righteous acts. So what this means is that when the Bible talks about God being righteous, it's saying two basic things.
First, the Bible makes the clear claim that God is right and is the standard of what is right. Moses describes God this way in Deuteronomy chapter 32. He says the Rock, his work is perfect for all his ways are justice, a God of faithfulness and without iniquity just and upright is he. God himself speaking to Isaiah says in Isaiah 45. I, the Lord, speak the truth. I declare what is right. There is no other God besides me, a righteous God and a Savior. There is none besides me. Only in the Lord it shall be said of me are righteousness and strength. So the Bible presents this clear, emphatic claim that God is right. He is righteous. There is no wrong in him. There is no moral ethical deficiency in God as who he is himself, but he also is the standard of what is right, and his actions speak of his righteousness. Psalm 89:14 says, righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne. This is beautiful imagery of a king on his throne. And what do kings do on thrones? They exercise their rule. They exercise their will from their throne. They command from their throne. They send ideas and influences into their subjects. And so this picture of God sitting on his throne, of which the foundation of his throne is righteousness. Jesus has actually spoken of this same language himself in Jeremiah 23. He has prophesied this way. Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous branch, and he shall reign as king, and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. The New Testament picks this up in 1 John 2:1, where John says, 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 God the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. So God is righteous and is the standard of what is right and righteous. That's the first thing that's being communicated. The second thing that's being communicated is that God's actions accomplish righteousness. What he does is just. When God works, when God wills, when God does that action, that work is righteous. It is just. It brings about justice. Now you're hearing me use the word righteousness and justice. The reason for that is in English justice and righteousness are two different words, but they have similar meaning. In the original language, there is one concept of righteousness/justice. And there's a number of words that are used that get translated righteousness/justice. So you may read a passage in Scripture, and that same Hebrew word in one section is translated righteousness. That same Hebrew word in another section is translated justice. These are the basic family of ideas. Justice and righteousness are basically twin attributes of God. They're not exactly the same thing, but together they help communicate this clear truth that God is morally perfect and shows his moral perfection in everything he does. There is no questioning of God's actions because God's actions are perfectly pure, morally excellent. When God acts, you witness ethical perfection on display. There is no deficiency. There is no evil. There is no less than. There is no derivation of what should be good. When God acts, that's what good is. Psalm 9:7-8 says, but the Lord sits enthroned forever. He has established his throne for justice, and he judges the world with righteousness. Daniel 4:37, now I Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just. We get two glorious visions in Revelation 15. One says, and they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the lamb, saying, great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty. Just and true are your ways. In Revelation 19:11, then I saw heaven open, and behold, a white horse, the one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges.
What's the Bible trying to communicate to us about who God is and about the quality of his actions in history? When God works in history, when God involves himself in the affairs of man, when God creates boundaries for human behaviors, decisions, and desires, when God writes laws to regulate human behaviors, decisions, and desires, when God brings judgment on humanity for breaking his laws that create those boundaries for behaviors, decisions, and desires...God is showing his moral perfection. He is showing us not just that he is righteous, but what righteousness is. What does that mean for you and me? Well, when God answers prayer, he is righteous. When God delays or denies prayer, he is righteous. When God protects us from evil and harm, he is righteous. When God allows us to experience evil and harm, he is righteous. When God forgives a sinner and brings him to heaven, he is righteous. When God condemns a sinner and sends him to hell, he is righteous. The Bible's clear and categorical message about God is that he is righteous all the time, perfectly morally true and just in himself and in his actions. God is righteous.
Two takeaways from this first section. God himself is the perfect and pure standard of righteousness. He and he alone can declare what is right. Therefore, God is the ultimate moral authority. Over the past six months, we have all been witness to our government's attempt at the use of division of powers. Right? President writes an executive order. District court judges get involved. Supreme court gets involved. The legislative branch gets involved. Everyone wants to have a say on what is right and what is wrong. Everyone wants to determine how things should or shouldn't be. God doesn't work that way. There is no division of powers in heaven. There is no constitution. There's no governmental system. There's no rule book. There's no external authority that God looks to and references to determine what is right. God does not consult think tanks or focus groups or take polls to determine what is moral and immoral. He hasn't deputized or democratized his authority to determine what is right. God is righteous, and therefore he is the ultimate moral authority. And so what this means is that the standard for our moral authority is not an idea or a principle, but a person, an infinite person, God himself. God himself is our standard for righteousness. We cannot know righteousness outside of knowing God. This has tremendous practical applications. I mean, just go back to 2020, right? Five years ago, it seems like ages, but it's just around the corner. This just happened since 2020. Did you notice a slight uptick in protests? People marching and gathering and calls for justice. Have you noticed that on social media? How people have really worked up about this is right...that's wrong. We need to do this because this person is being wronged. We need this, right. Because...have you all noticed that or is it me, right? Everything from the MeToo movement to calls for racial equality, to outrage over conflicts in the Middle East, to calls for justice on victims of Jeffrey Epstein. You see it play out every day on the television and on social media. What does this mean? This means that our society is a society that's crying out for justice. Desperately desiring to do what's right but hopelessly lost if God is not the center of that picture. Can we truly know what is right without not knowing God? Can we truly know what is right without knowing God? Now the concern, of course, is that's not going to stop us from attempting to define what is right and what is wrong. And this is part of the chaos around our lives nowadays. God has been abandoned. And so he's being replaced with self autonomy as the arbiter of...this is what's right...this is what's wrong. But for us as believers, God Himself is the perfect and pure standard of righteousness. He and He alone can declare what is right.
Some questions for you to ponder in this first section. What do you call righteous? What do you call good? What or who do you look to to determine what is right and what is wrong? Do you look to tradition?...maybe family values?...maybe your upbringing? Do you look to human experience? Do you look to consensus? If we all get together and agree. Oh, that's right then that's right. No. If we all get together and say, oh, that's wrong, that's wrong. Do you notice the amount of outrage? If a higher number of people are really upset about something, that must mean that determines right or wrong. What do you look to determine what is right and what is wrong? First take away.
Second take away...because God is righteous His actions are unquestionably good and his commands are the pathway to righteousness. Psalm 119 describes the joy of a believer living under God's precious law. Blessed are those whose way is blameless. Who walk in the law of the Lord. Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong but walk in his ways. Do you see that contrast of there is this pathway of life called wrong, and there is this pathway of life called right, and that's defined by God's laws and his commands? He continues. And he says, you have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently. Oh, that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes. Then I shall not be put to shame. Having my eyes fixed on all your commandments, I will praise you with an upright heart when I learn your righteous rules. So if you've ever asked the question what is right, what is just, what is good? The Bible's answer is show me something God has done. Show me something God has said. Show me something God has commanded. That is right. That is good. That is just. Every plan God has, every promise God's made, every purpose he will fulfill is righteous. God stands above all human scrutiny, all human judgment, and all human analysis and observation. In his actions and in his commandments rather than confuse or cloud or stain the ethical and moral pureness of his goodness and righteousness, or bring into question his goodness or righteousness, his law shows us what righteousness is. So what that means for you and I...is that we, believers, we ought to show extreme care when we come to the Word of God, and we find fault with it. When we come across his law in the Bible and we find a section of Scripture distasteful or disgusting or lacking or deficient or limited. Or maybe we could surmise a way of probably this would have been better. To question God's actions and commandments is to question his character. We understand this, right? This is easy for us to see in everyday life. If you're a college student in the room and your professor commands you, gives you an assignment during Christmas break. You don't like it, so you question their moral character. Anyone in here who has a job, who has a boss, if all of a sudden he calls you into his office and he says, I want a specific breakdown of how you spent your time this week. I want a strict accounting. You don't like that. You don't want to do that. So you question his judgment. Children in the room when your parents, just by virtue of them existing, right? Any command they may set forth in front of you. You question their goodness. So, brothers and sisters, do not question God's character by questioning his commands. The Bible describes them as a delight, as a sweetness, as something beautiful to behold and sweet to experience. Now someone may say, but Ronald, if God is righteous, then why does he allow this to happen or that to happen? If he is righteous, then why is there so much unrighteousness in the world? He's the ultimate moral authority. What he says is right, but there's a lot of wrong. I see a lot of wrong in my every day. My first answer would be, do you really want this sermon to last another two hours? Maybe. My second answer to that question would be this. I don't know. But that's God's problem. It's his problem to reconcile his goodness with the lack of goodness in the world. The Bible comes up and tells me God is righteous and that's all I need to hear. That is something I need to know. That is something I need to feel. That is something I need to rejoice in. That is something I need to submit to and rest in knowing that my God is righteous. I don't need to know. I don't need to have an explanation of what...why things happen that I disagree with. Things happen that hurt me. Things happen that are scary. I don't need that when the Bible sees fit to provide the clarity of an attribute called God's Righteousness. Brothers and sisters, questioning God's character or commands is a recipe for unbelief and rebellion. Just ask Adam and Eve...how did things turn out for them? Not good. Thank you, Vicky. Where and when you can't delight in God's commandments, take this home with you. Follow the example of the man in Mark chapter nine. Where he said, I believe. Help my unbelief. And a sermon series like this becomes so immediately helpful, so practical. It meets us in a day to day. These aren't just fancy schmancy, you know, lofty ideas. We're getting to know the person of God. And so someone may say, Ronald, my current trial, my current condition life is really painful right now. God is righteous. You can trust him. Ronald, my current trial is unbearable. It's too much, I can't. God is all powerful. He will give you strength. Ronald, my current trial is disorienting. I don't know what to do. I don't know where to go. God is all wise. He will guide you. Ronald, my current trial is more than my heart can take. God is love. He will care for you and satisfy the desires of your heart. Ronald, my current trial is going to lead me to death. God is life. He will raise you into glory one day at the appearing of His Son. You need to know, believer, who God is. These attributes are rich and encouraging our faith.
Some questions for you to ponder in this first section, and then we'll move to the second section of God is righteous in the gospel. How well do you know God's law? How well do you know God's law? Now, I'm not asking you how many laws did God write in the Old Testament? There's 600 and change, by the way. That's not what I'm asking you. What I'm asking you is how well do you know them? Have you taken the time to investigate sections of Scripture that make certain moral demands that don't sit well with you? Have you submitted to them and sought to understand how God is good in light of a passage of Scripture that in our limited, sinful mind makes it seem like he's not...He is good. The problem is with us, not with his law. So how well do you know God's law? How much do you love and delight in God's laws. Are you more like the Pharisee who just wants to do what's right to get a spiritual handout from God? Or do you love God's law? Do you love his commandments? Do you seek in them, do you find in them life and fulfillment and joy? Question three, do you ever feel the temptation to want some of God's actions or laws to be different? Do you have that temptation? Do you sometimes see yourself as being a peer to God? Yeah, I would do that different. Yeah. You know, maybe this should have gone this way. Last question. Where do I need to confess the sin of rejecting the goodness of God's law? God is righteous. It's what the Bible says. It's what the Bible presents.
But God is also righteous in the gospel. For all the glorious good that the righteousness of God accomplishes, it creates a massive problem for us. It's been in the background since we started talking, since we started making these statements, reading them from Scripture. God is the ultimate moral authority. He is righteous and just in his ways. What he does is right. Behind that is the idea that as the perfectly pure and righteous person that God is, he doesn't keep those standards to himself. God expects it from other moral creatures. It's God's universe, and he expects his creatures to be a certain way. In other words, God demands obedience to his righteousness. God's righteousness is not just a principle in heaven that we look to, and we point to like a statue and say, that is really cool. It's really shiny. It's really nice. No, that statue comes down and it tells us what to do and what not to do. Who you are and who you are not. We see this all the way back in Genesis chapter one, where the Bible isn't shy about telling us who is in charge. God creates the universe and expects it to stay within the patterns he's ordained. You look at Genesis chapter one and you see God telling, this is going to go here, this is going to go there. This is going to be this. This is going to be that. This is going to end here. This is going to start there. God is just ordaining things. He's telling the world, this is how you ought to be. This basic pattern of creation in Genesis 1 goes something like this. God brings order to chaos. God fills the void with life, and God exercises dominion over his creation. Genesis 1 is basically that. Those are the three main movements of what's happening in Genesis chapter one. Now, when God creates humanity, notice what he's going to expect of Adam and Eve. He's going to expect them to follow that same pattern. Genesis 1:28 says, So God created man in his own image. In the image of God he created him. Male and female He created them and God blessed them. And God said to them, be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and have dominion over every living thing. The pattern is there. Subdue the earth that's bringing order to chaos. Be fruitful and multiply...that's filling the void with life. Have dominion...that's exercising authority. So what is God communicating to humanity when he creates humanity? What is he saying to them? He's saying you ought to be like me. Your existence reflects my existence. The types of things I do, you do. In Genesis chapter two, we read even more expectations of God to Adam. He says, the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, you may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat. For in the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die. So what's absolutely clear about these two texts is that God expects obedience from humanity. This is the default setting of a human being before God. The very first interaction mankind had with God. The very first conversation mankind had with God. When Adam opened his eyes into life and beheld the glorious face of his creator...the first words out of God's mouth were not I love you. Now he does. The first words out of God's mouth to Adam and Eve were not, I have purposes for you. He does. The first words out of God's mouth towards Adam and Eve were not, you're special. They are. The first words out of God's mouth to creatures made in his image is...obey. I am God and I am creating you to function in a certain way. There are patterns of who I am that are now imprinted on you, and my glory is broadcast throughout my creation when you follow those commands. The opposite is also true. When you disobey my commands, you do not bring me glory. You lie about who I am, because I've made you in my image. So because God is righteous and because he made us in his image, God expects humanity to be righteous like he is. He's not subtle about this. He commands it. And if humanity fails in the quest to be perfectly righteous like its Creator, God rightfully judges humanity and declares them the opposite of righteous, which is what?...unrighteous, sinful, wicked. And what does Genesis 3 show was the consequence of this declaration of God...death and banishment. So, in a sense, righteousness in the Bible functions as a kind of heavenly currency. We need it to have access to God. Without righteousness, we cannot come to God. Without righteousness, we could not speak to God. Without righteousness, we could not commune with God. This heavenly currency of righteousness, the human condition is depleted of. We have none since Adam and Eve, God has declared us unrighteous. And this is the problem I was talking about. Listen to how the Apostle Paul describes the consequences of being found unrighteous. 1 Corinthians 6:9 Paul says, or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived, neither sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, men who practice homosexuality, thieves, greedy, drunkards, revelers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. How do I inherit the kingdom of God? I need righteousness. 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. Romans 2:8, for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. Brothers and sisters, God doesn't just dislike sin. He will judge it in righteousness with wrath and fury. God doesn't just endure sinners, he will judge them. And he is reserving his wrath and fury for them. This is why a sermon like this is helpful coming out of a sermon out of the goodness of God. And this is why we need both sermons. This is why we need to study the attributes of God. So what do we do if this is our condition? If the creator, the perfect, pure moral authority of all that exists, has labeled humanity unrighteous. What do we do? Well, two takeaways.
First, if you're an unbeliever, come to Christ. We've been singing about it all morning. It is done. It is finished. No more debt I owe. Paid in full. All sufficient merit. It's now my own. Friend, if you don't know where you stand with God, let me assure you that God knows where he stands with you. If I can use this language, the Bible is an equal opportunity offender. When it talks about who's a sinner, who's unrighteous. The Bible says none is righteous. Romans 3:10. Not one. Nobody. My sweet grandma who is sweet. The Bible says unrighteous. No one seeks for God. All have turned aside. Together they have become worthless. No one does good. Not even one. God has looked down from heaven, declared everyone to be unrighteous. So what can be done about it? Here's a joy of the righteousness of the gospel of Christ. There's one thing you can do about it. Come to Christ. Romans 10:5 says, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Saved from what?...the wrath and fury that we were talking about. 2 Corinthians 5:21, for our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Christ has done something. Living a perfect life achieved for him infinite righteousness that he takes to the cross. And when God the Father brings judgment on the cross, he's transferring that righteousness to us. He's purchased righteousness for us. He's not guilty of anything, but he's dying for the guilt of everything. And that righteousness becomes our safe place, our security, our sustenance. When we look upon that act of God judging His Son, pouring his wrath on His Son, and we say, it should have been me. I deserve that death. I place my hope and faith on that man. And I believe that what happened to him on that cross will not happen to me. That's faith. So, friend, confess. Come to Christ. Trust in him. Cry out to him as a Savior. You don't need a special prayer. There's no special offering. There's no special ritual. Repent. Believe. Trust in Christ.
Now for the believer...what do you do? What's your take away? Cling to Christ. Cling to Christ. 1 Corinthians 1:30 says, and because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption. That very God who demands righteousness provides the means for the unrighteous to attain righteousness through the blood of his Son. So, believer, cling to Christ.
Let me close with a hymn. If you know this hymn I've messed around with the lyrics, but this just really encapsulates this idea of clinging to Christ.
Believer, when this life of trials tests your faith, when the questions come and doubts remain for the deepest wounds that time won't heal. Cling to Christ. When you falter in this war with sin. When you fail the fight and sink within. When the shame drowns you in its sea. And you dread the waves of righteous justice. Cling to Christ. When the world calls you to leave your Lord. When it offers all its vain rewards. When that heart of yours, like mine, is so prone to stray. When you're tempted to believe you'll be cast away on the final day. Cling to Christ.
Let's pray together. Oh, Father, your Word says if you would count iniquity, who could stand? But there is forgiveness in you. There is mercy in you, Lord. And we thank you for what you've done in Jesus Christ. Father, we pray that your righteousness be a sweet reminder of how truly good you are. May we delight, O Lord, in your commandments. May we seek to follow them, for in following them we are seeking your design for life, which means there is where true fulfillment, true meaning, and purpose is found...to walk this world in the pathways that our Creator has designed for us. Forgive us of our sins, O Lord. For those of us who know Christ...we continue to sin. We continue to harbor unrighteousness in our hearts. We continue to blaspheme the precious blood of Christ. So we ask you again to have mercy on us. Oh, God help us love your law. Help us love you. Help us love each other. Father, for those who would be here, who do not know your Son...would you do what you have done with every one of us who has confessed Christ. Would you open their eyes to see the glorious things of Christ? Would you breathe spiritual life into them, Lord? Would you lead them into repentance and away from condemnation? Father, we now join our voices. We sing about our great High Priest, who to this day right now is in heaven interceding for us. May you be glorified, Lord, by what we do, by what we say in all things. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.
The Goodness of God Pastor Mark Ikerd Download Pulpit Curriculum PDF Pulpit Curriculum DOCX * View transcript The Goodness of God
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If you have your Bibles, if you would, please turn with me to Psalm 73. Psalm 73. And if we haven't met yet, my name is Mark Ikerd, and I serve here in several ministry opportunities and help to give oversight to these. Adam helped me put them into categories so that I could kind of keep my arms around it and stay focused on it. So there's four C's-Care Ministry, Counseling Ministry, Connection Ministry, and the Campus. So I help oversee the campus. Um, any questions or problem with the campus, just email Caleb White. Seriously. So he has come on board and he's much better at it than I've ever been. So he's... He's just been a blessing to me. And just I mean, he was already very well aware of the campus when he came on, and he's excellent in the kitchen and just very talented young man, and I'm thankful for him.
So as we continue our study on the attributes of God, today I would like to draw our focus to the goodness of God. I think it's helpful for us to know that in the goodness of God, as well as in the greatness of God, he is perfect in all of his ways. So not only is he perfect in all of his ways, he's perfect in all his perfections. There's nothing lacking or to be added to his character. One commentator put it this way God is fully each of his perfections. Whatever God is, he is totally in essence. If God is not fully and absolutely love or fully and absolutely holy or fully and absolutely good then he is not fully and absolutely God. God's perfection must characterize him totally, eternally, and indefinitely. Because if they do not, God would neither be immutable or simple. And Brother Dave, I had to do my definition, as you've taught me. Um, immutable being, um, ageless, changeless and consistent. Psalm 34:8-9 says, "Taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. Fear the Lord, you saints, for those who fear him lack nothing." For the word "fear" here, church, is not the same as being anxiously afraid of something. The word fear in light of the Scripture would would be a believer's reverent respect and natural response to the knowledge of God. So in summary, God's goodness is that he is the perfect sum and source and standard of all that is beautiful, wholesome, virtuous, and beneficial both for himself and for all that he has created. Consequently, when he loves his creatures, he loves them with a chief regard to himself. He he is absolutely perfect and good. God is the source of all his creatures' blessings. He is the highest good for his creatures, which is the proper good for all who strive for true goodness.
So now that's of course not exhaustive, of course, but I feel like that gives us a theological foundation to work from. So I would like to, I would dare say that the majority of, of us here today would easily say yes and amen to all those things. But even as we agree that God is perfect, perfectly perfect, and that he is always good, and that all good things come from above. And his chief desire is to bless and encourage and have intimate fellowship with his own. Here's the question. Why would we ever doubt, fear, fret, and agonize over life's situations? Well, I hope you would say, wow, that's a great question and I'm glad you ask. My hope and my prayer today is that Psalm 73, with God's help, will help give us some insight and answers to those questions.
So as we turn to Psalm 73 and we clearly see an open and transparent and sincere heart, if you would, if you just glance over the text. There's 28 verses, a lot of material to cover. If you notice, the word heart is used over five times in the text, depending on what translation you're using. So we see this is a true confession of the heart. The word heart here in this case refers to your very core, the very center of your being, the data center, so to speak, from where all your emotions and convictions originate from. So Psalm 73 is written by Asaph. He is a chief musician. He is a worship leader under King David. He writes 12 different psalms. This particular psalm is a song of wisdom, but it reads more like a testimony. And I think you'll see that as we work through it. Asaph writes this particular psalm, looking back over a season of life that he has already gone through. So we will see very clearly that even though a very godly and gifted worship leader, he experiences a crisis of faith, which proves that even those who lead in the church are susceptible to sin, temptation and doubt and fear. No one is exempt. And I think that's helpful to know. There are no super Christians. Amen? Amen. None of us have arrived or ever will till we get to heaven. And I'm thankful for the Apostle Paul. If I were to ever think about a Christian being a super Christian, uh, unhuman, it would be Paul, of course, with with all his trials and accomplishments that the way God mightily used him. But I'm thankful that even Paul, as godly a man, missionary, witness that he was and all that he suffered. I'm glad in Paul's openness and honesty, he didn't say, oh, wretched man that I was. He said, oh, wretched man that I am. And that that gives me hope. Amen?
So our subject today is the goodness of God. The big idea, which there should be some blanks on your outline, the big idea is the goodness of God cannot be measured by the success or failure of man. And I feel like I'm hollering. My daughter told me this morning or last night, Dad, you don't have to holler the whole time. You can just emphasize the points you want to make, which is good and helpful. And I need to remember that. So forgive me if I'm hollering. Hey, I'm excited. Amen? This is God's word. Alright, so Psalm 73, if you would please look with me as I read. "Truly, God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled. My steps had nearly slipped, for I was envious of the arrogant. When I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For they have no pangs until death. Their bodies are fat and sleek. They are not in trouble as others are. They are not stricken like the rest of mankind. Therefore, pride is their necklace. Violence covers them as a garment. Their eyes swell through fatness. Their hearts overflow with follies. They scoff and speak with malice. Loftily they threaten oppression. They set their mouths against the heavens. Their tongue struts through the earth. Therefore, his people turn back to them and find no fault in them. And they say, how can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High? Behold, these are the wicked, always at ease.
They increase in riches. All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence. For all day long I've been stricken and rebuked every morning. If I had said I will speak thus, I would have betrayed the generation of your children. But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went to the sanctuary of God. Then I discerned their end. Truly you set them in slippery places. You make them fall to ruin. How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors! Like a dream when one awakes, oh Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms. When my soul was embittered, I was pricked in heart. I was brutish and ignorant. I was like a beast toward you. Nevertheless, I'm continually with you. You hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail. But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For behold, those who are far from you shall perish. You put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you. But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord my refuge. That I may tell of your works."
Please pray with me. Lord Jesus, thank you for your word and we are praying, Lord, that you will speak and work through your servant, Lord, and by your spirit, through your word and, Lord, as I talked to Ronald this morning, Lord, I just pray that your spirit would carry me away. I just pray that I would just be along for the ride, that you would speak and work and move as only you can. That you would do something that I would never be able to do. So Lord, just work and move through your word by your spirit. I pray that your people would be blessed, that they would be encouraged, and that they would also be challenged. And so bless as only you can, be glorified, in Jesus' name, Amen.
So again, the big idea or the heart or theme of the message again is the goodness of God cannot be measured by the success or failure of man. As I read Psalm 73, just on a surface level or at face value, which is really one of our hermeneutical responsibilities. I remember in school our professors used to say, men, what does the text say? And we're like, well, I mean, you know, we-we get it. No, no. Literally, what is the text saying? And before you start poking and prodding and tearing it apart and adding your own opinion and getting on your own soapbox, what does the text say? And I hope I haven't oversimplified this. Um, but in saying that, I felt like I had an immediate connection with Asaph, when he starts out in verse one by saying God is good, which is right and true in every sense of the word. Then right after that, him being a mature, grounded in his faith leader, he immediately followed up with in verse two...But. And I thought, man, that's that's me second guessing as I normally do, which is a tendency of mine. So which comes across to me is doubtful or second guessing. So I'm not claiming this is scriptural or biblical, but just in my simple mindedness when I think of how I relate to Asaph and Psalm 73, here's a good way I relate to it. In many, if not most, couples, opposites often attract. That certainly is the case with me and my wife, Jackie. My tendency, my bend, my personality is to be critical, negative, and judgmental. In most cases, the cup half empty mentality. Now Jackie, on the other hand, hers is positive, uplifting, choosing to see and believe the best. In other words, to look on the bright side of things. So hers is the cup half full mentality. So I'm uptight. She's laid back. And so that's all great and good, for a while. So early on it can be an interest or attraction for couples while dating. But as time goes on, as I hope that y'all would agree with me, these characteristics can easily, easily lead to major differences. I would call it a rub, a grind, can lead to division, strife, but thankful both perspectives submitted to the Lord can be used by God in a mighty way to grow and refine each other, to help us to see things from a different perspective. So Jackie... I thought I saw you. Where are you at? Right here. She's hiding. Jackie, thank you for your patient endurance over the years. For the many ways that you have faithfully sharpened and refined me. You have been my God-given change agent. And I promise I won't mention Holy Spirit Junior. So with that, with all that being said, finally a text I can approach with a somewhat negative or critical questioning perspective, which leads me to the first point.
So how can I know, believe, and trust in the goodness of God when, number one, the proud prosper? If you would please look with me in verses one through three. We can see an honest confession. Verse one. God is good to Israel and this is, church, this is representing all his chosen people. It goes on to say to those who are pure in heart, and that would be those walking with God and in obedience to His word. Verse two goes on to say, but I almost stumbled, I nearly slipped, and the meaning of that would mean to bow or to bend under the weight of. So- question, why did he almost stumble and almost slip? Well, we see the reason in verse three, because I became envious of the arrogant. Asaph envied the wicked when he saw their prosperity; his focus, his concentration had weakened. He became distracted from the main thing. Psalm 37:1-2 says, "Fret not of evildoers. Be not envious of wrongdoers, for they will soon fade like the grass." Reminds me of Psalm 1, where the psalmist mentions the wicked. He says they're like chaff driven by the wind. In other words, no purpose, no impact in life, nothing that lasts. So what caused or led Asaph to envy, or to begin to admire the wicked? Look with me in verses four and five. A life free from pain. They're sleek and fat, for they have no pangs until death. Their bodies are sleek and fat. Verse five, they are not troubled or stricken. In other words, hit or wounded as others are. Another translation for verse four says no bands in their death speaks of cords of chronic disease or pain. Bands are translated to be knotted or tied. And speaking of the sleek and the fat, Paul warns us in Philippians 3:18-19. This is what Paul says for many of whom I have often told you, and now tell you with tears, walk as enemies of the cross. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly and they glory in their shame with minds set on earthly things. So, Asaph's observance is when they die, they die in their strength. No suffering. They do not struggle with slow, tedious sicknesses. They live in pleasure and they die in ease. Not a bitter death like the righteous often suffer. In verse five they even seem to be exempt from the troubles that most have. Look with me in verses six through 12. These verses give a great detail to the life and lifestyle of the proud. It says in verse six, they are proud of their pride and also their violence. It goes on to say it's as much a part of them as the clothes they wear. The Scripture goes on to say it covers them like a garment. It's kind of like we wear our name brand clothing. You know, when we invest the money in quality clothing and it's, you know, has a symbol on it. We don't hide it. I mean, we wear it and are often proud of it. Um, so they're proud. They're proud of their pride and violence. They wear it like name brand clothing. It covers them as a garment. Verse seven, their eyes are fat. This speaks of bulging from indulgence and always looking for more.
Their hearts desire more foolish, sinful, wicked, outlandish behavior seems to be normal to them. Verses eight and nine, they speak loud and proud of their behavior. The scripture says they scoff, in other words, mock and belittle. They ridicule and threaten anyone that disagrees with them. Verse nine it says, even against the heavens, they have scoffed. And what was the impact on God's people? I think it tells us in verses ten and 11. It says his people turn back to them and fail to find fault in them. Church, here's how that goes. So when the godly see the wicked and the wealthy prosper, they begin to easily envy the easy, luxurious lifestyle because of the wicked's wealth and prestige and influence, many again, even God's people, begin to respect or follow them. The scripture says they turn to them and find no fault in them, is what the verses say. And they come to the unfortunate conclusion that obviously God is allowing or or permitting this, so he must be okay with it? Verse 11, it goes on to say, how can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High? Is he aware, church, of the impact of their actions? Amen. So verse 12 summarizes this spiritual dilemma. These are the wicked living in a lap of luxury, a life of ease while their wealth increases.
So as we look for clarity, I think it's helpful to consider two scenarios. Um, one being the most popular, and I think we've heard and thought about this a lot. We think about why bad things happen to good people. And so most commentators, when they're unpacking this, these verses, this text, they refer to Job, um, as a, as an easy referral, to explain the text. And the second scenario is less popular, but is the case here in Psalm 73. The question is why do good things happen to bad people?...would be the question. So for an explanation on why the wicked prosper, most commentators do refer to Job in this context. A lot of commentators refer to the scripture and Job as an ancient theme. They even go on to call it the stumbling block of good men. So Job's friends could not seem to get past the prosperity of the wicked and the sorrows of the godly. So we see we're not alone in our temptation to question or despair when this happens. So as I studied Job, I saw two interesting arguments between Job and his so-called friends. Job 4, one of Job's friends, Eliphaz tries to explain Job's suffering by pointing out basically that the innocent always prosper. He asks a question, verse seven, who that was innocent ever perished. And he goes on to ask, or the upright were ever cut off. So of course he's he's insinuating that no suffering or harm comes to the godly. Then in Job 4, Zophar, along with his other well-meaning friends, Bildad and eventually Elihu have just emphasized in great detail, right? In great detail that suffering and hardship always indicates God's punishment for sin. That Job was just simply getting what he deserved. So verse 21, and I really appreciate this. Um. When Job stands up, Job's honest and transparent response. Job says emphatically. Now this is where I'd like to holler it out. Um, Job says emphatically. No, he said, the wicked do prosper. He goes on to say in verse seven, they live to a ripe old age, mighty in power and influence, even though they deny God. Verse 14, he says, they say to God, depart from us. We do not desire the knowledge of your ways. Verse 15, what is the Almighty that I should serve him? These are the same words, if we think back, that Pharaoh used when he was confronted by Moses in Exodus 5:2, when Pharaoh said, who is the Lord that I should obey his voice? So here's the point. God often allows the prosperity of fools, in the hardening of their hearts towards sin. This is not by their own doing, because they are thinking that they're in control of their own life. This is God's doing. God simply rewards them according to their deeds. And we see that in Galatians six where it says, we reap what we sow. So Job continues to question the punishment of the wicked. Verse 17, how often is the lamp of the wicked put out that their calamity comes upon them, that God distributes his pain and anger? So Job's friends knew nothing of the events in heaven that produced Job's suffering and loss. These men tried to oversimplify the logic of Almighty God.
So back to the simple question that I have failed to answer. Why and for what purpose would the Lord allow the proud to prosper and the godly to be oppressed? I'd like to share a true story with you that I think will help bring some light to this. Um, there was a young man in his mid 20s, and he was from a family that was once wealthy and influential. This young man was cocky, arrogant and proud, which led to an attitude of entitlement. I told you I was critical. Shortly after the company started, by God's grace, the Lord sent another man to work for this family who was gifted and experienced in construction. This man was humble, meek and lowly and had recently come to Christ. He was a new believer. He was born again and on fire for God. So let me ask you this question. Why would the Lord orchestrate or even allow the connection between this wicked and proud person and this meek, humble, and lowly new believer? Why would the Lord allow a new believer to be placed under the arrogant and the proud? I thought through that and I asked myself this question-why would Christ obey His father and submit to the Roman government, unjustly, unfairly, to cruel, unlawful punishment?...for a greater good, for the salvation of all mankind. Back to these two men. A couple of things come to mind. In the new believer in his life, how can the Lord use it? The Lord could use it to test, to develop and refine the new believer's faith, to let his light shine into a dark place. I think of Romans 5:3-5 where it says, perseverance leads the character, character to hope, and the hope that doesn't disappoint. The other case with the arrogant and prideful man. So the Lord could use the mercy, grace, and patience, along with the long suffering of the believer's life, to soften the proud heart of the other man to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Part of the true story is the Lord did just that. The relationship between these two men has lasted for over 30 years. They are still very close and intimate to this day. Both of these men are serving in ministry. Have you figured out who the arrogant and prideful man was? Absolutely.
Psalm 37 says, the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace. The wicked plots against the righteous, but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees his day coming. Better is the little that the righteous has than the abundance of the wicked. So the prosperity of
the wicked greatly troubled Asaph, for they seem to have no pain and sorrow. Asaph's focus was their worldly prosperity, despite their wicked lifestyle, he saw the wicked and forgot their future. Matthew Henry said this on the prosperity of the wicked. He said, "It's not because God has forsaken the earth, or because he does not see, or does not hate or cannot punish their wickedness. It's because the measure of their iniquities is not yet full. This is the day of God's patience, and in some way or the other, he makes use of them in their prosperity to serve his own counsel while it ripens them for ruin."
Okay, so, number one, how can we trust in the goodness of God when the proud prosper? Number two. How can we trust in the goodness of God even when the saint struggles? So this is where Asaph seems to question his own guarded life. So read with me verses 13 and 14 where it says, all in vain have I kept my heart clean, and washed my hands in innocence. For all day long I have been stricken and rebuked every morning. So Asaph had guarded both the inner and the outer spiritual man, and it was a very bitter thought for him to think that it was all in vain or completely useless. Matthew 5:8 says, blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. So, friends, that's not saying that Asaph had sinless perfection or innocence, but this is referring to a whole-hearted devotion toward God, um, to be set apart. It's the word consecration. Um, so that's where Asaph felt like that he was serving the Lord out of a whole heart, that he was devoted completely. So this statement, all in vain have I kept myself, it's just not from a clear headed, right hearted believer. Amen? I think all of us have been there, I certainly have. And so the point I'd like to make here is a worldly focus can lead to spiritual amnesia. A worldly focus or distraction can lead to spiritual amnesia.
The example of this would be Moses in Exodus 32 and 33. This is right after the nation of Israel has experienced miraculous events, and has been miraculously delivered from Egypt. And all the people saw these things, um, even the Red Sea being parted and the Egyptians all washed away. All these people are witnesses to this. And then in Exodus 32:1, this is when Moses went up on the mount. When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves to Aaron and said, Up! Make us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses, this man, we we don't know what has come of him. I mean, how do you forget that? I mean, he leads like a nation of a million people out of Egypt after 400 years of slavery. Are we quick to forget? Or is it just the Israelites? Amen. So this goes on to say how quickly we tend to forget. Notice the events that followed that scripture. Verse ten, God threatens to wipe them out. Verse 11, Moses reminds God, hey, these are your people whom you have delivered. Verse 12, Moses begs God to please relent and do not destroy your people. Verse 13, and this is important, he then reminded God of his covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. If you notice with me, he uses the name Israel instead of Jacob. Perhaps this is a reminder of back in Genesis 32:28, of one who wrestles or strives with God. So speaking of the struggling saint, Jacob's personal name, which meant heel, catcher, twister, trickster or deceiver; of course, none of those good, was changed to Israel, meaning God's fighter, the name God gave him after he wrestled with the Divine Messenger in Genesis 32:28, meaning one who struggled with God and man, and won! Amen? A victory. So I listed some of the the victories that Jacob had. I think it's important if we're looking at the struggling saint. Um, a record of Jacob's battles and also his dominating victories in those battles. One, he struggled with his brother Esau in the womb and would eventually become two divided nations. Number two, he struggled with Isaac, his father. Even though God told Rebecca, these are two divided nations, and the older will serve the younger, Isaac still wanted to anoint or give the heir to Esau. So he struggled with his father, struggled with Laban, his father-in-law, over the wages, and his daughters. He struggled with his wives, Leah and Rachel. And here's the important part, he struggled with God at Peniel before crossing the river and emerged victorious. So this can be seen as the sanctification in our lives, in other words, working out of our salvation. It's referred to in Philippians 2:12, and this is simply a commitment to obedience in the hard things. It's not referring to a works-based salvation, but a believer's responsibility for a continued active pursuit of obedience in the process of sanctification. It's a working out what God has worked in through salvation. So did God have a plan and a purpose in Jacob's struggles? I think he did. And I think it was important that Jacob fought through. So Jacob's experience at Jabbok ultimately becomes the foundation for the nation of God's chosen people. Jacob, or Israel, as he's known after that battle, um, is the father of 12 sons that would ultimately be known as the 12 sons of Israel. That later became, of course, the nation of Israel.
So, friends, a question, what hard task does the Lord have before you right now? And you feel it's a battle. It's ongoing. It's unrelenting. Is it health? Is it finances? Is it a relationship? Is it a wayward child? Is it your job? Whatever it may be, God is faithful in the battle. He does have a plan, and he does have a purpose. And ultimately it should lead to intimacy with him. Not anger and frustration and bitterness. But we have to guard our hearts because we can easily default to that. Um. Psalm 37:39-40 said, the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord. He is their stronghold in times of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them. He delivers them from the wicked and saves them because they take refuge in him. So Asaph is far from being the only saint to struggle with his call and service, as well as his sacrifice. C.S. Lewis said this, "He who has God and everything else has no more than the one who has God alone." Um, so the the saint's struggle can be a good thing.
Look with me in verse 15 as Asaph reaches the turning point, reaches a turning point. If I had said, I will speak thus- and this would be, of course, a worldly and cynical view- I would have betrayed the generations of
your people. Asaph is reminded that his words are far reaching and have great impact as a leader. So it's not always wise to speak your mind. I thought of a situation that I normally face with my family. Anytime I say something, and this is not often, anytime I say something wise or helpful, nobody remembers. But anytime I say something sinful and selfish, it's almost like the date and the time and even the place... I mean, the whole deal. And I'm just saying it seems that way. Um. And I think you can get that. Um, and just speaking of struggling saints that have suffered well, um, have recently fought through some struggles and adversity and loss, have been a great example and encouragement to me. Um, I just want to mention a couple of them. They're dear to my heart, and I believe they're dear to this church as well, um, like a cornerstone of, so to speak. Think of Dwight Stone, Chris Shook, Larry and Deedy Ferguson. Just recently, Bill and Joyce Plough, Ed and Brenda Ragan. I mean, I could go on and on and on. But I think y'all get the point. Um, Mike and Angie Cleary. Um, all of these suffered well and were not angry. And I never heard them question the goodness of God. Ever. Matter of fact, it was just the opposite. They were telling others about the greatness of God. And so while I'm giving out roses... Um, somebody on staff has, um, done the same thing. Um, we've been together 12 years. Pastor Kurtis. Some of these other guys left for a season. They got a break. We stuck to the stuff, didn't we, brother? We've been together 12 years. And in those 12 years, we've been through a lot. Not all of it pretty. I haven't always been pretty, and I'm talking about my attitude and behavior. We have lots of similarities. So if you haven't noticed, we look alike. Um, some people confuse us as twins. At least brothers. Um. No, seriously. Um, we dress alike, a lot of times. Both of us have four kids. Both of us have two boys. Both of us have two girls. Our kids all need braces. Our kids all need cars. Our kids all need surgeries. And all our kids want to go to college. So we're yoked together... No, I can't dance. I didn't mention that. Absolutely not. I don't even get beside him when he breaks out. Um, so anyway, through it all, and it's been a lot. Um, when you spend 12 years with somebody day in and day out. You see the man. You see the man. He refuses to give in to being critical of God's purpose and plan, whether it be health, family, finances, the weight of counseling. He chooses to trust God and give him the glory. And for that, I'm thankful. I love you, brother.
So how can I know God is good even when the proud prosper, the saint struggles, and finally, when the flesh fails. If you would please look with me in verses 16 and 17. We see Asaph have a right focus. Scripture says, when I thought how to understand this, it became a wearisome task until I went into the sanctuary of God, then I discerned therein. Friends, he received clarity when his mind entered heaven, where God dwells in his holy place. Spurgeon said this, "His heart gazed within the veil. He stood where the thrice and holy God stands." Point being, my help comes from the Lord. And here's the enormity of God and the greatness of God. My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth. Hey friends, if he made heaven and earth, spoke it into existence, are my problems a problem? No, but I think they are. Amen? Get overwhelmed by them, I lose focus. Um. So 18 through 20. Then we see a proper view. The scripture says, Truly, you set them on a slippery slope and make them fall into ruin. How they are destroyed in a moment. Swept away by terrors. Like a dream when one awakes. Oh, Lord, you rouse yourself. You despise them as phantoms. One commentator said the same hand that placed him on a pedestal shook them from it. Their eternal punishment will far outweigh their former prosperity. So those who despise him will be despised. His eyes shall see his destruction, which he would not be persuaded to believe. The eyes that have been willingly shut against the grace of God shall be open to see their destruction. Verses 21 and 22 we see an honest confession. Asaph says, when my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart, I was brutish and ignorant like a beast toward you... I don't know why I thought of this. I don't know why I think a lot of things. But when I thought of brutish like an animal, I thought a road rage. So we don't compare ourselves to animals, but now I've acted similar to an animal with road rage. Can anybody...? Am I...? I got one hand in the whole place. One honest man in the whole place! Two honest men in the whole place. So, I mean, we can become like an animal in such a simple thing. And so I was brutish like an animal to you. So it's not that hard to get to that place. My heart gave into despair. I had become embittered. The psalmist had foolishly judged happiness and contentment by the outward appearance and fleshly enjoyments of the wicked. Friends, it will not last.
He goes on to say, I was senseless and ignorant, I judged unjustly. I allowed my faith to become buried in self-pity and self-realization, so he had become totally focused on himself. Verses 23 through 25, we see a joyful remembrance. Nevertheless, I'm continually with you. You hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel. And afterward you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? There's nothing on earth that I desire besides you. Point being, our past failures become blessings when it drives us to this realization. Asaph stumbled, but God was steady. He never left or forsook him. Verse 26, my flesh and my heart may fail, but God alone is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. His flesh failed him, but his God would not. In Old Testament times, the priests were not allowed to be heirs or owners of property, to manage property because it would distract them. Um, and so God himself was their portion, their property, their inheritance, their sustenance. It's really no different than us. We don't own anything. We just manage it. Amen. Because we're just passing through. This is not our home, ultimately. C.S. Lewis said, "We are
half-hearted creatures, fooling around with drink, sex and ambition. When infinite joy is offered to us like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in the slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at sea, we are far too easily pleased." Look with me in verse 27. We see the destiny of the wicked. Those far from you shall perish. You put an end to those who are unfaithful to you. So when I thought about this. I thought about the life and the destiny of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16. If we remember, the rich man, of course, was clothed in fine linen and feasted sumptuously every day. Where, Lazarus, on the other hand, was the poor man covered with sores, dogs licked his wounds, and he longed for the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table. But their destinies were quite different in the end. The rich man to Hades, being tormented by flames, he could see but not reach, Lazarus being comforted in the bosom of Abraham. Here's what one commentator said, "Our Lord has let us know how little pleasure the rich man had in hell, and in his house after him. When the remembrance of the good things he had received in his lifetime would not cool his tongue for eternity, but added much to his misery, as did the sorrow of his five brothers, who he left in his house after him should follow him to the same place of torment." Friends, what example are you setting? Who's following you? What will it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Verse 28, we see a testimony of praise. And praise be to God, we as well as Asaph, return right back where we started in verse one, dwelling on the goodness of God. Verse 28, but for me it is good to be near God. I have made the Lord my refuge. That I may tell of your great works.
Two things I'd like to try to take away, as we close. Friend, do you have a testimony? Can you clearly and confidently proclaim to yourself and to others that God is your strength and your portion forevermore? I encourage you today if you hear the the voice of the Lord. Do not harden your hearts, but repent and believe. There is forgiveness and hope as well as peace in the Lord Jesus. Hebrews 9:27 warns us, it is appointed to every man once to die, but then the judgment. We'll simply be judged according to our deeds. And to be clear, this is an appointment that every one of us will keep. Second take away... Have you given God thanks for his unfailing, unfading goodness and mercy? Or are we taking it for granted because God has been good? Amen? Amen. Let me close and pray. Lord Jesus, I thank you for your faithfulness. It's, uh, unending, matchless; we can't comprehend it, and certainly our words can't give credit to it. But we thank you that we are not the only ones that struggle, that we can be open and honest about our questions and our doubts and our fears. We can wholeheartedly take them to you. And that you meet us where we are. I just think of Jacob and all the trials that he suffered through, and I think of how miraculously you used him to birth a nation, your nation, your people. And we're heirs from that. And so, Lord, thank you for who you are and all that you've done. I pray that you'd be glorified through everything that's done and said in Jesus name. Amen.
The Love of God Scott Willms Download Pulpit Curriculum PDF Pulpit Curriculum DOCX * View transcript The Love of God
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Good morning once again, I am Scott Willms. Uh, for those that don't know me, maybe first-time visitors...what have you. I'vebeen attending for about five years. Became an elder in January of this year and then three weeks ago came on staff at the church. Well, I've had people ask me, how's it going at the church? I said, well, let me tell you...after my first week, Julie announced that she needed a vacation and was gone like the wind for the next week. Then Justin, Sam and James also vacated the premises...were not seen for seven days. Then after my second week, Kyle disappeared the following week and Elizabeth just flat out quit. Then in the middle of my third week, Adam got on a plane headed out and has not returned as of yet. And then Kurtis let it slip that he was hoping to get his vacation started sooner rather than later. Now they all have some flimsy excuses like planned vacations and camp clarity and scheduled commits from a year before, but I feel sure you may be wondering, maybe it's Willms. So I do appreciate your prayers in my new position, and obviously the staff need your prayers too, right?
So, as you guys know, this summer we have been going through the attributes of God and so far we have seen the eternality of God and how there is no beginning ever...which blows my finite mind. And then we have seen the mercy of God, and the fact that we have a God who sends missiles of mercy in order to hit man's hearts. Then we saw the wisdom of God, and he is indeed all wise. Any wisdom that exists emanates from God the Father. And then last week we saw the holiness of God, where there is no one like him. And His holiness is truly one of the most sobering of his attributes for us non holy humans.
So today we are going to look at the love of God. And the challenge for me, as it has been for the men who have stood here in the past weeks, is...what in the world do you leave out in order to deal with the attribute of God? We have an infinite, unfathomable God, and I've got a handful of minutes when we could take years in order to cover any one of them, because it is so deep. So, I know I'm going to fail, but I'm hoping that we succeed enough that we will understand more how God loves us and in response, how we should be loving him.
The words that are in the Bible for love...there are Hebrew words and Greek words. About 6 or 7 main words that are usedthat talk about love in their various facets. The advantage of that is there is very specific kinds of love that are detailed where our English language we say things like; I love Taco Bell tacos. And by the way, I do love Taco Bell tacos. In fact, my sister once sent me a little thing, you know, a little news thing that said Taco Bell may have to reclassify that it's not really meat that they'reputting in their tacos like it wasn't enough, like it was other stuff. And I said to her, I said, listen, I don't care if it's meat or not. I just like the way it tastes, right? So, I love Taco Bell. And then we turn around and say, I love Jesus Christ, my Lord and my Savior. Right? And you go, huh? That really confuses the depth of the meaning. But in the Greek and the Hebrew, the word 'hesed' in Hebrew is the kind of word we're going to focus more on that coming from our Old Testament scriptures today. And in the New Testament the agape love, which both of those are God's like, strongest, highest, most supreme type of words for love that are in Scripture. So that's going to be our focus today on those two words.
So, let's begin by looking at first of all the basics of God's love. The basics of God's love. My first point here is that God is love. How many of you think that's offensive? Anybody?...even the world, likes that one, do they not? In other words, lost people. Yay! God is love. Okay, everybody likes that one, even if they really don't believe in God. The thing is, is that God is love and it does come out of him. Emanating from his eternal existence. Just like his eternality, his mercy, his wisdom and his holiness. So, we can see in 1 John 4:8 what that looks like. It says, the one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. There'sour Scripture underpinning.
The second point is God loves eternally. God loves eternally. Look at what Psalm 100 and verse five says, which we read in a call to worship. For the Lord is good. His loving kindness is everlasting and his faithfulness to all generations. It is an eternal love, and I always like to contrast. Sometimes it helps me to see things, what they are to see what they're not. And so post 19, about 1955, the plastics industry in the United States really began to make stuff like plastic forks and paper plates and all kinds of disposable. They called it the disposable Society. And so, a whole bunch of, a lot of our lives has been where you use something and you toss it. I always come to the one. And when I think about disposable ones, I think about diapers. Right. And you go, oh, well, yeah, that's, uh, a lot of, uh, a lot of waste. Yeah, those babies are productive. And there's this idea of, well, maybe it'd be better to use cloth and so forth. In the Western world, 95% of diapers used are disposable. But the idea is you use it and it's thrown away.
God's love...there is a steady hum throughout history of him loving eternally. Okay. It never has a break. There is never a Duke flicker of power. It is just always flowing. God loves eternally. Lamentations three reinforces this. It says this I recall to my mind. Therefore I have hope. The Lord's loving kindness indeed never cease. For his compassions never fail. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness. Is it not a wonderful thing to realize that God loves always, eternally?
Then the third point. God indeed does love the world. Okay, we know this because we're going to look at the most famous verse in scripture, John 3:16. It says, For God so loved the world. That he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. So there is God loving the world. Otherwise, there wouldn't be anybody here that would be able to come to him and to be redeemed to have your sins forgiven. He has to love the world; he came to seek and to save that which was what?...lost. Okay. And so these basics of God's love, he is indeed love. He loves eternally. And he does love the world.
But now the second point I want to look at. And this we're going to spend a good bit of time. So, don't get your hopes up that the first point was short.
Because the second one is long. Okay. So the next is the glories of God's love. The glories of God's love. God loves his chosen people in a very special way, in a very special way. It is a concentrated and more intense and more encompassing love than a general love for the world. It is a covenant love. And thusthe word of hesed in the Old Testament, which is used like over 230 times, that word shows up. So you ladies, when you were studying Psalms, you came across the word hesed, often...translated loving kindness or steadfast love, or sometimes mercy. You'll see that word, uh, and once you've once you'veidentified it and you read through the Psalms, you won't read far without coming across his great loving kindness.
So the first thing under the glories of God's love is he delivers this steadfast love...this covenant love. This dog not letting go of the bone love, right. He holds on to this and he delivers it to... I've got good news for all of us. He delivers it to unworthy individuals. There isn't a single person in here who is worthy of God's love. You may be thinking, you don't know me. I don'thave to. Because the Bible knows you and God knows you're a sinner like me. And like everybody else in here. He delivers his love to unworthy individuals. In fact, Jacob in Genesis 32:10 said, I am unworthy of all the loving kindness and of all the faithfulness which you have shown to your servant. For with my staff only I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two companies. You see, Jacob knew he wasn't worthy. And yet God had chosen him and blessed him. But how about a NewTestament version of it? Romans 5:8, but God demonstrates his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. You want to talk about being unworthy? We'reunworthy. We're sinners at our core and sinners by will on top of that. Thank heavens we have a God who delivers his steadfast love to unworthy individuals.
The second point here is he delivers salvation to those desperately in need, desperately in need. David in Psalm 13 says it this way. How long, O Lord. Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart all the day. How long will my enemy be exalted over me? Consider and answer me, O Lord my God. Enlighten my eyes or I will sleep the sleep of death. And my enemy will say, I have overcome him, and my adversaries will rejoice when I am shaken. But I have trusted in your loving kindness. My heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord because he has dealt bountifully with me. So you see David in a desperate situation, how he knows that God's loving kindness and steadfast love is there, and he knows he can claim it.
When we go to the New Testament, we go to what is one of my favorite passages of Scripture, and I quote it often...it'sEphesians 2:1-10 one. So hang with me as we read these words, because I can tell you this, the words on the screen are more important than any of the words that will come out of my mouth today. It is the word of an Almighty God, and he says this. Paul writes, and you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power, of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience among them, we too, all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest...period. Do you understand how desperate the situation is for all of us in these first three verses of Ephesians two? Were damaged, doomed, damned, and a whole bunch of other bad things. We are children of wrath like everybody else. Until we get to these two glorious...the worm turns with...But God.
But God. And what is the but God? Notice what it says, being rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved and raised us up with him, and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the surpassing riches of his grace and kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
So you see the desperation of the first three verses. We are hopeless without God's love. And it's such a glorious truth to know that his love comes to unworthy individuals like me. It comes to people who are desperate for salvation like me. And it comes for you too.
The third point here is he delivers forgiveness repeatedly to his chosen. We have a forgiving God and it's driven out of his love for us. So when we look at the Scripture of Moses writing in Numbers, chapter 14 verse 19, he says this, pardon, I pray, the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of your loving kindness, just as you have also forgiven this people from Egypt even until now.
You see, even once you enter into a covenant relationship with Jesus Christ, do you become sinless? No. No. And we need God's forgiveness. And I'm going to say we need God's forgiveness on a daily basis, because I don't think we ever hit a day where we fully give him all the praise and all the glory and all the honor, and bend and bow to him and worship him the way that we should. I think we miss the mark every day, which means we need forgiveness from a loving God, and he just keeps delivering it. Jesus dealing with Peter in the passage of John chapter 21. Peter has just denied Christ days ago and he says, I'm going fishing. He goes. He's fishing. The encounter ends up happening on the seashore. When Peter recognizes its Lord...jumps...goes. The Lord already has fish cooking for breakfast. Okay. He's already.
I want to see that in heaven, by the way. Time out. I want to see in heaven. Did Jesus just. Did he fish or did he just say fish...grill, you know, and they popped up, right. Because we know that he told Peter, go out there and catch a fish, open his mouth and there will be the tax in there, both for me and for you, that you committed to that really, we shouldn't pay, but I'm doing it anyway. We know that he has control over all the animals.
So he was fixing breakfast and it says this. So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these? He said to him, yes, Lord, you know that I love you. He said to him, tend my lambs. He said to him again a second time, Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me? He said to him, yes, Lord, you know that I love you. He said to him. Shepherd my sheep. He said to him the third time, Simon, son of John, do you love me? Peter was grievedbecause he said to him the third time, do you love me? And he said to him, Lord, you know all things. You know that I love you. Jesus said to him, tend my sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wish, but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you and bring you where you do not wish to go. Now this, he said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when he had spoken, he said to him, follow me. Peter had committed the denial of Christ three times outside Caiaphas house when he was approached by people and said, hey, you're one of them...three different times. And now Christ asked him three different timeson
the beach a few days later, and it had to be ringing in Peter's head, right? And yet when he finishes this exchange, he says, follow me. His forgiveness was.. Peter, it's time to get up and start following me again. How many of us at times have failed so miserably? Sinned grow grotesquely and then wonder if God can even forgive us? The answer is because of his great love, He does and will when we seek repentance and turn from our sin and turn to him. As a result, his forgiveness of Peter leads to...not so many days later, Peter is going to preach at Pentecost when the church is just launched. Think about that. The guy who had denied him, just not so many days earlier. Thank heavens we have a God who loves us enough to forgive us of all our sins and transgressions.
The fourth thing he delivers to people in life's difficulties. If you live long enough, you are going to experience life difficulties. Seems right now in the church we've got a lot of people with life's difficulties, and it's a glorious truth to know God's love hasn't ceased in the middle of those because remember, his love is eternal. It is a constant hum throughout history. If you are in relationship with him, it is covenantal. He is not ever stopping to love you. Even in the midst of life's difficulties.
So if we looked at Joseph in jail in Genesis 39:21, this little word says, but the Lord was with Joseph, and extended kindness to him. By the wat that is the hesed word. That is the lovingkindness or steadfast love. And he delivers kindness to him, andgave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer. Joseph is in jail for no fault of his own, and God is loving on him even still.
And when we go to the New Testament in John 11, we see the story of Lazarus and Mary and Martha. And you recall Mary and Martha were hoping Jesus to come right away when they said, Lazarus is sick. Jesus deliberately waited a couple more days and to show that the glory of God was going to be experiencedin a radical way. Lazarus actually dies. So when we see this passage in 11:3-5, look what it says. So the sister sent word to him, saying, Lord. Behold, he whom you love is sick. But when Jesus heard this, he said, this sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it. Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister, and Lazarus. Then goes on and a little later in the chapter, in verse 33, it says, When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her all sleeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled, and said, where have you laid him? They said to him, Lord, come and see. Jesus wept. So the Jews were saying, see how he loved him. You see, Christ was moved in his humanity over the effects of sin and the death that is inevitable. I just had my first Sunday school superintendent, Baptist church. I grew up. And you had a Sunday school superintendent, right? And he just passed in the past couple of days. And when I think about the difficulties that all of us have dealing with the loss of loved ones, friends, family, and if you live long enough, um, a whole bunch of them you end up burying. Aren't you thankful God's love is constant to us in our grieving and mourning and in our loss. He loves.
And I must speak to about the fifth thing...he delivers in all his promises the glories of God's love. He delivers on all his promises. Unlike me, because sometimes I will, with the best of intentions, say I will get that done and then forget, right? God says, I will do. And he does it...100% of the time. When he proclaims truth in His word to us, when he gives us instruction and he says, do this and this will happen. Guess what? It does. Okay. I am so thankful. He delivers on his promises. Look at Solomon in First Kings chapter eight, verse 22. Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven. He said, O Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth beneath. Keeping covenant and showing loving kindness to your servants who walk before you with all their heart. Who have kept with your servant my father David that which you have promised him. Indeed you have spoken with your mouth, and have fulfilled it with your hand as it is this day. So you see. Solomon was praising God for the promises that he had made to Solomon's father, King David. And this temple was actually built as God had promised it would be under Solomon's reign. So we see that.
But how about the New Testament side, this single little verse? John 13:1 says this, now before the feast of the Passover, Jesus, knowing that his hour had come, that he would depart out of this world to the father, having loved his own, who were in the world, he loved them to the end. In other words, when Jesus said, I love you, it's delivered all the way to the end. Again, it'seternal. He is love. True or false, his apostles were just the model citizens the entire time under Christ. With three years spent with Christ, they nailed everything, right? False, right. The fact is, they were sinful men who still needed repentance and needed God's forgiveness. Of which we've already looked at. He graciously gives. And so when he says something, it is going to happen.
And that ties into my last sub point under the glories of God's love, how he loves his people in a special way. Is he delivers confidence for the future. He delivers confidence for the future. One reason that I am as confident as I am, as I stand before you today, is because I believe and take God at His Word, because he can be trusted. We've been looking at that. So when we look at King David in Psalm 23:6, he says this. Surely goodness and hesed, loving kindness or steadfast love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Forever. That eternal God, with his eternal salvation and his eternal love, and his eternal mercy, and his eternal wisdom and his eternal holiness, I will dwell with him forever, not because I'm all that, but because Jesus Christ is all that. God's love delivers confidence for the future. And then Paul wrote it this way in Romans chapter eight. He said, who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword, just as it is written for your sake, we are being put to death all day long. We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered, but in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the, what?...love of God, which is in Jesus Christ our Lord. The laundry list of things, and you can see, as Paul is writing this, I can envision in my head that he probably had to stand up with the glorious truths that he was penning under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. What a loving God who loves his people in a very special way.
Well, now we come to the controversial third point. The problem with God's love. The problem with God's love. Now, I propose this point to market research of three people. Okay. My wife being the first one. Then Julie and Tina got to be the next. And I said, do you think people will rush the stage and try and kill me when I say the problem with God's love? And they thought, no, I think they'll give you a little bit of time, you know, to sort that out. So there are elders sitting close to can remove me. They do have replaced knees, the ones that are closest. So it may take them a little bit to get up here.
But the problem with God's love. Here's a little secret for you. The problem is
on man's side of God's love. God's perfect. His love is perfect. It is without flaw. The problem is this...his love does not, will not, and cannot trump or outweigh his holiness. It cannot...ever. The reason this is a problem is because we live in a society when the "religious-ish" which they say, well, God is love, therefore I can live any way I want. Everything goes, anything goes right. Is that not the society we live in? It is God has to let me not only let me, but almost thank me for my lifestyle. No, no, his love does not, will not and cannot trump his...and when I use the word trump, I'm talking card game. Rook. All right people. Anybody play rook out here? Okay, I got a few of you, fellow heathen. Thank you. Um, so in college, my major pursuing a bachelor of religious ed. But I tell people I said I minored in rook. Now, when I tell young guys that, they kind of. Because they've grown up in the age with silly, uh, college degrees you can get. They kind of look at me. Oh, minored in rook. I said, no, that's a joke. I just spent 20 hours a week playing rook at night. And so rook has all of the, uh, suit of color, and you have to count trump because trump can take any card. If it's not a higher trump, it can just boom. It takes it. And it's a point system. And I'm looking forward to just bring this up. I eyeballed some of you. We'll have to start playing some rook.
God's holiness cannot stand one ounce of sin. Not one ounce of I'll do it my way. Okay. His love is governed by his holiness. The way that I equate this in my head is how many of you ever had the delights of food poisoning? Has anybody had the delights of food poisoning? Okay. Having had food poisoning a couple different times in my life, here's what I know. Your body will revolt until every last speck of food poisoning is gone. Okay? And that's what I think about when I think about God's holiness. Because when I stole candy from my mother's purse when I was a little boy, I was damned to hell by holy God. Let'smake no bones about it. Any sin with a holy God has to be removed, has to be thrown out. He revolts against it. So this is bad news for the person who thinks you can live any which way that you want, and God still has to approve and love your behavior. That's just not the way it is. John 3:17 says this. For God did not send the son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him. He who believes in him is not judged. He who does not believe has been judgedalready because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. This is the judgment that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light for their deeds were evil. For anyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God. So you see, John 3:16 says, God so loved the world. But John 17 and following says, you cannot continue to live in the way you are rebelling against him, rejecting his gracious gift in order to solve your sin problem. There's a theologian todayJason Deford. Who says I'm not okay, but it's going to be all right. It's not okay, but we're all going to be all right. That theologian is JellyRoll. Okay, Jason Deford's his real name. But by the way, R.C. Sproul says everyone's a theologian. They'reeither good or bad or various degrees in between. But when I heard this catchy song on the radio in the store, I went, oh, that's. And then I start because I can't help myself. I go, you know what? I'm not okay, and we're not okay. But guess what? We'renot all going to be all right either. It is only going to be those who bend before a holy God. Repent of the sin that you are practicing and harboring and come to him, pleading with him to save you, Trusting in him fully to do what he said he would do, which is to forgive you. And enter into covenant relationship with him. 1 Corinthians 16:22 says, if anyone does not love the Lord, he is to be accursed. Maranatha!...meaning Lord, come.
Matthew 7:21 through 23. The most terrifying passage in Scripture for good church people. Okay, good church people. This passage should terrify good church people who are not fully loving God. It says this, not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my father who is in heaven, will enter. Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name cast out demons and in your name perform many miracles. And then I will declare to them, I never knew you. Depart from me, you workers of iniquity, you who practice lawlessness. We're talking about the religious, the quote unquote good here...that you're trusting in your parents faith and you'rejust kind of along for the ride. What God's Word is saying to you is, no, you don't get to ride your parent's coattails into heaven because the way is narrow. You go in the turnstile one by one, and you also go in without carrying, like the massive duffel bag. You go in with nothing but faith and trust in Jesus. That's it. Sothis is one of those sobering passages that we can have people that are serving faithfully in HBC, and you've never really come to know God and love him in the way that he requires.
So this is one of the problems with God's love. The second problem with his love falls into the camp of...I would suspect the majority of the people in here...is his perfect love for us reveals to me ho often my love is lacking back to him. As I've been preparing this message for a while because we got our topics a month or two ago. I've just kept coming back to the fact of Wilms, you're not loving him nearly as much as you should be loving him. Why is that? Why is that? And I think sometimes it'sbecause we grow so accustomed. Take it so for granted.
I've been married 40 years, and I'm not proud of times when I'vetaken the marriage for granted and haven't pursued my wife in the way that I should pursue her. I've taken it for granted. So it'sin our humanity often to take things for granted. But when we think about perfect love and how it should be responded to, I find it fascinating that Scripture gives us a glimpse of the perfection of love in the Godhead. Meaning, look at what John 17 says.
John 17:22 says, the glory which you have given me, I have given to them. By the way, this is Jesus praying to God the Father, that they may be one just as we are one. I in them, and you in me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that you sent me, and love them even as you love me. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, be with me where I am, so that they may see my glory which you have given me. For you loved me before the foundation of the world. Oh righteous father, although the world has not known you. yet, I have known you, and these have known that you sent me, and I have made your name known to them. And I will make it known so that the love with which you love me may be in them, and I in them. Do you see the love of the son for the father? Okay, Yousee the glories of that. And then another verse, John 14:31 says, but so that the world may know that I love the father. I do exactly as the father commanded me. Get up! Let us go from here.
You see, perfect love is followed with perfect obedience. So we see it illustrated in the Godhead, where God the Father and God the Son, the intense love for each other. Eternal love. The constant hum. And Jesus expresses it as his love means he is going to do whatever the father has told him to do. And he did indeed do that, because he came to seek and to save that which was lost. He came to live this perfect life...never sinning. Never having a wrong thought...perfection and was crucified, taking our sin on him. Paying my sin debt and your sin debt. To satisfy the wrath of God due because of his holiness. It must be dealtwith. God the judge has to do it in this way. And he pays for our sin debt on the cross of Calvary with the Lord Jesus Christ, absorbing the wrath of God. And indeed, the world went dark for a few hours as the light of the world was extinguished on my behalf and on yours if you have entered into a relationship with him.
His perfect love, revealing our own lacking love. Um, here's the command and common sense response of how we should love him. John 14:15 says this. If you love me, you will keep my what commandments. Okay, so don't. Don't tell me. And don'ttell God how much you love him when you refuse to follow his commandments. They are not separable. You must do what he has commanded us to do. All right. If you love me, you will keep my commandments. Then look at John 14:21. He who has my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my father, and I will love him and will disclose myself to him. So Jesus, again, making it crystal clear that obedience to His Word and to his commands is how we illustrate real love. Again, if I said to my wife, I love you and never do anything at all for her, with her I just live life separately And I look at her and say, I told you I love you. That'senough. Right? It's like it's ridiculous. And yet, as Christians, how often do we live that way? We absorb all this great love of God and the glories that are in it, and yet we fail to love properly in return. I want to encourage you to seek to love the Lord more than you have been. He deserves it.
So the solution to these man problems with God's love. If you never have really loved God with all your heart, mind and strength, but you've pretended to fit in with church people or to get the blessing of your family. I want to encourage you to turn to him, to repent today. To ask forgiveness for your many manifold sins, and to change your mind and to turn and pursue him. He will save you. He is faithful. He is merciful.
And for the large majority in this room to just evaluate what is it that's holding you back from loving God fully? What are some actions of obedience that you can take that maybe you haven'tbeen doing? Not taking it seriously? May we all love the Lord more as a result of just a glimpse into his love this morning? Let's go Lord, in prayer.
Father God, we thank you for the fact that you are eternal. That you are love. That indeed you love the world or there would be no hope for any of us. And yet, Lord, we can glory in the fact that you have indeed thrown so much love at those of us who have entered a relationship with you. Lord, I pray for those that are out there wandering, confused, even. Do I really have the love of God? Do I really understand it? Do I love him that youwill help make that clear to them even now and today. Lord, may you help those that are in the room who realize my love has been deficient because I haven't been obedient like I should be to his commands. May help each one of us to look for ways to honor and glorify you with our lives that go beyond just lip service, but in hands and feet and service to you. Lord, may you bless the balance of our service and Lord as we enter intocommunion. That we will search our hearts. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
The Holiness of God Lorin Bilhorn Download Pulpit Curriculum PDF Pulpit Curriculum DOCX * View transcript The Holiness of God
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Good morning. Your phone rings and you look at it, and across the screen it goes likely...telemarketer. However, your finger like it's possessed...hits answer. Hello. And the voice, on the other hand, says good morning. Yes. I'm here just to ask you a few questions. If you could give me just a couple of minutes. Yes. What's this about? The person on the other line says I have just three questions. I'm hired by a company to ask these questions about product preference, what you think are the best products in certain categories. You know what you would say are one of a kind products. Come on, you're trying to sell me something. No. No, sir. I am not trying to sell you something. Three quick questions and you can go on your day. You can't believe this, but you say, sure. Go ahead. So he says, first question. Which brand of frozen pizza would you think is one of a kind? Oh, Okay. Digiorno. Thank you sir. That's good. Okay. Second question. Which brand of ice cream would you name as being one of a kind? Oh my goodness, Turkey hill, blue bunny. Kemps. Uh. Whatever. Uh. Um. Turkey hill. Oh. Very good. Thank you. Thank you. Third question. Which brand of mayonnaise would you regard as being one of a kind?...Dukes. That one comes right out. No problem. He immediately says, thank you, sir, very much for your time. Have a good day. And he hangs up. You look at your phone, right? Because you go. I can't believe I did that. But then you sort of feel good about yourself. I helped somebody out today. I hope he has a good day.
So that hypothetical interaction focused on making differentiations between items in a group. You know, sort of all these are a kind. All these are a kind. Which one do you think is the best in that group? So let's go back in time. The Romans and the Greeks, the Romans and the Greeks had lots of gods. For the Romans, Jupiter was their top god, sort of. Of all their gods, he was one of a kind. For the Greeks it was Zeus. So let's bring it to today. NBA former or present players...who would be one of a kind basketball. Jordan. Come on. Somebody else. Who? All right...Pete Maravich. So there's an opinion, but different. You know, that person's one of kind. That person's one of a kind. Now, really small group, HBC elders. Who would you say when it comes to dancing is one of a kind? Okay. You shouldn't be talking so loud. And of course, I think if we said, hey, who's one of a kind when it comes to preaching. Good. Okay, here's an easy one. If the only criteria was height...Kurtis. All right. All these examples illustrate that the phrase one of a kind means that when comparing the individuals comprising a group, one individual most highly stands out is superior, excels compared to the others in the group. Now let's look at the word unique. Sometimes people use it as a synonym for one of a kind, but it's really not. So picture with me. I take out a 732 carat purple diamond. I don't know if it exists, but you just got to picture it. So here's this 732 carat diamond. The gemologist, they examine it and they say, yeah, it's a diamond. It is a diamond. Is it unique or is it one of a kind? One of a kind. It is a diamond. There are millions of diamonds, so it's not unique. Okay, now somebody gets to Mars and they get back from Mars, and they bring back a chunk of something. The scientists, they really study it, and they can't figure out what it is. It's one of a kind or unique. Unique...on Earth. On Mars, it may be 1 in 10,000,000, but on Earth it's unique. So unique is a French word. It means one. And I mean, you get that right. The first three letters U N I uni like a unicycle one. It means one. Something that is rightly unique means that there's nothing else that can be compared to it. So when people say, well, that's more unique than that, that's using the word incorrectly. So I'm sorry if you do that, but stop it. So let's now turn let's turn to God. God is unique. God is not one of a kind. Isaiah 45:5...I am the Lord, and there is no other. Besides me there is no God. Isaiah 46:5 and 9, to whom will you liken me and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be alike? Remember the former things of God. I am God, and there is no other. I am God and there is none like me. Finally, Deuteronomy 4:39. Know, therefore today and lay it to your heart that the Lord is God in heaven above and on earth below. There is no other. So first, do you know that to be true? Is it laid on your heart? Is it embedded there? God is one. There is no other. He is unique. There is no group of gods. So this summer series is on the attributes of God. And which attribute best communicates that God is unique? I'm going to argue it's the holiness of God. But there is a difficulty in defining holiness. 1 Samuel 2:2 in Hannah's song she says, there is none holy like the Lord, for there is none besides you. There is no rock like our God. This verse is not implying that God is one of a kind, relative to his holiness. Like there's other holy beings. As if it was okay to evaluate him and compare him to anything else. God's holiness means his uniqueness. There is no other God. God is holy. Holiness is God. So the second half of Hosea 11:9 reads, for I am God and not a man, the Holy One in your midst. So I'm going to lay out a definition of holiness in a bit, but here is a very succinct, three word definition for holy or holiness. Holiness is God. As you come to understand holiness, you come to know God. But then it begs the question, well, what does the word holy imply? What is it? What does it mean? What does it teach us about God? What does he want us to know about himself when he calls himself holy. So the word holy is not one we use in everyday life, is it? Except when you consider things like. Holy cow! Holy smoke! So last week I'm getting ready to come on to 127. The light's green and somebody plows through the red light and I blurt out, Holy cow! Now that's pretty innocuous. But we don't use it in any other way, do we?...the word holy. There are several forms of the word in Hebrew. All of them are used to denote something that is set apart for God or devoted to God, when people or things are being considered. When applied to God himself, it really indicates that He himself is set apart, distinct. But the word means much more. In our English translations the words implying holiness are at times translated as...let me read them here: sanctify or consecrate. So when you see the word sanctify, sacred, saint, consecrate, holy, holiness, hallowed. They are all really conveying the same basic idea, something set apart exclusively for God, or that God himself is separate or distinct. So the meaning of the word holy, something or someone that is set apart for religious reasons, does not elicit much reason to give me an amen, does it? There's no reason to really erupt in praise just based on that. So we've got to go a lot deeper. When we look into...when we truly understand and then come face to face with what holiness says about God, we should be moved emotionally. Our minds should be stretched...blown. Our spirits humbled. Our bodies should respond. Perhaps with trembling. Perhaps having trouble getting a breath. Maybe even prostration...that is face down. And I am not implying that this sermon this morning is going to elicit any of that. But God's holiness, God's holiness, God's holiness should. Here is my definition of the holiness of God. Holiness is God's glorious moral perfection in the totality of his manifold attributes such that he is holy, distinct from anything else. So we're going to unpack it now, word by word. First, God is in the definition as my earlier three word definition. Holiness is God. There is no holiness apart from God. That is why there is no day to day use of the word holy or holiness other than related to God. Second...glorious. Think back to the illustration of the unique rock found on Mars and brought back to Earth. The scientists studied this thing, right? Boy, we don't know what to do with it. Has no value to us. They stick it in a closet, sits there. Somebody finally says, huh? That'll keep the door open. They stick it down. It acts as a doorstop. Uniqueness does not necessarily imply value, but God's holiness is unique and it is of infinite splendor and value. His holiness is glorious. Third...moral. This concerns what is right and good versus what is wrong or bad. You know, people in general have a concept of morality, but when used in this definition, it indicates that everything that God does or commands or chooses is good, right and wise by definition, because morality originates with God. God is the standard of morality. Fourth, perfection. God manifests, he displays, expresses every one of his attributes in such a way that they cannot be improved upon. His love is never lacking. His wrath is never inappropriate, his mercy is never misplaced, and his wisdom and justice are unquestionable. God is pure, complete in each and every one of his glorious attributes. One writer's definition of holiness is. God is complete in moral purity. Fifth, totality. God is love, but not limited to love. God is merciful and slow to anger, but also wrathful. God is transcendent. That is beyond us, and yet he is imminent. He is close to us. He is wholly holy. So, wholly holy because God lacks nothing. Sixth, manifold. Manifold is just a word that means various or many. Pretty simple. The final phrase of this definition, such that he is wholly distinct from anything else, emphasizes that God is unique. There is no other being that possesses essential or inherent holiness. And yet, even after all these minutes of me talking, we still do not grasp God's holiness. And don't say amen, because I haven't told you anything yet. Really.
So what we're going to do to try to understand God's holiness is we're going to look at a dark frame of holiness. So picture a painter...Randy Clontz is a painter. We actually have one here. So you picture Randy. That's it. That's it. That's done. The brush goes down. He's done with the painting. And yet, it needs a frame. I've got to get a frame, the right frame to bring out, to highlight, to accent this painting that I've finished. So we're going to draw a frame around the holiness of God, as it were. This frame is going to be bold and dark. It is God's holiness in relation to humans, particularly when people fail to uphold or honor His Holiness. So we're going to start in Exodus 19. Exodus 19, this is after Moses has led them out of Egypt. They come to Mount Sinai. He is going to give them the law, his instructions for a holy, pleasing, whole life. And God says to Moses, go to the people and consecrate them. There's that word. That means get ready for a Holy God interaction. Consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments and be ready on the third day. For on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. And you shall set limits for the people all around, saying, take care not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death. No hand shall touch him, but he shall be stoned or shot. Whether beast or man, he shall not live. Go some pages over...Exodus 30:9-10. This passage is in reference to the altar of Incense and the instructions for its use. You shall not offer unauthorized incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering, and you shall not pour a drink offering on it. Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once a year, with the blood of the sin offering of atonement. He shall make atonement for it once in the year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord. How holy is it?...most holy. So now let's read in Leviticus 10:1-3, and I'll read it. Now. Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer, put fire on it, laid incense on it, and offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them. And fire came out from before the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. Then Moses said to Aaron, this is what the Lord has said, among those who are near me, I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified. Aaron held his peace. Now, going farther, 1 Samuel 6:19, Adam recently preached on this chapter of Samuel. So you should hopefully remember the text. He struck some of the men of Beth Shemesh because they looked upon the Ark of the Lord. He struck 70 men of them, and the people mourned because the Lord had struck the people with a great blow. If you're reading the New American Standard, it says 50, 070 men. So there's a discrepancy. Either way, this is a great slaughter. These men were curious about the Ark, and they treated it as a curiosity, a mere physical object. Now, let me let's be clear. Right. It was a physical object, but it represented God, his presence, his holiness. Their lack of honoring this object and what it represented, and then the presumption to look into it results in death. We're not done. Numbers 4:15...this is the background. Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings. Everything's covered. Everything's ready to go. As the camp sets out after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to carry these. But it says they must not touch the holy things, lest they die. So now we jump ahead. 2 Samuel 6:5-9, 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. 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. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah and God struck him down there because of his error. The New American standard reads because of his irreverence. And he died there beside the Ark of God. And David was angry because the Lord had broken out against Uzzah and that place is called Perez-Uzzah to this day. And David was afraid of the Lord that day and said, how can the Ark of the Lord come to me? So Uzzah treats the Ark as something to be managed. He does not view it as holy. Maybe he thinks his hand is holy that can grab it. I'm sure he reacted with little thought, right? It was just a reflex. But God said unmistakably, that the holy things should not be touched. Now consider David in this episode. Why did he become angry? They were having a great...they were having an incredible worship service with the Ark as the center of attention, being carried on a cart pulled by oxen. But God intervenes when Uzzah tried to not upset the service...this worship service due to the possibility of the Ark hitting the ground. David is bummed because their rocking worship service has just been derailed in a real heavy way. But then David becomes afraid. He sets aside his anger and understands that God is to be treated as holy. There is valid reason to rejoice and worship when God is obeyed and honored as he instructed. In fact, later they carry the Ark as they were instructed to. So one might be tempted to conclude that in the Old Testament, God really had a hair trigger for punishment. He was just waiting for somebody to mess up. In Exodus 34, God emphasizes his attributes of mercy, grace, and being slow to anger, though. But when it comes to God's holiness and whatever represented His holiness...that is the Ark, the altar of incense, a mountain. With Moses it was the burning bush. When any of these are treated as mere objects, able to be used according to man's whims and personal inclinations, God is uncompromising. So let's look at two occurrences in the New Testament. Turn all the way over to Acts now...Acts 5. But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 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. 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. 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. When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. The young men rose and wrapped him up, and carried him out and buried him. Then verses ten and 11, Sapphira comes in after her husband, not knowing what had happened to him. Peter questions her, and when she lies, as did her husband, 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 next to her husband. And great fear came upon the whole church. And upon all who heard these things. Why were they killed? Because they did not treat the Holy Spirit as holy and they lied to God. This was not an object...in this case. This wasn't an object that they mishandled or touched. They dishonored the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity...God. Then see what is repeated twice in this passage. Great fear came upon all who heard it, including the whole church. The whole church did not fear because they thought, oh man, we don't know what God's going to do next. He's, you know, God's sort of capricious or unpredictable. They feared because it was clear to all that God should not be lied to and treated less than holy. Second passage in the New Testament. 1 Corinthians chapter 11 Paul is teaching on communion. I'll just read this here to give you the whole context. In the same way. Also, he took the cup after supper, saying, this cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me. As often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. Whoever therefore eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself then and then so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats, and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill and some have died. How does one treat communion unworthily? It's going to be next week, and treating it unworthily implies treating Christ's sacrifice unworthily by considering it to be common...run of the mill. Just something you do once a month. Hey. It's communion. Maybe the sermon will be shorter. Paul says that the reason that many people in the church are weak, ill, and some have died is because they have taken communion in an unworthy manner. They did not treat it as holy, and they did not rightly prepare themselves, that is, consecrate themselves. How do we consecrate ourselves before communion? We confess known sin, receiving the forgiveness that is promised, 1 John 1:8-10, which makes us holy and we rightly esteem...or we can use the word hallow. We hallow the offered bread and cup as representing the act of Jesus the Christ, when he gave his holy life for ours. 1 Peter 3:15 reads, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy. When we take communion among brothers and sisters in Christ, we are to honor Christ the Lord as holy. These instances, all the Old Testament ones and a couple in the New Testament, comprise the dark frame that helps us understand what holiness is. Holiness is the essence of God's character, which he will not compromise by allowing it to be treated as common as just one of a kind, as not unique, as not beautiful, as not glorious, as not to bow down before, as not worthy of honor, as not to be worshiped, and as of not infinite value.
So there were a lot of nots in that sentence. So let's make it positive. Holiness is the essence of God's character, which he will always uphold. We must regard and treat his holiness as unique, beautiful, and glorious. We should bow before the Holy God and honor him as worthy. We should acknowledge his infinite value and worship him. Psalm 96:9 reads. Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness. Tremble before him all the earth. Or, as the New American standard reads. Worship the Lord in holy attire. Tremble before him all the earth. But holy attire does not mean as long as you put on the right clothes, that makes you holy and thereby worthy to worship the Lord. One needs to have a right heart in order to come before the Lord. And one aspect of the right heart is right here in the text. Tremble before him because he is holy.
Before we leave behind this dark frame, I want to look more closely at Moses. Moses is described in Numbers 12:3 as the meekest man upon the earth. God calls to him from the burning bush. God calls him for a great mission. In Exodus 34, God shows Moses glory and reveals his holy character to him. In Matthew 7, Moses comes down with Elijah at the time of the Transfiguration of Jesus in front of Peter, James, and John. Finally, in Hebrews 11, Moses is made one of a kind relative to his gift of faith. But in Numbers 20:10 through 13, God declares that Moses will not enter the Promised Land. What?...Moses led those difficult people for more than 40 years. Moses suffered with them. Moses went to bat for them numerous times. Moses obeyed God more than most anyone else described in Scripture. Why would he not be allowed to enter the Promised Land? Numbers 20:10 and 12...here's the reason. Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock and said to them, hear now, you rebels, shall we bring water for you out of the rock? Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice, and water came out abundantly. And the congregation drank and their livestock. So the people got what they wanted. And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them. Deuteronomy 34 relates that Moses is allowed to see the promised Land from the top of Mount Nebo, but then he dies on the outside. Numbers 20:8, God instructed Moses to speak to the rock and water would come out. Moses loses his temper with the people and instead of speaking to the rock, hits it. Then comes God's verdict against him. I mean, could not God have sort of taken Moses off to the side, you know? Coached him up a little bit. Moses, uh, you hit the rock. I told you to talk to it. I don't want to embarrass you in front of everybody. You've done a good job up until now. I'm going to give you a break this time. Why does Moses not get a break? Because Moses did not uphold God as holy in the eyes of the people. It is essentially the same sin as Nadab and Abihu. In both cases, Nadab and Abihu, and Moses and Aaron, they fail to honor God as holy. Now a necessary further point, though I need to make here regarding Moses. He did not get to enter the Promised Land, but recognize...God did not strike him down immediately as he did others. For when he died, God took him into his own presence. God showed him mercy. Regarding Nadab, Abihu, Ananias and Sapphira, Uzzah... We don't know. God does not compromise his holiness. In all of these examples, people made a decision to assume that what God had instructed was open to interpretation or modification according to their desires and feelings. Their actions communicate that God's way is not necessarily the only right or holy way. Therefore, God's holiness is not honored or treasured as unique and of infinite value, which means God Himself is not honored or treasured as unique and of infinite worth. Brothers and sisters. What chance do any of us have? Have we upheld the Lord as holy. Have we honored him as holy? Isaiah 8:13 reads, but the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. Like the church in Acts 5, do we have great fear when we contemplate our God, our holy God? Have we obeyed him according to his Word, such that we demonstrate that we value his incomparable, unique beauty and perfection above anything else? Or else have we treated his instructions, his commands, as suggestions possibilities that can be assessed and compared to other possible actions. We're going to choose the actions that we think are one of a kind and do those. So all of this leads to a demand to be holy. Three times in the book of Leviticus it reads, be holy. Leviticus 19:2, 11:44 and 27 all say nearly the same thing, for I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. Then Peter quotes this in 1 Peter 1:14 through 16. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you as holy, you also be holy in all your conduct. Since it is written, you shall be holy, for I am holy. Finally, Hebrews 12:14. Strive for peace with everyone. Strive for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. So this is a fairly quick point to make, because it's what the Bible says repeatedly and quite plainly. There is a command to be holy, and if we do not possess holiness, we will not see the Lord. But let me be clear. We will not see the Lord welcoming us with loving pleasure into his presence. Which leaves us with the same question I just asked. Brothers and sisters, what chance do we have? God requires holiness, and yet he is the only inherently holy being. None of us are holy. Romans 3:23 says, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Now notice the verse does not say that we fall short of the holiness of God. It says, we fall short of the glory of God. Does that matter? No. God's glory is the shining forth, the display of his attributes and activity which makes known his holiness. Falling short of his glory is falling short of his holiness. Why must we be holy to be in God's presence, you might ask? So I'm going to give you at least two reasons. The first one, think of people who freak out if they see or get close to a spider or a snake or a mouse. And I say people, because this is not just a female thing. Such a person cannot abide the presence of such a critter like a mouse or something, because that person just gets all fearful and squeamish. That is not God when it comes to having an unholy or sinful persons presence. God does not stand on a stool saying, oh Angel, get that unholy person out of here. That's not God. God does not receive unholy people into his presence because it is an affront to his holiness. How so? God receiving or accepting an unholy person communicates that his holiness is not uniquely perfect. Doing so would condone or affirm the actions, decisions, desires of unholy people by allowing them in his presence. Does that make some sense? Here's where toleration of sin communicates that there is not just one morally way, pure, of holiness. The second reason why we must be holy to be in God's presence is that unholy people will not find satisfaction and joy in the presence of holy God. And that demeans God's worth and honor. So here's my illustration. Imagine you're invited to Buckingham Palace by the Queen. And I'm going to use the Queen because I just admire the Queen more than the current king. So we're going to use Queen Elizabeth as if she was still alive. First of all, you arrive wearing an old t shirt and sweatpants. They usher you in. You. Hello, Queen. Wow. How much did all this cost? Well, this is quite something. Where did you get that? You know, is that old? You're picking stuff up, looking at it. Finally, you sit down in a chair, you put your feet up on a table and you fall asleep. They come and arouse you. It's time for dinner, sir. They usher you in. But you can't appreciate the meal because you don't have refined tastes. You don't know what to do with the 17 forks. You don't know what to do with the little bowl and all the little plates. And then you eat stuff and go, oh, I don't know. You do not hold conversation with the Queen because you know nothing about her, and frankly you do not care. You're really only wondering if there is a Cookout around and you want to get home to play a video game or watch a ball game. All the beauty, all the lavishness, all the generosity, the history, the preparation is wasted on you. And most seriously, you dishonored the one who invited you and wanted to bless you. An unholy person entering into the presence and kingdom of God will not be satisfied or pleased or joyful. His or her heart is set on common or base things. He cannot appreciate the beauty and wonder of God, all that he is, and all that he has prepared for those who love him. 1 Corinthians 2:9, but as it is written, what no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, nor the heart of man imagined what God has prepared for those who love him. So if being in God's holy presence is appealing, then you have to ask yourself, how do I become holy? There is a merciful means of holiness. There is a way to become holy. Which finally brings us to the text that I think some of you are probably thinking I would start with Isaiah 6. I'm going to read verses one through seven. In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne high and lifted up, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings, with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his glory, and the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called and the house is filled with smoke. And I said, woe is me, for I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said, behold, this has touched your lips. Your guilt is taken away, your sin is atoned for. Isaiah sees this incredible vision of the reality of God's holiness and glory. We are going to focus, though, on verses five through seven. Isaiah's response to this vision, his need and God's provision. We have seen in several of the passages that we have looked at this morning, that fear is a repeated, appropriate response to the holiness of God. So I'm sure you've witnessed, maybe even yesterday, you're outside and a thunderstorm starts to form. The clouds darken, they begin to churn, and it's like they're starting to form in a circle over you. The first few flashes of lightning fire off, and then the thunder begins to boom. And it rolls sort of like the old stadiums when people would do the wave. It is exciting and fascinating, and your attention is drawn to the power and majesty of the storm. As it continues to increase, you begin to feel a little bit afraid while remaining mesmerized and in awe of the power and sound. Finally, a bolt of lightning hits really close. And the sound of the crack is instantaneous with the light, and you feel the reverberation through your whole body. Now you tremble. Now you want to get down on the ground. Or you go inside as fast as you can. This is what Isaiah's physical experience is, but something much deeper and more personal occurs, which is vastly more frightening. Isaiah yells out, woe is me, for I am lost, or I am undone or I am ruined. The sense is, as R.C. Sprollexplains...it's like disintegration. You are being torn apart at the seams. And I'm sure you can picture some sci fi movie where somebody pulls out some weapon and shoots somebody and their body just falls apart. Last week, David alluded to this more recent phenomena that people have described as deconstructing their faith. This passage is God's holiness deconstructing Isaiah. Adam ended last week's service with a quote from Calvin that we should first contemplate God, the vision of his majesty, holiness, and glory. And then Isaiah's self-scrutinization. Both of these happen in a very short period of time. Isaiah immediately recognizes his unholiness relative to God's majestic holiness, and he knows he is in deep trouble, and need. Isaiah cries out, I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. In other words, Isaiah agrees with James chapter one that says, if anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his heart. His religion is worthless. Isaiah's personal appraisal is correct and appropriately humble. God responds to his correct assessment of himself. He sends an angel with a burning coal from the altar and touches Isaiah's lips and says to him, behold, this has touched your lips. Your guilt is taken away. Your sins are atoned for. Isaiah is made holy. This vision that Isaiah had had real life significance for him. What is the actual means of mercy to become holy for us? How do you become holy? The coal that touches Isaiah's lips is taken from the altar, where the Holy Sacrifice is offered to atone for sin. Jesus Christ, is that offering that sacrifice for us. John 1:29, John the Baptist declares about Jesus. Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Remember that only a lamb that was unblemished...holy, was a suitable sacrifice. In John 6:69, Peter confesses about Jesus. We have all believed and have come to know that you are the Holy One of God. And then Peter in chapter three, verse 18, we read. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God to be in his presence. Being put to death in the flesh, but being made alive in the Spirit. Jesus' death on the cross as the unblemished lamb is our sacrifice. The sufficient sacrifice is graciously offered for each of us. We receive it not by a holy angel touching our lips with a burning coal, but by faith, believing, embracing that Jesus is the Holy One of God the Lord, and that his willing sacrifice cleanses us from all sin and makes us holy. Hebrews 10:14 reads, for by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
God's holiness is difficult to comprehend. He is unique, and it is challenging to understand something that is unique. It's much easier to understand something that we can easily compare to things that are similar, or with something we're familiar with. God will not compromise his holiness, but one of his outstanding, astounding attributes is his grace. Therefore, God gave his Son Jesus to pay the deserved penalty for our sin and to make us righteous or holy. But there is a grave warning to anyone who spurns this offer of forgiveness. Hebrews 10:29, how much worse punishment do you think will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God?...treat him like common dirt...and has profaned,...treated as unholy...the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified and has outraged the spirit of grace.
This morning, if you don't know the sacrifice of Jesus for yourself, please do not treat this invaluable gift of forgiveness as being unholy or of no value. Receive it freely with joy. Let me end with this passage. 2 Corinthians 6:1-2, working together with him then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says, in a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you. Behold, now is the favorable time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. Be like Isaiah. Recognize your need. Call out to God and he will respond in his holy mercy and grace. Let's pray.
Holy Father. I recognize, I am far from understanding...comprehending Your Holiness. I do not have the proper reaction. Someday every knee will bow before you, Father God, and before your Son Jesus, who is called Lord. We will experience the glory and majesty that is all yours, and we will experience it with a combination of awe and trembling and joy. Today, Father, today, please, Lord, by your mercy and grace through your Holy Spirit help us to honor you as holy. Help us to treat you as holy in all our activities. For you are worthy. We love you, Father. We hope in you. We worship you. Amen.
The Wisdom of God David Duncan Download Pulpit Curriculum PDF Pulpit Curriculum DOCX * View transcript The Wisdom of God
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Well. Good morning, Church. It's, great to see everybody gathered all together. It's always exciting during the summer when we get together in one service. And since nobody has stolemy line. And I was very, very appreciative of Adam and Chris reserving this for me, I just want to be the first to welcome everybody to our stupendous Single Service Summer series. I like saying that every year. Once a year I get to say that with great conviction. Well, we've been examining the attributes of God. It's our great God. And I hope you've been blessed by the messages thus far. And it's my joy this week to preach on the wisdom of God. Um, let me pray, and then we'll kind of get into it. So, Father, we are...I'm overwhelmed. And I pray by the end of this sermon, we're all overwhelmed with your greatness, who you truly are, Father, that you are perfect wisdom. And so I pray, Lord, as this sermon is preached that you would give wisdom and discernment to everyone that hears, Lord. That you would, through your spirit, instruct us through your word. And Lord, that we be blessed to know you more. In Christ's name, Amen.
So I got the little sheet that you get when you come in. There's four points on there. And my mother in law, had hers and she said, four points. How long are you going to preach? And I said, well, I got three sub points under each of the four points. I said, I'm preaching to either my new knee that was replaced two months ago gives out, or you walk out...either with your way. That's how long I'm going to preach this morning. But go ahead and turn in your Bibles to Romans 16:27, Romans 16:27. That's Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Acts and the epistle to the Romans. So get to Romans 16. Last chapter in the book, last verse in that chapter. And I will be using a number of various texts this morning, simply because I believe the Word of God does a lot better job explaining our topic than I can. And so, as a help of the majority of the scriptures that I'll be using and referencing today will be up on the overheads and the screens as I preach through them. Now, as you know, if you've ever heard me preacher teach, I'm a guy that has to and likes to look up definitions for my own clarity sake. I need to really understand what the word means, and I'm not implying that I'm not smart enough to know it before I look it up, but I have to look it up. SoI use my fancy Logos Bible software to get an exact definition of what an attribute is. And an attribute is a grammatical term for a descriptive word or phrase that modifies a noun. Well I gotta be honest with you, that didn't help me a whole lot. Uh, my third grade teacher daughter may understand that, but I did not understand that. So I got out my old Webster's dictionary. The old trusty Webster's, you know, was red, got that texture to it, and it says this. An attribute is a quality, character or characteristic ascribed to someone or something. You get that? A quality, or a characteristic ascribed to someone or something. So as an example in my life, my wife is lovely. Therefore, an attribute of my wife to me is her loveliness. Okay, so that's an attribute. So as we continue our series on the attributes of God, I believe it is helpful also to establish a little clarity by mentioning that there are two basic categories that are typically placed and mentioned about God when it comes to attributes...from a systematic perspective. Now, there have been different names over the centuries from different theologians, but the two categories that are most likely and most typically used are the category of communicable attributes and incommunicable attributes. I looked those up too. It comes out of the Latin word communist and it means shared. So therefore a communicable attribute is an attribute that belongs to God, but that he shares with his people, with mankind. And an incommunicable attribute, therefore, is a quality of God that he has only within himself. It cannot be shared outside of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the Triune God. Everybody get that...communicable, shared...incommunicable cannot be shared. And the sermons thus far in our series have provided perfect examples of each of these two categories. Two weeks ago, Adam preached on God's eternality and he spoke about the IS of God's aseity...that God has no beginning and no end, and God is the only necessary being, and as such is independent and self-existent. Meaning that the Triune God, the God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit needs nothing or no one outside of their self. This is an incommunicable attribute because we, as Adam taught us, are contingent beings. We're dependent beings. Therefore, most certainly we are not eternal. We have a beginning and we are not self-existent. We literally every person sitting here relies on God for your very next breath. We need to understand that. And then last week, Chris preached about God's attribute of mercy. And he brought in Luke 6:36 where it says, be merciful, just as your father is merciful. So see, we as created beings are commanded to show mercy and be merciful, because God has communed mercy to us. That's why we have the capability to show mercy. So it's a communicable attribute of God. Everybody tracking with me. We got our buckets. I like buckets.
So keep these two categories in mind throughout the rest of our series. And in particular this morning as we look at Romans 16:27 where we get our title for the sermon, The Wisdom of God, and which is also our first point. And really, it is the primary point of this entire message. And that is, God is wisdom. So here in 16:27, Paul is closing out his letter to the church in Rome, and he finishes with this proclamation. To the only wise God, through Jesus Christ be the glory forever. Amen. The NASB, the LSB, the ESV all translated that way. The King James says to God only wise. And I personally prefer the new King James here for clarity. It says to God alone, wise...to God alone, wise. See, Paul's making the point that we have to get right out of the gate this morning, and that is this.
That it is God that is only wise. Or my new favorite omni that I learn in a resource the elders did a couple of years ago. God is omni sapient. I had never heard that term. Omni means all or of all things. Sapient is wise wisdom. God is omni-sapient, all wise. And as we'll study this morning, the implications of this truth are astounding. So as we dig into our first point, I want to address something that I believe is an issue for most of us when we think about God. At least it is for me, and especially when we think about those communicable attributes. I believe there's a tendency for us to reduce the truth of exactly who God is. It's because we think of him about in ways that diminish his absolute transcendence of who he truly is. Now, I don't think we do this maliciously. Um, I think we do it mistakenly, due to our puny little minds and our inability to really comprehend our transcendent God. I believe we tend to place the Triune God of all on some continuum of a created order. You know, like we go from a small creature, like a mouse, and then we work it up to a bigger creature, like a dog. And then maybe you get to a bigger creature like a monkey until you get to a human, and then we get to God. Does that make sense? It's like we put him on this continuum, and it's because our finite minds are trying to comprehend an infinite God, a transcendent triune God. And in my opinion, this puny mind thinking continues, I believe, as we think about the attributes of God. We make the mistake of thinking in this manner. God has goodness. God has love. God has justice. God has mercy. God has grace. God has power. God has knowledge. God has wisdom, etc.. Instead, the truth is God is goodness. God is love. God is justice. God is mercy. God is grace. I'm from the South. Another way of saying it is God cannot not be good. God cannot not be loving. God cannot not be merciful. He cannot not be just. He cannot not be gracious. God is omnipresent...that he is always present everywhere at every time with the fullness of who he is. God is omnipotent. That means he's all powerful. He is able to do anything consistent with his desires as God. God is omniscient. He has all knowledge. That is, he has complete knowledge of all things at all times. And as Adam taught us, another omni you may have never heard of...God is omni-temporal. Now this is mind blowing to think of these all of time is present to him at all times simultaneously. And our topic today God is omni-sapient. God is all wise. That is, he always understands what is best. And you need to get this. It's not that just God has wisdom. God is wisdom. And praise be to God, as we'll see before this message is done. He demonstrates that wisdom and he cannot be unwise. So the first question to me is what is wisdom? I mean, I was just thinking about that. I was preparing for the message you're going to preach on wisdom. You better know what it is. And as I thought about the topic, and I had discussion with people that I felt like a lot more intelligent than me, I found that in my own mind and even those minds of others, there seems to be a conflation or a confusion of knowledge and wisdom...that knowledge and wisdom kind of get lumped together. And so, although they're closely aligned, there is a difference between wisdom and knowledge. Now, when discussing this with my baby brother this past week, not my little brother, my little brother's Matthew, my baby brother's Mark. Now my baby brother is 48 years old, married man with a bunch of kids, but he's still my baby brother. And then being a baby brother, he had the answer...because baby brothers know. He said, absolutely, there's a difference. And he gave me the following example to use and I will use it now with his permission. It is knowledge to know a tomato is a fruit. It is wisdom to know a tomato does not go in a fruit salad. Now though, that is somewhat that is a very somewhat helpful explanation in probably most situations we will encounter. I think we need a tad more depth to our definition this morning when we think about the wisdom of God and the fact that God is all wise. As one theologian succinctly put it, knowledge is the apprehension of a thing, and wisdom is the appointing and ordering of things. I mean, knowledge is knowing, but wisdom is applying the knowledge. Or, as Heath Lambert was so helpful when he writes in that same resource where I learned what omni sapient was. Heath wrote, Omni sapient...all wise, builds on divine omniscience, all knowing. In fact, we would say quite strongly that omniscience would come very near to being worthless if God did not understand what is best. And Scripture proclaims it best in Romans 11, verses 33 through 36, where Paul writes, oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are his judgments and unfathomable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, who became his counselor, or who is first given to him, that it might be paid back to him again? For from him and through him, and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen. In Daniel 2:20 Daniel writes, let the name of God be blessed forever. For wisdom and power belong to him. Job in chapter 12:13 and verse 16 say, with him are wisdom and might. To him belong counsel and understanding. With him are strength and sound wisdom. The misled and the misleader belong to him. Y'all get that everything belongs to him. And as I studied and read about the attribute of wisdom over the last several weeks, so many times it truly caused my mind just to be blown, um, completely overwhelmed. I mean, where things were spinning and tears were flowing and prayers of assent were the only response to really meditate on the omnis of God and beg the Holy Spirit to, as much as possible, give understanding of who God is in relation to us as a created being is an overwhelming thing, and my hope and prayer is that everyone will leave here and do that very thing. Just think about the fact that God is wisdom. He does not need anything or anyone to weigh his options as we do. He doesn't need to go outside of himself for counsel. He doesn't need to search for wisdom. He doesn't need to understand. We need to get wisdom. He is wisdom. He is only wise. He's solely and fully possesses all wisdom. Or as 1 Timothy 1:17 exclaims, now under the King, eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory, forever and ever. Amen. Tozer, in his book Knowledge of the Holy. We did this as a life group a few years ago, and it was such a blessing to me that somebody in the group said, hey, let's just do this resource. And man, it was impactful. He writes this and this is very helpful. The idea of God as infinitely wise is at the root of all truth. It is the datum. The word datum means basis. I told y'all I gotta look stuff up. It is the datum, the basis of belief necessary to the soundness of all other beliefs about God. Wisdom, among other things, is the ability to devise perfect ends and to achieve those ends by the most perfect means. It sees the end from the beginning, so there could be no need to guess or conjecture. Wisdom sees everything in focus, each in proper relation to all, and is thus able to work forward predestined goals with flawless precision. See, God's decisions about what he does are always wise decisions. That is, they always will bring about the best results from God's ultimate perspective, and they will bring about those results through the best possible means. And I believe it's fair to say that in the midst of life's trials, because life is hard. But for those of us in Christ, it is a truth that gives us hope because he is a good and wise and loving Father. Isaiah 40:14 says, with whom did he consult, and who gave him understanding, and who taught him in the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and informed him in the way of understanding. And as I already pointed out, the answer is no one. No one has given him understanding. And lastly, on this point, because God is all wise and because he knows the best means to get to the best ends for his glory. And since the Psalmist says in 21:30, there is no wisdom nor understanding apart from the Lord or against the Lord. We can rest assured in Psalm 33:11 that states, the counsel of the Lord stands forever. God is immutable, therefore his counsel is immutable, meaning he does not change, nor does his counsel change. It stands forever. And it is within the counsel of his own will that the first recorded display of God's wisdom is given to us in Genesis 1:1. It's his creation. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. God's wisdom first was displayed to us in creation. Proverbs 3:19 says, the Lord by wisdom founded the earth. By understanding he established the heavens. Jeremiah 10:12, it is he who made the earth by his power, who established the world by his wisdom and by his understanding, he has stretched out the heavens. The earth is the Lord's and everything in it, Psalm 24:1 says. Think about the wisdom of God as displayed in creation. I mean, creation is truly incredible. Stephen Charnock, who lived back in the 1600s, wrote this, and I love it. If God had made all the stars suns. Think about that. It would have been a demonstration of his power, but perhaps less of his wisdom. As God is wisdom, he is the only fount of true wisdom. All created beings, as angels and mankind, have what wisdom we have from him. And there's a natural order to creation that gives glory to God in His wisdom as it's displayed. This is the reason why Satan, who is the father of lies, John 8:44 and his world system are in a full out war to lie about creation. They want to lie about created order. They want to lie about mankind. He wants to lie about God is Creator, an attempt to steal God's glory, the glory that's due the maker, and to take as many souls to hell with him as possible. Just think of the lies and philosophies that have infiltrated not just our society and educational institutions, but even so-called churches that have been led to apostatize and deny God's wisdom as shown in creation. You've got deconstruction going on. That's the big thing nowadays. This philosophy is from the pit of hell, because the first deconstruction occurred in Genesis three, when the devil came up and talked to Adams woman, Eve, and said, indeed has God said... Let's deconstruct the truth that God gave. Let's build it back up the way we think it should be built up. What about critical theory and Marxism and racism that propagates the lie that there are many races and seeks to establish an oppressor and an oppressed and pit them against each other, when in fact there's one race, the human race with many ethnicities, but all having the same lineage. We're all sons and daughters of Adam and Eve, and because of the flood were all sons and daughters of Noah and his wife. That's why when I fill out paperwork for the doctor and they say race, I write human. Now, if you want to ask me what ethnicity I am, well, I guess I'm a Anglo-Saxon dude from Ireland and Scotland. But I'm. I'm human. That's the race I am. See, it's the diversity in our ethnicities that brings God glory for his creation. When you look around and see people that are different, that gives God glory, it's an expression of his creativity. Darwinism, the theory of evolution, big bang theory that we all came from some cosmic accident and evolved from...into a tadpole that eventually walked out of the water and evolved into a monkey that became a man. Now, this is just my mind. I'm always like, well, why ain't there no monkeys walking out the jungle now saying, hey, Bill, how you doing? Right? I mean, it's ludicrous, but it's infiltrated and is it is caused lies to be propagated against the creator and the creation. And because of the degradation of biblical moral absolutes related to creation and creation order and nature itself, coupled with the propagation of moral relativism that, you know, whatever's right to you, right to you when it's right for me is right for me. And the self-esteem movement of the 60s and 70s that have infiltrated the society and the church. We now have LGBTQIA+ religion ravaging our youth. According to Gallup's 2024 research, 23.1% of Gen Z. That's 97 to 2006 now claim to be in this category. Well, you know, it's a philosophy and a religion that's impacting because if you go to millennials, it's 14% and Gen X is at 5%. Baby boomers is 3%, and the silent generation is only 1.8%. They didn't hear those lies propagated that we hear today. We've even got something called furries. We have people walking around thinking that they're an animal. I mean, you laugh, but it's the truth. That's a lie against God's created order. These are all lies from the spirit of age against God first and foremost, and against God's order in creation. Because Genesis 1:26 and 27 says this, God said, let us make man in our image according to our likeness. The 'imago dei', God, created man in his own image, in the image of God, he created him, male and female, he created them. Those things are lies against God's created order and against God's own image that he's given to us as image bearers. That's why it's a serious situation. You see the Creator God all around us in the moon and the stars and oceans and tides and times and seasons. That's why I love the beach. I have to tell you, I hate. I hate being hot. Even this morning I went over and checked the air. I'm like, man alive. It feels hot in here. It's just me. And I don't like sand being all stuck to me. That's just miserable. But you know what I love? I love the sunrise. I love looking out at the ocean. I love listening to the waves. I love watching the birds. I love looking into the heavens and being overwhelmed by the greatness of God in creation. Um, we got to go to the beach this, uh, this year, and I love getting up early. I love drinking coffee, and I love praying. Psalm 19:1 says, the heavens are telling of the glory of God, and their expanse is declaring the work of his hands. You see that picture? That's like at 6:10 a.m., the sun's just coming up. We see the wisdom of God, the Creator in life itself. I'm always amazed to think of the fact that a baby gets their nutrition for months and months by nursing from the mother. It's just incredible. And even in God's created order the first several days, it's colostrum, it's antibodies. It's all those things that baby needs to be healthy and this can just go on for months and months. Mama eats, baby gets to eat. Um, and what about this one? This is one of my wife's favorites...the woodpecker. According to the Audubon Society, the design of the head allows for the woodpecker to withstand up to 1500 g-force units. For perspective, a typical roller coaster causes us to experience five G force units. 99.7% of the energy from the woodpecker pecking is transferred to the body. So why doesn't he knock himself out or herself out? And the tongue goes in and it wraps around the brain. It's just incredible. And we could go on and on of the evidence of God's wisdom shown in creation. This is why Romans 1:20 so clearly states, for since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes, his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen being understood through what has been made, so that they...humans, are without excuse. The evidence is all around us that an all wise God is the creator God, and his creation is the first example of God's wisdom being on display. The crown jewel of God's wisdom culminates in the person and work of His Son, Jesus Christ, and his redeeming work on the cross. God's mystery revealed to us the good news of salvation. See, God's wisdom culminates in the redemption. Galatians 4:4-5 tell us, but when the fullness of time came, God sent forth his son, born of a woman, born under the law, so that he might redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Ephesians 3:8-11, Paul writes to me, the very least of all saints. This grace was given to preach to the Gentiles. That's us. The unfathomable riches of Christ and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things, so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which he carried out. That's God carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord. 1 Corinthians 2:6-8, I told you scripture says it better than I can. So we're going to read the Bible. Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature. A wisdom, however, not of this age, nor of the rulers of this age who are passing away. But we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory. The wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood. Christ is the power and the wisdom of God. 1 Corinthians 1:24 and verse 30 say, but to those who are called both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Christ is literally the power of God and the wisdom of God. But by his doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God. And we see plainly in Colossians 2:2-3 that the mystery of God, which the prophets of old wrote about is Christ, where Paul writes that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all wealth that comes from the assurance of understanding resulting in a true knowledge of God's mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Which brings us full circle back to our focal verse. Romans 16:27. To the only wise God through Jesus Christ, to him be glory forever. Stephen Charnock again here was helpful to me when he wrote this. But we must not understand it as if God were wise by Jesus Christ. You catching that? We must not understand it if God were wise by Jesus Christ. But thanks is to be given to God through Jesus Christ, because in and by Christ, God has revealed wisdom to the world. Amen? Yes, we praise him for that. And there is nothing more any man could say about this greater than what Scripture says in Ephesians 1:3-14. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to himself according to the kind intention of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, which he freely bestowed on us in the beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace which he lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his kind intention, which he purposed in him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times. That is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens, and things on the earth. In him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to his purpose, who works all things after the counsel of his will. To the end that we who were first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of his glory. In Him you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, having also believed. Get this. You were sealed in him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of his glory. Amen.
I hope I've established the fact that only God is only wise, and that God has displayed his wisdom in creation, with the culmination of his wisdom being revealed in redemption through the work of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
And for our last point, we need to examine the questions around 'communicability'. I think I made that word up. I'm going to be honest with you...'communicability'. I like it. Sounds good. You like it? Communicability. You feel free to use it. Um. That as his creatures made in his image we can receive wisdom, have wisdom, and walk in wisdom. So first let me address how do we know that wisdom is a communicable attribute? Well, I'll tell you how. This little tune says because the Bible tells me so. That's how you know. Proverbs 2:6 says, for the Lord gives wisdom. From his mouth come knowledge and discernment. Proverbs 8:17, wisdom says, I love those who love me, and those who diligently seek me will find me. James 1:5 so clearly tells us, but if any of you lacks wisdom, if any...how many in here lack wisdom? Raise your hand...by a show of hands. Matthew, you need to get your hand up. Thank you. I work with him. I know he needs some wisdom, as do I. If any of you lacks wisdom, every hand went up. Let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. We just need to ask God, and he'll give it to us generously and without reproach. But my question for you and for me, as I was thinking, is how many of us who profess Christ as Lord are guilty of failing to petition the throne of grace with boldness, even asking for an ounce of wisdom? We go into our days as if we've got it under control, and we don't need any of God's wisdom, and we think we have all the wisdom we need, don't we? Well, how do we get wisdom? We've seen it is communicable. How do we get it?
Well, I'm here to tell you wisdom has a starting point, and it has a nice, some nice measuring sticks related to our attitude and our actions. So the starting point is this. The fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord is the starting point for getting wisdom. Now, what does that mean? Well, the basic root word for fear in Hebrew has three different meanings. It means to be in dread or terror. Okay. It means to stand in awe. And it means to revere and to respect. See, Proverbs 1:7 says, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 9:10 says, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Proverbs 15:33 says, the fear of the Lord is the instruction for wisdom, and before honor comes humility. See, that's our starting point. Because when we fear the Lord, we are in a reverential awe and wonder of the Lord. It creates a healthy tension in us of both shrinking back in fear and drawing close in awe and adoration. Uh, my favorite verse to look at these meanings all together is Exodus 20:20. Now set the stage...so God has come down to the mountain. Moses has gone up to the mountain to get the Ten Commandments. That's where we're at. And the people are coming. They're down at the bottom of the mountain. The mountain is shaking. There is smoke. There are horns blowing. There is fire. There is thunder. There is. There is everything you would expect to be scared to death. And the people are like Moses. We don't. We don't want to see God or talk to God. You come tell us. And Moses comes down and says this to the people. He says, Exodus 20:20, Moses said to the people, do not be afraid, dread or terror, for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear, awe reverence and respect of him may remain with you. Why? So that you may not sin, so that you may not sin. John MacArthur is very helpful in his study Bible, where he writes this. The fear of the Lord is a state of mind in which one's own attitudes, will, feelings, deeds and goals are exchanged for Gods. You get that? The fear of the Lord, the fear of the Lord is a state of mind in which one's own attitudes, will, feelings, deeds and goals are exchanged for Gods. When I read that, I'm saying, well, in other words, repentance. The word repentance, metanoia is a change of mind. To be in agreement with God about your sin, to forsake sin. That's what it's talking about. The fear of the Lord is required for that. So my question is, do you have...do I have a reverential respect and awe and fear of a holy, triune God? See, the fear of the Lord is how we have the attitude of humility. You need to understand humility is required to get wisdom and godly wisdom results in more humility. Because a wise man or woman walking in humility realizes the truth of Proverbs 9:10. That is the fear of the Lord. That's the beginning of understanding. Get it?...that reverential awe and respect and a healthy fear of a holy God is what causes us to die to ourselves and come to him in humility. That true wisdom, godly wisdom, is only found in God through Christ by the Holy Spirit, who is our helper, our teacher, and our counselor.
Thirdly, how do you know if you're walking in wisdom? Well, I think you can look at two areas in your life. I think you can look at your attitude, and I think you can look at your actions, your attitude and your actions. You want some little check off and you know, the Bible says, test yourself. See, we have the faith. Here we go. Proverbs 3:7 says, do not be wise in your own eyes....attitude. Fear the Lord and turn away from evil...action. Proverbs 11:2 says, when pride comes then comes dishonor. But with the humble is wisdom...attitude. Let's get practical as it relates to action. Where do we go for wisdom? The first place we go is the Bible. We have the revealed Word of God given to us. And Proverbs is full of wisdom....the entire book. It was written and given for wisdom. Proverbs 1:2-5, Solomon says, here's why it's written...to know wisdom and instruction, to discern the sayings of understanding, to receive instruction and wise behavior, righteousness, justice, and equity. To give prudence to the naive. To the youth knowledge and discretion. A wise man will hear and increase in learning, and a man of understanding will acquire sound wisdom or wise counsel. I just would submit and some of you have heard of this....decades ago heard the proverb of the day. There's 31 chapters in the book of Proverbs. 31 days in a lot of the months just read whatever date it is, read that proverb. And don't worry if you miss some dates, just pick it up at the next date. They're standalone chapters and just keep doing it year after year after year after year, month after month, week after week, day after day. I promise you it will bless you. Secondly, Proverbs clearly establishes as it right there will acquire wise counsel. Proverbs clearly established that wisdom is found in a multitude of counselors. So get wise counsel from wise, godly people. Proverbs 13:6-10 says through insolence, I looked it up....that's rude and disrespectful behavior, comes nothing but strife. But wisdom is with those who receive counsel. Proverbs 18:1-2 speak to wrong attitude and actions. 18:1-2 say this,, he who separates himself seeks his own desire. He quarrels against all sound wisdom, and a fool does not delight in understanding, but in only revealing his own mind. You speak to somebody that don't want to listen what you have to say. They want to tell you what they think about everything. Proverbs 12:1 which I have to say and he's given me permission in the past. This was my baby Owen. This is like his life verse for years. Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge. But he who hates reproof is stupid. I had to take him to the scriptures to show him how he was living, why he was making these decisions, why I had to keep spanking him. The antonym to wisdom. When you look it up is stupidity or folly. So whoever loves discipline loves knowledge. But he who hates reproof is stupid. They're the opposite of wise. Proverbs 12:15 says, the way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel. In Proverbs 18:12, before destruction, the heart of man is haughty, but humility goes before honor. Are you seeing a theme here? The attitude of humility versus an attitude of pride. It's always interesting to me to see this take place in a counseling setting. Over the years, Kelly and I have counseled people in the midst of a lot of conflict, a lot of issues. And then yet when we counsel from the Bible and wisdom is given from the Bible, they want to argue or disagree as if we're the ones sitting where they're sitting and they're sitting where we're sitting. They want to pretend they're walking in wisdom. And it's really a display of some, some attitude and action issues that I've been referring to. And it's shown so clearly in James. James 3:13-18, who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. There you've got action and you've got attitude. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exists, there is disorder and every evil thing. But the wisdom from above is first pure. It's peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering and without hypocrisy. And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. It's real easy in a counseling session to see where somebody stands. Is it, uh, good behavior and gentleness of wisdom or selfish ambition and bitter jealousy and all these things that it talks about, these disorders. You see, the possession of knowledge without wisdom simply leads to an arrogant and unrepentant heart. 1 Corinthians 8:1 says, knowledge makes arrogant. And here's where I like the old King Jimmy. Knowledge puffeth up. I like that word puffeth. That's exciting to me to say that. See, there's a way that seems right to a man. But therein lies death. Because those that reject Christ reject his wisdom and are fools, though they themselves don't even see it. 1 Corinthians 1:18 and then 22 through 24 and 30 and 31 say this, for the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. For indeed Jews ask for signs in Greek search for wisdom. But we preach Christ crucified to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness. But to those who are called both Jews and Greeks. Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God. But by his doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. So that just as it is written, let him who boasts, boast in the Lord. Not in yourself. Self, self, self is the fruit of pride. And self, self, self is the main fruit and root we see when we counsel.
In closing, here's some takeaways. God is wisdom and God has revealed his wisdom to all mankind in creation. Therefore, no man or woman is without excuse. And that God has revealed himself in the person and work of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of God's nature, and who upholds all things by the word of his power, Hebrews 1:3. And because of this act of wisdom, the mystery of ages past is revealed. The veil was torn in two. And salvation is available to all who will call on the name of the Lord, and you will be saved. And lastly, God makes his wisdom available to those of us who are in Christ. So the question for all of us this morning is, what will you do with this information? Here's what I've been mulling through. What am I going to do with this information? So for your consideration, I'll leave you with this.
See, because wisdom has a call. Wisdom has a warning, and unbelief has consequences. Proverbs one...here's your call. Wisdom shouts in the street. She lifts her voice in the square at the head of the noisy streets. She cries out. At the entrance of the gates in the city she utters her sayings. How long, oh, naive ones will you love being simple minded and scoffers delight themselves in scoffing and fools hate knowledge. Turn to my reproof. There's your call. Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you. And I will make my words known to you. That's the call.
Now here's the warning and the consequences. And these next two sections to me are some of the scariest in Scripture. Continuing in Proverbs one, because I called and you refused. I stretched out my hand and no one paid attention, and you neglected all my counsel and did not want my reproof. I will also laugh at your calamity. I will mock when your dread comes. When your dread comes like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind. When distress and anguish come upon you then they will call on me, but I will not answer. Then they will seek me diligently, but they will not find me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord. They would not accept my counsel. They spurned all my reproof. So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way, and be satiated with their own devices. For the waywardness of the naive will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them. Romans 1:18 through 32. It's a long, for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them. For God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. We've talked about that. For even though they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks. But they came became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man, and of birds, and forfeited animals and crawling creatures. Therefore God gave them over in the lust of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason, God gave them over to degrading passions, for their women, exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural. In the same way also, men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another. Men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error, and just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind to do those things which are not proper, being filled with unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful. And although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death. They not only do the same, but they give hearty approval to those who practice them. We see it in our world all the time. Hearty approval to all these wicked things that we just read out where God has said. I will give them over to that. There's your call. There's your warning and there's your consequence. And what a fearful place to be.
But the good news of the gospel this morning is you don't have to be in that place. For anyone here with an unrepentant heart, whether it be the unconverted heart of an unbeliever or the hardened heart of a believer. Wisdom calls out. The Holy Spirit, calls out through the preaching of the word this morning, for you to apply wisdom, to have a reverential fear of the Lord, to humble yourself and repent so that you can have peace with God through his redemptive work. The work of Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Let me pray. Father, we thank you for your Word. We thank you for your truths. We thank you, Lord, for the wisdom that you give to us. And Lord, I pray that every one of us would leave here this morning in awe of the fact that you are wisdom. Lord, as much as our puny brains can't even comprehend that truth to the degree that it is true. Lord, I pray that you would give us discernment. Lord, I pray that we would leave here and know you more. Lord, I pray for every person here that does not know you. Lord, as your wisdom calls for your redemptive work on the cross, Lord Jesus, that you would save their souls for your glory. Lord, I pray for those sitting here that belong to you, Lord, that over time leaven has entered and they have hardened their heart, and they have turned, and they have quenched your spirit, Lord, so often...that this message would prick their heart and would cause them to repent, to confess, to forsake, and come back to a loving Father. All this I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
The Mercy of God Chris Peterson Download Pulpit Curriculum PDF Pulpit Curriculum DOCX * View transcript The Mercy of God
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Good morning. It's a pleasure to be here this morning and bring God's Word to you. My name is Chris Peterson, and I have the privilege of serving as one of the elders here. And when I preached a year ago, you may remember, the first thing I did was mention that I was wearing my kids, my boys clothes. Well. Hasn't changed. I'm still wearing the three of them different articles. But I also mentioned that I had eight children, and I had almost three grandchildren. That was a year ago. So Ruby Rose is close to a year old now. And now something's changed. I get to say I have almost four grandchildren. So my coat...not mine, but the coat and the tie are from my son Judah in honor of him and Jaden giving us our fourth grandchild. So. I can't see Jaden, but I'm sure she's turning red. Right? There she is. Yeah, yeah. Um, Jude is just cool as a cucumber, so I'm not worried about him. But just, you know, just hearing the song, His Mercy is More. And just praying and meditating on God's word regarding mercy, it really just reminds me how unworthy I am to stand up here and preach his Word. But it also reminds me that I know something about his mercy, because I have been a recipient of his mercy time and time again. Um, from the day that he saved me out of darkness, uh, and continues. So I have the privilege of preaching on the attribute of mercy, this morning. You know, Adam mentioned last week that we're preaching on the attributes of God this summer. Uh, and so, um, having the privilege of preaching on mercy, we'll be using Ephesians 2:4-7. But if you go back to the first three verses of Ephesians two, uh, they illustrate the depth of depravity and sin to which we were all a part of, as well as the lifeless state and wrath that we deserved. It speaks of indulging the desires of the flesh, the mind, and that we were by nature children of wrath. These three verses paint the bleakest picture of our true condition apart from Christ, making the word 'rich' that we'll see here in verse four where we'll pick up, um, point to God's merciful ability to make even the most vilest sinner clean. And if we even go to the beginning of Ephesians in chapter one, Paul says, according to the riches of his grace which he lavished upon us. I love that word lavish because it's just the it's even hard to to put into words, but it's just a, a ridiculous amount of, of his grace being lavished upon us. Um, and no one is beyond the reach of his mercy. So if you'll please turn in your Bibles to Ephesians two and follow as I read verses four through seven.
"But God, being rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us. Even when we were dead in our transgressions, he made us alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved and raised us up with him, and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the surpassing riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus."
Pray with me. Father, thank you for everyone here this morning. And Lord, I pray that you would open all of our hearts to hear the truth of Your Word. Help us to see you as the merciful, gracious, compassionate God that you are. Thank you, Lord, for your mercy and love for us, your adopted children. In Christ's name, Amen.
So the main idea we have here this morning is that God's mercy flows from his great love for sinners...that's you and me, resulting in salvation. I'll say that again. God's mercy flows from his great love for sinners, resulting in our salvation. A good definition of mercy from one Bible dictionary is God's compassion to the miserable, or set in a different way. God's mercy targets man's sinful misery. I knew someone who was addicted to alcohol and following a horrible tragedy in their life, a desire to drink themselves even to the point of death. But God. But God, as it says in our passage today, who is rich in mercy targeted his misery and had multiple believers witness to him, begging him on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God. Well, Christ saved this person who was indeed dead in their transgressions and almost physically dead. Today, that person is growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ and is walking in the truth. That's a picture of our text today. As in our definition above, God's mercy targets man's sinful misery. Well, as we saw last week, God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So we should expect to see the story of his mercy in the same Biblical past, our present salvation, and God's future grace.
So the first point this morning, in light of the Biblical past tense, is that God's mercy is a rich mark of his love throughout Biblical history. So in verse four, the first part of verse four, it says again, but God being rich in mercy. Sinclair Ferguson says the phrase, But God, is reminiscent of the turning points of the personal or corporate laments in the Psalms. Psalm 41 is an example. David is surrounded by the malice of enemies and experiences the betrayal of a close friend. And as he focuses on his situation, the outlook is bleak and he can see no way out. Then he looks up to the throne of heaven. By faith, he sees God Himself seated on it and cries out, but you, O Lord! He began to realize that if God is for him, nothing ultimately can be against him. And that's Psalm 41. So now we'll look at three examples in the Old Testament when God's mercy is revealed in his actions, providing proof of the richness of that mercy. In each example, there was misery on the part of man, and God intervened and poured out his mercy. The first example is God and Moses. And in Exodus 34:6 we read that, and the Lord passed by before him and proclaimed the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long suffering and obedient in goodness and truth. Here we see God's boundless mercy, patience, and faithfulness, as well as the fact that he is not simply lenient, but actively shows favor and forgiveness, even to those who have greatly offended him. The word compassion in the NASB and mercy in the ESV are the same word in Hebrew. The first attribute mentioned by God in this encounter is his mercy, aimed at those miserable Israelites in the wilderness after pursuing false idol worship of the Golden Calf. It also came after much grumbling and complaining by them giving further proof of their misery. So, continuing to work from our definition of mercy above, God's mercy targets man's sinful misery. I want you to think of a command missile guidance system which relies on external commands to steer the missile. Upon receiving the command, the missile's guidance system becomes active. The system, acting as the missile's brains, utilizes various technologies to determine the missile's current location and trajectory relative to the target's position. God's mercy is the missile. And your sinful misery is the target. It will find its mark. One commentator writes. At an earlier period, God has announced himself to Moses in the glory of his self-existent and eternal majesty as I am. Now, he makes himself known as the glory of his grace and goodness. Being about to republish his law, the sin of the Israelites being forgiven, and the deed of pardon about to be signed and sealed by reviewing the terms of the former covenant. It was the most fitting time to proclaim the extent of the Divine Mercy, which was to be displayed not in the case of Israel only, but of all who offend. Our second Old Testament example of God's mercy is God and David. And in Samuel 24, we read, so the prophet Gad came to David and told him, shall seven years of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee three months before your foes while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days pestilence in your land? Now consider and see what answer I shall return to him who sent me. Then David said to Gad, I am in great distress. Let us now fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercies are great. Do not let me fall into the hand of man. So when David acted in pride to number the people at the beginning of chapter 24, he knew he was wrong, because in verse ten he says, it says. Now David's heart troubled him after he had numbered the people. So David said to the Lord, I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O Lord, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have acted very foolishly. Numbering the people was not inherently sinful. Moses had done it under God's command. However, David acted without God's command or his divine sanction. And so David was motivated by pride, vanity, self-confidence, and distrust of God. Being incited by the Lord's anger against Israel. But David knew that God was far more merciful than his enemies. So he chose to fall into the hand of the Lord rather than man. In Psalm 86:15 he says, but you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in loving kindness and truth. It's hard not to mention Psalm 51 when talking of David and his sinful misery. After sinning with Bathsheba and being confronted by Nathan, David writes, be gracious to me, O God, according to your loving kindness. According to the greatness of your compassion, blot out my transgressions. Remember that we said, compassion and mercy are the same word in Hebrew. He goes on to write. For I know my transgressions. And they are always before me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of your salvation. While he is in such misery that he can't go anywhere without it being before him. What a great picture of misery! Our last example of proof is found in Jonah 4:2. When my oldest daughter, Savannah, was about 4 or 5, she asked us every day to read Jonah to her. We didn't get very far, but we started, you know, and went a little ways, but it was every single day. And, it will be forever... that's one verse that I don't have to read because it's burned in my brain. And it says the word of the Lord came to toJonah, son of...well, I do have to read it, I guess. The word of the Lord. It's been a few years. She's 28 so the word of the Lord came to Jonah, the son of Amittai, saying, arise, go to Nineveh, the great city, and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before me. I mentioned it for two reasons. The first one is because it is stuck in my head, and the second is because Jonah is disobedient and goes in the opposite direction. We all know that the Lord sent his missile of mercy and delivered him from the inside of the belly of a giant fish. So as we look at God and Jonah, we go to Jonah 4:2 where he says he prayed to the Lord and said, please, Lord, was not this what I said while I was still in my own country? Therefore, in order to forestall this, I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in loving kindness, and one who relents concerning calamity. Jonah clearly knew and understood the gracious character of God. He had personally received mercy, as mentioned above, but he didn't want Nineveh to know that same mercy. Can you think of a time when you have received mercy in your sin, but when it happens to others, it bothers you? It also makes me think of the prodigal son in Luke 15, where the younger son received mercy from the father, but the older son was angry and bitter about it, and jealous even. But as we mentioned earlier, compassion and mercy are closely intertwined. In the Old Testament, mercy is often displayed as an expression of God's compassionate nature. It was manifested in the areas of leniency, forgiveness, and grace, even when the people and nations were disobedient. As we have observed in our three examples.
So the second point this morning is in light of the present tense of our salvation journey. God's mercy...point number two is God's mercy is representative of his ongoing love to sinners in the gospel. We see that in verses four through six...because of his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved and raised us up with him, and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Amen. Amen. Vickie. Thank you. John Bunyan says Jesus Christ would have mercy offered to the biggest sinners, because by their forgiveness and salvation, others hearing of it will be encouraged the more to come to him for mercy. Well Paul describes how our present salvation is proof of God's ongoing, merciful love, and that he still targets our misery caused by our own sinfulness. The best way for me to illustrate this is to share how God saved a miserable, wretched sinner like me. Romans 3:23 says, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. That includes you, and that includes me. Well, I grew up in a Christian home where my parents had us in church every Sunday. It really felt like they made us go. I don't remember ever being asked if I wanted to go. I was just there. So the way I see it is, we were made to go. When I was seven, I went down front at the end of the service because my older brother did. I didn't know why he was going. I just knew that I didn't want to be left there sitting by myself. My brother was three years older than me, and I idolized him, and I did pretty much whatever he did. So, it turns out that I was going down for an altar call. And so I did, and I went through the motions, and I was baptized shortly after that. But there was no spiritual fruit in my life. I attended that church until I graduated from high school and didn't step back into a church until I got married at 26. It was that same church, by the way. But a few years had passed, and I continued to live a worldly lifestyle by pursuing my own desires and had no desire for the things of the Lord. But after several years of marriage, my wife turned to the Lord, and I began to see a change in her. She had a joy and a peace that I hadn't seen in her, and I certainly didn't have myself. She started attending a Bible study that some of her friends were attending. And she asked me if I would go with her. Well, I didn't have any intention or desire to change my lifestyle. And that's really the first thing that popped into my mind. I didn't say it, but I had no intention of changing. I was going to go and I would support her in this new thing that she was in. That was my attitude. Well, I had always thought Bible studies were for weird Christians, not normal ones like me. And one thing I left out was during this whole time I thought I was a Christian. My dad even told me, well, you went down at seven, you got baptized. You're a Christian. And as I begin to understand what it really meant to be a Christian, I knew that that wasn't true. I had the head knowledge and believed in God, but I had no idea that I needed to repent and turn to him and confess him as Savior and Lord. So I went, and I not only heard the truth about Christ, but I saw it in the lives of the couple that were leading the Bible study. Many of you know them. It was Phil and Martha Mullins who were one of the couples that started this church. And they showed us love and grace and kindness and tenderness. Even though we were, we were stupid. I mean, we were ignorant, but they were gentle with us. And I began to see what a true believer looked like and acted like. And Christ's love and truth that I heard from them began to penetrate my heart. I turned to Christ in repentance and faith. And even when I was dead in my transgressions, he made me alive together with Christ. By grace I was saved. I know I didn't deserve his forgiveness, but I also knew and know now that I have been crucified with Christ. And it is no longer I who live, but Christ 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. His great mercy for me flowed from his great love, which resulted in my salvation. I was 30 years old when I came to Christ, but shortly after that I remember. I mean, it was just like a few weeks later. I remember driving home from work one day, and I decided to stop by the store and buy a six pack, and I had actually done this for many years. So it was it was really more out of habit than anything else. I remember thinking...so it did not have the same appeal, but really it was more out of habit. That's why I stopped. But it didn't have the same appeal. And I remember thinking why that was. And a verse came to mind and I was a new believer. So I had like zero verses memorized and I didn't even ever remember committing this verse to memory. But the verse was 1 Corinthians 5:17. And it said, therefore, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things passed away, and behold, new things have come. And then it made sense. That was an aha moment for me, because it made it clear to me why I no longer had the same desire. I wasn't the same person. I was a new creation. So to the unbeliever here this morning, the one who has never trusted in Christ for their salvation. Are you tired of living in misery?...No hope, no light at the end of the tunnel, lonely? But God demonstrates his own love for us in this. That while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. God has proven that his mercy is rich. As we saw in the Old Testament that he sent His Son to die on your behalf even when you didn't or don't now, at this moment, deserve it, because you are dead in your transgressions. Recalling who I was before Christ is hard, because I was in opposition to our Lord Jesus Christ, and now know that he relentlessly pursued me and missile locked in on my own misery. He bled and died the most horrific death. Why did he do that? And why for me? Because of his great love, as it says here in Ephesians. Because of his great love with which he loved us. That's why. And this is the result in Isaiah 1:18 it says, come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool. What a beautiful picture of us being dead and then being alive, being dirty and being clean by his blood. Turn to Christ today by repenting of your sins and believing on his name. Romans 10:9-10 says, if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. Well, have you ever heard someone say, if he saved me, he can save you? Listen to what Paul says in first Timothy. He says it is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. Yet for this reason, I found mercy so that in me, as the foremost Jesus Christ might demonstrate his perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in him for eternal life. In essence, that's what Paul is saying here, and that's what I'm saying to you. I was the chief of sinners. Yet for this reason I found mercy. No matter how bad or lost you think you are...His mercy is greater. Remember the example at the beginning that I gave of a person who was almost physically dead? Well, God's mercy saved him when many people thought that person was beyond saving. They underestimated God's mercy. And so if you think you are beyond saving, God's mercy is still presently saving people today. And that person would tell you the same thing. They would tell you that you are not beyond saving because that person is walking with Christ today. And also, God's mercies are still new each day. Lamentations 3:22-23 say the Lord's loving kindnesses indeed never cease, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness. Here we see the present tense, even though this was written in the Old Testament. His mercies are new for you every morning. His compassions for you never fail. Charles Spurgeon said, God loved us even when we were dead in sins. His love does not depend on what we are. It flows from his own heart. It is not love of something good in us. It is love of us because of everything good in him. Here you see the greatness of his grace in that he loved us even when we were dead in sins. He loved me even when I was dead in my sins. His mercy is present. And if you are not in Christ this morning, know that his mercy is even now, at this moment, even under the sound of my voice, his mercy is targeting your misery.
So the last point today is, in light of God's future grace toward us is that God's mercy is redemptive work of his gracious love for all eternity to praise. We see that in verse seven, so that in the ages to come he might show the surpassing riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. God's grace is not just a present day blessing, but will continue to be revealed in ages to come. Here we see the exceeding riches of God's grace, demonstrating the greatness of God's love and kindness toward humanity through Jesus Christ. Romans 2:4 says, or do you think lightly of the riches of his kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance. Our hope points to our future as believers, where we will be praising God's glorious grace for all eternity. 1 Timothy 1:17 says, now to the King, eternal, immortal, invisible, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. That's what we'll be saying in our in our praises to him. Last week, my family had the privilege of going to the beach. I mention this because standing on the beach or looking out from our balcony or deck, or some people call it a crow's nest. It is difficult to see where the ocean ends and the sky meets. It's always amazed me. This makes me think of our future in light of eternity and also the one who created it all...the King, Eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God. So now we've looked at God's mercy as a rich mark of his love in light of the past. And we've looked at his mercy as representative of his ongoing love to sinners in the gospel, in the present, and ending with his mercy as the redemptive work of his gracious love for all eternity to praise in the future. So now, how can we receive more of God's mercy. For the unbeliever there is only one way. You cry out for it. Two men went into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself. God, I thank you that I am not like other people...Swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week. I pay tithes, tithes of all that I get. But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven. But beating his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me, the sinner. Cry out to him and pray as the tax collector did. God be merciful to me, the sinner. Who can receive mercy? The humble man who cries out to God for his mercy. Who is it hard for to receive mercy or who can't receive mercy? The self-righteous man who focuses on one's own merits rather than seeking God's mercy. Hear the words of the prophet Micah, Who is God like you, who pardons iniquity and passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of his possession. He does not retain his anger forever because he delights in unchanging love. He will again have compassion on us. He will tread our iniquities under foot. Again, I will say to the unbeliever, there is only one way to receive God's mercy. You must cry out for it.
For the believer here today. How can we receive more of God's mercy? Well, I'll give you three ways. The first one is that we can seek more of it. Matthew 5:7 says, blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. How are you showing mercy to others? One way to seek more is to extend more, which in essence is what Matthew 5:7 is saying. Remember, mercy is given when it is undeserved. So it is not easy for us. And I sayus who tend towards pride and self righteousness...show compassion, forgiveness even when it is undeserved, and kindness to those who are in misery. Just as you have received mercy yourself from God. The second way is that we can praise God for it. 1 Peter 2:9-10 says, but you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. For you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God. You had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. When was the last time you praised God for his great mercy to you in salvation, and proclaimed his excellencies to others? He is worthy of all of our praise. And 1 Peter 1 says so that the proof of your faith being more precious than gold, which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in the praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. So the third way that we can receive more of God's mercy is that we can show it to others. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. John MacArthur says, "the best illustration of showing mercy is the Lord himself. Jesus Christ was the most merciful human being who ever lived. He reached out to heal the sick, restore the crippled, give sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, and even life to the dead. He found prostitutes, tax collectors, the debauched and the drunken and drew them into a circle of love and forgiveness. When the scribes and Pharisees brought the adulteress to him to see if he would agree to her stoning, he confronted them with their merciless hypocrisy. He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her. When no one stepped forward to condemn her, Jesus said to her, neither do I condemn you. Go your way. From now on, sin no more. In John 8:7-11, we see that Jesus wept with the sorrowing and gave compassion to the lonely. He took little children into his arms and blessed them. He was merciful to everyone. He was mercy incarnate, just as he was love incarnate."
So today we have seen that God's mercy flows from his great love for sinners, resulting in salvation. We did this by looking at God's mercy as a rich mark of his love throughout Biblical history, and as a representative of his ongoing love to sinners in the gospel and finally as a redemptive work of his gracious love for all eternity to praise. So to close, we looked at ways that we can receive more mercy. For the unbeliever, it was to cry out as the tax collector, and for the believer it was to seek more of it, and to praise God for it and show it to others. So I hope that you will leave here this morning with a deeper understanding of God's attribute of mercy, and how he targets our misery for his glory. If you would like to hear more about God's rich mercy, or if you would like to be prayed for, the elders will be available down front after the service. So, in closing, I want to close with words from a hymn written, a long time ago in 1700s by Charles Wesley. And I think it sums up what I was trying to say perfectly. The title of the hymn is Depth of Mercy.
"Depth of mercy can there be mercy still reserved for me? Can my God his wrath forbear? Me, the chief of sinners spare? I have long withstood his grace, long provoked him to his face. Would not hearken to his calls. Grieved him by a thousand falls. I, my master, have denied. I afresh have crucified. Oft profaned his hallowed name. Put him to an open shame. There for me, the Saviour stands, shows his wounds and spreads his hands. God is love. I know I feel. Jesus weeps but loves me still. Now incline to me repent. Let me now my fall lament. Now my foul revolt deplore. Believe and sin no more."
Let's pray. Father, thank you for showing us your mercy by sending us your Son. Lord, who even though he knew no sin, became sin on our behalf, so that we might become your righteousness. Thank you, Lord, for teaching us from your perfect Word this morning. Help us to show mercy to others as you have shown us mercy. Guide us in your truth this week, Lord, by your spirit. Father, we ask that you continue to draw us to yourself. Lord, we are blown away by the fact that you show us mercy...undeserved, unmerited. Lord, and everyone here who has trusted in you for salvation knows that...has experienced that, Lord. But the good news is, Lord, that you have given us victory in Christ. And so may we be encouraged, Lord, by that. Thank you, Lord, for your steadfast love for us. And it is in Christ's matchless name that we pray. Amen.
The Eternality of God Pastor Adam Ashoff Download Pulpit Curriculum PDF Pulpit Curriculum DOCX * View transcript God Is Eternal
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Well, please turn in your Bibles to Psalm 8. It's time to play ball. I love the Psalms. We're not in a series in the Psalms this summer; we're doing a series on the attributes of God. But, in Psalm 8, it's my summer jam. Psalms are songs. Psalm 1 is my favorite. Psalm 103 is my favorite gospel Psalm. Psalm 119 is my favorite Bible Psalm. But Psalm 8 is my summer Psalm. It's a fitting psalm to read, maybe on the East coast if you get up early to watch the sunrise, if you're on the West coast, to watch a sunset or just here in Hickory looking up at the stars. Why, I want to start in Psalm 8 and we'll go a bunch of other places is Psalm 8 is about, as it is couched in praise, pure praise directed to God in verse 1 and verse 9. It's about what we want this summer series on the attributes of God to be, about knowing God and praising God. That is the high point for us as his creation. It's to know him. It's to know who he is. And then in knowing who he is and what he has done to give him the praise and honor and glory due his name, as we just did in the doxology. That's what our lives...at their greatest expression lead up to is to praising God, for he alone is worthy of all praise. And so this summer in this series, we want to look at God in all of his Godness to know him more and to praise him. Our theology will always feed and precede our doxology. Our theology is our study of God, our knowledge of God. Our doxology is our worship and praise to him in theology. What you know about him is what feeds that doxology. Psalm 8 pictures King David, the warrior poet of Israel, strumming his gittith. If it means harp, it could. It might not. And he looks at the heavens above, and he is moved to worship the magnificence of God. His physical eyes looked up at creation, and that prompted his spiritual eyes to cry out in praise. And that's what I pray this series on the attributes of God will do. Looking at a different attribute of God each week this summer for the next ten weeks, maybe, something like that into August. That we as one congregation would marry such rich theology that are in front of us in the scriptures, with wonderful doxology. Not just that we would express each time we would come with one voice to gather and sing to God the praises due his name. But our lives would be doxologies. We would leave as we would go out from here, that our lives would be lives full of praise, not just heads full of knowledge, but that knowledge would make the long distance between the head and the heart. And then from the heart we would live out hands and feet, loving those around us, serving those around us, and pointing back to the great God with whom we know. So let's look at the eternality of God. First attribute we're going to look at this summer and Psalm 8 being our starting point for that.
"O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth who have displayed your splendor above the heavens. From the mouth of infants and nursing babes, you have established strength because of your adversaries to make the enemy and the revengeful cease. When I consider your heavens the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have ordained. What is man that you take thought of him, and the Son of man that you care for him. Yet you have made him a little lower than God, and you crown him with glory and majesty. You make him to rule over the works of your hands. You have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes through the paths of the seas. O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth.”
Father, great are your works. Studied by all who delight in you. So help us we ask to see who you are in all of your glorious works throughout your scriptures today. For us to delight in them. Nothing less than delight...certainly more. We pray there would be duty that would follow from this obedience service to you. But may the starting point be our joy in you. Amen.
So let's start this series thinking about the eternality of God. Start by trying to empty your mind. Think about nothing which some of you have a greater advantage than others in this department. Way ahead of you, pastor...blank slate. Now that you're awake and offended. Just try to have a starting point this morning, as we again venture into the series on the attributes of God, of knowing nothing about God. You hear the word God and nothing comes into your mind except this. That you are thinking, hopefully by this point, maybe just the letters G, O, D are in your mind, but you are thinking and that's the starting point in this endeavor...your mind, your ability to think about anything or anyone, let alone a god, is a first step in the argument for knowing God. What do I mean by that? Well, there's a philosophical argument. It's very deep. It goes back to third grade. You often used it. You would say to someone else, it takes one to know one. Sally runs up to you, says you are a smelly dog. And you said in response, it takes one to know one. It's deep stuff, isn't it? But you can start with that idea. And again, your ability to think right now, use your intelligence rational thought to take out...it takes one to know one and put in...it takes a mind to know a mind. It takes rational thought to even fathom rational thought. He's just sitting there thinking. I am thinking I don't know anything else, I don't have whatever on me to. Well, here we are in 2025 where half of you have on your phones. It's telling you your heartbeat. It's telling you your brainwaves, how much sleep you got. It's telling you everything. Your blood pressure. It's telling you what you should eat for lunch. So I was going to say the only thing you might know about yourself right now is that you're thinking. But some of you who live now are slaves to your things on your wrist to tell you everything about yourself as if you didn't exist for the past 48 years without this. And you were doing fine. But now you need to know how's my oxygen rate? Oh, it says it's dipped. I need to take a deep breath. Thank you. Phone. And then you're selling this to other people. Hey, man, you really need to know your oxygen rate, because Adam's going to get long winded and you need to breathe. Takes a mind to know a mind. That actually does go back in Western thought to Greek philosophers like Socrates and his students, Plato, Aristotle, who by power of their thinking, rational thinking, reasoned their way not necessarily to God, but what we'll abbreviate today the GCB, the greatest conceivable being. That was what, nice job, right? They sat around and did some of you love that idea. Can I get paid to sit around and try to fathom the unfathomable, the great conceivable being. But why they did this is they were looking for something beyond the physical world. And in Plato's treatise, the realm of forms, the form of the good, he searched beyond what we could see in the physical world to a source of all knowledge that gave meaning and value to truth, beauty, and goodness. When those philosophers would look around in the world and they would say, where? Where do we have this idea of truth? Where does it come from?...and goodness, morality...where does it come from. And beauty aesthetic...where does it come from? That's what they tried to reason their way with their mind alone. No text of Scripture in their hands. When you go back 500 years from Plato to David in Psalm 8, he didn't need to be one of the world's greatest philosophers. He didn't need any scientific arguments to stare at the sky, to look at the stars above, he says, and ask a question about his own existence. Why am I here? Because we think we need. I mean, it is true. Like, you give some people facts and they suddenly, oh, wow. Now that I realize that that's, you know, facts about how big the universe is, as I was reading this week with coffee cup in hand again. How big is our solar system and then galaxy and something like if we're in the Milky Way. If my coffee mug, which is always at hand in my study and if our galaxy, the Milky Way was my coffee mug, something like a grain of sugar in that would be the earth. And then that coffee mug is inside of the universe, the size of North America. Something like that. And I. Oh, wow. That's amazing. So now I can praise God, I can. I got coffee so I can praise him. And I got my Bible and I can praise him. And now I have this great thought of the majesty. But look, um, you trying to fathom light years. And the difference between whether the universe is continually expanding is trillions and trillions of light years or billions. Like, just be honest with yourself. You don't know the difference. There's one guy in here that might when it just comes to the math of it. And David didn't need all of that. He didn't need philosophy from Socrates and Plato and Aristotle in verse 4 to just contemplate the greatness of God. He simply used the mind God gave him. And he stared out into the sky. He stopped and he meditated on the greatness of God, and it brought him back to his own finitude. So what is man that you think of me? I mean, that's really the starting point, I hope, for the series this Summer of the Attributes of God. You say, why would we want to do this series? What's so great about it? Well, get lost as Spurgeon would say, get lost in the majesty of God. Go swim in an ocean of his attributes if you need to solve some of your woes. Because what that does, according to Calvin, it gives you the two most important pieces of wisdom you can get in the institutes he wrote...a true knowledge of God and a true knowledge of yourself. And if you can marry those things together, you'll be all right. Now. Which comes first, the chicken or the egg? Do I need to study the attributes of God to know myself better, or do I need to know myself better in order then to see God rightly? The answer is yes. But if you really need a starting point, it is the attributes of God. It is knowing God. Because what we'll see today in his Eternality does as Psalm 8 starts us down this path. Reverses on us this question of who are we in light of this amazing God who is unlike me. And there might not be a way He is more unlike you and I than in his eternality.
So I'm about to give you the most complex outline in my six years here. It's three points and here they are in case you didn't get the handout. Point one. God. Point two Is point three Eternal. Y'all ready for that? Subject. Verb. Object. Really complex stuff today. God is eternal, and I want to go in that order. Because if we're going to study the attributes of God this summer and each other teacher that's going to come up here is going to change that last description, that last attribute. But I want to back it up to just the start with God, so nobody else has to do that. Is...whatis is? We'll get to that. Please know it's the look I get from Shannon. On long road trips, I'm like, what are you thinking about? She's like our kids. Like, where are we going? You know, I'm just humming and I'm like, but what is is. And no, she wouldn't do that to me. So some of you are going to really be excited to talk about what is is the rest of you are normal.
So let's start point one...God. Let's start by thinking about the idea of God. I mentioned Plato and friends reasoning their way to a greatest conceivable being. And when we're starting with just this point of who is God? Again, the attributes of God, you can give us a bunch of words to describe, but just to say, no God in your mind, What can you do with that blank slate and conceive of who God is? And using Western philosophy again, going back to people who sat around and tried to reason their way to a greatest conceivable being, would reason their way to this foundational idea that this God is the only necessary being. So under God point one, I want to make the argument that he is necessary. So you're like, what kind of what attribute is that? Well, we'll get there. Throughout history, notable Christian thinkers such as Thomas Aquinas to C.S. Lewis, employed rational reasoning to argue for an existence of God from three different angles...a cosmological argument which usually went something like if you see a bunch of effects, there needs to be a first cause, and then you might have a teleological argument Telos, the end game. Meaning, well, if we see the results of something, not necessarily effects, but this idea of complexity, a big universe or intricacy, a watch, there's a watchmaker who's responsible for it. And so that could be an argument for there has to be something greater, a greatest conceivable being. We just don't get this stuff. And then lastly, there could be the moral argument, the one that says, why should we care about truth and goodness? Well, what kind of universe are we in that says, Lewis uses this in the beginning of Mere Christianity, if you're on the train with me and you walk up and stamp on my foot that you did something wrong, versus if, I walk by you and I accidentally trip over your foot, I don't view those two things as the same. One could be accidental. Another one of those could be intentional. And, um, if there's no moral goodness in the universe, then who cares which reason I had for doing it? So that would be in Christian philosophical history, I guess, if you want to call it that. Different arguments for a starting point that all they were trying to do was establish that there is a greatest conceivable being. There's a cause, there's a mover, there's a watchmaker. They're not saying who gets to name him yet. They're just establishing can we establish the necessity of a higher power? And once you can establish that again by saying, what's the explanation for everything we see around us? Once you can establish that, then classical theism would move into what? Now I want to narrow it down and say, out of all the options, the most logical option, and we would add using our Bible with the biblical option is only the God of the Bible revealed in Scripture and through His Son Jesus Christ. So the idea of God being necessary, it takes a mind to know a mind. If I can think up the idea of God as necessary, that's a first step in the direction of God's existence. I know as far as I know myself, that I exist. But and this is that first step, I'm not responsible for my own existence. Now, dads, sometimes we go too far with our responsibility when we say, I brought you into this world and I can. Well, you're almost right about that one. Yeah, you did bring them into this world. But yeah, you didn't bring yourself into this world. Meaning you're not a necessary being. In the same way God is. What we would say is you are a contingent being. As in, you aren't responsible for you. You're not the explanation for you. Something far more impressive than you explains you and David understood that, and he took no classes of Western philosophy. David understood when he looked at the heavens the work of God's hands. And then he considered himself that he wasn't the explanation for himself. But he asked, what is man that you are mindful of him? And the answer is...not much. It's true. We're contingent. What's the difference between a necessary and a contingent being?...independence and dependence. Now all the dads are shaking their head when they think about how long they had dependents on their tax forms and when they finally got them off. Or a conditional versus an unconditional being. You and I are all conditional beings. God isn't. You and I are all dependent beings and God isn't. We have needs and God has no needs. He's the only necessary being, as in, he is necessary for what?...everyone else who is contingent or dependent on him. You can see the difference between this necessary God and needy man in psychology. Some of you know of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. It was a psychological theory proposed by Abraham Maslow, one of the most cited psychologists in the 20th century, who categorized human needs into five levels...physiological, safety, belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. And the hierarchy as a pyramid implies that we humans advance from basic survival needs to more complex. Ultimately, the greatest one being, self-actualization. I found my purpose here on Earth. Interestingly enough, that's usually where you arrive with people who seem to be, questioning their existence. What am I here for? They may have everything else solved. They may have moved in that hierarchy idea from. Yeah, I got my basic needs met and I'm doing okay. But why do I exist for...self-actualization...what's my purpose? Contrast that with God's hierarchy of needs. He has how many? None. God just is...in the Trinity God is completely satisfied in himself needs nothing else for his existence. If I would have taken that same triangle pyramid and put it up there, it would have been empty. Because God is the only necessary being with no needs. And that's not God being mulish...obstinate. I don't want anybody's help. It's actually an extension of what? His Godness. It's just who he is. It's God being God. It's not that God disdains being helped. His needlessness is an extension of his nature. He needs not because he exists necessarily, not dependent on or determined by anyone else's existence. Now, we just got to where we've arrived at this point by just using our what?...our minds to know a mind. Now let's look at Scripture to actually give us a firm foundation that our feet aren't planted firmly in the air. We might have reasoned, but our reasoning could have been incorrect. So let's listen to Paul's reasoning in Acts 17. Turn there. Paul talks about God being necessary amidst talking to some of the smartest cats in his day, as he was in Athens. He makes this point very clear, in his words, to these Greek sophists who were always who were always trying to figure out these philosophers back in verse 18, Epicurean and Stoic philosophers conversing who are always trying to figure out the, as we talked about earlier, the greatest conceivable being. But because they couldn't narrow it down to like, who really is like at the top of this chart of greatest conceivable beings, they would just leave it wide open to a lot of options, sort of relativism, maybe even a pragmatism. You do you...whatever God works for you, that's fine. And Paul comes along and says, can I have a word with you? Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. For while I was passing through and examining the objects, note many gods. It was the Roman cynic, Petronius, who worked for the emperor, who said the phrase, it's easier to find a god in Athens than it is a man. That's how pluralistic this society was at that time. So when Paul says, uh, examining the objects of your worship. Everywhere he looked, there was false gods, false worship. Yet people looking for truth, goodness and beauty to some degree or another. And he finds an altar with an inscription to an unknown god. So he seizes the opportunity. Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you the God who made the world. Notice where he starts. Creation. Creation. Friends, that's not a throwaway category for us. And all the things in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he does not dwell in temples made with hands, nor is he served by human hands as though he needed anything. God is necessary, yet has no needs. We have the needs, not him. Since he himself, why does he have no needs? He himself gives. He's the life giver. He's the one who has it all for those who have nothing and are dependent. He himself gives to all people life and breath and all things. There friends is the argument for God's necessity. Paul says in the abundance of idols in ancient Athens and false worship dedicated to many gods and goddesses. Fellas, you missed one. Yahweh is the highest God of all. He is the uncreated creator and the quality that sets him apart. He starts with his necessity. That's what sets him apart. He needs nothing of what any of you. All this foolishness. You guys bringing different things to your false gods as if they need you to survive. This god...this unknown god on one of your idol inscriptions. He has no needs, verse 25. He is necessary. He used their own philosophical reasoning to his advantage to show that a true God that has the power to exist in and of himself, and not depending on anything outside of itself and everyone is dependent on him, is a being that must, must necessarily exist. Not because you want him to. He must if he is actually the one true God. So that's what you start with when we start with God, he's pure necessity. So parents, next time you get...who made God, you just say he's necessary. Next question. Just move right along from there. Sure, your kid will get it.
Point two God Is. When we say God is eternal, we've covered that he's necessary. Now we're going to cover what is...is. Glad you asked. It was actually asked by a philosopher named Parmenides before the time of Plato. That was his great contribution to Greek philosophy, he asked the question, what is, is? Well, we can look up the word and find out that it's a verb of being. Right? You look it up in a dictionary. It's the third person singular of be. And that's just all we need to really establish for establishing God is he's not just necessary, but he is existence itself. He is being. The word for that that philosophers came up with, theological philosophers is God's Aseity...a say it with me, aseity. Um, it's actually the correct pronunciation of the thing. A lot of you butcher when you go to get that acai bowl down at the old copper bean. Hey, let's go get some acai bowls. aa.saa.ee It's aa.saa.ee. I only know that because I used to say akea. When I was living on the West Coast, I mispronounced everything I could mispronounce in Los Angeles. And some of these notes, aa,saa.ee, Friend. So aseity and aseity is a word that comes from the Latin 'se' meaning from or by himself, as in God is whoever he is by his own. And here's what aseity is...self existence. Sohe's a necessary being, the one that we could conceive of, that he must be the God of all gods, and then he is a self-existent, necessary being. He doesn't need anything else but himself. And in fact, if you put those two together, his aseity flows from his necessity. So God necessary IS. And if is means to be or pure existence, then out of that necessity. God is self existent. Uh, to remember that I came up with an acronym. It's a really complicated one for the word is. Aseity is contained in the idea that God is, and that is in my mind, I remember it by thinkingabout...He's infinitely sovereign. So when you think about his self existence, can we land that? And I was thinking about it and thought of the phrase God is infinitely sovereign. His aseity is seen in his infinite sovereignty over everything else, that we are subject to...time, space, and matter. He's infinitely sovereign over time. He's omni temporal. He is outside, and over time. He is infinitely sovereign over space. He is over all places at all times. We know that from Psalm 139. We say it often where can you flee from God's presence?...nowhere, because of his omnipresence. And then he's infinitely sovereign over matter. He's sovereign over all powers, seen and unseen. So that is his infinite sovereignty as the self-existent, necessary God. All things created; time, space and matter are under the infinite sovereignty of the God who is. He's pure existence. He's the foundation of all being. He exists only in himself. Now back to Psalm 8. All that contained then, in considering the heavens and the work of his hands, this God who is magnificent in all the earth and majestic. And yet we think about ourselves and say, and we are completely opposite of that. We, on the other hand, are not necessary as he is, and we are dependent as he is not. We are not self-existent, we are dependent and we change. We age and die. In our imperfect beingness, we still age. We're constantly becoming. I think at 40 you become less. Prior to 40 you're becoming more. And then you hit this thing called your 40s and everything is, uh, it's on the downhill. But God is unchanging in his perfect being. He is the same. What? Yesterday, today, and forever. And sometimes I think we localize that in God's actions. You know, I can depend on him, you know, yesterday, today, forever. His love, his mercy, his grace. But also it's just also who he is. He is never changed at all in all eternity...anything about him because he's perfect in his self-existence. Or to say it the way God said about himself. Go to Exodus 3. When he wanted to reveal: himself and his identity in Exodus 3:14, speaking to Moses from a burning bush. When Moses said to God, Exodus 3:13, behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them the God of your fathers has sent me to you. Now they may say to me, what is his name? Because earlier in this interaction, when the angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush, the Lord says, I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. So he says, you should know me, Moses. Um, your history, all of your people go back to me. But just saying, I'm the God of Abraham. Isaac and your forefathers didn't say anything about his name, did it? Just told him that. Hey, man, the god that you heard about growing up. But again, remember Moses was raised in the courts of Pharaoh, so he heard about a lot of gods. So he has to remind him, no, there was one god in particular, the God that you know. That's me. But I've never actually told youmy name. So Moses says, well, what am I going to say your name is? God said to Moses, and here is aseity. Here is Self-existence. I am who I am. And again, that Hebrew...I am...is a verb for to be, I'm being, which is the best name God could give to himself. I say that not because my opinion means anything, it's in the Bible. But when you think about it, all the names in the Bible that have significance, we have talked about that in our first Samuel series. Samuel's name had significance. God is my name. God hears. Names mattered in the Bible. Eve...mother of all the living. Adam...dirt. I'm talking about aseity. I'm losing some of you. I could see it. But God's name is just being...existence...aseity. I just am. The phrase I am who I am implies an assertion of what? Absolutes. Autonomy. I just AM. That's it. Now, because we humans, you know, we could hear something like that. It's like, ah, but what is it like? How awesome is God in that when he reveals his name to Moses...how's he doing it again? He's doing it with a burning bush. A bush that it says back in verse two, it's burning with fire, yet it's not consumed. It's almost as if that bush is Self-existent. It should have been...down to the ground. You ever walked around in a wilderness, especially a desert like area. You set something on fire. It's kaput. It's gone. It would burn itself up. And here is this bush that Moses is looking at. And the one true God is talking to him, and he's giving him a physical example of a spiritual thing. Here is this bush that has this seeming appearance of self-existence. It's blazing in fire, and yet none of it is being consumed. It just is...a burning bush. But it's not nothing. Nothing is. It's violating the laws of physics, right? It should be disappearing. It should be falling to the ground. It should be going up in smoke. No, it's a perfect bush and it's on fire. And it's continually that way this whole conversation...pretty awesome. Not just the Aseity of God, but the Aseity of God represented in the burning bush. God as ultimate origin and cause of his own being and actions. So, as Psalm 8 has shown us, there's this point we get to this. This paradox here is this great and wondrous God, and here is me. And one of the things that we have a tendency to do, to speak of when we speak of God, is to speak of him in the same terms as we speak of all the beings. There's been a created order, if you will, from a highest form, a supreme being, angelic beings to human beings, to yinzers right above y'allers, and so on and so forth, right down to the rocks. And then of course, the influencers. And this is this is the order of society. This is the order of creation. But there's a problem with this idea of God being in the created order, isn't there, because the created order implies it had to be created and God's not created. So calling him the Supreme Being is injustice to him, isn't it? Because he is pure being. He is the Supreme Being that makes every one of us something else. So R.C. Sproul says that's not how it goes. And he articulated this well. He says, it's not the adjectives before that we get wrong. It's the what? It's the word after. As you get to the top of the ladder, you have a supreme being suggesting there's a thing as being that we're all part of. But that's the difference between God and angels and us and a box of rocks. Even when I quote Sproul, I start to get a little growly like Sproul. However, the difference between the Supreme Being and the human beings is not in the adjectives, it's in the noun...being. If there's ever been a misnomer, it's to refer to God and us as beings. None of us are being in the way God is being. That's a good Psalm 8 adjustment, isn't it, to say, you know God, you are not in the same category as the rest of us, as necessary and self-existent. Everything else in that line of creation is other. You are alone the one true God. And that's why, when you go back to Psalm 8 that's sandwiched inside of this wonderful oh Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth, oh Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth. When I put together the paradox of your greatness and my me...ness. This is what I come to. I was thinking about this differentiation on Friday. The Ashoffs have become urban farmers. We've got chickens. These chickens are not the most fascinating things to watch, and they feel the same way about me. Sometimes I walk out into the garage, which stinks. They have to stay in the garage until they can be on their own. So me and my eight chicks were in a staredown on Friday. Their 16 eyes against mine. But it's hard because they can only look out of the one side. And with all these wonderful thoughts of eternality and aseity and necessity in my mind, there was me and these chickens. And I wondered what they were thinking about looking at me. What we know from Genesis 1...chickens have had a one day head start on the rest of us. But here we are. They work for me. They will produce eggs for me. And as much as I could speak of chickens with a slight disdain. Truly, who has more in common?...me and the chicken or me and God? The Smithsonian Museum of Natural History says that me and those chickens that I speak ill of, they haven't produced yet. Okay. Once they produce, come back and talk to me in October. I'll love those chickens. Um, we share a 75% similarity in our genome code. We share a 98% similarity to chimps. You know, that being thing, we share a 60% genome with fruit flies and banana trees. And now I've solved the mystery of why fruit flies love your bananas. They're the same. We humans, no matter how different all of us look in this room, share a 99.9% genome code, which on a side note makes racism a sin to repent of friends. Any of the smallest form of it in you ethnic vain glory that you have a little bit different skin tone. It's not only a sin to repent of, it's just a really dumb idea, isn't it? Scientifically, it's a very idiotic idea. Back to the sermon. All this chicken and chimp stuff to highlight that as much as I might think of myself superior to my chickens, I am part of the same created made Genesis 1 life form as them. God's aseity his absolute autonomy makes me supremely subordinate to him forever. Because, like those chickens, I had a beginning. But God didn't. And I'll have an earthly end like they will. But yet for all eternity, I will only exist because God always has and always will exist. We'll live forever. But that actually never moves us from the category of created being into what?...creators. Because even for all eternity, we will exist as dependent on who?...God. You'll stay in existence for all eternity if you really want that thing that keeps you up at night, right? When you start to either think about how, who, where did God come from? Or how long is eternity going to be. And well, as long as God. Even in the eternal state, we will still be contingent, dependent worshippers. None of us will ever stray outside of that into God's box of being necessary and being self-existent. No, you will always, and even in your glorified state, we will be so unrecognizable, even to ourselves and others, in that glorified state, in the eternal state. And yet we will be what?...dependent, contingent beings. Perfected from sin, yes, but never existent outside of him. Revelation 21 and 22 is the eternal state, the new heavens and the new earth. And all of it is wonderful. And we receive a miraculous and marvelous upgrade into a glorified state. And yet, who is the one that is keeping it all? Who is the one that is moving it forward outside of time? Revelation 21:22, I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the lamb are the temple, and this city has no need of the sun or the moon to shine on it. Sun and moon don't need you anymore, God says, because the glory of God has illumined it, and the lamp is the lamb. The self-existence continues on for all eternity. Brothers and sisters, so get used to it. With any sense of autonomy perceived this morning by us the creation for all eternity...you're dependent. You're contingent on the self-existent God. It's a humbling thought and a wonderful thought, which then finally gets us to eternality.
