“You Are My Disciples”
[John 13:31-35]
January 25, 2009 Second Reformed Church
Are you a disciple of Jesus Christ? How would others answer this question about you?
Our Scripture this morning takes place after the Last Supper. Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper and, in so doing, he revealed that Judas was His betrayer. Judas, then, ran out into the night to seal his betrayal of Jesus. So, our Scripture begins by telling us that our reading occurred “when he had gone out.” Jesus told the eleven these things after Judas had left.
Jesus told the eleven three things that they needed to know to face what would soon occur. Jesus told them three things about being glorified. Let us remember that when we talk about glorifying, we are not talking about adding to God – to any member of the Trinity – what we mean by glorifying is that we are making Who God is more clear. We function like a telescope when we glorify – we bring God – Who is bigger than our minds can fully comprehend – and we make Who He is more clear to ourselves and others.
Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified.”
What had happened that made this the time that the Son of Man was glorified? Judas had been identified as the betrayer. If there was any chance that Judas would repent and turn back from his sin, it was now gone. He had been confronted by Jesus, and Judas became possessed by Satan himself (John 13:27), and he went out to complete his betrayal of Jesus – to lead the Romans and the Pharisees to the place where He would be praying, so they could arrest Jesus, try Him, have Him sent to be tortured and then crucified – the most horrific form of death humans have ever come up with.
Why is this the glorification of Jesus? Because this is why He came Jesus came