God is eternal throughout the Bible, this necessary and self-existent God is known as eternal, everlasting, forever. Yet to get to the destination of eternality, we had to stop by necessity and aseity. Because for God to be eternal, he would have to be independent of any factors outside of himself. That's why I took the long walk for the short drink of water, so to speak. Otherwise, and again, put this all together with God's eternality if something else is responsible for God's beginning to start him, or able to cause his end, that would mean there is a greater being than God, and that greater being is the new God of God. Right? So you see how it all fits together now...necessity, aseity and eternality. Anything that could then be responsible, that we could find out, that could be the start of God or the end of God. That's the new God. So Eternality builds upon necessity and asity. So let's think on that as we close the scriptures, what they say of God's eternality. Well, of course we meet the eternal God in Genesis 1:1. In the beginning God created. That's the created order. He's outside of it. He created the heavens and the earth and everything that is there. No preface, no backstory. Do you just meet your maker before you were made God in Genesis 1 is the uncaused cause. He's the explanation for everything. He made it all himself. Job 26:7 says he stretches out the north over empty space and hangs the earth on nothing. The irony of God's necessity, aseity and eternality is it accords with science. When science wants, for the sake of rejecting God, to break its own laws. I'll say that again. The irony of God's necessity, aseity and eternality is that it accords with scientific law when science wants, for the sake of rejecting God, to go and break its own laws. I present to you my Google AIing this week. Science says according to Google AI, the idea that something cannot come from nothing is a cornerstone of the law of conservation...science, which states that neither matter nor energy can be created or destroyed, only transformed. While often used in a philosophical context, it also applies to scientific understanding, particularly in relation to the origins of the universe. The Big Bang theory while a scientific model explaining the universe's expansion, doesn't directly address how the initial singularity came into being, raising questions about the fundamental origin of what?...everything. Everything. The idea that nothing comes from nothing is a fundamental principle in philosophy and physics called ex nihilo nihil fit...out of nothing, nothing is produced. Something can't be created from nothing. It aligns with the law of conservation of energy that the total energy in a closed system remains constant. For us common folk, you can't make something out of nothing. Science will tell you you can. We would say there's a need for something existing before you create or achieve something new. In short, science breaks its own laws to explain how everything started. But guess who doesn't? God doesn't because he's the one that created the scientific laws that we humans discover that have been there since the beginning. Romans 11:36 for from him and through him, and to him are what all things, all math, all physics, all philosophy, all things are his. That's just such a foundational promise to trust in whatever, whatever area of life, whatever discipline you want to go into young people, college kids, you're not going to discover something that's suddenly going to...poof God out of existence because of that. You may have your doubts. And that's understandable. But there's nothing that's going to come out of the created order of God's world that's going to make him disappear unless you, in your pride, want it to be so, which is what Romans 1 tells us, isn't it? That the knowledge of the creator is in all of us, but we lie against the truth to justify our own lustful desires. We really want to push God outside the realm of existence, not so much because we can come up with this idea that disproves him, that his existence is kind of a nag, isn't it, to some people? Because with that teleological and cosmological argument that says you can't make something out of nothing, there's the moral argument. If I grant that he's there, then he tells me what I need to do. And we don't like that, do we? The necessity of our eternal God as creator of all creation is the only logical explanation. But it's not just logic. We have the Word of God. So here's just some scriptures. When we open up the Bible in the entirety of Scripture from start to finish, that cries out God is eternal! Job 36:26 the oldest book in the Bible. Behold, God is exalted and we do not know him? The number of his years is unsearchable. What does it mean God is exalted and we do not know him. Well he has to reveal himself to us. Though it takes a mind to know a mind, he has to what? Show us through creation and His Word and His Son who he is. Because look, the number of his years, his eternality, it's unsearchable. And again, this comes from the oldest book in the Bible...Job. Old uneducated Job could look to the heavens and be amazed by this unsearchable, yet knowable God, because he revealed himself to Job. Psalm 93:1-2, the Lord reigns. He is clothed with majesty. The Lord is clothed and girded himself with strength. Indeed, the world is firmly established by the great establisher. It will not be moved. Your throne, O God, is established from old. You are from everlasting. Psalm 93:1-2. Isaiah 40:28-29. Do you not know? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the creator of the ends of the earth, does not become weary or tired. That's his immutability. That's his unchanging ness. He can't get weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary. And to him who lacks might, he increases power. Do you see just how naturally Isaiah connects this idea of these grandiose thoughts of this great God we serve to something so helpful as because he is limitless in his power and he is never drained of 1% battery life. You can plug into him all the time for the power that you need, but not into yourself. That would be that closed loop. It's not just that God is everlasting. So is His Word, an extension of his eternal being. Psalm 119:89. Forever, O Lord, your word is settled in heaven. Psalm 119:89. His word has always been settled in heaven. Psalm 119:160, the sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous ordinances is everlasting. All of it. The parts, the whole. It's truth. It's everlasting. That's what those philosophers were trying to find. What is the greatest conceivable being that gives value to truth, beauty and goodness. And it's in the Word of God. And they had it and they ignored it. Isaiah 48. We say it often. The grass withers and the flower fades. But the word of our God stands forever. And it's not just the Word of God, it's the fullness of God in bodily form who came to reveal him. John 17:3, this is eternal life, Jesus said. That they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. For any skeptic out there today, do you know what eternal life actually is? Maybe you grew up in the church and it was just always about heaven...everything after. No, Jesus says eternal life is here and now in him because he reconciles you to the eternal God. You can have a relationship with the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the one who formed you in your mother's womb, the one who knows your days. You don't know them. Eternal life is not just a then and there idea like I used to think it was. Eternal life is a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. That's eternal life. And the great thing is, you don't have to wait for it. Brother or sister in Christ, you have it right now. Whoever may not be in Christ this morning that happens to be here today, you can have eternal life. How do you get it? 1 John 5:10, the one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony. What testimony?...the testimony of God. The one who does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning his Son. And the testimony is this that God has given us eternal life, and that life is in His Son. So everything inscrutable, unsearchable that you have heard about God this morning, the testimony God gives about himself from the scriptures to have it all and to believe it all, and to know it all in its fullness. The key that opens that lock for you to eternal life is actually in Jesus Christ. And here back in Acts 17, here is the thing that you have to believe and know about Jesus that Paul preached to these lost philosophers. It's at the end of his speech that caused them to question themselves. When Paul said in Acts 17:31, God has fixed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness, that judgment is a sin and righteousness issue that is all headed towards. So listen up, unbeliever, this morning. This is where all history is headed towards. There is a day that is fixed where God will judge the world in righteousness through a man. That man is Jesus Christ, whom he has appointed, having furnished proof to all men. And how did he give the proof? By raising him from the dead. So I know that there's concepts this morning that you can't and I can't fully fathom. Uh, to believe in God's eternality and aseity and necessity. It is not necessary for the gospel in the sense I got to figure out God's necessity and asiety and eternality to become a Christian. No, you're not going to figure that out, but you do need to know this about that God. He will judge you and the rest of the world according to the righteousness of His Son, Jesus Christ. And the proof that he's given you today is that he was raised from the dead. My mind falls apart. It even did this week. When I'm thinking like..no God, but like I get I can study this stuff all week and plumb the depths of it, and I can lay awake at night and think, but really, where did you come from? Like you got a burning bush. Please. Something you know. Look outside. My tree's on fire. It's probably the neighborhood kids, but I would have taken that this week. When you start to get those doubts, like, how do I know eternity? And do you know what solves that problem for me? That Jesus came back from the dead. When I can't fathom the unfathomable parts of who God is, I end up exactly where Paul ended up here. That the proof...why all of it holds together. Why I can trust it, is because the thing I have to be able to grasp and hold on to is that there has been no one who can refute that God sent His Son to forgive sinners like me, and that by believing he died on the cross in my place and being raised from the dead, I'm forgiven, I believe that. And because I believe that I can trust everything else. Everything else that this book says. Do you believe the facts about Jesus? The Son of God, the Son of Man, sent to save perfect life, dies on the cross in your place and is raised for your justification to prove that you're forgiven. And if you can hold that together in your mind that good news of the gospel, the rest of the stuff can come. So call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ today and be saved. I knew I would run out of time. And the irony is, it's a sermon about eternality. So the joke's on you. I mean, what did you expect me to do with a sermon about the eternality of God? Believer, I want to give you three implications before we move into a time at the Lord's table. Three implications from that God is necessary. God is self-existent and God is eternal.
First implication...how does the necessity of God humble me to seek him with greater dependence? How does thinking on the necessity of God? Well, it certainly trumps my priorities that my life fits inside of his life. He's necessary. I'm contingent. He's the only necessary being in the universe. And I exist for him. So any sense of my own indispensability...here's what R.C. Sproul says. The most crowded places for indispensable people are the cemeteries of the world. Isn't that the great equalizer? Oh, that's not the quote, by the way. You can discard that. That was something else. I kind of let hit the cutting room floor. This quote was much better. It was shorter. The most crowded places for indispensable people. People that think that everything rests on them are the people that are where?...in the cemeteries, like the rest of us will be. That's where it ends. And your indispensability and your necessity is over at that point. We must understand that everything exists for God, for his glory and majesty, and out of that comes the purpose of our being. So if it rains on your well-planned beach vacation like it did mine. God, you're necessary. I'm not. Go buy some board games and have a good time. It ended up being sunny the next day.
Number two. How does the aseity of God, His self-existence, inspire me to worship him with greater earnestness? How does the aseity of God inspire me to worship him with greater earnestness? Remembering God is his infinite sovereignty over time, space and matter is a good way to solve some of our mental health woes. Because a lot of those the buzzword that mental health is today is you're pointed to solving it within you. Like think more about you and what you need. No, the Bible would point us like Psalm 8 did, to think about someone outside of you. Think about the great God who has no needs, who is self-existent. J.I. Packer wrote, in our life of faith, we easily impoverish ourselves by embracing an idea of God that is too limited and small, and the doctrine of God's aseity stands as a bulwark against despairing of our own finite lives. So how does the aseiety of God inspire you to worship him with greater earnestness?
And then three. How does the eternality of God comfort me to trust him with greater assurance? I didn't plan on using Psalm 8 this week until Wednesday. That's when a friend of ours here, a brother in Christ, was hours away from eternity. Larry Ferguson, who we prayed for last Sunday. The Lord took him home Thursday night. So I was studying for a sermon and came across a footnote to a footnote that led me to R.C. Sproul's Holiness of God in a chapter called Looking Through the Shadows. And I have that book because I have all of Larry Ferguson's old R.C. Sproul books. He gave them to me. He used to be a bookstore owner and he had signed copies. I love R.C. Sproul. They were signed copies to Larry, but I'll take them anyway. Um, and it was in reading on Psalm 8, in Looking Beyond Shadows, that Sproul wrote this, what with the meager resources the psalmist had when he gazed into the night sky of Palestine, he was overwhelmed by the weighty sense of contrast between the magnificence of the heavens and the relative obscurity of his own life. By considering the stars, he was forced to ask the ultimate question about his existence what is man that you are mindful of him? And so that was that Wednesday. And I was going to go see Larry, because I just wanted to go see him at lunch, and I drop in on him unannounced. And, um, Psalm 8 was on my heart. So I shared Psalm 8 with him, and what I wanted to share with him was, um, though your outer man is decaying, your inner man is being renewed day by day, and there's an eternal weight of glory for you. That far distances the confines of your hospice bed. Now he couldn't respond. He had no strength to speak at this point. You've been with people like that. What do people like that need at that moment? They need the Word of God to remind them, O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth. And then I said to him, um. Who is Larry that our majestic God was mindful of him. Well, you know who God is, Larry. He sees you right here, right now. And he squeezed my hand. That's all he could do. It's all I thought he could do. And then he gets the strength and his eyes get big, and he speaks. And he says, go up to my room and get more books. I'm like. So I go up to his room. I was going to do what he was going to tell me to do. So I go up and get a couple more books. And, um. I bring them down because, like, a good accountant, librarian, whatever skills Larry had administratively, he wanted me to check them out. So I bring the books back down, and he wants to see what I took. And he points out this book on the end times, the world to come. And he's pointing, and he wants me to open it. And I'm thinking to see a signature. And it wasn't. He wanted me to flip to a page. It was a picture of eternity, of from creation to eternity. And just wanted to point at what? The return of Christ. Because when you think on the eternality of God and the magnificence of him, and you know him personally, you're ready to meet him. That's your hope in life and death. Nothing short of that, friends. And that's what's going to matter for all of us. Who is Larry that our majestic God was mindful of him. It's the same as any of his adopted children. Because God is. And because we're his. We have what? Hope.
Let's pray. Father, we thank you this morning for your word. We thank you that now, as we come to the Lord's table, as already feasting on your word and served by your spirit, the best meal is yet to come, because it's the meal that reminds us of Christ, your life and your death and your resurrection. Which is what Paul said when it all comes down to the great Judgment Day, we will be judged by our righteousness within ourselves or the righteousness we have by faith in him, which is it going to be. I pray that everyone in here would know, without a shadow of a doubt in their soul, that their hope is in Christ alone. Their eternal life hangs on him, and that they would put all of their hope in him, all of their trust in him. And spirit, only you can do that work. So I pray you would. Amen.
Be a Messenger This Summer Matt McCarthy Download Pulpit Curriculum PDF Pulpit Curriculum DOCX * View transcript Be a Messenger This Summer
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It really is great to be here. As Adam mentioned, in 2015, I became a church planter and I went through an organization in Chicago called Harvest Bible Fellowship. This church was a part of it then we were a part of that then. We are no longer a part of it. You are no longer a part of it. But I'm thankful for it because it created a relationship with us, with you. And so I was here for about 6 or 8 weeks and studying under some of the leadership of your church. Believe it or not, we actually had our first core group meeting. Um, I think it's, uh, is it the Ryle Room? I don'tknow, I'm trying to remember which room it was...like a nice banquet room. Is that the Ryle room? It is the Ryle Room. Okay. All right. So we had our first core group meeting. We brought like, 40 people up from High Point. They worshiped right over in this section right here with you guys. We had a dinner that you guys put on for all those people that came from High Point. Uh, Kurt Gebhart was the pastor then, and he and I talked and we had 32 people commit to being a part of our church plant team. So it all kind of started right here. And of all the churches that I know, there was only one church. I don't know what that says about me or what it says about you, but there was only one church that partnered with us financially, and it was this church right here. And your generosity, basically, it planted somegospel seeds and, um, it helped plant our church. And our church has grown into, um, it's more than 30 people. It's about 300 people. And as Adam just mentioned, we just bought a new facility in a very strategic location of High Point. If you know, High Point at all, I'm sure some of you do because of furnituremarket. Um, we bought a place in High Point, North Carolina. It's the old Barnes and Noble across from High Point University. And already we've been there about 15 months, 18 months, and we've doubled in size. We've been out the last 15 weeks because we're doing a massive renovation. And we are hoping, and we are praying that that new location will give us many, manymission opportunities. So that's how you can be praying for us.
I do want to say, before we get into God's Word, um, one of the things that I remember about this church in particular is their is their hospitality, the generosity that I just spoke about. And I have experienced that all weekend. I got to hang out with David Duncan yesterday. We drove around in his convertible. Uh, we talked ministry and we drank coffee. And it was great to fellowship with you, David. And then, of course, last night I went over to Steve and Mandy's house and they just put on an awesome steak dinner. And, um, yeah, it's been awesome. So, Adam, thank you for treating me so, so well.
One last thing I'm a little upset about. There's a couple right over here, and of course I get it. They're from here. They grew up here. Their dad's an elder here. But Will and Kaitlyn Duncan were in my small group. We loved them dearly. I was already in my mind, dreaming and scheming of how Will was going to be my little David at my church, but now he's back here. So, um, it's a little bit disappointing, but I love them, and I know they'reso happy to be here, and I'm grateful that they get to be with their family.
If you have your Bible and I know you do, turn with me to John chapter one. If you don't have a Bible, there's probably a Bible in a seat close by and you can turn with me to John chapter one. It's found on page 886. Did I say something wrong? What did I say? All right, I'm going to just keep going. All right? All right, 886 if you don't have a Bible....John chapter one.
You know, growing up, my favorite TV show as a little kid, it was this show called The Baseball Bunch. Do you guysremember the baseball bunch? Any Gen Xers, the baseball bunch, Johnny Bench. Yeah, so I played, I played baseball, I played catcher as a kid. And so the host of the show was Johnny Bench. Many people considered Johnny Bench to maybe be one of, at least at that time, probably the greatest catcher ever. And of course, I, I'm super competitive. I wanted to learn from the best so that I could be the best. So every Saturday morning I'dget up and I would watch that show closely. I would study the techniques. I would be watching the hitting lessons, the catching lessons. But here's the deal. Every Saturday I woke up early to learn from Johnny, and then I would go outside with my brotherand I would try to put into practice a lot of the things that he had just taught. Now, why would I do that? Because here's the deal. I didn't just want to play baseball. I wanted to get better. And I wanted to be the best version of me.
And I share that with you for simply this reason. When it comes to our evangelism and discipleship, which Adam has asked me to talk about as we go into the summer, a lot of times what happens is it's kind of like that summer slumber when it's like, oh, rest, and I can take some time off from ministry and I can kind of relax. Well, I'm sharing that story with you because when it comes to our evangelism and discipleship, we need to take on that mindset of, I want to be the best version of me.
And there are I would say there are experts in the scriptures that we need to watch and learn from. In the passage of Scripture that we're looking at this morning, the apostle John points us to the greatest messenger so that we will live as messengers in our city this summer.
So here's the big idea I call it the big idea. It's the one thought that I want you to walk away with this morning. The greatest messenger, John the Baptist...he shows every messenger how and the way to live as a messenger this summer. That's kind of. I added that part.
Here we go, John chapter one, starting in verse six, "There was a man sent from God whose name was John." Now, of course, John the Apostle, Jesus best friend, the beloved apostle, is writing. He's not writing about himself. He's talking about John the Baptist. "There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to bear witness about the light that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light." Drop down to verse 19, "and this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, who are you? He confessed and did not deny, but confessed. I am not the Christ. And they asked him, what then, are you Elijah? He said, I am not. Are you the prophet? And he answered, no. So they said to him, who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself? He said, I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord, as the prophet Isaiah said. Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him, then why are you baptizing if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the prophet? John answered them, I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know.Even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. These things took place in Bethany, across the Jordan, where John was baptizing. The next day...so this is day two. He saw Jesus coming toward him and said, Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. This is he of whom I said, after me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me. I myself did not know him"...even though he grew up with him. "But for this purpose I came baptizing with water that he might be revealed to Israel. And John bore witness. I saw the spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, he on whom you see the spirit descend and remain
This is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God. The next day...day three. Again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, behold, the Lamb of God. The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus."
Let's pray together. Father, we are so thankful to be here to worship the Son of God. And we have worshiped the Son of God. And now we get to hear from the Word of God so that we can be better worshipers for the glory of God. And so we ask you, Spirit of God, will you use the Word of God in a way that only you can speak it to us, so that we can be transformed for the glory of God? It's in his name we pray. Amen.
You know, we're parachuting into a passage of Scripture. So I just want to give you a brief background. The author, as I mentioned a moment ago, it is John, the beloved disciple. And the reason why John is writing this whole gospel is to convince his readers that Jesus is the Messiah. He's trying to convince the readers. It's been about 50 years since the resurrection. He'strying to convince them that Jesus is who he said he was. There has been a drift. There's some questions. Was he the man who he said he was? Even churchgoing people were beginning to wonder...who was Jesus. And of course, John is trying to clarify for the readers that he is indeed the Son of God. In chapter one it's all about the eternal word that Jesus is fully God. He's the creator of all things. He's the source of life and the light that the darkness can't overcome. And in verses six through eight, though, and in verses 19 through 37, which I just read to you, John takes the attention off of Jesus majesty, and he puts it on Jesus messenger, John the Baptist. At our church we call him JB...John the Baptist. We have JB the messenger and we have Jesus Christ the Messiah, and we call them JB and JC sometimes because they were cousins and they grew up together. And I like to think that they had a really close knit, tight relationship. Now, for those of us, though, who grew up in church, we probably weprobably know John the Baptist pretty well. And I don't know about you, but when I think of John the Baptist, I think honestly, I think weird. You know what I'm saying? He was a little bit weird. He lived in...how many of you been to Israel? Anybody? Alright, so when you go to Israel, when you head out into the desert, that's where John the Baptist lived. That is a weird place to live. But not only did he live in a desert, which is a little bit weird. His wardrobe was camel hair. I like audience participation. His wardrobe was camel hair, which means he was...weird. Yeah. So are you getting it. All right, we're close. We're close. Like three of you got it. His diet, I'm going to keep throwing them at you until you guys participate, okay? His diet was locusts and honey. He was...Weird. Yeah. There we go. And if 2000 years from now, people are talking about what you wore, what you ate, and where you lived, you are...weird. Yes, JB was weird. The man looked like a wilderness prophet. He was dressed like a caveman and he acted like a wild man.
But here's the thing. Yes, he was crazy, but he was crazy about Christ. And he was one of the most important people in the New Testament. He is mentioned 89 times in the New Testament. He was the man who introduced Israel to Jesus. He was the forerunner. He was calling people to repentance. And they were responding. I mean massive crowds were coming to hear this guy preach. Unlike Jesus, he wasn't performing miracles. He was just preaching the Word of God. And people would come in droves to hear this man and they would confess Christ. And then, of course, what would he do? He would baptize them. That's why we call him John the Baptizer. And he was doing some powerful ministry as God's messenger.
And here are the lessons that we need to learn if we are going to be messengers from the greatest messenger. This summer I want to give you three musts. It's really hard to say three musts for every messenger this summer. If I want to be a messenger in my city this summer, I must. I must. If I want to reach the person at the pool, I must. If I want to reach my coworker that sits next to me in the cubicle, I must number one, remember my role in redemptive history.
I must remember my role in redemptive history.
I don't know about you, but I tend to forget a lot of things. One of the things that I hate most in life is all these passwords that I'm supposed to remember. You know what I'm talking about...the password thing. And then they're like, sorry, your password has been compromised. And so what are you supposed to do? You're supposed to come up with a new password. And I'm a simple guy. I just have four Bible verses that I use for my passwords. But it's hard to remember some things. Our church is going through a renovation right now, and I'm always walking around the building, and I always typically have a cup of coffee in my hand, and I will put my coffee somewhere in that 25,000 square foot building. And the next thing I know, I'm looking for my coffee. Like I have a hard time remembering where I put things. Forgetting those kind of things...not a big deal...not life and death situations. However, one thing we often forget that is a life and death situation for some is the role that we play in redemptive history. Have you thought about that lately? Have you taken a moment to just think about the role that you play in redemptive history?
I love this guy, John the Baptist because he understood that. Look at what verses six through eight say about John the Baptist. Verse six makes it very clear that JB was commissioned by God. Verse six says, there was a man. Say it with me. What are the next three words...sent from God...whose name was John. The reason John says, the apostle John says, that JB was sent by God is because it's very simple. Remember this, this man, if you if you go back to Luke chapter one, I mean, he was a miracle baby. Do you remember that story? Remember who his dad was? Who was his dad? Yeah. I heard someone say it. Zacharias. What was the job of Zacharias? He was a priest. Who was that priest named Zacharias married to...Elizabeth. Elizabeth was a cousin to who? Mary. Yeah. You guys are on fire right now. You're rolling. Mary is the mother of who? Jesus. Yeah. I mean, he was a he was a miracle baby. So much so that angels announced his arrival. When we think of angels, we get that silly version of the cartoon kind of angel. Don't we? Like the ones strumming on the harp in the cloud? But listen, J.B. was weird, but angels were more weird. Okay, you study angel ology, man, those things were scary looking. Multiple wings, multiple faces on the head. Those angels meet up with Zacharias, and they announce JB's arrival. And they basically say that he was going to be the forerunner to the Messiah. And of course, Zechariah laughed it off. Right? But I bring that all up to say, like this man, he was commissioned by God. He was spoken about by the angels. He was the last Old Testament prophet. Remember, for 400 years between the last book of the Bible in the Old Testament, Malachi and the New Testament, 400 years had elapsed. Nothing's been happening. And so people are waiting for this, this Messiah. And of course, the angel comes and says, hey, John the Baptist is going to be the forerunner to the Messiah. And notice what else it says about John the Baptist. Verse seven says he came to testify. Not only was he commissioned by God, but he came to testify. He came as a witness to bear witness about the light. That's the name for Jesus. Jesus is the light of the world. And why did he come? What's the why behind the what? Why did he bear witness aboutthe light. Look at what the verse goes on to say...that all might believe through him. The coworker in the cubicle. The person at the pool...that they might believe in him. Verse eight. He was not the light. Again, John was writing 50 years after the resurrection. There was a lot of confusion about who John the Baptist was. So John the Apostle, he's clarifying John the Baptist's role. He's saying, look, because there's questions. Remember what I said...they're doubting was John the Baptist the Messiah? No, John the Baptist wasn't. He was not the light. But look at verse, verse eight. He came to bear witness about the light. He came to bear witness about the light, because every person you and I know are born in darkness. Romans chapter five says that when we come into this world, we inherit Adam's sin nature. We have a natural bent towards sin. Romans 3:23 says, all have sinned, and that sin has separated us from a holy God. He can't have sin in his presence. And Romans 6:23 goes on to say, for the wages of sin is death. That's a real thing. The coworker in the cubicle and the person at the pool are facing death. Jb and you and me, we came as a witness. And when I say when JB was a witness, like, think courtroom witness for a second. The job of the witness in the courtroom...it's not their job to determine whether or
not someone is guilty or innocent, nobody cares what the witness thinks as far as are they guilty or innocent? What is the job of the witness? The job of the witness is simply to say, here'swhat I know and here's what I saw. This is what happened. And that's John right here. He's basically saying, John the Baptist, here's what I know about Jesus. And here's what I saw. And as he's paving the way for Jesus, he's fearlessly confronting sin because Israel was in a really messy situation, weren't they? Remember Israel? I mean, they read the book of judges. I mean, those people are messed up. And he's fearlessly confronting sin. He's calling for repentance with a nine word sermon. You know, the gospel. Listen, if we're just faithful, God will use his words. We just finished Jonah. Jonah said seven words when he went into Nineveh and the city repented. I was thinking about that this week. As I was looking over this, Jonah says seven words. John the Baptist says nine words. John the Baptist says, "repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." That's it. We have a simple gospel message that we must faithfully proclaim. And if we faithfully proclaim it, if we faithfully proclaim it, people will respond to it. Amen.
And what's crazy about this guy John the Baptist? And I say he was crazy. He's fearlessly confronting sin. But, I mean, he even went before Herod. Remember, Herod married his brother's wife. John the Baptist confronted him. And Herod was a wicked ruler. What it tells me is John had a heart for all people, even those who would persecute him. Look at verse seven. Verse seven tells us why he would testify in this way. Verse seven says that all might believe through him.
Listen, Hickory Bible Church, just as God chose and commissioned John to speak about the Messiah...he has chosen, and he has commissioned every one of us to do the same, hasn't he? That's right. We have been given a commission in Matthew chapter 28. And I know you know this verse, Matthew 28, verse 19, go therefore and make disciples. And I'm not trying to nerd out with you right now, but the reality is simply this...the go...it's a participle meaning in your going, in your going to work tomorrow at the cubicle, in your going to the pool tomorrow...in your going make disciples.
So really practically I want to give you something super interesting. I did a little research, um, about Hickory, North Carolina and the beliefs that the people in Hickory, North Carolina have about Jesus. And I want to show them to you. Soif we can get that slide up, um, you might want to take a picture of this. I find this fascinating. This is your city. This is you guys. This is about a five mile radius, and this is about three years old...3 or 4 years old. This is the best I could come up with. But five miles from this location right here. These are the stats. Those are the percentages. How many people have a personal relationship with Jesus? Only a quarter of the people really believe that they have a personal relationship with Jesus. A quarter of the people are like, no, I don't want a personal relationship with Jesus. And then you have a bunch in the middle. The beliefs about whether or not Jesus actually rosefrom the dead, which is essential to the gospel. That's what verifies that he is who he said he was. 31% strongly agree. Over 55%. I mean, really 60? If you can't really somewhat agree about that. So really, 70% of the people don't really know if Jesus rose from the dead. Like, this is your city, guys. These are your coworkers. Jesus is the only way. Look at that. Only 25% of people believe strongly believe that Jesus is the only way. When he says, I am the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus lived a perfect life 23% Jesus was both divine and human. Again, this is an essential Orthodox truth if you're going to be a child of God. That's heartbreaking, isn't it? Because I don't know about you. And what's fascinating to me, David and I were talking today and it's like, I feel like Hickory and High Point were all kind of like, you know, people in High Point and High Point, people know people in Hickory. And, and I guess it's because of all the textiles and the furniture and all that kind of stuff. But what's staggering to me is I did a similar study for our city, and the numbers were nearly exactly the same. Yeah.
And the reality is, is when I walk around my town and when you walk around your town, we forget that every person that we see has a soul, don't we? So really quickly, I want to give you somepractical application, you might want to take a picture of this. Here's how you can play a role in redemptive history this summer. Just really practically. I call them the "I"'s of my gospel evangelism. Here's how you can play a role in redemptive history. How about this? Just be intentional. Be intentional when you're at the pool.
Be intentional when you're on vacation with the server. When you're on the road trip, just be intentional.
Second, be interested. There are so many hurting people that God is going to put in your life if you're just looking for them. I have a story that I could tell right now, but I think I only have about 22 minutes left, so I got to keep going. But it's briefly this a woman went up to my wife at the gym and just kind of pouredher heart out, and my wife started having conversations and invited her to church. Two weeks later, her husband took his own life. People are talking to you for a reason. Be interested.
Be invested. Don't just invite them to your church. Invite them into your home this summer. How about that? Find a way. Don'tlead with..do you want to come to my church? Lead with this. Do you want to come to my house and have a barbecue?
Be inconvenienced. You will be inconvenienced if you'reserious about being a witness and then.
Be interceding. That's the most important. Be prayerful. Be prayerful. Be prayerful. The greatest messenger shows every messenger the way to live is a messenger. Remember your role in redemptive history.
Number two, if I want to be a messenger in my city, the second must for every messenger,
I must share my story with gospel humility.
John's bold preaching created a stir. John Wesley said this light yourself on fire with passion, and people will come from miles to watch you burn. And listen, people, this is John's story right here. John was a bold, passionate, fiery preacher. People were coming from everywhere. The scripture say they were coming from Jerusalem. They were coming from Judea. They were coming from around the Jordan. Everybody is listening to him. And people wanted to hear this man, John, because here's the reality. When a person speaks with conviction, it doesn't matter as to whether or not they even agree with you. But if you have a convictional belief system in this day and age, and even in John's day and age, like people just want to hear it. So. So what'ssuper interesting...to God be the glory. There's this guy who'scoming to our church. I don't even know if you guys know this. His name is Matt Shin. Remember Matt? Like, he's a single guy. He's late 20s. He was more faithful than any church member. He was on the parking team. Matt came to our church, grew up Roman Catholic, became an agnostic, and he'd come every week. Matt tells me he's moving back to New Hampshire. So I'ma little bit discouraged because he had been coming at this point for like four years. He's moving back to New Hampshire, still hasn't become a believer. And I'm like, what in the world? Like the gospel is supposed to be an offense. I mean, am I not? Like it was super convicting. Like, what is going on? Am I the problem? Am I the problem? You ever feel that way, Adam, when you're like, they're not getting it. Like, I don't want to preach this gospel message. And he's here every week. Is it me? And I'm like, Matt, we got to meet. And I'm like, Matt, help me understand. Why would you come to our church week after week after week after week, and yet you don't believe any of this stuff. And this is what he said. It's because when I'm in your home and I
watch your life, and when I hear you preach, I know you actually believe it and live it. So I would come. Fast forward a year. Fast forward to this past Easter. We just baptized them. Finally came to know Christ. Took over five years sitting in the seats. People loving him, serving him, pointing him to the scriptures. Don't buy into the lie that people don't want to hear people with conviction. And the Jews were wanting to hear from John the Baptist, because for 400 years there was no prophetic word and they knew what was next. They are waiting with anticipation for the arrival of the Messiah, and they are thinking, maybe this is the guy. Maybe, maybe he's the Messiah. So when the religious leaders heard about the huge crowd that John the Baptist was attracting, if you look down at verse 19. Verse 19 says, they sent out the priests and the Levites to investigate...the religious leaders probably being the Sanhedrin. It says Jews. The Jewish leaders, they finally get to JB and it was it was probably a little bit of a letdown because they're hearing about this great preaching guy and this massive crowd. This is how I read the Bible, so I apologize. It's kind of like the Chosen. I use my imagination. Okay. Some of you, it's just kind of making its way back there. People are chuckling. They finally get to him. It's a little bit of a letdown because the guy's like munching on locusts. He's wearing camel's hair. This is the guy? And notice it's kind of like when it says, who are you? It's kind of like, who are you? That's how I imagine it. Who are you? And John knows what they're thinking, so he cuts them off. He's like, I am not the Christ. And then they're thinking, alright, he's not the Messiah. This guy's weird...Elijah was weird. They have the same wardrobe. And so the Jews, of course, they were anticipating Elijah's revival. They were anticipating a literal person. Malachi chapter four, verse five. Elijah would come back in the preparation of the king's arrival. And of course, they misunderstood the prophecy because it wasn't talking about a literal person, it was talking about a person in the spirit of Elijah. I think it's Luke one verse 35 that says that. And so they're like, all right, are you Elijah? Verse 21. And John's like, I'm not. Now they're really confused. So again, I imagine them kind of like, all right guys, huddle up, huddle up. Because it's Levites and priests, right, right, right. All right, come together. Huddle, huddle. Picture a football huddle. Here we go. What are we going to ask next? So verse 21, are you the prophet? Do you ever get to that point when people keep asking you questionsand you start getting annoyed? So your answer becomes shorter and shorter and shorter. That's John right here. Are you the prophet? No. But these three questions by the priests and Levites, they're based upon a wrong understanding of Scripture. In Deuteronomy chapter 18, verses 15 through 18, Moses promised a prophet like him who would come and deliver God's people. And when Jesus came on the scene, the Jews were once again looking for a political figure who would deliver them from Roman oppression and Roman tyranny. So at this point, the confusion has turned to frustration. He's definitely not what they were hoping him to be. And now they have to go back to the Sanhedrin with some answers and they've got nothing. So look at verse 22, the priests and Levites, they're ticked. So they said to him...and I envision them being a little bit angry right now, like, like, so who are you? Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself? Like that's what I think the tone would probably have been. But notice what John doesn't say when these religious leaders ask John why he's baptizing if he isn't any of these three people. He doesn't say, you know, hey guys, I'm the guy that people 2000years from now will be talking about me. Or I'm the guy who, an angel descended from heaven to announce my life and prophesy about the impact of my ministry. I'm the guy with the supernatural birth. I'm the guy that Jesus speaks about in Luke chapter seven, verse 28, when Jesus is going to eventually say no one is greater. He deflects. And when the greatest man ever to be born of a woman and a man. Obviously Jesus is the greatest ever born of a woman, but I mean a man and a woman...natural birth, not miraculous like our Savior who was born of a virgin. When the greatest man ever to be born is askedwhy he's baptizing, he deflects all the attention off of himself and he puts it directly on Christ. We already read it, but look at it again, he says in verse 23, he says, I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord as the prophet Isaiah said.
All right, I have a question for you. Can you see a voice? Can you see a voice? No. What's going on here is John's deflecting all the attention off himself. And he's saying, guys, I'm nothing. Look at what he goes on to say in verse 26 after they ask him why he's baptizing if he's not Christ, Elijah or Moses. Verse 26, John answered them, I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know. Even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. So as John's sharing his story in his ministry and his testimony, he's making it clear that there's only one guy that's worthy of glory...Jesus. He's like, I'mnot even qualified to be at Jesus feet, untying his sandal. And that's a significant statement because remember the culture. Remember that culture of foot washing? I mean, that was a nasty job. I mean, fast forward to the Last Supper. Remember the last Supper? Who ends up washing the feet? Jesus. Why was Jesus washing the feet? Because nobody else wanted to do it. It was a terrible, nasty job. And as my sister just said, he was a servant. So Jesus gets up and he washes the feet. But nobody wanted to do that. It was the job of the lowest servant. And here's the greatest man to ever live apart from Jesus, the one who Jesus literally calls the GOAT, the greatest of all time. And he's letting these religious leaders who are trying to make him into something, know that he's not even worthy to be the lowest servant of the Messiah. That's his story. It's not about his ministry accomplishments. Not about his prominent position. That's not what he wants to declare. That's not what he wants to be known by. John is all about Jesus. He just wants to testify about Jesus. And when we witness loved ones, our story must be all about Jesus and His glory. When sharing your testimony, Jesus always has to be the hero. When sharing why you live a life that is fully devoted to living for Christ and making Jesus famous, make Jesus the hero. Echo the words of John in verse 26...I am just a nobody. I am totally unworthy. But I got lucky. God gave me grace. He called me. He saved me. He chose me. He set me apart to speak of him. John is showing every messenger how to live as a messenger...not by being impressive, but by being invisible. That's John's point. Not by making muchof yourself, but by making much of Jesus. So how do we share our story then, with that kind of gospel humility? Let me give you a simple acronym to help you craft a Christ centered testimony. I'm just trying to give you tools for the summer. Here's a simple acronym. You can take a you can take a picture if you'd like. We're going to just kind of cruise through it as we're coming to an end here. I've got a third point, but how to craft your story with gospel humility.
Just be convictional start with being convictional...be convictional as John was. It's going to draw a crowd. People are going to want to listen, speak with truth and confidence.
Then second, be relational or be relatable. Don't be weird like John the Baptist. Connect to where people actually are in their life. Look for those connect points.
Be Authentic. Don't fake it...be you. People are interested in you because you are you? Be authentic. You don't have to be somebody else.
Just be faithful. Humble people will always keep the spotlight on Jesus. Be faithful to the Word of God. Be faithful to the message of God. John said nine words. Jonah said seven words. Just be faithful to gospel fidelity.
And then last but not least, be transparent. Be transparent about your story. Here's where I was, and here's what God did. And now this is who I am. And it's not because of me. It'sbecause of what he did in me. And I want you to experience that same thing with me.
The greatest messenger shows every messenger how to live as a messenger. If I want to be a messenger in my city, I must remember my role in redemptive history. Second, I must share my story with gospel humility. And then last but not least,
I must showcase my Savior with evangelistic urgency.
I remember the first time I ever get a trophy. Man, I wanted that thing on the dining room table. My mom's like, get that out of here. I remember, I remember the first time I ever wore my baseball uniform. Remember the first time you ever put on your baseball uniform like, dad, do you want to go to the grocery store or something? Why? Because we want to show it off. We want to showcase it. We want to point it out. We want to prop it up. We want to promote it most. We want everybody to know about it. But what I love about John is he just wants to showcaseone thing. He just wants to showcase the Savior, and he wants to do it with urgency because he doesn't know if this is his last chance. And the first thing he does as he showcases the Savior, look at verse 29, It says, the next day he basically he points Jesus out. He's like, look at that guy. Verse 29, the next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and said, Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. Meaning all the attention was off of him and onto Jesus. He's deflecting. He'slike, man, you people are coming from miles to hear me. He'sthe Lamb of God. He's the one that the lamb in our in our Jewish history, the Lamb of God, the sacrificial lamb that started in Exodus that we all know about because many of these people were religious people. He's the Lamb of God. He's the fulfillment. He's the one we've been waiting for. He's the one who can atone for sin. He's the one who can give you hope. He'sthe one who can set you free. He's the one who can give youlife. He is the spotless one. He is the sinless one. He's the lamb. He points him out.
And then look at verse 30. He doesn't just point Jesus out. He props him up. He's like, this is he of whom I said, after me comes a man who ranks before me because he was before me. Basically, John's like, you guys were asking me a lot ofquestions yesterday. This is the guy. Look at the text. He is eternal. He's before me. He is ahead of me. He ranks above me. He is whom I said. He is the promised one. He is the fulfillment of prophecy. John is just. He's. He's pointing him out. He'spropping him up, and then he promotes him most. Verses 31 through 34, I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water that he might be revealed to Israel. John is basically saying, my ministry only exists to make him known. Verse 32, and John bore witness, I saw the spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him. But he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, he on whom you see the spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. Basically, what's going on here is John is declaring that Jesus is the one who is anointed by the spirit. He's a fulfillment of the messianic prophecy of Isaiah, chapter 11, Isaiah 42. He is the fulfillment of prophecy. And what he's doing is he's contrasting his water baptism with Jesusspirit baptism, and he's basically showing Jesus superior power.
Now look at verse 34. He says, and I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God. I mean, this is the highest possible promotion that John could give Jesus. He's publicly affirming Jesus divinity. He's not just a great teacher. He's not just a prophet. This is God's son who came to save the world. And then he ends in verses 35 to 37. And he puts him first, says, the next day, again John was standing with two of his disciples. So now is the third day. And he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, behold, the Lamb of God. The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. Once again, John's not promoting himself. He's saying, look at him. It's almost like he'ssaying, get your eyes off of me. Stop looking at me. Stop! Stop following me. I don't want this crowd. Know him. Follow him.
When we come to a passage of Scripture like this, I think it'ssuper, super important that we recall the words of James. Remember, James? James chapter one says the word of God...it'slike a what? It's like a mirror, isn't it? It's like a mirror, and we'reable to look at it and we're able to kind of see where we are. And so right now, as Steven comes, I just want us to take a moment to just bow our heads and close our eyes and, and take a moment to just have a time of reflection. And there are just four questions that I'm going to ask and I'd want you to think about.
And the first question is probably the most important question. The first question is this do you have a story? Meaning, do you have a gospel story? Have you come to the place in your spiritual life where you have recognized that you are a sinner and your sin has separated you from a holy God, and that sin will not allow you in that holy God's presence. And have you come to the point where you have confessed that sin. And not just confessed it, but you have repented of it. You've called upon the Lord to not just be your Savior who would pay for that sin, but to also be the Lord of your life. So that song that we sung about earlier, Yes I will. And you'll place the Lord over your own life. Have you done that? You can't share the story of Jesus until you first have a story. And so if you have never done that, I know there are elders. There are people with lanyards. They'rewearing name badges. If you have never done this, they would love to show you how you can have your own story, how you can share your gospel story.
And for those of us who are already believers in the room, the question is simply this are you playing a role in redemptive history? Listen, here's the reality Jesus plan is moving forwardand he doesn't need you and me. It's going to happen. It's going to happen. He's building a kingdom and it's going to live forever. But I don't know about you, but I kind of, by God's grace, I kind of want to play a part in that building of his kingdom, and he'scommissioned us to do that. So right now, just ask the Lord. Lord, am I playing a role in redemptive history? And if not, just talk to the Lord and say, Lord, I want to recommit myself to playing a role in redemptive history. Will you lead me to somepeople this summer that I can point to Christ, who's my one that I will focus in on this summer?
Third question is simply this. What are you most passionateabout? This is the one that really got me. There's a lot of things that I'm passionate about. I'm passionate about my kids. I like to brag on them. I'm passionate about what God's doing at my church. But are you most passionate about Christ the way John the Baptist was.
And last but not least, who around you needs to hear the message this summer? Let's take a moment right now. Let's bow our heads. Let's close our eyes. Lord, who's the person that needs to hear this summer from me? Talk to the Lord and we'regoing to transition to a time of worship in a moment.
Lord, it is awesome to think that we too are messengers, just like John the Baptist. We have been commissioned by you to proclaim about your son. And Jesus, we know that you are King of Kings. You are Lord of lords. Your kingdom will be built, but we want to be a part of it, and so help us to be invested this summer. Help us to be intentional this summer. Help us to be interceding for the people that you place in our life this summer, so that we might be able to play a role in redemptive history not for our glory, but for your glory. We want your fame to be known in this city. We want those statistics that we saw this morning. We want to see them changed. We want to see those 25% that don't believe we wanted to we want to move the needle. We want to pray in faith that you can stir a revival in Hickory, North Carolina, through this local church. Lord, we need to pray in faith that you can do that. And so, Lord, will you give us a heart for the lost? Will you give us a passion for Christ? Will you mold us? Will you break us more into the image of the suffering servant?...so that when people see us, they see your glory, and it's in your name we pray. Amen.
The Dusk of a King-Maker Pastor Adam Ashoff Download Pulpit Curriculum PDF Pulpit Curriculum DOCX
The Road to Spiritual Renewal Pastor Adam Ashoff Download Pulpit Curriculum PDF Pulpit Curriculum DOCX * View transcript The Road Spiritual Renewal
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Good morning, brothers and sisters. Please turn to 1 Samuel chapter 7. If you have just been here visiting maybe for a few weeks, you may feel today like you're just jumping into the middle of a story or a movie or something like that, and the characters might not be familiar. So since we've been out of Samuel just a couple of weeks, I will try to kind of catch us back up today as we get back into it, and where we are in this wonderful book. As the title of the book, you might guess is about a person named Samuel, and that's understandable. And yet we've said the title really doesn't do it justice. The name Samuel, because the name, even though it sounded like God has heard me. The name itself meant God is my name, and God is the hero of the whole story of Samuel, because it is God who is moving along Salvation in the people of God in Israel all the way to Christ coming the greater prophet, the greatest prophet, the greatest king, the greatest priest that the people of God will ever know. And so Samuel is an important book for understanding just the flow of Scripture, of how God establishes kingship in Israel. Prior to that. Uh, God ruled and reigned himself through his law, and he rose up Levites and priests to offer sacrifices for the people. He rose up prophets like Moses and others to speak to the people, but they never had a king. He rose up judges like Joshua and Samson and Gideon, those who could, uh, keep the peace, if you will. But they never had a king. They never had somebody that. I guess when we think about a king, somebody with absolute power, if you want to call it that. And, this is the book that that changes from a theocracy where God is king over all the people, to that of having a king, an autocracy. And that's where we are getting to in this book. And Samuel is the one that ushers that in. He is the one that is going to anoint Saul, and he's going to anoint David starting in chapter 9 and onward. But for the next two weeks, while we're still in the month of May, we'll finish out 1 Samuel seven today and then eight next week before we take a break for the one service summer and have a guest speaker in here. First week in June, a guy that we've partnered with before, Matt McCarthy of City Light Church in High Point. We helped support that church as it was planted. And then after that, the leadership will do a series on the attributes of God through the month of June, July and into August. And then, Lord willing, and the creek don't rise, we'll be back in Samuel in the month of August and onward. So it's going to hopefully end where we see in the next two weeks, right up to the point where Saul comes around. And these two weeks we actually get the the most attention given to Samuel in his heyday, if you will. So far, we've really just seen Samuel as a young man. We've kind of seen his origins story, but he disappeared off the scene a few weeks ago. Maybe you noticed that chapters four, five and six, he was gone. He was nowhere to be found. Even though we'll see in the text today that he was heard, that though the Word of God had been silent, it says in 1 Samuel four that that there was not there was not a word from the Lord. Sorry. In first Samuel 3:1 as Samuel was just a boy learning under Eli, the Word of the Lord was rare in those days. By the time we get to the end of chapter three, Samuel has grown up from adolescence to a man of God in chapter three, verses 19 to 21. And eventually Eli's going to be off the scene as he is kind of diminishing both physically, but more so his leadership as the priest in Shiloh. And so a transition occurs in the Book of Samuel from Eli's leadership to Samuel's leadership. But yet, as chapter four started out, though the Word of God was coming to Samuel. And it says in first Samuel four one and thus the word of Samuel was coming to all Israel. It's just like that. He's gone. And you would almost expect that. Well, if God is speaking to Samuel and all of Samuel's words are going out to all of Israel, he would have a pretty pronounced role from that point forward. Except that wasn't part of God's plan for Israel to really hit rock bottom, as we have seen in chapters four, five, and six. That he suffered the humiliation of his own apparent defeat, the Ark being taken, Israel being defeated to teach Israel a most important lesson, which is that his glory, his presence with his people, was not going to be confined or localized to the Ark, so that they would actually, over the course of time, have come to put their faith in an ark, in a, in a talisman and a rabbit's foot in a piece of furniture, a really nice one at that. They had lost sight that their hope, their salvation, their deliverance was in God Himself, and they had drifted from that. And so we don't hear from Samuel starting back in first Samuel 4:2 all the way until he comes on the scene today. And he's probably now a mature spiritual man in his 30s. We know from the Levitical law that it wasn't until 25 that a priest could enter into the priesthood, though he was in the Levitical line. Age 25 is when his apprenticeship would start, and then it was usually by age 30 that he would serve in that function. And so years have gone by. And now Eli, is that priest or sorry, Eli is dead. Um, and Samuel is that priest. And it's been 20 years, and Samuel is now doing what he's always done. He's had a word from God, and he's spoken it. But nobody's been listening until we get to chapter seven. The judgment on Israel's rejection of his word has been severe. They were conquered by the Philistines starting back in chapter four. But then it wasn't just severity to Israel, it was to the Philistines. Chapters five and six. As God was showing his sovereignty over the false god of the Philistines, Dagon, he brought curses upon the Philistines in their land to the point that in chapter six they decide to get rid of the Ark and send it back to Israel. And that's where we pick up today in chapter seven, in a little dot on the map called Kiriath-Jearim, a little border town between the Philistines and the Israelites. Nothing significant about this place, and really nothing significant about the people there. Abinadab whose house? It was his son Eleazar, who was tasked to keep the Ark. All insignificant characters, but showing that during this 20 years of darkness, God was working, Samuel was preaching, and it was going to take a while for that preaching to get through to the people, to the point we'll see in the text today where they get back on the road to spiritual renewal. That's what this chapter is about. Israel was in rebellion. The Philistines were licking their wounds. But God is still teaching this lesson. You don't need to get right with a place Shiloh or an Ark, a piece of furniture, or even a person. Eli who has passed off the scene. Or now, Samuel, you need to know God is my name and to get back on the road to spiritual renewal starts with getting right with me. That's where we pick up the story today.
So follow along as I read 1 Samuel 7, I'll read the first three verses, and then we will walk along the road to renewal the rest of the way. And the men of Kiriath Jearim came and took the ark of the Lord, and brought it into the house of Abinadab on the hill, and consecrated Eleazar his son to keep the Ark of the Lord. From the day that the ark remained at Kiriath Jearim. The time was long. It was 20 years, and all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord. Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, if you return to the Lord with all your heart, remove the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you, and direct your hearts to the Lord, and serve him alone, and he will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines. The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the Word of our God endures and renews us even right now.
If you read your Bible regularly, you will see a familiar concept. I would argue from cover to cover, and that would be the concept that the Christian life, the life of a person of faith, is a way or referred to as a path or a road. Psalm 1. My favorite psalm I call the Sentinel Psalm because it stands at the beginning of the Psalter, the songbook of the people of God. And at the gates, Psalm 1 stands and says, if you are going to enter into worship of God, which is what the Psalter is there for. If you're going to enter into these gates, you only can take one of two paths. Someone says there's a path of the wicked, and there's a path of the righteous, and those are the only two options. And to the time of John the Baptist. Preparing the what? The way of the Lord, as he was calling the people to repentance in faith. The Messiah is coming into the time of Christ himself. What did he tell people to do? He said to repent and believe and follow me. Be a learner of what I teach. Be a follower of how I live. And then even into the book of Acts, the early church. Before the people were even known as Christians, they were called followers of the way. Used five times in the book of Acts. This theme of the life of faith, of a person of God, a child of God, a disciple of Jesus is referred to as a way or a path or a road. That idea is clear. And that idea embodies both truths you believe that's part of the way, but also practices for how you're to behave, its doctrine and its duty. It's what we say we believe with our mind and heart and soul, but it's seen. It's identifiable on the outside in our actions. It's both of those and that that lifestyle of both what we say we believe and how we behave is what really then encompasses the way of the righteous, the narrow path, Jesus says, that leads to eternal life in him versus the wide road that leads to destruction. And today, the road to spiritual renewal reminds us that all God's people at all times are on a path either following that path wholeheartedly from the inside, but yes, traceable by our steps on the outside in obedience to him. Or we start ever so slightly to do what? Veer to the right, or veer to the left, or sometimes in a state of true rebellion, we just turn and go the opposite direction. But, the call to be a follower of Christ and the fruit that he accompanies a child of God truly is to follow the way to stay on the path. And we'll see today from the inside is where it begins. And when you see yourself even this morning, when you feel like or it seems like or you sense that you have departed from that path, you have to ask yourself, what do I do? How do I get back on the path? In fact, some of you in here might sense that you have lost a relationship with God. He feels distant. He feels silent. You don't know how to hear him anymore. Maybe one way to illustrate that would be to say I feel like I'm lost. I'm talking to Christians. If you're not in Christ today, you're lost. The Bible refers to you as lost, but I'm talking to people in a church who can go through a real experience of feeling like they have lost the way, and they don't know how to get back on the path. In today's text is a story. It's a description of what it looked like, not just for one person. An entire nation of people to get back on the road to spiritual renewal. Maybe we would call that in our time and age, a revival, if you will. The question is how to do it. Well, if that's where your mind is today, you're in, I was I was going to say good company, but actually you're in bad company to start. Because Israel was not following God. They had rebelled against him. They had forsaken the way. They were finding their own way. They were doing, as the book of Judges overlaps into the beginning of Samuel, what was right in their own eyes. But there is good news here in the not good company of Israel, because the road to renewal today, for you and for me, is not an unknown course. It's not a hidden path. Praise God for that. He doesn't try to hide it and disguise it to where you're wandering off in the wilderness, so to speak. You're getting. You're getting lost. And it's getting dark and you don't know where to go. There is a light that you can follow, and the light is the truth of the Word of God, a light unto your path today. So that is the hope any of you have today. If you feel lost, maybe it's been some time. God calls out to you today through his perfect word to get back on the road.
So where do you start? Well, part 1...point 1 is the road to spiritual renewal. Always, always, always starts with repentance before God. That's the first movement of this text that teaches us how to get back on that road. The road to spiritual renewal starts with repentance. And you may say what Adam reminded me, what does repentance mean? Well, it's a word for turning in the Old Testament. A very simple word to turn. You could probably put two and two together, right? To turn away from whatever path you are on, whatever sin you were following, whatever desires of your own heart, and turn to God. In the New Testament, it's a term related to a change of mind, as in you're thinking was this way and now it's going to be that way. And both of those represent repentance. The way back to the road, you do need to change directions, metaphorically speaking, but it is a change of mind, isn't it? I mean, right now, what is the Word of God attempting to do to you right now? It's the truth of God, and it's meant to convict you. It's meant to prick your conscience. Or if you are so far gone, pummel your conscience to wake you up from whatever slumber you've been in. So you go, wait, I. I need a change of mind. I don't know what I've been thinking. So first and foremost would start with that. The preaching of the Word of God is meant to get to your heart, but it does go through your mind. You hear it, and you have to sit under it and say, is this true or is it not? But not just evaluate. Is it true or is it not? Is it true or is it not towards me, the listener? Is God speaking to me? And he is, because you're under the authority of His Word. That is repentance. That is the basic picture of repentance in the Bible. And we're going to see it fleshed out in in three ways, described in this first section of verses 1 to 7.
So let's pick up the story the road to Spiritual renewal. First, Israel was lost. We said that verses one and two, the ark is in some podunk town in Israel, on the border with the Philistines, but nobody wants to go near it for 20 years. It says, verse two, it's been in the house of Abinadab. They consecrated his son Eleazar, who his name does mean God is my help and he is there to protect the Ark because they still have some respect for it. But yet there's no reverence that leads them to say, in 20 years, maybe we should think about restoring it. Nobody does that. Maybe it's indifference. Maybe it's fear. We don't know. But sometime in that 20 years where it's sitting there and ignored and Kiriath Jearim, the time was long, the writer says. 20 years. And yet at the end of this time, there's a pulse on Israel. What does it say? All the house of Israel lamented after the Ark. Is that what it says? They limited after Shiloh. They missed Eli. No. The reason we know this isn't crocodile tears. This isn't pseudo repentance because it says in the text they grieve. They were sorrowful after Yahweh. That's something only God can do. They missed God on this path that they had been on, lost for 20 years and more. They started to miss God again. They missed him personally. They didn't miss the Ark. They missed God. They grieved that they had lost a relationship with him. Why are they interested now? We don't know. It could be, humanly speaking, that the faithfulness for the last 20 years, when we last left off with Samuel at the end of chapter three, when the Lord is revealing himself to Samuel by the word of the Lord, and the word of Samuel is going to all Israel, all the while all this action is happening in chapters four, five, and six, with war and destruction and the Ark stolen, and it destroying the Philistines and it coming back. All the while there's Samuel behind the scenes in obscurity, being faithful with the Word of God. Nobody's listening. But his word doesn't return void, does it? It's being planted, and he just keeps doing what he was called to do in obscurity. He's not in the limelight. He's in the shadows. But now he steps on the scene because there's what appears to be a heart of godly sorrow, not worldly sorrow. It doesn't say Israel was just lamenting because they were losers. They were under subjection to the Philistines. It says they were sorry because they missed God. So what was Samuel's message? In the silence. He spoke to all of Israel, saying, if this is real. If with all your heart this is real, this is on the inside. This is in your gut gnawing at you. You miss God. You grieve the loss of a relationship with him. You are God's covenant people and you have no idea what that looks like anymore. If from your heart you want to return to the Lord, you're going to do these things. That's repentance. If it's real, Israel. And if it's real for you today, if you're sitting there and you're like, you know, it's been 20 years for me. Maybe you're a fellow Gen Xer like myself and you peaked in your faith 20 years ago. Your 20s were great. You were on fire for the Lord. You were in college. You were part of some fellowship. It was alive. It was active. It was amazing. But it's been quiet. That can happen. It could be five years ago. I don't know how long that silence is, but you know it, don't you? You know what it's like to feel distant from God And the problem with Israel up until this point is they had localized a relationship with God. What do I mean by that? They had thought it was at the Ark, or it was back then, or it was in the good old days. We do the same. We think, oh, it was if I could just get back to where I was in 2005, I was at Grace Community Church. Personal reformation for me, discovering expository preaching under John MacArthur. Oh, it's was I alive and on fire then? If I can only get back there. We don't get back anywhere. It's over. The fruit remains. Praise God. We don't live in the past in our faith, but we do live out of it, my friend. And if that faith is real, if it was not just a facade. If it was not just putting your hope localized in a person or a church or an experience. But if it was the real thing, that's what you long for. God. But you could easily misinterpret and think it was the preacher and think it was the place and the time. And so you're just blown back and forth, trying to grasp at something, to find that meaning, to find that reality. And you try all these different things and you're trying everything but God. It's him you want, isn't it? But when you localize, that's what Israel had done. And so he let them come. They'd be broken down to very nothing. They have nothing except the Word of the Lord that now has pricked their conscience and moved their hearts. And Samuel comes and says, oh, if this is real in you, if with all your heart, because that's what God wants from you. He's always wanted that Israel. Deuteronomy 6:4-5. Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God, the Lord is one, and you are to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. That's what a relationship with God is, and you've lost it. So if you want that back. If you want back on the road to spiritual renewal, this is what repentance turning back to him is going to look like. Three things. Remove the foreign gods. Direct your hearts to the Lord and serve him alone. Now I want you to be careful with that because I'm not giving you a prescription for repentance. I'm describing what happened then and there, and the effect of it, we will see, was legitimate. It describes in that time and in that place what Samuel, who received the word from God and spoke it to them, what he said. Israel, if you want back on this road to renewal, if you want revival in your own heart and as a nation, here's some things you're going to need to do. And here's some things we all need to consider because we could be anywhere in the scope of this. But we trust that the Spirit of God can speak to your heart this morning. What does repentance look like? The first thing it looks like is turning from sin. That's what I interpret. Remove the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you. It's turning from sin. It's turning from idols of the heart. Now in their time, they were real idols. We don't have the same today. Maybe you do. As in, over the course of your spiritual journey, you've, you know, kind of gotten bored with Christianity and checked out other faiths, false gods, not the real thing. So there's a there's a general call here to remove the foreign gods, as in, did you forget commandment number one Israel, Exodus 23. You shall have what? No other gods before me, in front of me. In front of me? Not so much, I think. Order of. Okay. One, two. No, it's just you and me. That's a relationship. You love me with everything in you. Nothing gets between us before me. And you've let something get before me. That's how we can be the same as them, can't we? We let something get between us and God, steals our heart away from him. Steals our heart. It's not merely a hobby. It's not merely an interest. It's not merely. It's stealing your heart. It's getting in there, and it's getting between you and God. And you have to remove it. To repent is to turn to God. Is is to say, I've got to deal with this sin that is keeping me from a relationship with God. Because he demands my absolute allegiance to him and affection for him. That's all wrapped up in that call in Deuteronomy 6:4-5. Complete allegiance to him. Hear, O Israel, I am the one God, the one true God. But he also wants your total affection, doesn't he? All your heart, all your mind, all your strength. He wants all of you. What else would a loving God want? A jealous God want some of you? What do you want from your spouse? Some of their affection or all of it? I'm just okay with some of my spouse's affection. I don't need it all you want all of it? Anything less than that we call adultery. Some other person gets in between. You know, that was the word God used in the Old Testament spiritual adultery. When Israel went after what? Foreign gods and in the spirit of the age. Then it happened in Israel's time, going after other God's Book of judges into this time. It happens today. The spirit of the age. You know, there's a lot of different ways. We're all on a journey, right? From the lips of what some call in the secular media, the the head of the church of Christendom, Pope Francis, now dead, said this years ago, Pope Francis representing Christendom again in the eyes of the media, all religions are paths to God. God is for everyone. Therefore we are all God's children. But my God is more important than yours. Is this true? There is one God and religions are like languages. Paths to reach God. Some Sikh, some Muslim, some Hindu, some Christian. That's the spirit of the age. There's multiple ways. Either way, you're going to be fine. In the end. You have to what remove, at least in your thinking, a change of mind? That's not true because Jesus demanded ultimate allegiance, the exclusive path to him, the way, the truth and the life. It's strictly from the Bible. There's no messing with it but a Pope who, so to speak, speaks for the church has greater authority than the Bible can say something as heretical as that. Never removed from his office. That's the first step back to God. It's a change of mind in repentance that you can't have any gods before him. But look at the next thing they were to do in this turning from sin, this removing the foreign gods. He gets specific. He calls out Ashtaroth, who was a fertility goddess, Baal's wife. We meet her back in the beginning of the book of Judges in chapter two, verse 13. And Samuel not only calls out the general rejection of any false gods, any other gods, he knows something about these people. Maybe he's watched it for two decades. Go on. Corrupted religious practice that was associated with Ashtaroth had to do with sexual immorality, cult practices that linked ecstasy and religion and pleasure. And it was a particular curse. It was a plague on Israel. And he called it out because that's what repentance does. It's not okay to just be vague, you know, just you just got to you got to walk away from sin. It's what are the sins that are keeping you from God? What specific sins? Ashtaroth is named because it, according to Samuel, was their best beloved idol that they were wedded to. And as Matthew Henry writes about this, true repentance strikes at our darling sins. You ever call your sins a darling sin, the kind you love that you don't want to let go of? And he says, true repentance will strike at darling sins with a particular zeal and resolution to put away that sin which most easily besets us. So repentance that leads to spiritual renewal starts with seeing your sin more clearly and feeling the guilt of it, and rejecting the gods of our age that get into our mind, but also the idols of our age that work their way into our hearts. And I don't know what those are for you. If it's the great grandchildren of Ashtaroth, they could be the gods of sexual immorality. They are for many. The things we let our eyes see, the jokes we find appealing, the crude, the filth, pornography, living together, not married and just thinking those things that are clearly outlawed in Scripture I'm okay with. It's the great grandchildren of this false goddess that says, I can have my pleasure and God at the same time. And he says, no, I demand total allegiance to me, and I want all of your affection. So turn. Now, in that turning, we get to the next one. You direct your heart to the Lord. This is repentance described because repentance is turning from sin, which we just covered. And what, as you turn from sin, who do you turn to? You turn to God. You just don't turn to nothing. I mean, some people do that. They want to clean up their act. Maybe they see the consequences of their sin and they're convinced, I can't keep doing this. It's ruining my life. I'm getting fired from my job. Uh, it's estranging me from my family. I'm going to get kicked out of the house. Um, so they turn from sin, but they don't turn to God. They don't direct their heart to God. And we must. We must, or else something else will come in and do even worse damage, whether that be legalism. Now I'm just going to clean up my act and earn my way to some righteous path or just further libertinism which is I got rid of that sin. But now. Hey, that's not I got that. Let me try this other one here. So you turn from sin, you remove these false gods, these idols of the heart, and you turn and direct your heart to God. This is all in the heart, in repentance. It's heart work this morning. It's not merely to remove the sin, it's to seek the Lord. Pursue him again. 200 years ago, famous Christian dead guy Puritan Thomas Chalmers wrote a powerful defense of this truth in an essay called The Expulsive Power of a New Affection. And this was his thesis. Such is the grasping tendency of the human heart that it must have something to lay hold of, and which, if wrested away without the substitution of another something in its place, would leave a void and a vacancy as painful to the mind as hunger is to the natural system. That's essentially what's being described here. You can try to turn from a sin and remove an idol, but if you do not direct your heart to God, Israel, something else will fill that void. Because we read in the scriptures, God has made us in his image, designed us for relationship with him, put eternity in our hearts. And you cannot just say, I'm going to remove this, this thing from my heart. I'm going to bear down and get rid of that sin because I see its consequences, and I don't like them, and I'm busted. And I'm sorry about getting busted. But if you don't direct your heart to the Lord, you've made no progress. You've got to direct your heart to the Lord. Chalmers was saying that if you're not going to continue to love the world and its sinful pleasures, you need to fill it with a love for God and His joys that he alone can give. Otherwise, you'll be back where you started, and maybe worse off. The expulsive as in you can move this thing out with a greater affection. Parents were challenged to do this with our kids and their appetites. That's how I'm going to translate Puritan language into modern terms. Your kid wants to eat candy all the time. Ice cream on top of ice cream, gummy bears, chocolate syrup. You go to that sweet frog place. Gross stuff like sweet things that go together. Chocolate syrup and M&Ms. Sour candy and fruit. And my kids love it. If I just say, hey, no, I'm not going to just let you live off of sugar, but they're actually hungry. What do I need to do? I've got to feed them something. Broccoli. Usually doesn't work. Barbecue chicken, pulled pork, a steak, if they're lucky. Because they're hungry and hungry people will eat. You'll find something to eat, won't you? And when you drift from God, when you go on another path, what are you doing other than saying, I was hungry and I followed my appetite because he wasn't enough. So you remove the bad thing you shouldn't be eating. It's not good for you, but you got to fill it and feed yourself with something that will satisfy. How does Christ describe discovering the kingdom of heaven? It's like a guy who he goes out searching for this one thing, for this one pearl, and he finds a better one and a bigger one, and he goes all in for it. He sells everything he has for that one. That's finding Christ the greatest joy you'll ever find. We can drift. We could forget how good it is to taste and see the goodness of the Lord. So he calls us back from the heart. Those really are the inside work. And then the thing you would see for sure on the outside, this last piece of it, is it moves the will to action. It goes from this mindset change. That is right. I can't go on living for these things of the world. I must turn from them. I must direct my heart to the Lord. And then from that good, good root produces this third thing serve him alone. Get after it. It moves your will to action. You want to worship him. You want to serve him. You want to live for him. And you're satisfied in that. That's the path back. Now, again, I said, I didn't want to try to make this some formulaic thing. So, Adam, can you just lay out these steps today? I first have to remove the idols, and then I have to direct my heart. And then now give me six things to do to serve the God. Maybe it could work that way. Or maybe just in this moment of hearing the Word of God and your mind being convinced you're on the wrong path and you need to turn back. That's just it. And automatically the Spirit is convicting you of the sins that you need to repent of and confess and find forgiveness and healing, and let God then lead you to what? Where can I serve you, Lord? How can I serve you? He can do that for you right now. That's the path back. That's turning back to him. A change of mind about our sin, a change of heart in our desires and the fruit of good works. Service to God from a transformed mind and heart. Heart work on the inside. Removing those idols of the heart. Directing our heart towards the Lord. But on the outside serving him. You see it, otherwise it just doesn't add up, right? It's all lip service. We can say, oh, yeah, I'm convinced of that. I have a change of mind. It got me thinking this week about an article I read about a change of mind. Uh, this summer is the 50th anniversary of cinematic masterpiece known as Jaws. And the headline as I'm thinking about repentance and change of mind, the headline read Man Attempting to swim around Martha's Vineyard where Jaws was filmed, hopes to change minds about sharks. An endurance athlete is hoping to change minds about sharks by swimming around Martha's Vineyard, just in time for the 50th anniversary of Jaws. British South African swimmer Lewis Pugh was the first person to complete long distance swimming in every ocean of the world. Kudos, Lewis. Good for him. He's a great endurance swimmer. Um, but he says on this swim, it's very different. We're talking about sharks all the time, joked Pugh, who will, as usual, wear no wetsuit. Just trunks and a cap and goggles. So they're building Pugh up as this wonderful champion of great white sharks. Who is going to change our minds that they're really wonderful creatures who we should throw our children into the water and let them grab on the fin and and ride with them like the dolphins and floss their teeth because they're so friendly. Right? That's what the article would lead us to believe. Pugh is undertaking the challenge because he wants to change public perception around the at risk animals, which he said were maligned by the blockbuster film as villains. So this article goes on. It's a 12 day swim. It's 62 miles, and he's doing it all the while this summer in Martha's Vineyard, where there'll be celebrations around the movie Jaws. So I get it. He's striking while the iron's hot, and I'm reading that article and I'm going, yeah, maybe. Maybe my mind is changing to towards great whites. This this guy has inspired me. And then you read towards the bottom of the article, he emphasizes that the swim is not something non-professionals should attempt, which made me wonder about how do you become a professional of doing something so dumb? He's accompanied. Here's the here's the catch. He's accompanied by safety personnel and a boat and a kayak, and uses a shark shield device that deters sharks around him with an electric field without harming them. It all add up, does it now? If you were so convinced that these kind creatures just want to snuggle you, they weren't looking to bite. They just want to gum you a little bit. You would swim with no shark shields and no boats. Wouldn't you? Doesn't add up. You can't just say it's a change of mind, but your actions betray you, don't they? That's repentance. Now, granted, we want to encourage faith, don't we? When somebody says they're repentant, we want to believe it with all our heart. But we also time and truth go hand in hand. There's something that needs to be seen. That's the fruit of it. And the fruit of a repentant life is that we would obey God. And they did. Look at the end of this section. The sons of Israel did exactly what Samuel said, because they truly from the heart were broken. And they removed the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the Lord alone. They did exactly what Samuel, by way of God, told them they needed to do. For the first time in a long time, they were on the road to renewal again. Samuel said, gather now, this was the sons of Israel, the house of Israel he had been speaking to. They were doing what he said. And then he says, we need to throw a worship service. So gather all Israel to Mizpah and I will pray to the Lord for you. We're going to consecrate this moment. So verse six, they gather, they pour water out on the ground, that in the scriptures can be symbolic of repentance and change. Lamentations 2:19 arise, cried aloud in the night at the beginning of the night watch. Pour out your heart like water before the presence of the Lord. That's what that was symbolizing. It was this pouring out. We're done with ourselves. And they fasted, maybe symbolic of we don't need the pleasures of the world. We can feast on God. And then the most important thing. The ownership. What do they say? What every truly contrite sinner from the heart would say. We have sinned against the Lord. That's on us. And Samuel judged the sons of Israel at Mizpah. So this scene ends. Amazing, doesn't it? I mean, if you've been with us for the last few months from the beginning, this is a far cry from what Israel had been doing. And, oh, if it could just end there. Hollywood ending. Samuel's out of the shadows. Israel's repentant back on the road to spiritual renewal. But it never goes that way, does it?
Number two on the path. The road to spiritual renewal strives toward dependence on God's help. It would appear that the deed is done. Everything's good. Celebrate good times tonight. Except for this is a prime time for the enemies of God to strike right after this great moment of revival. Bible. Renewal. Reconciliation to God. Enthusiasm for him. They get attacked. Can you relate? Can you look back at times of renewal in your own life? Times of listening to a sermon, times to be determined and zealous for the Lord? Maybe it was just last Sunday. Kurt's sermon inspired you. I'm going to apply that. I'm going to do that. And then you got home and got in a blow up argument. You got fired the next day, there's some trial was brought upon you and had nothing to do with sin in your life, and you just got knocked back completely, right? This happens to God's people. Who's in control of it is the question. So the text makes it seem like, hey, the Philistines heard all Israel, all Israel, the sons of Israel are gathered to Mizpah. And it's been 20 years. They've had their thumb on them. They have been subduing Israel and the lords of the Philistines went up against them. They must have thought, hey, we don't know. We don't really care what they're doing. We just know it's no good if they're all gathering together. So let's get the troops together. Let's go attack! WouldIsrael budge? Would they depend on God to help? See, here's the test. I mean, they did all the religious stuff, didn't they? But now this is where your faith has to get up and walk, doesn't it? Out there. So the sons of Israel said to Samuel, don't cease to cry to the Lord our God for us, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines. Oh, what is changed in 20 years? Where was their hope before? It was in the it of the Ark back in chapter four, verse three. Let us take to ourselves from Shiloh the ark of the covenant, that it may come among us, and deliver us from the power of the enemy. Who are they trusting in now, 20 years later, they're trusting in God. I'm not saying anything about the Ark. They say, Samuel, would you pray? Oh, get on your knees in that moment and pray. That's dependence. Would you pray for us that he would save us from the hand of the Philistines? They didn't come up with some cockamamie scheme like they did at the beginning of chapter four, when they came back wiped out by the Philistines. And we need a new plan. We need something like a magic ark to deliver us. And they get demolished even worse. No, they just say we need prayer. We need God to save us. And they didn't stop there. Samuel, in his role as priest, now takes a lamb and sacrifices it and cries out to the Lord on behalf. And here's the action. It's just breathtaking. Samuel is offering up the burnt offering and same time the Philistines are drawing near to battle. Could you picture it? Thousands of Israelites praying, crying out to God. Samuel's making this sacrifice and they could hear the hooves of the horses coming. Think they were scared? Absolutely. They were scared. But where was their trust this time? Their trust was in the Lord. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, maker of heaven and earth and destroyer of these little bitty Philistines. They're just a minor problem. They don't know how the story is going to turn out, but they were told they're acting in faith. Why do I say that? Because back in verse three, the last thing that was promised is if Israel you with all your heart, remove the foreign gods and direct your hearts to him and serve him alone, God will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines. God didn't wait very long to test that, did he? He doesn't wait very long in our lives often. You think? Why would he do that? That sounds kind of cruel. No. It's brilliant. It's brilliant because when are you at your strongest? When you've just admitted your weakness, when you've repented, when you've turned back, you're actually where... You're at your strongest. You're not at your strongest when you think you're at your strongest. You're at your weakest because it's in you. But when you've repented, when you've abandoned all hope in yourself, and you've said, I am determined, Lord, to be loyal to you and faithful to you and follow you, and I trust in your promises. What an opportune time for your sovereign God to design what looks like an attack. In this case, it really is. Who's in charge here? Philistines led by demonic forces. Yeah, they're doing what they would, of course do. They're going to try to crush them out. And God's saying, here's the chance, Israel, you have not succeeded in decades in defeating anybody. But now that I have your heart again and you're trusting in me, you're depending on my help. What am I going to do? The Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day. So the Philistines are charging in, the war horses are coming, the spears are drawn. And on that day against the Philistines, God thunders out of heaven. Psalm 29. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars. It thunders from on high. It's over the waters. And you know what it's like when thunder hits in the middle of the night. You wake up out of a dead sleep. Multiply that times a hundred here. These Philistine soldiers were wide awake, and they were bloodthirsty. And he stops them in their tracks and they run. Now, here's the cool thing about God. You're like, hey, wouldn't it have been enough for him to just bring down some fire and brimstone and smoke 'em out? And Israel could just, like, get up from prayer and be like, oh, that was great. All in a day's work, guys. No. He wants to produce even more faith in them. So he scares the Philistines. And then verse 11, the men of Israel. And that that weakness they had before of trusting in themselves and their own strength and the Ark. They go out and pursue those Philistines and strike them down as far as they could run. He wanted to get more faith out of them, like he wants to do with you and me in these moments. If you ever want to see that that idea of God's sovereignty and our responsibility working out in real time, you have it right here in verse 11. The work wasn't done. You know what? Because they're not only believing in the promises of God delivering them from the hand of the Philistines, they're also remembering going back to Joshua. They were to what? They were to rid the land of all of God's enemies. And now they're doing it again. They're walking by faith. They're back on the path. It wasn't just a one time repentance. This was striving towards dependence on God. And Samuel as a good shepherd to them and a leader of the people. He says, all right, let's memorialize this thing, takes a stone, sets it, sets it between Mizpah and Shen, and names it Ebenezer. That's rich. Why is it rich? Where was the place they got wiped out three chapters ago? 30,000 of them, Ebenezer. A place that meant God is my help. A stone of help. And he says, you know what? That was us. But we don't live in the past. We live out of the past. That was us when we lacked faith, when we didn't go to God for help, when we localized what we thought God could do in an Ark. And now we see that it's about him. Our relationship with him. Repentance to him. Direction of our heart towards him. Serving him. Praying to him, fighting with him. So let's call this place Ebenezer. Isn't that our lives? Who we once were? But now we're a new creation. And any time we look back, we don't go back. We look back and we say, that was me, but that's not me now. And when you do that in those moments of faith, when you keep track of those moments where you said, I could go back right now, I could lack faith, I could go back to that sin I could get. And you say, that's not who I am. So raise up an Ebenezer in your life. Keep a journal of it. Share it with people. Teach your kids. Parents. Why do we repent to our kids? One we want to model what repentance looks like. Don't expect them to do it if you don't. But then you talk to them about it. You tell them as they are ready to hear it, who you were and who you are now, to give glory and praise to God, not to yourself. That's real then. Otherwise it's fake. It's that religion of the Pharisees. The hypocrisy we talked about a few weeks ago, isn't it? I just I'm a parent with a mask. The dad that never messes up. The father that leads in repentance. The mother that leads in repentance. The parents that show repentance. The grandparents that do it. The disciplers that do it. That's going to ring true with them. But faking it won't. Not for a second. So this is the real thing. God keeps his promise. Verses 13 says The Philistines were subdued. They didn't come anymore within the border of Israel. The hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. I mean, now that's a great ending, except it's not.
We got a couple more verses 14 to 17. And this is this is where we stay now. We've gotten back on the path. We're dependent in prayer. But we need his Word. We need to stay submitted to his Word, brothers and sisters. And that's what we see in 15 to 16. I'm not just making this up. In fact, God wants to really seal it into my and your mind so much. It's repeated three times. It's the theme of the postscript on the story of Samuel, the prophet in the prime of his life, when he was doing his best work, repeated three times. Verse 15, he judged Israel. Verse 16 he judged Israel. Verse 17. There he judged Israel. Are you getting the point? And what was the primary means of Samuel's judgment as prophet? The Word of the Lord came to him. And from Samuel it went to all Israel. That's staying in submission to the Word of God. The heart of his spiritual leadership was speaking on behalf of God. He's a 2 Timothy 3:16 guy. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, training in righteousness. That's what he was doing all those years. To all Israel, just riding around a circuit preacher, it says, going around to Bethel and Gilgal and Mizpah, and then even in his home. Everywhere he went, the word of God went. That's how you stay on the path. It starts with repentance. It starts with your heart being directed back to the Lord. It proceeds in dependence, in prayer. But oh, how we stay under it through the Word of God. Imagine this a sermon on turning back to God. And what do we need? The means of grace. The word in prayer. Is it complicated? It's not really. But is it hard? Absolutely. To stay on the path, as Samuel displays even here, it's just long obedience in the same direction under the faithful teaching of God's Word. Samuel's kind of a picture to me of how the Word of God works in our conscience. It rides around and at every stop, at a lie, at an error, at a temptation. He rides around and he says, no, that's not what you're going to do there. No, Adam. Reform your ways. Adam. Repent of that. It rides around in my conscience, constantly reminding me of God's expectation to live for him only and entirely his. That's why you need the Word of God, friend. Personally, yes. But corporately, in a local church, the accountability of the church. We learned this last week. Kurt ended with it. Biblical preaching, biblical fellowship. Biblical shepherding. Why? So all of those means to the one great end of keeping the Word of God. What? Over you and around you and underneath you. Protecting you. Keeping your conscience sensitive, not calloused. So whatever fresh commitment you have made to God today, mark an Ebenezer in your soul. This, like Samuel's end, is a plodding perseverance, not some sentimentalized Christian experience that we could conjure up today, here now and gone tomorrow. That's what Israel did. They localized it. They just wanted the experience. They wanted the high. They wanted to get back to the feel. And it wasn't there. It was in steady, faithful, dependent submission to God and His Word. It's the same for us. So find a home and a faithful church. Build your life in submission to the Word of God. The road to spiritual renewal today is one of repentance and dependence and submission. There's no other way besides that. If you're not in Christ today? You have to turn to God. The only difference... I mean, you could have listened to this whole sermon. And the only difference all. Everything I said, turning to God, repenting, directing your heart. All of it. The only difference is you're not returning. You're turning. You get that? For the first time, turning to God, realizing you were headed in the opposite direction in unbelief. Your primary thing you turn from if you're not in Christ this morning and you know it is turning from your unbelief. Now, could there be a host of sins in your life that need to change? Yeah. Welcome to real life. Ask any Christian in here that doesn't change. As Luther said, the Christian life is one of repentance all the time. We're always turning from sin, aren't we? I mean, has any Christian in here discovered any different way to live the Christian life besides turning away from sin and turning to God? But for you that aren't in Christ this morning, the primary thing that you turn from is unbelief. Not really believing that you're the sinner that needs saved and Christ is your only way. That's what you need to do right now is call upon him. Return to God. Seek him. Serve him. Depend on him, submit to him, and love him. It's all about wholehearted devotion to him. Let's pray. Father, we thank you this morning for your Word. Thank you for first Samuel 7, a wonderful picture of you not giving up on your people. When it looked like to them maybe that you had for 20 years. But you used that time of silence and darkness and distance to soften them, to bring sorrow, and that godly sorrow that led to repentance and led to earnestness, led to prayer, and submitted to your word is in one beautiful chapter in the Bible, the picture of our lives. We thank you for that. Use your Word to work, Spirit for salvation, for the lost, and for strengthening of your saints. Amen.
How to Finish Well Kurt Gebhards Download Pulpit Curriculum PDF Pulpit Curriculum DOCX * View transcript How To Finish Well
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Good morning and greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ from the elders and Saints at the Grove Bible down in Brandon, Florida. Grateful to have the privilege of being with you here today and lifting high the authority of Jesus Christ and the power of his holy and noteworthy and glorious word. When you think about yourself, I hope there are parts of yourself that are even to yourself, hard to understand. I'll be honest when I think about this particular fact of my life. I don't understand it very much. I don't understand why I enjoy running so much as strange. If you were to look at my frame, you would wonder the same. You'd be like, I don't understand that. It is a great mystery to me. How many of you absolutely hate running? Speak the truth in church. That is a vast majority of this congregation. I understand why you would do that, and I don't understand why I would have such an interest in running. But it but it is true. But it's also true that while I call it running, I know for sure that you wouldn't call it that. Uh, most of you, if you had a gracious construct, would call it jogging. You would suggest that what I'm doing is jogging. But others of you, if you were more honest with what was happening, it would look an awful lot like stumbling and stammering and struggling very, very much. But I'm glad to call it running. And I've also had the privilege of competing in a few races in my day. Uh, 10-K'S, quite a number of them, and even a few half marathons. On my bucket list is to finish a marathon. Bill Johncock actually tried to help me carry me through a marathon, and, uh, he failed or I failed and didn't get that done, but I've finished a few half marathons, 13.1 miles. Keep the point. One. Okay. I mean, thank you very much for your thoughtfulness and encouragement. Uh, it's been a while since I've done that, but as I picture myself finishing these somewhat sizable races, I can picture myself really struggling to the end, just fighting with every ounce of energy that I have, uh, forcing every moment and motion of my body forward. I can imagine how I looked as I just basically collapsed over the endpoint of those races. I'm sure it looked like a horrible mess and a horrible struggle. But finish I did. And while I don't think that I've really ever successfully finished a race in a way that one might imagine with great strength and a surge of vitality...for the race of our Christian walks, may God give us strength and vitality and a surge to the end. My friends, the Lord Jesus Christ, the scriptures and the power of the spirit would have us not only begin well in Christ, but finish well in Christ. The Bible instructs us about how to finish well.
Years ago and listening to a sermon from Chuck Swindoll. He taught me this. It's relatively easy to start. Well, maybe you can think back to when you were converted, when you were born again. The large scale changes, a completely new set of friends, a new identity, a new purpose. For me, when I was born again, by the grace of God, I went from darkness to light. I went from hopelessness to joy. I went from foolishness to, well, working on wisdom. But God changed everything. And the start of that was so dynamic it was relatively easy. But he also commented how it's relatively easy to continue the Christian life. You're establishing your family by the grace of God in Christ. You're learning theology. You're understanding what it means to be faithful and fruitful in him. It's easy somewhat to start the Christian life. It's easy somewhat to continue the Christian life. But it's very apparently friends...it's very, very hard to finish. Well. And oh, to finish well. Oh, to finish well. To finish with a surge of passionate motion towards Christ. Friends, make sure that you don't have any category of coasting in the Christian life. No category of cruise control. No allowance for indulgence through a plateau of resting on yesterday's laurels, but rather a passionate interest in finishing well for the glory of Jesus Christ. Finishing well for God's testimony in your life...not to be sullied or dragged through the mud. Finishing well for those that you love, your spouse and your children. Finishing well for the generations that follow you. Finishing well for God's honor and God's purposes. Oh, that we would all with great earnestness, great desire, and great attentiveness to God's Word...finish well.
If you have your Bibles, and I hope that you do, please turn to Second Peter, chapter one. In Second Peter chapter one, there's a beautiful image in verse 11 that inspires this concept of finishing. Well, then paired with this image is a set of instructions about how you and I can finish well. Too many stories of breakdown at the end, too much tragedy in the final meters of the Christian race. But God would have you finish well. And if you turn in your Bibles to Second Peter chapter one, looking at verse 11, we'll see this image, and then we'll build our sermon around this key concept, this beautiful, beautiful picture of finishing well. Can you see in the Word of God open before you 2 Peter 1:11. For in this way. What way? We'll get to that. "In this way, the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you."
Let me paint this picture. And I'll give you the outline of our sermon. We'll read the text and we'll get it. Here's the picture. May the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ be...what does it say?...abundantly supplied to you. The images of a runner coasting beautifully in the final moments of his life, culminating a life of faithfulness with a surge of spirit filled obedience so that even in the final moments there is a finishing, well, strength, surge, upshifting in the final hours of our spiritual journey. Pressing on to Christ so that the entrance. It's not obscure, it's not filled with doubt. It's not hard to find. It's not blocked with thorns and thickets of the world's troubles, but rather an open and beautiful entrance cruising to the end. With your Bibles open to Second Peter, chapter one, uh, we'll read it in just a moment. Let me give you the outline. We have three points. The third point will take most of our time, for sure, but I wanted to capture this entire series of arguments. The Bible, I hope you understand, is built around arguments. The Holy Spirit is arguing for salvation in Christ, glory to God and in this case, how to finish well. So we're going to pick up the first two steps of the argument in summary form. And I'll give you some homework because most sermons good sermons give you homework. So we'll hit those first two ideas in summary form. And then we'll settle into the third portion of this passage 11 through 15, and talk about how to finish well and the ingredients. There's kind of a twist ending here that's quite interesting to me.
But the first part of this is being saved by grace. We'll read that in verses one through four. The second part, this is the outline that we're going to be functioning under, saved by grace, sanctified number two, sanctified through diligent effort. And then number three, how to finish well, verses 11 through 15...saved by grace, sanctified through diligent effort. And I'm telling you that in advance. So as we read it, you'll see some of these markers. We'll talk about it briefly, and then we'll get to this third portion toward the end. So if your Bibles are open. 2 Peter 1:1-15 reads as follows. This is God's holy word.
"Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of God our Savior, our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. Seeing that his divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and excellence. For by these he has granted to us his precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust." Verse five. "Now for this very reason, also, supplying all diligence in your faith. Supply moral excellence and to your moral excellence, knowledge and to knowledge, self-control and in your self-control, perseverance and in your perseverance, godliness and in your godliness, brotherly kindness and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind and shortsighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about his calling and choosing of you. For as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble. For in this way, the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you. Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them and have been established in the truth which is present with you. I consider it right, as long as I'm in this earthly dwelling to stir you up by way of reminder, knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me, and I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure you will be able to call these things to mind."
So three points, third point taking most of our time. First point that finishing well includes saved by God's grace. To finish well, you got to start well. To finish well, you have to actually begin the Christian race. And the only way that you can begin the Christian race is to receive it from the grace of God. 2 Peter 1:1-4 makes this point about salvation being from God alone. In fact, Psalm 3:8 says, salvation belongs to our God. God himself is the possessor of salvation and the distributor of salvation. And so we recognize that if we are to have salvation, it's because we have, verse one, received it from him. The homework that I'll give you in verses one through four as we talk about salvation by grace alone is to identify the eight gifts of salvation in these four verses alone. I mean, verses three and four has this extraordinary list of blessings given to you in salvation. And you can go well beyond this list, uh, to think of other scriptures that list 20 to 25 to 30 blessings of salvation to every sinner that would receive. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever would believe in him would not perish but have everlasting life. God the father, the son, and the spirit wrote a plan to send Jesus Christ to the earth to die a horrible death, to save sinners like you and like me. Radical truth. A remarkable truth. But the reality, sadly, is this...too many people refuse to receive because they stiffened their neck and closed their arms. God will not force into your closed arms the reception of salvation he calls to us to receive. So I want to ask you, what is your attitude towards salvation? Is it this?...prove it to me. Or is it this?...you wronged me God. Is it this?...I'm not playing your game. We heard this testimony. I think it was Sean that alluded to that his arms were closed to salvation. But is that honorable? God is offering you eternal life. Would you simply be willing to open your hands to receive it? He's calling to you. Will you receive the free gift of eternal life in Jesus Christ? The hands that are open to receive this free gift. And by the way, this isn't preacher talk. I want to say this before I tell you about the hands that receive it. I'm not sure. Of course, I'm not sure where you're coming from spiritually. Some of you have been in Christ for many, many years and your examples to us are finishing well, surging to the end, seeking God. But I'm also sure in a room this size, with this many people, that there are people that are coming this morning that don't know nothing about, no churchy stuff. You know, I have a Bible to bring. You didn't know you're supposed to bring a Bible. And it's pretty heavy, pretty quick. I want to say to everyone, we're glad that you're here. Thank you. You're welcome here. This is a place for you. And why don't we come to receive gifts from God? How do we receive salvation from God? How do you even receive this sermon? If even you're new to all this, how do you do that? Two hands receive his gifts...the hands of repentance and faith. Turn from the sin that has separated you from your God through rebellion, selfish indulgence, pride, and foolishness. Repent and believe. Biblical belief is a trust. It is reliance. It is a looking to him, not to self, placing no confidence in the flesh, but placing all of our confidence in Jesus Christ. Would you be willing to receive salvation through repentance and belief? Well, those of you who are in Christ, I've given you the homework. Find those eight gifts in these few verses the eight gifts of salvation. They're remarkable, and they're for us to enjoy and to apply. If you're going to finish well, you need to be saved by the grace of God. Number one.
Number two, verses five through ten. You need to be sanctified by diligent effort. Now, sanctified is a fancy Bible word. Okay, sanctified. I think some of you know what it means. Of course you do. Sanctified means growing in Christ. Sanctified is the path that tremendous thrill and adventure of following Christ. What a great adventure it is. I mean, it leaves us speechless as we consider his kindness to give us salvation and then to have us walk in his ways...what a thrill. And so the argument here in verse five, I hope you, I hope your Bibles are open and you can see this. Peter says, because of all that he's done for you in salvation...now, verse five, for this exact reason work your tail off. I mean, get it. I mean, make every effort. I mean, this term for diligence is an extraordinarily beautiful and powerful and compelling concept for our lives. Peter's argument, the Holy Spirit's argument is just this. Salvation is something you make no effort. You just simply receive the free gift. But now that he's done for you what he's done for you in Christ, by all means. What does it say? Make how many efforts? Thank you, Vicky. Make all efforts. Making every effort, all diligence, applying all diligence. Wow. As we reflect on saved by Grace verses one through four, maybe as we look at that list, we cultivate a greater gratitude for what he's done. God forgive me for being so thankless for all that you've done for me in salvation. And now for the second point, about being sanctified or growing in Christ through our effort and diligence. As you're taking notes either in your mind or in the notes sheet in front of you. What area of your life needs greater diligence, greater attention, greater effort? Because it talks about supplying all diligence, supplying a great effort, making every effort. God loves us so much he doesn't want to leave any aspect of our life, unredeemed or unsanctified. He doesn't want for any portion of our life to not be advancing in him.
So that's why in verses five, six, and seven, he lists eight areas of spiritual growth. Just like there are eight gifts of salvation, verses one through four. There are eight areas of spiritual growth in these few verses. Take this as your homework. Jot it down. Make it a study for this week. How is God pressing into your life a greater diligence, a greater zeal, a greater effort, a greater acknowledgement of all that he's done in a greater, more wonderful outflow of the effort that he's given us? Look at verse eight. For these qualities or these virtues are yours. And ah, what does it say?...if they're yours and are increasing. So Peter just doesn't expect us to have a significant achievement in all eight of these categories. He expects us to have a significant achievement in all eight of these categories, and to have all or most of these categories increasing to the end. What a calling. Enough of American Christianity that just chills and coasts. It's an absolute blight on Western evangelicalism that many people think that salvation is the end of a process, not the beginning of it. Salvation is the beginning of this privileged life of communion with Christ and commission with Christ. It's the beginning. It's the start. And now it's ours to race well, run hard. All diligence, every effort. None of us have applied all diligence in every category. None of us have. All of us have room to grow. When you come into God's presence to hear God's Word, I'm sure you're mature enough to recognize that he wants to do business with your soul. So maybe this is the business that he wants to do with your soul, and you identify an area where you have been passive, self-indulgent, self-interested, lazy, slothful. All of us can think of several, if we're mildly thoughtful for mere seconds. May the Lord give us insight so that we can, in Christ, identify clearly where we can make every effort and glorify his name. Look at verse ten. This idea of diligence appears again therefore, brethren. At the close of this part about sanctification. He's saying, therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about his calling and choosing of you for as long as you practice these things. Ongoing practice. Yes, we're talking about practice, Y'all...practice. For as long as you practice these things, you will. What does it say? Verse ten. You will never. What? You'll never stumble. This is finishing well. This is finishing with strength. This is surging to the end. Not stumbling, not stammering, not struggling, but strength in your stride so that you can grow and finish well. I'll say this, I think of the ways that I've fallen short in so many ways. I would imagine again, in a group this size, that a great number of you have been hurt by people that have professed Christ and cursed him with their actions. They hurt you. They betrayed you. They were false. They talked a big game about being Christian. And then they lived according to their father, the devil. I'm sorry for that. I regret that horribly that that is the experience of too many in the room. Maybe that's your primary reason for unbelief. While I apologize for that horrible missed feeling on behalf of that hypocrite, Christ is not that way and will never treat you that way. Look to Christ. Trust in Christ. And I will suggest by personal knowledge, I know of dozens of people in this room that are absolutely the real deal. Imperfect for sure, but sincere for sure. Saved by God's grace for sure, and sanctified according to his power and glory. And maybe that will be a brighter light for you to follow if you're willing to give God this extra shot. But we recognize that too many people are stumbling, flailing, and falling. There are ways for you to never stumble.
So we've considered how the Christian life begins. It starts with saving grace, verses one through four. It continues with sanctification and growth, with every effort and diligent awareness and mindfulness of his purposes.
And now, number three, how to finish well, verses 11 through 15. We're just going to focus on the details of verses 11 through 15 as we consider how to finish well. And as we dive into this third part and kind of acknowledge what to me is kind of a twist in the argument. Um, uh, let's turn to chapter three, 2 Peter, chapter three. It's quite interesting. I'll give you the twist in just a moment. This isn't the twist. Um, you'll see in second Peter chapter three three times in the close of the letter that Peter is driving home one extraordinary theme. It's a very important theme. He emphasizes this theme in the first book as well, 1 Peter, but we're in 1 Peter 3. Look at verse 11. Peter is extraordinarily concerned about...holiness. Very, very interested in our spiritual blamelessness. 2 Peter 3:11, 14 and 17 gives us this punctuated end to his letter. 2 Peter 3:11 says, since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, he just talked about how literally all the things that we know in a material level are going to be, atomically dissolved, like broken down on an atomic level. So all these things, physical things, are going to be destroyed in this way. Look at this phrase. This is so powerful. What sort of people ought you to be? That's a great question. Since this world is a meaningless, not set, this world is disappointing in brokenness and breakdown and difficulty and it's all going to be destroyed. What kind of people should we as Christ followers be? What kind of people? He answers it...holy and godly. Man, that's awesome. He's like, look, it's all going to be burnt to a crisp and pulverized. So what should we be? People that have our minds and hearts set on holiness and godliness. Verse 14, is the next step in our argument. Therefore, beloved, since you look at these things, he's talking about the warnings to the godless. Since you look for these things and then the promise of God in salvation and be diligent to be found in him, by him in peace...spotless and blameless. Spotless and blameless. Just a repetition of the theme of holiness and godliness...set apart for God. No stain. Oh, just Christian for a moment. What is the nature of the blood that has saved us from our sins?...1 Peter 1, the lamb was known as a spotless and unblemished lamb. You have been purchased with the blood of Jesus Christ, who never sinned in attitude, action, or aspiration. He never sinned. He was a spotless and blemishless and blameless lamb. You have been washed in that blood. Now, friends, wear it. Walk in his righteousness. Depend on him for all the stuff that is so hard...so hard. I had a conversation recently with a new friend, and I was trying to convey the essence of Jesus Christ and salvation, and I just made this point to him. I said all the things that we need for life. This is a well-adjusted, thoughtful, smart man. So all the things that we need for life, um, none of them are intrinsic. None of them are found on the inside. All of them come from the
outside. I need love. I'm not made of that. I need truth. I doesn'tcome from me. I don't I didn't generate the truth. I need grace, I need forbearance, I need patience, I need goodness. None of that is found inside. It comes from God on the outside. And we need to depend upon him. We receive the sacrifice of his grace, spotless, unblemished and blameless. And now we're to be that, too. 2 Peter 3:11, 3:14 now verse 17. Again, this is a punctuated conclusion to his letter. You therefore, beloved, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard, so that you are not carried away by the error of sinful, wicked, unprincipled men, and fall from your own steadfastness or stability. Peter's warning...don't be deceived or tricked by wickedness and sinfulness, so that you then become unstable flying in the wind. Flittering about like a castaway piece of paper in the afternoon air. Established. Strong. Steadfast. Stable. Hey, listen to me. When we're in our right mind, we really want this for ourselves. But more importantly, maybe this is persuasive to you. How much you want this for your children and how much you want this for the generation yet unborn. Let me say it this way. If you want your kids to be established in Christ, you need to be granite. Let me say it in a negative way. Never anticipate your kids standing strong in Jesus Christ, loving him, and serving him if you cut your commitments to Christ in half, if you cut your commitment to the church in half, why would you ever think that your kids would love the church and glorify God by committing to the church? If you cut your commitment to the Word of God in half, why would you ever expect your kids to treasure God's Word? Be the granite for them in stability, strength, godliness, and holiness so that they themselves can grow underneath the shade of your example. This call to holiness punctuates the second letter of Peter.
And now we return to verses 11 through 15 to talk about this twist. As I was making my way through this study, originally of this passage years ago, and and I thought to myself, God, the foundation of our lives is salvation by God's grace and all the gifts that come with that, Verses one through four. I then understand beautifully how we're called to then, for that very reason. Also, make every effort be all the more diligent to grow in what he's given us verses five through ten, and to be diligent and to see these qualities as ours and increasing. And then when he got to verse 11 and painted this picture of an abundant entrance, and then he told us how to get it, I was really surprised.
Let me summarize what we'll say now by giving you the third point. You finishing well includes an appreciation and healthy relationship to pastoring, preaching in the local church. That's really shocking. I didn't anticipate that hear from Peter. That's exactly what he says, that if you want to be established, never stumbling and finishing well, you will have a healthy relationship with biblical preaching, biblical ministry among the saints, and biblical pastoring from spiritual leaders. And that's our remaining outline. And I want to show you that here from the text that if you want to finish well, you must have an appreciation and appetite for biblical preaching, biblical ministry among the people of the local church and biblical pastoral care and love.
So we have this image of an abundant entrance again, the open field, the open square cheering people. Celebration. Cruising to the end. I want to just make one comment before we get to that three point outline. Sub points. Do you see again in verse 11 how the last phrase, it says that this entrance will be abundantly. What is the verb?...supplied to you. I read the word supply in verse five. You need to see this. This is fascinating. So what does it say in verse five? The same verb is given in verse five. What does it say? For this very reason, also supplying all diligence. Huh? Let me summarize this part of the argument. As you, by the power of the spirit and according to biblical integrity, supply all diligence to the establishment and growth of your faith. God is prepared to supply for you an abundant entrance into heaven. You supply. He supplies. It's beautiful. What Peter is doing here is questioning this eternal outcome of your faith. Jesus Christ Himself purchases you in salvation and protects you through the end. So Peter isn't saying that if you don't supply enough, then you'll somehow lose your salvation. That's not what is in question here. What's in question here is the quality of your entrance, the abundance of the entrance. Not whether you'll enter or not. That's Christ's business. It's how you will enter and how you will enter is your business. Oh, let us be about that business. I mean, think of the different categories that God would have us supply in. So just think about life. So if we're thinking about our diligent pursuit of Christ, what are the different categories of life that you would want to offer to God for faithfulness? Just think about the categories of life. What comes to mind, especially on Mother's Day? Things like what? Family, right? So how many of you want to take the category of family and be diligent to present that to God by pursuing him. What are some other categories that come to mind for you? Categories of life. Not family, but work. Some of you are gainfully employed. Some of you have the privilege of working for the Lord because you're retired from gainful employment. Others of you have as your job looking for a job because you really need a job. Whatever the case is, use your work as an opportunity to pursue him diligently. Family. Work. What else? Relationships. Discipleship. Taking personal spiritual responsibility for others. Your finances. What portion of your finances are being deliberately dedicated to God? What is another category or two? Aging. Whatever age God has given you, use it for the glory of God. If you're young, enjoy your vitality. Young bucks. Go get em. I mean, go get after it. And if you're less young than you want to be or used to be, then by all means, steward that for the glory of God. Maybe he's given you a little bit of wisdom or a little bit of temperance or a little bit of help. Through the years, some of all of us have paid for that education. Honestly, give it to the next generation through disciple making. What about your time as a category of life to apply diligence to? What percentage of your time is devoted and committed to Jesus Christ? Are you shouldering weekly Kingdom responsibility? Are you serving the church in a deliberate and committed fashion? Are you honoring him? These are the ways that we are diligent in our walk with God. And as we're diligent to supply to God our effort, then he's diligent to supply to us what again, verse 11?...an abundant entrance. So as we get into these three points, biblical preaching, biblical church relationships, and biblical pastoring, a critical element of enduring faithfully is appreciating biblical ministry. Peter is highlighting here the reality that finishing well involves the challenges brought about by uncomfortable preaching, uncomfortable ministry among the members, and uncomfortable pastoral leadership.
Let's look at these concepts again, focusing in on verses 11 through 15. Verse 12 says, therefore I will always be ready. To what? To remind you of these things, even though you already know them. That's interesting. Some people would call this nagging, but Peter is saying, I know that you know them, but I'm going to be diligent. To do what? To remind you. How do those reminders feel when you know that you know something and the person knows that you know that, and they remind you anyways? How does that feel? Does that feel good? Or maybe irritating, right? By the way, micromanagement may be in the eye of the beholder after all, so just jot that pro tip down for later. But as we receive reminders that we don't think that we need. And Peter is saying, I know you don't need this because you know it, but I'm here to remind you anyways, what he's doing is engaging in a biblical preaching ministry. When you survey the New Testament about the nature of biblical ministry preaching, this is you're going to get words like reminder. That's tough. Other words like warn, urge, exhort, rebuke, reprove, correct, train, declare. Paul tells Titus, let no one disregard you. That's pretty strong. He talks about pleading with tears and solemn testimony. Very, very strong words, preaching from the pulpit. That's tough. This is awkward. No true preacher enjoys obeying God's clear commandments for him to do those items in the pulpit, no one does. And does it feel good to y'all? It doesn't feel good. It's awkward, but it's right and necessary. If we're going to finish well, we need to submit ourselves to appreciate a biblical preaching ministry. I mean, what part of the words that I just told you? Warning. Correction. Reprove. Correction. What part of those words feel good? None. But to borrow the English of one of my favorite people on the planet. 'By golly, they work good'. Do they feel good? No. Do biblical loving ministries like this preaching ministries...do they work good? Yes. If you're willing to appreciate what's being offered to you. See Peter's saying, if you're going to if you have an ambition to finish well, you have to place yourself underneath the preaching ministry of faithful preachers who will take the Word of God, teach it unapologetically, and do so in a way that is unpopular and challenging to hear. Yes, it doesn't feel good, but by golly, they work good. And that's the work of the Holy Spirit through the power and authority of the Word of God, not the preacher. So we have biblical preaching. Sometimes it's unpleasant, but it's beneficial when lovingly applied.
Biblical preaching, and then biblical ministry among the people. So this is a second aspect of what Peter's teaching here. He says not only is the preacher
going to press in, but the people are going to press in, and he uses the verb stirring up. In fact, this is one of his favorite metaphors. It's really interesting. Verse 12, always to remind you, verse 13, to stir you up by way of reminder, chapter three and verse one, stirring up the sincere mind by way of reminder. He's using this idea of stirring up. The word here means to agitate All clothes washers mechanize the work of agitating the clothes. So there's an agitator. That moves the clothes. And it's the moving of the clothes that catalyzes the cleaning of the garment. Don't we all need that ourselves? Join me in Hebrews 10:24-25. This is scripture that many of you are familiar with, but you need to understand, um, the argument of the book of Hebrews as it relates to what Peter is talking about here, because it's not just that the preacher stirs up, he's supposed to do that, but the people are designed to stir one another up, stimulating one another to love and good deeds. So just a couple of books back to Hebrews. Hebrews chapter ten, verses 24 and 25. Because when we talk about stirring up, we're talking about the nature of biblical ministry among the people, not just the preacher, but the people. Hebrews 10:24-25 talk about how we are called to stir each other up. Hopefully you can see it in the NASB translation. Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near. And, my beloved friends, as if the day was drawing near 2000 years ago when this was penned, then by all means, it's drawing near today. The day is drawing near. You can hear the hoof beats if you're paying attention. And in light of the encroaching of the final hours of all of history, by all means we should obey what this says. Verse 24. Consider. Think. Plan. Work in your mind to consider. How to stimulate is maybe the softest rendering of this word stir up. It is maybe the kindest rendering of this agitational term. I hope and pray that you have good, loving people in your life that stir you up. They may agitate a little bit, but they're doing it out of love. They irritate because they care. They're trying to provoke you, push you out of love. To serve God. Love God. Honor God. Walk in holiness. Consider how to stir one another up to love and good deeds, encouraging one another as a habit of spiritual grace and goodness. You see, this stirring up is a function of the body of Christ. And if you're going to finish well, you're going to need to appreciate biblical preaching, appreciate biblical ministry among the people. So let me just in the notes that you're taking in your mind or in the sheet in front of you, who are you stirring up to love and good deeds? What are the names of the people that you're praying for and loving and teaching? And Lord, give me wisdom. Give me winsomeness, give me honor so that I can stir them up in the most effective way to honor you and to serve you. What are the names? So yes, that's biblical. Preaching sometimes is unpleasant but beneficial when lovingly applied. Biblical church and stirring one another up, sometimes unpleasant but beneficial when lovingly applied.
And number three, back in second Peter one in verse 15, he's talking about every effort in verse 12. This diligence of every effort is biblical pastoral ministry. I hear Peter saying not only my preaching, not only in the ministry of the body that is stirring up and reminding. It's difficult. There's a lot here that is abrasive a little bit. The third aspect is his biblical pastoral ministry. Will you just briefly turn to First Peter chapter five, just one page over, because in first Peter chapter five, there's an image that he uses here that's important for you to capture related to pastoral ministry. So if the preaching can be tough, let's appreciate it. If the ministry can be tough. Let's engage in it. And now the pastoral ministry and every effort associated with that. 1 peter five, the first phrase in verse two...Shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight. Pause there. An essential function of biblical pastoral ministry is to exercise oversight. Let me just take a moment to develop this concept so that you can understand what pastors are called to do, in part. Because in the ancient Near East it was a city state. Feudalism. Every city or town would have walls built around it, or else you would just be absolutely run over. So, uh, walls would be around even small cities, and the walls were there to keep the bad guys out, and then obviously to keep what's good or the citizens safe on the inside. Well, this is a metaphor because all of us have walls that we built up. All of us have areas where we try to protect and through isolation or privacy, we try to protect and we try to shield and we try to hide. When pastors are called to give oversight, it's like you giving a passport to that pastor to walk the ramparts, the city walls, the top of them, and to peer down into your life, to look out for protection and to look in for provocation, accountability and love. This is an essential command to the pastors to provide oversight, but it's a relationship that you work out with your pastors. Does that make sense? They can't provide oversight if you're like...if you bar them from Um, having passport. Build scaffolding so that they can climb the wall and look over where other people are. Vision is obscured from them. Build love and trust with spiritual caregivers so that they can exercise oversight and you give them access. Humility. Openness. Honesty. Relationship building so that you can give them access so that they can make every effort to have oversight in your life. Oversight is not a function of ruling so much as it is a function of observing, knowing, caring, warning, humility, relationship. So that the parts of your life they're scarier, darker. You'd like to remain hidden. If you're honest with yourself, you recognize that they need to be known and shepherded and cared for by you, giving passport to a pastor who will give oversight. You see, this is every effort is what Peter's talking about is the dynamic of a pastoral ministry caring, probing, pressing in love and graciously and honorably.
But as I pray for the friends that we have here in Hickory, North Carolina, I pray that wherever you go for the end of your days, you will have sanctified meddlesome pastors. That are bold enough and brave enough to offer themselves to say, I'm willing to go there under the rock with you if you will let me in. I pray for you that you will have leaders that will never stop, about asking about your heart, that you will have leaders that will never stop pressing you towards biblical living in every aspect of your life. Leaders that refuse to leave you in a compromised state. Leaders that will call you out and challenge
the sinful actions, attitudes, and reactions that are tolerated too often in the churchy world. Leaders that aggressively seek to protect the sheep, leaders that, despite the awkwardness, exercise oversight because of love and because of Peter's desire to make every effort so that everyone would finish well.
If you're going to finish well, you got to start well through salvation. You have to ignite that faith with diligent effort, pursuing in the power of the spirit all that God has for you. And then you need an appreciation for biblical ministry that includes preaching, disciple making among yourselves and pastoral oversight that seeks to provide a path forward where there's no failing, no falling, and no stumbling, but an abundant entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Pray with me. Lord, we would ask that you would help us because we fall short in many ways. Thank you for these remarkable statements. Stages of argumentation here in Second Peter. May we have the privilege of returning to this passage and reconsidering it, its depth related to salvation, related to sanctification, our growth in you, and related to really the dynamics of a biblical church. I thank you for Hickory Bible Church that exemplifies these ministry aspects disciple making, biblical preaching, biblical pastoral oversight. I thank you for the elders, for Pastor Adam, grace and blessing and goodness. Help this wonderful congregation finish well. We praise you and thank you. In Jesus name, Amen.
Take Heed of Religious Hypocrisy Pastor Adam Ashoff Download Pulpit Curriculum PDF Pulpit Curriculum DOCX * View transcript Take Heed of Religious Hypocrisy
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The text we have this morning in Luke 12:1-7 is a wonderful text to prepare our hearts. It's the kind of text that when we're called to examine ourselves, 1 Corinthians 11:28 Paul says, when you take the Lord's table to examine yourself, this is the exact kind of text that you would want to be sitting under. It may not be the exact kind of text that you would think to preach right after the crowds of Easter. You know when you want to keep people around, when crowds show up, as they do in church. Attendance spikes every year around Easter time. If you really want to clear the room, you know, show up two weeks later with a sermon called Take Heed of Religious Hypocrisy. And that's just probably going against the grain of any church growth expert. You get a big crowd, you fill your church, you know, maybe give something a little more positive and encouraging. But actually, the truth of the matter is, for the disciple of Jesus Christ, who is the target of today's sermon, according to Christ's own words. It's exactly what we need from time to time. You could say all the time, but from time to time, a particular text that is for us to look on the inside. And, you know, drop the externals, drop the facade, and really examine the heart as this text does today. It's obviously not 1 Samuel, the series we've been in, we'll be back there in a few weeks. But I was just out of town helping at a church. I preached there since 2017 when they planted in Texas, and now they've finally found a pastor, so I wasn't candidating there, once again, clear up any rumors there. But I did, as I said weeks ago, double check that Whataburger is a legit establishment, and now that you see it out on route 70, it's a reality. I will let you judge for yourself. I mean, is this what we've all been waiting for in Hickory all these years? You know, just finally. And we're not getting to Trader Joe's. We're not getting an In and Out, but we get a Whataburger so we can be content with that. And we have a car wash, a 40th car wash now that, I checked yesterday. Today is the last day for the free car wash. So please, if you haven't enjoyed that one, it's all yours after church. Um, maybe it'd just be a line of HBC people inviting the guy at the window. He gives you the thing. Come back again. You say, hey, here's HBC. Come back and see us. But, it was down at that church. They're preaching through Luke that I was assigned this passage. And after spending time in it a few weeks ago and then preaching it last week, I did really just come to the point of saying, Lord, this is a wonderful passage for our church to hear. Uh, it was wonderful for my soul, and it was good for their church. And they took communion that day and we \are taking it today. So we will get back to 1 Samuel. That was a long walk for a short drink of water. Uh, so turn to Luke 12 1 to 7 and follow along as I read Christ's words to his disciples amidst a mass of moralists.
"Under these circumstances, after so many thousands of people had gathered together that they were stepping on one another. Jesus began saying to his disciples, first of all, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed and hidden that will not be known. Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed upon the housetops. I say to you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear. Fear the one who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for $0.02? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear. You are more valuable than many sparrows."
Father, it was your Son who said to his disciples. He who has ears to hear. Listen up. So may we listen up to your very Word this morning. Amen.
As we enter this scene, parachuting in to Luke chapter 12. Just to give you a quick glimpse of where Jesus is at. He's rounding third. This is the last year of his life. He's been ministering for two years. And crowds like we see in verse one of chapter 12...so many thousands. Uh, they could be there for any number of reasons by this point in his life. Some are there really still amazed by Jesus. Who wouldn't be by this point. The miracles that he's done, the works that he has done to prove that he is God, the words that he has said that he is sent by God to save the world, that would draw a crowd. And for some whose hearts were longing for that amidst the empty shell of Judaism...any love for God, buried under the law...man made, extra biblical by the Pharisees. Externalism to the extreme. Anybody that was looking for the truth was there to hear Jesus, because he offered the truth. But there were those who the Pharisees were saying, no, this Jesus is actually demon possessed, and he is not from God. He's the exact opposite. And you know what? He makes himself out to be God, so we should kill him. So it's a blend...the crowd is. He has just gone scorched earth on the Pharisees in chapter 11. He was invited into their home, one of their homes, in chapter 11, verse 37. And, I mean, he wasted no time to get into it when they were judging him for something very external that had nothing to do with loving God. He didn't wash his hands the way that the Pharisees washed their hands. And the perfect teacher. He utilizes that opportunity in chapter 11, verse 39 to say, oh, you Pharisees, you clean the outside of the cup and the platter, but inside of you this is what a wonderful way you know to welcome yourself into somebody's home for a meal. By the way, you're full of robbery and wickedness, and he launches into six woes. Three to the Pharisees, three to the scribes. Scribes were those who wrote the law. Pharisees enforced it. They were in cahoots, all against Jesus. Uh, three against the Pharisees. Three against the scribes, pronouncing woes of judgment on them, because they missed the point entirely. They didn't get it. And when he leaves in verse 53, right before we get into our section, it says, the scribes and the Pharisees together began to be very hostile, so that it ramped up. The hostility was maybe at a seven, now it's at a ten. And they're questioning closely on so many subjects...why?...they wanted to catch him in something he might say so they could kill him. That's their mission at this point. They're no longer curious, interested on the fence. What is this new teacher have to say? Kind of like Nicodemus in John chapter 3. He came to them in the darkness of night. Teacher of the law....nobody. These are not those guys. These are not like Nicodemus, I should say. They are out for his head and he knows it. And so this crowd comes around him, and they want to hear him teach. And like I said earlier, you know, in the aftermath of Easter, when you have the big crowds that show up, you don't know exactly why people are there. Usually the crowds dissipate after that. But you would think that you would want to really capture the frenzy of the moment if you're Jesus, by saying something that would kind of win them over to you, especially those who would even purport to be your disciples. That would make sense, according to Adam, I guess. What does he do there in verse one? He actually looks at his disciples. We don't know if that was the 12 or 70 or more, but it says he begins saying to his disciples first. So he squares up on those guys and says, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.He calls them out. He gives a warning to his own followers in that moment, because what he's trying to help them see is look in the midst of all of this happening around me. There's something that could be happening within you. You might have a little leaven in your own heart. Those guys that I just lit up and pronounced curses and woes on them. Don't think disciples, you're not susceptible to the same exact thing because we're all susceptible to religious hypocrisy if we're honest with ourselves. And that's the warning for us today. Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy, because it spreads so easily. Matthew Henry, famous Christian dead guy, wrote, "Jesus Christ said this, this warning in verse one to his disciples in the hearing of a great multitude, rather than privately, when he could have them by themselves, to add the greater weight to the caution, and to let the world know that he would not countenance hypocrisy. No, not in his own disciples." Catch that. He could have done this privately. He chose to do it in the midst of the crowds, the first thing out of his mouth. In the aftermath of meeting with these Pharisees and scribes, when thousands are literally trampling over top of each other to hear him. He's got a captivated audience, and he looks at his own disciples. And in order for them to get it loud and clear with one year left in his ministry before it's all over. Fellas, I'm not looking for fan boys. I'm not looking for people that just want to, on the outside, look pretty and nice. I want people to examine their hearts and love God with everything in them, not relating to the law for their righteousness, but relating to me. So the warning that starts a discourse in chapter 12 into 13 is beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, its hypocrisy and what he does that probably shocked their ears and hopefully wakes us up today is just...we know it's true, but do we think of it often enough that when it comes to our relationship with God, no one in the history of creation has ever fooled him once. That's the weight of God's glory that needs to rest on us today. Nobody has fooled God once. Nobody pulls the wool over God's eyes. Nobody dupes God. Nobody cons God when it comes to external performances, as if he doesn't see right through them to our heart. So nobody sang in here this morning, whether with the greatest expression or no expression, and faked God out about what was going on in here (heart). Nobody is listening to this sermon right now, whether sleeping already or intently, with notes out. He sees right through whatever you're doing on the outside to your heart today. He sees right through my preaching to my heart today because that's what he's after. He's always after our heart. And so this is a wake up call in the same way it would have been to these disciples, these followers. It's a wake up call to us to say, look, if you have just been in kind of the fog of externalism, of outward performance, ceremony, whatever you want to call it, this parts, the clouds, it drives away the fog and the clear light of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And the warning that comes with being amidst religious fervor in crowds and sitting in a church. It just blows it all away in such a refreshing and helpful way, particularly on a day that we are to take the Lord's table. So that's my word on how to listen to this sermon this morning. It's perfectly painful for self-examination. C.H. Spurgeon said of this verse, "He who is true, as in a true follower, will sometimes suspect himself of falsehood, while he who is false will wrap himself up in a constant confidence of his own sincerity." He who is true will sometimes a true believer, feeling the weight of the all-seeing and all-knowing and all wise eye of God, will feel the weight of that and sometimes suspect himself. Am I just putting on a show? What am I doing here? But the false...it never crosses their mind, wrapped in the confidence of the sincerity of their own lips, while their hearts are far from him. That's a self-examination passage. So that's why you would say. Yeah, Adam is probably not the one you want to preach two weeks after Easter. No, it's exactly the type of sermon a church needs to hear, because it's a kind of sermon that puts the focus on you. And especially when we're talking religious hypocrisy and of all sermons to be thinking of somebody else right now, you realize you've already given the game over. Because at the start of religious hypocrisy is everybody else needs this but me, Right? I mean, if you're just being honest, what's more external and judgmental than that? I've got somebody else in mind that I'm going to say, you need to go listen to this sermon. So let it hit you now, as you prepare for the Lord's table and examine your own heart, and then by all means, pass it on.
Back to verse one. Let's talk about hypocrisy. Let's first see the disease before we get the cure. So he gives the disease in verse one. Then he will give actually three cures in two through seven. He will talk about the everything's going to be revealed. Everything will be judged because everything is known and accounted for. So shortcut to the end. We'll get to those cures. But we want to spend a little more time about this disease, the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. That word, borrowed from secular Greek was one that meant the play actor. I know some are like...Ashoff...there you go, or you didn't because you were the worst at it. And that's my point. Borrowed from the sophists and the philosophers and the Greek speakers of the day, they would come out on a stage and don the mask, and people would come and want to be fooled. You go to the theaters paying good money to be full. Had I ever made it in my failed career as an actor, you would have wanted a refund. You would have said, that guy. He's not convincing. He doesn't make me believe the unbelievable. That's what this word hypocrite was borrowed from. It was speakers that would go around and come on a stage and put a mask on and deliver lines, and then put another mask on and deliver lines. Epictetus, stoic philosopher in the Time of Christ, wrote the art of the actor is that from the moment he dons the mask, his whole conduct on stage keeps with his allotted role. So Jesus takes that idea and says, watch out for religious people who do the same exact thing. It's an act. Leaven...bakers know about the power of leaven...a little bit leavens the whole. But I'm not that guy. But I understand it when I look at my lawn. Five years ago I had grass. I have not intentionally planted one weed. I now have weeds. 80% of my lawn is weeds. And you know, I never saw it coming. I had one ne in the middle five years ago. I was taking care of babies, you know, twins came and new it through the church and Covid. And I look out and, man, that's a good looking lawn. And I needed a warning like, beware of the weeds of the Pharisees, which is ugly lawn. And now I just have weeds. And that's when I think of the warning of leaven, something that's underground under the surface. You can't see it, but it spreads. And then when it pops up, you're like, what do I do with this? It's taken over the whole thing. And that's the leaven of the Pharisees. That's what religious hypocrites do. They get so far into it. They're so immersed in it they don't even see it anymore. They have bought their own act. The Pharisees bought their own act. They actually believe they knew the way to God. So much so that God comes down to earth and they want to do what with him?...kill him. He could do the works of God. He could speak the words of God. You don't have a thing you can get on his life. Except, hey, did you wash between your pointer finger and your middle? Did you get that Jesus? Oh, that's what you're going to do with the Son of God, who can raise the dead and heal the sick and give sight to the blind. You're going to get him on his knuckle. You're going to strain out the gnat to swallow the camel...religious hypocrite. So that's the disease. If you want a good working definition from Jesus, it's this in Matthew 23:28. So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. I can't improve upon that definition. It has hypocrisy in it, and it draws the clear contrast. Externally righteous keeping the law, moralist clean on the outside, inwardly lawless meaning you don't actually want to keep God's law, but you'll do it because you fear man and you want to impress man, and you want to impress others, and you want to get praise. And if you're in a group of religious people like the Pharisees were the ruling body of Judaism at that time, whoever keeps the law the best and is the cleanest on the outside wins. Now that's nothing like us Bible Belt people, I know. And that's religious hypocrisy, simplified. The outside is kept clean. The inside is filthy. I thought about that yesterday, going to get my free car wash. That new place and the one deal. There's the Ashoff deal which is the cheap one for ten bucks. But then there was this one that does it all. I mean, but I was looking at my dashboard, and I'm long overdue for an oil change, but I can keep taking my car through that car wash and my engine's going to blow. Stupid isn't it? We do the same spiritually. We know we're hiding stuff here. We know we're faking it. We know we're putting on the outside. And so we clean ourselves up before lifegroup, before church, before whatever it is. We get the express wash and the inside is about to blow. And the warning lights are going on and you know it. Your conscience tells you that, Christian. But it's much easier just to go through the wash, isn't it? Just to work on the outside until you run into this verse. And why this is so deadly and damning and despised is because religious hypocrisy is lying and deception at the highest level. I mean, I get we don't like hypocrites generally speaking, phonies, but we tolerate them because life and death doesn't hang in the balance. When I was in Dallas last week, I was a hypocrite. I wanted to go on a run on last Saturday and some friend of mine in this church gives me hand-me-down running stuff. I think he's trying to drop a hint. Adam, I don't want you to drop dead. I want you to stay in shape. You know, I want to get a lot of mileage years out of you here. So he gives me nice stuff. Cool shoes, like futuristic shorts, you know, made of high quality material. You know, that wicks sweat away and stuff. I would never buy it for myself, but I look like a runner...until I run. And for further proof, I went out at 11:30. I had found a course next to the hotel that was two miles. I completed said course at noon. Thank you. That is approximately four miles an hour, which is the speed of a buffalo, not a running buffalo. They can get up to 25 miles an hour. I was four miles an hour walking buffalo. When I googled it Google actually wanted to add on and AI told me running two miles in 30 minutes is considered slow, especially for an adult. I didn't disagree, and so I had that physical picture in my mind, running, thinking I am faking people out. And then the spiritual happened. So I get to the end...30 minutes later. I'm sweating. I just want to get a drink of water. But sitting at the entrance of where I came to run are two Jehovah's Witnesses with the sign that says, you want to learn about the Bible. I'm like, yep, let's go. And the one kind lady looks at me and says, you look like a runner. I'm like, all right, Lord, you have set me up. So I said, no, ma'am, I am a hypocrite. I am not a real runner. And I'll tell you my time to prove it. And I said, but I have a question for you. You have this sign about believing the Bible. Can I tell you the verses I've been thinking about? And I'm not making this up. This isn't a bait and switch. I said, I've been running for the last 30 minutes, plodding, thinking about Luke 12:1-7. And I'd like you to help me understand how a religious person gets to heaven, you know. Help me with this. Because I read this and I said, it sounds like there's nothing we can do. And I know what they believe. And so we talk for two hours. And they were convinced that because they believed the Bible and I believe the Bible, you know, it's just kind of like we can agree to disagree. And I said, no, see, because here's the problem. All false religions are built on religious hypocrisy because you claim to know a God you don't know. You claim to know a way to heaven that you can't find. And it's not just bad enough not to know it and can't find it. You're trying to tell other people. That's hypocrisy at the highest level. It's one thing if I, the runner, just fake it, it's another if I would have stood at the gates and said, hey, can everybody let me tell you guys how to run...four miles an hour. And I tried to help them see that, that what they're doing and what I'm doing aren't the same. We can't both be right at the same time. And every false religion...bottom line, if you make it about anybody besides Jesus Christ as your salvation, and that his work isn't sufficient enough to get you all the way to heaven, it's religious hypocrisy at the highest level. It promises you heaven and it walks you into hell. You saw it last weekend at the Pope's funeral, didn't you? You're not going to find a more ornate, amazing, beautiful exterior than Saint Peter's Basilica. It's worth $5 billion if you were to build it today with the money they spent on it. 5 billion for the most beautiful building. Perhaps one of the most beautiful buildings ever built in the name of religion. And it's full of what? Dead men's bones because it promises a God that it doesn't know. It promises a salvation that you have to help get to. So when we're talking about religious hypocrisy, every false religion is built on the same lie, a lie of the highest order that will lead to the most hellish result. That's why it's serious for us. Because, again, I could talk to those ladies and I could watch the Pope's funeral and be like...and this is kind of the impulse most of us would have. Yep. They got it wrong...theologically, 100%. But experientially. I may be no different than them if I'm not careful. Because the hypocrisy that's like leaven that they believe is actually the truth, which is I got to work. What Christ did wasn't enough. Or in other false religions. Christ isn't even the Savior. But if I'm not careful, I will work just like all those other false religions and become so calloused to what's in here (heart) that I just think I'm fine because of everything I do out there. Right? Elders, we just went away for two days and we went through a battery of questions. Each of us, all eight, have an hour apiece to share about our lives. And these are the questions you got to answer. And they went through everything we could think of externally, internally, whatever. And I could have lied the entire time. I could have deceived them. I could have not told the truth about what goes on in here. And they could have done the same to me. You could go to life group this week with a battery of questions, mutual ministry time and you can deceive the people in your small group. This has to be something that God works from the inside out. Do you understand that? No amount of external pressure checked boxes, they're not bad in and of themselves, but they're not enough. If you're not willing to say and look inside and actually take this warning seriously, the danger of just adapting to outward external religion and not being worried about what goes on in my heart. Why do I do what I do? Young people, kids in the room, your parents, they want you to behave like we want a civil society. We don't want anarchy in our schools. I get it...on our teams, in our homes. So we have rules for you children. But trust me, if your parents are in Christ and they understand the warning here, they want your heart far more than they just want your behavior modification. I mean, if you just think that's what raising your kids is about, parents...behavior modification, you will raise a religious hypocrite. You will. And if you don't understand what I'm talking about, maybe that's what happened to you and you're just passing it on. It's the heart. Do you love God from the heart? Do you want to obey him from the heart? If you love me, you keep my commandments from the heart. But if we just live in a world in our church and in our homes where we're just always evaluating by the externals, and over the course of time, out of fear of man, like these Pharisees, they wanted the glory of man more than the glory of God. It just became external. And it was dead on the inside. That's the disease. Macarthur says about this warning, "Jesus said more about false religion than he did about specific sins." I.e., when you go back and read the Gospels, you'll see way more time Jesus spends warning of religious hypocrisy than he does of just calling out individual sins. And this is what MacArthur says. Why? "Because false religion provides a damning deception that sin does not provide." Let's run that back again. Jesus said more about false religion than he did about specific sins, because false religion provides a damning deception that sin does not provide. So hypocrisy is more dangerous to your soul than carnality. Because carnality I can see and you can see...hypocrisy you can't see because it does a good job of cleaning itself up on the outside. That's why it's more dangerous. It's more damning. It's not saying we should go around living according to the flesh at all. It's saying which the greater danger to a religious person. It's when you just try to live such a clean life. But that's all you evaluate yourself by...clean living. And there's nothing going on in here anymore. And Christians can be subject to this because that's what leaven does. It starts small in us, and we might grow up in a certain church subculture that just focuses on the externals. And before we know it, that's all we've ever known. And so we've just conformed to it. And we know the sinner's prayer. So we conform to the sinner's prayer because I guess that's our ticket out of jail. Religious hypocrisy provides a damning deception that sin does not. We hide it and it spreads. And the insidiousness of sin that is...awful in the sight of God. But when we try to cover it and we try to deceive, we have doubled down on our damnation. Because you don't even know who you are anymore. Have you ever thought about that in light of Matthew 7? Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my father who is in heaven, will enter. Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name cast out demons, and in your name perform many miracles? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you. Do you know what that moment is in a person's life? It's the great unmasking. He who dons the mask. The religious person that put on the mask and wore it his whole life will, on that day, stand before the Lord and he'll say, wait a second, hold on. I don't recognize you. And you go, no, no, no no no no no, this is me. I did all these things. And he goes, no no no no no. This is you. Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness that was all the time still on the inside. That's the warning Jesus gives. The sobering warning of the damning deception of religious hypocrisy. That's the disease. David had it for a season. Committed adultery with Bathsheba. Tried to cover it up with murdering Uriah. Lived a lie for however many months until God sends Nathan. The sinfulness of what he did was one thing. And you hear about that in Psalm 51. But Psalm 32 has another interesting revelation of David's heart before the Lord. It's also a Psalm of confession. But listen to what he says differently in Psalm 32. How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. If you uncover your sin, God can cover it. If you try to cover your sin, you're saying, God, I don't need you to cover it. How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. Where's that talking about? It's talking about the inner person that when I try to cover up my sin, I try to be somebody that I'm not. In my spirit there is deceit. The only way out of that is confession. I acknowledged my sin to you and my iniquity I did not hide. This is David finally coming to grips with the fact that he was a religious hypocrite. He wasn't just an adulterer and a murderer...for the months he tried to cover it up and keep it quiet, this man who had a heart for God, a man after God's own heart, it says about David. He was a religious hypocrite because he tried to cover it, and in his spirit there was deceit until he confessed it. And he said, until I did that day and night, your hand was heavy on me and my vitality was drained away, as with the fever heat of summer. God, if you are in Christ, he will not let you rest until you get real about it. And notice who David's getting real about it with...God. Get real with God first about it. He didn't say anything yet here about I needed to go back and tell everybody what I did and own it. He needed to confess it to God. Meaning from the time he committed adultery and he murdered Uriah, he wasn't even going to God anymore. But I promise you, everybody walking around the kingdom is going. I mean, there's, you know, there's David. Hey, we're winning victories, man. Kingdom's expanding. That guy's good. Best king we ever had. When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away. God will do that to you, child, because he loves you. And he doesn't, as we said at the beginning, the quote of Matthew Henry. He doesn't want to countenance any hypocrites in his midst. So that's the disease.
Now let's get the cure. Back to Luke 12. Three cures for the disease of religious hypocrisy.
First, verses two and three. It'll all be revealed one day before God. If that's the God with whom you will deal and in whom you fear. One day it will all be revealed, verse two. Nothing covered up will not be revealed. Hidden that will not be known. And it's not just the external outward stuff. It's the hidden, behind the scenes gossip, slander, speech, whatever it might be, verse three. Whatever you said in the dark will be heard in the light. Whispered in your rooms, proclaimed on the housetops. What is Jesus teaching here in totality? He's saying inside or outside, inside your mind, on your lips. Mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart. He's doing a total audit of everything that makes us who we are, by what we feel and what we say and how we think, he says, it's all going to be revealed before God. That's the first cure. Hebrews 4:13 there is no creature hidden from his sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
Cure number one, he knows our hearts. There is nothing you or I do externally, in so-called worship that fools him. Know that it will all be revealed. God alone will expose all that we conceal. That's the first attempt. The first assault on a calloused conscience and a hardened heart, even of a disciple. Sure, there were Pharisees in this crowd, but he's speaking to the disciples in the first crack in the facade is to say it will all be revealed.
Second cure. God will judge it all, verse four and five. I say to you, my friends, which is comforting, isn't it? He's still speaking to his disciples as if they're disciples. He calls them his friends. My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body. Maybe he's...he might be giving a nod to those Pharisees who they could be fearing...who they know when the hostility is ramped up in verse 53, that Jesus has said, I'm going to die, I'm going to be handed over and killed, and I'll rise three days later. So he could be trying to give them like a quick, hey, don't be afraid of those religious guys who can kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. I will warn you whom to fear. Fear the one who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Because what is going to happen to you at the judgment when all is revealed? If you've been concealing it. It's going to be all laid bare before him with whom we have to do. And he not only has the authority to take life, he has the authority over your eternal life. And he says, that's the thing you should fear. It was interesting when I was talking to the two Jehovah's Witnesses. Um, one of their claims is I was talking about this. They were like you know, cast into hell. Hell's not a real place. That word Gehenna is just a word for the grave. You just go to the grave and die. And I just said, wait a second. If that's all there is, then why would Jesus say, fear him who has the authority to do...if he doesn't have the authority to cast us in eternal hell...punishment, all that it says. Then we should just fear man, because you're essentially saying all that God can do to us is the same that man can do to us. They can kill us. Your heretical view of hell, Jehovah's Witness, you say it's just. It's just over then. Well, then you've just made God equal to man. And you say Jehovah is all...but right here it says we don't need to fear man because that's the worst man can do. But if the worst God can do is take our life, but he can't cast us into hell, then why should we fear him? Doesn't add up. But to the one who, after he has killed, has the authority, as Jesus said in Matthew seven. Depart from me. You're going to live on after this. You worker of lawlessness! I didn't know you. That's the judgment that we are to fear. God alone will judge our eternal destiny. And that's what helps us to live with a healthy fear of God and zero fear of man. It was said of the Scottish reformer John Knox as he was being buried at the graveside. One friend remarked, here lies a man who feared God so much that he never feared the face of man. So that's the second cure.
Third cure. There's all will be revealed. All will be judged. All will be accounted for. He's not going to miss one thing, verses six and seven. Are not five sparrows sold for $0.02 yet not one of them is forgotten before God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are numbered. He picks two very inconsequential things. Sparrows...five for $0.02. In Matthew 10:29, they're sold two for a penny. They were the cheapest thing you can buy in a marketplace, maybe where Jesus was preaching right now in this context, some people were selling some. The cheapest thing you could buy for a meal, two for a penny. And, here's like a real blue light special here, he says. Now you can get four for five, meaning that fifth one has absolutely no value. And he says, you want to think of the most valueless thing. That sparrow, that means nothing. Not one of them is forgotten before God...not one of them. They're all accounted for. They're all known. And then he says, indeed, the very hairs of your head are numbered, and you know, that's a good thing. Um, we track that some of us in the room are worried about the hairs of our head. And he says, look, he knows every single one of those. Some of us make it an easier count than others for him. He says he knows that number. But then again, he's saying, my disciples, my friends. He ends with this in verse seven, which feels like it doesn't fit at the moment. All this, everything's going to be revealed. Everything's going to be judged. All of it accounted for. Do not fear. You're more valuable than the sparrow. The valueless sparrow, the fifth one that I threw in for free. That God values that sparrow. My friend, my disciple, you're more valuable than that bird.
Now, you got to put all this together in your heart right now. Because this then becomes the great divide in your heart, doesn't it? All of this that if I am actually a phony, a fraud, an actor, I don the religious mask. All of this is very concerning because that judgment is going to lead to Matthew seven. I didn't know you, but if in all of the examination that the spirit uses the word for in your heart today before we take communion and remember the body and the blood of Christ broken and poured out for us, when you do that and actually realize all I have is Christ, my righteousness is not my own. I'm not putting on any mask for him. Then you feel the comfort of the end. Do not fear you're more valuable than those sparrows, because sparrows didn't die for you to live. The Savior did. My Son did. Child of God, you could get through the end of this and been on the edge of your seat in fear and trepidation that all will be revealed, all will be judged, all is known. But then you cast yourself upon Christ and you go, wait a second, what do I have to fear? If all of my hope for salvation is bound up in Christ, what do I have to fear?...absolutely nothing. Because it's either all of him or it's me. And yet we can, as Christians, even live for seasons of our life thinking it's all on us. And we put on the mask and we fake people out, and we don't actually be honest and open and transparent and accountable, which only keeps us more in our what?...spiral of sin and deception. And our spirit is heavy, and we're on the point of just feeling like we're entire frauds. And then in God's grace today, he could say, you are more important than the least important sparrow that doesn't count for anything. I thought of that when I was talking to those ladies, because down in the river, the thing I was running next to, there's all these birds diving down in. It's not really a river. It was this, like cement concrete waterway for when it rains down in Texas. And it's just gross junk growing up in there. And there's these ravens and birds flying in and out. And I'm thinking, Lord, how kind you are to me, for one, because you opened my eyes or I'd be like them. But how kind you are to these women that you would send me to preach in Texas, to pretend to be a runner, to come and meet them today and tell them they are lost in religious hypocrisy. Because those two matter more to God than the sparrow. And I told them that. And then I go and preach that the next day at the church, and after the second service, a woman comes up to me crying and says, you shared that story. What were the lady's names? And I told her the lady's names. And she goes, I know those women. My husband goes to the same church as them. He's a Jehovah's Witness and I've been praying somebody would get through to him. And maybe by you talking to Jackie and Barbara, they'll talk to him. Because she goes, right now he's out going door to door with my kids. But she took my evangelistic encounter as a reminder to her that she's more valuable than the sparrow. And God hasn't forgotten about her in all the years she's praying for her husband to come to Christ. I mean, that's what we have to understand is the beauty of this passage. It breaks us down. It strips away all the the fig leaves of our own making. We're like Adam and Eve, aren't we? We sew together fig leaves and they're threadbare. And we hide. And God says, where are you? And we come out and he rips us clean. He says, throw those away. I'm going to make a garment for you. The first religious hypocrites in the Bible were Adam and Eve, right? When they knew they were busted, they tried to make up for it on their own. And a gracious, loving God says, no, I'm not going to let you live that way. Take off those fig leaves and I will sacrifice and make you a covering. Friend, are we any different here this morning? How else are we coming to take the Lord's table today? Are you going to pray before the Lord? Before we take this communion and list off to him all the wonderful things you did for him this week? No. That would defeat the purpose of remembering his body and his blood. He says, remember this done for you until I come again. Don't ever for a second forget your salvation rests on my righteousness, not yours. I know you can live out of that, because the guilt and the shame and the blame have been put on Christ. If you're not in Christ this morning the Lord's table is not for you. It's what the Bible says, not me. Because you'd be drinking it. You'd be taking it in an unworthy manner, as if you actually believe it, but you don't. If you think you're wrestling and wrestling in some of your own righteousness this morning, communion is not for you, because it's the high point in our Christian experience on a weekly worship basis. We do it once a month. It says it's all of Christ and none of me. I've got the filthy rags. I've got the fig leaves. He has the perfect cloak of righteousness, and he drapes me in it. So if you're not in Christ today, what can you do other than to cry out to him? And you're more valuable to him than a sparrow. Especially if you've been sitting in religious hypocrisy in a pew your whole life. That through the power of his Word this morning, he can crack through the hardest veneer. And religious hypocrisy is the hardest veneer. Because it thinks it's fine. It looks at it's life and says, I'm good. And there's no one righteous. No, not one except Jesus Christ. Have you trusted in him today?
Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your Word this morning. We don't want to be fooled by the mask of religious hypocrisy, so remove it from us this morning. Help us to see ourselves the way your Word reveals us and you see us. Help this time of reflection that your Word would richly dwell in us to cleanse us from within. We ask in your name. Amen.
My Life Stinks Pastor Jon Krick Download Pulpit Curriculum PDF Pulpit Curriculum DOCX * View transcript My Life Stinks
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Well good morning everybody. Welcome to our first Sunday after Resurrection Sunday. Back to reality. No choir, no special things happening. You're just stuck with me. I apologize. But somebody had to do it. In all seriousness, there were some pretty, uh, unique pictures on display during the sermon last week, don't you think? I thought it was, you know, some of them were really striking. There was somebody who made a reference to, um, the first, uh, disciples to run and see the empty tomb. And I think we found a more updated version. And, you know, I have a hard time wondering if, I think, Adam sees sombrero Jesus off to the side and in his love for sandwiches, I think that he. Didn't that look more like a loaf of bread on Sombrero Jesus's head than anything else? So anyway, I think I picture Adam for some reason, just being torn between a sandwich and then looking up at the Lord's head. No. In all seriousness, I just wanted to take a moment just to, really express my deep appreciation for these two men. Having served as a preaching pastor. And when the holidays, come and we ping back and forth between Christmas and Easter. Of course, with Christmas, you have, Christmas Eve service and then also whatever Christmas Sunday is going to look like. And then with Resurrection Sunday, there's Good Friday and then Resurrection Sunday. So those men really have to double down, and it takes a lot of effort and things don't slow down. In fact, they pick up all the ministry related things that aren't even connected to the messages or the worship and music on Sunday still go on. And so they still have to handle all those things. And of course, God has gifted them in a very special way, and it's very life giving for them to be able to do those things. So it's not a burden. But those of us know that even when we serve in the strength that he supplies, there's still an element that requires sacrifice and diligence. And these men, this is why it's my great joy to preach for Adam, this Sunday. Because at least, you know he got the Sunday off. Now, Ronald, he got the short end of the stick there. If I would try to lead worship and preach today, well, that would not necessarily be a blessing to anyone. But in all seriousness, can we just take a moment to express our sincere appreciation for the men who get up here nearly every single Sunday, to preach God's Word faithfully, to take worship songs that fit the theme of the message, and allow our hearts to be engaged in praise. Can we just thank them both? It is such a blessing to have them and we're grateful.
Well, now it's time to turn to the message. And as I thought about what I would preach, my mind kept drifting back to the reality that I was born and raised on a farm. Uh, any fellow farmers in here? Show of hands. Alright. Anyone? Uh, we've all visited farms, right? So, you may not know this, but we had dairy cows and pigs, horses, dogs and cats, of course. Um, but farms are really smelly places, aren't they? Um, I would say that they're distinct in that regard that they smell. But there's one particular stench that has always hung with me in my memory. And that was whenever one of the large animals would die. When a heifer or a sow, big, big adult animal would die. It's not like when a dog or cat dies and you just go to the backyard and you dig a hole, you know, bury them. No, these animals would require a massive hole. You can't do that to your yard. And you have to actually call a rendering service. And then they come and pick the animal up. Well, sometimes that rendering service can get there in the next couple of days, but sometimes if they're really backed up on farms. They can be there in a week or so. And just those animals laying out in the hot sun, cooking flies, maggots, all the other stuff that comes along with it. Before you know it, that animal can smell really, really badly. In fact, whenever that truck would come up our driveway, we would run for cover because it carried with it such a horrific stench that it just made you want to run for cover. And it was absolutely unforgettable. Now, on the same farm, there was actually a lot of very pleasant smells. We had lilac bushes on our farm. I love the smell of lilac bushes. Does anyone else? I got company there. They just. They look beautiful. They smell wonderful. Big, big fan. Of course we had fruit trees. We had apple trees and pear trees and raspberry patch, and that when those fruits ripen, there's a sense of smell. But you, you take it to a whole new level when my mom would, make an apple pie or a raspberry pie, right? Combined with the cinnamon, it would just fill the house. It was a wonderful aroma. And then another great smell was the sweet smell of alfalfa or hay being cut. It just has this really earthy, aroma that is just wonderful to smell. And of course, there was sweet corn after being shucked in boiling water. And all of it reminds us of summertime, which is coming soon. This is life, isn't it? This is our lives. It's filled with a variety of smells and aromas that cover the spectrum. Some disgusting stenches, some fragrant aromas. And this really does help us set the stage for today's message. Because if you've looked at the title, the message has an intriguing one. "My life stinks". And today we're going to address two spiritual realities that will determine whether your life will be a stench or be a sweet fragrance to the Lord. Two realities. Reality number one is this...the stench of sin makes life unpleasant. The stench of sin makes life unpleasant and reality number two...the aroma of Christ makes life so, so sweet. As already noted, there's a stark contrast between a stench and a fragrant aroma. Fragrances are pleasant. They're appealing, associated with beauty. They can enhance moods and evoke positive memories. While on the flip side, stenches are unpleasant, often repulsive. They are typically associated with death, decay, filth, or something offensive. The same is true spiritually and the Apostle Paul captures these realities in 2 Corinthians 2:14-16. I invite you to turn there. You can see it for yourself. 2 Corinthians chapter two, verses 14 through 16. And here is what God's Word says. "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of him in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved, and among those who are perishing, to one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life." Verse 16 mentions both the aroma of death and the aroma of life to life, and these two distinct gospel focus and life versus death realities are seen and contrasted throughout Scripture. Have you ever heard somebody say, "my life stinks." We all have at some point, maybe not those exact words, but we understand what they mean. My life stinks. Well, Scripture actually affirms that to be a very true and accurate statement. At first it may seem like a discouraging statement, but it's true. Just as God's Word proclaims, your life and mine are going to smell like something. That's the reality. Our lives are going to smell like something. They're going to give off an aroma that impacts what God smells and what other people around you smell. So when somebody says, my life stinks, what do they mean? I think most of us would interpret that as negative. Maybe the reality of sin that is plaguing their life is causing their life to stink. Maybe foolish decisions are causing their life to stink. Maybe a selfish attitude is causing their life to stink. Maybe foolish and life draining circle of friends or co-workers is causing life to stink. Or worse yet, maybe it's because there's no relationship with the Lord or with his church and it's causing their life to stink. God wants you and I to come to our senses. He wants us to be mindful of the things that can cause our lives to stink spiritually, as well as the ways that our lives can be a fragrant aroma to him.
And to help us see this correctly, or should I say smell this? I created a special list and I know it's ten points. It's in your handout that you received. Don't worry, we're going to make it. We're going to make it. And I've entitled it The Stinky List. It's a simple way for you to remember this message and God's desire for you to always come to your senses. And this is by no means an exhaustive list, but one that I compiled over time is I had the chance to survey my own heart struggles, and also have the blessing and the privilege to do a lot of counseling at the church. So I get to see a lot of struggles that people bring in and the things that they're dealing with. And so this is very practical and by God's design, insightful for our continued growth and our sanctification. Did you know the only thing that you will take with you when you die? Well, we know your soul will depart, right? We know you'll get a new body eventually in the resurrection. The only thing that you take with you is your sanctification. That's what you did. That's what you take with you. That's your starting place. That's where eternal rewards are based out of. That's where the sum and substance of life is. And so praise the Lord. We get to have an opportunity today just to think about some things really, practically that impact the one thing that we actually get to take with us, our growth and maturity and our understanding of who God is. Praise the Lord.
1. Well, let's get started with number one on the list. My life will be a stench if I do not know or follow the Lord. Proverbs 13:15. Well known to many, the way of the transgressor is hard. It's a hard life. This life in our fallen world is already filled with toil and pain due to sin. And the Lord knows this. In the Gospel of Matthew chapter 11, he invites all who are weary, all who are heavy laden, to come to him so that he can give them rest. It is a spiritual rest, calling every person to trust fully and completely in him alone for forgiveness and redemption. And then in Matthew 16:26, Jesus continues by asking for what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? The Lord knows in our pursuit of happiness, success, and fulfillment, it's easy to become consumed by the things of this world. We chase after careers. We chase after reputations. We chase after possessions. It's true. Thinking that somehow they're going to bring us joy and meaning in this life. And Matthew 16:26 reminds us of a profound truth. No matter what we achieve, no matter what we acquire, it is utterly meaningless. It's vain if we do not have a true saving relationship with the Lord. Imagine a life built solely and completely on on worldly achievements: the corporate ladder, amassing an incredible amount of wealth, gaining extraordinary followership and popularity as an influencer, whatever it might be, without the gospel and a foundation rooted in a saving relationship with Christ, these pursuits will ultimately leave you feeling empty and unfulfilled. Worldly things we strive for quickly fade, and they can become burdensome, can't they? They exhaust us. They're life draining, and it can lead to a life filled with anxieties and dissatisfaction. And when we don't know the Lord, we miss out on the true purpose of our existence. Sinful pursuits blind us of our need for Christ. And without this vital relationship, we risk the reality of living a wasted life. There's a book titled Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper, actually tells the story of an 80 year old man who came up after one of the services and he had responded to the gospel, and he was sitting up in the front, and he had his head buried in his hands, and he was bawling. And you know what he kept repeating? I've wasted it. I've wasted it. I've wasted it. Powerful. 80 years old. And it's fitting, coming on the heels of Resurrection Sunday, the thief on the cross that died, that professed trust in Christ. Right? Lived a life of waste. Would we all agree up until that point? And yet God can and will redeem a situation. It's not wasted. We know where that 80 year old man is probably now, considering the time frame of when the book was written, perhaps he could still be alive. And if he is still alive and the book was written some 20 years ago, then that means that the Lord blessed him with additional time so that he could put a redeemed life on display. As you reflect on this verse, consider what you are investing in. Are you building a life that aligns with God's will of being discipled and making disciples? Or are you chasing after passing pleasures that will only leave you in want? I know how much my life stunk when I did not know or follow Christ, and many of you in Christ can testify to the same. God has called us, right? It's a command. It is. It is rooted in the Great Commission, right? The primary focus and the responsibility that he's given to us is to make disciples. And to help other people understand really why their life stinks and who it is that they're missing out on. My life will stink if I do not know or follow the Lord.
2. Our journey through the list continues. Let's look at number two. My life will be a stench if I do not fear God nor keep his commandments. Who can tell me who the Holy Spirit used to record Ecclesiastes? Solomon. Yeah. You're right. You say it loud and proud. You're right, King Solomon. One of the wisest men to ever live. And most of us know that he was loaded with material possessions. He sinfully and selfishly had hundreds of wives and maidservants. And so, by the world's standards, he was in want for absolutely nothing. And Solomon is living proof that you can have plenty of wisdom in your head, and still fail to apply wisdom in your heart. Listen, you can have access to wisdom and still not fear God. And fearing God means recognizing his sovereignty, his holiness, and his authority over our lives. A godly fear is designed to shape our daily decisions, and without it we may find ourself dismissing or at least minimizing his holiness. Our flesh will open the door for us to be driven by sinful desires, rather than fearing God with a desire to honor him. It happened to Solomon. So let's not think that it couldn't happen to us. Solomon is the one who reflected on his life, who God used to pen these infamous words. The conclusion when all has been said and done, fear God and keep his commandments, because this applies to every person. A life without a healthy fear of God and adherence to his commandments stinks. On the other hand, when we fear God and commit ourselves to his instruction, we find stability and strength in him, don't we? It's true. Our lives become a reflection of his love and grace. We gain true wisdom and understanding, helping us to navigate life's challenges and make choices that align with his will. Heart question for you. Do you fear God? Do I fear God? If we don't, our lives will stink because sin will be residing in our hearts waiting for us to compromise. If you don't think that God takes sin seriously. I've shared this before. He flooded the entire planet and saved but all but eight people. And if you don't think that God takes sin seriously, that even in the end times, there's going to be a series of judgments that come, right?...trumpet, bowl, seal judgments. Events that are going to take one third of the earthly population away. When we love God, we love his holiness, and then we'll despise our sinfulness and fear him in a way that honors him. Fearing God, we're told in the Proverbs, is the beginning of wisdom. It's the beginning. And if you don't fear God, then you won't fear the effects or consequences of simple choices. Only a person captured by the holiness and wrath that God has toward sin will turn around and show fear and reverence. So I just ask you, as you ponder Ecclesiastes 12:13 with me, and I had a chance to do it this week. Are there any areas in your life where you may not be fearing God, where you may be disregarding his commandments? Is there sin in your walk that continues to compromise your spiritual health? That is a direct revelation about where your heart is and your posture is as it relates to fearing God, fearing God. When I disregard it and I yield to a temptation, I do not fear God in that moment. I need to repent of that. Embrace God's call to fear him and keep his commandments. Reach up to the Lord in repentance. Reach up to him. Reach out to others in life group or a discipleship group or a Bible study for accountability and it will help you to have victory.
3. Our stinky list continues with number three on the list, my life will be a stench if I do not have fruit of the Holy Spirit. Number three, to me, is perhaps the most disturbing and graphic. And to see the reality of just how unpleasant the stench of sin can be. Go to Galatians chapter 5 with me because it spells it out so clearly. It's good just to see the word. It's good just to read it. See it for yourself. Galatians chapter 5. Galatians. Ephesians. Starting in verse 16 of chapter 5. "But I say, walk by the Holy Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh. For these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the spirit, you are not under the law. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have, forewarned you, that those who make it their habit. Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Here in Galatians 5, the apostle Paul contrasts the life led by the Holy Spirit with one driven by our sinful flesh. And he emphasized two paths either we're going to walk in hopefulness and harmony with the Holy Spirit producing his fruit, or we succumb to the life draining desires of the flesh, resulting in a life filled with chaos and despair...or fruit of the flesh. And imagine living each day without the transformative qualities of the Spirit. And some may not have to imagine. Without love, we become distant and disconnected from God and others. Without peace, we experience turmoil and anxiety. Without patience and kindness, our interactions become strained and contentious. The absence of these fruits can make life feel heavy and draining, leading to feelings of hopelessness and despair. On the contrary, when we yield to the Spirit's work in our lives, we begin to reflect his fruit in our thoughts, in our words, and our actions. Walking in the power of the Holy Spirit enables us to respond to the daily challenges that we're going to face with grace and compassion. And so again, I ask you, and this is spiritual heart surgery that I performed on myself all week reflecting and preparing. So I think I know how you feel right about now, or at least I like to think that I know. It's got some, there's some weight here. There's some weight here for our growth. As we reflect on this passage, are there any specific areas where you struggle with those desires of the flesh mentioned in Galatians 5:16-21? Right? And I'm talking about patterns of sin in your life. Listen, we all get angry. We all, um, can be show an aspect of jealousy. I'm talking about patterns, ongoing patterns of sin that you see in your life. How has it caused your life to stink? God wants to help with that. God's got an answer for that. He does. The sweet fruit of the Holy Spirit stands in stark contrast with the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. I mean, those are the fruit. We name our kids after them. We have a Mercy, right? 100 bucks for the first person that names their person self-control. Okay, that's all I'm saying. I'll put it out there. I'm serious. I'll give you $100. If you name your child self-control. That would be. That would be fascinating. But I want you to notice verse 24 automatically assumes that we're going to put the deeds of the flesh to death. Why? Because life will absolutely stink if we don't.
- Number four on the list. My life will be a stench if I do not apply the gospel of forgiveness in my relationships. By divine design, the gospel saves your relationship with God. But do you know what...God designed it to save your relationships with others? That's how it works. The gospel has saved my marriage with my wife, Victoria. The gospel has saved it because we practice forgiveness in our home, don't we? It saves our relationship with those who are close to us. It's allowed me to retain friendships because when I sinned against them, they forgave me. Or likewise, I have had to forgive them. The work continues. It's not just a one time message so that you can go to heaven after you die. God calls us to apply the gospel each and every day, and we see this spelled out for us so clearly in Ephesians 4:32 it says, be kind, tender hearted, and forgiving, just as the Lord Jesus Christ has forgiven you. You notice that progression there. Be kind. What is the importance of kindness? It keeps other people's hearts tender. And what will a kind, tender hearted person do? They forgive. They'll forgive. But you know what happens when bitter deeds of the flesh move in. And before you know it, you can have unkindness, hard heartedness and unforgiveness in your heart. You see it all the time in broken relationships, especially in the most sanctifying relationship, marriages. Right? We see it. In kindness. I don't know that there's a more underestimated and underappreciated fruit of the Holy Spirit than kindness. When properly understood, God's kindness leads us to repentance. It's kindness, and it's why it's so important. And you know, I get it. Killing each other with kindness makes a great sign at Hobby Lobby. And there's different kinds of kindness. There's this kindness that actually manifests itself through just being polite, having manners. Right? That's instilled in all people, not just the life of the Christian. That's not the kindness that I'm talking about here. I'm talking about the gospel fruit of being divinely enabled to be kind to people who sin against you. That is powerful. That is potent. And I have to say it as a warning, because if you can hear the sound of my voice, and if you're in any relationship or if you're in a marriage where you have now started to have this track record of treating each other unkindly. Oh my goodness. It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when that relationship is going to be over unkindness, hard heartedness, unforgiveness. It will not last. So we need to see that. It's a divine fruit of the Holy Spirit that enables your heart to remain tender and forgiving. It's the true fruit. It's kind. And God wants us to be sweet smelling examples and to follow him. And what does Paul write in the very next verse after verse 32 of Ephesians? He says, therefore be imitators of God as beloved children, and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave himself up for us an offering and sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. He leads us by example...his kindness, his tender heartedness towards us, his forgiveness. And so you can use this to evaluate your marriage. You can do this to evaluate your relationship with your kids. You can use this to evaluate your friendships with coworkers or classmates. Is there kindness there? Is there kindness? Look for it because it's going to keep their heart tender towards you and your heart tender towards them. And if we don't follow Christ's example, say it with me. My life is going to stink. Yes. You're listening. You're listening.
- Number five on our list. My life will stink if I do not have discipleship and accountability. Proverbs 11:14, where there is no guidance, the people fall. But in abundance of counselors there is victory. And this proverb, of course, this maxim is true for everyone in the room. God designed us to be dependent disciples on Him and His guidance first, and to be dependent upon the wisdom of godly influences of leaders and teachers and disciplers. And when we fall into a pattern of sin, it is no different than falling off a ledge, Spiritually, it's going to hurt. It's going to hurt. The question is to what degree? Discipleship is designed to protect us, but in abundance of counselors, there is victory. Your translation might say safety, which I like too. When I was talking to our teenage students, I asked them if they've ever seen the videos where you see these, um, kids and some young adults doing these insane jumps right? Off skateboards going down deep rails, some jumping off the side of buildings, trying to get to, um, ledges that are literally a couple stories lower down and to land successfully, many of which do not...getting horrifically injured. And for what? Views on TikTok. And is it really worth it to get paralyzed or severely injured for the rest of your life for views on TikTok? No it's not. That's foolish. Discipleship protects us from our foolishness and not only protects us physically, but relationally, spiritually, financially from making foolish and potentially life threateningchoices. Our biological DNA...probably should have Todd come up to explain it, but I'll give my best attempt, is our genetic code. It's what makes us up. It's what gives us life. You would not have life in this room right now, physically, if you did not have your DNA. Your deoxyribonucleic acid. Not bad. Huh? Some stuff sticks in there. I remember that from a long time ago when they taught us in science class, I really do. Spiritually, the same is true. There is no life in the body of Christ without spiritual DNA, without discipleship and accountability. Discipleship and accountability are by divine design. It is God's will for all of us to be discipled by Christ and to be discipled by others, to be accountable to Christ. Each of us will give an account to God, Romans 14:12. And to be accountable to others. Submit yourself to one another in the fear of Christ, Ephesians 5:21. It's his design. Who are you discipling? Who's discipling you right now? Who is holding you accountable spiritually in your walk, in your dating relationship or in your marriage? In your parenting? In your purity? These are Biblical questions. This shouldn't make anyone uncomfortable answering. They are basic questions in Biblical Christianity. It's our commission. It's designed. Discipleship paves the way to open up those doors to embrace the roles that God has ordained for us. And it turns around and it allows us to be a fragrant aroma to Christ. So say it with me. Without DNA, without DNA, my life is going to stink. Yeah, we're getting there.
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All right. My life will be a stench if I do not honor authority. I think most of us understand that there are different God ordained authorities. And this will be more apparent when our passages are read in just a moment. The challenge we face isn't with authorities in place, but submitting to those authorities that challenges the hearts. We're okay with. I'm okay with lots of authorities. It's submitting to them when my heart gets challenged. I want to read these two texts with you. And while we read them together, I want you to be sensitive to your heart response to the commands within them. Okay? I want you to see how you do. It's going to be fun. Hebrews 13:17, "Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you." How did you do? Oh, it wasn't bad, right? Hope not. Did your heart struggle with any aspect of the commands to obey and to submit? I think most folks in our church understand that the elders here at the church and the ministry leaders that we have at HBC really do have your best interests in mind when it comes to your spiritual maturation and growth. But there can still be tension there sometimes, right? Let's be honest. Well, let's go ahead and let's just keep going a little bit. Now let's go to this next one. Okay. 1 Peter 2:13-20 proclaims, "submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution. Every human institution: government agencies, state and federal level. Submit yourself to them. Schools. Agencies. Police departments. Tracking with me. Right? This is what's in mind. And God's word is so amazing. He put institutions right. He knows every human institution. He knows that in different societies, there's going to be different reflections of authority, whether to a king as one in authority, or to governors sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and to the praise of those who do right. Okay, let's rephrase that. Whether to President Obama. Whether to President Biden. Whether to President Trump. Whether whatever governor has been ordained by God to oversee the state. Verse 15, for such is the will of God, that by doing right, you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king. Honor the president. Verse 18. Servants or employees, be submissive to your masters. Your bosses with all respect. Not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable. How are we doing now? A little bit harder, isn't it? And if we're being honest, there's probably some pushback rooted in your flesh. Your inner lawyer has just risen up to defend your heart because it's our sin nature to push back, be submissive to my boss even when they are being unreasonable? And all God's people said, no way. No way. Well, unreasonable when they asked me to stay later. And they know I have plans and or they put that stack of work on my desk at the last minute. We need verse 19. Look...for this finds favor if for the sake of conscience toward God, a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly, for what credit is there if when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it, you patiently endure it. This finds favor with God. And, seeing the divine order of submission is critical. It is mission critical. We know submission has gotten a bad rap right?...since the beginning of time, by the way. But when you see God's order of submission, it puts things in place because the Son submits to the Father and the Holy Spirit submits to the Father and the Son, and the church submits to God, and the elders lead the church and submit to God, and the members submit to the elders and submit to God. And then you have government which God has placed, and the governing authorities and families must submit to all those things. And then you have fathers submitting right?...to all those things, and then you have wives submitting to their husbands, and then you have kids submitting to their parents, and then you have animals that we were called to subdue the earth and have authority submitting to all of them. Sothere's some promise for you young kids that might be in the room. You do have authority over someone...your pet in the house. Okay. You do? I say that...you're laughing, but, hey, I want to give them a glimpse of hope right here. Otherwise, it seems like the decks are stacked against them. But isn't it so true that submission is such an ugly term? It's woven into the very fabric of the Godhead. It's woven into God's divine order of submission to all authority. And so if I do not submit to the authorities that God has placed over me, then say it with me, my life is going to stink. Are there any authorities currently in your life that you're struggling to submit to right now? Some teenagers in the room are tempted to say, yes, all of them. And you know, that wouldn't shock me. It wouldn't. Because our sin nature by default encourages our flesh to push back rather than submit. It just does. I was talking to two young men, had the privilege, both interested in going to the military. So we talked about this issue of authority. Right. Because you get orders and there's a lot of parallels serving God and country. Serving God and people in the church, there's parallels there. And so we just even talked about the authority of yielding to your parents. So how are you doing there? Well. Well. I don't know. What makes you think it's going to be different than when you go into the service, and then they ask you to do something. And I can share firsthand, because I am a military veteran, I went to West Point Prep. I was active duty. And I know that when I lived at home with my parents, they told me to clean my room and guess what? I had to clean it. And then when I lived at military prep school, guess what? They told me I had to clean my room and I cleaned it and it involved making hospital corners on my bed and all my shirts being measured exactly the same distance apart. Same with my shoes. It involved brass sewing buttons and pipes in the bathroom that no one would ever see. I wanted them to see it. Even my own heart this week. Uh, my wife's a school teacher, local Christian school. They had Grandparent's Day on Friday. Wonderful event, but parking is just absolutely crazy, so they had to make arrangements for that. Well, Friday there's coffee. Okay, there's $1 coffees. I'm giving this to you. This is a big time one. One of my favorite things. Lowes has boxcar coffee. You go there on Fridays. You can get $1 coffee any size, right? Really good. Freshly brewed coffee. $1 coffee. Enjoy it. You're welcome. And I went there and I texted my wife, and I just said, hey, would you like me to pick you and one of the teachers that she works with up a coffee, she's like, sure, that'd be great. And she even asked for an extra one that she was going to give to somebody else. So I fill up the coffees, I'm driving it there, and as I go into pull into the parking lot, I'm pulling into the parking lot at the school. There's a police officer in front going like this. Nope. Nope. So I roll down my window and already in my heart I'm like, there's no way I'm parking over at the high school and walking over with four things of coffee. I already had that going on in my heart. And I said, hey, my wife's a teacher at the school. I'm just here. I'm not here to park. I'm just here to drop the coffee off and leave. And he's like, sure, go ahead. He was reasonable. But what happens if he wasn't? I think you all get where I'm going with this. There's an opportunity there for me, isn't there? There's a divine appointed opportunity for me to yield and submit to that authority so that I can not only be a good testimony to that officer who's just trying to do a job. They asked him that no cars come into that lot, and if he said that, then so be it. And I'd have to my wife, whom I love and want to give her coffee anyway, walk, you know, a few extra minutes to get from from the high school. That's the reality of God's word for us submitting to the authority, isn't it? It isn't just part of a maturing process for Christians, but it's a true recognition of the divine order of submission that understands that our testimony can find favor in the sight of God and be pleasing unto him.
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Number seven on the stinky list. My life will be a stench if I do not forsake my lusts and idols. Turn with me to 1 John, and we're going to hustle through these. I realize my time is disappearing on me. God's word uses explicit warnings about falling in love with the world in 1 John 2:15-17. The Lord had the apostle Paul. I'm sorry, not Paul...John record, "Do not love the world nor the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life is not from the father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lust. But the one who does the will of God lives forever." Evil lusts are really lies. I tell people that all the time in counseling. I've preached it from this pulpit before. It's good to write the lies of the flesh, the lies. If you're a Bible writer, write it in there. They're lies, that's what they are. And the lies of the flesh are sinful cravings for physical gratification, for comfort, for pleasure and indulgence. And we live in a world that often equates happiness with these passing pleasures. But then why don't these lies ever lead to fulfillment? Why do they always leave us so empty? Because they stink. Vicki. That's why. They stink. And the same is true of the lies of the eyes, which is an allurement of visual temptation. Coveting what others have, whether it's material wealth, beauty, or success. The world continues to lie to us. But true contentment, we know, is found in the Lord. Joy is found in a godly image, not a worldly one. The lies of pride tempt us to elevate ourselves above others, seeking recognition, status, and worldly influence. These lies encourage a culture that prizes achievement and self-promotion. We must remember that our worth is found not in our accomplishments, but in our identity in Christ. It's there. And this is why God's Word emphasizes, even in verse 17, the transient nature of this world. The world is passing away along with its desires. Listen, many selfish pursuits that consume our time and energy will ultimately fade away. And if you live for the lies of lust, say it with me. My life is going to stink. And these lies are so dangerous because if not dealt with, they eventually turn into idols that we worship. Our self-image instead of God's image, our net worth in this life instead of the riches of eternal life. And John closes the epistle by saying this, little children guard your selves from idols. Why? Because if you worship something else besides the Lord Jesus Christ. Say it with me. My life is going to stink.
- We're on the home stretch. We're going to get a stink break. Okay. Um, after the final three on the list and I got to go fast. Number eight. My life will be a stench if I do not keep good company. Listen, if your friends stink, guess what? Your life will too. A bad company is like sailing in a boat full of holes. It is going down. And there's nothing that you're going to do to prevent that. And God's Word says, do not be deceived. In other words, don't think it will not happen to you. Bad company will corrupt...or you could translate it harm, destroy, pervert good morals. And so if you hang out with friends who think that it's okay to lie. Eventually, guess what? There's going to be an erosion of trust. If you hang out with a gossip, guess who is going to turn into one too? It's unavoidable. Now, to be fair to our context here. There were people in Corinth who were denying the resurrection, and it was having, um, or saying the resurrection of the dead already occurred and it was having a negative impact on believers. Yet the principle for us remains the same that we pull from here. Bad company likes to use peer pressure to force you into doing something, or believing something that you know doesn't honor the Lord. And that's why God's Word seriously warns us about keeping the wrong company. It's going to stink. Don't do it. Don't do it. Young people, evangelizing and witnessing to unbelievers is one thing, but friendships and negative influences that cause you to compromise your testimony is what's being called into question here. There's other friends...make some hard decisions. This is one of the hard decisions I remember as a young believer for 20 plus years ago, you know, had to give up a lot, forsake a lot of friendships. But the Lord has amply supplied tenfold.
- All right, number nine on the stinky list. My life will be a stench if I do not make wise decisions. It's never God's will for us to make foolish decisions. Ephesians 5:17, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. He wants us to take the wise path. That's his will for our lives. Ephesians 5:18 do not get intoxicated with wine. Okay, listen. Probably one of the greatest areas in counseling where I have a big burden and passion for guys who struggle with enslaving patterns of sin in the areas of alcohol and drugs. Painful...it will waste your life. It is the epitome of dissipation. But don't think that we can't get intoxicated with other things, right? Everybody can be intoxicated with different things: material possessions, shopping, amazon, the next delivery...addicting. It happens. And if I make foolish decisions, say it with me. My life is going to stink.
- Ladies and gentlemen, drum roll for number ten on the stinky list. My life will be a stench if I do not walk in humility. And this is really the perfect bookend on this message. There are elements of pride when we yield to anything on this list. And this is why, 1 Peter 5, calls believers to clothe yourselves with humility toward one another. For God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Proverbs 16:18-19 provide a strong warning. Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before stumbling. It is better to be. It should say it is bitter to be prideful. It is better to be humble in spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud. How dangerous and damning is pride. Listen to what Jonathan Edwards writes. "Pride is the worst viper in the heart. It is the first sin that ever entered into the universe. It lies lowest of all in the foundation of the whole building of sin. Of all lusts, it is the most secret, deceitful, and unsearchable in its ways of working. It is ready to mix with everything. Nothing is so hateful to God, contrary to the spirit of the gospel or of so dangerous consequence. There is no one sin that does so much to let the devil into the hearts of saints and expose them to their delusions." End quote. If I could summarize that statement, I would say this. Pride is the ultimate stench to God's nostrils. Pride is the ultimate stench to God's nostrils.
Well, we began our message with the hope of covering two realities that will determine whether your life will be a stench or a sweet aroma. And so we only had the chance to cover. Reality number one. So I think that should mean that I should be able to come back next Sunday and do the remainder, although, um, I might be in serious trouble. Um, actually, I'm going to go ahead and just preach those second hour. So it's just going to be a combined. So it's going to be pretty full I know you're going to have to stay. I'm joking, I'm joking.
All we have to do is flip the script. Are you ready for this? All we have to do is flip the script. My life will be a fragrant aroma in Christ if I know and follow the Lord. My life will be a fragrant aroma, if I fear God and keep his commandments. My life will be a fragrant aroma, if I have fruit of the Holy Spirit, if I apply the gospel of forgiveness in my relationships, if I have discipleship and accountability, if I honor authority, if I forsake my lusts and idols, if I keep good company, if I make wise decisions, and if I walk in humility, my life will be a fragrant aroma.
So I leave you with an image that I want you to take with you, that will capture...kind of like the cliff notes of the stinky list. Can I do that? The cliff notes. I was watching a movie over Christmas break. Great movie if you haven't seen it...clean, great family movie. We don't usually endorse movies from the pulpit, but it's a faith based film called The Forge. Raise your hand. Anyone out there seen The Forge? All right. It's this, um, young guy in a broken family, and, um, he's playing video games, hanging out with the wrong friends, all this stuff not working. His mom's frustrated, right? There's a lot of anger built up because of the broken home. Just a lot of issues going on. So he finally goes out and he looks for a job. He goes in and applies at this company, and, um, he ends up meeting the owner of the company in the process. At first he was disrespectful of him. And then when he found out he was holding an application, I don't want to give too much of the film away. Long story short, is, um, there's a transformation in this kid's life, and his spiritual mentor gave him one of the best pieces of advice. I'm not kidding you that I have ever heard. He said to him, be a fountain, not a drain. Be a fountain, not a drain. I think all of us know what the what drains are like. I think of a sewer drain. Or I can think of our own kitchen sink drain and stuff, getting stuck in the disposal and pulling stuff out and the smell and just how foul all of it can be draining. But that's what our sin does. It drains us. It drains us. And he was trying to get the young man to say, don't be a drain on your mom anymore. Help around the house. Help financially. Do the things that you can pour in, be filled up. But I got to share this with you because he had to share it with him. You cannot be a fountain if you are not connected to THE fountain. You cannot be filled up and used and be a fountain if you're not connected to the fountain. So I say that for any person in here who's unsure about where they're at with their relationship with Christ. Maybe there's been a lot more drainage in your life than fountain life giving. Maybe you've been a lot more life draining. Are you in Christ? Are you truly born again so that you can be a fountain. Jesus says the very words...a fountain of living water will spring up within you. Right? Proverbs 4:23, watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flows the wellspring of life. That's why we look at this list. That's why we have to be attentive. That is what it looks like to be diligent and do the work on our hearts. So I want to leave that with you. And thank you all very much for allowing me to go a little bit longer. Thank you. Let's pray together.
Our father in heaven, we rejoice in just the comprehensive nature of your word. And you had all this in mind when you thought of our sanctification. You knew, um, you were going to do a work not just in justification, But that as you caught fish, as you caught people, um, they were going to be cleaned. And there's a process that takes place. I pray for everyone who was here today that you would allow them to continue to meditate on the reality of the stinky list, and to consider the aroma of their own life, and, Lord, that you would use it in great measure to help them understand and see. Are they truly born again? And what are some areas where sin is actually draining them spiritually? Help them to address it. Help them to be a fountain in that area instead. May kindness continue to pervade our homes through the power of the gospel. We rejoice in everything that you're doing. We give you thanks and praise in Christ's name. Amen.
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ Pastor Adam Ashoff Download * View transcript The Resurrection of Jesus Christ
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Well. It is a privilege and joy to open God's Word with you this morning. Turn to John chapter 20. Uh, this is a particularly special Sunday as we look at the resurrection of Jesus. It was our own, I guess we'll call him a local legend down in Charlotte, Billy Graham, who said, if I did not believe that Christ rose bodily from the grave, I would quit preaching. Amen. Kurtis mentioned it earlier because Paul said it If Christ is not raised, our preaching is in vain. Your faith is worthless because you're still in your sin. That's where we left off Friday night when Jesus said, it is finished on the cross. What is the last proof of evidence that that actually went through? That it was paid in full. And if Christ is not raised, we're not convinced by the text in front of us today, then what are we actually doing here? If there ever is a time and a place to be reminded of the wonderful Catechism, what is our only hope in life and death? It's Christ. That he lived and he died, and he rose again. It's found in John 20. So if you have a Bible, follow along. If you don't, check the seat back in the chair in front of you for a copy. This is arguably the most important chapter in the Bible. The resurrection of Jesus Christ. It holds it all together, and it deserves our full attention today. And I will read it in its entirety starting in verse one.
"Now, on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb while it was still dark, and saw the stone already taken away from the tomb. So she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, they have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him. So Peter and the other disciple went forth, and they were going to the tomb. The two were running together, and the other disciple ran ahead faster than Peter and came to the tomb first. And stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. And so Simon Peter also came following him and entered the tomb. And he saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the face cloth which had been on his head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself. So the other disciple, who had first come to the tomb, then also entered, and he saw and believed. For as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead. So the disciples went away again to their homes. But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping. And so as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb, and she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying. And they said to her, woman, why are you weeping? And she said to them, because they have taken away my lord, and I do not know where they have laid him. When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking? Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus said to her, Mary. She turned and said to him in Hebrew, Rabboni, which means teacher. Jesus said to her, stop clinging to me, for I have not yet ascended to the father, but go to my brethren, and say to them, I ascend to my father, and your father, and my God, and your God. Mary Magdalene came announcing to the disciples, I have seen the Lord, and that he had said these things to her. So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, peace be with you. And when he had said this, he showed them both his hands in his side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again, peace be with you, as the Father has sent me, I also send you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them. If you retain the sins of any, they have been retained. But Thomas, one of the 12 called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples were saying to him, we have seen the Lord. But he said to them, unless I see in his hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe. After eight days his disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, and the doors, having been shut, stood in their midst and said, peace be with you. Then he said to Thomas, reach here with your finger, and see my hands. And reach here your hand and put it into my side. And do not be unbelieving but believing. Thomas answered and said to him, my Lord and my God. Jesus said to him, because you have seen me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see and yet believed. Therefore, many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book. But these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name."
Thus reads the Word of God. The grass withers and we are like grass, and the flower fades, but the Word of God endures forever. Amen.
There is such an extraordinary nature to John 20. After spending time in it this last week, I could close my eyes and I could see it play out. It is arguably the most beautiful depiction of all the depictions of the resurrection, the movement between the different witnesses and then where it ends. The power of it is so much so it feels rather electric, which we should expect it to feel that way. If it is a true story about a man rising from the dead. It's beyond imagination. We have those moments in our lives where something so amazing happens to us, or that we are part of that we witness an unforgettable event and nothing can take it from our memory. There's some electricity still left in that moment when we conjured up in our minds, maybe as a child, some amazing experience of being the hero of the game. Maybe it was the time you met eyes across the room or the first date. Maybe it was graduating from high school or college being the first one in your family to do so. Maybe it was the engagement day or the wedding day. Maybe it was the birth of your first child. Maybe it was when the Steelers beat the Cardinals in Super Bowl 43. February 1st, 2009. Those moments are unforgettable. When we read John 20, it has such an amazing appeal that nothing and no one can take it away from us. Even a communist naysayer like Nikolai Ivanovich Bukharin couldn't stop it one day in 1930. At the time, he was one of the most influential men on earth. A Russian revolutionary. A contemporary serving under Lenin and then Stalin, who took part in the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917. It was in 1930 he went on a trip from Moscow to Kiev to address a massive crowd on the topic of atheism and its merits. Inevitably, it quickly turned into an all out assault on Christianity, and he, a genius in his own right, argued against the faith skillfully. At the end of his talk, he was confident that he had convinced the crowd that they should embrace atheism. So he turned to the audience and boldly opened it up to any questions. Deafening silence filled the auditorium. That is, until an Orthodox priest went up to the platform. He looked at the crowd and then shouted the ancient greeting. Well known in the Russian Orthodox Church, Christ is risen! And at once the crowd stood up and responded, he is risen indeed! What can give a beleaguered people like that such deep rooted conviction in such an unexpected situation? The New Testament has a clear and simple answer. It’s true. Those people, just like disciples and just like you today, believed with all their heart that the tomb was empty and that Jesus had risen from the dead. And people for two millennia have believed Jesus has risen from the dead for the simple fact that he did. My prayer today is that as we walk through this account from John the Apostle, the writer of this gospel, and eye witness to these historical events of seeing the risen Lord, it will have the same encouraging, convicting, invigorating effect that has had for all the ages who are disciples of Jesus. And we will look at the resurrection of Jesus from the eyes of four sets of people today. And I believe if we simply observe what they heard, saw, felt, and responded, we will find ourselves overwhelmed in joy with the most amazing day in history that changed all of humanity.
So first, let's first talk about John and Peter and what they experienced as they race to the tomb that day in verses 1 to 10. The full title of this painting, the disciples Peter and John running to the sepulchre on the morning of the resurrection, was by a little known Swiss artist named Eugene Burnand, 1898 it was his best known work. I love how one Christian art critic put it. The picture crackles with kinetic energy. It is a study in desperate anticipation. Surely is also the posture with which we should approach Easter leaning in, wringing our hands, clutching our chests, desperate for it to be true. Verse one. It was the first day of the week, and Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb while it was still dark, and saw the stone rolled away. John brings us into his energized testimony that morning with a quick survey of the action. It's the first day of the week in Jewish counting of days. They don't name them, but it would be Sunday for us. And by the way, in case you've ever wondered, why is today the day we gather? It's this reason established in early church tradition. The Lord's Day is the first day, and from that time till now, Sunday is the day we gather. Mary comes early to the tomb, and you're wondering if you know the other gospels, where are the other women? John doesn't mention them by name. Mind you, he is telling this account. 40 to 50 years after it happened and he's not getting into the minutia. But we do know the other women were there in accordance with the other accounts because of Mary's response in verse two. Do you see what she says? They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we. The other women were with her. It's just in John's retelling of this event. He wants the focus to be on Mary, because he's going to return to her eyewitness testimony later. She sees the stone rolled away and hotfoots it in verse two to John and Peter to break the bad news. And so then in verses 3 to 5, John humbly recounts he is the other disciple in this story with Peter. He recounts that he outruns Peter in verse four. We don't know why he ran ahead faster, whether it was excitement or it was his age. Some believe he was younger than the older Peter, but for whatever reason, he gets there first and he stoops and looks in. It's the vision they want to give you. He wants to give you that. James 125 uses the same phrase when it says, we are to look intently into the law of Christ, the law of liberty, and by looking into it, you are blessed by it. That's this word. It's a close examination. And he saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. In bursts peter. Right by him. Verse six. I actually picture Pastor Kurtis and John Crick. Kurtis, of course, would outrun John to the tomb. Speed wins. But you know, our former All-American D lineman would blitz right past Kurtis and burst his way into that tomb, excited, taking in everything around him. That's how I picture this. I actually was trying to figure out, could I with the use of AI or something, get Kurtis and John's face on that picture so young people figure it out. We would love to see a recreation of that wonderful painting with our beloved elders. The detail that John keeps repeating that he wants us all not to miss is what changed it for him. It was three times repeated. Seeing the linen wrappings, he writes that he saw them in verse five. But then Peter who gave a closer examination by busting right in and getting up close, sees not just those linen wrappings. He sees the head wrapping rolled up in a place by itself. The detail gets mentioned because John wants us to know this was it for him. Maybe Peter at first or John at first missed that detail, and then Peter's close examination made him see it and believe it. Believe what? That Christ had risen. He saw and believed. That's the most important line in this first account, that the linen wrappings and the head covering did something to trigger in John his latent faith. The faith that, yes, has been dulled in the three days since Jesus died. Dulled to what? Christ's words. His prediction. John, of course, believed in Jesus. We know this. Just looking back to Thursday night because Jesus says it about he and the other disciples when he is washing Peter's feet. And he says to all of them, he who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean. And you speaking to the disciples, except not all of you, not the one who would betray me. But he says, all of you are clean. And then he repeats it in John 15. Verse three, you speaking to those 11 who were still there, Judas has left the building. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. So John is not speaking here of his saving faith, but there was something in his faith that had been dulled since the death of Christ. And what's the reason for it? Well, he tells you in verse nine, speaking as himself and Peter, as yet they did not understand the Scripture that he must rise again from the dead. That was the missing piece. But when he saw it, it all came together for him. Alluding back to John 2:22 when Jesus and the first Passover goes to the temple, and he clears the temple out, and the Jews say to him, what sign do you show to us as your authority for doing these things? And he says, destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. And the Jews said, it took 46 years to build this temple, and you will raise it up in three days. But he was speaking of the temple of his body. And listen to this John 2:22. This is when it clicks for Peter or for John when he remembers this in The Empty Tomb. John 2:22. So when Jesus was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken. This is the moment it all came together for John. It was held together by believing in the word of Christ without even seeing the body of Christ. What does Romans 10 tell us? Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ. It was the scripture John had to recall. The events of the last two days, had yes, put a little bit of a fog in front of his thinking. Just the same was true with Peter. Luke 24:12 says that he went away from this occasion wondering what happened. But here is the wonder and amazement of John's reinvigorated belief he hadn't seen the risen Lord. He is actually unique in all the eyewitness accounts. He's the only disciple that didn't need to see him in order to believe. He just needed the words to come back. And all it took was the empty tomb and linen cloths to trigger that. Friends, true believer, what is it that enlightens your dull heart the most. Is it not the Word of Christ, the living and active Word of God, used by the spirit, his sword, to divide us up to the most intimate part of us, soul and spirit, when we have grown dull in the faith and our affections for Christ, and even believing. Is it all true? It's the Word of God. Psalm 19 says it's pure. It enlightens the eyes. It allows us to see again. That's the first eyewitness account we get. We need God's word to wake us up, even this morning, do we not? And the true believer knows that. The times where we are most glazed over to the glory of God and the work of Christ in our lives. Go back to His word and trust him to do it.
So we start with our look into the resurrection, with a word on an empty tomb and the faith that can ensue, but from a dulled disciple now to a discouraged disciple, let's see how faith comes alive in Mary and what she experienced as she waited around for answers. Another depiction of this is by Rembrandt called Christ and Saint Mary Magdalene at the tomb from 1638. Surprisingly enough, he sticks close to the passage with some of the detail. Critics of it noting Christ's appearance as purposely vague. And I could see it in all your eyes. You're like, what? Who in the...why is Jesus wearing a sombrero? That clearly would have thrown Mary and all of us off? But it's her twisted posture, symbolic of the painful view she had of the reality and the darkness right before the dawn, Half in the light, half in the dark. When her faith comes alive. And that is the shift of the scene we have in verse 11, the disciples go away on somewhat of an excited high. Even though Peter was wondering, he was amazed, according to Luke account, John believed. So we leave off on something good to go to something dark. Verse 11. Mary, we don't know how long she was standing outside the tomb weeping, and as she wept she, same language of John, same language of Peter, stooped and looked into the tomb. She doesn't notice the clothes. It says she saw two angels sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus was lying, had been lying. Quite different what people can notice in their times of despair and dullness, isn't it? Had the angels been there when Peter and John ran in? We don't know. But they were there for when Mary goes in, and that's what she sees. They ask a question, woman, why are you weeping? And she says to them, because they've taken away, my lord, and I do not know where they have laid him. Her answer reveals very clearly her hope at that moment was not in a risen Lord. Zero. Was she a woman of faith? Yes. But like Peter and John, she did not understand the piece of the puzzle that was the resurrection. She was in despair. She was despondent. She turns around. She senses someone is in the room, and she sees Jesus standing. But she doesn't know it's him. She got a good look at him. Some sense of sentimentalism would carry on that she couldn't see him through her tears, maybe. I don't think the focus anymore is on her tears. When she sees him and doesn't recognize him. She was in her right mind enough to keep her mind on the same thing, right? She just wanted to know one thing. Where is the body? She sticks to that. That's the first thing she's worried about when she's told the disciples back in verse two. It's what she tells the angels, and it's what she says back to Jesus in verse 15 when he asks, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking? You know, I wonder, in whom are you seeking? Is that Jesus trying to kind of wake her up a little bit? But she sticks to her guns. Sir. She's honorable in that response. If you've carried him away, tell me where you've laid him. She thinks he's the gardener. I think that's why Rembrandt in the picture had him holding a shovel. And the sombrero. It's likely that she did not recognize him because of his glorified state. It seemed to be the same case for the disciples on the Emmaus Road in Luke 24. All that said, like John, something else, even beyond the appearance of the risen Christ, would have to break the spell of despair. Mary broke the spell of despair. He called her name. The beauty of the narrative at this point is that John doesn't overexplain the tone of his voice or the familiar sound. Whatever it was about Jesus saying, Mary, it worked. And you can draw so many soul encouraging implications from that, can't you, believer? Yes. The personal call of Jesus to the brokenhearted is everything. I hope some of you can latch on to that today, because some of you are brokenhearted. You are in despair. You're depressed. You're despondent. There are many things that can help you in that. But there is only one who can heal you of that. It's Christ. It's Christ himself. All the work we do laboring in discipleship and counseling and pointing people to hope there isn't anything better that we can do for you this morning than point you to Jesus Christ Himself. We see the change it makes in Mary. Right away she responds back Rabboni, which is an honorable title of master and teacher and Lord. And then she calls to him, and then she clings to him. I can relate. When I'm gone for a little amount of time, one of the best things about coming home is Shannon coming and giving me a hug. And she just doesn't let go. And then the kids come and jump up on Dad, and they jump up on dad now just to get something from me, but they used to jump up on dad. Just wanted to hold me for a little bit. So we get what's going on here and we know what's going on here because Jesus says, stop clinging to me. And it's not a harsh rebuke because of what he says after. Here's why you can't stay with me, Mary. The moment this is okay, but I haven't yet ascended to the Father. What's he saying there? I must go back to heaven. I've told you this all along, but go to my brothers and say to them. So here's your mission, Mary. I ascend to my Father and your Father and my God. Your God. What's he saying there? Why this response? There's a lot of speculation, but the most simple is that he's reminding her of what he's been saying all along. I must return to my Father in heaven. I promised I would send you something even greater, the indwelling Holy Spirit, to fill all of you to fulfill my mission. Same God, same team. For the sake of the gospel. To the ends of the earth. Ready? Break! That's what he's doing there. ?. This is what you do from this point on. Just like it was in Acts. We're not standing around looking into heaven. We're activated and empowered to do what? Go tell the world about Christ that he's risen. So she's the first one with that mission. And Mary. So awesome. She does it right away. Verse 18, no break in the action. She comes announcing to the disciples, I've seen the Lord. He's risen and all that he had said to her. Unlike John, she did need to see the risen Lord for her faith to come alive again. But even seeing him, she needed. What? The Word, the reminder. The call. Mary, you know me. Come on. Get out of that funk that you're in and get to work. Get to work. The same courageous drive that had kept her at the cross. That had kept her coming back to the tomb, now sends her from brokenhearted to bold faith. It's the call of Christ. It's the Word again. Seeing him and hearing him, and that doing something in her despondency breaks the spell and off she goes. Christ does that for you, believer.
Last person to note today the infamous Doubting Thomas, part of a group of doubters to boot. Now, you probably knew this picture was coming. Um, my personal favorite was the first one of Peter and John. But this is probably the most well-known of the three. The goat of the resurrection paintings done by Michelangelo Caravaggio in 1603, called The Incredulity of Saint Thomas. The. The poignancy of the image itself takes us back. But what is noted about this painting is the contrasts, the contrasts. The shadows of doubt that sweep over Thomas. But the closer he is to Christ, he's not drawn back into the light of faith. Well, that basically exegeted this last section so we can move on. Just kidding. The truth is, this whole scene, 19 to 29, isn't just about Doubting Thomas, it's the whole group. He gets singled out from the group only because he wasn't there. That first Sunday, verse 19, when Jesus appears, we don't know why he wasn't there. We know from earlier appearances in the Gospel of John. Back in chapter 11. When Jesus finds out that Lazarus is dead and, it's amazing what Thomas of all the disciples says in response to. I'm glad for your sakes that I was not there so that you may believe. Let's go to him, the dead one. And, Thomas, in some loyal expression of I don't know what. Says to the other disciples, let us also go so that we may die with him. He doesn't quite know what he's even saying there. What he's getting into there. He's just going, hey, if this is what Christ says, I'm with him. That's the. Uniqueness of Thomas. Also, we hear from him in John 14 when Jesus says, don't let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God. Believe in me. I'm going away to prepare a place for you. And when I go, I'll come again and receive you to myself. And you know the way where I am going. And Thomas says to Jesus, Lord, we do not know where you are going. How bold. He just says, you know the way I'm going. No we don't. But this is the heart of Thomas. How will we know the way? Like he wants to stay close to you. Do you get that about Thomas? So maybe that broadens our view of this doubter. That when he isn't there in the upper room that night, the other disciples are. Maybe it's because he was the most devastated of them all. He's gone and I'm gone. And he's some lone wolf howling at the moon by himself. Because he just wanted to be with his Lord still. But my guess would be, judging by his response in 24 to 29, that had he been there that night, he would have responded the same way as them. So hence, I think it's a bunch of doubting disciples. They had the door shut for fear of the Jews. I mean, they had been told earlier in the day by Mary. The disciples had heard, he's risen. And do you see any of those other disciples running out into the streets looking for the risen Christ? No, there was doubt in all of them. So he comes and says, peace to you, but let's move forward to the but Thomas moment in verse 24. An inauspicious start. Like with Mary. He is pessimistic and obtuse to a degree, as one commentator called him. And I can resonate with that. I think I would have had a similar response. If I wasn't there to see it and believe it. Partly because it could be too good to be true. And you didn't want to get your hopes up too high, right? I want to see him for myself. So verse 25, he makes the claim, the famous claim heard round the Christian world. Until I see in his hands the imprint of the nails. And put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe. So Eight days later, Sunday to Sunday. Counting those days, it's the Lord's day. They're inside again. The door is still shut. You know. Bold faith, right? No, they're still scared. But he's there this time and in repetitious style. The disciples are inside. The door is shut. Jesus appears in their midst and he repeats, peace be to you. It's interesting to note the repetitioncost of first classstamp 2025 of the peace be with you. Third time it's mentioned. The peace be to you coming after the "it is finished". Romans 5:1. Having been justified, you have what? What do you have? You have peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. Justification by the atoning work of Christ on your behalf. Finishing it on the cross. Your sins paid for in full. First thing, you get out of that. Peace with God. Do you see the connection? So the great last words at the cross it is finished. Lead into the first words to the disciples. Peace to you. Verse 27. And then he goes right to Thomas. Hey, Guy, were you the one that wanted to see me in person? Go ahead. Reach here with your finger and see my hands. And reach here your hand and put it into my side. He's saying it word for word. You know, it never says that. Thomas did it. Sorry, Caravaggio. We don't get that detail in the text. I think that this was enough for Thomas just to know that the Lord knew. The Lord knew his doubt. The Lord knew his doubt, word for word. And he invites him. Bring me your doubts. I'm right here. What is it you need from me? You know I'm still with you. Just like I said I would be. His words again. Producing faith. Faith that had doubts. You know, it reminds me of a passage in the beginning of John. If you turn to John 1, there's a similar dialogue between a doubting disciple and Jesus. But it's at the beginning of the story, not the end. It's when a disciple named Nathaniel, also a pessimistic and obtuse disciple, if you want to call him them that. And Jesus has revealed himself as the Lamb of God sent to take away the sin of the world, he's invited disciples to hang out with him. And then Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, goes, we have found the Messiah and brings him to Jesus. And the next day they go into Galilee and Jesus says, follow me. And Philip finds Nathaniel and says, we found him who Moses in the law and the prophets wrote Jesus of Nazareth, Nazareth. And Nathaniel says, in that cynical, doubting attitude, can any good thing come out of Nazareth? So Jesus looks at him and commends him, hey, there's an Israelite indeed. In who? There's no deceit, no guile. You're a straight ahead guy, Nathaniel. You want the facts? You're not here for the fluff. And so Nathaniel calls him on it. How do you know me? And Jesus answers and says, before Philip called you when you were under the fig tree, I saw you. Oh. How did you see me? So he answers him. And it's the one of the first great confessions. Rabbi, you are the Son of God. You are the king of Israel. See the connection here. See what John is doing masterfully in his story. Doubts at the beginning that all Jesus had to do was meet Nathaniel right in those doubts and bring them to the forefront. What is he doing here at the end? He's meeting Thomas right in those doubts, and he's drawing them out, not shaming him for them. And then he says, and so don't be unbelieving. But believing in Thomas answers, just like Nathaniel's great confession, he has a great confession, my Lord and my God. Amazing. Another disciple goes from a weak faith, a flickering and smothered faith where the fires seem to be dying out. But in a blaze of Christ's revealed glory, he reignites Thomas's heart to burn until you pull all these things together. In all three cases, each one was different. Dulled faith. Despondent faith and doubting faith. All it took was the word of Christ. All it took was him appearing to them, two of them out of the three, and speaking to them. And then he, that is, John captures this amazing line in verse 29, Jesus said to him, because you have seen me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see and yet believed. He uses this moment, this line of Christ, to summarize not just this amazing resurrection account, but his entire gospel to this moment. When he says in verse 29, because you have seen me, you believe. He's not saying that's a bad thing. Why does John want to highlight this? It's because it's the whole point of which he wrote his gospel. It's the Book of signs. The Apostolic Witness was built on the evidence of Jesus' life, death and resurrection. They saw it. They were the ones who witnessed the risen Lord, the apostles. So seeing to believe was a big part, the biggest part of these men taking the gospel message all over the world. Most of them were willing to die for it. So there's nothing wrong for them to have to see to believe. It's what the Apostolic Witness was we saw. What does John say at the beginning of his epistle? What does he start with? That which was from the beginning, which I saw with my own eyes and touched with my hands the Word of life that never got away from him. The reality, the fact that he saw Jesus Christ risen from the dead. But here's the remarkable thing John does in this moment, in verse 29, He takes that last line. Blessed are they who did not see and yet believe. And the camera zooms out on that last line in the upper room, and it starts to turn. And it's no longer on the disciples. It's on you and it's on me. He pulls you in to this discussion. Blessed are they who did not see and yet believe. That's talking about us 2000 years later, sitting in a comfy chair in Hickory. We are those who will hear and believe. Even though we didn't see. And he says you are blessed. What does that mean? Doesn't mean you got a great parking spot this morning. So blessed. Or that if I end early, you will beat the crowds to Golden Corral. Double blessed. The word blessed means. You are favored by God and that you have saving faith. That's the ultimate blessing to be favored by God in his grace, to find you and call you and bring you out of darkness and into the light. That's the blessing that those who would not see and yet believe would have eternal life. This is the brilliant way John ends this gospel. He's thinking of you. Someone in the future with the opportunity to hear about Jesus, the Son of God, who came to take away the sin of the world. So that's why, way back in chapter one, he started telling Jesus' story as the Word that was with God and that was God. And now we get to the end and he ties it together with a disciple who confesses what, my Lord and my God. This is what he was moving up to. This point is to turn it on you, the reader. And in verse 30 he says it. This is what I was trying to do. All the other signs Jesus performed in the presence of the disciples. I couldn't fit them all in here. I gave you a bunch of them. I didn't give you all of them, but that's why I wrote this witness, this account. I wanted you to see and believe he did everything that God would do coming to earth. But the miracles, all of the wonderful things he did, the turning the water into wine and to the healing the sick, and to helping the blind to see and to raising Lazarus from the dead. They were all signs to point to what? To point to him? That he was Lord. That he was God. But he saved the greatest sign for last, didn't he? Right here. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The empty tomb, the folded linens, the transformed disciples. All of it. A sign all remembered and recorded for you to see. Verse 31. Friend, put yourself in it. Read your name here. These have been written so that Adam would believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Put your name in it. These were written so Dave would believe, and he did. And that Tom would believe, and Tim would believe. Is your name in there because you've believed? That's why this is here. It's not just a history story today. It is fact. But it's to produce what faith that you would believe that Jesus is everything he said he was, the Son of God. And by believing you'd have life in his name. Do you have life in his name today? It's not something I could give you. I can plead. And that's all I'm called to do, is to be a proclaimer of it. But I can't show you Christ. I can't make him appear. He's got to speak to you through his Word right now, where you sit and you believe the word of Christ being preached to you or you don't. And if you don't believe the opposite is true in verse 31, you will not have life in his name. There is only one name by which men or women may be saved. It's Jesus Christ. To believe in the name is to believe everything about him today. You may not know everything about him today. I mean, you saw it in the lives of Peter and John and Mary and Thomas. They had faith, but they just didn't know the whole story. But it was enough to save, you know, enough of Christ to be saved. Today, sitting there where you are, the only thing holding you back is your unbelief. And those who don't believe. He who believes in the Son has eternal life, but he who does not obey the Son will not see life. This gospel call this proclamation that Jesus Christ is Lord is not just an idea. It's an imperative. It's a command. You must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved. And if you do not obey the call of the gospel on you this morning, you will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on you. That's a very sobering reality. Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, sent to take away the sin of the world? Christ right now offers himself to you through the gospel for you to receive him by faith. How do you do that? Confess two things. That you're a sinner. And you call on him a savior. So wonderfully put by Thomas, my Lord and my God. Do you know him as your Lord and your God? He said, my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. It's not about me calling you to faith today. It's about Christ's call on you to faith. Look to the Lord and be saved. Now for all y'all who know him as Lord today. It is true the Gospel of John has, of all the Gospels, the most evangelistic aim. But there is something for you, the believer today, not just for your faith to be reinvigorated. I want to remind you of your job by a section I skipped over verses 21 to 23. They looked like the most difficult verses in this chapter because they are. But what do they mean? We shouldn't overcomplicate it. He comes in, he says, peace to you as the Father has sent me, I also sent you. So anything you're going to try to understand after that, you got to understand through this. This is the first fruits of the great commission of the great Activation of Acts where he's saying, look, the father sent me on a mission I send you. What was Jesusmission? John 4:34. My food is due to the will of him who sent me to accomplish his work. Did he do it? He accomplished it. He died on the cross. It was finished. He rose again for our justification. It's time he goes back. So after that, then here's where everybody's. What is going on in verse 22 to 23, when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit. He's doing something symbolic in this moment. The Holy Spirit, Word itself. The idea was wind, breath. So he breathes on him and he says, Receive the Holy Spirit. It's a first fruit of what the fullness was going to be at Pentecost. And clearly they were not filled to the full because they didn't really get after it until Pentecost, did they? The boldness, the activity, the preaching. It didn't happen here. It happened there. And then verse 23, he says, not only am I going to empower you, but here's your message forgiveness of sin, verse 23, that's what that's about. You are proclaimers of the gospel. And at the heart of the gospel is a simple message the Son of God who came into the world to save sinners. You can have your sins forgiven. That's verse 23. He's not saying you personally will forgive people's sins. You will, on behalf of Christ, proclaim the gospel. And people could say, my sin. Yes, your sins could be forgiven. How could you possibly say that you don't have the ability to forgive sins? No, I don't have the ability to forgive sins. But I can tell you who does. I'm a proclaimer. So are you. So he basically says to those disciples, there, you got one job. Preach the gospel. Tell people they can be forgiven. You know what, friends? That's the mission of all of us, though. It just doesn't rest on those first disciples. It's our job, and it's more than a mission. What is it? It's a privilege, isn't it? It's an honor. It's a joy that we get to tell others the greatest news there is that sinners can be saved. You have the power of the resurrection life of Christ in you. You have the presence of the Holy Spirit in you with all of his graces and gifts. You have the perfect and inspired Word of God to instruct you. You have the partnership of the Body of Christ to go with you. If you think of what we have today with what the disciples had then, you know there's only one thing we do not have. The excuse not to do it.
Let's pray. Father, we thank you that we have been saved and set apart and sent even if we stay here. We have the greatest news in the world. And we pray this morning that by the work of your Spirit and the Word, that the resurrection of Christ reinvigorates in our own lives, in our own hearts, a passion to tell, to not stand around. To not cling, but to go and to preach and to teach and to start a Bible study on our streets or in our school, or start within our own home with our kids, that we would be invigorated by the truth of the resurrection that Christ you live. And so we live as well, and we live for you. Help us to do that today. We ask in your name, Christ. Amen.
The Glory of God’s Supremacy Pastor Adam Ashoff Download Pulpit Curriculum PDF Pulpit Curriculum DOCX * View transcript The Glory of God’s Supremacy
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Turn in your Bibles to First Samuel chapter 5, and we will go through, actually, all the way to chapter 7:2 today. And you're probably not betting on that, seeing as how it took me two weeks to preach through chapter 4. So now I'm going to preach through two chapters in one week. Adds up. The reason I'm doing that is because the text that we'll see today from chapter five into six, and then just the first two verses of chapter seven is just really one amazing story about God's glory. It's one continuous tale of when it looks like God has lost, he actually reverses it completely. And that's where we left off last week, when the Ark of God had been taken captive at the end of chapter four. And it ends with the sad line, the glory of God departed, not the glory of God, the glory from Israel's departed because the Ark of God was taken. And that's where we ended, where we said, you know, God will risk his own reputation to drive the point home to his people, that his glory is not found in a box. It's not. It's not found in something that man wants to construct in his own mind that helps him to hold together some...in The case of Israel, some passed on superstitious view of where God's presence is to be found, and maybe clinging to some ideas from the past, because in the present they have no idea what the presence of God is actually about. It's about what we just sang about, which is an overwhelming sense of his holiness and our sinfulness. And so when God's people lose sight of that, he will not only risk his reputation, as we saw in chapter four, take on a loss in order to win. He'll do something different this week. And that's why we're going to see it all on display in one story from five, six into seven...is that God will display the supremacy of his holiness over our sinfulness in order to magnify his glory. That in three different cases, in three scenes, if you want to call it that is, we're going to look at today where God is putting his glory on display far and above what man is doing to show the insurmountable gap between a holy God and fallen man. And in the early cases, it will be between God and a pagan idol Dagon. And then it will move to God and the diviners, the priests of the Philistines who seem to have the answer, or so they think...by piecing together some superstitious view of God. As man tends to do in his own power and make up their own ideas. And then finally it'll land home back in Israel. And it's no better there because there's false faith even in Israel itself. But in all three of these cases, the single line, the theme that will be driving through all of these texts is one and the same. That when God wants his glory to be known, he'll stop at nothing to show it. And that comes at the cost of loss for the Philistines, for the Israelites to open their eyes, to see that he is supreme over all in his glory. That he will tolerate no rival. He will fly solo in these chapters. And so, if you're one of those people that still might have a bumper sticker that says, God is my co-pilot, I think you may be inclined today to peel that thing off and throw it in the trash. God is no man's co-pilot, and he needs no co-pilot. What God is going to show in his sovereignty in these next chapters is he can do it all himself. That's what makes him God and us...not. That he is independent of any of us in his workings in the world. He chooses in love, in grace to use us. And so we will see that today. So I'm just going to read the first few verses of First Samuel chapter five to get the ark moving again. And then we'll walk our way through these chapters.
"Now the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it to the house of Dagon and set it by Dagon. When the Ashdodites arose early the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord." Father, magnify your word according to your name, that all the weight of the glory of your name, all that it carries, and all that we can comprehend, would lay heavy on us this morning through the preaching of your Word. So lay it heavy on us in order to lift us out of our own burdens, to free us from our idolatries of the heart. We pray in Christ's name. Amen.
Chapter five, verses 1 to 12, will be the first scene in this extended lesson, and it's that God will show his glory over the false idols of man. The Philistines take center stage in chapter five. They were a polytheistic people going back over a thousand years before we meet them here, sometime in maybe 1050 BC. There's other ancient Near East texts, Akkadian and Ugaritic texts that talk about Dagon going all the way back to, uh, 23 BC. So over a thousand years earlier, you can find this God here mentioned as the supreme deity over the land, namely vegetation and crops, things that people would depend on for their daily sustenance. So rather than asking God to supply their daily bread, they went to Dagon. And, he actually is who the Philistines are worshiping. If you just turn back to Judges. Chapter 16...the Story of Samson many of us are familiar with and certainly familiar with the end. Here we see in chapter 16, verse 23, the lords of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon, their god. This is right before Samson is going to come out and literally crash a party to a false god. You would think maybe these idol worshippers would learn their lesson, that the man that they assumed by conquering him, Samson, they had conquered Israel, comes out, knocks the pillars over, kills thousands of Philistines. You would think that maybe within a hundred years of that, they would have moved on from Dagon. But, you know, we just cling to our idols so closely, don't we, that when we're convinced we've got what we need, we've got whatever little gods in our boxes. Pagans will stick with it to the bloody end. So this is the Philistines, and they return from conquering Israel. Remember, 30,000 soldiers of Israel fell on the battlefield in Ebenezer, and now they moved the Ark 30 miles to Ashdod. Ashdod is one of five major Philistine cities along the sea. The Philistines were sea people. That's what their name meant. They had the good posh land and living out towards the Mediterranean. And one of their five major cities is this place called Ashdod. And, um, they bring the Ark here and they bring it into, of all the Philistine temples, this one contained their god Dagon. And so they bring it here, because to defeat a rival nation is to show that your god is what?...more powerful or supreme over their God. So to celebrate that victory, they bring the Ark in in verse two and set it by Dagon. They don't understand that God threw the fight. Right? Psalm 78:61 talks about Shiloh and what happened when the glory of God departed. And it says in Psalm 78:61, he gave up his strength to captivity and his glory into the hand of the adversary. God threw the fight, but he wasn't going to roll over and play dead anymore. So the bell rings, round one, verse three. The Ashdodites arose early the next morning. They're ready to eat some breakfast. You know, because Dagon is the god of the land. He's got something good for them. And they walk in and there he is, fallen on his face to the ground, prostrate before the ark of the Lord. It's a knockout punch. So they drag him back to his corner. They put some water in his face and they send him out for round two. After, note, they set him in his place again. Because this is what you have to do when you worship a false god. You got to set him in his place again. It's kind of ironic. We use that language. Somebody needed to set that guy in his place here. They have to set their mighty god Dagon in his place. Bell rings. Round two. Same result. They come out early the nextmorning. Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the Ark of the Lord. Same exact language. So again, another knockout punch. But this time the gloves didn't just come off. His hands did as well as his head. Dagon's head and palms of his hands were cut off on the threshold, and the only thing still standing was the trunk. That was Yahweh making a very clear statement to these pagans. I let you take me captive, and now your God is captive to me. It was common in this time. If you conquered another nation and particularly conquered their king. You would take that king's life and you would dismember him. The Philistines are actually going to do it to Saul at the end of this book...spoiler alert. They cut off his head. They want to show not just the superiority of their army, but if anyone else would ever choose to mess with us again, this will happen to you. This is what we did to your leader. So God makes a very clear statement of his supremacy over their deity, that even though you thought I lost when you brought me to Ashdod, I won. And henceforth, verses six through 12, we won't go word by word, but you can follow along as I put it together. It's a game of pagan hot potato that nobody actually wants the Ark anymore. Though this was a sign of the Philistines dominance by defeating Israel and taking the Ark of God. Now they're trying to ship it out wherever they could send it. Verse six, the hand of the Lord was heavy. Remember that language of heavy on the Ashdodites, and so heavy he ravaged them and smote them with tumors. Ashdod, the city and all its territories. So they see it and they say, hey, we don't want this ark anymore. His hand is severe on us. Let's, uh, send it to our friends over in Gath. Now, remember, these are all, uh, a collective community of cities underneath Philistine country. They should be friends, not enemies. But they're trying to gift this Ark now to their neighbors in Gath. And the same thing happens there. And there is almost a poetic, flow to this, because God's hand is heavy and the people are smitten. You'll see that pattern in verse six, nine and 11. The ark shows up. God's hand is heavy. The people are smitten, they are laid low. Even down in in verse 11, there is a deadly confusion, a death panic. So you can imagine at the end of that section after it's been in the third town, Ekron, they're about to send it to the remaining cities that the arc hasn't made an appearance at yet. What do you think those cities were doing? They were building barricades at the entrances, saying no vacancy for Yahweh. They didn't want anything to do with them. They were saying, send the Ark away. Finally, Ekron says, let it return to its own place. Initially, they just wanted to send it to a place. They just wanted to get rid of it. Now they realize it needs to go back to where it belongs, so that it will no longer kill us and our people. So what's the lesson in this first section in God's glory on display over false idols? Well, we've said this book of Samuel, which means God is my name. The most important character is Yahweh. It's not Samuel who the book's named after, and it's not Hannah, and it's not going to be Saul, and it's not going to be David. Yahweh is the main character, and he gets top billing, if you will, in this scene. Because as I said before, he has no rivals. He needs no help. So he independently outside of any of Israel's help, is just showing who you are up against. When you take lightly his glory. He puts down his heavy hand. And sothe first lesson is, beware of thinking God is helpless without you. You know, to kind of read the scriptures in a way that you feel like, you know, I mean, we're, you know, he needs propped up by me sometimes. He needs my help. He needs defended. In moments like these, when you read your Bible, you read quite the opposite. Uh, you need propped up by him. You need held by his strong and mighty hand. You need defended by him. Otherwise, when we get it reversed and we read ourselves as the main character, it ends up being us that we worship, not God. We reverse Psalm 115, don't we? Not to God, not to God, but to my name be the glory, because we want the victory. The fact that our God is victorious, we just kind of appreciate we're on the right side. So now let me move on from victory to victory. We get fooled into the idea that we can handle the glory of God. Without first recognizing he alone is glorious. He chooses to use us. We are grateful recipients. We learn about ourselves in this section. How easily we protect our idols. How we want to keep them even when they get smashed. Go back to verse two and three. You know, even when Dagon had fallen on his face, they want to prop him back up. And God in his glory to show him holy and us sinful, will allow our idols in our lives and our hearts, even as followers of him, to be knocked over, just knocked over, just to show how light they sit. Something we think is our identity, maybe. And he'll allow it to get knocked over. And what do we do with it? Do we learn our lesson and say, you know what, God, that was about me? Or do we try to prop it back up like they did? And when they get dismembered, if you will, I mean, there's a progression here. Um, they try to deny the reality of what's going on in the place in which Dagon fell. Verse five, look back there. It said they wouldn't even tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day. The palms of his hands were cut off on the threshold. His head was there. And rather than them say, you know what, maybe we should abandon ship on this idol. They say, well, wherever his head and hands landed, that's sacred. Let's walk over it. You know, we can look back in our lives and see when God destroys our idols, we somehow, in our hearts, can still hold it as sacred ground, even when they're exposed as silly. What does that look like in our lives? It could be any number of things. I mean, hearing the testimony this morning of Chase and in sports, it reminds me of my testimony. You know, I had made an idol of football, thought I was defined by it, thought it was everything in high school. I mean, my life was going to be determined by a scholarship somewhere. So my glory could be known. And I was a believer, but little by little more of Adam and less of God moved that idol up. And so I get injured my senior year. And there goes that. No glory. This is the first time I remember really wrestling with, oh, God, if you're sovereign and good, why did you let this happen to me? Because he's sovereign and good. But you know, you cling to idols. So I don't let it go. And I take it into college, and I do the same thing in more of a cleaned up way, but still defining myself. And then even when that career is over, I could let it be dead on a threshold and try to live, live it out through my kids. Right? My glory. And there was really none to be had. Could be smashed there. But I could say, you know what? I'll coach and I'll make my sons into the football player I never was. Because now I have the wisdom to know how to do it and live through them and prop up an idol in their heart. You see how we do this? You know, just name the thing in your life. Maybe it's success in your career. Maybe it's been wealth and suddenly your idol has been knocked over with the tariffs...businessmen. Have you trembled because of the tariffs? Are you petrified when you look at your portfolio and you could be a follower of Jesus. But sometimes money and being set up for the future can become an idol, and it's not really exposed until we start to lose some of it. We can make an idol of our families, we can live for our spousesapproval, our kids approval, and really, when we're living for their approval, we just want their admiration. We want them to exhalt us, so, who actually is the idol...is it the kid or is it me? You go on down the list and the thing I can't do is open your heart up to see into it today. I could give you some ideas of where your idols might be, but really, you just have to look at sin in your life. And often when you sin, you can trace your sin back to something you're idolizing, something you want. And it could seem like a good thing. It could be life in the church. It could be service in the church. You love the affirmation. Somewhere along the line, as a Christian, you've found joy in serving the Lord. But now you define yourself by that. And now you got to out-serve everybody, right? Or somebody new comes along in HBC and they're moving into your territory and you're going to cling to that idol because why? That was your position. That's where everybody thought you were doing such a great job. We can become idol seeking in our own church as collective this week. Is our church going to out Easter all the other churches in in Hickory, you know, are we going to get the biggest crowd? Are we going to have the most people and do the best stuff? An idol of self, even in the church, among the people of God. When who's this week about? Who is your service to be given for? It's for Christ. So all those things can be ways in which we learn something about ourselves from the text today. But I think the main thing we see is how much we want to still hold on to them, even when God is clearly displaying his glory, saying that idol is nothing, I'm everything. And they say, no, no, no, we're going to keep it. Look where it ends in verse 12 in this section, very sad. The men of Ekron who did not die, were smitten with tumors and the cry of the city, the whole city goes up to heaven. It doesn't say it went to Yahweh, does it? It wasn't a cry of repentance, was it? They didn't get rid of Dagon, did they? They do what a lot of Syncretists people do. Polytheistic people. People that pick and choose which gods they want to serve. They might cry to heaven. They have a pseudo spirituality that might say, listen, I pray. I know there's a higher power. I know the big guys up there doing something. Friend, if that's the extent of the way you describe how you cry out to heaven, it's not moving the needle. I mean it may fly in the south in the Bible Belt because you know the right stuff to say to kind of, hey, listen, man, I pray I'm good. I cry to heaven. But if you don't see the connection between repentance and crying out to God to forgive you versus just a general cry of...what's God doing, I don't know? You might be as lost as these people in Ekron. So God's glory over our false idols. It's the first one.
Next we move into chapter six and the new territory. Now we're in the country of the Philistines, where the lords of the five areas come together. And the start of chapter six, to flex their power, they're going to come up with a plan. They're not turning to Yahweh and turning away from Dagon. They just want to get a plan to get God off their back. So they call for the priests. It says in verse two. I mean, things must get really bad when the powers that be call for the pastors of the land and say, hey, we can't figure this one out. We got ourselves into a jam. You know, when the president rings my phone, I'll know he's really, you know, out of luck. I mean, like bottom, you know? Wow. How did you find me? And that's essentially what these lords of the Philistines are doing. They call for the priests because they think maybe there's something they're missing here. What shall we do with the Ark of the Lord? Tell us how we shall send it to its place. They still just think the glory and the magic are in a box. So these diviners say, if you send away the Ark of God of Israel, don't send it away empty...penance, right? That's what we got to do, that that flexes our power, that shows our devotion. We got to send it with something. How about a guilt offering? They say then you'll be healed and it'll be known to you why his hand is not removed from you. So they kind of merge a little bit of their knowledge, maybe of the Old Testament religion of the Israelites, a guilt offering. But then they merge it with something, probably from their own pagan background, where you make...look at verse four. It makes some golden tumors and some golden mice according to the number of your cities, your lords. So they just patched together in their own plans and powers, this mashup of ideas. Okay, if Yahweh is the one who sent this. Because suddenly you have what looks like the bubonic plague going around, which is the connection between maybe rats and tumors. Why else would you pick such awful things to make golden idols of? And we know the bubonic plague was spread in Europe by a lethal bacteria from fleas that bit and infested rats. And those symptoms are swollen lymph nodes. So a lot of Bible scholars say it probably was a bubonic plague like thing. So their idea is make some images in the likeness of those to show to God that you understand your affliction comes from him, and you recognize he sent it. And, if you give it back to him, he'll be pleased...penance. Which is just spiritualized magic tricks, you know, just. I'm going to do something, and, God will leave me alone. I want to be left alone. I don't want to deal with this God anymore. I just want him to get out of my life. So what can I give him to leave me alone? And then verse five says. And perhaps he'll ease his hand from you, your gods, and your lands. Notice what the priests say in verse six, just to show that they weren't completely unaware of who this God was. They say, why then do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts. This is hundreds of years after the Exodus. And these pagan priests, they understand what happened back with Israel, how they got to where they were. They were delivered from Pharaoh. And Pharaoh had hardened his heart. How does Philistia know what was going on back in Exodus 15? The song of Moses, after they come across the Red Sea, has this line. "You stretched out your hand the earth swallowed them. In your loving kindness You have led your people whom you have redeemed, and your strength you have guided them to your holy habitation. The peoples have heard, they tremble. Anguish has gripped the inhabitants of Philistia." That was back in the Song of Moses hundreds of years before. Somehow word got around, predicted then, that even the Philistines would remember this to this day, that the God of Israel delivered his people from the powers that be. Hundreds of years later, God's Word endured. So they come up with a foolproof plan, verses 7 to 9 back in chapter six. What's the plan? All right, guys, here's what you're going to do. You got these tumors and these ugly rat golden things. You're going to take them and, you're going to take some milk cows that have never had a yoke on them, and you're going to hitch the cows to the cart and take their baby calves away, and then take the Ark of the Lord, put it on the cart, put the articles of gold, those ugly things, the guilt offering side by side. You see the whole theme of side by side. Let's mix a little Philistine pagan religion with some Yahweh side by side. God's not going to accept that. They don't come the whole way. Their plan is in their own power and their own wisdom. We've got this idea of what's going to get God off our back. Now, they devised this, verse nine, to put God to the test. So they say, watch if it goes by the way of its own territory. Own territory, meaning back to Israel...Beth Shemesh. Then he has done us this great evil. But if not, then we will know...if it doesn't go that way, then we will know that it was not his hand that struck us. It happened to us by chance. Notice in pragmatist spirituality you still create the test, don't you? They still get to create the test. They create the boundaries of how they're going to know how this sovereign God who brought this affliction on their land, is going to make his next move. It's a pragmatism. I'll try a bunch of stuff, and whichever works must be the right way. They never thought to ask Israel and their priests what God's Word might say to do, right? If this is Israel's God and we're screwing up enough that he's wiping out 3/5 of our population and nobody wants the arc anymore. Maybe we should go to them and see if they have a word from God. But no, they have the idea. It's either going to be chance if the cows don't go or, it is God, he has done this great evil. Notice how the sinner wants to put the blame on God. Notice nowhere in verse nine is this test designed to reveal maybe we're the problem. Maybe it's our idols. Maybe it's our false worship. Maybe it's our false god. Dagon fell over. Dagon was dismembered. Our people are dying. Maybe the problem rests with us. But when you are in a false system of religion, that's always the last thing you bring up...your problems. It's everybody around you. It's the circumstances. So you could come up with your own test. One writer says "subjective signs of our own design, crafted out of the folly of our own mind, are no way to discern God's will. Instead, they invite us to divinize our own hunches and provide an opportunity for Satan to deceive us." Whew! You ever applied that to your own life? You ever divinze your own hunch by trying to read the tea leaves of the circumstances around you, and you plaster on a proof text from the Bible. Think about that. That's what they did. They're divinizing their own hunch. They're coming up with a solution that whatever the outcome is, they're not at fault. Either it's all chance or it's God's evil hand. But it has nothing to do with their what?...their own sin. The lost person only sees God in debt to them for the evil they perceive he does to them. They don't consider the evil they do to him in their lost rebellion every moment of the day. So God has to show his supreme glory over the false powers of men. Well, these cows, um, who should not have went the direction they went. The men did so they took these milk cows. They hitched them to the cart. They shut up their calves at home. Why does all that matter? Because, these mama milk cows, they would want to go back to their baby calves to feed them. And they also have never had a yoke put on them. So there's an amount of, if they had been yoked already, then just putting a yoke on a cow that's already been yoked and knows how to run through the farmlands is going to probably just go in a straight direction. They've been trained that way. Sowhat is happening here is there's no human explanation for why these cows would go the way they would go against all common sense. Not that I know much about cows. I read books about this stuff. So they go straight ahead. They went straight ahead. It says in verse 12 to Beth Shemesh. They went along the highway seven miles. Now they did go complaining, lowing as they went. They wanted to go back to their baby calves. They knew that. But the sovereign hand of God is keeping them straight ahead. They're not turning aside to the right or to the left. Maybe that's a good word for us...on what long obedience in the same direction looks like. We can learn from a cow. God uses animals often in the Bible to rebuke us. He used a donkey to rebuke a foolish prophet. He used a fish to rebuke a fleeing prophet. In this account, he's using cows to show the sinfulness of man and his holiness. But the problem with the Philistines as we leave off with them in this section is they never forsook their own powers to turn to God. Once he went away, the lords of the Philistines. Verse 12. It ends there. They followed them to the border of Beth Shemesh. And then verses 17 to 18, it reminds they went down, they gave what they had, and then they walked away. There was no warfare or fanfare for the Philistines. They just go back to their own lostness. That's not repentance, friends. Getting rid of God in your life...there is nothing to do with repentance. It's just running from him. It's ignoring him even when he is making it very clear who is in charge here. You know, if they had any sense of God's holiness in his sovereignty, they would have in that test they set up, seeing those cows go all the way against their own natural law, if you will, of being a cow mama and said, wait a second. That has to be this holy God that was just bringing his heavy hand upon us. Maybe we should think twice of getting rid of him. Maybe we need more of him because he's just shown himself glorious. But the lost idol seeker doesn't do that, do they? They stick to their guns and they go back to Dagon.
Last section. God shows his supreme glory over the false faith of the Israelites. Lest you think I was just picking on pagans today, he has one more way to show his supreme glory over the false faith of man. Last section of God's glory on display is in verses 13 all the way into chapter seven, verse two. The ark returns to Israel. Verse 13, the people of Beth Shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley. And they look up, and there is the Ark, and they're glad to see it. The Ark comes into the field. There it is. They split the wood. There's a stone there to make a sacrifice. They split the wood. They offer the cows as a burnt offering. If you are writing a script, this is a happy ever after ending, isn't it? The Ark is back. It even ends up in, of all places, Beth Shemesh, which was Levite territory. We know this from Joshua 21 when God divided out the territories once Israel had conquered all the Canaanite lands. Joshua 21, the Levites, they were given various places to live, and one of the places it mentions by name is Beth Shemesh. So it was given to them. Sothere's clearly some Levites living here. We learn about them in verse 15. Then there's also just some regular people like you and I, verse 19, the men of Beth Shemesh. So it's a mashup, but it looks like a happy ending if we stop writing in verse 15. They take it down. They offer a sacrifice. I mean, the only person that probably would have a complaint here are the cows, because not only did they have to get a yoke put on them and lo, the whole way they get chopped up at the end and offered as a burnt offering. That's a bad deal for the cows, I guess. Verse 19, the blue skies...suddenly a cloud comes. Yahweh struck down some of the men of Beth Shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the Lord. Notice that it doesn't say He struck down those Levite priests. The Levite priests apparently did what they were taught to do. In a moment of consecration dedication, they made a sacrifice that day to the Lord. As far as we could tell, that was the right move. Verse 19 here was the wrong move. The greater population of Beth Shemesh. They did what Eli and Hophni and Phinehas and the elders back in chapter four have been doing this whole time. They take God lightly. They don't listen to his word. They don't have some sense of the holiness of God in this moment to stand back far away...echoes of Mount Sinai, when only Moses is allowed to go up and he says, everybody else better stay clear of that mountain. Lest you die when you come near. But the men of Beth Shemesh, instead of maybe seeing the Ark as some magic talisman, now they see it as some cool relic. It's been gone seven months. I wonder you know what? Like nobody's around. Let's look in. Take God lightly. Suffer his heavy hand of glory. Same lesson, isn't it? We've seen it all along. He's trying to get through. He struck down, of all the people, 50,070 men. Now, if you have the ESV, it says 70 men. There's a discrepancy over ancient manuscripts. Is it 50,070 or is it 70? It would have been a scribal error in transmission. Why we have two different ideas. And my sense would be, from what we know of populations of towns around then, did Beth-Shemesh even have 50,000 people living in it? It's a pretty tiny town in the pasturelands of Israel. But look, debating over 50,070 versus 70 would miss the point, wouldn't it? The point being, God puts his glory on display. He shows the sinfulness of these men who should have known by having those Levites living in their own town the rules about approaching God's holy things if you are not set apart as a Levite. Back in Numbers, chapter three, verse six, bring the tribe of Levi near and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may serve him. They shall perform the duties for him and for the whole congregation before the tent of the meeting, to do the service of the tabernacle, to keep all the furnishings of the tent of Meeting. What were the furnishings of the tent of meeting?...the Ark. You shall give the Levites to Aaron and his sons. They’re the ones that do this. And now listen to Numbers 3:10. You shall appoint Aaron and his sons, that they may keep their priesthood. But the lay person who comes near shall be put to death. Now benefit of the doubt to this men of Beth- Shemesh...did they know numbers 3:10? Do you know numbers 3:10. We at least have copies of the Bible. They probably didn't. Those Levites should have known. I mean, they offered that sacrifice. They chopped up the wood, they burned up the cows, and they should have turned around and warned everybody like Eli should have warned his own sons. Guys, do not come near. This Ark belongs to God. Stay back. Well, it seems that God finally got his message across. Look at the response. Not of the Levites, but of the population of Beth-Shemesh. They say, who is able to stand before the Lord this holy God? For the first time in three chapters, an Israelite finally asks a relevant and a reverent question. If this is is what God's holiness is about dealing with our sinfulness. Who then can stand? And notice, they don't say before the ark. They've at least moved on past the...it's something magic about this box. No, it's something glorious about our God, something different, something holy. And who can stand before him?...this holy God... Entirely appropriate...the perfect question, the question that they should have been asking back to chapter four. And then they ask another bad question. Two steps forward, three steps back...sometimes in our lives. Look at the next question. I don't know if it was in the next breath. Somebody in the crowd asks the right question how can we stand before a holy God? And then somebody else says, and to whom shall he go up from us? As in, how do we get rid of him? Now, they sound just like what?...all the pagan people around them. They sound like the Philistines who, when they encounter the supremacy of God's glory, and his holiness is matched up against their sinfulness. Their idea is, let's get rid of God. How is it any different with these Israelites and their false faith? They run up against something fearful in God, in his holiness. They survive it, and rather than fall on their faces in worship, they say, let's find a way to get rid of them. We don't want Him hanging around here. You know, people did that with Christ. Matthew eight, Mark five and Luke eight all tell the same story of when Jesus cast the demons out of a man, sent them over into some pigs off of a cliff. And it says in all those accounts, everybody in the city comes to Christ. Everybody wants to see who did it. And then guess what they tell him. Get out of town. We don't want you around here. They're seeing the works of God on display, and they would rather than fall down and worship him, they say, would you leave us alone? It's almost like they were in that moment saying, hey, we'll take our chances with the demon possessed around here. Can you leave us to be?...just like the Philistines. Just like the men of Beth Shemesh. So how's that hit home for us today? Some people will want to get close enough to God. They may even come in through the doors of a church. They may do it on a regular basis. Because, you know, that's what Christians do. You know, life goes wrong. You show up in church and there's a little bit of spirituality, maybe just enough to get God on your side. But then whenever God actually wants to push and lean into your life a little bit through the Word of God preached through the people of God holding you accountable. What do some people do? They run. They find a new church, maybe one that doesn't take the Word of God so seriously and sin so seriously. Look, you don't want to take the Word of God serious. You don't want to take your sin serious. Then probably following in that line. You don't want to take God serious. You want him to be light, not heavy. But that means he's glorious, doesn't it? And when his glory rests upon us, that pushes our sin out to be seen for what it is. And here's the great news. Here was the answer to the question that they didn't come to. Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God? The answer is no one. Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Nobody. Oh, he who has clean hands and a pure heart. Anybody here have that? So who can stand before a holy God. Just one. And he rode into Jerusalem. Zechariah 9:9 says he rode into Jerusalem as the long awaited righteous king. He is just and salvation comes with him, and he is humble. That's who could stand before a holy God. If you want to know how to be right with God today and not run from him and hope he leaves you alone. If you're lost in your sins today, you can't stand before a holy God. And showing up here today changes none of that. And you're trying to be really good this week and read your Bible all week and get really into Holy Week changes none of that. Recognize what Israel missed when Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, rode into town on a donkey. He was the king. Because he was righteous. He was just. That means he was perfect. He kept the law in all of its perfection. But what good would that have done if he didn't die to save? So he came to bring salvation with him. And yet, in all of that glory of the Son of God, living the perfect life and dying on the cross in your place, he was humble. So he can say to you that he could speak to you this morning. Come to me, you who are weary and heavy laden. And I'll give you rest. That's the answer to the question that they missed. None of them were holy enough to stand before him. It's by grace alone. Through faith alone you come before God alone. In the name of the Son who stood alone and went to the cross alone, and died alone and raised from the dead alone. Christ is your only hope today. Trust in him. Let's pray.
Father, we thank you for your Word this morning. We thank you that there is no other way for us to be right with you, except through your righteous Son and the righteous Son who, healing came in his wings. He was perfect. Who could heal us to the innermost. Who could heal our broken soul, depraved and darkened sinner by nature and yes, by choice. But when we see our sinfulness rightly in light of your holiness, and we cry out, how can we then stand before you? We have the answer in front of us today. We stand alone in the righteousness of your Son by faith. We point to him, not to us. Our righteousness is in heaven and we praise you for it. A holy God who is loving and good enough to send his perfect Son. We thank you for Christ. Amen.
Glory in a Box Pt. 2 Pastor Adam Ashoff Download Pulpit Curriculum PDF Pulpit Curriculum DOCX * View transcript Glory in a Box Pt.2
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This week we're in 1 Samuel 4, and we're going to take another attempt at finishing this chapter. I did come in last week with the intentions of getting through the whole chapter and made it halfway and learned a lesson there that there was more than I expected, more than meets the eye. Or as one of our toddlers used to say, more than eats the eye, which is gross. Um, but it is a fitting way to get back into subject matter of this chapter. That phrase there's more than meets the eye is a common phrase suggesting something is more complex than what it initially appears. And I would say it's very accurate when talking about the glory of God that there is more than meets the eye. In fact, of all the subject matters in the Bible, let alone anything you could come up with, there might not be a more complex matter than the glory of God. Paul at the end of Romans 1 through 11, in highlighting our great salvation ends, they're saying, oh, the depth of the riches. Both of his wisdom and knowledge of God are. How unsearchable are his judgments and unfathomable his ways! For from him and through him, and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. To see the glory of God, we can look outside in creation. Psalm 19:1 says that the heavens declare the glory of God. And that's true right now. In particular, most of us are probably happy to be outside and letting the heavens declare his glory in all the green and all the colors that we see around us. It would take 100,000 lifetimes to explore every nook and cranny of our wonderful planet, to see God's glory in the largest and smallest ways. So we can attest to what the psalmist says, that the glory of God is everywhere for us to see, but to see the glory of God in himself. To talk about actually seeing his glory takes it to a whole nother level. The closest we get to that in the Bible is people wanting to see the glory of God. Perhaps first that pops in your mind is Moses, who, as it says about him, unique to him, he spoke to God face to face like a friend. And yet when he says, I want to see your glory, God's response is, you can't handle it. Exodus 33:22. It will come about while my glory is passing by, that I'll put you in the cleft of a rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. That's the closest anybody got. I can hide you in a rock. And I can turn you away from me. And I'll turn away from you. And that'll be enough that when Paul records what happened there in 2 Corinthians three seven, Moses comes back down. What does he say? The sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face. I don't think he's commenting on on how handsome Moses was. It was that by being in the presence of the glory of God, He came down, lit up, and people couldn't even look at him. They had to turn away. That was the effect on Moses of being hidden from the glory of God. And so back to my point. When we start talking about the glory of God in Scripture, there's much more than meets our eyes, because our eyes can't handle it for certain. But with eyes of faith, we can see it in this passage. We started to see it last week. Israel thought they knew it. They thought they had God's glory in a box. And they found out the hard way that when you have a misunderstanding of the glory of God, when you think you know what it's about, when you have lived your life like Israel had for generations, toying with God, if you will, going their own way, doing what they wanted to do, and then all of a sudden become apologetic, like we see in the book of Judges, that cycle of sin where, okay, now that we've been given over to our enemies and we've been taken captive and under their rule again, we'll clean up our act. God. But did they really take his glory seriously enough that at the point we left off last week, verse 11, they had been defeated, utterly wiped out, completely annihilated. Israel's defeated. Every man runs for his life. The slaughter was so great that it was 30,000 foot soldiers, the best of their men had fallen. And then at the end of verse 11, the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were dead because Israel put their hope in a box. They put their faith in the Ark. They thought there was something about the Ark that was glorious, and that was the best they could do, because they had long before that, in their disobedience and their disregard for God's glory, they had long before that lost sight of his glory. They thought God existed to serve them. They had forgotten that they exist to serve him.
And we'll see in our text today that when we misplace the glory of God, we will be certain to misunderstand any activity on his behalf in our lives. Because when you think it all revolves around you and then you look around and see what. And ask, what is God doing in my life? If you think you are the center of the universe and God is just one of those other planets revolving around you, how do you think you're going to interpret anything around you? You're going to interpret through what kind of lens? A self-centered lens. It was the Copernican revolution when Copernicus said, look, wait a second, I think we've got it all wrong. I don't think the sun and all the planets revolve around us, guys. So any calculation we're going to try to make about how our universe works, we're off. No, the sun is the center and we are all in an orbit around it. Changed everything. And so it is for us. The glory of God can have an effect on your life as a Christian. I'm not just speaking to the unbeliever right now. The glory of God for the Christian opens up a whole new realm of this is just how great of a God it is I serve. It's not something that, when we talked about last week, rests on us lightly. The word itself means heavy, but we could certainly lose our way, just like Eli did. Just like Israel did, thinking we are serving the living God. And end up figuring out we've been serving ourselves. And we'll see that in two ways today. Misplacing and Misunderstanding the Glory of God, part two. Finishing off chapter four this week. Follow along as I read. Chapter 4. First couple verses to set the context again. Remember, we're leaving off the Ark of God's taken the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead. Verse 12.
"Now a man of Benjamin ran from the battle line and came to Shiloh the same day, with his clothes torn and dust on his head. And when he came, behold, Eli was sitting on his seat by the road, eagerly watching, because his heart was trembling for the Ark of God. So the man came to tell it in the city, and all the city cried out. When Eli heard the noise of the outcry, he said, what does the noise of this commotion mean?" Open our eyes, Father, that we may see the wonderful things in your Word. Most importantly, the glorious things about you. And in the meantime, teach us about ourselves. We ask. Amen.
So picking up in verse 12. A man of Benjamin. And as the storyline has unfolded in the first four chapters of Samuel messenger's, No Name, messengers or insignificant messengers by appearance only seem to be popping up in Eli's life with devastating news for him, don't they? A few chapters ago, in chapter 2, a nondescript man of God comes to Eli to rebuke him, to tell him the error of his ways both as a priest and a parent. And then in chapter 3, in a seemingly insignificant character in Eli's eyes, this young boy, Samuel, the Lord, comes and speaks to him in the night. He doesn't come and speak to Samuel, and he wakes up the next morning and he knows Yahweh has a message for him. And so here we have a third time. A man of Benjamin. Is this man of Benjamin significant? All we know is the Benjamites, they are a troubled tribe at the close of the Book of Judges, where we leave off and pick up here the last three chapters in judges 19 to 21 center around the despicable behavior of the people of Benjamin, the tribe. So bad that the other 11 tribes come to wipe them out if they don't repent. Is there something behind then this detail we get that this is a man of Benjamin coming from the battle line? It might be. I mean, this man of Benjamin would have been part of the tribe of people that, just back in the book of judges, would have been fighting for their own lives against their own people, the Israelites, for their sinful behavior. Kind of ironic, isn't it? this man escapes, and he comes to Shiloh the same day with his clothes torn and dust on his head. So the scene is set, the battle is over, and we don't know how long that battle took. Maybe it was, it ended pretty quickly. 30,000 soldiers dead. But in that same day, he runs the 20 miles from Aphek to Shiloh. And, it says he gets there that day, so he is out of breath running 20 miles. I know for you marathoners, you're like, big deal. Do it all the time. Three hours and 42 minutes or whatever. You write it in. You know what? I'm out of breath just reading that. Soyeah, 20 miles in a day is a big deal to me. But the detail that his clothes are torn and dust on his head is not referring likely to. He was in the fight. He was repentant and contrite here. That's the dust and ashes of Job. When you have seen the hand of God act against you and you know you need to change. You tear your clothes and you put dirt on your head. And that's what he's done. This man is in such a hurry to tell Shiloh the bad news. He runs right by Eli, who can't see him because he's going blind. Verse 13 says, when he came, behold, the director wants you to stop and see as this guy is flying by, Eli is sitting on his seat by the road, eagerly watching though he's blind. Why was he so eager to find out what's happening? Because his heart was trembling for the Ark of God. Now that could be a summary statement. He's really worried and concerned that the Ark got taken into battle. What's going to become of it? But who went with the ark? His sons did. Hophni and Phinehas. They would have signed off when the elders of Israel in verses 3 and 4. Um. They come and say. You know what? Oh, we got defeated today by Yahweh. Um, clearly he's upset with us that we lost his furniture. We didn't take the Ark with us. Ah, now he'll be pleased because we got him in a box. We can predict his next move. If we just bring him with us. He will give us victory like the days of old. So the elders have that bad idea. Hophni and Phinehas go. I'm down. Let's do it. And they all end up dead. The man comes to tell him in the city, and the city cries out. The last great commotion we heard was what? In verse five, when the Ark is going in. The people are celebrating an early victory. Now that the Ark has gone out, the people are doing what? Weeping and wailing. My. How the tables turn pretty quickly in those triumphant cheers. God's people can really rev it up when we think we're on top of the world, having no idea God isn't with us. His glory isn't gathered where we are. We can still make a lot of noise and be very empty, spiritually speaking. Just like Israel was here and now it's turned around. There's a great commotion, there's a great cry, but it's the cries of families who have lost fathers and sons, 30,000 of them. You don't think that would have been devastating? Every single one of those mothers and daughters saying they're not coming back. Every single one of them dead. Eli hears the commotion. Verse 14. And he said, what does the noise of this commotion mean? Does that ring a bell? That question. It was already asked a little bit earlier in the text. The Philistines heard the noise of the shout when the Ark came in. What does the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews mean? That's what Israel should have asked when they lost the first skirmish and 4000 died rather than, oh, we forgot the Ark. Let's send it in. It was the pagan Philistines who knew something was happening when that Ark came in and they say, what does the shout mean? Because they understood the Ark of the Lord had come into the camp. Now that the Ark of the Lord is gone, Eli asks the same question what does it all mean? Why all the noise? Well, the man had already breezed right by Eli's blind eyes. He had heard the pitter patter of his feet flying by, and Eli's just sitting there, a pitiful sight. Verse 15, 98 years old. Eyes were set so that he could not see. And the only thing moving faster than the man of Benjamin's feet is the beat of Eli's troubled heart. He knows something is wrong. Verse 16, the man comes to Eli. I am the one who came from the battle. Indeed, I've escaped from the battle. We do this when we are vexed, out of breath, worn down. We got a message to deliver. We repeat ourselves. He identifies himself. He doesn't actually give any information of what happened. He's just panting and out of breath. And that's all he could think to tell Eli is to say, I was a witness to this, but I escaped. And you can rely on me for this information. And then the scene slows down because it's been a fast scene, all of it happening very quickly. And then old Eli slows it down. How did it go, my son? Do you see the camera freeze on his dead, colorless, lifeless gaze? Staring off into the distance but asking the question, how did it go, my son? Well, now that the man of Benjamin has caught his breath. He delivers the report. Israel has fled. There's been a great slaughter. Your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead. And the Ark of God has been taken. Just like that. Eli can now see the bloody battlefield, can't he? He can picture there's nothing left. The men of Israel defeated, his two sons laying there, and the Ark is gone. The gavel of God's justice for Eli's injustices finally falls. This word of prophecy, of this devastating moment was told to Eli twice back in chapter two, verse 34, when the man of God came and told him, this will be the sign to you which will come concerning your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas. On the same day both of them will die. Prophecy number one, true, prophecy number two. When God had a message for Samuel in the middle of the night, that Eli wanted to know what it was the next morning. First Samuel 3:11 and 12 the Lord said to Samuel, behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel, at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. That's just happened in Shiloh, hasn't it? Word got out. It's over. In that day I will carry out against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house from beginning to end. For I told him that I'm about to judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knew. You know, all those years Eli knew what was going on. He knew the Word of God. He knew the warnings not just for his own life, not just for the own sin he was allowing to happen under his roof and on his watch. He had been warned. He also knew that when you abandon Yahweh like that, when you go your own way, Israel, the Lord shall cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You will go out one way against them. You will flee seven ways before them, and you'll be an example of terror to all the kingdoms of the earth, not a terror from those kingdoms, a terror from the God you say you serve. The bottom's going to fall out on you. And now it just did. Not even the high priest is allowed to play games with God. And presume upon his grace. Maybe he'll give me one more chance. Time was up. Verse 18. When he mentioned the Ark of God, Eli fell off the seat backward beside the gate. It wasn't the slaughter, the great slaughter among the people that took that trembling heart in and just paralyzed him. It wasn't the death of his two sons that did it. It was that the Ark of God was taken. That's why he loses it. Falls backwards. His neck was broken, and he died because of the news of the Ark. What do you do with this guy? What sense do you make of that? If you were the coroner to show up on the scene in Shiloh, what would you have recorded for the cause of death? Heart attack?Obesity? Broken neck? Broken heart? I mean, we could see some of those things with our eyes in the text, but with eyes of faith. What are we really supposed to see here? The cause of death was misplaced glory. And that's the summary lesson on Eli's life. There's detail that illustrates the misplaced glory in a really unforgettable way. He falls over, he dies. For he was old and heavy. Why would we get the detail of he being heavy? We already know he was old. We were told he's 98. Why is the last word on Eli's life? His weight? That word in Hebrew, heavy as applied to Eli is the word khaved? The Hebrew language. The majority of words in it. If you were to look in a Hebrew dictionary, the majority of words have three consonants. It's a triliteral root system, and by putting vowel pointings above and below those consonants, you add vowels, and that changes the meaning of a word. And so this word here, if you were to have been hearing this read or reading it for yourself, learning a lesson and you knew Hebrew back in the day, you would have heard he was. He died, for he was old and heavy, khaved in E. But this whole passage has been about some other departure, hasn't it? Not man's weight, but God's. And the word for God's glory is the Hebrew word kavod. The only difference is one little vowel pointing on that word. Khaved is man's physical weight. Eli's weight. Kavod is God's weight. Both words come from the same root. What does the narrator want you to see and compare? In this corner weighing 300 pounds coming out of Shiloh with a record of zero and two. Failure raises sons to fear the Lord. Failure to be a priest. To lead people in holiness. Eli. And in this corner. Weighing infinitely glorious and holy. The champion Yahweh. That's an unfair fight. But when you misplace the glory of God for your own, that's the fight that you're picking with God. And that's the word on Eli's life. Misplaced glory that hung around his waist for us to see and learn from. If you look back at First Samuel chapter 2:29, it's maybe a detail that we missed in our first pass through it. As the man of God came to pronounce judgment on Eli and his household. This man of God came to Eli years earlier and told him, did I not indeed reveal myself to the house of your father, the Aaronic line, when they were in Egypt in bondage to Pharaoh's house? And did I not choose them from all the tribes of Israel to be my priests, to go to my altar, to burn incense, to carry an ephod before me? Did I not give to the house of your father all the fire offerings of the sons of Israel? Incense? Did I not set you apart? Have you not been part of that priesthood? Did you forget what you were called to? Eli? Why do you kick at my sacrifice and at my offering, which I have commanded in my dwelling, where I dwell, in my presence in Shiloh, in the tabernacle, in the Holy of Holies, at the Ark. Why have you kicked at it and disregarded it, and honored your sons above me by making yourselves fat with the choicest of every offering of my people, Israel. Now, do you see how he's incriminated? And he wears it around his waist. He honored self over God. The ultimate offense. Verse 29. But the means to that selfish behavior was at the sacrificial offering. So when the narrator mentions the heaviness of Eli at his death, he's tipping his hand and pointing us back. Eli was guilty, too. It wasn't just passive approval of his sons' evil. It was his active participation. He dishonored God. He kept God's glory for himself, just like his sons were doing, when they would thrust the fork into the cauldron and steal meat that wasn't meant for them and got fat off of it. The misplaced glory of Eli's desires over God's. Is seen in the sins of his sons and the fat on his belly. And the narrator. Wanted you to see it. Because sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words, right? A lesson. God fulfilling his Word. He wasn't messing around all these years. Warning, Eli. And yet, though the glory of God's reputation in the eyes of man was tarnished and the loss of the ark, it was really a tarnished priest that had misplaced the glory to begin with. It was long gone before it was gone, wasn't it? You misplaced the glory of God in your life like Eli did? You may see some consequence come on later on in life and you stand around and say, Where is God in this? How could this happen? Were you asking that a week or a month or a year earlier, when you were doing what Eli was doing all these years, taking his glory and putting it in a place that only God deserved? Were you asking that question then? No. We usually ask it in the moment, don't we? Where's God in this? But where was God and all of that believer? Seeking your own glory above his. Honoring yourself or others above him, time after time after time? Where was his glory then? Is the question you have to ask. Because in the moment that everybody's saying the glory of God has been taken and it's gone, it was already gone. Die the death of a thousand choices to disobey in Eli's life. All along the way. All the way up to his 98th year. A passive father, a pitiable priest, a pained worshipper. Why couldn't he get his act together? Because he misplaced the glory of God. He kept it for himself. He kept it for his sons. He knew the right things to do and didn't do them to the fullness of what the law required of him. So what's the first step back? To reset our vision, to see the glory rightly placed? There's a lot of talk of the glory of God in the Bible. But we just want to say I need to. I need something just to hit the reset button in my heart. Psalm 115 not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name be the glory. That's your starting step back. Not to me, not to me, but to your name be the glory. That's why you created me. That's why you chose me. That's why you redeemed me. That's why you set me apart. Is that your name would get the glory and not me. And somewhere along the line I lost sight of that. So let me recenter my life back around you by saying not to me, not to me. To your name. Give glory. Why? Next verse. Because of your loving kindness. Because of your truth. Isn't that what resets our life? And we see God as glorious? Once again, we go back to the gospel. Where else do we go to see the glory of God? Where else? Where are you going to go today to see the glory of God more than in the gospel of Jesus Christ and in the Old Testament, according to Psalm 115:1, it's summed up in these words, your loving kindness and truth, His loving kindness. That while we were sinners, God demonstrated his love for us and that Christ died for us. That's his loving kindness. He made the first move. You didn't. That's the truth that resets our minds and hearts back to the glory of God. To say, not to me, not to me, but to your name be the glory. It's interesting where the psalmist goes next in this. Why should the nations say, where now is their God? See, they play the same game, don't they? Oh, you're losing. I guess your God lost. Things go bad for you, Christian? Where's your God now? He let that happen to you some god. That's what the pagans say. The heathen. And your only response is verse three. But our God is in the heavens. He does whatever he pleases. When things go bad, believer. When you don't understand them. When you don't have an explanation for how you've ended up in the place you're in. Maybe even today. You rest yourself on the sovereignty of God. You don't excuse it away. You rest on it. You stand on it and you say, My God is in the heavens. I might have lost sight of that. I might have forgotten that. But that's where my God is. Mocker. Scoffer. He's in the heavens, and he does what he pleases. And I can live with that. Can't live with anything less than that. Later on in Psalm 115, verse nine, it says, O house of Aaron, who belonged to the house of Aaron? Eli, did O, house of Aaron trust in the Lord. If somebody would have just come up and shaken Eli and said, would you just trust in the Lord and stop trusting in yourself and stop worrying that if you kick your sons out of the temple because they're long overdue for that. Would you just trust the Lord? It'll be okay. No, he kept them in because he trusted in his own wisdom. He thought they would get fixed. He could fix some it. Could we all do it? O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord. He is your help and your shield. You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord. He is your help and your shield. The Lord is mindful of us. He will bless us. But you got to put your trust in him. All this time, Eli might have to some degree still feared the Lord. To some degree, but he certainly didn't trust him when every time he was warned and told, he didn't change and he kept right on going because he misplaced the glory of God. That's the first lesson we learn. The second one is the weight of misunderstood glory. If you misplace it, you're surely going to understand it. If you've moved yourself to the center like in Eli, and honored yourself and honored other people above God, how are you going to ever understand how the glory of God is at work in your life? How possibly could you do that? And that's what we see happening in the next section. It's misunderstood glory, and it's not in a old priest who should have known better. It's in a young lady who probably her whole time connected to Eli's household, never maybe was taught the right thing, but certainly caught the wrong thing. You know what I mean? She heard the right things being said by Eli. Maybe even Hophni and Phinehas were really great at they knew what the Bible said, but they didn't do it. And so she learned hypocrisy. Verse 19. Eli's daughter in law. Phineas wife. It's the only detail we get about her. We know she was married to an unfaithful man back in first Samuel, chapter 2, verse 22. Eli was very old, and he heard all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who were serving at the doorway of the tent of meeting. Everybody knew it. She knew it. She knew the phony her husband was. She knew the phony her father in law was. That's the detail we get when we're told it's Eli's daughter in law. She was pregnant and about to give birth, but when she heard the news that the Ark of God was taken first in the list, and her father in law and her husband had died, she went into labor. She kneeled down and gave birth. And verse 20 just smacks us right in the face with another sad scene of death that's been around the corner in every place in chapter four, the time of her death. Just like that. Eli's dead. Her husband's dead. She dies. But at the time of her death. Meaning in the labor, the women who were standing by her are trying to encourage her. They're seeing the vexation. They're seeing the distress. And they say what any Hebrew midwife might have said in that moment. Hey, don't be afraid. You have given birth to a son. This is good news. This is the news Hannah had prayed for her whole life that she would have a son. The good news for many Israelite women. It's a boy. I've given my husband a son for our name to carry on. And of all people, she would she they would think, wait, wait, you're this son. He can carry on the line. No, he won't, because God said he won't. He'll be an orphan now. He'll be, as Hannah talked about back in her prayer, those who were full hire themselves out for bread. And those who were hungry cease to hunger. The great reversal the Lord kills and makes alive. First prophesied there, and then prophesied later by the man of God to Eli about his household. Verse 36. Chapter two. Everyone who is left in your house is this kid going to be left in his house? He will. Will he have a future? He won't. We'll come and bow down for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread. He's going to have nothing. In fact, Shiloh is going to be wiped out. History tells us that after this, it's done. Probably some other group. It could have been the Philistines. Maybe someone else comes in and it's gone. We learn this in Psalm 78, verse 60. God abandoned the dwelling place at Shiloh, the tent which he had pitched among men. He gave up his strength to captivity and his glory into the hand of the adversary. It was over. But when you misunderstand the glory of God because you've misplaced it, you think it's been taken, right? Like she said, she misunderstood it. She thought the Philistines took it. They weren't even up against a fight. Why? Because God gave up his strength to captivity. It's a play on our theology, isn't it? How could God lose? He's infinitely stronger. He can't lose unless he chooses to lose. And that's when you misunderstand the glory of God. Like she did. That's what's the tragedy of her life. She thought she had lost everything and seen with human eyes. She did. Home, husband, heritage, if you want to call it that of the sacrificial system at Shiloh. The Ark is gone. What? Nobody's going to come here. It's over. It's over. And so that mentality overwhelms her with grief. To the point. The only thing that comes out of her mouth is Ichabod. The glory is gone. That's what the word means. She repeats it. The glory is gone. And the women around her are trying to say, no. It'll be okay. Hang in there. Stick with it. You've got a son. And as she's dying, all she's repeating is the glory is gone. The glory is gone. That's tragic, because she didn't have to believe that. You know, Samuel was around all this time. Chapter four tells us that at the beginning, the Word of Samuel came to all Israel. She's part of all Israel. The Lord revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh. She lives in Shiloh. Was she listening? You know, when you misunderstand the glory of God, the Word of God could be all around you, but you can't hear it. And when you've misplaced the glory of God, you can't see it because you're consumed with self and you're only going to hear what you want to hear. Was she right? Is the question a lot of writers and preachers ask at this point? Was she right when she says the glory has departed from Israel, for the Ark of God was taken. I don't like asking that question to the audience, because I'll probably get half yeses and half no's and everybody's like, oh, he asked me a trick question, slink in the seat. Yes and no. If he would have said yes or no. My opinion, you're right. She was right and that there was something that was taken. She's right when she says the Ark of God is taken. She's wrong when she says the glory has departed. That's something no man can take. God delivers them over to captivity. God ordained it. God allowed it. Why did he allow it? Because we said last week that he will suffer the risk of his own humiliation of his name. To teach us a lesson on where his glory is truly found, he'll let it all be burned to the ground, won't he? If that's what's going to take for us to look up and listen up and pay attention, he'll let it all fall apart. And that's what she's thinking. It's all gone. It's all over. But it wasn't. More there than her eyes could see. And it was so hard on her. It was so painful. It puts her in a state that she dies believing the wrong thing. Misunderstanding where the glory of God is to be found. So as we draw to a close today, we should ask ourselves the question. It's a good question to reflect on as we would move to the Lord's table. It's just this. You just take those two words. Misplaced and misunderstood. Where have I misplaced my glory for God's? And how, in light of that, might I be misunderstanding where there is something that I would call a loss that might actually be a gain, that God's glory actually is not departed from my life? For the Christian, he says, he'll never leave you nor forsake you, Christian. So any thought that the glory of God has departed from your life is a lie? Now you could be living in disobedience. You could be under the chastening of God. We've seen that in the last few months. But to do what she did and jump to this faulty idea that his glory is gone was because she never put it in the right place in the first. She maybe had it in her husband. She maybe had it in Eli. She had it certainly in the Ark. We do the same, don't we? We think God's glory is in a place. It's in a building. It's down front. If I invite you here, or we have to sing a song that says, we ask you to fill this place, and we forget we already have the Holy Spirit in us. You don't have to invite the Holy Spirit into a worship area. You are the worshiper. You have the Spirit. You bring the glory of God in here, brothers and sisters. So to try to foment or foam up in in some kind of state of. We need to ask him. He's already here. You can enjoy his presence wherever you go because he's with you. He's with you. You have the Spirit with you. His glory is not in a performance, a sacrament. We're going to take communion today. His. His glory is not in the sacrament. By taking the bread and the cup will not do something magical in your life to change you. It's in the remembrance. The glory is found in the gospel of Jesus Christ. That's what the cup. That's what the bread is meant to do for you. Remember the glory of the cross. If you're not in Christ today. You may understand the facts of the gospel. Absolutely. You could repeat back to me, probably Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He came and lived a perfect life. He completely obeyed the Father loved him with heart, soul, mind, and strength. Lived the life I couldn't live so he could die. The death that I deserve to die. He died in my place. He rose again. Three days later. He ascended to the right hand of the father. You can rattle off a creed. You can tell me what the Romans Road is. You can mention it all. But if it's just information that's not glorious, it hasn't saved you. Can I be that honest? Because that's what the Bible tells me. 2 Corinthians. If our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In whose case the God of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ. You can hear the gospel of Christ. You can understand it. You could write it down. You could preach it to other people. But if it's not glorious to you, it hasn't changed you. So you're blind. The word glory changes everything, doesn't it? When something is glorious to us, we are blown away by it. We lose our mind over it. Our heart explodes because of it. That's what the gospel is. It changes you. You love the Lord. You live for him. He brings you joy. And if none of that is true in your life, you've not believed Savingly. That's what the kingdom of heaven is like. A man who finds a treasure hidden in a field, and in his joy he sells all that he has to buy that field because it's glorious field. It's forgiven sin. It's life eternal. I was at a car thing last night. That's how much I know about car things. It was a guy in our church who invites people to bring fast and furious cars, and he puts them on this thing where he can hit the gas and they don't fly away. They're chained, and it's called a dyno, and it's. And I'm sitting there watching. People are hanging, talking. And then he puts a car on this thing, and it was like moths to the light. When they hear the sound of horsepower, they all come shink and they come shink to stand with their phones out in record a car on a thing with wheels spinning fast. It's not moving. It's not up on two. It's not racing anything. They thought it was cool. No offense. None taken. I was just amazed at they saw glory in that, they did. Smiling and high fiving. And when my friend put his supercharged something on it, it went, he told me 2000 horsepower. I don't even know how to say that. Right. It went super fast. Um, so fast. The people behind it, their hair blew back, dirt was blowing in their face, exhaust fumes, and they're fired up. And he asked me to preach the gospel. And I said, some of you here, you think there is glory in that? And that's great. I think there's glory in basketball. Driving home, I knew there was a game coming down to the last minute. I put it on Am radio, kids, have you heard of it? I found an Am station where I was going. Florida, Auburn. Because I think there's glory in sports and it's okay. So those things, some of them that God is, it's his world. He's given us all of it. So yeah, the mechanic that could figure out how to rev up an engine to blow your face off in the exhaust. There's glory. And I told the people there, I said, you know, I sit and watch you take glory in this thing and it blows you away. But here I am with the gospel of the glory of Jesus Christ. Right? And so I could do this. I could tell you the good news of the glory of Jesus Christ in the gospel. And you could be like me watching cars, just going, what's that big deal? And you could tell me it's 2000 horsepower. It's I can't name anything else. That's the only thing I know. And you could give me all the facts and try to convince me. It's glorious. And I'm like, see you next year. I'll preach again. I'm not going to read a magazine. I'm not going to go buy a dyno. My point is, it's got to do something in you. It changes you from the inside because it's a glorious message. That's what the gospel does. If it hasn't done that, you know the gospel, but you don't know the glory. See, when you're like, how does my life get changed around today? Is he glorious to you? It's the only way. God said, light shall shine out of darkness is the one who is shown in our hearts. He did it for me. I didn't do it to myself. He has shown in our hearts to give the light the truth of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. That's where it is, and that's only where it is. So for the unbeliever in here today. The glory is in Christ. It's not in you. The glory is in the gospel that tells you the sinner. You could be forgiven of your sins if you trust in him right now. And if you're in Christ, the glory is in Christ. Nothing changes, does it? You come back to this gospel and you say, the reason I could have had the week I had and sinned the way I sinned and messed up, the way I messed up and come in here and I'm not just evaporated is because of the gospel. Because he keeps you. If he loved you enough to die for you, why would he get rid of you? Why would he be done with you if he loved you enough to die for you, believer. You didn't earn your way in. You can't sin your way out. But you can come to grips today with maybe you've been taking him lightly. So ask him to restore the weight of his glory. Whether you've misplaced it or misunderstood it today. Let's take this time in communion and ask the Lord to readjust that sight in us.
Father, we thank you for your Word today. We thank you for its power and clarity. How easily we, your creation, your creatures, your redeemed, your children want to put our own glory on the pedestal and lose sight of yours. And thank you that the gospel of Jesus Christ puts it right back in the focus. Because everything we have is in you and apart from you, Christ, we can do nothing. Thank you, Spirit, that you are in our hearts and we are not to be pitied. And we do not lose hope because you pour out the love of God in our hearts like a flood. So overwhelm us with your glory now, as we would turn our attention to remember Christ and Him crucified. Amen.
Glory in a Box Pastor Adam Ashoff Download Pulpit Curriculum PDF Pulpit Curriculum DOCX * View transcript Glory in a Box
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Good Morning Saints of HBC. Please turn in your Bibles to 1 Samuel chapter 4. And while you're doing that, you can think about the title of today's sermon, "Glory in a Box". And I chose that in relation to the text today,as the box referring to the Ark. And how sometimes we talk about our faith in ways or talk about with others remark around the church. I don't think I hear it around here this often. Or maybe at all. Uh, when somebody might say, don't put God in a box and, you know, you question, what are they actually saying? What do they mean by that? Maybe it's just simply you're trying to encourage someone to have faith. You know that nothing is impossible with God. So don't put them in a box of your own imagination of what he can or can't do. And so we take that one, I think, just on face value, maybe beyond that. Uh, maybe if somebody is speaking more along the lines of a preconceived notion, someone might have, uh, challenging somebody's understanding of God's character or the way he acts, his actions. And somebody maybe with a more, less Biblical and a more imaginative theology just says, well, you can't put God in a box. You know, you can't limit him that way by saying he can or can't do this when maybe you're just trying to say, here's what the Word of God says. So either way, that phrase don't put God in a box is, um, it's around. And sometimes we have to just think about what we might be saying to someone else, or what somebody might be trying to say to us when you hear that. I don't think they're referring to the box we're going to talk about today in first Samuel four. Uh, the Ark of the Covenant, um, is all over this chapter. 12 times it's repeated. It's, if you want to call it the main subject matter, the Ark of the Covenant. And anytime I hear that...thanks to television and wasting much of my childhood in front of it, I can't help but think of Raiders of the Lost Ark and, um, even the way in which maybe your early views of the Ark of the Covenant were shaped, if not scarred, by that movie. Uh, only because of the way that Hollywood takes something and just turns it into, uh, well, whatever they did. Um, I thought, you know, maybe in order to really get into the Ark of the Covenant today, I would, you know, show some clips from the movie. Just kidding. Or I could have dressed like Indiana Jones and, uh, swung in here and, um, asked my wife maybe to dress up as the brunette in the movie. She would rather me get rolled over by that giant stone than do something so stupid. So I threw that idea out. But since we won't be getting into the movies today...we will exegete and exposit the living, active word of God. I hope that's okay for you. I know it might not be quite as entertaining, but we will look to see what God's Word has to teach us today on really a spellbinding chapter, when you get into it and it gets into you and what it teaches us about the most fascinating subject matter in the entire Bible...the glory of God...not any character. And in fact, the Ark narrative of the next four chapters...four, five, and six shows us that very fact. God needs no man with a plan in the next four chapters in this Ark narrative. He is just going to captivate us, the listener, with showing what he can do apart from any work of man for his own glory and Israel's good, and by extension our good as well. And so I'm going to get this started by just reading the first three verses of 1 Samuel four to set the context of the shift from chapter 3:19-21. It ended on a high note with the Word of God that was rare and him speaking to his people following suit. It was visions were infrequent and the Word of God was rare at this time in Israel's history. And yet the dawn has broken over the dark night for Israel, and a prophet of God has been raised up...Samuel. And that ends chapter three on a high note, because the Lord is appearing again at Shiloh, revealing himself to this young man, Samuel. How is he doing it? By the Word of the Lord. We finally arrived there and then now we'll start in chapter 4 and Samuel is just off the scene. The camera shifts. And he's nowhere to be found. And Israel is going to have to find their way in the dark yet again. Even though God has shown in this story I found my man. He's revealed the plan. I'm going to have to lead Israel back into the light, out of the darkness of their own sinfulness. And yet. The story will start with Israel not really interested in that. They want their own plans. They want to follow their own ideas. And we'll find the God who is so glorious and sovereign over all things that he allows it.
Follow the first three verses, we'll jump into today's text. "Thusthe word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out to meet the Philistines in battle, encamped beside Ebenezer. While the Philistines camped in Aphek, the Philistines drew up in battle array to meet Israel. When the battle spread, Israel was defeated before the Philistines, who killed about 4000 men on the battlefield. When the people came into the camp, the elders of Israel said, why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines?" Father, your word is truth. So sanctify us. By your truth we ask. Amen.
Beyond the fictional accounts of the Ark of the Covenant that we've been discussing earlier, uh, in recent days, oddly enough, of all weeks, the week I jump into a study on the Ark of the Covenant, uh, pops up on my feed that classified files from the CIA have been declassified. I can't make this up. This very week. Hits the headlines. Declassified CIA files reveal psychic quest for the Ark of the Covenant. And so I took the bait, um, 38 pages later and give you a summary of what I found. Uh, because some of you aren't interested, maybe in reading into this late into the night. Uh, the short of it was that in the 70s and 80s your tax dollars, not mine. I wasn't born, uh, at least I wasn't a taxpaying citizen yet. Um, went to, uh, the CIA testing whether psychics could locate things around the world like the Ark. Now, reading this report, one, justified DOGE in my mind. Two, gave me hope that if this doesn't ever work out for me, I will submit my resume to the CIA. A department of one called. Um. Can I tell you when an idea is really dumb? Nonetheless, the findings of the file alluded to descriptions of something resembling an Ark. Um, pictures were drawn from what these psychics were saying they saw, even with a Raiders of the Lost Ark-esque warning, that anyone attempting unauthorized access to the Ark would be destroyed by the protectors of the container by a force unknown to us. I report, you decide. I bring this all up just to ask the question is this what comes to mind when we think about the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord? I think today we're going to see that God has something far more glorious, far more weightywhen we talk about his glory. Um, so many things can rest light on us in life. The most tragic of all would be for the glory of God to rest lightly on you, because the word itself means heavy. It's a perfect word picture, isn't it? The sum of the attributes of God. You name them: love. Justice. Mercy. Compassion. Omnipotence. Omnipresence. Go down the line when you put all of those attributes together. That's heavy. And the word for that in the Bible is...that's God's glory. And sometimes God's people, religious people, get so far away from God, and he rests so lightly on them. That he...and this is what we'll see today. He risks his own reputation in order to teach his people a lesson so that they will finally see where his glory is truly found. That's the God with whom we deal. And even thinking about a line like that, God would risk his own reputation. Would lay on the line in the eyes of man...humiliation. Loss. Defeat. So that he could teach his people a lesson where his glory is actually at. And the places we lose sight of his glory, and we place in a box of our own imagination, shows us he'll stop at nothing to wake us up out of the illusion of our own pseudo religiosity. When we think we have this God...in our grasp. Able to co-opt him for our own purposes. No. He will show himself glorious, even in risking his reputation, so that we wake up.
So let's see this God glorifying efforts that he makes using no man of his choosing...Samuel. He's off the scene. We will talk about the glory of God concealed by the work of man in verses 1 to 11. When Israel, and by extension, we take matters into our own hands apart from following God's Word, we will fail. That comes right out of the gates because the end of chapter three and the beginning of chapter four, God has delivered a man that they could now go to hear a Word from him, and they just seem to pass glibly by. Because Samuel goes off the scene right after the word of Samuel has come to all Israel. And that word of Samuel was the Word of the Lord. Verse 21. In verse 19, the Lord was with him. And then this account in chapter four comes, and there's no mention of going to Samuel and saying, what should we do? You have the Word of God for us, clearly. What should we do, Samuel? And we don't hear from him for three chapters. So God will put his reputation and allow for his own humiliation and even the desecration of the ark being taken to show Israel just how far they've fallen. Verse one. The word comes to Samuel. He's off the scene. Now, Israel goes out and to meet the Philistines in battle and camps, besides Ebenezer, while the Philistines camped in Aphek. And, um, it's kind of an interesting wordplay... these two cities. It's one means Ebenezer...Stone of help. So anytime we sing here, I raise my Ebenezer. Now, you know what that means. In case you didn't know what it means. Come thou fount. Um. It's a stone of help. It's a it's a rock of reminder. And there's a city named after that. And that's where Israel is camped. Ironically enough, they think they're going to be helped, just not in the way they would design. But the irony is they're going up against the Philistines in Aphek. And that word meant fortress or stronghold. So this battle that Israel is about to go into puts them between what?...a rock and a hard place. The distance between these two places is about three miles. It doesn't describe, at least in this text, the reason that Israel and the Philistines are at war. We just know they have been pestering Israel in that Canaan area, for a decent amount of time since they got there. Aphek in particular has been home to the Philistines and Arameans, Israel's long standing enemies. Uh, if you turn back in your Bible to Judges 13:1, and we've gone back there quite a bit because the overlap between the time of judges and the time of Samuel, uh, is such that when Samson passes off the scene in Judges 16, he has judged it repeats Israel 20 years. That's only halfway through the time of the Philistines, of them being a nuisance to Israel for 40 years. Look at Judges 13:1. It says, now the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord. And that's the spiral of sin in the book of Judges. Israel does evil in the sight of the Lord, so the Lord gives them into the hands of their enemies. Uh, this is just the way Yahweh is going to play. They cry out to him for a deliverer, and he'll bring a judge, and they'll feign repentance, and they'll clean their act up for a little while, and then they fall right back into the same sin of trusting in man and following their own ways, and doing what is right in their own eyes. That's the summary statement at the end of the Book of Judges. So here we have Judges 13:1, the sons of Israel are doing evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord gave them into the hands of the Philistines for 40 years. And yet right there we have a man whose name is Manoah, and his wife was barren and had no children. So the angel of the Lord appears to her and says, I will give you a son. You shall call him a Nazarite to God, as in he set apart and listen to this in Judges 13:5, and he'll begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines. I'll raise him up temporarily. And we learn from the rest of Judges 13 to 16. It's repeated in verses 15:20 and 16:31 that Samson judged Israel 20 years in the day of the Philistines. Yet we know from 13:1 this was going to go on for 40 years. So sometime in the aftermath, fast forward back to where we're at in 4:1. Israel is fighting the Philistines sometime in a generation after Samson is dead. They have no one to lead. They have Eli as the high priest in Shiloh and his wicked sons. And we have seen so far in Samuel where that's getting them...like people, like priests. How are the people ever going to rise above their leadership if their priests are corrupt? If their examples. If those who are to be making atonement for their sin of all things are making a mockery of it, we learned in chapter two, didn't we? Taking the offerings that were meant to be used and given to Yahweh, and feeding their own faces with it. And it displeased the Lord. So now Israel goes out to battle. Verse two...and they get smoked. When the battle spread, Israel was defeated before the Philistines. They killed about 4000 of Israel's men on the battlefield. Uh, this is a bad start to a sad chapter because the theme of death lingers in the air. You think this loss is bad? Just stick around for a few more minutes and then not just collective loss of lives, uh, loss of individual lives. That is sad in this chapter. So what happens after this defeat on the battlefield? The people...what people? The people that were there come into the camp. They go back, you know, three miles distance. Uh, they go out to war. Israel gets destroyed, 4000 men die, and some of the people come back to the camp in Ebenezer...the stone of help. Where do they look for help? Well they go to the elders of Israel. Who are these men? We don't know. They're some form of leadership left over. They're not judges, they're not priests, they're not prophets. They're just. Well, they're the elders. They're supposed to be the spiritually wise men who should be giving wisdom. They should have the good ideas, shouldn't they? So what's going to happen here? Um, the people come back and they tell the elders what happened, and they say, why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines? I've pondered this week whether or not that's a good theology like to give them credit where it's due. Um, because on one hand, they would have known from their own history of going into battles that the battle is the Lord's. The deliverance of the people of Israel from the time in Egypt all throughout this time. The battle is the Lord's. He's the one that will grant victory. That's what Deuteronomy essentially said. You trust in yourselves, you'll go down. If you do not obey the Lord your God, Deuteronomy 28:15, and observe to do all his commandments and his statutes, which I charge you today. These curses will come and overtake you. Cursed you'll be in the city and cursed you'll be in the country. Verse 25. Deuteronomy 28. The Lord shall cause you to be defeated before your enemies. Is that pretty clear? So good theology...did they know Deuteronomy 28:25? Or were they kids of Awana memorizing that verse? That would be an interesting verse to make your kid memorize. But they say, why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines? They ask a good question. I don't know how long the pause was between the question and then this answer. Let us take to ourselves. They didn't say, you know, let's go to God. Let's repent. Maybe. Instead of saying we've sinned clearly, let's seek the face of God. They say we've lost. Let's force the hand of God. You see the difference between the two? There's a world of difference between seeking God in a time of crisis like this, a world of difference between seeking God to serve him and submit to him, whatever that may cost you, versus trying to catch God in some twisted Scripture conundrum. To try and control him. To try to take his Word and rather than take him at his word, take his Word and manipulate him with it. Where he becomes your servant. Rabbit's foot theology. Genie's lamp theology. Grandpa in the sky theology. God exists to serve me not in this moment. Where in this calamity, in this darkness, in this loss to the Philistines. Um, guys. Let's repent. They don't do that. They say, oh, you know. Hey, you remember that part in the Bible where if we just, um, take the Ark. Of course, the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord. That IT, not God, it the Ark may come among us and deliver us from the power of our enemies. That's it guys. We just gotta use the Ark. That's the ticket. We just need to bring the Ark with us. How could we have forgotten? Maybe because they hadn't been to Shiloh in a while and actually worshiped...rote religion. I mean, again, they would have had right theology to remember that that is, the Ark of the covenant was where God would meet with his priest. Turn to Exodus 25. Moses has given instructions in the book of Exodus. Terms for how the people can come near to the Lord, dwell in his presence and the heart of this. It wasn't going to be just all the trappings around it the tent, the tabernacle and everything that God was going to say for them to make in the Holy of Holies, the central part of this place for worship where the high priest could only go. They were going to build a box. I'm not being a cheeky calling this glory in a box. The word ark in the Bible meant box 4 ft by 2.5ft. Um, something like that. And then verses 11 to 19, all kind of beauty around it. Because God deserves the best. It's to be precious and set apart. And so instructions for how to build this ark are in Exodus 25:10-22. But it's to be the symbol of God's presence. We read that in verse 22 where God says, there I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim. He never says I'm inside it...put me in a box. He just says, there, I will meet with you. The priest that's been set apart. This place that's been set apart. This weighty moment, not light moment of being in the presence of your creator. He says, there I will meet with you between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony. I will speak to you about all that I will give you in commandment for the sons of Israel. What's it about even being in the presence of God in this Holy of Holies at the Ark? It's about revelation from God. It's about his word to his people. What's changed hundreds of years later now in this situation? Are they wanting a word from the Lord? Did they ask God, what should we do here? What do you want us to do? What path should we take? No, they just say we just need the Ark. We just need the rabbit's foot. Because God says he'll be with us if we do it. He'll be with us. It's a means to an end. It's ministry pragmatism. They would have known the end of Exodus 40 after Moses did all of this. They're leaving something very important out about Exodus 40. It's a repeating line that you'll see time and time again in the last chapter of the Book of Exodus, when all of the building project has completed and the ark is to where it should be. It says this. Moses did just as the Lord had commanded. To a 'T'. He did everything God had commanded. The rules for the priests. The rules for the tabernacle. He spread the tent above the tabernacle and put the covering of the tent up on it, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. Verse 21 of Exodus 40. He brought the Ark into the tabernacle, and set up a veil for the screen, and screened off the ark of the testimony. Just as the Lord had commanded Moses, he lighted the lamps before the Lord. Just as the Lord had commanded Moses, he burned fragrant incense on it, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. So you, sensing a theme, this is the way God deals with his people to allow them into his presence. You will do it just as the way I command it or it won't be done. What won't be done? God's presence, revelation. Letting you know I'm with you. But when you do it the way God commands it. Moses, Exodus 40:33, he erected the court all around the tabernacle and the altar, and hung up the veil for the gateway of the court. Thus Moses finished the work. And now when you've done it exactly the way God says to do it, then the cloud covered the tent of meeting and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. But what did these fools rush into? They just wanted the furniture. There was something special in that ark. And so they say, let us take to ourselves. What a line of man centered theology. That's just as true today as it was then. Let's take for ourselves. Let's get our leaders together. We got the plan. Attendance is down in church. Empty seats all around. You know what? I'm going to go to the elders this week and say, hey, guys, I got the plan. I got some new methods. I know exactly what we could do to fix this. Without checking to see...are we keeping any of the commands that God has laid out for us? Are we opening his Word? Are we opening the Bible? Or are we just looking into a box? Which is it? So the people sent to Shiloh, and from there they carried the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord of hosts, who sits above the cherubim. That's just such a good line of irony when you take it into your own hands. They carry the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord of hosts, who sits above the cherubim. You think you carry any of the glory of God? You think you can handle that? Think again. And look who's along for the ride. Can you picture this scene? They recruit a Hophni and Phinehas. I'm sure Hophni and Phinehas had no better theology than these elders and these losers of the battle. None of them were checking their own obedience or disobedience. They were just rushing ahead. They just trusted in in this idea of an ark being protective for them. It was not about a relationship with God, seen in a heart of faith that led to serving and obeying him. It had become a rote religion of ritual, putting God in the box of if I just do these things, if I say the right words, if we take the Ark with us, God will show up, just like in the good old days. Because we know how God works. We remember we've seen it. They might have even remembered numbers 10:33 to 36, when it's mentioned that the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord went out in front of Moses. The cloud of the Lord was over them by day, and Moses led them in song and said. Numbers 10:35, Rise up, O Lord, and let your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate you flee before you. We even got songs to put to it. But you know what they missed is the heart of Moses there. Moses doesn't say, rise up, Oh ark. Da da da da. Da da da dun dun da dun da dun. Pop goes Yahweh. You think you can manipulate him. Because you think you know the way he works? So you put your trust in a ritual and wrote religion, and then you recruit the last people that should have been recruited for this holy endeavor of taking the Ark would have been Hophni and Phinehas. They're the wicked sons of Eli sitting around Shiloh. And the people come and say, um, you know, it's in the middle of one of their, um, annual barbecue and brothel fundraisers and, uh, they're stumbling around in their own stupidity, but they're told, you know what?... The Ark needs signed out. Where can I get it? Where's the sign out sheet? And Hophni and Phinehas say, no, we'll go along for the ride. So that's where it ends with the people of Israel...the religious ones. The ones who know. Um. Compare that to this next section 5 to 9. And, uh, the actions and attitudes of those pagan Philistines with those pious Israelites. Verse five, as the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the Lord resounded. Mhm. You know, it reminds me that religious people can make a whole lot of noise with very little true worship. It's not hard to whip a religious crowd into a frenzy. Find a formula to fill a room. I watch the trends. Fire all my disciple making staff. Hire really, really, really...like, Christian or not, talented musicians. The best I could find. Fill the stage with them. Blow this place out. It's what the people want. It fills a room. And then there's me. I think I become a little more casual and cool. I'd start watching popular comedians. I'd dress like Nate Bargatze. And I'd pay him to write me some good jokes...megachurch. I bet in six months megachurch, you would all disappear. Because that's not what you want. But the room would be full and we'd make a lot of noise. Do it man's way. Because all you have to do is see where the crowd is and then work backwards from it. Right? Don't question whether or not it's for man's glory or God's glory and the reasons behind it. Just shortcut to pragmatism, just like Israel did. Hey, I remember how we used to win these wars. We just took the Ark out in front of us, and we said something like, arise, O Lord. Boom! Victory is ours. I'll never forget when I heard R.C. Sproul say this about worship. "The most successful worship service ever recorded in the Bible is found in the Old Testament. It broke all attendance records, and the singing was so full of gusto that it was heard miles away on a mountain. One of the men who heard the celebration thought war had broken out, but when he took time to investigate, he discovered it was not a war. Instead, it was a worship service, one with a golden calf. Nothing attracts greater crowds than practices of idolatry." Because we love to exalt ourselves. It's been that way since Babel. Let's build a building that would stretch all the way to the heavens. What do we need God for? So here you have a wartime worship service with spiritually dull Israel singing on their way to their own slaughter. Back to the scene of those nasty Philistines. When they heard the noise of the shout, they said, what does the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews mean? Contrast their response with Israel's. The religious Israelites asked, what should we do? That was their line. Why has the Lord defeated us today? What should we do? The irreligious Philistines ask, what does it all mean? Which one was actually taking time? Sober minded, trying to figure out where is God in this? Not what should man do in this? Notice their response of pronouncing curse on themselves. Verse 7, they were afraid there was reverence. There is no reverence in Israel's response. It's gone because there's no glory. And when there's no weightiness and glory, there will be no reverence. Friends just come up with a new idea. All right. Charge the hill. Let's go. Of course, with religious trappings. Let's grab the Ark. The Philistines say, woe to us that's pronouncing a curse on themselves. Question I ask is who should have been pronouncing a curse on themselves? Israel should have. They should have recognized we have gone astray. This one's on us. The reason we just lost 4000 men isn't because God isn't powerful enough. It's because of our own sinfulness, our own rebellion. And repeated in verse 8 with the Philistines, woe to us! Who shall deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? Again they're doing what Israel didn't do. They recount the glories of God's victories. Aren't these the gods who smote the Egyptians with all kind of plagues? They knew about Israel's history. What does God remind Israel back in Deuteronomy? Don't forget my deliverance of you. Remember when I saved you and brought you out of Egypt? Who's doing the remembering here?...the Philistines. Who's just doing the let's rise up and bring this lucky charm along the religious. So now the Philistines, though they might be respectful, I wouldn't even call them reverent, but respectful of this God that can win wars. They knew enough to fear him, but not enough to serve him. They're lost, so they do, verse 9 says, they drum up some courage and, um, say, listen, if we don't fight and win, we'll become slaves to these people. So, Verse 10, the Philistines fought and Israel was defeated, and every man fled to his tent. And the slaughter was very great, for there fell of Israel 30,000 foot soldiers, absolute annihilation. If we thought losing 4000 men in battle was bad back in verse 3, without the ark, you bring the Ark and you lose 30,000. Ark or no Ark, no presence of God, no power...delivered into the hands of their enemies. Just like Deuteronomy 28:25 said, the Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You will go out one way against them, but you will flee seven ways before them. And you, Israel, will be an example of terror to all the kingdoms of the earth. I will risk my own reputation and humiliation and losing this war. So when they see you lose, that would terrify the kingdoms of the earth, that this mighty God who delivered them once didn't do it this time. Why? Because you disobeyed. Because you never repented. You didn't turn back. You didn't recognize how far you've strayed.
Last but not least, the Ark of God was taken, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died. So it's not just a collective view of the destruction of these people. It's the promise God kept going back to chapter three and chapter two, delivered by the man of God to Eli, and then Samuel to Eli, that your sons will die on the same day, and your line, Eli, will come to an end. What do we find in the midst of this wreckage in the aftermath? What I said from the start, from a human viewpoint, God will allow this defeat to take place in order to teach Israel a lesson and all of us. Don't ever put me in a box of your own man madereligious making. My glory cannot fit in such a silly place. Isaiah 66:1, thus says the Lord, Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where then is a house you could build for me? And where is a place that I may rest? Now God, in acting this way towards his children, may give us the sense that he is now no longer for them, when he made a promise to be with them. Deuteronomy 7:6, you are a holy people to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his own possession. Out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. What's that teaching them? You exist for me. I don't exist for you. When we turn to pragmatism, man centered ministry, trusting in our own ways, we've flipped it around on our glorious God and said, you exist to serve me. He says, no Israel or you, child of God, bought by the blood of the Son, adopted into the family of God. You exist to serve me. Don't ever lose sight of that or you'll lose sight of my glory, my weight. I'll rest light on you. For you're a holy people to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his own possession. Out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. The Lord did not set his love on you nor choose you, because you were more in number than any of them. You were the fewest of all the peoples. But because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers, he brought you out of Egypt. He redeemed you from the house of slavery. Know therefore that the Lord your God, he is God, the faithful one, who keeps his covenant and loving kindness to a thousand generations to those who love him. It's about the heart, friends, and keep his commandments. It's then about our service to him, not his service to us. Love is included in that. And the tone doesn't change in the New Testament. When we talk about the great love of God for us, that he sent His Son to die for us, that doesn't then exclude in the next breath out of our mouth that we're to obey him. 1 John 5, whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of him. Okay, it's about faith. It's about first and foremost, recognizing God demonstrated his love for us in this, that while we're sinners, Christ died for us. That's how we get in. That's the good news of the gospel. Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. It's by faith, friends. It's not by works. But by this we know that we love the children of God. When we love God. Sound like Deuteronomy 7 right there?...and keep his commandments. How do we know where's the fruit? We love him, and out of love we obey him. And listen to this. This is the love of God that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. So as we draw this time to a close, think about that. You say you're a Christian and that you want to do all that you do to the glory of God, the weight of God, the heaviness of God. On one hand, you would then realize his glory is so great, his commands. They weigh on me and that's a good thing. They weigh on my conscience. They remind me what I am, who I am, whose I am, what I'm to live for. That's a good weight because it's not one that crushes you. When you realize somebody else was crushed for you. Who was it? It was his Son who was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. By his stripes we were healed. You could only say that the glory and weight of a holy God who says, live this way. Choose righteousness, that you're not crushed by those commands. When you first have seen that his Son was crushed for you. That's the gospel. That's why Jesus could then say, come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Isn't that somewhat of a paradox? That the weightiness and glory of God that calls us to obey every single command that he comes up with. Then says, But I've placed your command keeping and your law breaking on my Son, and I broke him for your behalf.
So if you're not in Christ today, Christ was broken and buried and rose again on your behalf. And you either believe that with everything in you or you don't. And then the freedom we find in Jesus Christ, the glory of God and the gospel is then we can say, because he's done that for me, I love him and I keep his commandments and as weighty as this book seems to be. If you feel it's weighty, you don't understand it's glory. It's not burdensome. It's freeing, because then you're living exactly the way God has designed you to live for his glory, not your own. So if you don't know Jesus Christ today, call on him.
If you know him today, remind yourself. It may not be easy to obey always. Fights against our flesh, the indwelling sin in us. But oh, is it worth it because he alone is worthy.
Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your Word this morning. We thank you for its goodness and kindness to us, your children. We thank you for the way it frees us to be exactly the children of God you have called us to be, who don't grouse and complain under your commands, but because you took the weight that we couldn't take. You bore the cross. You nailed our sins to it. That we are free now to obey, and that we, in following Jesus, are transformed from glory to glory in his likeness. And that's the rest of our days. So help us today, encourage us and strengthen us by the work of your Word and Spirit. Amen.
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Please turn in your Bibles to Proverbs chapter 3. We're finishing a series this morning that we started a couple weeks ago on the biblical theme of discipline. We have looked at self-discipline and the practicality of how we kind of set some guardrails and guides in our own lives to be the best that we can be. And truly a lot of that, though it's motivated from the inside for the glory of God. It is for our good. And we in some ways that might be the easiest one, even though it could be, in our minds the most difficult because we've tried and failed at it. But when you think about it, when it comes to some of those habits of self-discipline we talked about two weeks ago, they really are on you in the sense of you have the control to do them or not to do them. When we talked about being on time or keeping your word or whatever it might be, that just comes back to you. So to some degree, though difficult inaction to carry out, they rest on you. So of the things we're discussing, that might be the easiest. Then we looked last week at societal discipline, which was just a way to talk about the next kind of level of pushback we get. Difficulty, adversity around us could be from other people's feedback for us. And again, not easy to be told you're incorrect or being rebuked or you could do this or that better. But again, we can accept that because there is something we can do about it. We can receive that feedback and try to make some of those changes. Ask that person more questions so that we can again, be all that we can be for God's glory and our good. So again, difficult, but, um, the one we're going to talk about today might be the most difficult because it's the most outside of our hands. Self-discipline really entirely up to you in the sense of you're either going to do some of those things or you're not. Societal discipline, the feedback you get from people around you, are you teachable to receive what they're telling you? You do have some control over that. What we're going to talk about today when we think about think about sovereign discipline, about how God is in control of our lives, and he is the one who determines our path. We could devise our way. We could think we want to go a certain way. We think life's going to turn out a certain way, and we could even do the things we've talked about the prior weeks. We could have some self-discipline. We can receive feedback from people around us, and still God's going to do what he is going to do. And the question is, how do we receive it? How do we respond to it? And that's really the subject of sovereign discipline. It's the one that maybe is the most perplexing, most challenging of them all because we feel helpless at times. And so that's where we're going to start today in the book of Proverbs, chapter 3, with the concept very, very simple but not simplistic. And those aren't the same thing. It's two verses in Proverbs 3:11 and 12 that break it down to explain it. But it's not trivial by any means, because the moment we start talking about suffering, adversity, things outside of our control that are happening in our lives and we don't quite know why, there's nothing trivial about that. There's nothing easy about that. But the scriptures do explain it for us in a way that we could at least know what we need to know, to have the right categories for it to fall into, and ask the Lord to work in our hearts, to be able to work through it by his grace. So let's read Proverbs 3. I want to actually read 3:1 to 12, even though we're just going to look at 11 and 12, because 3:1 to 12 was another lecture by King Solomon to Prince Rehoboam, likely...one of his sons, a father to a son. Even you see the first two words, 'my son' and those typically in the first nine chapters of Proverbs we talked about this last week, are lectures a father's giving to his son, broadly speaking, on the Way of Wisdom and the Way of Folly, they cover different themes. They move about in different areas. But the main thing Solomon is wanting to instill in his son is you're on a path in life and there are voices on both sides. We saw this last week in chapter 9. The voice of wisdom is saying, come naive, come the one that doesn't know what life is really about yet. And there's more to learn come my way. And then folly is trying to say the same exact thing. No, it'll be better my way. And Solomon, in these lectures, in the first nine chapters of Proverbs, is trying to get through to his son, trying to help him understand some things. And we're going to see that in particular on the subject of discipline today. But we want to take the path to get there in this section of teaching in 1 to 12. SoI'll read it. You can follow along with me and hear the call to wisdom from Solomon to his son.
"My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments for length of days and years of life and peace, they will add to you. Do not let kindness and truth leave you. Bind them around your neck. Write them on the tablet of your heart. Soyou will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones. Honor the Lord from your wealth and from the first of all your produce. So your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine. My son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord, or loathe his reproof, for whom the Lord loves he reproves even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights."
Our father, let us not ignore your truth today and soften the receptivity of our hearts to receive your correction and instruction, because we trust you. Amen.
Well, you just heard another call to wisdom different from last week in chapter 9, but evoking similar imagery of you, the listener, being on a path. You heard that language in verse 6 about...there's a path that you can follow called wisdom, that blessed by God will be a straight path, a good path, a one that actually will help you arrive at a destination. In verse 13, how blessed is the man who finds wisdom. We want to end up in the house of wisdom, not the lair of folly. And he's saying, the path that you're going to take through chapter 3 to get to verse 13 is going to have some check points on it, some mile markers. That's kind of the image I had in my mind as I was reading it this week and studying it, not just verse 11 and 12, but Solomon is giving you some check points along the way to get you there. Maybe you heard them. Verses 1 to 4 in chapter 3 is first the check point of are you listening to God's truth? Because right out of the gates he says, my son, do not forget my teaching. Let your heart keep my commandments. And in verse 3, don't let the kindness and truth I'm teaching you leave them. Bind them around your neck. Write them on the tablet of your heart. Meaning you need to be listening and learning from me. And here's the payoff. How Solomon writes these verses is you get an admonition in the first part, and then in the following verse you get the payoff. So the call to listen to God, the call is in verse 1 and in verse 3. That's the checkpoint. Are you listening to God on the path of life? Are you hearing him? Here's the payoff. Verse 2. Length of days and years of life and peace. They'll add to you. Verse 4. You'll find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man. I mean, that's wisdom 101. You're not going to get anywhere in the path of life trying to get to that blessed place of wisdom, if you are not listening to the Word of God, if you're not hearing his call. It's that simple. You don't pass go. You don't collect $200. You are stuck where you're at. If you're not listening, that's the first call on this path. Then you see in verses 5 and 6, you're not just to listen to God, you're to trust him. And again, those are coupled together 5 and 6. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him. That's the admonition. He's saying the same thing a few different ways. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Don't trust in yourself. In every way you can imagine acknowledge him, trust him that he's in control. And if you do, what's the payoff, verse 6? He will make your paths straight. You won't be twisting your ankle on the trail over some rut. You're not sliding off the side of some precipice, tumbling down into some canyon. I speak from experience. Point 2 on the path. Trust me. Trust God. Point 3 mile marker is fear the Lord. You see that in verse 7. Don't be wise in your own eyes, but fear the Lord and turn away from evil. And here's the promise if you fear the Lord, if you turn from evil, if you don't trust your own sight, it will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones. I mean, he's just promising a life that look, this will come back to bless you if you fear the Lord. If you turn from sin, your body and your bones...He's saying all of you will be blessed, because what's great about the Proverbs is that he's not trying to always categorize your life into the physical and the spiritual like we do. Yeah. He's just saying, no. You are bound up as a being inside and out and the things on the outside of you affect the inside of you, and the things on the inside of you affect the outside of you. And he's saying, if you fear the Lord and turn from sin and don't trust yourself, the whole person, mind, body, soul, you'll be blessed. That's the third checkpoint. The fourth one is 9. Honor the Lord from your wealth and from the first of your produce. Oh! Command to honor the Lord. Serve him. Don't hold anything back from him. Why? Well, if he's the one that gave it to you in the first place, why would you then try to hoard it for yourself? And the promise when you follow that admonition is verse 10. So your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine. There's a promise there of prosperity, Oh prosperity. But what would be the point of it? When he gives it to you in overflowing. It's so that you can pour it out to somebody else, not hoard it for yourself. If you trust him with the first of your wealth, the first of your produce. Again, we're in agrarian times in the writing of this. You'll have more than enough. And rather than keep stocking it up for yourself and building bigger silos, as Jesus talks about in a parable, and you're going to lose your life tonight and not do anything with it, I didn't give you that prosperity for you to just take it and hoard it. I wanted you to be a blessing and benefit to people around you. So honor the Lord first. So you get these four checkpoints along the path of wisdom. And I would imagine at this point, the average listener in the audience is going, you know, I'm down with those four things. Broadly speaking, if you say you're a follower of follower of Jesus Christ. I know I need to listen. I mean, that's like Christianity 101, The gospel. It's a call to repent. It's a call to follow Jesus. I got to listen to that. Okay, sign me up and trust God. Yeah. That's faith. So I'm going to listen to this call to repent and believe in him, but not have faith. Come on. Okay, good. I can trust him. Fear him? You know what? Yeah. I see as I grow in faith that sin is not better than God. So I'm down with that and then finally honor him. Okay, um, it might take a while for me to warm up to this because I feel like I need my own. But I'd like to be generous. I'd like to take what God gives me and share it. So I think most people could read Proverbs t3 so far and say, if those are the four checkpoints in the path to wisdom, this lecture that Solomon has given to his son. I'm good. I listen, I trust him, I fear him, I want to honor him, I do. And then the bottom falls out, verse 11 and 12. And in fact, he leans in again to his son. He calls him my son again. He's saying, listen up again. Now I want to tell you about this part of the path that you're really not going to like. My son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord or loathe his reproof. And that's where a lot of people are, like, I'm out. So that's built into the system? That when bad things happen to a good person, when I listen to him and I'm trusting him and I'm fearing him and honoring him, I might still face adversity. I just saw some prosperity. Let's go back to verse 10 and hang out there. And he says, hey, right before you get to that, verse 13, that blessed place, the man who finds wisdom and gains understanding, there's one more checkpoint along the line. And if you're on the path of life, if you're on the journey, if you're climbing through the hills and you mapped it out and you saw those first four checkpoints and you hit them. And then you round the bend and the sky grows dark and the mountain gets really big, and the terrain starts to go uphill. What happens next? That pack starts to feel really heavy, doesn't it? And your feet start to get sore and your legs start to give out and you want to turn back. Welcome to the mountain of God's discipline. And you didn't see it coming, usually. And you certainly didn't sign up for it. You were fine with the path as it was. Wasn't it supposed to be a straight path? Now I don't even know where I'm at. And this is just scary. And I don't like it. And I see no sign of the sun breaking through the cloud. What am I supposed to do? That's really what Solomon has brought you to. When you get to verse 11 and 12, it's all led up to this, if you so far, were willing to agree to those prior four checkpoints and say I'm down with that. Now he's saying, okay, I've got one last one and it's going to be an uphill climb. But do you still believe God is designing your path for his glory and your good? Because if you do, then listen close son. I've got a lesson to teach you about the discipline of God. What is the discipline of God? Before we jump into verse 11, here's a short definition. I put it together this week just so we have an operating idea. Because if the first thing is a warning against rejecting it, it'd be good to know what it is. So here's a short definition. What is God's discipline? It's his fatherly love in action towards his children meant to grow us in spiritual maturity through adversity. God's sovereign discipline is his fatherly love in action towards his children, meant to grow us in spiritual maturity through adversity. There's your operating definition.
Now let's see the prohibition of rejecting it (discipline). Verse 11, my son, do not reject the fatherly love in action towards you his child meant to grow you spiritually through adversity. See how that works? He says don't reject it or loathe his reproof. Are those two sentences saying the same thing in verse 11? Different words and slightly different meanings. Sometimes in the Proverbs you just get a verse that says the same thing twice, and it's just meant to kind of punctuate a point. But here you get these two warnings of what not to do with the discipline of the Lord, his reproving, his correcting. One verse says don't reject it and then the next one in my version says loathe it. Yours might say resent it or grow weary from it. So I want to pause here and in this opening warning, this admonition not to reject or resent it kind of process that a little bit with you. The first one, don't reject the discipline of God. Your Bible might say despise or abhor. The literal meaning is to cast something away because you don't want it. It's used in Isaiah 31:7, in this realm where it's talking about the people of God who had created idols, and now they need to cast them away. Isaiah 31:7...in that day every man will cast away his silver idols and his gold idols. That's a good thing, but it's just a literal image of, I've got this thing that I shouldn't want anymore, and I'm just going to chuck it. And that's what Solomon is saying to his son. When the discipline of the Lord, when the chastisement comes, when the hardship and the suffering comes. Your first response should not be to just chuck it like a toddler. A mom puts the plate of carrots and he just chucks it. I don't want any of it and then stiffens the back or the mouth. And I won't let you put those carrots in there. That's essentially the language of this, because the discipline of the Lord is about his methods of child rearing us, his children beloved by him. And so he says, don't reject it. Don't stiffen your back and try to discipline your kid with the rod. Spank them, straightening the back. That's kind of the feel of this. It's really that you can see it in this rejection. And that's the first way he cautions you don't just right away become so obstinate and hard hearted against it and not going to going to happen and I'm chucking it. And then he, using this wisdom literature, proverbs style, he goes deeper into it in the next verse. He's trying to cover the whole gamut, he says, and don't loathe his reproof. And this word loathe is more of an inner feeling. It's a weariness of soul. It's growing weak with dread. So you match those up and you say, what's Solomon doing right here in trying to teach us about how we should respond to the discipline of the Lord. He's just giving you a holistic picture of yourself. You may be the rejector who when the going gets tough, you get hard and you just resist. You get stiff necked. Or you might be the person who is just gets really fainthearted and weary. And beyond that, giving up...loathes it. Just the attitude is there is nothing good here. And if you have children and they're different, you see those responses in them, don't you? Some just wilt at the littlest sight or site of difficulty. Others stiffen their neck. So you get resenters and you get rejecters. But either way, he says, don't do it. I remember doing a lot of hiking in my California days, and one time my brother and I and some friends had great ambitions to hike the high country of Yosemite. And if you've done Yosemite before, I've seen pictures of Half Dome. Everybody can get to Half Dome. Well, not everybody, but I mean, I remember the first time I went and you get to the part that's a real steep pitch, and there's just cables stuck in the ground and there's no guards, and you're just going up and you're going up one side and everybody coming down the other. And I was afraid at the bottom until I saw there were some octogenarians going up, and there were some people, like with the kid on their back going up. And I was in my 20s and like, okay, if they can do it, I can do it. And all that being said, everybody can get to there. But to go into the high country, you think you're high there and then you have to keep ascending up and the breathing, the air thins out. It's harder to breathe. Your pack is heavy because you packed in for a few days. And I remember a couple friends of mine. I remember the rejector and the resenter, what started out as a great hike and we're all ready to be, you know, the next Daniel Boone or whatever, discovering lands never seen. And there was a rejector who he just started to get mad. His boots hurt, his pack was too heavy, you know, he was throwing his stuff and he can't get his tent to get up. And he was rejecting the adversity that was coming, as if we didn't plan this thing out for weeks. And then there was the resenter, who just started to loathe it and complain about everything and every ten minutes just wanted to stop and lay on his pack on a rock and stare at the sky and question why he was alive. And adversity will do that, right? Suffering will do that. You just either get hard hearted or you or you just get weak to the point of resentment and loathing. And Solomon gives these back to backand just says, that's not to be your response, son. So the question any son would ask is why not? Where's the redeeming value in suffering? I have never met a person that's being honest, truly honest, and said, I love discipline, I love adversity, I love suffering, I eat it for breakfast. I say, no, you don't. You want to eat Froot Loops? You want donuts? We all do. Unless you understand the purpose behind it. Right? The principle in operation. So Solomon says, let me tell you the principle here. Let me show you the promise. The reason you don't reject it or loathe it is because of verse 12 For the son that the Lord loves, he reproves just as a father corrects the son in whom he delights. That's the principle of God's discipline...in verse 12. The operating principle that allows us to see, okay, this isn't an entire waste, or at least get angry that stiffening back or loathing my God doesn't care for me. I'm mad at him or I'm giving up on him. Whatever he says. No, you might think that way if you thought God didn't love you. That might be how you react. If you think God's against you, child. He says that's not the way God's working here, because the principle of God's discipline is this...the Lord loves those he reproves and just as a father corrects the son in whom he delights...delights, so it's love and delight we see from the outside. We turn that bend. We see mount discipline. It's dark. It's ominous. It's weary. We're tired. We resent it. And he's saying by faith you have to know that what runs inside the heart of that mountain that you can't see are rivers of love and delight in you. But you got to believe that by faith, even when you can't see anything other than the challenge. And if you give up now, you'll never experience the good God has on the other side. So he says, the principle is that God does love you. He hasn't forgotten about you. He hasn't turned his back on you. And he then goes from the greater to the lesser in the second part of verse 12. Let me just reason with you from an earthly standpoint, just as earthly fathers correct their kids. I mean, that's the operating principle for his discipline later on in Proverbs 13:24. He who withholds his rod hates his son, but he who loves his son disciplines him diligently. So justification for parents disciplining your kids, spanking their bottoms, is that you love them. And love without correction is not love because you're letting them take that path to folly that will be to their own destruction eventually. Likewise, correction without love isn't the solution. The exasperating father who doesn't do it in love but does it out of anger. Knee jerk. That's not the solution either. It's to be done...discipline is always to be administered in love. It's a heart of love. And even when we talk about that, like, make sure your discipline comes with love. And even saying that almost makes us sound like they're in separate categories like, here's daddy discipline over here, and here's Daddy love. And I got to get these guys to meet. No. Part of love is discipline because you care about them. You love them more than you love your own comfort of having to do it and the pain you know it causes. But you know it's for their good. That's the parenting advice Solomon gives in Proverbs. But it's rooted in our relationship with God, our Father. That's the principle. And he makes it very clear. And as I said before, just because it's clear and simple doesn't make it simplistic and trivial because of the pain behind it. Suffering, adversity underneath God's discipline is, I mean, when we just talk about some of the hardest things in life to deal with and even address, is that. Because we don't always have answers, and then when we come to answers, we may not like them, but the Bible refuses to lie to us. It's not going to be mirror, mirror on the wall. Just tell me something I want to hear. No, we come to it and it's actually a mirror. It says in James, one of us. It shows us who we really are. It reflects back to us and we see, okay, I've got to deal with me, but I have God's word to do it. So we get the principle of God's discipline. He loves us.
So now we move to its purpose. If the principle is I know I have a loving Father and as a Christian of all people. You're the only people that know absolutely for sure God loves you because why?...He sent his Son to die for you. He demonstrated his love for you while you were a sinner Christ died for you, Romans 5:8. I mean, that's what you get back to, isn't it? When everything else falls apart, you go I the things that are falling apart in my life, the walls closing in around me. That would make me wonder if God really loves me. What's the last theological thread my faith hangs on? It's the love of God for me in Christ. If he loved me enough to send His Son, his most beloved son, his only begotten son, to die for me, then I know I'm loved. I don't have the ability right now to see it around me, but I know that's true here. If you're not in Christ this morning, that's the starting point of the gospel. I mean, me talking about discipline, the discipline of God in your life. What's the point of it? Well, the point of it in your life up till now, if you're not in Christ, is to show you that you're dealing with somebody more powerful than you. Trust me. Have you learned that by now? You can kick against his goads. You can fight against his hand. You're not going to win. You can keep stiffening or you can loathe and resent, but it's not going to get you anywhere with him. And so he might keep bringing the difficulty and the suffering. Because he wants to show you...look, you may think this is bad. I've been through something far worse. I gave my Sonto die for you...the one kicking and fighting against me. What more could I do for you? And it breaks your heart. As in, it breaks down the sin, the hardness. When you hear the gospel and realize God would do that for me. He already did. You have to trust him. You have to trust his Son. You have to realize you're a sinner and need forgiven. And when we do that it totally removes the way in which we want to see the world centering around us, and then we see it center around God and His glory, and we're a part of that. And then now I have a new way to look at the hardships in my life. But you have to call out to him by faith this morning to forgive you and to change you from the inside. All of it is to call out to him, to trust him, to fear him. All the things we've covered already. But it starts with, do you really believe in his Son, Jesus? He's paid the penalty for your sin. So that's the love of God for his children. But what about the purpose in the discipline? Why? Why does he take me through it? What's he trying to do in me? I know it's motivated out of his love, but what's he trying to change in me? And I would say, fundamentally, what he's trying to do in you, in whatever means he employs it, is he's trying to grow your affection for him. And you say, that's weird. I get disciplined, and I'm supposed to love God more because of that? Well, what the discipline does is it pulls you away. It severs the connection you have with lesser loves called sin, called idols of the heart. Lesser desires, lusts, and desires you still have as a Christian because you're still in the flesh. And what God is doing in his discipline is he's severing the cords to those, because the human experience is we're going to hold on to things. We what? We're going to hold on to things we love. We're not going to give them up easy. And he wants all of your love for him. He does. That's what he wants. Because he knows that's what's best for you. And he's not going to settle for anything less than all of your love. So the purpose of his discipline in our lives can look a few different ways. First, he can discipline for our correction as Christians. Now there's three of these...correction, protection and instruction. We'll start with correction. And yes that does form the abbreviation CPI. So if you think about CPI Crime Prevention Incorporated you see those signs around town. The red sign that says warning mess with my house. Some robots going to talk to you. The dog sign works better for me, but I did think about that as I was thinking about God's discipline and its correction, its protection and its instruction. And so, you know, CPI isn't a bad thing to think about because it's warning you. Correction, protection and instruction in our lives in the discipline of God should warn us against something. You're going back to that thing you shouldn't love anymore. It's not good for you. I want your love for me. I'm a jealous God. Exodus 25 is the first time he calls himself a jealous God. We don't talk about the jealousy of God. We probably don't understand it in our human estimation. But we do know in Exodus 20:5, it's couched within the command to have no other gods before me, no idols, no nothing. Well, why would he then say, And I'm a jealous God? Because back to the point. Your heart will go after those things. God knows how we're wired. And I'm jealous for all of your affection for me. And it's the jealousy that's out of a heart that knows what's best for you. Not just what I want. Because we think of jealousy. Maybe why we don't talk about the jealousy of God is because it's petty. If you're a middle schooler. No offense. None taken. But we all were adults in here, and you all had a middle school crush, and you had a middle school crush who one day liked you, one day didn't. And then their affection. Affection went to somebody else. And you sat there and pouted or got mad and you were jealous. And it was a very shallow jealousy, millimeter thick. You thought you loved them and they loved you. After talking to them once at lunch, sharing a cupcake, and now you're mad at everybody, you're gonna throw that cupcake at the other boy or girl, whatever. That's petty jealousy, isn't it? There's no petty jealousy with God. It's the furthest thing from it, because it's your good he has in mind that he is willing to go to the extreme for your heart. There is nothing shallow in the least about that. Sowhat's he going to do for it? First, he'll discipline us for our correction. Chastisement for sin aims to correct us. And this is to God's children. You sin. There are times he will chastise you for that. But here's what you need to know that has no bearing on your eternal security. God's correcting chastisement of your life as a Christian is not about payment for your sin. Why? Who paid for it already? And how much did he pay? So there's nothing left for you to pay if you feel yourself under the hand of God, being disciplined, feeling his chastisement. You know what you've done. What you can't do is this is wonder...man am I paying for my own sin here? No, you're suffering a consequence. God's trying to correct you saying, don't do that anymore. Don't go back to that. Give your heart to me. But what he's not doing is saying, ah, yeah, you know, I don't know if you're gonna make it to heaven now. How do you make it to heaven? By the grace of Jesus Christ and the gospel. By his righteousness alone, not yours. So hear me loud and clear. First and foremost, out of the gates. The correction of God's discipline in your life as a Christian is not salvific. It's not meritorious. He took that out on his Son. Jesus took the wrath of God for you, and he took all of it. But he's still going to correct you to keep you from those lesser loves. You have to look no further than the example of David, a man after God's own heart. And when he sinned, God corrected him. You hear about that in multiple passages. We probably all think of Psalm 51 where he could say something like this. Let the bones that you have broken rejoice. As in, you were the one that did the breaking of them...broken inside. I want to rejoice again. Restore unto me the joy of your salvation. Notice he didn't say, restore to me my salvation for my sin. When I committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband murdered, he doesn't say, I need my salvation back. He says, restore to me the joy of it because I don't have it anymore. Sin has sucked it out. So maybe I need to correct it. Psalm 39:10-11 David says, remove your plague from me because of the opposition of your hand I am perishing. That's a Christian talking. Verse 11, with reproofs you chasten a man for iniquity. David is saying this. You reprove me, you discipline me. You chastise me for my iniquity. Why do you do it? Next part of verse 11 of Psalm 39. You consume as a moth what is precious to him. Imagery of a moth gets in your closet, eats the sweater. Hopefully I don't have any holes in it, but they just can chew up things. Now you just have a hole and it's gone like it was never there. But a moth can't chew through steel, can it? The answer is no. But it can chew through your sweater. Something perishing. Something light. Not something strong and impenetrable. So David says, your reproves chasten me for my sin. And like a moth, it'll eat up the things that they're precious to me. But they don't last. Do you see what God's trying to do for you in correcting you and disciplining you?...sometimes. Not all the time. God is not an exasperating father who spanks you for every single time you get out of line. You spill the milk. You spilled more milk trying to clean up the spilled milk. You put the thing in the wrong thing. Spank spankspank spank spank. That's an exasperating father. It's not the kind of Father God is. Because as Christians, many things we still do that disobey him. And it's not like the immediate I do the thing. I immediately feel the chastisement. Only in his all pervadingwisdom that he knows exactly when to bring the thing into my life, to get me back in line. And he says, don't reject it. Don't despise it. Receive it. God's corrective discipline. Life of David...you need to look no further than there. Second, God disciplines us for our protection. This is not corrective as in correlated to a sin we're committing, but it is preventative for a sin that we might be led into. Preventative discipline. Any teachers out there remember learning about this? Where do you put the kidyou know that's bad in class? Not next to the other bad kid. You know, because they'll do bad things together. They'll incite each other. So preventative discipline is, you know what? I'm gonna. I know my seating chart. I'm putting this guy there. I'm putting Aschoff right in front of me because he's always getting in trouble. I figured that out eventually. Why am I always the object of my teacher's affection right in front of their desk? Except when I had my dad, I was in the back of the room. I'm not dealing with that guy. But that's preventative discipline. You move the pieces on the board in advance to not end up in the place you don't want to be. And God does that with us. We see this in the life of Paul, don't we? You know, he was a bad dude before coming to Christ. Acts 7 and 8. He's killing Christians. The blood's on his hand. Acts 9. He is saved by grace. And then the rest of his life. These epistles we have. He seems to have a pretty great testimony. You can't find anything on him, can you? Except 2 Corinthians 12. And it takes a while for him to finally boast, because Paul knew he was a prideful man when he was so, so prideful of his righteousness. Sothe last thing Paul needs, and he knows this about himself, is something to boast in again. So he keeps a secret for 14 years. What was the secret? 2 Corinthians 12 I know a man in Christ doesn't even want to say it's him...it's him who, 14 years ago, whether in the in the body I don't know or out of the body I don't know. God knows. Such a man was caught up to the third heaven, and I don't know how such a man, whether in the body or apart from the body, I don't know. He's making his point, guys. This is not about me. I don't know how this all went down. I don't know why I got taken up to the third heaven. I don't know how it all happened, but this is what happened. Verse 4 I was caught up into Paradise. I mean, would that change you the rest of your life if you had that experience? So he gets up into Paradise and he hears inexpressible words which a man is not permitted to speak. And sohe's had to zip it for 14 years, but he is being so critiqued and run out of town by these bad Corinthian false teachers. He's like, you know what? Okay, I will tell you a little something about myself, some of my apostolic authority and why I come where I come from is because I've seen some things and heard some things nobody else has. But I never wanted to tell anybody. But now you're forcing me to do it. And he says that I don't I don't want to boast in this, but I will boast in it to teach you something about a weakness of mine. So I got to see and hear all this, and I heard all this. But this was what God did to me. As a result, he lets me get this amazing experience. I hear whatever I heard up in Paradise, things I'm not allowed to express. And then he says this verse 7, because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, I wrote a book and profited by selling it for millions, saying that I got to go to heaven before everybody. Oh, no, he didn't say that. Just checking to see if you're with me. This is what Paul actually says because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations. For this reason, to keep me, prevent me, from exalting myself, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from exalting myself. So preventative discipline. He's not admitting even to pride there. He's not saying I came back and was so proud. God did this, he says, to keep me from even getting close to pride. God protected me by afflicting me, and I didn't necessarily want that affliction. Next verse. Concerning this, I ask. The Lord implored him three times that it might leave me. And God said, yeah, you can handle it, Paul. No, he said, my grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness. That's God's response to Paul asking, take the thorn away. Take the affliction away. And he says, no, you'll learn to be okay with this weakness, and it'll actually produce more strength in you and more humility in you, because I'm protecting you from you and your pride. All of us are susceptible to exalting ourselves, as Paul states, so God might discipline us to protect us from more pride in ourselves, to prevent us from that sin. A very awful thing to have purveyed in the heart of a believer. But you just have to get the principle out of this. It wasn't because Paul was proud that God did it. It was because God did it that Paul wasn't proud. Did you catch that? It wasn't God being reactionary to Paul's pride. It was to keep him from that pride. God sent that affliction. That's called preventative discipline. And God has the wisdom and right to send it our way, if he knows it's for his glory and our good. That's category number two. Category three of discipline. He disciplines for our instruction. And again, this isn't chastisement for a sin we're committing. This isn't prevention of a sin we might commit. What is it? God disciplining for our instruction is taking us through a trial, through suffering, through affliction. At the very least, to teach you something about him and something about yourself that you didn't know before. At the end of it, that's what you've gained. You know more of your God, and in knowing more of your God and His majesty and glory and righteousness and justice, suddenly you start to see yourself in a new light because he brought you through that affliction. You say, where do you see that in the Bible? Well, Job. Story of Job...a man who right out of the gates. Job 1:1, there was a man named Job. He was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil. Sounds like he was on that Proverbs path, right? Listening to God, honoring God, fearing God. And yet he's afflicted. God allows Satan to afflict him with the worst things we could imagine from the lesser, like losing his wealth and properties and then losing his health. Worst of all, losing family, losing loved ones, seeing his own children die. The only thing Satan wasn't allowed to do was take Job's life. And, in the midst of all this loss. And his wife says, why don't you curse God and die? And Job says in 2:10, should we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity? He nails it. God sends both. And it says twice in 1:22 and then 2:10...through all this, Job did not sin, nor did he blame God, nor did he sin with his lips. Soyou could take corrective discipline out of that, right? There's no evidence there was a sin. Even though you get into Job and his friends are insistent....Job, you're in sin. Clearly, because this is how God works. Bad stuff happens to you. You've sinned. So just repent of it already and you'll get out of it. That's also how God works. Like you would not dare let it linger one second longer if you just say, okay, I got all this sin. So it wasn't corrective. And as far as we could tell, we don't see any prevention in it. This was just discipline for the sake of instruction. God wanted Job to know more of him. Did it work? Read Job 42, his final confession. Job answers the Lord after everything God taught him about himself from 38 to 42. Job answers the Lord and said, I know that you can do all things. No purpose of yours can be thwarted. Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge? Therefore, I have declared that which I did not understand things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. Hear, now, and I will speak. I will ask you, and you instruct me. How dare I say that? But this is what I did learn. Verse 5, Job 42...I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you. Therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes. So what was it all for? Why did Job have to suffer unimaginable loss and inconsolable grief? Because at the end, he says, I thought I knew you and I didn't know you. And I thought I knew myself and I didn't know myself. So now the things I know of you I can worship. And the things I see in myself I can repent of. A clear example of discipline for the sake of a closer walk with God. And it came through adversity. Charles Bridges wrote about this. "Nowhere are our corruptions so evident, or our graces so shining as under the rod." Those corruptions we have in ourselves become a lot more evident when we go through adversity, don't they? The tendency in our hearts to resent the tendency in our backs to stiffen, our fists to clench. And we see that. And eventually we see that's not the way it should go. And then somehow, breaking through the darkness of the mountain is the glory of God in that. Most of all we see it in His Son. And we say, well, look at all that Christ went through for me. Look at all he endured for me. That's the drive of Hebrews 12. Isn't it? An expansion, if you want to study Hebrews 12 this week and expand upon what we learned in Proverbs 3:11 and 12. Read Hebrews 12:3 to 13. You think you're going through suffering? I want you to fix your eyes on Christ, and consider him who endured such hostility by sinners against himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. So fix your eyes on him. Now notice, I mean, this letter in Hebrews was written to some suffering Christians, some people that are questioning was it worth leaving what we had in Judaism to follow Jesus? And so, um, I think there's a good example in the writer of Hebrews that he doesn't poke them in the eye with chapter 12. Back in chapter 1, he teaches them of the of the glory and all surpassing wonder of Jesus Christ for 11 chapters to get to chapter 12 to say, yeah, you did get the better deal. Jesus is better than anything you had before in Judaism. He's worth it. So fix your eyes on him. And don't forget that in his humanity, he endured more than anybody could have endured. And then he jumps right into Proverbs 3. He preachesfrom verses 5 on. He preaches a little sermon, seven verse sermon on Proverbs three because he quotes it, my son, don't regard lightly the discipline of the Lord. So this is all back to discipline for our instruction. Sometimes God's just trying to teach us there. Now you take correction from God and protection from God and instruction from God, and you can put them all together. And they're doing one main thing for you. They're preparing you for heaven. They're preparing you now to know God more. But ultimately, they're preparing you for glory. They're all tributaries into the same river of preparation. Now, the good works. He's prepared in advance for you, but also to come into heaven and say it was all worth it.
And that brings us to the end. The path in God's discipline. It's a path that in Hebrews 12 we're told not to take lightly. Verse 5, the start of the path is don't, don't take it lightly. If you're going to move any further ahead, Hebrews 12:5 says, don't forget the exhortation which was addressed to you as sons, my son, don't regard lightly the discipline of the Lord as in you're meant to take this discipline in and learn something from it. So even today, we're to we're to look at our lives and make an evaluation and say, what am I going through? What have I have I been through? Not to try to solve the unanswerable questions of why. But to understand more of the God that we know loves us, and to then maybe trace back to corrective discipline, or instructive or preventative and do kind of that, you know, evaluation of life and look back and say, when did God allow some affliction in my life that I could see now, prevented me from something, or corrected me for something, or just I went through it, and years later, the only thing I know that what I learned is I learned more about trusting God. It could be any of those things. And that's the exhortation of the preacher in Hebrews 12. Don't regard it lightly. Think on it. Why? What's that going to do? Go down to verse 11. It's going to train you. So perseverance and affliction isn't just for the sake of perseverance. It's to teach you and train you and build you up and strengthen you and yield the peaceful fruit of righteousness in your life. You're a different person now because of it. I mean, wouldn't it be sad and awful and a waste to go through adversity and suffering and to learn nothing? To go through it and have nothing on the other side too say...it is what it is. No it's not. That's to think lightly of the discipline of the Lord and not see that he was trying to teach you and train you and strengthen you and build you. And yes, he knows it hurts, but he loves you enough with the jealous love to win your affection to him.
I'll close with this from Charles Spurgeon on the jealous love of the Lord that goes to any length to keep our hearts close to him, he writes. "One of the most solemn truths in the Bible is the Lord thy God is a jealous God. Where there is an intense and an infinite love that glows in the heart of God. There will be and must be jealousy. Oh, how jealous God is of the hearts of his people. How determined he is to have all of their love. How I have known God to take away the objects of our attachments one after another, break our idols, and deprive us of our most precious vanities, all to get our hearts wholly to himself because he knew it would never be right with him while we have a divided heart."
Let's pray. Father, we know we are prone to wonder and prone to leave the God we love. So we may not understand your ways, unfathomable as they are, but we at least have some starting points today. The starting point of your love and delight in us as your children that we know is true. Because you sent your son to die for us. And he suffered, and he went through something more unimaginable than we could, and he did it for the joy set before him to win a bride, to win the redeemed. And so we are in the process of not redemption...our salvation is secure, but we are in the process of being remade, conformed into the image of your Son. And as Job said, shall we not see that prosperity and adversity are both from your hand? And you can use adversity particularly to shape us and mold us into the children you would like us to be. So help us today, just with a little more than we came in with the ability to receive it. And even as we go to song now, praise you for it. Amen.
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Proverbs 9 continue in a series on discipline, which is always our favorite subject to talk about. Not a popular word, but a welcomed reality for any devoted disciple of Jesus Christ, because it's built into the idea of discipleship, of following someone else, of learning from them and being considered their student is some form of discipline. Because there's instruction, there's listening, there's learning, there's being corrected, and then there's following a pattern. And all of that can fight against our individualistic urges. You know, we just kind of want to be captain of our own ship. And so we just thought starting this new year off, spending a few weeks talking about the disciplines of a God centered life would be good for us. Last week we looked at self-discipline. We just drew a circle right around our own lives and talked about ten habits of a self-disciplined person that were very practical in nature, which is good. It's not like we want to create this idea in our Christian lives, that being uber practical from the Proverbs is in some way less spiritual than back in December, when we were studying the eternality of Jesus Christ in John chapter 1. And that, you know, there's, um, unequal proportion of the value of those they're all given for our good, all given for our instruction. All Scripture is God breathed. And even when we spend a few weeks now being very practical, we'll just call it down to earth shoe leather faith in the Proverbs there's much we learn about our heart by way of these verses. And so this morning we're going to look at the idea of societal discipline, generic term, just talking about no longer self-discipline, something I am enforcing on myself so that I can glorify God with my life and have experienced all the good he would have for me. Um, but this week we're talking about societal discipline. Let's move that concentric circle a little bit and say, how do I receive instruction from people around me? And that could be a preacher with a sermon. That could be a small group leader, that can be an accountability partner, that can be a spouse, that can be a parent, a child, any relationship we have in which somebody wants to offer us, not necessarily a piece of their mind, but a piece of God's mind. We want to qualify this. This is in the realm of God's heavenly wisdom coming down, not just a generic form of earthly wisdom, James 3 talks about...natural that anybody could come by. And not to say we shouldn't listen to our butcher when he recommends one cut of meat instead of the other, or our mechanic when he says, you know you need this thing as well as that thing. Earthly wisdom...natural...we're not really talking about that, though. We could say if our instinct is to just not listen to anybody and insist upon our own way, even to the mechanic, as if we know more about our car than he does. You know, you can sail down that path all you want, see how far you get. What we're talking about here today in Proverbs 9 is wisdom from above. It's that which has, if I may put it this way, eternal ramifications. Though we're going to see today earthly implications, as in yes, if you heed wisdom's call from those around you there will be earthly implications to that. Your life will take on two different forms. Oh, you know, if you're able to receive instruction in correction, in discipline, things will change down here. But ultimately we'll see the shape of this text goes towards eternal ramifications. Your destiny is bound up in your attitude towards discipline by way of God using other people in your life. And so we will see that in Proverbs 9. So just follow along with me as I read this chapter. It sits towards the end of the opening section of Proverbs. I know sometimes our impression of Proverbs might be that it's disconnected. Proverb a day keeps whatever away, and we read a chapter of Proverbs a day a month...because 31 days, 31 chapters. There is a form to Proverbs, as in these first nine chapters are what is called the prologue. Solomon is giving a series of lectures to his son in the widest realm of how the world works, set up between wisdom and folly. And sometimes he uses personification. Because if you think about Solomon, he's a king, and he's going to have a prince who's going to take over for him one day. He's a dad with a son. That's why I see my son so often in the first nine chapters. And there's a series of ten lectures that he's, in some ways, preparing his son to be king. But not just that, preparing his son to just live a wise life blessed by God. When you heed God's wisdom and you live skillfully under the sun. And that's where this is the end of that. Because when you get to Proverbs 10, you might even see in the subscript the Proverbs of Solomon. And that's where they do start to kind of be like, um, you know, a vending machine of axioms, you know, put your quarter in, get out this thing to chew on for a while. That's Proverbs ten and onward. Proverbs 1 to 9 sets the scene for that, as in everything he's going to teach from Proverbs 10 through the end, the rest of it single verses at a time, find their slot underneath these two big categories of the path that Lady Wisdom calls you to take, and the path that Dame Folly wants to woo you into. And really, that's the picture that is given in this final lecture in Proverbs 9, really an epilogue to the opening of this book. So follow with me. Proverbs 9:1.
"Wisdom has built her house. She has hewn out her seven pillars. She has prepared her food. She has mixed her wine. She has also set her table. She has sent out her maidens. She calls from the tops of the height of the city. Whoever is naive, let him turn in here. To him who lacks understanding, she says, come, eat of my food and drink of the wine I have mixed. Forsake your folly, and live and proceed in the way of understanding. He who corrects a scoffer gets dishonor for himself. And he who reproves a wicked man gets insults for himself. Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you. Reprove a wise man, and he will love you. Give instruction to a wise man, and he will still be wiser. Teach a righteous man, and he will increase his learning. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. For by me your days will be multiplied. And years of life will be added to you. If you are wise, you are wise for yourself. And if you scoff, you alone will bear it. The woman of folly is boisterous. She is naive and knows nothing. She sits at the doorway of her house on a seat by the high places of the city, calling to those who pass by, who are making their paths straight. Whoever is naive, let him turn in here. And to him who lacks understanding, she says, stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant. But he does not know that the dead are there, and her guests are in the depths of Sheol." The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the wisdom of the Word of God lasts forever.
Kurtis prayed earlier for our political leaders. President Trump being installed tomorrow for the second time. And, that got me thinking this week, knowing he was going to pray for that and reading what I'm reading that if I'm today, you or I go home, phone rings...unknown caller. Normally we are not going to answer it, but for whatever reason, um, we just say, yeah, I should try this one. This is Adam. This is the planner of the inauguration, so and so. Okay. We have a private jet waiting. Hickory regional airport, we've heard of you. Um, would you please come up and attend the inauguration? You get five minutes with the president before he goes out. He wants your advice. Would you take it? And if you would, what would you say? The president wanted your advice for the next four years. You're the last person he's going to listen to before he goes up and takes the oath. I thought about that this week and I said, lo and behold, I'd take him to the Book of Proverbs. I'd try to entice him at the beginning in Proverbs 1 by saying, you know, President Trump, Solomon, the son of David, King of Israel, was the wisest and wealthiest man that's ever lived. I would imagine that he would be interested in at least one of those...hopefully both. And I would say, you know, you may think that this might be below you to learn these things, but Proverbs was written not just for the common person, but for kings. Proverbs 8 says, counsel is mine and sound wisdom. I am understanding, power is mine, wisdom is speaking. And then listen to this, Proverbs 8:15. By me kings reign, and rulers decree justice. By me princes rule and nobles and all who judge rightly. President Trump, do you do you want to judge rightly? Do you want to decree justice? Then here's what you need to do. 8:17, wisdom says, I love those who love me, and those who diligently seek me will find me. So I'd say there it is. You wake up every day and you read a proverb. If you don't understand it, pray for wisdom. If you really don't understand it, you can call me anytime. Your people have my number, apparently. And then I would go out and I would. I would pray for him. Probably the exact thing Solomon prayed for that God would give him wisdom. It's too much for him, he said, to rule these people. Would you give me wisdom? See, that's the payoff of the proverbs. That there is a way to live in this world that will bless you, and it'll build up those people around you that matter most to you. And there's a foolish way to live in this world that will curse you. And it'll bring down those people that are around you. That's the path of wisdom and the path of folly. And what we see in 9, and what you just heard is not just a path. It's a scene that shifts from being on a path to two homes on each side of the path. And the hostess of one has built this house, and the hostess of the other has built her house. And when they call out to you, they both make it sound attractive. And you're the simple, you're the naive who stands in between the unlearned. The one that the Proverbs speaks of, the naive, the one who has an open mind and says, you know, they look the same and they sound the same. But what's the difference? When I can't see how the outcome is going to be, how can I discern it? That's this final lesson Solomon has to his son here for us today. And it's responding to Wisdom's call that doesn't just reveal our hearts in the way we respond to it, but it actually reveals your destiny, as in your destination, where you will end up. God promises you is in direct correspondence to your willingness to heed wisdom's call. That's what's at stake. So how does this chapter break out? If we're going to get what we need to get out of it.
First we're going to look at the call of the two hosts or hostesses, I should say. And, they're divided out 1 to 6, you might have noticed is Lady Wisdom and 13 to 18 is Dame Folly. And then in the middle is this lesson. And so for us to walk through it isn't going to necessarily just be we start from beginning to end. I actually want to open up chapter 9, kind of one of those children's books, the pop-up books. I mean, that's really the picture he gives here. He bookends this chapter at the end of this opening prologue. Nine chapters of lessons for his son to learn this last chapter. It's like that pop-up book and imagine it's a scene in a story, and there's a road down the middle and you're on it. And on each side of the page are these two beautiful homes with beautiful women sitting outside. Pretend you're the prince and you're having to make your decision of which princess to choose. Maybe, uh, Little Mermaid, like, you know, Ariel. And then Ursula, who transforms herself into a beautiful young woman, and this Prince Eric has to decide and by appearances alone, what's he going to do? By appearances alone, by the call alone of these two women bookending this chapter, how can you know the difference? And you're standing in the middle. And Solomon has said, let me paint you the picture of the scene of these two homes you're going to live in that you're going to be a patron of. You're going to be tempted to go to one or the other throughout your life, son. And I want you to know what's really inside those houses. And then I'll give you down the spine of this pop-up book. I'll give you the lesson in the middle. So let's start with the two homes, the two hostesses, the two calls. First Lady wisdom has built her house. And notice the industry of this woman. It's pointing forward to Proverbs 31. A real woman that we know well in this book that is industrious, that does all of this work. You get it in short form here in picture form. Listen to the industry. She's built her house. She's hewn out her seven pillars, which is representative of completion. Perfection. This is no small little shanty. This is a house that would catch your eye. Seven pillars. A number of completion. Like the seven days of God's creation. And throughout the Old Testament when seven is used, there is an idea of totality to it. She has spared no detail in this home. She has worked hard to build it. She has laid the foundation and hewn out the seven pillars. But she doesn't stop there. It's not just a home that's going to provide you stability and strength. It's inviting. Look at the detail and intentionality in verse 2. She has prepared her food. She has mixed her wine. She has set her table. Every last detail of this wonderful banquet she invites you to, to take a seat at has been thought through and worked hard at beforehand. That's who Lady Wisdom is, and that's what wisdom is in the world. Nobody stumbles into wisdom. It is in Proverbs chapter 8, personified as someone who has been around since the beginning. Wisdom isn't a Johnny come lately who's just making it up as it goes along. Proverbs 8:22, the Lord possessed me wisdom at the beginning of his way, before his works of old, from everlasting I was established from the beginning, from the earliest times on earth. And now Solomon says, and that's what Lady Wisdom has built a beautiful house that took a lot of work. And now this wonderful meal she has prepared her food. That is a weak translation. It is...she has slaughtered her cattle in the Hebrew. Meaning, she had to go out and poke him. That's going to be a good one. Let's make some filets out of it. And she hacks the thing and drains it out and makes you this lavish meal. That's how much work it took. This wasn't a quick call to Bojangles on the fly. Though most of us would be like, what's wrong with Bojangles? I mean, it's a good meal. She's mixed her wine. Again, this isn't the last minute. I'm going to just run down to the ABC. No, she made it personally herself. Every last component of the wine. Mixed by her. Then she sets her table. It's a beautiful picture. There's organization to the last detail. But she doesn't just leave it at that. Makes this. Builds this home. Totality. Completion. Stability. Security. Invitation in comfort. Enjoyment. She sends out her maidens. She calls from the tops of the heights of the city. To be one who calls from the tops of the heights of a city. In this time is prestige. You've earned your right to be there. That's where the nobles are. It takes some work to get there. And she has achieved it. That's the house that wisdom builds. There is a cost to it. Remember this book. They look symmetrical, don't they?...these homes. Well, let's flip over to 13 and 14 and see how Dame Folly has built her home. Well, Dame Folly's invitation is, um, not so illustrious, is it? There's no indication of industry organization intentionality. The only thing Dame Folly is skilled at because the word wisdom in the book of Proverbs is a word for skill. The only thing she's skilled at is deception. Make it look and sound like the real thing. Highest form of flattery is what? Imitation. And this is all she has to offer. She's boisterous. Which has been the way that Solomon has warned his son from Proverbs 1 through 7 about the adulterous woman. She's boisterous. She's loud. She calls out to you. Sounds inviting, seems nice. Lures you in. And so this woman appears again. She's boisterous. She's naive. So she's the naive calling to the naive. She hasn't learned anything. She doesn't know what life is really about. But you know what? At first glance, looks pretty good. Seems pretty nice. What's the difference? She knows nothing. She is completely ignorant when it comes to the things that matter. No indication there's any effort to prepare her home. Great effort to organize an invite. What does she do to get people to come in? Sits at the doorway of her house. When nobody comes then she finds a seat by the high places of the city. What's that about? Well, like I said, to earn your spot in the high places of the city to call out is this form of nobility to be in the chair of that would be to be considered the voice of wisdom in the town. And she is so good at her deception, somehow she weasels her way into this seat in the highest place of the city. No wonder these naive simpletons are going to be suckers. She looks like the real thing. So we see the difference already between the two homes by the person on the inside, and how hard it is to build a house of wisdom. The effort it takes and how cheap of an imitation the other one could be. But notice the similarity. Verse 4 and verse 16...word for word. Whoever is naive, let him turn in here to him who lacks understanding. They both call out. What Solomon showing there? He's showing that though there is a great difference between these two hostesses and their homes, to the naive simpleton passing by, even in verse 15, one who's trying to make his path straight. You know, this is evocative of this young, naive man who he's actually trying to get somewhere. But he doesn't know what he needs to know yet to decide between which voice should I listen to? Because they're saying the same exact thing. They're both telling me I should come in and dine with them. Whoever's naive wisdom calls out, turn in here. Why? Because wisdom wants to bless you, wants to protect you, and wants to do good to you. But folly says whoever is naive turn in here and it wants to curse you, and it wants to ruin you, but it's going to deceive you. Young person, naive, simple...those aren't insults in the Bible, by the way. The naive in Proverbs is a figure of speech for a field with no fences...open boundaries...open minds. So what is extolled in our culture today? Be open minded, you know. Let your kids decide. Don't influence them, right? I mean, isn't that the cardinal virtue today?...open mindedness. Whereas in the book of Proverbs, closed mindedness is the virtue. But you can't do it for yourself. You need someone's help from the outside. You need someone to tell you, listen, you need to put up some fences there. Because beyond that pathway is danger. And you don't know it, but it's there. Just like when you have kids and you say, honey, great new house, first thing we need to do is what? Put up a fence in the yard. Why? Because our kid will run into the street, or our dog will run away. In the house. let's put up a gate so the kid doesn't fall down the stairs. Let's put those things in all the plugs so they don't zap themselves. You know, we're so eager and adamant to protect our kids physical well-being, but do we have that same approach, parents, to say it's not going to be a virtue for my kid to be open minded, I need to close it down with the truth of the Word of God so that they are protected from lies and can identify what the truth is. And long after they're with me, they'll be able to discern. And when you pass the buck on that, you have failed your child at the most foundational level. If you've bought the lie that it's your job to keep them open minded, let them explore. Let them experiment. Doesn't mean you become a hover parent helicopter. They can't go anywhere. Do anything. I'm tracking them 24 over seven. It's saying the thing that you are foundationally to do, mom and dad, raise your kid in the fear and instruction of the Lord. Period. You fail there, you fail. You may not be good at a lot of other things. You may not raise an MLB first round pick, a Nobel Prize winner, whatever. But you can raise a kid in the fear of the Lord. You can admonish them and instruct them and correct them so that they will be prepared for this moment that Solomon is making this very clear picture of the moment of both of these things are sounding the same seeming attractive. Which should I listen to? Well, you got to know what the invitation is about. Let's look at the differences. Lady wisdom, verse 5 says, come eat of my food and drink of the wine I have mixed. Forsake your folly and live and proceed in the way of understanding. Ah, so wisdom is going to call out and say, come, I have prepared all this for you. Come and eat of my food and drink of the wine I have mixed. This is a banquet, a feast of glory. But it's going to cost you. Right there in verse 6, it's going to cost you your own self-assuredness that you can figure out life on your own. You're going to ignore the description of every kid that comes into this world, no matter from what family, what background, you know, you flip that toy over, you buy for your kid made in China. You flip over the baby that God has blessed you with, made in folly, conceived in sin, sinner by nature, every single one of them. And the only way to get out of that is verse 6 to the naive. You need to forsake your folly. What does forsake mean? Completely abandon ship. Turn the other way. Go the other way. It's repentance. I don't know everything there is already out there and I need to turn. But look what the benefit is. You sell out, go all in, come into this home, you'll live and you'll proceed in the way of understanding. There is an eternal destiny that changes and there is an earthly prosperity. Sounds pretty good. Son, will you take it? Let me show you the alternative. Dame Folly says. Here's her allurement. Remember, she's only skilled at one thing...seduction, deception. The imitation of the real thing. Stolen water, sweet. How do you steal water? Why would he pick that picture? Well, I think what he's trying to drive home is. Look, you know, what Folly, all it really offers you is just the enticement of doing something illicit. Right? You may not even love the sin it's calling you out to do. It's just the fact that you want to do the sin. Have you ever heard of Augustine, one of the early church fathers? In his confessions he talks about he was young and would steal pears from a neighbor's orchard, and he looks back and reflects on it after he's come to Christ and says, you know, I didn't even like the pear. I just wanted to steal something for the sake of stealing. That's the folly that's bound up in the heart of a child from the get. I mean, beyond just them saying, oh, I wondered, why did you do that? Sometimes they say, because so-and-so did this and that. Sometimes they say, you know, the parents. Why did you do that? I don't know, sometimes they just sin for the sake of sinning. And that's the allurement Dame Folly tries to come on just sin for the sake of sinning. There's going to be no consequence. Bread eaten in secret is pleasant. You won't get caught. Look at verse 18. But the naive does not know that the dead are there, and her guests are in the depths of Sheol. There's no cost to come in to Dame Folly’s house, but there's certainly one on the back end. She will charge you nothing to enter her house because it cost her nothing. But she will take your life. And there's nobody in the depths of Sheol to warn you of it, because they don't come back out. That's the end. That's the end game. That's where this all leads. The enticement of both...one leads to eternal life and earthly prosperity. One leads to eternal destruction and making a ruin of your life now. Lady Wisdom will require everything of you upfront, but cost you nothing in the end, Dame Folly will require of you nothing now, and take everything from you at the end. And that's why the simple fall for it. The path of what?...least resistance, most enticement, instant gratification. Everything the world wants to give you. That's why James 4 could say, friendship with the world is enmity towards God. You want what the world offers. You want the quick fix. You want the cheap out. You want the temporary passing pleasure of sin. You'll get it. But like a spider that catches you in its web, the moment you get in, it comes out and pulls you in and you're done. And Solomon paints this picture of these two homes and hostesses, and a place that will either be a banquet to God's glory and your good, or a banquet in the grave, and he wants you to sit there shocked. He wants you to see it in clear terms, HD. And he wants you to say right now, how can I avoid ending up in the one? And how could I find my way? Cut through all the misinformation and the lies and in the long game end up in the House of wisdom, because it's never just a one-time thing. The life of folly and the life of wisdom is not just, okay, I've reached my destination. I'm there. I'll never be. No life is the path in Proverbs. But there's places to stop along the way. Voices calling out turn in here, turn in here! And so Solomon wants his son to be sitting here. Say, dad, now explain to me the moral of the story. How do I ensure I pick the right house? You've told me the invitations. You've told me the destinations. Give me the wisdom I need to know to divide it out. Well, that's why he puts 7 to 12 in the middle. You've seen the picture. Now let's get to the point.
Point number two. Today we've heard the two calls. Now the two responses. And this is what has to do with societal discipline. The response of these two hearts has everything to do with how we respond to correction in our life. And now he's going to give you the naive or the simple, revealing their heart by the way they respond to correction, to instruction and to discipline. So he first lays out the picture of a new person, the scoffer. This is what the naive has turned into when he turns into the House of folly. This is why he ended up there. This is what his heart was like, and he describes it in a cascade of stupidity. Verse 7, he who corrects a scoffer this is how this person responds. This is what tells on them. He who corrects a scoffer gets dishonor for himself. The first thing this ignorant, naive person does that lands him in Dame Folly's house to destruction is when you try to correct them, they ignore you, Verse 7a. And then he goes on to say, if that weren't bad enough, he who reproves a wicked man gets insults for himself or even the ESV. Your translation, I think, says might incur injury. So it moves from...they'll just flat out ignore your advice to they may insult you or even injure you in return. I mean, you ever get popped in the nose for giving somebody advice or rebuking them? Thankfully I haven't. But this is what's in the heart of the scoffer. And then it tells you why. Why are they so averse to this? Because of their heart. If you reprove a scoffer, he will hate you. And there it is. The descending order from I'm going to ignore you to I'll insult you in return to I hate you for trying to tell me how to live my life. And just like he did with the story of these two homes, then he, in a sense, takes this scoffer and turns him inside out and says, on the other hand, let me tell you about the opposite person that's going to end up in the House of wisdom. And let me show you how they respond to instruction. Second part of verse 8. If you reprove or rebuke a wise man, he will love you. Do you see the direct opposite to the beginning of verse 8? The one hates you, the other loves you. Why? The one's a scoffer. The one's wise. And then verse 9. Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser. Wisdom and being wise is a word for skillful living. Skillful living...I'm going to receive instruction, not try to punch you in the face for giving it to me, which is the opposite of the second thing the scoffer does. And then lastly, verse 9, teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning. What would be the opposite of a righteous man who wants to increase in learning? The beginning of verse 7. When you try to correct a scoffer, they ignore you, they dishonor you. You see how he just matches these things up? Solomon just wants to show you the great divide. At the very heart of a wise person you're loved, appreciated, valued, esteemed, adored. And then he contrasts that. And then with the Scoffer you're hated, you're despised. You want to live wise or you want to go around fighting everyone? That's the contrast. You want to grow in knowledge? Or do you want to harden in your own self perceived wisdom, which is another word for your ignorance? Which one do you want to be? Because they're right there next to each other to see. And it all hinges on are you teachable or unteachable? So Solomon has us sitting on the road with him. Which house are you going to end up in? Pivots on what you do with what I'm teaching you right now. Where are you in the story? That's where we start with the plank in our own eye before we look for the splinter in someone else's today. There's more that Proverbs says about the scoffer. And so at this point, I just was studying this week and thought maybe what would help is if we unpacked the scoffer a little bit more. One to say, create in me a clean heart, Oh, God. If there's any way I don't want to end up like the scoffer, do you? Trapped in a house that goes to Sheol. Because I didn't take the warning signs along the way. SoI did a little study of the scoffer this week and came up...since I know you love lists. Everybody told me last week. man, those ten marks. Adam, can you give us more lists. So I came up with six marks of a scoffer. So when you read about this person, you can be warned of those tendencies in your own heart and also to help you minister to people around you. So here's six marks of a scoffer to watch out for in myself or in others, but always in that order, right? Deal with my own heart, first, take the plank of my own eye so that I can help to take the splinter out of somebody else's.
So, mark, number one of a scoffer in the book of Proverbs, outside of this morality play in chapter nine is this. First mark of a scoffer. It's probably the easiest one to recognize, both in ourselves and other people is scoffers are opposed to seek wise counsel. Proverbs 15:12 A scoffer does not love one who reproves him. He will not go to the wise. That's entry level scoffing. Scoffers are opposed to seek on their own wise counsel. They will not go to the wise. A scoffer is known by his reputation to know everything already. So they don't need to go to anyone else to ask advice. Because they, What? They know everything. So if you're wondering if you or someone else is a scoffer, maybe just start scoffing 101. When's the last time I took the initiative to seek someone else's counsel for things of eternal matters?...My soul. The path I'm on. Not to say you shouldn't get advice, kids. You know, asking mom and dad. You know, what classes should I sign up for next semester? Like we talked about last week, what are some good schedules habits, routines? Like I'm not dismissing that stuff. And you know that's a good just to say this. It's a good indicator of teachability. If young person or older person, you are inclined to just want to ask people like, hey, can you help me out, figure my car, my house, this thing's broken. I can't get it to start. Rather than like, I can just always do this on my own. So number one, scoffers are opposed to seek out wise counsel.
Number two, scoffers don't listen when wise counsel is given. Proverbs 13:1, a wise son accepts his father's discipline, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke. Scoffers don't listen when wise counsel is given. A scoffer does not listen to rebuke. They resist reform. They reject advice. Back to Proverbs 12:1 last week. If you hate reproof, you are a beast. A brute is what Solomon said, because there's just no long game in mind. It's just instant gratification. And if you give me counsel, that stops me on the path to get the thing I want right now, right here, I respond like an animal would if it did the trick you told it was going to do, and then you say, no, I'm going to give you it tomorrow and they bite you...probably not. But notice the contrast in Proverbs 13:1, A wise son accepts his father's discipline. There's not just an acceptance of the discipline and instruction. There's an underlying respect for the authority. Whereas a fool, a scoffer has no respect for authority. I mean, parents, that's why you're called to discipline your kids from an early age. You're teaching them authority. You're teaching them authority from a very young age by the rod of discipline that comes from you, the person that they can see as an authority, because eventually you're trying to work yourself out of that job. You're actually every time you're disciplining them with the rod, telling them, listen, I want to teach you that sin has a consequence and it's painful. And I'm teaching you as an earthly authority. But God is your heavenly authority, and his discipline far exceeds mine, both in its loving intent and perfect administration, but also the permanence of it if you don't learn to correct your ways. And you need to correct your ways by the grace of mercy of God in Jesus Christ, and there you're at the gospel with this young person you're disciplining...your child. Parents sometimes ask, how do I present the gospel to my kid? I've never once sat with my child and presented the gospel through the Roman road. Hey four year old in whatever or you ever sin, you ever lie. Give him the ten commandments. I can't count how many times with five kids under the age of 12, I've had a chance to give them the gospel through discipline. Because that's the only way out for them. They have to come to the point they see the wickedness in their heart, and the only thing that can change it is not their dad and a rod. It's a Father in heaven who sent his Son, and how beautiful it is to present the gospel there. It will work. It will getin there. They'll see it. They'll see this guy's a temporary person in my life, but God is forever. And my heavenly Father, I need to listen to him. And that's why you do it. But scoffers don't listen when wise counsel is given. And that starts from the earliest age. What can it lead to?
Third mark of a scoffer...scoffers actually enjoy mocking wise counsel. Back to Proverbs 1. When Lady Wisdom first calls out in the streets and she says. Proverbs 1:22 how long, O naive, will you love being simple minded and scoffers delight themselves in scoffing. Scoffers are known to make a mockery of counsel they receive. It's out of ignorance they mock because God's wisdom is foreign to their free thinking, their open mind. So they mock it. But they're mocking what they are what?...ignorant of. They don't understand it. I mean, how many times have you been frustrated with the person who says, you know the Bible? And immediately when you hear that tone, you're like, oh, jeez, you know, Jesus was really about. And you're like, you don't understand the Bible or Jesus. And so they go on to scoff at some truth you're trying to invest in their life because they think they know better than you, and ultimately they think they know more than God. So a scoffer will mock wise counsel. So these first three are pretty, I think, easy to see.
Number four, scoffers will only seek wisdom to appear as if wise. This one you got to put a little thought into. Maybe take a little longer on this one. Scoffers will only seek wisdom to appear as if they're wise. Proverbs 14:6, a scoffer seeks wisdom in vain. But knowledge is easy for a man of understanding. Sothis is a pretty plain verse. That's what Proverbs tend to be. They're plain, but they make you stop and think for a little bit. And this one made me think the most this week because I read this and I go, well, a scoffer seeks wisdom in vain over here. And then how the proverbs work...there's always an antithesis. So if the scoffer seeks wisdom in vain, the wise man of understanding knowledge actually comes easy. So is it saying that this scoffer actually is sincere in seeking wisdom, but because they've just made such a life of rejecting it, closing their heart and ears towards it, even when they appear to want it, it's going to elude them. Could it be that? It could be, but it's such a plain verse, or it could just be that they will appear to want wisdom, but it's a it's a superficial thing. It's like in 2 Corinthians 7 when a person has worldly sorrow, not godly sorrow for their sin, they're just mad they got caught. And so they're willing to kind of. Oh, right. Tell me what I need to know and know and maybe even put on a show of repentance. But they don't really want to change. They're just kind of grinning and bearing it. I don't know. I wouldn't place all my money on either side of this. Is this scoffer seeking wisdom in vain because they've shut themselves off to it so much that even when they want to seek it, they can't find it. Or is it just all a facade? They just want to appear as if they're wise. I mean, we can admit both happen, right? You do know the person that sometimes just pretends because they got caught and they're temporarily sad? Um, but here's that first one I mentioned. The person that maybe they've for so long, mocked at wisdom and scoffed at it, then when the time finally comes that they're in a hard place, a really hard place, when they call out for it, they can't find it. Like Jesus said about the Pharisees, You know they have ears, but they can't hear. And they have eyes, but they can't see. And I say this because Proverbs 1, we were there already, right after Lady Wisdom says, how long will you delight in being simple and scoffers delight in scoffing, and fools hate knowledge. And here's the timer. The timer starts. You have an opportunity. You have a window. Turn to my reproof now. I will pour out my spirit on you. I'll make my words known to you. So the clock is ticking for the scoffer. And this Scoffer thinks they have. You know everything's good, right? I'm with my friends. We're going to ambush somebody. We're going to gain by violence. Like everything that Proverbs one already warned about. We're going to have our fill of fun. And she says, I called to you and you refused. I stretched out my hand, and none of you scoffers paid attention. You neglected all my counsel. You did not want my reproof. So time is up. I will laugh at your calamity. I will mock when your dread comes and your dread will come like a storm. Your calamity will come like a whirlwind. Meaning once it's there, it's too late. When distress and anguish come upon you then they will call on me, the scoffers. But I will not answer. They'll remain in an echo chamber of their own ignorance, because that's the path they've always picked. They call out and there's no response. They can't hear. Why? Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord. I would hate for that to be anybody in here. But you might be. There is the scoffer that seeks wisdom in vain. I don't know the motivation of a lot of you that come, especially if I've never met you. But here you are. And, um, this text was for you today. The clock is still ticking. And if something in your heart is telling you, that's me. I have mocked and scoffed and rejected and at times behind that person's back that tried to counsel me, laughed at them and slandered them. But here God is today, revealing your heart to you, and he's giving you a way out. Forsake your folly and live and proceed in the way of understanding. The way out is Christ. The way out is realizing wisdom has so far eluded you. And yet you sit here thinking you've had it all the time, and now the blinders are coming off and you're going look at the mess I've made. Look at the path I've been on. But look at the grace of God that his mercy hasn't run out as long as there's still time. Time might still be your friend rather than your enemy here. There's a parable in Matthew 25 of ten virgins who are like in Proverbs 9 servants, maidens, and five of them were prepared and five weren't. And when the master comes back, the ones that weren't prepared, they get locked out and it's too late. But it's not too late for you today because you're here and you're hearing the Word of God, and it's reading your life right in front of you just by revealing teachability something that seems so simple, so mundane, right? Because simple people the call is to just don't turn into folly, but turn to wisdom. Jesus is the wisdom of God. So whatever you think you've been chasing and trying to figure out on your own, you found it in Christ today. But will you heed his call to forsake your folly and turn to him and live? I pray you would.
Number 5 on the Scoffer list is at heart, they're the most arrogant people that exist. Not my words. Proverbs 21:24 describes the scoffer, not just describes...defines them. It's the only definition we get. Scoffers at heart are the most arrogant people that exist. Proverbs 21:24, Scoffer is the name of the arrogant, a haughty man who acts with arrogant pride. I mean, just that phrase alone is like a triple decker, right? The Scoffer is a haughty man who acts with arrogant pride. That's why I say it's not. I'm not embellishing to say scoffers at heart are the most arrogant people that exist, because Solomon has stacked up his words here. Haughty man who acts. It's not just on the inside, it's on the outside. And when it's on the outside, they're doubling down. It's not just they're prideful. They're arrogantly prideful. Does anybody want to be that person? No. But this is the scoffer. Egotistical, conceited, haughty, big headed, overconfident, narcissistic, you name it, he is it. He won't seek wisdom. He can't take wisdom. He can't find wisdom because in his own eyes. And here is the heart of his problem. He is wisdom. He is wisdom. That's why the Proverbs can say there's more hope for a fool than a man who is wise in his own eyes. Because if you think you're the source and fount of wisdom, and it's just all in you, you know, higher creation, you are reasonable and maybe you're more lost than a fool, Proverbs would say. You're the fool that's kind of tripping himself up along the path...the naive. You may have a really high IQ and a prestigious job, and you've worked it up. But if you're wise in your own eyes, you're worse off than the fool.
Number 6, last one. How to know a Scoffer when you see one. Scoffers will eventually find themselves rejected by those around them. Proverbs 24:9, scoffers will eventually find themselves rejected by those around them. The devising of folly is sin, and the scoffer is an abomination to men. It basically just says, look, this person's going to eventually look around themself in life one day and be in a lot of isolation, because the way that they act, the ignorance they act in, the scoffing towards rebuke, the rejection of any council. Eventually, even the people that love you the most will...you become an abomination as in what they stand for, you know, you're not just argumentative towards them. You insult them. You injure them. Eventually you will be by yourself. That's one of the built in consequences that we're going to see in verse 12. If you scoff, you alone will bear it. Eventually you will isolate yourself because the people around you will have enough. So that's the six marks of a scoffer that the Proverbs gives you.
The last thing I want to answer is how can I deal with them? How to deal with the scoffer. Came up with an acronym called C.A.L.L. on Proverbs.
C stands for Create Appropriate boundaries with scoffers. Proverbs 22:10 says, drive out the Scoffer and contention will go out. Even strife and dishonor will cease. So God gives a way out. If you recognize now we're moving from planks out of my own eye. Hopefully after those last six...splinter, I see someone else correctly. Walk like a duck. Talk like a duck. Must be a duck. So the first thing the proverb says is drive out the scoffer and the contention will go out. If you keep letting a scoffer who is a scoffer habitually characterized by this run and ruin your life, but you've never tried applying Proverbs 22:10. It's on you, not their sin, their sins on them, but you allowing that person to just wreak havoc in your life and you think you're going to turn them around. As the phrase, you know, when someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time. I didn't know where that came from, so I googled it this week and lo and behold, it's Oprah Winfrey hanging out with Maya Angelou in their jammies, talking about their problems in life. It was awesome, actually, because my Angelou just turns and goes Oprah, when someone shows you who they are, believe them. And Oprah is like. Ahhh, you know, so take that one for what it's worth. But it made me think about this. If somebody shows youthey're a Scoffer believe them. But the action you would take is create some appropriate boundaries. I had somebody come up in between services and say, I just experienced that over Christmas. And it was sad. A lovely family prodigal comes home at the holidays and just wreaked havoc, and they actually had to ask him to leave because there was so much contention, strife and dishonor and it pained them. And it's been weeks of crying because it hurts to do that when you love the person. But the contention is not going to go out. And if you're dealing with a scoffer, that's the advice here.
Avoid any prolonged company with the scoffer as far as it depends on you. Psalm 1:1, how blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, stand in the path of sinners, sit in the seat of scoffers. You know, sometimes you have to be in the company of a scoffer, a classmate, a coworker, a teammate. But as the saying goes, you know, you lay down with dogs, you wake up with fleas. If you're kind of just willing to linger around a scoffer more than you need to. Psalm 1 would say, don't do that. Don't sit in the seat with them. It's going to rub off on you. Avoid prolonged company with them. Parents, teach your kids to identify the scoffer at a young age in school, on a team. That young scoffer will eventually be more influential than you if you're not careful. Because it'll be enticing to your young person in your home. They'll think that kid's cool for getting in trouble in class. You've been a kid. You remember it. You know, the troublemaker. He kind of. There was something that you're like, as long as he's not making trouble for me, but other people, I'm kind of enticed by him. And you're called to actually when you're hearing your kid allude to how this kid behaves, but they're kind of strangely attracted. You got to shut that down. That's your job. They may not like it, but it's your job. Because what you teach them to do about making friends at a very young age will carry over until the most important friend they make, who they want to marry. And then suddenly you're going to flip on the switch and say, you know, you should be really, where were you the last ten years? Not teaching them how to make friends and what type of friends to avoid. It's built in. It's your job.
Let the scoffer know God will not be mocked. C.A.L.L., number three. Let the Scoffer know God will not be mocked, but he can save them. Proverbs 3:34. Though God scoffs at the scoffers, yet he gives grace to the afflicted. There's the hope of the gospel for the scoffer in your life. God will scoff at the scoffers. He won't be mocked. Galatians says, right? God will not be mocked. We will reap what we sow. But right there in that same verse, Proverbs 3:34 says, yet he gives grace to the afflicted. Yet to the humble he shows favor. So you can give the scoffer in your life the gospel. You can, because there's a chance. Time's not up.
Love them by praying for them to repent and fear God. The fourth or the fourth letter of call. Love them by praying for them to repent and fear God. And this takes us to 10 to 12. It's right there. How do you love them by praying for them? You pray this for them that they would know the fear of the Lord, the beginning of wisdom. After you've told them that they can be saved. Love them by praying for them to repent, to know the fear of the Lord and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Jesus was identified in the Gospels as who?...the Holy One of God right there in Proverbs, and there's an eternal destiny that's shaped by this, but there's also earthly benefit. Look at 11 and 12. For by me, if you gain wisdom, if you live in the house of wisdom, your days will be multiplied, years of life be added to you. You can tell a person without trying to feel like you're some prosperity preacher. Listen, your life's in a ditch. You've been making the bad choices that are just sending you down to, you know, problem after problem. It's not just your eternal destiny changes when you give your life to Christ, when you trust in him, when you forsake your folly to live. I don't know how many days are going to be multiplied or years God's going to add to add to your life. But I promise you this. It's in the Bible, and there'll be more than if you don't, right? I mean, if you if you know a scoffer who's making bad decisions, jeopardizing their own health and well-being, there's a good chance that might come back around on them and end their life. We don't say that with any a note of gloating or anything. We're just saying that's the fact of life. And the proverb is saying, listen, it's not just eternal destiny, it's earthly prosperity. Last one, verse 12. And if you're wise, you're wise for yourself. It comes down to you. This isn't a decision someone else can make for you. If you're wise, you're wise for yourself. You'll get those blessings and benefits. But if you scoff, you alone will bear it. Your destiny is determined by what you do with the Holy One of God, and the quantity and quality of your life is determined by choices of wisdom that follow.
Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your word this morning. Thank you for its clarity and power. Thank you that it just paints the paths in life very clearly, which we need, because we can easily think there's a lot of gray and fog. And Lord, you just clarify it so well for us. Two houses, two hostesses, two paths, two destinies. One choice. Forsake your folly and live. Lord, I just pray for the person in here that realizes they're the fool. They're the scoffer. But yet sees that there's mercy in you right now. And that they would come to you. And I pray for the rest of us who know you, Christ, as our Lord and Savior, the Holy One of God. But they're still folly bound up in us somewhere, some resistance to being teachable, to seeking counsel that we just repent of and give that to you so that we can live a life pleasing to you for your glory we pray. Amen.
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Turn in your Bibles to Proverbs chapter 12. We're going to start a mini-series for a few weeks on the subject...the matter of discipline. And in fact, a sweet Saint this morning just came up and saw as we emailed different, groups who serve here in advance what the sermon title/topic is for the week. And they saw it and they're like, you are in teacher mode. You've got ten things for us today. Indeed I do, only because a few weeks ago, when Lorin Bilhorn was preaching, one of the aspiring elders, he had like a 10 or 11 point sermon when I was out of town and I felt threatened that I've been going too easy on you guys with three point sermons, all you Baptists. And, you know, I needed to turn it up...my first sermon back. So here we go...ten things today. But, we're going to talk about the subject of discipline, not church discipline, just the broader subject matter of thinking about discipline in the Christian life, because I thought there could be no better way to discourage us all as we start a new year together. That's how I roll. This does come on the heels of just a wonderful two weeks of I was here for Kyle getting to preach. And then on the road when Kurtis was preaching last Sunday, coming back from up north. But both of those sermons were encouraging in their own right. Kyle's in particular, in 2 Peter chapter 1. If you missed it, I encourage you to go back and listen to be encouraged. Because his passion was evident in that sermon for you to pursue Christ and to know him more, and how that comes by means of growing in the strength that he provides, and the great goal for which our life exists, which is to know him more. And that was a great inspirational motivational sermon, because it does reset our thinking of what we're on planet Earth for, and it is to know Christ. And then Kurtis came in last week and came out of the gates with a means to that grace of knowing Christ more, which is being in the Word of God. And that was really the thrust of his sermon, the various ways in which we get access to the means of grace through the Word of God, the Word of Christ in our lives, and enhancing that. And so I was been thinking on those two things and just was on my heart then to say, you know, that that those are the great motivations and as in the great motivation is to know Christ more, as we heard a few weeks ago. And then, you know, you access that by okay, we know Word and prayer and fellowship get us there. But I'm coming at this from the same goal and motivation to know Christ as we start the new year together. But I guess to come at it from a different angle, which is what are the things that impede that. And that's why I say maybe this is a great, discouraging series, because a lack of discipline in our lives will impede or inhibit our progress in the faith. And it may not be that we lack motivation necessarily. We can all, as children of God and wanting to glorify God and live for Christ say like, yeah, I get that's my motivation. And I know that I need to be in the Word of God to do it. And sometimes those aren't the pieces that aren't in place. It's the thousand little things that we don't...I shouldn't say worry about, but pay attention to. The disciplines of life that actually can hold us back from achieving that great end is that we don't kind of take a circumspect view of our life and say, what are all those little things that add up to big hindrances? I guess Hebrews 12 would come to mind. You know those things that easily entangle us, that aren't always necessarily in the category of sin, but through a lack of discipline, they can lead to sin, for sure, or they can just slow us down in the race. And so what I'm getting at today, if you even want to just think about, Philippians 3:13 and 14, when Paul could say, brothers and sisters, I don't regard myself as laying hold of it yet, as in laying hold of Christ Jesus perfectly. But one thing I do, and just pausing on that thought and saying, wait a second, Paul, if I know anything about your life, you're doing a lot of things all the time. You're planting churches, you're raising up elders, you're preaching the gospel, you're getting beat down for the faith. You don't stop. So you read that and go, really? Your life's about one thing. Or for him to say, "one thing, I do". Well, he's saying I just have one great goal in life, and we have that one great goal. Going back to what Kyle talked about in 2 Peter 1. He says one thing I do forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead. I press on toward THE goal for THE prize of THE upward call of God in Christ Jesus. See? So you can have that one goal in mind as you start this new year. And people could look at your life and see you doing a lot of different things. But what we're trying to do coming out of the gates in 2025, going back a few weeks, and then last week and now today is in talking about discipline to say, though, you have that one goal in mind, that one thing Paul is saying, I have one thing I do, even though I'm doing 100 other things, and you could see them in my life and you, you know, the churches knew of all of that which Paul was doing, but they were sure that it was all pointing in that same direction, which is to press on toward the goal of the call of Christ, to live for him, and let nothing get in your way of that. And so this series is not saying, hey, having that great motivation of living for Christ is not the most compelling thing to live for or what Kurtis talked about Word and prayer, daily devotions. I'm not saying those aren't important. Hopefully those pieces got in place the last two weeks for you. Now I want to do like, let's get into the weeds of some of the stuff that holds us back. And today we'll start with a lack of self discipline. And I just want for our text to think on a little bit. And Proverbs are designed to make us think so in Proverbs 12:1 it reads, "whoever loves discipline loves knowledge. But he who hates reproof is stupid". I mean, that's why I'm saying I have the gift of discouragement to start our year with like, hey, thanks, pastor. Your opening line to me today is don't be a dummy. Don't be stupid, don't be an ignoramus. But there is, you know, when you stop and let this one roll around on your tongue a little bit and savor the truth here, this antithesis between the positive...if you love discipline, you love knowledge. But if you hate being reproved and corrected, you're stupid. Just let that sit with you for a little bit here. There's a foundational piece to live by. Really, to understand your human nature versus your animal instinct. That's what he's juxtaposing here...us being created in the image of God. And yet, when we reject correction and discipline in our lives, we have resorted to animal instincts. If you see someone around you who embraces correction, instruction, reproof, again, all the things we love, don't we? The wise or the fool don't necessarily say like, oh, come on, I eat correction for breakfast. It's just there's an attitude the wise has toward it that knows there's some good that's going to come out of it. If you see someone who embraces correction, you're looking at someone, verse 12, who loves insight, growth and improvement. Really, this person wants to be all that God has designed them to be created in his image, a higher life form. On the other hand, one who hates reproof, who rejects it, who ignores instruction, who despises discipline, is....the English translation says stupid, but I don't like that. Because it misses what in the Hebrew word is is really there, which is this person is a brut. Because when we hear is stupid, we may import into that our understanding of stupid being a low IQ, right? If somebody calls you stupid, you tend to take offense because you think they're saying, I have a low IQ. It's about intelligence. And that's not what this is about. This isn't about your intelligence. This is about your foolishness. This is about you acting like a brute or an animal when someone tries to correct you. And again, proverbs are designed to make us think. So let that sit on you for a little bit. How am I like an animal when I hate reproof, despise discipline, ignore instruction? Well, you need to think no further than your pets. I'm going to tread on some thin ice here because I'm not a fan of pets. I'm not big on anything other than the creatures that are in my house currently. The ones I want there...the five that are belonging to me. There's other creatures that I try to keep out of my house having dominion. Shannon and I have owned a dog and it was not because we wanted the dog. We were tricked into the dog. The former senior pastor here just hoodwinked us. I was new in town and he asked me to watch the dog while they went on vacation. And then he never came and got the dog. And only having been employed one month here, back in the summer of 2011, I didn't feel I had the...I hadn't proven myself enough to say, take your dog.
So just, you know, for those of you who feel like I'm about to go off on pets here, you can close your ears because you'll be offended by this. But your pet, no matter how brilliant, is not smart. The only tricks you teach it are those that appeal to what?...instant gratification. It will lay down, it will jump, it will flip and it will talk if you give it the biscuit. But if you said Fido. Milo, we got a Milo, right? A family that has a new dog named Milo. Milo, I have a deal for you. You could have this one treat right now. Or you could have ten treats tomorrow if you will do this thing for me. So, are you in or out? And he's going to just look at you with the look of a pet...a Look at a dog. He just wants that biscuit. And it's true in all the animal kingdom. I mean, no, as far as I know, there are no animals who have left a manifesto to their progeny. Hey, dogs, here's how we can take over the world. Our masters, they're the fools. They'll do anything for us. They'll even treat us like humans. Here's what we need to do to rise up and take over the world. No, they haven't done it yet. See, I've offended some of you. I'm okay with that. I'm just talking about truth. And here he's saying that the person who doesn't want correction because of the long term game of it. Because if I listen to instruction and discipline and I love it, I want the knowledge of God in my life, I want to live for his glory. If I reject that, what I'm doing is I'm acting like a brute animal who has no idea what good could lie ahead if I just listen in and submit myself to this correction right now. So that's why I'm coming out of the gates with this is is just to get this idea that our attitude towards discipline and instruction and correction is what marks us off as a higher life form created in the image of God. Nothing to do with our intelligence, our IQ, because really smart people can do what?...really dumb things. Proving the point here. They can act like animals. They can not hold themselves back from the immediate temptation and instant gratification that's going to ruin their life. That has nothing to do with somebody's IQ level. That's why I don't like the word stupid. That was a long walk for a short drink of water, he agrees. But our attitude towards discipline, instruction, correction reveals more than just habits. It reveals our heart. It reveals our desires. It reveals our motives. The motive of...do I really want to live in a world knowing more of myself and knowing more of God? And because of that, I'll love the discipline that's going to teach me that. Or am I going to like that animal be rebuffed by it?...be as stubborn as a mule, right? I was going to try to come up with another one, but I don't know any other analogies...thick headed as a rhino. Do rhinos have thick heads, Jameson? He knows about animals. Matthew Henry, famous Christian dead Puritan, says this about this verse. "He that hates reproof is not only foolish, but brutish, like the mule that has no understanding. Or the ox that kicks against the goads. Those that desire to live in loose societies, where they may be under no check, that stifle the convictions of their own consciences, and count those as enemies that tell them the truth are the brutish here meant."
So, for the next few weeks, I want to look at the disciplines of a God-centered life. We're going to move from drawing a circle just around yourself this morning. This is just for you. This is not for you to think...the ten things that you wish the person next to you would do. That's not self-discipline. This is about self. This is about you being disciplined and applying these things. Not to say that hopefully the person next to you isn't listening to. And then next week we'll talk about societal discipline, which is a step outside, a slightly wider discipline, which is what do I do with people that are trying to instruct or correct me? And we'll talk about that next week. And then lastly, we'll look at in two weeks from now, sovereign discipline. And that's the hardest one to understand...the circumstances in my life that I am not loving as this alludes to, that I don't quite understand what God is up to right now. Why am I going through this? That would be God's sovereign discipline or chastening in our lives. And so I want to work from, I guess, the lesser to the greater. And the lesser today is a very simple ten point sermon on self-discipline. So if you find yourself in the weeds today, I want to help us get out of them. When I say that, I mean it's just these are small things, ten traits of a self-disciplined life that I think if we can clear some of this away, then we can get to the big thing which is...living for the glory of God, right? Living for all out for Christ, that these little things can get in our way if we don't pay attention to them. And just one caveat. I want you to know, and some of you who live closer to me see this. Um, some sermons are born out of when I choose a topic, what I'm actually trying to work on in my own life. So I'm not giving you this today as if you followed me around for the next week these ten things...I've got nailed down and thereby I can lord them over you. They're actually things I'm presently in the New Year starting working on myself. So work in progress here, as we all are. That said, let's jump in.
First...#1 of ten traits of a self-disciplined life. Number 1 is to start small. And I think of a verse like Luke 16:10. Jesus is telling a parable about a shrewd manager, and he is not commending sin. He is not saying, be this, be this, cheat, this guy who cancels debts. This parable he tells in Luke 16:10. What he is commending comes in verse 10, where Jesus says, he who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much. And he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. And in that Jesus teaches a very big lesson on discipleship with a principled word on stewardship. If you are going to be a faithful follower of Jesus and live for eternally valuable things, look around at the people who have nothing in eternity to live for. He's saying in this parable, look at the pagan. They at least try to be shrewd with their lives. More shrewd than a lot of you...disciples. And if you can't see the value in doing the small things well, how am I going to entrust you with something very large? And that's just this principle of starting small. What you're doing now, what you and I are doing right now with what we have, as little or as much as we have...the talents you have, what God has given you when it comes to giftedness, what he has given you when it comes to stewardship of finances or job. Whatever you're doing with it today, and sometimes in our prideful tendency, thinking we're just so bound for greater things that I'm just waiting around for the storehouses of heaven to open up and shower down on me and God saying no. Because actually, you have a lot around you right now you're not doing anything with. Why would I entrust you with more? It's just a simple idea Jesus brings out in Luke 16:10, faithful in a very little thing. Just take that in and roll that around in your mind. You who sit there and think you don't have much to be a steward of. Even a child in here today, a teenager who feels like you have no rights and responsibilities. No, you have been given much young person...the home that you're in, the parents that you've been given...that's a stewardship for you. And maybe you're getting in your teenage years and wish you would have way more freedoms. And you have to look at your life as a young person and say, what am I doing with what I have right now? The parents God gave me...am I taking and maximizing all I can from the wisdom they have to offer me? And so on and so forth. Wherever we are in life, no matter what age we're at, our tendency is to think small things are beneath us. That's why I mean the small things like the reading, the instructions on something. Loathed it growing up in school, I remember one time failing a test. It was a trick test. I remember my sixth grade teacher gave us because at the top where the instructions were, the last line was something about...and imagine this. I can't remember it today. But something about like, hey, actually, don't go and do any of the rest of the problems. Just go to the bottom and sign your name and turn it in right away. And that was the instruction to get the A. And of course I didn't read that. So I fill it all in and we all failed. It was it was like a start of a semester kind of thing, because we just want to blow by the simple and small things. But great things are built on small things. You don't look around and see anybody that achieves anything and does something great for God, and they just lucked into it. It just stumbled upon them. No, they got better one day at a time, one step at a time. That's happening in our home right now with instruments. We have attempted to move the needle in our home from sports, sports, sports to let's round them out with some, let's get a violin and we're getting there one note at a time...and a piano and a cajon. And it's something right now. But if I just expected Tchaikovsky to show up, you know, I paid for that violin. Come on, kid, get some skills. It's not going to happen. I've got to sit there and listen to the whatever sounds are being made and come in and be like, whoa, that was that was a violin. That wasn't a cat dying. Because it's one note at a time, one practice at a time. It's going to build and this is how life is. So, how about you right now? How's the small things in your life doing? I mean, even this sermon may be a good test. Maybe you came in expecting something super spiritual today, and you're like, I could have just listened to Tony Robbins this morning or Zig Ziglar. Adam, what happened to the expositor? Maybe it's this small thing, this practical sermon too little for you because you don't have small things to work on? You've got it all figured out. And maybe this is exactly what you needed. Point number one starting small.
Now, that's just the opening principle. Here's nine more things to actually zero that in. Number 2 make a schedule. Proverbs 21:5...second thing for a self-disciplined life. And again, this is just arranging the furniture in your life right now so that you can sit down and enjoy where you're at. Making a schedule, number two, Proverbs 21:5, the plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage. But everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty. Um, this diligent person, it's a word that meant a in its literal form a sharp cutting instrument like a thresher. This person, this diligent person, is associated with someone who's very sharp, not in a negative way, sharp tongue. But like when you say, oh man, that guy, that gal's got it all together. They are sharp. They're on top of it. That's a diligent person, someone who's on top of it. And this diligent person has what?...preceding that...a plan. It doesn't say the diligent have the advantage. It's that this diligent person has a plan. Diligent people have plans. And those plans help get them to where they want to be, their successes. The antithesis of this is the hasty in the second part of the verse. Everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty. Now the hasty person, interestingly enough, the hasty isn't equated with being lazy necessarily, because the hasty person who's trying to play catch up can appear to us on the outside as a very busy, busy, busy person, a hardworking guy. They had to stay late again, You know, I've learned a few things in the last 15 years of working, and it's that the guy that there's the latest isn't always the hardest worker, because he doesn't necessarily capitalize on the normal hours he's supposed to be working hard. And that's what this proverb is trying to teach. That when you're hasty, it's because maybe you came to work that day with no real plan of what, where your time was going to go and what you were going to do. And now all of a sudden, the urgency is here and you got to rush, rush, rush. So, if there is a word for the hasty person that's a hard worker, maybe it's that you're lazy in your planning. It's not that you're lazy in your work. You'll work hard, you'll stay late, you'll...but what are you doing in the hours actually allotted to your work? Are you diligent with them? Do you have a plan for where your time is going to go? Because it's not just the character quality in 21:5 that the Proverb is highlighting It's that the diligent person has a plan and back to making a schedule one way to start having a plan in your life is to start small by making a schedule. It's not hard. There's these things called calendars. And you can print them off...just type weekly calendar and Google will give you hundreds of options with all kinds of little things. You can have them in different categories. It can look very planner like, but it's not hard to make a calendar these days. You don't even have to pay for it. You go to Barnes and Nobles. My mom calls it that. She adds the s, and you go there and they want to charge you 30 bucks for a nice, fancy calendar. You can print this. You can get a piece of paper and a ruler and draw one. Sometimes that tactile thing really gets the brainwaves going. Whatever it is, you can do it. You can have a calendar with a schedule, young person, even if it's just wake up, put clothes on, go to school, come home, do homework. Ta da! You've got a plan. May I just recommend first start with...if you've never tried this before, write down the stuff you have to do, like waking up and going to bed and the stuff you have to do in between. The HAVE TO and include in that as Kurtis' sermon mentioned last week, reading my Bible, that's a have to. And then whatever blank space you see in the in between is what you want to do. And that's simply how I run my life. I just make a schedule for my week of what I have to do, and anything that's blank is called what do you want to do? It simplifies it. It takes the guesswork out. And listen, all of this is just for us to be more useful to God, who gives us a set number of days. Psalm 90:12, so teach us to number our days. That's a form of organization, isn't it? I've taken account of the days you have. It's not numbering your days. He couldn't be meaning teach me to number my days. As in, I know when I'm going to die. So I've got to...no, bobody knows that day. He's saying the days you have. Are you counting them? Valuing them. Teach us to number our days. So that we may present to you a heart of wisdom. That's back to loving knowledge in Proverbs 12:1. My heart of wisdom is evidenced in the schedule that I keep because I'm not taking for granted I get anything that I'm not going to give an account for every single small thing in a schedule. An old proverb says, don't squander the minutes, and the hours will take care of themselves. I thought about this this past weekend in knowing, looking ahead, that we were going to get hit with a blizzard, and all of you people were going to freak out and steal all the milk and bread, and my kids are going to starve. No, you didn't do that. I mean, we all made it here today. Congratulations. But, you know, knowing the snow was coming, I knew in my "want to" category I want to have some time Friday afternoon and afternoon and evening and Saturday to sled ride. If I didn't squander the minutes Monday to Thursday when I knew the snow was coming, then I didn't have to worry about the hours when my kids said, dad, could you come sled ride? And I didn't have to say, oh, you know what? I've got a few other things I still got to finish right now. That's awful, because kids want dad to go sled ride with them. We get snow once in a million years here, and I'd have been stuck writing this ten point sermon. But when your minutes are accounted for, then you have those hours to say, God, what can I do with these? I have some freedom. So starting small, what's your schedule look like? Is there an order to your life?
If you start right now thinking that through, here's point number 3. It's actually the largest amount of time that you have to give to something every day and it's sleeping. Point number 3 plan your rest. Psalm 4:8, in peace I will lie down and sleep for you alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety. When you start thinking about planning your rest and getting a schedule and even thinking about scheduling when you go to bed and when you rise, know that there's a theology underneath that. And the theology underneath that is right there in Psalm 4:8 that I can lie down and sleep in peace, because while I am sleeping, God is not. Isaiah 40:8 talks about that...our God does not slumber nor sleep. He does not become weary or tired. The everlasting God...you know, I always think of everlasting God in the realm of, you know, Alpha and Omega beginning to end. But this week, as I was thinking about why that connects to, he does not become weary or tired. He's the everlasting God and in that Everlastingness that beginning to endness he's never gone down in the in the battery life of God...1% in his power and his ability. He's just perfectly powerful all the time while I get my eight hours rest. Our tendency again is to think that sleep is beneath us and that this is a small thing. But really, the principle behind it is that if you can maximize the time you're resting, you can maximize the time you're doing what?...living. If you can really figure out how to get the most out of your sleep, then it gives you two thirds of the rest of your day to really get after it. So again, starting with small things. If you today say, you know what, I don't remember the last time I've tried to work on my sleep habits. Well, now's the time to think about that. Two dangers to fall into when it comes to sleep. One is the sluggard life, the sin of laziness. And those warnings are all over the Proverbs. You've heard them many a times. They're often accompanied with that phrase, a little folding of the hands to rest, a little sleep, a little slumber. Proverbs 6, how long will you lie down Oh, sluggard. Parents, you ever think of just walking into your kid's room and opening with that line like, rather than walk in like, come on, hurry up. We got to get to school or church. You know, just stand there and even in the darkness, don't even turn the light on. Just call out to your teenager. How long will you lie there, Oh, sluggard. I know that changes it up. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest. And here's the warning. Your poverty will come in like a vagabond. And your need like an armed man. What's he talking about? Like somebody jumping you in an alley, a dark alley. You don't see it coming. And he's saying if you have that sin of lethargy, laziness, just always hitting the snooze button, you'll never get out from behind it, and then something's going to happen that you weren't prepared for that day and you couldn't make that time up, and you're just working from behind the whole time. And eventually it'll catch up to you to a point. Proverbs is warning that end game is that poverty being in need will catch up to you. If you haven't honed the discipline of less sleep. And then the other side of that warning is the hyperactive not entrusting to the Lord your rest. You know, in some ways spurning the gift of sleep. If you just feel like, you know, I don't need it. I'm the Energizer bunny, you know. Listen to Psalm 127. It is in vain for you to rise up early, to retire late, to eat the bread of painful labors, because he gives to his beloved sleep. Do you realize if you think you're like Superman or Superwoman, I don't need as much sleep and I can just burn both ends of the candle? What you're doing there is you're spurning a gift God wants to give you, which is sleep. And he wants you to work hard in the time you're awake. But he says it's vain for you to keep going that hard. Um, because I want to give you a gift, and it's called rest. And it's called entrusting that I can run this planet, this universe, as I've been doing since the beginning, without your help for eight hours, I really can. So don't spurn the gift. Sleep is saying that, um. God, I trust you to whatever I think I need to stay up to do that it's okay. I can go to rest. D.A. Carson writing about this...he's a New Testament scholar, says...Sometimes the godliest thing you can do in the universe is to get a good night's sleep, not work all night, not pray all night, but go to bed. Enough said there...plan your rest.
Number 4. Keep your word. Ten traits of a self-disciplined life. Proverbs 22:1, Keep your word. A good name is more desirable than great wealth. Favor, better than silver and gold. Just two things. Again, I love the Proverbs because they just. We don't rush past them, but we let them. We let them roll around in our thinking. That's what they were designed for. And this isn't antithetical. This is synonymous parallelism. It's saying the same thing twice to really get it through to you. But there is one difference between the first part of Proverbs 22:1 and the second. In the first part, it's a good name, as in your reputation. And then in the second part, it's favor. It's not just your reputation, it's the way people are going to treat you based on how they see you. And both of those things are better than great wealth. How you build a good name and then how that builds favor with man. This proverb makes it clear, and we see it in life that you can obtain money without virtue, but you can't obtain a good reputation without it. And there's the great divide. There's the great difference. You don't need virtue to make a ton of money today. You could be a crook. You could be a cheat. And you could have no favor and no respect and no integrity amongst men. And Proverbs is saying all that wealth isn't worth as much as having what?...a good name, a reputation. I saw this in a weird place this past week. I was laid up, sick for a little bit and one of those kind that, even in wanting to read my brain, is just like, no. So, I'm going to violate a principle later on about, you know, entertainment. And I watched a game show, a new game show out there, the Beast games. And naming this isn't an endorsement. So that Mr. Beast guy, he's been on YouTube a while, he makes a ton of money, and he brought 1000 people in to win $5 million. I think the thing was. And so he just has all these ways to try to eliminate the contestants. And at one point, I forget how many people were left in the thing, but they were divided into teams of like 100 each or something. And they had been doing some competitions. And then he said, hey, I want you to pick a captain to come up here and who you think is the most trustworthy and will not sell you out for a large amount of money. And so each team picked their captain and they sent them up and behind on a screen, and they're standing up above all these people, and they're all in it for themselves. They're all wanting to win $5 million. So, you know, at the end of the day, it's greed that's still motivating. But...so these four captains are up there and he puts on a screen that every second it was going up, this amount of money was going up $2,000. And at any moment any of those four team captains could hit a button, take the money and run, their team would be eliminated, but they get to stay. But they just had given those teams their word that they wouldn't sell them out for any amount of money. And so, you know, the time's going up and you're watching, going, okay, 1000 bucks, 5000, 20,000. And I'm sitting there watching this going, you know, if this person's doing the math, I mean, the chances of them making it all the way to the end of this show and winning the 5 million are now down to one in 400, and now it's up to 100,000. And then it was up to 250,000, and then it was up to 500,000. And they start one guy, you know, they all were just like looking at and they didn't want to see the number. And then they kind of start to peek. And then it got up to a million bucks. And you're just sitting there going, man, these people that they just gave their word to, they've only known for a few days at most. And it was crazy. It was the reason that it intrigued me. I was like, this is a real social experiment. How much money was their word worth? And surprisingly enough, none of them did it. To which I was like, knucklehead, no, I'm kidding. But truthfully, they had just...these people were strangers 2 or 3 days earlier. I don't know how long the competition was going on. But I was watching this and thinking of that Proverbs 22:1 saying, and they interviewed each person afterwards and said, hey, I gave them my word I wouldn't hit the button. And so they didn't, even though they could have walked away $1 million richer and still been in the competition, while all the people that were mad at them would have been gone. Now, you might say and the rest of the people left over would also, I don't know, go after them with pitchforks and torches. I don't know, but either way, it was it was a picture of this. That what what are you worth? Keeping your word in the littlest thing. Because we said at the beginning, the small things lead up to the big things. And if you're sometimes groused and busted over, like, how come people don't trust me with big things? And maybe you've never been trusted with the small thing. Maybe you're the person that they know. You know, anytime I tell you even that small thing or you make that small promise, you break it. Why would I trust you with something very important?...very big. How can you grow in this? Let me give you three questions you could ask a loved one this week a spouse. Parents you could ask your kid this because we're pretty good at least I am. And I only know this because I say things that I forget and then my kids say, but dad, you said. And I'm like, okay, what year can we at least rein it in here? Was it four years ago I promised ice cream sandwiches, infinite amounts that you could just always draw from. I don't know. But here's three questions you could ask people close to you this week. Generally speaking, do I do what I say I'll do? And no comebacks. No qualifiers. Second, do I do it how I said it would be done. So not just am I doing the thing I said I would do? Do I do it exactly the way I said it was going to be done? And then third, do I do it when I said it'd be done by. And again, this is in small things. So husbands be ready for your wives to be like yeah, you know you get that project done. It's just been on back order for three years, but thanks for finishing it because it's the small thing. It's saying, hey, if I said I was going to get that done by that point in time, work on keeping my word.
Number 5 be on time. This relates to keeping your word, but it focuses more just on how you view time...particular other people's, not just yours. Proverbs 30:25 says the ants are not a strong people, but they do prepare their food in the summer. I just thought about that because again you're supposed to think
about those ants. They're timely...those ants are. They just keep to a structure. They know what work needs to get done when...they're on time. When it's time to work, they're working, and they operate on this innate sense of time. They're never behind, they're always ahead. And it makes me think about punctuality. And, you know, because those ants aren't just working hard, storing up stuff for themselves. It's a group effort. They're taking care of the whole crew by being about what they should be should be doing. So I think there's somewhat of a good picture of...we were in Philippians earlier. I'll turn back there...Chapter two, verses 3 and 4. Paul's arguing for unity in the church, and he says, "do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind, regard one another as more important than yourselves. Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others." Do you ever just get into the weeds of you being punctual with this verse, or is this verse reserved for really spiritual things? Or might you realize that when you're always showing up late for the meeting with that person, that you're not looking out for their interests above your own? If you struggle with being on time, I mean, the heart of it is you just think your time is more important than someone else's. And you know, they should just learn to adapt to your ways. But really, punctuality at its heart is about putting others preferences above yours. Because according to Philippians 2:3-4, as a Christian my time is no more important than yours. And if we all operated that way in that web of caring for others more than ourselves, I think we would all generally maybe not be as frustrated with the person that's always running late. And because it's just a hassle to keep telling that person, and most of us just eventually give up on it, or we eventually will write them off without probably telling them. But you just don't want to always be like, you know, I said I was going to disciple this person and they're not here. And you know, so think about being on time, because I think the theological lesson in it is it shows honor to God in redeeming the time he gives you and saying, I want to order my own little universe in a way that I can get to the place I need to be at when I'm supposed to be there by. And in some ways it's being created in God's image that you can order your own life just like God does with us. He's on time and everything happens in due season. It also shows honor to others in respecting the time they're giving to you, not just for the start of it, but also think about, again, if you're maybe you're the on time person, but do you honor the amount of time you said, as in you've kept that person longer than you might have led on to believe so that they can get to the next thing they need to get to. So again, back to point number four keeping your word. Point number five being on time. I think the only way to work on this and get the honest truth is to ask people around you, how am I at being on time? And again, I would say start in the home and then move into the church life. Life group leaders, you know, asking your people in your life group this question... life group members. Again, I'm sure your life group leader is loathe to be on top of you for showing up late for life group. I mean, the only one I'll not wade into is the person that just never leaves your life group and wants to hang out forever. I mean, because we love each other and there might be an exception to that rule, but, you know, just maybe be aware of that. So that's number five...be on time.
Number 6, clean up, clean up. Proverbs 24:30-32, I passed by the field of the sluggard and by the vineyard of the man lacking sense. And behold, it was completely overgrown with thistles. So it says at the end of this, in Proverbs 24:32...I passed by, I saw, I reflected on it, I looked, and I received instruction. You know, one thing to note from this is a wise man does pay attention and learn from the fool...the bad example of a fool. It commends us to look around and to look at people's lives, and not in judgment, but to learn a lesson from somebody's life who just seems to be in disarray. Note that when he says at the at the beginning of Proverbs 24:30, I passed by the field of the sluggard and by the vineyard of the man lacking sense. Notice the sluggard actually owns a field. The man lacking sense owns a vineyard. So this person the poverty hasn't come on them like a vagabond, yet jumping them in the alley. For whatever reason, this person inherits it, or they had it and they've let it go to pot. But either way, it's now covered with nettles and thistles and the walls broken down. And the Proverbs says, I stopped and reflected on it, and I looked and received instruction. And the instruction is about somebody that doesn't keep their stuff in good shape. Somebody that's not a good steward of the possessions they have. And I think you can note this, that it's rare that a really successful individual has a home office, car, whatever, in disarray. Maybe there could be the exception to the rule for the nutty professor, the disheveled genius who probably has enough money to pay somebody to run their life. But maybe the rest of us just have to get back to this idea of having a schedule and, um, you know, the things you have to do. Put those in and then in those gaps at times, even start this week. What's that spot in your house or wherever your car that you're like, yeah, I just don't have time to clean it up. You have time. You just need to organize your life and say, you know what, I'm going to give it 15 minutes tomorrow, 15 minutes Tuesday, 15 minutes, if that's all you can. One of my favorite things to do. I shouldn't say favorite. It's a discipline...is in January, and I've already done it. It's my annual tradition where I begin January by cleaning my garage, and I clean it while I listen to a sermon on self-discipline. It kind of motivates me, and it's a mindless task to clean a garage. Even if you're like, but don't you have to organize all the screws into there? No I don't. They just go into this one big metal can because I don't fix stuff. You know, I don't know how to. So I can just put all the screws in one big metal can. But I organized my garage, so at least when somebody shows up, they're like, man, your garage is so organized. And I say, yeah, and the tools never get used, but yet somehow they get disorganized. Be discontent to live in the midst of a mess. You can make this one fun by maybe somebody in your life group...an accountability partner. Share this week. What's the one area in your life the place that needs cleaned up, and maybe be in a race to see who could do it faster. Who can get it done?
Seven. Finish the job. Colossians 3:23, whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men. Some of our lives just we look around and they're a string of unfinished projects. It's much easier to start something than it is to finish. It takes perseverance and passion to finish work. Or, as Angela Duckworth wrote in her book, It Takes Grit. This is a good book if you want to learn about what makes certain people successful. And it's not necessarily IQ. She did her master's work, and it ended up being the New York Times bestseller called "Grit". And it's the perseverance and passion that separates the good from the great. That when she just dedicated, starting by, um, she was reporting on the cadets who show up to West Point. The ones who finish the seven week training program called the Barrack Beast, was not predicted when they went back and looked at their SATs and high school achievements and objective performances, physically and mentally. Out of the 1200 students a year who get into West Point and they have to go through this seven week initial test, the hundred or so that were weeded out during the beast was not reflected on their innate talents. It was on the lack of grit, the scale that she came up with. And the lesson in that for us is that you getting things together right this year again, isn't going to be a matter of your intelligence. The finished project that you need to get finished with...the unfinished product I should say...it's probably just a matter of perseverance, determination and passion.
Number 8. One big thing that stands in the way of us finishing our work. Number 8 is limiting our entertainment. Psalm 119:37 writes, turn my eyes away from looking at vanity. And revive me in your ways. Psalm 119:37...limit your entertainment. Why? Because very few things in life make less of a contribution in contributing something to society, or doing something great than being entertained. I mean, you can learn an example from watching like I did this week, but that contributed very little. It was an illustration in a sermon. But I'm just saying looking at entertainment and not saying, it's sinful necessarily? I mean, that's maybe the easier question. What are you allowing your eyes to watch? But it's knowing that a constant connection to your phone, to the television, to the computer, to being entertained will contribute very little to achieving something of lasting effect. So, starting with your schedule. When you look at the things you have to do and the projects you need to finish, you can go back and then say, hey, where is it that I can fit in time to binge watch my favorite show, if that's what you like to call it. I mean, it's maybe difficult more now than ever because you have it at your fingertips, right? Whereas in days gone by, there's this idea that you actually had to be at your television a certain time of the week to watch the certain show, and then if you missed it and you didn't even have TiVo to record it, you waited five years for a rerun to come on. Um, those days are long gone. And so I think the temptation to be entertained constantly is all the more.
Number nine relates...practice self-control. Proverbs 25:28, a man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls...lacking self-control. In the big scheme of things, it may seem like a little self-discipline, but it opens you up to all kinds of dangers, like an ancient city in Bible times, not having strong walls to protect its people. So when we think about practicing self-control, cultivating self-discipline, think about it. Of course, in the physical realm, I mean, usually that goes back to the two big ideas of diet and exercise and how hard it can be to stay to that. But, you know, sometimes it is just a small thing you have to start with. Rather than try to think you need to commit yourself to some big new eating program. I remember a pastor just saying how he cultivates self-discipline in the eating category is, most of the time, he will get to nearing the end of a good meal and just not finish it when it's delicious, especially a dessert. And he would say, I'm just going to leave that last piece of the cake there because I want to tell my stomach it's not in control, I am. I bet you can do that today. I mean, yeah, you've got a got a good plate of nachos in front of you. You're going to be watching some football or whatever and just leave a few out there, even when you're still getting hungry to eat them, throw them in the trash. Tell your body you're not in charge. I am. And it's a little self-discipline like that, you know? Now, I'm not saying be wasteful. You know, you go to somebody's house and you take one bite and then...Sorry, self discipline. It's like, you know, that's where you don't want to be too harsh with these things. But it's just it's just a way to tell yourself something is in more in control of me than just my physical animal instincts. Going back all the way to Proverbs 12:1.
And last but not least, one of the reasons you want to do all this stuff weed your life, of all these different ideas is number 10...say yes to service. I Peter 4:10, as each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. One reason to try to get numbers 1 through 9 in order isn't so you lock yourself down into some rigid existence. It's so you can free yourself up to serve other people. That's really the great motivator to being a planned, scheduled person is to get the things done you have to so then you have this thing in your life called margin. And when you have that margin, then when people have a need, you can say yes to it because you're not the hasty person playing from behind. That's what I'm saying about it's a really fun and freeing way to live. If you'll do the self-discipline things that we just talked about, you can say yes to serving other people when they need help with something. That's one of the great goals of all this, is to have some margin and margin for me, my definition is it's the area in my life between my commitments and my capacity. So if you think of two boundaries, The inner boundary is my commitments. The things that I said I would do, that I should do, and then the next boundary outside of that is my capacity. What can I actually within my giftedness and time and ability, do? And if I don't have a schedule, if I don't have it locked in, that inner boundary gets pushed all the way to what?...the outer boundary, the capacity. And I don't have capacity to push that one further out without burning out. So what I'm trying to constantly do in life is let my capacity be what it is and just pull that commitment one in by doing those things, I have to do better. Because the gap in between those is the margin that I could then when somebody says, hey, Adam, could you come over and help me with this thing? And I could say, yeah, I actually can. What time? But when I'm pushing my commitments past my capacity, I'm probably having to say no a lot. And it's not because I want to say no because I'm so rigid with my time. It's just I really don't have time to be helpful, to be useful to others. So all this going back to even Kurtis talked about this last week, I Peter 4:7. Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness. Because discipline is profitable, you know, for all things it says, not just the present life, but for the one to come. Verse 10, for this we labor and strive. So there's some effort in this, but listen to this ending in 1 Timothy 4:10, because we fixed our hope on the living God who is the Savior of all men, especially of all believers. Do you see where he took it? He took it to the highest extent. You know, I want to live a disciplined life for the purpose of godliness, because my hope is fixed on the living God. My life matters.
I want to wrap this all up by saying, if somebody in here today isn't in Christ, I mean, hopefully you got some principles that can help pull in some loose ends of your life. But the biggest thing you need to think about this morning is, is your hope in the living God, who's the Savior of all men? Because you can't save yourself by being the most disciplined person on planet Earth. You can't work your way to heaven. Discipline won't earn you salvation. Actually, it's quite the opposite. It's realizing you know what? As hard as I try and as good as I can be, there's only one person who's done life perfectly in every aspect. And it's the one that was just mentioned here. Jesus Christ, the living God, the Savior of the world. Have you trusted in him today? Maybe a sermon like this, if you're not in Christ this morning, actually is discouraging because you feel like, man, my life is a mess. Well, you know what? The first step to getting anywhere today for you would be to lay it all down and say, I need forgiven of my sin. The sin of even thinking I'm self-reliant. I can do it on my own. And actually casting myself upon the Savior who did it all for me. And I pray you would come to Christ today.
Let's pray. Lord, we thank you for today. We thank you for the opportunity to look at self-discipline, not as an end in and of itself, but all means to the great end of using our lives for your glory. I just pray however you want to use all ten of these things. A few of them. One of them to one, motivate and encourage all of us in here in various ways, to use our lives for your glory, because that's what they're for, and that we wouldn't get so boxed into a schedule and a discipline as to lose sight of that big picture that all of this is for you. It's not for us. It's not to us to have people look at our lives and say, oh, what a disciplined person. Lord, we would want people to look at our lives being salt and light and praise our Father who is in heaven. We know that this could easily turn prideful in us if it's about our own glory, but it's about yours. And so help us to be humble in our endeavors, even this week, to put some of this into practice. Not to us, but to your name be the glory we pray. Amen.
- View transcript The Nature of the Christian Life
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We're going to be in 2 Peter 1. A passage that is near and dear to my heart, and especially as I was thinking about the end of the year and looking ahead into the new year, there comes up the question, what do we devote our lives to? What's it all about? And I can't help but go back to the nature of things. That we talk about human nature, that we are made for certain things. And we can see this very powerfully when people act according to their nature. For example, it's the nature of parents to be protective. In 2006, a woman in Quebec named Lydia Anjou attacked a polar bear, not the other way around. You see, Lydia pulled up to her son's hockey practice to pick him up, and she saw her seven year old son. I don't know why a seven year old's playing hockey. It's just what happened. He comes out and he's walking to the car with two of his friends, and a polar bear starts running toward them....Alaska. And so she does what every mother maybe wishes she had the gumption to do, and she jumps out of the car, runs, and places herself between her son and the rushing polar bear. Witnesses say that she started to kick and punch and shove the polar bear, and kept the bear from reaching her son. Eventually, one of these witnesses pulled out a gun and shot the bear four times, and they were amazed to find that Lydia was still alive. They took her to the hospital. She had some significant scratches and some trauma, but no major life-threatening damage. And some people think that these stories are just exclusive to mothers. My brother was telling me about a power lifter named Eddie Hall who set the deadlift world record. And it was deadlift world record of 500kg. That's over 1,000 pounds that he lifted by himself. And after he lifted it, it was so intense that once he finished, he dropped the weights and he passed out immediately. And blood was pouring out of his eyes and nose, they rushed him to the hospital. And they asked him, you know, how did you do this? The why you do this is already thrown out the window as too crazy to even bother with waiting for the answer. But how did you do this? And he said that all he could see whenever he was lifting that weight was his daughter trapped under a car. And in his mind, he was lifting it off of her to rescue her. It's a parent's nature to stand between their kids in danger. It's only natural for them to fight when everything within them says flight. And we see that the parent's nature is great. It gives great power. Great purpose and leads them in a great path. But how much greater is the Christian's nature? Maybe you haven't thought about it recently, but you should, because it's actually what we celebrated all the way throughout Christmas. In the advent of Jesus Christ, we learn not only the true nature of God, but also the true nature of man, what we were made to be, and the nature of the Christian life. We'll see this in 2 Peter chapter 1, that our nature is actually Christ's. And because that power of being united to Christ is ours if you are in Christ, we should make every effort to gain more of Christ. So let's turn to 2 Peter 1. I'm going to read verses one through 11, but focus on verses 3 through 11.
"Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ our Lord. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption which is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge and knowledge with self-control and self-control, with steadfastness and steadfastness, with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities, you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
My prayer for you this morning is that you will take to heart the phrase right there in the middle, the command from Peter to make every effort. And you wouldn't just make an effort to grow in Christ, but you'd make an effort to gain more of him, to know him and to love him more with your life. And to do this, we're going to look first at our power. And we start with our power because, as introduction showed, we're only as strong as the source of our strength. Parents can find great strength and determination from love for their children, but the Christian has an even greater source of strength. And it's right there in verse three that his divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness. He's given us everything we need for life and godliness, and it all comes from his divine power.
So, when we start with our power, we have to start with looking at God Himself and His own power. And we see it everywhere. We saw it this morning in first service. It was raining a whole lot louder during this time and there were some tornado warnings, not the tornado watch. That's the one where you actually see the tornado, if I'm not mistaken, there. But even if we did see the tornado, we still see the power of God is greater than the tornado, greater than the rain. He's the one who made the universe from nothing by the word of his power. He breathed life into dust and crafted the first man. He has healed the sick. He's raised the dead. He's stopped the sun in the middle of the day. That's the God whose divine power is given to us. Now, out of that power, he's given us everything we need for life and for godliness. And we know it's incredible to consider God's power in just making life and making everything that is. But even greater than that is making spiritual life. You've probably been impressed with this in the Christmas season, as you have family or friends that you know who are unbelieving and you talk to them about Jesus and you think, if I only had the best arguments, if I only could, you know, sit him down in a chair and maybe shake him real good they'd become a Christian, right? No, that's not how it works. There's no amount of effort we give that converts someone. We know it ultimately has to be the work of God. This is the message that is reinforced to us again and again and again throughout human history and throughout the Bible. Just consider the Old Testament. Starting with the great loss of life and godliness in the fall in Genesis 3. Adam and Eve sin and all the world after them are cast into sin and death. And then we see God again and again, teaching us that we can't recover life and godliness on our own. Can't do it in our own power. Glories of the Exodus...the Israelites see everything. They see the plagues. They see the Red sea split and walk across on dry land. They see God in a pillar of fire. You think if there's any religious experience that's going to, you know, convince them that they and they will have spiritual life and follow after Christ? Well, guess what...doesn't happen. They get to the Promised Land and Joshua gives them the pep up talk to end all pep up talks. Go and take the land. Be faithful to God. And they say, yes, we will do all of these things. And he says, no, you won't. And it's true...they don't. The blessings of the Promised land couldn't convert the hard hearts of Israel. The judgments of foreign kings couldn't. The wonders of the prophets and even the exile couldn't do it. No amount of discipline and providence could restore true worship to Israel. The only hope was God's promise of doing it himself. Like he promises. Like in Ezekiel 36, that I will give you a new heart. I will take away your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. Or in Deuteronomy 31 that I, the Lord, will circumcise your heart. You're not able to make yourself clean, but I will. And that's certainly the good news of the gospel. And that's the kind of power that God gives to us. It's not just powerful spiritual life, but power, for again, everything that leads to life and godliness. You think of in your own life the sins that you've struggled to put away, or maybe when you've given effort. I just got to tackle this one thing, and then I'll be all right. You know I'll finally be okay. Can be a good Christian. We know how hard it is to change our own lives, but yet God gives us everything not just to change and follow him, but to live a life of godliness. And how do we receive this power? Well, I think the greatness of the power is shown even in just how God gives it to us. Right here in these next phrases, let's pay attention to this grammar that he has given us everything for life and godliness. He's given it through the knowledge of him who has called us to his own glory and excellence. The means of God, of us gaining God's power is simply through knowing him. There are a lot of ways that you can get power. You wouldn't think it would just be through knowing the God who made everything. But yet that's all it is. God's power is so great we only have to know him and we learn we also gain his power through his precious and magnificent promises. So in verse 4, his power comes to us through his promises. That simply through the Word of God. That same word that spoke the world and the universe into being when spoken to us and received in faith, gives great power, gives us all we need for life and for godliness. And I think faith is a good indication of where the power really is, right? Because faith says I bring nothing to the table. I contribute nothing. But you are the one who has done everything. Faith simply receives the alien righteousness of Jesus Christ. And then what exactly is this power? Okay, so the divine power has given us everything pertaining to life and godliness. He tells us how it's given. That's given through knowing Christ through his promises. But then there's the result. It's so that...in verse four, through them you may become partakers of the divine nature. And this isn't a way that we're used to talking. It sounds kind of odd, but this is such a deep theme in the scriptures, such an ineffable mystery that scriptures explain it to us in a lot of different ways, that when we are saved, we are united to God in Christ, and so we're no longer the same person. That old sinful nature is put away what once was by nature, children of wrath is united to God to be his...a child of glory. And this is what we celebrate in Christmas, that this is even possible. That it's all through Jesus Christ. That Christ and the story of Christmas is when God, without ceasing to be God, became his creation so that we could be united to him, or as we confessed in the Chalcedonian Creed, that Christ is both of one substance with God regarding divinity and of one substance with us regarding humanity, so that as we are united to Christ, we are also united to God. The scriptures have many ways of talking about this, and this mystery is so wonderful. In Ephesians 3:16-17, says that Christ dwells in our hearts through faith. And he does this by His Holy Spirit in our inner being. In 1 Corinthians 12:27 it says that we are members of Christ's body, and we are connected to him as the body, to the head. In John 14:23, Jesus says, if anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Or Colossians 1:27 that salvation is Christ in you, the hope of glory. And so we're brought into a union that is vital, that is life giving, that is personal and that is real as our natures are changed from sinful to saved. Herman Bavinck in his book The Wonderful Works of God, this Dutch theologian says this, "The combination in Christ," which I think encapsulates this idea very, very well. "The combination in Christ occurs more than 150 times in the New Testament. It indicates that Christ is the constant source not only of the spiritual life, but that as such, he also immediately and directly dwells in the believer. The unity is as close as that between a cornerstone and a temple. A man and a woman. The head and the body, the vine and the branch. The believers are in Christ as all things, by virtue of creation and providence are in God. They live in him. As the fish lives in water, the bird in the air, the man in his vocation, the scholar in the study. Together with him they are crucified, dead and buried, are raised again, seated at the right hand of God and glorified. They have put him on assumed his form. They have shown in their body both the suffering and the life of Christ, and are perfected in him. In short, Christ is all and in all." The greatest reality of salvation is that we are united to Christ and we receive him. Everything else is a bonus. Justification...it's a bonus. Sanctification, it's a bonus. Glorification, it's a bonus. The real heart of salvation is that we have Christ, and that if you're in Christ, his life is in you. So, our power is not just a mere man...a good example out there. He's not some demigod, but God himself...in human flesh. Our Savior is our brother. It's a great line from a Christmas hymn, and it captures this well that in the Christian life, in this union with Christ, sinners are made sons, the damned are made daughters. God himself, in mortal flesh, united to us in the heights of our power is this...the glory and excellence, the virtue of Christ. That's our power. That's where the Christian life starts. That's what motivates everything that follows. Because in verse 5, there's one of the biggest throat clears in the Bible...for this very reason. Meaning, okay, you've heard everything that came before. Now let me tell you what this means for you. And he's about to hit you with quite the command. Make every effort. Make every effort. Labor intensely to supplement your faith with virtue. Virtue with knowledge. Knowledge with self-control. Self-control with steadfastness, steadfastness with godliness, godliness with brotherly affection and brotherly affection with love. That's the path of the Christian life. And it's a path that starts first with faith. You see, faith is the starting point of our faith, the starting point of the Christian life. That's how we receive union with Christ. That's how we, as Romans 5:2 says, have our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand. Faith, and this is really incredible and should give you great encouragement, is what allows Peter to say this in verse 1. He starts off saying who he is...Simon Peter servant, apostle of Jesus Christ. That's a pretty great title. We think Peter, he's a great Christian. This is, you know, Simon Peter...Simon. He uses his Jewish name. He's one of the chosen people of God. He's Peter, he's the rock of the church. He's servant and apostle of Christ. Doesn't get much greater than that. The apostles, the foundation of the church. Then he writes to those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. You see one of the beauties of faith, because we are reconciled to God through the death of Jesus Christ, and that is only received in faith. There's no second class Christians. There's no first-class Christians. We're all on equal standing. We have faith that is as precious as the apostles. That is quite literally the same in honor. And how can this be? I mean, how can we dare to boast, to be at the same standing before God as the very apostles? Well, because Peter says it, but he grounds it in this. That's by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. And again, it goes back to our power. Our power to sustain the divine power of God sustains our faith, his righteousness, our foundation. And so, faith is the starting point. But faith also contains everything that follows, because by faith we have Christ. And so this passage works a lot like a Russian nesting doll with faith on the outside. And then the next phrase, if you have the NASB, it will bring out this grammar a little bit more clearly, where he says, in virtue or in faith, add virtue in virtue, add knowledge, or maybe with your virtue. But the idea is that each one is implicit in the one before. So the Russian nesting doll faith on the outside. You open it up virtue. You open up virtue knowledge and implied in knowledge...self-control, implied in self-control, steadfastness, and implied in that is, godliness, implied in that brotherly affection. And at the center, the beating heart of the Christian life is love. I hope this will be a very practical portion of the sermon as I go through each of these in turn, but I want you to maintain that big picture in your mind that it all starts with faith. It all starts with faith in Christ, and then he's the one who brings it all the way through to love. See, faith is great because it's by faith that we grasp the mysteries of God. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen, Hebrews 11:1 says, because faith, trust God. Sometimes we think about faith as just believing in things...statements. but primarily the Christian faith starts with believing a person. That God is and that he is a rewarder of all who seek him. And so starts the Christian faith that we know and love and trust our God. And that ought to lead to all these subsequent actions, because that's really where faith is demonstrated. For example, I was fishing with my son James, and I caught a bass. That's no credit to me. That's credit to my dad. He brought the fishing tackle. He gave me the lure. He told me cast over there. I did, and then pulled the fish in. That's not me. That's totally him. So if you're looking for fishing tips, just throwing that one out there...be a good guy to talk to. But I bring the fish in...bringing the bass to the boat. James is three. He's having a great time so far. He is, you know, casting his little toy fishing rod into the water and he's trying to throw trash overboard. I had to stop him on that. But then baskets in the boat. James loving it. And I said, James, touch the fish. And he's about to. And then the fish twitches and immediately he screams. He cries. He runs to the other side of the boat. He's terrified. And what did I tell him next? Did I explain to him the biology of the fish, how weak the fish was compared to him. Gave him all the specifics. No, I just told him. James, trust your daddy. Touch the fish. It'll be fine. That's all he needed to do. Sometimes in faith, we want all the answers. We want all the details. One of the beauties of faith is that we trust. And then we show that trust by acting and stepping out in faith. See, James really trusted me when he finally touched the fish. He didn't know that the fish didn't have, like, razor sharp teeth. He didn't know. He doesn't know what the bass is like. But he trusted me enough to step forward. And so it is with us. We start with faith, but then we step forward in action. As Calvin said, it is faith alone which justifies. And yet the faith which justifies is never alone. So supplement your faith with virtue. Not that faith is lacking, but it is immature. Faith needs to grow. See, even the smallest Christian, even the youngest Christian. You start with one thing, and that's faith. And you start with something even greater. And that faith is in the power of Jesus Christ. And that's what carries you through. So first we have virtue. The new American standard translates this word moral excellence. Virtue is doing what you do with excellence. For example, a piano virtuoso is someone who plays the piano quite well. You've heard Justin and Steve Kukla play piano for us. You know their skill and their talents. You might even call them virtuosos. But if you put one of them against me, and I know, contrary to what the Christmas video seemed to imply, I do not know how to play the piano and it sound well. I know how to make sounds with the piano, but that's very different from being a virtuoso. See, the virtuoso is one where we both sit down. We're both playing the piano, but the virtuoso plays the piano well. A bad pianist...myself plays the piano poorly. For someone to be virtuous, a virtuous human is someone who lives well. Everyone lives, but not everyone lives well. See, the great obsession of the greatest philosophers was that question. How do we live well? And that's a very important question for you. I think it should hit home that Socrates said the unexamined life is not worth living. It should hit home when Plato says, a life of virtue is its own reward. So they put great effort into considering the virtuous life because they knew that it mattered, and it was what it meant to live a good life. Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, and even most of your self-help books these days all trade on some basic truths. I want to give them to you in just a short form, and it's this. Good choices when repeated produce good habits which lead to virtue. Bad choices, when repeated, produce bad habits which lead to vices. Or as Scripture says in Romans 6:19, just as you once presented your members as slaves of lawlessness, leading to further lawlessness. So now present your members as slaves of righteousness, leading to sanctification. See, we make sinful choices. Sinful choices repeatedly lead to sinful habits, and from there it just keeps getting worse and worse. A life of vice. A life of villainy. But for the Christian, it ought to be that we make good, God honoring choices, and we do them repeatedly and produce good habits which lead to the life of virtue. What's amazing about this is that that's step one for the Christian, for Peter. You believe? Okay. Go live a good life. Go live well. You need a starting place? Well, start with Christ. Who else? Consider the virtues of Christ. Consider his humility. Consider his love. Consider his holiness. Or maybe very practically, for you, you should consider Galatians chapter 5, which gives two lists...the deeds of the flesh and the fruits of the spirit, or for the sake of some continuity here of language we could say a list of vices, and then a list of true Christian virtues. I'd recommend, maybe, as you're looking ahead to the new year and you want to grow in Christ likeness and make every effort to gain more of Christ, consider that list...first the vices, the deeds of the flesh, and consider which ones mark your life. What habits do they show themselves in? For example, you might look at your life and see a problem with gluttony and say, well, that's a vice, but then where does it show up? Maybe it shows up in getting the second and third cookie at dessert. Maybe it shows up in laziness in the workplace. And very specifically, it shows up at the beginning of your day where you start off your day by checking fantasy football, when you could have done that at home. Maybe it's gossip and that vice comes out whenever you're with certain people, and you want to talk about certain things and have something to say. Well, you've recognized the vice. You've recognized where it comes out. You've recognized that deed of the flesh. What's the way forward? A good way to start would be to consider the opposing virtue that maybe instead of gluttony, it would be self-control and consider for your own life. What choices or habits do you need to make to cultivate self-control in your life? That could be a good way to think about your New Year's resolutions. Go through those lists together. Maybe have someone a friend help you with that. I'm sure they would want to. But then going from virtue. That's not where Peter stops. He says, keep going. Grow in knowledge. And this word for knowledge, it's the most general word for knowledge in Greek. It's more general than the word for the knowledge of Christ in verse 3 and verse 2. And I think a good takeaway from this is that God wants us to know much more than just commands. He wants us to know much more than just how to live well. Much more than random facts about your favorite sports team or the intricacies of other people's social lives. Instead, he wants us to be learned in the things that matter most and in the things that matter for your life. One of the great glories of the Christian life is that whatever vocation you're in is a God given opportunity for you to honor him. You're called to be the best HVAC technician, the best salesperson, the best kindergarten teacher, the best doctor, lawyer, fireman. And for each of those professions, there's a certain base level of knowledge and competency that you should have to actually be good at your job and contributing to it. We should have that base level of knowledge. You're also called to certain offices as a father. You're called to be a good parent, leader. You're called to be a good friend, a good citizen. These all require certain knowledge. But even more than that, we are made for knowing Christ and the glories of him. And I think back in my own life, how sad it is for me to think of the years where I let the scriptures just sit closed like this on a bookshelf. And you should think about that for your life as you go into the new year. How can you prioritize gaining knowledge of God through His Word? Listening to other teachers explain the word, read some good books. We have a bookstore full of them, but a little word of advice on books. Life's too short to read the second best book on anything, so make sure you choose a good one. But this is God's plan for us that we would grow in wisdom and knowledge. Proverbs 4:7 says this at the beginning of wisdom is acquire wisdom, and in your acquiring gain understanding. And maybe you say, well, this is too hard, too difficult. There are some things that are just beyond my comprehension. Well, maybe be inspired. One of the great thinkers of the Christian faith, Thomas Aquinas, said this, that even the slightest knowledge of the highest things is more desirable than certain knowledge of lesser things. He said, I'd rather have the slightest knowledge of God and the heavenly secrets that understand all the intricacies of the universe. That's the kind of knowledge we should pursue. We should also pursue self-control. Self-control finds its opposite in losing control. Some of you maybe can relate to losing control. It's when you know the right thing to do and you just can't quite bring yourself to do it. You know, you should stop watching that. You know you should start working on that. You know, you should maybe make a list of things that you're supposed to do and shouldn't do just to motivate you a little bit more, but yet you lose control. You don't do what you know is right. You go back for the third cookie, even though you know you should have stopped two cookies earlier. But self-control is the exact opposite. It's knowing the right thing to do and then doing it despite your desires to do otherwise, despite the cost, despite the difficulty. You just do it. And I think this is a good reminder that what sets off the section is the command to make every effort. Self-control requires a lot of effort, but this kind of self-control is in many ways the pinnacle of a virtuous life. It's the last fruit of the spirit in Galatians 5. It's the greatest need of the watching world. In Acts chapter 24, when Paul is speaking to Festus, he talks to him about three things righteousness, judgment, and self-control. It's what the world wants but can't quite seem to have. And it's seen, I think, most vividly in the extremes. So ancient Christians lifted up two great examples of self-control, chastity, which is remaining faithful in marriage and pure outside of it, and martyrdom, having the fortitude to die for your faith. Seeing the cost and yet knowing this is what will please the Lord. I cannot and will not turn from my Savior. So, are you preparing yourself for that? Are you preparing yourself for martyrdom? It might sound extreme, but maybe a good one to think about. Think about for your kids. Are you preparing them to give it all for Christ? How are you cultivating self-control in your life? There are a few things you could do to practice this. One is by fasting, by saying no to food. Another way, maybe you want to practice some good fortitude of turning down what is fearful to you and go and share your faith. Maybe you need to resolve to share the gospel with that person at work this year that you know is a non-believer and you rub shoulders with them every day, but you haven't quite felt that it was right in the moment that maybe it'd be a little awkward if I brought up Jesus Christ now. Or maybe for you...you look around your life and you see, well, I don't really have non-believers around me. I'm terrified to go share the gospel. That's all the more reason to go out with the ambassadors this spring. Go knock on a stranger's door and share the gospel, because in doing so, you cultivate a heart of worship for God and self-control. That you will not let your lesser desires master you, that you will not settle for anything less than giving all for Jesus Christ. Trade the lesser goods of today for the greater goods of tomorrow. That's how you cultivate self-control. And then you have to add the next one, which is steadfastness or patience, or literally to endure under. You have to continue and persevere in your life, in your life, in Christ. You can't just make a habit and then throw it off the next day. We know this is true. Like New Year's resolutions are coming up, New Year's resolutions are only as good as your resolve to keep them. You all know it's true. And the canceled gym memberships. Or maybe you were unable to cancel them from last year. And so you've got that one lined up again as the resolution for this year. We know that it's hard to keep our commitments. We know it's hard to keep saying no and no and no and no again to ourselves and yes and yes and yes to the hard things. But we ought to add that steadfastness. And for the Christian whose living out your life and you feel like I have good habits in place. I'm seeking the Lord. I'm in his word daily. I pray I do all these things. Well, I'd say beware of falling into complacency, confusion and compromise, which leads to catastrophe. Maybe think about those...how those can be a stumbling block for you...complacency, confusion, compromise. And we all know those end in catastrophe. The goal is to cultivate godliness, which is next in the list. Literally, in Greek, be good worship. And every choice we make shows who or what we worship. Worship is not just singing here on Sunday, but it's how you live your life Monday through Saturday and even Sunday. Think about that with every choice you make, how you can bring the most worship to God. Sometimes we think first through oh, what I should or shouldn't do, what I want to do or what I don't want to do. Or maybe we think about the consequences of our actions, and those are all good things to consider. The good Christian will certainly consider what God has commanded and what God has not. But our heart's motivation...our starting point should be to worship God with everything. With the job you take, the friends you make, the wife you choose. So live well. Cultivate godliness. Live by the word. And if you want to add some specific direction to godliness, then go ahead. Look at the sermon on the Mount. Consider the great moral teachings of Christ and consider how you can honor him with your life. And then add to that brotherly affection. Love your sisters and brothers in Christ. The virtue of the Christian life can only be practiced in community. The fruits of the spirit can't exist in isolation. You can be as patient as you want when it's just yourself. But you have to have someone to be patient to. If you're wanting to work on anger this year, well, that's going to take a specific relationship, probably with someone who pushes your buttons. It doesn't mean avoiding them. Actually, it means dealing better with them in a Christ honoring and Christ exalting way. If you want to grow in love. it requires having someone near enough to you to love despite their flaws and despite your own. So add brotherly affection. Very practically, this can be done through joining a life group or if you're in one, be invested with the people there. Really seek them out. Have them over to your house. I'd even challenge you for this year. Consider having one night a week where you invite someone from the church over to your home and have them over for a meal. Just get to know them. I assure you, I know this from personal experience that you will be greatly encouraged, you'll be greatly challenged in your faith, and you will grow. And then eventually, you'll have a hard time imagining a time where you didn't have people over on that day. But most of all is to grow in love. The pinnacle of the Christian life is love. It's the engine of the Christian life...is love. At the center of this great Russian nesting doll that starts with faith. What's at the center? Well, it's love. And love is what turns them all. And love motivates them all. Love is the greatest commandment. And for that matter, the second greatest commandment. First commandment...we should love the Lord our God, and then that overflows in our love for others. You see, without love all these other things are useless. You can bring them all. You can do them all. You can make your to do list your resolutions. You can keep them. But if you don't have love, well let 1 Corinthians 13 speak. If I speak in the tongues of men and angels, and have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries so as to remove mountains, but have not love. I am nothing if I give away all that I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned and have not love, I gain nothing. You see, you can have all these virtues. You can have faith, you can have virtue, you can have knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection. But if you don't have love for Christ and you don't have real, genuine love for others, it's nothing...gains you nothing. At the heart of faith is a heart that loves God. So look to grow this way. Love is patient. Love is kind. Love does not envy or boast. It is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way. It is not irritable or resentful. It does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. And so you should try to grow in love this year. If you do one thing after this sermon, I pray that you would be resolved to grow in love. And well, how do you do that? Well, in a lot of ways you do it by focusing on everything that came before...returning back to the faith, returning back to the promises of Christ and of the gospel. Walk the Christian life, but pursue time with Christ. You see, we should pursue a relationship with Christ like a young person, like a young man does, pursuing his bride, taking every chance he can get to spend a little bit more time with her. C.S. Lewis famously wrote that love is a terrible master because it says better this...better suffering better...waking up early. Better...losing sleep. Better to sacrifice. Better to shun the world. Better anything than to be apart. So how can you give your time, your affection and your attention to Christ? Resolve this year to read the Bible, to memorize the scriptures, to take the truths of Christ with you. Pray fervently and often. And we do all these things. You might sound like this is a lot of work. My list is getting longer and longer with each of these qualities. Well, that's where we go back to our power. Our power is not our own, but it is Christ who works in us. And so, as one author wrote, do small things as if they were great because of the majesty of Christ, who does them in us and lives our life...and great things, as if they were small and easy because of his almighty power. Supplement your faith with virtue, your virtue with knowledge, your knowledge with self-control, self-control with steadfastness, steadfastness with brotherly love. Brotherly love with love. Love is in all these things. And as you continue on the path of faith, you'll find yourself growing more and more in love with your Savior because the path is worth it.
It leads to this final destination. Let's start in verse nine. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Or excuse me, sorry, verse eight. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Some of you hear that and you think, yes, that's what I want to be effective, fruitful. That's what everyone wants in their job...to be useful. People quit jobs, move their families because they don't feel fruitful in their work. But even more than that, this is a fruitfulness in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. That if you're growing in these qualities, they lead you again, closer and closer to Christ. And if you're not growing in them, well, there's the warning of verse 9, and maybe you listen to this list and you say, I don't want to give every effort. I don't want to strive. I don't want to work hard. I work hard enough already, don't I? Why do I need to work on this Christianity thing? Well, if that's your attitude, then we have to take verse 9 as a very strong warning that you have forgotten. You have forgotten the God of your salvation. You have forgotten that you're cleansed from your former sins. That you've forgotten the glories of Christ most magnificently displayed on the cross, who live for us, who died for our sin, and who rose again that we would have newness of life. If you listen to this sermon, you're like, I don't want to make this effort. I don't want to go into the new year and strive after Jesus Christ. Well, it's because you've lost the end of you. You're no longer looking ahead to the prize, which is Christ, and you've forgotten what's behind. You've forgotten the Christ of your salvation. You've forgotten what he did for you on Calvary. You've forgotten that he bore the punishment for your sin and freed you not only from its punishment and penalty, but from its power in your life. You've forgotten his power that resides in you. You've forgotten the glories of Christ...who is God and who is in you the hope of glory. So be diligent. Make every effort. Our labor does not undermine God's sovereign priority in calling or election, but its his appointed means for carrying it out. Verse 11 says that it is in this way. It is through you making every effort dear Christian, there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is God who brings us to the finish line. It is God who brings us through the path all the way to our purpose. And there can be no purpose higher then life, eternal with God. There is none greater, none higher, none more beautiful, none better. Jesus says it himself in John 17:3 that this is eternal life, that they know you, the one true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. So let that motivate you. Let that motivate your effort. And perhaps no one understood this more than the missionary Adoniram Judson. Judson labored for 33 years in Burma in the 1800s. He and his wife Ann, they underwent intense training and then sailed for 16 months to get to Burma. It's a different age. And in Burma they would battle 108 degree heat, cholera, malaria, dysentery, imprisonment and death. Judson would bury Ann. He would marry a second wife and then bury her as well. He would also bury seven of his 13 children and many more of his co-laborers in the gospel. They kept trying to send help to Adoniram, and people would get there and they would either leave or the climate would take them. His ministry was lonely and for the most part unfruitful. And yet all the while he labored. He learned the native language. He wrote gospel tracts. He translated the Bible. He made disciples. He did all the public things, and he also did the private things. He sought Christ in the scriptures. He sought the Lord in prayer. He devoted himself to the Lord every day. But eventually it did get to him, the disappointments, the hardships. And so he went out into the woods. He dug his own grave and then prayed for God to take him. But little did he know, and in his words a year later, that there was a new spirit of inquiry in the land. You see, in the year after that moment, Judson gave out over 10,000 tracts explaining the gospel. He answered 6000 inquiries from natives who wanted to learn more about Christ, some of them traveling 2 to 3 months journey just to reach this man. And the only guidance they had to go by was going around and asking the question, where can we find Jesus Christ's man. And when they finally found him, they just asked for one thing. Tell us more about Jesus Christ. What could motivate such a life? Judson lived a hard life. He saw some of the fruit of his ministry, but he died soon after. When he died, his last words were. How few men there are who die so hard? What could motivate this? Well, I think that's best seen in Judson's letter to Ann's father asking for her hand in marriage, and he writes this to his potential future father-in-law. "I have now to ask whether you can consent to part with your daughter early next spring to see her no more in this world. Whether you can consent to her departure and her subjection to the hardships and sufferings of missionary life. Whether you can consent to her exposure to the dangers of the ocean, to the fatal influence of the southern climate of India, to every kind of want and distress, to degradation, insult, persecution, and perhaps a violent death. Can you consent to all this for the sake of Him who left his heavenly home and died for her, and for you, for the sake of perishing immortal souls, for the sake of Zion and the glory of God? Can you consent to all this in hope of soon meeting your daughter in the world of glory with the crown of righteousness brightened with the acclamations of praise, which shall resound to her Savior from heathen saved through her means?" There's no greater motivation than to one day stand before Christ and to be with him forever. Where there is no more crying, no more tears, no more death. Life forever with our precious Savior. So, will you make every effort to gain more of Christ? Will you give your life freely and readily for him? Will you work to grow, to add to your faith virtue, virtue, knowledge, knowledge, self-control, self-control, steadfastness, steadfastness, godliness, godliness, brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love?
Let's pray. Lord, we thank you that you are our power. You are the God Most High who made heaven and earth. And Lord, who makes in us new life the very life of your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is, Lord, our hope, our glory. And so I pray, Lord, that we would run, that we would lay aside every weight of sin that so easily entangles us. Lord, that we would press on with endurance. That we would fix our eyes on Christ who is in us, giving us the power to go forward, and who is the purpose and the final hope of our path. Lord, we pray that you would do all these things in us and through us for your glory. Amen.
- View transcript The Excellency of Jesus Christ
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Please turn in your Bibles to John 1. We will finish the prologue, verses 1 to 18 this morning, and finish our advent series by looking at the Excellency of Jesus Christ as presented in unparalleled splendor in verses 14 to 18. We have seen his eternality in the first few verses. We've talked about the enlightenment he brought to man being the light to came into the darkness. And we talked last week about his exclusivity, that he alone was able to give the right to those sinners who would believe in his name, the right to become children of God, born not of blood, not of the will of the flesh or the will of man, but of God. And this week we're going to look in closing at His Excellency. And a wonderful way to end, because now more than ever, it's perhaps easy to miss the excellency of Jesus Christ, his superiority, his supremacy, his preeminence, his perfection. I could go on all day. And yet words would fail me. Because who could say enough to exalt the name of Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God and Lord of Lords and King of Kings? He can't be explained by words, but what we do see of him and know of him we do want to say, because we have seen the light, whereas the world is the opposite. It says the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not what?...comprehend it, verse 5. It couldn't understand it. It was too much for the world. And so whatever the world sees of Jesus Christ, they miss who he truly is. They screw it up. They did it back then and they still do it till today. I present to you a recent article from the Wall Street Journal headline, it pays to have long hair in a beard in Utah. Jesus models are in demand. Bradley Olson wrote just a few days ago, Bob Sagers was walking around an indie music festival because that's where you would find a character like this. When a friendly stranger approached and asked for his number. Has anyone ever told you that you have a Jesus look to you?, the man asked. According to Sagers, a 25 year old who works as a cheesemonger at a grocery store. And those of you who don't know what a cheesemonger is, it is a merchant who specializes in...cheese. Good job. He said, I really didn't get that line a lot. Sagers, who is six foot 5 with dirty blonde shoulder length hair and a beard, he says gives him Irish and Scandinavian vibes. I mean, that's exactly what we would think of a Jew over in Old Testament times...somehow with dirty blond shoulder length hair and a beard that has Irish and Scandinavian vibes. And he's 6'5", so he says, I make a pretty tall Jesus. The article goes on to say that there is a growing demand for Jesus models in Utah. Parents want their kids to be able to have a picture of them with Jesus. One photographer, Michaela Avalos, just gives this one caveat. She said, if your kid doesn't like taking pictures on Santa's lap, he probably won't like this experience with Jesus either. Kids either love it and it's the best thing ever, or it's a terrifying moment and even traumatizing. Um, it's not just a challenge for these kids. It's also for these models. Jai Knighten, he is the good lookingguy in the blue, writes about some of the challenges he faces. He says portraying Jesus can be tricky. One person who hired him wanted him to be, quote, "the most Christ like person you can be. Or people will be able to tell through the photos that it's not real", right? If you don't appear to be the most Christ like person in the photos, then just a total scam. No chance this guy is actually Jesus. He said that he has tried to portray Jesus in a way that's similar to how he's depicted in The Chosen, a series that has gained a following among Mormons and other Christians that Pastor Adam has never watched. He bases his character on the lead actor, who is warm and jovial, often laughing with disciples. Quote, "stoic Jesus is intimidating. A Jesus who smiles and pats you on the back is much more relatable." And one other model, the man with the giant piece of wood on his back. Um, his name is Terry Holker, and he's been a model of this for decades. He's been doing it, but he says he doesn't charge anyone for the privilege, but he does sell reprints at gun shows to recoup some printing costs. So what a guy. Uh, his line really is a summation of all this when he talks about his life as a Jesus model. He says, "I don't know how many homes in the Utah Valley have a picture of me in their living room. If you look at a Jesus picture and you don't know the model, you might be like, whoa, it's Jesus. But if you know the person, it hits different. People are like, yeah, that's actually my neighbor." This, you know, is a sad summary of a world who does not know the excellency of Jesus Christ. The closest they can get to it and want to bring their family towards it, would be hiring a Jesus model and having their kids get pictures with him. But the truth is, if you don't know the Jesus of Scripture and have a mind to understand the excellency of Jesus Christ, how could one ever expect you to say what is true about him? To understand who he is as he is revealed in the Word of God. And so, as we bring our series to a close today, my prayer is that we will for a final time before Christmas holiday. Why we have focused here is because we do want our hearts to be lifted up in worship of the true Christ, the real Christ, the one who is blazing and blinding in his glory when seen through eyes of faith. So follow with me as I read verses 14 to 18 about the excellency of Jesus Christ.
"And the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John testified about him and cried out, saying, this was he of whom I said, he who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for he existed before me. For of his fullness we have all received grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses. Grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten who is in the bosom of the father, he has explained him."
Father, we ask this morning that the eyes of our hearts would be enlightened to know the hope of the calling that we have in the gospel, the glorious riches that we have as inheritance of Christ, and of course, the surpassing greatness of your power available to us who believe. We ask that we would see through eyes of faith the glory and excellency of Christ this morning. Amen.
So a few days away from Christmas, if someone were to ask you today, maybe that neighbor that you have invited to the Christmas Eve service, thinking that might be a good opportunity for them to come and learn more about Jesus. Maybe that neighbor would ask you, hey, by the way, you say you're really into this Jesus guy. What makes him so great? Why is he so excellent? You know, you seem to really believe that. What's so great about Him? How would you answer that person? What would you say? Where would you start? What about his life comes to mind that you would be able to answer the question, what makes Christ so excellent? Well, it's in our text today and it's rather clear and really simple. It's just in two parts. The greatest answer we could give if somebody is interested in Jesus Christ and what makes him so amazing is to tell them of the person and work of Jesus Christ...in those two clear and simple categories...to have those categories in your mind today as we look at those five verses. What makes Jesus Christ so great is who he was and what he did. To not feel like we have to fish around for answers and reach too far as to look to the Word of God. And even this morning, if we're going to talk about the excellency of Jesus Christ, it should jump off the page to us that he is the most glorious person who has ever lived. And I want to add, as we get into this study today, that if you have been invited here and we're thankful you're here, but you're somewhat of a skeptic to this whole idea of religion, you have your reasons for that and you're unconvinced of Christianity. I would just ask you, though I am a complete stranger and you have no reason to listen to me. But I would ask you to consider what do you have to lose by learning more about Jesus today, to maybe set a little bit of that skepticism aside, and maybe have more of a curiosity? What is it about the excellency of Jesus Christ that I should be amazed by, and give the Word of God a chance today in your curiosity, rather than leading with skepticism. Let the Word of God show you how wonderful Jesus Christ is.
So let's start with the excellency of the person of Jesus Christ. Again, who he is just in his nature. We'll look at his work later, but just start with this. If somebody wanted to know what makes him so great. First you would start with his person and it's right there in verse 14, the apex of His excellency in verse 14 is this...and the word became flesh. That God became man. And this exalts a particular aspect of the excellency of Jesus Christ we'll call his humility. Uh, that's what verse 14 is rich with...the condescension, the coming down. We last left off with this word and the word in verse one, where it says, in the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. Co-equality co-existence with the Creator God, that he is there and now he has come. And what humility for Jesus Christ...above us in every way as the eternal Son of God. It's hard for him. I mean, I guess it's hard for us to understand the humility of that because, you know, when we meet people and when we want to impress them with our credentials, if you were to meet somebody and they had any idea of self-awareness and modesty, they probably wouldn't start with boasting in how much greater they are than you, how different they are than you. That would be a turnoff. But not with Christ. Because to start with, the person of Christ starts with him being God. And there's no way for him to set that aside, to not talk about that. And we've seen that in the last 13 verses in the last few weeks we have been in John chapter one. We have seen that John makes it very clear from the beginning of this gospel that Jesus Christ, the pre eternal word equal with God, has come to the world, the light of the world, the life for the sinner. Life eternal that he is God and He alone can save. And yet we see his humility in verse 14...the word became flesh and dwelt among us. This is the first part of the excellency of Jesus Christ. It's in a category that we wouldn't associate with glory. It's the category of humility. J.I. Packer writes, "the Almighty came to earth as a helpless human baby, needing to be fed and changed and taught to talk like any other child. The more you think about it, the more staggering it gets. Nothing in fiction is so fantastic as the truth of the incarnation." And think about just the opposites of something so amazing as is the Son of God coming to earth to be born of a woman, the word becoming flesh. Things like in Isaiah 6 we read Isaiah 6:3 that when the prophet sees the pre-incarnate Christ in his glory in the heavenlies, and all the angels are flying around him, crying out, Holy, holy, holy, the whole earth is full of his glory that can't be contained. And yet his glory that can fill the whole earth now is in the womb of Mary. Or at the end of Isaiah, Isaiah 66. The omnipotent and omnipresent and omniscient God says this about himself, "Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool". What, then is a house that you could build for me? And where is a place that I may rest? The answer...a Trough. You can't build a temple. Anything big enough to contain my glory. And yet I'll come in a manger. Do you see the juxtaposition of this glory of the Son of God coming in with the humility to our world? This is the excellency of Christ. And if you're giving consideration to Christianity this morning, maybe there could be a thing that doesn't add up for you. And it has nothing to do with Jesus, but it has everything to do with us as followers. Maybe some of the skepticism is derived in that you may have had an experience around Christians that left you saying, those people are anything but humble. You're right. We're nothing like our savior in that regard. We do not come close to his humility. How can any person in all history come close to that...God becoming man? The word becoming flesh. So you're right. Maybe there is a failure of Christians to exemplify the humility of Christ, but you can't put that on him. He is the perfect example of humility, and we see it there in verse 14. He became flesh and he did this. He dwelt among us. He didn't just do a high end by, you know, a quick appearance, you know, like famous people tend to do, important people tend to do...you get all pumped up to go to some autograph signing or see some celebrity or famous person and you get them for like five minutes. They sign a few things and they're out. That's not what Jesus came and did, is it? It says he dwelt among us, meaning he took up residence near us. That word for dwelt. It's a Greek noun meaning a tent, and John turns it into a verb. He says, he dwelt among us. He tented among us. He camped with us. For those of you Patagonia, people who love your camping. He came into that campsite as gross as it was and put up a tent right next to yours. I say that because I think of how gross camping can be...taking my kids each summer. This one, this past summer, Roan Mountain...we get there and in traditional North Carolina, unpredictable fashion. Within, I don't know, not moments, but definitely within a few hours of getting there, the thunderstorms come, the rain comes down and the floods go up, as the song says. And suddenly we're trying to dig trenches around our area so that the water doesn't come through the tent. And as gross as that is, not more than an hour later, even worse, two church vans pull up of a youth group and we have to sleep next to them. You know how bad camping can be. Pales in comparison to Christ coming to this world and dwelling among us. And it's not really, John thinking of camping as much as he uses this word, a tent, referring back to the tabernacle. That's where he wants your mind to go when you read this, that the tabernacling among us has the language of the Old Testament dripping from it, because this is what God did with his people, Israel. Go back to Exodus chapter 25 and you'll see the first mention of this. Israel has been freed from the oppression of Egypt, and they've been out a few months on their own in the wilderness. And God wants to give them a visual representation of that cloud that he led them with...fire by night, cloud by day. And maybe he could sense in them that they would get this idea that one day they would wake up and that would be gone. So what would be kind of the permanent fixture for them to know that he is with them. Well Exodus 25, if you're there now, tells you, and this is the language that John is borrowing from in our verse about him dwelling. This is what God has always done. Exodus 25:1, the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, tell the sons of Israel to raise a contribution for me. Take up an offering from every man whose heart moves him. You shall raise my contribution. And then in verses 3 to 7 he says all the things to give, because what I want you to do is build me something. Verse 8, let them construct a sanctuary for me. Why? He's the God who doesn't dwell in anything made by human hands. Well, it's for them. You do this for me, but it's really for you that I may dwell among them. That's why I want a tabernacle. That's why I want a tent. So that you would know that I am with you. Now, I'm not just going to come and go. I'm with you now. You are my people. And so he says, construct a tent, a sanctuary, a tabernacle, that I may dwell among them. And they do that. And then he gives them explicit commands for how to do this. And then if you go all the way to the end of Exodus, this is the dwelling of God with man in glorious form. Exodus 40, the end of the book, verse 34. Then the cloud, God's cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. So throughout all their journeys, when the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle, they would go out. But if the cloud was not taken up, they stayed. And that staying was God's proof that he has come to dwell with them. And this is the idea of what we see throughout the Old Testament God dwelling with his people, even when his people didn't want to dwell with him, even when they rejected him. And that's a sad picture, going all the way back to Genesis of what was lost when Adam and Eve sinned. At first they had perfect dwelling. Talk about a perfect place...Garden of Eden. All their needs met. But what made it the greatest place to be was that Adam could walk with God there. He could have perfect fellowship with God there. But this was lost when Adam and Eve sinned, when they disobeyed and ate of the tree that they were not supposed to. And notice the sad picture of this fellowship being lost in verse 8 of Genesis 3, after they had sinned, but before they had been kicked out, they knew before God said anything to them that something was different in their fellowship with him. Listen to it in Genesis 3:8. They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, something that they would have been familiar with. And the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Sin does that. It distances us from God. And it's not just God being separate from the sinner. The sinner in his or her own conscience knows also there's something different. Nobody had to teach Adam and Eve that...that in that moment they knew they had to make their own way. That's why in verse 7, they knew that they were now naked and they were ashamed. They sewed fig leaves together to make a covering for themselves. And then they took cover from God rather than be drawn towards the presence of God. They hid themselves from him. That's what sin does. It pricks the conscience and poisons the heart to think God is no longer someone I should be near, but I should move away from. Rather than seek his presence, as is written in the Psalms. The nearness of God is my good. No, the nearness of God is not my good. This is the distance that has now been formed between God and His creation. And the big story of the Bible...let's go back to John 1...is God providing a way back to fellowship with him. But it would not be like all the false religions out there that make it about you working your way back to God's presence. It's something you could never do on your own. It's God coming to the sinner. No other religion gives a hope that God would make a way for you back to him. Christianity is unique and it is God who comes to save us. And this is all the first reason that we have to be amazed by the excellency of Jesus Christ. It's in his humility coming in humanity to dwell among us. So there is his humility in part one of verse 14 that makes him so great. But look what it's married next to. Right after we see this out of this world display of humility for God to come to us, then we get out of this world with his glory. It's as if John puts the two most opposite things together...humility and glory. It's very hard for us as pride filled individuals and glory seeking individuals to see humility and glory in our own lives next to each other and make it work. Because what do we do the moment we taste some form of earthly glory? We lose all what?...humility. They don't marry well together for us fallen people. But yet in verse 14, the excellency of Jesus Christ is those things are next to each other. They come together that because he came in humble human flesh and dwelt among us, then we could see his glory. And what kind of glory is it? It's glory as of the only begotten from the father, full of grace and truth. That's the most glorious thing about the person of Jesus Christ, is that he revealed to us out of his fullness these two qualities grace and truth. Jesus is the most glorious, gracious, and truthful person the world has ever known. It's not even close. And John says, we saw his glory. Well, what is the glory that John is speaking of? Well, John walked with him, and John talked with him...John the Apostle. He would have been with Jesus at his transfiguration. He would have seen but been taken back by that in just that moment, that the glory of God and Jesus Christ was showing around him, but couldn't stay near. No one can see that God. No one can see that glory and take it in. It was true in the Old Testament. It was true in the New Testament. If you go back to the Old Testament, back to Exodus again, there's only one person in the Old Testament that ever thought, hey, you know, it would be cool. I want to see the glory of God. I think God and I are on such good terms here. I'd like to see it. It was Moses. And it does say Moses was the most humble man that ever walked the earth. But he had this idea that, you know what I need to see? I need to see the glory of God. And so in Exodus 33, we read of Moses saying, I pray God, show me your glory. And this is God's response. I myself will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. So he says, okay, I'll do that. I'll make all my goodness pass before you. All my goodness is a summary way to talk about the glory of God. As in all the qualities of God that make him God, all of his goodness, every quality, every characteristic that you could think that makes God wonderful and worthy to be worshiped...comprises his glory. That word for glory in the Old Testament is a word for something weighty and worthy. And sowhen he says, I will make my goodness pass before you and proclaim my name, you will get to experience that. But look what he says in verse 20, you cannot see my face, for no man can see me and live. And in fact, there's a place by me, I'll put you there in that rock. And it will come about that when my glory is passing by I'll put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. That's the closest anybody can get...hidden in the cleft of a rock covered by anthropomorphic language, the hand of God. Until he passes by. And I will take my hand away. And you will see my back. But my face shall not be seen. But it wasn't just this glorious light so brilliant that Moses had to hide. It was the glorious truth that God wanted to reveal about himself. Listen to Exodus 34:5. The Lord descended in the cloud and stood there with Moses as he called upon the name of the Lord. And then the Lord passed by in front of him, and proclaimed, the Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in loving kindness and truth. Now why did I take us all the way back there to get back to John 1? Because all of John 1:14 is full of this flashback, both in this idea in the Old Testament, that God would tabernacle amongst his people, and when his people wanted to see the glory of God revealed. It was not going to be revealed in the Incarnate Word. It was going to be revealed in the spoken word. God saying this about himself. What did he say about himself? Well, all these wonderful truths that make us want to praise him for who he is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger. And then these last two words in verse 6 of Exodus 34, he's abounding in loving kindness and truth. Now you say, well, how does that connect to our verse?...in Verse 14. Because the word lovingkindness, it's the best word in the Old Testament, because the lovingkindness of God, any time you see it brought up, is this gracious act of God to love the sinner, even when the sinner does not want to love him in return. Now, if you can come up with a better definition of the word grace, then go for it. Really, when you hear loving kindness in verse 6 of Exodus 34, you're hearing the word grace. And then he says, I abound in loving kindness or grace and truth. Go back to verse 14 of John 1. What kind of glory did we see when we beheld the glory of Jesus Christ? He was abounding or full of what? What two qualities?...grace and truth. What's John's whole thesis of this gospel. He wants to show you that Jesus Christ is God, so that you would believe and have life in his name. And so he connects you back to Exodus 34 at the high point of God revealing Himself and His glory to Moses. And you say, wait...those qualities revealed about God in Exodus 34:6 are the same exact qualities that make Jesus so glorious. So it throws aside some of the heresies of the early church that some extend to today that want to say, like Marcion did in the second century, that, oh, you know, the God of the Old Testament, he's this bad guy. But man, we love Jesus in the New Testament. So unhitch from your Old Testament, we can't learn anything about God there. Really?...sounds to me like that's the same God, the one who is overflowing and abounding in grace and truth to his people is the same one that John said, "We've seen his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the father..." Just like the father, the same loving kindness and truth. We know the father, we know it in the son. Then he goes on to say in verse 15, this is what John testified about, this fullness of grace and truth. John testified and said, this was he of whom I said, he who comes after me has a higher rank than I. For he has existed before me. John the Baptist's testimony the entirety of his existence, and I do mean the entirety of it. Life begins at conception. John the Baptist is in the womb of Elizabeth, his once barren mother, and in the womb...Luke 1:15 an angel says to Zacharias, your wife will have a child, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother's womb. Why is that important? Because John the Baptist entire life was testifying to Jesus Christ as the Son of God, even in the womb, already full of the Spirit. How this stuff works itself out if you get caught on that detail, but you're okay with the incarnation, come on. Full of the Holy Spirit in his mother's womb, Mary, who now is carrying Jesus, goes to meet her cousin Elizabeth. Luke 1:41, and when Mary came into the house and greeted Elizabeth. Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting the baby, John the Baptist, leaped in her womb. Why did he leap? Well, we all know babies move around in there. I don't know this by experience, but I've been told. Why is it that John the Baptist is suddenly dancing a jig? Well, Elizabeth, full of the Holy Spirit, so we know we can trust what she's saying, says this verse 44, behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. It wasn't just kicking for the sake of kicking...Joy. John the Baptist, in the womb of his mother, was leaping for joy when Jesus comes in the room in the womb of his mother. I mean, all of this is, as Packer said before, something so miraculous and mysterious it blows our imagination. But it's true. And so back to John 1:15. He is saying every part of John's life he understood even before any person could understand something. He knew who Jesus Christ was. In fact, before he even saw Christ, he was testifying that what? I'm just the forerunner. I'm not the Christ. Look at down in verse 19 when they're asking him, who are you? And he says, I'm not the Christ. Then they said what do you say about yourself? Verse 23, he quotes Isaiah 40, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, "make straight the way of the Lord". Now he still hasn't met Christ...seen Christ. But then we read in verse 29, the next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, look, behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. Every point in John's life he's giving testimony that Jesus Christ, who he is before he's even seen him do any work. He knows him that he is the Son of God. Further testimony to the excellency of both the humility and the glory of Jesus Christ. Somay I ask you this morning, just in the first part of this whole thing, as we're just exploring the humility and the glory of Jesus Christ in his person, are you amazed by him? There's no one like him, and we haven't even talked about any of his works yet. But just the testimony of the incarnation, the word becoming flesh and dwelling among us and revealing the glory of God to us, full of grace and truth. And that's just this person who he is.
But now John's going to tell us about his work. What work has he done that we are the glad recipients of?...Verse 16. What makes him so excellent in his work is the grace that we have received, and not just a small portion of it. How much grace we received. Verse 16...loads of it. Grace upon grace upon grace is what John is writing. I loved reading this in all different kind of translations this week, because it just reminded me of how wonderful the grace of God is to me in the gospel of Jesus Christ. It's not just a small thing, it's an unending thing. And the only way we get the unending supply of the grace upon grace of God is in his work for us, the sinner, at the cross. It's the greatest gift we could ever be given. That word grace means gift. And if we know the nature of a true gift, and we know the nature in the Bible of true grace. It's not something that you earn or deserve or somebody is obligated to give you. If somebody is going to truly give you a gift of grace...this wasn't that they were hoping to get something back from you. If it's with pure intentions, right? I mean, even think about this week. I know we would say, well, you know, the reason I'm giving people gifts this week is because it's Christmas. Is it though? I mean, by the calendar it is. But what really moves you and motivates you to rack up the credit card debt? It's your love for the person you're giving the gift to. It's because you truly love them. Now, you might feel obligated because okay, this is that certain time of year, but if it's really from the heart that you love this person you want to give this gift to. When Shannon opens up, you know, her gift in the driveway, the Tesla, you know, the new Cybertruck. It's the Hot Wheels version. She'll have to look hard to see it. But if you asked me. Oh, Adam, why did you get your wife the Cybertruck? I'd say it's my duty. It's Christmas. I have to. No, I'd say because I love her. Why did you get your kids those gifts? I love them. You know, and then they give me some great stuff back in return. And then I take it on the scales of Adam's justice. And I look at the price tags on it all. And if it comes out even that was a good Christmas. Is that what you do? Because it has to be all even stevens, doesn't it? No, that's not the way Grace works. And if it's what John is highlighting here about our receiving the grace, the fullness of the grace of God in Jesus Christ, there is no comparing it, is there? That's not how the gospel works. Romans 4:4, the one who works his wage is not credited as a favor, as what is due, but the one who does not work, but believes in him who justifies the ungodly. His faith is credited as righteousness. I hope you love that, believer, about the work of God for you in Jesus Christ this morning, that you owe him nothing. He gave you everything for your salvation. Now what you can do in return, out of gratitude for that great salvation is what? Love him. Live for him, serve him, worship him. But you're not earning anything in doing that. That grace that he's shown you. That grace upon grace or in some of the other translations out of his fullness we've received grace in place of grace already given that you say, oh, of course I want to...Whatever I can do for you, Lord, because I love you. Because you first did what? What does Romans 5 say? You demonstrated your love for me. You first loved me. And that's not a debt that you could ever pay God back for. You know that...you couldn't. You couldn't live the perfect life that would pay for you. He could though, and he did. And that's the glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The excellency of his work is that when he came to die on the cross, his work on the cross was a sacrificial death in your place, his perfect love for you, his miraculous resurrection is the final proof that it went through. All of it's true, all the works of Christ that only he can do, that we could not. All are gifts we receive by faith, not by work. Sowhen you want to tell somebody about Jesus Christ and how great he is...you can't miss this point this morning that the greatest part of the work of Jesus Christ is what he did for you on the cross. His greatest work was not healing the sick, and it's not to give us perfect health. His greatest work was not helping the poor, and he didn't come to get you out of debt financially. His greatest work was not fighting the powerful elites so that you can stick it to the man. His greatest work was not inspiring people to achieve all their earthly dreams. We're just called to follow him. His greatest work was going to the cross, to die for sinners so that we could be forgiven of our sin. To know what makes Jesus Christ the Son of God, both in his person and in his work, so amazing is that he came to save. That in the gospel of Jesus Christ He provides total forgiveness of all sin for every sinner who believes the truth that Jesus Christ taught and receives the gift of his saving grace. Forgiveness that is so complete that it eternally removes all of your sin, all of your shame, all of your guilt, all of your punishment, and replaces it with the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ. That then assures you that you will never be separated from the love of God forever. What else could he give that would top that? I mean, just add all that up in your heart right now. Sure, he was a healer and a helper and a fighter and an inspirer. He did those things, but they were all means to the one great end of why he came to be the Savior of the world. So you and I could be forgiven. That’s what allows you to worship him and exalt him and love him this Christmas more than anything else you could hope for. How do you know it's all true? Well, it's right there. It says of his fullness we have received grace upon grace, for the law was given through Moses. Grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. The truth of Christ. This is how we know it's true. Everything he said and did proved that it's true. I mean, who else could you depend on that would make it true? Verse 18, you would want to know the person that's been with God forever, who is the only person that's been with God forever? The Son of God, begotten of the Father, who is in the bosom of the Father. He has explained him. That's who you can trust. That's how you know it's true. Just like if you were to ask a grown adult about their parents and they were, you grew up with them. You were around them all the time. What's your dad like? What's your mom like? Well, I can tell you about mine from the beginning. And if somebody else came along and said something about them, I would say, you know, that's actually not that accurate. I was the closest to them. That's what John is saying here. If you want to depend on the truth, realize through Jesus Christ he only can explain the Father because he only has been with the Father forever. And he says he was in the bosom of the Father. This is just a picture of perfect love. There's no way that John can express a closer relationship. To show you that the only begotten Son, who fully and perfectly knew the Father now, can fully and perfectly make him known. That's the truth that you can depend on. Jesus message his whole life, the truth that he spoke. John 5:19, The Son could do nothing of himself unless he sees his Father doing it. Whatever the Father does, the things the Son also does, what is he saying there? Everything I do, I see the Father do. All my works, his works. John 7:16. My teaching is not mine, but his teaching who sent me. So not just everything I do, but everything I say. It's something that the Father said. That's how you can trust me. If that's not enough, if you just don't trust my works and my words. If you want to know about my will, where does it all come from? What drives me? John 5:30, I do nothing on my own. I do not seek my own will, but the will of him who sent me. Who else could explain God the Father to a dying world, but God the Son, who could say...all my works, all my words, right down to the will...all of it is from the Father. None of it...I'm coming up with myself. He has explained him. Knowing God and Jesus Christ is everything to us. It's so important. It's the first and last thing he prayed in John 17. If you want to look there. How important was it for us to know everything we can know about the Father? The first thing he prays as he opens his high priestly prayer in John 17. This is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. Last thing he prays in Verse 25 and 26, O righteous Father, although the world is not known you yet, yet I have known you, and these have known you that you sent me, and I have made your name known to them. Why did he do it? What's behind it all? What's so great about the gift of knowing God and Jesus Christ? Here it is. It's his final words in this prayer. And I will make your name known so that the love with which you loved me may be in them. How good is that? That's why he came. So you can be forgiven to have eternal life. And what is eternal life?...to know God the Father. And what's so great about being known by God the Father? That you would know his love the same way his eternal Son knows it. Can anything compare with that? Can anything come close to that today? What could fill your heart with more hope, more joy and more love than to be loved by your creator and to know you can count on it, because he sent His Son to die on a cross to prove it to you. That's the glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Are any of us worthy of a grace as amazing as eternal love and eternal joy? No, it's not something you earn. It's something that is given to you...grace upon grace upon grace. That's the beauty of this gospel message. Just when you think you can get to the end of the supply, it comes and hits you with another wave and another wave and another wave. And it overwhelms you. What's better than being overwhelmed by the love of God being poured out in your heart by the Holy Spirit?, Romans 5:5. I mean to know from the inside he knows everything about me. He's seen everything I've done, and he loves me still. It's the most precious truth any heart could have.
So I pray that the days remaining we have before Christmas celebrating our Savior in all of his excellence. You would see the excellence of his person and his work. And if you don't know him today. Honest question...What more do you need to know about him? What could be better to know about Jesus Christ than his love for you? I would say there isn't anything better than that. I know there's other things. There's grace upon grace. There's grace gifts he gives us in life beyond saving grace. There's things that we can look at with new eyes to see how good God has been to us. But it has to start with the most important thing that grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. He's revealed the Father to us. Trust him today. Let's pray.
Father, we thank you for your perfect Word. We thank you for its power to save. We thank you that you have the words of eternal life and can draw all men to yourself even right now. The person that is coming here feeling the farthest away from you, the most distant, like Adam and Eve, hiding from your presence. Now, in the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ, they would have eyes of faith to see for the first time you calling them to yourself to come to believe in him and be saved. Only you could do that work Spirit and we pray you do. Give life, give light, come to them Christ, we ask. Amen.
Pulpit Curriculum PDF Pulpit Curriculum DOCX * View transcript The Exclusivity of Jesus Christ
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Please turn in your Bibles to John chapter 1. We'll be in verses 10 to 13 this morning, continuing our exaltation to Jesus Christ, as that is so fitting all the time, but particularly this time of year. And I'm thankful that just a service, whether in the song we could sing that just says, come, let us adore him, or a creed that we would recite together that, though, is unfamiliar, I'm sure to just maybe 1 or 2 of you. I know the rest of you memorize the Athanasian Creed. It's just always on your mind. But that. And then to open the Word of God to look to Christ is truly the best thing we could do with our time together. And it's really where we fill up our minds, where we set our minds on things above that we live out of the rest of the week. I was reminded of how hard that can be this week. Um, just when I went to take a walk through my neighborhood and I had been listening to a podcast of a preacher, and he was just talking about how with the, you know, advent of the internet and everything that comes with that, the information that comes at us so fast that we just get things in soundbites in small parts, and even our theology comes at us that way. That we just kind of, you know, take a little bit here and take a little bit there and just patchwork it together. But he said, you know, what it used to be is if you really wanted to know something, say about Christ, you would have to dig a little bit harder, a little bit deeper by going to a library or somewhere and getting a book and learning about that part of the character of Christ, his personal work in a larger context, whereas now we just kind of find it pretty quick and it's in our minds, and then it's gone. And so he used all this to talk about, hey, maybe this time of year it's good to meditate on Christ and just try to hold a thought together on something like his incarnation and that he is completely God and he is completely man. And I thought, I'm going to go walk through my neighborhood for a few minutes and do that. I can do that. And I couldn't do that. As in, I'm 30 seconds down the road and one of my new neighbors who I do want to get to know and, you know, invite the church and find out where he stands with the Lord. Uh, is out there looking at his new driveway and wants to tell me about his new driveway. When I, pious as I am, am trying to think on the glories of Christ and the incarnation, and now I'm talking about his driveway. So, okay, I move on from that and then round the corner to my next neighbor who was putting up his Christmas decorations. I think I'm going to cut through the woods where, you know, I can truly take in the glory of God and nature and not be interrupted. And sure enough, deer start flying across my path. They wouldn't even let me sustain a thought for five minutes on Christ and His person and work. I don't know where you need to go to get away to have time to do this. I just use it to say when it comes to our hearts being lifted up. I hope that this month, the theme of this month of trying to focus all our attention in the Gospel of John, verses 1 to 18 on the magnificence of Jesus Christ, his pre-incarnate glory. As we saw at the beginning of John in the first 3 verses, pre-existent before all creation, coexistent with God, and self-existent, not dependent on anyone outside of himself. And that those thoughts then, coupled with last week's in verses 6 to 9 of that, he didn't just stay far away, but he was the light that shone in the darkness, even though the darkness could not comprehend it. He sent a witness, John, and he testified about the light, the light to come into the world, to give it a knowledge of the truth of who Jesus is, that these thoughts, these glorious thoughts on Christ, wouldn't just be something that we feel like, okay, I'm good. I got it for the hour and a half I was here, and then we go off the rest of our way. No. The goal of this month. And why even we gave you the challenge to say, read through the Gospel of John while we're doing this, is so that these thoughts come back to you every day, and that they do bless you day and night as you meditate upon them, so that you would prosper and grow in all ways, and that God would want you to this month. I mean, that's the goal. I know reading a creed together... so outdated. Um, you know, so not relevant. Especially. Well, it is relevant. But that's just me being exaggerating. You know, when there's churches, I, a friend sends me a clip of a church that's doing, you know, of course, Christmas at the movies. And the pastor comes out of the stage. You know, I tried last week with Fred Rogers, so, you know, sue me. But this guy came out as John McClane from Die Hard and then preached a sermon on the spiritual lessons of Die Hard. And if you're like, okay, I know Die Hard and there are no spiritual lessons there, I'm with you. If you're like, what's Die Hard? Don't worry about it. It's a battery. You put it in your car, it charges, you run off of it. You know, we're reading something. Creeds that are thousands of years old. But what they're to do for us is to remind us that there is nothing, no one more important to get exactly right than the Lord Jesus Christ, because eternity hangs on what you believe about him. And not just believe about him, but he changes you and gives you new affections, and you follow him because you love him. You obey him because you love him. That's what's at stake with Christ. And so it is important for us, like we have done this month, to say, let's slow down, let's say a creed together. Let's be reminded of what happened when God became man. And so let's look to our text this morning, John 1:10 to 13. I will read the larger section all the way back to verse one. And that way we can see in its entirety what John is trying to teach us this morning, and then talk about the exclusivity of Jesus Christ, that he demands us to know him and come to him and receive him exactly the way that he is presented in the scriptures. Follow with me.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and apart from him nothing came into being that has come into being. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but he came to testify about the light. There was the true light, which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world did not know him. He came to his own, and those who his own did not receive him, but as many as received him. To them he gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." He who has ears to hear, Jesus said, listen up. Open our hearts and our ears and our eyes this morning we pray, Father, to see the wonderful truths about your Son this morning. Amen.
Two years ago, Ligonier Ministries, founded by a trusted theologian, R.C. Sproul, now with the Lord, partnered with LifeWay and put out a survey that wanted to see what evangelicals believe, a state of our theology. And this was in 2022, and an evangelical was somebody on the front end who agreed to this, that we affirm that the Bible is inerrant and infallible. And also, we believe that Jesus' death on the cross is the way that sinners are forgiven. But when some of these questions were asked, they were surprising. Saddening, really, revealing that the exclusivity of Jesus Christ is the only way to God is not something that we can assume evangelicals believe anymore. When 56% of respondents agreed with the statement that God would accept worship from other religions Judaism, Islam. And if these surveys accurately represent evangelical views at large, then I am not assuming that even in our congregation this morning, those of us who would say, man, I'm at Hickory Bible Church because I affirm or I believe that the Bible is inerrant and infallible, and that Jesus death on the cross provides a way for sinners to heaven. There could still be some that say, you know what? I'm not sure we can be so dogmatic that ours is the only way you know, that God would accept worship from these other monotheistic religions. Well, that would be contradicting the claims of Jesus Christ, who says exclusively, no, I am the only way you come to God. You come through me or you don't come at all. That's an exclusive claim that may not fall on our Western ears when we are wired, if you will, to be told that exclusivity is the problem. We need inclusivity, you know. We don't want to leave anybody out. We don't want to offend anyone. But the problem is that Jesus Christ is not afraid of offending you. When he came, he wasn't afraid to offend his listeners, to tell his listeners radical things like this when it comes to the exclusivity of believing and following him, so much so that it would divide house and home. Listen to his words in Luke 12 verse 51. Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? And of course everyone's like, yeah, don't you know all the songs about peace on earth? Goodwill to men. Like we all just get along. He says, do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you no, but rather division. From now on, 5 members in one household will be divided. Three against two and two against three. Now, that happened yesterday in our house over the last piece of dessert. Much more important matters here. He's addressing the matters of following him. They will be divided father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother. Mother in law against daughter in law and daughter in law against mother in law. What is he saying there? That when I came, I divide humanity, I divide history. We know that just by looking at our calendars before Christ and A.D. Anno Domini in the year of our Lord. You know, I went to my arch nemesis, Google AI once again to see what Google had to say about, does all history pivot on Christ and Google AI even agreed that yes, before Christ BC stands for before Christ, AD for Anno Domini. But their explanation at the bottom of the page was about inclusivity, that some use BCE and CE rather than BC and AD, so as to be inclusive so that they won't offend people who don't consider Jesus to be Lord. Well, see, they softened it because it's not just about not considering that he's Lord, it's rejecting him outright. That's what divides all of history, in all of humanity into two camps. And it's not the camps of atheists and theists. Otherwise, that survey from LifeWay is fine, right? If it's just about atheists and theists, then we're okay with all the other monotheistic religions. As long as you believe in God, as long as you believe something, you're good. But Christ's own message is no, all of history and humanity divides on me, the Son of God, that everyone who exists is either in Christ or not in Christ. And the only way to be in Christ is to be born again, to receive me, to believe what I say about myself. The things we said and sang this morning. So that is how John brings us into advent. He doesn't bring us into it in the way that Matthew and Luke do that we read this morning at a manger scene where all is calm and all is bright. No, John's introduction into the person and work of Christ is where all is dark and all people are sinners. That's how the story of Jesus starts. And what we're going to see today in 10 to 13 is where all of his gospel, the story he's going to tell in 21 chapters, is really summarized here in these four verses, because these four verses divide out rather neatly ten and 11 into the rejecters and 12 and 13 into those who receive him. And why I say that's a summary of his gospel is because as soon as this prologue ends in verse 18, John 1:19 through the end of chapter 12, his three years of ministry really is a broader picture of this verse 10 and 11. He was in the world, but the world didn't know him. They didn't receive him. If you are reading in the reading, plan on your own about the life of Jesus in John right now, you should probably be around chapter somewhere between chapters 11 and 15 if you're trying to keep up this month. So you end on Christmas Eve taking in all of the Gospel of John. I hope you're doing it. I hope it's encouraging your faith. I hope it's drawing your eyes and those who are in your home with you to Christ. We were we were talking about it this week and we were in John 11 talking about Lazarus and him being resurrected. And we just go around and say after we read, what did you see? What's amazing about Jesus? And and one of our kids says, well, what's amazes me is on one hand Jesus can weep, and on the other hand, he can raise Lazarus from the dead. He gets the deity and humanity of Christ. That's why we do this. So our eyes and our kids eyes and friends eyes would be open to the glory of Christ. That's the purpose of it. So we would adore him for all of who he is. Well, the first 12 chapters of John, he is showing us in 10 and 11 that the majority of the people that were there when Jesus came into the world and came into his own, rejected him. The minority that receive him, we start seeing in John 13, in the upper room, he's down to his disciples, and they're with him all the way through the end to John chapter 21. So I wanted to just put that on the outset, because we'll be moving around through the Gospel of John today, because the parallels are so poignant when we take 10 and 11, as the Lord has come, but the world did not receive him. And that's the first 12 chapters of John. They did not receive him. They rejected him. But when you hit the pivot point, the hinge on which the Gospel of John turns is into chapter 13, the last few days of his life, where he's with his disciples. Those who received him believed in his name as verses 12 and 13 talk about.
So let's first start with the joy to the world the Lord has come, and yet the world did not rejoice in his coming. Verse 10 he was in the world, and he's not in the world. And the way Pantheists say, God is in the world, he's in the trees and he's in the carpet and he's in my sweater. That's not what he's talking about. He was in the world. It means he came into the world as a man. God in human flesh. Romans 8:3, God sent his Son in the likeness of sinful flesh. Or Philippians 2:7-8, he took the form of a bond servant made in the likeness of men, and was found in his appearance as a man, or Hebrews 2:14 therefore the children share in flesh and blood, children of man. And Jesus himself likewise also partook of the same. This was the consensus among the writers of the New Testament. Jesus, the Son of God, came into the world as a man. Why did he come into the world as a man? John says in John chapter 3 verse 17, God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Why did he come into the world? Jesus says about himself, I came to be the suffering servant. I didn't come to be served, but to serve and give my life as a ransom for many. Mark 10 says here in John 3:17 that the world might be saved through him. That's why he came. That the world would see their Savior, that the world would know their creator, that the creature would worship the creator. But verse 10 says, he was in the world, and the world was made through him. We already learned that back in John 1:3, everything came into being through him, and yet the world did not know him. And this is probably John speaking broadly to the Gentile world, the world of fallen humanity in the broadest terms. God comes into the world that he creates and the world doesn't...What's the word there in verse ten? Know him. That means they didn't recognize him. They didn't acknowledge him. Romans 1 talks about this, that the creature doesn't acknowledge its creator even though he's there and he's walking amongst them. The world didn't recognize him. And that's bad. The world's rejection of Christ. But what's worse is in the next verse, verse 11. Not just the world in general. The Gentile world. The fallen world of humanity. He came to his own. John goes further in. Now he gets specific. Who were Jesus's own? The nation of Israel, the lost sheep of Israel. The chosen people of God. If you know your Old Testament, you know the nation of Israel was God's chosen people throughout the Old Testament. He constantly is calling them his own, his possession, his people. Exodus 19. For instance, Moses is about to give the people the law. They've been delivered from oppression in Egypt. Exodus 19:3 Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the sons of Israel. Exodus 19:4 you yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagle’s wings, and brought you to myself. Now then, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, then you shall be my own possession among all the peoples. For all the earth is mine. And you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. God wanted Israel to know that they were his possession. They were his people. And throughout the Old Testament we hear echoes of this. Psalm, chapter 50, verse 7, hear, O my people, and I will speak, O Israel, I will testify against you.
I am God, your God. It doesn't say that about any other peoples. My favorite latter prophets, minor Prophet Amos, chapter 3, verses 1 and 2, hear this word which the Lord has spoken against you sons of Israel, against the entire family which he brought up from the land of Egypt. Listen to what he says about them. You only have I chosen among all the families of the earth. So back to John 1:11. Jesus came to his own. The people that were looking for the Messiah, that should have known better. And what was their response to him? In summation, those who were his own did not receive him. Notice it's not the same word as in verse 10. The Gentile world just didn't recognize him, didn't acknowledge him, didn't know him. But it says Israel, they recognized, but they did not receive him. And that word received means it literally to grasp on to something being handed to you. The Messiah was being given to his people. And Acts says he was given over by them to be crucified. What a rejection. And so these two categories, whether it's for the Greco-Roman reading this in a world of many gods to learn that the true God, the true light, came into the world and the darkness didn't recognize it and receive it, and they would be convicted, or the Jew reads this and says, yes, he came to his own people. He had a particular reason to reach them. He was their long awaited Messiah, and they acknowledged they would have known him. But they said, no, you're not. We reject you. In fact, we want to crucify you for making yourself equal to God. So he has been rejected. And that is the first part of the book of John, those three years that he covers in the first 12 chapters. If you've been reading through it, you see that it's the majority of rejectors, not receivers. And what I want to do this morning was just take a few minutes here, kind of to get the most we can from this. When it comes to how does this change my life? What do I do with the information in verses 10 and 11? What can I learn from this that helps my own heart to diagnose where I stand with Christ today? Or if I stand in Christ today, how can I better reach the people around me? How can I understand what may be their condition that keeps them in the darkness? Now, generally speaking, what keeps people in the darkness is their unbelief. We can all agree to that. It's not believing in Jesus Christ. That's the goal of the Gospel of John, that you would believe that he is the Son of God and have life in his name. But there are examples, even just the first few chapters, of what people's particular reasons are or problems are that cause them to reject Christ. And so I just want to introduce you to some people as we walk through these chapters, we'll meet the first one in chapter 1 and just give you some categories for your thinking this morning of why people don't receive him, why they reject him. And the first category is this people reject Christ out of biblical ignorance. That would be maybe just step one to rejecting Christ. Biblical ignorance. People reject Jesus because they are ignorant of what the Word of God says about him. We meet a fellow like that in John chapter 1. We don't even have to go far. His name is Nathaniel. Jesus was starting to gather followers to himself. Verse 43 Philip was following him, and Philip wants to introduce his friend Nathaniel to Jesus and listen to what Philip says in his excitement. John 1:45 we have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets, wrote Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. So here Philip's excited, says to this guy, Nathaniel, hey, the Bible, the Word of God, the Old Testament is speaking clearly here. Moses and the law and the prophets. We found the Messiah. Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathaniel, if he knew his Bible, would have been like, what? That's amazing. What's his response in 46? Cynical. Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? There's a bit of biblical ignorance here, and it's revealed in what he says, particularly about Nazareth. He's showing that maybe in his mind, the Messiah had to be a somebody, not a nobody, because Nazareth was a nobody place. And if the King was going to come back to lead Israel out of their current oppression under Rome, and if he was going to be the one to bring in the kingdom of God, he couldn't be this lowly leader, this scorned Savior. Except if Nathaniel would have known Isaiah 53 to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? Verse 2. For he grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of a parched ground. He had no stately form or majesty that we should look upon him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to him. He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, and like one from whom men hide their face, he was despised, and we did not esteem him. So, Nathaniel, he just thinks, yeah, really? Some small town, some dot on the map our Messiah can't come from there. Is biblically ignorant of a premier passage in the Old Testament. The points that our Messiah wasn't going to be somebody that was going to cause headlines because of his prominence. Fortunately for Nathaniel, Jesus doesn't give up on him. Look at verse 47. Jesus saw Nathaniel coming to him and said to him, behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit. Nathaniel says to Jesus, how do you know me? And Jesus answered and said to him, Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you. Nathaniel answered back, Rabbi, teacher, you are the Son of God. You are the King of Israel. So happy ending to that story. All it took was Jesus ministering to this man who initially was cynical, doubtful, doesn't believe it because of biblical ignorance to a degree. Boom, pivots just like that. That's what understanding more of the Word of God can do for a person. Did the same thing for Nicodemus. Chapter 3. Look at verse 1. There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, who came to Jesus by night thinking, hey, Rabbi, teacher, we've got you pegged. We've seen the signs, we've heard about them. And you can't do those unless God is with you. Notice he doesn't say God is you. Jesus answered and said to him, truly I say to you, unless you're born again, you actually can't see the kingdom of God. Unless you're born again Nicodemus, teacher of the law. You have no idea what you're seeing. You're seeing signs. But you think because you have this partial knowledge of who the Messiah is and what the Kingdom of God is about, that you've got me pegged, but you're missing me entirely because you just think God is with me, just like he's been with everybody else. You're not saying that I am God. And in order to see this, you need to be born again. And this is where Jesus brings Nicodemus back to the Word of God to open his eyes. Look at verse 5. Truly I say to you, unless one is born of the water and the spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the spirit is spirit. He's reciting Scripture. He's talking about Ezekiel 36. Nicodemus, like the rest of those Pharisees, thought it was the Mosaic law. It was the old covenant. It was you working your way to God, not God coming your way, not God coming to you, not God working in you, giving you a new heart. That's what Ezekiel 36 taught about the New Covenant. Listen to verse 25. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. For the moralist, the legalist, the Pharisee who thinks I just need to be more ethical, moral law keeping, a better person in order to make my way to God. Ezekiel 36 teaches the opposite. There is nothing you can do to impress a holy God. You need to be changed from within. You just don't need behavioral adjustment. Moral reform. You need to become a new creature entirely from the inside out. That's the new birth. But notice when he gives you his spirit. Ezekiel 36:27 I will put my spirit in you and cause you to walk in my statutes. There's the obedience God desires after he changes you from the Inside, not you trying to change yourself from the outside. So those who reject Christ out of biblical ignorance, whether Nathaniel or Nicodemus, who when you read on in the rest of the story of the gospel, he comes to be a man of faith. By the end of the story, he's there for Jesus to take him down off the cross. It's good news, in both cases for Nathaniel and Nicodemus that biblical ignorance can be overcome. Praise God for that. You don't have to stay in darkness by having the light of the Word of God in your life. In fact, many of your testimonies here this morning, I wouldn't be surprised if that's how you came to faith, because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ, the Word of God. So I would say the I don't want to maybe say the vast majority, but a good amount of people in here would probably say if I was, hey, what's your testimony of becoming born again? Being a Christian? It was you sat under preaching or teaching or a study or a verse in the Bible, whatever it might be, like the testimony of Augustine, of just being told to take up the book and read and he opens to it, and he reads a passage of make no more provision for the flesh, don't walk by the flesh, but put on Jesus Christ. And that, boom, did it for him. It's probably done it for a lot of you in here. You understand? That's how God gives new life. So may I encourage some of you not to give up on that in your ministry to other people, in your evangelism, to other people. Just keep bringing the Word of God to them. It doesn't return void, friend. You just don't know when that return date is. But you bring them the Word of God because you trust it has the power to change them. And that's what we learn as we walk through the Gospel of John. Those who didn't reject him, those who received him like a Nathaniel or Nicodemus, it was through understanding more of the Word of God about Christ. First reason people reject him is when they're stuck in their biblical ignorance. Here's the second reason we find as we walk through this gospel, people reject Christ out of spiritual superficiality. I'd like you to meet the woman at the well. Moving from chapter 3, talking about Nicodemus to this Samaritan woman who meets Jesus at a well on a hot day, she would represent those who initially reject Christ because all they want to do is deal with their life at a skin deep level. They're spiritually superficial. They know some things. And when you read all of chapter 4, verse 7 to 29 about this woman's testimony, she knew enough about religion. Even in verse 9 when she meets Jesus, this Jew, to say, like, why would you even talk with me? Don't you know that there's a rift between us, our people? Down in verse 20 when she says, our fathers worshiped in this mountain. And you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men and women ought to worship. So she knows enough. She's spiritually superficial, and it's shown because when Jesus starts talking to her about eternal life, verse 13 and 14, everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again. But whoever drinks of the water that I will give shall never thirst again, but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life. What's her shallow response? Okay, fill her up, sir, give me this water so I'll not be thirsty again. And I won't have to keep coming out to this. Well, you see, if you present the gospel in a shallow and superficial way, just about meeting your needs, the physical ones, it's all about you and your life being made better. Who's going to refuse that? I mean, it's all around us. Ran into a guy this week. You know who I've known for years, and he's into the word of faith. And name it and claim it. And I'm with my son and he we're talking and he turns and before he leaves, he says, hey, I want to ask you something. Okay. Go ahead. What are you believing on the Lord for right now? And you see my eyes rolling. So I am just like, what am I doing here? And my son just goes… heaven. And I was like, yes. Like, dude, you just got put in place by this kid. You think we were going to say like, yeah, like this 12 year old is going to go, yeah, I'm believing in the Lord for a new PlayStation or that I would, you know, be this great and famous. No, he just goes heaven. Amen. That's the point I've come to give eternal life. Guy didn't have a response. That's the superficial spirituality of somebody who just wants something to meet some immediate need. But they're not thinking about eternal life. And she wasn't thinking about eternal life. And what usually is the thing that keeps people at the surface level that they won't go deep is well, we learn it in John 3 verse 20. Everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. It's a person's reality being shaken that they're actually a sinner in practice, and not just in theory. And when that gets shattered, when that gets pierced through with the light, suddenly they see the Savior as not just, he can give me some of these things that I want, but actually he can meet my deepest need, I need saved. We see that in the life of the woman at the well when Jesus calls her out, he says, go tell your husband to come here. And the woman answers and says, I have no husband. And he says, you correctly have said, you have no husband. You've had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. This you have said truly. And she stopped because, okay, I perceive you're a prophet. I'm. I'm dealing with somebody different here, and it ends up leading her to go back and tell the city that she's from, that she has met the Christ. What breaks through the superficiality of a spiritual person is recognizing in themselves that they truly are separated from God because of their sin. That's my testimony. I mean, I knew the Bible, but it took a counselor at a summer camp saying, Adam, you know, you say you're this sinner who's trusted in the Lord Jesus, but can I, like, point out the sins in your life this week that you could give a rip about? And I was like, okay. And on that porch, he just told me. And it was the first time in my life where my eyes were open to see, oh, I'm not just a sinner in theory like the Bible tells me. I'm actually one in practice. And if that's my practice, 1 John would say, then you can't say you actually know God. And that's what the Lord used to save me, a superficial spiritualist. If I had to put a term on it, biblical ignorance wasn't my primary problem. It was not seeing myself rightly. But once you see yourself rightly as a sinner, then you know, okay, I need this savior. Francis Schaeffer was a Presbyterian pastor, evangelical theologian, cultural apologist. Maybe you heard of him. He lived in the 1900s, had the L'Abri fellowship over in Switzerland, you know, really suffering for the gospel over. No. I'm kidding. But he was brilliant. He was a C.S. Lewis type, and he was used by God in great ways to lead people to Christ who just had questions, especially in the turbulent times of the 60s and 70s as the world was changing around them. How relevant is Christ to the problems we face? And in a time where people were, you know, the culture is changing, morality is changing. You would have thought some people would have said, you know, the last thing you should tell people is that they're sinners. That'll push them away. But Schaeffer took the opposite approach. In one of his books he wrote. He wrote this about us understanding our true sinfulness. He wrote, A negative message is needed before anything positive can begin. There must first be the message of sin and judgment. There are times in ours are such times when we cannot expect a constructive revolution or a revival. If we begin by overemphasizing the positive message, people often say to me, what would you do if you met a modern man on a train and you had an hour to talk to him about the gospel? I would spend 45 minutes on the negative to show him his real dilemma, to show him that he is more dead than he even thinks he is. He is morally dead because he's separated from the God who exists. Then I would take 15 minutes to tell him the good news. Is that the way you think about evangelism, I mean, the culture wants to push on us to drop the sin thing, okay? Just speak to people's felt needs, you know, because otherwise they'll just immediately be offended. But if you really care about that person and they're living in a culture that the last thing is going to tell them is that they're the problem. You have to paint the picture dark, right, in order for the light to break through it. If you just paint the picture all bright and good and okay, then what's my problem? If God loves me and has a wonderful plan for my life, is my intro into evangelism? Why do I need a Savior? If he already loves me and my life is just exactly the way he wants me to be, and I'm perfect the way I am, I don't need a Savior. But what Schaeffer went on to say is, I believe that much of our evangelistic work today is not clear, simply because we are too anxious to get the answer with having a man realize the real cause of his sickness, which is true moral guilt. So back to the second point. What you find with some people in the Gospel of John spiritual superficiality. The rich young ruler in the synoptic accounts who thinks he's pretty good at the surface, but he doesn't really see his sin is deep within. He loves his stuff, idols of the heart more than he loves his Savior. That's the second category. Good news about this woman. She changed. Third one, though, is the saddest of them all. People reject Christ. This is the last category and this is the broadly speaking. You know, the one that Jesus encountered the most, the religious narcissist. People reject Christ out of religious narcissism. Unsaved religious people seek their own glory instead of God's. They're self-deceived because they're self-loving. We read about this in John chapter 5. As you see, I'm just walking through this gospel, one chapter at a time, showing to you the type of people that back in verse 10 and 11, he came into the world and his own did not receive him, but rejected him. Here's another group of rejectors. Verse 18. The Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because he was not only breaking the Sabbath, but calling God His father, making himself equal with God. They're not listening to his words, even though he's saying the Father is the one showing me all these things, doing all these things. I'm just here on his behalf. He says the witness of John. Look at John 5:33. John was sent. He testified to this. You're not believing him. The witness of my works, verse 36, the works that the Father has given me to do, the very works I do testify about me. But you won't believe that. The witness of the Father who sent me, he testified of me. But you don't hear his voice at any time, because you don't have his word in you, because you don't believe him who he said. He keeps saying, you keep rejecting me. You think you have all the answers. Verse 39, you search the scriptures. You think that in them you have eternal life. And it's these scriptures that you religious Jews are the experts of that you don't see. All signs point to me. What's the heart of their problem? Verse 42, you do not have the love of God in yourselves. Verse 44. How can you believe? How can you have faith when you receive glory from one another? And you don't seek the glory that is from the one and only God? What he's saying here is the problem with these Jews is they weren't biblically ignorant and they weren't superficial. They were deep, but they were just turned in on themselves. They loved themselves. They loved the glory, the slapping each other on the back. Hey, you're the most holy man I know. No, no, no, no. You're the most holy man on earth. We're all the most holy men we know. And some people are in Christianity. Maybe don't talk that same way, but they're still in it for the same reasons that the Pharisees were. They're in it because of what it gives them. Some people are in Christianity because of the attention it gives them, The friendships it gives them. The influence it gives them. The authority it gives them. The sense that they're better than everyone else. They're in it for every reason other than the main one. They're not in it for the glory that goes to God and God alone when you love him with your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And the sad part is, unlike those other categories, these people in chapter 5 did not turn. In fact, that's where this gospel turns from rejecters to receivers, because at the end of chapter 12 he says this about them. Many of the rulers John 12:42, they were saying they believed in him, but because of the Pharisees, they wouldn't confess him for fear of man, that they would be put out of the synagogue. Why? For they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God. That'll keep a person from coming to Christ all the way. People that he would even say, yeah, I kind of agree with some of that Christianity stuff. It sounds pretty good, but they won't come all the way because they love the approval of man and what it would cost them to want to live for the approval of God more than the approval of man. You can't live for both at the same time. The gospel is an either /or. It's not a compromise. Matthew 6:33. You can seek first the kingdom of God, or you can seek first your own kingdom. Matthew 7:14. You can enter heaven by the narrow gate, or you can enter hell by the wide gate. Matthew 7:21. You can do the will of God the Father, or you can do your own will. Matthew 7:24. You can build your life on Christ's words and wisdom, or on your own words and wisdom. Mark 10:29 you can leave it all behind here for eternal life in heaven, or you can have it all here and lose heaven. Those are the parameters that Jesus paints. It's the approval of man. It's what you want for yourself. It's your own self-love and your inability to turn outward and say, no, I want to live for the Lord, I love him, I love his glory, not my own, not to me, not to me, but to your name be the glory. The religious narcissist can never get out of their own way, because everything they do, ultimately is to turn back, to give themselves glory. That's where we end in John 1:11. He came to his own, and his own did not receive him.
Now here's the good news this morning, verses 12 and 13, just like in John 12:50, then turns the hinge to John 13 and now he's with his disciples, and they're with him until the end, and he loves them until the end. They have received him. That's the story in the second half of John, the last few days of his life. And it's also the story in summary. Look at verse 12, no longer rejectors. These are the receivers. As many as received him. That same word that we talked about in verse 11, to be offered something and not grasp it to the ones who are offered Christ, and they hold on to him. To them he gave the right to become children of God. They took hold of the eternal life that was right in front of them. Did they have their doubts? They did. But John 21, they were with him to the end. They didn't turn back like in John 6 when many of the disciples turned back and Jesus turns to them and says, are you going to go with the rest of them? And what does Peter say in response? Where else would we go? You have the words of eternal life. Those are the ones who received him and them, he gave the right to become children of God, and then said in a different way to those who believe in his name, to receive him, to take hold of Christ, and to believe in his name, or talking about the same thing. Even though they're different phrases, both are biblical ways to talk about saving faith, trusting in Christ, and that trust is built on all of which we've already talked about. We've talked about you can't remain biblically ignorant and receive Christ. You have to know the true content of the faith and not just say it's true, but have a conviction that you would live for it, die for it, even because you love him, because he first loved you. That's what verse 12 is saying in summary. To become a child of God, then, is to realize that you first been loved by the Father, loved by the Son, born by the Spirit, because it's he who gives life. That's what John 3 taught us, wasn't it? That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the spirit is spirit. It's not something you can do to yourself. Verse 13 drives that point home. Just if you read verse 12 without 13, you might think, oh, it's all about me receiving Jesus. It's all about me believing in his name. I can do it. Verse 13 says, not so fast. How are you born again? Look at verse 13, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man. Three negatives to one positive. Here's how you're born again. You're born again of God. Salvation is all of God. Every category that you could try to think of. To say no. But it's I did something says it's not of blood. Meaning like the Jews who thought just because they were children of Abraham, they were in the family. That's how they got in. Modern day. My parents are Christians. My grandparents were Christians. My great grandparents were Christians. I'm a Christian. I was born into a Christian home. I've done Christian things my whole life. I'm a Christian. I've never not believed. It could be true. Could be true. God is the one who gives life. But if the only way you know how to describe your faith is to say, I was born into a Christian home, and I've always been going to church, and, you know, I'm a Christian. He says, well, you're not born of it's not born of blood. You know, some guy came up to me afterwards, first service and said, oh, the Billy Graham quote, you know, God has no grandchildren. You know, you don't get in just by family lineage. You have to be born again, no matter if every single person in your family history around you and you got better odds than anybody else, you still don't come in just because of the family you're born into. Okay? Pastor's kids, missionary kids, whatever kids here, you come by yourself. You got a great cloud of witnesses around you cheering ya. You put your faith in Christ, come to Christ, live for Christ, love Christ. But you've got to put your faith in him. It comes down to what you say about him, not what everybody else tells you about him, what you believe about Christ. That's how you're born again. Okay, maybe you don't think it's about the family you're from, but you think about. It's the things you do. I read my Bible, I go to church, I do all these external things. Well, he says right there, you're not born again by the will of the flesh, something external. So all the all the list of things you might list out and say, that's how I'm in the family of God. That's how I'm a Christian. John says. Nope, you don't will yourself in externally and you go, okay, right. It's internal. I gotta have that burning desire. Well, he says, you're not born of the will of man, as in man doesn't will himself into it. So it's not the blood and it's not the flesh. It's not external. It's not. What is it? You're born again of God. And you say that leaves me desperate. No chance on my own to come to Christ. Oh, yeah. Yeah. See, the moment you start seeing, I have no chance on my own. Now you're getting very close. Because you're completely helpless and hopeless about apart from what? Crying out to God save me, the sinner. Because everything else, the bad things that I can see myself doing and even the good things that I would think would make God want to save me. None of it counts. I'm desperate. Yes you are. What do I do next? Cry out to him. Lord, save me, the sinner. The world doesn't get that's how it works. They think it's got to be something else going around. I was reminded of that. I just was reading an article in the Guardian on how Notre Dame that burnt down in 2019 rebuilt. You've seen some of the pictures on the internet. It's beautiful. Listen to this writer's response to walking into this beautiful new cathedral. He writes. When the powerful and melodious organ starts up its 8000 pipes, carefully cleaned of the lead dust that came from the burning roof, the forms of their repeating vertical cylinders fortuitously echoing those of the bunched colonettes of the stone pillars. The whole building sonically and visually resonates the human voices of a choir joining this big sound machine from near the other extremity of the 128 meter long structure, make the cathedral into a musical instrument from end to end. I'm not religious, and I found 1 or 2 aspects of the mass I attended on Monday a touch creepy and the magnificence of the multi-sensory experience won't convert me, but it's impossible not to be moved. So this writer comes in there just seeing the beauty, maybe understanding in part why great cathedrals alike like this were built throughout the ages to exalt the glory of God, to make you look up. But when he wrote at the end, you know that magnificent multi-sensory experience won't convert me. Well, you're right, nothing will convert you outside of the grace of God in Christ. Nothing outside of being poor in spirit, broken in spirit will bring you into the kingdom of God. It's the only way you come. The only way that John says we are born again is by the work of God. And that is a miraculous work. Friends, we won't fully comprehend the teaching here about our inability to save ourselves, but we can't deny what John is saying. That this salvation is all of God. And yet he could still he could say this at the beginning and end in John 20:31 saying, I wrote you all this so that you would believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and that you would put your life in his hands, that you would trust him for eternal life. Changed from the inside, new affections, new loves for the Lord Jesus Christ above everything else. I pray that if you're not in Christ today, that you would see that there's only two categories for where you stand before him today. Now, you may be curious. You may want to know more. And that's what we're here for. You may have more questions to ask because you're going, I am biblically ignorant, I don't know, or I have been spiritually superficial. I've just been in church my whole life and never thought this deeply on my salvation. Well then, keep pressing in. If that light is piercing the darkness of whatever has been the fog in front of you for so long. But if right now there's nothing holding you back, you don't need any more answers to questions. You know you're a sinner. You know you need a Savior. Then call upon the Lord Jesus Christ now and be saved.
Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your grace to us in Christ this morning. Thank you for your kindness to us in him. Thank you for the amazing gospel according to John that just exalts you Christ, right from the beginning in your in your magnificence. Is God fully God, truly God, completely God, and then brings you down to earth man, truly man, completely man like us in every way except for sin, so that we can see that there has been a way made between God and man, one mediator between God and man, you, the Lord Jesus Christ. Give new life today. I pray and encourage the hearts of any here today who have been far from you. They know you are the way, the truth, and the life, but they haven't been looking to you. Renew their affections for you this morning we pray. Amen.
Pulpit Curriculum PDF Pulpit Curriculum DOCX * View transcript The Enlightenment from Jesus Christ
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Please turn in your Bibles to John chapter 1. We will pick up where we left off last week in verse 5. Look at verses 5 to 9 this week as we continue our advent series post tenebras lux. The Latin phrase meaning after darkness, light, which was the rallying cry of the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century. And in the time that was coined, it was due to the darkness that was pervading in the church through heresy, false teaching, and through debauchery...false living. And it needed exposed to the light of the glory of Jesus Christ then, as it does now, and in every generation of the church, for Christ to have that purified church, that pure bride that is spoken of in Ephesians chapter 5, that is purified and kept holy by the washing of the water of the Word of God. And so this month we are thinking of that theme of after darkness light, because of where we are in the Gospel of John when it comes to purifying our hearts and renewing us in our holiness and our Christ likeness. There is no better place to do that than looking at the person and work of Jesus Christ Himself. And as I said last week, we have done an advent series in some of the other gospel accounts, and this year we're in the Gospel of John. We started last week, and just looking at his pre-existence and coexistence with God and His self-existence that he always has been, and all things were created from him and through him and to him, which puts him in an exclusive category of being the great I am God, very God. As we already said this morning, God, truly God, and we are thankful for creeds that were worked out over the course of time amidst many false teachings for us to hold on to. We are also thankful for poets who take those wonderful ideas and turn them into songs that we can sing. And so even this morning, what a wonderful pairing together of saying the Chalcedonian Creed and then singing a beautiful song like Behold Him and hope we can have both of those things in our hearts and minds together, something so exalted and lifted up that we have to think hard while we say it together, and then something so natural and beautiful to express in our songs. And, we just pray that I preach 'inconfusedly' this morning is the thought on my mind. So you can pray that for me every week that Adam's preaching would be 'inconfusedly'. But back to our text in this advent season, thinking of the light that pierces through the darkness in John 1. That's where it all began. The great I am, the one who was in the beginning with God and always has been, is where it starts. And then this week, we're going to look at the light that has come into the world to enlighten every man. And after that, we'll look at the life that only Christ can bring. That eternal life is available only through him, not by the blood or the will of the flesh, or the will of man. Nothing in us, but it's all of God. And then finally, we'll see at the end of this chapter how he is the only way to God that grace and truth came through him. And so as even you try to hold this, I called it last week the entryway or the foyer into this wonderful Gospel of John. And hopefully you're also reading through it at the same time, because a lot of the themes and truths we get into today, if you've been reading in John already through the first 6 or 7 chapters, you'll have heard them already. They'll be familiar to you, and I think will only encourage and enrich what you're learning each Sunday. If you're new this week, we just gave the challenge for the month of December leading up to Christmas Day to read a chapter of John each day, so if you're behind, that's okay. You can do your best to catch up. But for the rest of us who maybe have been doing this, we see that these themes of the Word and light and life reoccur. John wants these images to be in the reader's mind. And as I was reflecting on them this week, my mind actually went to John 14:6, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through me. That's what John's gospel is trying to do. It's trying to point you to the Father, John 20:31, that you would believe that he's the Son of God and by believing in him, have life in his name. And as I was thinking on John 14:6, when Jesus makes a statement, I am. Just that statement in itself speaks of his godness, which is what we saw last week, did we not? If you want to summarize, what did we learn in verses 1 to 4 that Jesus is the great I am. Now I know in John 14:6 next he says, I am the truth. Well, or I am the way, the truth, and the life. We'll get to the way next, or at the end. We'll get to the truth today, and then we'll get to the life next week. So even as you want to try to hang your thoughts together on this wonderful introduction in the Gospel of John, these first 18 verses, maybe just in the margin or in your notes, jot down John 14:6 and those four things we see in that one simple verse, the great I am who says he's the way, the truth, and the life is actually right here in John 1:1-18. So today we're going to go into 5-9. I'll actually read one through nine just to catch us up to speed, but that we will see that he is that great morning star, the dawn of the light that came into a dark world that, apart from him, would not be able to find its way to God. That men stumble in the darkness looking for the light. And then, as we see in today's text, he is the light that is shined in the darkness. So, follow with me in John, as I read.
"In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and apart from him nothing came into being that has come into being. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but he came to testify about the light. There was the true light, which, coming into the world, enlightens every man."
Father, your word is a lamp unto our feet and a light into our path. And so enlighten the pathways of our hearts this morning to see the glory of Jesus Christ in this text, we pray. Amen.
Imagine driving through Hickory with no idea where you're going because of poorly labeled street names. Hard to imagine being confused by the very practical, methodical laying out of eight different 10th streets just in the northwest section alone. Okay, I'll try harder. So imagine your first time coming to Hickory and it's the dead of night...no street lights. The lights on your car aren't working, so you're driving in the dark. And then there are no names on any of the street names. And there's no names on any signage. There are signs, but there's no words. And you're trying to get to a destination. And on top of all that, there's no life. As in nobody is out. No doors to knock on. Nobody walking down the street. What are the chances of you getting to your destination? Remember, no light to guide the way. No words to give you any clue of where you are. Every building unique and yet without knowing what it is...don't know where to go. And then lastly, no life around that you could say, hey, can you tell me where you know the old whatever that building is was, as most Hickory people do. No words to read, no lights to see, no life to help would leave you...one word...hopeless, hopeless. That's not far from the situation that John is describing in the prologue of his gospel. Apart from Jesus Christ, no revelation from God without his eternal word, Verses 1 to 4. Apart from Jesus Christ no illumination from God without his eternal light. And apart from Jesus Christ no regeneration from God without eternal life. All three of those ideas, titles, descriptions of the Lord Jesus Christ meanssomething when you put them against the backdrop of darkness. And not just darkness, but no signs, no reference points, and nobody to tell you the way to go. They could say, hey, you might not know the truth, but I can tell you about it. That's what John has set up here in the opening of this gospel. A world in darkness...no words, no lights, no life. And yet, when we get to the name Jesus Christ in verse 17, you see that he is the word made flesh who dwelt among us, and he gave life to all. And he is the light that has come into the world. And so word and light and life are all these prominent themes in the beginning of this. But they're not throwaway words. John is using them creatively to make you think just how vital the Lord Jesus Christ is to everything in existence. Because without him we have nothing and know nothing, and we have no way to find our way to God. Stumbling around trying to come up with our own ideas of him. One writer, Peter Leithart, captures the thoughts that would have been unimaginable to a Greek, you know, to this idea that the gods would want to stoop down to the men to become man, and even to the Jew that the great God of Israel would condescend and come down. He writes this, "The advent of the eternal Son broke sacred order. The sky God came to earth not as an elusive theophany, but in an everlasting union. A God from beyond the world entered the world, so that the beyond is also in. He who cannot be seen showed himself in the world, with appearances visible, tangible, audible, though he only can be truly seen by those who respond to a call to faith. Jesus sweeps away the graded ladder of being that connected earth to sky, humans to gods, leaving an infinite abyss between creator and creature that was bridged when the creator took up residence in creation as a creature" That is the glory of the incarnation, that is both the majesty and mystery and the mercy of the incarnation. It's majestic, isn't it? As the writer said that this sky God, as he calls him, this eternal sun, breaks from the world he lives in to come into the one he created. That's majestic. And it's mysterious at the same time...how it actually all works, you know? The best theologians in history have to use really big words that we sit here today and say that we just need an entire hour to kind of think upon. There's a mystery to it. And yet, if we have all that and yet can't see the mercy in it, despite what we don't understand about it, we can't understand that what an act of mercy for God to come. And we hold all those together in awe as we celebrate this advent season is right where God wants our hearts, that you would be in awe of the mercy and majesty of the God who came...Jesus Christ, the Son of God in flesh. So today we're going to talk about not his existence anymore. We covered that last week. We're going to talk about the enlightenment that he brought. As we saw in verse nine, he is the true light to come into the world to enlighten every man. And so we're going to just talk about this idea of enlightenment, this idea of having understanding, of coming to know the truth that you could not come at on your own apart from him.
So let's start in verse 5 with first the principle of enlightenment that is the overarching truth of this section 5 to 9. That you have to catch what's in verse 5. And it's not complicated or confusing. It's not meant to be. John in verse 5 just says something very self-evident in nature. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness does not comprehend it or overcome it or master it. And you get that when you look out into the night sky. Though, as vast as the universe is, and as dark as it is, all it takes is one star, however many light years away, to what?...pierce through that darkness. And once it is pierced through, invisible to you there visible, not invisible. There's nothing the darkness can do about it. That's the way light works. The darkness flees. The absence of light has now the presence of light and darkness can't do anything about it. That's just the simple principle going back to Genesis one, that maybe John, at its most basic level, there almost seems to be a planned ambiguity to verse 5. But for sure, because he started in John 1:1 with in the beginning was the word, and the word was with God all that. Well, Genesis started the same way in verse one. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And we saw last week, John, makes the connection here. The eternal word, the Son of God...Jesus, before he comes in bodily form, was there with God at the beginning in perfect harmony, perfect love, perfect joy. But listen to how Genesis 1:2-4 moves into where we start today, when it says, the light is there with the darkness. Genesis 1:2,the earth was formless and void. Another way to say there is absolutely nothing. And the darkness was over the surface of the deep and well, what else is there? And the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the water. Then God said, let there be light, and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. So of course, I think any reader, especially a Jewish reader to this gospel, would think first and foremost back to this account. And perhaps what John is trying to do is establish the connection between goodness and light. Not to say that we should immediately jump to the conclusion that the idea of darkness in the Bible is immediately evil, because sometimes it's just neutral, as in everything is created by him. And to God it's not to say that good and evil are the same, or truth and error are the same, but just this simple concept of light and darkness. Listen to Psalm 139:11-12. If I say, surely the darkness will overwhelm me and the light around me will be night. Even the darkness is not dark to you and the night is bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to you. Well, that just highlights, what?, about God's nature and character. He's omniscient. It doesn't matter if something's in darkness or light, physically speaking, because nothing is hidden from him. He knows all, sees all. So in the darkness, we, you know, yet in our humanity think well, criminals in particular. If I just do something in the dark, I get away with it. And we all know that's not true. God sees everything. He sees right through into our heart of hearts. He knows what's the darkness down there, too. So there's nothing hidden from him because he's God. Isaiah 45:5-7, I am the Lord, and there is no other. Besides me there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known me. That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun, that there is no one besides me. I am the Lord, and there is no other. The one forming light and creating darkness, causing well-being and creating calamity. I am the Lord who does all these. So in the Old Testament this imagery of light and darkness moves from just...God is the one who creates it all to even there in verse 7, if you heard in Isaiah 45 the one forming light and creating darkness, and then a poetic fashion in the next line, causing well-being and creating calamity. There you see a glimpse of the connection between light being something that is good, causing well-being, and darkness being something that is calamity. So back to our text when John is opening this next section to talk about Jesus as the light that comes into the world, I wouldn't put it past them that he's trying for us to move from just neutral categories of physical light and darkness and understanding the simple law that light penetrates through the darkness and the darkness can't do anything about it. To nowwhat it says in the next verse. The darkness does not or not the next verse, but the idea that the darkness doesn't comprehend it. Or your version might say master it or overcome it, that there is something more now. He wants to move from just this physical example to a spiritual lesson. Well, what is that relationship? Well, we know from the Gospel of John multiple times when he talks about light and darkness, it actually has a moral dimension to it. Listen to John 3:19. Jesus says, this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. That's John 3:19 and 20, and then 21. But he who practices the truth comes to the light. Do you hear the connection now?...that in the Gospel of John he writes this prologue just bringing back these two ideas of light and darkness, but he's building them on the teaching of Christ that he knew from the years he walked with Christ. And that when wethink of light as the hearers of this gospel, we think light is associated with truth and goodness, because that's what God is like, 1 John 1:5, God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. And at the same time, we're to associate darkness, at least in John's gospel, with the opposite of truth, error lies, and the opposite of goodness...evil. And this is the world into which Jesus came. And here's what he comes into this world doing. The darkness does not comprehend it, or the darkness does not overwhelm it or master it. That Jesus is this light that comes into the world, and the darkness cannot stop the good that he is going to do. And then throughout his gospel, he speaks of himself, as is the light that comes into the world on a mission. John 8:12, then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. All those ideas connected there in that one verse, John 8:12. Or John 9:5, while I am in the world, I am the light of the world. Or lastly, John 12:46, I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me will not remain in darkness. So back to our text. When we talk about the principle of enlightenment. Um, the main takeaway that we just understand on a basic level is that the light wins over the darkness. We know that on a natural level...a physical level. But we also can see in the rest of the gospel that that's true on the spiritual level. That Jesus Christ is the light that comes into the world, and whoever believes in him comes out of the darkness and into the light. And so that's a simple concept in verse 5 that John wants you as you come to know who Jesus is and what he came to do. He came to bring the truth. And that truth was just not facts, true or false, but it was goodness versus evil that he was coming to bring the righteousness that has been lost in a dark and decaying world back to humanity through his life. Now, all that is kind of out there in the ether. But what does it have for us today? What encouragement can you draw from verse 5? Well, if you just listen to everything Jesus said about himself being the light, and then he says, you who believe in me, you can walk in the light. You can practice the truth. I think you can draw a lot of encouragement from verse 5, just in this concept of learning that the darkness does not comprehend or overcome the light. How does that hit you today sitting in the pew? well, if you're a person of the truth, if you're a child of light and you're wondering this Christmas season, this advent season, you know, how am I going to make inroads into some of the people in my life, some of the coworkers, some of the relatives that will be over, some of the neighbors that they're unbelievers. And I just feel like I'm always fighting a losing battle. I think when you actually let verse 5 minister to your soul today and meditate on the truth, you're entirely wrong. You're not fighting a losing battle. That's what verse 5 teaches us. The darkness does not overcome the light. The light overcomes the darkness. Truth overcomes error. Error does not overcome truth, according to John. Now think about that on a practical level. I mean, the people that we interact with on a day to day level that might discourage us or frustrate us because they don't walk in the truth. They don't know the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They may seem like there's more of them and less of us. And so we're fighting a losing battle. Just like you look out into the sky. And if you only see one star in the whole darkness of the night sky, you might think the stars, the light is losing. But with all that darkness out there, it can't do what? It can't cover up that single light. So maybe we don't have strength in numbers, but we do have it in the victory of the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. That the interactions you have you may not think they're going anywhere, but when you share the gospel with an unbeliever, when you take a stand for truth, you're actually winning, even though you may not see the immediate result. On the other hand, the error that that person is trying to, in a sense, maybe instruct you with, according to this verse, will not overcome the truth. If that person doesn't know the Lord Jesus Christ and they're trying to come up with arguments against what you believe. Know that they're arguing from error and take heart that that can never overcome the truth that you have. I mean, that's just foundational to understanding the difference between darkness and light, lies and truth, evil and goodness. In the end, the light wins. That's good news today, not just for this text, but for where you sit right now if you're in Jesus Christ. You won't end up on the losing side. We know ultimately at the end, Christ returns and he brings about truth and righteousness to reign forever. But you are actually a beneficiary of that right now. That word for comprehend...I think of that in the category of truth versus error. So it gives me courage to be strong in the Word of God, because that's where the victory is found. It's not found in my own ideas or your own ideas. Think about 1 John 2:14, especially for those of you who are young in the faith. The secret to your success of standing in the light and walking in the light and practicing the light against the darkness of the day around you, young person in Christ. And I don't mean physical age because when John is using these phrases, in his epistle 1 John 2:12-14, he talks about little children and fathers and young men. He's not talking about age of a person's physical life. He's talking about their maturity in the Lord. And so he could say to little children, you the one thing you do know, if you're a new Christian in here, your sins are forgiven because of the name and work of Jesus Christ. But what he says to young men, those who are maybe adolescents in the faith is this. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong and the Word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one. The one who is the evil one over the darkness, you overcome him. However old you are in Christ, if you feel like you're an adolescent, you're not. You've moved on past the simple things. I know Jesus forgave my sins, but I may not be considered a father in the faith who knows him, who is from the beginning. If you're somewhere in your adolescence, spiritually speaking, you're standing firm against the evil one, and the darkness that's around you is directly correlated to how strong you are in the Word of God. And if it abides in you. Sowhen we say, hey, why not read the Gospel of John this month? Why not double down on the time you spend in the Word of God this month? We're not just saying that because we're supposed to. It will have an effect in your life. Whatever trials and temptations the evil one might want to send your way this month, do you know that your victory over them will be in correspondence to your time in the Word of God. because that's a promise right here in 1 John 2:14. You are strong and the Word of God abides. We love that word around here remains in you. It stays close to you, and you stay close to it. And the closer you stay to the Word of God, allowing it to work in your life. James 1...looking into it. It reflecting back to you a true picture of who you are. And as James 1 warns, don't just put it down and be like a person who gets himself ready in the mirror and then walks away in like three seconds is like, dude, I need to check my hair...every junior high boy ever. I just got a thumbs up from one. Thank you. I was that way. I forget what I look like. That's what James says is the person who reads the Word of God, and then just kind of lays it aside and doesn't apply it and just goes on their way. But if you're strong in the Word of God and it stays with you, it stays close to you. That's how you fight from victory. That's a message in the Epistle of John. But back to the Gospel of John. It's the whole principle of this first point of enlightenment. Darkness doesn't win over light. If you know the truth this advent season, I mean really know it and believe it and are taking it to heart. You are the most important person to the people around you because you have the truth that can save them, that can transform them. And that light, even though you're just one voice in that unbeliever's life amongst a chorus of people that they're listening to, that singular voice you have is not an exaggeration, infinitely more powerful because it's built on the eternal, unchanging, enduring Word of God. You have to believe that. And that helps give us courage this morning of overcoming the darkness. So that's the first point in verse 5, the principle of enlightenment that the light comes into the world is this the light succeeds, the light wins, the darkness doesn't.
So now let's move to his next idea about being an enlightened one of God, the people of enlightenment. What is our witness about, really? Well, he takes us to one of the greatest witnesses in the Bible, John the Baptist. And he's the theme of John's idea from verses 6 to 8. He wants to introduce you to John the Baptist, not the writer of this gospel. He refers to himself as the one whom Jesus loved towards the end of this letter. But when he's talking about John, it's not the John that wrote this. He's talking about John the Baptist. And this is what he says about him. There came a man sent from God whose name was John. Now, real quick, neat kind of thing. You don't see it in your English Bible, but it's there in the Greek. That word there came a man sent. That word sent is actually the same Greek verb that we saw in verse 3. Look above where it says all things, three words, came into being through him, and apart from him nothing came into being that has come into being. Those three 'came into being' are the same word for this sent. And so if we were just going to be literal about it, this is John the Baptist's summary of his life. There came a man who came into being from God.What does that do for us? Well, it reminds us, man, this guy had one mission while he was here. He was the man that came into being from God, sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness. That was the purpose of his life. That's the purpose of our lives in Christ. Why you have come into being as a born again believer of Jesus Christ is left here to be a witness, no matter what set of spiritual gifts you have. And they all differ. Every spiritual gift you have is to be focused in the same direction, which is to be a witness for Jesus Christ, a witness by your words you speak, and a witness by the works of your life, all of it giving testimony that you have been changed and transformed for his glory as a person of the enlightenment. Sothis example of John, he came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but he came to testify about the light. John knew that. John knew where he stood. Look at John chapter 3. It's maybe the best summary by story form of how John knew where he stood in relation to Jesus Christ, whom he came to proclaim. Turn just a few chapters over, verse 22. After these things, Jesus and his disciples came into the land of Judea, and there he was, spending time with them and baptizing. So what John is saying here in John chapter 3 is Jesus now has some followers, but John still has more followers, and he's baptizing them in verse 23, and people are coming and being baptized by John because he hadn't yet been thrown into prison and beheaded. So inevitably, there arises a discussion on the part of John's disciples because they're wondering about. Wait a second. Um, so we've been following you, but you've been telling us this other guy is the Lamb of God sent to save the world. So, more people are going to him. And should we stay with you or go to him? Verse 26, they came to John and said, Rabbi, he who is with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, look. He's baptizing now, and everybody's going to him. If you remember the beginning of the gospel of Mark, chapter one, it says, everybody was coming to John. You know, we got, you know, in these guys minds a little Jets and Sharks kind of action going on...a little territory. Who's the guy John? And here's John's answer. A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven. So if you're going to be someone who has been given the light, understands where you stand before God with the message you have of the gospel. The first thing you realize is, what do I have that hasn't been given? Is what John says. I can get nothing unless it's been given to me from heaven. Every word I'm saying, the life I'm living, the purpose I'm here is a gift from God. Well, that's a good first step, isn't it? When you have a powerful message, like John the Baptist had, telling people to repent, for the kingdom is near. It could easily produce a prideful messenger. But a man of hubris would not pair well with a humble savior, would he? If John had some notion. Yeah. You know what? You guys stick with me. You know you've been following me. Don't bail out yet. No, he says, look, of course I don't have anything unless it was given from heaven. Verse 28, you yourselves are my witnesses that I have said and always will say, I am not the Christ, but I've been sent ahead of him. And like most preachers would, John was a great preacher. He stops here and he tells them the principle. I'm not the Messiah. I'm not the Savior. I'm just sent ahead of him. And then he gives an illustration of this in verse 29 that will stick with us. It's just like this at a wedding. The one who has the bride is the groom, but the friend of the bridegroom we'll call him the best man, he's a pretty important guy. He at least is entrusted with the ring. Right? And while the groom is getting ready to get all the other lackeys in line, you know that. Okay, come on, guys, hurry up. I've done a few weddings in my day as a pastor, and, you know, it's always the guys that you're trying to round up beforehand and, you know, doing stupid stuff out back. And, you know, they're in their suits and they're wrestling and you're like, stop it already. So the groom's best man has an important role to play. But if he understands anything by verse 29, he knows this. It's not about me. Even if we go wrestle out back and we come up to the stage and we're all grass stained and our ties are crooked, but the groom looks great. And of course, the bride in all of her beauty. I accomplished my mission. I was out of the way because the reality is. And I tried to do this...and I remind this to the wedding parties, usually at the rehearsal. None of tomorrow is about you. Everybody is looking at these two people. Everybody is here for these two people. Your name was not on the invitation and somebody said, oh, hey, that's the best man. I'm going to that wedding. They're coming to the wedding to celebrate these two people...bride and groom. It's all about them. And so usually when I'm doing a wedding at the rehearsal and I see everybody coming in and they're, you know, um, I just sense, like, okay, it's getting a little bit like somebody has some opinions here that need to be squashed. And the best way to do that, and I start it off on that Friday, is we're all here for them. Right. That's why you came in. That's why guys you bought that suit. Ladies, you bought that dress you'll never wear again. You spent money you didn't have. Especially the closer you are to college age to get here. You're broke because you love them. Let's keep it that way. Don't get in the way of what this is about tomorrow. And John the Baptist embodies that. When he says, look, I stand and hear him. I rejoice greatly because of his voice, and any joy I have is not in me becoming more. It's in me becoming less. Any person that's going to be a faithful witness and a fruitful witness for Jesus Christ...you this holiday season is when you stand back and are more amazed at the glory and behold Jesus Christ and just overflowing from that in your heart you want to talk to people about the Lord. Not when you feel like you're just on a mission with an agenda to tell all those atheist friends of yours how wrong they are. You might get in the way of that. What gets you out of the way is when you are so amazed, and you rejoice greatly because of the voice of Jesus in your life. Your joy is so full that you want him to increase in other people's lives. You want people to know more about him, less about you, and that's what any faithful messenger would do. It's not about them, it's about him. And when we get that, I think we can make a much greater difference this holiday season in the people around us when we are reinvigorated. One, if we feel down and out and worn out, we go back to what we learned in verse 5. The truth will win out over the error. The goodness will win out over the evil. So don't be in despair. And also, I just need to look to the light to encourage me to keep going. I don't need to look for a light from within. I was thinking of this as I was reading in Lord of the Rings. Don't hold it against me. I know some of you are big time Lord of the Rings fans. Others of you are like, this is the nerdiest movie...orcs and hobbits. Well, there's this beautiful scene in The Return of the King when Sam, who is, you know, some say he is the real hero in it, you know, um. He comes to rescue his friend, and he is worn out. He goes, Frodo, main character gets taken by the orcs. He's up in the tower. Sam comes to the rescue, gets him out of there, and he's just dragging him along because Frodo has got no power on his own. And, he gets him to a safe place, and his buddy falls asleep and Sam sitting there, and he's exhausted. And this is what Tolkien writes. "In the West, the night sky was dim and pale, and there, peeping among the cloud rack above a dark tower high up in the mountains, Sam saw a bright star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart. What a good word! As he looked up out of the forsaken land. And hope returned to him. For like a shaft clear and cold, the thought pierced him, that in the end the shadow is only a small and passing thing. There was a light and high beauty forever beyond its reach. His song in the tower had been defiance rather than hope. For then he was thinking of himself." Isn't that the problem with all of us that Tolkin perfectly captures in a story. You know, we really lose sight of it when we're thinking too much on ourself. And then in this picture, you see something that you say, yeah, the darkness and shadow is just a small and passing thing. There's a light and beauty forever beyond its reach. That was what John understood about Jesus, both the writer and the Baptist, that he was not the light, but he came to testify about the light. And anybody that's going to use their days to work while we have the light. John 9:4, Jesus admonishes followers of his that while we have the light, we need to work. We must work the works of him who sent me as long as it is day. Night is coming when no one can work. You know a faithful witness both understands the right relationship they stand to the Savior, but they also are motivated, knowing that we are on a clock. Our own life...we don't know how much longer we have. The lives of the people around us, we don't know how much longer they have. And that, I think, motivates us to any season in life to be at the task of sharing the gospel. And that's something that I mean, if I preach that every week, week by week, why? Because every week has opportunity within itself, just like, you know, the holiday season. It's always amazing to me. Each Christmas we get all revved up for it again and we bring out the same decorations and as if it's totally something new and it's not. We did the same thing, what, 12 months ago? And we're all pumped up and fired up for it. And it's just repeating the thing we already did. We know exactly the way it lays out. We know most of the events we're going to go to, most of the people we're going to see, and we just get all into it and all excited for it. And so it should be this season with Christ. To be excited for him when you look back not at the traditions and the trappings around Christmas, but the source of it all, the light behind it all, you know, the Lord Jesus Christ. And wouldn't it be wonderful for that person you love who bugs...to know him too? That's what it is to be a faithful witness, a person of the enlightenment. Your witness. Verses 6 to 8 shines.
Now where is that hope we have? That hope we spoke of in the life of Sam Gamgee, faithful friend of Frodo. What is the hope we have? It's there in verse nine, and it's our final section. It's the purpose of the enlightenment. It's why we come to the light. It's because we know our God, the true light, who came into the world enlightens every man. He's the one who does the work. Our God does save. The light works. It wins over the darkness. And it wins us to him. And then we win others to him. God saves. He's the light that came into the world to enlighten every man. Back to verse 7. Why were this witness? Why we testify is right there in verse 7. Really, this whole section hinges on that second part of verse 7. We do this so that all might believe through him. That's why we do it. That's why we're witnesses, because we really believe that our God saves, and that people that look at our life and are attracted by the way we live, the joy we have, particularly this season, will want to come to Christ themselves when they hear the good news preached. That's what keeps us motivated. The light comes for a reason, so that all might come to the knowledge of the truth and believe in Jesus. The reason God handpicks a man like John or any of us is to empower him and us in our lives for the purpose of testifying. Verse 7, so that others would come to the light. To let a Christmas season come and go, to celebrate the incarnation, to be in awe of it. God coming to us so we can come to him to have all this opportunity for the gospel right in front of us, brothers and sisters, and to not speak of Christ, to proclaim His excellencies with just this, this season would ring hollow. A jingle bell with no bell inside. I mean, it truly would. It would be a gift with no present inside. It's all there on the outside and the surface. But to leave Christ out of it, because it says there in verse 7, all of it, the light coming into the world is so others would believe in him. So my encouragement today is ending on this. If our God saves then be a soul winner this holiday. Be on the hunt for conversions. Listen to the words of C.H. Spurgeon. He equates it with a hunter looking for the hunted. He says, "The genuine soul winner has his inward directions and follows the guidance of the Spirit of God. Here, there, anywhere, everywhere he goes where the hope of conversions tempt him. When a sportsman goes after game, he does not know which way he will go. Neither does he bind himself in that matter. If he is deer stalking, he may have to go up the mountainside or down the glen, across the burn, or away among the bushes. Where his sport leads him he follows. And so it is with the genuine soul winner. He leaves himself free to follow his one object. He does not know where he is going all the time, but he does know what he is going after. He lays himself out for the winning of souls to Jesus." I hope this passage today, the encouragement to know that the darkness will not overcome the light, and that you can be a witness up there on the...truthfully, I, you know, left this out, but now that comes back to me. Matthew 11:11 you say, maybe you know, John the Baptist was this great guy and this really empowered prophet, you know, but I'm just me. No you're not. Jesus says in Matthew 11:11, truly I say to you, among those born of women there is not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist. Yet, the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. Huh? John the Baptist, who came after 400 years of silence, who came with an angelic messenger preceding him, who came to a mother who was barren. Jesus says there's not anybody up until this point that's been greater than him. All the prophets of old. What made him so much better? What made him so different? He didn't do the miracles that we saw done through Elijah or Moses. He wasn't as great of a king as David. Well, you got to think it's not about the messenger. It's about the message. And so John the Baptist comes along, and he's not just a prophet saying, here, this guy is coming. He actually is most blessed among those born because he actually gets to be right alongside of him. He didn't just get to say it. He saw it. And so his message is validated in a way that it never has been before. Here is the Messiah. Here is the Lamb of God taking away the sins of the world. That's what Jesus is saying here...among those born of women, so far, nobody's been greater than him because nobody has had the privilege and opportunity to both proclaim it and then say, and there he is right now go follow him. So you say, yeah, and I don't get to do that when I proclaim Christ. Well, you're the one who, least in the kingdom of heaven, is greater than he. Because with the arrival of Christ comes the kingdom of heaven amongst them. Now John the Baptist didn't get to see him go to the cross. You get to look into the gospel and see it and say it. He didn't have the testimony of Christ rising from the dead with his very own eyes to give an account for...you have it right here. He didn't get to see how the church was going to be that small mustard seed that grows into the what?...the largest tree in the whole forest. But you've seen it, haven't you? You've got 2000 years of church history to look back on and say, wow, look at everything that started when the Son of God came into the world. You are greater, though least in the kingdom of heaven, John the Baptist. You're greater than him. Do you believe that about the message you have? You get to tell the full gospel story to people in a way that John only had it in part. That's the point Christ is making here. You who think you're the least...Greater than him. And it's not about a prideful being greater. It's saying, I can't believe the message that I'm stewarded with. I don't care what age you are. 12 years old in here to 102. We got them all. You have the greatest message to tell people this Christmas season. Our God saves. It puts you in a category right up there with the greatest prophets of old. Do you feel that privilege? Does that get you excited? I hope it does.
I do want to say this. If you are not in Christ this morning. You're not in a safe place staying in the dark, or thinking you're maybe hanging on the edges of it. Don't believe me, believe Jesus. John 12:35. He says this, Jesus said to this crowd for a little while longer, the light is among you. He was speaking of himself right then and there. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness will not overtake you. So there was people there that he was saying, look, this light isn't going to be around forever. And if you think you can hang on the fringes of unbelief, you know, kind of in the shadow. But maybe putting my toe into the light, he says, if you think the darkness, the evil, the evil one who comes to steal, kill, and destroy is just kind of sitting back passively watching your life go by, that's not the way it works. If you don't respond to the light while it's in front of you, while you're hearing it proclaimed, beware that that darkness can overtake you. As in, you're lost and you're lost for good. And you don't know when that shadow completely eclipses your life. You don't play with that. That's why the urgency is today is the day of salvation. Because the night is coming and those shadows can come completely. And it's a total blackout at that point. That's the stark warning Jesus has for anyone. Then in sitting here today, 2000 years later, that it's not okay to say, you know, I got these desires, I got this stuff I'm doing in my life. And I know that it's sin, but I don't want to give it up. So I'm just going to kind of dally a little bit longer. Young people sometimes say, I just want to live a little bit longer, enjoy what I want to enjoy, and then I'll come to Christ. And he says, beware that while the light is there, while you're sitting under the preaching of the gospel, even right now in your seat, that you don't wait a moment more where the darkness completely overcomes you and it's too late. You don't get to determine when that is because the enemy who comes for you, who comes around like a prowling lion seeking someone to devour. He has been plotting and scheming with his workers in Ephesians 6, and we don't want to be unaware of the enemy's schemes, 2 Corinthians. He has exactly his plan for when to overcome you with darkness, where you would never be able to get out, but you can't play around with when that time is. Just saying, I have this. I just kind of want to live for my sinful desires right now, before the sinful desires overwhelm you and you can never find your way out...but by the grace of God. And he brings the gospel to you this morning and says, come to me. And in fact, you who struggle with feeling like you have something really big to give up because you want to live your life the way you want to live it. You know what Jesus says to you? I have come to give life, life to the full, not life to the fool...the fool though that is true. He's saying life to the max, life to the fullness. Whatever it is you think is so great that you're into that you can't possibly turn away from to come to Christ. He has more. He has eternal life. Perfect love for you right where you are. Because you might. Maybe it's not the desire, it's the despair. You say, he couldn't forgive me. I'm too far gone. I could never be saved. I've sinned too much. And yet Christ says, he who comes to me, I will in no wise cast out. You may say, I don't feel like I want to even live anymore. It's that bad. Life's that hard. I just want to be done. And he says to you this morning, come to me, you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. What excuse would you have left after that? Every desire, any despair, even death itself. Christ says come to me and I'll give you life. Because I gave my life for you. What more could I give? What greater gift could I give to you than coming down out of heaven if that wasn't enough, and living a life that he knows every temptation and trial that we could possibly go through. Yet never sinned so that he could give you his perfect life and you could give him your sinful life. And by faith in him you can be born again. What would keep you back from giving your life to Christ today? Responding to his call. He's that good. He's that loving. He's that merciful. He's that majestic as we have seen. Come to Christ today. Let's pray.
Father, we thank you for your goodness to us in Jesus. We thank you that he is the light that has come into the world to save sinners, of whom we are all the worst. And only the light of your gospel penetrates the darkness of our hearts to show us just how bad we are, and if it was left to us, we'd have no hope. But in the darkness shines the light of the gospel, of the glory of Christ. That out of the darkness you say, there is the light, and we walk towards it. So any in here who don't know you, who hear you calling them to come to him, that they would not hesitate and give their life to you now as Savior and Lord of all. For any of us that are just in here discouraged today, may we be encouraged that the light is not overcome by darkness. There's no lie in our life that can't be overcome by the truth. There is no evil in our life that cannot be overcome by your goodness. We thank you as your children. We can hope in those promises today and even now sing with full hearts, thankful for the grace of the Gospel of Jesus. It's in his name we pray. Amen.
Pulpit Curriculum PDF Pulpit Curriculum DOCX * View transcript The Existence of Jesus Christ
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We're in John 1, and we will look today at Jesus Christ, who we just sang of. There is no one more fascinating, wonderful, amazing to look at at any time. But in this particular time of year for us in this advent season as Ronald described the time of the arrival of the Messiah, the coming of the King God coming to earth to save sinners. It's common for all of us. We know it's that time of year to do an advent series in the church, and in the pastwe have looked at Christ from the Old Testament. We have looked at Christ in Matthew and Luke, the two most common places to go because of the genealogies, as well as the birth narrative and the manger scene. But we haven't looked in the Gospel of John. And so that's where we're going to spend the next four weeks, in what is called the prologue. John's gospel is really in four sections. In chapter one 1 to 18, commentators, scholars look at it and call it the prologue. It's the foyer that brings you into his account of the life and death and resurrection of Jesus. You know a good foyer. It's the place you stand around and kind of you're told when you walk into the place, we're going to go here, or we can go up the stairs there. And really, that's what John does in these first 18 verses. He summarizes what is broken down over the rest of the gospel in the next 20 chapters. And then chapter 21 is the epilogue. It's the ending that leaves us standing there with the other disciples, particularly Peter, being told, now you follow me and go out. And John sets this whole gospel up, though with one sole purpose in mind, and that is for you to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, to have eternal life. That's right there from the start. He has a mission. We don't hear him say that until John 20:31. These things I have written so that you sitting there, Hickory, North Carolina, in that comfy seat of yours, with the coffee in hand, feeling those Christmas feels...that you would encounter Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the living God. God, very God, come in human flesh. He says that in John 20:31, I've written all these things. Every historical point I make in my gospel is for a theological reality that Jesus Christ is God, and that by believing in him you would have life in his name.
So I would love to welcome you if you're new here, if this is your first Sunday with us, that's awesome. Fantastic that you would visit us this month. Maybe you synched it up this way. This is when you wanted to come. Or maybe this is a one and done because you're just here from out of town. Either way, that you would just know right out of the gates the reason for this advent series is not just warm fuzzies. It's the greatest reality that you could encounter at any point in your life is for Jesus Christ to be revealed to you and to receive him who he is as Savior and Lord. And so, I would not want you to feel any bait and switch this morning. Hey, where's this guy going with all this stuff? Because John doesn't want you to. But what he is going to do, and what we're going to see in this prologue is instead of him saying as if, um, you know, because he would have known of the other gospels, the Synoptics, Matthew, Mark and Luke. They're called the synoptics, that word synopsis or summary, this idea of you can pull Matthew, Mark and Luke together and they give you a lot of the details, particularly get into the Old Testament prophecies about Jesus, and give you things that actually the vast majority of John is nowhere to be found in those others because John wrote his a few decades later, perhaps waiting, led by the Holy Spirit, finally to say, you know, I want to give you not just a historical picture of the life of Christ. I want you to see into his soul. I want you to see past the flesh. I want you to see his transcendence and his immanence, that he is God who is far away and now come near. He gives you a theology of Jesus Christ, and he does it right out of the gates in our text today. He says, I'm not going to go to the manger scene and the prophecies to prove his existence. I'm just going to talk about existence. That's why as we start today and you hear me read John 1:1-18, it sounds less like a history of Jesus and more like a philosophy of him. The terminology that you will hear in these 18 verses over the next few weeks describing his existence and his essence, his mission of enlightenment, what he provided for that only he could bring. You'll learn all these things in the weeks to come, but today we will just talk about his existence. Eternal Son of God, unchanging, self-existent, unlike anyone ever in all history. So,follow along with me as I read John 1, even though we'll only study the first four verses. I want to read the first 18 because John wrote them to be heard at one time, to set the table, if you will, to read the rest of his gospel.
John 1:1, "In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and apart from him nothing came into being that has come into being. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all may believe in him. He was not the light, but he came to testify about the light. There was the true light, which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world did not know him. He came to his own, and those who were his own did not receive him. But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in his name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the father, full of grace and truth. John testified about him and cried out, saying, this was he of whom I said, he who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for he existed before me. For of his fullness we have all received grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses. Grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten God who is in the bosom of the father, he has explained him."
Faith comes from hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ. So,speak, O Lord, your servants are listening. Show us your glory, we pray. Amen.
This series is called Post Tenebrus Lux, and that was a term coined in the Protestant Reformation that basically said after darkness, light. And that idea goes back to the beginning of Scripture. And even in our first point, the pre-existence of Jesus Christ, his eternality. And in the first phrase of John 1:1, "In the beginning was the word" in our minds should echo back to Genesis 1:1, In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth". And the creation of the heavens and the earth, when it was formless and void, and darkness is over the face of the deep...the first action is God speaking light into existence. And so long before the Reformation at the beginning of time...the creation of time itself was light that came after darkness. But even though the earth was formless and void, no universe to speak of, there was the Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the spirit. And here in John 1:1 he wants to start his account of the life of Jesus again, not with his arrival in the manger, but with his pre-existence, before anything else is there. Jesus never became. He has always been. And there is your first philosophical idea this morning to think about...pure being not becoming...always existent, never changing. Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever and sometimes we have to remove the image in our mind of Jesus in the manger and growing up to Jesus the boy, and then Jesus the man. No, no, before all of that...Jesus is the same in his character, in his essence. We're always becoming at some point in our lives, we have high hopes to become so much more. And then we hit that point where we realize this is the law of diminishing returns. I saw that evidenced to me at the Turkey Bowl this past Thursday morning that there were things I just could not do, that those young stallions galloping around the field were leaving this old horse in the dust. Literally, I was in the dirt trying to grab a kid's flag. Just went flat into it. Now we still were victors. I have a championship trophy somewhere around here. Kurtis took it and hid it. He didn't want you people to know. I want you to know I contributed zero to that victory. So you don't think I'm puffed up with pride. I was the reason for our defeat if we were to have lost. Not for victory, but seeing what I have become and now becoming was evident in the picture taken afterwards of all these young, strong men. And it hit me, and I showed my family. I'm the old guy in the picture, now. I grew up playing Thanksgiving football, and there was always the older guys. I thought they were really old. They were my age and I'm there in lots of sweats, just hunched over after the game, all the other men standing strong, and I'm hunched. And that's because I'm becoming. I'm going back to dust. But not Jesus Christ. And so right out of the gates, the pre-existence, the eternality of Jesus as he is in the beginning and he is the word. And maybe your question is, what's up with the word...Word? I don't see the name in the beginning was Jesus, and that's attributed to John wanting to write a profound prologue here. Not to say if he would have said in the beginning was Jesus, that would have been any less profound. But he wants to take you there by way of giving you these ideas of the word and life and light and darkness. And then verse 14, we start to get a hint of who he's talking about here when he says, this word became flesh. That is the incarnation. And he dwelt among us, and we saw his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. So we get a description about this word who became flesh from heaven, from the Father, described as grace and truth. But we still don't get his name. And some of you that are new to Christianity are like, so where does this idea of Jesus come in? Well, look down at verse 17. Then he says this grace and truth that came from the Father, full of his glory, begotten, not made as we confessed earlier...he is full of grace and truth...the Lord Jesus Christ. Sothere it is. That's the connecting points in your Bible from verse one to verse 14 to verse 17. That's why we know who it is. It's Jesus.
And in this advent season, that's where we start with his pre-existence that this message series we're in, even starting in something so transcendent and seemingly removed about him, is to help raise our gaze in a holiday season that comes at us thick and fast with all the wonderful things we love about it, but completely lost on our culture today is not the imminence of Jesus, not the baby Jesus in the manger, that kind of thing, but just his transcendent glory. Evidence of that this week was when I was in Barnes and Noble hanging with my homies, and there was a dangerous moment a shark was eating a giant squid. That actually wasn't the most dangerous part. It was what they were selling next to my son. I saw advent getting hijacked by National Geographic, as in they took the name and just slapped it on as a label to get you, the parent, to buy a toy before you're going to give your kid more toys. And we all know, like the advent calendars, the chocolates they're to lead up to Christmas Day. But this thing has nothing to do with Jesus whatsoever. I searched the box like there wasn't like National Geographic was suddenly going to turn Christian on us and say, hey, all these experiments you're going to do is going to be to lead you to this grand discovery that Jesus is the Son of God. No, John didn't make this toy. This was just them putting, hey, it's advent and maybe some parent will think I need to keep my kid busy for the next 24 days so they can do science experiments in the basement. And I just saw this as a picture just to show us that in this season. And this isn't against materialism as much as even a sacred idea, a word like advent means nothing to our society. It's just a label to sell another toy. And what I want these four weeks to be. Even though this splash of cold water this morning might feel more like an entire bucket being dumped on you like, whoa! I love what I was walking into. I had my eggnog latte from the cart, and I wanted all the fun and joy of Jesus, baby manger glory in the highest angels. And we're talking about some abstract Greek concept of the word or the logos. Yes, we are, because that's how John wanted to start his story. He knew he had two audiences potentially reading this book. His Greek audience, his irreligious audience, would recognize the logos. That's the word in the Greek. And that had been around for centuries, going back to 600 BC. Philosopher Heraclitus was a guy who was writing about the logos being this rational thought or idea, this perfect truth or wisdom that exists outside of us that we can never attain to and throughout that time period with every Greek philosopher, that same term was used right up through Marcus Aurelius would write about the logos, the logos. It's this perfect self-expression of something greater than us. And we mere mortals are on this quest to find this truth. And they thought I could find it just by what?...wisdom. That's why when Paul writes about 1 Corinthians 1, the wisdom of man is foolishness to God because they thought they could find it on their own exploration. And even though it was staring them in the face and the person of Jesus Christ. That would have been this idea of the word. A sophisticated self-expression of the highest form in Greeks through the centuries used it. And so maybe he thought, hey, some Greek speaking philosopher is going to pick up this gospel and hear this and be intrigued. Hey, I've been reading about the great philosophers through the ages and this logos can never be found. And now you're telling me in the beginning was the logos, and the logos was with God? That's one way to look at it. Maybe you're that person here today, a secularist, a skeptic. I don't know what word would fit better than that. Maybe in the beginning was the truth. You know, because in our day and age, we don't know what to believe. You might not know what to believe because the truth has become a wax nose, moved around in the hands of whoever wants to claim it as speaking their truth. So that's a secularist point of view. But the religious point of view from the Jews would have been to hear in the beginning was the word. Well, that would have taken them back to Genesis. Genesis 1:3...that God spoke, let there be light. And then carried out throughout the rest of Genesis chapter 1. Any action of God's self-revelation in the universe was God saying, God's saying. And we have this children's book. It's actually for sale over in the bookstore. This wasn't meant to be a pitch, but it just came to my mind. The Big Story Bible and how they start that book is on page one with Genesis 1:1, and it's just words appearing in the sky like lights and the sun, or an animal name. And really, that's how it went down. There was nothing to work with. It was just God's ability to create before creation by the power of his word. Psalm 33:6, by the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host. So, to the Jews, using the word logos in chapter 1, verse 1 was not an abstract ideal, but a practical way God revealed himself to his people. And so, to the Jews and the Greeks hearing this opening line, they have to be reckoning with this idea of who Jesus is that they may have heard of before, existed before creation...His eternality. And throughout all history, the ability for man to try to find the truth about how it all began has continued to be elusive. I do my normal sleuthing on the internet and I typed in something related to....Ididn't want to go down the path of the Big Bang as much as I wanted to get kind of at the more the conceptual level, like what were the core components, Google of the universe, what had to be in its most broad terms for life to exist. And this was their answer from Google AI. "In physics, time, matter, and space refer to three fundamental components of the universe time, matter, and space. Where matter occupies space and its movement in existence are defined by time, and the relationship between them is described by the concept of space time." Now, unless you're Todd Jacobs, none of us really understand this. Okay, let's just put that out there. But it goes on to say, essentially meaning that space and time are interconnected and can be affected by the presence of matter, as explained by his theory of general relativity. Now I sit there and go, like I don't really make heads or tails of that, but it told me what I wanted to know about time, matter and space because it just confirms what the Bible already starts with. I like Genesis 1:1 version...in the beginning, time...God created the heavens...space and earth...matter. What Einstein couldn't find to complete what eluded him of the explanation for everything is right there from the beginning, isn't it? You have time. You have space, you have matter. But what the secularists can't find is who puts it all together, right? Who has this idea that he could take this and this and this and combine them and here we have everything we see around us in creation. What Einstein rejected was the simple, childlike faith that believes God at His Word. Towards the end of his life, he wrote in a letter to a friend...the word God is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses. I mean, this is one of the smartest men to ever live. And that's his summation of the word God. It's the expression of human weaknesses. And the Bible is a collection of honorable but still primitive legends, which are nevertheless pretty childish. For me the Jewish religion like all other religions in anincarnation of the most childish superstitions. Well, the thing he did get right by putting two words nearby each other at the end of that is to talk about a child and the incarnation. It does take childlike faith to believe, doesn't it? But yet the more we dive into it, even today, in just the first six words in our English Bibles, lifts our minds well above the plane of something being just a superstition. The explanation for how we see everything around us. Stephen Hawking, the great physicist, wrote in his book The Grand Design that physics brought the universe into existence. And he said, religion is a fairy tale for people afraid of the dark, to which an Oxford mathematician, a believer, John Lennox, replied, yes, and atheism is a fairy tale for people afraid of the light. It just depends on which side you see it from. You know, if you are afraid of the dark of what's next...the closer you get to studying religion, and the closer you get to the truth about God makes you more fearful if you're honest with yourself. Soit's easier to ignore it. And yet, on seeing it from the other way, if you want to hold to that atheism, that's the fairy tale for you. Not just wanting to come to the light because John says in John chapter 3. This is the judgment, verse 19, the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light, for their deeds were evil. And that's really what it starts with, is the pre-existence of Jesus, the one who could only say that he has come from God, and he knows in his eternality exactly who God is like. Maybe for you this morning, just the however you found yourself here, some of these truths, some of these ideas, or maybe some fresh beams of light coming in to your heart this morning. I pray they would be...to kind of loosen some of the bolts of your unbelief. Hopefully you'll stick with us this whole month and hear more about this Jesus, the Son of God, sent to save sinners, who can answer the questions that you've been looking for your whole life. Jesus Christ has existed forever, and the first light that breaks through the darkness is he has always existed. He's eternal.
The second one is the coexistence of Jesus with God the Father. Back in John 1. Second half of that verse...and the word was with God. That's his coexistence with God, not just his pre-existence before time itself, but his coexistence with God. And the word was God. He was in the beginning with God. You see, God brought into the conversation and repeated three times to show that it wasn't just this cold and vacuous universe with nothing there except for this concept of logos. This word was with God, and the word was God in the beginning with God. Jesus is there, the Son, God the Father is there. God the Spirit is there. We know that from the beginning of Genesis 1:2, the Spirit was hovering over the face of the water. And so what are these three members of the Godhead doing? Okay, that's a thought experiment for us this morning. I'm going to ask you to do something I haven't asked you to do before here. I want you to close your eyes and clear your mind. No. Just kidding. You're like. Actually, pastor, I am way ahead of you. My mind has been clear for about five minutes. I checked out the moment you started talking philosophical on me. But I want you to just try right now and think about nothing. I mean, that's where we are in John 1:1. Nothing is there...no images...nothing material, just one God as he exists in three persons...Father, Son and Spirit. What are they doing before they start doing something?...loving each other. And enjoying it to the greatest degree possible. And the mission that Jesus is sent on is to invite you, part of the creation, the only part of creation into that relationship of love, so that you could delight in God by enjoying his love for you forever. So are we so out in the ether. Were we so far gone already in the beginning of this account of the life of Jesus that I'm like, yeah, what's in this for me? What's in it for you is being invited into the eternal love that exists between the Father, Son and the Spirit. We know there was this love between the Father and Son because Jesus said it about himself. John 3:35, the Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. He always wanted people to know, as he was speaking of his father, that there was a love relationship between them. He loved his Son. And in John 17 we hear the heights of this in his prayer in John 17:24. Father, I desire that they also whom you have given me be with me where I am, so that they may see my glory which you have given me. And was that glory that he's given him for no reason? No, it was to be invited into love. For you loved me before the foundation of the world. There is the pre-existence of Jesus the Son with the Father, but also the coexistence equal with God, enjoying a perfect love relationship before creation itself. And then when you read the Bible with these eyes awakened to see that this is who God is, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever. I'm sure many of us read that around the Thanksgiving table this past week. Why do we give thanks to the Lord? Because his steadfast love endures forever. Sometimes we just always think about that steadfast love, enduring forever from the point of our existence moving forward. But it exists forever, going backwards. I was reading Micah 7 and a sad chapter for this prophet who is waiting on the Lord, and he says in verse 8, I dwell in darkness. The Lord is a light for me. I will bear the indignation of the Lord. It's a sad way this Minor Prophet's book is coming to an end. And then you read this wonderful verse near the end. Verse 18, Micah 7... Who is a God like you, who pardons iniquity and passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of his possession? He does not retain his anger forever. You say, what kind of God would do that? What's he like? Listen to the next line, because he delights in everlasting love, Micah 7:18. It's not just that this love exists between the Father, Son, and the Spirit to eternity past. They delight in the love that is between the three of them, and they invite you into that to experience that. That's what I wanted your mind to go to when you're thinking of nothing this morning, there's nothing to picture, no one to see. But at the heart of Jesus Christ's Eternality back in John 1, the word that was with God and was God, and was in the beginning with God, what is there other than love? A perfect relationship of love. And the last thing the enemy of our souls wants us to experience is that love. So, the initial way he got attacking that was to attack the person and work of Jesus Christ. At the time of John writing this, it's not surprising he had to write this in the prologue. He had to establish, because of the rise of Gnosticism, that spirits, good matters, evil and man needs delivered from the physical world in order to get to the spiritual world and the lies that were being propagated already within the church by 90 A.D. was that, you know, Jesus, if he was the Son of God, he couldn't really have taken on human flesh in the incarnation. But if he didn't do that, then we don't have what?...a perfect high priest who can sympathize with us in every way, who lived just as we lived in the flesh, that he was something other than that, and that destroys the gospel at its foundation, denying the truth about Jesus being truly God and truly man. I mean, that was the earliest and most frequent attack in the first three centuries on the gospel. That's why when we just recited this morning the Nicene Creed. What was the largest section of that dedicated to? It was dedicated to defending the deity of Jesus Christ, not just his deity, but also his humanity. And it still goes on throughout history. Even today, we defend the deity of Jesus Christ as coexistent and equal with God against Jehovah's Witnesses that teach that only Jehovah is God. They deny the Trinity, teach that Jesus was a created being, the Archangel Michael, who agreed to be placed in Mary's womb and is the first of created beings, not uncreated. I mean, we don't just say Nicene Creed together and talk about this stuff to fill the time. You'll run into people that want to call you brother or sister and say, we all believe in Jesus. There's just some minor details. The incarnation of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came into the world to save sinners equal with God. Coexistent with God is not a minor detail. It's really the whole thing. So you may have a really nice neighbor, a mormon, a Jehovah's Witness, a Jew. What do they have in common? They're all wrong about the person and work of Jesus Christ. What do you have to offer them?...the truth about Jesus Christ. And by offering that, you give them the chance to receive eternal life, which is the most loving thing you could do for a person to speak that truth in love. So that's what's happening here. But as I said before, it's not just an abstract intellectual game. It's as, Tim Keller wrote in his book, The Reason for God. "It's a dance to be invited into, one that completes our joy. It doesn't compete against it." Keller wrote this in his book to take the abstraction about the Trinity and what seems cold and and show that it's really about this relationship, beautiful to our hearts and useful to our theology. "The life of the Trinity is characterized not by self-centeredness, but by mutual, self-giving love. When we delight and serve someone else, we enter into dynamic orbit around him or her. We center on the interests and desires of the other person, which creates a dance, particularly if there are three persons, each of whom moves around the other two. So it is, the Bible tells us, each of the divine persons centers on the others." And we talk about that often, don't we? The Son wants to give glory to the Father. The Father wants to give glory to the Son. The Spirit wants to shine the light of of the gospel's good news on the person of Jesus Christ. So that what? So that at the end of the day, you accomplish John's mission, that you would believe...all three members of the Trinity a different function in your salvation, but all for the same aim for you to know Jesus Christ and to know of his everlasting love for you. Each person of the Trinity loves, adores, defers to, and rejoices in the others. That creates a dynamic, pulsating dance of joy and love. So maybe another truth that's breaking the darkness illuminating your life is to see It's not just about the pre-existence and winning some debate there. It's about the coexistence. It's about being invited into a relationship with God that is rooted and grounded in love, and is meant for you to delight in it. Just as the Son delights in the love of the Father, and the Father delights in the love of the Son.
Last, let's talk about the self-existence of Jesus, verses 3 and 4. We've talked about his pre-existence, coexistence with God. Now John wants you to know he is self-existent. We're not. He is. Verse three, all things came into being through him, and apart from him nothing came into being that has come into being. In him was life. We hear the same thing Jesus says about himself in John 5:26, just as the father has life in himself, even so, he gave to the son also to have life in himself. That's why he can offer it. That's the doctrine of the aseity of God. Now you're like, well, the what? The aseity of God. It's not a word we use a lot, but it's a good one. It's self-existence, independence. True independence, meaning I don't need anything else for my existence to continue, and that eliminates every single person ever from that category. We are dependent in every way on everything around us...the air we breathe, the food we eat, the people that help us into our old age. From our young age we're dependent creatures. You think you're independent. It's a lie. It's a lie that sometimes is staring you right in the face in your morning tea. It was for me this week. Now coffee is what speaks to me. I mean, coffee truly is in touch with my soul. But sometimes I get a little bit of coffee, tea theology or tea leaf theology. And this week it was on the little thing in front of my cup. It said, the universe is within you, bright and beautiful. Now, I did arrange that picture for you to see my Bible intentionally. So, you know, just the dedication that I have to the craft. Maybe make you jealous a little bit like this is what this guy does. He takes his tea and he. Well, it was just the phrase, the dumb thing that was on there that said, the universe is within me...bright and beautiful. First off, if you've watched any science fiction movie, the universe is a dark and dangerous and deadly place. You do not want to be out there. Everybody in those movies that goes out there gets stranded. It's an awful way to end. But yet the universe is within me, and it's bright and beautiful. Well, there's a lie...that's pantheism that the universe is in me and God is in the universe, and the universe is in God. And so, God is in me, and I am God. I am the force, and the force is in me...dumb. Eastern mystical mumbo jumbo that makes you feel good about yourself initially. But there's no truth in it. We're not gods. We're humans. God is eternal. We're dependent on him. You know, in that picture, he's the cup. We're the vapor that was disappearing above it, just there for a millisecond. James 1:14 tells us that your life is a vapor, a vanishing mist. And what John wants us to see right here is that the only way we're going to have eternal life and live forever is that if we experience the life that is offered from him who is life, who gives life. But to understand that, you need to know that it comes through the truth of Jesus Christ. That's why he moves in verse four from talking about life that is in Jesus, to the light that is given to men to see, and those two themes of life and light, you'll read all throughout the rest of this gospel, the constantly back and forth. These themes will emerge. The only theme, word or key word that you'll see more than life and light in this gospel is the word believe. Those things all work together. And here they are right out of the gates. He wants you to know that you came into being. You were a part of that all things. You are not the exception. Because apart from him, nothing exists if he didn't bring it into being. Colossians tells us this, verse 16...by Jesus, all things were created in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible thrones, dominions or rulers or authorities. All things have been created through him and for him. And here's his pre-existence. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. This is the testimony of Jesus Christ to the early church. It's the testimony to us today. We're here by him and through him and for him. We're not here by accident, through evolution, and for ourselves. That's the unholy trinity of atheism, Darwinism and hedonism. I'm here by accident, through evolution and for myself. But it's all around us in the culture. You know, we're the center of all things. Man is the measure of all things. How did I get here? I'm not sure, but science tells me I'm the highest in the chain of creation. It's not the message the Bible gives us that the only life I have that I've been given, initially born into this world, was determined by God, and the spiritual life is now given and received by me from Jesus Christ and Him alone. Verse 12, as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God. If you believe in his name, born not of anything you could do, not of any of your lineage, blood, or the will of flesh, but of God. Only Jesus can give life this morning.
And so, for some of you who might be new to church, new to the message of Jesus, new to the gospel, I know I might not have brought you into all the merry and bright of the manger scenes that we see in people's yards and all that. But I hope maybe it stops you in your tracks this morning to realize who you're dealing with when we talk about Jesus Christ. And sometimes when you finally see him rightly, it puts yourself in perspective towards him, and you see yourself rightly as the sinner that you are and the darkness that you've been in. And it's only in the light of the gospel of Jesus offered to you this morning that you could come to a knowledge of the truth. Now, maybe there's more of you. Maybe this is just the start for you. And you're you're curious and you want to know more. Well, we're going to get into more in the weeks to come, but I want to give everybody something to do as we get out of here this morning. An assignment for the month. I've done this before. I've done it with the Gospel of Luke 24 chapters starting on December 1st, because that is the official start of the Christmas season in the Ashoff household. In fact, one of my kids at school was like, dad, one of my teachers did something wrong. She was playing Christmas music or said something about Christmas starting. And this was like a week ago. I was like, hey, ease up, okay? For me and my household but we can't enforce this on everybody else. They're not heretics for putting Christmas music on a week early, but now it's December 1, let's go. But what I want to give you is an assignment, and it just comes out of a reading that I was doing this week in coming to the end of 2 Peter. Where there was just a line that struck me in my personal devotional time. Verse 18, well, start in verse 17, you therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard. You know we're always to be ready and never to let our guard down. For what? That you're not carried away by the error of unprincipled men. There is an enemy that seeks to kill, steal, and destroy in a world system that wants to steal any attention, extra attention this season that we would give in looking to Jesus Christ. Are you with me? I mean, of all times of the year, he can't stop the idea that it's a holiday we celebrate so he can inundate us with so much extra to distract us...good, bad or indifferent. So he says, be on your guard, that you're not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness. As great as this month could be, it could be an awful month for some of you in the faith. I mean, there's stresses that come this time of year that we know. I even came across a publication from last year, that the holiday season can be both a happy and stressful time of year, in part due to expectations to spend time with family and friends. And I saw this graphic and I thought, this is going to be for our people on a Sunday, you know, playing Family Feud where they're like, I'll take all of those. Yep. That one, that one, that one that I experience all that stuff. But what stood out to me in this study is nine out of ten people say there is something, something about the holiday season that heightens the stress in my life, rather than this be a time of year where it goes down...all kind of different reasons. There's only one solution to it, and it's in 2 Peter 3:18. What would contribute to a fall in us or a discouragement? Listen to 2 Peter 3:18, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Did you catch that? The remedy to all those things you just read through and said, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm one of the nine in ten. I'm just coming down off the Thanksgiving stress ready to ramp up to the Christmas one. The answer is right in front of you. 2 Peter 3:18...here's how you fight it. Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. How do you do that? Well, here's one way I'd like to do that as a church. We're studying John this month. We'll keep coming back to these 18 verses, but I would love you to some of these themes of light and life and belief. Read through the Gospel of John one chapter a day between now and Christmas. You got 24 days. You got 21 chapters. John six, seven and eight are the three longest ones. Cut them in half. You'll get right there. I would challenge you to read for your personal devotional time by yourself in the morning. Don't so much make it this big, you know, elaborate Bible study as much as just meditate on what you're reading about the person and work of Christ, and pray through it and be amazed by him. But save some of those thoughts and bring them back later in the evening, you know, because blessed is the man and woman who meditates on the Word of God, day and night. Bring those same personal devotional thoughts. And if you do this as a family or a group of friends or a life group, bring them back in the evening to share and then teach out of that. Dads, you can find something in a chapter in John, that leads us to faith. It says, that's amazing and awesome about Jesus, don't you guys think? And if they're like, yeah, now you're on your feet trying to say, okay, uh, let's look at it together. Let's read it together. Do it personally by yourself in the morning. Do it collectively with a friend or a spouse or kids, or call a friend up and say, hey, I was in John 3 today. This is amazing. I didn't see it before. I wanted to share it with you. Text it to somebody. Why do I want to offer you this this month? Because I want you to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. So that when Christmas Day comes and I know it's just a date on a calendar, that really wasn't the date he came. But it's not like you were just trying to flip the switch, you know, December 23rd. Okay, now I'm going to get to the manger scene. No, you've been in the Gospel of John the whole month, searching the unsearchable riches of Jesus Christ...Paul calls them. So many amazing thoughts to fill our imaginations and stir our hearts to greater affections that he's pre-existent of time. Just to meditate on that this morning, if there is a way to eternity, the pre-existent Jesus is going to be the only guide. He is co-existent with God. If there is a truth about a God that we cannot see. He alone would know it. He is self-existent in creation. If there is a quality of life that we can't give ourselves, he can give it. It sounds like all three of these aspects are what uniquely qualified him in John 14:6 than to say I'm the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but me. But here's what's wonderful this morning for all of us. He wants you to come to him. He says I'm the way, the truth and the life. Good luck finding it. He says no, come to me. He tells you who he is, and then he invites you to himself. One of my favorite parts of John chapter 1. Just look over to verse 35. The next day, John was standing with his disciples, and he looks and sees Jesus walking. And he says, behold, the Lamb of God. And these two disciples of John hear him speak, and they turn and follow Jesus. And Jesus turns around and sees them following and says to them, what do you want? That's really what he said. What do you seek? It's this idea of what do you want? What do you desire? And they say to him, Rabbi, where are you staying? And he says to them, come, and you will see.
So what do you want from Christ this month? Do you want to know the way, the truth, and the life about him? He says to you, come and you'll see. Show up tomorrow morning with the coffee or the tea. Remember your own life as a vapor. And then come and see the eternal life that I have to offer you. And then pray that maybe the Lord would use it to encourage somebody else that day. Let's ask the Lord now to renew our affections for him as we enter in to a time of communion and remembering his life and death and resurrection.
Let's pray. Father, we thank you this morning for your Word. We thank you this morning for our minds and hearts to be lifted up to beyond the heavens, outside of space and time and matter and everything that we hold our lives together with as much as we can when we look around us. And it's the explanation for so much. But yet we ventured into the place where it was just the Father, Son, and Spirit and eternal love delighting in one another. And thank you for inviting us into that delight today. May the height of that now be, as we turn our attention to the Lord's table, as we remember you came, lived a perfect life, died a death in our place, and rose again for our justification. And sohelp us to see that and celebrate that this morning we ask. Amen.
Pulpit Curriculum PDF Pulpit Curriculum DOCX * View transcript Mastering the Test
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How many of you can identify with these words from your past? All right, class, close your books. Put away your study materials. And I want nothing but a pencil on top of the desk. For many of us, this statement causes a little bit of fight or flight. You begin looking for the door, saying, is he going to pass out a test? Rest assured, I will not be doing so to see how well you've listened this morning. But there were many times when the tests would come and the thought would run through my head. I sure wish I would have studied just a little bit more for this test. Right? Well, even though it's been a number of years since I've been in the educational setting, I still have dreams where I have a test, but I have no idea where the classroom is. I don't remember attending the class the entire semester. And yet people are saying, oh yeah, there's a test. And I remember thinking, this isn't going to go well.
Well, today we're going to be looking at passage of Matthew 4:1-11, that is commonly referred to as the temptation of Christ. And that is an accurate summary for sure, as we will see the devil attempting to entice the Savior to sin. But the same Greek word translated temptation here in Matthew 4 is also translated oftentimes in the New Testament as test. And in fact, we see that when Jesus is tested by the ones who came to him and said, hey, can you divorce a woman for any reason?...called a test. Another time they came to him and said, hey, should we be paying taxes to Caesar?...called a test...same word. And then another time they came to him and said, hey, show us a sign. Do some magic in our midst so we can really believe...again called a test. So I will be using both temptation and test somewhat interchangeably during our time this morning. Another thing I want to point out is God is not the author of tempting us to sin. However, God will allow Satan to tempt us as a test, and Satan is operating in that way. And the world, the flesh and the devil are a problem that we must overcome. So today we're going to look at what is the key to success in withstanding temptations to do evil and prove that it can be done. So we're going to look to Jesus, the pioneer or the author, the beginner of our faith, who is also the perfecter and the completer. He's who we're going to look to today for the perfection in how to do this. I do have a spoiler alert for you, however. Jesus is going to withstand the temptation of Satan and be completely victorious. There's the spoiler alert. He is going to prove that not only will he ace this test, but he'll ace any test that the devil will bring his way. So, let's look now into the background and details of our victorious Lord and learn from his perfect example how to defeat the devil and his tactics in our daily life.
So the first thing I want to look at our first point is the environment of the evaluation, meaning the circumstances, the setting behind this temptation of Satan on our Lord. And to do that, we need to back up into chapter 3, verses 16 and 17, and see that this is following this great event in Scripture where Jesus is baptized, and it says in verse 16 of chapter 3. After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on him. And behold, a voice out of heaven said, this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. So this testing follows great spiritual victory, where Christ is declared to be the Son of an Almighty God by a booming voice from God out of heaven. Not only that, but the Spirit of God in the form of a dove rests on Jesus. I couldn't help but think of Isaiah 61, where Jesus said, The Spirit of God is upon me, that he would later read in Nazareth in just a few chapters. We see here a Trinity, a triune God, pictured with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit, all in one place, and yet three distinct persons all in one. So, this testing is going to occur after this great spiritual victory. The other thing I want us to see in the environment is Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. The reason that's important is because the devil doesn't have control over how this is going to happen. Satan is under the rule and reign of our God. This is not dualism where we're hoping God is going to beat the devil. The devil is a defeated foe, but here he is allowed just like in Job chapter one, when he appears before God and says, hey, let me mess with job. That's Willms' translation it's not exactly what it says, but it's close. It's the idea. And he has to get permission from God in order to do what he was going to do to Job. So, we see the Spirit is leading Jesus into the wilderness. And then Mark one tells us it was immediately following the baptism. And of course, if you remember our study in Mark immediately is one of his favorite words. Mark is summarizing and moving immediately. But then we also have Luke chapter 4 shed some more light on this temptation. And in Luke 4 it talks about that Jesus was being tempted even leading up to these three main temptations. So,Luke adds that there were temptations that are not recorded, that Jesus was passing all of those. And then Luke is going to record the same three we're going to look at here in Matthew. One other key thing that Luke adds in is that there is the word that there is going to be more testing coming from Satan. It says he left him and was looking for the opportune time. So keep that in mind as we look at the harmony of these Gospels. So not only was he led by the Spirit to the wilderness, but he was also led by the Spirit to fast. And it talks about 40 days of fasting...40 days. The only four that comes into my world of fasting is if I can do four hours at a time often, right? Like I eat breakfast and then can I make it to lunch without eating until I pass by a snack?...but 40 days of fasting. This can be done physically. We know it because Moses also fasted for 40 days when he got the law from God on Mount Sinai. And 40 is often the number of testing that we see in Scripture. 40 is often used in that way. So, he's led by the Spirit to fast. And then another point in this environment of evaluation is the devil appears in person. So the devil in person appears. I contend most of us are never going to see the devil in person. We're not important enough. The world, the flesh, the devil, our own fallen sin nature is enough to trip us up often. So, this idea of Jesus is getting the absolute strongest, most powerful temptation that anybody would ever come close to seeing, Okay? Then the devil appears right before Jesus is about to begin his public ministry. So, we've got this great baptism voice from heaven. This is the Son of God. This is divine. And now he's ready to start his public ministry. And the public ministry begins with private time in the wilderness. And what Satan is hoping to do is derail. Take it off the track so that Christ does not do all the things that he is going to do from here till Calvary and beyond. So, we see this is the environment of the evaluation.
Now let's look at the tactics of the tempter. The tactics of the tempter, Satan himself here, are really not any different. He kind of is the same, uses the same things. And in fact, we can look in 1 John 2:15-17, where the apostle John said this, do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts. But the one who does the will of God lives forever. So, we see this description about how Satan works and how the lusts of the flesh are present in temptations we face. Now let's see how Satan uses those basic tricks to try and trip up our Savior. So the first thing, the first temptation we see, look at verse number 3 of chapter 4. And the tempter came to him and said, if you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread. So the first temptation. Turn those stones into bread. By the way, if you haven't eaten for 40 days and the idea of some fresh bread doesn't appeal to you, I mean, this is a real temptation, okay? For me, when I picture the idea here of turn those stones into loaves into bread, I can't help but think of when I walk into Texas Roadhouse and they have those rolls up here on the ledge that they just have made, and I can go in saying, I'm not going to eat those carbs. And then by the time I leave say, well, at least I didn't eat the whole basket myself. So understand the temptation here is real. It's strong and it's powerful. What does the devil do here is he's actually challenging authority and he's casting doubt on God's goodness. He's like, if you are the Son of God, why don't you turn those things into bread? Did Satan know Jesus was the Son of God? Yes. He wasn't doubting that, what he was basically doing is...I double dog dare you. Trying to get him to do something that he certainly could do in his in his power. All right. But Satan also, I believe, is testing God's goodness in this temptation because why does God have you out in the wilderness here for 40 days and you're hungry, you're starving, you're weak. But I think Jesus is going to give the response to this, that we'll look at in just a minute, that will absolutely give us the way to defend against the devil. So the devil here appeals to physical desires, which is desires of the flesh. By the way, I think about Esau in Genesis chapter 25, when you remember he came in from the fields, and Jacob was in there mixing up some stew. And Esau said, give me some of that...now. And Jacob said, trade me your birthright...all that goes with being the firstborn. Trade me that, and I'll give you stew. And Esau goes...deal. What good is a birthright if I'm going to die anyway? So he doesn't value what God had given him, because the lust of the flesh, the desire for food, overpowered it. Satan does this. Then the second temptation...look what he does in verse five. The devil took him into the holy city, and had him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, if you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, he will command his angels concerning you, and on their hands they will bear you up so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. So here his second temptation is go ahead and jump. Now some of you that are my vintage, if you thought about Van Halen 1984, that lyric is in there. And it did come to my mind. I jokingly said to Ronald, when I get to that point, I need you to jump up and do a cover of. And I said, no, I was just joking. The go ahead and jump off the wing of the temple. The highest point in the Temple Mount. The Temple Mount is surrounded by valleys and the Kidron Valley. Josephus says that from the point of Solomon's porch to the bottom was some 450ft. To give you an idea of how big of a jump it is. And so in this challenge, first of all, we see that the devil actually quotes Scripture. He quotes scripture. That stuff that's in funny print in your Bibles means it's coming from other scripture. He will command his angels concerning you. This is coming from Psalm 91, verses 11 and 12. But I want to read 11 and 12, and then we'll take a look how it compares to Satan. For he will give his angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways. They will bear you up in their hands, that you do not strike your foot against a stone. Satan left out the part to guard you in all your ways. He skipped that part, but even if he didn't skip the part, he is going to misapply the scripture. He is going to turn it into, hey, you can do whatever you want. Live recklessly, carelessly, selfishly, any way you want to, and God has to bail you out. All right? So, Satan is a master of deceit and he uses scripture. He knows Scripture better than we do, I think in most cases, and he will use it taken out of context and apply it wrongly in order to try and get us off track. So this is one of the devil's tactics. The third temptation that he offers, verse number 8, took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, all these things I will give you if you fall down and worship me. So here he is promising just worship me once. Just bow down and worship me once and I'll give you all of this now. Now this raises the question. Does Satan have the authority to give this to Jesus at this point? I'll answer it this way. Scripture makes it clear that God calls Satan the prince of the power of the air, the God of this world. He calls him the in control of the earth within the restraint of what God allows him to do. Does that make sense? So Satan, in effect, is the one that is ruling and reigning in the world in that sense. However, is it really his to give to Jesus when he is working underneath what God has allowed him to do? And I say, no, it wasn't his to give. But when has the truth ever stopped the devil from making offers or claims or deceiving people? You see, he was more like a sub. He's like God's given it to him with a lease. And then Satan was trying to say, well, I'll give it to you like an illegal sublease. Okay. It wasn't his to give. However, that's what he is offering to Jesus. When he shows him this it says he took him up onto the high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world. Here we can see the devil appealing to the lust of the eyes. Everything that Christ could see. The purpose of this temptation, if you take a look and think about it, Jesus is due all the worship of the world. It is his. He will also have it in full. However, if Satan could get him to jump now to this temptation and say, yeah, let's do it now, he derails Christ again from being able to do everything that he is supposed to do from that point to Calvary and beyond. So he is offering something to get it out of order and destroy the work of Christ. And if he does, we're all hopeless today. The devil loves to change the order of good things, by the way...even in our lives. I can't help but think about the area of physical intimacy. God's given that gift to man and woman coming together as a marriage, united as one. And he gave it for joy and for so many good things. And yet what does Satan do? Says he's just a killjoy. God doesn't want you to have fun. Go ahead. You can have that intimacy now. It's so fantastic. And of course, Satan only paints the part of the picture he wants somebody to see and doesn't picture the guilt, the sin, the abortions. The brokenness that comes with getting things out of order. Our God is a God of order. When he prescribes, this is how he wants it done. That's how it should be done. So we see the tactics of the tempter are very similar to what the Apostle John said in 1 John 2 of what he did to Jesus in Matthew chapter 4. But I want to make a quick detour to Genesis chapter 3. So if you go in your Bible to Genesis chapter 3, we're going to take a look at just the first 7 verses there, because Jesus is going to as I gave you the spoiler alert, he is going to withstand these temptations. And we'll look at that in just a minute. But these temptations of Satan were first tried out on sinless, non fallen humans in the perfect Garden of Eden. And this is how that went down. Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, indeed, has God said, you shall not eat from any tree of the garden. The woman said to the serpent, from the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat, but from the fruit of the tree, which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, you shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die. The serpent said to the woman, you surely will not die. For God knows that the day you eat from it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate, and she gave it also to her husband with her, and he ate. So here you see the same kind of temptation that we're seeing in Matthew 4 done to Adam and Eve in Genesis chapter 3. Look at that beautiful fruit. Look at how good that looks. Yeah, but God said we'll die if we eat it. Ah, you're not going to die. Challenging and questioning authority, putting doubts in people's minds, and then it's going to let you be like God. Uh, Satan loves to get us to want to be our own God. He really does. And I have proven to myself when I become my own God, when Scott Willms becomes God of his life, things do not go well. I am a terrible God. I will justify my own sin, which further moves me further away from the goodness of what God has given me. I have no tolerance for anybody else because they're not like me. I got no mercy, no compassion. But Satan loves for us to think that we can be God of our lives. Here is what happens. Eve says, man, that sounds good, takes a bite of the fruit and then it says, gave it to her husband with her. She didn't have to go looking for Adam. He was right there. All right. And so he takes it willingly, and sin enters the world. So Satan has used this before effectively. But it's not going to be effective this time on Jesus Christ.
So let's look at our third point here of the example of Emmanuel, the example of Emmanuel. First of all, Emmanuel is, uh, it's coming close to Christmas. Emmanuel means God with us. That's what that word means. So let's look at the perfection of Christ here. First of all, notice that Jesus was spiritually strong and prepared. Okay, absolutely spiritually strong and prepared. Why do I say that? Because in Luke chapter 2, we see that Jesus grew in favor and in stature with God and man. At age 12, he was in the temple and they were amazed at what he was understanding and able to teach at that point. What do you think he was doing from age 12 to age 30. I think he was increasing in favor and in stature with God and man. Jesus is strong and physically prepared. Then the 40 day fast which left him weak physically. I guarantee you he was communing with the father during those 40 days, and every time the hunger pains came, he trusted more in the God who he was equal to and one with. So we see this leading up to the challenge that Jesus is strong and prepared. He is master of the material that is going to be required to ace the test. The second thing we see when it looks at the example of Jesus is he limits his communication with the devil to the written Word of God. In fact, if you notice, it says in verse 4 it is written. He responds to Satan. In verse 7, on the other hand, or literally again it is written, and then in verse 10, Go Satan, for it is written. So Jesus relies on the written word of God in order to deal with Satan. So now let's look at Jesus declares in his example, he declares truth to live by in his response to this temptation. So in the first one, when Satan has offered him bread, make those stones into bread. What does he do? He says, Deuteronomy 8:2-3. He quotes the last part of verse 3, which is the Word of God which says man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. By the way, in chapter 8, verse 2, it talks about the children of Israel in the wilderness, and it says that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. He humbled you and let you be hungry and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know that he might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of God. You can have an entire feast ready at Thanksgiving and not eat a bite of it if God doesn't give you the breath and the heartbeat to do so. He's the most important thing in life. He controls our life. He provides us food, but he is the most important thing. Then, in the second temptation, when the devil took him up into the holy city, had him stand on the pinnacle of the temple and said, throw yourself down. Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:16. He said, you shall not put the Lord your God to the test as you tested him at Massah. That Massah is a spot in the children of Israel's wilderness where they were thirsty, and they demanded that God produce water for them...not prayed, but demanded. It was a very presumptuous, demanding of God to do something like God is a genie in the bottle. Or in today's, many churches, you just name it and claim it, man. God's got to do it. You say it. God has to do it. God doesn't have to do anything that God doesn't want to do. So in this process, we see that Jesus is saying, don't ever test the Lord your God with careless, demanding, or selfish living. All right, Christ could have thrown himself off and the angels could have scooped him up and so forth. But when the devil suggests something that you could do, just don't do it. All right. Just the Bob Newhart defense. Stop it. Just don't do it anymore, okay? This is. Satan is a tempter. Even if it sounds good, make sure you check back with Scripture. Is this the right thing to be doing? And then in the third temptation, when Satan just said, man, all these things I will give to you if you fall down and worship me. Jesus quotes there from Deuteronomy 6:13 where he says, you shall fear only the Lord your God. You shall worship the Lord and serve him only. The idea of service and worship go together. What you worship, you will serve. What you serve, you will worship. So this is Jesus declaring truth to live by and his response to temptation. So it is written and here's what it says. It is written and here's what it says. I want to make a point here. Jesus did not do what Hollywood would want him to do. The story would be so cool in my Scott Spielberg movie maker. If when he said turn the stones into bread, if all of a sudden Jesus went and the stones just started pelting Satan in the head like the roadrunner does, you know, to Wile E coyote just pelting in the head. Or when he took him to the top of the Temple Mount and said, jump off here. If he would have Spider-Man, webbed him and then took David's sling and slung him, and he went flying into the air, into the Dead Sea. Right? I'd go, yes, great movie scenes, but you know what Jesus did? It is written. Guess what we have access to today. It is written. We have the Word of God, and if we will master that material, we too can ace every test that comes our way. As we look at Jesus, we also see this very interesting truth in verse number 11. It says, then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and began to minister to him. This verse has always fascinated me for a long time. That the perfect Son of God, fully God and fully man, had angels come to minister to him. That lets you know how intense this temptation is. Ok. This is like nobody has ever faced this kind of testing that Jesus Christ is facing. When the angels came to minister to him, the text doesn't tell us what they did exactly. But I'm going to make a really good educated guess. They made him some fresh baked bread. And they said...here, provided for by God. I contend that their appearance to him, to minister to him, reinforced the real truth of Psalm 91 that Christ in all your ways you're going to be protected. The angels are going to watch out for you. And in fact, they are demonstrating that by coming to his rescue in this time. And then I have no doubt that right there they worshiped their creator...just like they will in the future. That they praised and worshiped the one who had passed this test of Satan. And in fact, in Revelation 5, listen to these words coming from John...Verse 11. Revelation 5:11, then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, and the living creatures and the elders, and the number of them was myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, worthy is the lamb that was slain to receive power and riches, and wisdom and might, and honor and glory and blessing, and every created thing which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and on the sea, and all things in them I heard saying; to him who sits on the throne, and to the lamb be blessing, and honor, and glory and dominion for ever and ever. And the four living creatures kept saying, Amen. And the elders fell down and worshiped. You see, this worship that is promised of Christ...He's going to get every last bit of that. He didn't need it early. He didn't need to bow to Satan to get it done. He is going to do it in God's proper time.
So what are the takeaways from this test?...the takeaways from this test. First of all, looking at Jesus as the God man in his work, as a God man, we see that his perfect, sinless example was clearly revealed, right? Perfect, sinless passes in flying colors. The second thing we see is the ability for him to demonstrate his complete power over the devil. Even the power of Jesus to end the testing is seen here because after that third test he says, get out of here, Satan! Get behind me! Be gone. He even has the power to end the temptation. But he certainly has the power over the devil. And we know this from all of Scripture demonstrated here in his first coming. In fact I John 4:4, writing about us, Apostle John says, you are from God, little children, and have overcome them, because greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world. Satan is defeated, but he never gives up. Does that make sense? We have the King Jesus on our side. Third thing, take away from this test in relation to the work of Jesus as a God man. It confirmed with absolute proof that he was God and he couldn't and wouldn't sin no matter what is thrown at him. He's God in the flesh. The fourth thing is to know what we face....to know what we face. Hebrews 4:15 tells us this, for we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. So one of the things that happens is Jesus now identifies because he took on flesh like us. He didn't have a sin nature like us, but he took on flesh. The devil tested him from the outside with the strongest temptations he could come up with, and Jesus withstands it perfectly. So when we get our temptations, which are very tiny in comparison to Christ, we have a Savior who is not unfamiliar with the testings that we have and our temptations that come from a sinful nature and from the world and the devil. So this is one of those things that is a glorious truth, that we have a high priest who is on duty for us 24/7, never takes vacations, never takes holidays, and actually welcomes us to reach out to him. Ridiculous grace that comes from our Lord Jesus Christ. So those are a few of the takeaways for what we see in Jesus is the God man. What are some takeaways for us today? Alright, so I'm going to propose to you that first of all, we must master the material in order to ace the test. What is the material? It is the word of an almighty God. We need to read it. We need to study it. We need to memorize it. We need to saturate our life with it. In fact, Paul calls it the sword of the spirit in Ephesians 6 part of the warfare with the world and the flesh and the devil. We're in a war, and one of the things that you've got to have is you got to have a sword, both to defend and to take care of Satan with those tests that he throws our way. Then more evidence of the goodness of God...1 Corinthians 10:13, Paul wrote this. No temptation has overtaken you, but such as is common to man, and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. If you're a believer and a follower of Christ today, you actually have the capability to say no to the devil and the world system. You can resist by using the power of the word of an Almighty God and applying it to your life, understanding it, living it, and being ready to use it whenever you are facing trouble. I got time, i'm going to give you a quick example of how this might look in your life. I for a number of years was beset with the sin of worry. I would worry about a lot of things, and worry so much that sometimes I would get out of bed and then climb back in bed and pull the covers over my head. I would physically get sick from worrying about where my next sale was going to come from, because in my line of work, when I finish the school year, I have this much guaranteed income for the next year...zero. And I would get worried sick. I knew these words of Jesus and then one day I really not only listened, but acquiesced and absorbed to actually live these words. And these are the words that helped me to overcome the sin of worry. Matthew 6:25, For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life as to what you will eat or what you will drink. Nor for your body as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air that they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns. And yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow. They do not toil, nor do they spin. Yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow, is thrown into the furnace, will he not much more clothe you...you of little faith? Verse 34, he says, so do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will take care of itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. So in spite of the fact that I knew these words had been there, I had read them multiple times when I finally actually trusted in the God of the Word is when he gave me victory over worry. Because my problem when I start to worry is I am demonstrating a temporary lack of faith in God, and then I'm able to stop and say, no, don't do this. My life group in my mutual ministry, men know that I have confessed. I said I had that pop in, I started to worry, but I cut it off immediately, and I'm so thankful God has given me this weapon of Matthew 6. He has given us all the weapons to overcome the temptation and the sins that so easily beset us. But we're going to have to master the material in order to ace every test that comes. Second thing to us today. This is not a spoiler alert either, but every one of us has failed and still fails when temptations come at times, right? Unfortunately, we are not sinless. We still deal with this flesh. We still have the sin nature. So when we sin, it's very important, I believe, not to sit there and wallow in the sin like a pig in the mud. Because how many times have you been like me where you have absolutely sinned or did something wrong and then you go, well, I blew that, so I'll just do this. And the spiral of degradation continues to where you are going. Well, what difference does it make? I've already messed up here. No, I contend to you that the thing to do is to repent, to confess, ask for forgiveness of that sin. The great news is 1 John 1:9, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. He will cleanse us from sin. There is no penance in this. It is forgiveness from the God who grants it graciously. And then dust yourself up. Get up and be ready to face the next temptation. And let's not fail them all. Let's use his word in order to defeat the devil, defeat our sin that is within us, and walk more like Christ, right? The third application to us today would involve two different groups of people that may be present here today. One is there may be some of you out there going, I'm doing my best to defeat temptation. I'm showing up at church. I'm doing men's Bible study, women's Bible study. I'm in life group. I never miss. But the reason you're doing those things and trying to resist temptation is because you think you're earning some sort of points in order to earn enough points, like the credit card points where you can redeem them for a free flight. You think by earning enough points, you are going to earn favor with God and a ticket to heaven. The bad news for you...it's not a points based system. Because any good you can do...qualified good...one little sin makes your points go to zero. I was damned to hell when I stole candy from my mother's purse as a four year old. Because she told me not to get candy, and I did. One sin is enough to separate us from a holy God who can't tolerate any sin whatsoever. So if you're thinking you're scoring points with religious activity, church membership, attendance for all the good stuff that happens at HBC, it's not a points based system. Then there's others here today in this category who you're going...resist temptation? I call those opportunities. Oh, whatever that Satan puts in my way, man. Oh, that looks great. I can't wait to get away from church. Away from my parents, away from my spouse, away from my family. To where I can fully indulge in these things. On the outside, you are living the buttoned up Christian life, but on the inside, you know you're playing a game. The solution for both of those people is found in the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm going to read Ephesians 2:1-10. Listen to my favorite passage of Scripture regarding the good news of Christ. It says, "and you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too, all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest." If it stopped right there, here's what this passage is saying. You're dead. You're disobedient and you are doomed. You are a child of wrath. God is going to have to punish that sin. And then this great little conjunctive word of verse 4, "But God being rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved and raised us up with him, and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the surpassing riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in him." The solution to the one who is trying to earn points, or to the one who is pretending to be a Christian, is the same solution. Acknowledge the fact that you indeed are doomed. Sin has destroyed you. You are dead without a God who is going to miraculously make you alive. How is that executed? It is executed by you agreeing with God and mastering this basic material. I'm a sinner who needs a Savior. And indeed Jesus went to the cross. In fact, right before he got to the cross, he was in a place called the Garden of Gethsemane. And in the Garden of Gethsemane he prayed, and he said these words, pray that you may not enter into temptation. And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw. And he knelt down and began to pray, saying, Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Yet not my will, but yours be done. Now an angel from heaven appeared to him, strengthening him. Two times in Scripture where angel appears to minister to Christ, one at the beginning of his public ministry and one right before his crowning achievement, which is dying in my place. All of my sin....millions and millions of sin. Just mine. Plus add yours, plus add people from the beginning of time to the end. He pays a price and takes the full wrath of God on our sin in our place. But you've got to repent of your sin. You have to turn to him and beg him to save you. The good news is he won't cast you out. He will save you.
So as we conclude, we got to master the material to ace the test. As a believer, you need to soak yourself in the Word of God. You need to memorize it, know it, live it, trust it, and then trust the God who gave it to you. And if you're one of the people who doesn't fully understand. It's not a works based system. It's not about externals. It's about your relationship with Christ. We invite you to come to him today.
Father God, we thank you for the opportunity to study this passage that shows the perfection of our Lord Jesus Christ. God in the flesh came to live among men perfectly, never failing, passing every test, defeating the devil, and then being willing to go to the cross to pay my sin debt. And indeed, everybody in this room in the world who is been chosen by the father. Lord, I ask that you will work and move in our hearts. Lord, help us to not be the same, but help us to be changed by your Word and Lord we just pray that you'll continue to do a work in each one of our hearts this week. We pray these things in Jesus name. Amen.
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The focus of this morning's sermon is on who we are as believers, what our identity is, what is true about us. So this sermon is not going to focus on what we do. It's not going to focus on what we should be doing. It is not going to highlight our shortcomings as many as there are, but rather the unbelievable foundation we stand on, the amazing realities we possess as precious sons and daughters of the living, loving, holy, good Father. We are going to see what the Bible says to us as believers in Christ Jesus, through the words of Peter that he wrote to a bunch of Christians who lived in what is now northern Turkey 2000 years ago. But in all substantive ways, we are just like them. This morning we are going to consider the first nine verses in the first chapter of Peter. But I want to remind us this is something that's important to me, these letters of the New Testament by Paul. Peter, um, who else wrote letters? The book of Hebrews. We're not sure. They were writtento be read as unified compositions and as modern Christians with Bibles that are, you know, divided into chapters and verses. We often read our Bibles as if it's a bunch of distinct thoughts, sort of, you know, the way the Book of Proverbs is. It has a lot of distinct sayings. You know, I think it's a lot how we text each other this and this and this and this. But, this letter from Peter is intended to be read in entirety in the churches. That's how he wrote them. But we don't have time for that this morning. Sowe're not going to read the whole book. We're going to read just the first nine verses. That's what I'm going to focus on. But even these nine verses contain way too much glorious truth to cover in one sermon. And you've witnessed Adam come up here, and he gets up and he's got his outline and his verses, and he's an accomplished preacher. And halfway through the sermon, he'llsay, oh, you know, I'm not going to get through this. We're going to have to finish it next week. Well, I don't have that fallback position because I'm not preaching next week. So we've got to get through this. So let me read God's Word, the words of Peter, just the first nine verses of the first chapter. Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who are elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father in the sanctification of the Spirit For obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood. May grace and peace be multiplied to you. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary. You have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him, though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. As much as I desire. In fact, I wrote three manuscripts, and two of them I discarded because I wanted to unpack these beautiful, wonderful words in these nine verses. It can't be done in a 40 minute sermon. Instead, we are going to focus on Peter's audience this morning. We are going to see what he says is true about them, not what he hopes for them, not what he admonishes them to become. Peter begins this letter to these churches by telling them who they are. And by extension, if you are in Christ, who you are. So we're going to we're going to talk about Peter's audience. We're going to see ten realities, characteristics that define them. So the first one is elect exiles and two adjectives. Elect exiles. Now right from the start, because a lot of us read the new American Standard, a lot of us have read the ESV. We've got some new King James. There are probably some NIV folks out there. Some of you may have felt a little bump when I read that first verse or the second verse, because the NASB reads differently than the English Standard Version. The NASB reads to those who reside as aliens scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father. So I hope you see the difference. But why the difference? The Greek has two adjectives one for elect, one for exiles. In the Greek manuscript there smack dab together. But the NASB took that word elect moved it down, and it says, who are chosenaccording to the foreknowledge of God the Father. Well, why? It appears that those who translated that translation may have thought, boy, if we read Elect Exiles, then people are going to go, oh, they were chosen to be exiles. That's the emphasis. It'smodifying exiles when that's really not the case. Peter's describing his audience. They are elect and they are exiles. Sothe word order doesn't really matter. But in case you felt that little bump there, let's briefly address that. His audience are elect. In verse two, Peter says that they are elect by the foreknowledge of God, or, as the NASB reads, chosen. Now, given my limited time this morning, I'm sincerely referring you to Adam's sermon on September 8th. On 2 Thessalonians 2: 12 and 13. In that sermon, Adam explained what the Bible means by election. However, staying in the context of Peter's writing here in verse three, he says, according to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again. God's choosing is always effective. If God chooses you, elects you. You will be born again. You will turn to choose him. You will believe a person who sincerely comes to Jesus repenting of his or her rejection of Jesus or of God does so making a genuine personal Decision, but the ability to believe, which is like coming from the dead to life. That's a gift from God, and it's according to his sovereign mercy. If this biblical teaching is difficult, please speak to one of the elders after the service. And I'm not one yet, so officially. And I would I would really encourage the careful reading of Ephesians chapter two, verses 1-10 and Romans 8, verses 28-30. So Peter's audience is elect, but they are exiles. He's writing to Christians. They're mostly Gentiles. There probably were a smattering of ethnic Jews, believers in Jesus mixed in among them.
But he calls them exiles, not because they were literally thrownout of their country and pushed someplace else. He calls them exiles because they are Christians in a hostile environment. They were insiders, but now they are outsiders. They no longer fit in with the common practices and beliefs of their surrounding culture. Peter makes this clear in three other parts of this very letter. Farther along in chapter one, if you want to look down there verses 14 to 19, Peter says, as obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, you shall be holy, for I am holy. And if you call on him as Father, who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. Peter reminds them that their obedience means they no longer live like they used to, as easily as their predecessors, their grandparents, their parents. And they don't live like their present compatriots. They'redifferent. Chapter two, verse 11 and 12 Peter says, beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. Finally, in the fourth chapter, verses three and four, Peter says, for the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. With respect to this. They are surprised when you do not join in with them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you. Peter is making clear that his readers used to live a certain way. They lived like the people they lived among. They no longer do. They lived like Gentiles. And Peter is using that word spiritually. The people, they're all the same, they speak the same language. But now Peter considers them to be Israelites or the true Israelites and their neighbors Gentiles. They don't believe. Remember at this time Christianity is a new religion. People were suspicious of it. The Roman Empire had by this time instituted laws that you had to worship the Emperor. Christianity did not play well with other religions. Christianity says there is one God. Christians are not going to worship the Emperor, and they are not going to participate in religious activities of false gods just to get along. They weren't very tolerant. This was not like here in the south, where to be a Christian is still acceptedand even maybe well regarded. This was more like being a Christian in Seattle, Washington or Portland, Oregon. Now it should be clear why these people stand out as aliens or strangers, as exiles in their communities. They are different. They used to fit in. Now they don't. They used to be thought of as us. Now they are seen as strange. They're even seen as dangerous. The people to whom Peter is writing are elect exiles. So if you were born and raised in Catawba County or Alexander County, or Iredell County or Burke County, or Caldwell County or Lincoln County, and your last name is Starnes, or Sigmon or Bowman or Bolick, But you have been chosen by God for salvation. You are truly a Christian. You're an exile. Being this kind of an exile is not a bad thing, though. It is something rejoicing because it is an indication that God has done something incredibly special and wonderful in you and for you. So they're elect exiles. Second characteristic Peter says they are born again. Now, this is a common term in Christianity. We're used to throwing it around. Maybe not so much, maybe a lot more when I was younger. And it's often equated with someone having a conversion experience that is becoming a Christian. But the emphasis on the term when Peter uses it is on the one causing or bringing about the new birth. So think of this if someone in this room, if you thought back to the day you were physically born and you raised your hand and said, yep. On the day that I gave birth to myself, right, everybody would say, well, that's nonsense. In this context and as well as in John three, when Jesus is speaking with Nicodemus, or in verse 23 of this chapter, the idea of being a born again emphasizes that God brought about the birth. He caused you to be born again spiritually. And the first words out of your new life are I believe. In the Bible, needing to be born again implies that you were dead. Ephesians 2:4-5. Let me read this. But God, being rich in mercy because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved. And Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:17 and 18. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come. All this is from God. So elect exiles born again. Third, they have a living hope. These people have a living hope. Verse three reads, according to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Why do they need hope? Because they are living in a difficult world. They suffer disease, loss, death, rejection, disappointment, dashed expectations, unfulfilled dreams and pain, emotional and physical. On top of a life in a fallen, troubled world, they'refacing persecution and trial from their community because they are Christians who are living like true followers of Jesus. They no longer participate in the God dishonoring practices of their societies. Is that any different from our experience? I mean, let'sface it, except for the most part, we do not face severe persecution. But there are ,there are brothers and sisters in this world who do. In fact, Denise and I had breakfast with a couple. It's been a couple of months ago working in the Middle East. And they know that if the Lord brings someone to them and gives them faith, they will likely be killed and this couple would be put out of the country in minutes. But that's still their goal, is to have people come to Christ. So what do they hope for? They are hoping for a future of glorious life. This new life was made absolutely certain by the resurrection of Jesus. That's why it is a living hope. Because Jesus is alive. Their hope is not a fairy tale. Their hope is not a Disney make believe and it's not a blind hoping for... Oh, I hope things get better. Peter says they have a real living hope. Now, this next characteristic fleshes out what this hope is. Number four Peter tells these folks that they have an incredible inheritance. We all have an idea of what an inheritance is, something we anticipate receiving in the future, of which we have a right to take possession. So I thought of Warren Buffett for this, right? He's 94 years old now. He'sknown as the Oracle of Omaha. He's a very successful investor. He's worth, I think, about $150 billion. So let's say that Warren Buffett passed because he's 94 years old. And you somehow you find your way into the reading of the will, and they're going through all this stuff and you raise your hand up, I'd like just 150 million, Please just. Can. I have 150 million? You know, he's got 150 billion. It's just a little bit, you know. Give me 150 million. Well, obviously, two security guards would get you by the elbows and they would escort you out of the room. You have no standing because you are not mentioned in his will. Let'sconsider his children. They are his heirs. But if they are not mentioned specifically in his will as being the recipients of certain funds, they cannot make a claim just because they are his physical offspring. Assuming Mr. Buffett made his wishes clear and legally binding, they cannot make demands just because he was their father. So Peter is saying to these people that they have the right to receive an inheritance.
They have been born again to a living hope, which includes this inheritance and what an inheritance. He describes it as being imperishable, Undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven for you. This inheritance will never lose its value. It will never degrade. It will never become obsolete. It will never fall apart. It cannot be stolen. It cannot be scammed or taken away by fraud. And it can't be even diminished by taxes. This inheritance, though, is a real entity. It's not some piece of paper. It's not a pie in the sky. Hope. It is the new heavens and the new earth that God will create. It is being in the presence of eternal God Himself. It is being with Jesus face to face who himself is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading in glory. Now, finally, this inheritance is being kept for them. Do you have I mean, most of us have something, right? We've got some savings. We've got some investment. We've got some cash hidden in a box. Maybe some of you even have gold buried in the backyard. Or maybe some of you have Bitcoin. How are those savings safe? Who protects them? Federal government, police... Encrypted passwords that you forget. Confidence in a growing global economy. That's our hope. None of them are a sure thing. I mean, we know even gold can lose its value and you can't eat it. This inheritance that Peter refers to here is backed, is kept, is preserved by Almighty God, who never goes back on his word, never fails in what he chooses to do. Tom Schreiner, in his commentary says, Peter emphasized in the strongest possible terms the security and certainty of the reward awaiting believers. They are elect exiles. They are born again. They have a living hope. They have an imperishable inheritance. Number five they have faith. That's a fundamental one. But Peter's emphasis is actually not their faith, but that their faith is being guarded by God. In Hebrews 11:6, the writer says, without faith it is impossible to please him. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Ephesians 2:8 reads, for by grace you have been saved by faith, and this is not your own doing. It is the gift of God. Faith is essential to obtain salvation. I think we would all agree with that. To be well received into God's presence. To have the right to receive the inheritance. Then the question is why? Why faith? Because faith says, God, you are good. You are trustworthy. You are faithful. Your promises will come to pass. Therefore, I believe in you. I have faith in you. But how can the people to whom Peter is writing have confidence that their faith will sustain? Why would they not succumb to the pressure of the communities that they live among? Right? That'spressure every day. Come on, come on. Let go of that. It's a fluke. It's going to pass. Do come back to what? The way you used to live. Why go on trusting God and not go back to their former ways of life? Because God is guarding their faith. I sohope that each of us understands and knows this amazing truth. The man who is writing this letter, Peter, knows this firsthand that his faith has been protected by God. In Luke 22, verses 31 and 32. Soon before Jesus' arrest, he speaks to Peter. He uses his former name. He says, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you that he might sift you like wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers. When Peter denied Jesus, when he did, and he did right the very one he rightly identified as the Messiah, he turned his back on. But Peter's faith did not fail. Peter gave in to fear, gave in to fear, and he sinned. He quit being an exile and wanted to join up with the community that he was, that people were he was faced with at that time. Peter turned away from Jesus, but Jesus prayed for him. In fact. Right. Jesus says, when you have turned again. And indeed, Peter's faith did not fail. And how do we know? Because Peter repented, was forgiven. And he's writing this letter that we're talking about this morning. Let's see this for us in Romans 8:31-34. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 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? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies, who is to condemn. Jesus Christ is the one who died more than that, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Same thought. Hebrews 7:25. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. Finally, 1 John 2:1. My little children, I am writing these things to you that you may not sin. Peter did. But if anyone does sin. Peter did. We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. What is Christ's intercession? How does he advocate for us? Is he up there just going? Oh boy, I really hope this guy. Oh, her. She is really on the edge there. He speaks to the third person of the Triune God, the Holy Spirit. Keep their faith alive. Bring them to confession. Cause her to repent. Renew his love for me. Cause her hope to endure. The faith of these people was protected. That does not mean it was not tested. This protection is not like an overprotective parent. Right. Don't go outside. Oh, you know, put sort of wrap them in bubble wrap. The parentsfear is because they know they cannot protect them. Not completely. They cannot keep them from any harm. God is not like such a parent. His protection. His protection does not mean that nothing difficult, painful, troubling, tempting, trying will ever face you. But he will see you through. God guards our faith. All right. We need to keep moving. Number six. Twice in these verses. Verse 5 and verse 9, he says that the goal of their faith is salvation. So this is one of these basic questions again, what is salvation? We hear it all the time. Are you saved? Are you saved? I was saved. Saved from what? Likewise. What do we need to be saved from? So let me read these verses from Romans 5:6-9. For while we were still weak at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person, though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die. But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since therefore we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved from him, from the wrath of God, saved by him from the wrath of God. This truth that we need to be saved from God's wrath can be difficult to swallow. God has righteous deserved anger against all who in essence have said to him, you are not trustworthy. You are not good. You are not worthy of my praise. You are not more desirable than all the stuff that you've made. But God is the only one worthy of praise. He is the only one worthy of devotion. He's the only one worthy of hoping in. And we all, every person that Peter was writing to every person in this room have sinned. And by sin, I don't want to... We so often think of it as some naughty things. I did this sin. Really, truly, all sin is against God because all sin is denying that his ways are good and to be obeyed for our good. All sin is saying to God, you are not trustworthy. You cannot satisfy my heart's longings. But Peter's audience had been born again. They have authentic, obedient faith. So instead of anticipating the coming wrath and punishment of God, they look forward to salvation. So in this context, salvation is the combination of what Peter has already referred to That is living hope that will be fulfilled when they come into their inheritance. This salvation is still in the future, but it is already prepared.
And this appropriately leads us to the next characteristic. Peter's readers are rejoicing. They are joyful. In verse 6, Peter says, referring to the salvation that is ready to be revealed. In this you rejoice. And in verse 8 he writes, you rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory. And Peter does not say to them, rejoice! And he doesn't say, oh, I hope you rejoice, or you should rejoice. How can he be so sure that they're rejoicing? It'san emotion, right? Emotions come and go. Peter knows. Now listen to this paragraph, because this is going to be one of those going to hurt your brain. Peter knows their identity, and he knows that they know their identity. He knows they have been born again to a living hope. He knows that they know that they have an incredible inheritance. Peter knows that their faith is being guarded by God, and he knows that. They know that there is a salvation ready for them. Rejoicing just makes sense. Rejoicing is completely reasonable and expected considering the reality that these people know and are experiencing. It is completely appropriate because of what God has done for them and what God has prepared for them. Now let me say now, this is the characteristic that challenges me the most personally when my eyes are on myself. My weak, self-centered self. And then when my attention goes to the world, Either to the dangers, the troubles, the confusion, or to its baubles. The little bubbles floating in the air going, oh, I want you the cotton candy amusements. I tend not to rejoice. But I have every reason to rejoice, and so do you if you are in Christ. Number eight. The eighth reality for these elect exiles is not a happy one. It's not like rejoicing, but it is real for them nonetheless. They have been grieved by various trials. We all know that suffering is a part of life. No one, I don't think anybody can deny that. We see it every day on the news. We experience it ourselves from one degree to another. But we have been taught well here at Hickory Bible Church. Suffering trials are an expected characteristic of life, but particularly of the Christian life. Why? Is it because God is not able to protect us? I mean, he truly is not sovereign and control of the world. No, no. God intentionally, wisely, lovingly brings trials into our lives to purify our faith. Or as Peter says here, to test the genuineness of our faith. He says that our faith is more precious than gold. And because God is guarding our faith, it is way more durable than gold. The important phrase that Peter uses here is, if necessary. That means that there are no random, meaningless trials or troubles. If you lose your keys and you are late for an appointment, it is a necessary trial. I'm thinking of Matt. If you lose your watch and you can't find it for months, and then you find it. That was a necessary trial. If you get a diagnosis, though of cancer, it's a necessary trial. If you're home has been damaged by a hurricane, it is a necessary trial. If your child wakes up in the night terrified by a dream or with a fever, these are necessary trials. If your company eliminates your position, it is a necessary trial. If you hurt within a relationship, it is a necessary trial. If you are a missionary in another country and they give you 30 days to leave. It is a necessary trial. To conclude otherwise means God is weak, asleep, uncaring, distracted, and he is not the sovereign Creator and Lord of the universe. The conclusion must be that he only has control over some of the molecules, but not all of them. And it must be, then, that humans and our decisions are ultimately decisive. That is not what the Word of God says. Every trial provides an opportunity to have your faith and trust in God become stronger, purer. And remember, God guards your faith. Therefore, he sees to it that we do not fall away into unbelief. We know that at times we fail the test. We sin, and still God sees to it that we grow in faith. Remember back to Peter. He denied Jesus, but his faith did not fail. It'd be a different thing, right? If those people had come up. Hey, Peter. You're one of them. Yes, I am, and I am one of them. And I'm going through this trial and not. No. He rejected Jesus. His faith did not fail. Now, do not hear this, as the last thing you remember from the sermon is. Lauren says, it does not matter if we fail to endure the trials. Now here's a warning passage from 1 Timothy 1:18-20. 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, holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith. Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme. Some people, when they face trials and suffering, reject God. They become angry with them and turn away from him. This is blasphemy because either they are saying God cannot protect me, which is blasphemy, or they are saying God is not good. He does not care. That too is blasphemy. Hebrews 12 says, God disciplines those he loves for our good. All right, we're nearly done. Number nine, this is a future reality that Peter's audience will experience. Their tested, genuine, enduring living faith will result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. That praise, glory, and honor is for them as well as for Jesus when he returns. Let me read two passages for this. James 1:12. Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life which God has promised to those who love him. And Paul writes in 2 Timothy 4, I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, the righteous which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but also to all who have loved his appearing. Now understand the relationship between the preceding characteristic. They face trials, and this one that they will receive praise, glory, and honor. It is not because they gutted it out and endured that they received the crown, the praise, the glory and the honor. This is not a reward for completing the ultramarathon or my dear brother Greg, who ran a marathon yesterday and he's hurting today. You don't finish this race, you know. You pull out your phone and go look at the GPS. That's what I did there buddies. Come on. See it? You see it? You see the topography there. You see the hills. I had to do give me my prize. I did it in this race. You reach the finish line. And who are you looking for? You're looking for the organizer of this race. You're looking for the one who planned it all. Seeing him is the reason you ran. You run into his arms with delight. Because when you hit that finish line, you've got energy again. All the many strenuous miles, the hills, the times you tripped and fell, even the times you got lost are now forgotten. You are not focused on your accomplishment. You are focusedon the prize, the revelation of Jesus Christ. The reward is for those who loved God despite the trials. Faith in God is living out our love for him, even when the living is hard and you are an exile among your own people. Let me read that. I referenced that Hebrews passage, but let me read this chapter 12:1-2. 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, 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. Peter's readers are grieved by various trials, but their faith will be shown to be genuine because God is guarding it and purifying it.
They will finish the race. And like the crowd of witnesses enumerated in Hebrews chapter 11, and like Paul and even like Jesus, they look ahead to receive praise and glory and honor. I will not read it here, but I would put down Philippians 3:12-14, because those are good verses of Paul leaving behind and looking ahead. All right. This leads us to the final qualities or attributes of Peter's readers, but I'm going to combine them into one because of a common element that Peter uses to tie them together. Without having seen Jesus, they love him. And even though they continue to not see him, they believe in him. They rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory. So let me just read the actual verse. Though you have not seen him, you love him, though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Now I would love, I wanted really to focus on the reality that these elect exiles love Jesus and it's going to be covered. But why does Peter emphasize the fact that they have never seen him? And Peter saw Jesus in the flesh, right? He lived with him for three years. He followed him. Peter was even there when Jesus was transfigured. You know, glorious. This brilliance, this what words cannot really describe Peter saw that happen to Jesus. But Peter knows what happened to Judas. Judas lived with Jesus for at least two or so years, maybe all three. Judas heard him teach. Judas saw him heal, and Judas rejected Jesus. Judas turned away. Peter is saying that seeing is Believing is not necessarily true and not necessary. Let's consider Thomas, one of the 12. He also saw Jesus, lived with Jesus, listened to Jesus. He did not turn away as Judas did. But after Jesus' resurrection, Thomas says to the other disciples, well, wait a second, guys. I think you all have a delusion or a hallucination. I'm not going to believe until I put my fingers in here and my fingers in here. So let me read from John 20:26 to 29. Eight days later, his disciples were inside again and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, peace be with you. Then he said, right to Thomas, put your finger here and see my hands. Put your hand here in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe. Thomas answered him, my Lord and my God. Jesus said to him, have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed. Why does Jesus say, those who have not seen but believe are blessed? I mean, is not the important issue to believe, regardless of whether you've seen Jesus or not? Because the one who has not seen but believes clearly shows that the believing is a gift from God. Such a person cannot claim any merit or achievement in figuring it out. You know, I researched it, really dug into the options, weighed the possibilities. I examined all the facts, and I came to the conclusion that this guy Jesus is worth believing in. Or, like Thomas was intending, I examined the guy. I put my fingers here and it really is him. Let's be clear. Thomas did not believe because he saw or touched the risen Christ. He believed because Jesus said to him, do not disbelieve, but believe. Thomas confesses that Jesus is his Lord and God. After Jesus' words, not after he examines him. In fact, he probably didn't. Let's consider one other passage this from 2 Corinthians 4:4-6. In their case, the God of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants, for Jesus' sake. For God who said, let light shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. When God said way back in Genesis, let there be light. Light came to be. When God shines in a person's heart to reveal his glory in the image of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, that person believes whether or not that person has seen Jesus with his eyes. Peter is emphasizing that their new life, their living hope, their protected faith, their love for Jesus, and their ongoing belief and joy are not dependent or contingent on their having seen Jesus. Just as we haven't.
So conclusion. These are the characteristics, qualities, realitiesof people who are elect exiles. Are these the only qualities? No, of course not. Right. If you guys, if you dug into the Bible, you would come up with a whole lot more qualities and characteristics of believers. And are these even all the ones out of these nine verses? Not necessarily. I skipped verse two. I didn't mention sanctification and obedience and being sprinkled with the blood of Jesus. So don't get hung up on the list. Here'sthe critical point. Peter is writing to people who embody these truths. Are you such a person? Am I such a person? Peter wrote to people who were living day to day lives, just like we do, with a mix of day to day joys, pleasures and difficulties and hurts. After these nine verses, peter has much more to say to them about how they conduct their lives. Verse 13 of chapter one. Most of your translations should start with the word therefore. Then Peter begins his instructions, his admonitions, his warnings, and many more encouragements. But all that follows that word, therefore, is rooted in, founded upon, based on the preceding verses in chapter one, the ones we've just gone through. The starting point, the touchstone, the foundation on which he builds and bases all his further instruction is the reality that these people possess because of what God has done for them and in them. In the beginning, God. So this sermon is not meant to be a pep talk to help you feel better about yourself. You should feel better, but you're better feeling should be deeply embedded in God's power, wisdom, goodness, and faithfulness. Peter's words to these elect exiles are not to build up their self confidence. You should have incredible confidence, but in God's unfailing promises and assured fulfillment of all of them. The rock solid, unfailing reason to rejoice is in God Himself. Look at how many of these characteristics are God centered, originate from God, or are initiated by God. Elected God did that. Born again. God did that. A living hope. God did that. An incredible inheritance. God did that. Your enduring, guarded faith, that is all God. The salvation that is ready and waiting. God's work, our love for Jesus, even that 1 John 4:19. We love because he first loved us. The reason to leave here this morning glad. Heartened. Encouraged. Strong. Looking up, looking out is because of God. That is why Peter begins verse three with blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Taste and see what he has done for you. If you are in Christ, if you are saved, a believer, a follower or disciple of Jesus, then indeed you are included in Peter's audience. He is writing to you. I know he is writing to me, and that is what challenges my faith and gives me hope because I am an elect exile. Are you? If that question cannot be answered with an assured yes, then please come up and speak to one of the pastor elders after the service. You can know him. You can love him. You can have peace. You can have joy. You can have an absolute confidence that you will receive an incredible inheritance, having never seen him, but knowing that one day you will see him face to face.
Let me pray, please. Father. All of our hope is in you. We confess when we put our eyes on our self, our weaknesses or our strengths. And yet we also recognize that we are but dust. We need you, Father. We cannot endure. Our faith will not be guarded without you. We cannot reach the finish line. Unless you continue to work in us and for us. Help us not to fear, but to believe your Word. Help us to be elect exiles, Father. Trusting you. Rejoicing in you. Amen.
Pulpit Curriculum PDF Pulpit Curriculum DOCX * View transcript Thinking Biblically about Politics: The State
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Please turn in your Bibles to second Demacrations. Just even things up, Sham. You can notice up on the screen that we have actually gone with a new slide. People were reading too much into the last one, trying to decipher whether we put a little more red or blue on the split screen, and. But now this week, the debate is, oh, you made the elephant bigger because elephants are bigger. It's just zoology or whatever that's called, right, Jerry? Elephants tend to be the largest animals, land creature, as far as I know. But you could read into it what you want. Okay. It's totally up to you. Let's start in Psalm 89. We ended there last week. Just a final glance at a verse that has particularly an encouraging word for us as we think about the earthly throne that is up for grabs in ten days. Very important to remind ourselves of the heavenly throne that is unchanging and is founded on what we just sang about the character of God, who he is and what he does. Psalm 89:14 righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne. Loving kindness and truth go before you. So when we talk about thrones, that's the one that Colossians 3 would say we should set our minds on. That wherever we decide to go in the text this morning and we'll be going to Genesis 2 next, so you could get there in advance. We want to remember this morning, in this entirety of this series, on thinking biblically about politics, that the ultimate throne, the one that is on eternal pillars, indestructible heaven and earth, will pass away, but righteousness and justice will remain forever. That's the timeless truth our hearts gravitate towards as citizens of heaven. Why that's such an encouragement to us is, though we do have an earthly citizenship, we don't deny that ultimately we're citizens of heaven. And so ultimately, it's God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, who we trust in and we trust in those pillars, it says. Foundations, righteousness. What's more glorious than thinking upon the stability, the security of the righteousness of God for us? Because as the Christian, that's just not some abstract character quality. That is what makes him different from us. He absolute righteousness, absolute holiness, absolute perfection that we fall short of. And in his justice we would be condemned forever unless he was not just the just, but also the Justifier. And so the other pillar of the throne that we rejoice in our creator in this morning, as he is also our Redeemer, and that when his justice is the foundation of his throne, we know that we stand in him complete, because of the completed work of His Son, Jesus Christ. That's our hope today. And that's what encourages our hearts. That the perfect standards that he rules his creation by righteousness and justice are what establish our hearts and minds today. The pillars of his throne are not left or right, conservative or liberal, Fox or CNN. They're righteousness and justice. That's what we have to have our minds filled with. Any time we venture into the topic of politics but thankful today, we can see from the scriptures what God has said about the state, about government. That's what we'll be talking about today. Last week we started talking about God's very good institution of family from the beginning. At the beginning of creation, God had a very good plan for human flourishing. That hasn't changed since creation, and its truth remains consistent throughout the Bible and to today on the topics of gender and children in marriage. And I was greatly encouraged at your response. So many emails and texts over the last week that show me how much you love the relevance and the clarity that the Word of God brings. And so I pray the same will be true today. As we look at the idea of the state or government, the God ordained establishment and institution of his authority from heaven being delegated on earth. I mean, when you just think about the word authority and that's what the state is about, the state is about force, it's about governance. And when you think authority, there is a word that starts, that word that tells you everything you need to know about who's behind it, the author of authority. And when the author of authority says, I have an institution for human flourishing, for the advancement of the good of people and the prevention of evil from overcoming my creation, thenwe need to bow our knee before that truth. Every government that's ever been is under the authority of the author of life. That sounds crazy, doesn't it? When you think of pagan governments, if such a thing exists wherever those nations are, that what we would say would be pre-Christian, there's no law there. It's every person for themself. A true pagan society that whatever governance is there. Whatever authority is there is ordained by God. Pagan as it might be. And on the other hand, a truly secular society, post-Christian. That the gospel has visited there. They know the law of God, and there is no love for his law, and they've moved past it and their societies today that would be proud to say they're post-Christian. They're still under the authority of God. It's binding throughout the entire universe because he is the author of life. And Daniel 2:21 says simply, all kings and those and authorities have been raised up and brought down by one person. In every case, he casts the deciding vote.
That's the starting point today. Every authority there is isaccountable to God and will be judged whether they ruled according to righteousness and justice. So the big idea for today is this the state that we're going to talk about government. The state exists because sin exists, and the sword that the state wields was ordained by God for the promotion of good and prevention of evil. Just get that thought in your mind today. When we talk about the state, we're not trying to put one institution of human government above any other, because no matter what type of government, it is, transcending time and culture, the state exists because sin exists. And because sin exists, there needs to be a sword. There needs to be some authoritative force that can prevent greater wickedness happening and promote the well-being of its citizens. That's what it comes down to. As Christians, that's how we need to think biblically about the state. And if we don't think biblically about it, where are we going to have any foundation for thinking about government coming from? If we don't take it back to its fundamental roots, nothing less than this. God puts institutions of state here for our good and the punishment of the wicked. If you get that, you can flow with me today. So I'm here now to just prove that point. Starting with this first point, the state is necessary because of evil, but is not evil necessarily. The state government instituted by God, ordained by him, created by him, the author of all authority. The state is necessary because of evil.
And yet we do not say that it is a necessary evil, in that there is nothing good about it. Now we use the term necessary evil, talking about those things we think have some semblance of evil in them, and we know that a greater good can result. Examples of that being taxes. Going to the dentist. No offense. None taken, my friend. For young people in the room, taking a bath is a necessary evil in your opinion, but it is for your good and prevention of wickedness. At least the stench around you. Lots of examples of necessary evils. In fact, that phrase, at least in church history, runs all the way back to Augustine of Hippo, who was first credited with the idea that government is necessary because of wickedness, and that he stated, even a corrupt government is better than what? No government at all. Because you're left with the alternative of anarchy, every person doing what is right in their own eyes. No law whatsoever. So let's go back to Genesis and let's see the beginning or Genesis of the state. And it exists because evil exists. And so God starts at the top before there is any institution of state to govern between the evil that man can commit against man. We will see at the end of Genesis 3 that the evil that God has to deal with is that between man and God. The first sight of the beginnings of the state starts with a sword. We left off in Genesis 2 where everything is perfect. There is no state because there is no evil in Genesis 1 and 2. It's a perfect Paradise. It's Eden, no evil, no state. And at the end of chapter 2, no clothes for the matter. I mean that it doesn't get any better than that. A great place to raise a family. The blessing in Genesis 1:28. Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it. And I said, that's the Adamic blessing. Be blessed. Have babies. Have dominion. And some people think that the God of the Bible is some cosmic killjoy. Talk about a nice way to enter in to society when all you're told is be blessed, have babies, have dominion, it's all yours. That's how it starts. It's not until sin comes in in Genesis 3 that we need this huge middle part of the Bible, because without sin you have a pamphlet, Genesis 1 and 2, revelation 21 and 22. You know what we contribute to it? Turn your Bible this way and in a big black magic marker. Right? My fault. Don't do that. But that's really what the middle of the Bible shows us, that if we don't sin and plunge humanity into the wickedness that we have seen throughout the entirety of history. It's a short story. The inception of this is in Genesis, chapter 3. The serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field, and he comes to the woman and he brings a question did God say...? Tempts her to eat from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden? The one the knowledge of good and evil, the one that God told Adam in Genesis 2:17 from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat, for in the day you eat of it from you you will surely die. Any other tree, including the tree of life, was accessible, was to his advantage. Well, Eve is deceived. Adam follows. They break God's law. They take the bait of the crafty snake. Devil Satan. Revelation 12 nine calls them the slanderer and the adversary slandering who God opposed to who God and what's he want? Death. Death. And what did God want? Life. Prosperity. Procreation. Dominion.Subduing. But now. Adam and Eve. Cursed by God. In Genesis 3, in the two areas that were meant to be a blessing. Having babies and having dominion. Notice verse 16. I will multiply your pain in childbirth, doesn't say stop having children. It doesn't take away that blessing. It's just now cursed by sin. The pain of it, the difficulty and travail of it. But it's still a good thing from God. As we said last week, children are a gift from God. And then having dominion, subduing the land cursed in verse 17 with Adam, cursed is the ground because of you and the toil you eat of it all the days of your life. Notice also he doesn't take that away, that just because those things were cursed, they were still for Adam and Eve to pursue. Neither command repealed because God's word doesn't change. Same commands, but due to the effects of sin, it would not be pure blessing as originally intended. How does this chapter end? Verses 22 to 24. Banishment. An often overlooked part of the origin story is man's banishment from God's presence for the promotion of his good and the prevention of evil, without any other humans around, just Adam and Eve. That banishment from the garden was for Adam and Eve's good, and the prevention of greater evil. That's what it states in verse 22. Man has become like us, knowing good and evil. And now he might stretch out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat and live forever. Notice how that tree of life that was once going to be a great thing for Adam and Eve within the garden, in a state of innocence now having innocence lost, the tree of life is actually bad for them. Because if they stay in the garden in the fallen state they're in, they're under the impression that by some way, shape or form, they can please God again according to their own doing. Yeah. We're fallen. Yeah, we've broken your law. Yeah, we're unholy. But we can stay in your presence and eat of this Tree of Life. And continue on as if nothing has ever changed. And if God is a holy God, that was the furthest thing from the truth. No one could be in the presence of God as a sinner and live. The loss of innocence. The addition of sinfulness is so serious and Adam could not understand it. Left to himself, as God says, they would stay. We gotta put them out. They don't know what's best for them. Had Adam and Eve tried to fight that banishment by working back into the garden, they would have been destroyed. So the first glimpse of the sword in verse 24 is not to prevent man from destroying man, it's to prevent God from destroying man. Do you see that? Verse 24, he drove the man out. And at the east of the Garden of Eden he stationed the cherubim, an angel, and a flaming sword. God's first form of the states, the form of force. He puts an angel there. He puts a sword there. And it's going to stop Adam from thinking that though I have lost something, I can gain it back by my own doing. And God puts that sword there to remind him, no, you may not, but he does give him a hope. He does give humanity hope. It's back in Genesis 3:15 when he says to the serpent, I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He, the seed of the woman shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel. What's he saying there? That there is a way back into my presence. Paradise can be restored. There is a hope. But it's not by you working your way back. It's by faith. It's by believing that I'll make a provision for you. Not through the sword, but by faith in the seed. Matthew Henry said this of Genesis 3:24 God revealed this to Adam, not to drive him to despair, but to oblige and quicken him, to look for life and happiness and the promised seed. In him, the flaming sword is removed. God, reconciled to us in a new and living way into the holiest, is consecrated and lay open for us. Do you see the grace in that moment? Do you see that it wasn'tgoing to be Adam working his way back to God, though he had 900 years to do it, right? He lived to be 930. Maybe he was thinking, I can cut a deal. I really screwed up the first 30, I get it. Plunged humanity into sin. Okay, that's on this side of the scale. Bad first 30. So you're going to give me 900 more years? God, I can make up for it. Maybe he could have lived for 900 years, never sinning again. Would that have been enough? Because one sin is enough. God is that holy? That's what's established from the beginning. The wickedness of man is so wicked in the eyes of God that that's enough, that not 900 years, nor 900 lifetimes of 900 years would be enough to work our way back to God. How can we get back? By the seed, the promised Messiah. Turn to Romans 5 makes very clear the only way back. The only way for the curse of sin to be reversed... Is not through Adam, not through our toil, not through our work, not through our own righteousness, but through the second Adam. Romans 5:12. Just as through one man, Adam, sin entered the world and death through sin. And so death spread to all men, because all sinned. Do you understand this morning, as much as I have an agenda to make clear that the institution of the state is a good thing from God for our human flourishing prevention of evil, that's important. And maybe you come in here a just a curious skeptic somebody brought you today and you say, hey, you know what? I'm listening to a lot of the stuff on the news. I'm interested in politics. I like this idea that Christians have that we should appreciate government. I'm for that. I'm going to vote that way. I like force, I like the sword. But if you don't understand something about yourself this morning that no matter how many rights and ethical policies you want to support, no matter who you think the best leader would be, if you don't have Christ this morning, you're lost. We are sinners by nature. It says right there sin entered the world through one man and death through sin, and it spread to all men. So you may be in your mind convinced that you're not a sinner by choice. You've had a pretty good run in the last week or month or year, or you've done enough good things to overcome the bad. But the problem is inside you, not the things outside you. A sinner from within, by nature passed on through Adam. Through every generation. And your only way out. Romans 5:18 as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men. That's all of us. We all fall short of the glory of God. No one is perfect. No one is righteous, no not one. Here's what it says. Here's the hope. Even so, through one act of righteousness, there resulted justification of life to all men. That's the hope. That hope goes all the way back to Genesis 3:15, that there would be a perfect one who would come and live with perfect righteousness, and would be trusted in faith that his righteous life, his sacrificial death, can count before God as a substitute for your own wicked life, and that by faith you could be restored in a relationship to God. Romans 5:21 just as sin reigned in death, and grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Do you know Jesus Christ as Lord today? That's far more important than me changing any opinion you have of the state or of a politician. Who do you say Christ is today? Is he Lord of your life? Is he in your life? Everything to you. Have you trusted in him for his righteousness, saying that yours is but filthy rags? And you cry out for mercy and say, Lord, save me, the sinner. I bring nothing but my sin, and you give me everything in your righteousness. And I could be forgiven and live forever with you. That's the good news of the gospel today. And that good news goes all the way back to the garden, all the way back to the banishment that the same sword that stood before Adam and Eve and said, you'll never be in the presence of God again. By faith they say, yeah, you're right. But the seed that is to come will trust in him and will be made righteous by faith. You can have that same hope today. Adam and Eve lost their esteemed position in the garden, but not their esteemed position in humanity. They were still to bear children. They were still to have authority, but they could not force their way past the sword. And the storyline of Genesis picks that up and expands that out. From why God has to institute the sword to keep man from his own demise by trying to work his way back to God. That now God has to institute the sword for the destruction of between man and man. And that's Genesis 4 through 9. It starts on the most personal and painful level, as Adam and Eve conceive and give birth to twins, probably, Cain and Abel. Eve names Cain. I have gotten or acquired a child, maybe thinking that this son, Cain, was going to be the one that would crush the head of the serpent, reversing the curse. Except we find out he was anything but righteous. When some people question how, how quickly can things go bad? Adam and Eve, who raised their sons to worship God? They were. They were to bring offerings to the Lord. Abel brings the best. Cain brings something less than the best. Puts in his heart a spirit of envy, bitterness, hatred.And that hatred grew into what? Cold blooded murder of his own brother. Just a few years removed from Paradise Lost. God even warns Cain. He's giving Cain a chance to to restrain himself. But a sinner left to himself cannot restrain himself. He says Cain. Genesis 4:7. If you do well, if you do the right thing, will not your countenance be lifted up, this bitterness, this anger towards your brother? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door, and its desire it wants you to master you, but you must master it. It's true of all of us. Sin wants to master you. It's at the door of your heart. It's wanting you to open it, to come in. We've taught our kids that from the time that they could understand anything we were saying. Just knocks on the door of your heart wanting to master you, saying it'll be okay. Let me in. He says you must master it. The result is Cain calls his brother to the field and kills them. That's how fast evil works. And so this sin is on a personal level now. It's just not between man and God. It's between man and man and his own brother. And it just picks up there picking up speed, picking up power. The wickedness does. Spreads throughout all mankind to a level of corruption that we would not believe it unless we saw it in the text. Genesis 6:5 A thousand years later. Adam's lifetime. How bad did it get? Genesis 6:5 the Lord looks on the earth after man has multiplied on the face of the earth, and then he sees the wickedness of man was so great that the writer of Genesis 6:5, Moses, gives a seven fold description of wickedness. Every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. That's how bad man is. Every meaning abundantly evil, intention, meaning purposefully evil, thoughts meaning consciously evil, heart meaning personally evil from the essence of your existence only meaning exclusively evil. Evil meaning purely evil. Continually, repeatedly evil. And some want to make the case that you know what? People are pretty good people, if you just, you know, put them in the right environment. Is that so? This is what the Lord saw. This isn't Moses's version when he writes this later. This isn't Noah's opinion on how bad it was. The Lord saw this and saw through to the heart and saw abundant, purposeful, conscious, personal, exclusive, pure, repeated evil left to ourselves to find our own way outside the garden and apart from God's grace. This is us. We don't choose the righteousness of God. We choose wickedness. So when we say the state is necessary because of sin. This is what the beginning of Genesis is showing us. Why does God have to institute the state and the sword? Because apart from his grace. And apart from him putting a deterrent, a restrainer on us, the use of force, this is what society will become. It will destroy itself. It will destroy itself. So God has to come up with a way to restrain it. He restrained Adam through the sword of coming back in. How is he going to restrain humanity? After the flood, Noah finds favor in his eyes. Verse 8, as in things were so bad, things were so depraved. God shows his grace, loves Noah because he loves Noah. Not for anything good. Noah, did you say anything in verse 8 that says, Noah did all these wonderful works that made God choose him? He just finds favor in his eyes. It's a work of grace, just like Ephesians two 1 to 4 says, Ephesians 2: 1-4 is almost a commentary on Genesis six 5 to 8 dead in sins and trespasses, walking according to the course of the world, the prince of the power of the air. That prince that loves to steal, kill, and destroy. Among them we too formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and mind, and were by nature children of wrath. Sounds like Genesis 6:5, doesn't it? Sounds like there's no hope except for Ephesians 2:4. But God, being rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us, though dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ. Genesis 6:8 But God or Father say, But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. Noah is not the hero of the story here. God's grace is. Pulls Noah out of it. The seed of the Messiah is going to carry on. But how is God going to slow down the rampant wickedness he left off with back in Genesis 6:5? It's just going to happen all over again. So we start in Genesis 9 post-flood, and it's like a part in the film where the director yells, cut! Let's try it again from the top. This went really bad. And why I say that? Because it starts out just like Genesis 1:27-28 starts out God blessed Noah. God blessed the man and the woman, didn't he? And said to them, be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. Take it from the top. Except I've got to change a few things here. If we're going to not end up back in a Genesis 6:5 world, I've got to add something. It's not just the accountability that man has before me. It's now going to be the accountability man has before man. And that's right there in Genesis 9:6 whoever sheds man's blood by man, his blood shall be shed. This is the beginning of the institution of the state. Using the sword to enforce the standard, God has to promote good and prevent evil. It's a progression. God is laying it out for humanity to see and for us to see today that in a post-fall and post-flood world, life is sacred and to keep life flourishing, man will be accountable. Even the animal kingdom is accountable. Did you notice that end of verse 5? Surely I will require your lifeblood. Every beast. I will require it. For what?Shedding man's blood. As in it's even over top of the animal kingdom. We see later in the mosaic code that if you have an ox that gores a person, the ox dies. That's not to be punitive on the animal. It's to be preventative for him not to kill someone else. That God has that high of a view of those created in his image, his desire to protect them for their flourishing and prevention of evil. That he puts this requirement out there. Promote the sanctity of life and humanity through the subduing of evildoers who want to kill. And God's binding law, starting in Genesis 9 and then carrying over into Genesis 11. Once the world goes international, is that wickedness would be kept in check from man to man, from the authoritative Word of God, and now by force being carried out by man, because man is made in the image of God, be fruitful and multiply, populate the earth abundantly, and multiply in it. But now the sword would be there to take life for those who would take life. Listen, you have to have this kind of conviction sealed into your soul if you're going to think biblically about any form of government. This is the way God runs his world and delegates it to those in authority to run it the same way, all the way back to Genesis 9. Human life is that sacred? Human life is that valuable, created in the image of God. But now to be upheld by the state and the sword.And that carries over into the New Testament at the widest level, the societal level. Paul picks this theme up in Romans 13. In verse 4 he says, government, those in authority are ministers of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid for it. The government, the state does not bear the sword for nothing. You see how this goes all the way back to Genesis? The world of good and evil. God is trying to see good flourish and evil be prevented, and the state is to bear the sword. But it doesn't do it for no reason. It's a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. From seed form in Genesis, now into the church era thousands of years later, God ordains order in human society, even when governments like this one that were persecuting people like Paul and other Christians, pagan to the core, secular, whichever you want to call it, he could still say, that is my minister, to punish the wicked, to bring wrath on the one who practices evil. You say? Maybe that's just Paul's interpretation. No, it's Peter's interpretation, too, under the same wicked rule of Rome. 1 Peter 2:14. Back up to 13. Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority or to governors, is sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. Both of these apostles are talking about empires that persecute Christians, the same regime in acts :223 that Peter said, nailed Jesus Christ to the cross by the hands of godless men. So you think there's some exception clause for a corrupt government? You say, you know. Yeah, that state thing applies. Except when. Except when what? That Peter could say that knowing his Savior that was put to death by the hands of godless men. But you get an exception for your submission. There's some way around that.? Do you see how God has designed the basis of all human governance since the beginning? The church has the mandate to promote spiritual life by the power of the gospel. The state has the God ordained mandate to protect human life by the power of the sword.
Which brings us to point two today. The state is distinct from the church, but is not separated from God. Maybe it's the misnomer that floats around church and society that says separation of church and state. You know, if I called on one of you this morning and said, hey, what's up with separation of church and state? Some of you are slinking down in your seat already. Like, don't call on me. Don't call on me. Don't call on me. I don't want to answer that one. It gets repeated. Separation of church and state. No, there is no separation of church and state in the sense of the authority that we're both under. Yes, there is sovereignty of sphere of influence and authority in each just mentioned it. Some have authority in the state. Some have authority in the church, but there's more distinction than there is separation, because both are under the sovereign authority of God. And even when we think about our faith, as R.C. Sproul said, it's pervasively political because our Savior is a king with a kingdom. The kingship of Christ is a statement of his authority. It touches every political matter. It's as the Dutch theologian turned prime minister, Prime Minister of the Netherlands Abraham Kuyper said that. There is no inch in all of creation over which Jesus Christ, who is sovereign, does not cry mine. Kuyper wasn't saying that just to preach a sermon on the sovereignty of God, Kuyper was saying that there needs to be there needs to be the law of God, promoted, given in society. He wrote if God is truly God, then all determination of law proceeds from him, and all that remains for us is to do is to ask with holy reverence for the road that can lead us to the purest knowledge of what God Almighty has stamped as justice for the whole of his creation, as eternal justice for every creature. Kuyper was trying to show that you can expect a civil society, a lawful society, without some inherent acceptance of a greater law than it can come up with on its own. Otherwise, I mean, again, another misnomer. Hey, you can't legislate morality. Really?What's the point of a law? Is it just unto itself? Why are we not supposed to speed? So that some knucklehead doesn't go faster than he should and takes someone else's life, right? That's why it exists. Why do all the laws that have a sense of protection from evil and promotion of good exist? Because there's some moral framework behind them. Where does that moral framework come from? Kuyper was making the point it comes from God. C.s. Lewis made the same point at the beginning of Mere Christianity in chapter one, when he wrote this law. This inherent law was called the law of nature, because people thought that everyone knew it by nature and did not need to be taught it. They did not mean, of course, that you might not find an odd individual here and there who did not know it. Just as you find a few people who are colorblind or have no ear for a tune. Love his way with words. But taking the race as a whole, they thought that the human idea of decent behavior was obvious to everyone, and I believe they were right. If they were not, then all the things we said about the war were nonsense. What was the sense in saying the enemy were in the wrong unless right is a real thing to which the Nazis at bottom knew as well as we did and ought to have practiced. If they had no notion of what we mean by right than though we might still have to fight them, we could no more have blamed them for that than for the color of their hair. Do you understand what he's saying about that natural law written on our hearts that he writes later in the chapter, it says, when somebody does this thing to you and say, hey, that wasn't fair. Where does that sense of fairness come from? If we're to be a society outside of any understanding of a moral law, where does it come from? Now to keep the distinction between church and state clear as the Bible does? We would affirm that we want the church to do the things that the church were created to do under the authority of God and the state to do the things we want God, or we want the state to do under the authority of God. And those are the sovereign spheres that back to Abraham Kuyper, he talked about in spheres sovereignty, that you don't want the state trying to do the things of the church, and you don't want the church trying to do the things of the state.
When Jefferson Thomas Jefferson was the one that kind of coined the phrase a wall of separation between church and state.That's all he was saying. He wasn't saying isolate these two things so much that when you talk about the state, you can't talk about the authority of God. He was saying, just don't let this one try to do this other one's task. So this group over here is free to worship, but they cannot impose their worship on these people over here in a free society. So how does that hit us? Well, we see that there are in those distinctions between sovereign spheres in the state and the church. A use of force that the church has, and the power of the gospel and a use of force the state has, and a power of the sword. Though both institutions are created by God and under his authority. We stay in our lanes, so we don't want the state coming in to the church and using force to mandate church attendance or nobody's coming to my mind but the guy that will not get baptized. I would call up the cops, say, can you arrest this brother until he gets baptized? That's what I'm talking about. We don't call up the state to enforce the matters that are spiritual. Hey, I'm checking the giving records. Get over here, guys. Got some people not giving. That's the sovereignty sphere. Yet we do call them up when what? We see laws being broken, crimes being committed. Walk outside mugging in the parking lot. I don't stand there and just preach at them, man, I hope this works. Call the cops. Say, get over here. Guys, there is connection there. I'm not reticent to call them thinking, you know what? Separation of church and state. You know, I don't know if those guys are really down with the moral law that we should help people being oppressed. I mean, I was even hanging out with a guy that was a former Green Beret this week, and after hanging out with him, I was telling my son about it and he got interested in the Green Berets. So we watched some videos on it and found out that their motto is Free the Oppressed. That's a state group who says the motivation for what we do is something moral. There's evil and wickedness out there, and we're there to stop it. So you want a society with separation of church and state that they just come up with their own ideas asright and wrong? Or do you want them under the sovereign authority of God? Now here's where we come in. When we see the state not being the state as ordained by God, we speak up. How do we speak up? Well, you do it one way by voting. You don't sit back and say, oh, woe is me. Our society is going to hell in a handbasket. What should we do? Well, you try to make change in the ways that have been laid out and ordained. Write to the Congressman. Protest peacefully. And if you so feel called into the world of politics, then you go there. But there is a line that the church doesn't cross. We don't take up the sword against the government. I don't become the Secretary of conversion, mandating that any unbelieving people in the United States must convert to Christianity or be executed. I mean, that is unless you want to go back to a theocracy and we stone your blasphemous children. Is that what you want? It's one thing to say that the state operates outside of the authority of the church. It's another to say it operates outside of the authority of God. And when we see it do that, the church's role is not to call the state to be the church, but the state to be the state. R.C. Sproul wrote, the minute any state, whether in the US or China or Russia, declares itself independent from God outside of the authority of God, it has become demonized and become an evil empire in rebellion against the authority by which it rules in the first place. So if you end up in an elevator one day next to the president of the United States, you know, and you turn to them and say, hey, did you know that you are an authority under the authority of God, appointed within proper measure to promote the good and punish evil? Just thought you would like to know that. Reminded of that. That's your role. You're a minister of God. Romans 13. To promote the good and punish the evil. Reminds me of a story in we'll close in this. In 1 Kings 21 that there was a wicked king named Ahab. Greedy. On a vacation property.Wanting more land so he could be a homesteading influencer. That's what the text says. Comes about these things that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard which was in Jezreel, beside the palace of Ahab, king of Samaria. This was Ahab's second home. Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a vegetable garden. See homesteading influencer. I want it close by my house, and I'll give you a better vineyard than in its place. And if you like, I'll give you the price. And it's money. So here's this greedy king wanting to grab up more land. But verse three, Naboth said to Ahab, the Lord forbidme that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers. He knew the Old Testament law about not selling the family land, but to keep it for your grandbabies. And he was going to obey God rather than man, Because I know sitting in the back of your heads this morning sometimes is when do we disobey? When we are what? Called to do something God forbids or forbidden to do something God commands. So Naboth says no. So then, super wicked Ahab and his wife Jezebel, in verses 4 to 10, devise a plot to frame Naboth as a, and isn't this rich that he was the one breaking God's law? That worthless men were going to come and testify and say that he was a blasphemer, and he would be taken out and stoned to death. So they could steal his land. So verse 11 of 1 Kings 21, the men of his city, the elders and nobles lived in the city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them, just as written in the letters. These wicked, worthless men come, and they testify against Naboth. And they say, he cursed God and the king. So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death with stones. And then Jezebel says, well, there's your land. Go take it. In comes courageous Elijah the Tishbite, the prophet of God. What's his role in this? To go find some righteous men and say, hey, we got some worthless men. Let's go on a killing spree here. Let's be vigilantes. Let's burn down the palace. No! The word of the Lord came to Elijah, the Tishbite saying, arise, godown to meet Ahab, King of Israel. Who's in Samaria. He's in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone down to take possession of it. And you shall speak to him, saying, thus says the Lord, have you murdered, and also taken possession. He called the king out for the abuse of his power. You're there to promote the good and prevent evil, and you used your power to reverse that. Says to him in the place where the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth. The dogs will lick up your blood, even yours. Now, hey, back to that scenario where you're in an elevator with the president. Choose your words carefully. Not saying you go full Elijah on him here. But what you see is a response later on. Verse 27, end of the chapter, which came when Ahab heard these words, that he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth, and fasted and lay in a sackcloth, and went about despondently. It shows that secular rulers need spiritual leaders to be a reminder of the authority under which they live. When we make a case for 10 Commandments hanging on walls in schools and courts, they're not there to convert anyone, but they are there to put on the conscience of the person. I'm under authority. There is a God. There is a law. There is a standard and no one is outside of that standard. The distinction between church and state is a division of labor by delegated authority from its divine author. The state promotes the temporal good of society through the prevention of evil. The church preaches the gospel and promotes the greatest good imaginable, eternal life. Come back next week and we'll tie that up with a closer look at that final institution created by God that will outlast the family and the state, the institution of the church.
Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your Word this morning. We thank you for its clarity and its power. We pray you would use it in us and through us to be promoters of good in our own areas of influence. Protectors from evil in our own families and those who have an eye out in society and look for opportunity to be salt, to promote good and prevent decay, to be something of a pleasing aroma. When we speak of you and speak of Christ. Life to life among those who are being saved and death to death amongst those who are perishing. When we speak of you, Father, and salvation in your Son. We get the privilege to remind our world that you reign. Help us never take that for granted, that any time we speak up and speak of you, we're doing the work you designed us to do. Remind every single person that one day, every knee will bow before your sovereign throne, the throne of perfect righteousness and perfect justice. We thank you for that. In Jesus name, Amen.
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As you turn to Genesis 1, because Genesis 1 is where we get our guidelines for everything that we see created by God, his world, his universe, his rules. So that is a starting point for us to thinkBiblically about politics. There is no specific Bible to turn to or book in the Bible that is not...one book. But there are many places that contain the truths we need for how we need to think and act as salty Christians as we learned about last week withPastor Harry. That is our mission here. We are to be the salt and light, a savory enhancer of society around us, a preserving element, a mark of purity. And that applies to the entire Bible, the whole counsel of God. And so when we do a series like this that is evidently topical, we're going to have to move around in order to see all that it has to say when we want to speak to the issues of our day. And that's my clear mandate, is not to go off ever on any hobby horse, but to say, hey, if there's an issue going on in society that you have to take a step back from the Bible and piece some things together, you do that. And that's alluding to maybe when Paul talked to the elders in Ephesus in chapter 20 of Acts and said, I did not fail to preach Christ and to take to you the whole counsel, to declare to you the whole counsel of God, all of it, not leaving any part out, especially the parts that might make us uncomfortable. And so that's my mandate as a preacher. But our mission also as a church when it comes topolitics, is very clear in 1 Timothy 2:1-2. It's to pray for those who are in authority at all times, and especially during an election cycle. We should pray for God's work to be done through the political process to give us leaders who are marked by integrity, honesty, bravery, humility, compassion, all the aspects we see the scriptures put forth of the type of leader God looks to. We're never going to find a perfect one on this side of eternity, but we still can look for marks that would say that person would make a good leader. And so I try to keep things simple often here by saying, look, if I can reduce down how we think about politics to just a few things, one would be we need the Word of God to inform how we think. And that comes by way of the Word of God being preached. And we also are called to pray. So those two things...that forward that simple. My job is done today. We'll see you next week. No, we're going to go into the Word today and see what it says. And I know that for some of us, the last thing we want is more politics, especially more texts from people pretending to know us personally. Hi, I'm Andrew, I'm a former fill in the blank, but now I'm fill in the blank. Would you watch this video I made to change your view.As if it's going to change your view. Steven has texted me this week. A guy named Alex. Somebody that wants me to stand with crypto, which I have no idea what that means, and I'm not going to check into it. But we all just might want to say, like, can we take a break from this being the most important election ever...being told to us constantly. I don't mean to seem to sound cynical about it, but I don't know. As far back as I could think, maybe 20 years of paying attention to it, that each one seemed to say this is the most important election ever. And yeah, if you're four years old and it's your first go round and you're eating crayons as I talk, it probably is your most important election ever. That's all just to highlight the amount of political fatigue. And I don't want to add to that. I would rather over the next three weeks that we look at thinking Biblically about politics to ease a burden rather than put one on you. I would rather bring you to a cup of refreshment from the Word of God each week rather than the cesspool of man's opinion. And so the next few weeks, as we walk through the scriptures looking at what God's Word says, I do want to challenge you to do this one thing right on the front end. And it's the same thing I'm doing each week as I study, and that is to take your presuppositions, however they have been formed. Those older, more set saying, I've been there, seen it, read it. I'm twice your age, preacher boy. Yeah you are, but it doesn't mean your presuppositions about politics shouldn't be subject to what God has to say, any more than the young in our audience who might be privy not to believe anything old. What's new is true, and what I can see on TikTok and whatever grabs my attention and aesthetically impresses me. That must be where the truth lies. And so the same caution I would give to the young that just because we're going back to something super old. The old paths, as the prophets called the Word of God, thatyou can have your positions moved as well. It's to take up the attitude of the great Protestant reformer Martin Luther, who challenged the authorities of his own day. He had his own presuppositions challenged when he was changed to go from what he thought was a works based righteousness found in the law of God, to grace based salvation found in the righteousness of Jesus Christ alone. And when he was put to the test after he had already on October 31st, 1517, nailed the 95 theses on the doors of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. His desire to reform the church from within, to say that we've lost our way both in what we believe and how we behave, and we need to talk about it. Well, that didn't sit too well with the Pope at the time. He called him to a papal bull, where he had to stand before a group of leaders, and they wanted him to recant. And you know his famous words. My conscience is captive to the Word of God. Here I stand. I can do no other. That's my challenge to you the next three weeks. Regardless of what you believe coming in here about politics, are you willing to let your conscience be captive to the Word of God and say, if this is what I see, despite what I've heard, then that's what I'll believe. That's how I'll think differently. Now, what you do with that different thinking, the implications it has on your life, and the application of then what you do this election year that's on you. That's not on me. What I'm here to do is to assault the conscience with the Word of God, to make it so clear, not through some compelling, persuasive speech. Not to try to sway you to one side or the other, to mention one name versus another. But to say this is what the Bible says about these issues and you've got to deal with it. And that's what it does to us all the time.
So what we're going to examine over the next few weeks, starting in Genesis one, are the three foundational institutions that God has built human existence around. These three institutions of human society were created by God and commanded to be sustained until his Son returns. It's the institution of the family. It's the institution of the state, and it's the institution of the church. As in, God is sovereign over all. And we know Jesus has all authority given to him, Matthew 28. In heaven and on earth all authority is his. But there are vice regents who are given spheres of sovereignty, spheres of authority in these three areas...the family, the state, and the church. And they are to respect each other out of a respect for the sovereign God. And if you understand how God sets each one of these institutions up, you understand how to view politics. You understand how to view platforms. You understand how to view parties. If you understand what the family was designed for by God, created and commanded for human flourishing, not subject to man's opinion. Next week we'll look at the institution of the state, and then we'll finish with the institution of the church, the only one of the three that's going to remain forever. So let's start today, first up in thinking biblically about politics is the institution of the family as ordained by God in Genesis 1:26-28. And we'll see as we just work in Genesis one and two, mainly today when we talk about the institution of the family, Genesis gives us three clear convictions, three clear truths that flow out of the text. The first is that gender is a fixed reality, not a fluid fantasy. The second is that children are a gift from God, not a curse of man. And the third is that marriage is a covenant promise, not a convenience contract. These are not political talking points. These are theological realities. What God says when he instituted the family about gender, about children, and about marriage are meant to last forever. Now, I also realize as the preaching pastor, I'm not just here to preach at you. I'm here to shepherd. That's that second part of my title. And as a shepherd, I realize that on the subject of gender, it touches on the sensitive issue of LGBTQ friends and family that, you know. And on the subject of children, it touches on the painful issue and private issue of abortion. And on the subject of marriage, it touches on the issue that has touched probably every person in here to some degree or another...divorce. I get, on the front end, that this is personal and painful and for many...private. You'd rather just not talk about it. But my desire as a shepherd is not to reopen any wound. But it's actually for you to find healing in the Word of God. I hope you know that's my primary motive. My primary motive isn't to get you to rock the vote. It's not a voter drive that's going to be out in the atrium afterwards. My primary desire to shepherd you through these truths is that if something was burdening your heart attached to any of these issues that we're going to talk about today, that the work wouldn't be done out there in some...let's make sure everybody votes this year. It would be down here talking to me afterwards. Another one of our pastors or somebody in your life group and saying, you know, I've never just seen that sin for what it is called it for what it is. And I don't know if I've ever healed from it. That would be the greatest thing God could do with this series, especially today's message. And I want you to know that whatever we talk about today, whatever sin is talked about in relation to gender, children and marriage, none of them fall under the category of the unpardonable sin. Any of those can be forgiven when you take them to the cross, and they're covered by the blood of the lamb, and you find further healing by the body of Christ coming around you, not distancing you from them. So that's why it's important to talk about this. There is deep guilt and shame with a lot of this, but far more important than the politics is your personal relationship with God this morning. We live in his created order and under Christ's heavenly reign and everything we see and hear, we want to take captive to him. Because there is a war going on and it's unseen, the Scripture tells us. It's a war for truth, and I would hope that you would give me the benefit of the doubt this morning, that I'm not trying to make any enemy with any person. I've got one enemy this morning. It's the prince of the power of the air who lies and who kills and who destroys and who is a murderer from the beginning. That's who is in my crosshairs this morning. And the lies that he's promoted in our culture for the last few decades that have allowed some people to buy a narrative...that's not true...that sounds tolerant, that sounds scientific. That sounds right philosophically. And you say, but when you hold it up against the Word of God, it crumbles. It's smashed to pieces. That's what I'm out here to do today. The greatest gift I can give you today, in a world of lies is your ability to discern the truth. So if any of these issues today, as you see it more clearly in Scripture and your conscience says, you know, I've been lied to, but now the truth is doing what Jesus said it would do, right? It will set you free, but you got to take him at his word. This series is to give us the convictions we need for the institution that God ordained the family.
So let's start with the first truth. The institution of family begins with gender as a fixed reality, not a fluid fantasy. There was a line that caught my ear this week from a political comic who, in all fairness, punches left and right. He even admitted in the last few years he's punching left a lot more than he used to. But he does it in the cause of common sense. He said that in today's world, when truth conflicts with the narrative, it's the truth that has to apologize. This isn't coming from a godly man, but this is coming from somebody who just sees that there's a narrative that's been created that feels like no matter what, the truth is always the one that has to apologize to the narrative that's out there, and especially the narrative of the last decade on gender fluidity that we hear nonstop about. Well, what's the truth that conflicts with it? It's back in Genesis 1. First in verse 26, it says, God says, let us make man in our image according to our likeness. It's at the high point of creation, established from the beginning of the Bible, is that we are the crown of God's creation, the most glorious gem made exclusively in his image and likeness. But we were made in a particular fashion. And there's only two categories. Verse 27, God created man in his own image, his character qualities that are unique to humanity, not to the rest of creation, the unique privileges we have to carry out as a result of that. God created man in his own image. In the image of God, he created him, male and female, He created them. Genesis 1:27 is where you develop your core convictions about gender. Because if you don't start here, where will you? If you don't take God's Word from page one day six male and female two categories fixed from the beginning, unchanging forever. When will you start taking God's word serious? It's rather arbitrary, isn't it? I don't know about Genesis 1 and 2. I think it's kind of poetry. I heard some person say that once. It's it's poetic narrative. It's poetic allegory. I don't even know exactly if Adam and Eve were real people. And so you take that first wrong step that Eve took when Satan came and said, Did God really say that? Can you really trust him? Can you be smarter? Can you be as smart as him? Well, the thing we'd have to see is, does it ever change in the Bible? Is gender ever seen anything otherwise besides male and female as you walk through the scripture. Well, just staying in Genesis alone when you move to Genesis 3 and there's the fall. And maybe because sin comes in, maybe the categories change. Well, if you get to chapter 5, when it's kind of a recap of all the generations, it's rather an overlooked chapter. The descendants of Adam, the book of generations, Genesis 5:1-2. You see that after the fall, 1,100 years later, when Noah is around, nothing has changed. This is the book of the generations of Adam in the day when God created man. He made him in the likeness of God. He created them male and female, and he blessed them and named them man in the day when they were created. And then chapter 5 takes you 1100 years, all the way up to the time that Noah was born. Nothing changes in those categories. Genesis 6 came about when man began to multiply on the face of the land. God looks down at his creation, and he sees in verse 5, the wicked wickedness of man was great on the earth, and every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. So he's going to send a flood, he's going to start over. And when he starts over, maybe he starts over with some new categories. Maybe he's going to just say, Noah, just whoever wants to come on the ark. It doesn't matter. Male and female. Just bring whoever. Actually, it's quite the opposite. God is very specific in how the world's going to start over again after the flood. Genesis 6:19, and of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark to keep them alive with you. Human flourishing, even the animal kingdom flourishing is going to be built on this line. "They shall be male and female". So it's not just exclusive to humans, it's what?...it's in the animal kingdom too. The very simplicity of Genesis 6:19 shows us natural law proves that this is how society is going to continue. And throughout the rest of the Old Testament, it goes that way. But then what about the New Testament? Maybe you say I'm a red letter Christian. Jesus is my creed. I follow what he says. I don't know, you know, all this stuff in the Old Testament, it's just Neanderthal. It's pre-modern. I'm a Jesus Christian. All right, well, Jesus says this in Matthew 19 when questioned on the issue of marriage and divorce, verse 4, Matthew 19, he answered and said to the Pharisees, have you not read? So he's pointing them back to the Old Testament that he, God, created them, Adam and Eve, from the beginning. And then he quotes directly, making them male and female. So if you're for Jesus, you say he's about love, he's about tolerance. He's about change. He's about accepting people as the way they are. Not according to Him. He loves people. He loves them where they are, but doesn't leave them there if they've been believing a lie, does he? He takes them right back to Genesis 1:27. And then he adds, for this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two become one flesh. It's repeated in Mark 10:6, affirming the special creation of Adam and Eve in the beginning. In the genealogy of Luke 3:38, Luke connects Jesus being born all the way back to Adam...human lineage. That's the history of mankind all the way up to Jesus. Paul reiterates in Ephesians 5:30 and 32 that the basis on which we build our marriages between male and female is all the way back to Adam and Eve...Christ and the church, two categories. 1 Corinthians 11:8-12 Paul argues for family order because of Adam and Eve. So here's where we land. God has made clear throughout the entire council of His Word what no amount of Satanic lies can change. Gender is a fixed, God ordained reality, not the fluid fantasy narrative it's become today. Now here's something interesting. I typed that phrase...gender is fixed, not fluid into Google because I do things like that often. Just curious what would come out and artificial intelligence Google AI kind of rebuked me. Never been rebuked by AI. I typed in...gender is fixed, not fluid. And this is what Google AI said back to me. No, gender is not fixed. It's a social construct that changes over time and varies from society to society and different from sex. Gender is socially constructed, gender can change. Gender is different from sex. And I said thanks Google AI you just gave me sub points. Three lies there. Did you catch them? It's a social construct. That's a lie. It's a God construct. It changes over time. That's a lie. God sets it and it stays that way. And gender and sex can be artificially separated out. Yes, I know on one hand they're talking about sex being biological and gender being social or philosophical or environmental, I get that. But what they're trying to make the case and build is you can pull them apart and say, one is this and one is that, and the form doesn't have to match the function. I actually, I was curious. I was like, how like, you know, personal does Google AI get. So I was like, I'm going to try something else. I'll type in the earth is flat...typed in, the Earth is flat. Google AI didn't have a response. It is interesting to me though, that it would attack that one, that it would respond to me as if it knows the facts. Well, let's take those lies and pull them apart first. Gender being a social construct, the truth that gender is God constructed. He made it, not us. Made me think about something in my own lifetime, going back to the 90s, my teenage days, and I wondered if the same advocates of gender fluidity today were the ones 30 years ago looking for the gay gene to justify homosexuality as fixed from birth. You notice how that just disappeared from any discussion, right? That it moved from...if we could just find a gay gene, which they never found. It's hard to even find credible information talking about it anymore. That you go from something...if you could just establish this thing that tells us something that is deviant from the way God designs is fixed, has disappeared, and now we have to say, okay, something in a new category, not sexual biology, but now gender behavior. That's what's fluid. So which is it? Is it fixed or fluid? Science has given us no more clarity today than it did in the 90s. Why? Because it's a shifting Satanic lie designed to confuse the sheep and destroy the family. Even I found an article in Psychology Today not written by a believer whose headline was...We need to drop this distinction. Move beyond it's socially constructed, because there's a contradiction inherent in it. His main thesis is gender cannot simultaneously be socially constructed and inherent to the individual. He goes on to say that the APA's definition...the Association of Psychology of America. Sex refers to biological apparatus. Gender refers to cultural expectations and norms. And he admits, drawing on this distinction, when people say that gender is socially constructed tends to assert that sex is independent of gender. But this is what I put up there. However, if gender is an arbitrary creation of society, how is it possible for it also to be internal and inherent as a sense of self? This is not a Christian writing this. This is somebody who's not reading Genesis. This is somebody just pointing out it doesn't pass the test of logic. It is not possible for gender to simultaneously be an arbitrary product of the culture you're in, and an inherent experience of the individual. It can't be simultaneously self-chosen and the product of socialization. Are you catching what he's saying? This idea of artificially separating the two through by way of a social construct. Maybe you're not into following, you know, that line of logical argument. You just want something more pop culture and symbol. So I found another article written by a female who now says she's a man, and she is arguing that gender is fluid and because her life proves it. And at the end she closes with the line, so go out there and be exactly who you were born to be. That sounds fixed, as Lady Gaga says, born this way. So I'm born a certain way that actually isn't any way because I could choose whichever way I want to be. You have your feet planted firmly in midair, don't you? And I mean, it's laughable, but it's tragic that young and old are buying this lie because it gives you no sense of where you stand in the world. If simultaneously I am born a certain way, but I'm not because it can change whichever way the wind is blowing. However, I feel whatever the society tells me. Go and be whoever you were born, but you weren't born any way...we can't tell you that. That's the social construct lie. Then there's the gender can change, which is related to that. But we just build it on what we already saw in the Scripture that the Bible never says that gender changes. The Bible, written by 40 authors from three continents over 2000 years, maintains a perfectly consistent message from beginning to end on the most important matters. Salvation is from God alone in Christ alone, but also on these other matters of understanding who we are and where we fit in. And the gender being male and female only, and always throughout is one of those truths. And then lie number three from AI. Gender is separate, can be separated from sex in a way that they can be different. And the Bible teaches us that it cannot be artificially separated. The Bible teaches us from Genesis 1:27 that who we are is determinative for what we do. Said another way who we are biologically determines what we do behaviorally. You cannot separate those two out. We see it in Genesis 1:27 right after it says, male and female, he created them. Then he tells them, now that's your form. Here's the function...I bless you. Go be fruitful and multiply. There's a biological and behavioral lesson right in there. And we also know that throughout the Bible, the act of homosexuality is proof of the same reality. It's always called a sin, when a person acts in a way against his or her created nature...always a sin. Never put in a new category. There's no divide. That is an observable truth of natural law through general revelation, and it's a revealed truth of special revelation. It's particularly spoken of in Romans chapter 1. If you want to turn there, starting in verse 18, an anti-God narrative Paul addresses that has attacked the truth that through lies wants to suppress righteous living andgodly living for the cause of unrighteousness and ungodliness. That's there in verse 18. Paul sets a stage for where humanity is and is headed, and it's a downward spiral. Sin is always a downward spiral. Seeking self over God always takes you down the wrong path. That's the message of Romans 1:18 to 32, but it starts with any individual in 18 to 20, denying which is evident within them and around them. Verse 19. Natural law, the wrath of God revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. And remember what I said from the beginning. This is about an attack on the truth. These unrighteous and godly men suppress the truth. Why?...in unrighteousness. That's what they want. They want their sin. That's why they do it. Rebellion against God. Verse 19, but yet that which is known about God is evident within them. They know it naturally. He's not even saying that special revelation or the Word of God has come into the equation here. God has made this evident to them. Verse 20, since the creation of the internet...No, they didn't have to wait for the internet to understand this. We didn't need the enlightenment to understand this. Since the creation of the world, God's invisible attributes and eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. Ever since creation, the same loop has been played. But rather than humans move upwards toward God and true godly wisdom, they move downward toward sin in human wisdom. Verse 22, professing to be wise, they became fools. It didn't happen overnight, but with every choice to stand opposed to what God has already said and by the lie of Satan and what man says, further down they go, professing to be wise, becoming fools, taking the glory of God, corrupting it...false gods. Verse 24 all the way to 32 is now here's what God gives them over to the lusts in their heart, the ungodliness, the impurity, the dishonoring of bodies, degrading passions. And then 26 and 27 talk about why we can't separate gender from sexuality and say that it's acceptable behavior. People change. No it's not. It's actually a change from what does it say in verse 26, natural function for that which is unnatural right there in your Bible is the blinking lights that say, look back at Genesis 1:27 and 28. That's what he's talking about here, the natural being taken away with the unnatural. Men, abandoning the natural function of women and burning in their desire toward one another, men committing indecent acts with men and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of that error. How far down does it go? All the way to verse 32. It's not just that a society sees it, allows it. It says those who practice such things are worthy of death. They not only do the same, but they give hearty approval to those who practice them....hearty approval. Acceptance. Celebration. So I have to ask you this morning, just on this first point, what societal sin do you see our country in now and heading headlong into further? And as it relates to politics, what can you do about it? We live in a country that we feel like we can do something about it if we choose to. But why would we choose to do it? Not because we're trying to score political points for a certain person or a party. We...our consciences are captive to the Word of God here. That's what it's about. It's theological above everything else. And you have to stand before what the Word of God makes plain as day. Natural law, revealed revelation, that the future of the God ordained institution of the family in Genesis one through the end of the Bible, divinely designed to build society, starts with gender as fixed. So what has your conscience been taken captive to?
Truth number two, the institution of family grows as children are a gift from God, not a curse on man. Connected to the creation of male and female in Genesis 1:27 and the next verse...first command God blessed them and said to them, we don't know what the blessing was, but as far as we know, here is the first charge he gives to this newly married couple. Be fruitful and multiply. How beautiful and simple that this is what he wanted Adam and Eve to know right out of the gates. Maybe I need to adopt that as not the Aaronic Blessing of number 6, but the Adamic blessing when I do premarital with couples, the last session I'm having with them, I should say bless you...have babies. Because that's what God said to Adam and Eve. That's where it goes. The second truth to stand for with no compromise is this. The implication is that God is for giving life, not aborting it. That's not a pro-life position. That's a pro God decision. It's a Biblical reality. It's a God truth. Life beginning at conception is theological and science caught up eventually. They were behind a few thousand years figuring out when does life begin? A few years back, biologists from over a thousand academic institutions were given a survey on when life begins, and there was 96% consensus. It begins at conception...scientists. So whatever discussion is being had that tries to pit theology against science, they're in accord where it starts. It begins at conception as an act of God. Well you say no...it's an act of man...granted. Who does the Bible say opens or closes a womb? God does. We're not in control of that. We pray to that end from the beginning. God is the only sovereign with the will and ability to create, sustain, and take life in the sanctity of human life starts with the will of our Creator, not the created. Everything we believe about abortion and the right to life hinges on our reading of Genesis one. Now it builds from there. We learn in Ezekiel 18 that when we're talking about life, we're talking about a soul. Who does that soul belong to? Who created the soul? Ezekiel 18:4 God says, behold, all souls are mine. So you start with the soul. It belongs to God...no exceptions. Every single person, righteous or wicked, who will live forever in eternity, is a soul that belongs to the One who gives life. Second, the opening of the womb for life is from God. Psalm 127:3,behold, children are a gift of the Lord. The fruit of the womb is a reward. I stopped and read that very slowly, because if you were here in first service, I said, the fruit of the loom is a reward. And it was a needed point of levity in the discussion. I accepted it as from the Lord, the fruit of the womb, which then got me thinking...distracted. Is that how fruit of the loom came up with their name? But that's for another day. Don't ask Google. God is in sovereign control over the ability to conceive. We learn this in Genesis in the narrative. I mean so much focus of the activity of God choosing Abraham on through the line of Isaac, and then to Jacob, always referred to as the patriarchs, even to the time of Jesus, always going back to talking about your fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. What consistent story do we learn about their wives? What's the thread that runs through their lives? Genesis 16:2 Sarah, the womb had to be opened by God. Genesis 25:21 Rebecca same thing. Genesis 30:22 Rachel same thing. Each one was barren until God opened the womb. You think he's telling a story there about who gives life and how he is going to keep the line of the Messiah moving on through redemptive history. It is going to be by no accident. It's going to be by his Sovereign will. Right from the beginning when he called Abraham and said, through you I will bless the world. Third, the fullness of our days is from God. It's just not at the beginning, and it's all throughout, and it's all the way to the end. We learn this from Paul speaking in Acts 17 to a group of pagans...sermon on Mars Hill. And as they're trying to figure out who this unknown God is, he wants them to know. You may not know him, but he knows you. And how well does he know you? He knows you from the time you were a soul all the way throughout eternity. This is what Paul preached. The God who made the world Acts 17:24 and all that is in it. He is the Lord of heaven and earth. He does not dwell in temples made withhuman hands. He is not served by human hands as though he needs anything. He himself gives to all people life and breath and all things. That's the fundamental distinction between creator and created. He is not dependent upon his creation for anything. We are dependent on him for everything. And he made from one man, Paul's going back to Adam and Eve, every nation of mankind, to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and boundaries of their habitations That's how much God knows where every person is going to be, where they're going to go...that they would seek God; perhaps they might look for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. Isn't that a wonderful truth? I don't know where all of you are this morning. I recognize most of you, but somebody out there could be new. And you might have come in here searching this morning, searching for truth, searching for God because you thought he was far from you. Do you know he is not far from you? You know that you're sitting under the teaching of His Word is his grace to you. He wants you to know him. He wants you to be amazed by him. He wants you to know the truth about yourself no matter how lost you are today...and confused and angry. None of that deters God's interest in you because he made you. You're by his design, and he's designed your life all the way up to this point to put you in that seat right here to be told he's looking for you. He sees you. And what he wants you to know about him is you can know him through his Son, Jesus Christ, the Son that he loved and he sent to die for a sinner like you. And whatever sin is in your life, whatever guilt, whatever shame, whatever you've done, he says, it can be forgiven if you call upon the name of his Son thismorning. You can be saved. He did all of that for you. And you sit there and you are a recipient of his grace. But you have to first see he's a holy God who has a holy law that's expected to be obeyed. And we can't keep it, but we can turn to him and ask for forgiveness of our sins for us breaking it. Would you call upon him today? And then, as Paul says, to close, in him we live and move and exist. And he says, your poets, your pagan writers even know this. What point am I making there? That the fullness of your days is from God? The clear account from the Bible is that God fundamentally is the giver of life, the sustainer of life, and only he has the right to take it. But who wants to usurp that right?...Satan, the liar and the murderer from the beginning. He wants to end all life and he doesn't care when it happens. He just wants it to happen. He comes to steal, kill and destroy. Satan is the one on the wicked side of history wanting to end every human life, not give it. I remember walking past pictures in Frye when our first son was born 12 years ago, and there was a great theological point there on the wall. Doctor Seuss made it. A person is a person, no matter how small. We all start out as a tiny zygote, full of all the genetic information we will ever need to live. The Human Genome Project went on from 1990 to 2003. If you don't know anything about it, just look for a guy that looks like that and ask him. Somebody with that haircut clearly knows how to tell you about the Human Genome Project. But it was the idea that if we could map our genetic code, it could lead to us being able to understand how we can help human life flourish even more. I think it was done with good motives, and it was to map out 3 billion letters of our DNA. You learned those in grade school or somewhere. A, C, T and G, and it's repeated in sequence 3 billion times in our DNA this sequence happens. In fact, somebody probably that guy figured out that if you would, from the time you were born till you turned a hundred said A, C, T or G, every second, you would finally do it 3 billion times. And it took thousands of scientists from 1990 to 2003 to get 80% of it working all the time, funded by billions of dollars to figure that double helix out that God does for every single person at every single conception, just like this. There's no comparison in the brilliance and wisdom of God and how he designs us from conception. No mere clump of cells was God's precious handiwork. Psalm 139:13 to 16 has such wonderful language when it says, you formed my inward parts. Verse 13, you wove me in my mother's womb. And then later in verse 15, my frame was not hidden from you. When I was made in secret and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth. And that skillfully wrought phrase was in my head this week as my family, we were reading through a children's story Bible where the writer just would take sections, chapters, and kind of put them together and just telling a little story for them. And we hit some dry toast, as I call it, not fresh bread. Exodus 35 to 39 talking about the Tabernacle, because it's just a lot of very talented, skilled people, make these curtains and make this high priestly garment and put on some pomegranates, whatever those are, I know they're not the fruit, but whatever. And weave them and they keep saying this word. And I was reading it. And then the writer talked about how these two guys, Bezalel and Aholiab, apologies, men, if I butchered your names. And she just had such a picturesque way of describing how they would have to take the strands of purple and take the satin and cut it and line it up, and then twist it together, and it was dry for me. I'm like, how am I going to get it's 7:30. These kids don't want to listen to how to make a tabernacle curtain. And then it hit me. It said in those sections that they were doing this work, Weaver's work. And it triggered skillfully wrought. And so Nerd Dad looks up the word in the Hebrew. It's used nine times in the Old Testament. Eight of them are in Exodus 35 to 39. The ninth time it's used in Psalm 139, when you and I were skillfully wrought, just like those weavers work, just like taking every strand and the detail of an artist putting together the most beautiful thing worthy of God in a tabernacle. He took you and me and in our DNA. 23 and 23. 46 chromosomes, weaving them together, making you exactly the way you are today. He does it for every person it exists. Those that don't acknowledge him makes him with the same intricate care and love...fearfully and wonderfully made. And any life...and no, it's no less prized and precious because of size at conception or location inside of a womb versus outside, or an evil situation surrounding the origins of that life. It doesn't change that life's preciousness at all. That's the hardest issue, isn't it? Sexual assault is heinous. Despicable.Heartbreaking. God hates it and hates it and hates it. It can't be said enough. And yet, Biblically speaking, that baby's life is no less deserving of protection because of the means by which it came into existence. God ordained that we live. He made us. He formed us. He breathed life into us. He opened the womb for us. He knew who he wanted us to be. That's the truth. Those aren't political talking points. Those are theological starting points with eternal endpoints. Truth number two.
Truth number three. The institution of family will remain as marriage is kept as a covenant promise, not a convenience contract. You build from the first two. You have to keep male and female in their categories, and you have to protect life. And then you have to protect the idea of marriage being built on covenant promise, not this contract of convenience that our culture has made it. You have to understand what marriage is in order to rightly promote it and protect it. If you don't understand that marriage is between male and female only, then you'll fall prey to the culture's narrative. Even the phrase same sex marriage is a contradiction in terms. It might be a marriage in the eyes of society who have changed the meaning of it. But according to the Bible, according to God's view, it's a mirage of a marriage. It's not the real thing. And all the talk of love, being love and commitment doesn't change the fact that God sets the parameters for what a marriage is. It's between male and female. So when people ask me, pastor, I have this wedding of a family member, a friend. I love them deeply. Should I go? I say, is it a marriage? It's not. So what are you going to see? I don't know, but it's not a marriage according to the scripture. And if you don't understand that, then how can you promote the right view of it? If you don't understand that marriage is a covenant meant to be honored for life, then you won't protect it from a culture of convenience that says if you don't like it, just quit. Harry, who was here with our men last week and preached here, said to the guys last weekend, marriage is a covenant, not a contract. It's not. If you will, then I will. It's I will whether you do or not. That's what a covenant promise is. I'll keep my side of the deal...even if you don't. It's not...you do this, I do that. And our culture sees it entirely differently. Their solution to keeping marriages together is cohabitation. Interesting thing is, 34% of couples who live together before marriage end in divorce. 22% who don't live to before marriage end in divorce. So clearly cohabitation isn't the solution. You got to live and get to know the person beforehand. The number one reason divorced couples gave recently, 75% of them summarized it as this...lack of commitment. I no longer was committed to them. They were no longer committed to me. We were no longer committed to each other. Sure, they would acknowledge there were other pieces of the puzzle that contributed to that, but 75% said it was lack of commitment. I didn't want to stay in it. And our culture has embraced the idea of no fault that's spread to the church. And now irreconcilable differences is an accepted explanation for many endings. Now, in bringing these to our attention, these statistics, it's to show how far our nation has fallen as a culture, what we used to call the sanctity of marriage and the protection we showed it. And yet, I want to say this that the Bible does have a permissible reality for divorce, though it wasn't God's intention. Even Jesus said that...Moses had to create this. Moses had to come up with this idea because of how you guys had trodden over the sanctity of marriage. In our church, we strive to maintain a high view of marriage and the hard work of forgiveness to keep them together, while also understanding that the Bible makes provision for divorce in the cases of adultery and abandonment. And I do want to make clear this morning, as much as I can, that we as elders, leaders, life group leaders, flock leaders will continue to fight for every marriage in this room. That's our first step. That's our instinct. We're going to do it. It's never pleasant. It's hard because you're coming into something that didn't happen overnight, and it's going to take a lot of work to get out of. But we've seen God do it. And so that gives us from the hope of the Word of God and the healing we've seen...why we're going to keep stepping right back into it. And all that said is we won't promote any attitude in this church that would treat a divorced or remarried person as a second class Christian. How you walk in the door is how we get you. Whatever has happened before is how we receive you. We're going to try to help you where you're at. We can't undo what's already been done. Paul says very clearly in 1 Corinthians 7, stay in the condition that you're in. And so if you're in the condition of marriage in here, and even if it's a mess, we're here to help you where you're at, because we believe in that covenant promise. We believe it's a display of the gospel...Ephesians 5:22 to 31. The mystery of marriage is this the gospel displays Christ's love for his church, which is then what we try to display in our marriages through forgiveness and commitment. John Piper writes it this way in his book, This Momentary Marriage. The ultimate thing we can say about marriage is that it exists for God's glory. It's patterned after Christ's covenantal relationship to his redeemed people. Therefore, the highest meaning and most ultimate purpose of marriage is to put the covenantal relationship of Christ and His bride on display. Keeping our covenant with our spouse is as important as telling the truth about God's covenant with us in Christ. Marriage is not mainly about being or staying in love. It's about telling the truth with our lives. When he calls marriage a mystery in Ephesians 5, it's not because the basics of it haven't been known to humanity since the beginning. The mystery of it was that it tells the story of the gospel, the sacrificial love of Christ for his church.
So as we bring this all together this morning, talking about gender, talking about children, talking about marriage, the question for you is how will you steward these truths that you know? If we are to be salt in a culture that's declining and decaying, what can you do to support the righteousness and justice that God has built his world with? Psalm 89:14, righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne. So what throne are you bowing before right now? Is how you view the way our culture is going...is it more worried about the throne in DC or is it more worried no matter what happens? Are you saying what I'm obligated to do is to support the throne that God sits on whose foundations...the two things that matter most...Righteousness not wickedness. Justice...not corruption.Truth not lies. I made no mention of person or party today. Because all I care about is the truth. That every thought that you came in here with and will leave with has been taken captive to the Word of God. What God has fixed in gender let no man deviate. What God gives in conception, let no man take away. And what God has brought together in marriage let no man separate. Because all of it is about the institution of the family that God has designed for his glory and our good.
Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your word this morning. We thank you for its simplicity, that we could go back to the beginning of Genesis 1 and be so shaped by it, strengthened by it, and in the hope that we have in Jesus Christ the steadfastness of Christ. He himself directs our hearts to your love, that we see that the way you design the family to operate in its form and its function, was a gift of your love. You had the best idea for it from the beginning. Help us to get back to that. Do what we can, individually and as a church and as a society, that people would see our good deeds and praise you in heaven and know you sit on a throne of righteousness and justice. We ask in Jesus name, Amen.
Pulpit Curriculum PDF Pulpit Curriculum DOCX * View transcript Be Salt: Life Changing Living for Eternal Influence
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Well, listen. Greetings, Hickory Bible Church. I usually say...I probably should say good morning and greetings from the Master's University and Seminary, where I serve on the board, and was there last week, and they know that I'm here. I now serve in Franklin, Tennessee with the former Adam. Adam was the person that served with me in student life at the university, and we built a friendship and a relationship, and I've enjoyed both our personal fellowship with Adam and Shannon and the opportunities we've had to fellowship through the years, and then to be a part of your church by engaging your elders and getting to know them, and then periodic opportunities to talk to you, and especially the men yesterday. It was just a joy to be here. And I do bring you greetings from the West Coast and from Franklin, Tennessee, which is not that far away. Um. I so look forward. I had booked this trip. I agreed to do it back in when I was in California, and it was circled in orange because it's fall. And I thought, man, this is going to be my favorite travel. I travel about once a month and this was my look forward to it trip to be in North Carolina at this time of year. I was telling Adam, walking over, this is the best time of year in my view. And it's just I love the fall, the anticipation of the colors, the crispness of the air. And I know things are unsettled because of the storm. So there's a part of this season that feels different because of the way this area of the country has been impacted. And my church in Franklin is both praying for North Carolina and eastern Tennessee, and it's been a challenge for so many, and it sobers us all. It certainly has me. Well, I'd like you to take your Bible and join me in Matthew's gospel, chapter five...Matthew chapter five. And I've entitled this sermon Salt Different to Make a Difference...impactful, intentional, eternal influence. The genesis for this message is an observation of the rapid decline of our culture. I mean, it's one thing for the culture to be declining, and it has for years. But what's sobering is the rapidity of the decline. The things that are happening now that you couldn't even foresee, at least I couldn't in my lifetime. And the dramatic spiral is discouraging. And it's also impactful to the church because another observation that is the genesis for this message is the church, instead of engaging, is withdrawing. And my hope today is to encourage you to be a difference maker in a world that God intends for you to have influence and impact...intentional influence and impact. And Jesus Christ in the greatest sermon ever preached by the greatest preacher who has ever lived, our Savior speaks in chapters five, six, and seven about Kingdom realities. The greater Moses will say famously in this section...what you have heard they have said, but I say unto you. You have heard it said, but let me tell you how it really is. And with rabbinic divine authority he calibrates his kingdom and those outside of it, and those who are in it. And in chapter 5he makes a statement in his kingly authority because he's going to sit down on a mountaintop. Multitudes are following him, and the King of creation is going to authoritatively pour out his heart about essential critical truths relative to understanding what you must understand if you're a Kingdom citizen. Or what you must understand if you're not and you want to be. And housed in this section very early on is our text to open our time together today. One verse, a declaration he has said famously already, the means to blessing. If you want to know the virtues and the realities that attract the blessing of God, nine times Jesus says, in my kingdom, this is what God blesses. This is who gets blessed. Even if life is hard, God blesses the one who is enduring hardship for his name's sake. And that's how Matthew chapter five begins the beginning of the sermon. But our focus this morning is verse 13, which introduces two figures of speech...salt and light. We're going to focus primarily on salt for the sake of time, but I'm going to read the section and just comment about the light, because this is from how to be blessed to how to be a blessing. If you're a Kingdom citizen, I want you to know who you are. And because you are who you are, I want you to act like you should act to the end, that the world is blessed and God is blessed.
Follow the words. Verse 13, You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again? It is good for nothing anymore except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. Second figure...You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under the peck measure, or a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Watch Verse 16. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. As the light of the world, you're to bless the Father by living as you ought to live in a way that undeniably points people to him. Secondly, which blesses him. But the focus for today is blessing them, which blesses him. Verse 13. Watch the emphatic words. He says, you are...present, active, indicative. That is, it's true today. It's true every day. You are an everyday and everywhere influence, because you are the salt. Notice the definite article...the salt. There isn't any other. It's exclusively you. It's the kingdom citizens. You are the salt to the whole earth. You're the salt of the earth...the earth, all of it. The definite article indicating there is no other. And you benefit everyone everywhere. That's a declarative statement of reality.
My preaching hope today is that you will leave here today with a compelling conviction...I am something. I am salt. If you're in the Kingdom of God, you are this. I'm hopeful today that you will leave with a determined intention to be what you are, salty and with the hopeful expectation that when you are what you are, you will see the fruit that is guaranteed. Because salt, when it's potent and it's present, has power. My hope today is you'll see the sobering statement unless you're not potent. Which soberingly Jesus says, if you've become tasteless, that's you've lost the properties of salt. You're not potent. If you've become tasteless, first of all, how will it be made salty again? It's very difficult to do. Once you've forfeited your influence and your potency, it's hard to recover it. So protect it. And then he says this very sobering. It's good for nothing anymore. It's not a blessing to the world. And the world knows it's not a blessing. It's not useful. It's not valuable. So, what does the world do except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men, which is a way of saying contempt, unwanted, not needed, not desired. Because a tasteless kingdom citizen, one who is not salty, is not useful. So I wanted to highlight for you the four things that salt would be understood to do and be at the time Jesus made those statements. Because with this figure of salt, Jesus is calling his citizens to be something because their life needs to impact everyone they engage. Four things...let me give the four of them to you at the outset. Salt is a picture of purity. It was white, refined. It was pure. Number two a powerful preservative. Sodium chloride...salt is a preservative. Number three, a provider of pleasure. Salt is a seasoning. And number four, a prompter of passion...thirst because salty makes you thirsty. Now remember, you are these things. Therefore, you need to be these things and the guarantee is your life will make a difference. It'll be impactful. It'll be a blessing. It'll be useful. Let me tell you why I would say that because at the time Jesus made this statement, it would be helpful to know that salt was highly valued. The Greeks called salt divine from the gods. The Romans had a kind of jingle in Latin that said, there is nothing more useful than the sun and salt. It was called white gold. It was rare. Taxes and wages were often paid in salt. Often Roman soldiers were paid in salt, which is where we get the concept...not worth his salt. Not worth his wages. He's not a useful, valuable soldier because he is not worth his salt. One of the greatest compliments you could give was to call someone the salt of the earth, because it meant that their life was understood to be valuable, useful, meaningful. And Jesus is saying you possess useful, powerful qualities...desirable, like salt is desirable.
So today we're going to consider the four qualities of salt and therefore the four necessary priorities of a Christian. So my desire is today you would understand what you are, the qualities that ought to characterize you, and the priorities, therefore, that you need to possess and pursue, so that your life does what salt is supposed to do. So that you're not tasteless. Because if there's anything the world needs, it needs an abundance of salt.
The number one quality that we're going to start with, what you are and what you need to be has to do with purity. Salt was connected to purity at that time. If refined, it was brilliant white, as I said, piles of it glistening in the sun. The Romans said salt was the purest of all things, because it came from the purest of all things, the sun and the sea. Pythagoras, a Roman historian in 600 BC circa 600 BC, said, this, "salt is born of the purest of parents, the sun and the sea." Salt was used as a primitive offering to the gods, symbolizing purity. Even Mosaic law.Leviticus 2:13 says, every oblation of your meat offering you shall season with salt. Listen to 2 Kings Chapter 2, where it aligns salt with purity or connects salt with purity. Listen to these words. This is Elisha using salt as an ingredient of purifying power. Verse 19. Second Kings 2. Then the men of the city that's Jericho said to Elisha, behold, now the situation of this city is pleasant. Now the reason they're saying it's pleasant is because Jericho is an oasis in the desert. It's called the City of Palms. It's a pleasant situation, as my Lord sees. But despite that situation and the potential, the water is bad. It's impure. And the land, therefore is unfruitful...barren. And Elisha said, therefore bring me, listen to this, a new jar, and put salt in it. So they brought it to him, and he, Elisha, went out to the spring of water and threw salt into the water and said, thus says Yahweh, I have purified these waters. There shall not be from there death or unfruitfulness any longer. So, verse 22, so the waters have been purified to this day according to the word of Elisha, which he spoke. There's symbolism here. Bring me a new vessel. Liken that to a new creation vessel...a Christian. Housed in that vessel put salt. Pour that salt into impure water, bad water in an unfruitful, barren land. And the application of that salt has the power to purify. And that's symbolic of what salt is supposed to do. It's supposed to be an agent that promotes purity. So the first thing that a Christian is to be in this culture, I'm going to argue as the salt of the earth is to be a picture of purity, so that when people see your brilliant white life, they're affected. You calibrate the culture because you give them an inspiring picture of what purity is when you're living in a way that is honorable. As a Christian and a Kingdom citizen, you are to be a purifying ingredient and an influence in the culture because you show them what right is and what wrong is. You are to be the standard by which the world measures right and wrong. Jesus prayed in the high priestly prayer that we're in the world as his disciples. But were what?...not of it. James says in James 1:27, we're to keep ourselves unspotted by the world. We're to be in it, but not of it...unspotted by it. We're not to isolate ourselves from it, but we're not to become like it. William Barclay wrote, the Christian must be the person who holds aloft the standard of moral purity in speech and in conduct. Turn with me to Colossians chapter 4, and I want to give you some Biblical categories when you think about being a model of morality or a picture of purity. It involves at least three categories Biblically...one speech, two conduct, three attitude, speech, conduct, and attitude. You'll know this verse, but feel it today in the context of this message. Verse 5. Chapter 4. The book of Colossians...Paul writes to the church at Colossae...conduct yourselves. In other words, live life this way with wisdom toward outsiders. Okay, so the focus is outward, not inward, making the most of the opportunity. What opportunity?...to be an agent of influence. How? Verse six. Let your speech always be with grace. Now watch it, seasoned as it were, with salt, so that you may know how you should respond to each person. Conduct yourself so that you maximize your influence. And one of the ways you maximize your influence is with your mouth. Gracious speech as if it were seasoned with salt. Pure speech is gracious speech. Look, salty speech is not sailor speech. It's not soldier speech. Its Christian speech, salty language for the Christian, is seasoned with salt grace speech...toward outsiders in a way that has impact on the outsider, and it takes advantage of the opportunity. Let me color that out even a little more. Go over to Ephesians chapter four, parallel book. People say...commentators say the ink was still wet on Colossians when Ephesians was written, or Ephesians was wet when Colossians was written. They were written together. Similar time, similar space, house arrest in Rome, similar themes but different foci and different places. Listen to Paul in the same kind of context speak about speech. And the context here in Ephesians four is in the context of walking in a way worthy. Worthy walking...worthy because you've been blessed in a bombastic way. Saved by grace through faith. Dead in your trespasses. Chosen before the foundation of the world.God sends his Son. Ransoms you. Delivers you out of love and mercy to you. He rescues you. He saves you. He adopts you. He seats you with his Son in the heavenlies, and he's going to lavish grace upon you for all of eternity. That's why we long to go home. And because of all the benefit, reconciled to God, reconciled to one another, recipients of incomprehensible love.Paul says, walk like that in a worthy way, consistent with that, as if there's balances. You got blessed. Live like you've been blessed. That's the context for this statement on speech. Verse 29. Ephesians four. Worthy walking is gracious, life giving talking. Verse 29, Let no unwholesome word. Now the word unwholesome is a word for being rotten, spoiled. In other words, if you open the refrigerator and you smell it, you back away and you know that if you eat it, it'll make you sick. It's that word. It's impure. Let no impure, unwholesome, rotten words proceed from your mouth. But only. And I've circled only in my Bible...only. No exceptions, no exclusions, but only such a word as is good...practically good for edification. The word edification means to build up, to strengthen the soul of someone else. Don't say it if it doesn't strengthen somebody. The only words that ought to come out of a worthy walking Christian are words that are elevating, strengthening, encouraging, gracious words. And then watch this. According to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear. Gracious speech produces gracious outcomes. But the word grace here has to do with favor, benefit, blessing. God expects his children to have speech seasoned with salt. And that kind of speech is life giving speech. Listen, we're in an angry, abusive, rude, harsh culture, and we get treated sometimes in ways that justifies attitudes and actions and language that is not congruous with who we are. Look at verse four of chapter five where this idea of salty speech. Christian speech. Worthy speech. There's a kind of speech that ought not be present among us. It's not fitting. Verse four, there must be no filthiness. Now the word filthiness is the word for general obscenity. It's the word we would use for cussing. It's ignoble speech. It's not honorable speech. It's cussing. It's foul language. That's what filthiness is...foul language. Now we're in a culture that is influenced as he seems, even the Christian, because I meet a lot of Christians who cuss and I sometimes meet or hear a pastor who cusses. Let me tell you what, that is...a contradiction. Because what this verse will say there should be no filthiness, no cussing. It's not fitting, no moral logea verse four. That's silly talk. You hear the word moronic in there. Logea is the word for word. Moronic words.Silly talk. Think tabloid talk. Think social media talk. Think the kind of subject celebrity talk that consumes much of our culture. You know what that is?...silly talk. It's shallow talk. Thirdly, no coarse jesting. That’s sexual innuendo. That's where you try to get somebody to laugh by saying something that has a double meaning. Verse 12, same chapter, it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. There's things you don't talk about. There's things that are ignoble. It's just not subject matter that is worth voicing, and which is why verse four says these are not fitting. They're not consistent with kingdom speak. Christians, you're the salt of the earth. You're a model of morality, an icon of integrity. You're a picture of purity by what you say and what you don't say. But it's not just our words, it's our conduct. Notice verse two where the Christian is called to walk in love. Chapter five, verse two. Walk in love just as Christ also loved you. Now watch this...sacrificially gave himself up for us, which was an offering and a sacrifice to God, which God received as a fragrant aroma. Now, don't miss this. Christian, you're a part of my kingdom. You've been bombastically blessed. You've been redeemed at great cost by a sacrificial lamb. And he, God, wants you to sacrificially serve others like you have had sacrificial benefit and service to you. Walk like that. And what that is, is an offering to God and a blessing to men because you're serving them sacrificially, which is what love is. That's what you do. But what you don't do. Verse three is you do not let immorality or any impurity or greed even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Now, the key word in this passage is impurity, sensuality governed by your carnal desires and passions. You act out because I want what I want. I'm inflamed by that passion. I cross boundaries morally. I'm immoral in my conduct...porneia. I violate the bounds of purity as it relates to marriage and sexual activity. I'm looking at things I shouldn't look at. I'm involved in things I shouldn't be involved in. I'm transgressing in ways that make me immoral because I have an impure motivation. And that impure motivation doesn't just involve sexually acting out... And listen, it's dramatically sobering to see how many Christians are not committed to honor before marriage or honor in marriage by what they do, who they talk to, what they watch. But this kind of sensual passion, which is not fitting among saints. It's not proper, includes greed, a passion for stuff. I want this. It dominates me. It's my motivating desire to have it, to get it, to take it. And a Christian who is a picture of purity is a giver, not a taker. They're a sharer. They have a heart of a kingdom citizen...speech, conduct. And let me mention attitude, because verse four ends interestingly after it says, don't talk like this. It says those things are not fitting filthiness, silly talk and coarse jesting which are not fitting, but rather...do you see that the adversative don't talk like that, but what it says is but rather giving of thanks. What ought to be the expression of your mouth is the attitude of your heart. You know what I am? I'm grateful. I'm grateful to God for the life I have. I'm grateful for the friends I have. I'm grateful for his kindness to me. Listen, there's a lot of challenges in life. We all have them. But the blessings and the abundance and the realities that we have, if we're alive and if we have the hope of heaven is boundless. And our mouth and our attitude ought to reflect it, because we're a picture of what people ought to look like, not just by what they say, not just by what they do, but the attitudes that they express. I used to tell my children, attitude is everything, and you don't show a good attitude until you're in a bad attitude situation, because gratitude is to be expressed in everything. Give what? Thanks. Turn over to Philippians chapter 2, verse 14, where you kind of get the same idea of positive and peaceful good attitudes are relationship building, not relationship dividing. Verse 14 Philippians 2 says, do all things without grumbling. That word means complaining. It's actually not even a word. It's a sound. Do all things without (grumbling sound) I don't like this, I don't accept this, and I'm displaying an attitude that reflects that. And then it goes on to say do all things...did you see the all? Do all things without grumbling or disputing. That's complaining. That's arguing. That's divisive speech. Do all things without grumbling or disputing. Look at why...that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent. Do you know what that is?...pure...children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. You see, you're living in the midst of perversity and a broken and crooked world, and in that world you're to be different. You're not to be argumentative and unkind and grumble and complain and fight and dispute. Look, you look on the internet. The problem with many times is not between unbelievers, with unbelievers, it's Christians, with everybody, Gentiles who don't know God act out as sinners and Christians say things that aren't anything like this. In the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world. You're supposed to direct them to heaven. How? By our attitude. Listen to Mark chapter 9, verse 50. Jesus is the speaker. He says this...salt is good, but if the salt becomes unsalty with what will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves. Now listen to how he describes salt in yourselves. Be at peace with one another. Stop the fighting. Stop the arguing. Stop the dividing because you're the salt of the earth.
Number two, the salt of the earth is not only a picture of purity, it is a powerful preservative. Turn with me to Luke chapter 14. Luke chapter 14. Here's a second thing you need to know about salt in the ancient world. It was valued because it was a preservative. Before refrigeration, salt was very valuable because it preserved things from going bad. Like meat. You salted meat. Salt was used to preserve meat from rot and decay. Salt was used so that good and valuable things were not rapidly corrupted. Look, salt couldn't keep a thing from going bad, but it inhibited bad corruption. Salt was valuable because it slowed spoilage. It preserved the value of things. Now let me make a parallel in a similar way, salty Christians, by their presence, will prevent and inhibit society's corruption and evil's rotting influence. Listen, all it takes for evil to prevail and prosper is for good men to do what?...nothing. What salty Christians are is to do something, to promote what's good and to inhibit what's evil. You know, we all know certain people in whose company it is easy to be good, and certain people in whose company it is easy for standards to be relaxed. There are some people you would use certain words and tell that story to, and there are others you would never dream telling that story to or using those words. You're to be the latter kind of person that by your very presence, people are reluctant to use bad language...bad behavior. Tell the sordid stories. Periodically, I'll get teamed up on a golf course. There'll be a guy with me and there'll be two guys teeing off. They like foursomes. They'll put me together. Me and my partner with somebody else. We'll tee. Hi. I'm Harry. Hi, Bob. We exchange names. Somewhere, typically along the third or fourth hole somebody in the other twosome will look over and say, Harry, what do you do? And I said, well, actually, I'm a pastor. I preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Oh, I am so sorry. Because the language on the first three holes was what would be different language for the next 15 holes. Now, listen, I know preachers have a reputation that inhibits that, but every Christian should have a reputation that inhibits that. That's the idea of this. The Christian, says one commentator, must be a cleansing antiseptic in the society in which he happens to be. He must be the person who, by his presence, defeats corruption and makes it easier for others to be good. Look at verse 34 of Luke chapter 14. Preservative...powerful preservative. Verse 34 Jesus talking. Therefore salt is good. Now notice the word therefore. Therefore means it's connected to what he's just talked about. It's kind of a concluding connection. Well, what is he just been talking about? He's been talking about Christ first, Jesus over everything discipleship. He's actually stopped and he looked at the crowds, the ones who would be disciples because they're following him. And that's what discipleship is. It's following Jesus. But it's more than walking with Jesus. Jesus says in verse 26, this is the context of good salt. If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Now, don't miss this. He's not saying you hate your kids. You hate your wife. You hate your family, or your own life. He's saying when you compare your love for me, that's like hate for them. So dramatic and obvious is your affection, your preeminent affection, the priority affection for me, the dominating desire and space and place I have in your life. It's like you hate everything else, including yourself. And you know what that is?...costly. Which is why he goes, hey, like a man building a tower, you better count the cost because you're going to have to make some choices. And it's also this decision you're going to make about following me and the cost attached to it. It has consequences. He's going to tell another illustration. He's going to describe two kings. A king with 20,000 Army men coming up against a weaker king with 10,000 army men. And Jesus says, listen, would the guy with 10,000, half the war force go and make a deal with the king, who has greater strength? Of course he would. He would broker a reconciliation, because the consequences of being an opposition to an adversary with such great power is catastrophic. God has more army men. And if you're going to be the adversary of the king coming, you need to reconcile with the king coming by being a disciple of the King on earth. You need to surrender. You need to submit. You need to follow. You need to exchange. You need to be a Christian. You know there's this idea that this kind of discipleship is extra level discipleship. Let me tell you what it isn't...that. Jesus said in John chapter ten, if you're my sheep, you hear my voice, and you do what? You follow me. And if you're going to follow me and be my disciple, which is more than a...I walk with you. I'm learning from you. I'm intending to become like you because that's what a disciple is. When it's all finished, he's like his master. I want to be like you, and I want to do your bidding. And I want to extend your work. I want to represent you. I'm a disciple. And Jesus said, you can't be my disciple unless I'm first over everything and everyone. Look at verse 33. So therefore, no one of you can be my disciple who does not give up all his own possessions. What does that mean? Renounce my stuff as my priority. My house isn't. My car isn't my job isn't. All of my possessions are submitted to the one I follow. Look at verse 34. Therefore salt is good. The good salt, the salty kind, the tasty kind. The impactful kind is the Jesus first kind. And I'm going to give you a word...you need to be potent, because potent Christianity is Jesus first Christianity. Christ over everything. Now listen, we're not always going to hit that mark, but we're aiming at it. Because that's the salt that's good. And he goes on to say, but if even salt has become tasteless, so you're a follower and you've lost your convictions and your priorities with what will it be seasoned? How are you going to restore its potency? It's hard. Look at verse 35. It's useless if it's lost its potency...either for the soil or for the manure pile. Now, what does that mean? Salt, when it was added to the soil, was like a fertilizer. When properly dosed, it caused the good things to grow. And the manure pile...this is obvious...is a place where germs breed. And salt on it, the manure pile, inhibited germs corruption. So tasty salt, when it's in the soil, promotes growth,and potent salt when it's on the corruption, the manure...inhibits the bad. A Christian who is potent and in it the soil, the culture, life, the world promoting what's good. That's what tasty salt, potent salt does. And when it sees corruption and it engages, it's on it. It inhibits it. Let me tell you what a Christian should be...a promoter of growth and an inhibitor of corruption, because that's what salt in part is designed to do. You're to be a powerful preservative. You need to be engaged in the world in which you live, in the soil of our lives, in the soil of our culture. You need to be properly dosed in a way that promotes what's good in our culture, what's good for people. The good works that blesses the world in which you live. And you need to be in spaces and places that inhibit the downward spiral. Listen, you got to get out of the salt shaker, one book writer says, and into the world, because you can be as...look, this is great that you're here today. You need to be here today because God's people need to be inspired, stimulated, encouraged, and taught. But when you leave here today, the rest of your Christianity is important, and that is what you do in the world in which you live. Listen, Hickory, North Carolina is your space. I'm in Franklin, Tennessee. I'm not here. You're here. And this community, whatever it is that's good, needs the influence of the potent salt that you represent. And whatever's not good, you need to find a way to influence and discourage and inhibit. Because, look who wants to be on the manure. And there is manure. I was in Anchorage, Alaska, a couple of years ago doing a conference and speaking at a local church like this. And the church housed me at a hotel on Tudor Avenue in Anchorage. And I was excited because I rolled in and I saw there was a Starbucks attached to the parking lot. And I'm happy with Starbucks coffee. I know many aren't. And it's not because I desire to promote their values. I just like their coffee. And I know that puts me on the outs with some of you because you say...you're a coffee snob. I'm not. I'm an equal opportunity drinker. But anyway, the first morning I was there got up early, which is my habit, and I walked across the parking lot. And what I hadn't noticed yesterday was abundantly clear in the daylight. This was like no other Starbucks I'd ever seen. It was like somebody was having a rainbow party. The drive thru was draped in a rainbow, had this canopy over it. The pillars in the front were wrapped in rainbow ribbons. When I walked in...from corner to corner were flags and just banners and stuff. And they were not celebrating the promise of God to not flood the world. They were promoting a flood of corruption, actually. They were promoting dysfunction and rebellion. But what set that apart was not even that. It's the atmosphere in this Starbucks. You know, Starbuck's kind of thing is...community. Matter of fact, you walk in or when you make your order, it's hi, I'm Mary, what's your name? Harry. Hi, Harry. Welcome to Starbucks. What can I get you today? That's how it sounds. Oh, I'd like a venti pike. I'd like a few Splenda and some cream, please. Great. Thanks for serving me. It's a pleasure to have you here. That's something like that. You feel like. Hey, this is my team, my town. I'm a neighbor. This was not like that. What do you want? Oh, by the way, all the baristas had rainbow masks except one. I said I'd like a pike. A venti pike with cream and sweetener. Go stand by the wall. Now what that is, is cold and what it felt was oppressive. So I went and stood by the wall as instructed until they called venti, pike, Splenda and cream. I walked over, got my coffee, started through the eating area, and I started to google Christian coffee shops near me. You know why? I don't like the music they're playing. I don't like the decorations they're displaying. I don't like the attitude. I don't like anything. I'm hopeful that I'll like the coffee. And as soon as I googled that on my phone, this convicting thought went through my mind. Harry, this place needs what only a Christian possesses...the rainbow signs are a neon sign of corruption, saying this place right here is in need of disinfection. It needs a disinfectant, it needs preservation. So under the conviction that came with those thoughts, I sat down. I opened my Bible like I would do. I took clandestine photos of the baristas so I could pray for them by name. I've got them on my phone and I began to read my Bible and pray by name for those baristas and do what I do. I smiled a lot, tried to get them to smile, although you can only tell if their eyes wrinkled. And for five days committed myself to salting the corruption. And then on Sunday, preaching in a church like this, this is what I would have said. Hey, listen, I need a favor. I don't care where you buy coffee. Will you please buy yours at the Starbucks on Tudor Avenue. Because not worth a grain of salt means one grain is not enough. This place needs a heavy dose. Christian. I know why we want a bubble and bunker. I know we why we want to gather in places and spaces that are consistent with the sounds we like, the attitudes we like. But if we disengage our culture, we can't bless our culture. Salt in the shaker affects nothing. It needs to be potent and in it and on it to affect it. Turn over with me to Titus, chapter 1. I want to give you a Biblical illustration of this. I did not get to do this in the first service. I think I can pull it off in this second one because it's a powerful, inspired piece of theological and scriptural real estate that makes this point purity and powerful influence, promoting what is good and inhibiting what is bad. How you should live in a corrupt culture. Now, the reason Titus is so relevant, this is where Paul's talking to his son in the faith, Titus. And he says, go appoint elders on the Isle of Crete. And then there is this statement in verse 12, descriptive of the citizens of Crete. One of themselves.Verse 12. Chapter 1. Paul, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, references a prophet of their own, who said, Cretans now watch the language are always liars, they never tell the truth. And Cretans are evil beasts. Evil has the idea with violent and ruthless. They're killers, they're ruthless killers. They're everyday liars. And they are lazy gluttons. That's freeloaders. I want something for nothing. Sound familiar? Yeah, it should sound familiar. But what's such a powerful and impactful thing is verse 13 says, that was Epimenides in 600 BC, who said that Paul quotes that quote and then he makes this statement, this testimony is true, this culture, this island...everybody never tells the truth. They're violent, hurtful, ruthless, and they want everything for nothing. It's an angry victim culture. Take care of me. Feed me. I'm going to manipulate you...a corrupt culture. And Titus is the message to Christians in a corrupt culture. And this is where you get older women teach younger women. Older men teach younger men. This is where you see the statement in verse 7 of chapter 2...young men are to be sensible. In all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds. Do you see the word good deeds? Stay with that with purity and doctrine, dignified sound in speech, which is beyond reproach, in order that the opponent may be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us. In other words, every adversary to the truth you represent will be silenced, because they watch the way you walk and the way you talk. The sensible means it's consistent with what's rational. If you're a Christian, this is the way a Christian ought to live and walk and talk. And when they see you live and walk and talk that way, they'll be quiet. If you're living it, not just saying it. Look at verse 14 as in reference to Jesus Christ, chapter 2. It says of Christ Jesus, he gave himself for us. Look at the reason Jesus Christ redeemed us, that he might redeem us from every lawless deed. Not only paying our debt so we don't have to bear the consequence of it, but to deliver us from the behavior of it. Every lawless deed and to purify, see that word himself, a people for his own possession. Jesus died so that you would abandon lawless activity from which you've been saved, and for which the price has been paid. So that he can live in you as his vessel, the purest one living in you. That you'll be a pure people for his own possession. Now watch this. Zealous for good works. Now, you already saw that in verse 7. An example of good deeds. Now he's saying, being zealous for good deeds. The word good...the normal one is agathos... practical good. Walk her across the street so she doesn't get hit by a car kind of good. Open the door for her. It's practical, good. This word is beyond practical good. It's kalos, good. The word kalos is so noble, so virtuous, so eye opening and mouth dropping that somebody goes, wow...good deeds. It is inspiring. So people see God. So valuable, so beautiful, so helpful. Be zealous for those kind of undeniable good deeds. Something that a people of God would do. Look at verse 1 of chapter 3, where the people of God are called to be ready for good deeds. That's prepared. So not only zealous for it, I want to, but I'm ready to. Look at verse 8, chapter 3. This is a trustworthy statement, and concerning these things, I want you to speak confidently so that those who have believed God may be careful, careful, to engage in good deeds. Now watch this. These things, when you do that, that is good and profitable for men, not just Christian men, all men. It's profitable. In what way? Because those deeds so powerfully pursued and zealously desired, they point people to Christ. You want a manual on salty living that preserves a culture? You do the things that cause the culture to go man. It profits them. Some of the things that are happening right now that Christians are doing, whether it's Samaritan's Purse or the things you're doing as a church, are profoundly impactful to the culture. Look at verse 2. Good deeds and good attitudes malign no one. The word malign means to blaspheme. Speak down call names, malign no one. Be uncontentious. Be gentle. I love this, showing every consideration for all men. You know what one translation says?...be perfectly courteous. Good deeds. Good attitudes. Why? Verse 3. For we once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hating and hateful, hateful and hating one another. But when the kindness of God, our Savior, and His love for mankind appeared, he saved us. Now just look up for a minute. Why would I be gracious to a person who doesn't deserve it? Because I used to be messed up like they are. And God graciously fixed me up out of his kindness. The reason I'd be kind to them is because God's been kind to me. I know what it's like to be them because I was them. But God in his love through Jesus Christ. He saved me not by works of righteousness, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to his mercy, by the regenerating, that's making new work of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior. We're justified by grace, verse 7, so that we can be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. You know what that is? That's a big blessing. God was kind to me that causes me to want to be kind to them, even though they're mistreating me. So good deeds and good attitudes and a good gospel message of what God did for me. He fixed me up. He can fix you up. Now, let me tell you what that is. That's powerful in a corrupt culture. And that's what Christians are. That's what preserves, that's what promotes, and that's what inhibits. Can you say amen? All right. I've got two left and I got two minutes. So let me finish. And actually that's probably five minutes late. Let me give you the last two.
Number three as the salt of the earth you are a provider of pleasure. You're a pleasing seasoning. Salt is a seasoning and it promotes satisfaction. It makes things tasty, not tasteless. Salt has a powerful ability to add flavor to things. It makes things better, more enjoyable. I know the doctor doesn't want you to do it, but salt promotes flavor, whether it's steak, watermelon, or the white of an egg. Listen to Job chapter 6, verse 6. Job asked this. In it he says, this is tasteless food eaten without salt.?Or is there flavor or taste in the white of an egg? And everybody said, no, there is no flavor in the white of an egg. And tasteless food is not eaten without seasoning. And he goes on to say, my soul refuses to touch them...the tasteless stuff. They're like loathsome food to me. Because food without salt and flavor is loathsome, and he's applying that to his life. My life without the salt and seasoning and pleasure is not worth living. He's saying it has the power to bring pleasure, and he's saying, my life is stripped of life and no longer desirable, and life without seasoning is not palatable. And I'm going to argue that part of the reason people take their life in our culture is they don't see any reason to live. And what a Christian is, is the seasoning that says, oh yes, there is. Oh yes, there is. Because they see in us by relationship with us, by the sheer attitudes. They see our joy when there's no reason to be joyful. We bring stuff to the table that the culture needs. We're an addition that makes life better. We bring hope to a depressed world, comfort to a hurting world, peace to a worried and angry world. Real joy to a vain, shallow, frustrated, addicted world. We bring real love to a selfish and self-consumed world. We bring clarity and sense to a confused, chaotic, and I don't get this world. And we bring life to a dying world. Can you say amen? Listen, your neighborhood needs you to bring what only you can bring. We're high concentrate seasoning that should make everything we touch better. Our neighborhood, our ball club, our office, our committees.Wherever it is we frequent. They ought to be better because we're there. We're the fragrance of Christ in a culture that's dying. And we bring life to some. And we're a fragrance of death to others. Listen, when Constantine passed away, he made the Christian religion the religion of the Empire. And the guy who followed him...his name was Julian. And the first thing Julian did was bring back the old gods. Let me tell you why he did that in his own words. He said, have you looked at these Christians closely?...hollow eyed, pale cheeked, flat breasted. They brood their lives away. The sun shines for them, but they do not see it. The earth offers them its fullness, but they don't desire it. All they desire to do is renounce to suffer, that they may come to die. Do you know what he just said? As Julian saw Christianity, they took the life out of life. And as the salt of the earth we're to bring life to life.
Fourthly, finally and simply. As the salt of the earth, the Christian is to be a provoker of thirst, passion for God. The fourth property and characteristic of salt. You know this. It makes you thirsty. Traditionally, in my pastoral ministry in Birmingham, there's a little Chinese restaurant up the street. After the two morning services, I would call them, and I would ride up and I'd pick up my order. I did it so often that I did not need to tell San my order. I'd go up, pick it up, bring it back to my office. Family tradition. We'd eat Chinese in my office. Family would go home. I'd study for the evening service. But what the afternoon consisted of was not only books, but bottles of water. Because that meal made me thirsty. And what I'd like to plant is a seed in your heart as we conclude, at least my part of this service. Is you're to be a Christian who causes people to want what you have. Thirsty for the life you possess because of the salt that you bring. Potent present Christians should cause people to say, I'm thirsty for the water of life. Where do I find it? So my prayer for you is that the Christian that you display to others will make the gospel not only credible, but you'll make God wantable. You're the salt of the earth. You are something. You need to be something. And the guarantee is...your life is going to mean something. You're not impotent if you're potent.
Father, thank you for the opportunity to open your Word today.The thought is compelling and the thought is encouraging. The reality is convicting and the potential is motivating. Lord, I pray for Hickory Bible Church that this will be the Saltiest church in town. And I pray that in Jesus name, Amen.
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I was born in the Holy Land. And for all you uneducated people in North Carolina, that's Northern Ireland. Don't be so shocked. I remember being in Texas and a pastor asked me, where were you born? I said, I was born in the Holy Land. And he said, Israel? I said, no, Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland is the land of saints and scholars, and we even have our own version of the Bible, the NIV...the Northern Ireland version of the Bible. And we're just going to read God's Word in a moment. But before I do, let's go before the Lord in prayer. Anybody can speak from a pulpit, but we don't want to speak as a mere man. We want to be the voice of God. And I need his power, and I need your prayers. And I need the help of God Almighty. Let us bow our hearts, and then we'll read the scriptures. Oh God, our heavenly Father, in this holy moment, I pray that you would do a work of grace, that you would work in each of our hearts, that you would open our eyes, that we might see the majesty and the glory of the living Christ of Scripture. Speak, Lord, this morning. Your servants are listening. Amen.
I'm reading this morning from the Gospel of Matthew. It's a very familiar portion of Scripture. It's Matthew chapter 16, and we're going to commence reading at verse 13...Matthew chapter 16. This is not the word of man. This is not simply the word of Matthew. This, my friend, is the word of truth. It is the inspired Word of the living God. God speaks through His word. I believe that. I mean, God speaks. The Spirit of God moves in conviction. May God move in our hearts. May God move in this service this morning. More than anything, we need to hear this. We need to hear God speaking to us. Let us hear the word of the Lord.
“When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, who do people say the Son of Man is? They replied, some say John the Baptist. Others say Elijah and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets. But what about you? He asked, who do you say I am? Simon Peter answered, you are the Messiah, the son of the living God. Jesus replied, blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah. For this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter. And on this rock, the rock of my divinity, I will build my church and the gates of Hades...the gates of hell...the powers of darkness shall not, shall not prevail against it. They will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.”
This is the first mention of the church in the New Testament. The church is the Kingdom of God. It is comprised of believers, men and women, young people, boys and girls who have been rescued from the Kingdom of darkness. The kingdom...the church is comprised of people who know with all certainty that their sins are forgiven, that they stand in grace covered by the blood of the lamb. Those who are rescued are called in Scripture, the redeemed. And the redeemed of God on the authority of the Word of God, affirmed by the Spirit of God, know that their names are recorded in the Lamb's Book of Life. When you come to the study of God's Word, when you come to the preaching of God's Word, context is very important. Geography is very important. Knowing where something happens is very important. Knowing who is speaking and to whom that person is speaking is important. It provides us with vital, important background information. Knowing why something was said is very important. Our scripture reading began in verse 13. And by the way, nothing recorded on the pages of the Word of God is incidental. Everything is important...every word, every jot, every title. Everything is inspired by God, inserted in the Word of God, by the Spirit of God for a divine purpose. God provides us with important background information. It provides the setting to what is being said. We read...when Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi. In one of the other Gospels it tells us that Jesus was in the villages surrounding Caesarea Philippi. Caesarea Philippi was a very prominent and a very important city in Jesus day. It was located about 25 miles north of Galilee. It was a pagan city. It was a pagan culture. The citizens are pagans. They are godless. They are worshipers of idols. I say that to let you know that when Jesus says, I will build my church, he is standing on enemy territory. This is an evil place. Everywhere there are idols and shrines. In Caesarea Philippi there were temples. There was even one temple dedicated to the Roman emperor Caesar, and it stood in a very prominent place. Wherever you travelled in Caesarea Philippi and in some of the surrounding villages, you would have been confronted by idols and shrines. Idols that cannot speak. Idols that cannot hear. Idols that remained unmoved because they are created by the hands of men. Jesus is standing on Satan's doorstep. It's here that Jesus asks an important question. Who do men say that I am. That's a very important question. The answer to that question will determine your eternal status. The answer to that question will determine, my friend, whether you are in the Kingdom of God. You are a citizen of the United States. Let me tell you, spiritually speaking, it means absolutely nothing...nothing. All that matters is this. Do you know Christ? Are you a citizen of the Kingdom of God? It doesn't matter where you were born. It doesn't matter how you were born. The question is, have you been born again? Do you belong to Christ? Are you in his kingdom. Who do men say I am? Peter answered you, you, Lord...you're the Messiah, you're the Christ. Listen to this. In an area full of idols and shrines what does Peter say? You are the Messiah, the son of the living God. Hallelujah! Our God lives. Jesus Christ is alive, and only a living Christ can solve the crisis dilemma of the United States of America and the world at this time. The Middle East is on fire. The world is on the brink, but God is on the throne. And let us remember this...men come and men go. Men live and men die, but the Messiah, Jesus is the living Christ. He's the living God. In the Himalayan mountains, in the Hindu regions, Christ lives. And the church exists because Jesus is building a kingdom. I will...not might...not hope to...I will build my church.How many of you have said Hickory Bible Church...my church? No it's not. Hate to disappoint you. It's not your church. It doesn't even belong to Pastor Adam. This church belongs to Jesus. He's the king of the kingdom. What did Jesus promise? I will build my church in every generation of time. Jesus is in the process of building his kingdom. What did Jesus mean when he said, I will build my church? What is the church? Is it what you think it is? Is it what people think it is? Or is it what the Bible says it is? Our only authority in answering questions comes from the pages of the Word of God. This is no ordinary book, my friend. This is God's word. This is God's inspired word. God speaks. He speaks to the dead through this word. I have seen God speak to congregations, men and women who were dead in trespasses and sin, and I have watched them as the power of God and the conviction of the Holy Spirit came upon them. There's authority. There is power in this word. This is God's Word. Just over a week ago, I was in Bucharest, Romania, and we stopped for a moment because I wanted to take some photos of a building. It's the biggest Orthodox cathedral in the world. It's being built by Romanians because they still need another year at least to complete it. It's cost around $300 million. It's got a golden dome. Is this the church that Jesus is talking about in Matthew 16:18? Is the church a magnificent building with stained glass windows and scarlet carpets? Just a few weeks ago in Pakistan, Islamic extremists destroyed the homes of 60 believers. They also destroyed by burning 20 church buildings. Are these 20 buildings the church that Jesus promised to build? What does the Bible say? One day a group of Pharisees came to Jesus. They love to come to Jesus. They were antagonists. They were religious hypocrites, always looking for an opportunity to trip Jesus up with their questions. And one day they came. It's recorded in Luke chapter 17, the conversation, especially in verse 20 and 21. And they were asking Jesus, when the kingdom of God would come. And Jesus answer absolutely shocked them. I love it. I've had those moments when the answer leaves people speechless. Do you know what Jesus said? The kingdom of God is not what you think. The kingdom of God is not what you see. It's not an earthly kingdom, but a heavenly kingdom. It's a spiritual kingdom, not a physical kingdom. You can't observe it. You can't see it with the human eye. It's not the kingdom of man. It's the kingdom of God. I love the Lord's Prayer. I love that little phrase, your kingdom come. And then it goes on to say this...Yours is the kingdom, the power, the power and the glory. The Kingdom of God is not confined to one people group. No one nation, no one people group on Earth has a monopoly on the gospel of Jesus Christ. It's not confined to one particular geographical region of the world. It's not confined to Israel. The gospel is for the world. The Kingdom of God is advancing around the world, and the kingdom of God was not, as the Pharisees supposed, a kingdom similar to the Roman Empire. And interestingly, the Pharisees, they assumed that they belonged to the kingdom of God...what a shock to their system they got when, in Matthew 21 Jesus said this in verse 43. The kingdom of God, listen to this will, be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. What people? What are these people that Jesus is talking about? He's talking about people who have truly repented, are genuinely converted, are in the faith, and are citizens of the kingdom. How do we know that? Because they've got a passport...citizen of the Kingdom of heaven? No. The evidence Jesus said, is in the fruit of our lives. These Pharisees, these religious teachers and leaders of the Jews thought they were in the kingdom. They even felt entitled to be in the kingdom. When they thought of the kingdom being re-established, they were thinking of a physical temple. But isn't it interesting in the epistles we learn that every true believer is what?...a Temple of the Holy Spirit. Have you ever wondered what Jesus did between the morning of his resurrection, Easter Sunday, and to the moment of that incredible, indescribable, magnificent ascension to the glory of the father, to sit at the right hand of the Majesty and high 40 days. What did Jesus do? Most people have no idea. Do you know the answer is on the first page of Acts chapter one. I wonder if you ever noticed it. Hey...have you ever read it? I never assumed that Christians are familiar with the Bible. Not only that, I never assume when I go to a conference where it's all pastors...I never assume that every pastor is born again. Does that shock you? Shocked me the first time I realized it. I remember being in Plymouth, in the south of England, preaching at a pastor's conference, and I thought, oh my goodness, I think I'm preaching to the unconverted here. And I changed my message and preached a conversion message to pastors. Can you imagine asking pastors to repent of their sin and turn to Christ. There's power in the Word of God. And I witnessed men with tears say I never understood it before. And here I am preaching God's Word. I never realized what it meant to be born again. What did Jesus do for 40 days? Well, if you read Acts 1:3, it tells you. It says over a period of 40 days he spoke about the kingdom of God. See, it was there all along. You just didn't notice it. Even the apostles, even the followers of Jesus, didn't fully understand, didn't comprehend what Jesus meant when he said, I will build my church. Just before the ascension, just before Jesus is gathered to the glory of heaven they gathered around him in Acts 1:6 and they asked, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel"? Now they had witnessed the power of the resurrection. They saw Jesus. They spoke with Jesus. They ate with Jesus. They had conversations with Jesus. They even touched Jesus. He gave them the promise of the Holy Spirit. And they all understood that the era of the kingdom of God was imminent. But they still don't get it. They think it's going to be a political kingdom, a military kingdom that's going to expel the Roman armies and bring true freedom to Israel...restoring national sovereignty. And Jesus corrects their understanding. And he says in verse seven, it is not for you to know the times or dates the father has set by his own authority, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes in you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. The kingdom that Jesus was building was not a physical structure. It was not a glorious, magnificent temple made with the hands of men. It was the church of the living God. Men and women who are now by grace temples of the Holy Spirit. Are they going to triumph over the armies of Rome? No. They're going to do something even more magnificent. They are going to triumph over the entire Roman Empire. And they're not going to do it with a sword or a spear or a weapon made by human hands. They are going to do it empowered by the Holy Spirit, moving forward prayerfully on their knees, preaching the gospel of Christ. It's the gospel that conquers people. It's the gospel that's the answer to our dilemma. Isn't it interesting that Jesus in Acts 1:8 didn't simply say, you will receive the Holy Spirit? Read it carefully. I always tell people. Read it slowly. Read it carefully. Don't tell me what you think it says. What does it say? Do you know what it says? Jesus said you will receive power...power. When will you receive the power? When the Holy Spirit comes upon you. Not only did Jesus promise power...Jesus said, this power will enable you. It will energize you. It will help you in unbelievable ways to be my witnesses. You see, if you're a citizen of the kingdom of heaven, whether you live in Hickory or Katmandu, whether you live in London or Nairobi, if you're a Christian by nature, you're a witness. Every church, if it's a real, genuine Biblical church, it's not only a preaching church and a praying church and a discipling church, it is also a witnessing church. Jesus is building a kingdom. It's a kingdom that is eternal. It is a kingdom that can never be overpowered. It can never be conquered. It's the kingdom of God. And very interestingly, here's something. Why don't you go home today and read the entire book of Acts? Your reaction...you've got to be joking...the entire book of Acts? Do you know what work that is? That's not work. That is an exciting blessing. Anthony Hopkins, very famous actor...godless actor. I read something interesting about him. They asked him, how many times do you read a script before you go to the studio and begin to practice the film that you're about to make? Listen to this...at least 100 times. I tell that to students in seminaries. You got to read a book at least a hundred times. Pass out the heart pills. It's unbelievable. We need to be saturated in the Word of God. We need to know the Word of God. And the Word of God needs to be oozing out of us naturally and supernaturally.
Here's something amazing. The book of Acts begins in chapter one, talking about the Kingdom of God. 30 years later, because it's just a brief history of the New Testament church. The early days of growth, expansion, opposition, persecution. When you reach the last chapter, Acts 28:30-31, we're no longer in Jerusalem. Do you know where we are? We're in Rome. We're in the heart of the Roman Empire. And here's what Paul said in verse 31, boldly, boldly, and without hindrance. Paul preached...wait for it...here it comes...Paul preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus, even in the heart of Imperial Rome. There were those who could call Jesustheir Lord and their Savior. The Bible tells us that even in Caesar's household, the kingdom had arrived, and there were brothers and sisters in Caesar's household who could bow their heads on a schmidly and look up to heaven and say, Lord, thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory. The Kingdom of God, my dear friend, is on the move around the world, on every continent...in isolated valleys, hidden in remote mountain areas. In small tropical islands scattered throughout the world. In remote deserts scorched by the sun. In large cities and small towns and villages everywhere...Jesus is building his church. Hallelujah! And every century of time, he's never paused. He's never stopped. Jesus, Jesus. Jesus is building his church. Albert Einstein was a very famous scientist. He traveled a lot by train, and one day he was on a train going to some city, and the conductor comes down to check the tickets. He was looking for all the people from North Carolina who hadn't bought a ticket. So he comes to the compartment of Albert Einstein. And Albert Einstein must have been Irish, you know, looking in every pocket. Couldn't find his ticket. And the conductor looked at him and said, Doctor Einstein, it's okay. I know who you are. You travel a lot by train. I know exactly who you are. Don't worry. And he continued down the train, checking, looking for North Carolina. And then he's making his way back, and he comes by the compartment of Albert Einstein, and he's on his knees. And by the way, he wasn't praying. He's on his knees, searching underneath the seat, looking for his ticket. And the conductor with a smile says, Doctor Einstein, I told you it's not a problem. I know who you are. And immediately Einstein jumped up and said, I know who I am too, but I don't know where I'm going. The Church of Jesus Christ knows where it's going. We have received marching orders...all the world...no exception. During the Communist era Jesus did not say all theworld except the Communist nations. Jesus never said anywhere except North Korea or China. Jesus never said anywhere but Iran. You know how bad those people are. No, Jesus said, all theworld, every creature...starting in Jerusalem, then Judea, then Samaria...listen to it, and then to the ends of the earth. The gospel of the Kingdom is moving forward. I had an unforgettable experience some years ago. Sometimes when you're traveling and you've got moments on a plane, you go down memory lane. And sometimes I think of things, and I have to pause because I feel so blessed to have experienced it. I was in the city of Zaporozhye. Two thirds of it, by the way, are now under Russian occupation. We've lost hundreds of churches. I was in Zaporozhye. It was a Saturday afternoon, and along with a few other pastors, I stood in the Dnieper River. And as I stood in the river, I looked and I wept because we were going to baptize over 1000 people and they were all dressed in white. I've never seen anything like it in my life. I've never felt so moved, so humbled, knowing that God had honored His Word and saved lost sinners and brought them into the kingdom. And I'm having this unique privilege, along with some of my dear brothers of baptizing them. Did you know that in a corner of northeastern Brazil, in a remote area of the Amazon, an area, by the way, that for some it takes them four weeks traveling by boat just to get there Doesn't get any more remote than that. They just baptized 14,500 people. That's what God can do. No, that's what God is doing. When I was a young boy, I was converted at 14. Thank God for a godly geography teacher who led me to Christ in a geography classroom during the lunch break on a Monday. I got off my knees, never to be the same again. I remember listening to missionaries when I was young. It was the last century, by the way. In particular, I remember one missionary who worked in the interior of Brazil. He actually was located in an area called Manaus. And I never forget, he said they planned this expedition. They were going to go up the river. It would take a long time to reach an unreached tribe. They were excited. They were praying. They had people everywhere praying for them. And he said...his name was Bill. He says, when we arrived at this village along the shores of the river, I fell on my knees and I wept because the first thing I saw was a Coca-Cola bottle. And he says, I saw that Coca-Cola bottle. And he said, Lord, how can it be that Coca-Cola got here before the gospel? My dear friends, we have a mission to accomplish. A previous CEO of Coca-Cola many years ago had a vision. Do you know what his vision was? That every person in the world would taste Coca-Cola at least once in their lifetime. How many millions are in the world today who have never heard the gospel? I was taken once to a remote area of Nepal up in the Himalayas, and they told me I was going to a place where the gospel had never, ever been before. They knew nothing of the kingdom. What do you say to people who have never heard the gospel before? Do you know the four spiritual laws? Throw them out the window. God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. So Jesus died on the cross for your sins. Who's Jesus? I remember going and thinking, Lord, what am I going to say? Because these people don't know anything. Where do I start? Well I am Irish...I'm very smart...start before the beginning. Go back into eternity. That's where it all started. And you start to explain the incredible majesty and glory of God who designed the universe, the stars, the sun, the mountains, the flowers, the trees, the grass, therivers. And this God had a plan for mankind. And you start then to go into Genesis, and you come to Genesis 3 and the fall of man, and you go right through the Old Testament. And then you come to Jesus, then you come to the cross. How can you speak about salvation when people don't even know what sin is? How can you be convicted of sin if you don't even know you're a sinner? We've got to get our message right. It's got to be scriptural...scriptural. Jesus is building his church. It's a great church. I've been to some interesting buildings around the world. In fact, when I was converted, my home church was a church just outside Belfast. It was a place called Dundonald in Northern Ireland. And the church building, by the way, is still standing today. It was built in 1645. And as I told the people in the first service, I know because Pastor Chris was there, he had a photograph of that, that event 1645. Do you know how many pastors have preached in that pulpit? How many have come and gone? They came to preach. They died. They were buried. Here's the good news. I remember standing with Dwight Stone. I said, Dwight, you got to see this. This is the triumph of the gospel. Here we are, hundreds of years later, and the same gospel is being preached from generation to generation. In May, I was in Armenia speaking at a graduation, preaching in churches. I went to one church. You know how old this church was?...still standing. It is magnificent...huge. Even an earthquake could make this thing fall. It is nearly 1000 years old. The acoustics...absolutely perfect. Unbelievable. The test of time. That's just the building, by the way. The church has stood the test of time.
One of the greatest stories about the church and the kingdom of God that I've ever heard...it literally moved me to tears. I could even tell you where I was standing when I heard it. It was from a brother in Armenia, and it's a story about the kingdom of God in the Islamic country of Turkey. There was a tourist and he came to a remote village in the mountains, a place that people usually didn't visit. He was expecting to see a mosque, but he didn't see a mosque. To his absolute amazement, he saw a small church. He couldn't believe it. I'm standing on Turkish soil. This is a church. And he saw an old man coming down the street and he stopped him. He said, sir, when did this church arrive in this village? And the old man put his hand around his shoulder and he says, let's sit down. And they sat down, and the tourist heard something unbelievable. The man said, sir, 2000 years ago a man from our village went to a city called Jerusalem. When he was in Jerusalem, he heard the gospel being preached by a man named Peter. His life was changed by the power of God. He returned to our village. He brought the gospel with him. Listen to this. And the gospel's been here ever since. I tell you when I heard that, I wept. That's what it's all about. The lasting effect of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Oh what a church...what a kingdom Jesus is building. Someone told me all the sinners come to the second service. I'm not sure if that's true. I'm not even saying it is true. But I do want to say this to some of you here today. This might surprise you. Nowhere in the Bible are we told to go to church. We are to be the church. And you can't be the church unless you're in the kingdom. And those who are in the kingdom and part of the church, they gather faithfully like you gather right here this morning for fellowship, instruction, encouragement, and strengthening in the faith. Do you know what the big question is this morning? It's not do you go to church. Because you, my friend, can go to church, listen to this, and go to hell. I have stood over the graves of people who were church people and they went to hell. Going to church will not transform your life. Going to church will not give you a passport to heaven. The question is, are you in the church? Are you part of the church that Jesus is building? In just over a week, I'm going to be in Armenia. I'm going to teach at the seminary. One of the places I'm going to go to is in a remote corner of southern Armenia. It's called Agarak. It's right on the border with Iran...the Islamic Republic of Iran. When we're driving into Agarak, the river that separates both nations is there. It's not very wide. The old Iron Curtain from the Soviet era is still there, separating. And you can look over to the other side of the river and see shepherd boys...Iranian shepherd boys...minding sheep. You can see the little villages dotted on the hillsides. There is a church in Agarak, and I remember when it was being built. I said to the pastor. Do me a favor. What? I said get the biggest neon sign that you can get. Make it the cross and put the cross on top of the church. Because they were in a high position.Because at nighttime, I want them to see the cross. Thank God for the cross. Thank God for the message of the cross and the work of the cross and the power of the gospel in modern day Iran. Let me tell you, my friend, the enemy of the United States may be the government of Iran. It's not the people of Iran. There are over 1 million born again citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven in Iran. They meet secretly. They're persecuted. Some of them are put in prison. Others have been killed for the faith. In spite of opposition, in spite of pressure...the church is continuing to grow...the fastest growth rate of any nation in the world when you look at the population. That, my friend, is a miracle. Iran sent 181 missiles to hit Israel. I know a missile stronger than anything that Iran has in its arsenal, and it will explode all over Iran. It's the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Bible says it is the power of God unto salvation. Listen to this...to all, even Iranians, even North Koreans, even Chinese, and even someone here in this service today. The gospel, the gospel of the Kingdom is the power of God unto salvation. The church that Jesus is building will never be destroyed. Before I close, let me say this. For many, many years I preached in Ukraine. We built many churches. When I went first to the city of Zaporozhye, over 1 million people, two churches...in the entire city. And then in the ? old blast, that became hundreds. Now they've got a theological seminary. The war between Russia and Ukraine has resulted in the destruction or the partial destruction of over 600 Ukrainian churches. It's heartbreaking. Some of those churches, we spent a lot of money and a lot of effort building. I tell you, you look at a photo of something that you were there on opening day and you see the destruction. It breaks your heart. And then I'm encouraged because that's not the church. That was just the building. Jesus. His church is made up of living temples of the Holy Spirit. I spoke to the wife of a dear pastor, and she said,when war broke out, within a few weeks, our church went from 120 to 10. It was devastating. And you know, they ain't coming back. When they got out of the country, they're gone. The pastor, what are we going to do? And they prayed and God showed them through His Word. Lift up your eyes and look. The fields are white. They're ready for harvesting. All the people that haven't left. That's your mission field. That's the kingdom to come. Today they have more people than they had than when the war started. That, my friend, is what God can do. Jesus is building a kingdom. The king is coming. Hallelujah! Jesus is coming again. He's coming to reign over his kingdom. People say, when is He coming? I can give you the answer. And I'm not even a prophet. Are you listening? I find this in the NIV. When the last soul on earth is converted by God's grace, when the last soul in this earth, wherever they are, is washed in the blood of the lamb, the lamb is coming in triumph, in power and in great glory. I thank God for Hickory Church. You've got a great name. Hickory Bible Church, and I know that this is a church that preaches the Word, but America has lost the Word. We need to rediscover the message, the authority, the power of the Word of God. We need to recover the fear of the Lord. And we need to recover biblical holiness. If we're going to impact the world and extend the kingdom, we need to rekindle the fire of lukewarm love for Jesus. And we need to reignite our passion for world mission. One of the most moving verses that you will find anywhere in Scripture is this: Jesus wept. Can you imagine the creator of everything, the giver of salvation, the worker of unspeakable miracles. He looked over Jerusalem and he wept. I ask you a question in closing. When was the last time you wept for lost souls who are still outside the Kingdom of God. We need your prayers. The world needs your prayers. Most people assume when a missionary stands on a platform, he's going to ask for money. We don't need to ask for money. I always plead for prayer. Pray for Iran. Pray for Turkey. Pray for Romania. Pray for South Africa. Pray for North Korea. Pray for Honduras. There are millions, yeah, billions outside the kingdom. Oh that the day will come when many who are yet unconverted will one day be able to say. Lord, thine is the kingdom, the power and the Glory. Dear friend, we must glorify God. We must obey God. We must remain faithful to the message of God. We need power. You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. May God move in this church. May God move to the preaching of the Word. May God work through the prayers and the tears of his people, may Hickory come to Christ. May North Carolina bow before the power of Almighty God. What America needs more than anything in the church is revival. What America needs, and the highways and the byways and the little backwoods towns and in the major cities is they need Christ. They need the gospel. All that the kingdom of God would extend everywhere. I will. Hallelujah. He never breaks apromise. I will build my church.
Let's pray. Oh, God, our heavenly father, we need your help. We need you to move in our hearts, motivate us, move us, send us out. Lord, energized by your spirit, that we might reach the world and bring the message of the kingdom to lost peoples everywhere. Amen.
Pulpit Curriculum PDF Pulpit Curriculum DOCX * View transcript 5 Marks of Steadfastness at HBC in 5 Years
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2 Thessalonians chapter 3, verses 1 to 5. It to me is amazing where we are right now in this letter, as it corresponds to my life in the sense of this is around the time I came five years ago, and I was reflecting on that this week. God's kindness and our family coming back around this week, five years ago, sometime around like the 20th, we boomeranged back from the 818 of Los Angeles to the 828 of Hickory. Because your two fine cities are so similar. There's really no change at all. But I was studying this while thinking about my first five years as the preaching pastor here, and as I was studying the text and just seeing what Paul is doing here in this final exhortation of Second Thessalonians one that not a lot of people would probably have high in their list of a place in the Bible they go to understand what a steadfast church is like. But as I read this and saw its truth, I couldn't help but think of what I've seen in you. How this text, though the truth is in the words in the Bible. It's lived out amongst Hickory Bible Church and I was just so encouraged by that. Simultaneously, I just so happened to have a guy reach out to me. New to town here. Um, took a church and we were having lunch. And he though he's five years my younger, he's already actually pastored two churches as a preaching pastor or senior pastor, if you want to call it that, for five years each. And, you know, that actually is more common than one guy being at a place for a really long time. I was looking into the research of LifeWay. They did a survey in 2021 of 1500 evangelical pastors and found that, um, the average tenure of a senior pastor, um, is five years. And, um, I was thinking, well, here I am, by the way. I'm not going anywhere. Somebody, as far as I know, uh, after first service did come up and he said, I sat waiting the entire time, you know, because you always want to save it for the end. I was like, no. So he's like, just tell the people this isn't setting up for something else. But as that guy and I were talking, I was thinking about, well, he's done two, five year stints and and then if 50% of pastors being interviewed, you know, 50% of them have been somewhere five years or less and even 50% of them, they were they've been there other places multiple times. What I'm getting to do right now, five years in, is is somewhat unique. It also made me think, is it any different in the world? Is it just that a senior pastor would have this? And I found a study from Harvard Law School that the Tenure rate of CEOs of the best of the best 500 large cap companies traded on the US stock exchange. The median tenure is 39% will be there less than five years, which kind of blew me away because you're talking to these, you know, fortune 500 companies and all the research they do, all the interviews they do to find the person to lead them ahead. 39% will last five years or less, and 13% will be there less than a year. And so whether a CEO or pastor can be over quickly. But as I studied our passage today, I was encouraged in putting statistics aside. Just saying, do I see the same things that were true about this good church that we've talked about now since January? First Thessalonians? A good church, second Thessalonians, a growing church. Do I see the same characteristics when we talk about the Word of God is to be that mirror to us. James one says that we look into and I was just studying it this week, going, God, you have given me. You have allowed me, privileged me to be a pastor of a church that looks like this church. And I don't take that for granted at all. The same qualities of steadfastness that Paul rejoiced in in these believers. I rejoice in in you. And so I titled this message Five Marks of Steadfastness that Hickory Bible Church in five years. I know that it's about a church back then, but it's also true of you now, and God gets all the praise for that. So let's read this text together. This kind of closing exhortation before Paul gives them one final admonishment about working. He has this five verseencouragement to them, and we see five marks of steadfastness there. Follow along as I read Second Thessalonians three 1 to 5 Finally, brothers and sisters, pray for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified just as it did also with you, and that we will be rescued from perverse and evil men. For not all have faith, but the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. We have confidence in the Lord concerning you that you are doing, andwill continue to do what we command. May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever. I often quote that Isaiah 40, verse eight before each sermon, and it actually was the passage, the first passage I preached when I came back in the fall of 2019. Isaiah 40, verses 1 to 8. Because I was coming back and asking myself the question, what is a preacher to do? And that was the title of that sermon then. What's a preacher to do? And it's answered very clearly in Isaiah 40. Right out of the gate. Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. That word for comfort is a word for strengthening. And it's the pastor's primary calling as a shepherd to the Lord Jesus Christ's sheep, to strengthen them, to do everything he can within his power to feed them and lead them to grow stronger in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. Bottom line. And so that was where we started five years ago. And we talked about how in that passage, that it was foreshadowing the arrival of John the Baptist, who would quote these very lines. And he would he would clear the way of the Lord in the wilderness. He would make smooth a way for the Messiah to come for the glory of the Lord to be revealed. Verse five, and all flesh will see it together, In the mouth of the Lord is spoken, calling out, and the prophet answers, what shall I call out? What shall I tell God's people? All flesh is like grass, and its loveliness like the flower of the field. It's passing. The flower is going to fade. The grass is going to wither. When the breath of the Lord blows upon it. Surely the people are like grass. But there is one thing that will stand, and it's the Word of God. And when I got back, I said, this is I did not, um, make myself go through the pain of listening to that sermon. I just went to my notes and I found the section where I talked about my vision, and I said, you may wonder what my vision for this church is. Here it is. I look out and I see a field of withering grass and fading flowers. No offense. None taken in 60 years. Most of us won't remain. But one thing will the Word of God. The preacher will change. The people will change. The Word of God will stand. So that's my vision for this church. That's what it's going to be. I have no idea of anything else that will happen to this place, except that this church will stand as we faithfully preach and teach the Word of God, and that will endure even when we are gone. Five years later, I still stand by that claim. What is more encouraging to me than anything is I do see a field of healthy and alive flowers and grass, as this week my heart was overjoyed to to read through second Thessalonians three 1 to 5 and see these five marks of steadfastness in the church that caused Paul great joy to write them this letter and close this letter out with this exhortation. So let's start with Mark number one, what he saw in them and what I see in you. Mark number one, the benchmark of a faithful church is that the word has spread.
God's word has run ahead. You see that in verse one when he says, brothers and sisters, pray for us of all the things. What does Paul want them to pray for? That the word of the Lord will spread rapidly. The Word of God speeding up and spreading out. That's the pastor's greatest joy because it doesn't just go out from him. It goes to the people who take it out. You build up the body. You strengthen the body. You edify the saints for the work of the ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ. So it doesn't terminate on me or on you. And when we talk about God being faithful to a church and the Word of God being spread, we can't move past prayer as in the mark of a faithful church that you can decide by. The thing you can hear Here is whether or not they are preaching and teaching, but what you can't see. But by the power of the word going forth, what you know is there is prayer. Because prayer is what precedes the power of that word. Do you see that there? He's asking Paul the apostle is saying to these brothers and sisters, my request is that you pray for us. The wordhas been going forth in power. We saw that in first Thessalonians chapter one where he said, you received the word of God and much affliction. And then it didn't stop with you. It went out to Achaea and Macedonia, and everywhere you went, it went. He used this word that we get echo from. It echoed out. It resounded out from you. But he's saying, don't be fooled to think it was about me, or it was about you. It was about that you prayed. So keep praying. Any preacher knows that this is true, that the power is in prayer that precedes any preaching, any teaching, any evangelizing. C.h. Spurgeon, the Prince of Preachers, 19th century pastor of New Park Street Chapel in London, eventually to be called Metropolitan Tabernacle. I mean, one of the first megachurches, if you want to call it that. In the 1800s, 5000 members reached thousands more millions, perhaps in the pamphlets that were sent out, his sermons being written down by people listening and then printed and sent around the world. And most people just thought the power of this came from the preacher. It came from the preaching. I mean, come on, we're talking about the Prince of Preachers. One time on a Sunday, a group of young pastors enthralled by Spurgeon wanted to visit his large church and hear him preach, and afterwards he showed them the sanctuary. He was most eager to take them to what he called the boiler room. And these young, impressionable men were not eager at all to go and see it. Why would you going to be hot? You've just seen the Prince of Preachers, you've just heard the preaching. What could be learned from a boiler room? They declined, he insisted, and he led them to the basement. And there they saw hundreds of members praying. And this, Spurgeon said, smiling, is my boiler room. When asked the secret of his ministry, he always repliedthe same thing. My people pray for me. He might have been the Prince of Preachers, but they were the people of prayer. And that's the explanation for his ministry. And that's the explanation for anything we see around here. I know personally the power of your prayers for me from day one. I didn't plan on coming back when I left in 2016. Nothing personal. I had it on my heart while I was gone to get prepared to go play in a church back in Pittsburgh, and I was moving in that direction. It was May 2019. John Crick invited me to come and preach to the young adults at a retreat out in Black Mountain, and I never turned two things down. Preaching and Black Mountain drip-o-later coffee shop. Beautiful spot. So I come back and I lined it up that as I was preparing to go church plant, that I would meet with the elders here and talk about what partnership would look like. And they were eager to do that. I didn't expect anything other than that. And I was May in 2019 on that way. They didn't even mention me coming back here, but they were still praying for a senior pastor here. I had actually turned down the job twice before that, so why would they continue to ask? But they were praying, and I don't know if they were praying for me to change my mind. But long story long. One evening in July of that summer. So just 2 or 3 months later, there was a prayer meeting over in the Ryle Room across the way, and the focus of prayer that night was for the preaching pastor. Who would it be? Well, that same night I had written that week, I had been thinking about knowing the need was still here and knowing there was also a need where I wanted to go. I had actually written two different emails to the elders here, one saying, I would love to come back and be the preaching pastor if you would have me. I know I've said no already a couple of times and I wrote another one saying, no, I can't do it, I'm on my way. And I sat there with that. And then that night, that same night, you guys prayed. I woke up at 3 a.m., couldn't sleep. And just asked the Lord. Give me direction. And he finally brought me to a point of changing my heart, changing my mind and in faith. Coming back here saying no to one thing, saying yes to another. Both would have been in faith, but I wouldn't have come if it weren't for prayer. I'm positive of that. Why did I say that? Because the other two times. Search committees, Meetings, all that stuff. None of it worked. Maybe he was teaching this church something. He was certainly teaching me something. The only explanation for the change of heart was prayer. You people praying God waking me up to pray. In responding the next day and sending the first email, not the second. When prayer paves the way, what ultimately moves ahead is the gospel. So it's not really about whether or not I came back. God was going to provide somebody to preach here. He always has. That's one of the wonderful things about the legacy of this place, that anybody that's been here for a few decades always reminds me, Adam, no matter what season this church has been through, what they've gone through, the one thing that's never changed is he's always had somebody here that was going to be faithful to the Word of God. The message was always going to keep going. And we see it now, don't we? When it says the word will spread rapidly, that's a word for it runs ahead. It's a picture of an athlete and we see it running ahead here. We see it now as we move to this campus in 2014, I think, and our prayer was to be a city on a hill. Some of you remember that idea. And what that meant was that the crossroads of 321 and 70, that people down south in Lincolnton or up to Lenoir, we even have some people that make the drive down from Boone out west to Valdez, or out east to Statesville, that the word would spread rapidly. And how does it spread? It spreads through you. You tell people, you invite people, and it spread far beyond that. It's gone to the ends of the earth. It's in Uganda, it's in Romania, it's it's in Mexico, it's Haiti, it's Nepal. We have a young couple here going to Nepal in a few weeks, just testing out to see. Would the Lord call them there? The word spreads rapidly. It goes faster and farther than we could ever make it go using our own man made ideas programs. No, it's you build the people up. You encourage them in the faith and then they want to do something with it. They can't sit on it. Now there is something else to be highlighted here. It's not just that the word of the Lord spreads rapidly in a steadfast church. It's glorified. Well, what does that mean? Well, it's a word for it's honored. The reward of the runner is to get to the finish line and win. And so what's Paul saying here? He's saying we've not just seen it go out. We've seen it transform that that message, that word of the Lord that's gone out into all these different directions is changing lives. It's saving lives. It's being glorified and the transformation of the life. And then that that person who is now a new creature in Christ, a new creation, lives a life worthy of the gospel. The gospel is being adorned by good works. That's what Paul is saying there, that the message is matching up with the lifestyle, that our life is matching, our doctrine that we're about God's Word spreading rapidly, and God's saints living righteously. And I see that in you. That's why the people you invite actually take you up on it, because they see your life and it proves it. Who would be interested in going to a church of a neighbor who's a terrible neighbor, who's a rude customer at a restaurant, who's a poor coworker who shows up late, who leaves early, who cuts corners, who gossips behind people's back. You think they're going to want to come to church with you, but you invite them and they come. Why? Because your life is glorifying to God as they see your good deeds and praise your father in heaven. And when you get the courage to invite, they may be not interested in the truth, but they at least believe your life. And that's how it should be. That's what it was in Thessalonica. And that's what true. What's true with you. Now, if this is happening, if the word of the Lord is spreading rapidly and being glorified as it did there. Look what happens next in verse two. The next mark is that there's going to be oppositionand the leaders will stand firm. The next mark of a steadfast church is it's being led by people who stand firm, leaders that endure. He says, pray for us that we Paul, Silas, Timothy, some of the other leaders that joined them in the ministry in Thessalonica, that we will be rescued from perverse and evil men, for not all have faith. He wants prayer not just for the preaching, but for the persecution. But he's not asking to be able to fight these perverse and evil men, to stand toe to toe with them, or to run from them. He just says, hey, when the time comes for us to be rescued, that God would be faithful and show up. Similar to the prayer Jesus has in Matthew 6:13, deliver us from evil. It's the same word or the prayer Jesus prayed in John 17:15. I do not ask you to take them out of the world to run from it, but to keep them in it and keep them from the evil one. I mean, that's what's true about our lives. Otherwise we get saved and we'd go up. But he leaves us here for the mission to move forward, and he knows how much we can handle, whether it's opposition from without or from within.
The Lord will be there for us. They were. He was there for Paul. Paul never ran from a fight. He stood firm in it because he knew that when the time came, he needed to be rescued. God would show up and he would show up and deliver from perverse and evil men. Who is he talking about here? Well, if you go back to where this church started in Acts 17, it actually wasn't these pagan gentiles running them out of town. It was religious Jews. It was people that should have known and recognized the truth, seen that there is hope in the gospel of Jesus Christ. But 1705 says, the Jews became jealous, formed a mob, set the city in an uproar. These are the. These are the wicked and perverse men. He's speaking of and he's saying, why are they perverse? And that word perverse? We know what that means. When you pervert something, you twist it. You take a good thing and make it a bad thing. Well. What's that? That's when people pervert the gospel. When they want to say, oh, no, no. What were they saying? What were those Jews have been saying about Paul? You can't listen to this guy. He's proclaiming a Messiah that he'll forgive your sins. You don't need to keep the law. You can just live however you want to live. But we're the righteous ones by the way of the law. And Paul says, no, it's not that way at all. The gospel is all of grace. You're justified by faith. You stand in the righteousness of Jesus Christ, or you don't stand at all. And so how perverse is it for religious people to come in and say, that's not the truth, that's a lie. You need to do it on your own. So that's the opposition that Paul was facing in verse two, and the mark of a steadfast church is when you have leaders that stand firm in truth. I mean, when I look back at five years here, one area I am certain your prayers have showed up for me and for our elders is that the fourth man always showed up in the fire. You remember that when we preached Daniel chapter three? That was the lesson. No matter what you're going through, the fourth man will show up and he's done it for us as the leaders here in this church. There hasn't been a fight we've been through in the last five years or beyond that, that at some point we didn't look around and realize, just what does God want from us, from His Word? Get on our knees and pray and see the Lord show up. See him. Keep us first. Stand firm with us. He was faithful. He's been faithful. So I've seen the power of your prayers from the beginning for me coming back. And all throughout. I hear it when you send me an email. The most common line in it is always, pastor, we're praying for you. Not just praying for verse one. The preaching to spread and be glorified, but that we would be rescued. We would be protected. We would stand. We wouldn't compromise. We wouldn't step back. We wouldn't step down. But when the time comes that we need to, we would step up. And that work never ceases for a leader in a church. You never can stop being on guard for the truth. Galatians 2:4 warns of false brothers who are secretly brought in to spy out our liberty, which we have in Jesus Christ, to bring us back into bondage. Do you know that's the greatest threat is for the gospel to be twisted? It's the greatest threat in your life in a church that you might trust somebody, a leader, a teacher, and they start to take you away from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Jesus Christ and trusting in him alone, and try to put you on a path to something else. Some new things. Some new age thingor some old thing. Go back to works. Go back to the law. Go back to customs. Go back to traditions. What did we learn last week in verse 15? We hold firm to the tradition, the teaching only taught by apostolic authority, bound in the Word of God. Anything else? We lay it aside. So that's the work of a leader in a church to protect the flock from wolves dressed up as sheep. Antagonists of the gospel, running after us, trying to trip us up, unfaithful. But verse three, the Lord is faithful. And so the third point isn't just that leaders will stand firm. Mark number three of a steadfast church is the church stands firm. God's people stand. That's what Paul is encouraging and exhorting these thesebelievers in Thessalonica, the Lord is faithful. You may see opposition all around you. We read of it in chapter one. Those people that are afflicting them in verse six. He promises them coming relief in the return of Jesus. But in the meantime, before you see him face to face, he's with you in your heart. He's faithful and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. Notice Paul upping the ante back in verse two when talking about the threats to the leadership, he and others. It was evil ones, wicked and perverse people. But for everybody in the church, you as a saint, you as a member may not feel targeted by opposition from people like I might because I'm preaching it. But you know what? You have the same target when it comes to the evil one wanting to take you down. So? So it's not like a, oh, you know, we're cool. We don't need prayer. No, we all need prayer because every one of us. Verse three. Part of the church needs strengthened and protected from the evil one, and God is faithful to do it. He's faithful to do it. What do those words mean? Strengthened and protected. Strengthened is just a word of forming a foundation, a groundwork. We went back to that last week, didn't we? We saw that. What do we stand firm on? What's the first thing that we check if we're going to stand firm in verse 13 of chapter two. That we are loved by God, chosen from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the spirit and faith in the truth. You go back to the gospel. That's our firm footing. We just sang it. Jesus is our firm foundation. Nothing exalts Christ more and encourages our hearts more than being brought back to the basics of the gospel. We never get over it. That's where we stand and fight from. And he says, you need to be strengthened by the Lord, remembering the gospel. Fortify that foundation in your life. And then he says he'll protect you. That's another way. God is faithful in your life against evil ones and the evil one. He protects you. This word is used in acts 12 four, when Peter was guarded by four squads of soldiers when Herod threw him in prison. I mean, it's just basically that that word protecting you is a word, a soldier guarding someone who's doing the guarding of our souls, the Lord Jesus Christ. He's protecting your salvation. John 17:12. He prays this while I was with them, the disciples, I was keeping them in your name, father, which you've given me. I guarded them, and not one of them perished, except for the son of perdition, so that Scripture would be fulfilled. I mean, he's praying to the Father, knowing he's knowing what's coming ahead for Peter. Luke 22:31 to 32. Simon, Simon, behold, Satan, the evil one has demanded permission to sift you like we put you through his sieve of suffering, to break you down, cause you to quit. Back off. Recant. That's what Satan has demanded. And he doesn't say, you know, Peter, you're the rock. You're so strong. Look inside yourself and you can fight. That's what we tell people, isn't it? You've got what it takes. It's not what Jesus told Peter. He said he would be too much of a match for you. But I prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And we're thinking. But it did fail, didn't it? Not all the way. He may have been knocked back a little bit, but he wasn't knocked out. He remained. He came back. He came back. As Christ prayed for him. And what Peter just needed to know that Christ's eye was always on him. He was praying for him. He saw him when he walked across after he had denied him. He knew Christ never gave up on me. The Lord is faithful to guard me. And then he says to Peter, in that moment, and once you have turned again, Once you have gotten back up off the mat, go and strengthen your brothers. So he strengthens you and he protects you. Believer. Not just for your own faith, but the faith of the people around you. And I see that in this church, elders and I have a front row seat to all the trials. And there's a lot all theopposition, all the heartaches. But in five years. Far, far more, we see people standing, not falling, and we give praise to who? For? That God. Because he's faithful. He's faithful to keep you. I've seen it for ten years. Some of you for 20 others. 30, 40. The OGs, as I call them, they're almost were coming up on 50 years. Pretty soon they'll tell you time and time again how the Lord has been faithful, not just generally, but they'll have stories. That's why some of us who are newer here, younger in the faith. Need those older mentors and disciplers to tell us the stories of God's faithfulness, not just out there in somebody else's life, but they'll tell you the stories of God's faithfulness in their life. A couple of years ago, fall of 2021, we made a film here 45 Years of God's Faithfulness.
We didn't have that as the working title when we started. All I knew was there was about 6 or 7 couples who were here from 1976 near the beginning, and we said, you know what? We want to capture them. We want to get their story. And so I just said, can you show up on a Friday? I'll interview you. I'll just ask you a couple questions about how you came, how God worked in your life, what you've seen since then. That was the plot. I mean, you could see now why I made it big in LA. It just I really think these things out. But what was awesome to hear is the camera rolled without any of them talking to each other in advance. They all came back to the same story. God is faithful. So we named it 45 Years of God's Faithfulness. And that's what we bank on. That's the firm foundation we stand on here. Is that the flower? Like people, they come and go pastors as well. But the constant is God. Paul saw it. This church. I see it here. All our boast is in him. For that he strengthens. He protects us. And it could lead you to ask the question. Then what are we responsible for? What do we do? Well, it's in verse four. Fourth mark of a steadfast church is they obey, knowing that we have God fighting for us, strengthening us in the inner man, protecting us from outside opposition. Verse four we have confidence in the Lord concerning you. Thessalonians Hickory Bible Church that you are doing and will continue to do what we command when it comes to keeping the commands of God. This church doesn't flinch and neither do you. And it's based on a precedent of the past and a call to excel still more in the future. First Thessalonians four Paul repeats it twice. Verse one. You've received from us instruction as you ought to walk and please God, just as you actually do. He's constantly saying, you're already doing it. Keep doing it. That you excel still more. And then verse ten, we urge you, brothers and sisters, excel still more. What's he saying over here? He's just saying it a different way. Our confidence is in the Lord concerning you. That the evidence, the proof of your salvation, that you are rooted in Christ as your bearing fruit for Christ by your obedience will be known by our fruits. Right? Victory Bible Church we're known by our fruits. Our reputation precedes us. What we do out there is the proof that there's actually a God at work in here. Through the preaching of his word and the power of His spirit and you applying what you learn. It's the fourth mark of a church that obeys. Or a church that's steadfast is that they obey. And we see an example in verse four of Paul of he is commending them to obedience by way of encouragement. And that's that's what good teachers and leaders do. I put a quote in the pulpit curriculum last week from Mark Dever, a pastor in Capitol Hill, where he talks about the need for pastors to encourage, particularly the young ones. He writes this so many times I've seen men, particularly the younger guys, act as if real leadership is shown in correcting others. And that's why young men's sermons are often so cold as they scold. What they haven't figured out is that you can accomplish more by encouragement. There are times to admonish, but 80 to 90% of what you hope to correct can be accomplished through encouragement. If you look back at your life and consider who influenced you the most. You will probably find that it's the people who believed in you. So for the scholars in the room, the quick to rebuke. Think about it a little more encouragement. It goes a long way. And you know that by your own life, your own testimony, that the people that have been there for you. Yeah, they've had a correction to give you, but how much more they've given you encouragement because again, it's not their belief in you. It's their belief in your God. They believe in your Savior. They believe that the spirit is actually in you. They believe that the word can actually changeyou. So it's never really faith in that person. It's faith in the God of that person, the Lord Jesus Christ. So we can go up to people and say what Paul says here. We have confidence in the Lord concerning you. So it protects us too, from being too let down, because our our faith and confidence was never really in that person, but it was in their Lord, it was in their Savior. And if they are in Christ, if you're in Christ today, we can have courage looking at your life no matter where you are. We believe in your God. We believe in your Savior. We believe that he transformed you, saved you and set you apart and has good works prepared for you in advance. And we're not just shining your face on with that. We're telling you the truth about who you are. And if you're going to lead in this church and serve others and disciple others, you have to get that one straight. You believe in their God. You believe in the power of the word. You believe in the power of prayer. And once you've run through all those things, then yeah, maybe it's like, you know, put my arm around. Yeah, I kind of believe in you, too, you know, you're not so bad. But you have all these other reasons to put your faith in people. Because the Lord is faithful. That's the fourth mark. A church that obeys and then the last one that ties it all together. Really, it's the legacy of this church. And that church is that we love. We're people that have been loved and we love out of that love. When he says, May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God. Isn't that the greatest legacy of a church? Loving God and loving people. It's the great commandment. It's our mission statement here. Fulfill the great commandment and fill the the Great Commission. Going out with making disciples in the force of the Great Commandment. I mean, you could put that as a slogan. You could put it on a t shirt. But if you don't understand the power of that request in verse five, it's not going to do anything in you. Last thing I wanted to do when I came back five years ago was to be some sloganeering pastor. You know what HBC really needs? We just need some more cliches. Fire up the printing press. Let's make some more shirts. What's grown this church and what's grounded this church and what's kept you and what's protected you and secured you and moved you, is that God has directed your hearts into the greater depth and length and height and breadth of his love. Is that not true? And that's what keeps you standing. When you understand that nothing separates you from the love of God in Christ, that he stood for you. His steadfastness. Verse five. His perseverance, his devotion, his obedience to the father. To persevere for the joy set before him, to go all the way to the cross and stand in your place and take your sin, and go to the grave, and come back again, and rise to the father and see it. Sit at his right hand, and rule and reign from there with all power over all things in heaven and earth. That's Steadfastness is what allows you to stand, and what that reminds you of all that Christ did for you, that you didn't do for him, is how much the Father loves you. A church that loves understands its God who that word for direct. It's a picture of a ship being guided on a straight course. And if there's one thing that's going to keep this church, that church and this church on a straight course is going directly always back to the love of God for you. That's right. You move an inch away from that, you'll land 20 miles away. You'll think there's something else that has to be there for your faith to stand some work you can do some new thing you can learn. Because the gospel is old hat. You'll be lost. I'm not saying you'll lose your salvation, but you won't know which way is up if you don't stay on the course that takes your heart right back to God's heart for you. He loved you and sent His Son to die for you.
And if you're not in Christ today, that's the message we preach. You can call on him right now and be saved. He demonstrated his love in this, that while you were a sinner, Christ died for you. And Jesus Christ came into the world to save only one type of person, sinners, of which I and anyone else in here that's put our faith in him are the worst. And he gave us his life. He gave us his best. He gave us his righteousness. He took away our sin. Do you believe that message? If you think you have any hope outside of the righteousness of Christ, you're lost this morning. You're lost. You've got some other message along the way, and any other message outside of God's love for you in Christ, and you putting all of your faith in him is not going to set your heart on a direct course to the love of God. And if you don't have yourself firmly founded in God's love for you, you won't stand in the steadfastness of Christ. You'll find something else to stand in, and you may think it works for a while until it doesn't. Socall upon Christ and be saved. Cast yourself upon his mercy. He offers you it this morning in himself. Come to me, you who are weary and heavy laden. Whatever course you've been trying to chart. Get back on mine.
I put your sin on my shoulders. I stood where you couldn't stand. I died and rose again. No one else can do that. Do you trust me? Do you believe in me? Call upon him and be saved. For those that have. I hope we've seen in the word this morning. These five marks of a steadfast church, a people dependent in prayer, proclaiming the Word, standing as one, obeying in love. And I think back of five years here, that's as good as a vision that I could ever give you. I don't have any outside of this. You figuredit out by now. I came back and said I didn't have any vision outside of what was going to be in the Word of God, and five years in, I still don't have one. To be a church whose hearts are divinely directed into the depths of God's love and standing firm in Christ. How do you take that sublime thought and turn it into a church growth plan? You want to put that on paper? Your heart being captured, captivated by the love of God for you, believer. You can't sell that. You can't market that. You have to believe it. So maybe church growth and church vision was never actually something we can capture. It's something that captures us. Captivated by his love. Holding fast to his Son. That's how you grow. Can you say amen? Let's pray. We thank you, father, that you make it so clear to your children. You make it so obvious. There is no other way to know you and to be known by you than through your Son. This is eternal life to know you, the Father and Jesus, your Son, whom you sent. And what we know at the heart of his love for us is we are sinners indeed. But we have a Savior who loved us and died for us, and rose again for our justification. And rules and reigns now and will return for our relief and deliverance. We have nothing else to hold to but that no other ground to stand on but the firm foundation we have in you, Christ. And so we stand today. We don't stand perfectly in our own righteousness. We stand perfectly in yours. And you strengthen us in that truth. You protect us with that truth. So we thank you for that. Spirit, Minister, to our hearts now and the application of these truths. Help us to be who this church is in Thessalonica now. We're thankful that we we're not confused about our identity when you've given it to us. Now, just help us to be all who you've already made us in your Son. Strengthen us for that task. We pray. Reach those through us, Lord, that you want to reach. May our our righteous lives match up with our saving proclamation of the gospel. We ask in Jesus name. Amen.
Pulpit Curriculum PDF Pulpit Curriculum DOCX * View transcript GROWING IN STEADFASTNESS PT.2
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Good morning Saints of HBC, please turn in your Bibles to 2 Thessalonians and we will see in the Word of God what he's done. We love to sing about it, as evident in the last song, and we love to see it in the baptism. We love to look both into the past of the eternal glory of our salvation...what was accomplished as we saw last week in eternity past. And yet what happened in time and space when Christ died on the cross for sinners. And then when we hear someone give their testimony in baptism, we're also praising God for what he's done in that person's life. So in every aspect, it's exactly as we just sang...all the glory and the honor to the son. And that is the only point towards all history is headed. If you have any sense of fear and trepidation about the future and what's going to happen next, next week, next month, next year, whenever it is. You have tounderstand this foundational thing of what we just sang when it comes to the gospel of Jesus Christ, that he has already achieved victory on the cross, he rose again. He went back to the father. We just sang and now seated in victory, that we just look forward to the day where this happens. At the name of Jesus Christ, every knee will bow in heaven and earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. That's what he's done. That's it. And so we can get excited about it now, and we could be lifted up by it now, because that's the victory that we talked about last week that we actually already stand in. That's where we started last week in 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14. We're not fighting for victory. There is not a battle that hasn't been already won by Jesus Christ when it comes to the salvation of man. So we fight from victory. We're already standing in it. We have been loved by him, as we saw. We have been chosen by him. And we are called through the gospel to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. That's it. That's done, that's accomplished. And as we said, if you're going to stand firm in the fight, you need to know the level ground that you stand on...on Christ, the solid rock you stand, all other ground is what?...sinking sand. It's not that you're just standing on neutral ground if you're not in Jesus Christ today. You are in quicksand and you don't know how far up to your neck you currently are. But in Christ, you're on the rock that will not fail. Your salvation is secure. So the first part of standing firm, being steadfast as a Christian, enduring hardship, embracing difficulty, whatever comes your way is to know that you stand firm because God loves us in Christ as his children. He chose us in Christ, and he calls us to grow in Christ likeness. What wonderful promises that we only got through last week in verses 13 and 14.
Today we'll pick up in 15 to 17, and we'll see two more aspects to the idea of standing firm. That phrase in verse 15 that Paul calls this church to, amidst the challenges and troubles that they were going through in 52 AD that there were adversaries, chapter one told us, afflicting them, trying to either take their lives, lock them up, run them out of town like they did to Paul, Timothy and Silas. But it wasn't going to stop them. In chapter one, he gave them hope. He said, those 'afflicters' will be the ones that when Christ returns, he will repay, and you will be relieved. You will be rescued. So he gives them hope in chapter one...whatever way it currently looks like things are going around you in Thessalonica and today in America 2024. If Christ has not returned yet, we have not missed the day of the Lord. We are not in the end times yet, and our rescue is coming, and his retribution for evildoers is also coming still. That's the first promise he gives them in chapter one.
Chapter two, he then has to remind them, hey, you're being deceived by being told that this Antichrist is now here. Don't believe the hype. He's not. Because the day of the Lord hasn't come yet. And I've already taught you these things. And that kind of is this recurring idea, even into what we're going to see today, that you've got to remember what you already know. Soyou don't live in your fears, but you live in faith. You don't just walk around doubting what you already have been taught, as if it's not true, forgetting what has been told you all along. And he says no. If you're going to doubt something, doubt your doubts. Doubt the things you don't have any idea about, That's fine. If I haven't taught you it. If it's not been made clear, fine. You're okay with that. But don't doubt that which you know...that's the rock that you stand on. And so he takes them back to that rock in 13 and 14. And then today we'll see the two other ways in which we stand firm in verse 15, to know the weapons that you stand with, the weapons that you fight with, and then to know who you stand in.
So let's read the text together. I'll go all the way back to verse 13 to reestablish this closing thought from the first two chapters, and then launch us forward into today's three verses...2 Thessalonians 2:13.
"But we should always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters, beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the spirit and faith in the truth. It was for this he called you through our gospel that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us. Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word."
Father, open the eyes of our hearts, that we would know the hope of our calling, the riches of our inheritance, and the glorious and surpassing greatness of your power to those who believe. Amen.
First words to be built up in and sent out by today...stand firm. Right there. The pivot point of these five verses. We are closing out chapter two. Before Paul is going to launch them into ethical living in chapter three, he has to encourage them by what has come before, to exhort them for what's to come in the future. And it all rests on that phrase, as we said last week, to stand firm, to be steadfast, to be firmly fixed in the place that you stand. And you could add all the descriptions to that you want...to be persevering, to be dedicated, to be devoted. Whatever images come to your mind for somebody who is not going to back down as a Christian, that's what he's calling the believers here and us towards today. We started with God's electing love that knew us and chose us and called us in Christ apart from any work of our own, so that we have no reason to boast. If we are so inclined to think highly of ourselves as we shouldn't. But we also have no reason to fear. Because if God has started a good work in you, what's he going to do? He's going to bring it to completion. So the good works he has prepared for you in advance, Christian...He will bring you all the way to the end. And it's all by his grace. So he starts with the firm footing of a soldier. And then today we'll see the weapons that he stands with, the strength that he stands in. And I wanted to remind us of last week so we can have these three dynamics of standing firm in our minds together, picturing ourselves as Christian soldiers...standing firm, knowing the stability on which we are. Knowing what weapon is in our hands given by his grace, and then knowing who it is that we actually standwith, who we stand in.
So start with what weapon we know we stand with in verse 15. Stand firm and hold to the traditions to which you were taught. What is the weapon that we have? The weapon that Paul reminds these believers that they have is not the traditions of man, but that which Paul, the apostle of Jesus Christ, whether he taught them or whether he wrote a letter to them. He is referring back to when he mentions the letter from us, 1 Thessalonians saying, you got that from me. Silas and Timothy that's the thing you hold fast to. That's the tradition. Or going back to 1 Thessalonians, if you just want to turn back to chapter one, if he's talking about that which was preached right from the beginning, he says in 1 Thessalonians 1:5, our gospel didn't come to you in word only, as in it wasn't just the word of man. Paul wasn't just like any other soothsayer or any other ethical teacher or whatever, whoever it might have been in his time period, that was just talking. He was called by God, given the gospel of Jesus Christ. And it came, he says, in 1 Thessalonians 1:5. It came in power in the Holy Spirit with full conviction. It also came with the example of his life. And what was the response of the Thessalonians?...Verse 6, you became
imitators of us and of the Lord. And here's what they did. They received the word in much tribulation. They took it in. That's how they got started. So he's referring back to that here in verse 15, that tradition, that teaching that I gave you. And that word tradition is just a simple word that means something passed on. What was Paul passing on? He was passing on that which he heard from the other apostles, and that which Jesus Christ taught him. That's what put him in a category of his own. And he said, I preached it. You received it. And then in 1 Thessalonians 2:13, this is key to understand when Paul's talking about the traditions he passed on, why they're in a category of their own. He says for this reason, we also constantly thank God that when you receive the Word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the Word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe. He says that's what separates what I taught you from false teachers of the day. In the time of the Reformation, that's what separated what Luther and Calvin and Zwingli taught them. They took them back to the Bible, away from the traditions of men...the Catholic Church at the time. The tradition of indulgences that you could pay your way to heaven, you could pay someone else's way out of purgatory. Traditions of men...not rooted and grounded in the scriptures...just made up. And into today no tradition of Ashoff, though I have many. But if I can't point you back to the chapter and verse and say, this is why we do what we do here and not something else, it's just a tradition of man. And so that's how we separate it out in our heads. False teachers in his day, Martin Luther's day...anybody else today? Paul, being able to teach traditions as in things passed on doesn't apply to the rest of us. We don't get to make it up. We pass it on. You pass it on. You hear what you hear today from here. You take it to a life group and pass it on. You share the gospel with a neighbor and pass it on. But it's not what?...It's not starting with you just taking it and passing it on to somebody else. So having been taught these traditions, what's going to help them stand firm in the fight? Well, it's the phrase...hold fast to it, grip it and let it grip you. Don't let go of what you know. Keep it in your minds so that it captures your heart. Paul writes this 20 years or so after Jesus goes back up to heaven. He's in these early churches saying, look, there is already a fixed teaching that's ours, not someone else's. And that's what you need to hold fast to. But then if you just flip two letters later, 2 Timothy, maybe written 10 to 15 years later after this. Towards the end of Paul's life, 2 Timothy is written. Maybe he would have some new instruction to give Timothy to give to these churches. And maybe there's something else that he would say. You need to make sure the people are remembering this now that some time has gone on. Listen to what he writes to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:13-14. Paul writes, retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me. Has anything changed with Paul? Has he moved an inch? No, he said, I'm exactly the same guy at the end as I was at the beginning. Retain these sound words you've heard from me. And the sound words in verse 13 that are the foundation of our standing firm in the faith are this...in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. You go back to the Gospel. The same thing he was starting on his first missionary journey...now towards the end of his life, nothing is moving. So the things we hear about today. The deconstruction movement in evangelicalism, moving away from what I thought I was taught growing up is...no, I can't believe it anymore...flies in the face of Paul's own example, doesn't it? You don't move an inch. You don't go past the gospel. These sound words that they were to retain, to hold fast to the faith and love in Christ Jesus...He goes on to say in verse 14...we guard them. Guard through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you. Just let that word treasure get into your head and into your heart this morning. Why do we need to have that in our heads and hearts? Because it ascribes value to the Word of God, doesn't it? Treasure is something that you don't buy high to sell low. It's not an investment you make that's going to end up ripping you off by the end. Treasure is something that if you hold on to it over time, it's going to increase in value. It's going to do you better the longer you hold on to it. And that's what Paul is saying in 2 Thessalonians here. Hold fast to this tradition.
Reminds me of a verse I learned in my youth, and it was, um, kind of one of a self-fulfilling prophecy, if you want to call it that, because it was Proverbs 23:23. Buy the truth and do not sell it. There's a lot of verses you can try to memorize and forget, but the one that tells you not to forget the verse you memorized, you better remember. Now. It helped as a teenager watching the GOAT play basketball...Michael Jordan. What number was he?...33. Proverbs 23:23. That's the reason I remembered it. As stupid as that is, 30 years ago, I said, that's the GOAT verse of truth by the truth. And don't sell it because of its value. You don't play fast and loose with it. You don't take something that's worth something and then just leave it lying out. You protect it, you guard it, you hold fast to it. You cling to it because when you take care of it, it'll take care of you. I mean, think of the people in your life that you've seen walk away because they didn't buy the truth, but they sold it. They sold it for a lie. They sold it for a pleasure. They sold it for something cheap. And it's worth so much because you have to give your most valuable resource to get it. What do you have to give it?...your time. Every second is a trade off that you're saying, I'm either going to wake up and the first thing in the morning, reach for my phone, reach for the news, or I'm going to reach for the Word of God. And now the clock is ticking, and every second you spend inone thing or the other is going to dictate your day. It's going to determine a lot more down the road, too, because what you're investing in now, what you're filling your mind with to get to your heart with now, is what's going to pay you back dividends decades from now. But you got to believe the value of it today. You got to buy low today. And what I mean by that is everybody around you is looking at it saying that's that's not worth anything. And you're saying, no, I'm buying low. I know it's going to go up. The people around you are saying what the word of God. What are you talking about?...wisdom of the world. Find something new. And you're saying, no, I'm investing my time in this thing. I'm reading, I'm studying. I'm saturating myself in the scripture because it's going to go up. And when I need it, it's going to be the most valuable thing I have.
I was thinking about this with Dwight Stone who passed away about a month ago now. There's a lot we loved about Dwight, his legacy in missions. But what you knew was absolutely trueabout him is he bought the word of God, and he didn't sell it from day one. When God saved him, pulled him out of the darkness, brought him into the light of Jesus Christ, gave up. He was a banker. He was an investor. He had money and he walked away from it. He knew he couldn't stay near it, and he started filling up his mind and heart with the truth. And he didn't sell it. And if you were around him the last five years of his life, he had nothing to give you but gold. He bought the truth and didn't sell it. And any time I would take young guys with me to see him in the last five years. And you can ask Justin and you can ask Nathan. We would go and sit on his porch and he owned nothing, absolute nothing. And we would sit on his porch and he
would talk to us, and he would give us the Word of God from the heart. It was there. He could pull it out, even when he couldn't even see anymore to read it. He could pull it out and we'd leave and we'd drive away and they would say, that was gold.
That's your motivation to hold fast, because one day you're going to need it, not just to give to somebody else. Dwight had a lot more hours by himself in his last few years than he did with people. What do you think was going to be tempting for him to fill his mind with? Satan wanting to make him doubt...was it worth it? Maybe. Look around and see. What am I left with here? Look at my failing body. I can't be on the mission field anymore. What did he have to fight with besides the Word of God? What do you have to fight with besides it? And it's not just a priceless weapon. It's a powerful one. It's called the sword of what?...the sword of the spirit. It's the last weapon you get. It's the only actual weapon you get. You get a bunch of armor in Ephesians 6:10-20. But the only weapon for the attack you get is the Word of God, which is the sword of the spirit. And it says, we take it up to stand firm against the schemes of Satan. And what type of sword is it? It's the strongest and sharpest weapon that you can have because Hebrews 4:12 says, the sword of the spirit, the word of God can what?...pierce you. How deep?...can divide you between soul and spirit? Oprah's words can't get to your soul and spirit. They get to your ears. They tickle them, they give you a few clever ideas and then they're gone. They're useless. But the word of God, it gets you and exposes you. It opens you up to do surgery on your heart. It shows you your sin. It lets the light in and you realize how great a God, how wonderful a Savior that He can see to the innermost part of who I am like no one else can. That's how sharp it is. How strong is it? Jeremiah 23:29, is my word, not like fire and like a hammer which shatters a rock. So you put all that together. What do you have with the Bible in front of you? It scorches and smashes every lie that's out there. You're saying, how do I know what's true today?...fake news. Do you have the Word of God? Just slices through all of it, Burns it up and you go that was a bunch of malarkey. What a weird word to choose. Cuts you deep, breaks you down, lights you up.
Kids, now would be a great time, you know, to draw during a sermon. I thought about this. If you're a young person here, you take some notes, you find yourself trailing off. Here's a great time to draw. You can draw the Bible that is both a sword and it's smashing rocks while it's shooting fire. I'd love to see that picture. So if you want to draw it for me and give it to me afterwards. I got one after first service. It's going to go in my room. Parents, I just got you ten more minutes. All right. Sothere you go.
That's what it is to hold fast to the Word of God. We treasure its priceless value, but we also we also put our hope in its power. Nothing else is as powerful with the Word of God. It's wisdom. Our wisdom is ineffective. The world's wisdom is folly. Our powers are no power compared to God's weapon of choice.
So maybe just the last question I could ask you under this is if you're not grabbing it, how is it grabbing you? I've been a Christian 34 years. As powerful as the Word of God is, it's never picked itself up and flown into my hand like Thor's hammer. It'll sit there and it won't move. And it won't turn a page without my human agency. It's got to come from a desire inside, I need that. It's powerful, but it's not mystical. It won't just open itself up and start talking to you. You got to make that move towards it. And when you do, when you put your mind to this, it will change your mind it says. It transforms your mind. It gets to your heartand it stays there and you live out of it.
So that's the second way we stand firm. We have to know the weapon that we fight with. Clinging to the truth of biblical teaching will grow stronger in steadfastness by going deeper in God's Word. And then last but not least, know the strength you stand in verses 16 and 17. Know the strength you stand in. Back in 13 and 14, he had them look backwards. Look back to God's love for you, choice of you calling on you. Then look presently to the Word of God in your hand. And then he says, as you're going to move forward, as I'm going to exhort you to every good work and word. See verse 17, he's moving you here. He's not wanting you to just learn a bunch of stuff and pontificate on it. The end game of all this is you're going to move forward stronger for every good work and word, but you got to know who you walk with moving forward. Whose presence do you stand in? Well, it tells us in verse 16, you stand in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ himself and God the Father. That's pretty good, isn't it? You know how we talked about last week there's a lot of things we might accept even though we don't understand them yet. Well, this is a pretty powerful one. That when we're told that we're going to be given the Holy Spirit and and he's going to come to dwell in us and not just him, that the son and the father will have a dwelling with us. You have the Trinity dwelling with you, within you. Anybody fully understand that one? But I accept it. And I accept it for a lot of different places it teaches me in the Bible when one's right here, when Paul says, now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself. It's personal, it's powerful. He's present. He's God with us, and he's the one who loved us. He loved us by coming down to earth, taking the form of man, lowest of the low. Humbled himself even to death on a cross. Went all the way to the cross to die for our sins. Rose again. He loved us. But you know. Here's the thing. God the father loved us. God the father demonstrated for his love for us. He sent Jesus to die for us. So what Paul is doing here in verse 16, that might just seem like we skip right past it. He's showing equality between the father and the son 20 years later, after Jesus goes back. So hundreds of years later when false teachers are trying to say, you know, um, later on, people started making up the idea that Jesus thought he was divine, that he was equal with God. No, Paul's saying it right here in verse 16. There's your equality with God because he links them. May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father...and then that 'who'. Well, who is it? Was it the son? Or was it the father who loved you and gave you eternal comfort and good hope by grace? It was both of them. The son's efficacious death on the cross. Substitutionary atonement was his demonstration of his love was the sacrifice we needed. And we have eternal comfort and good hope by grace in him, because it was powerful enough to keep us forever. It was effective. It was finished. As it was with God our father, who loved us, chose us from eternity past, gave us eternal comfort in His Son Jesus Christ, and we can hope in God the Father by grace. You see how they're working together here. There's a robust Christology here for the son, linked together with the father to fight any false teaching that would try to say that the son is not also God along with the father. And it's just kind of a again, as Paul often does here. He just says it doesn't have to defend it. It's just true.
But knowing this love in eternal comfort and good hope by grace is what verse 17 says. It's meant to comfort you and strengthen you...that word for comfort. It's meant to encourage you. Your heart right now, even as you hear it, to say, wow, how deep the father's love for me, how vast beyond all measure that he would take his only son and make a wretch his treasure. That encourages you. It also strengthens you. It fortifies you. It builds you up to say, I don't have to leave here living in my doubts and fears of, for many people, losing my salvation could be an issue....lacking assurance. To think as some false teaching might say that you can lose your salvation. That oh, you know, if I'm not, if I'm not perfect with God, if I haven't cleaned myself up. If what if Jesus came back right in the moment of me sinning? Are you in Christ? Yeah. It matters very little your eternal salvation of the state he finds you in when he comes back or when you die. Because if he finished it on the cross and you are truly in Christ. It's not so you could just go out and live however you want, but it gives you the assurance of. I mean, think about that. There's false teaching about losing your salvation, that if you're not in a state of grace when you die, if you're if you happen to be sinning, when when you die or the Lord comes back, you're out of luck because that sin is not forgiven. Oh, so the cross wasn't enough. So it wasn't finished. So essentially, you have tokeep your salvation. You have to keep short accounts versus coming back to the glorious truths that he strengthens the believers with here. It says, no, you've been loved. You've been given eternal comfort. And that eternal comfort is...my salvation is secure.
And so now those weak and discouraged and deceived believers in Thessalonica who weren't comforted and weren't strengthened can now move forward in faith. They can go out and do every good work and word. It's because Jesus Christ
Himself is doing that comforting, strengthening. It's also interesting that that word you see, if you have the NASB, comfort is used twice in 16 and 17. The eternal comfort and then he does comfort us presently. Well, that's the same word for the Holy Spirit's name back in John 16:7. The parakletos is going to come, the one who is called alongside you to help you and strengthen you. So the Holy Spirit is active in this work. You have all three members of the Trinity working in your heart right now as you hear the Word of God to build you up however you came in this morning, whatever you were burdened by as a child of God, all of them, all of them at work in you believer to build you up, get you back on your feet. Get the Word of God in your hand, moving out those doors ready for every good work and word. Christ's power in us and through us all the time. That's how we stand firm. It's in us.
I was thinking about that phrase because I think it might have been just a few days ago. It was during the Olympics and then football season. You know, Gatorade knows their audience. And so they have their advertisements and their slogan is...is it in you? And I think the latest rendition of that is like this question at the end. Do you have 'it'? Do you have 'it'? And advertising works. Talking....we saw the ad in one of my kids asks me, so dad, do they mean Gatorade? Like, do I have 'it'...is Gatorade the it. Is the Gatorade in me? Is that what they mean, or do they mean like the guy in that commercial? He was, you know, working hard and he has passion and he's determined. And is that the it. And I said, I think you're going to have to drink Gatorade to figure it out. It's the only way to test it. You drink the Gatorade, you go bench press £300 as an 11 year old. It worked. You get crushed on the bench. You didn't have it.
But we know absolutely that we have Jesus Christ himself. We have God our father, and we have the Holy Spirit with us, in us, and we stand in him. Because we have responded to Jesus Christ...Who says, if anyone is thirsty let him come to me and drink because he has something he has 'it' to give. He says that and that could sound strange. What is he offering when he says, I have something to give you to drink that will fulfill you always. Well, he's talking about the the problem of our sin, the lack of satisfaction we have in our life, no matter what we fill it with. Eternal life is what he had to offer. And he says, if anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Rivers of living water will flow from you. Some of you here are like a woman he met in John chapter four. She was disheartened. She lived on the shadows of society. She was dejected and distant from God. And she meets Jesus at a well. And she's there to get water. But he's there to let her know her sins could be forgiven. And he says to her, if you knew the gift of God. If you knew what it means to be forgiven. The freedom that's found there. The removal of your guilt and the shame. I know all about you. You've already had five husbands. He's gotten her attention. He says if you knew the gift of God and who it is who says to you, give me a drink. You would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.
So today you're being offered that which will satisfy you unto eternal life in Jesus Christ. Now, it doesn't have to be a mystery of why your life feels empty today. Jesus says to you, I who speak to you am he. So is that you this morning? Came in here. Don't even know why you came to church. You wandered in. You're kind of like that lady in the story. But God has you here to hear this offer of eternal life. I who speak to you am he? Whoever drinks of the water that I will give shall never thirst again. But the water that I give will become in you a well of water springing up to eternal life. Some of you reject it not because you're just wandering around and you don't even know what you need. You think you already have it. You think you already have it because you're religious. You're like the people that Jeremiah calls out on behalf of the Lord when he says, my people have committed two evils. They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water. Some of you aren't like that wandering lost woman in John 4. You're the religious person who you've made a god of your own cistern, and you have fixed that thing up and you think it's solid and you fill it. But what you don't know and what Jeremiah was saying there is there's a crack at the bottom you can't see. And you keep filling it up and it keeps draining out, and you fill it up with more good works, and you fill it up with your own idea of your own righteousness, and you keep going to get a drink, and there's not enough in there, and you're never satisfied. But you keep putting more in and you keep putting more in. And then finally you sit here today and you have somebody tell you none of that religious effort gets you anywhere, and you're empty and frustrated because of it, because you've made a cistern of your own religion, and you think that you can handle eternal life in that thing and you can't. And you've got to throw the thing away because it's busted. Whoever drinks of the water that he gives...the water of eternal life. You believe in him, you'll never thirst again. You got to believe that wherever you stand with God today, you might be the wanderer thinking you're way far off sin too much. He can never forgive you. And he says, come. Come and drink, come be forgiven. Or you could be the person that thought you were as close to God as you can get. But you've had that empty bucket your whole life. Drip, drip drip. Never full. The one who comes to me, believes in me...will never thirst again. And I will not cast out. So you come to Christ this morning. You repent of your sins. You call on his name for forgiveness. You trust in him.
For those who have trusted in Christ this morning you have all of what he just explained in 16 and 17. And through the work of the spirit, through the word, you can leave here comforted and strengthened. For every good work and word, you're to stand firm. His righteousness is yours. His presence is with you. And it's all of this. I mean, even this last verse, verse 17, is to launch you forward into good works, good words and chapter three, ethical living. But you have to stop this morning if you're feeling worn down, thirsty as a Christian and say, am I drawing on the strength that I already have in Jesus? And even thinking about where he is right now, he's reigning in heaven. He has all authority in heaven and earth. He's seated, not standing as the sovereign of creation. And this is the power you draw from that. It's called the session of Christ by theologians. Just like when a sovereign takes up his rule and reign, he sits in the throne. He grabs the scepter. Because the work's done. It's been accomplished. Now it's for him to give the directives. Believers, he is seated in the heavens right now, and he's seated so that you could stand firm. He doesn't need to stand up again. It's done. Now it's for you to stand firm. It's for you to do the work. And his triumph on earth, in his substitutionary death and being raised for your justification...that triumph on earth at the cross, his resurrection from the dead, and now seated at the throne in heaven, is your irrefutable and invincible evidence that you can stand. That's all you need
today to stand. He's seated up there, meaning I could stand here and I'm waiting for his return.
I was reading this week...going deep again. You know, we didelection last week, so I wanted to go even deeper and started reading The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood, a legendary Anti-Hero. And he was steadfast in his loyalty to Sir Richard. There was a king that he did believe in, but when that king had to go away and fight and he was usurped by his own brother and he's bringing the kingdom into chaos. And Robin Hood has seen enough and that's, you know, enough motivation for that guy to go out and join with the merry band of brothers to steal from the rich and give to the poor and try to take things into his own hands. But he was loyal to his king, and he had a problem. And maybe this is a sign of the times it was written in with clerics. Sadly for me...monks religious types were loathed by Robin Hood because he just saw through the veneer. These guys are empty. So Robin and his friends come upon a monk in Sherwood Forest, and before they rob him, they offer...come have a meal with us. And so they sit down and they start talking, and the monk asks them why they despise him so much, and why do they insist on a life of robbing and stealing while the king is away? And Robin answers him, I do this not because I'm against the king, but because of my allegiance to my king. And then that monk removes his attire, and he displays the lion and the cross on his chest. And it's Sir Richard. And he says, I am your king, your sovereign king that appears before you all. When Robin saw that it was he, straight then he down did fall. Stand up again then said the king, I'll thee my pardon give. Stand up, my friend who can contend when I give leave to live. He said, you stand up right now, and you keep doing what you're doing, because you've been faithful to me this whole time. You believed in what I believed in. You stood for what I stood for. Soyou have my pardon. And when I'm back on the throne, you won't be guilty. You go and serve for me.
Are you loyal and steadfast to your king's return? Is that you? That you're awaiting his return? And you say until he comes back that's who I'm standing for. And I'll bow down to no man other than that king. It doesn't matter who's around me. Doesn't matter what it costs me. I have allegiance to my Lord. I have his sword to fight and his strength to endure. He's in you. He's with you, and he loves you. Brothers and sisters, stand firm in him.
Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your grace in our lives this morning. We have nothing to stand on apart from Christ. We would be most to be pitied if we thought there was anything else in this life that would give us a firm foundation. We would be laughed at with whatever wisdom we thought we had to go into the world and share if we didn't have your word, and if we didn't know that you are with us always to the end of the earth, your abiding presence in your spirit is with us. The father has come. The son has come to make their dwelling with man, to make a home in our hearts. And you push out and up in our hearts to increase our ability, even this morning, to receive the height and depth and length and breadth of your love. What a gift! And invigorated and inspired by your love, we can stand firm and we can be strengthened, and we can be built up for every good work and word this week. We take you at your word. Help us to do it, Spirit, we pray. Amen.
Pulpit Curriculum PDF Pulpit Curriculum DOCX * Accordion Item 1 Growing in Steadfastness, Part 1
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Please turn your Bibles to 2 Thessalonians 2. We will look at 13 to 17 today. We're at the two thirds mark around there of this letter, three chapters, almost at the end of chapter two, and in similar fashion to 1 Thessalonians, which we were in last spring. Uh, it's around this point, the close of chapter 2, similar in chapter 3, in 1 Thessalonians, where Paul looked like he was getting finished. He even had kind of a closing tone to his letter, where he was giving them a blessing and a benediction at the end of 1 Thessalonians three and then just when you thought he was done, he revs up. And he has two more chapters about Christian living. In similar fashion we find in 2 Thessalonians that these first two chapters, most of the focus is on what they needed to know, what they needed to know about the suffering they were going through, and about the future that they were going to face, more so than how they were to respond. That's going to come in chapter three of 2 Thessalonians. But what we find today is kind of a closing thought in this second chapter that is meant to encourage them to move forward in faith, that is meant to encourage them to stand firm in the faith, to be steadfast in the faith. And it's all predicated, as often we see in the gospel, in the New Testament, predicated on the realities we already know about ourselves, that are the strength in which we stand so that we can fight.
In the New Testament I call that gospel grammar that we move from the realities of who we are in Jesus Christ, into what we do for Jesus Christ. And that's maybe we want to call that the indicatives, the things that are just true of us as Jesus followers, as children of God, as brothers and sisters in Christ. They're true of us, irrespective of what we think about ourselves. That if you find yourself in Christ today, these are the benefits, the blessings, the spiritual blessings that you have that are untold, that you can't count them all according to Ephesians 1:3. That all the blessings in the heavenly places are ours in Christ. Those realities are true about you, believer, and they are what can lead you to fulfill imperative statements in the New Testament, or commands of what you're supposed to do. And even when we look at this letter of 2 Thessalonians, we see there's really two chapters of Paul telling them whose they are, who they are in Christ before, and last chapter three, he's going to tell them what they are to do. And that's a good ratio to keep in mind. Side note kind of a 2 to 1 ratio of when I live my Christian life, I need to double down on the things that I know are already true about me in Jesus. That's where the strength comes from. That's the victory that we fight from...we're not fighting for. Because we just sang it. What's already been done for us. The price has been paid. The victory has been won. It's who we are in Christ Jesus. And then that 2 to 1 ratio...for the two things I know about who I am in Christ then becomes the one part which is now what am I to go and do? And we see that in the letters to 1 and 2 Thessalonians. You could even make the argument from Romans. You know, 11 chapters of all these truths and realities about what we have in Christ before chapters 12 to 16 about what we're to do for him.
So follow along in the section as Paul is really using this as a transition, encouragement, even a prayer in 16 and 17. A benediction, a blessing to launch these believers forward in faith based on where they stand in Christ. Verse 13. 2 Thessalonians 2:13...
"But we should always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters, beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the spirit and faith in the truth. It was for this he called you through our gospel that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us. Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word."
The grass withers and the flowers fade away, but the Word of God stands forever. May he bless the preaching and hearing and applying of it today.
Call your attention to that phrase in verse 15 that really these five verses hang on, it's the hinge, which is when he says, brothers and sisters, stand firm. It's a command that means to be steadfast. And if I asked you when I use the word steadfast, if we as Christians are to be growing in steadfastness, who is it that comes to mind when I say the word steadfast? Or maybe what is it that comes to mind when you hear the word steadfast. It's maybe not the most common adjective that I use when I'm trying to describe someone or something that has qualities of loyalty, dedication, perseverance, devotion. But it's a good word. In fact, when I checked on Google, as I often do for its definition just to be right on things and even its etymology...based on Google listening to us and hacking into our lives constantly. The word steadfast peaked in the mid 1800s. How they take all those books of antiquity and pulled them together, I don't know, but they do. So if you find yourself using the word steadfast on a regular basis, you now know what generation you belong to...the 1800s.
When I heard that word, and it's an old English word combining the idea of place and firmly fixed, I thought of the Beefeaters, the the King's guard, you know, protecting Buckingham Palace...the Queen's jewels. That they're steadfast. Right? They stand there. They're supposed to be immovable, unswerving. You can try to make them laugh. They're not supposed to crack a smile. They're not supposed to do anything. But you've probably seen some of those videos where, um, you push it too far and you're going to pay for it. I also thought of the Marines and theirtheir motto, Semper fidelis, always faithful. Those those people come to mind for me. That being steadfast is at the heart of what they're about. And at the heart of what Paul is saying to these beleaguered Christians in Thessalonica are to be about despite being discouraged. Chapter one, he had to help them, as we talked a few weeks ago, that they were suffering affliction for their faith. They were being persecuted for their faith. And he encourages them to not lose the faith, not stop loving, not stop hoping in what?...the righteous return of Jesus Christ who will repay those afflicted, and rescue those being afflicted. And then in chapter two, they were discouraged. They were deceived, thinking the day of the Lord had come. But he reminds them and enlightens them to the truth, that the day of the Lord has not come. And when that day comes, God will triumph over Satan, over Antichrist, over sin, once and for all.
And so to close chapter two, after he has bolstered them in their knowledge of who they are and who they belong to and the strength that they fight from, he can tell them in verse 15, stand firm. And that's what we want, isn't it? As Christians in the day and age we're in, whether you're being persecuted in the present or you just see the inevitability of it in your future for believing what you believe, for living the way that you live. I think we all want to know how Paul strengthened these Christians to grow in steadfastness, so that we can be the same, so that we can have those same qualities said about our faith devoted, dedicated, persistent, persevering, unswerving, unflappable, unflinching in the face of persecution and affliction.
And Paul gives them three ways that they can be steadfast. Three things that any Christian soldier would need to know in order to stand firm. And, um, truth be told, I actually only got through one of them today in first service, so I'm going to do something I haven't tried before. I'm going to just preach to you guys points two and three. And then you guys can meet up with first service this week. You could trade notes and you have a completed sermon. Actually somebody asked me a few weeks ago, have you ever done that? Adam preached one sermon to 9 a.m. and the other to 11 and don't tell anybody. And then just let them show up for small group this week and see what comes of it. But no, we only covered point one. And so if you have that sheet of notes in the back. Um, point one is all we're getting through because point one had three sub points. So you still get three points today no matter what you do. It's a blessing and a curse.
Here's the first point that you need to know. And it's just in verses 13 and 14. To fight the good fight, to be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord as a soldier of Christ, you must know the ground that you stand on, and that is the ground, the immovable, unshakable ground of God's providence. In a book by Sun Tzu called the Art of War, written in the fifth century BC. One of his key principles for warfare is the importance of knowing the terrain that surrounds you, and you make wise decisions in light of it. He wrote, "In any military operation, it's important first to know the lay of the land. When you know the relative safety of the terrain, then you can discern whether to do battle or disperse." And so maybe Paul one hundred years later
got a copy of that Art of War. Because when he is telling these believers to stand firm he wants to first give them the principle of...know the ground that you stand on before he encourages them to take any action. He is saying take an assessment of where your feet currently stand. And are they firmly planted on the providence of God? And we'll learn about that Providence or that sovereignty of God in three ways. And these are the three sub points in verses 13 and 14. The first ground to stand on to wage war from is this God loves you.
What a wonderful starting point. In fact, the love of God is the highest ground to get to. I'm no soldier, nor pretend to be, but I did play my fair share of King of the Hill growing up...in the day and age we're in, where the weirdest things could become the next Olympic sport. If it ever comes back I'm coming out of retirement. That's my shot. I think I can make it to the Olympics and at least get a bronze in King of the Hill. And the whole point of that is you need the high ground, and if you have the high ground, you can wage war from there.
And the highest ground that Paul starts with to shore these Christians up is to say right out of the gates, we should always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters, beloved by the Lord. The love of God is the high ground in standing firm. No matter how frustrated Paul was with some of these believers in Thessalonica, anxious about anti-Christ, nervous about the day of the Lord...he calls them beloved. And that's just like Paul, isn't it? Notice what he said right out of the gate before he called them loved by God. He said, I should always give thanks to God for you. What principle have I been repeating myself over the last few months, maybe even years. When you see the grace of God in operation around you, what are you to do?...give thanks. Because our theology is grace. Our ethic is gratitude. I feel like I have played that one out, but yet in my life group just a month ago I had mentioned it apparently and mentioned that I mention it and then it was mentioned in life group. Adam, I never heard you say that before. So I said, I'll keep saying it to just drive it home. That because our spiritual synapses should be trained to constantly be on the lookout for the work of grace around us. Because think about what that does for you. One, it takes your eyes off of you. You're not so consumed with you. And then it puts your eyes on two things. God is working in someone else's life, and I recognize that that is a work of grace. And hopefully, when I do that, it produces greater humility in me to see God's grace is at work all around me. And then maybe if you are discouraged in your own faith of where you're at, maybe knowing, seeing the work of God's grace in other people around you then reminds you he could do that same work in you. And maybe the work of grace he's trying to do in you is for you to be recognizing grace. But it's not enough just to see it. Paul says it. He sees that they are loved by the Lord.
And I know in my own heart, when I'm at odds with the fellow believer, when I'm at the end of my line, if you want to call it that. When I stop to pray for them and the first thing on my lips is God, you love them. That changes the whole direction. When you are at odds with a fellow believer who is loved by God, right? They're in Christ, it's the one thing you know about them...they're loved by God. They've been saved by his son, whom he sent in love. And if you can coach your heart when it feels like it's hardening and growing bitter to someone who's your brother and sister in Christ, maybe even lives under the same roof to say right out of the gate, God, you love them. Now help me. That gets you somewhere.
And that's the that's the first ground that they're fighting from, is that they are loved by God. Our kids need to hear that constantly from us as parents. Why wouldn't we, as God's children, need to hear it for us? You don't grow past it. You don't grow out of it. You are loved. We had that on a on a sign at our old campus before we moved here ten years ago. Last thing you saw, as you would drive out of the campus, was a sign to the side that said what?...you are loved. And it was a great reminder that however you felt going in and by the gospel of God's grace, ministering to you as a child of God going out, you might already be here the kids....we want burger, fries. No, we want chicken. It's everywhere you look around here. And you're like, oh, I got to deal with that. I'm loved. Okay, let's go kids. I can do this. It just brings out the best in us to know we're loved. That's the first ground that we stand on that is secure, is the love of God for us in Christ. And it almost comes out as just a by word at the beginning of verse 13.
Because he says, we should always give thanks to God for you brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because and then he gets to his first reason. But I didn't want to skip past...friend this morning, you are loved and that's your firm foundation. In Jesus Christ nothing can separate you from the love of God. You're loved.
Now that Paul gave you a spoonful of sugar, it's time for the medicine to go down. The second position of our firm foundation in God's providence. First is that we're loved. Next is that we're chosen. Paul says we should give thanks to God for you, brothers, beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation. And that is known as the doctrine of election. If you want a good definition for the doctrine of election, use the Bible's definition for the doctrine of election. Underline it and to the side when somebody wants to know, oh, I've heard about the doctrine of election or predestination. They relate. They're not identical. Or we could call it God's sovereignty in salvation. So the best definitions are the ones that the Holy Spirit wrote. God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation. And there it is. You can't really improve upon it.
If you're new to Christianity election is God's choice of individuals in eternity past to receive salvation on the basis ofhis own good pleasure, with no account of seeing any good in them at all. Now, I gave you the Biblical definition...that was just a little expanded definition when you take in some of the other verses on election in the Bible. It's God's choice of individuals in eternity past to receive salvation on the basis ofhis own good pleasure, taking no account of any foreseen good in them.
And that is a controversial doctrine. Now, the interesting thing is that in the mind of Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit that it's paired ever so perfectly with God's love. Do you see that? That the doctrine of God's choice, irrespective of our actions, comes right on the heels of talking about God's love for us. And the interesting thing is, no one seems to be bothered by the idea that God first had to love us before we love him. In fact, when I was just talking about you being loved, we love that, didn't we? It's so encouraging. 1 John 4:19 says, we love because God first loved us. I don't find a lot of people arguing against that verse. Romans 5:8, while we were still sinners, God demonstrated his love for us by sending Jesus to die. People love that. But yetwhen we read, God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation, it hits different. Or we read in Ephesians 1:4...right out of the gates in that magisterial letter. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. I already said that this morning. How wonderful it is to count all our blessings in Christ. And the first on the list is...just as God chose us in
Christ before the foundation of the world. John 17 the high priestly prayer...first thing off of Jesus lips, all that you chose to give me, I will give them eternal life.
So why is it that we can accept God loved us before we loved him, but we find it hard to accept God chose us before we chose him? Why do those two ideas seem to be in tension? The doctrine of God's love, everlasting love, as far as the East is from the West so far has he removed our sins from us. And as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love towards us. We love that doctrine. And yet it's hard for us to accept the doctrine of God's electing grace. Well, Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2:13 here doesn't defend it. To him, it's just a fact. He just states it right next to talking about God's love. With no reason he has to stop and say, hey, I know you guys are going to be all maybe thrown off by this. We do get a defense of it if you want to turn to Romans 9. And we get a defense of it by an illustration Paul uses from the Old Testament in the story of twin brothers Jacob and Esau...Romans 9:6-29, you could turn there, is the extended defense of the doctrine of God's electing grace. But just a few verses in 9 to 13 focus the story on Jacob and Esau, where God chose Jacob over Esau for a blessing based only on God's sovereign will. It says in Romans 9:11, speaking of Jacob and Esau...the twins. Though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God's purpose according to his choice would stand not because of works, but because of him who calls. And Paul is using this illustration from the Old Testament, this physical illustration for the spiritual point, to say, look on the scales, that we like to weigh God's justice that some are, he's going to anticipate accusing him of injustice. He is just saying, here's what election is. These twins had not yet done anything good or bad. They're in the womb at the same time. Same parents...there's nothing that anybody could say, okay, to differentiate in God's purpose and God's choice will stand. And here's the issue...not because of works, not God foreseeing any good in the one, or foreseeing any evil in the other. But what was the reason God chose? Because of him who calls the older will serve the younger. Him who calls...who's that?...God in advance not based on anything other than God's, verse 13, electing love for Jacob.
Now knowing that some will say that's unjust. And Paul just knows to say, look, there is no injustice with God. May it never be in verse 14 is a way to say, God forbid. You could take out of the discussion that this is an issue of God's justice because God is just and therefore his decisions are just. Not because we sit there and evaluate him according to our fallen sense of justice. God is just. What we may not understand then, is that this issue that we are taking umbrage with is actually an issue of God's love, not justice.
Because all of them, everyone who is a sinner deserves to be judged. But he says, here's what I do. Verse 15, I have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I have compassion on whom I have compassion. And that probably answers the question of why we wrestle with God's love in verse 13, back in 2 Thessalonians 2. And then right after that, God's choosing, because it seems that we think it's a matter of injustice with God to do this, but yetreally, it's a matter of mercy. Verse 16, back in Romans 9, then it doesn't depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on the God who has mercy. This issue of God's electing grace is an issue of who God chooses to show love towards, who God chooses to show mercy towards, when none of them deserve it. Paul just established that...there was no foreseen, good or bad in Jacob or Esau that tipped the scale to one or the other. It was based solely on God, Verse 18, having mercy on whom he desires and hardening on whom he desires.
And then Paul anticipates the accusation. You will say to me, why does he still find fault? Who resists his will? And here's Paul's final answer, Verse 20. On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? If God chooses some for salvation and not others our fallen, understanding runs that out...that means he's not loving and he's not just. And Paul's answer was clear...God is merciful. And in his electing love, he has the freedom because God...Newsflash...is the only free being in all of the universe. Truly. Because to be entirely free, as we would think of it, is to not be affected or influenced or changed by any of the surroundings around us. We just do whatever we please and nothing can influence us whatsoever. And the only being that is described that way in the Bible is God. Psalm 115...our God is in the heavens. He does whatever he pleases. Or back over to Ephesians one, the reason that he chose us before the foundation of the world and predestined us to adoption as sons in Jesus was according to the kind intention of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace. It all goes back to God's good pleasure. It all goes back to God having the right as God to choose according to his own desires.
So firm Foundation number two, which to a lot of us isn't very firm. Just being honest because it's hard to understand, isn't it? And I hope you get from me this morning that I, nor Paul is making the case that we need to understand the doctrine of election completely in order to accept it personally. You don't need to say that you...in fact, it's a joke. If you actually want to tell me this morning, I completely comprehend it. Oh, really? Soyou can do something that even Paul at the end of Romans 11 said he couldn't do...fathom the riches of the wisdom of God. How 'unsearchinable' are his unsearchable! I think I've said that before here. That's twice in the last year. Unsearchable and unfathomable...put them together into one. Thank you, Jerry. He likes my word, the 'unsearchinable' riches of God.
So he's not saying that you need to be able to understand it in order to accept it. In fact, we could probably go down a host of issues through the Bible that we accept without completely understanding, starting with God...his eternality. Anybody can sit there and just be totally at ease and understand and cool with that He's existed before in all eternity and nothing created him. You just get the self-existent God. You can explain that. Come on down. Thanks, Jerry, once again. I don't get his eternality. I don't understand it. I don't understand it going backwards into eternity past or forwards into eternity future. But I accept it. My existence depends on him. His doesn't depend on me understanding his. Second, I could throw the Trinity into that. That God, one true God in three persons. I don't understand it completely, but I accept it. How I have the Bible in front of me...the perfect, inerrant, infallible Word of God, yet who wrote it?...man or God? Both. Do you understand that? Probably not completely, but you accept it. Your sanctification. God works in...you work out. You do something good. Who gets the credit? You for obeying...your God for working in...both. Do you accept it? Yeah. Do you understand it completely? Probably not. Soyou can go down the list of these things.
And rather than be dismayed by the doctrine of election, I choose. Or at least I think I choose to be amazed by it rather than debate it. Because this doctrine, as I stepped back this week and spent some time thinking about it, pushes my mind and heart to the farthest expanse of the sovereignty of God. We can say we love the sovereignty of God. You know, he's in charge of the fishes and the sea. And I don't think that offends any anybody...maybe the fish. The rain falls on the just and the unjust, and nobody's offended by that except when it rains on you. We like God's Sovereignty with like a lower case 's'.
You know, the kind that we can accept without major implications for offending my sense of what?...freedom or choice. But the doctrine of election is the sovereignty of God. Capital S, capital O and however else you spell that big word. Election is at the farthest reach in the universe of God's providence, the hardest for the telescopes of our small souls to see to his outer edge. It's what I like to call...of all the doctrines, this one is at the heart of the 'Godness' of God. It is. I don't know any other doctrine that is at the heart of what makes God uniquely God, because he doesn't have to explain to me his choice. He doesn't owe it to me, and I will never find my way to the end of it, just like Paul in Romans 11. Now, it's not something to be afraid of, ashamed of, avoid talking about. But I would advise this. We need to respect it. Listen to this quote from a theologian advising when venturing into the realms of election and predestination to take caution. He writes this.
"First, let us remember that when we inquire into predestination, we are entering the sanctuary of divine wisdom. Anyone who pries into it and delves too brashly and confidently will never reach the point where he satisfies his curiosity, but will stumble into a labyrinth from which he will find no way out. For it is not right that the things which God has sought to conceal, and whose knowledge he has kept for himself, should be scrutinized in this way by men. Nor is it right that the lofty wisdom which he wished us to revere, rather than comprehend, so that we might wonder at his greatness should be made subject to our human mind. What God thought good to give to us was everything which he knew would be relevant and rewarding to us. Once we grasp the idea that God's Word is the only path which allows us to investigate all that we may lawfully know about him, and is likewise the only light by which we behold all that we may lawfully see of him. It will stop us from acting impulsively, for then we will realize that by going beyond the bounds of Scripture, we will be straying off into the darkness and will inevitably, with every step, wander, stumble, and trip up."
Now, that sounds like somebody very critical of the doctrine of predestination. Definitely couldn't be a fan of it, except it comes on page 463 of the 800 pages of John Calvin's Institutes. You know the guy, John Calvin that's the boogeyman of Calvinism. Two terms he actually wouldn't have recognized in his own day boogeyman or Calvinism. Calvin is seen today as those who don't understand him, one who wrecks the gospel with this doctrine of predestination. But in his own time during the Protestant Reformation, he was one who rescued the gospel from works based righteousness. And what drove him was the glory of God in Jesus Christ. You open those 800 pages in the institutes and right out of the gates he wants to impress you with Christ. You got to get two thirds of the way through the book to get to the one chapter...20 some pages on predestination. To which most people would ask, oh, if they don't like him...that's all that guy was about, predestination. May I encourage you, if maybe that was your estimation of John Calvin, in the spirit of the protestant Renaissance, not quite the Reformation...what Erasmus believed that led to the Reformation was the spirit of avantis...back to the sources. If you want to understand what John Calvin believed, you need to read him yourself. You don't need to read some blog critic taking pot shots and piling on, taking the quotes to misquote. So there's your assignment. For the first time in the annals of my five year time here, assigning you to read Calvin's 800 pages. I'll give you five years, and at my ten year mark, if I make it after today especially, you can read Martin Luther's Bondage of the Will.
But I really would just recommend, hey, being discerning and we've talked about growing in discernment the last few weeks. The best way to grow in discernment, especially of doctrines that don't sit well with us, is to read them in that own person's words, in their own time, give them that much credit. It was always drilled into me when I was going through seminary. Adam, if you're going to critique this position, do it in a way that the person that promotes it could sit in the room and say, yes, that's exactly what I believe. As in, you're not intentionally misrepresenting them to make your point.
So all this talk of election, the charicature of it is, if you believe it, you become part of the frozen chosen, as in, if God chooses us, why do we do anything?
I wonder if Paul has an answer for that in the next two phrases. Brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation...here's how you thaw out...through sanctification by the spirit and faith in the truth. There's Paul's answer to the accusation that the doctrine of election is going to put us into some state of inactivity, because if God is in control of it all, we shouldn't do anything. He says...those who are chosen by God have these two qualities about their life that proves they're saved... sanctification by the spirit and faith in the truth.
Now, that sounds exactly like the rest of the New Testament, particularly the letter of 1 John that the the mission statement of it in chapter five is...I write these things that you would know that you know Jesus Christ as Lord. And the qualities of a true Christian, according to the Apostle John in 1 John are...that you confess Jesus Christ as come in the flesh, that he is the Son of God. Well, that is right here...faith in the truth, the right confession. And then he says, and you can't go around saying you're a Christian making a practice of sin. And then he highlights one particular sin, a lack of love for your brother. And he uses the example of Cain and Abel. So, lo and behold, if you are chosen by God, sanctification and deepening convictions will mark your life, not you just being able to explain the doctrine of election. In fact, that's not going to get you anywhere. In fact, that will probably put a target on you. And it should...if you're going to boast in this amazing doctrine and it is, then these things should be true of you...sanctification by the spirit. You are becoming more like Jesus Christ rather than less, especially in the way that you want to tell people about the doctrine of election with a smile in love, because it's built on what?...God's sovereign love that he gave at his good pleasure in eternity past. You should sound like that, talking about it. You should certainly live like that. Proving the depth of your love for God and all of his wonderful truths in your actions. Second, you believe in the truth. He says. You have convictions. You believe more in the truth of God as your life goes on, not less.
So really, what Paul is doing in these, um, these few verses here, he's taking you from eternity past into the present. He took you to into eternity past, giving thanks to God for you. Loved by God because chose God chose you from the beginning. And then he brings them into the present for salvation through sanctification by the spirit and faith in the truth. Present day believers in Thessalonica...how do you answer the accusation against this election?...look at my life and listen to what I believe. Sanctification by the spirit...you could see it. It's happening in me and through me. Deepening conviction in the truth of God. It's the same truth we read about holy living in Ephesians 1:4. Chosen in him to be holy and blameless before him. That's a wonderful defense against the accusation that if you believe in election, you will endorse antinomianism, the idea that we don't obey God's commands. These verses teach us the opposite, that if there's no obedience in your life, if there's no sanctification by the spirit, if there's no surrender of your life to the will of God, if there's no change of your affections in your heart, then whatever claims you make to know something theologically, there's reason to question whether it's actually changed you. On the other hand, if you have according
verse 13, heard and believed the gospel and seen the transforming work of the spirit in your life, you have good grounds to believe you are God's elect.
So he has put your feet on the firm ground in eternity past of God's choosing. He has brought you into the present of looking at your life and measuring it by those two standards sanctification in the spirit and faith in the truth. And then the last piece after loved by God, chosen by God, you're called to future glory, called by God. That's verse 14. He says, it was for this that he called you through our gospel, but he moves them from the past and present into the future that you may gain...see, it's still out there for you...the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. We've gone from past to present to future. And isn't that the nature of our great salvation?...from justification to sanctification to glorification? You see how when you understand these subjects in the Bible, they they come out of the text. You don't have to put them on it. You're called to future glory that God loved you believer and chose you believer and called you believers so that you would be conformed to the glorious image of Jesus Christ forever. And that's where some people get it wrong when they think predestination is only about going backwards. Right? Where does he go with the doctrine of predestination here? He goes forwards into your glorification.
And this is what we call from Romans 8:29-30, the golden chain of salvation. So you could turn in your Bibles there to see it for yourself. The Golden Chain of salvation is covering the whole sweep of God's unfolding plan of redemption in your life, from his first thought of you before time began, all the way until you are with him in heaven's eternal joys. That's the golden chain of salvation. Let me read it to you.
Romans 8:29-30, For those whom God foreknew, he also predestined to become conformed to the image of his son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And these whom he predestined, he also called, and these whom he called, he also justified, and these whom he justified, he also glorified.
Each link in this chain is so connected to the next that it forms your unbreakable faith, and ought to encourage you today and bring you some comfort if you have a weary soul. If you're struggling with assurance and wondering, will you make it? You hold to the golden chain. This chain spans all eternity. It was forged in the flames of God's loving heart and hammered into form by the iron will of God Almighty. No one and nothing can break it. That's an encouragement to the Christian. And the amazing thing of this is it's all of God and it's all of Christ, and it's all of the Holy Spirit, and none of it rests on you. You rest on it. That's good news.
Now, one note on a common issue that comes up when talking about these verses is people that try to take that first piece of the chain and try to twist it a little bit when they talk about foreknowledge. And how some people do this is they say, well, that foreknowledge is at the front, because that's another word for God foreseeing, meaning he didn't actually do all this choosing and predestination. When he has foreknowledge, he can see into the future. And when he looks into the future from eternity past, he sees good in you and that you would choose Jesus. Well, there's a problem with that. Because if God has tolook into the future to see a move that you're going to make, he's no longer God. It takes away from the glory of his omniscience and omnisapience. As in, he knows everything and he is all wise, and there is nothing he needs to look into the future to know about you that he doesn't already know.
In fact, what God did know and does know about every single one of us, and it's true of every person in this room for all time and eternity, is that we are all damned sinners left to ourselves...headed for hell. There's actually a place in the Bible that does speak of God looking from heaven and God seeing. And this is what he sees. Psalm 53:2-3, God has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men, to see if there is anyone who understands, who seeks after God. Every one of them has turned aside. Together they have become corrupt. There is no one who does good, not even one.
Do you understand from these verses why God chooses? Why God must elect. Why God must set his sovereign love. Because in looking out as best as we can, pull it out of Psalm 53:2-3, and not put it on. Is there is no one looking out from the beginning to the end who would ever turn back to God. They're all running in the opposite direction, and God's justice would be to let them all perish because he's holy and they're not. And there is none who would have any inkling of goodness in them already to turn around and seek him according to the very words of God. So that's why foreknowledge being foreseeing...it doesn't work.
It also doesn't work because the effect of something cannot also be the cause. In Ephesians 1:4, it says, God chose us in Jesus before the foundation of the world, so that...effect, we would be holy and blameless before him. But if there was some good thing in us that was going to choose God, i.e. something in us that wanted to be holy and blameless, so God sees we're going to be holy and blameless, and chooses us so that we're holy and blameless. So the effect is the cause? Is that how cause and effect work in any realm, anywhere, any time? No. The reality is no sinner is or ever will be holy and blameless left to themselves apart from Jesus Christ. Therefore, the only way we changed is how? The only way we change is by God's electing love. That's the beginning and the end. And that's why we could say, like Paul did in Romans 11:36 about Jesus. For from him and through him, and to him are all things, in our salvation. To him alone be the glory.
Now some of you sitting here this morning. Might say, is there good news in that? Yeah, it's the good news of the gospel. It's the good news of the gospel this morning. You don't have to. One of the prerequisites to be born again, to be saved this morning, to be rescued from your sin, is not to figure out God, but it is to humbly accept the way he presents the gospel to you right now. Which is this...repent of your sins and trust in my Son, Jesus Christ, who came to take away the sin of the world. Turn to me. Turn to me from what? From whatever pride of thinking, you need to be able to figure God out in order tobelieve in him, that you first have to have understanding before you can have faith. It goes the other way. You humbly bow in faith and admit I don't understand it all, but what I do know that's burning inside my chest right now is that I don't deserve anything. Amen. And God and His son in love gave me everything. And if I know that much, I can be saved. And if you call upon that God, he will receive the humble and the weak. That's the only way any of us get in. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1, God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise and the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong. The things that are not to nullify the things that are so that no man may boast before God. By his doing You are in who? By God's doing, you're in Christ Jesus, who then has become to us the wisdom of God and the righteousness of God and the redemption of God. It's all in Christ today. So call upon him to be saved.
And for those of us who know that gospel, we know that's the only gospel. It excludes all boasting, all works, any glory to us...all glory to him.
That's as far as we're going to get today. Uh, you'll have to come back next week to hear the other ways in which we stand, the weapons we stand with, and
the strength we stand in.
And I'll just wrap up by saying that today was a lot. And look, I put my afternoon of watching the first week of the NFL out there by doing this today. I understand there could be emails and long conversation. I'm kidding, I love you. This is a doctrine to rejoice in, and like I said already, it's something that we can accept, not necessarily understand. And your head may hurt right now trying to wrap your mind around these things. I've been trying all week and the weeks leading up to this to wrap my mind around it. Yesterday in the car I was on about my fifth sermon of the week, um, driving my son to his football game...poor kid. He wants he wants some thunderstruck to get pumped up. And I'm like, we're going to listen to a sermon on election. And so, um, it's 30 minutes away. We're about 20 minutes into the drive, and I hit pause. I have mercy on whom I have mercy. And so I hit pause and I turn to him and I say, did you understand any of that? And he goes, mm, not really. And so then I venture to ask, why is that? And he says, well, the preacher is just using a lot of words...go figure. And I think I understood that. So I said, oh, so maybe he just needs more illustrations. And without missing a beat, he replies, nah, just an easier topic. And friends, that's probably just the way it is. But it won't stop us from trying. And I'll try to make it easier as best I can.
Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your grace and kindness to us in your son Jesus today. We have to hold in tension, trying to fathom the unfathomable. And not just that, but to turn it into praise. When sometimes these things we look into, we don't even have the words to form to praise you with. And we thank you that not all of the Christian life we approach this way. Some of it we just grasp so immediately. And your word says some of it is spiritual milk. Some of it is right there for the taking and then others of it even Peter can write about Paul. Some of those things he writes are hard to understand. Maybe he was talking ofthis, but all of it is yours. It's all your truth, and it's all the truth that comes out of your being. That what we believe about this is a reflection of you, who you are, perfect in every way. We thank you that we come most simply to you through your son, Jesus Christ, and the good news that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. Thank you for the gospel. It's in Jesus name we pray. Amen.
Pulpit Curriculum PDF Pulpit Curriculum DOCX * View transcript Growing in End Times Discernment
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Please turn to 2 Thessalonians 2. And as you do that, I just want to get us thinking about the word discernment. That's what we'll see today in the text, as Paul is trying to help these Thessalonian believers grow in their discernment of the end times. But the emphasis I just want to put on it at the beginning is for us to continually see the need for growing in discernment. It wasn't just enough that this church, when Paul wrote to them, initially had discernment from the beginning, thanks to their attentiveness to the Word and growing in it. But they were growing in discernment. And if you're new to Christianity or just knowing what is discernment, it's the ability to distinguish God's truth from the error...error of man, which is rooted in the lies of the father of lies, Satan. And it's not just about the ability to discern it, to say, okay, that's right, that's wrong, that's true, that's false, but then to take it and apply it in your daily life. What good would it be to just recognize the error and recognize the truth, but not to actually put it into practice when those distinctions are made? So it's of utmost importance that we as individual believers and as a church, grow up into all that God would have us to be in Christ. That's Paul's words in Ephesians 4, when he says that we're to attain to the unity of the faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As in, God didn't just want to save us and then leave us pygmy Christians...to leave us as little toddlers. Why? Because if you look in verse 14 of Ephesians 4, we'll be children tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine. Well, that's the danger of not growing up, not maturing in your discernment that you're going to get knocked over by the waves of every wind of false doctrine, just like if you took your kid to the beach and your toddler ran out and just got crushed by that first wave. It happens, but worse would be to stand there and do nothing and not pull them out, but let them get swept out to the sea and just tossed to and fro. And that's a church that doesn't help its people grow in discernment doctrinally. It's that they're just constantly going to be taken back and forth with every wind of change that blows throughout society, from the prince of the power of darkness, from the father of lies...the prince of the power of the air, Ephesians 2 calls him. When we're dead in our sins and trespasses, working in the sons of disobedience...how do we stand against that? We have to be anchored in the truth of the Word of God, and grow in our discernment. Throughout the Bible, the ability to discern is extolled as a mark of a mature person who is going to be useful for God. In Exodus 18, Moses a great leader in his own time was sinking, though in the quicksand of solo leadership. He couldn't lead the people of Israel by himself. So his father in law, Jethro comes to him and says, hey, you need a little bit of help. You need to find some guys to help you lead these people. But you can't just pick any type of guy. He says in Exodus 18:21, you shall select out of all the people able men who fear God...a man of faith, men of truth, who hate dishonest gain, those you'll place as the leaders. He's looking for those who are going to be men of truth who could recognize right from wrong. Not just that...moving on to the life of David. Maybe the next greatest leader in the history of Israel.And as he is rising to power, Saul is on his way out. They're moving on from him. The tribes of Israel, the 12 tribes, are recognizing he is the one we need to follow. So they're sending David leaders even before he's anointed as king. And in 1 Chronicles 12, of all the 12 tribes, it says this about the sons of Issachar, verse 32, 1 Chronicles 12...Men who understood the times with knowledge of what Israel should do. Those are the ones who were appointed in charge. So it's not just to be someone of the truth, Exodus 18:32. To mature and grow in the faith is to be somebody that knows the times that they're living in, can take that truth and apply it in their situation. Matthew 16, when Jesus is, uh, questioned by the religious leaders of his day, of his deity. They're wondering in Matthew 16 if He would show them a sign. And his response to them is a rebuke that he's been around for two years. They have seen his signs that he was the Son of God sent to save the world. And so this is his judgment on them. He says in Matthew 16:2, you know, when it's evening, you say, it will be fair weather. You know the sky is red. And in the morning there will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening. So you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times. Judgment over men in his age...religious leaders. The most knowledgeable of them all, who couldn't discern the signs of the days that they lived in. And then we get to 1 Thessalonians, what we've been studying. And in 1 Thessalonians 5, at the end of this letter, one of the final exhortations Paul gives to this church in verse 21 and 22. Examine everything carefully. Hold fast to that which is good. Abstain from every form of evil, 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22. A mature church is one who can separate the good from the bad, the lies from the truth. People who are going to lead in the church and grow in the church into the fullness of Christ, have to know the truth. Know the times. Discern the days therein. And so Paul, here in 2 Thessalonians 2 moves onto a new subject, and the need to discern is about the end times. Because false teaching had come into this church in the few months that he had been gone, even after he had written that first letter, and had started to confuse the minds and terrify the hearts of these people. It was a threat. And that's what was at stake then, and it's still at stake today when we talk about having discernment and look to the scriptures. It's not just about knowing what's in here. It's about what knowing what's going on out there. Bishop JC Ryle said it like this. "The men of Issachar are set before us as a pattern to be imitated, and an example to be followed, for it is a most important thing to understand the times in which we live, and to know what those times require. Our Lord Jesus Christ blamed the Jews because they did not know the time of their visitation and did not interpret. Let us take heed lest we fall into the same sin. Next to our Bible on our own hearts our Lord would have us to study our own times." So that's what we're here to do today. That's what we're here to do every week. Hear from God's word. Let it examine our hearts so that we can rightly understand the days in which we live.
Let's read 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5 and see Paul address their need to be growing in end times discernment. "Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to him, that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message, or a letter, as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has already come. Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first. And the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things?" Jesus said in Mark 4, "he who has ears to hear, listen up. For what you measure out will be measured back to you. May we listen up this morning, Father.Amen.
In this text, Paul just described the threats regarding the end times that these people were facing confusion of the mind, anxiety of the heart, and deception of the soul. Yet the solution was single...Biblical discernment. And as we walk through the text today, you see that breakdown between thinking and feeling and knowing. That's how the text progresses. And you have to ask yourself wherever you sit today, where has your thinking been? What have you been feeding it? Has it been shaken up? As you look at the decline in the society around us. And then your heart...where has that been? Has it been uneasy, irritated, agitated by what you're taking in here and getting down to there? And to fight these thoughts and feelings, Paul is going to take us to what we know. As he says in verse five, don't you remember what I taught you? Because you just can't live in the world of what you think is true or what you feel is true. It's got to be rested on what you know is true...your convictions. And that's the setup for the day. That's the way Paul is going to move it. But those actions then will lead to the way we live different in light of Christ's return. From thinking to feeling to knowing then to doing, to living it out.
And friends, when I say how we're to live in light of the return of Christ, I'm not talking about, you know, who has bought the five year supply of my Patriot survival meals. It's not going to be the application for today. The application is can you take what the text of the Word of God says? Let it minister to your soul this morning and as a result, live in light of the return of Jesus Christ. As Paul ends in 2 Timothy 4, loving his appearance, looking forward to the crown of righteousness that you'll receive for fighting the good fight, for finishing the course, for keeping the faith. Is that what you want? And we need to take heed today what Paul has to say. First, you must grow in discernment of your thinking and feeling, verses one and two. Paul moves to a new subject when he says, now, as in listen up, I request of you brothers and sisters. I've got something new to say here. And it's with regard to the coming, the parousia, the return. The personal appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to him. Those are the same event. He comes back. We go to him. I've already taught you this back in 1 Thessalonians 4. You could even flip back there to be reminded of it, because he's having to remind them of it. And he says, I don't want you to be uninformed back in 1 Thessalonians 4:13 about those who fell asleep who have died. You don't need to grieve for them because they're going to rise when he returns, and we're all going to meet him in the air at the same time. They were uninformed, they were ignorant, and he filled in their understanding. But since the time that he wrote the first letter, false teaching had come in and was twisting them up in their minds. And that's the word you get there in verse two, that you not be quickly shaken from your composure. That's a word for your mental capacity. You have gone from being reasonable to unreasonable...thinking about the end. You have gone from being rational to irrational because you've taken your minds off the truths of what I've taught you. Paul warns, your mind is turned on a dime. You have been swiftly shaken, quickly confused. And I need to flip this thing back around. That word shaken from composure. It's used also in Acts 16, talking about the jail when the earthquake came to free Paul from...it was shaken. That's the imagery here that your mind that should be guarded and protected by the Word of God, by the Word of Christ dwelling richly within you when you take your mind off the Word. As 1 Peter 1:13 says, when you don't tuck in the loose ends of your thinking, gird up the loins of your mind like a warrior going into battle so he doesn't trip over his robe. When you don't do that, this is the result. You're shaken. And we're the same. When our minds aren't planted firmly on the ground of God's Word, but in mid-air, we get blown by winds of deception quickly. Rumors are flying around...the 8 to 8. What's going in on 127. Hannah's barbecue bid us farewell. Sign goes up. Something new is coming to town. Rumors start to fly. Another Aldi, maybe a Trader Joe's. John Krick has plans to put in a Great Wolf Lodge. But my discerning wife jumps on the internet and pokes around. She finds out. We're getting four more Dollar Generals right in a row. Get my toothpaste there...paper towels there. I mean, just what a gift. But it's just the way we are. We latch on to a half truth and it sweeps us away. So the first thing to go in our lack of discernment is our thinking. Because we let those truths rain down upon our minds. But see, like water trickling onto that patchy roof, it finds its way down into the attic and then into the...and then it goes down...that's how it works here with these believers. They're shaken in mind, which leads them to be disturbed. And that word disturbed is now a word for our feeling. It's a state of fear. It's root verb was to wail or to cry. And so you could see that picture of the lies that pour over their heads and seep into the fearful caverns of their hearts. And that's how it works. It's a freefall...that 18in from here to here (head to heart). But when it hits, then you're flooded with all this anxiety and worry and concern because you hadn't stopped it where it should stop...right there (mind). You haven't been grounded in the truth. And so you're swept away, as Ephesians 4 said by some, some doctrine blowing into town. But then it blows up your heart and it doesn't come out of nowhere. There's a means to it. Paul identifies it there in verse two. It's either by a spirit or a message or a letter, as if from us. He's saying it could be any one of these things, or it could have been all three. I mean, the scenario could have been some so-called apostle rolls into Thessalonica. Self-proclaimed prophet might have been really charismatic, a good speaker, and when Paul was gone, in the absence of his presence and leadership, this 'anointed' speaker comes in and really interesting to listen to tickling their ears. And so his message was, hey, I don't know if you're paying attention, guys. The affliction, the persecution, the day of the Lord...it's already here. That was the message. He might have even is because it says even a letter said, hey, I've got I've got a letter here from Paul. Christ already came. So he says it could be any of these three. And later, at the end of this letter, Paul has to write verse 17...if you look at the end of 2 Thessalonians. I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. And this is a distinguishing mark in every letter. This is the way I write. He has to put that in there. Why? Because there were false teachers, false apostles, self-proclaimed prophets coming in and saying, I got a word from Paul. Look, the letter is here. And he says, no, no, no, this is my mark. This is my letter. This explains what was going on in this situation. False teachers claiming a word from God about the end were misleading the Thessalonians, confusing their minds and confounding their hearts all because they thought they were in the day of the Lord. Now, if you remember when we talked about the day of the Lord back in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 5:1-11, the day of the Lord was not, as we might initially think, a good thing to look forward to if you're in it. Because in the Old Testament, particularly the Minor prophets, it was associated with...a preachers paradise of alliterated words that begin with D... Doom, destruction, devastation, darkness, all of it. That's how the day of the Lord is described in the Old Testament. Because now God is returning not for salvation and redemption, but in judgment and retribution. And we learned that last week...that those who will be here when Jesus Christ returns with his mighty, mighty angels in flaming fire, verse 8, dealing out retribution to those who don't know God and those who do not obey the gospel of the Lord Jesus. So imagine the Thessalonians now believing the idea that he's already come. They've been left behind. They're in the day of the Lord. Awful enough, right? But added to what they think now they're going to face when it comes to the judgment of God, is that they would be questioning their own salvation. Why? Well look back to 1 Thessalonians 5, because he's been setting the whole day of the Lord up like this. You're not going to see it coming, and people will think it's peace and safety. And he tells the Christians in 1 Thessalonians 5, brothers and sisters, you're not in darkness that that day is going to overtake you like a thief. You're the sons of light and sons of day. You're not of the night. So he's been telling them. They've been hearing from him. Hey, the clear line is you're in the light. You're in Christ, or you're in the darkness. You're not in Christ. So if you're left behind for the day of the Lord, what conclusion might you come to? That you're not in Christ. So on top of the anxiety of thinking, now you're in for the judgment, the tribulation...you no longer are saved. You were never saved to begin with because they would have just thought back. Verse 5:8...since we are of the day, let's be sober. Put on the breastplate of faith and love, and the helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but for salvation. But if I miss the day of the Lord, if he came back and I'm still here, then I haven't obtained salvation. And I am destined for wrath. So does it make sense now why they would have been so shaken up by allowing that false teaching of the return of Christ already happening to pervade their thinking, get into their feeling...they're stuck. So what could they do about it? How did Paul advise them to grow in end times discernment?
He addressed their thinking and their feeling. Verses three through five he gets to their knowing and doing. This is the way out. The way isn't to think your way out or feel your way out. It's to know what God has said about the return of Christ. So let's go into verse 3. He starts out and says, let no one in any way deceive you. That's the issue. It's always the issue with false teaching in the church...that you've let someone because of some credibility you've granted them, whatever platform this person has that make you think you can trust their teaching. He says, no, it's not about the man. So let no man, let no one. You don't show partiality. Doesn't matter who this guy said he was. You don't let the person and in any way deceive you. It doesn't matter the method. He says he's spirit anointed. He said he has a message...a word from the Lord. He could say that all he wants. He could say he has a letter from me. But if it doesn't accord with what I've already told you, it's out. Should we have any different attitude today towards the Word of God and what we hear proclaimed from pulpits? Can it be backed up with this? If it can't, it's out. It's out. It doesn't matter the man or in our day and age, the woman preacher that has some massive following, millions of followers, writing books, best seller. Generally speaking, I would have said like the best selling section in, you know, Barnes and Noble, but I would tend to say avoid that. Goto our bookstore not because we need the money, but we vetted those books. We're not just putting them up there because they're Christian by name. But that's the attitude we have to have. Let no one...it doesn't matter the person. In every way...it doesn't matter the delivery deceive you when it comes to how you are thinking about the return of Christ. And that word deceive...just let's pause there for a moment, because we are up against it when it comes to being deceived. But it's not unique to our time period. Deception has been the issue since day one. Or should I say the day that Satan came in the garden to deceive Adam and Eve...from the beginning. That was the first issue...deception. Satan is the deceiver. He's the liar. And we have to know that when we look at this word deceive, Paul uses it six places in the New Testament. He's the only one that uses it, and he uses it in four different ways. And we need to know these ways, because these are all the ways that we can be deceived. I just want to give you a brief, you know, pull the car over to highlight how dangerous it is to not grant that you could be deceived as a believer...when you realize how many different ways it works against you. Four ways. Six times he uses it and he highlights four different ways we're deceived.
The first one is we're deceived by Satan because he's the source. Lies just don't come out of thin air. He's the father of lies. He's been doing it from the beginning. So Satan, Paul uses in 2 Corinthians 11:3. You could write it down. You could turn there if you want. Paul wrote, I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. What's he saying there? When it comes to being deceived, the starting point is always trying to take a believer and pull them away from keeping their eyes fixed on who?...Christ. Christ is always the issue. And that's the last person Satan wants you to look to because he's the source of our salvation. He'll get your mind on anybody else, anything else except what Paul says here simplicity and devotion to Christ. He disguises himself as an angel of light. He fools us into thinking just like he did with Eve. Hey, is that what God's Word really said? Don't you want to be like God? You know that issue you're going through is a really difficult one. Maybe the Bible isn't the final word on it. You know, you're a 2024 person...educated. Are you really going to trust this ancient book when you have the spirit in you? You know...you're created in the image of God. How reliable is this? Taking you away from simplicity and purity and devotion to Christ and His Word? It's the first way we're deceived, according to Paul.
The second way...Romans 7:11 is we're deceived by sin. What's Satan doing when he's trying to deceive you with error? He's trying to lead you to sin and sin, Romans 7:11 says, sin takes an opportunity through the commandment deceives me and through it kills me. Wow. Think about that. Paul is saying that sin deceives us by doing the opposite with the law that we would expect, rather than us draw closer to God. Sin uses the law to distance us from God. So how does he do that? Well, back to simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. If you define your relationship to God by the law and not by Christ, that's where it divides. If you define your relationship to God by your keeping of the law, as if that's where your righteousness is found. Above being found in who?...Jesus Christ and his righteousness. That's what Paul is saying in Romans 7:11. Sin takes the opportunity through the command, deceives me, and through it killed me. Why? Because it takes the law and it says, yea, run after the law. Keep the law. You just keep all the commandments, just like that rich young ruler did and came to Christ and said, I've done it all. And he's staring in the face of the Son of God, the Messiah. But he doesn't see him. He sees I'm good with God because of how good I am. And Christ says no. You're good with God because of how perfect I was. It's not you. But that's the deception satanwants to use, even the Word of God. For some of you today that you've defined your relationship to God your whole life by the law and not by Christ. And so the more you keep it, the better you are with them. When you have a bad day, the worse you are with them. Never once thinking, where does Christ fit into this? It's his righteousness alone that I will stand before the throne one day. Just as what was heard in the testimony, Florence said it...I'm in Christ. He's my salvation. I look forward to seeing him.
Third we're deceived by self. 1 Corinthians 3:18...Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he might become wise. What's this foolishness we must become? It's not the foolishness that goes out and believes lies out there and acts foolishly on the weekends. He's saying the foolishness is the kind that says, wait, I'm going to believe that the Messiah willingly gave himself up to die? That message, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1 and 2, is a message of foolishness to the wise of this world. It's a message of weakness to the strong in this world. But to us who are being saved, it's the power of God, and it's the wisdom of God. And if the rulers of this world would have understood that, they would not have crucified their Messiah. But we get deceived by our own self exalting pride. And if we don't have the Word of God to correct us and we don't have disciplers around us, perspective is the gift you can't give to yourself, friend. How do you know you're deceived? That's its whole point. You don't. But look how much is working against you. Satan, the father of lies. Sin using the word against you. Self thinking you've got it figured out on your own.
And then the fourth dimension. Maybe I can trust a preacher. I'm going to keep alliterating with S. So I'm going to say the fourth way we're deceived is speakers, not these kind, this kind. Romans 16:18...Paul's talking about false teachers. He says such men are slaves not of our Lord Jesus Christ, but of their own appetites. And by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting. False teachers deceive us. Notice what Paul said there...by sugarcoated speech, not by the bitter pill of absolute truth.
So what are you up against when it comes to being deceived? Do you think it was a pretty simple matter...a true/false test? It's multiple choice. Which one are you going to pick?...Satan, Sin, self, speakers coming at you from four directions, the walls closing in. But if you're grounded in the Word of God, if you know, like Paul is saying to these Thessalonians, if you know and remember what I taught you when I was with you, and I told you verse five, you won't be deceived in any way. So then in verse three, he tells them two truths about the end that he had taught them, that they needed to remember what they needed to know in order to live rightly. And the first truth is there in verse three, under what you need to know, the day of the Lord will not come unless the apostasy comes first.
Truth number one, for the end...the day of the Lord won't come till the apostasy comes first. What's the apostasy? Well, just defining it Biblically. It's a word that meant to defect or to revolt or to rebel, whether on a widespread or personal level to rise up in open defiance of authority, with the presumed intention to overthrow that authority. It's the Greek word for toddler. It was heavy for a while there, so I had to lighten it up. I mean, we were we were moving. So the apostasy is this time period where the way of the world has just shifted entirely to a time of total rebellion and revolt against the law of God. If you want a longer treatment of this, I think it was last year. It was last week. We said the longer treatment of 1 Thessalonians 1: 6-10 is Revelation. If you want to take this section and spend some more time with it this week, you can go to Matthew 24. I'm just going to go to it briefly, but Matthew 24 would be really the teaching of Jesus himself about the end...called the Olivet Discourse. Which would have been the basis for the apostolic instruction going around to the churches about the return of Christ, which Paul would have been aware of. And so Matthew 24, you want to mark in your Bibles as something to be familiar with when you want the truth about the day of the Lord, the end times. And it was instigated by Jesus with his disciples. After he has called out the Pharisees, cleansed the temple, wept over Jerusalem because it was an empty grave. There was nothing left there. I mean, he was broken over Jerusalem. He looked at the temple and he saw nothing. Because all they knew was that they were right because of their law keeping. They didn't need one to keep the law for them. And so he's talking about the end. He says, hey guys, one day, verse two of Matthew 24, every stone here is going to be turned on one another. And his disciples say, hey, um, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age? And so imagine this, the warning right there. Jesus says, see to it when you're thinking about the end, guys see to it that no one deceives you, misleads you. Many are going to come first and foremost in my name...notice that...how many false religions are out there today using his name? They'll come in my name saying I am the Christ and mislead many. And we've had people throughout history believe they were Jesus. They're all dead. Then he says, you'll hear of wars and rumors of wars. Don't be frightened. These all are going to take place. It's not the end yet. Verse seven nationagainst nation and kingdom against kingdom, various places, famines and earthquakes. Here's the key...all these things are merely the beginning of the birth pangs. And after that is the day of the Lord. So Paul is telling these Thessalonians, look, until all of this is ramping up for my return. It's not the day of the Lord yet. So wars, natural disasters, fake religious teachers, false believers, it's all going to happen and it'll continue to happen. I mean, even today we hear about the calamity in the world and think, is this the end? And I mean, one thing we continually have to remind ourselves is we have 24/7 access to hear about all the bad news unlike any generation prior. Of course, we're going to be on edge. I remember growing up, there was a newspaper that I would go to the sports section, of course, and then there was on the back page, they would have a picture of the world, a map, and all it would have was these little symbols for like a hurricane or an earthquake or a coup or something. I mean, it was it was just the bad news section. And as a 12 year old, I was fascinated by it. And, it made me, like, try to find it. I was hunting it down this week and I thought it was USA today. So I go on USA today's website on Thursday and lo and behold, what do I find?...doom and gloom. I mean, what changes, whether it was 30 years ago, in my childhood or three days ago? This is it. You land on their page. Here's our headlines. I mean, save the world's oldest person dies at 117, smiling, free and satisfied. A bunch of bad news that you would have no idea what was going on unless you had what?...access all the time to hear it. And I'm not saying this to to make light of what's happening today. I'm just saying, I mean, in our lifetime, in the last few years, today, last week, last month, any given week, you could pull this up. And this is how it is. I was trying to find an article, even by a guy named Kevin DeYoung. I've referenced him before. He's a pastor down in Charlotte...great writer. And I remember reading an article a few years ago where he said, don't, don't catastrophize all the catastrophes. Okay. Relax...sort of. But he wrote it, so I found it and it was dated July 13th, 2016. And this was his intro to this article. "Last week was a hard week...a very hard week. Sadly, there could be harder weeks to come. I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling a mix of sadness, exhaustion, fear and confusion. There is so much hurt, so much grief, so many layers, so many storylines, so many different voices clamoring for our attention. How can we possibly process everything that's going on in our world?" I was like, wow....July 13th, 2016. I couldn't think of one thing, can you? I mean according to Kevin DeYoung, and he is not a sensationalist. It was a very bad time. So I did what you're probably thinking of doing on your phone right now. What was so bad in July 2016? And I found an article with the headline ten World Changing Events in July 2016. Isis Attacks in Iraq, France and Germany, a mass stabbing in Japan, a cop killing in Dallas, a coup in Turkey. And brace yourselves...a Gallup poll that revealed Americans believe the US nominated the two least popular candidates in history. Relax. Okay. Eight years ago, we thought we had the two worst candidates in history. One of them's still out there. I say this with all love and sincerity. Like when you are given access all the time, to all the bad news and all the places of the world...this is how your mind. Right? It starts there. And then it gets to your heart. And you've got to be a good steward of what you let your little eyes see and ears listen to. Otherwise it's going to spin you out. But you get grounded when you know the truth about the return of the Lord, don't you? Now here's something that's pretty amazing in Matthew 24. Um, when you connect it to 2 Thessalonians 2:3, he says, the end isn't here until the apostasy. All this bad stuff, the world going to hell in a handbasket. But then listen to this in Matthew 24:14...the gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come. So the two points that we have to look for to identify when it comes to the end... apostasy and the gospel going to the ends of the earth...something unfathomably awful and unimaginably good. And they're going to coincide that the end is now here. That this apostasy and this man of lawlessness we'll get to is going to happen. But this really amazing thing is, in all that time, as bad as it gets, the gospel keeps going forth. And that's according to Jesus' words when the end will come. So I was just meditating on that picture...world getting worse...Gospel keeps going. Who wins? And my favorite moment of the Olympics came to mind. Sha'Carri Richardson gets the baton last leg of the 4x100 in the ladies race. She's behind and just cruises right on by. And then turns and gives the...humm... I gave the same face to Kurtis this morning. I was on 70 going past Walmart. I got the green light. He's coming up 4th. He gets the red and I see his Honda to the side and I go mm. It's the only race I've ever beat Kurtis in.
But I love that juxtaposition, the contrasting nature of the time leading up to the end. The finish line is in sight and in one lane is apostasy and rebellion and persecution. And in the other lane is the gospel of Jesus Christ and his promises that the gates of Hades will not prevail against the church. It's awesome...that it has to come down to the wire like that. It's awful for the world. But isn't that a sign of the kindness of God? That as bad as it's getting, he is pushing us to keep going. He's leaving us here, so it keeps going. And if we stop doing our mission, I mean, it's kind of one of those things I'm sure some of you guys, you know, like to. So wait a second. If we just kind of all stop preaching the gospel, like he'll never return? It just says the gospel has to be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end comes. So that's the order of operations, this great apostasy in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, but also the proliferation of the gospel.
Truth number two, besides the Great Apostasy, is the apostate one, the worst of the worst, the man of lawlessness. Verse three. The son of Destruction, the man who thinks he's God...all of verse four. He behaves with complete disregard for the laws of society. He is driven by an idea of complete autonomy to do whatever he wants to do. He has no love for God, no love for God's law, no love for Christ. That is the God hating spirit of this man of lawlessness. He is the Antichrist of all antichrists. 1 John 2:18. John, writing 40 years after this letter, has seen some Antichrists come already. And what does he say? Children, it's the last hour which should give us pause. It's been the last hour since 90 A.D.. It's a small time, isn't it?...an hour. When we think of the return of Christ. And it's been that way, according to the apostle John, since a couple of decades after Jesus went back. He says, children, it's the last hour. And just as you heard, that Antichrist is coming. Yeah. The teaching of Paul back in 2 Thessalonians, Matthew 24, um, even now many antichrists have appeared and from which we know it's the last hour, and it's going to be people that go out from us that aren't really of us. And so this is who the Antichrist is. And we continually see attempts at guys like this in history. Demonic inspired dictators who think they're so-called gods and they're gone. God allows them to be raised up, but he also. They're gone...every one of them. But this guy is anti-God, anti-Christ, anti-moral, anti-law. His lawless behavior will know no end. He's called the Son of destruction. And that's the emphasis of Son of Destruction. Is not so much the destruction he causes, but that he will be destroyed. John MacArthur defines him this way. I couldn't improve upon it, so I'm just going to put it up. "The expression son is of a Hebraism indicating a close association or of the same kind, just as a son shares his father's nature. So this man is going to share the nature of destruction. The Antichrist will be so completely devoted to the destruction of all that relates to God's purpose and plan, that he can be said to be destruction personified. He, however, belongs to destruction as the one to be destroyed. He is fixed for punishment and judgment. He is human trash for the garbage dump of hell." And we don't have to fear him. We don't have to fear the apostasy. We don't operate out of fear. Why don't we operate out of fear? Because John says we've come to know and believe the love which God has for us. By this, love is perfected with us, that we may have confidence in the day of judgment. Because as he is, so also are we in this world...protected...delivered. There is no fear in love. But perfect love casts out fear because fear involves punishment. And the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love because he first loved us. Is there any greater remedy for your mind and heart and soul this morning than knowing you are kept in Christ...protected, and nothing can pull you from the love of God in Christ...nothing. That's the confidence that the believer operates out of, no matter how bad it gets, how lawless society gets. If you wanted more Old Testament about this Antichrist, this lawless man, this son of destruction, if you want the language of the exalting of himself, we go back to Daniel. We were there last....I don't know how many years ago now. Daniel 7 says he'll speak out against 7:25. This this antichrist, this man of lawlessness will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the highest one, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in the law. Remember we talked about that then? He's going to be so bold as to want to change time itself. He's going to change all the laws. He's the ultimate defierof authority. There is nothing he won't tear down for the sake of his own exaltation, but he'll sell it to the people. And for three and a half years, have everybody duped because he will be the ultimate freedom fighter. That's appealing for people to hear that, isn't it? This...we're free people. Well, it has to come at the cost of some kind of law. No laws, no authority, noconsequences...a new society where nobody can tell me I'm wrong for following my corrupted desires. A lawless leader leading a lawless world with one result...pure what?...anarchy. A rebellion and riot like never before imagined. And you say that could never happen. People can never buy it. Really? Have you listened to some speeches of late? Highlighting, extolling freedom, but talking about a lawless way of society? Because you are about you. No we're not. We're Christs, all of us...body, mind and soul. We belong to him. So when you hear speeches that extol this idea of self exaltation, self-governance. What's it point towards?...lawlessness. But somebody could sign it off saying God bless America. I could use the name of God to sell a lawless vision for the future. Matthew 7:21-23 and I will declare to them, I never knew you. Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness. You can claim the name of Christ. You can sign off your words with saying, God bless. But if you have made a practice of lawlessness, if that's your vision for the future, if that's where you think freedom is found, you will hear in that last day...depart from me, you who practice lawlessness. Sin is lawlessness, 1 John 3:4.
So I would just say to any in here today, if sin is the regular practice of your life, I'm talking about the regular practice...1 John 3:4. Then lawlessness is the word that fits your lifestyle. Now here's the reality. Romans 3 says that we're all guilty. We all fall short of the glory of God. We're all lawbreakers. But what you need to do is trace the fruits of your lawless, sinful behavior to the root of the biggest problem, which is your lovelessness for Christ. Because Jesus says, if you love me, you'll do what? You'll keep my commandments. So we're back to not letting sin deceive us with the law. Oh, so I just need to be right by keeping more of the law? No, you need to be right by recognizing the reason you don't want to obey authority of any form, let alone the highest authority. That's because you don't love the Lord. And if you love him, you want to keep his commandments. That's how it works. It comes from the heart. So is your heart devoted to Christ this morning? Do you love him? And do you love him because he first loved you? We're back there again, aren't we? It's recognizing what he did for you in the gospel that will drive out any fear you have this morning if you're not in Christ. Uh, this isn't a hellfire and damnation sermon. This isn't about scaring people into heaven. It doesn't work that way. You win them to heaven. You compel them to come in. That's the invitation. If you're not in Christ today, come in. All the preparations are ready, Luke 14:23. All of it's been done. Come now to Christ. Everything is ready, Christ said. The great marriage banquet of the lamb to the bride is going to be ready. He's prepared everything. Don't you dare think you can bring something. It would offend the master. You don't bring nothing. You come. You come to Christ saying, I've got nothing to bring to this. And he says, exactly. Welcome in. You come. You don't stay. He has everything, you have nothing. And he says, do it now. Don't wait. So come to Christ if you don't know him. Surrender your life to him now. Plead for mercy to forgive your sins so you can live forever with him. That's the glorious good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The greatest news there is. And if you are in Christ, when's the last time you've taken that same good news to people today who are anxious, who are confused, who are worried? And you sit and listen to them. You let them share their heart. And then can you say, I've got some good news to tell you? It doesn't have to end this way. You can come. I've got an invitation from the master for you.
Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your grace in our lives. The grace that we find in Jesus Christ alone, who delivers us from the wrath to come. We thank you that as your children, we have nothing to fear. We are held in you, protected and provided for eternally. So we praise your name this morning. Christ. You are our all. All of our salvation. All of our righteousness. You kept the law perfectly. You loved the Father perfectly. And you offer it to us in yourself. Thank you for your kindness and mercy and grace. Amen.
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I shared with you a few months ago when I was trying to figure out what to preach after we finished 1 Thessalonians...maybe it was like April or something, or it was coming, and a mentor of mine kind of gave me the look of like, why wouldn't you just go into 2 Thess? And at the time, you know, it seemed right. But then as the months would go on over the summer, you as a preacher, you kind of get into everything. You just, um, reading different books and you're reading your own Bible and everything seems like the next thing you want to preach. And one thing that was particularly on my heart that I was concerned about in light of, you know, certain moments in the time you're preaching in cultural moments is, you know, the political season we're in. And so the thought had crossed my mind of doing a mini-series on politics, thinking Biblically about it. And that's kind of what we call any series that we take topically. And really it did come down to a photo finish to call it that, of which I would do next and my heartbeat behind wanting to talk about politics...because we all can't get enough of it is, you know, with the election coming, just wanting to think rightly about it. But at the same time, it doesn't just terminate on thinking rightly about it. You can read a lot on your own. It's having the right heart disposition towards it. It's where is our faith and where is our hope? So that no matter what the outcome is, we love the Lord and our hope is in him, and our home is in heaven, and our faith will remain strong. And that's when it occurred to me in reading through 2 Thessalonians. Well, Adam, if that's what your aim is, the aim of our instruction is, is for our hearts to be changed, then, then preach 2 Thessalonians, because that's actually the aim of Paul. When he's writing this letter, he's aiming at this growing church, growing in faith, growing in love, and having an unchanging hope. And it's not to say we might not revisit that topic sometime coming down the road in the fall, but in the meantime, the heart work that can be done for us to be prepared for anything where it doesn't just have to be something happening in society that you feel is opportune time to speak towards. But whatever might be happening in your life, I don't know if there's ever a time in my Christian life that growing in faith and deepening in love, and having my hope in Christ remain as strong and secure as ever, is not a good season for. So we turn to 2 Thessalonians this morning. And perhaps the only question then that remains is, is it going to be as good as the first? Uh, because, you know, in life, maybe just in movies, I guess, the sequel tends to let us down a little bit. In the godly gathering of elders this morning when we pray before the 9 a.m. service, it came up about a sequel that an elder had just watched of a movie. And I said, there's my introduction. I've been figuring, what should I talk about to kick off this series? And there it was, providentially, a discussion on has there ever been a sequel that's better than the original? Only one Air Bud 2, Golden Retriever. Everything else just went downhill. And maybe you debate that in your life group this week as an icebreaker or on the ride home. But what is wonderful about the Word of God is we know there is no letdown. That whatever truths and power to work in our lives, that we saw in 1st Thessalonians last spring when we started in January and it took us through the spring, we pick up here. And the great part is we'll have some familiarity with it. If you are new here and you weren't part of us going verse by verse through 1st Thessalonians for one, if you're new here, that's how we typically preach here...is we pick a book of the Bible, and then we preach it verse by verse and try to give you yourself the sense to see what is right in front of you, that you can follow right along in your Bible with us, uh, not just opening it and then closing it and moving on, but learning for yourself and even learning as we go, verse by verse, how to study your Bible. So we talked last week about being a a word-centered church. Well, really in the preaching is where you see the emphasis on that, and those that weren't here for 1 Thessalonians, the letter that comes right in your Bible before this, if you want to go back last January, we started it. There are 18 sermons. You know, I keep notching on the wall like a jailbird, uh, every time I preach through something. And so we got 18 sermons in. You can listen to them two times speed. Just cut the time in half. And then when you come in here on normal Sundays, you'll think I'm super slow because some of you Southerners are like, you talk too fast and trying to work on it. Okay, it's been a ten year project, but that's where we're going to be. And the the gnawing question that Paul is answering for this letter that hasn't really moved too far away from the first letter, is this...how then, should we live in light of the return of Jesus Christ? That's a question for any age as a follower of Jesus. How then should we live in light of Christ's return? Because from the time he was leaving, he was telling his followers, be ready. Be on the alert. Be watchful. And that's a two part question. If you just get right to the how then should we live part but leave out...in light of the return of Jesus. Uh, you might be moving to action without having the right motivation for that action. And that's really what 2 Thessalonians is covering that some of the believers here in Thessalonica, months after Paul wrote the first letter, were still living in a way based on false teaching that they were getting that he alludes to there in chapter two that whether it was a spirit or a message, you know, basically there's still some people saying, hey, you missed the day, Lord, he already came back. It can really throw people in a tailspin for how then they should live. Especially if you believe the return of Jesus already came. At the same time, if we look ahead to chapter three, there was a word for those who say, well, if it's so far, you know, if we're if we're just kind of waiting for his return, what's really the point of trying to improve our lot? And so he has to address that. But first on his mind and first on our minds that relates to where we are today in chapter one. Is that the reason Paul got run out of town and hasn't been able to come back to this wonderful church, is because of persecution. And that affliction, that suffering, though he's not experiencing it while he's currently writing this in Corinth, the people have been. They've still been feeling the pinch. And he cares for them. He wants to comfort them. He wants to write them something encouraging. He wants them to know the truth so then their life can follow. In that he teaches us as believers that simple principle that what you believe will always determine how you behave. What you're currently learning about who God is and who you are always is going to impact your living. If you fall off on either side, if it's just always about learning but never what you're living, then you run the danger of being a hypocrite. Truth without application leads to hypocrisy. In the same way, if you just kind of get moving in a direction and forget the ground on which you stand doctrinally and you're all just about living, but no learning, you run the danger of heresy. And so that's why we see the emphasis both here. Paul's going to get right at teaching them, instructing them before he gets to informing the way they should live, because that's the order we follow. It doesn't leave either out. We don't leave either behind because we know that that is the way God has wired us to grow. And this is a letter to a growing church. We talked about the theme of 1 Thessalonians being a good church, and we defined it as a good church is one that is, grounded in the grace of God and produces gratitude in God's people for spiritual growth around them. That was kind of our thesis statement of 1 Thessalonians. Well, it hasn't changed too much other than there's a little more of an emphasis in 2 Thessalonians on affliction and suffering. And so if you're looking for a big picture to kind of jump into this letter with, it would be this. This is about a growing church. They didn't just start good and tail off, kind of like what Paul had to correct with the Galatians. They were departing from the gospel. This church is holding its ground. So it's a growing church. And we'll hear that right away. But here would be the big picture for this letter as a whole. A growing church is a continued work of God's grace, rooted in the gospel of Jesus Christ and bearing the good fruit of faith, love, and hope in the soil of suffering. That's what I want to have in your mind as we get into this letter. What motivates us to pay attention to it, Because we want to be a growing church, right? We just don't want to be a good church, you know, always kind of looking in the rear view, remembering the glory days. We are a good church. But we want to be a continually growing church. And a growing church is one that reminds itself it is rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but it is currently presently bearing the good fruits. Those sister virtues, as some scholars call them...faith, hope, and love. But what we see in this letter that I think is pertinent to the times we're in...back to why I wanted to do this...is because it's all happening in the soil of suffering and in the furnace of affliction, where the Christians here in Thessalonica aren't being just automatically accepted into their culture for what they believe and know. They ran Paul, Silas and Timothy off. But yet Paul is hearing a good report from them, and he's encouraged by them. And I think that's going to ground our hearts in hope and love and in faith this semester.
So follow along with me as I read. We'll just get into the greeting today, set the table with it, and then move out from there in the weeks to come...first four verses.
"Paul and Silvanus and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians, in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters, as is fitting, because your faith is greatly enlarged, and the love of each one of you toward one another grows ever greater. Therefore, we ourselves speak proudly of you among the churches of God, for your perseverance and faith in the midst of all persecutions and afflictions which you endure."
Father, open our eyes this morning to see the wonderful Word. Spirit, illuminate it to our hearts and show us more of Christ, that our faith will be stronger in him. Amen.
So what are the marks of a growing church? Or if I could say it a different way based on what Paul says in there in verse four. What kind of church would God be proud of? You see that in verse four? He says, we ourselves speak proudly of you among the churches of God. Well, if Paul is carried along by the Holy Spirit and is inspired to write...we speak proudly of you among the other churches of God. Then what he's saying is, this is the type of church God would be proud of. And what he's about to say is going to describe to us a growing church that God would be proud of...acts like this, looks like this, behaves like this, and we want to be that kind of church.
So let's see what he starts with today. First in verses one and two in the greeting, we see that a growing church is still rooted in the gracious gospel of Jesus Christ. We never move away from it. It's a continued work of God's grace, and we see just in Paul's introduction how he roots these believers and their only hope in the author and perfecter of their faith, and then the one who first loved them before they loved him...Jesus Christ. So look at the introduction. Paul and Silvanus and Timothy. We know them from their second missionary journey. Silvanus was somewhat of a peer of Paul's. We don't know his age, but we know from the book of Acts that he was a functioning elder, and he traveled with Paul. After the end of chapter 15, Paul and Barnabas decided to go different ways. Paul brings Silvanus along, who's also known as Silas and Timothy, which was his protégé, his disciple. They get to Thessalonica. We know this story from Acts 17:1-9, and Paul immediately goes into the Sabbath, Verse two of Acts 17, explaining and giving evidence that Jesus had to suffer and rise again from the dead. And he said, and this was his message, and this is preaching Christ and Him crucified in its glory and simplicity. This Jesus, who I am proclaiming to you is the Christ is the Messiah. And here's the fruit that God brings. Some were persuaded and joined them in a large number of God-fearing Greeks and leading women. So there were converts...Jews, Gentiles. But yet there was also conflict. Verse five, there were Jews who were jealous, and they ran. They formed a mob and ran Paul and Silas and Timothy out of town and said, don't ever come back here. And so Jason formed some kind of plea bargain with the city, that perhaps there was a pledge that Jason would be in trouble if these guys ever came back. And so this persecution leads to good things, as God is also in charge of everything. He's running all things. So even amidst persecution, the gospel goes out and gets to Berea and it gets to Athens, and it gets to Corinth, so we can see God's providence always reigning over persecution. It's not outside of his control. Paul doesn't make it back there, but he does send Timothy back to get a report. Timothy brings a good report. We learn that from 1 Thessalonians 1:3, that Paul had sent Timothy on a mission to find out how they were doing in the faith. And then he finds out, verse six, that Timothy has brought a report...good news of your faith and love, this faith and love and hope theme that goes throughout 1 and 2 Thessalonians. Paul has heard a good report and he's in Corinth now writing the first letter. Time goes on. He maybe hears that there's still some false teaching going on, and some people that, in light of that false teaching, aren't living the right way. So he writes this second letter, but to greet them, he doesn't just get right down to business. He wants to remind them that you never move past the gospel in the introduction to them. He reminds them who they are. A growing church always needs to be reminded of the most important thing, which is this...if you are a Christian, if you are a part of the church, the family of God, you are (circle) IN God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. IN is the most important preposition. Your Christianity hangs on this. Are you in God the Father in the Lord Jesus Christ? If you are, what does that mean? I mean, if you're just looking at our text alone, it's hard to understand that maybe if you're new to Christianity, if you're not a Christian here today, you might not even see the connection between God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Are they related? Who are they? Well, you have to understand the gospel. Maybe for you, if you're a new believer, you need to find somebody to take you through the Gospel of John, who his whole driving goal and emphasis in the Gospel of John is said in John 20:31. I'm writing these things so that you may believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and by believing have life in his name. Now, Paul knows these people have accepted that gospel. They understand the connection between God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, that Jesus Christ came proclaiming that he was the Son of God, that he and the father were one. Go back to John 10. Some of you need to know this today about the Christian faith. There is no moving away from this. In John 10:27-30, Jesus says this to a listening audience, "my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My father, who has given them to me is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the father's hand. I and the father are one." So for Paul to open a letter about being in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, he is teaching them the most basic orthodoxy of the Christian faith. That you can't come to know the Father, apart from the son, and all who come through the Son will have eternal life in the Father. This is Christianity, friends. There is no separating that out. There is no taking one without the other. But the blessing and benefit of being in Christ then comes in verse two. The glorious grace of the gospel brings you grace, and it brings you peace. Grace coming by the death that Jesus died in your place. That is all of grace. It's grace that God the Father loved the world and sent His Son in it to die for it. That he demonstrated our love in this, that while we were sinners, Christ died for that. That is all a work of grace. You can't get any of your work into that. If you try to, it makes the gospel null and void. So that's the root in the gospel. But here's the fruit peace. You have peace with God. You have peace in the Lord Jesus Christ. So the great blessing of being in Christ, of having salvation is, you know, your life is safe and secure in him. That's why we never move past the gospel, because whatever you're encountering today, brother and sister in the Lord, whatever hardship, whatever affliction, whatever suffering, if you know verse one is true about your life, you are in God, your Father, and in the Lord Jesus Christ...you have nothing to fear. I got an email this week from a friend of mine who's on the mission field in a closed country...a dangerous place to be...he and his family. But just meditating upon the power of being in God the Father and Jesus Christ the Lord, just made it clear as day to me that this man and his family, though in a dangerous country, are in no greater danger than I am, because we're all in Christ. Do you believe that? You better. Because otherwise your hope and your faith, it's going to ebb and flow based on the circumstances around you. And if suddenly we become a country closed to the gospel....Oh, we're in danger now... Are we? If you're in Jesus Christ today, how could you be in danger? John 10 said it...you're in his hand and no one can snatch you out of his hand. And if that weren't enough, he gives you double coverage. He says, you're in my hand because the father puts you in his hand and puts you in my hand. Who's going to separate you from the love of God in me? Nobody. So who are the safest people on planet Earth, regardless of where they live? Christians, because you're in Christ. You try to figure out what does it mean to be in Christ? What do I gain out of it? You gain security, safety, protection, provision that is yours forever and can never be taken away. That's how wonderful it is to be in Christ today. You have grace from God. You don't work your way to him. You don't earn anything. It's been given to you in His Son. And because of that, then on the inside you experience peace. You know you're justified by faith, Romans 5:1 says, having been justified by faith, trusting in Christ alone, you have peace with God. That's the only way you get it. It's the only way. So I ask you this morning, are you in Christ? Do you know you're at peace with God because you have trusted in Christ alone by faith, and you've trusted in Christ alone by faith because you understand something about yourself, the sinner, that you need, his grace, that you cannot earn your way to him, work your way to him, please him in trying to do everything you can to perform for him. It's all of his grace. So you cry out to him, God save me, a sinner, and he offers you his grace and His Son. And in that comes peace that surpasses anything you could have down here, where, regardless of what your surroundings are. That's why a growing church always goes back to the gospel. Because that's where our strength is found. That's where our hope is found. If it starts to move or depart from anything beyond that, that church is going to be sunk. If it needs to lean on some really wonderful, charismatic...I don't mean it in the, you know, tongue sense. I mean effervescent, extroverted preacher who fires the troops up. What happens when he goes? If your hope and your faith, trust were in him, where is your faith going to go? Or some programs that the church can run, some style of music, whatever it is that you think that really holds my faith together. This church had none of those things. It's a baby church. It's two years old. They didn't have probably hymnals to open...they had psalms and hymns and spiritual songs that they would have memorized by oral tradition. They had the teaching of the apostles. They had the Old Testament. That's it. No men's and women's Bible studies and life groups and youth groups and children's ministries...were thankful for those gifts. But their faith and love and hope went back to one person alone, Jesus Christ. And they were standing firm. And Paul could say, I'm thankful for you to God, and I'm proud of you in Christ. So that's the start of a growing church. It's rooted always in the gracious gospel of Jesus. But then it moves to the fruits. If it's rooted in Christ and never moves past that...being found in him, receiving grace and peace from him, then what does Paul see and say?
That moves us to the second point today a growing church bears the good fruit of faith, love and hope in the soil of suffering. That's his greeting. He then moves to say, we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters. And it's fitting. If you go back to 1 Thessalonians just a few pages earlier, he gives thanks to God, always making mention in prayer. And how about that? He opens up in verse three talking about their work of faith, labor of love, steadfast of hope in Jesus. That's where they started. But they keep moving on in this. And so he moves from just giving thanks to underline the word ought. And as is fitting, there's a little more emphasis now as this letter was written a few months later, that he is so moved to say, look, it's not just arbitrary that you are living a life of faith and love and hope. This is a true work of God in you that you have stood firm and it promotes in me an ought. I should recognize this grace and give thanks for it. And there's the principle that I've said here from time to time, and I'll repeat as much as I see it, I'll say it. That the essence of Christian theology is grace. Therefore, the ethic of Christian living is gratitude. When I've said that before, I'm just not trying to pull some memorable one liner out of the sky. It's right in front of your face. Verses one and two are all about the essence of our faith. It's a grace based faith. And when you see the grace of God at work around you, you can't but help be what?...Giving thanks to God for it. And so, before we even get into the good fruits of faith and love and hope, could we learn from the Apostle Paul? Can we see him modeling an example to us that a that a growing believer and by certain a mature Christian is one that should be characterized by gratitude far more than grumbling. If you consider yourself a mature Christian, but don't find yourself often overflowing in gratitude to God for the work of grace in people around you, you are not a mature Christian. If you are characterized by complaining and criticizing brothers and sisters. If that's the the tenor or tone of when a name is brought up in the most private places in your heart or in your home, if in your heart is just this person that comes up in your mind, this other Christian, and immediately you have some flaw or fault that comes into your thoughts or in the privacy of your home with a friend or a spouse, and a person's name comes up and your instinct is to remember that flaw about them and say something about it is as much as you want to say it and gloss over it in a way that tries to make it sound less than what it is. It's criticism. It's complaining. I love you. You need to repent of that. If you want to consider yourself trying to imitate Paul as he imitates Christ, because the connection between us being thankful for the believers around us is you can't pull it away from understanding and seeing God's grace around you. It's not to say you don't see flaws, that you're ignorant to faults. But it's to say, what's the bigger picture you see around you? I mean, the person that just constantly has that refrain of, you know, church is just a bunch of loveless hypocrites and blah blah, you know, that I am certain they're in front of the line, because that's a person who now just lives in a world where everybody else is the problem but them. And what's happened there is they've just stopped seeing the grace of God. All they can see is the faults of people around. It sounds a lot like the problematic person in Matthew 7 that needs to be told by Christ not to judge. Not because judging is wrong in and of itself. Because if you're going to measure out to everybody, he says, Matthew 7:1-2, if you're going to be the standard, would you like God to apply that same standard to you? So he says, here's how you fix it. Before you go around looking for the speck in your brothers or sisters, eye find the log that's in your own. And when you find the log in your own eye...another way to talk about when you find the sin in your eye...the sin in your heart. If you're a Christian, you'll deal with that with the gospel. You'll recognize that I actually can come and confess to you, Father, that I have messed up again. Christ, thank you for the atoning work of the cross. That you love me just the same. And then you take that same grace that you've now removed the log and help the person with their speck. That's how the gospel works amongst Christians. That's how Ephesians 4:32 and 5:1 work together. Forgive as you've been forgiven. Walking in love as beloved children of God. So it was meant to just be an aside. But if it grinds you up right now, like it did this week, me...Just is the instinct of my heart...gratitude, when I look around and see evidences of grace in your lives and people in my life. So that's maybe the preparation work. Um, that's the qualifying race before you get into the real thing this morning. You know, in the Olympics recently, you got to qualify in your heat. So Paul's qualifier before we move on was to say, hey, let's check our hearts. Are we thankful to God for the grace we see at work in other people's lives? And if we aren't, it's going to be hard for us to do anything with the rest of this sermon. In fact, if you were just corrected here by God's kindness in the work of the spirit through the word, I think it will help you then to say, you know what? Maybe I was thinking I was going to be looking for a lack of faith and love and hope in others, and I need to see it in my own life now and then move to help somebody else out. So first mark of a growing church in verse three, after we've had our sights adjusted, he says he's thankful to them because their faith is greatly enlarged. And again, we read already in 1 Thessalonians chapter one that they started with a work of faith, and that work of faith continues to grow. But it's growing. It's not plateaued, and it's not going backwards in the midst of the flames of affliction around them in Thessalonica. This faith is greatly enlarged, and he is, uh, layering words to try to give the picture to us that this is no small thing, though faith starts as a mustard seed. Yes, we're taught, but the mustard tree ends up being this massive tree. And he's saying, that's the way faith should work. It should grow to the degree it is greatly enlarged, meaning it's very obvious and evident that growth is happening. So you think about in your life. You know, looking at the mirror of the word, is your faith being greatly enlarged?, friend. Now, I know we all go through different seasons of life and seasons of growth, and I would probably say most the most easy and obvious is when you first become a believer, when you go from darkness to light, I mean, everything changes.
So you meet that person that just becomes a Christian and it's wow, they were they were so harsh with their words and now they're so kind and they were malicious before. And now they're loving and they were impatient. Now. Yeah, those things boom. They change and they're obvious changes. Evident changes immediately. But as time goes on, now you've got to drill deeper and peel back further. And it could seem like we have plateaued, but we should still have a faith that's greatly enlarged, able to be seen. This word Paul uses, he borrows it from some other secular writings, where it was used for a politician who rises to the highest position in society, or a massive tree in its full maturity. Which I like that picture because that reminds me of Psalm 1. You know, a tree that is deeply rooted in the Word of God produces fruit in its season and leaves that don't wither and it prospers in everything. I mean, I think of how we grow analogous to how we grow in faith to, to our physical lives. And maybe this is why we have to work harder the older we get. We see physical growth in our kids very easily. And if your kid comes to Christ at a young age, you might see spiritual growth in them very easily. Just basic things. But then we get older, right? And then from age, I don't know, most people probably 18 till whatever it is, you start shrinking. You just kind of physically plateau. I mean, unless you take steroids and try to stretch every day to get that extra 1/100 of an inch. Physically, it's hard to see that growth. And I would say that probably in most Christians lives, it could be true that spiritually, it's hard to see that growth because you have to go down deeper. You have to dig harder to kind of stir it up. Otherwise you just get complacent and kind of like we do physically. I mean, there's a lot of parallels there. Whereas in our kids, I mean, a couple months go by, they grew another inch. You notch it on the wall. You're not worried as much. But as time goes on in our Christian lives, are we still applying that same excitement and energy to trying to grow as we do other things? Maybe that's the best way we can compare it this morning. Think of the thing that kind of gets you up and going the most. What are you really into? We try to get better in things most of the time. The guy that's obsessed with, you know, fighting back his 40s, not to speak autobiographically, but I mean, you know the guy. He's got all the latest fads to kick up his health, to lose that inch around the waist, fit his pants from his 20s again, and he's got his phone linked up with some gadget watch so he could know while he's working out if he's maximizing the heart rate and he's got his macros and micros in his food measured out, and he'll do all that, he'll go to great lengths to see his physical health maintained. I wonder if he applies the same to his spiritual life, trying to dial it in, trying to observe. Look, how am I dealing with the sin in my life? And why was I not bold there to share the gospel and trying to figure it out and scheme that? Or it could be anything. Shouldn't we attack it with the same fervor?...we should, if faith is what matters most in our lives. Those other things are good things. But sometimes we just need to compare our lives and say, that effort I'm giving over here, am I giving it here? To see a faith greatly enlarged. And then it moves into a love that grows ever greater because these things are connected. You know, a faith that's growing. Well, there should be some obvious touch points and the one that Paul observes by way of hearing from Timothy and probably others, is the love of each one of them growing ever greater. You know that, it's not just people saying they really love God, but it's evidence in how they love their brothers and sisters in Christ. You know, it's really wonderful and encouraging to us in what we pray for, is to see that God answered this prayer. Go back to 1 Thessalonians 3. You know chapter three, where he was saying how he was longing to come see them and he couldn't see them, and he wanted to come to strengthen and encourage them in the faith. And then he closes chapter three with this request of God. Verse 12, May the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another. Did God answer that prayer? He did. Does he answer our prayers? He does. Are you praying for that in your heart? Praying for love for one another to grow ever greater. If the picture of I was saying, you know, some of these words that you find them in other areas of ancient Greek, if the picture of faith greatly enlarged, was like a tree going up and taller and stronger, this word for growing greater was a picture from agricultural life, but it was of an irrigated farm plot that the waters let in and the floods go further out. They cover more ground. And maybe those are two helpful images how for our faith and love play together? As that faith grows deeper and taller, it goes wider. It covers more. Imagine a tree with its bloom in full maturity. How much shade it can give and how much fruit it can produce. And the the number one fruit it's producing is the fruit of love...love for others. Because if it's not manifest, evident in love for others, John says in chapter four, what? If you hate your brother but say you love God, you're a liar. That is what he says. If someone says, I love God and hates his brother, he's a liar. For the one 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, Jesus, that the one who loves God should love his brother. Because John 13:34 this new commandment I give to you. It's the 11th commandment...love one another. Verse 35, because the world will know who my followers are by the way you love each other. So when you say, hey, that faith that I want to be greatly enlarged, maybe what would be the first fruits of it in my life? What should I look for this morning? Look no deeper than...are you harboring any bitterness, resentment, malice in your heart towards a brother or sister in Christ? It's a fruit. And you got to trace that fruit back to the root and say, That Father, that's an area of faith I need to grow in. You know, we talked about Peter a few weeks ago saying, Lord, save me. I mean, have you ever gotten so desperate to love a person that's hard to love a brother and sister in Christ that you have that's been become your prayer? Lord, save me from this bitterness I feel because I can't do it on my own. It's not blame shifting. It's not diverting it. It's just you admitting like Peter in that moment, Matthew 14, we saw a few weeks ago, I am going down here. I mean, it should be that desperate in you if love is that difficult for you. But it's a first fruit of the Holy Spirit's work in your life. So that's the second thing, I guess one other thing to mention is back to first John 4:20 connected to 1 John 4:7. We love because love is from God, and whoever is born of God knows God. It is a test this morning that the probability of your salvation can hang on how you love others, and that doesn't make salvation a work. It's saying when you're looking for the fruit, that first fruit should be a love for other people. And if I'm saying if the character, the nature, the regularity of your life is one of judgment, criticism, malice for Christians, let alone the world, but you call yourself religious. John would give you reason to question...do you know God? You say you believe that Jesus is the Christ, but whoever loves the Father and loves others has been born of him. So it's a question of probability, of salvation, let alone credibility, that the credibility of our faith hangs greatly on the way we love. So that's the second piece. And then back to 1 Thessalonians again or sorry. 2nd, I'm going to probably say that a bunch in these early weeks, go back to verse four. So he covers faith and love. And then we might expect, because of the amount of times he connected faith, love and hope together to see that word hope in verse four. And we don't, but we get the essence of what hope is. It's when we have such a trust, such a hope in who Jesus is, and that he is coming back, that our faith endures. And you see that in verse four. We speak proudly of you among the churches of God for your perseverance in faith in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which you endure. That enduring faith, that persevering faith is built on hope. Hope keeps going. Hope doesn't give up. We learned in 1 Corinthians 13. Hope believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
So as we kind of get like to do a little triage in our hearts this morning of a growing faith of our church and as individuals, do you see how these three things play together? That hope keeps going and how can hope keep going? How can your hope keep enduring? How could you not give up? We'll go no further back than checking love in your heart and faith growing stronger. And if you find yourself losing hope, ask yourself, well, have you kept your hope and fixed it on Jesus Christ? Or are you or are you hoping for something else going on around us? In light of this letter, the affliction going on around is your hope that you know that things will get better and turn around in our country, and that's where this is going to be, I think, a helpful way for us to think about what's going on around us in the next few months is that we don't put our faith and love and hope in anything other than Christ. Doesn't mean we don't care about the direction of our society...of course we do. Of course we want love to be the way in which a society would function. But that love means we protect. We protect the things God would protect. So we care about life from the beginning, right from the beginning. Because it's he who gives life, and it's God who can take it away. So of course we care about political matters, but they have to come back to be grounded in the faith, what we believe. And then with what we believe, we may not see the outcome we want. But is our hope gone? No, because our hope wasn't in that. Our hope was in God, and that's what carries us through. And even if society gets worse around us, that persecuting affliction that they were experiencing, what we see here in these first few verses is that it actually melted them close together, rather than chilled them apart. That's a good image to think about. If you think about how does persecution work in the church when it's going on around the church, it actually has the effect of warming true believers, melting us back together when our hearts can grow cold, and the heart that grows colder and colder towards other Christians when the affliction comes, may find out they were never a Christian at all. Persecution perfects true faith, 1 Peter teaches us. As much as it reveals false faith. It perfects it. It removes the dross. And true believers will remain when the church is persecuted. Make believers fake believers...whatever you want to call them will flee because it's going to cost them something. And the true believer, though vexed and discouraged, and as Paul addressed in 1 Thessalonians 5, there's weak ones and faint hearted ones, but they don't walk away. And when the church is loving each other well, they actually strengthen one another and build each other up. So ask yourself, the question is, is that how you see affliction around us? Do we see it like Paul? Do we see affliction as an opportunity for our faith to be authenticated and our spiritual maturity to be accelerated? Is that how you view suffering, affliction, persecution for being a Christian? Do you actually see how God could use it to accelerate your spiritual maturity? And that's what he wants to use it for. He's not allowing it for you to shrink back. He's allowing it for you to move forward and to grow. That's how it worked for Paul. And that's why he could say in 2 Corinthians 12 that when he's weak....he's strong. Because the Lord said to him, my grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness. Power is perfected in weakness. That's counterintuitive to us. We think power is perfected in strength. You know, I just need to keep getting stronger, and I have more power. And that's the way I win. And he says, no, God is going to put you in the in the crucible in the vise and squeeze out that which is remaining that's got its hope fixed in it's its faith and its love on something other than him, because he's producing in you through the pruning, what?...more fruit. John 15:1-2, it's producing more fruit, bearing greater fruit. That's what he wants in our lives. So if your faith is weak today, maybe rather than thinking, okay, what do I do to strengthen myself, Adam? First and foremost, ask God to bring you strength. And if your love is cold, run back to the gospel, remembering God's love for you in him. If your hope has diminished, remember that our hope doesn't rest on avoiding all hardship and adversity and just trying to find prosperity all the time. That's why the prosperity gospel is the plague on the church because it can happen...prosperity comes your way. You praise God for it, but you don't live for it. Because that prosperity, when it gets its way into the church and makes its way into doctrines, it'll do more damage than adversity ever would. It makes church easy, entertaining. It makes it about our preferences. It makes it about our priorities. We get caught up on superficial things. This is what Spurgeon said about when the church goes through tribulation. He says, "the church, when subject to constant tribulation, will grow exceedingly. Has it not often been so with the Lord's people?...times of cloud and rain. Pharaoh dealt harshly with Israel, he said, but the more he oppressed them, the more they multiplied, the more the Church of God is downtrodden, the more it rises in power. The bush burns and is not consumed. Nay, it flourishes in the flame." Do you believe that about the church that it does its best flourishing in the flame? And it won't be consumed, because we believe in the promise that Christ will build his church, and nothing, nothing can stand against it. Firm faith, fervent love...they combine for an enduring hope in the Lord today. Now, as we wrap up and as we get into this letter, I wanted to give you a homework assignment. It's that time of year...back to school. I only do this once in a blue moon to give you, like, real homework to take with you. Um, a lot of times I trust you're finding it for yourself. But there's a few things that came to mind. Um, going back to Christ is always where our faith and love and hope are found. But sometimes we also need some kind of things to motivate us and fanning the flame, faith, hope and love. So here's a few things that came to my mind to do this week. And, um, they're just there for the taking. First one, when it comes to our faith, uh, dig deeper roots into the word this week by reading 2 Thessalonians each day, five minutes out loud. I timed it shouldn't take you more than five minutes, and I think you'll get more out of it reading out loud. You'll hear it each day. Maybe read it with a friend or spouse or whoever and just read it out loud. Take that five minutes and familiarize yourself with it. So when you come in here, there will be a little, a little more for you to engage with, starting with what you remember reading. So that would be my first. And I think that faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ. Uh, being that Psalm 1 person, I think you'll be blessed by just intentionally engaging 2 Thessalonians this week for five minutes a day. That's the first five. Then my next thing for you is when it comes to love. Let's follow in the footsteps of Paul this week. And here's the assignment. If you're wanting your love to increase, maybe it can be kind of kick started by gratitude. So I want you to think of five people maybe take today to do this that you could reach out to one person per day, Monday to Friday. They don't have to be in our church. And just write them a little thank you note. Send it to them, write it. Send them a text, a thoughtful one. Um, which means more than like three words and an emoji. Something that you put some thought into. Maybe a scripture that came to mind when you thought of them. But pick five people that you're thankful for, and maybe try to pick the people that you normally don't pick. Maybe pick the person that you find yourself grumbling against often, repent of it, and then kick start your love to increase by what is the thing, what's there's something in them that you could be thankful for in Christ. So I think that'll promote a little bit of love, but maybe, you know, stoke some of those fires, those embers that have cooled. And third assignment in regards to hope has to do with prayer. I challenge you to commit to pray this week. Five minutes to read and then five minutes to pray about the things you are least hopeful for. I mean, what better place to take them to than to the Lord? I mean, really challenge yourself. What am I almost at the brink of hopelessness about? I've prayed about it...commit this week, five minutes a day to pray for that very thing. Say, what am I most hopeless about? God, I'm going to bring it to you. And I'm going to commit to pray for this this week. Because putting your hope in the Lord this week is putting these things in his hands, isn't it? And I think the combination then of faith, love and hope will bring us back together next week ready to jump into verses 5 to 12. That's where we'll be and get the most out of it for our good and God's glory.
Let's pray. Father, we thank you this morning for your Word. We thank you that as we endeavor to study this letter that Paul wrote to a good church, and as he saw fit to thank you for a growing church, that he was proud of, that we would aspire to be the same. And we thank you that this doesn't have to be some big, uh, try something here in this church we've never tried before. But when we just see it in the Word, that you would just grow it in us to respond in obedience, to take the word and apply it to our hearts, to ask for your help, to do what Paul says...is to work out what you're working in. No one in here, Lord is here by accident today. You've intended them to hear this word from those verses, grounding them back in the Gospel of Jesus and how we need that, but also then pointing them, their sights, to growth, to growing in faith, love and hope. So we thank you for the opportunity to do that today. Now as we sing and may the affections in our hearts move our lips, we pray in Christ's name. Amen.
Pulpit Curriculum PDF Pulpit Curriculum DOCX * Extra Reading Rm 12:12: rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer
Rm 12:15: Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep
Rm 16:19: For the report of your obedience has reached to all; therefore I am rejoicing over you, but I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil
1 Cr 7:29-30: But this I say, brethren, the time has been shortened, so that from now on those who have wives should be as though they had none; and those who weep, as though they did not weep; and those who rejoice, as though they did not rejoice; and those who buy, as though they did not possess
1 Cr 13:6: (love) does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth
1 Cr 16:17: I rejoice over the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have supplied what was lacking on your part
2 Cr 2:3-4: This is the very thing I wrote you, so that when I came, I would not have sorrow from those who ought to make me rejoice; having confidence in you all that my joy would be the joy of you all. For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears; not so that you would be made sorrowful, but that you might know the love which I have especially for you
2 Cr 6:10: as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things 2 Cr 7:6-7: But God, who comforts the depressed, comforted us by the coming of Titus; and not only by his coming, but also by the comfort with which he was comforted in you, as he reported to us your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me; so that I rejoiced even more
2 Cr 7:9: I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God
2 Cr 7:13: For this reason we have been comforted. And besides our comfort, we rejoiced even much more for the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all
2 Cr 7:16: I rejoice that in everything I have confidence in you
2 Cr 13:9: For we rejoice when we ourselves are weak but you are strong; this we also pray for, that you be made complete
2 Cr 13:11: Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you
Ph 1:17-19: the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ
Ph 2:17-18: But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all. You too, I urge you, rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me
Ph 2:27-29: For indeed he was sick to the point of death, but God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, so that I would not have sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore I have sent him all the more eagerly so that when you see him again you may rejoice and I may be less concerned about you. Receive him then in the Lord with all joy, and hold men like him in high regard
Ph 3:1: Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you
Ph 4:4: Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!
Ph 4:10: But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity
Cl 1:24: Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions
Cl 2:5: For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ
1 Th 3:8-10: for now we really live, if you stand firm in the Lord. For what thanks can we render to God for you in return for all the joy with which we rejoice before our God on your account, as we night and day keep praying most earnestly that we may see your face, and may complete what is lacking in your faith?
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The Marks of a Good Church: Mutual Ministry
Please turn in your Bibles to 1 Thessalonians 5, and we'll be in verses 14 and 15 today...just two verses. And you may have already noticed if you grabbed one of the pieces of papers on your way in there is no outline for today which may cause some of you fear and trembling. Will it ever end? Will there be any destination in mind? And it's because I didn't write a sermon this week. I just thought I'd wing it. No, I'm kidding. When I looked at these two verses and tried to see how it lays out, really what you'll see in verses 14 and 15...it's just an array of commands, one after the next. And they do relate, but not in a way where you could say, okay, let me take these two verses and summarize it with this and take these three and put it there. It's really where Paul is at in this letter to a real church that had real problems. But we also know at the beginning of the letter that they were a very good church. They were an 'excel still more' church. They had done a great work from the beginning of the letter where he says, your faith has sounded out, we don't need to say anything. You guys' are doing it. And he just commends them and encourages them all along. And then he gets to chapter four and says, there are a few things I do need to talk about. And really now towards the end, it's in some ways, a style of letter where I don't know if you've ever written to someone, brother and sister in Christ or family member where you kind of, you know, you review. Uh, what's been going on in your life. And maybe it takes on a little bit more of a narrative form, and then towards the end, you just kind of whatever thoughts you need to get out, you fire away with. And so it can seem a little unconnected towards the end of this letter you've received or written to somebody else, because you're kind of just emptying all your thoughts out and, uh, whatever comes to mind, you put it there and, and that might be a little bit of what Paul's doing here. Why, uh, from 12 to 28, it looks and sounds a little different from the rest of the letter. It's just, uh, one rapid fire command after the next. And really, between verses 14 to 22 alone. I counted as I was looking over this, 14 different imperatives, commands. And so I was just going to give you a 14 point sermon today. Two people would have enjoyed it. The rest of you would have been like, ease up. Seriously! Uh, but I wanted to limit it today to these two verses 14 and 15. And I'm really excited to teach them because as I do, they really embody the fellowship that we are to enjoy at its highest level when we're truly involved in one another's lives, not keeping each other at arm's distance, but really, um, opening up and opening our lives to other people, not trying to hide behind any mask. Or as friend and I joke, um, you know, in being transparent with people, we talk about it in regards to life group. You know, there's some people that they are just comfortable in their own skin. You show up to life group, which is a major ministry of our church for discipleship. And when it comes time to do mutual ministry, which is a portion of life group, where it's accountability, it's being honest and open and transparent. There are those who it's like they come in their jammies, you know, they some would if you let them. And it's just, this is who I am. I'm just here. You see exactly the way I am. We talk about the jammy person. Maybe moving along the lines. Maybe somebody comes a little more buttoned up that they're not, as, you know, just open. They want to look put together. And then you got the turtleneck person that you don't see anything on them up to here. And then my favorite is the hazmat suit. They just come and you can't see anything...are you breathing in there? And they just kind of keep you at a distance. And this section really challenges that. Because it says, if we're going to be the church that Christ has purchased with his own blood and paid for your sin, and yet we still are finding ourselves in the struggle of life. You've got to obey these commands, because this is how the church builds itself up in love; Ephesians 4:11-16 16 would say. That unless you get this real with other people, uh, speaking into their lives and letting them speak into yours, uh, we're not going to grow. We're not going to become all that God would have us to be in Christ. And that's why I'm excited to teach it. Because though last week, in a self-serving way, I got to talk about leadership and the loving relationship between sheep and shepherd...people and pastor. This week is not about leadership; it's about fellowship and myself included. That we're all in the mix of these two verses, because this is how we're going to enjoy the richest fellowship in Christ. When we can speak into someone else's lives, the truth and love, and we can also receive it from them. In the same way, last week that I said there was a word for me as a pastor and the elders here to learn about our leadership. And then there was, of course, commands for the people to follow. This week, it goes both ways. On one level, you need to listen to this sermon with an ear towards...am I doing this towards others? These commands I'm given. But then you're listening with the other hear saying, and am I receptive to when other people are doing this to me? It's not one or the other based on oh, am I a leader here? Do I lead a small group? Do I lead a life group? This is beyond that because this is discipleship in the raw. This is letting somebody really know who you are and it's reciprocal. And if we're going to be the church, God wants us to be in fellowship, sheep to sheep, there's commands here for us to keep. So, follow along with me as I read these two short verses that have a lot to say.
1 Thessalonians 5:14-15, We urge you, brothers and sisters, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak. Be patient with everyone. See that no one repays another with evil for evil. But always seek after that which is good, and for one another and for all people.
Father, your word is perfect, so use it to renew our souls, make us wise, rejoice our hearts and enlighten our eyes, we ask. Amen.
As we begin this today, thinking about the church and really this section brought to my mind Ephesians 4, equipping the saints for the work of the ministry. As in when we're going to study this today, how to do mutual ministry within the church. This is really something that isn't just for us to sit idly by and we'll talk about the idol here and say, you know, that was a great sermon for someone else. Versus saying no, this is directly applicable for every person in every situation here if you are a follower of Jesus. Because this is about life in the body together in a way that's not meant to be in isolation. Like, of course we're going to need to apply these verses in a way to ourselves personally, but they are lived out corporately as we're on a mission together for the gospel of Jesus Christ. So we're taking care of the church on the inside. As we look at these two verses today and what they command us to do. But we can't lose sight of the greater good in this, that it's not just that we become better Christians, more Christ like in the process. It's that as our church grows in its Christ likeness, we grow in our ability to be a better witness to the people around us. It's for the greater mission of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to make disciples of Jesus Christ, and to do it in a way that we are able to see our lives individually and collectively as a church, so that we don't go out there into our community or elsewhere and are accused of being hypocrites. You know that we want to tell everybody else how to live their lives, but we don't do it ourselves, collectively as a church. And this is also applicable personally, that for me to receive the instruction in these verses is so that I can rightly see the log that's in my own eye in order to help someone else take the speck out of theirs. So I want us to think about moving through these verses as a unit. And even I want to give the image of the church as a military unit, as a platoon, because as we'll talk through some of these, uh, types of Christian in the church, there is this language of, of a group of people moving on mission together. And yet it's easy for soldiers to fall out of line. It's easy for soldiers to get scared. It's easy for soldiers to get weak and need to be helped along, because the mission is greater than any individual person. The mission to tell the world of the good news of Jesus and how they can find hope in him. We need to help each other in the process. So let's talk about mutual ministry. The mark of a good church. How did the believers relate to one another and build each other up in love? Because we are just a bunch of imperfect people following one perfect savior. Like, yeah, that always has to come to our minds immediately in any sermon that is going to lean into us in our Christ likeness, talking about our sanctification, talk about repenting of sin and growing in him.
It's because we're imperfect people, and there's only one perfect Savior and Lord, and he's the one that we trust. He's the one that we follow. The rest of us were just a collection of former rebels, now redeemed, rescued by Christ. And so that's the heart we need to receive this with.
So let's jump into mutual ministry method number 1, in verse 14. We urge you, brothers and sisters, admonish the unruly. Now we urge you is applicable to all the following verses, as in Paul is moving away from in verse 12 where he said, hey, we request of you. And we told you that was like a gentle pastoral nudge. Uh, this is a shoving you out of your seat, not just like, hey, listen up to what he's going to say. It'd be good for you. This is him...this word urge has urgency to it. It's a more forceful word. Uh, it's not that little nudge. This is not a knockout blow. But I would say it's a body shot. It should take the wind out of us. And wake us up and say, this is serious Christian living. And if I take serious what I believe, it should affect how I behave, or else what is it? So let's start with his first urging mutual ministry method number one um, admonish the unruly, warned the straying sheep, the disorderly disciple, the frivolous follower. He calls this group the unruly. And he could, some believe, who have studied this text inside and out, be connecting it back to, if you look in chapter four, verses 11 and 12, and even later in 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15, there were idle people. And that's why some of your versions have admonished the idle. He could be thinking of the people back in 4:11-12 who he has to tell them to excel still more; make it their ambition to lead a quiet life. Don't just be hanging around loitering as a Christian waiting for Jesus to return, quitting your job, banking on...why work?...if Jesus is coming back. He says that in verse 12. You want to be able to behave properly to the outside world and not be a burden to those in the church as best as it is possible. So that could be the admonition to the unruly here...could be. But I would say it's broad enough to encompass what this word means and why I used military imagery. The unruly was a word Paul took from other Greek texts or used in the vernacular of his day, speaking to a soldier who falls out of line. Who's not keeping up with the pack. Not because necessarily they're weak falling behind. They just want to do their own thing. And that's why they're called unruly or undisciplined or disorderly or disruptive. And the damage it does to a group as a whole, whether you want to talk of a military unit, it drags the group down. It drags the church down when this person is insistent on following their own path. And he says to get them back on the path, you need to admonish them. And that was a word we looked at last week talking about elders and pastors and teachers who give instruction. It's a word for trying to set something in a person's mind. This is a speaking word. To admonish the unruly isn't just I'm going to pray for that brother or sister. Of course we should be doing that. I'm going to speak up because I care for the progress of the gospel, moving through our church as individuals, and then collectively, I've got to say something. It's a jackknife word in the New Testament...admonish, as in, it can be useful in a lot of different situations. And though it might sound harsh, the idea of admonishing and trying to place something in a person's mind in that placing truth in a person's mind is either one of two things...to correct bad beliefs, or to correct bad behavior, or a combination of the two. When we admonish each other in Christ, it could be because of some erroneous belief...maybe not heresy. Not all error is heresy. All heresy is error. That you're saying, hey, brother, I the way you're handling that text or that thing you're reading right now, I'm just. I'm not so sure of it. Can you tell me more about what you're exploring there? And that may call for an admonishment, a correction. Or it could be bad behavior. Hey, brother, the Bible says this and you're doing that. Um, I've been around you a few times, and your speech has really been, uh, down in the sewage, you know, the way you're talking around your friends, but you say you're a Christian. Uh, that the Bible just speaks directly against that. Let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth...bad behavior. Sometimes a bad belief can lead to bad behavior, as in this letter, that their erroneous beliefs about the return of Christ had led some people to quit their jobs and just mooch off everyone else. So sometimes what you believe will have that implication on your behavior. And honestly, we should expect that, shouldn't we? If we really believe what we're trusting in here, we should live differently. Paul's commending to do it in the right way. And so he's saying you're going to have to admonish unruly people, those falling out of line, stepping out of line, not keeping up, wanting to do their own thing. But lest we say that sounds heavy, harsh, judgmental, I want you to think about, um, just that all purpose word of admonition in the New Testament how when we look at it elsewhere, it actually isn't harsh. It's not overbearing. It has three qualities that if you trace it through the New Testament, I think you could summarize this way. Admonishing other believers is common, as in it's part of our everyday life. It's compassionate as opposed to harsh, and it's communal as in, it's for everybody to do not just the exclusive property of the teachers.
So first, um, admonishing is a common or normal or standard part of Christian living. Colossians 1:28, we proclaim him speaking of Christ, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. The end goal of that is to present people mature in Jesus, and the way you get there is through admonition. Right after he says, we proclaim Jesus as in we preach Christ and Him crucified. Just like Paul did when he went to Thessalonica in Acts 17, he moves into what?...teaching them the council of God. Jesus says, go, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father, Son, and the Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I commanded you. You teach by way of admonition, instruction, and correction. But note this is common to Christianity. We admonish every man, we teach every man we want to present them complete in Christ. I would venture to say that it's one of the most essential speaking aspects of our fellowship in the body of Christ. That if you're not one for admonishing, instructing, correcting, whether receiving it or giving it, you're missing out on a vital portion of how Christians exist in the body of Christ. We all are like sheep who tend to stray and are going to need a correcting word now and then. So it's common.
Second, it's compassionate...that as we do it, it should come out of a heart of love, care, mercy for some sinning brother or sister, not judgmentalism...compassionate. Acts 20:31, Paul is saying farewell to these Ephesian elders that he really loves dearly, and he says this to them. Therefore be on the alert, Acts 20:31. Be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years. I did not cease to admonish each one of you with tears. How does he admonish them? Stoic? Unmoved? You know, it's just the truth, and they needed to hear it. No, he said, I didn't cease. So he was responsible to his task to teach them, to give them instruction, to bring correction. But how did he go about doing it? Because it's really tempting for us say, oh, yeah, I want to admonish, I want to teach, I want to correct, and then have the line like...well, they just needed to hear it. And that's just the way I am. You know, what's sad to me is, you know, when we think about that and we think about the times we've admonished other people, and we think about Paul's example here and we say, you know, what's the ratio between the times I've admonished somebody and caused them to cry versus the amount of times it's brought a tear to my eye? Has it ever? In your zeal to instruct and correct...when's the last time you cried over the situation of the person that you were admonishing versus made them cry? It happens. I mean, when we're really having to bring the truth to somebody and they know we love them, they could produce that in them...tears might flow. But did they ever flow from you, the one delivering it? Or do the arms cross and the face scrunches up and the brow furrows. And that's the face of admonition that that person knows...parents with your kids. Is it admonition with tears? Or is it an admonition that they would say, yeah, I cried a lot. Never saw my parent do it. Making them question did it come from love? Or did it come from legalism?...judgementalism. You've broken the law again. How could you do that? That is instructive and it is corrective, but it's not reflective of Paul's compassion in Acts 20:31.
So it's common, it's compassionate, and then third, it's communal. Romans 15:14, Paul's ending a wonderful letter to this church. And, they've been doing well, you know, similar to the Thessalonians, there's some instruction he's giving, and especially in 14 and 15, a lot of instruction of how the stronger bear with the weaker. But he says this to everyone in Romans 15:14, wrapping up. Concerning you, brothers and sisters, I myself am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able also to admonish one another. What does he commend there? Well, he commends their knowledge. They're full of it. They know what they believe. He commends their goodness as it's coming from the right place. And then he says, because of that, you know what it is to say you're doing it in the right way. You are able to admonish one another, as in, it's not the exclusive property of the teachers and preachers and pastors and elders in the church. All of you should be doing this. So you kind of put those three things together and you say, is an admonition really a harsh thing? Is it a heavy thing? Should it be something that we run away from, whether we're the one receiving it or the one having to give it, or if we really see it as the New Testament presents it. It's common, as in, this is normal. Deep breath. I got to go talk to this person. Don't just take a deep breath, but take a deep look at your heart. Is this coming out of
compassion, out of a love for this sheep? Remember we talked about back in chapter three when Paul said in verse eight, now we really live if you stand firm in the Lord. He could endure it no longer. He had to hear from them. He had to send Timothy to them. Their growing in Christ was life to him, and their falling back in Christ would have been death to him. That's that heart of compassion...an earnest pastor loving his sheep. Is that how it comes out from you? Now, I guess I need to put a disclaimer here in your zeal for admonition. I want to deputize you today, but not to be...Walker, Texas Admonisher. I want you to think about a particular thing as you would want to be faithful to admonish. And so I'll use the picture of Chuck Norris. You know, when you're moving in with the warrant and you're going to search the premises of this person's spiritual life and issue the summons and make the arrests...are you sure you got the right person? I mean, are you positive that you have perfect vision to evaluate where that sheep is at? Or maybe, are you seeing things mostly correct? But is your subject...are you absolutely sure they're guilty of unruliness?...as in correcting their bad beliefs? This person that you're talking to and maybe they're new in the faith, or maybe not, and they're reading something and they're trying to work out their salvation with fear and trembling, and they're trying to define or understand or describe the Trinity to you, and it sounds suspicious. Is that the equivalent of them denying the Trinity? But if you just move in so quick with that admonition. You know, sliding across Grudem's Systematic Theology. Versus saying, hold on, let me understand a little bit more of what you're saying there because the Trinity is a very vast subject and nobody's got it perfectly nailed down. But I want to hear more of what you have to say. Is that going to be your first instinct, so as to draw them out rather than what?...shut them down. That might be just on the level of belief. But think about it on the level of behavior this person you've been around, um, and maybe you sense a little bit of pride in their life. Is it a pattern?...that you have to now admonish. Or could it just be, um, you know, the way they said that thing in life group the other night sounded like they were, um, contradicting you, and you sensed that, and it was a particular situation. But you're certain that they're the arrogant that needs admonished. How much did that have to do with your ego? Are you seeing it rightly, is all I'm asking? That's part of this as well. Sure, we don't want to, you know, qualify everything with, okay, die the death of a thousand qualifications on admonishing. But we do want to say, am I seeing it rightly? I understand what it means to admonish. But do I understand what the unruly person really looks like, what they really sound like, and then move in because I have a proper perception of the situation? And once you understand them accurately, Biblically, you've identified the issue. Then you proceed with confident caution in admonishing them. So that's mutual ministry method number one.
Mutual ministry method number 2...encourage the faint hearted, the sad sheep, the disheartened disciple, the crestfallen Christian. This category of person could relate to 4:13-18...we talked about them already a couple weeks ago that they needed comforted with what?...new information about Jesus's return. They knew about his death and his resurrection, but they didn't know...have those Christians that have already fallen asleep, um, will they be second hand when Christ returns? So that had some of them dismayed, faint hearted, if you will. And other ones might have felt that, well, those that died are with Christ. Maybe he returned already, maybe we missed out and that has them down. And he says in verse 18, comfort one another with these words...we're going to be with them in the air. So that could be the audience that he has in mind when he reminds them to encourage the faint hearted. This isn't the unruly soldier who's doing whatever they want to do, either being idle kind of moseying around, or being rebellious, just taking off on a mission on their own. This type of soldier in the platoon is...the bullets are flying and they're scared. And so you look back in the pack and they're huddled together in the middle of it, afraid to do anything. The word fainthearted here is the, uh, word for small soul. It's a good word picture for what's going on the inside of them, which is a good clue to how you need to handle them. Right? Whatever you see on the outside that you're now deciding and discerning...how do I speak to this person? Because they're not moving along with the pack. We're moving the mission forward. What's wrong with you, you wuss? Did you read them rightly? There could be something causing their knees to knock on the inside. Not just fear of what's happening on the outside. Hebrews 12:12 says we should strengthen the hands that are weak, and the knees that are feeble. Part of discerning this person is understanding, Hey, are they timid by nature? Does this go back way before this situation? Have you taken time to get to know them, to understand that. It could be this is just part of who they are. They have a timid nature, a small souled nature. They're easily fainthearted over things. Or it could be a situation that they're going through that normally they're really brave, courageous and strong. But this trial that they're going through has really shrunken their soul. It's small spirited, it's a broken spirit, and you need to help them in the healing process rather than make it hurt even worse by questioning their loyalty to Jesus. Come on, get up and march. What are you so afraid of? Isaiah 35:3-4 is a nice description of how he is trying to help these people who feel lost in the wilderness...little to rejoice in Israel at this time that Isaiah writes it. And he says in Isaiah 35:3, encourage the exhausted and strengthen the feeble. Say to those with anxious heart, take courage. Fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance. The recompense of God will come, and he will save you. That's not pointing somebody to the maybe empty well of their own heart, and they can't draw any courage out of it. It's telling them to look up to the God of the heavens, who rules and reigns, who calls the sun to set and calls the rains to come. And they need refreshing from him. That's our job...to be encouragers. I think of David on two levels. One, I think of David in the Psalms and how he is just so open about where his strength comes from, where his trust is, even though he's this mighty warrior. I mean, he is, as was called, a man of bloodshed, raged into battle, conquered enemies, but his trust and his hope was in God. Psalm 34:8, 0, taste and see that the Lord is good. How blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. Psalm 40:4, how blessed is the man who has made the Lord his trust. Psalm 84:12 O Lord of hosts, how blessed is the man who trusts in you. But I also think of David in his weak moments. I think of first Samuel 23. I mean, it's in the midst of him being on the run. Uh, things got real bad in chapter 22, where David feels responsible for the for the wiping out of an entire city, out of Nod because David had went and met with Ahimelech and, um, Doeg the Edomite, who's like one of the worst characters in the Old Testament. You just want to punch him in the face. Uh, he was the one that was spying on David's meeting with Ahimelech. And that leads to, uh, Saul ordering the execution of 85 priests of Nob. And David says in verse 22 at the end of that sad chapter, I knew on that day when Doeg the Edomite was there that he would tell Saul, I've brought about the death of every person in your father's household. I mean, he's starting to feel small souled. Chapter 23 comes and he's on the run. And in verse 14, he's living in the wilderness and the strongholds. He's in the hill country of the wilderness of Ziph. And verse eight says, Saul has summoned all the people for war to go down to Keila, to besiege David and his men. Verse three says David's men, his mighty men. They're afraid. They say to David, we're afraid here in Judah. We can't go to the Philistines. We can't stay here. So I think David was potentially a little bit fainthearted. How was God going to help him? Well, God, in verse 14 it says, Saul sought him every day, but God did not deliver him into his hands. So God was the one protecting him. But David doesn't always see that. He doesn't know what God's doing behind the scenes to keep him protected. So God sends him help in another way. Verse 15, now David had become aware that Saul had come to seek his life while he was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh. And Jonathan, Saul's son, arose and went to David at Haresh, and encouraged him in God. That's an awesome verse. It doesn't tell you the details of what Jonathan was doing. What did he do? He showed up. He put his own life on the line, his own well-being. He went to see his friend. But he didn't strengthen him with his own hand as son of King Saul. He took David's shaking hand and put it in
Yahweh's. He strengthened him. He encouraged him in God. That's what it means to encourage the fainthearted. There's not this master plan of every perfect thing you need to say to be able to encourage somebody. It starts like David had with Jonathan, a friend who was just willing to show up when the chips were down. What did he tell him in Verse 17? He said, don't be afraid. The hand of Saul, my father will not find you. You'll be king, and I'll be next to you. There are some things in that statement that were true. And some things that weren't because Jonathan was dead by the time David took the throne. But his own well-being didn't get in the way of the well-being of David, did it? He said, I'm going to go and see this guy. He needs my help. One commentator wrote... What an oasis of encouragement in the desert of Ziph. You may think you have little to offer somebody who's faint hearted, who's ready to give up. Because you might see that timid person who's gone through this hardship. Who's lost a loved one, who's found out they have cancer, who's lost their job, and you know, they're fainthearted and they're weak and they're timid. And if you're like me, sometimes, rather than go to see them and try to help them, you yourself become timid. Because you don't know what you're going to say. Right? I mean, it just. I'd like to go. I'd like to do something, but I don't know what to say. I don't know what to do. And so you're stricken by your own timidity. Isn't that ironic? And I could say from experience, which is instructive, though not infallible. My biggest regrets are the times I didn't say anything because I was too shy, timid, scared to try to help that person. And I could honestly say that the times I have just shown up and tried to say maybe not even said anything, but just say I'm here. Is there anything I can do to help? Give him a hug. I never regretted that. I might have fumbled over my words. I might have felt like, I don't know if that did anything for them. But at least I showed up. At least I tried. So let's be on the lookout for the faint hearted followers of Christ and give it our best to strengthen them in. you? No, who are you strengthening them in? You're strengthen them in Christ. You're doing what Jonathan did. You're putting their hand in Yahweh's hand. He's the one that holds them, right? He's the one that can ultimately help them. You're just trying to remind them of that.
Mutual ministry method number three. Help the weak, the scrawny sheep, the devastated disciple, the fragile follower. Now, how does this differ from the last group? Well, we can be again, maybe instructed by going back to chapter four. And again, like I said, some who have studied this far more than I see these three words: the unruly and the fainthearted and the weak relating back to chapter four. Well, who would the weak person be? The weak person struggling in sin. Who can't help themselves out of that ditch they're in. Well, who was that person? At the beginning of chapter four the one that he needed to say, this is the will of God, your sanctification. Abstain from sexual immorality, that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion. Well, that's a weak person. Why are they weak? They need admonished. They're unruly. True. There is an element of correction to a person who is willfully engaging in sexual sin. He does need to be instructed. But again, if you're diagnosing their situation correctly. In that unruliness, could the root of it be weakness? That they need help and nobody's ever tried to help them before. Come alongside them, walked beside them in their struggle with sin. Maybe they've always just been admonished. You just need to stop. Why can't you just get over that sin? How long you been a Christian now? But has somebody ever come alongside to help them. Helps a beautiful word. This word Paul uses here in the New Testament. It's the image of somebody clinging to someone else. Holding on to somebody for dear life. It's the picture I have in my mind when I go out with my kids hiking, and when they come to the age where they're strong enough to walk on their own, but not smart enough. And we're up on Rough Ridge, and we get near the top of it, and there's that rock that we shouldn't go out and take a picture on. But, you know, it's the selfie age. We got to do it. And of course, everybody wants to see me with my toddlers up on a rock. You know how many thousand feet up in the air?...especially my mom. But, you know, we could be having a good old time hiking up the safe part. But the moment we get around that part, the cling comes out, the holding on for dear life, Dad comes out, and Mac and Davey aren't going anywhere because I got them. And that's the way we're to help the weak Christian. When you come alongside them, they may be slippery and squirmy. And their feet are dragging. But you're going to hold him. You're going to drag them if you have to, to get them back where they need to be. This isn't the soldier huddled up in the middle, scared. It's not the unruly soldier moving away from the pack. This is just the battle weary soldier who's lagging behind. And you say, I'm going to carry you for this next mile if I have to. To get you to the spot where we can find some rest. Is that how you deal with the weaker Christian in your life? Because if it's anything it's draining. We can all admit that. Trying to help that weak brother or sister who seems to be stuck in that same sin pattern over and over again, and you feel like you've tried everything. And you might have. And you say, so what do you do when you've tried everything? Um, Paul tells you. Be patient. Comes right after help the weak. Be patient, not just with them, with everyone. They could have a little bit of unruly, a little bit of faintheartedness, a little bit of weakness. Whatever it is, be patient with them. Don't drop them if they're weak. Don't leave them if they're scared. Don't let them wander if they're going to go off and say they'll get what they deserve. He says no, be patient with them. Try one more time. However you need to do it. Admonish them, encourage them, help them. But be patient with them. They're in process.
For those that lose patience I think verse 15 is there intentionally. Because I'm just wondering where that fits in. But then when you read it, in light of what we just read, you know, our patience can be tried in being helpful to the weak, can't it? Galatians 6 says, we're to bear each other's burdens, but watch that we don't get tempted ourselves. And so maybe Paul puts this timely verse 15 in saying that you could get so frustrated, irritated, worn out, worn down by a weaker Christian who just can't seem to get it together. So see that no one repays another evil for evil? What do I mean? Maybe they're the unruly brother or sister that when you try to help them, what do they want to do back to you? They want to bite you. I mean, as a sheep. Sorry. I moved the image. As a soldier. They're being unruly. And you go to bring them back in and they turn around and try to punch you. Again, hopefully they don't really do that. But he's saying, look, somebody might test you to the point you want to retaliate and give him evil for evil. He doesn't specify what that evil is. He's just saying, how are you going to return to them when they come at you like this or just run the other way? He says, don't retaliate, repay them evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. John Calvin writes about this verse, how these things connect. He said, "Patience contrasts with a feeling of irksomeness." What a great word. "For nothing tires us out more than trying to apply the correct cure to the different spiritual diseases our brothers and sisters suffer from." Amen. Apparently not. Nobody gets irked in here. Wow. I mean, we should be the strongest church in history. Either we're all perfect, or we just could give a rip about everybody else and we just go along our own way. But he is saying, like, when you are trying to patiently help the weak, encourage the fainthearted, admonish the unruly, at the very least, at the very least, we can become irked. But I think verse 15 shows at worst we can sin against them in response. It can provoke something in us. And we need to deal with that in our hearts. Sometimes it could be evident on the outside. Sometimes it's grumbling and murmuring on the inside that turns into gossiping somewhere else with somebody about where that person's at and why they're such a drag. And I mean, like, of course you say it with the purpose of prayer. So I think that's why 15 is there. I mean, generally speaking, that's the way of the Christian is to not return evil for evil, but seek after the good. But I see, especially when he's saying be patient. And I think back to 1 Corinthians 13:4. We studied that last year. And the first two aspects of love that Paul comes out with in verse four are love is patient and love is kind. And we said, how do those work together? We said, well, patient love is that long suffering love that sees the evil coming in the distance, coming up in our own hearts, and we keep it at bay as long as we can, and we counteract it with kindness, which is proactive, quick to do them good, slow to do them wrong, quick to do them good. And those things can work together.
Well, that's what you see in verse 15. He's saying slow to not repay them. That word, see that, is a word for take extra caution. Be extra aware that no one repays another evil for evil. When what?...we're ministering to one another, things go bad sideways taken the wrong way. But he says, be quick to seek their good. Be kind in your love. Be. Be patient in your love, and be kind and let those work together. So you kind of step back now, take a deep breath and say, you know, practically speaking, how do I put this all together? Well. Back to the beginning. We are moving on mission in one direction. We're striving to be all that Christ would have us to be. And I think these two verses show us that we are going to have challenges on the inside, not just the outside, but it's not just the culture being corrupted that's a challenge to the church. But within here we still have sin in our own hearts we have to deal with, and that's what we're here for one another to deal with. So level with that. The standard of the Christian life is going to be admonition, encouragement, helping, patience, not returning evil, proactively doing good. That's just part of what we signed up for. If we really believe the gospel's that good; Christ is that worthy, the church has a mission, then we will believe we need to carry these out. So on one level, just know this is part of the norm.
I would say on another level, let's take our focus off of, okay, because sometimes we want to take the words like what does it mean to admonish or encourage or help? And I'm like, I don't like that. What it means to help is to do the opposite of it. You know, don't be unhelpful. Like actually try something. It's a very general word, just like I said with admonish. But I would say what really helps us to apply these is to actually today take some time and even in life group this week, or just as you run this back, uh, try to distinguish in your mind or discern if you want to use that phrase, how good are you at categorizing people that you want to help? There is an emphasis on the action of what we say and do here, but I would equally challenge us not just to apply the commands, but discern the categories. How good are you? How accurate are you at diagnosing the categories of conditions for the sheep you minister to? Because a misdiagnosis can make the matters really worse. If you admonish a faint hearted person, you're going to crush them. What you thought was them being rebellious was them being small souled. Likewise, the small souled person that you're not getting a good read on and or the unruly person that maybe has the ability to make you think they're really down and out and struggling, and it's just a cover for their sin and you encourage them. Or maybe out of timidity, you just can't admonish. So the person that is being unruly in your life, you're always just like, ah, just let me hug you and keep at it. And you're just basically signing off on them, staying on the path of sin they're on. This doesn't come back to not maybe understanding admonition and encouragement and help. It's misunderstanding the category of sheep you're dealing with. Think about this in relation to life group. If some of you are new here and don't know what I'm talking about, it's our small group ministry. Out of 700 or so people that attend here on Sundays, about 400 or so are in a life group ministry, which we praise God for. We'd like to see it, everybody in it. That'd be an awesome problem to have, because Life Group is one of the key places where we get to live this stuff out. That's why we do it. We invite it into our lives. Or at least we try to. Unless you're in the hazmat suit. Thank you. But think life group leader about or even just life group member when you're in mutual ministry time. How are you doing at diagnosing someone properly? If I were your flock leader and go to ask you. Hey, how's that person doing? You say...not faithful. And I say, oh, sorry to hear that. Why are they not faithful? They're not coming. Why are they not coming? Because they're not faithful. Oh that's brilliant. Not faithful because they don't come. Don't come because they're not faithful. Man, you nailed it. Another scenario. Okay. Why are they not coming? Well, you know, they say they're just really tired. Really tired? Could that be weak? It could be helping the weak. Okay, so why do they say they're really tired? It's just a lot to get the kids ready each week for life group and this, that and the other. Oh is there a way we can help that? Well, you know, they have a new baby and it's up all night. And by the time they hit 5:00, like...oh, what if we provided a way for mom to get a nap? Like, you're trying to actually help the weak rather than be like, suck it up, man. Everybody gets tired. World's run by tired men...tired moms. Why aren't you coming? Well, just, um. Yeah. We're busy. Why are you busy? Uh, kids are in sports. Oh. How many days a week? And they tell you how many days a week. Okay. You're not faithful. No. Why is sports such a priority? Is it being unruly? Or maybe there's faint heartedness in there. Maybe that person thinks that you know that kid's future success rides on them playing six games of baseball a week. And you being a non athlete, just read that as unruly. And you don't get underneath it and say, like what? That's a lot of baseball. And your kid is six. But you unpack it because you're being patient with all and you understand, you know, growing up, getting a scholarship was everything to that guy and his dad. And his dad drove him so hard that in his mind, somewhere deep in his heart, he thinks if he doesn't set his kid up for the most success scholarships and sports or scholarships in academics, he's failed. Is that being unruly? Could be. Could it be faint hearted about it? And nobody's ever really dug into it. But, you know, you read the thing perfectly. Don't show up...unfaithful...admonish. It could be a combination of things and I think we'll be a better church, better life group leaders, better small group leaders, better disciples. I mean parents with your kids. How easy is it for us to misdiagnose our kids condition? You hear a scream in the other room. You know who's the usual culprit. You walk in ready to make the arrest, but you don't slow down enough to say hey, for the 50th time. What happened again? But you just immediately move into crushing them. Without saying, oh wait, this situation happened and it actually this time it wasn't your fault. You still responded wrong. But you're not just heavy with that, it's immediately your fault.
I mean, this applies in hundreds of ways. Just taking these three ideas, applying be patient to all and saying we could be much better disciplers in the church because at any given moment, and this is on the receiving end and the personalizing it, we could be in any one of these categories, not just us trying to help others, but looking into our own heart and realizing I get faint hearted. It doesn't help me when somebody just comes and skips right over, finding out what's going on in my life to admonish me. Why would I do that to somebody else so haphazardly? So understanding the categories we're in is maybe one of the most important things about applying this text today.
But I do want to speak to one last category of person, because Paul is speaking to brothers and sisters. Verse 14. He's speaking to Christians, and there are unruly Christians and weak Christians and faint hearted Christians. But if you're not in Christ today, you're in a different category. You're in the category of the lost. That's the most devastating category to be in in here. To be a lost sheep. To be a lost soldier. To be fighting on the wrong side. And what's amazing about this passage today, and should come as encouragement to you...it is because before any person could speak into your life to help you in the situation you're in...Christ comes to you. Christ comes to you in Isaiah 42. Where it says, behold, my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one, in whom my soul delights. I have put my spirit among or on him. He will not cry out or raise his voice, nor make his voice heard in the streets a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not extinguish. Can I introduce you to the greatest admonisher and the greatest encourager, and the greatest helper that you can ever find. It's Jesus Christ. He's the one that if you find yourself lost or unruly today, he comes straight to put a truth into your mind this morning. He admonishes you to turn from your sin and to trust in him. He's the way, the truth and the life. He wants to set that thought in your mind today by way of instruction and correction. Christ says to you, you need me. I am that servant, the one in whom God delights. And I have come to bring justice to the nations. This great God, who would come to save the world from its sin, is speaking to you this morning, telling you must repent and believe in him for eternal life. And yet, you might receive that truth, but there could be a small souled, broken spirited part of your heart that feels like, well, why would he want to save me? I'm busted. I'm worthless. But that same one who can
bring forth justice to the nations says, if you're a bruised reed as in if you're this twig that snapped but it's hanging on by a thread. He doesn't finish the job. It says he will take that bruised reed and he won't break it. He'll restore it. He offers you his grace and his mercy. He died for sinners just like you. And if you were this smoldering wick that's down to that. What? You see it in a candle it's down to its last spark. And just the slightest gust of wind from anywhere miles away could put it out. And he says, no, I'm going to, in my perfect life on your account and my sacrificial death, I will cover you. And I will bring life back to you. That's who you need to meet today. You need to meet the great admonisher and the great encourager and the great helper, who in your weakest says, come to me, you who are what?...weary and heavy laden, weak and faint hearted, maybe even unruly, and I will give you rest. That's the Christ who calls to you today. You need to call on him to be saved. He offers you forgiveness of sin, and all he asks of you is to cry out to him for mercy. Save me, the sinner. That's the good news of the good Shepherd. He calls you to turn back and flee to him. To call on him to be saved.
For those in Christ today, I'll close with a quote from Richard Sibbes. He wrote, he was a Puritan, of whom it was said that heaven was in him before he was in heaven. And he wrote a little tract called The Bruised Reed, an Exposition of Isaiah 42 fulfilled in Christ. And this is what he says to the believer.
"That though we may think we have moved on from that state of being a bruised reed or a dimly burning wick, we really haven't. It says bruising makes us set a higher value on Christ, for then the gospel becomes the gospel indeed, as we see, the fig leaves of immorality will do us no good. Even after our conversion, we still need bruising. So that reeds may know themselves to be reeds and not oaks. There must be conformity to our head. Jesus Christ, who was bruised for us, that we may know how much we are bound to him."
Let's pray. Father, we thank you this morning for your son, the Savior of the world. Who came for the first time to save those who are perishing. Not to snuff them out. Who will return a second time in judgment. But in between that time, even today, he calls sinners to himself. And we pray that you would do that saving work in here for the person who finds himself away from him, away from you...rebellious, living life by their own design, trusting in their own righteousness that's shadow righteousness. And they know it's not the real thing. But would you reveal yourself to them as their Savior this morning, the great Shepherd, the guardian of our souls who calls his sheep and they hear his voice. They turn and are saved. We thank you that you minister to us this morning, Spirit, through pointing us to Christ so that we can be the encouragers, the admonishers, and the helpers that he saved us to be. We ask this all in his name. Amen.
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The Marks of a Good Church: Loving Leadership
This passage is near to my heart, talking about leadership and the relationship between the pastor and his people. Uh, speaking on that subject, being one of your elders and preaching pastor is a unique joy to me. And, um, it's also near to my heart today because I get to tell you what you can do to make my life better. It's just wonderful sometimes how these things shake out. Really, I mean, two verses could be a one week sermon. I'm going to turn into a three month series...hopefully name, image, likeness, deals, book deals. My Instagram account may go from the dozens to the millions, all because I can just camp out here for a long time. However, upon studying it this week, what you see there is that these verses are not very complicated, they're not complex, and I don't intend to make it that. We want to see what is so wonderful and glorious this morning as perfectly designed, God has the church between leadership and membership, between pastor and people, between shepherd and sheep. So I'm excited to get to speak on this today for reasons other than self-serving. For a few weeks, we've been in the return of Christ, the rapture of the living, the resurrection of the dead. And now, as you look at 1 Thessalonians 5:12 to the finish, it can seem a bit scattered if you look at all the different phrases, seemingly independent thoughts that Paul has, it just seems like everything maybe he's been sitting on to tell this church now comes out rapid fire and it could look a little bit disjointed...might be the word. And as I looked at it this week and tried to think how we want to finish this letter out, and is there a way to kind of lump together some of the ideas rather than just really say, okay, I mean, one pastor that preached this section took about 20 sermons because instead of finding the connectivity, just saw one phrase, one imperative, one command, and just spent a week on each one of them. Whereas when I was looking at it this week, what it seems and I don't know if it was Paul's intention or not, that he is dealing with what he would see as the preeminent virtue in the church...love...in three different fashions. In 12 and 13 loving leadership goes both ways. Love from the shepherd to the sheep and vice versa. And then in 14-22, which might seem the most varied, really just the love that exists between the flock. The mutual ministry that a church has to one another is rooted in, grounded in love. And then the last section, the benediction in 23 to 28, is really highlighting the great love of God towards his sheep. How it's the work that he does in us and through us that allows us to be everything that we can be. And so really, that's the way I'd like to end this wonderful letter in the spirit of the Great Commandment. As we call it around here, part of our mission statement that we want to fulfill the Great Commission, go and make disciples in the spirit of the Great Commandment. And what's that?...well, that's Matthew 22:37 to 40. Teacher, what's the great commandment in the law? And Jesus' response is, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. So if I had my druthers...how would I say Paul is thinking and trying to finish this letter out? Is it scattered thoughts that he's just, you know, pulls the dump truck up and puts it all on the people versus saying, well, maybe going back to the beginning when he remembers their what?... their work of faith and labor of love, that that thought has never escaped him. That really, it's the love that God has shown this church by his grace and their great beginning, and that is what's going to carry it to the end. So today's verses in dealing with church leadership, uh, he will deal with this essential ingredient...loving leadership. And it was then and it is still today...it's right up there with anything else that you would say what's necessary, what's essential for a healthy church body, a good church. And absolutely at the top of the list must be the loving leadership in that church. And I chose that title for today because it functions in two ways. Loving leadership first speaks to the idea that a good church needs loving leadership, from its shepherds to its sheep. As much as it needs sheep who love their shepherds in return. So this sermon, according to its title, wasn't meant to just be a one way street. When you read it and think, oh, loving leadership, it means the the leaders must be loving towards us. Yes, it does mean that. And we'll see that in the text today. But it also means the same. How do the sheep exert love, I should say, to the leadership. What does that look like? And that's also addressed today. So it is this two way street, this crucial relationship of love between a pastor and his people. And you know this. That loving leadership is where good health in the church starts. And without it, how bad health in the church spreads. Loving leadership that goes both ways is where good health in the church begins, and the absence of it will be where a healthy church ends. And many of you know that sadly, by way of experience. Some of you have seen the fruit of a good, loving relationship between the leadership and its membership. And some of you have also lived through when that has gone by the wayside. If that relationship gets damaged, begins to deteriorate, and becomes detached outside of a miracle, outside of a work of God's grace, that church is doomed to die. Because that's what's at the heart of the leadership, of the direction of the church, is understanding that Christ, when he said, I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it, also immediately did what?...commissioned his disciples to go and spread that message, and to plant those churches and to raise up others that could teach and preach and model and shepherd. And so when there becomes a fissure in the relationship between shepherd and sheep there's very little hope for that church to survive. Which is why it's such a vital topic today. So follow with me as I read 1 Thessalonians 5:12 to 13...so that we can be at HBC all that God would have for us to be. "But we request of you, brother and sister, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another." Father, your Word is a lamp to our feet and light to our path, so lead us, Holy Spirit, into your truth and into your love today. Amen. Well, as I said earlier, it's a pretty straightforward word from Paul to these people, and I hope it can be for us. Now, as you see right out of the gates, he begins with a gentle word. So let that be our guide, as it was Paul's guide here, when he says, we request of you, this is him moving on to a new subject matter. But he's making a request. And not this heavy handed command. This is a pastoral nudge, not a knockout punch...is the tone of Paul with these two verses. He's basically writing as he moves in to talk about the peace down in verse 13, the peace that needs to exist amongst the church body. He's saying that, look, you've already been practicing this. You're excelling in it. Keep it up. He's not writing this to correct a bad problem. There's nothing we can find in 1 or 2 Thessalonians or Acts 17 that would suggest that there was fomenting, some revolution. Some anti-clericalism against some authoritarian despots in this church. There's nothing for us to surmise that from the text. All we have is that as Paul was going to close this letter out, and want this church to focus on some important things and excel still more. He doesn't want this opportunity to pass to remind them...request of them...a gentle nudge. Not a harsh word on the wonderful potential there is for a relationship between pastor and his people.
So the first thing he wants them to know, our first point today in verse 12 is know who your leaders are. We request of you, brothers and sisters, to appreciate those who diligently labor among you. Now, this is on the heels of Paul reminding these Christians, if you just look from last week's text, the focus we had there was Paul trying to help them remember the defining mark of their lives as the end approaches...between light and dark, between day and night. And so he gives them that, identity reminder. You're children of the day, you're children of the light. And so you should be living like it. And maybe the end of this letter from 12 to 22 especially, is him filling in some details on how to live as children of the light. And first on his mind is the relationship between sheep and shepherds. Now, at the time Paul writes this and we've mentioned this before AD 50, we have to be fair to what these people would have known and not known. And even the language of leadership that is not present here tells us something about how leadership was seen in the church 20 years after Christ left, and with only a few years of Paul's missionary endeavors. We're only a few years past his first missionary journey. Well, most believe approximately AD 46, and that he made it to Thessalonica somewhere around maybe AD 49. And this letter is maybe less than a year later. That in Acts 13 and 14, and you can go back and read that later this week. He and Barnabas are preaching in the regions of Syria, Cyprus, Galatia, Lycia and on the end of that trip is the first time we get a mention of Paul intentionally going back, visiting some churches to appoint leaders. That is referred to in Acts 14 as elders. I'll read it for you. So this is the end of the first missionary journey before Paul heads back to Jerusalem. And it says this...after they, and he's talking about Paul and Barnabas. Verse 21, Acts 14. After they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and Iconium and to Antioch. They had already been at these places planting new churches, establishing new believers. But they couldn't stay forever. They were on a mission. They were taking the gospel to Jerusalem, Judea, and eventually to the ends of the earth. Verse 22, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith. Which is exactly what we're hearing in this letter, isn't it? It's a strengthening letter. It's an excel still more letter. And then verse 23, when they had appointed elders for them in every church. And there you see, there was a time gap between when they first were at these churches in Lystra, Iconium and Antioch. And then on a return trip, some time had went on. They appointed elders for them in every church. So it seems we could put together that why Paul might not be saying, brothers and sisters, appreciate the elders is because elders haven't been appointed yet...the office that is. What he probably still has on his hands here are what we're going to read, which is you have some who have emerged from the pack, shown the capacity to do the things we're about to talk about in verse 12. But time and truth need to go hand in hand. He didn't leave this church without some idea of what leadership should be, what it should look like. Uh, first and foremost, because he modeled it to them. But from what we can put together from 1 and 2 Thessalonians, he's not talking about an office or a title here, is he? You find no mention of the word elder or deacon or overseer. Words that are going to come along later in the New Testament. Right now in AD 50, a decade before some of those words are used by Paul, particularly in 1 Timothy. He's just saying, there are those among you. You know who they are, but I want you to know them in a way that goes beyond just names and faces. When he says, I want you, brothers, to appreciate those who diligently labor, why I keep using this word know and why I titled this section that is because really, that word appreciate comes from a root word in the Greek that was for knowing someone, but knowing them beyond just the facts. It was an intimate knowledge. It would be a word in the New Testament for appreciation, acknowledgement, respect, as in you've gotten beyond the surface with this person. You know what they're about. It doesn't mean you're best friends with them. But he's saying that there should be recognition of this person's life to the degree that you can appreciate them accordingly. And if it was about the title, then he might have said that you appreciate those elders. But instead of talking about titles, he focuses on task. How are we going to know those who we are to appreciate and honor and respect? Well, I'm going to give you three characteristics of them. And you see those in verse 12 defined and described by what they do. Not some title that Paul has bestowed upon them yet. They diligently labor among you, they have charge over you in the Lord, and they give you instruction, and that's all the same person. This isn't dividing out between there's some who do this, some who do that, some who don't. No, the sequence of this is for Paul to say, I'm going to describe this person to you, and that's who you should know. Know them by their labor. And as I tried to kind of take those three descriptions, and this is why this sermon is for both you and I. Because you should be able to identify these types of leaders amongst you. And those who have been identified as these type of leaders get their what?...they get their marching orders from us. Even though this was written to the sheep; this is also for the shepherd. And so let's look at those three qualities in verse 12. If you want to call them sub points. What are the marks of a spiritual leader for you to appreciate? I'll give you three words as they relate to the task of a shepherd...caring, leading, and feeding. Caring, leading and feeding are the three marks of spiritual leaders. And they are these marks in early form. That's what's so important to know this passage as it relates to knowing what to look for in a pastor. This is ground level...grass roots. No title or office being mentioned here. This is, you will know this man by his fruits. He's a shepherd. And shepherds care and they lead and they feed their sheep. So let's break those down. Let's talk about caring for the sheep. That's the phrase diligently labor among you. It describes the work overall, the work of caring for sheep. It's a wearisome toil, as you would expect, the work of a shepherd to be. On a very literal level, a shepherd guarding against dangerous threats...wolves. I mean, David talks about back when he was a shepherd fighting off a bear. I mean, that's dangerous work, toilsome work. And then chasing down the sheep, trying to keep them with the pack. I've never hung out with a shepherd. I'm purely guessing at this, but I imagine it's hard work rounding them all up. It's hard work rounding up my own five little sheep at home, and we're on a barely a half an acre. And I was driving through the hinterlands of a distant land called, I think it was Taylorsville this weekend. And, I mean, it was the hills were alive with the sound of music. It was lush and green, and I looked over as I was taking my son to a birthday party, getting lost on the roads because there were a couple different Icard Ridge roads. But eventually we just come upon to the left was this awesome area with a bunch of goats in it, and now I'm going, I'm not calling anybody goats here, I'm just saying instead of sheep, goats. But it was a big area. And as I'm thinking about this text, If the guy was like, hey, Adam, get out there and round those goats up, I would have no idea what to do. Like, am I supposed to take a rope and...they're just going to scatter everywhere. And that's the toilsome work. That's the diligent labor that a shepherd's to be doing amongst his sheep. Its sweat, its tears. Fortunately for me, it's never been blood. Let's keep it that way. And it can be argued, I mean, this was what Paul thought of when he thought of the work of the ministry as a shepherd. The idea of work, that word labor there is one of his favorite words in the New Testament to describe the work of the ministry. 1 Corinthians 15:10, by the grace of God, I am what I am. His grace toward me didn't prove vain, but I labored even more than all. 2 Corinthians 11:23, are they servants of Christ? I speak as if insane, I more so in far more labors. And then he goes on to explain specifically all those labors he had for the sheep. Galatians 4:8, I fear for you that perhaps I have labored over you in vain. Philippians 2:16, holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Jesus I have reason to glory, because I did not run in vain, nor toil or labor in vain. Colossians 1:29, for this purpose I labor, striving according to his power in me. 1 Timothy 4:10, for it is for this I labor and strive because we fixed our hope on the living God. Are you getting a flavor of how Paul thinks about his ministry?...it's diligent labor. My life verse 1 Timothy 5:17. Elders who rule well are considered worthy of double honor...just joking about that. Especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. 2 Timothy 2:6, the hard working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops. You might have thought that was a long walk for a short drink of water, but I read all those to reinforce Paul's first point. It could seem like, oh yeah, diligently labor. Yeah. I mean, he breaks a sweat. No. Loving leadership from the shepherd to the sheep is first and foremost defined by this care...that is effort, that is sweat, that is toil, that is work. And if it's anything less than that, it's not shepherding. So for the shepherds here, my fellow elders, hard work should be obvious and evident as we labor among our sheep. Don't lose sight of that little phrase among you. Remember that back in the beginning of this letter, how Paul talks about, you know, verse five of chapter one, the kind of men we prove to be among you. And then how many times he kept saying in chapter one and two, you know, you know, you know, when he had to defend his ministry against those who tried to discredit it. How do they know? Because he was among them. And was he just standing around among them? No, he was laboring. As puritan Matthew Henry writes, pastors be laborers, not loiterers. Growing up I would see those signs around town. No loitering. You know, you don't really understand what that word means as a ten year old, and then you figure it out. You understand that word, and you're like, what's so bad about loitering? If I just want to stand next to this wall, what's so bad about that? Well, i don't know still to this day, actually. I'm just now I'm contemplating it. Is it so wrong for a person to just want to stand on a sidewalk and do nothing?...not hurting anything. But for a pastor to be a loiterer is a crime. A shepherd that just stands around as if there's no work to be done as if there's no labor to be done. And yet, like any fallen individual, it's tempting. It's tempting to loiter as a pastor, as a shepherd, but to not labor or to make it look like you're laboring. And so that's a call to the shepherds to roll up their sleeves or shepherds, whatever he wears. Get your hands in the wool and smell like sheep. Exegete that, brothers. Smell like sheep. If you don't, you're not a shepherd. For the sheep loving leadership begins with appreciating those you see in the work, having a greater awareness of the work of the leaders. If you are new to HBC. We are an elder-led church and there's passages that talk about that structure. 1 Timothy 3, 1 Timothy 5, Titus 1, 1 Peter 5, Acts 20, Hebrews 13. But we're not here to preach those. We're just here to focus on this first sub point of point number one, to know your shepherds is to be able to recognize and appreciate the ones who are working hard among you. Now that might beg the question, hey, if you just take it at that. Like, aren't all Christians to be striving? Aren't we all to be workers? And the answer is yes. So what differentiates these leaders from others? And that's actually as the next two words come into view. We all are to work hard. We all are to read Colossians 1:29 and want to strive. But now look where he goes to take their diligently laboring. But there's two particular ways in which they labor in which they care. So if you're thinking, when I'm looking for the qualifications by way of work of a pastor. They care for the sheep, its work, its labor, its effort, its among. And then it kind of can break out into these two next phrases have charge over you in the Lord and give you instructions. So that's where I get the idea of leading and feeding, having charge over you in the Lord. he next phrase is leading the sheep. Caring goes into those two categories, leading the sheep a greater spiritual responsibility than the rest of the church body. By way of that charge over you in the Lord. It's a word that charge over you that is a compound word meaning to stand in front of. It evokes the image of that shepherd because of the dangers and the need to be guided towards green pastures and still waters, he has to be out front. He can't be lagging behind loitering, if you will. And that's what that phrase charge over you means. It's not about lording over, but it's leading in front. It literally means to stand in front. It relates in 1 Timothy 3...just a few pages over to the calling of a man who aspires to the office of overseer. That's the word also for elder. And one of the qualifications for an overseer, verse four. He must be one who manages his own household well. Why? Because verse five, if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the Church of God? That word for manages is the same exact word here of have charge over. It's the word for stands in front of. And it gives the simple qualification that if a man does not stand in front of his family well and lead his family well, what would you expect him to do if you put him in charge of the church? Is he suddenly going to know how to turn it on, if it's never been on? He won't. And so that's the first level, one of the first qualifiers for a man who aspires to the office of elder. And that's why elders in this church have to be examined in how they lead their little family before they would be entrusted to a larger family. George Whitfield, for whom this room is named, said this, "For every house is, as it were, a little parish, every family of flock. And if any of the little ones perish through a leader's neglect, the blood God requires at their hands." It's a weighty call, first and foremost to the fathers among us, to the leaders of homes. And to never want to discourage a man from aspiring, but to let them know the high calling that it is. And that that first level of qualification is not that he could sit amongst a group of pastors in a church and impress them with the doctrine he knows. But to ask that man, what does this look like in your home? How have you led what you were entrusted with however many years it was ago that you got married? What have you been doing to lead and labor there? Before, we would entrust you to lead and labor here. So that's the point Paul is making in...have charge over you in the Lord. Now, it's important that we see the phrase in the Lord. It's important as among you connects to diligently labor...charge over you in the Lord is the most important part of this verse, because that's where spiritual authority is derived. All authority is from Christ and to Christ and through Christ for the Shepherd. As in he does not at any moment misunderstand that his authority is delegated authority. It's borrowed authority. He is a stand in. For the what? ...authority of Jesus Christ over His church. Jesus's church. It's not the pastor's church. It's not the elders' church. It's Christ's church. And so when we know that all authority is from him and for him and through him, and that as Hebrews 13:17 says, obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls, as those who will give an account. That I have no higher level of accountability as a spiritual leader than that. The account I will give is to the Lord Jesus Christ, and any and every charge I have to the flock is under his charge. So in a strange way, as I was thinking about this this week, I am a servant to the sheep here, but you're not my master. Because servants tend to have masters, right? Oh, who are you the servant of?...there's your master. It's not how it works. You might say that sounds kind of prideful. Could, but it's very dangerous if I think you're my master. Because then who am I going to be working to please? The temptation to become a yes-man. The temptation, on the other hand, if I think it's just you I answer to, and I have enough sway and charisma and charm to woo you. I laughed myself thinking about that because it's a joke. But if I don't understand that my master is the Lord Jesus Christ and my charge is under him, the fear of man becomes a pretty big temptation. But if I understand, I am absolutely your servant. This is what I exist for. But I answer to him. That's where the weight comes. That I give an account to him for how I served you. Not to mean I'm not above feedback...people asking questions. My own son...Dad, do you try to get better at preaching? Yes, son. Please don't ask that on the drive home. Wait till Monday. 1 Peter 5:4 says, when the chief shepherd appears, that's why we know we're under shepherds, because the only chief shepherd in the New Testament is Jesus. 1 Peter 5:4, when the chief Shepherd appears, you'll receive...you under-shepherds...will receive the unfading crown of glory. So just as there's no greater weight of accountability, there's no greater anticipation of reward than that...to receive the unfading crown of glory from him for how I shepherded. So if a pastor loses sight of that, if he forgets who's head of the church, he's done. He's done, and he could still, for a time being, have a following of acolytes who drink Kool-Aid of charisma, but he'll eventually be shown for who he is. More importantly, and this is the daunting thing, that guy that buys his own hype and thinks he's in charge. He will be shown eventually for who he's not. He's not the chief shepherd...never will be. None of us will be. And God in His grace may give him some time to learn that the hard way, or he may shortcut it. He may speed it up. But leading the sheep, that second idea having charge in the Lord comes down to giving spiritual guidance. If you're like Adam, what's the definition for having charge in the Lord? I would define it this way. Leading the sheep comes down to giving spiritual guidance according to the doctrine of Jesus Christ as head of the church. Like, I need to know that if I'm going to give any spiritual leadership to this body or any elder is, I need to know good doctrine. Who's the head of the church?...Jesus. And then direction through the Holy Spirit in the Word of God. So it's no authority is from me, to me or through me. It's from him and to him and through him, guided by his Spirit and the Word. So that's the second one which leads into the third...feeding the flock, giving instruction. So the diligent labor is carrying, the charge over you is leading, and to give you instruction is feeding. Good shepherds of the flock are defined by their teaching. They keep the sheep healthy through a steady diet of good doctrine. Now that word for instruction, you know, it's a pretty plastic word in a New Testament. I mean, it's malleable. It's used in a lot of different contexts. It's admonishing, it's exhorting, it's explaining. But the word itself actually isn't so much about how you do it. It's what you're trying to do. Instruction here...this word is what the shepherd is trying to do in feeding the flock is this. And this is the literal word to place something in the mind. So, what am I trying to do this morning with you all? I'm trying to place something in your mind...the truth of the Word of God. That the weight of the Word of God is explained and applied by the preaching of the word will leave you with some weight of implication of how you should live your life. I'm driving for something not to again, and especially in this text, achieve some agenda of my own. But actually, if I can explain it and instruct it and inform you in the right way, the Word of God through the Spirit of God will do the work for me if I've done it right. Try to place that in your mind to put it in there. The inescapable reality that this is something I must obey today because God says it. That's what it means for the shepherd to feed the sheep. Paul trained others to do this, to proclaim it publicly, to teach it from house to house, to pour into individuals. And so in our church, it's not just what I do up here, but it's what we're doing all the time and trying to train others to put the Word of God in people's minds through Bible studies, life groups, counseling one on one. This past weekend, raising up men in this church to be able to teach at the men's retreat. Now there was Kurtis teaching, but then there was three other men that we have worked with to grow in teaching the Word of God, to be able to put it in the minds of the hearers. It's something that I and other elders here are called to equip the entire church to do on a regular basis, but then we want to see you take it and do it as well. We don't want it to stop with us. And we rejoice that we see it happening around here all the time. But don't get caught up in the how as in is it, you know, is it straightforward? Is it from the side? Is it this heavy thing? Is it. No. It's what he's saying is it's the end game of it. What do you have to do to get that in the mind of the listener? However you can do that without compromising the integrity of the message itself. And so that's why we even train our teachers and children's and youth to not teach the same way that I do. One, because they're their own teacher, but also they need to know their audience and the way that a young mind or a young mind can receive the truth isn't the same way that you're going to receive it. That's the important part of this thing if we're going to get it right. So in feeding and leading, pastors are caring for the sheep. And kind of wrapping this first verse up. If you're to know us and appreciate those who diligently labor and have charge and give instruction again to my fellow elders, can the sheep see in us the fulfillment of these descriptions? If you're friends with a pastor, maybe you have a buddy who's in the ministry and he struggling in his church. Maybe sometimes wondering, what am I there to do? Maybe you could encourage him in this this week what you just learned. Say brother, don't overthink the thing. There are a lot of other things you could think you're supposed to do, but if you're not doing this, you're not pastoring. For the sheep...what does it look like for you to appreciate those who are leading you? I guess simply said, do you know your leaders? And I'm not talking about our likes and dislikes. Although hey, I will not refuse a pie if you catch on. I drop those hints about sandwiches and other things, but it's far more than that. Do you understand us by our work, by our leading and feeding? That's first command of Paul today is to appreciate those by knowing what it is they're called to do. And then point number two today, verse 13, not just know what they do, but love what your leaders do. That's the thrust of verse 13. That you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. What's the work? We just talked about the work. We broke it down. It's caring, it's feeding, it's leading. And because of that work that they do, you have an esteem and a respect. But it's not just lip service. It's a love from the heart because you can try to tell people to respect you by the way they talk to you. But they could say it and not mean it. Yes, sir. Yes, ma'am. And there's no love behind those words. So Paul's not just looking for "yes, elders. Thank you, elders." It's, what's the love behind it that causes you to esteem them very highly? He says it's because of the work. Which means you need to know what that work is in order to love them for it. And then when you see that work done, that love grows, because that work is directly related to your life as the sheep. And in what that shepherd is trying to do in my life. He's trying to love me. He's trying to lead me. He's trying to care for me. He's trying to feed me. So this other request, this godly nudge, is to honor them not for some platform or position, but for the pains of their labor. There's a fine line between worshipping the man versus appreciating the work. Nobody's calling for pastor worship here. Just calling for people to recognize the work that's being done among them and then in love, esteem them for it, honor them for it. Honor them for the right things, the shepherding things. There's pastors today who call themselves pastors, but they do no shepherding. One way to recognize that is some ways in which they describe themselves in ways that pastors would have never described themselves. Pastors today are visionaries, influencers, thought leaders. They don't work like they've been in a pasture or smell like it. They don't preach like sages of old, but pop culture experts of today. They're a shepherd to screens, but not to sheep. They're known to followers, but not to a flock. They're captivated by the numbers, but not captive to real names in their own congregation. They might be known to many online all around the world, but they're not known by their own church. They're there, but they're not among them. And that's more prevalent today now than ever. That's not a pastor because the pastor's title defines his task. He belongs to a people. And his people belong to Christ, and he's been entrusted with them. The sheep don't exist for him to build some platform to be known and noted. He exists for them. As Paul says earlier here in 1 Thessalonians 2:20, you are our glory and joy. Do you get that?...how that relates to this. You don't exist for my glory. You don't exist for me, so I could have something to do every week. I exist for you. And I exist for your good. And when you're good flourishes in Jesus Christ because you ultimately belong to him, and I'm just an under shepherd then I can say, like Paul, this isn't about me. Chapter two, verse six, we didn't seek glory from men. You're the glory. Like, that's the most amazing thing about being a pastor is to see the glory of God that we're being transformed into one degree to the next, Paul says. To see that happening in a people's life. Why would you try to steal that? Why would you try to get in the way of that intercept that when it's all for him? But it's tempting to do, and it can be tempting to do if you don't know what you're actually called to do. So the point Paul is making in verse 13 here is that the love from a sheep to the shepherd is proportional to his loving labors for his sheep. If a pastor is wondering why there's no love from the sheep, maybe he has to step back and look at his labors for them. There should be an affectionate admiration, because the sheep know the work that the shepherd is doing for their good. And they understand the calling he's been charged with. So what are shepherds? They're like Moses helping Israel to make it out of the wilderness, across the Jordan, into the Promised Land. They're like Hopeful in Pilgrim's Progress at the end, trying to help Christian get across the river. The best work I get to do is to help you get to heaven. It's the best thing I get to do...to help guide you to the gates...back to your chief Shepherd. And anything I can do here to help that...that's what I exist for. I don't define my identity by it. But it is what my job is. And if it ever stops being my job here or any of the elders here, it stops being their job. They're not pastors. They become something else...decision makers, bean counters, board members, whatever. The title that matters most is the one that describes us most thoroughly...Shepherd. And you don't have a shepherd without sheep. And when you do that and the sheep respond in love, it's heaven on earth. So maybe today as we apply this to our lives, Verse 13 for you. What's the nature of your love to your shepherds? Maybe it's difficult because you've been burned in the past, maybe here or somewhere else. But consider today's text. God's reminding you, if that's you this morning, if there's some angst, if there's some distance between you and church leadership. God's reminding you, sheep, that's not the part of the pasture he wants you to live in. It's not healthy there. It's not life giving there. The Word of God says to love them for their work. Esteem them...even in spite of their flaws. Speaking from experience, there are no perfect pastors to follow. That doesn't excuse me or others from the charge to be your example. But it does give us the ability to lead this church in the way God designed. And for a good church to flourish, good leaders need good followers, just as good followers want good leaders. We can't do it without you, and you're not to do it without us. That's the way God designed it. It's wonderful when you think about that as a pastor. What am I going to do without you? Nothing. I could resort to becoming a TikTok pastor. I don't think I'd have anybody watching. What can I do without you?...any of our elders here...without sheep? And likewise, you're not to do it without us. And so those ditches, those man-made ditches that we make, the anticlericalism ditch. We don't need leaders. We can figure it out. We're all a kingdom of priests. Or the other ditch of authoritarianism. Just, it's all on that, pastor. He's the man. Let him do it all by himself. You don't go in those ditches. You stay on the path that was plowed by the Lord Jesus Christ, which is today, is to say that it's a pastor and his people working together, trying to fulfill. Why do you think live in peace with one another comes at the end of that? He's not having to say that because they're not living in peace. He's just saying, look, if you understand the beauty and wonder and joy of this relationship between people and pastor. You'll be living in peace with one another. And that's how it's meant to be. That's how the gospel moves forward. How does the gospel get hindered? Church division. Right? What slows the church down more than division? Nothing. What stops the gospel from making progress more than a divided congregation? People against their pastor, the pastor against his people. What a waste of time. What a waste of money! What a waste of effort. So live at peace with one another isn't just Paul kind of throwing a shot in at the buzzer. He's saying that's that's the great spot to live when you get how this all works together. A pastor with no people following in love will get nowhere on his own. Stuck, stymied. Like a stagnant pond with no life. It's a dead church, but a people with no pastor leading is like a wild river with streams flowing in all directions except straight ahead, full of sound and fury, accomplishing nothing. It's fierce and flowing, but it's chaotic and confused...a Disorderly church, but a pastor and people together, loving leadership from the shepherd and sheep loving their leadership produces what Paul is hoping for here...a glistening lake teeming with life to the edges, full of enjoyment for all that are in it, living in peace with one another. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your word this morning. We thank you for the hope that it calls us to. We thank you for the joy that it brings our hearts. We thank you that as it works on our lives and especially a text like this, that can be so easily forgotten. Just two verses tucked away in 1 Thessalonians gives us such clear direction for our day to day lives here in this church. Do its work in me. Do its work in our leaders. Do its work in our people. We pray. We thank you and praise you in Jesus name. Amen.
Pulpit Curriculum PDF Pulpit Curriculum DOCX * View transcript The Marks of a Good Christian: Aware
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Last week in 13 to 18 the focus of Paul talked about the return of Jesus Christ was on comforting those who had lost loved ones who died in Christ. And yet they were still a grieving going on related to not knowing exactly, what would become of them when it came to the return of Christ, if they were going to miss out, if they were going to be left behind as those who had died in Christ and not gotten to see his return. And so the topic really last week was bereavement. It was how we should think and feel about the loved ones of ours who die in Jesus Christ. And we came away without any shadow of a doubt that there is hope, not just hope for those who die in Christ, and they are with Christ and will be forever. But it turns to this week, now to the topic of judgment, how those who are alive Christians think and feel about our own and our own mortality. And in both cases, as we saw in Colossians 1:27, Paul said, Jesus Christ is our hope of glory. So whichever way you want to come at it, if you want to come at it from those who have died in Christ and wondering what their future is when Christ returns and how they'll be raised and where they'll be, their hope is in Jesus Christ. Because with him in life means with him in death and with him again in the great resurrection from the dead. Now this week, our anchor and our hope is in Christ for those who are alive and what becomes of us. So it's no longer about bereavement, it's about judgment. And maybe if last week's main emphasis was the hope we have the anchor we have in Christ...this week, for those who are alive, Paul wants them to know you need to be aware of what the future holds. And the focus of today's section is being aware most of all of what already has been said rather than speculate on what hasn't been said about the future return of Jesus Christ. And also turning our attention to ourselves and saying, as we think about the return of Jesus, rather than speculate on calendar dates and try to predict, we prepare best by focusing on our own conduct, on our behavior, on who we are in Christ, not focusing on everything outside of us. But the best way to be prepared, Paul is going to teach these Thessalonians today is to be anchored in the truth of God's Word and what it says for us. Curiosity about the future and where it's headed for our own sake and others sake is not unbiblical, but it can be, if taken to far unhelpful or even spiritually unhealthy. Fixating on trying to predict and lose sight of that which has already been said and needs no prediction. This church clearly had had false teachers come in and taken what already had been taught and start to twist it. And the beliefs that these believers once held too closely now, might have been getting filled with doubt. And so Paul has to address this matter. He addressed last week those who are asleep. This week he is addressing those who are awake, but he is going to use sleep language, not in the sense of those who are dead asleep, but saying if you're awake, then live like it. Act like it, because our beliefs are ultimate in determining our behavior. And if we really do believe that Jesus Christ is coming again, and we are to be aware of how we are to act, then there's a certain way we should be living. The main truth he wants us to be aware of is not the date of a return, but the state of our soul when he returns. So let's read 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11, and then we'll see how Paul gives three exhortations for our awareness when it comes to the return of Christ. "Now, as to the times in epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come, just like a thief in the night. And while they are saying, peace and safety, then destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. But you brothers are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief. For you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night, nor of darkness. So then, let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. For those who sleep, do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing." He who has ears to hear, let him hear, O Lord. And with the measure we use, may it be measured back to us accordingly and abundantly in Christ. As I mentioned, there's three movements to this passage; verses 1 to 3, 4 to 7, and then 8 to 11. And you can see that as Paul's use of conjunctions. He starts...now as to the times, verse 4 then...but you, brethren, and then verse 8...but since we each one of those times. He uses that conjunction, he's moving slightly to a new topic of awareness overall, still wanting them to get the big picture, which is the best preparation you can have for the return of the Lord is to be aware of your own state. So his first admonition in verse 1 to 3, section one is you need to be Listening Up Rather Than Looking up. Listen up is Paul's exhortation to these somewhat worried, kind of nervous biting their nails Christians thinking about the return of Jesus. He says, listen up. Rather than be so fixated on looking up, get your head out of the clouds and into the Bible. When he's saying, listen up, he is in verse one and two, referring to there are some things that you already have been written. There are some things that already have been told to you, but clearly you have forgotten them. So let this be a reminder to you. Now as to the times and epochs, brothers, and you have no need anything to be written to you. Somewhere along the line, when Paul was at this church in Acts 17, the few weeks or few months that he was with them, he preached Christ and Him crucified, and he also taught on the return of the Lord. And even that phrase he uses times and epochs should maybe trigger in our minds perhaps the exhortation...slight rebuke that Jesus had to give to his disciples when he was about to go back to heaven. You could turn to Acts chapter 1 to see it. That Jesus is standing there with the disciples and hey, they're feeling pretty good about themselves. Their Messiah died, rose again victorious over sin and death. And they're probably thinking, what's going to stop the kingdom from being right now? So they ask him, Acts 1:6, Lord, is it at this time you are restoring the kingdom to Israel? This is what we were getting behind. We lost hope. You died. You rose again. We have hope again. So is now the time? And what was Jesus' response in Acts 1:7? It is not for you to know the times or epochs which the father is fixed by his own authority. Your job is to go be my witnesses. So instead of being so worried about my future plans, you need to be focused on your present duties. And one of them isn't for you to try to figure out the 'unfigureoutable'. Only the Father knows. He's fixed it by his own authority. What's interesting to me, if you put your Bible together, your New Testament...the book of Acts, hasn't been written yet. So Paul is not quoting Jesus in Acts 1:7 as if he's quoting the scriptures. Paul somehow understood the teaching that Jesus had given, both in Matthew 24 and Mark 13, about only the Father knows when the Son of Man will return in judgment. How did Paul figure it out? When did he learn this? Well, you actually, on your own this week can read through 1 and 2 Thessalonians, read through Matthew 24 and 25, and you'll be struck by the literary parallels between the actual literal phrases Paul is using, though he wasn't around to hear them directly from Jesus. And you might be asking the question, well, then, you know, was it just direct revelation that Jesus gave to Paul? We know that's possible because last week he says in 1 Thessalonians 4:15, I'm saying this to you by the way of word of the Lord. Could be. But also we understand that Paul spent some time with the disciples after his conversion...Acts chapter nine. He goes to see Ananias. Acts 9:18...immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales. He regained his sight. He got up, got baptized, got food, he was strengthened. And then it says in Acts 9:19, now for several days Paul was with the disciples. So right after his conversion, he got some time to spend with the disciples and potentially had a lot of questions about, hey, I met Jesus. I repented of my sins. I've trusted to him. Clearly, I was on the wrong side of history. What else can you tell me about him? And maybe in those few days that he was with those disciples is when they started teaching him immediately about the return of Christ. We also know from Galatians chapter 1, if you want to look there quickly, that in Paul's abridged autobiography, when he talks about after his conversion, he says in verse 18. Then three years later, after I went away, I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas...Peter and stayed with him 15 days. I didn't see any of the other apostles except James, the Lord's brother. So perhaps it was also in that time that Paul spent with Peter for 15 days, that he learned directly about some of the things that Jesus taught about his return. This is all sanctified speculation. But what Paul is teaching as authoritative here goes back to one important point that he wanted these Thessalonians to know who were looking into the skies like the disciples in Acts chapter one, speculating on...when is the time, focusing on calendars, focusing on times and seasons. And he's saying, look, you're not going to know. Because it's not for you to know. That was the clear teaching of Jesus in...Matthew 24:36, Matthew 24:42, Mark 13:33. That the Son of Man's return is going to be unexpected, unforeseen, unpredictable, without warning. And then Paul borrows the language that Jesus used...just like a thief in the night. Well, what's that image doing? Well, you know, the great thing about when you get a biblical image to use, there's nothing I can say to like, make that image better. He uses the perfect illustration of how do you be prepared for something that could happen at any moment, but you don't know when that moment is going to happen. I was racking my brain trying to think about it, and then I was like, Adam, you dummy. Like, the perfect illustration of that is right in front of your face in the Bible. It's like a burglar who doesn't give you advance notice of when he's going to decide to come. So every night I say to Shannon. I love you. I always say that. But I also say, did you lock all the doors? I'll go back down and lock them if you didn't. And that's our thing. Every night...we are prepared for what?...the unexpected. My candelabra is at my bedside...ready. Because you're trying to prepare for something that doesn't let you know it's coming, even though it can come at any time. So he uses the illustration of a thief in the night for the unforeseen, unexpected nature of the return of the Lord. And then verse three he says, and when they...the world is saying peace and safety, so don't be lulled to sleep by just the world feeling like, hey, times are good. Maybe Paul borrowed this language from the Romans in this time, the Pax Romana, that there is peace across Rome and that everybody's thinking things are hunky dory. He goes, just when everything looks great, then destruction will come upon them. How swiftly?...suddenly, like labor pains upon a woman with child. And I will not exegete that. Let the reader understand...what maybe he's saying to add to this sudden, unexpected nature of labor pains on a woman is not so much what he's already established with the thief in the night, but what he says right after that they will not escape, as in when the labor starts for a woman to give birth, there's no stopping it. There's no escaping it. It's inevitable. It's unavoidable. It's going to happen. So you put those two illustrations together. It's unexpected, unforeseen, unpredictable. You're not going to know the time and the season, but when it does begin, there is no what? Coming to an end. It's going to be to fulfillment. It's done. The father's fixed it. There's no slowing it down. And so Paul gives this idea of those times and seasons that you guys are worried about. And just for the person who's like, yeah, but you know, what about the passages say, well, we can't know the day or the hour, but maybe we can know the year. No...those two words he uses in the Greek...times and epochs...the word for chronos and kairos. They're to be all inclusive terms. They're the forest and the trees. When Paul uses those terms, times is chronological time. He's saying whether it's seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, you will not predict the particular time. Okay, fine. Maybe I'll know the season. I'll be watching what's going on... No, that's epochs. That's a word Paul would use for time marked by an event that begins a new period of development. Either way, he's saying, stop trying to predict the unpredictable. It's not for you to know. Back to Acts 1:7. It's fixed; it's set. It's known in its entirety, but only by who?...God the Father. Fixed...no doubts, no surprises to him. And when he starts it, it will run to completion. So if you are one of those who are on a quest to predict the time or season, you're on a fool's errand. You cannot know the time. You're not meant to know the time. You will not figure out the time. The Bible is clear on that. But in case the Bible doesn't convince you, anybody in church history that's made an attempt at it, they've all failed. Really good ones too. People that knew their Bibles really well. Back the second century...Irenaeus, disciple of Polycarp, who was a disciple of John. You think if anybody's going to know it, it's going to be a guy that was that close to the action. He formed his calculations for the return of the Lord using the specifications...numbers related to the Ark. This was a guy that wrote against heresies. He was defending the heart of the faith, and he goes and throws out a number AD 500 because of how the arc was written about and designed...bad idea, wrong. My guy, Martin Luther, loved the Protestant Reformation. I mean, recovers the heart of the gospel...justification by faith. Had some bad interpretation on Daniel. He thought he was living in the end in the 1500s. And listen, if you survived the plague, maybe you would think the end was near. If you thought the Pope was Antichrist, there you go. But he also was doing faulty calculations on when he thought the world began, and that he was living in the sixth day and the seventh day borrowing language from Genesis. He was in the middle of the sixth day, in the middle of the 70th week in Daniel. And so he thinks the end of the world is going to happen sometime around 1600. He was wrong. John Wesley, by some wacky interpretation of Revelation 12:14 of all verses...living in the 1700s, picks 1836 to be exact. He was wrong too. The list goes on up until our modern day...Hal Lindsay, Harold Camping, Pat Robertson...wrong, wrong, wrong. And when guys are wrong, what do they usually do? Oh, you know, I counted one too many toes on the statue in Daniel. I forgot to subtract one of the marks of the beast. Here's my new calculation. You think math is going to solve it? In the wisdom and brilliance and goodness of God our Father, who has fixed that time...you're going to bring some math into it and predict the unpredictable. I asked myself the question this week, though, you know, why wouldn't God want us to know? I mean, he wants us to be prepared. You could come back to me and say, well, why does Jesus continue to say, be on the alert, be ready, be aware. So I was kind of just running through that. And maybe you can right now. Why wouldn't God the Father want his children to know when he was going to return? The first thought that came to mind is, you know, God is a father. In fact, I take my cues from him. And sometimes when dads say...it's just because I said so. That should be good enough for our kids, right? We play that card. So baseline...if God just doesn't want us to know, we should be okay with that, right? Okay. Moving on from that baseline of it's just not for us to know the exact time or hour, but what would be the downside? And this is where maybe you do some heart work. If you knew in your lifetime the return of Christ...the exact hour, the day. Do you think it would really make you more active?...or possibly more apathetic for a season. Could knowing the exact day, hour, time, season, whatever lead to more apathy rather than gospel activity? And you're like, of course not. Why would it? Well. You ever procrastinate on a term paper?...on a test? You can't procrastinate on the pop quiz, can you? You just have to be ready at all times. Pop quiz happens any day. You better know your material. But when you have that final exam coming at the end of the semester and all the reading you've supposed to been doing for it and all the studying, what is our tendency?...cramming. Thank you. Vicky. She's with me today. The rest of you, I know. Oh, no, I would be if I knew it was 20 years from now...evangelizing 24/7. Would you?...Would you? I'm just saying knowing my own heart, what could happen to me is if I knew. If I knew it was 20 years from today and I knew I was going to live that long. I could say, you know what? I got some things I want to get to. I'll be telling people, you know, here, there, everywhere. But would I be committed to, like, nonstop preparing for it? I don't know, maybe I would get, you know, uh, that's a long time now that I think about it. How about five years before I'll really ramp it up. And then five years turns to four and then three and then two. And, you know, the last year I'm selling it all and going all in...gospel preaching, okay, ten months because kids birthday. And I wanted to go one last time to the beach...eight months...five. And you get what I'm saying. One month before his return, I will preach the gospel nonstop. I will drink all the coffee I can get and that'll make up for it. You see, what our hearts could do with that?...is we could think we would be gung ho, knowing the day, hour, time. But in reality, if we look at the way we live our lives on a day to day basis, we might see that more time, as more time to get busy with something else. And then, you know, save it all up for the end...the ultimate rededication. Could be one reason why our Father knows best and doesn't tell us that exact moment, but instead wants us to live with a sense of urgency because we don't know. The day of the Lord...Verse two. You know that it's coming. You know that it's going to be a surprise. But this day of the Lord, which is Old Testament language from the prophets about the 'already and the not yet' says in the Old Testament prophets who talk about the day of the Lord, they're seeing the Messiah come the first time. And his judgment at the second time all at once, because they're looking at it like this. We get to turn our Bibles sideways, and we see there was that gap of time in between. So we know that there was a first coming of Christ, and then there's this time in between for the church to be getting the gospel out to the ends of the earth. And it says, you know, the Son of Man won't return until the gospel reaches the ends of the earth. If you're looking for one sign, which I don't know how we'll ever know if it's been preached to the ends of the earth, as in, has every person heard? I don't know how we could track that...possibly. We just keep sending missionaries out to do it. But those prophets would have seen the day of the Lord as both doom for some and deliverance for others. If you want kind of an encapsulated definition for what is the day of the Lord in the Bible? 19 times it's used in the Old Testament. By the way, if you use our pulpit curriculum for your life group, or you just go back and study it, I'll list. I'll give you all the cross-references. You can go study it on your own this week...the 19 times it's talked about. The majority of the time, it's talked about the words associated with the day of the Lord, the return of Christ are: doom, destruction, desolation, darkness. I'm not alliterating those because I'm a preacher. That's the actual words the Old Testament prophets like Amos, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Joel...they were all using those same words: doom, desolation, destruction for some. But what we learned last week. Is that before that time comes, we who are alive will be caught up together in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. It's destruction for some, but deliverance for others. So those two words. When you want to know what is in summation, what's the day of the Lord?...for the wicked, for those who have not been delivered by Christ's first coming. It will be desolation in a second coming. But the hope that we have in Christ is it is deliverance for us because we've been delivered the first time. Now he just comes to rescue us out of this world before his final judgment comes. So that's the first point Paul's trying to make in is to listen up, look down, read what you have in front of you rather than be looking to the clouds. And how could we be sure of where we stand? Well, that moves him to his second exhortation in verses 4 through 7, Wake up rather than sleep in. Now he's going to move from illustration of suddenness, unexpectedness, the idea of a thief, the picture of a woman in labor. Now he's going to use imagery of darkness and light, daytime and nighttime to say, listen, some of you Christians in Thessalonica need to wake up. Because you're falling asleep. You might be getting lax. If you're dozing off, now's the time to be alert. Verse 4...we're not in darkness that the day. What day is he talking about in verse 4, the day of the Lord, he just mentioned that it would overtake you like a thief, that you would be surprised. You would be unprepared. Now he's speaking to a church. He's calling them brothers right there in verse 4. But Paul would know, as we all know, that there could be unbelievers make believers in the midst. The true believers in this church needed to wake up. The make believers in this church needed to be shaken, stirred, and asked themself the question, am I a son of light? Verse five...a son of the day. Or am I of the night and of the darkness? I mean, he's putting that image in front of these Christians at this church, some he's already called out in chapter 4 saying, look, God's will for you is sexual morality, not immorality, that you live differently from the world. Don't act like the Gentiles who don't know God. And then he gets into and you also should be working, supporting, loving one another. So he's getting into their lives, teaching them how they should excel still more putting before them ways in which they can examine their lives. And that's the ever important question...am I walking in the light or walking in the dark? The question is the same for us today. I mean, there's no mixing up if you are asleep or awake. Look around at the people. I mean, if you're sleeping right now, you're going to wake up. But if somebody were snoozing right next to you in the service, you wouldn't be confused by it. You know exactly what that person looks like. I in particular, do. I see the guy sleep on me every week. I keep a chart at home, I keep tabs, I'm working on him. Not looking at you right now. I'm just going to blankly stare at the back of the room. But just like he's saying, he's giving this illustration, look, somebody's either asleep or they're awake, somebody's either drunk or they're sober. There's no confusion in between those two types of people. And he's saying, now, to these brothers and sisters, these Christians. Likewise, there should be no confusion in how you're living. Somebody shouldn't be looking at your life, Christian wondering, is that person awake or asleep? Are they in the light or are they in the dark? The New Testament doesn't paint anything in gray. 1 John, I mean, if you want to turn there, if you think, well, maybe that's just, you know, Paul trying to draw these lines of sons of light and son of darkness. No, 1 John, he gets right into it. Verse 5, this is the message we have heard from Jesus and announce to you that God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. And now he's reasoning with them. If we say we have fellowship with Christ and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and don't practice the truth. There is no gray. But if we walk in the light, as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His son cleanses us from all sins. Aren't those very helpful pictures? That somebody is either in the light or they're in the dark. Somebody either is on the narrow path to eternal life because they're in Christ, or they're on the wide path to destruction because they're in their sin. You're a child of God or a child of the devil, 1 John says. And how do you know that? Are you a child of righteousness who acts righteously like their father, or a child of wickedness? This is the clear paths to put before us all the way back to Psalm 1...the path of the righteous, the path of the wicked...two different paths, two different destinations. And that's what Paul was trying to do to get the attention of some of these professing believers in Thessalonica to wake up. Not just him coming up with like a little spray bottle as they're sleeping and trying to get...no, he got he has the entire cooler filled with ice cold water and dumping it on them while they're in bed and saying, you need jolted back awake. You need to see the dividing line between your life and the world, because it's two different worlds. It's two different kingdoms, it's two different kings. And it really does come down to those whose king is Jesus Christ, who died for them, and those who are still king of their own life in their own sin. And that's the two colors to paint in this morning...black and white, light and dark, night and day. Where do you stand? Where do you stand this morning? Are you found in Jesus Christ and His righteousness alone? Righteous because of the perfect in the light life that he lived. Or are you still trusting in some type of righteousness in yourself, thinking that you'll be good enough to stand before the God who is light, in whom there's no darkness at all. If Christ hasn't removed every spot of your sin at the cross, you will not stand before that God of light in his perfect holiness and righteousness and justice. But if you are in Jesus Christ and have his righteousness, have his perfection and holiness and light, you stand before him complete. No fear, no worry, no trembling, nothing to be afraid of because you are clothed in the righteousness of his Son. Eph 5:8 says you were children of darkness now your children of light. But Ephesians 5:14 says, awake, sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Jesus Christ will shine on you. It's very clear for those of you this morning that aren't in Christ. This passage makes absolutely clear two things...Jesus Christ is coming again in judgment this time. Hebrews 9, not for the removal of sins...now for the judgment of them. And the other thing he makes crystal clear is there is no time to delay for you. There's no time to deliberate. You have the information you need to make a decision. Do I think I could stand before God right now, this day?...or don't I. What's he going to evaluate you on? Works...whose work is it going to be?...yours or Christ's. And if you're found in Jesus Christ, all of his goodness, all of his righteousness, all of his holiness given to you by faith. Or else you're standing before him with your own. Which is it going to be for you? The good news of the gospel is he offers it to you today. God the Father provided a way for your sins to be forgiven, your judgment to be removed, God's wrath to be taken out on his Son instead of on you. Do you believe it? Do you trust it with everything in you?...that all of your righteousness is found in Him and Him alone. Paul says later in Corinthians, now is the day of your salvation. Don't drift off to sleep again. If God has woken you up this morning to the sin in your own heart, the guilt that you have. Don't fall back asleep. Because there's no promise you'll get to wake up from it. This could be his final call to you today...to wake up and hear the call of Jesus Christ. To come to him, put your sins before him. Let him remove them as far as east is from west. But don't drift back off to sleep. Don't think you could decide another day. Today is the day of salvation...to call out to him, to cry out to him, to ask him for mercy. And when you have that hope your life's entirely different. Verses 8 to 11, he moves into the final admonition of examination. He says, now that you are different, believer. But since you are of the day, there's a certain way you are to dress now. Take off those old clothes. And he's not talking about plaid or preppy clothing. He's talking about armor. He's saying in verses 8 to 11, you need to be dressed up ready for war. Verse 8, since we are of the day, we are children of the light, we are children of God. Then let us think sober mindedly. Let us be serious about where we stand. And what's the first evidence that you are serious about your life right now living it for the glory of God and the sake of Christ, wanting to be pleasing to him? You put on two pieces of armor. Ephesians 6 has a lot more, but that's not going to come along for another decade. So in early form, Paul thinks of three visible attributes of a true follower of Jesus Christ. The attributes, the virtues we've seen before. What are they? Right there in verse 8?...faith, hope and love. I mean, from the beginning of this letter, 1 Thessalonians 1:3, when he remembers them... their Christian witness. He remembers their work of faith, labor of love, steadfastness of hope. And really, when you go back and you read this letter with eyes of looking for faith, love and hope, you see that that really in Paul's mind in this time, this early church, those are the three virtues of a true Christian. But now he's going to take those attributes, and he's going to associate them with armor to try to give a visual picture. Why are faith, love and hope so important. Well, think about the armor of a soldier. You need something to cover your internal organs...a breastplate. Because your heart keeps pumping the blood through your body. And if that gets damaged, wounded, you're done. And what does he put behind that breastplate? He puts faith and love. The mark of a true believer...faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, not faith in yourself. Faith in him. And then the first fruit of the spirit of a true believer is love. Understanding the love that God has shown you first from him, demonstrated to you, and then love for God and love for other people. That should be no surprise. Remember, we're thinking about a baby church, a church of Christians less than a year old, so they just need it simply put. And some of us need reminded of the simplicity of the gospel when it changes us. The heartbeat of our Christian life is faith and love. It keeps us alive. And then he moves to another picture of a piece of armor...the helmet...the hope of salvation. Protecting our minds from an attack of the enemy. Satan's attacks in the middle of a furious battle. When life gets hard, that you don't lose your head because you don't lose your hope of salvation. Those are two different things. He puts them in separate categories. Faith and love...yes, that's the heartbeat of our life. That's what's going on on the inside. That my faith in Jesus Christ is alive and well and beating because of the love of God for me. But I can't lose my head by losing my hope of where my salvation ultimately rests...not down here. He's saying, you Thessalonian Christians who are being persecuted. I've already been driven out of town. If you start to think about your temporary hopes, what you might have here and now in this life, you're losing the ultimate picture of salvation. It's for deliverance. It's not for staying here forever. You're on your way to somewhere else. And salvation is ultimately our hope in heaven, not down here. And you need to have that on your mind at all times or you'll lose it...christian. You'll lose it in very subtle ways down here. Right? You lose the hope of your salvation being an eternal life. What are you going to get sucked into down here if you start thinking...like the world. You name it, it could pull your attention off of living for Christ. You can think of anything. You can lose hope. Whether our hope is in our physical health, material wealth. Takes away from our hope being singularly in our salvation. And that's what this passage is. It's an eschatological passage. It's wanting us to think forward to the end, not be consumed in the present. And so we think about how to apply that. How do you take a passage like, well, first off, you know that the anchor of that hope of salvation, verses nine and ten, is that you are not destined for wrath. So the first thing we can rejoice in, in renewing our minds is we as believers are not destined for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through Jesus Christ who died for us. I mean, that really is the high point of this section in the sense that, okay, if I just remember the hope of my salvation is there is nothing that can separate me from the love of God in Christ, then I have one, most importantly, no wrath from God to fear. Even though the world can be caving in around me. That gives hope. Because you look beyond whatever the doomsday preppers, predictors, prophets and preachers are saying today. You get sucked down into it and you lose your hope of salvation. As in where am I ultimately headed? What's this life ultimately for? And he wants them to be thinking about a higher life then, so they can live a more holy life now, motivated because they're not destined for wrath, but for obtaining salvation. And that has to do with ultimate salvation when he comes to rescue his church. And all of this, look at verse 11, leads to us being able to look around and encourage one another and build one another up. I mean, you might be wondering today a passage on the future, the return of Christ...real practical pastor. Thank you. Well, think about leaving today in the conversations over lunch, in the car, later at night. I mean, we can be so sensitive and jumpy in every way we think that our God hating culture wants us or our kids or our grandkids to have a godless future. We rail against it. They're indoctrinating us into a godless future. But we have to ask ourselves the questions. Are we indoctrinating ourselves into a hopeless future? Are you? Do you talk to your kids about the future as if everything is going to cave around us. Everything's going to come to an end if the wrong guy gets elected this year. Where's your hope? We want to point out everything around us in the culture that's going bad and gets us all up in arms. What are you communicating at that point?...a Christ-less future. Why? Because if you think it's hopeless, then it must be Christ-less. Thank you. If the way we talk to people around us, other believers not encouraging and building one another up, but the sky is falling all the time. You're indoctrinating the next generation into a hopeless future when we have a Christ filled future. Amen? That's where our hope is. That's where Paul's hope was. That's what he was pointing them to. That's why he could say at the end of this, we're not destined for wrath, so we can leave talking about how encouraging it is to be alive today. We can build each other up. Why? Because we're not trying to build anything down here. Should we be thankful for the freedoms we have?...100%. I'm like first in the list. But I need to wake up…wake up sometimes and realize providing for my family or whatever future I might have down here is a preacher is not contingent on any kingdom down here. It's contingent on the kingdom to come. That's what I've been called into. Maybe that's something we need to think upon a little bit longer. Do we really speak to one another because we believe with everything in us that we do have a future hope of salvation. In anything less than that, we can be teaching the next generation to put their hope in something less than Christ. When I want my kids, I want this church, I want us to walk out of here saying...our hope is in Christ and Christ alone. Do we care about other things? Absolutely. As Luther said, if he found out Christ was returning tomorrow, he would plant a tree today. Why? Even though he was wrong about the return of Christ, because we're still called to love and good deeds. We're still called to spread the message. But all around us we can be told, you know, the world's coming to an end. I mean, I was in the gym this week minding my own business. Friend comes up to me, I'm doing some kind of move to try to build core strength. He comes up and says, hey, core strength guy. You know about April 8th. What about it? Solar eclipse And? Cicada Armageddon...300 trillion. It's the end. He didn't actually say it like that, but he went on to tell me about all the things that can happen tomorrow. I like this guy. I even used it as an opportunity to invite him to church. Guy, if you're here, thanks for coming. I mean that. Because it was providential. He was indoctrinating me on whatever might happen tomorrow. And I said, you know, providentially, I'm actually preaching on the end of the world a day before that. I think you should come. I think you should know how it really is going to go. That's how we should be. I mean listen to people, opportunities to witness to people. Let them tell you about whatever theory they have. Why not. It's fun. Enjoy it. I mean, know when that opportune time is, like, okay, man, I've got to get back to my lift. But, honestly use it as leverage. You have the hope. You know the most important things about tomorrow. Don't you? So tell other people about it and say, yeah, I mean that that would really be crazy if all those cicadas came and I'm out there catching a ball with my kid and they carry me away. Sorry, Shannon. I was a terrible husband. Remember to lock the doors. My farewell words to you will be something stupid like that. Get Davie to eat his breakfast. But that's just the thing. We can look to the future. God set eternity in our hearts, Ecclesiastes tells us. But not face it with fear. We face it with faith. We face it with love, and ultimately we face it with hope. The hope that we have in our Lord Jesus Christ. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your word this morning. We thank you that it gives us so much hope. Lord, there's so many things that weigh heavy on our hearts today. Real things, painful things, trials of life in a fallen world. And really that dark cloud that could be hanging over us this morning. There is only one sliver of hope that pierces through it, and it is the hope of our salvation. There may be for some in here no other hope besides that. But behind that cloud is an eternity of unending light. Where we are in your presence: glorified, delivered, full of joy forevermore. So I pray that that's where our hope would be this morning. As we think forward to that now as we turn our attention to the Lord's table, I pray that you would help us to see that all that is offered to us today because you first offered us your Son. In his name we pray. Amen.
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The Marks of a Good Christian: Hope
Happy Easter, brothers and sisters in Christ. Thank you. Vicky and everybody else. Please turn in your Bibles to 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. We'll be picking up where we left off last week, and maybe some of you are surprised by that thinking, is this supposed to be a special sermon on the resurrection and all that goes with that. Well, just so happens that sometimes where we are going through a book of the Bible as we preach verse by verse...I look ahead a few weeks and then I look and say, wait, actually, we possibly could be studying the resurrection and return of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday, so we kept it at that. And that's where we'll study today and see another mark of a good Christian...hope for those of you that are here and then those that are not, you'll be able to catch up quickly just by a recap. This letter written to a baby church 2000 years ago in a place called Thessalonica. It's still around today in modern Greece. It's on the north side of the Aegean Sea, and this was written around A.D. 50. So only 20 years removed from when Jesus rose and went back to heaven. And Paul and Silas and Timothy went there in Acts 17. They preached Christ and him crucified, that he lived, died, and rose again, and that he was Lord...Caesar wasn't. And so on those two foundational pieces of who Jesus is and what he came to do, people came to Christ. He is Lord, he is Savior. And because of that, Paul had a church on his hands. And it was a young church. They were a mixture of religious Jews and irreligious pagans. And he had a lot to teach them in a short amount of time. So short, because it got cut short whenever the jealous Jews in Acts 17 formed a mob and ran them out of town within a few months. You can imagine if you were at a place like that and somebody came in and preached the gospel and you got converted, how much you would have to learn that you didn't know anything about. Whether you were a Jew, who had to basically unlearn what you thought was true from the Old Testament about a works-based salvation. And then if you were a pagan who had all those different religious ideas going around, all the new ideas, particularly one idea that there is only one true God, Jesus Christ the Lord, and that all the rest are false gods. So Paul had his work cut out for him. He taught on Christ and Him crucified. And then he probably started to teach on the ethics of the Christian life. And we saw that the last few weeks in chapter four. So all of you can be caught up to speed if you've not been here for a while, if this is your only service here. But why we're going to be in 13 to 18 today as it comes next is also because it addresses what we're here 2000 years later, celebrating, which is Jesus rose from the grave and we can have hope for life eternal as well. That because Christ rose, we will rise. And whatever is our promises that we have in him, they are forever. That never ends, not even for a moment between our death here and our life after death. And that's really what Paul is addressing. And we'll see that in that first verse when he says, I don't want you to be uninformed. He's saying, listen up, Thessalonians. Uh, maybe I didn't get to this subject before, but I've been told by my friend Silas and my other friend Timothy, that some of you are wondering about what's going to happen after we die. We believe that Jesus Christ is ruling and reigning right now, and you taught us that he's coming again. But what if we die before he comes again? We're not alive when he comes back. And they would have really been living in that time of thinking he's coming back right now, because all the teaching they would have had passed on by the apostles is be ready, be on the alert. He could have come at any moment like a thief in the night. And so they're really thinking it could be any moment now there's persecution going on around them. And they are wondering, well, okay, we can be ready. But if we die before he comes back are we going to be like a second class Christian? I mean, how long will we stay dead? They didn't have teaching on the bodily resurrection of saints. So they might have been thinking, hey, for those who are going to pass away, who have already passed away since Paul left, what becomes of them? And you'll hear that concern they have for those who have died in Christ. Now he's not addressing those who die outside of Christ. You'll see that here. He uses the same phrase asleep in Christ multiple times to address what hope does a Christian have for life after death. And I think that's the most pressing question we could be wondering about today. We could be celebrating the resurrection today, as we should. But it hits home in a very personal way when you ask yourself that question...am I sure of where I'm going to be when I die? Or the loved ones you have that you're here with today? What's going to happen to them when they die? That's where it brings it right home to your own very heart. And that's a question that a lot of people wrestle with, believe it or not. I happen to be reading this week an article in Good Housekeeping. Don't ask me why I'm reading Good Housekeeping. Shannon does a great job keeping our house, but I came across the title of an article that caught my eye in light of this...What happens when we die? Believers from four major religions guided me through this emotional process. It was an anonymous article by a 28 year old former Catholic. She was in the prime of her life, she says, having the best time. But she thinks back to when her dad passed away unexpectedly when she was 11 to cancer, and one...that makes her sorrowful thinking about his death. But more than anything, it makes her worried about her own. This is what she writes in the opening paragraph. What scares me isn't so much how I'm going to die. It's the fear of what will happen afterward. Will I go to heaven? Will I be reincarnated? Will my spirit die with my body? I start feeling sick when I think about that last one. My heart pounds and I can feel the blood pumping through my veins. I think the truth is, a lot of people out there feel the same way as this woman. They try to avoid thinking about death at all costs. But she alludes to in the article, she could just be driving in the car having the best day. She's in the passenger seat, the sun's out, the windows are down, and all of a sudden she gets that striking fear. What is going to happen to me when I die? And so she goes on a quest in this article to find the answer. But we have the answer in front of us right here today. We've already sung of it, that we have hope in Jesus Christ, that because he lives, we'll live. But that may not answer all the questions we have about eternal life. So we'll get a few of them answered today. Follow with me as I read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. "But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve, as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you, by the Word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with a voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words." Thus reads God's living and active word. May he bless the preaching and hearing of it today. As we walk through this passage to talk about the hope that we have in Christ as Colossians 1:27, Paul calls it...Christ in you the hope of glory. What is that glory that we're hoping in in Christ? Paul is going to get to that question today, but he's going to walk us through a series of questions to get there. And that's how I kind of framed this out. I want you to be thinking these questions as we walk through this passage. The first question is, Why do we talk about life after death? Second, we'll talk about, How do we talk about it? Then we'll get to Who is our hope in life after death. And then finally, What is the truth about life after death? But let's think a little bit on that first question. Why do we talk about life after death? Well, the short answer is because we're curious. We want to know. As a lot of people call it...it's the great Unknown. And in verse 13, Paul starts out by saying, we don't want you to be uninformed, as in there's information you can have if you're interested in learning about it. And beyond just being curious like that article went on to say, there's those that struggle with it. They wrestle with it; they're anxious about it. Because they don't have hope. And everybody needs hope. And I think that's a common thing throughout all humanity. People want to have hope. They want to have answers. They want to be comforted. So Paul starts by saying, hey, listen, Christians. I want to talk to you about those who are asleep, and here's why we talk about it, so that you will not grieve, as do the rest who have no hope. That's the need that Paul understands behind their questions about what's going to happen to those people who die, who are believers. And then Christ comes back. He knows what's underneath, that there's a certain level of anxiety, there's a certain level of they're grieving. And notice that he doesn't correct them for grieving. He's not saying it's wrong to grieve. He says, don't grieve, as the rest of humanity grieves. That there's a grief that the godless have that's despair, because there is no foundation for them to stand on when it comes to eternal life. It's a guess at best. And that's what some of these Thessalonians were coming out of, coming out of backgrounds, whether it was Judaism that didn't really have an answer of what becomes of the body. They had some expectation that there is this Messiah character who is going to come to rule and reign on earth, which would be great for the people that are alive. But there were very few that had a full understanding in Judaism of what that means for the regular individual. Do we just have to be really good people and hope that God is pleased with us, and then maybe we'll be part of this Messiah's kingdom? But if you are a Jew that came out of that thinking, and the Messiah has already come, and he's died and gone back to heaven, and you die, the people that are left behind going, well, now, what's in it for them? Or you might have been a pagan coming out of a Greco-Roman culture, some that in that Greek thinking especially, would have had just this idea. And we've talked about it before in Thessalonica, that the body is bad. But the soul and the mind are good. That's the higher living. You want to live at that higher level. You want enlightenment. And you know, actually your whole life living in a body is just a time of futility until you die and you're released into kind of this great mass of nothingness, of souls being united together. And that wasn't very hopeful. And so Paul comes along and says, you know what? There is a hope we can have that we don't need to grieve like everybody else grieves. The unbelievers who have no foundation for their hope and eternal life...it's a bottomless sea of grief. It never rests down upon the floor. It keeps spiraling into greater darkness. And he's trying to address that. And he does it by just coming right out and saying, we're going to talk about this because, Christian, you have a hope that no one else in the world has. And that's his starting point. That's why we talk about it. But then he moves...not immediately, but actually he addresses this later on. How do we talk about it? Well, we talk about it in the way Paul does. We learn from him here. Verse 13, he hits it head on. He answers it directly by saying, you need information. But notice verse 18 at the end of this section, we also are to talk about it in a way that is sensitive. That the goal of the instruction isn't just rebuke and correct and say, oh, you have wrong views about life eternal. It actually is to comfort one another with these words. So you put all this together before we get into the actual content of it in verses 14 to 17, we talk about it because we don't want to grieve as the rest of the world grieves a godless grief. But there's a hope the Christian has that allows your grief to be rightly placed and trust in Jesus Christ. But then he says, let me just tell you that as I'm giving you this information, where this is going to end up in verse 18 is that you're able to be a comfort to someone else. So just think about that as we kind of get into this passage today. Really what you see that framework about starting with the truth and being informed rightly and then ending with the goal as comfort really does wrap up Ephesians 4 nicely about speaking the truth in love. That it's never just one or the other. That you know, if somebody is grieving what you would call excessively over the death of a person. A Christian, even, who they know they're with the Lord. But there's just this still this anxiety or grief or whatever going on that it's not just, well, you know, look what Paul did. He just instructed. But don't forget the aim of his instruction being love, being comfort, being strengthening. And you put those two things together that the facts about life after death do care about our feelings. Even you notice that in the language Paul uses, he's informing them in verse 13 and 14 and 15, he talks about being asleep in Jesus. Now he's not using that to be kind of a euphemism, as in, to soften the blow. What he's saying is the truth of the resurrection. The power of the resurrection is that Christ transformed the entire concept of death. It goes from this eternal hopelessness of knowing when would it end? It would go on. You're just done...to what he says later, at the end of 1 Corinthians 15, that death has been swallowed up, the sting of death of sin has been removed. And so he can equate what we would just see as, oh, somebody died and it's over for them...to what does he call it? He calls it being asleep. And it's not the way we try to use phrases like rest in peace, or they look so peaceful there in that casket, or however we talk about it in those terms, he's saying, no, actually, the best way to think about death is being asleep. You are going to wake up...your body like our bodies go to bed at night. They wake up. He's saying, when a Christian dies it's not just done for them. It's not just lights out. They are what?...absent from the body...immediately present with the Lord. There's not a moment they're away from the Lord from the time of our salvation, brother and sister. When you are united to Christ, Romans 6, you're united with them in life and in death, and one day in the resurrection, the great resurrection. And so that's the truth. That's the hope he's trying to bring...Verse 14. That's the crux of his argument. If we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. So his words are words of truth, but they're words of truth that bring comfort. And that was really my hope today in getting to talk to you about the great joy it is to celebrate Easter and the resurrection. The fact that the Lord would have a passage like this for us, that would help some of you who are grieving, who have lost somebody that you love, and they are with the Lord, but there's still something that hurts. And Paul is saying, there's hope for you when you understand the truth of their situation right now. I was on Twitter last fall, and there's a pastor I follow named Conrad Mbewe...He's one of the professors at African Seminary over in Zambia. And he's a pastor of a church there, and he's been at some conferences I've been to, and he's a wonderful preacher. He's nicknamed the African Spurgeon. Uh, he's in his 50s or 60s, a wonderful preacher, a godly man. And he has a son, 32 years old last November, dies unexpectedly of a sudden illness. His son was in ministry with him. His son, you could tell by what he posted about him was his pride and joy. And I remember coming across that post just randomly that the day after he died. And and this is all Conrad posted for others to know and to be in prayer as a picture of his son. Just the biggest smile on his face. And this was his dad's tribute to him. Good night son. See you in the morning. That's the heart behind the comfort of this. Saying they're asleep in Christ isn't trying to avoid the issue. When you know the hope we have in Jesus Christ for those that we lose, even though we know where they are in Christ, it gives us that ability to fight through the tears and through the sorrow and say, good night, son. I'll see you in the morning. And that doesn't mean even months later that it's still not the hardest thing he said he's ever been through. The greatest test of faith he's ever had in his 45 years as a Christian. But what's that rock bottom foundation that he's finding comfort in? It's that he will see his son in the great resurrection. And so that's how we talk about it. We talk about it in truth, and we talk about it in love. Because the goal, the aim of our instruction is love. It's comforting one another. So now that we've talked about talking about it, let's actually talk about it. Verses 14 to 17 who is our hope in life and death? I asked that question that way in particular, because those of you that know the Heidelberg Catechism, it's question number one...what is our only hope in life and death? We sing it here often that we are not our own, but belong both body and soul in life and death to our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He is the hope...that's right there in verse 14. The hope for anyone who falls asleep in Jesus, Verse 14, is that when Christ comes back, they will come back with them because they are in him, and they will never be apart from him. That's part of the promise even at the end of Matthew, I'll be with you always, even to the end of the age, whether you live or whether you die. If you're in me, you're with me. And that's what Paul is instructing them on...that our hope in life and death is not in just a statement or a proposition. It's in a person. Verse 14, if we believe that Jesus really died and rose again, and these people did believe it. He's saying, since you guys believe that you have been with me from the beginning, believing in who Jesus is and what he came to do, so can you also trust me now that I'm teaching you on what's going to come next? Notice in verse 15 he backs it up with not just apostolic authority from Paul. He says, we say this to you by the word of the Lord. That which gives us the idea that this would have been some form of a new teaching to them. They did not have the answer of what happens to believers when they die. So he's saying, look, this isn't just the apostle Paul saying this. I'm saying this to you by the Word of the Lord. And because it was something that they didn't already know, this is going beyond what Paul would have already been teaching them from what he knew of what Christ said when he was alive. The teaching that the Holy Spirit promised to bring back to the disciples and the apostles. Sure, he could teach on Jesus, saying, you know, the Son of Man is going to come with the clouds, and you'll see him, and he'll flash across the sky. They get all that. But he adds this Word of the Lord to say, I'm teaching you something now that you didn't know. I want you to inform you with something new about how it's going to go down. And when you think about Paul saying, I'm saying to you this by the Word of the Lord. The Word of the Lord is coming from the only person that's ever died, and actually come back to tell about it. So there's not just the authority of the Word of God behind it, but the one person who has the single authenticity, authority, whatever you want to call it that says, I died, I came back. I'm going to tell you how that goes. There's no one else that's ever lived that has that type of authority to talk about it. And you just have to think about that in our moment in 2024, when again, we constantly hear people want to talk about their truth. Nobody has any idea what life is after death outside of God's Word. Nobody has any idea of what the end is going to be like outside of God's Word. Nobody has any idea how and when it will all work outside of God's Word. That's just the facts of the matter. No one else's life experience, whatever movie you watched or book you read has any authority behind it. That's what Paul is saying here. I'm saying to you this by the one person that has authority to speak on it...God very God. And the God-Man, Jesus Christ, who died and rose again. And now he's telling me how it's going to go. Everything else falls aside at that point. Any preconceived notion of it and all we have are, I mean, people come up with some crazy ideas about how people come back from the dead. And I mean, just on the Hollywood level alone or the book level, all kinds of ideas that somebody can die. And by the power of love, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White or whatever, you know, give them a kiss, they pop back to life. Or, you know, Spock dies and he goes into the Genesis machine and he comes back out. Or Harry Potter's magic wand and resurrection stone. I mean, the list goes on. I was just trying to cover every base of a nerd in this room. Okay. You can continue to find how is it that somebody can die and then come back again? We have the answer right here. They have to be united to Jesus Christ. They have to be born again...found in him. That's the only answer to that question. That's our only hope in life and death. What the Word of God says...goes. And so we tie this to thinking about the resurrection from Friday night. What did Christ's death have to do with his resurrection? Well, you put those things together. What Christ's death did on Friday was paid the way. Paid for our sin. But him rising on the third day, one fulfilled the prophecy. What the Scripture said was going to happen, what he said was going to happen. But what Friday paid...Sunday paved the way. As in, he rose, so we will rise. Romans 4 tells us that he was raised for our justification, as in our salvation, we can be sure is complete. Not just because we have witnesses. We have the Word of God telling us he died on the cross. But the proof that he broke the power of sin and death fulfilled God's law. And the punishment for those who die breaking God's law...death from Adam on. He's now broken that power. And he proved it by coming back from the dead. So that's how we relate Friday to Sunday. That on the cross he conquered sin. And Sunday he showed that he conquered death. And so he could say, oh, death, where is your sting? Where? Where is any of it now? Because Christ has conquered it. And that's what gives us hope, the word of God. Which then moves Paul to now address the matter of life after death. He gives us our security. Who's our hope in it? He's told us how we should talk about it, why we should talk about it. And now the fun part in 16 to 17. What do we need to know about it? What is the truth about life after death? Well, he talks about it from three perspectives. From Christ's, from the dead, and then from those who are alive. First, we'll talk about the return of Christ, verse 16, for the Lord himself will descend from heaven. Okay, that matches up with what?...Acts 1. Jesus goes back up to heaven. The disciples are standing around wondering what they should do. And what do the angels say to them? Why are you guys standing around looking into the clouds? He's going to come back in the same way that he left. But now your mission is go into Jerusalem, Judea, just like he just told you and be my witnesses to the ends of the earth. So Paul is corroborating that teaching from that Acts chapter one, to say he's descending from heaven just in the same way that he left. He's coming back that way. Now what we get added to whatever we already know from the Gospels is this, cataclysmic event that Paul is trying to make very clear in this new teaching or expanding teaching, that this is not going to be a secret. For these people that were worried that they might have missed the return of Jesus Christ. You're going to see it and you're certainly going to hear it, verse 16. If there's anything that's emphasized here, besides you'll see with your own eyes the Lord himself. So it's not going to be a projection, an image, a ghost or something. No, it's the Lord himself. He's coming back in the way he left. But the emphasis is on...it's going to shock you, wake you. It's going to get your attention. With what?...a shout, the voice of the archangel, the trumpet of God. Are those all specific separate things? Or is he just trying to kind of collect language from throughout the scriptures and say, hey, all these different ways that God would get the attention of his people through noise. That's how loud and, aware you will all be of what's going to happen when Jesus returns. Nobody's missing it. A shout...that word used in the time of Paul that he uses for this is like a commander to his army, a chariot driver to his horses, a hunter to his hounds, a shipmaster to his rowers. Whatever you could think of for the person that's in charge saying, this is now the time and wakes everybody up from their slumber...that's the power of this shout. With the voice of the archangel...does that mean it's the archangel doing the shouting? Is Jesus the one shouting? And then the archangel is singing backup vocals? We don't know. I mean, this isn't the kind of thing Paul is writing for us to, to get into the weeds of and get in debates over and write me like a three page email because you exegeted this passage. And well, the shout is clearly Jesus and the archangel is clearly Gabriel, and the trumpet is borrowed from the guy that played the shofar back in the Old Testament. Like, we don't know. It could just be Paul trying to lump all those things together, saying, you're going to know it. When God wants to get the attention of his people, he can make a noise loud enough to get everybody's attention around the whole world at the same time. In the Old Testament when you think about that trumpet of God, what's that like? Less thinking about the instrument, more thinking about the sound. Exodus 19 when God was visiting Moses on Sinai. Verse 16, it came about on the third day when it was morning, there was thunder and lightning flashes with a thick cloud upon the mountain in a very loud trumpet sound, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. So that's what we're talking about here. It's the sound of a trumpet, the trumpet of God, that everyone is going to know that Christ has returned, and it's time for him to bring his people to himself. So that's the return of Christ. What do we learn about the resurrection of the dead? Verse 16, and the dead in Christ will rise first. So this is now answering the question some of them were troubled about is, hey, somebody that is a believer in Jesus Christ is trusting in him for salvation. What becomes of them when Jesus comes back? Are they second class Christians because they missed the whole thing. They got in late to the show. No, he says, they're actually going to rise first. He says in verse 15, we who are alive and remain will be here until the coming of the Lord. Paul includes himself in that. But we won't precede those who have fallen asleep. So the resurrection of the dead, those who die asleep in Jesus, verse 14, they...however, it is in the timing of God in the way that he can unite body and soul in the return of Jesus. They're going to beat those of us who are alive. I mean, talk about a photo finish. I mean, it's all going to happen at the same time. Verse 17, then we who are alive, and he uses then to give just however much millisecond of time that is, we who are alive will remain, be caught up. But I want to take you to 1 Corinthians 15. Now remember this...these believers didn't have 1 Corinthians 15. So, we're cheating right now. If I were going to be true to this text, I would just tell you only the facts here. But later on, these Corinthians were actually doubting there was a resurrection. So Paul has to teach this church. Let me get you some more details on how cool this is going to be. And so 1 Corinthians 15, we get some details on everybody being changed in this moment and the return of Christ. But those who are dead in Christ will rise first. How fast does this happen? 1 Corinthians 15:51 behold, I tell you a mystery. And notice he says a mystery. As in, it's not something that there's not teaching on. He's just saying in your own minds, it's going to be hard to fathom this. So prepare for that. We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, which is kind of the theme verse for every nursery worker. Those babies that...thank you. So we will not all sleep. We know that's Paul's talking about some of you will still be alive when Christ returns. We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed. So across the board at the return of Christ, if you're in Jesus Christ, alive or dead, you're going to get that transformed, glorified body like he had. How's it going to happen? Verse 52, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. The word for that in Greek is super duper fast. It's a really cool word. None of you would recognize it if you saw it, but it's really the word for a blink of an eye. And just like I blinked a millisecond ago, that's what's going to happen when Christ returns and the shout comes and the dead hear it. Now remember when I say the dead hear it, they're actually alive in Christ. So this kind of helps us to have a sanctified imagination about...am I going to, you know, if I'm walking by Oakwood Cemetery, I'm going to see a bunch of corpses fly into the sky...in the blink of an eye. Well, truth be told, dust to dust. If anything you're going to see, it's a bunch of dust. If that's even going to be something visible because the person is with who?...he's with, Christ. We're always going to be with Christ. So how in the perfect work of God, he unites that person with their glorified body is totally up to him. He created everything we see out of nothing. He's going to know how to go shrink, put it back together. Now, on the other hand, hears us down here. We've got to get from down here up there. Which brings us to the rapture of the saints. Uh, go back to Thessalonians. We've talked about the resurrection of those dead in Christ. Verse 17, then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them. At least we can all agree on the place. We don't always agree on the time in Christianity, but we will be in the clouds meeting the Lord in the air. There's no arguing with that. Now, why that's so awesome isn't just because we get to hang out in the sky, but we shall always be with the Lord. This is the first great reunion of all God's children past, present, future together. It's amazing. Tongue and tribe and nation hanging out in the sky. Glorified bodies. No longer arguing over the timing. We all made it. And that's the rapture of the saints. Where we get the word for rapture is that caught up together with them in the air. It's a Greek word rapere. And that's kind of this idea in the word there. And it's used elsewhere in the New Testament by Paul of somebody being removed quickly from something. In John 6:15, when Jesus was teaching to the crowds, he withdrew to the mountain because he perceived the crowds were going to try to take him or snatch him away by force...sweep him up. Or Matthew 13:19 when Jesus is teaching on the parables of the four soils, and he scatters that first seed and it says, the enemy, like a bird, comes down and snatches away from the heart that which was sown...same word. So when we think of the rapture again, it is what the scriptures say it is. We're alive. We're down here. He gets us up there. And just by the blink of an eye, we get beat there by those who are already dead in Christ. Now some of you get really geared up wanting to talk about when this rapture is going to happen. And I'm happy to report you have to come back next week, because chapter five starts talking about times and epics. But that's not where we are this week. So there's your invitation to come back, and we'll talk about it. Now, in between now and then, I approach it with fear and trepidation. I'm going to be hoping that the rapture happens before next Sunday. If God really has an amazing sense of humor, at least in my life, right after I've studied all week to get it right, I'll open my Bible and you guys will see me go shink. I mean, you'll be doing it with me, hopefully. And I told first service we should play a prank on you guys. Is that they bring an extra set of clothes to 9 a.m. and leave them in the seats. So when you guys all come in. And of course, I walk out because Kurtis goes and I'm like, you know, who would have guessed Ashoff didn't make the cut? And everybody else here is like, well, of course we we knew all along. So that's next week. You have to come back for that one. But Paul's aim in all this, he was he was looking at the big picture. He was trying to say, hey, these believers who love those who have gone ahead of them, who have died in Christ, they really are broken over this and they have grief over this. And so his whole goal was to bring them comfort. And I pray that even for you, wherever you are today, brother and sister in Christ, if you have thoughts about life after death and you know you're in Christ, but there's still some anxiety, some despair, some grief when you think about it, I hope understanding just this idea that if you trust him for your salvation now, you trust him for it forever. Wherever that's going to...however, whatever you're with Him, you have Him. He's never going to leave you nor forsake you. Now there's the grief that comes for those who have loved ones who died in Christ. And yet you still think about what's it going to be like for them? What is it like for them right now? And Paul just says, look, the only thing I can give you that is the best thing. And the most important thing is that they're asleep in Christ, wherever their body is, here, there with Him. And you're going to be with them again. What greater comfort can the Christian have? But it does leave one category of person today. And it's like the young lady that we met at the beginning. It's the person that doesn't know if they're in Christ or knows you're not in Christ. At the end of that young lady's article, what was so sad is she went to a Muslim, to a Jew, a Hindu and a Catholic to try to find truth. She went to leaders in those religions...local priest, local rabbi, and she asked them, what is eternal life and how do I get it? And all four gave her the same message when it came down to it. Just keep doing your best. Just keep trying to be a good person. And this is how she concluded her article after getting that advice. I wonder if I'm a good person. Or if I'm doing everything I can. Maybe that explains why I still get panicked when I think about dying. But I think, I hope I have time to continue growing as a person before my last day comes. When you don't give somebody the truth about really what's coming next, they can't have true comfort. At best, they can hope to keep growing as a better person, to keep trying to do good works. But every religion outside of Christianity leaves you with that same responsibility. It's ultimately up to you and how good you are. Which is at the heart of the lie of every false religion. False religion says, if I give to God my best moral effort, I'll just have to hope it's enough to save me. But what does the gospel tell us? The gospel tells us that God gave me Jesus Christ's perfect record. And because of that, I want to serve him because I've been given his perfect record. I want to please him. I want to love him. I want to live for him. He's not making you earn anything. How could you possibly earn anything? When you think about how the gospel works, when you think about what we just celebrated Friday, for those of you who are still trying to put it all together. Where were you 2000 years ago when he hung on the cross and died for sinners? When God accepted his perfect sacrifice. When he said, it is finished, what did you contribute to that?...absolutely nothing. You weren't there. You had nothing to do with any of the good that Christ accomplished on the cross. So what did you have to do with what he was doing up there? What you contributed to what he had to do on the cross was everything bad you've done...all the sin you've committed. That's how you were there. He was dying for sin on the cross. He was removing the penalty of the sinner on the cross. And so the sin I committed yesterday and I'll commit tomorrow...that's what I contributed 2000 years ago. But nothing good I do today had anything to do with what he did. Everything he accomplished on the cross that Friday was from him. How could you possibly put your own good deeds into that when you didn't even exist? And since we've all come into existence sinners by nature and by choice, what possibly could we contribute?...absolutely nothing. And therein is the good news of the gospel. That the gospel isn't you just trying harder, working harder, and hoping God accepts it. It's absolute abandoning of any hope in yourself, any trust in your own religiosity. Because I'm not just calling out right now to the sinner in here who, if we put your sin on the evening news, maybe it would shock some people. I'm actually more concerned for the really religious sinner in here, the self-righteous who you've been under the illusion your whole life in the church, that you're doing enough good things to keep God pleased with you. And maybe you do a pretty good job. As in, you're pretty good at keeping the law. That's not what gets you to heaven. You get to heaven by the work of Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone. He says, I'm the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through me. You accept my offer of forgiveness of sin. Entirely and completely without any thought of anything you can contribute. You say, be merciful to me, the sinner. That's the most hopeful thing you could hear today if you're not in Christ. I don't have one thing to tell you that you need to do to make God more pleased with you today than he could already be pleased with, than when you just call upon Jesus Christ to save you because you're absolutely helpless to do it on your own. And maybe up until this moment, you've been hopeless on your own. And now you've been given the good news, the good hope that you have in Jesus Christ. For those of us in Christ, the good news for us is that now we get to use the rest of our lives looking, watching, and waiting for the return of Christ. I like how Paul says it in Titus 2, that because we have been saved, because the grace of God has appeared to all men. Titus 2:11. That's Jesus Christ. He appeared once. The grace of God appeared in him. He brought salvation to all men. What's there for us Christians to do? Verse 12, it instructs us then to deny ungodliness and worldly desires to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age. Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed. That's what we're doing waiting for his return. We're saying, look, you died for me. You didn't die for me to just wait around for you to come back, but to live a life to your glory. To see the possibility all around me, to bring that good news to other people, to invest my life into other people. When you think about what Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians 15, about that which is perishable, becoming imperishable, and how glorious it's going to be to see the saints one another with each other, with Christ. That's why we live for him now, because you're going to see people in heaven, brother and sister, that you invested in, and you'll see them in a way you would have never imagined, glorified, not just will be looking like it's our best like look ever. I mean, whatever that's going to look like for you and I. I don't know...what age will be, how much hair will get back if we lost, will be in our best physique ever. Age 26.5 for a man you know, it's far more than that. What's going to be truly unrecognizable in us is the change from within. All the ways we just can't keep it together. To love God perfectly with our heart, soul, mind and strength. To love others perfectly. And it's whoa. That's you? The great thing is we have to do as believers now, we help people get there. We help each other in that process. And so we get to see a little taste of that even now, as we help each other to grow in our love for the Lord and our love for one another. That's the charge we can get from this passage, is it gets us excited to comfort each other with the truth of this, but then also to say, hey, let's be zealous for good deeds. We take this idea and we turn it into actual, encouraging living to live for the Lord Jesus Christ and denying all the things that we want to do that serve ourselves and rather to serve other people. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your word this morning. We thank you that it tells us who we really are, who we are now in Christ, and it gives us the hope of glory of who we are going to be one day in Christ. Lord, that we are not left to ourselves to make change in our own lives. Lord, but you bring it day by day, week by week, as we sit under your Word, as it does its work in our hearts as it transforms us from one glory to the next into the likeness of your Son. So take your Word and use it mightily in us now. We thank you we've had this day now to worship you, to bring glory to your name through the Word, through prayer. And now, in this final song, let our hearts be lifted up so high thinking of the great gospel that saved us and the opportunity we have to move forward in service to you, Father. We pray this in your Son's name. Amen.
Pulpit Curriculum PDF Pulpit Curriculum DOCX * View transcript The Marks of a Good Christian: Holiness
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The section of Scripture we're going through in 1 Thessalonians 4 as we saw a few weeks ago, last we left off in verses one and two, how Paul turned the corner from talking about our Christian identity to our activity, that who we are in Christ precedes and defines, determines what we do for Christ, and we do it for him and through him and to him. And that matter usually comes back to a matter of obedience, a matter of wanting to, as verse one says in 1 Thessalonians 4:1, live in a way pleasing to God and excelling still more. And I was encouraged because the first sermon of the conference two weeks ago that I went to was on obedience, and how in the day and age we're in, the church has, in its own small ways certain denominations or tribes or whatever you want to call them, responded in great measure to defending the doctrine of God and Christ and the Holy Spirit and justification by faith alone. But the opening sermon was on what happened to sanctification, what happened to calling the church to obedience, to wanting to live a life pleasing to God and not everything dying the death of a thousand qualifications of well, make sure you remind people of the grace of God and looking to Christ. And that is important. And it's not just important. It's the heart of our faith that we stand in Christ and in Christ alone. As Paul says in verse one, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus. But verse two, he can also say, now we command you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. And really, that's what we're looking at the rest of the way in this letter, in chapters four and five, it is an exhortation to excel still more and living a life pleasing to God. I would commend to you verse one of chapter four as one to memorize. When you want to think of what does sanctification and obedience and growing in Christ and living the Christian life, really come down to, verse four has it for you because it grounds you in Christ. And then it says, and you received instruction, remember, its teaching. That's what we need. We need to sit under the Word of God. I need to sit under the Word of God. That was refreshing for me the last two weeks, because often I'm the one up here, not out there. And no matter how many sermons you can listen to online, it does not replace sitting under the Word of God. In person, letting the work of the spirit from the work of the W ord through the mouth of a preacher hit you. Now those sermons you can listen to online and the studies you do on your own. They're wonderful for helping you to understand more of who God is and what he expects of us. But there has been and never will be a replacement for the live preaching of God's Word to his people. And you see that and hear that in verse one. They're being requested and exhorted in Christ, and they received instruction. And here's a word on our obedience, our response, how you ought to walk and please God that you excel still more. That's what you need to have memorized. What does sanctification come down to? How? As in, it's instructive. It's not pie in the sky. You ought...as in this is expected of you, Christian. This isn't optional. To walk, it should be something not just instructive that you are expected to do. But to walk means you can walk it out, you can see it. You can live it. But what drives it? How you ought to walk and please God. The devotion that drives your sanctification. Your obedience is everything to you. It's not just creating rules and regulations for us to follow when we talk about obedience. Yes, the instructions are important, but as we saw preaching through Mark years ago, that the love of God could get buried under the law of God, when you just start to relate yourself to instructions only and you lose the motivation of wanting to please God. That's the drive train of our growth in Christ. It's the relationship we have with God in Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit. And so it's not merely a matter of the things we distance ourselves from. This word sanctification that we'll hear three times this morning. Sanctification is is not merely, though it does include what you separate from, but really the center of it, the heart of it...what gives it life is what you are devoted to. More so, who you're devoted to. And this is where Paul starts in chapter four. And we saw the first mark of a good Christian is wanting to please God. So that being the drivetrain of our sanctification...now let's read three through eight and see what's first on the list in the Christian life. What shows up immediately in a person who lives a life wanting to please God? The first mark of a good Christian is holiness. I'm going to read all of one through eight just to set the section in our minds, and then we will look at verses three through eight. "Finally, then, brothers, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God, just as you actually do walk, that you excel still more. For you know what commandments we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification, that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality, that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion like the Gentiles who do not know God, and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter, because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before, and solemnly warned you again. For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. So he who rejects this is not rejecting man, but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you." This is God's holy Word to us, given through His Holy Spirit to produce holiness in his children. May he do it to his glory today. You saw that word sanctification three times. If you have the NASB, in verse three and in verse four and in verse seven, and that is the theme. That's why the second mark is we're going to talk about the marks of a good Christian in the rest of this letter. The second mark is holiness. There is a plan that God has for us to become more holy, more devoted to him, more separated from the world, more separated from sin. It's the mark of every and any good Christian. It's not an option. It's not an add on. That's right immediately out of the gates, as Paul is talking to this church, he wants to establish that sanctification, being devoted to God. That is what God desires for his children. You might question what's the relationship between the word holiness and sanctification? Some of your Bibles say holiness. Really, holiness is the aim of our sanctification. Sanctification is the process, and our holiness is the direction we're headed in, not just here and now, but ultimately when we are glorified with him, when we will be perfect and pure, spotless, undefiled, and we in this lifetime are in a continual process of that holiness being produced in us from the inside out. That's why we never lose sight of verse one, that we are to be pleasing to God. That's where it starts. Today, we'll walk through this passage and answer three questions about sanctification. That process of holiness in us: what it is, how God expects it, and why we should do it. What does God want his children to know about holiness? Well, how does God want his children to act in regard to it? And why does he want his children to abstain from all forms of immorality? That's the way the Spirit has laid this out in these verses from 3 to 8. And as we enter into this study, I do want to stop and speak to the issue of sexual immorality to two groups in the room. As we get into this, I want to speak at my vantage point at age 43 to some in this room as a father, because there are many now who attend here in this main service, that I'm the age to be a father and want to have a moment to speak to you as a dad. And then I want to speak to a portion of the people in the room who I would say I could be a son to and who this may seem like this is something behind you. Whereas the other group, it's something right now in front of you. First, I want to speak to you as a father, to the young, to the impressionable. And I want to say this, that God wants you to know about holiness. He wants you to know about this issue. He wants it to be first and foremost in your mind when you think about what it is to have a relationship with him and the general subject of sanctification or holiness in verse three does move into the particular subject of sexual immorality, sexual purity. And God doesn't avoid talking to us about that because he is a loving father. God created sexual purity as good, holy and beautiful. And if the subject is unfamiliar to you, that's okay. Um, it was a subject that was probably unfamiliar...sexual purity to these people when they were saved. This is a young church. They were less than a year old. This was an impressionable church. This was even a naive and a weak church. And the first thing that God intended for Paul to talk to them about their sin is sexual purity. So let me give the young in the room a simple way to think about it. I'm not calling it a definition. I just want to give you a way to think about it, young people. Sexual purity is a word for the thoughts, feelings, words and actions that God made to be good, holy and beautiful between a husband and a wife, and only for a husband and a wife. That's how I want you young people to think about this. Sexual purity is a word that encompasses the thoughts and feelings, the words and the actions that God made to be good and holy and beautiful between a husband and a wife...your mommy and daddy...and only between them. So you can picture dad coming home from work, and what's he do? He gets on the ground and he wrestles. And that's maybe the way he relates to his sons. And then he goes into the kitchen and he sees mom, and he goes up to her and gives her the biggest smooch and hug he can conjure up after a long, hard day's worth of work. And that big smooch and hug is only for her and absolutely for her. Devoted to her and no other her out there. That's what sexual purity is about. That's what I want you young people to think about. There's a hundred other things that could be included in this. But I want that to be what's in your head. This is God's good design. Sexual purity between one man and one woman, a husband and a wife. It tells young people that this is not for a boyfriend and a girlfriend. This is not between a boy and a boy or a girl and a girl. Anything in those categories is sexual immorality, but sexual purity by the good, holy and perfect and beautiful way God designed it is for two people committed before God for as long as they both shall live. So that's my word to the young in the room, and I hope that helps today as we get into this. The second group is to the older and more mature. The people that I could call a parent in here. And I don't want you checking out because you think you've arrived. May not have been a struggle for a while. And it could be easy to think this is for everybody else. And the first warning scripture would give you would be what? Take heed lest you fall...if you think that sin is put to death. Second, I would say in relation to that, and I praise God if you would say, hey, it hasn't been a weakness for me in a long time. Then I would say, you know, you can take the same vigilance, and holy violence that you are to wage war against your lusts with, and do so against any other sin in your life. This was brought to mind at the conference I was at this past week. You may have heard of John Piper, big arms when he preaches. And if you think I lean over this a lot, you should watch him so I restrain myself. Can't watch him, I usually just have to listen. And I know when he's getting dramatic. But he said this point. They asked him what have been the things you've had to fight with and fight in your own life of holiness? And he talked about, you know, he waged holy violence against lust, his entire pastoral ministry. And by God's grace, he ran that race. But he said, you know, it was sad was it took him until 30 years in, 2010. He started at his church in 1980, he said, for some reason, all those passages, like in Matthew where Jesus says, you know, if lust is from the inside and thinking about a woman who's not your wife with a lustful thoughts is adultery, he would attack that with holy violence and vigilance, and yet he would give a pass to sullenness, to bitterness that leads to anger, that leads to isolating himself from his family. And he said, so whatever you might apply that same excel still more with all your might to lust. If lust isn't your issue, then what is today? What principle can you learn from sanctification today to apply somewhere else? That would be my word as a son to a parent in here. So let's start with what does God want us to know about holiness, in particular sexual purity. And the first thing he wants you to know in verse three is that sexual purity is possible. God's will, verse three, your sanctification, that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality. He works from general to specific. A comprehensive opening phrase...the will of God, the desire of God, the plan of God for every single Christian's life is to be sanctified, to be devoted to God, and set apart from sin. That blanket statement then leads to a specific, that is, to abstain from sexual immorality. Now that word abstain doesn't need a ton of defining. Abstain means abstain. It means stay away from...avoid at all costs. Don't ask the question how close can I get? Because that's revealing. But how far can I stay away? Stay away from what? Sexual immorality in the time of Paul in the New Testament, that word is the most general word. for sexual immorality. It's a catch all word. It covers every kind of sexual sin when Paul uses it in the New Testament. He has other words more specific. You'll hear those in 1 Corinthians 6 or Galatians 5...impurity, sensuality, homosexuality, adultery. Yes, those are specific. But when Paul pulls this word out...in the KJV, fornication, it is his junk drawer word for sexual sin. You know what a junk drawer is? What do you find in a junk drawer? Everything. Exactly. You find your keys there. You find your wallet. You find one of your kids there. It's a junk drawer. And that's the word he has here for abstaining from sexual immorality. So why do I emphasize that? Because there are no loopholes around this, brothers and sisters. Oh, you know, but that one sin...no. If you're talking about any deviation from behavior that brings honor and glory to God. With your thoughts, your attitudes, your words, and your actions in regards to sexual purity, there are no loopholes here. Abstain. Absolute purity. No compromise, no caveats, no cop outs. Is that clear? So it's going to be tempting on the issue of this that before you hit 70, whether in your mind or in a conversation. You go, yeah, you know, I know it says abstain. And then you what? You try to qualify it. You take that word and try to make it something it's not. But come on, it's. Look at the era that we live in. It's harder now than it's ever been. No it's not. It may be more ubiquitous. It may be more available. It may be more accessible. But it's no worse than it was when Paul wrote this. What could stay out of sight in anonymity today...phones, screens. It is more available. But what was in the sight of plain day was the immorality rampant in Thessalonica. You could join a religious cult where they had temple prostitutes. So it is just as awful, if not worse in this time, because the heart of man doesn't change. All that's changed now is it's wider, it's broader, but it's no deeper in the heart of man and the sin of man. Gordon Fee, who's a expert on Pauline epistles, wrote a 300 page commentary on this Thessalonian letter, wrote, "In order to appreciate why sexual immorality is the first matter up, one needs to be reminded that what the Jewish and its offspring Christian community regarded as immoral, was not considered to be so among pagan Gentiles." What's this expert on Pauline literature saying? He's saying, look among the Gentiles, those people that got saved in Acts 17, in Thessalonica, hearing about who Jesus is, that he is Lord and not Caesar was all they knew. But the ethics that came with following Jesus Christ, they had no idea. And if they came out of the darkness of some cult, some false religion that associated sexual pleasure with a religious experience...that had to be separated out now. So that's why it's first on the list. The culture that he came preaching Christ and Him crucified to was debauched. And just because they trusted in Jesus Christ, their mind wasn't immediately back-filled with all that they were supposed to do. But what Paul wanted them to know, first and foremost, right out of the gates, is that sexual purity is possible. The spirit of his age would have been, if it feels good, do it. Which is nothing different than what we hear today. In the spirit of their age, because of Gnostic dualism, this idea that the spiritual life is good...the Greek philosophers believed. And our whole existence is to escape the bounds of our evil mortal flesh, because it's weak. And Greeks believed in strength, strength of the mind, strength of the spirit. So they had a dualism that just said, you know what? Because that's that separation you could do whatever you want in your body. It doesn't matter. Treat it however you want. Enjoy pleasure. Just, you know, think like the stoics and resist for the greater good of your own preservation. So there was a feels good...do it mentality. But Paul says God's will is clear, Thessalonians...you abstain. Don't test it. Don't try it. Don't follow your feelings. Don't give in to your flesh. Abstain. And that's the root of the command here. And it sounds strong and it is strong and it's rooted not in the voice of a preacher. It's rooted in the authority of Jesus Christ in the preceding verse, Verse two. You know what commandments we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. That's why later on he says, I have to tell you this again. I'm solemnly warning you. How clear do I have to be about what God expects in regards to sexual purity? He can't say anything greater than...this is God's will for your life. All the mystery that we sometimes talk about surrounding God's will for our lives. What does he want me to do today or tomorrow? Where should I go? What should I do? Who should I marry? Where should I get a job? And oh, if I only knew God's will. If he would only show me. But yet we give a pass to the things that are patently obvious. How should you? How should you really? I mean, if you think about wrestling with making decisions, God's will for your life, but you have an ongoing, unchecked, unrepentant sin in your life, how would you have the discernment to know what God would want you to do? Because your thinking is not clear. You're not seeing things straight. So Romans 12:1-2 told us a few weeks ago, we have to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. Which leads us to the second point. How does God expect us to do this? He gives us this standard absolute purity abstain from immorality. So point two in verses 4 to 6, how does he expect us to remain sexually pure? He wants you to make it personal. Purity is personal, and it's personal in three ways. He wants you to know something about yourself, something about the people it affects around you, and ultimately something about Jesus Christ. And he talks about these three realms of relationship. First is, how am I supposed to fulfill this command to be pure? Know something about yourself, verse four...that each of you know. So this doesn't even really start with a specific to do. This is something to know. I need to know how to possess my own body. That's the word for vessel in sanctification and honor. Opposite of the lustful passions of the Gentiles, the pagans who don't know God. I need to know something about myself that I know God and He knows me, and I'm to live differently. But he's not just leaving that out in the atmosphere, something just purely on the spiritual level. He's saying practically, how can you have self control? It's at the center of knowing how to possess your body. He wants you, Christian, to know yourself, to know your ears and eyes and brain and mouth and hands and feet, heart, lungs, guts, all of your inner and outer being. That's step one to living a pure life. Know what tempts you. He's contrasting them with their old life, how they used to live, the lustful passions...the live and let live philosophy. The do what feels good philosophy of lustful passions. What are these lustful passions? Well, John Piper says it this way. "That lustful passion he's talking about is any good desire, minus personal holiness and honor to God. Go back to verse four. That's what he's saying. What does it mean to have a lustful passion? It's when you take a good desire and you subtract God's honor and your personal holiness. What are you left with?...sexual immorality? And he's saying, that's the thing you need to know about yourself first. Have some self control. Go to Galatians 5, walking in the spirit and you won't gratify the desires of your flesh. What are you feeding your spirit? Versus what are you feeding your flesh? What are you putting before your eyes, ears, all of that? He's saying that's your first step today. You got to take an inventory of everything in your life, a circumspect view of your life. And see every angle that the temptations come at you from the outside, but also the inside. Because that's where it lands. I mean, it's going to eventually land in your heart and lead your heart astray. Paul wants you to have self-control over your body. Your new mentality is, if it honors God, then I'll do it. If it doesn't, I won't. And I need to know how I work. So let me give you some practical application here, just from some things that as I was listening and reading and thinking about this, that maybe some starting points, starting points to live in a way pleasing to the Lord. Knowing how to possess your own body. And we're talking holistically. First application is this. You need to break free from old patterns of thinking about sexual sin. You want a practical way to apply this? Start with the renewing of your mind. The hardest thing for some people is to do what? It's not to delete the pictures off the phone. It's not to unplug the computer. It's not to, cancel an account. You can do those things, but you can't do that to your mind as easy, can you? It's much harder to delete memories. It's much harder to cancel thoughts that could come back into your head. And so the scriptures would tell us to start fighting at the level of the mind, because that's where your old life comes back to life first. I heard it in a sermon this week, and I had to stop and replay it about five times for the poignancy of this statement. "Old sins recycled in our minds become tomorrow's temptations". That's what it means to fight at the level of your mind. Old sins recycled in your mind become tomorrow's temptations. That's why you can try to put all the boundaries and guards around everything around you. But can you guard this? What are you going to do for that? Because nobody could see into that. Nobody could break into that. The only one sees that is the Lord. And so the moment that thought that old sin wants to recycle in your mind, what are you going to do with it? Because you got about, as Piper would say, five seconds to decide. And if you give that lustful thought, that tempting thought, anything more than five seconds, it'll lodge itself with such a force that will be immovable. And some of you know that by experience, painful experience, and the damage that leaving that thought life unchecked can do for the rest of your life until you start taking every thought captive immediately to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and his design for you to be holy. Anything less than that will not cut it. First Peter 1:13, prepare your minds for action. Keep sober in spirit. Fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. That phrase keep prepared your minds for action. It was an idiom, a literal saying of gird up the loose ends of your thinking, preparing your mind for action as a Christian to fight against temptation. In first Peter 1:13 is the image of a Roman soldier who's sleeping at night, and he has his long gown on underneath his weapons. He's ready for battle at any moment, but when he wakes up and charges into there, he has to take that long flowing toga and tuck it back into his belt. Otherwise it will be his demise. He'll trip over it and he'll die. So Peter borrows that image and he says, that's what you have to do with your thought life, Christian. You have hope for future grace coming to you at the revealing of Jesus Christ. But in the meantime, how sober minded do you have to be about sin? You got to be like that soldier that takes that and tucks the fringes of the gown back in. And you, Christian, take the fringes of your thought life where it can just play out in that danger zone and you tuck it back in. You take the fight to it the moment it comes to you. Colossians 3:5, it's easy for me to turn to in my Bible because it's a lasting memory for me. Colossians 3:5...it's one place in my Bible I had to tape up. Therefore, consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality...first on the list...that same word. Why is it taped up? Because I was preaching this to teenagers about a decade ago, and I was using a cheap old music stand, and I had my Bible up there, and I was trying to give the sense, the power of when Paul says, consider the members of your earthly body as dead to sexual immorality. That's the word. John Owen, the Puritan who wrote Mortification of Sin, that's the word for mortify. And I was trying to give them an example of what does it look like to mortify our sin. And so I told them a story that there was an evening. Shannon and I, we were watching a movie, and I had a Spidey sense, not because I'm a superhero. I had a sense of a spider being near us. I don't know why I'd been reading about spiders. I had found them in our basement, and I just had a sense that as the lights were out, there was a spider in the room, and I was right. I flipped the light on and there it was. It was kind of just along the baseboards. And it was a wolf spider, you know, those kind that when you walk out in the morning and the dew is set on your grass, they, they hide in those burrows and then they come out and snatch something up and pull it back in there. They are baby tarantulas...hate those things. But as the man of the home, it is my duty to kill them. And something that I actually hate, I really kill. I mean, if I'm neutral towards it, an ant, I might pick it up, flick it back outside. Have a nice day, ant. I don't do that. But a wolf spider in my house is getting mortified, because that word meant to kill something beyond death. It really did. When Paul says consider the members of your earthly body as dead. This word was to take extreme measures to ensure all life ceases in the object. You've seen the movie, the action movie, the thriller movie where they want to keep the plot going. And so they think they kill the guy, and then they turn around and talk about how the world saved. And then they see his arm move and reaches for. That's not mortification. Finish the job. And that's what Paul is saying in Colossians 3:5. How do we deal with sexual sin? You kill it beyond killing it. John Owen, in Mortification of Sin said, "be killing sin or sin will be killing you." And we know that line. But here's what he next said, "let not that man thinks he make any progress in holiness, who walks not daily over the bellies of his lust." Got that mental image in now? Don't think you've made any progress in holiness in this area unless daily you walk over, you tread over, you squash down the bellies...the hungry part of your body, the lusty part of your body. I want to eat that snack. And he says, you got to walk daily over that. You got to crush it. Put it to death completely. Because anything less; that sin will come back to life and what?... kill you. Because what does the enemy want to do?...steal, kill and destroy. So if there's no quarter for the enemy towards you, how should you feel about it? You mortify it. You take all measures that you can to fight that battle of the mind. Second application...break free of old patterns of living that lead to sexual sin. The first one was break free of old patterns of thinking. Immediately crush it, mortify it, get rid of it. The second one is are there any old habits, any old patterns that you can recognize? Another preacher talked about fighting the near battle, not the far off one. He said, the vast majority of Christians don't fight the battle up close of avoiding a prostitute, but they will face it at the ad at the bottom of their beloved Fox News page. You know what I'm talking about, don't you? Unless you don't read Fox News. The ads that they want to pop up to get you to look. That's what he's saying. That's the near fight. That's not the far off fight. You know, we could sound sanctimonious, pious about the far off fight. I'd never drive through that part of town. But just mindlessly scroll. That's the near fight. That's the one that will plant the seed for that old recycled thought to come back. To get you right back where you've tried to not go. I remember thinking that it dawned on me when I was in high school. I loved reading the sports section and this thing young people don't understand called a newspaper. It was made of wood pulp, and I distributed them through my neighborhood. And in the sports section is where first that near fight dawned on me that at the bottom of the sports section had those ads for the gentlemen club in town. And all it took was that spark right there to be a thought for later on that day. Fight the near fight...not the far off one, because the near fight is the one that what?...it tricks you. It makes you think, oh, that wasn't so bad. I'll get it out of my head. If you know that's where it is...That's why I stopped reading the sports section in the morning. It wasn't worth it. You take some measures. Those measures aren't the thing ultimately, that's purifying me. The Spirit through the Word is. But it sure helps to put some boundaries in your life. So that's what we need to know about ourselves. How to control our own body, verse four and five. Back to first Thessalonians. But now he wants you to know something about others. Sub point number two under point two about what we need to know how to win the fight. Verse six, and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter. Just that right there. Paul says it's not just about you, it's about the people around you. That your sin doesn't just affect you, it affects others. Now, we don't know from that one line if Paul got some report from Timothy that there was adultery going on in this church. It seems to suggest that. But we can certainly see how the phrase brother, sometimes some translations talk about brother or sister, and this wouldn't be something only for men. But it's for men and women, brothers and sisters, to not what?...transgress, which means to break God's law. Go beyond the bounds. Step out of bounds. Here's the line. You don't just walk up to it, you willfully cross it. That's what it means to transgress. That's an issue you have with breaking God's law. But then there's the issue of defrauding your brother or sister. What's that word, defraud? It's about taking advantage of someone, usually in the writings in the New Testament, it's about being greedy, gaining something at someone else's expense, taking what's not yours. Paul says, Christians, we don't take what's not ours. That person's not your husband or wife. It doesn't matter if they're your boyfriend, girlfriend. They're not yours. When are they yours? Right there. (holding up wedding band). That's when you found the one. How do you know when you found the one you want? Do you want Ashoff's dating advice? If this is on your finger, you found the one. And that's your one...you're only one. And if you don't have that, you don't have the right to anyone else. Because that's where it'll head. You'll think, but I can compromise. No you can't. You won't be the exception to the rule. Not in today's climate, not with the temptations around you. Abstain from sexual immorality. Don't defraud your brother or sister in the matter. What does God demand in 1 Timothy 5 for how young men are to treat young women in church... absolute purity. Young men, how do you treat your sister? That's how you should treat the girl you're pursuing, and nothing less than that. And if you go any less than that, you've compromised the Scripture. You do what Paul is going to say later on, you reject the Word of God...who's given his spirit to you. God is pretty serious about this, but the most serious thing comes next. The third relationship when it comes to who you need to know...know something about yourself, know something about your brothers and sisters. But here's the one that you need to pay attention to at the end of verse six. Know this because the Lord is the avenger in all these things. Is he being comprehensive enough for us?...any matter related to abstaining from sexual immorality, the Lord is the one who will judge you, the Christian. How serious is Paul about it? He told them before; he solemnly warned them. Clearly, the message wasn't getting through. So this same Lord Jesus, who in 1 Thessalonians 1:10 will rescue us from the wrath to come. Look, if you're a Christian and you sin, you are not destined for wrath. That's not the point of what he's saying about Jesus being the avenger here. 1 Thessalonians 5:9 says, God has not destined us believers. He could say this to the same people He's warning here. He has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. So rather than say, oh Adam, it sounds like you're saying that, hey, if I sin as a Christian, then I thought...you are absolved from ultimate judgment. Praise God. Your salvation is secure. Your glorification will come...your deliverance. So what's the warning here?...the avenger in all these things? It's a warning to say that there's some judgment that the Lord Jesus can carry out on us as believers, as chastisement to prune us, to make us more fruitful. He's talking about Galatians 6...reaping what you sow. The damage that you don't think you're doing because you're keeping it private. You will reap that. Some of you know that, some of you don't. And he's saying the Lord is the avenger. He has perfect justice, perfect righteousness, perfect love, perfect grace. He knows exactly when and where and how to do it. But know this, Ephesians 5, when it talks about Christ and His bride. He will fight for the purity of his bride, the church, by any means necessary. Do you believe that? When Ephesians 5 says he wants to wash his bride in His Word, he presents her as sanctified before himself and the Father. You don't want to mess with that. He is fighting for the purity of his bride. And the implication then is we should be solemnly warned in how we treat one another. Because of the judge...that same one who delivers us from the wrath of God. There is a consequence to our actions all through the scriptures. There's a consequence of physical sickness, even a sickness that can lead to death when we don't obey God's prohibitions for sexual sin. Psalm 32, David talks about God's hand on him for his sin. His vitality drained away as with the fever heat of summer, he wasn't talking figuratively there. It's God's disciplining of him. Romans 1:27 speaks about the sins of a homosexual lifestyle that receive in their own persons the due penalty of their error. You know that's impartial right there that doesn't discriminate between Christians and non-Christians. You transgress, you cross the line of God's boundaries of sexual sin that could be you...receiving in your own body the penalty of your error. The reality of sexual sin causing physical consequences, even ones that lead to death. It doesn't separate out Christians from non-Christians. The latest estimate from the World Health Organization, estimates a million STIs are transmitted a day and hepatitis B alone still kills a million people a year. There's the evidence to that. And there would be more. You could go down the list all day. Warnings...Proverbs five, six, and seven, each one of those chapters warning against a sexually immoral lifestyle ends with really the same warning in all of them, it's a warning to back up, because you will what?...Proverbs 5:23, die for lack of instruction. Chapter six, the one who commits adultery with a woman is lacking, sense; he who destroy himself does it. Chapter seven, many are the victims she has cast down, and numerous are her slain. Her house is the way to Sheol, descending to the chambers of death. There are no loopholes around those warnings in the scriptures. Second, the Bible talks about losing blessing. A loss of some experience of God's good gifts in this lifetime. Psalm 51, David lost the joy of his salvation. He didn't lose his salvation. But he lost the joy of it...in his unrepentant, unconfessed sin. And what does he say?...restore to me the joy of my salvation. Take not your Holy Spirit from me. I mean the blessing that he knew he was losing, that he experienced by his sin. Then his own son Solomon, 1 kings 11, you read to the end. After his 700 wives and 300 mistresses, God's judgment for him was that the kingdom would be taken from his hand. He lived a long life. Lived for his pleasures. Ecclesiastes 2 said he didn't hold back from himself any pleasure, but what did he lose? He lost God's blessing. And then last but not least, the Bible can talk about a professing Christian whose salvation can be called into question. When unrepentant sexual sin becomes the defining mark of his or her life. 1 Corinthians 6:9, do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Don't be deceived...as in you could be deceived into thinking somebody could just profess Jesus and go on unchanged untransformed and just live the life they want to live. And what does Paul say? Don't be deceived. Neither fornicators nor adulterers, idolaters, effeminate, homosexuals, thieves, covetous, drunkards, nor revilers swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. Now here's the hope. Such were some of you. But you were washed. You were sanctified. There's the expectation that there's the change and when that change is not seen there's reason to question it. Which is the most serious warning there is...eternal judgment. What's the motivation behind this all after we've talked about the what and the how, the last one third point back to 1 Thessalonians 4:7-8, why does God want his children to abstain from immorality? Because purity has a purpose and that's God's purpose for your life. Look at verse seven. God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. That's where it ends. That's where it ends. God's holy purpose in saving us is to set us apart, to be his shining lights in a dark world, Philippians 2:15. Salt and light in a world that we can all look around and say, yeah, it's as bad as it's ever been. Immorality, its availability, accessibility, anonymity, accountability for it, all of it could be harder than it's ever been. And he says you were saved to be set apart from that stuff, not to be sucked into it. He's not called you to that impurity, and he wouldn't call you to something that you couldn't do. If his will for you is sanctification, his purpose for you is toward sanctification, then if you're fighting against that, if you're pushing it aside, if you're questioning it right now in your heart, verse eight tells you about yourself right now. He who rejects this is not rejecting man, not the word of man. He says chapter two, verse 13. You didn't receive the Word of God which you heard from us, as the word of men. You heard it as it really is the Word of God, which if you receive it by faith, if you believe it's warnings and it's promises, it performs its work in you who believe. The starting point for some of us to change this morning is just believing what God is telling you right now. It will change your heart. It'll move you to action more than anything I can do. And so he says, if you, verse eight, reject this, you're not rejecting man, the preacher. You're rejecting the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you. This is talking to Christians saying you're digging your heels in right now if you're fighting against this, against the God who gave you His Spirit, his Spirit that should transform you and change you from the inside out. So for the Christian, you know that God has given you His Spirit. He's given you His Word to know what to do as a result of it. And you have to believe the promise of this section is it unfolds that purity is possible. Because it's God's purpose for you. But it starts with you taking it personal. It starts with you taking it personal today, doing an inventory on your own life. And just coming back to that starting point, this is what God has for me because he loves me. Now, some of you, it needs to go beyond this room to some level of accountability, because in the world that we're in, the anonymity with which some people could be sucked into sexual sin, namely pornography and its wide accessibility and availability, you cannot win on your own. It's too prevalent. The access that people could have to it today. It'd be like expecting an alcoholic to get over drinking when all the while underneath his jacket he has an IV of liquor going into his veins that he can get any time he wants. Would you expect that guy to get over his alcoholism? How do you expect somebody that's sucked into pornography in that addiction to get over it on their own without some level of accountability, because it's so private, it's so anonymous. Accountability is the friend of integrity, and anonymity is your enemy. It's everywhere. You can get it in every way. If you need accountability, that's what we're here for. And there's help that's available. Guy or girl, no matter what your age is... Email me, email Kurtis who heads up our counseling department. We'll get you the help we can give. We'll do our best to fight for you, to walk beside you. But we don't want to leave you behind. You got to let us know you need help. You need accountability. Deepak Raju, he's a pastor of counseling at a church up in Capitol Hill. He has an acronym for accountability. If you're already in an accountability relationship and you want to get it better, remember the word HOLD. This is the type of accountability you need. H is for honest. You, the person struggling in the sin, have to start with yourself and be honest with yourself. You can't hold anything back. That person needs to know everything you're struggling with. It starts with honesty. Second letter O, often. You can't be when you feel like it, or when you think you're about to sin. If you're stuck in that ditch of sexual immorality sucked in by it, can't get out of it, you need it often. How often?...as often as it's going to take to get you out. L is for local. It can be easier to stay in it when your accountability is on the other side of the country. It may be a great old friend. It may be a family member. It may be a pastor. You need it locally. You need somebody face to face, eye to eye, sitting down with you. Asking you the hard questions, which brings you to D. It needs to be direct. That person you pick needs to be direct with you. No sugarcoating the questions, no dancing around them. You come up with the set of questions to answer and regularly, often, directly and person to person. Get the help you need. Romans 13:14 says, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, clothe yourself in him, and make no provision for the flesh. Yes, you're putting on the Lord Jesus Christ as a Christian in this, none of our power to be holy and walk in holiness comes apart from him. But it does say make no provision for the flesh, as in there's something we have to do as well. What provisions are you making? That's for the Christian in the room. For the non-Christian, you may hear these warnings of sexual sin and its consequences and want to live a better life. But that will fall short in two ways. One is if you don't come to Christ and he doesn't change you from the inside, all the external things you can try to do will only get you so far, because you haven't removed your sin problem. It's still in your heart. It still has power over you. No matter all the boundary lines you can put up. So it'll fall short there. And even if you succeed for a while the second problem with you, if you're not in Christ today, is the eternal. It's the wrath that is to come. You can find ways to walk in purity externally and then find yourself outside of Christ eternally. So the solution to that is to look to Christ today for salvation. Jesus Christ Himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we may die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you are healed. Do you believe that in faith today? Do you believe that his wounds are what heal you?...more than any habits, more than any helpful hints. The only way your sin problem is healed is by the what?...body and blood of Christ broken for you that you trust in faith. Do you believe that he bore those sins on the cross? Do you believe that his death is your life? And you can look to him for salvation because he's the only person that never sinned?...never once. You think of all the ways we're tempted to sin and we give in to sin, and never once did he sin. And that's why Christ is your hope today. So call upon him and be saved...for any sins you've committed past, present, or worry about in the future. Look to the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your word this morning. We thank you for the promise it holds...the power it has to transform us, to change us. We're saved only by the body, blood, the work, the righteous work of Christ, his sacrificial death raised by his justification to life. And we trust in him entirely and completely. We need your help, Spirit, to take this word from conviction to application. Don't let it just be something we did today and we walk away from. But let the word have examined us as a mirror shows us what we're really like. That we looked into it. It shows us, us back. We see where our true help is needed. It's in you, Christ. It's in your words. It's by your spirit, we ask. Help us, we pray. Amen.
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Be Holy People
We've been in 1 Thessalonians. Great epistle, great preaching that we've heard here at our church from that passage. And I want to go somewhere different today, but similar in thought. We've been thinking about what it means to be a healthy church, what a healthy church is, how a healthy church grows. But you need to understand today that a healthy church consists of holy people, holy people. And that's what we're going to see today. From the text this morning in 1 Peter chapter 2, verses one through three. And I would invite you to turn to that passage in your copy of the scriptures. 1 Peter chapter 2, verses one through three. And we're going to look at this morning what it means to be holy people. As you're turning there, I want to speak very candidly about our walk with Christ. You see, the Bible speaks about being content. We should find contentment in all things, every circumstance and situation. We're to be content. But I do believe that it pleases God in one area of our life that we can be discontent. And before you check out on me for the rest of the sermon, thinking that I'm going to be preaching heresy. Let me explain what I mean. I believe that it pleases God for us to be discontent with the current state of our spiritual development. To be dissatisfied with the current state of our sanctification process. And not to be content to where you are in your personal holiness. Not to be satisfied with being in that place, but to continuously say Christ is the goal and I need to get there. Not to be, you know, you talk about this not content. We don't mean that this means that you should go down a path of despondency or or apathy or indifference, but that discontentment should drive you to strive to pursue Christ in all his fullness. It should never be satisfied with where you are. It's similar to what Paul said in Philippians chapter 3: 12 through 14. He says, not that I've already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on. He says, I press on so that I may lay hold of that which is also laid hold of by Christ Jesus. He says, I don't regard myself as of having laid hold of it yet, but this one thing I do is I'm forgetting what lies behind, and I'm reaching forward to what lies ahead. Paul wasn't satisfied as to where he was in his sanctification process. And that's the apostle Paul. If he wasn't satisfied as to where he was in his faith, where do you think we should be at? We should constantly be pursuing Christ. Sometimes we can have a tendency to to come to Jesus and salvation, born again, loving it and say, Jesus, this is about as good as it's going to get. I mean, this is what you got to work with. This is it right here. And we stop right there in our faith. We see others around us growing. We see others with a with a relentless pursuit of holiness. And we like man. I wish I had some of what they got. But guess what? If you are in Christ, you got what they got. Amen? You have everything that you need for life. And godliness is what Peter tells us. You've got it. You don't need to get more of it. You've got what they have. You have a work to do, and that's to work out what God has worked in you. And that's what this is about today, is being the holy people that God has saved you and called you to be holy. We need to be holy. And Peter is going to help us to see that, so that we can live a life where we're pursuing the holiness and the righteousness of Christ. I want to read the text, and then I'm going to pray and ask God to help us as we seek to understand its meaning. 1 Peter 2: 1-3, reads as follows. "Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. And like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation. If you have tasted the kindness of the Lord." Bow with me in a word of prayer. Gracious father, we are just so thankful that we have your Word. We're grateful that we have the opportunity to open it up freely in this nation. And even in this hour, Lord, I pray that you would grab our attention from anything else that may be on our mind. Harness it such that we might be able to receive this truth and plant it. Give me clarity of mind and thought, boldness to be able to proclaim this truth so that it may edify the body of believers here present. And I pray that you use this to help us all to exalt the glorious Jesus Christ. And we ask all this in his name. And all God's people said, Amen. You know, Peter was one of the two most influential apostles in the early church. You know, Paul had a mission to the Gentile believers, and Peter had a mission to the Jews. And he went out and he's writing this letter to saints who had been scattered abroad. And even in verse one of chapter one, he says, they're residing as aliens scattered throughout Asia Minor, throughout the persecution that they were experiencing as believers. They turn away from their Judaistic practices. And now they've turned to Jesus Christ and they're getting persecuted. They're out, about, and scattered abroad. And Peter is writing to them. And you know what he has? He has a single purpose in mind how to conduct themselves in a hostile world. I think Peter had in his mind when Jesus told him, guess what? When the world is going to hate you because they hated me, that's why they're going to hate you. He had all of this in his mind, and he's writing to the saints how they ought to conduct themselves in a hostile world, and he's constantly pointing them back to the example of Jesus Christ. It's because of Christ. It's because of Christ. It's because of Christ. Peter is going to show them in this text how both God is working and the believer must work, so that we might pursue a life of holiness. And so the title of this morning's sermon is Be Holy People. We're to be holy, even as he mentioned in chapter one, verse 15 and 16. He says, but like the Holy One who has called you, be holy yourselves in all of your behavior. Not some of it. He didn't say, you get to pick and choose. He didn't say, do it on Sunday morning when people are looking. He said, in all of your behavior. In verse 16, it's written, you shall be holy, for I am holy. The predication of all of our holiness and what we do to pursue holiness is based on the holiness of God. He says, since I'm this way, you need to be that way, because you're my people. And we're going to see in this text two ways that we need to pursue holy lives and thus be holy people. And the first way is this. It's live for the Lord. Live for the Lord. Look there in verse one, if we're going to be holy people, we need to live as if God is our constant audience. It's living life before his presence in light of what he's done. We just sang about it. What he's done, what he's done. I mean, y'all even clapped. Move side to side. This is a time for us to live for the Lord because of what he's done. And as we're going to live for the Lord, we see the first way that we can live for the Lord is being be reminding ourselves of your faith in Christ. You constantly have to be reminding yourselves of this precious faith that we have in Jesus Christ. Even in the second letter that he wrote, he said, I want to stir you up by way of reminder. It was no pain for Peter to constantly help them know that these precious and magnificent promises that have been delivered to God was to stir them up so that they would be all that they could for his holiness. And he reminds them by using a simple word therefore in verse one that therefore points back to chapter one, verses 23 through 25, when he says, for you have been born again. He's letting them know that you're not the old person. You've been born again. You now have a spiritual birth that has been born from above, literally is how that that term means in the original language. You've been born from above now. God gave you new life. You had an old life, now you have new life. Remember that. Be reminding yourselves of that new life. And then he told them how they got it. He said, you've been born not by a perishable seed, but a imperishable one. You think about things that perish. Some of you have those perennials, those flowers that blossomed a few weeks ago. Have you looked outside lately, what's happening to those flowers? Are they still blooming? Some of y'all are good and some of us probably not. Anything dies when it comes to our house. But all that being said, flowers fade, right? But he says no, no, no, no. You've got an imperishable seed. One that's going to going to last forever. Your salvation wasn't going to initially sprout up and then fade away. It's imperishable. It's going to last. And he said it came through the living and enduring Word of God. Verse 23 of chapter one. So it's enduring. It doesn't taper off. And our physical life, we taper off. I'm in my latter 40s. You know, I think I'm seeing a decline physically. But that's not what happens to us spiritually. We should constantly be growing, but reminding ourselves of that we should be renewed day by day. But that's the living hope and the enduring word. And we have to be reminded of that, because there are going to be some things that are going to be impossible for us to do by human standard, if we're going to be living for the Lord and being holy people. So we've got to be reminded of this birth that came from above, reminding of this word and God's infinite power that he's displayed. If you're going to be holy, you've got to remember that you've been born from above. And if you've been born from above. You got to live like you're from above instead of from below. And in addition to reminding yourselves of the faith that you have in Christ, you need to also be ridding yourselves of the sins of the flesh. Look there later in verse one when he says, be putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. You see, as believers, we're called to make a decisive break between the former manner of life and the new life that we have in Christ. If we're going to live for the Lord and be holy people. You've got to say, man, it's a difference. I'm set apart. Set apart for God's holy purposes. And so therefore, I've got to rid myself. That word putting aside it really is, is is laying aside, putting aside, ridding oneself. It's almost a it's a word picture that reminded them of taking off garments, taking off garments that were filthy and putting on ones that were that were new. And even in the early church, there were times that as a new believer was baptized, what they would do is they would come up and they would they would come to the baptistry and they would have their old garments that they used to wear, that everybody knew them before they got saved in, and they would take those old garments off. Then they would be baptized. Then the church would give them new garments because they said you're new in Christ. Now you've got new life. Go live in that newness of life. And so every time they looked at their clothing, they thought about the new life that they represented, now that they have been cleansed in Christ. That's what Peter is trying to help them to understand. He says, you got to rid yourself of those things that used to mark your life before Christ. And then he goes on to, to to give a list of vices. And these vices are ones that would really separate believers from one another. The New Testament is filled with lists of vices. You can see it in in 1 Corinthians 6, Ephesians 4, Colossians 3, multiple places that that show list of vices that you've got to put aside or kill. But in this one, he's talking about those that would ultimately jeopardize the health of the church, because he's getting ready to help them to understand what it means to be holy people so that they can be together as living stones to a spiritual temple, and to be a royal priesthood for God. The togetherness and unity that can't be rivaled, but it will be rivaled if they're not holy. And so he says, you got to be holy and rid yourselves of these things. And love how he does this. And he says, you've got to rid yourself of all malice. He uses this word all three times in one verse, because he's emphasizing that it needs to be comprehensive without exceptions of any of these sins. You know, somebody might say, well, I'm not really all malicious. You know, I'm not all to see. I don't got all that stuff going on. Well, the question for you is, do you have any malice? Do you have any deceit and envy? Slander. And that's what Peter is trying to help them to see, is that you've got to lay this all aside. And he starts with the first vice, which is malice. All malice. This term characterized the lifestyle of of us before we were born again. We were malicious in nature. It was just how we were. And sometimes we think of malice as in like the most grotesque form of wickedness. But it can just be anything wicked, anything evil, anything that's contrary to the nature of God. That's what we were. We were malicious. And it really serves as the umbrella for all these other vices and sins that Peter has on the list. Having a a malicious attitude towards anyone. It could be just issues that you allow it to come up. In our Christian vernacular, we like to say, oh, it's I was just disappointed with my brother in Christ. I'm a little frustrated. We use these buzzwords. The Bible calls that anger. And then anger leads to to bitterness, and bitterness turns into malice. Before you know it, you might not have all malice, but you'll get there pretty quickly if you don't deal with it. Malice is what happens. He says you can't have any of those malicious thoughts towards brothers or sisters in the body of Christ. We're called to be a holy people. It's no way you can have a single offense. You shouldn't be that way. And you think about it. God in Christ. He's separated our sins as far as the East is from the West. At Psalm 103, verse 12. As far as the east is from the west, so has he removed our sins from us. And if God has done that for you, brothers and sisters, we got to do that for one another. It should be nothing that should separate us from each other's love. That would cause us to have malice growing in our hearts. God's forgiven you. We should forgive. He says all deceit. The next one there, this deceit is a cleverness to get even or a cleverness to make a false impression on someone. You know what it is. It's using, uh, sort of guile or something that's inaccurate to try to present yourself differently than you really are trying to be clever, sneaky, crafty is what that is. That's what deceit is. Satan is father of deceit. But, you know, this is really detestable in the eyes of God because, you see, it's not like error when you got error. Error is the opposite of truth. But you know what deceit is. Deceit tries to hide in the middle. It says, I'm not going to be error. Imma have a little bit of truth, just enough to fool everybody. But I really got something else brewing on the inside. That's what deceit is, deception. He says that marked you when you were an unbeliever. You can't have that in the body of Christ. None of this deceit, get rid of it all. It's detestable in the eyes of God. And even in Psalm 101:7, it says, he who practices deceit shall not dwell within my house. He said, he'll get you out. You won't be named among my people if you have deceit. He'll cleanse his people. He who speaks falsehood shall not maintain his position before me. That's God speaking. He says he'll get rid of it. No deceit. As I started thinking about deceit, I said, how can we be deceitful in our interactions with one another? You know, what about those moments that you have someone come up to you and whether it's a serious illness or an accident or the death of a loved one, and you come up to them and you say, I'm going to be praying for you. But then weeks later, you don't. You don't pray. You don't pray. It would have been better if you had just even prayed in the moment. But you try to give them a surprise. I'm going to be praying for you. I'm going to be praying for you. Do you ever pray? What do you want them to think? That you're holy and you are praying person constantly on your knees. That's just a simple way that we can dwell in deceit. You see, it doesn't have to be this wicked extreme in. It could be just subtle. But you do enough of those subtle things and it can become a part of you, and you can be just like that old person that you're cleansed when Christ came in. Or maybe it's the person that isn't trying to get you to think highly of them. They're maybe just saying, I'm too low. I you say, hey, you know, there's some ministry opportunities to serve in, oh, you know, I'm a little too busy. I'm a little too busy for that. I can't I can't serve in that. That's, uh. Yeah. I'm just kind of busy. I'm busy. And. What are you doing, brother? Well, I, uh, me, me I I'm, um, I got I got to go home and, uh, I mean, I'm busy, I'm busy, I'm busy. We've heard a brother life group that was sharing that this week. He said, you know what? Busyness is the new laziness. People like to hide behind the word busy and make it seem like they're doing a whole bunch of things when they're really, they're storing up time to fulfill their pleasures in this life. Making the time for the things they enjoy. I'm busy, I gotta, I gotta, you know I got things to do I got stuff I got, I got stuff, stuff, stuff I mean, it's just so much stuff I can't even name it all stuff... that could be deceitful. You know, you would be better served to say, you know what? I'm just going to have to politely decline that ministry opportunity because that's going to cost too much. And I'm not willing to pay that price right now. You see how that's just truthful. Not deceitful. Just speaking the truth. That's what we should be. Truthful people not dwelling in deceit. Those are ways that we can subtly allow this in. Hypocrisy is the next one on the list. Present the truth instead of being a hypocrite. The hypocrite wants to appear a certain way in one setting, but then he changes when he gets into another. This came from the person that would be in a play, and they would wear a mask and they'd have a face underneath, but then they would have this mask that was a smiley face, right? It literally means to judge under you're judging under this face of smiling, but inwardly you're judging someone else or presenting yourself as higher. And that was something that even the Old Testament was rebuked about even before the Pharisees came about. Isaiah 29:13 it says, because this people approaches me with their words, and they honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. That was what was happening. They were going through the religious activity, but their hearts were far from God. He says that the reverence for me consists of the commandment of men instead of the Word of God. That's what happens. They like man's rules because man's rules, they can keep man's rules, but then they duck and dodge God's Word, and then they hold you accountable to doing God's Word. That's why people outside the body can talk about Christians for being hypocrites. Because they're one way, one way, and one way another day. We shouldn't be that way. All hypocrisy should be laid aside. One theologian wrote this. He said, it is when we claim to be sinless that we are guilty of the charge of hypocrisy, claiming to be sinless, like, oh, we ain't got no sin. You can see that happening in life group in mutual ministry. I've seen some moments in mutual ministry where everybody in the room got sin except for this person. They spouse got sin. They boss got sin, they dog got sin. They like man, my dog need to repent. We need to give him a Bible study, you know, third Philippians or something. The dog have third Philippians. I don't even know. It's not even the third Philippians, by the way. Just the dog needs it. But everybody around the room is in sin except for them. That's hypocrisy. That's hypocrisy. Come and you've got nothing. Got nothing. Do people around you know the real you, or do they know the you that you put on a Sunday or in spiritual settings of brothers, brothers and sisters in the church? That's hypocrisy. That's got to be laid aside. If we're going to be holy people, we've got to lay that aside. And even envy. Envy is a jealousy that's caused by a desire to have something that another person possesses. You know what the root cause of envy is? It's a jealousy on the heart. And jealousy comes from when you're just blind to the multitude of blessings that God has given you. But you can vividly see the blessings that he's given somebody else. That's what that is. It's like we just. I'm missing. I'm blind to all these things that God has done for us in Christ. All these things. And even just to be here in America, where we can freely open the scriptures and read it, worship collectively so much we blind to all that. It's like, what can I have? What do I need? What does somebody else have that I need to have in my life? That really is a life that's marked by a lack of gratitude. Lack of gratitude cultivates envy. Even James 3:16, it says we're envy and self-seeking exist. Confusion and every evil thing are there as well. Confusion. It'll be chaos if everyone is envying one another here. But he says, lay that aside. That's what you did when you were unsaved. You have to have a new frame of mind. Can't be envious. You see, before we were saved, we envied everything. You looked on television. You started envying. You looked at a billboard I got a hat at. You saw people at your work. I got to have that. You went to church. I got to have that everywhere you went. It was an opportunity to get something. But when you got the gospel of Jesus Christ, you say, I have enough. I have enough. If I have Christ, he is sufficient. Everything else is plus. It's like the one who got the great, the one pearl of great value. And he went and sold everything else because of what he had. You think he was envious of what everybody else had at that moment. He said, no, I got the gospel of Jesus Christ. And I'm content. I got everything I need, kept him from envy that can kill relationships. If we allow that to stir in our church. The last sin that he lists here is slander. He says all slander. This is speech that overflows from an envious heart, a heart that wants to speak evil about another person. It wants to bring them down. Because ultimately, if you bring them down, it'll put you up. That's what happens in slanderous speech. And people do that sometimes they do it on the slide. Well, let me tell you about brother such and such. Oh, you ain't heard about sister such and such. Hey, hey, let me tell you. Slander, slander. It can tear the people of God down. Slander. And you can sneak it in the way out and try to sanitize it a little bit. But you know how we prevent from slander. You can turn to Ephesians. Go left in your Bible. You can go to Ephesians chapter four. Ephesians chapter four and look at verse 29. This was in a situation in this context that Paul is just writing and telling them to lay aside all falsehood and and we you need to speak truth to each other, but they're going to be moments that you're going to be angry. There's going to be moments where there's going to be genuine offenses. Issues are going to happen. We're sinners. It's got to happen. But you don't have to slander. And how did you prevent from that? Verse 29 says, let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word that is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. It talks about unwholesome. That's rotten speech, that's rotten words. One little negative word can spoil all of the things that you want to say to someone, even if you're giving them a loving rebuke or a correction, you throw a bad word in there. It can spoil everything. Like superlatives. I found that out and trying to correct people. You can't give superlatives. You always do this. No I don't, no I don't. And then before you know it, you go tell somebody. They don't never do this. I mean, it's just superlatives. That's an unhelpful word. Just give them good feedback. Don't have to slander them around the church. Think about wholesome, not unrotten words. And he says, don't let any of those leave your mouth, but only words that are good for edification. That means that they can build somebody up. Even if you give someone corrective, you should be able to edify them to the point where they say, thank you brother, I needed that. Thank you sister, that was helpful. You see, that's how we don't slander. We go right to the person and then build them up by giving them feedback. Because, you know, if you've been offended, sometimes it's a tendency to tell everybody else except for the person who needs it. Paul says here, let it be for edification. And then he says, according to the need of the moment. Sometimes it's just not the time to give feedback. It's not time to say something. But he says when you do, it should give grace to all those who hear. Everybody ought to be built up in truth based on what you say. That's the opposite of slanderous speech, and that's what you do because you're trying to be holy people. Let's turn back to 1 Peter 2. All of these really is what Peter is trying to help us to understand that you had this formal way of life, but you've got to put it aside because of your love and devotion and affection for Jesus Christ. That's the old man. He can't exist now with his new born again life that you have with Jesus Christ. You think about that. It used to be like Romans one said that people that were wickedness and greed and evil and envy and strife and deceit and malice, gossiping and slander, used to identify us. But now we've been sanctified and we look more like Christ. And so let's keep walking in holiness and not in the deeds of the past. Yeah. Think about, you know, uh, people, some of you like to work out here in the church. And some of you don't. That's okay. But, you know, after a workout, sometimes for me, on occasion I get to work out. What I love about the workout is the other side of the workout. After the work is done, the muscles are still twitching and I'm sweating. I'm tired and fatigued and I'm like, it's over. All that agony and work, it's over. I like to jump in a cold shower and then get a warm towel. Because I'm a skinny man with a skinny plan. I need a warm towel. That's what it is. I cold shower, but a warm towel I need to need to warm up a little bit. But the last thing on my mind after cleansing myself after a workout is to think about going back and getting some of those old, dirty, filthy workout clothes and and putting them right back on. That's the last thing from your thinking. You know, worked out. Some of them clothes are sticking to you. You shower and cleanse yourself. Do you want to put them back on? The answer is no. The same should be true of the life that you had before Christ. That should be so filthy for you that you are putting it aside, laying it off. You've been cleansed by the blood of the cross, by the precious fountain of Jesus Christ. Don't go and put that stuff back on again. Lay it aside and keep laying it aside. That's how we are to be holy people living for the Lord. Amen. Let's live for the Lord. Lay those things aside. That's the first step in being holy. Is realizing that you've been born in hope, called to holiness, and that should allow us to walk in harmony with one another as one body. Be holy people living for the Lord. The first thing is living for the Lord. And the second feature that we see here to be holy people. Is to long for the Word. In addition to living for the Lord. You want to long for the Word. And Peter says this in verse two, like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the Word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation. He says, you ought to do some living, but you also ought to do some longing. You ought to have some craving. Something should be going on. There's a sense in which you've got to have the Word of God. We should be craving spiritual nourishment as a believer. And I love how Peter, he doesn't tell the Christians to stop doing these things and start doing these things. I got this other list because, you know, us, we'd be looking for that list. But he says, stop doing these things that used to identify you as an unbeliever and then long for the Word of God, and he's going to tell you everything you need to do. Amen. It's the Word that's going to tell you what you need to do that's going to drive your motivations. It's going to dictate your desires. It's going to give you new cravings, even. You long for the Word. It'll give you new longings. That's what Peter is saying. You know the desires, not just behavior modification, but it's spiritual transformation. And that comes to the degree that you pursue the Word of God. Brothers and sisters, long for the Word of God. There's four features that I want to point out as he talks about longing for the Word that will help us this morning. And the first one is this we need to long for the Word desperately. Who need to long for God's Word desperately. There ought to be a a level of desperation when we're longing for God's truth, a sense of urgency. You get some people that they like to get a little verse a day to keep the devil away. I mean, that ain't going to get you much. You need to have some urgency. Like, I need the Word of God today. And it gives us an illustration. He says, like newborn babes long for the pure milk of the Word. You see, just as the baby reaches for the bottle, you ought to be reaching for the Bible. That's what the believer is. He gives an illustration right there before us. You think about a newborn babe. You can't stop a babe from desiring milk. Try to keep them away from it. What happened? That was a little bitty babies. But they turned into muscle men at that moment. They moving around. They will snatch you up. They will grab you. Feed me. They can't even talk. But that's what they say. Feed me. We've had a child that was like that, even as a newborn would stand up on top of the crib, feed me milk. Now I'm just playing. He didn't do that. He didn't do that. But it felt like that. It felt like that. And it was good for me to be like, babe, that's all you. That's all you, girl. Go ahead. That's all. You roll over and go to sleep. Okay? I'm sorry. I supported at times. I supported at times, just not in the night. But you can't stop a baby from longing milk. And that should be the same craving that we have. There should be a level of desperation. You see that newborn babe every 3 to 4 hours like clockwork. Need feeding, needs milk, needs milk. Baby does two things. Eat and sleep. Okay. Maybe you know something else, but it comes after the feeding. But all that being said, they. They need food, they need food, they need food. And Peter is saying, recall that believer, God has bought you and you're born again. Crave and long the pure milk of the Word. Make it a sense of desperation, urgency. Don't do it haphazardly. You know, some people say, man, I got the latest tweet is my devotion for the day. I needed that Word. That isn't the craving that you need is to get somebody else's tweet. Long for the word personally, privately, yourself. Dig in because you need it. You won't take another man's food. You go get your own. This is what you need is is craving the Word of God. And he's not talking about new believers here, as some suppose. As he's talking about new babies, he's really making a comparison to their former manner of life. And to say, like babies long for this milk. He's not saying it as if they're immature. This isn't a rebuke. Because it doesn't matter how mature you are in Christ, you need to still have this desperation of longing for the Word. Some of the older saints, seasoned saints, I'll say in the room said Amen. No matter how seasoned you are, you still need to long for the Word in desperation, almost like you did the first day you found the light of Christ. And again, it's the babies are reaching for that nourishment. We should as well. The Bible talks about the Word as nourishment. First of the Word is bread, and Matthew 4:4 man should not live by bread alone. But what by the Word of God? Every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. You can't live on bread alone. The word refers to it as meat in 1 Corinthians 3:2, even it refers to the Word as honey in Psalm 19:10. Love what he says sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Is that the Word of God is just good. The psalmist is letting us know. That is necessary. Job 23:12 he says, I have not departed from the command of his lips, and I have treasured the words of God's mouth more than my necessary food. Job said I got necessary food, but this Word is even necessary. It's even more necessary. I know I have a daily ration that I need, but this is my portion. I gotta have it more than the food that I need. I need God's Word. Do you act like your life depends on your next feeding from the Word of God? Are you wired that way to where you have that type of desperation for the Word? Now you make it your joy to to long for the Word because you crave it desperately, like a babe. Speaking of craving, it's like Psalm 42: 1-2. It says as the deer pants for the water brook. So my soul pants for you, O God. He says, my soul, it thirsts for the living God. That's a that was what the psalmist is teaching us. It's a it's to crave the Word because you're craving God. The typical deer. It needs 2 to 3 quarts of water per day per 100 pounds of body weight. And then when the temperature rises, guess what? Their need for water increases. Trials rise. We need more water. We need more of the Word. We should be thinking about that. It's it's an urgency, a desperation. Some of you, you need to take the reading of the Word of God out of the optional category and put it in the vital category of your day. It don't need to be one of those things that's occasional. It needs to be essential. It don't need to be the the thing that if you get around to doing it, but it needs to be the thing that everything else is centered around. It's the Word of God. I need to feed on that, because that's going to influence the rest of my day. And we're not talking about just the person whose life is falling apart. We're talking about the person's life who's even held together because the the Lord and His Word is holding them together. Reminded of Charles Spurgeon when he said, A Bible which is falling apart usually belongs to a person who isn't. He said, you know what? There's a person that that's going through their Bible so much, they know where all things are at for every moment of need, that their life is held together because the Word is keeping them together. I know a brother he can't even find his book of Ephesians. It's sometimes missing in the Bible because he doesn't work the Ephesians backwards and forwards that it's almost out of his Bible. He's got to glue it back in to keep it intact. Did you work your Bible with that type of urgency and desperation? That's what Peter is saying here. I hear some people say, well, you know, I'm not really a reader, preacher man. I'm not really a reader. I'm not a reader, not really a reader. You know what I hear that it's almost like I liken it to a person that's in the desert. Hadn't eaten for about three days. You know, on their last breath. And someone comes with water and said, hey, hey, come take this water. And they look up to him. They say, no, I'm not a water person. I don't like water. I don't like water. Well do you like death? I mean, that's the alternative. Because death is pretty imminent right about now. We've got a long for the Word of God. Even if you're not a reader, read the Word of God. It's not the eloquence that you need to have afterwards, it's the devotion that will come as a result. Read desperately. But you also need to read discerningly later in this verse. He says, long for the pure milk of the Word that pure milk. He says, there's a there's a purity. This word purity. It's the only time that it appears in the entire New Testament. And we translate it really pure because it has no deceit. It's the opposite of that word that was used deceit in verse one. It's the opposite. There's a unadulterated, it's uncontaminated. He says. You need to be seeking and longing for that pure Word of God. Unadulterated. It's not been tampered with. It's unmixed. And that's how God's Word, it comes in its purity. Even the psalmist in Psalm 19: 7-8, it says, the law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoice in the heart. And the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. He said, that's a purity that comes from the Word of God. You need to be seeking that Word it to be trying to determine good expository preaching from healthy people that you know and trust. Get good commentaries. Get a good study Bible. We can help you with that. A lot of people that have been built up and strengthened, they have a MacArthur Study Bible. They're reading the Word and they can see the notes and understand because they see purity there. They see the the truth that's there. They're able to have discernment as you grow and understand the truth. God wants us to have discernment and grow as we long for this pure milk of the Word. But growing in discernment starts with growing an appetite for God's Word and having a a craving and a desire for that truth. Warren Wiersbe talks about this, he said it's sad when Christians have no appetite for God's Word, but must be fed with religious entertainment instead. That's what happens. And he wrote this like in the 80s. And we don't. We don't have an appetite for God's Word. We want to get entertained. We just want sound bites. We want somebody to illustrate it for us. We don't even want to hear preaching no more after that. You just want, hey, act it out for me. What I should be doing today for the Lord. That's what happens. A lack of discernment can happen in the church, but we've got to long for the Word discerningly, have discernment in it. You see, if we don't seek discernment, we could be tossed to and fro by every word of doctrine and every wind. As as Ephesians 4:14 says to and fro, the doctrines will come and go. But you need to be steady in the Word of God, sitting under good truth and seeking it with good resources that we supply. You see, false teachers will abound. Paul even told Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:3. He says, there's going to be a time that's going to come where people are not even going to endure sound doctrine. They're going to want to have their ears tickled, and they're going to accumulate teachers in accordance to their own desires. What's going to happen is, is people say, I like to hear these kind of words instead of the Word of God. So, preacher, preach these kind of words and they'll hire pastors to preach those things so they can feel good about themselves. That's what happens. But you don't need to be that way. You need to long for the Word in a discerning fashion to detect that and say, no, I need truth. I need truth, I need truth. Then go pursue it and have discernment in it. We got false teachers out there. But there's also false feeders out there. They love it feeding on that false teaching because they know that it'll never hold them accountable to the Word. Have some discernment when you're longing for that Word. So long for the Word desperately long discerningly. But you also need to long for the Word diligently. You need to strive in this. And the reason that we know this is that he says later in verse two, so that you may grow in respect to salvation. You're literally growing up in salvation. When Peter is talking about salvation, he uses a past tense, a present tense, and a future tense. He says, you've been saved from something. You're being saved. And then there's a future salvation that is yet to come. But he's saying right now, you want to grow up in that salvation that you have. And as you long for the Word, that's what the result is, is that you grow up just like that baby. When they get the nourishment, you hope that they grow. A mother would be sad if they were still having to give a bottle to their 9 year old, 15 year old, 20 year old because they never grew up. The purpose of of longing for the Word is so that we will be able to grow up in our salvation. And the goal is to look exactly like Jesus Christ. And that's God's goal. And the way that we get there is by the Word. And Peter is diligent to say, hey, you need to add these things to your faith. If you turn right to 2 Peter, you can look at chapter one. And as he's saying this in verse 3 of 2 Peter chapter 1, he says, look, if you're going to be these holy people. He says, seeing that his divine power has granted us everything pertaining to life and godliness, you see, God is the one who supplied you with the power to even long for holiness. You say, how did I get this? Well, it's the next phrase. It's through the true knowledge of him, aka the milk of the Word that called us by his own glory and excellence. And for by these he has granted to us his precious and magnificent promises found in the Word. So that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that's in the world by lust. That was in chapter 1 of 2 Peter 2. All those things that was the lust. And then he says, now for this reason, applying all diligence in your faith, supply what?... Moral excellence and moral excellence, knowledge. That's the Word of God, longing for the Word. And then the knowledge, self-control and self-control, perseverance, godliness, godliness, brotherly kindness, and then love. You see what happens is, is your longing should lead to growing. And that's what Peter is saying that you should get when you've got the precious and magnificent promises of God. You start with milk, but you'll move on to the meat. And before you know it, you've got a complete meal. Getting the whole counsel of God. You know what growing in Christ does? It allows you to have a desire for truth. That desire for truth. It allows you to grow in obedience. You start to obey God from the heart, not doing it just because you have to. But you do it because you get to. Because you're longing for that Word and you're growing up in salvation. Then that obedience leads to perseverance. Peter is writing to these saints that are in all these trials, and he's saying, look, as you're in that Word, you're going to look just like Jesus Christ, because he is the one that went through his trial. And yet he said, forgive them. They know not what they do. Perseverance. You persevere like Christ does because you're in the Word. Your prayer will grow. Prayer life. It'll be enhanced when you grow spiritually in the Word. Your character. People that see what you say and do you will grow because you're longing for the Word. Your service to Christ. Your witness to unbelievers. All of that will grow as a result of you longing for the Word. Are you longing for the Word so that you can check it off a list? Are you longing for the Word so that you can grow up into the full character of Jesus Christ? That's what Peter is saying, and this is what we have before us. You could turn back to 1 Peter 2. We need long for the Word desperately, discerningly diligently, and the last thing we need to do is long for the Word devotionally. We need to long for the Word devotionally. There was a loyalty, a fidelity to the Word of God that comes because you've been personally impacted by the author of the Word. You know him personally, and so you just you can't get enough of him. And that's what he says in verse 3. He says, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord, that word" if" it really is a first class conditional statement, that means since so that you can render this verse. Since you have tasted the kindness of the Lord. This kindness is both God's kindness and his goodness. He says, you go after this Word in a devotional fashion because you've tasted the goodness of God. I had a brother in life group earlier this week said, man, I know what it's like to be in the Word. It changes my whole day because I got joy in my heart and a smile on my face when I done started in the Word of God. It's that joy because he's tasted the goodness of God gives him joy throughout the whole day. That's what Peter is saying here. He would do a devotion because you've tasted it like what David writes in Psalm 34:8. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good. He's even challenging and provoking and pleading the people of Israel to taste themselves and see that God is good. He's good. There's blessing and protection from trusting in him. He's given over and over again his kindness to his people. He distinguished himself from all other gods with that kindness. Isaiah 54:8, I hid my face from you for a moment, but everlasting loving kindness I gave you compassion day by day, because I am your Lord, your Redeemer. That's God. Was kind to them even when they were fickle and frail. God extended his kindness and David tasted it. You know what? We know the kindness of God that led us to salvation. Titus two and three and even three. It says, but when the kindness of our God and Savior and His love for mankind appeared, he saved us. God saved us through that kindness. Don't you love it when you taste the kindness of God in salvation? You knew where you were and you now know where you are in Christ. You can say, I tasted the goodness of God. That's what it means to to long for that Word in a devotional fashion. You see, it's the kindness of God that led us to repentance. Romans 2:4. And that kindness of God is found in the Word. It's like why the psalmist says, oh, how I love your law. It's my meditation all the day. It's because he tasted the kindness of the Lord. How sweet are your words to my taste. Even sweeter than honey to the mouth. Man, I can remember where I was when I had my first Krispy Kreme doughnut. I remember where I was, I can remember what I was wearing. I can remember what time of day it was when I bit into that ooey gooey goodness for the very first time and tasted how good it was. But you know something i can remember more? Is the day I tasted the kindness of God. It's the day that I knew that I was a sinner that was worthy of his wrath. And he saved me when I tasted the goodness of God. I can't go back. I can't go back to that old life. I look in the Word each day because I want to discover this God who has saved my soul. That's the goodness of God. Believer, that's how you need to long for the Word of God. When you've tasted his goodness and you want it over and over and over again. People can't tell you enough to be in the Word because you're already there, longing for the Word, because you've tasted the goodness of God. Long for his Word devotionally because you know the author of the Word. I might be speaking to someone here who doesn't know God, and I'm mindful of that. And the truth is that naturally, you might be sitting there thinking, I hear your preacher man, but. I really have a different view of God. I have a different taste. Have a taste of that God is rigid and severe. He's judgmental. Wants me to do all these commands. We all were that way. We all were that way before God. But today you can change. You can set your affection on God and allow him to make you new on the inside. That will give you new cravings. And you'll be able to taste the kindness of God. You see, you'll realize that you're a sinner who falls short of his glory. You have wayward ways because that's your nature. But he wants to make you new. And he can do that. By giving you his Son, Jesus Christ. Said that he all of us are like sheep. We've gone astray. Isaiah 53 but you know what God did? He didn't leave us that way. You know what he did? He put his Son on the cross so that you could have life. And you can have that life today. We'd love to be able to share that with you. Caused all of our sins to be placed on him, and he gave us his righteousness to live. Out. And you can do that too today and taste the goodness of God. Urge you strongly. Cling to Jesus Christ. You can have a new taste of God. Have that bitter taste out of your mouth and it'll be sweet and it'll be good for the rest of your days, even leading through eternity. But for the rest of us, we're going to be holy people. Let's live for the Lord and long for His Word. You know, as you think about this, would encourage you to take some time this week to examine those items in verse one. Examine your thoughts and speech and actions. Maybe write down in your notes a personal relationship that you want to improve based on putting aside these sins and go do it. Be immediately obedient to the Word. And then when it comes to longing the Word I pray that you would just make at least one goal. Maybe it's a goal you've been putting aside for the longest. Adhere to that goal and do it, and then delight in it. Grow in your delight and affection for the Lord of the Word as you, as you pursue it more and more. Some of you might be saying, man, that was a heavy sermon, preacher man, that was heavy. You don't know me, man. It's hard for me to get into the Word. But there was a young believer who said this very same thing. He was discouraged about his attempts to read and remember the Bible. And he said, it's no use. No matter how much I read, I almost always forget what I read. But then there was a wise pastor that replied. He said, take heart, because even when you pour water over a sieve. You may not collect much water in that sieve, but you'll always end up with a clean sieve. You'll always be clean. If you're living for the Lord and longing for His Word, you will always be clean because you're constantly being cleansed by the Word of life. Let us endeavor together that we'll live together for the Lord, and that we'll long for His Word to be holy people. Let's pray. Gracious father, thank you so much for all that you've done and just allowing us to be here in the Word. And I just pray that you would help us to see you high and lifted up in this passage. Help us to see ourselves as to where we were before Christ, and to realize that we've been saved to a new and living hope. Help us to put aside those deeds that used to identify us before Christ and long for the Word so that we might grow up in salvation. We love you and praise you for this time. Be glorified in it and we ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.
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The Marks of a Good Christian: Pleasing God
Good morning Saints of HBC. Please turn in your Bible to 1 Thessalonians 4 as we move into some new territory in this study, in this wonderful letter of Paul to the church in Thessalonica. It was a young church. AD 50 had only been there a year or so, and Paul had only been there a few months. But God had done an amazing work there by his grace. And it was a good church. It was a church that was going through its own trials, sufferings, persecution. And Paul was hearing a good report about this church and wrote a letter to encourage them and build them up. And so we have seen in the last three chapters how a good leader builds up a good church, even though they were in suffering and persecution and affliction, and probably a lot of people were wondering what they should do, where should where they should go, what should happen next? Paul writes to comfort them, and he does that in the first three chapters by reminding them of who they are in Christ. And that's the beginning of this letter. For three chapters it's been about the identity of the Christian...who you are as a believer in Jesus Christ. Your identity in him being saved by faith in Christ alone, so that now as he comes to chapter four, he can turn, if you will, to a new direction instead of looking back to encourage them in the present, chapters four and five, he's actually now going to try to encourage them in the present by giving them an exhortation towards the future. Now that he's established their identity, who they are in Jesus Christ, he's reminded them of that. Now he wants to then move them on to love and to good deeds, to exhort them, to urge them, to implore them...all those words for action, all those words for activity. Now you will get a lot of in chapters four and five. And that's really Paul's formula in a lot of his letters, where he will write to a church, and he'll first want to remind them of who they are, telling them who they are in Jesus Christ, re-establishing a good foundation. We saw that last week when we talked about 1 Timothy 3:2 when he sent Timothy, he sent him as a worker in the gospel of Jesus Christ, verse two, to strengthen them. And we said that word for strengthen was his foundational word, an establishing word. If you're going to see these people you haven't seen in a while and you've heard differing reports of how they're doing, establish them in the gospel of Jesus again, before you just rush right in to telling them what to do. And again, that's a pattern of Paul, whether the book of Ephesians lays it out in some ways symmetrically...three chapters of identity, three chapters of activity, Ephesians 1 to 3, 39 times talking about who they are in Christ, in the Lord, in him. And then Ephesians 4-6 talking about walk worthy, walk in the light, walk in love, walk in wisdom, stand in the Lord, fight the good, fight. All those action ideas come after identity ideas. And that's how we live our Christian life..no different today. We don't just rush people into as soon as they have any interest in Christ and the gospel. A bunch of do's and don'ts, but one did. What did God do for you in Jesus Christ? Whose righteousness is it that justifies you by faith? We need that message at all times, in all places, in all situations and circumstances, to be reminded of who we are in Jesus. As much as we're going to see now, today, and then moving forward in this letter, how important it is then for us to get instruction for how to live the Christian life. Because it's a both/and. It's not an either/or. To understand your justification is the foundation from which your sanctification arises. Those two words shouldn't scare anybody off. They're the two words that describe our Christian life while here on earth. Glorification describes our life once we're in heaven and with Christ. But while we're down here, justification means what God has done for me in Jesus, his perfect righteous life, given, credited, counted to my account by faith in him alone. He perfectly fulfilled the law of God in every point possible. He did what seems unbelievable to our ears what Jesus said the commandment can be summed up in...love God with what?...all your heart, all your mind, all your soul, all your strength. You do that, you'll fulfill every command there is. Perfect love for God. Only one person did it...Jesus Christ. And that's why our faith is in his perfection, his righteousness not our own. That's you being justified. But now what of this sanctification...that word sanctification, sanctified, has the word Sanctus in it, in the Latin. It's a word for being holy. We're to be holy as God is holy. We don't have holiness in our own selves. We need to be made righteous in Christ. But then there is the expectation for every Christian, every person in Christ, to now become who you already are. As in if you are in Christ...now you start to walk like him, look like him, talk like him, live like him. That's what it means to be a Christian. If somebody were to ask you, you know what is the essence of the Christian life? Now, when I'm saying that question, I'm not saying what's the essence of the gospel, because the essence of the gospel is all of what Jesus did for us. What's the essence of the Christian life? How do you go on living it? The answer is found in today's section in verses 1 and 2. The essence of the Christian life is nothing less than pleasing God. You can't please God apart from Christ. In fact, you said it. You read it this morning already, didn't you?...in Romans 8. Those who are in the flesh are not in Christ without the Spirit of God. What did it say?...cannot please God. That's the great divide in the world. No matter what you see of people's religiosity on the outside. If they're not in Jesus Christ name whatever religion it is, however devout they are trying to keep whatever holy book they say they ascribe to. If you are in the flesh, living in your own power, trying to do enough good deeds for God to be pleased with you. Romans 8 levels that. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. It's not able to do so, not able to subject itself to that perfect submission to the will of God, to love him with everything in you. You can't do it. So flip that around. Can you be pleasing to God? Do we have it drilled in our minds so much that we're totally depraved sinners, and all our deeds are filthy rags? Why even try to please him? Well, if that's the case, what's the difference between us before being a Christian and after? If we can't please God, what's the Christian life for? There has to be some way, if it's possible, to please God, that we would be told. And we were. A few weeks ago, and similar to where the pivot point is in 1 Thessalonians 4, when Dave preached on Romans 12 and you had 11 chapters of identity, 315 verses in Romans 1 to 11, only seven verses give you any type of command. Every other verse is telling you who you are, who you are, who you are. But then you hit Romans 12:1 and what did they say? Therefore, in light of God's mercies, offer your life a living sacrifice which is pleasing to him. That's the start of the Christian life. What's the essence of the Christian life? It's to offer your life as a living sacrifice, pleasing to him. So I say all this by way of reminder that as we get to the...we want to call it like the Continental divide, the watershed moment of this letter. It's 1 Thessalonians 4:1-2, because it's now not talking about who you are in Jesus anymore. It's talking about what he expects of you and the fundamental priority of a good Christian. As we've labeled the series, what's a good church? What's a good leader? Chapters 4 and 5....the rest of the way. No ducking in any of it. Chapters 4 and 5 are what are the marks of a good Christian? But the fundamental piece of that is there in verse one...pleasing God. That's the aim of our life. If somebody were to ask you, what's the aim of your life as a Christian, you could say it's to please God. If you want to sound confessional, it's the Westminster Shorter Catechism, question number one...what is the chief end of man to glorify God and enjoy him forever? Well, you know, you could smash those two ideas together into the purpose of my life is to please God. I exist for him. I exist through him. 1 Corinthians 8:6, there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and we exist for him. And the Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through him. There's the purpose of your Christian life. You exist in him and in him alone. And you do everything through him. John 15:5, abide in me and I in you. Apart from me, you can do nothing. So your Christian life boils down to pleasing God. And that's the turning point of this letter. All the commands for you to keep as a Christian the rest of the way in this letter start with this first one. How you ought to walk and please God. So let's look into it today. Read with me 1 Thessalonians 4:1-2. "Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as how you ought to walk and please God, just as you actually do walk, that you excel still more. For you know what commandments we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.” This is God's word to us. May he plant it deep in us and it bear fruit through us. Well, right there in that first verse we establish as Christians, the purpose of our life. What are we here to do now? What do we exist for? Why did he leave us here? Why didn't he take us to heaven? Well, because Paul tells you. You in the Lord Jesus we request and exhort you. He's kind of warming them up to move towards some exhortation, some commands as a good pastor does. He doesn't, maybe he's meeting with people and talking to them immediately blast them with the command cannon and blow them away. But he revs them up a little bit. He primes the pump by saying, hey, we request of you. Which was it's a word for a kind urging. We exhort you that's a little bit stronger. It's almost as if he's saying, hey, um, you know, guys, um, what I'm trying to say is what I'd like you to do is, you know, I want you to walk and please, God. And you're doing it, but you need to excel still more. I mean, I've already let you know in this letter where you stand. You stand in Jesus Christ and in fact, look at his request and exhortation in 4:1 is that they are in the Lord Jesus, is it not? I mean, that levels any idea of...where are you coming from, Paul? Who are you to tell us what to do? Maybe they were cool with being told who they are. We all don't mind being talked about, especially in glowing terms as Christians. But what do we do when somebody then leans in on us with some commands, brings obedience into the conversation? We might get defensive. And so Paul, being the good pastor that he is, says, look, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, as in whatever we're going to command of you, implore you, uh, ask you to do. It's in Christ. I'm Paul in Christ. You're my brother and sister in Christ. That's where this exists. It's actually possible for you to do these things. If you're not in Christ, it's impossible for you to please God as we said before. If you're not in Christ here this morning, anything that I'm going to say today that has the force of a command to it should just hit right off of you. Not that you might not be receptive to it if you think you have something to gain by it. I mean, we might come to the Bible and think it is some magic lamp like a genie, that if I do these things, then God will do this for me. And I don't mind how that works. I mean, if you're into that, that's basically karma. I do something good, I get something good back. But if you're not in Christ today, that's not how it works. None of what I would command you to do makes any difference, because if you're not in Christ, you don't have his righteousness, and you can never do enough good, holy, righteous deeds to please him. Because one sin and one sin alone, let alone the hundreds and thousands and millions of sins accumulated in a lifetime, could our good deeds ever overcome. And that is why it is true that all our righteous deeds are as filthy rags, Isaiah says. But he's saying that about the self-righteous person that thinks they can earn their way to God. So if you this morning come in here and maybe that's been your background. In religion, or even in some form of Christianity, where there was this idea of you had to earn God's favor, you have to behave in a certain way for God to accept you. All your good deeds have to outweigh your bad deeds, and that'll get you to heaven. Listen, that's wrong. The gospel, and first and foremost, above all things, is what God has done for you, not what you do for him. And so if Paul were to meet a person like that and know that, you know, they come to him busted. Their life's upside down. They don't know why things aren't going the way they want. But they've been in church and they've attended and they've read their Bibles, but nothing ever makes sense. He wouldn't just jump right into giving them a bunch of commands to keep. He would say, listen. Let me ask you a few questions. What is the gospel? He'd go back to the foundation. As I would with any of you today who seem to not be able to make sense of you profess to be a Christian, but you just. There's no fruit in your life. There hasn't been for as long as you can remember. The only thing you know to count on is you have this old Bible that somebody wrote a date in, that you said something, you mimicked a prayer of a parent. And I'm not saying those things can't be legitimate. But if that's the only thing you got and there's no fruit in your life, Paul would say, and I would say, do you know the gospel? Do you know the foundation? A holy God, your creator, he rules in righteousness and holiness and dwells in unapproachable light. And we, the sinner, can do nothing to earn our way back into a relationship with him. So he had to send his Son to earth to die in the place of sinners, to take his wrath. And then I would ask you this morning, well, I've explained that part of it, but do you know who God's Son is? It's Jesus of Nazareth, born of a virgin, meaning he had no sin inherent in him from birth, and he committed no sin willfully by his own volition his entire life. Meaning he is the only perfect person ever. And will be the only perfect person ever. And if you try to smuggle in any idea of your own righteousness and right standing before God, then you put yourself before Christ. But he alone was able to go to the cross and receive the wrath and take your punishment so that you, understanding where you actually stand before a holy God, would say, be merciful to me, God the sinner. I need Jesus Christ. I need to be saved. There's nothing in my life that I bring only to the cross I cling. What do you need to do to be saved? You need to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and trust him. Repent of your sins and turn to him. And when you change from the inside like that, when that works on the inside of you, then the idea of pleasing God actually becomes pleasing to you. Because you see him in a whole different light. It isn't this idea of seeing a God who just lays commands over top of you and you would say, kind of grumbling in your heart, there is no pleasing that man. You know, sometimes if you've worked for a hard boss or been around a heavy handed person and their expectations of you far outweigh anything you could ever do for them, and you would say something like, there is no pleasing that person. Well, when you in faith leave trying to please yourself and put yourself up as the God of the universe, and you turn and bow down to the one true God, then there is the ability to please that God. He's already been pleased by Christ's perfect sacrifice, and by faith you accept that and now you actually can live a life pleasing to him. And that's the joy of the Christian life. Pleasing God, as the reformers would call it, in the Latin phrase coram deo, all of our life before God. But rather than be in fear of God like Adam in the garden, knowing he sinned and trying to hide from him. When you understand that, you are now seen as righteous before him, accepted by the work of his son, then you do want to live all of your life before him. You want him to know all of you open before him as you would want to know all of him. That's the joy of wanting to please God. And that's how Paul is trying to move this church toward understanding how to obey. It's in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is receiving instruction, that word for instruction there. How you ought to walk is a word of authority in the New Testament. But notice the locus of that authority in verse 1 is in the Lord Jesus, and then the locus of the authority in verse 2 for keeping commands is by the authority of Jesus. So pleasing God is sandwiched right in the middle of that...in the Lord Jesus we urge and exhort. Under the authority of the Lord Jesus, we give you commands. What do you do in between that?...you live to please God? And you can do it because you're doing it in him, not in your own strength. So verse 1 establishes we exist in the Lord Jesus Christ. But is that enough just to exist in him? No. He says, you ought to walk and please God. And you do that. He softens the blow by saying, you guys are doing well. But then he moves from just saying, hey, life, you know, pleasing God just comes down to, as we've said around here, um, no expectations for actually doing anything. You know, I've used the phrase earlier on when we talked about the beginning of this book. Uh, the essence of the Christian or Christian theology is grace. Therefore, the essence of our ethics is gratitude. And we connected in chapter 1. A good church is a work of God's grace that leads to the gratitude of the believer for the gospel of Jesus and our spiritual growth. So we connect grace and gratitude. But when you read this and you see that we're expected to do something, I want to expand that definition out and say, listen, if the essence of our theology of believers is grace and the essence of our ethics, what we do is out of gratitude, then that gratitude ought to be seen in our good works. Because if it's from the heart, if you're thankful for what God has done for you in Christ and you have gratitude for it, then you're not just thankful. Like, oh, you know what my Christian life is...just thanking God all the time, but not actually doing anything for anybody else. I think that's short of the mark. You know, it's good to be grateful. Grace does produce gratitude in a true believer. But out of that gratitude, then we see good works as our opportunities to what?...bring more glory to his name, to let our light shine with our good works so that our Father in heaven is praised. And that's the connection that Paul was making in this first verse, that we should excel still more, having received instructions in the Lord Jesus, we should keep it going, which moves us to our second verse. And the second point that excel still more moves us underneath verse 2’s authority. You know what commandments we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. If we are made to please God, and we are. Then the question is how do I please him? And verse 2 unlocks the secret of pleasing God. It may not be exciting because it's some mystical experience, some spiritual high that well, I get in this zone, I go away on this weekend retreat and I meet the Lord at the Transfiguration, somewhere up in the Appalachian Mountains. And now my life has never been the same, and I know I never struggle. Everything's easy. Is that what Paul says in verse 2? No. The ability to please God and excel still more comes down to one shoe leather, faith word...obedience. Verse 2. Because he just says it. We instructed you how you ought to walk to please God, and we want you to excel still more in pleasing God. That's what you exist for. How am I going to do it? Verse two. Well, you know what commandments we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. And then in chapters four and five, he's going to give them all the commands he already gave them. He might expand on them. But this idea of saying today as a Christian...I exist through Jesus Christ to please God. So what am I supposed to do about it? You're supposed to obey. That's how it's seen. That's the fruit of your good life, your good works. As a Christian, you obey. But you obey from a heart that wants to please God, not a heart that wants to please itself. 2 Corinthians 5:9 Paul says, therefore we have as our ambition, our aim, our goal, whether at home, he means down here on earth or absent away with the Lord in heaven to be pleasing to him. I've got one aim in my life I want to please God, Paul would say. And how do I do it? Verse two, I do it by obeying the commands of the authority of the Lord Jesus. That our Christian life is not just found in Christ to please God...through Christ we please him in our obedience. And that obedience is something that can always be improved upon, can't it? That none of us are going to arrive at perfection while we're down here. You can always excel still more. There's always more of your heart to give to the Lord and pleasing him. And then out of that excitement and joy in him, you would say, like 1 John says, his commandments are not burdensome. They're for my good. And you have to hold that intention in your heart right now that I can be perfectly accepted by God in Christ and loved by him, and that can never be lost. And yet I can excel still more and be pleasing to him. You know, I was thinking about that, how I put that together in my mind, at least. And it took me back to grade eight, Miss McCann's English class. Two things stand out from my eighth grade English class with Miss McCann. It was the first time I got detention. Don't remember what for. Because I was a teacher's kid. I wasn't a teacher's pet. I was a teacher's kid. My dad was a teacher. So anything I did, ever, he found out. So that prohibits one from getting too many detentions. You already know he's going to see it all and know it all. There's a certain omnipresence he had. That's the first thing that stood out. The second thing was in that eighth grade English class, four semesters, I got an A every semester. I mean, it's evident, isn't it? You hear me speak and write, right? I'm an eighth grade A student. After that it goes downhill. But she would give me the same comment every quarter. It's comment number eight...remember it...needs to exert more effort. Now that's a problem for an eighth grade boy who gets an A. What's the goal? Why exert more effort? I got the A. Help me out with that one. But I remember that still to today, and I see its relevance in our Christian life. In Christ, positionally, you are as justified and as saved and as redeemed as you will ever be. You've got an A. How you stand before God in Christ. And yet on all of our report cards of faith...excel still more. Wherever you are. Excel still more. Abound is the word for excel. It's used 39 times in the New Testament. It's a wonderful word that talks about something overflowing and thriving and flourishing and teeming with life. It's this idea that there's still more to do, because if there wasn't more for us to do, more for us to excel in, not to earn our salvation, but to live out of it, what would be the point of sticking around here. If there wasn't more race left to be run, and more people we can win for Christ and help in Christ and serve in Christ. So we excel still more. And God can look at our lives in a way that we really can't. He can see to our heart. And when we talk about excelling still more there might be this motivation that you hear about in John 12 where we could want the approval of man when we hear excel still more. You know, it's hard because in our fallenness we immediately could think of, you know, Hebrews 12 that Jeremy preached a few weeks ago. Hey, run the race. And immediately we think about, I need to beat somebody. And so we compare. And that's not how we run the race. It's not a race of comparison. You're in it. Now, you're in it with a bunch of other believers. But you're not there just looking around saying, am I faster than this guy? Am I slower than that guy? Yeah, well who do we look to in that?...Hebrews 12. The author and perfecter of our faith, the only one. And so we can certainly excel still more to try to catch him. But if you just set up for yourself people around you that you're trying to I mean, it's going to take you down a spiral, either a spiral of despair because you hang around some really great Christians and you figure I can never be as good as them. Or rather than despair, it pumps you up with pride because you look around and say, look at all these slouches. I'm dusting them. So we don't look around. That's what the Pharisees did. I was referencing that. Jesus is speaking in John 12 and he's saying to them, while you have the light, believe in the light, so you may become sons of light. But they were not believing in him. Verse 37 of John 12. And verse 42 tells you why. Nevertheless, many, even the rulers, believed in him, as in they might have as we talked about a few weeks ago agreed with some of the things he was saying, but they didn't put their faith in him. It says, uh, because of the Pharisees, they were not confessing him for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue. For they love the approval of men rather than the approval of God. We can still do that as Christians can't we? Might even get worse, because we think it's some kind of race around here, just trying to sprint faster than the next person and then evaluating our righteousness on a false standard. And how amazing is God that he looks at our hearts. He knows the effort we give. Um, there's times you're going to fall back and maybe you're in a small group and you feel like everybody else showed up for life group that week and confessed to have a good week, and you're the only one that was one of the worst weeks of your Christian life, and you feel like you're behind in the race. Well get back up, God says, I look at your heart. I know your effort. Are you in it to please me or to please them? Only an omniscient infinitely wise God can look at all his children and there's no game of comparison. I mean, the game's going on and everybody's playing at the same time. But he could see each one of you individually and understand the motive of your heart, either to please him or not, and rate your excelling. Based on what he knows is going on in the inside of you. I was thinking about that yesterday, watching. I took my kids over to a football practice for their school, and as I was trying to get my mind around it, then I kind of again, analogies fall apart, but on human levels they help us understand, how could God do that? How could it not be a race? And I was watching the kids compete and they're competing in the 40 yard dash. And they're being evaluated by their coaches. How fast they are. And I'm watching my kids. I have a particular interest in them. I mean, all the other kids are going, but I'm not really paying too much attention to them. I like them, they're nice. But my kid I'm really interested in and I had no ability to see what the clock times were. I was standing far enough away, but all I could really see was the effort, you know? Did it look like they gave their best? Even one didn't have his cleats and was falling down and getting back up. And I was pleased as his dad. I don't care about what the times were. Who's the fastest sixth grader? I just cared about the effort. That whatever he was going to do, he was going to give it his best. That's part of what it is to want to please God and excel still more by your obedience. It is saying if it's true, if this is how this Christian life works, that you know one day, we're going to stand before God. And he's not going to judge us based on comparing to everybody else. What's the parable of the talents? Somebody he gave ten. Someone he gave five. Someone he gave one. And he says, well done, good and faithful slave based on what you did with what you had. Not comparing you to the person who was given more or given less. And then in the Gospels, how many times does Jesus say that he who's given much, much more will be given to him? But he who does nothing, what he has, will be taken away? And then when you press on to know the Lord, to love him, to seek him, to please him, and you lean into that and run towards that and try to excel in that, he's going to be faithful to give. He's not going to withhold more of himself knowing him. He wants you to abound in those good fruits. He's not playing a game with you. But that comes back to your heart as a Christian. Do you really want to please him, or can you get caught up in a lot of other ways we think about our Christian life?...pleasing self, pleasing man. You know, as we move into these next few chapters in 1 Thessalonians, there's some commands of how to live a more pure life...sexual purity. And relationship with people around us. There's commands about how to live a quiet, productive life as a good worker. And to test our motives this morning, I could ask you, how do you think you would respond to the word the rest of the way in Thessalonians? If I said, you know, I've I've been pouring into these texts and it's been weeks of studying, I've actually unlocked the key to success at your job because he's going to talk about work. And it boils down to these three things. And here's the thing. If you keep these three principles about how to work...in a year, God will give you one million dollars. And I promise you that. And if somehow that was true, how compelled would you be to keep those three commands. If you knew $1 million was coming at the end? Be honest with your heart today. I think every one of us would give it our best varsity attempt, wouldn't we? We would try it. You're lying if you say you wouldn't. We'd all try it. We'd give it our best. You say I'm not motivated. Well, be motivated to send money to our missionaries. Okay, get the million bucks. I don't need money. Do something good with it. I'm just saying that motivation could be to keep a command, yet not be what?...interested at all in pleasing God. You can obey with no interest in pleasing God. You can take commands in the New Testament and take them in and of themselves and what they might hold out, and those could be good things. But the great thing is what?...doing it because you want to do what?...you want to please him. And so you'll do whatever it costs, without any thought of, well, pragmatically, what am I getting in response? That's not what it's about. Pleasing God is about loving him. And out of love for him and delight in him because of what he did for you, that he first loved you. So you love him. You're going to keep those commands and there's no magic tricks to it. You do these four things that Thessalonians 4 whatever says. That's not how it works, friends. Because God wants your heart. And he wants to ask you this morning before we launch into the rest of this letter, when you read how you ought to walk and please God, excel still more, you're under the commandments given by the authority of the Lord Jesus. Are you going to obey them? First and foremost, because you want to be pleasing to God. And there is a connection in the New Testament between our pleasing God and our obedience. It's not legalism. It's exactly the way the things laid out. In the same way that you can try to obey without desiring to please God. You can flip that thing around. You don't please him by not obeying him. That is plain and simple from the New Testament. Let me read you a litany of verses that put those two things next to each other. We'll start with Ephesians because it's nearby. Ephesians 5:8, you were formerly darkness, now you're light in the Lord. We're talking to Christians. Walk as children of the light, for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth. Ephesians 5:10, trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. There's your starting point. The connection between your obedience and pleasing God starts with this idea that as we become Christians and learn the Christian life and what it is to please God, we have to learn it, Ephesians 5:10. So wherever you are today, as a believer, it's okay to feel like I don't even know where to start. Aren't there like thousands of commands? Yeah. And part of you growing as a Christian is just learning how to please the Lord by knowing what those commands are and then obeying them. Some you might have never heard of before. Stick around long enough, you'll learn more of them. And then you're to grow in pleasing him in every respect. From Ephesians, just go two books over to Colossians 1. Paul's opening prayer to empower these believers. Colossians 1:9,he says, since the day we heard of your faith, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. Here it is, verse ten. Colossians one. So that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please him in every respect. So how much of your life does God want you to please him in? Every respect inside and outside...thoughts, feelings, actions, of course...words. That you would please him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work. And then. Here's what he wants with you too... Increasing in the knowledge of God. God wants us to obey him in every respect, in every good work, and bear good fruit, and in that we increase in the knowledge of God because we see around us the effect of the fruit of our lives when we do that, and we learn more about him. And he's more precious to us, he's more glorious to us. And that joyful obedience to him makes us want to do it all the more. Colossians says that. Hebrews 13:21, May he equip you in every good thing to do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ. Hebrews 13:21. There's this idea in Ephesians 5:10, Colossians 1:10, Hebrews 13:21 that growing in our obedience to him is directly connected to our pleasing of him. That's a good thing for us. And then there's some specific ways we can do it. Any kids in the room? Any children in the room who want to honor the Lord? That's awesome. To be in Christ at a young age. To say you want to follow him. The greatest thing. The greatest thing you could want to do is to follow Christ with all your life if you're a kid in here, ten years old, 15 years old teenager. You know, God is kind to you, that though there's many things over the course of your Christian life that will be expected of you. He makes one commandment really clear to you, young person. And it's attached to being pleasing to him. Colossians 3:20. Children, be obedient to your parents in all things. For this is well pleasing to the Lord. If you say you're a Christian and you're a young person, whatever age, and you wonder like, what's man like...like curfew. Like, where's that in the Bible? I have to stop playing my video games. Where's that in the Bible? I got to take a bath. Where's that in the Bible. You know it is in the Bible? By obeying what your mom and dad ask you to do you can please the Lord. Is that enough motivation for you, young person? That you can obey the Lord in obeying your parents and bring glory and joy and pleasure to your creator. Because if you just limit it to the thing that your mom and dad are telling you you can't do. Oh, I'm just supposed to be obedient to them and do everything they say? Well, no. There's somebody even above them that they take their marching orders from. And when they're asking you to do something. Yeah, it may bug. And you may roll your eyes and then you, you got to take that heart attitude to the Lord. But then you got to come to Colossians 3:20 and say, wait a second. My obedience to my mom and dad in all things it says...that's well pleasing to the Lord. So God can put your life on the right track in obedience by you understanding the simplicity of Colossians 3:20. That's how kind God is to you young people. Now, for the rest of us, hey, it just adds. You read through the scriptures. There's more to obey. Our giving is to be well pleasing to the Lord. Philippians 4:18. What you have sent a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. When you give whatever age you are, when you work hard Monday to Friday, and you give that back to the Lord, that's well pleasing to him. You're sharing Hebrews 13:16 do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. How about keeping his commands? 1 John 3:21 to 22, we have confidence before God, and whatever we ask, we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight. You never move past it. 10 or 100...being pleasing to God is seen in the fruit of your good works, your obedience to him. That's what Paul is trying to set up in 1 Thessalonians 4:1-2, before he moves out into all the details. He wants our hearts and these people to understand that it has to come from your heart. It has to be about pleasing God. And then when it's about pleasing God, walking in the ways that he commands under the authority of Jesus, you can do it. You can become who he's created you to be. But there's no other option to take. The path of legalism, which just says, I'm just going to perform. I'm not going to worry about my heart. I'm just going to do it on the outside. That's not the path. The path of Libertinism, which says, I stand as a child of God. He accepts me as I am. I'm perfect just the way I am. Don't give me any commandments. Really? I don't know what you're going to do with the rest of Thessalonians. But he says, here's the path. God has been gracious to you in Christ. Your heart response of gratitude leads to your good works done to please him, not to please man. That's who you look to. It's like a kid who, um, he's out with his buddies. Maybe. Not that I'm telling on myself, but maybe he was in eighth grade, and, um, there was a bunch of old steel mills around, abandoned and a favorite target of eighth grade boys to want to throw rocks through all those windows. And so say, this guy's hanging around with his friends and, you know, they're having a good old time breaking the law. Um, but he won't join in. And these kids are looking at him going. What's wrong with you? What are you afraid of? If your dad finds out that, what's he going to do to you? Is that why you're not doing it? And he just says no. I'm not doing it because what my dad might do to me if he finds out. It's what it would do to him. Do you live your Christian life that way? You know that fear of, oh, if God finds us out, he knows it. He sees everything. He sees down to your heart motive. So it's not about him finding out. Now there is a fear of the Lord, Hebrews 12 says, we should have. Just as earthly fathers disciplined us, our heavenly father will discipline us. But if the only realm you have to motivate your obedience is fearing God, you're missing out on a really big part. The part that motivates you to obey God based on wanting to what?...please him. That your disobedience doesn't please him like that kid. And you go, oh, I know what it does to him. And that's what hurts me. More than maybe even the chastisement that I'm going to get. It's letting him down. Because I know of what he did for me. I mean, you understand that, you know that's the highest form of motivation. When somebody has loved you so much, given so much for you, sacrificed for you, and then you turn around and you say, what should I do for them? Well I can't ever pay him back? But I just want my life to bring joy to their life. I want my service to them to bring pleasure to them. And we talked about that last week when Paul says in 3:8, now we really live if you stand firm in the Lord. Is your life so bound up in your love for the Lord that that's how you feel about obedience. Man that I can bring him joy. One day I will hear and you will hear. Well done, good and faithful slave. You excelled still more. Adam. You finally learned how to exert more effort. Enter into my joy. At my right hand are pleasures forevermore. Because what you've been told your whole life about its joy, its joy, its pleasure, let that motivate you. John 15:11, if you've heard my commands, you have them. My joy will be in you. Your joy will be made full. If you really believe that, why would anything change for eternity? When you get to God and you stand before him and he says, enter into the joy of your master. I've got pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11. It's just one continuation of it, isn't it? So you got to get a taste of it now. Live a life pleasing to him and want to excel still more in it. Just like Christ, for the joy set before him obeyed all the way to the cross. Us? We don't got to go to the cross. We just got to carry it. But we got to go all the way to what...he calls us home. And then we get the reward. More joy, more pleasure. If that doesn't motivate you to obey, I really don't know what can. Let's take a moment and pray. And then as we do that, the band will come back out. We'll have a time to remember the Lord's table today together. Um, you can actually raise your hand now if you don't have one of these. The band will make their way to the stage. Just keep your hand up and some of the ushers will come down and give you one of these. But while they're doing that, and while the band is coming, let me pray for our time before the Lord's table today. Father, we thank you for your grace to us in Christ. We thank you that we exist in you to please you, and we exist through you to please you. And our life is bound up in you as you first loved us, and now we love you. And so this time, now that we reflect on the gospel, Christ, we reflect on your body being broken and your blood being poured out...that it would renew the affections of our hearts for you. For that's what you want. We ask this in your name. Amen.
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The Marks of a Good Leader: Earnest
We are in a mini series of sorts within a larger series. The larger series being the Letter to the Thessalonians, a letter to a good church. And we picked that because we want to know what made this a good church, so that whatever happened 2000 years ago with this church, with Paul and this people, we would be able to replicate today. We would be able to learn by way of the historical record that we have, both in Acts chapter 17, but really explained here in this epistle of 1 Thessalonians. So we want to be a good church, and we've seen what that is in chapter one, the foundations of it. And then in chapter two, Paul moved from talking about the people there to talking about the pastor himself. And that led us to talk about what makes a good leader, not just a leader of a church, but any kind of leader in a spiritual endeavor, a disciple maker, uh, somebody that endeavors to do good to someone else in Christ, to help them grow in the faith and knowledge of him. And so chapter two was Paul's autobiography of the things he did that provided two things that we want to learn from a good leader. One, their example that that's foundational to, to lead somebody else for them to want to follow you as follow you follow Christ. They've got to be able to image what you're imaging, which is your life lines up with Christ's life, and then they can follow that. And it brings to mind, maybe as a kid you had those coloring books or stencil books where there was a picture, and then there was a translucent piece of paper over the top, and you would sketch that, you would outline that, and then you would pull it out and show it to your friends as if you drew that thing, and you didn't draw that thing, you just sketched it. And that's really what the art of imitation in the Christian life is. We're just drawing our lives after somebody else's life who's modeled theirs after Jesus Christ. And that's the marks of a good leader. We saw in chapter two the example, but also the encouragement he was in verses 13 to 20. That he wanted to encourage the people, uh, don't get so hung up on what I'm saying. As in, if my words are the secret. He says, you hear the Word of God as it is the very Word of God and you know, it's that because it performs a work in you who believe. So he encouraged them to look to the Word of God, and then he encouraged them to look to the sufferings of Christ. That whatever you're going through, know first that Christ went through it. And so have all people that have called upon his name. They faced the affliction. They face the persecution. And then the third way he encouraged them was to say, look to the end. Who's it going to be that stands with you in glory that one day? And as you are praising Jesus Christ and caught up in the wonder and love of being with him, there will be also an acknowledgement and understanding that there are those, he says, that are your hope and joy and crown of exaltation, that you're not just rejoicing in Christ, but you're also rejoicing that you got to play a part in someone else being there before the Lord at his throne, worshiping him forever. And there will be nothing that compares to that. And that was to motivate them and to encourage them to keep going. What we see in chapter three is the last mark of a good leader. It's not, again, an exhaustive list example and encouragement, but it rounds it out because this is the last chapter we get of Paul talking about himself and the reasons behind what he did before he moves in chapters four and five to give more exhortation and admonition. Chapter three is a mark of a good leader. That is a word that's fallen out of fashion, at least in my opinion. You don't hear as much. And that's the word earnest. That we see the mark of earnestness in the ministry of Paul in chapter three. He was an earnest leader, meaning he was sincere. He was intense, if you want to call it, uh, earnestness, that. There was loyalty, there was devotion, and there was ultimately a drive that marks a good leader when they come up against opposition. You know, in life you may think about what makes a good leader. And sure, it certainly has to start with something, as in they inspire and they're enthusiastic and they're zealous, and they can kind of get you moving in a direction. That's a mark of a good leader, and that they're doing something that wants to bring you into it. And so that may be somebody that starts a new church, if you will, in the ministry sense. And you get behind that person's vision and you want to follow them because they have a zeal that's inspiring and you get excited about it. And that's a good leader. But what differentiates the good from the great is can that person keep going when they start to hit some obstacles? Because the mark of great leadership between that and good leadership isn't so much what it takes to get the thing started, it's what takes to keep it going. That once there's some obstacles that you come up against, once there's some pushback, once there's some resistance. Did you fold up your tent and go home? Did you give up or do you have some drive, some earnestness to say, I'm going to push through this thing. I'm not going to quit. You can find a lot of people that want to start it, but who wants to finish it? And you can think about that in any realm of life. You know, if you got a new job, you're excited for the new job until the new job wasn't new anymore, right? Yeah, great. It's a new day, new boss, new role, new paycheck. And then, okay, it's still work. And do you do what you know is common now to just ghost them? Just bail out. No two weeks notice. I'm done. I'm off the scene. Because that drive goes away pretty quick. You're excited at the start, but you don't want to finish. In a church you can get behind a pastor's vision, or maybe a church is waiting for a new pastor to come. And there's of course, excitement for a new pastor. And that pastor might be excited for his new flock. And it seems like a match made in heaven. Until what? The honeymoon's over. What's that guy do when the sheep start to scatter or bite? Does he to bail out? Or the people that were so excited for him upon his first arrival, oh, you know, message is getting old. Did they bail? It may be most personal and close to home here would be when you get a new coach for your favorite local football team. Looking at you Carolina Panthers fans, if there are any of you left, think just one makes sense because they're on their sixth head coach in five years. So that, uh, every time the new guy gets named, there's this....all right, here we go. It's a new day. It's a new team, and it's a new opportunity. And then halfway through the season, two and eight. All right, fire that guy. Let's try somebody new. So we get it. We get how easy it is to get behind something new and exciting and fresh, and how easy it is in our flesh when it gets hard to want to give up. We know it takes energy and enthusiasm to start the race, but what does it take to finish it? It takes devotion, it takes drive. It takes the word we see here that describes the ministry of Paul to these people in chapter three. It takes earnestness. So we're going to get to see that Paul opens up his life to these Thessalonians in this third chapter, and really shows them his heart and how earnest he was to do them spiritual good, so that God gets the glory and they grow. Follow along with me as I'll read the 13 verses of chapter three, and then we'll look at five marks of earnestness in Paul in those 13 verses. "Therefore, when we could endure it no longer, we thought it best to be left behind at Athens alone. And we sent Timothy, our brother and God's fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith, so that no one would be disturbed by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we have been destined for this. For indeed, when we were with you, we kept telling you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction. And so it came to pass, as you know. For this reason, when I could endure it no longer, I also sent to find out about your faith for fear that the tempter might have tempted you, and our labor would be in vain. But now that Timothy has come to us from you and has brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always think kindly of us, longing to see us, just as we also long to see you. For this reason, brethren, in all our distress and affliction, we were comforted about you through your faith. For now we really live. If you stand firm in the Lord. For what thanks can we render to God for you in return for all the joy which we rejoice before our God on your account as we night and day, keep praying most earnestly that we may see your face and may complete what is lacking in your faith. Now may our God and Father himself, and Jesus our Lord direct our way to you, and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another and for all the people, just as we also do for you, so that he may establish your hearts without blame in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints." The grass withers and enthusiasm fades, but the Word of God endures forever. May the word this morning point us and promote in us a holy earnestness for his famous name.(?)
Point number one, earnest leaders are driven by love. Earnest leaders are driven by love. The first mark of Paul's leadership that we hear come across these pages in those first three verses, was his earnest affection. I mean, that's the route that is going to produce all the other fruit. If you don't have a driving, devoted, dedicated love for those that you are leading. The mission won't last. You know, we see in the book of Acts from the moment Paul steps on the scene, a great success as a church planter. I mean, he could go into a new place and with a holy boldness and a courage, get right to the synagogue, get right to the audience, start teaching and preaching, and believers come to faith...conversions and new churches start. And sometimes we miss though, how often in Acts it talks about Paul saying, I'm concerned about a church and I want to go back and see them again. I want to go revisit and strengthen the churches, because it wasn't just that Paul was a good church planter. He was a great church pastor. He wasn't just there to start the thing, to get excited to talk about converts, how many baptisms, and then when they say, hey, how's that church doing a few years later, he's like, oh, that's none of my business. You know, that's the next guy I rose up. No, you say. I'll tell you how they're doing, because I actually just went back there. And you know what it cost me? It cost me these afflictions. It cost me these bruises. It cost me this pain. Because, yeah, there's this church that's still standing there, but there's an opposition that outnumbers them. But it doesn't stop me from wanting to go back and see them because he's driven by a holy affection, a deep love and devotion to this church that you see right there in verse one. Therefore...the therefore saying that, look, I wanted to come see you, chapter two, verse 17 in person, you know, but I can't be there. Yet, I'm still eager, with great desire to come and see you face to face. And yet I've been hindered by Satan. But listen, you're my hope and joy and crown. We saw that all last week. And it could have been expected that at this point he would have said, you know, with Satan's hindrance. And I've moved on to some new churches. I'm just not going to make it, I give up. And that might have discredited his ministry because that's what the false teachers were saying there. The detractors were saying, yeah, see, Paul, he's gone now that there's some persecution. But how does he open in chapter three? He says, look, I've wanted to come see you. I've been hindered from seeing you. I know in the great day before the Lord Jesus, I'll see you, and you'll be my glory and joy. But you know what? When I could endure it no longer...there's that love starting to seep out. I couldn't endure it anymore. The suspense was killing me. What was the suspense? Are they still standing firm in the Lord? He hadn't seen them in over a year, and he's wondering what's become of their faith. He knows there's been affliction because the people that were afflicting him and got them out of Thessalonica ran him and Silas out of town. They followed him to the next place. And so it's keeping him in suspense that he couldn't endure it anymore. That word for endurance was a picture of a ship that would have pitch put around the outside to hold it together, and he's saying, that's like my heart for you. I'm trying to hold it together because I can't see you, but I love you. But you know what? At some point I had to come up with a way to to get to you. He didn't wallow in self-pity. He didn't sulk about it. He didn't point fingers and blame people. He attributed part of the cause was to Satan's hindrance. But even then, he was so in love with this people, this new church that he says, you know, we come up with a plan. Verse two, we um. Well, verse one, we thought it best for me to stay behind in Athens, and we sent Timothy ahead, our brother and God's fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith. We took action, and that's what a loving leader does. He doesn't just sit back and bemoan the fact that things haven't gone the way that he's wanted them to go. What does he do? He says, we come up with a plan. And here you see two dangers that he avoids in this plan, that tells us something about Paul's character as a leader. Um, no ego and no emo, as in, he avoids the egoism of a driven leader who just says it's my way or the highway, and he avoids the emotionalism of a weak leader who, you know, just riding the ups and downs of the reports he gets and he can't just stay steady. Where do we see that in verses 1 to 3? Well, we see the lack of ego when you count up the number of times in this chapter he uses we, not me language. And I'll save you the count...25 times in 13 verses...we, us, our. This wasn't just about Paul the Apostle. This was about Paul the...what does he call himself?...brother to Timothy, even though he was Timothy's father in the faith? And lack of ego saying, you know, Timothy's God's fellow worker, as in, he belongs to God, not to me. So I'm sending him on my behalf because he's a minister of the gospel of Christ. But we came to that decision together. It wasn't just about me...25 times he uses that. How many times did you use the pronoun I in chapter three? It's a quicker count...twice. You know, there's a lot of egoism in churches when sometimes it's just seen, you know, that's the guy. We got to follow him. His voice is the one that matters. And though Paul has got apostolic authority, he already talked about that in chapter two. Though I had the authority, I didn't use the authority. I came alongside you gentle like a mother. And I was encouraging, imploring you like a father. I was in your life, not above your life. So lack of ego, not just in the we language. But notice he also didn't pull the old, um, you know, God told me. Right? As if God exclusively was leading Paul, but not Silas and Timothy. He says, no, we thought it best together. We sent Timothy. We couldn't endure it. As in, there wasn't just this, um, you know, isolated fortress that Paul could build around himself with his apostolic authority, that whatever he thought was best. Everybody just has to say, okay, Paul said it, and he probably knew he could have done that. And he could model to us, in that the spiritual act of seeing that wisdom comes in a multitude of counsel. Right? Because a group decision can be wise and reliable more than an individual's decision. When we say, oh God told me, and then what do you leave the person that you told that to to say? No he didn't. But when you could say, hey, look, I came to this conclusion, I came to this decision with these other people in my life. We sought the Lord. We talked about it. We prayed about it. And this was the decision we came up with. We thought it best. So that avoids the egoism. And then the emo ism emotionalism. Notice just that simple idea. We thought it best. That, you know, he's not panicking here. We know his heart's on the table. He loves them. He's said that more than once...how much they mean to him. But he says, you know what? We stepped back and in the midst of all the affliction that you're going through and we're going through, we came up with a decision that we thought was wise. It wasn't just like, hey, let's go off of our gut instinct here. What do we feel we should do? No, he said, we talked about it. We thought about it. And this is the decision we came up with. And that's the mark of a great leader...is that it's not just about him, it's driven by love. So if you want to talk about a gut instinct of Paul's and Silas and Timothy's, it wasn't just to kind of go with the first thought that popped into their head, but it was a gut love. Because when Paul talks about his love for the churches in the New Testament, often he will refer to a word that encompasses the inner being of a person, loving them from the inside. And it's a word for the inner parts, the heart, the lungs, the bowels. And so it's gut love. That's what he led out of...a love that came from the deepest part of him for these people. And so out of that, we...Paul, Silas and Timothy, going back to verse one, Paul, Silas and Timothy. They were thinking about it and saying, hey, how do we get back to these people? Now quickly turn over to Acts 17, because it can be a helpful picture to kind of paint along as we're thinking about chapter three and what he was trying to come up with, the best decision. When you kind of just can follow the narrative, just for a few moments, I'll walk us through it. We know in Acts 17:1-9, this was the ministry in Thessalonica. Verses 1 to 4, they arrived, they preached the gospel, came in power. Verse four...a Large number of people were converted God fearing Greeks, uh, leading women and some of the Jews. But then verses 5 to 9, uh, persecution comes. And so Paul by the brethren of Thessalonica is immediately sent away. If you look at Acts 17:10, what brethren would we be talking about? Well, probably the believers that are there in Thessalonica that came to Christ over the last couple of weeks or months. Again, the humility of Paul, that it wasn't just his isolated, independent decision of everyone else to decide to leave. He said, hey, look, the brothers were saying, we got to get out of here. So verse ten, if you want to draw an arrow in your Bible to see where that actually fits into. It fits into the area between verses five and six when he's saying, hey, these Jews were jealous of us, and they formed a mob and they came to the house of Jason. Verse six, they didn't find us there. Well, why didn't they find them there? Because verse ten says, we were sent away by night to Berea. So when they got to Jason's house in verse six, Paul and Silas aren't anywhere to be found. So it was good for them to leave to avoid whatever was going to go down and they go 50 miles west to a city called Berea. And they had great success preaching the gospel there. And even the eagerness of Paul that arrives in a new place, though kicked out of the last one. Look at verse 11, Acts 17. We get to this place. These were more noble minded than those in Thessalonica. They received the word with great eagerness, examining the scriptures to see what things were. That eagerness in Paul led to what?...a reciprocation they were eager to be in the Word. Like he didn't clearly arrive there with his tail between his legs. Woe is me. He came in with that same enthusiasm he's always had...preaching and teaching in the synagogues, and it was reciprocated by the success of the reception of the people with their own eagerness. In verse 12 many of them believed. But verse 13, Jews from Thessalonica find out the word of God is being proclaimed by Paul there. So they come there to stir it up. And then verse 14, immediately the brothers in Berea send Paul to go to Athens, out to sea. He had to travel south, but Silas and Timothy stayed there. So now we have a few months after Paul's out of Thessalonica, the same rabble rousers come here to Berea, and they say, we got to get Paul out of here. And he was willing to what?...submit himself to their council...again, no ego. He goes on down to Athens and he's there by himself. And that's why, all the way back in chapter three, we thought it best to be left behind at Athens alone. He's speaking for himself, even though they made the decision together, and he sent Timothy back up to Macedonia to go to that church to see how they're doing. When does the gang all get back together? Well, again, flip back over to Acts 17. And he said, verse 15, when Silas and Timothy find a good word, what's going on there...come back and see me as soon as possible. When did they finally all reconvene? All the way over in Acts 18, verse five, Silas and Timothy come down from Macedonia, which is where Thessalonica was. Paul was in Corinth, and then they stayed there for the next year and a half. We see that in Acts 18:11 teaching the Word of God. So why I go down that side route is just to show, hey, when did this letter come into being? Well, it had to have been after Timothy comes back, gives this report in chapter three that he's talking about to Paul, and then he's in Corinth for a year and a half and he can write this letter and then Second Thessalonians. Everybody still with me? Okay, if you checked out, ask the person next to you when it's over, what happened in Acts 18 again? What city were we in? But that's the narrative account that parallels those first three verses. We sent Timothy to go see. Timothy comes back. Timothy has a message for us to let us know how you're doing. And what was the mission Paul sent him on in verse two...to strengthen and encourage them in the faith. Those two words, they work nicely together. When we think about how we want to help people that are suffering for Christ, going through some affliction for their faith. Uh, the word strengthen there in verse two is this idea of helping secure something foundationally. It's a structural word. It has this idea of check and make sure the foundation is good before you go around and look at anything else. And that's the second word to encourage, is then to go around and try to come alongside and get into all the little details of the thing and see how they're doing. Put that picture together. You know, when Jesus talks about at the end of the sermon on the Mount, you know, a person builds their house on him and his words, and a great storm comes in. And if you didn't build it on the foundation of him, the house is gone. So maybe take that picture in your mind and think about somebody that's going through some suffering and affliction and persecution for Christ, and their faith is a house. Just like if you lived on the coast and a hurricane came through and you live here, but you're, you know, your Airbnb that you own out there in, uh, wherever it is on the coast, uh, it gets hit. I don't think the first thing you're going to go do when you go to see that house is check if the Wi-Fi is working. You're going to want to see if the foundation is still there. You're going to make sure that the main thing is still there before you go around and say, oh my goodness, look at the shutters. You transpose that into how we give spiritual care to people by way of Paul. Paul's saying the first thing Timothy was coming to do to see...is the foundation of your faith still there? Are you still trusting in Jesus Christ? Before we get into all the other peripheral details, which would be to encourage them. When you're ministering to somebody who's gone through something, you know how it is to arrive on the scene. If they're in some crisis of faith, if they've gone through some suffering or persecution, you might walk in the room and they immediately just blurt it all out and they give you there's like, you don't even know where to start. 28 things that are going wrong in relationships and friction. And you're trying to catch it all, and you've got to maybe just let it all come out right?...and then say, hey, can we just get back to the foundation real quick? Like, how is your walk with Christ? I mean, I'm not saying we're not going to talk about all the other things, but can we check the foundation? How are you? Are you standing in Christ still? Is your hope still in him? Even going back to the beginning of 1 Thessalonians 1:3...a work of faith, a labor of love, steadfastness of hope in him. That's what Timothy went back to do. Because Paul is so torn up, because he doesn't know if even the foundation is there anymore. And once Timothy gets to check out the foundation and strengthen them from the bottom, then he can encourage them from the side. That's what that word means when he comes alongside. And that's what we do when we minister to people, isn't it? We don't just skip right to like, oh, I'm just going to encourage, encourage when we don't even know if the foundation's there. How was their walk with Christ? Is their identity in him? Is their assurance intact? That's what you got to know first and foremost. And that's what Paul did out of great love for them. He was determined to know what was really going on because he loved them so deeply from the inside. Verse three, the first part to conclude this section. He was worried because he thought they had been disturbed by these afflictions. He thought that maybe their faith had been, uh, tipped over. Now, that word disturbed is...it's actually a word that comes from a root word, a picture image of a of an excited dog and its tail wagging all, you know, uh, making the owner think like, oh, everything's great. It's excited to see me. And he's saying that that picture potentially is like somebody who's been afflicted is discouraged, and then somebody comes to disturb you by maybe getting you excited and taking you away from the faith that you have here and saying, hey, maybe you picked the wrong God, Thessalonians. Paul's gone. You're being persecuted. Your life's gotten worse, not better. Maybe you got the wrong God. Could you see how that might be what was in their mind...is they made a decision. When Paul's there, everything's great. Our leader's here, he's teaching us. We come to him with our problems. He helps us work through them. But now he's gone and these false teachers can come in and start discrediting Paul's life and claiming that he was there for greed and self-serving and his own glory...make them doubt and then disturb them and make them think, yeah, maybe we should go back to our old ways. That's what Paul's concern was, because he loved them so much. He was eager to see them, and he sent Timothy to be with them because he loved them from the inside. That's point number one of an earnest leader. Point number two, earnest leaders are discerning of the spiritual battle of the faith. They move from the things that they could see on the outside of what's going on, driven by love to they want to know really what's going on underneath the surface. And what's going on under the surface we see in 3 through 5. He sees the affliction and he's not making light of it. But read it for yourself. He goes, look, you yourselves know that we've been destined for this. Indeed, when we were with you, we told you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction. And it came to pass, as you know. Um, so as we mentioned last week, he's trying to help them look past their own suffering, not just to the sufferings of Christ, but them to remember the message he gave them when he brought Christ to them. Christ said he was rejected. He was hated. You're going to be rejected, too. Paul could say, look at my life. I'm rejected. I get run out of town. You're going to have that happen to you. So he's not coming along to try to minimize it and make them feel worse where they are. He's just reminding them of the reality of suffering for the faith. And what he's essentially saying there in verse 3, you yourselves know, we've been destined for this is this simple idea that affliction for Christ is never accidental. If you could remember anything from today, remember that. The affliction you suffer for Christ is never by accident. It isn't because you have an enemy that's doing everything he can...scheming, trying to hinder, as he talked about back in chapter two, trying to tempt in verse 5. So you have the enemy working against you. You have your own flesh to fight against, and then you have a sovereign God who, like in the book of Job., allows Satan to design this trial for Job because he knows he's a blameless and faithful man. And if you're just looking on the outside like Job's wife and Job's friends were, what did they come to the conclusion? Job's wife says, you know what? Curse God and die. Job's friends, curse yourself and die. It's great advice, isn't it? If you only see what's happening on the outside and you move from, oh, you're being afflicted, there's either something wrong with the God you chose or there's something wrong with your life. It's that cut and dry. That's not what a good earnest leader does. He doesn't just settle for the superficial, the things on the outside. Paul just doesn't. I mean, he tells them, look, affliction is real. I'm not minimizing that. We told you it was going to happen. You signed up for it. You know, you built your house out on the coast. You shouldn't be surprised when the hurricane hits. And it's not a matter of blame. It's just a matter of reality. You said you wanted to follow a savior who was rejected by his own people, suffered, put on a cross and died. And he said, if they hated me, they're going to hate you. So he reminds them of reality. But then this good leader says, here's what's really happening, verse 5. When I could endure it no longer I sent to find out about your faith. He didn't send to find out about your afflictions. He didn't send Timothy like, hey, can you write about me a full report of how bad it's gotten? He just wants one thing...he wants to know are they standing firm in Christ? So I sent to find out about your faith. Because that's what I was really fearful of. I was fearful that the tempter might have tempted you...back to verse 3. Your faith is being disturbed by the affliction. But what's happening underneath the surface is there's a tempter who's trying to get you to fall back. And if I find that out...our labor was in vain. If we find out that your faith is fruitless, then I guess our trip to Thessalonica was pointless. Because Paul knows what's going on behind the scenes. 2 Corinthians 2:11, Paul says to that church whenever there's affliction and conflict....and 2 Corinthians is a great epistle to read in parallel to some of the afflictions in 1 Thessalonians 1 and 2 and 3. Because 2 Corinthians is written to a church that's doing similar things to Paul when he's gone, they're now starting to discredit him, and he has to give his resume of how much he cared for them, loved them, what he's withstood for them. But he says in chapter two, we're not ignorant of the enemy's schemes. He could trace a surface issue back to the source because of spiritual discernment. He wasn't going to be fooled. He knew what the tempter was trying to do. The tempter was trying to tempt them to give up on following Christ. So he wasn't caught up on all the peripheral stuff. If you turn to 2 Corinthians chapter 10 and 11, you'll see how Paul can move past things of the flesh to see the things that are really going on. Chapter 10 starts out in a similar fashion where he's talking about the real battle, 2 Corinthians 10. The real battle isn't, verse 3, in the flesh. It says, we don't war according to the flesh, the things we can see. He says, the weapons of our warfare are divinely powerful, for the destruction of fortresses were destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God. That's where the battles at. The tempter is trying to design these afflictions in your life so that whatever you say you believe about God; you're going to abandon. And then he says, but we're here to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. That's what I'm here to do for you, Corinthians. That's what he was trying to do for the Thessalonians in sending Timothy back. This is a battle for truth. Because that truth is what's going to influence what you believe deep down. Last week you went from hearing the Word to agreeing to it...to believing it and your life was transformed by it. And so Paul is in similar fashion to these people in Corinth. His heart's broken over them. Chapter 11, he says, I'm afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. You see the parallels? It's the same battle going on in Thessalonica. It's just he can't be there for it. But it's this battle for the mind. What is true? Because everything around me wants to make me feel like God's given up on us. And God's servant Paul has given up on us. So, I guess all these things he said isn't reality. And Paul could have been caught up on the flesh, and he could have said, you know, that's the hardest thing. That's where it's at...it's the outward afflictions. But listen to the end of chapter 11. Paul is trying to prove to them, how much do I love you? How much have I given for you? How much do I love the church? What am I willing to take on for their good? Starting in verse 24 of 2 Corinthians 11, "Five times I received from the Jews 39 lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, I was stoned, I was shipwrecked. A night and day I've spent in the deep." I was just floating out there. "I've been on frequent journeys in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from countrymen, dangers from Gentiles, dangers in city, dangers in wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false believers. I've been in labor and hardship through many sleepless nights and hunger and thirst, often without food in cold and exposure." Talk about a battle on the outside. He's got the resume to prove it. But was that his deepest concern? Was that what troubled him most? Did he just stop there and say, see, that's the afflictions. That's how we know life's...no look what he says next in verse 28. "Apart from or on top of all those external things, there is the daily pressure on me, of concern for all the churches who is weak without me being weak, and who is led into sin without my intense concern." That's an earnest leader who has some spiritual discernment. He says, you know what? All the other stuff that I suffer, I can take it because that's outside of me. I can endure it. You know what I can't endure? You know what makes me weak? It's not the lashes. It's the languishing when I think there's a church whose believers are being led astray. There's believers being led into sin. And he says, that's my intense concern. What's a earnest leader do? He sees past the outside. He says, your soul, your state, your salvation, your sanctification, one day, your glorification...all of that is my deepest concern, and therefore it's my greatest burden. That's the person you want leading you. It's earnestness that doesn't stop at the externals, but a leader who can discern the battle below the surface. That's a person that has what it takes to finish. Not caught up on superficialities, but fighting for the soul. That's the second mark of his earnest leadership. The third mark is he's devoted to the spiritual growth in believers. I mean, that's why he can fight through all he can, look past the affliction. He can acknowledge it's real. He could not be okay with it. He could want to come and see him. But he says, here's what I'm really devoted to, verses 6 to 8, your spiritual growth. He moves from his intense love that drives him, to his discernment, that helps them see beyond what's on the surface to get to the heart of it. I want to know if you are going on in Christ and growing up in him. So what response does he get from Timothy? Timothy comes back. But now Timothy has come to us from you. So he's in Corinth. Timothy comes back. He has the report. And what is it?...he's brought us good news of your faith and love. It's awesome. Can you hear that sigh of relief in Paul's heart? That that longing, that waiting, that desperation. How are they doing? And he hears a knock at the door. He's like, hey, come in. It's Timothy, it's Timothy. How are you? And he goes, I'm good...and so is Thessalonica. And he uses a word in verse 6, the good news of your faith. He uses the word for gospel, and it's the only time in the New Testament that gospel is not talking about the gospel...the preaching of the person and work of Christ, his life, death, and resurrection. The only time it's used outside of that context is here. And he's taking that word and saying, in that same good news that I preached to Thessalonica, that led them to saving faith in Christ, when I hear they're walking with him, that's like the gospel to me. Because they're still going. And he doesn't talk about all the affliction and externals. What does he say? I heard the good news of your faith and love...right back to verse three. Your work of faith and labor of love. You're still holding fast to Christ, because that's what our faith comes back to when we're going through affliction, when we're going through persecution. Yeah, there might be a lot of other things we might not be feeling we're up to. But if somebody can look at our lives and say, the faith in Christ is still there, and it's evident by love for God and love for others, then I can rejoice. And not just he got a good report about their faith and love, but he says, Timothy comes in here and tells me that you think kindly of us. You want to see us as bad as we want to see you. The love is being reciprocated. Though I couldn't get to you and I still haven't seen you, you're just as devoted to me. I've loved you and you've loved me. And that's a relationship that Paul...there's no limits to that for him. He's devoted to their spiritual growth. He's talking about their... not just saving faith, but he's really talking about their working faith, their living faith, their faithfulness. And what does it do for his soul?...verse seven. Because I hear this good report and I'm so caught up in your spiritual good. He says in all of...notice, he goes back to talking about his own distress and affliction. He goes, yeah, I'm still suffering like you ever been to Corinth?...not a great place. In all of our distress and affliction, we were comforted about you through your faith. Like when I hear this good report about your faith, my faith is strengthened. My strength is bound up in your strength. It reminds us of 1 Corinthians 12:26...when one person suffers, we all suffer in the body of Christ, right? But when one person is honored, we all rejoice with them. That's how the body of Christ helps itself. It comes around each other and your highs are their highs and your lows are their lows. That's what a living body of Christ does and feels and thinks. And you see it now on display. At the heart of this passage in verse 8 might be the high point of it all when Paul says this, and it's an unbelievable line. For now, we really live...if you stand firm in the Lord. I mean, just take that in. Now because you're standing firm in the Lord, it's like life has come back into me. Flip it around. If I would have found out that you fell back. Then the tempter was right. He tempted you and you gave up, and it was all in vain. Uh, that would have been the death of me. If hearing that you're standing firm in the faith is life in me, then what's the opposite? You fall back, a part of me dies. Have you experienced that? I mean is your care and discipleship to that degree. That it's not just, you know, when things are going well in their life, you're....Oh, great. But man, when they're down it's like part of you is dying on the inside because you're so bound up in their life. Your heart is so tied up with theirs that their good is your good. And their failures, you feel, and the worst possible report you could get wouldn't be of something just that has to do with outward afflictions that you would hear. What he's saying is that inwardly...you gave up. You fell back. That would kill me. It would absolutely kill me. That's the heart of a devoted leader so devoted to their spiritual growth, so passionate. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12:15, I will most gladly spend and be spent for your soul. Why does he say that? Because a few verses later he says that I'm afraid, Corinthians, I might come and find out that you're not standing firm in the faith. And I would be heartbroken. So as you kind of let that hit you this morning as a leader, I mean, do the people you pour into the disciples you've made...people in your own household. Would they sense that about you? You know, in all the ebb and flow of the ways in which you're involved in their life. They could say, look, yeah, I mean, this bugs me about Adam, but I know deep down that he has my spiritual good in mind. You know that one, you put yourself in the shoes of the leader, but also as a follower. You know, sometimes on that side, as sheep, we don't understand this level of devotion, do we? I mean, when you've had a sense that, oh, this person is just too intense, they're coming after me too hard. I want to hold them back a little bit. And you might think they're being pharisaical and legalistic in their pursuit of your holiness, and they're following up and they want accountability, and maybe they can say it not perfectly, and nobody does it perfectly outside of Christ. Okay? But could you give them a charitable view that maybe there's a part of verse 8 in that person that's pursuing you? And it's not that they're just trying to come over top and Lord over and wear you down and wear you out. Maybe, just maybe, they have this level of commitment and care for you. How committed? That even, moving on to verse 9 and 10, moving from the devotion to you to a delight in God. You start to understand that why somebody could be so intensely committed to your good in Christ is because they see it all as a work of God's grace, verse 9 and 10. They're delighting in God for growth, just like Paul was doing, though he was so comforting and excited and strengthened. He now tells you, like really what was going on is this was just me being thankful for the grace of God in your life. Like, this isn't about me, and this isn't really about you. You're a work of the grace of God. And so when you grow, I have reason to give him praise. I'm not standing around patting myself on the back or Silas or Timothy. Guys, aren't we the best church planters ever? Yeah, we're kind of the only church planters ever. You know, the church is only 20 years old. Everybody else is getting killed, you know. No, he's saying, look, how could I be anything but thankful to God? What thanks can I render...that word is monetary word. It's how can I monetize God's grace? Like, how can I pay him back? When I hear that you're standing firm in Christ, what could I do other than rejoice because I can't pay him back? It's priceless. The work of God's grace in your life is priceless, believer. And so somebody that cares about you, their celebration and their joy really is ultimately, it's terminating on God because they see that he's the one doing it. That's where that fervor and zeal comes from. It's delighting in God for their growth. And yet, as you know, with a lot of people in your life, maybe a good coach you had or a parent who pushed you, that person is never satisfied with good enough, are they? They want the best for you. So look what he says in verse 10. I mean, just when they would have thought they're off the hook, like, cool. He rejoices with joy before God on our account because we're doing so well. And then he says, yeah, and, you know, night and day, we keep praying earnestly that we come see you. And they're like, sweet. Yeah, it's going to be a bunch of high fives and awesome. He's like, no, no, no, I want to come to complete what's lacking in your faith. Oh, so the work's not finished? Of course it's not finished. Because someone with this level of earnestness, they delight in God for your growth. You think they're going to be like, okay, finished work. I'm done here. No, it's like, now I'm going to come see you and we're going to really turn it up a notch. I'm going to complete what's lacking in your faith. That idea...that phrase complete...what's lacking...It's even used in the gospels of the disciples mending their nets, you know, the wear and tear of throwing them out to sea. It's the disciples on the shore mending their nets as in they're filling in the gaps. They're reconnecting the things that get torn apart. So what's he want to do with them? He wants to come and reattach some things. There's still more to teach. Uh, it's actually the same word, too, in Luke 6:40, when Jesus says a pupil is not above his teacher, everyone who is fully trained will become like their master...same word here for complete what's lacking. So there's more teaching he has. Remember, he was only there for a couple months. So he's saying, I got to get back to you. Your faith is strong. The foundation is still there. Uh, you got that work of faith and labor of love, and your hope is still in Christ, and the suffering hasn't ruined you. Okay, I'm going to come and teach you some more. Hope you're ready for it. So you can delight in God and not be satisfied with what you see in yourself and in others. Why? Because until the day we die. What? We're in the middle of our own sanctification. We still got a ways to go. We never graduate from that. We're never the person that says, oh, you know what?...I've heard it all before...thanks. Really? Wow. You're in really rarefied air. Like you're the only Christian in history, actually. Congratulations. You got nothing left to learn, right, Jerry? Nothing left to learn. You've heard it all. And, Jerry, you probably have. But you're there. Bible. Open. Because even for him Christ is still interested in filling up what's lacking in his faith. And he's been in Christ longer than anybody alive in this room. So where does that leave the rest of us? Graduated?...nothing left to learn? Nowhere left to grow? No, that is the heart of a devoted, earnest leader. He says, now I'm going to come, and there's more for us to do. And think how exciting that is for them to hear. Like he wants to come back and we're going to the next level with him. He's got something else for us to learn and grow in. And then when you pour into other people, even if they seem to like be fallen away or not interested, know that if they're in Christ, there's still got to be something in them that eventually is going to come around. Don't give up on him...earnestness doesn't. And then last but not least, how does this all come together? Well, earnest leaders are dependent on God for that growth. You know, he mentions, I've been praying for you earnestly night and day. And then he actually says, you know what? I might as well tell you what I pray for...Verses 11 to 13, a benediction, as we call it. A Latin word for good sayings. And it's really a prayer that's now written out and expressed for the Thessalonians to hear when they might have heard verse 10 and wondered, okay, what, uh, what is he praying for us? Well, three things...first in verse 11. May our God and Father himself and Jesus our Lord direct our way to you. Note that once again, in this early church, Paul is reiterating that there is equality between the Father and the Son. God the Father himself, and Jesus our Lord...working in harmony, working together. Why? Because they needed to understand that's the foundation piece of faith. Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus is Lord and he can put those two right next to each other. Which would what? When those people are saying that really get all those jealous Jews in Thessalonica all up in arms again. Because they rejected Jesus Christ as Lord. They rejected Jesus Christ as the Son of God. So he puts it at the beginning in verse one, and then in this benediction puts it back in there. But he says, the first thing we're praying for is that we could see you again. The second thing we're praying for is that the Lord would cause you to increase and abound in love for one another and all people. So we've been saying this from the beginning...what's the marks of salvation in a person? Foundational marks fundamental to a real Christian...a work of faith as in saving faith, they trust in the Lord. A labor of love. I'm praying that your love, would increase and abound. And how is it going to do it? Well, the Lord would be causing it. I'm not taking any credit or under any impression that it's me, Paul the Apostle. It's God working out, God working in...you, working it out. So that's the second prayer request. And the third is for their holiness. That he may establish your hearts without blame in holiness. Now he even takes it to the end and says, because one day we're to stand before him...the bride of Christ...perfected, pure. So we should start looking like that now. Not wait till then. So he says, I'm praying that he's establishing you fundamentally in your heart. Without blame and holiness before God, our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints. I think those are three wonderful prayer requests...one to be with them. He loves them. Second, that they would grow in love for one another, and third, that they would walk in holiness. Now, right from that prayer, which is a prayer for God's power to be at work. He's going to go into two chapters of exhortation...ethics. And that's often the framework of Paul's letters. And it's also gospel order for any believer...is that for three chapters, what has he done with them other than affirm their identity in Christ? He reminds them that they are rooted and grounded in Christ, not in their performance. He's just reflecting on the fact that the fruit of your life is you're really still standing firm in him. However, guys, we do have some things to work out, so I've been praying that you're going to grow. God's going to establish your heart without blame in holiness. And then as we come back next week and we start preaching in chapter four, buckle up because it's exhortation. For the Christian we take that. For the last month and a half, we've been built up and affirmed. And this is who we are. Part of a good church...Why? Because we know we're a work of the grace of God. It produces gratitude in us for the power of the gospel, working to produce spiritual growth in our life. Great, wonderful. We need to get into the nitty gritty of our lives. And Paul's going to do that really quickly next week right away, talking about our sanctification. But we don't just jump into that. Paul doesn't ever just jump into that. He starts with letting you know who you are. What's already true of you in Christ. If you're an unbeliever here today and you've heard, wow, this. I mean, if there were really people that lived like this, that had this type of devotion, that had this type of discernment, that had this type of diligence and drive, I'd want to be one of those people. No, no, no, what you need today is Christ. It's great to be encouraged and admire that. But you trying to put on and do any of these things apart from your trust in Christ would be like you going to put gasoline in your car and you don't have an engine. It's going to do nothing for you. You have to start with a relationship with Jesus Christ today and realize that anything good we have said about who Christians are to be is only made possible by the gospel. Not by our own efforts, not by the will of man, of flesh and blood, that we strive to do this on our own. You're made righteous and perfect and complete in Christ. That acknowledges that you can't do it on your own, that you're a sinner and you need salvation. That's the starting point for any of you today. Now the finishing point is living this out, walking it out. And then you would join the rest of us. Who say, but by the grace of God we'll strive, we'll be earnest. But we don't take one step forward without looking back and saying, Christ, my righteousness that happened at the cross. And he rose from the grave for my justification. And when somebody asks me, Adam, where's your righteousness right now? It's at the right hand of God in heaven. It's not down here on earth. You just see the fruit of it by God's grace. But the root of it is in him. And so if you don't have Christ as your Savior this morning, call out to him. See yourself, the sinner in need, and see Christ, your great substitute that went on the cross in your place, sacrificed his life for yours so that you could be forgiven and you could have eternal life in him. You can call upon him today. Let's pray. Father, we thank you this morning for the encouragement we draw from your Word. We thank you for its power. As Paul wrote in chapter two that its power is seen in the way that it transforms those who believe. That how we know this word is doing a work in us is not just that we get inspired by it. But we get transformed by it...that we look into your perfect law and we don't walk away and forget what we look like. But by the work of your spirit in us. You apply these things to our hearts and out of the conviction we have and affection we have for you, we become more like you as we've looked to you today, Christ, and heard you in your Word. Help us to grow more like you. Help us to be earnest. Earnest in our love and devotion to you first and foremost. And from that overflow earnest to the people around us. And that we would see your work in us and through us for your glory alone. Amen.
Pulpit Curriculum PDF Pulpit Curriculum DOCX * View Transcript The Marks of a Good Leader: Encouragement
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It's a joy and an honor to get to preach God's Word anywhere, whether it's here in Hickory or overseas. Um, it's the highest privilege. And, uh, part of that is at the heart of a pastor's greatest joy is a singular element that you preach for. And that is, you preach to see the Word of God at work in your people. That...really what is the greatest joy in a pastor's life is, um, not just the act of preaching and maybe seeing how people respond in the moment, watching, looking out and seeing that you are awake and not asleep, but more so Bible open, interested and learning of the Word of God. But really it's in the aftermath. It's in the reports that you hear of people's lives being changed, of transformed lives by the gospel of Jesus Christ, and then the teaching that comes from his Word. All of that put together really is at the heart of what brings a preacher the greatest joy in his work...is in knowing that the Word of God has been at work. We hear that in Paul's words throughout his epistles. Maybe, no more clearly when he talks about in Philippians 1, that though it would be far better to go and be with Jesus Christ, and nobody would argue with that. If to live is Christ, then to die is gain. And he says, I'd like, look, if I could go and be with the Lord, I would. But there's something that's a rival to that down here. And it's not saying it's better, but if there's anything that's keeping me around, that's keeping me going, that's keeping me content, that's keeping me satisfied down here, he says in Philippians 1:25, it's that that I continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith. And that's the heart of a preacher of a pastor is to say, hey, uh, if I believe what I'm teaching and Christ is everything, and he is the treasure in a field that's worth selling everything I have to get him. Well, then of course I want to go and be with him. Otherwise, do we really believe how great he is? But he says, you know what keeps me here? Why I'm okay?...is because when I see someone else coming to know Jesus Christ and then seeing their progress in the faith, their growth in the faith and their joy in the faith. I'm good. I'll stick around a while, because that's the heart of the pastor is to see his people grow in Christ. You hear it in, 3 John 4 when he writes, I have no greater joy than this to hear of my children walking in the truth. We actually got to see a picture of that this morning in the first service, uh, with one of our elders, Chris Peterson, getting to baptize his son, Judah. I mean, right there in front of our eyes this morning. There's no greater joy in Chris Peterson's life than get to baptize his own son, to see Christ save him, and then set him apart and grow him the faith and want to commit his life to following him and make that known publicly. The only thing Chris needed help with that you missed was getting Judah out of the water. He's a solid dude. Unfortunately for Chris, he's getting older and he still has two more boys that are just as big as Judah. And so we're going to put the elders on a weightlifting plan. Um, you know, because, uh, you know, you got to have some muscle to get some of these people in and out of the water. And so, uh, elders that aspire, uh, we're going to get you in the weight room, bench pressing and just testing you physically there to go along with the doctrine. But it really is our joy is bound up in the joy of our people. I say it another way. It's bound up in our people, walking in the truth, being sanctified. I mean, I'd not have much satisfaction, if I just thought we're just plateaued. You know. Let's come in. Do the same things. Say the same things. And check attendance, check giving and check out. There's no satisfaction in that. The joy comes when you see your people walking in the truth. Seeing spiritual growth in their lives. And that's really what chapter one was about when we talk about this series. If you're new here and you've just started coming, we started in January in this letter because we wanted to imitate this church. Thessalonica was a good church. When you read this letter, there is so much commendation. Uh, even you hear the phrase excel still more. And so we said, hey, if we want to be like this church, how did it come to be. In chapter one recap was, uh, the marks of a good church that if you want to be a good church, read chapter one and see the marks of what was happening there. And we said there were four of them. We saw that a good church starts by the grace of God. Number one, God's grace. Number two, that leads to being thankful or having gratitude to God for that work. And we saw that in verses three and four, that Paul comes right out of the gates and says how thankful he is, uh, for God's work in these people. So the grace of God leads to gratitude in God's people for the gospel of God, which we talked about in verse five and really runs through verse ten. How do you have a true work of God's grace in a church? You have the gospel being preached. You have people hearing the gospel, and then the last "G" spiritual growth. And that's what he talked about when he said, you became imitators of us, and the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you. And we've heard reports from places we haven't even been to yet of your faith that it's making a difference. And so if you missed it or you forgot about it, it's been a few weeks. That was chapter one. Paul talking about the church and saying you are a good church by the grace of God. I'm thankful for it. I see the gospel at work growing you into his Christ likeness. Here's the issue though. When you turn to chapter two, you understand that Paul has to now defend himself by way of the things he is refuting. That he is being accused, and we learn this back in Acts 17:1-9, when Paul came with the Gospel to Thessalonica, verses 1 to 4, it was a great reception, as in the people heard the word preached, and it says some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of the God fearing Greeks and a number of leading women. And right after that, verse five, the Jews became jealous and formed a mob and ran them out of town. So this church was born amidst affliction, persecution, opposition. And it wasn't that they could leave well enough alone by getting Paul and Silas and Timothy out of town, the enemies of the gospel and the enemies of Paul. And that's what enemies of gospel will do. They can't stop the message, so they try to stop the messenger. And so Paul has to defend himself in chapter two. They were trying to undermine the credibility of the gospel of Jesus Christ, by what?...attacking the integrity of the preacher. And you get that...you've seen it. Maybe you've experienced it. That you brought the gospel to people, and some other people were offended by that. And, they can't mess with the gospel itself. It's God's word, but they can look for things in your life to attack. And that's what Paul was experiencing. So chapter two, we moved from talking about the marks of a good church in chapter one to the marks of a good leader in chapter two, and we saw in verses one through 12 that the mark of a good leader, preacher, pastor, person in the pew. It's the same for all of us. It's that you're an example. That people can look at your life and say, that matches up with what?...1 Timothy 4:16, your doctrine. And you're to watch both of those closely...for your salvation and the salvation of your hearers. We call them the twin tracks of the Christian life. How does the train move down the track? You got to watch your life and you got to watch your doctrine. And we can watch our doctrine. We can be precise. But we can sometimes give ourselves a pass on our lives. And Paul, the only way he could defend himself when he was being attacked by these enemies is four times in those first 12 verses in chapter two he says, you know, you know, you know, you know. Whatever they said...they said, but you know what you saw and your eyes didn't lie. You saw the example, I was amongst you. You saw how I taught you courageously. How I led you boldly. Loved you like a mother. And instructed you like a father. And you are who you are today by the grace of God. And by the effort of the disciples who were there. And that's what brings us to our section today, 13 to 20. And what we'll see in this section is the marks of a good leader by way of encouragement. He defended himself and his example in 1-12 in chapter two and now in 13 to 20. He understands that even though he's gone, these people are suffering. They're afflicted. They're being led to believe things about him that aren't true. And they need encouraged. And a good leader encourages his people. And we'll see that in three ways this morning. Paul's encouragements. He'll encourage them in the Word. He'll encourage them in their suffering, and he'll encourage them in their waiting. So let's read together and then we'll jump into the first point being encouraged in the Word. Chapter two, verse 13. "For this reason, we also constantly thank God that when you receive the Word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the Word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe. For you brethren became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you also endured the same sufferings at the hands of your own countrymen, even as they did from the Jews who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and drove us out. They are not pleasing to God, but hostile to all men, hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved, with the result that they always fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them to the utmost. But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short while in person, not in spirit, where all the more eager, with great desire to see your face. For we wanted to come to you I, Paul, more than once, and yet Satan hindered us. For who is our hope or joy or crown of exaltation? Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? For you are our glory and joy." That's powerful. May it be of us this morning that we hear and receive and accept not the word of men, but the Word of God as it really is. Point number one, it's not about my word. It's about God's Word. Paul is a good leader, and he's going to encourage them. And the first way he encourages them to say, listen. Whatever you remember of me and my words it's really not about what I said. It's about what God says. And that's what starts him down the path of encouragement. He gets them back to the foundation of their faith. He gets them back to the root of their faith before he talks about the fruit of their faith. When you're in some kind of turmoil, when things seem flipped upside down, when you're being persecuted for your faith, when you're suffering for Jesus Christ and you don't know which way is up. You need somebody to come alongside you and say, hey, listen, what got you to where you are? You didn't get yourself into this thing. You didn't just follow somebody's bad ideas. Some man's mere opinions. You're not crazy in this crazy world. People telling you you've believed some fairy tale or follow the science or whatever the buzzword is. What did you believe that has brought upon you the circumstances you're in and suffering for the name of Jesus Christ? He tells you in verse 13. He says to this afflicted church. Listen. Looking back quickly to verses 11 and 12, we came. We exhorted. We encouraged. We implored you. Why? So that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into his kingdom and glory. And now maybe you're worried a little bit. You're afflicted, you're suffering. Maybe you're wondering, was it worth it? Did anything real happen? So in verse 13, he said, hey, for all those reasons, we preach to you, we taught you, we encouraged you so you would walk worthy of the God who called you. Now we can thank God. Because you're so awesome? And powerful?, and you found that strength within you to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps? No, that's not how it happened. We thank God that when you receive the Word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men for what it really is. You accepted it as the Word of God, and that's how it did its work. That's why you're still standing. That's why you have any faith to begin with. Because it wasn't ever about Paul or Silas or Timothy, no matter how impressive we were as orators. Because in that day and time, yeah, there were a lot of false teachers. I mean, the Jews who were persecuting Paul, Silas and Timothy and trying to cause doubts. They weren't entirely wrong that a new guy could roll into town with some new message. And if he was eloquent enough, if he had wisdom in his speech, if he sounded like the Greeks, the sophists, those who could impress you with their words. 1 Corinthians 1 and 2 come to mind, don't they? This was the world Paul entered into. And he's saying, you know what? It wasn't about the things I was saying. It wasn't about the words of men. That's what they're trying to lead you to believe. But your faith doesn't rest on the words of men. It rests on the power of God. 1 Corinthians chapter 1. Paul says that I was with you in chapter 1 Corinthians 2. He was talking to the church at Corinth, same type of city, same type of melting pot of false religions. And he says, I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom. Well, what were they then? I mean, if you weren't that impressive as a speaker, what did people buy into? He says, my words were in a demonstration of the spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God. Some of you need to hear that this morning. Younger generation, man, you can find some impressive speakers on YouTube. I mean, they're the ones getting the views. They're the ones that are going to pop up in your feed. Are you being persuaded by their fine sounding words that they craft together that makes you go, oh yeah, that sounded good. Is it the Word of God, or is it the word of men? You ever stop and ask that question? Am I really buying into God's Word here...God's truth here? Am I just buying the latest thing being sold?...in the day and age. Is it just flattering me as Paul had to defend against back in chapter 2 where he says, I didn't come with flattering speech, which is just for a false teacher, a pretext for greed. God's my witness. I wasn't looking for glory from you. The only one I care about is the opinion of God. That's who sets me apart and puts me into this ministry. So he says, what does your faith rest on? It rests on the Word of God. Now he breaks it down in verse 13 in kind of three ways by way of the phrases. And actually, it's where the Protestant Reformation, some of the reformers back in the 1500s when they tried to answer the question, what is saving faith. When somebody comes to faith in Jesus Christ, what's it composed of? What's happening? Well, they came up with three words in Latin, notitia, census and fiducia as in...you have to know it, you have to agree to it and you have to trust it. And there's your Latin lesson for today. But it's no good if it's just merely the words of men. I mean, just because some really smart guys 500 years ago came up with it and we're still teaching it doesn't mean it's true. Does it square with God's Word? It's in verse 13. Did you see it? First to know...to understand. He says that when you receive the Word of God, which you heard from us...first step of saving faith, you got to hear it and you got to comprehend what you're hearing. That faith comes by hearing. Hearing by the Word of Christ. How will they believe if they haven't heard? Paul asks in Romans 10:14. So the first step of saving faith is what's the content you're hearing? Am I hearing about the person and work of Jesus Christ that alone has the power to save? That's the first step of saving faith. One of the gentlemen that got baptized in first service. He was testifying. Hey, look, man, I was raised in the church. I got sprinkled as an infant. My parents took me to church my whole life. I married a Christian girl, and when we got married, she looked at me and she said, hey, I need you to commit to one thing. You're going to raise our kids to know Christ...to be in Christ. And he just testified up here. He said, yeah, I said yesterday I had no idea what she was talking about. This is a guy that was in church his whole life. Check boxes probably got catechized. Had no idea what it even meant to say...you're going to raise our kids to be in Christ. That's step one. I mean, you got to at least know and comprehend what you're hearing. You got to know who Jesus is...Son of God. Truly God, truly man, sent from heaven. Sent from heaven to do what? What did he do? He came with a message...repent and believe, for the kingdom of God is at hand. Why could he say that? Because he was from heaven. He didn't have a message from Earth. He had a message from heaven. And he proved it by his works. He backed up his words with his works. He had the power that only God had. But yet his mission wasn't just to come down and impress people with his power. His mission was to seek and save the lost. He was on a mission to die, and he had to tell the disciples that, and it caused some to walk away. It caused some to say, hey, no, I'm not going to let you die. And he said, that's, that's out. I'm here to give my life as a ransom for many. And he did when he went to the cross, suffered the shame, took the punishment that we deserve from God his wrath on him. All of it paid for. Predicted he was going to die and come back again three days later. And he did it. Raised for our justification. That's the person of Jesus Christ and his work. You got to know that to be saved. To know anything less than that means you don't understand really what you say, you know, and that can't save you. So why, even in children's ministry here, from the youngest age, what are we teaching the kids? We're teaching them the gospel. We're making it so they can understand it. Because they got to know it to be saved by it. Paul says you received it as you heard it from us. Second. First is notitia to know. Second is census. You accept it, you agree to it. What are you agreeing to? It's not just man's words, but what is it really? It's the Word of God. Which is another way to say it's the truth. It's the only truth. It's absolute truth. In today's vernacular, it's not your truth. Your truth is code for your opinion. Some of you have been raised to think your truth is the truth. And the culture today has brainwashed this generation to equate how they feel with what is true. And that's absolutely not the truth. But you know what? It plays well to what?...our pride. How we feel...that's going to determine what I decide to do. And then to justify my actions all I have to say is I'm speaking my truth. Well, that's relative. It means nothing. It'll save nothing. It'll do nothing except maybe make you feel good for a little bit. And he's saying, look, this is how you separate it out. You have the Word of God and you have everything else. And if you haven't been able to figure that out, you haven't taken that second step. Not just hearing the Word, but agreeing to the claim of God's authoritative truth. Now, in Paul's day, he even looked back to Acts 17. What was it that was getting them in trouble? What was it was causing the Jews to form a mob in the city and run them out? Well, it was the collision of two truths, two competing truths. Verse 7, they said, there's another king beside Caesar. The Christians were going around teaching that Jesus is Lord. The Greeks were going around teaching Caesar is Lord. Which is true? It's a collision of worldviews, isn't it? And that's what collides in front of you today. You either agree and believe that Jesus is Lord, or there's some other competing truth in your life. What is it? Is it God's Word or man's word? Martin Luther says this about God's Word versus human opinions. We must make a great difference between God's Word and man's word. Man's word is a little sound that flies into the air and vanishes. But the Word of God is greater than heaven and earth, greater than death and hell, for it is the power of God and endures everlastingly. That's the root of our faith. That we believe that even what is a preacher then? A preacher is an earthly messenger with what?...a heavenly message. What's he doing? He's proclaiming God's divine agenda over everything through human agency. So that's all I'm doing. I'm a mouthpiece. I have no authority. But when you sit under the Word of God and you feel the conviction of it on you, what's happening to you in that moment? It's the Spirit of God using the Word of God to convict you as a child of God. This is true. It's one of the ways you know you're a child of God. It's the agreement you have in your inner being when your spirit cries out, yes, that's true. Jesus is Lord. So you agree to it. And then third, and this is the step that I can't help you with. I can make it clear. And I could try to convince you it's true. But I can't do the third thing. What does it say back in 1 Thessalonians 2:13, it performs its work in you who believe. That's fiduciary. That's faith, that's trust. How much faith does it take to be saved? Faith of a mustard seed. Because your salvation doesn't rest on the size of your faith, it rests on the object of it. That's why. Why sit around and try to debate? How much faith does it take to be saved? No, how much of a Savior does it take to be saved? That's what it comes down to. That's why you can have faith like a child. That's why we can preach the gospel to young children over there. And some of them, by God's grace, can come to faith, because they don't have to have every answer figured out in this entire book. It takes a lifetime. You got to have enough faith to believe the one thing you absolutely need to know to be saved, and that's to call upon Jesus Christ as Lord. I was thinking about this...I was trying to find ways I was over in Romania teaching these gypsy pastors how to how to teach. And I'm trying to figure out how to teach guys who are learning it in another language than me. And the idea is you try to get the concept across because the words are going to be lost. And so I was trying to come up with an illustration for this saving faith, this to know and to agree and then to trust. And I talked about getting on that airplane. You know, the first thing I just have to know is like, where's the plane going? Right? Like, when do I have to show up at the airport? I got to know that. Uh, where's it leaving out of Charlotte. Touching down in Heathrow, ending up in Bucharest. And you could try to find out more things. You could try to know more about this thing. You could study it all you want. At some point, I had to agree to what was there and say, okay, I agree that this plane is going to get me from here to there. But it didn't mean anything until I did what? Got on the plane, sat down. That's faith, friends, because I'm sitting there with the notitia and the census going...why does it look like, um, there's like a crack in the wall here. Somebody's going to fix this? And then you look out the window and you're looking at all those, uh, rivets and screws on the airplane, and you're like, I didn't see anybody go out and check all them. Do I need to look under the hood and understand how that engine works? So I'm texting my buddy Casey here, who's a pilot, and then he describes the great engine, and I have no idea what he's talking about. So I just always respond, cool. What? That's a big bird I'm in. You know, because that's the code language. It's a big bird. What really does it for me...the faith that it takes for me to fly. I'm always praying, God, you're in charge of this flight. So, um, I'm either getting to where I'm going or I'm meeting you. Let's try to simplify it. It's my two options when I'm 30,000ft in the air over the Atlantic Ocean. What are your options? But the thing that gets me on the plane, I mean, one, is the object of my faith, the plane itself, but the pilot. I mean, if that guy's getting on this thing, then I can get on it. And I don't check his credentials. I mean, he may not even know what he's doing. He just slept at a Holiday Inn or whatever it is. But if I see the guy sitting up there about to fly and I go, well, if he's confident enough to get this thing up in the air, then I'm going to sit down, too. It's the object of my faith. It's not that I know every single thing about the airplane to get on it, to go across the ocean. So for some of you sitting here today, where are you at? Where are you at? It's okay if you're at step one. It's the first time you've heard the gospel preached. You haven't heard about Jesus before, or you heard a different version. You know, people trying to preach a different Christ. You know, it's amazing what happens when I actually learn about Christ from the Bible. Yeah. It is. Maybe you're at step one and you have more questions about the content. That's okay. We got classes here. We'll meet you during the week. You email us, we'll sit down and have a lunch. Answer every question you got. A lot of you may be in step two, which is do I agree with it? Does it collide with the worldview that I already have, or do I think that all truth what?...comes back to me. One of my friends here, we, um, sometimes, uh, I'll find a stupid saying on, um, a tea bag that I have. Yogi...they always put those inspirational sayings, and I didn't get to text them this morning, but it said your strength is your own knowledge. And I said, ha, no it's not. I mean, like my own, but if my knowledge is about who?...then I've got some strength. But it's outside of me. And that's where some of you are today. You got to say, hey, is what I know and agree to God's truth, or is it my own? And that's the collision that's happening right now. And the spirit of the age has confused what you say is feeling with facts. Your truth is trying to claim an authority that you don't have. You got to submit yourself and humble yourself before the Word of God. And take it at its word. And it said no clearer in all of Scripture than to say, you take it for what it really is, the Word of God. Which means it's true, it's perfect, it's powerful, and it can change your life. So where does that leave you then? Step three. That's where it leaves most people. It's no longer a question of content. It's a question of the cost. Do I submit my life or as the young lady said this morning...Do I surrender my life not to a set of propositional truths. I surrender my life to a person. I believe the truths of what it says about Jesus. How do I know who he is and what he did without those truths? But did you notice what she said? I had to turn from what?...trusting in me to trusting in Christ. That's saving faith. That you believe in the person of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, who rules and reigns right now. Do you trust him? And even what you just learned about him in the last 30 minutes is enough to be saved, but you have to call upon his name to be saved. It's not enough just to say you heard it. That won't save you alone. It's not enough to even say it's true. Demons believe and shudder. It's, do you take Jesus Christ as he says he is and what he did for you, the sinner. And then it's something else you do about yourself. You acknowledge the sin in your own life. You realize that I've been trying to be my own savior as that girl said this morning, and you turn it over to him and you say, I surrender, I'm done. I'm not Lord...Jesus is Lord. And you can call upon him this morning. So that's the first thing a good leader does. He takes you back to the roots of your faith in order to talk about the fruits of your faith, which is the next section. Paul moves in verse 13 talking about the foundation, the most important thing, the thing to spend the most amount of time on, which is the power of the Word of God that performs its work in you who believe. So what work should you expect to see? Well, 14 to 16 Paul says it's not really about your life. It's about Jesus's life, and the work that you're going to see is that you're willing to endure suffering for him. Rather than think, oh, look what this cost me, and look what I'm losing. He's saying, look what you gained. You have Christ. You may be losing everything else, but a good leader encourages and says, if you just keep your eyes on yourself, that's going to get you nowhere. Let me just ask you to look up real quick in verse 14. Listen, you're not going through anything nobody else has been through. He says, you're just like the churches of God in Christ Jesus. So true Christians, because a true Christian is a what? A person who's found in Christ Jesus, a child of God, but he calls them to look at the churches and the example of the churches in Judea. What's he referring to there? Well, he's saying that first group of believers, those first disciples right after Jesus died, what happened to them? They were either already killed or they had to. What? They had to run. They had to go. And he's saying you're enduring the same sufferings at the hands of your own countrymen, even as they did from the Jews. This isn't some idea of anti-Semitism in Paul. No, he's saying your own countrymen. He's talking to Gentiles. What he's trying to encourage them with is, look your own tribe, your own people, your own family. The moment you have a new allegiance to a new Lord, what's going to happen? They're going to turn on you. Why does he say that? Well, verse 15, they killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and they drove us out. So he's remembering Jesus words back in Matthew 23 is probably the clearest picture of Jesus looking back, present and forward. Matthew 23, He's calling out the Pharisees and he's pronouncing judgment on them. Starting in verse 29 when he says, woe to you, scribes and Pharisees...Matthew 23. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build the tombs of the prophets and endure the monuments of the righteous. So these guys, in Jesus own day, were acting like they were the pious and holy ones. And hey, we really love prophets and preachers of God. And he goes, really? Really? You know, when you're doing that, you're just like your fathers. You say that you wouldn't have been with them and shedding the blood of the prophets, but because you're rejecting me, you're showing me you're just like them. You testify against yourselves. You are sons of those who murdered the prophets because they spoke of me. And you're rejecting me. You don't get it. They didn't get it. You don't get it. And then what does he go on to say? Behold, verse 34, I'm sending you prophets and wise men and scribes. That's who Paul talking about now, 20 years later. The people that Christ says, and I'm going to go back to heaven, and I'm going to send more, and you're going to do the same things to them, because you're doing what?...you're filling up the measure of the guilt of your fathers. Some of them, you'll kill and crucify. Some of them you'll scourge in your synagogues. You'll persecute them from city to city. Back over to 1 Thessalonians 2:14-16. He's saying, listen, guys, if I can encourage you who are suffering for the name of Jesus Christ, you're not going through anything that prophets of old went through, that Jesus went through, and that followers of Christ right now are going through and are always going to go through because of what Jesus said in John 15:18. If they hated me, they will hate you, okay? That's the cost of following Christ. And there's no change in that. He said it. It's the Word of God. It's going to happen. It's happened then. It's going to happen now. What else do you expect them to do? If they hated him, they're going to hate you. That's just how this goes. And how does that encourage people? Well, it encourages people that you're part of something bigger than yourself. Is, you know, the way you get rejected by a friend when you try to share the gospel with them, or, you know, when he's talking about your own countrymen will turn on you. He's saying your tribe. That's what the word meant. Your tribe of people, the people you thought were close to you, the buddies you had, the players on the team with you, the guys that you, you know, blood, sweat and tears with the people you worked with, your own family. You think all these people are with you until what?...you say, no, I'm not going to go do that with you. Why? Because I follow Christ. Really?...I mean, that's I mean, that's lightweight, though. They mock you a little bit, but the people that are actually out to ruin now, your reputation to tear you down, to call you out, because they hate Christ. And how do they want to stop his message? They stop you. I mean, that's what he says, Verse 16. What are they really doing? They're trying to hinder us from speaking to the Gentiles so that nobody else will get saved. Somebody like this. And you think they're getting away with it. That's kind of what he's trying to help them with in verse 16. You think they're getting away with it? No. They are filling up the measure of their sins. What's that mean? That they're doing the worst thing they could possibly do. They're not only rejecting me...Jesus Christ is the Messiah. But they're trying to stop other people from accepting him. There's no greater judgment than that. They're filling up the measure of their sins. This goes beyond the lifestyle. This goes beyond the things that they do that break the law of God. This is them trying to what?...lead people astray. What did Jesus say to people like that in Matthew 18? You try to lead one of these little ones astray. It's better I put a millstone on your neck and throw you in what?...the deepest sea. It's the worst judgment you could have. That's what Paul is saying to these Jews and Gentiles, whoever it was in this time that was trying to stop Paul, stop the message, stop the Thessalonians, the measure of their sins will be filled up. And look what he says there...and wrath has come upon them to the utmost. Paul knows something that they don't know. I mean, clearly these people are still alive. So what wrath could he be talking about? God's wrath of judgment that abides on any who reject the Messiah. But this particular group of people, he's saying it's already come, but they're still alive. Basically saying about these people, they got no chance then. That's how far gone they are. Now, Paul, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, can make a judgment like that. You can't. I can't. Because if I go around trying to judge people, even people that oppose the gospel, people that might oppose me, I don't know if they still have a chance. Look at the look at Saul. Before God saved him, he was doing the same thing. So he could say under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, hey, the wrath has come upon them to the utmost. And that phrase, even in and of itself, is a bit broad. It's blunt, but it's broad in a way that we don't want to push too hard on it. We would just say it's not for us to look at some false teachers, some critics, some opponent of the gospel, somebody that hates you because you love Christ and say, yeah, they're far gone...there's no chance for them. You don't have that insight. But what you do have is the opportunity to, when you are reviled, not revile in return, and make them think twice. That no matter how hard they try to stop you, they can't. Not just stop you from preaching the gospel, but stop you from loving them. How powerful of a testimony is that? And how do you know? Maybe that's the thing that causes them to change. So we have the gospel message that we can bring, but that's when we zoom out of our own life and say, we're part of something bigger than ourselves. That's the second encouragement a good leader does. He says, listen, you're suffering for Christ. It's not about you, it's about him. And Christ is glorified in you as your heart attitude continues to trust in God despite the opposition. And it's not just your heart attitude, your actions, your speech, the way you love those enemies. That's bringing glory to God, because it's easy to love the people that what?...love you. But the ones that oppose you. And then, to add insult to injury, oppose you trying to do good to other people by spreading the gospel message. And you want to give up on them, and you want to call Imprecatory Psalms down on them and have them perish from the planet. That ain't your right. Because the mission field is never our enemy. They're the mission field. They may be enemies of the gospel of Jesus Christ, but you're still here to reach them. Is there a time you maybe say, hey, I'm throwing pearls before swine here? I feel like I can't go anywhere else with them. Yeah, you can walk away. You can still pray for them. But we don't know what God might have in store for that person's life. So what are you called to do?...love him, lead him to Christ. And be the example of our Lord who suffered. Suffered for the very ones that put him on the cross as they mocked him, spit on him. That he could say, forgive them, Father. They don't know what they're doing. Do you have that same compassion in your heart? When you read, the wrath has come upon them to the utmost. Were you ready to say...Amen? It's sad if you did. Because we have compassion to the sinner. Because but by the grace of God, that'd be us. Doesn't mean we accept their rejection, doesn't mean we just roll over and we're a doormat. It just means that we're not going to fight fire with fire. We're not going to take eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. We're going to what? We're going to be the example of Jesus Christ. And we're going to back it up with the message that we have that there's still hope. And you preach the gospel to him. It's not about your life, it's about Jesus.
Last encouragement a good leader gives is it's not about my absence, but about Jesus' presence. He says, but we, we're not who they're trying to say we are or they're trying to talk against us. They're trying to make us look bad. But he says, not us. Yeah, we were taken away from you for a short while, and they're making a big deal about that. These enemies of the gospel, they're trying to use that as proof that I don't love you. And he gives some perspective to encourage these afflicted Christians. He says, first, it's just been for a short while. And it had. I mean, by the time he heard a report from Timothy, when he sent Timothy back to check on this baby church, about a year, a year and a half old. You know, he's been away from them for maybe a year. So he's saying, guys, in the bigger scheme of things, it's a short while. And look, we've only been a part in person, face to face, but not in spirit. As in, you're out of my vision, but you're not out of my heart. I haven't forgotten about you. I mean, that's how they were trying to discredit him, saying Paul forgot about you. He hasn't been back. And he's saying, well, that's not actually the case. First, I am eager...with great desire to see your face. I want to be with you. This letter is okay, but I want to get there to see you. Trust me. And so he heaps up these words of passion, great desire, eagerness just to see you. And then he says, look, in 18, we wanted to come to you. And then he gets first person personal...I, Paul more than once. He doesn't do that often in this letter. Most of this letter he's using the collective, we. He's talking about him and Silas and Timothy and saying, we love you. We were around you. We want to see you. But then, however, he is led in this moment in his passion for these people, says I, Paul more than once wanted to come. Yeah, I was taken away. Look at verse 17 back there again. Another way. He tries to help them feel what he's feeling is that word taken away in your NAS isn't the best choice in my opinion. In the ESV it says torn away. Why is that a better choice? Because it's the original Greek word is a word for being orphaned. You know, some being torn away from somebody against your own will. Is there a more torturous image of that than a parent being torn from their child? But you know what's interesting about Paul? He's not from speaking about this pain from the side of the child. He's speaking it from the side of the parent. Chapter two, he says he's their mother who is gentle with them. He was like a father who guided them. So when he has this imagery of being torn away. Parents, could you imagine that pain? How much you love your kid. And how painful it would be to see them torn from you. Because from the side of the kid, you know, depending on their age. Do they know what's going on? But from the parent? Would that not keep you up all night every night, wondering if they're okay? That's what it did to Paul. Would you not wake up every morning and try with all your might to find where they were, and to get them back? I mean, that's what he's trying to get these people to feel. That we were torn from each other. You were orphaned. You're this baby church. And I love you. And I would do anything to have you back. That's how much I care about you. Why couldn't he? Well, he explains why in verse 18, Satan hindered us. I know some of you want to get out, like your Spiritual Warfare encyclopedia here and try to catalog this one. And how did Satan hinder? Paul didn't tell us. But what we can recognize is that Paul recognized it. Paul knew how to discern what was the work of Satan opposing him to get back to these people. I mean, he could see maybe from the narrative account in Acts 17:1-9, that it could have been the work of these jealous Jews trying to spread lies, threats. Even when you look back at Acts 17 and it says a deal was made. Um, when they received a pledge from Jason and the others, they released them. And maybe that pledge had something to do with it that Jason said. We won't let him back in our house. We promise. Because if we do, you're coming for...whatever it might be. We don't know. We just know Paul had the discernment to know when Satan was trying to what?...hinder or oppose the progress of the gospel. Why do I say oppose the progress of the gospel? Because that word for hindered is a military word in Greek terms. And it was this word for when an opposing army would take that only road, you got to get through with your army, and they would cut a massive ditch across it, and they would just keep tearing that road up. To do what? To stop you from making progress. So that's what Paul, whatever is happening, Paul knows what Satan is doing, I get it. Whatever roadblocks he's throwing up, whatever ruts he's cutting in the road, he's trying to keep us apart. Because if he can keep us apart, he can grow us apart. And if he can grow us apart, your love for me is going to grow cold. My love for you is going to grow cold. You think I'm a phony? I think you're fickle. And the church is done. Because when that sets in in a church lovelessness, bitterness, questioning the person that led you to Christ and cared for you in Christ, and then that person that did it on the opposite end is saying, look at them, fickle. They're turning on me. That church will die within a generation. It says, in the end, the love of many will grow cold. It happens in churches, not for lack of light, but for lack of heat. You can have a doctrinally strong church teaching all the truth you want. But when the people start turning on each other, lacking love for each other, growing bitter at each other, clamoring malice, all the things Ephesians 4:20 to 30, 25 to 30 talk about when they stop forgiving each other. Stop being kind to one another. That church is on a road for what? And it's actually not on the road, is it? It's in the ditch. It's in the Devil's ditch. You want to call it that? Call it the Devil's Ditch, because that's what he does when he hinders the progress of the gospel. He cuts a road right across the one path for that thing to go down and says, hey, you want to be bitter? You want to doubt people's integrity. You want to undermine people. You want to talk about them. You want to gossip about them. You want to slander them. You're in the ditch. You want to see the gospel make progress, you find a new way through. It starts with repentance, starts to going back to that person and saying I was wrong. I read you the wrong way. I believe the wrong thing. I was offended by you. I didn't come to you and make it up. And I've been sitting here with these, harboring these bitter feelings towards you for years. Maybe right today is where...that's where you're at. You're in the ditch. How do you know you're in a ditch?...when your love for the local church has grown cold. You know, when you're the person saying, oh, there's no good churches. I've tried them. Huh? You have?...how many? I'm on church 14. What's the only common denominator? Call it like you see it. You've let your love for the Bride of Christ grow cold. Have you been in that ditch? There's no warmth there. There's no warmth there. And that's maybe you live in there for a while and you think you're all right. But there's no progress there. You know, it's interesting the word for hindered here. It's the root word with a prefix. And the prefix here that talks about the hindrance Satan is doing to stop the gospel making progress. It's actually the same root word I read to you already in Philippians 1:25, when Paul says, for your progress and joy in the faith, it's the same root word for the cut. One is a cut to make a ditch, to stop something from happening. The word in Philippians 1:25 that I'll remain and continue with you for your progress in the faith is actually the opposite of that word. It's a military word, but it's when they would not cut a hole or a ditch across a road to stop an army. It's when that army would start cutting through a forest and cutting down trees to find a new way to get to their destination. You get where I'm going with this? Where's your love for the local church? Where's your love for believers today? Are you allowing those obstacles, those ditches, those holes to be where you're going to camp out because you're mad about how people treated you? Or are you saying, you know what, I had a love for the Lord and love for the church. Like Paul, I'm going to cut a new way through. Thank you. But maybe we live up to that. Amen. Because that's what love for Christ does. It doesn't keep looking around, pointing the finger, blaming everybody else with no accepting of your own responsibility in it. And Paul's saying, I'm not going to be duped. I'm not going to be played. I get what Satan's trying to do here. And he's writing this letter with a heart that's bleeding on the page for these people saying, you've been torn from me even though we're not together. I'm with you in spirit. I'm eager to see you. You're my desire. And then to top it all off, look at how he talks about them in 19 and 20. You would think that when he gets to heaven, he's going to be more excited to see them than he is Jesus himself. Look at his language. Who is our hope or joy or crown of exaltation? Is it not even you in the presence? That's what I'm talking about in the time he's going to be with the Lord...in the presence of our Lord Jesus at his coming, Paul is picturing the day he stands before the Lord. And he's saying, you know what's going to bring me more joy, more exaltation, what's going to be the crown that I have to give back to the Lord? It's you. Now, what he's not saying is I'm going to get to heaven based on how many people I bring with me. Because he's going to get to heaven the same way any of us are getting to heaven by one person. The Lord Jesus Christ and his righteousness. That's how we get there, and we will, in his presence and in his glory, be blown away just by him. But what Paul is adding here is that when in the moment of that, and in the rejoicing in that, and in the enjoyment of heaven, and in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, we will have some sense that we helped the cause. Or will you? I mean, the ultimate cause of anybody making it to heaven is Christ. But when he says, well done, good and faithful servant. He is going to turn to us and say thanks for the help. Or else what Paul is saying here isn't true. It's going to say thanks for the help. You tried. You did something. You gave an effort. You made a sacrifice. You endured. You went back to that person again. You. You sought their forgiveness. You tried to build them up. Whatever it was you did for that person, it helped. So who are you doing it for? You know, we talked a couple of weeks ago about having a list. You know, we talked Jesus had 12. You know, just so we know what target we're aiming at. Maybe new motivation for that list is to not write the 12, write my hope, my joy, my crown. Because that's what people should be to us. Helping other people. What? Come to Christ and then walk in Christ and be ready to meet Christ. Because verse 20, they're are glory and joy. That's the greatest work we'll have to stand before the Lord and show is that we tried. We gave something we're not going to stand around and say, hey, remember that. Remember that auditorium? You know, remember that guitar solo I played? Go down the list. You're going to say, remember the person and you don't have to say, remember the person. The person is going to be there. That you invested in. Is that motivation? Does that help you to look up? Get back to the root of your faith. By God's Word, not man's. Get your eyes off of what's going on in your own life and see you're part of something bigger. Its his life that gives your life the meaning. And then last but not least, hey, it's going to be in the presence of the Lord one day that all the effort is going to be worth it. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your Word this morning. It's unbelievable to think that standing in your presence. One day, Father. We'll hear "Well done, good and faithful servant." And. It's not going to be for the work we did to earn our salvation. Christ, you did that. So we're going to hear it for something else. We're going to hear it for how we stewarded every relationship we had. And if we gave something. Even if we didn't think it was much, it was something. So motivate us this morning, Spirit through your word. Put that burden on our heart to reach out to that person today, or to be willing to take that call from the person that we've been avoiding, whatever it might be today that we've been carrying with us that we can't anymore. We don't want to stay in the ditch. Your gospel is too good. Christ, your joy is too great for us to waste our time growing bitter. And wasting more days. So by your strength and power and conviction, help us to do what we ask. Amen.
Julius is a missionary to his own people, the difficult to each nomadic Pokot tribe. Julius and his wife Rachel direct Pokot Outreach Ministry (POM), which shows the love of Christ among the Pokot people through evangelism, orphan care, water provision, education, women’s ministry and medical outreach. He "oversees the work at three orphanages housing 450 children and 10 medical clinics. He also conducts evangelistic training for pastors and evangelists. He is constantly looking for new ways to improve the lives of the Pokot as a way of bringing glory to the Lord for His provisions.”
Pokot Outreach Ministry (POM): Kenya
Address: Harvesters International
P.O. Box 22549, Hilton Head Island, SC 29925
Phone: 844.689.6213 | Email: jmurgor@icloud.com
Pokot Outreach Ministry (POM)- Evangelism, Church Planting, Education, Training, Orphan Care, Women’s Empowerment, and Medicine.
God’s Purpose for Marriage and How to Apply the Gospel to your Marriage In September 2020 we offered an equipping class on Marriage. Check out David & Kelly Duncan’s teaching as they shared wisdom from God’s Word on glorifying God through your marriage.
"Christian Essential" is a 6-week course that will address topics that are foundational to the Christian faith. It is designed for believers of all levels of maturity.
New Christians will begin building a Biblically-based foundation in theology and in practicing their faith. Those who have followed Christ for many years will sharpen their understanding of key Biblical principles that will aid in evangelism and discipleship.
Panel talking points
HBC family,
We want to share with you some of the sermons and talks we as elders found helpful as we wrestled through this issue. Though we trust the theology of the voices/sources of these sermons and articles, we cannot say that we would agree 100% with them on all points and at all times. So please use them as another helpful resource for your own study and understanding of this topic.
- John Piper, Desiring God
Race, Justice, and Joy * John MacArthur, Grace to You
Who’s to blame for the riots?
How should Christians respond to the riots? * Mark Dever, 9 Marks
Pastors Talk: Episode 31
Pastors Talk: Episode 33
Pastors Talk: Episode 132 * Voddie Vaucham
Racial Reconciliation
Ethnic Gnosticism
This class is designed to train on effective methods of studying, translating, outlining, and teaching the Bible. Great equipping opportunity for leaders who teach in any of our ministries throughout the week, from Children's and Students, to Men's and Women's Ministries.
The Capps have been doing ministry in Mexico for over 35 years. They have a burden to connect with unreached people in the Copper Canyon. After planting a church in Guachochi, they began discipling new believers who would then partner with them in their evangelism efforts to the Canyon. Ed and Debbie’s main ministry activities consist of church planting, discipling new believers, counseling, encouraging local pastors and leaders, and providing oversight to the main church and it’s school in Guachochi
Central Missionary Clearinghouse- Mexico
Email: edanddeb61@gmail.com
Prayer Requests:
- Unity and love between the national pastor of the main church, Antonio, and the director of the school.
- That all relationships with the church ministries and school teachers will remain standing together in one heart and mind for the furtherance of the Gospel.
- That the priority would be to seek the perfect will of God through time in prayer.
Dwight Stone Dwight began ministry in Poland in 1997, working with and discipling young believers. Eventually, God would lead him to ministry in Romania, where he helped plant a church in Bucharest and establish a ministry team of national believers.
The Lord opened the door to ministry among the Roma (Gypsy) people in the city as well as in smaller towns and villages to the southeast, including Budesti and Curcani where the ECM team has planted two churches. Dwight continues to aid and advise the ECM team in their ongoing outreach and church-planting efforts in unreached areas of Romania, and carries on the work of developing, encouraging, and equipping Romanian believers as he partners with them to reach these areas with the Gospel. Dwight also works with church leaders all across Europe and especially in other parts of Eastern Europe to see the Gospel spread far and wide.
Dwight Stone
Here are some ways you can pray for Dwight:
- Spiritual revival in Europe
- For the ECM team as they look to grow the Roma (Gypsy) ministry and as they are looking for another Roma pastor and the next community for a church plant
- Church leaders in Serbia, Russia, and Armenia
- Leadership training for Romanian church leaders in Italy and Spain
Ion Vasile Ion has served as the pastor of Maranatha Baptist Church in Campina, Romania since 1989. As pastor of this church 70 miles north of of the capital of Bucharest, Ioan shepherds this congregation to know, love, and glorify God through worship, fellowship, and Christian testimony as they reach and disciple people. Under Ion’s leadership, Maranatha also takes part in several ongoing local and global outreach projects including a children’s club, partnership with local evangelism efforts, offering support for other local churches, and a ministry partnership with churches in Serbia, Armenia, Greece, and India.
Ion Vasile
Gheorghe Botofei
Gheorghe Botofei
George is of the Roma (Gypsy) ethnicity within the nation of Romania. He was raised in a orphanage and led to our Lord and discipled by a pastor from Ohio. The ministry group George worked with in another area of Romania heard that ECM needed a Roma man for the work in the towns and villages outside of Bucharest, and they sent George to us. George now pastors Filadelfia Baptist Church of Budesti, 50 miles southeast of Bucharest. He preaches faithfully and with much zeal to an ever-increasing number of people from these towns and villages, including mostly youth and widows.
The Lord has gifted George greatly in enthusiasm and in the ability to preach, sing, and encourage both crowds of people and smaller groups, and he uses these gifts to do outreach in the streets, in homes, and disciple those who come to the church. He has developed a big following amongst unschooled youth, who can neither read nor write. He and others from ECM spend time teaching those youth in all the areas of life, focusing on God’s Word. George also has working relationships with Gypsy churches in Serbia and southern Romania.
Dani & Doinita Popa Dani Popa: Director of administration - "I'm excited that ECM is working to make disciples that enjoy learning sound doctrine."
Doinita Popa: Director of finance - "It's an honor to be part of an eternal work to build Christ's church and save souls."
Flory Mihia Flory Mihia: Director children's ministry - "My desire is to imprint Biblical principles in the children's minds and create a love for God in their hearts."
Cristi & Cerasela Iacob Cristi Iacob: Outreach development - "We are so thankful that God has opened the door for us to serve with ECM"
Cerasela Iacob: Director of women's ministry
Catalin Tudorica Catalin Tudorica: Children's ministry
David and Sylvia have been serving the Lord together on the mission field for over 15 years. They have served mostly in Kenya. Sylvia has ministered mostly to widows, and has written a book entitled “Widows of the Old Testament”. David has served in a pastoral leadership role.
Africa Inland Mission is an evangelical Christian mission agency serving in over 20 African nations. Our passion is to see Christ-centered churches established and thriving among all of Africa’s peoples.
Interlink Ministries provides services which enable others to pursue their God given vision for ministry.
Africa Inland Mission, & Interlink Ministries:
United States & Kenya
Address: 1157 E. Moreland Rd Wooster, OH 44691
Phone numbers: 330 264 9008 | 330 317 7010
Mission: Glorify God by multiplying followers of Jesus in the spiritually darkest areas of the world. South Asia consists of 1.3 billion people of which less than 2% are Christians. Through evangelism, training and intentional church planting we are seeking to see disciples of Jesus who will win their nation to Christ.
Learn more
United States | South Asia (Ministry Focus)
Address: 2001 W. Plano Pkwy, Ste. 3000
Plano, TX 75075
Phone: (972) 941-4514
Chris and Beth began ministry in Seville, Spain, in 1998. They served as teachers at the Al Andalus Theological Seminary, not far from the Monastery of San Isidro del Campo. Chris, along with his Spanish believer friends, established the ABRE Foundation and the Al Andalus Theological Seminary. Along with these ongoing ministries, the Matthews’ have been networking to recruit and train new Spanish- speaking missionaries.
Prayer Requests:
- That God would establish the Sevilla Theological Seminary on a solid path of growth.
- New Spanish- speaking churches to be established and functioning within 30 European cities with a high concentration of Spanish speakers.
- Pray that the Lord would raise up a Global Training Academy for new missionaries.
- Pray for the Matthews to live deeply humble lives and cling to the cross of Christ.
Candace serves as the Ministry Director for TWR MOTION, TWR's visual media ministry. TWR MOTION partners with church planters and ministries worldwide to produce custom gospel-centered videos to reach the least reached, both online and offline. Candace has been with MOTION for 5 years, and loves working with this incredibly talented team to make the gospel known around the world.
See more at TWR
Address: PO BOX 8700 Cary, NC, 27512
Phone: 919-460-3760 | Email: video@twr.org
Click here to enjoy our 11:00am service on Resurrection Sunday! Enjoy.
PULPIT CURRICULUM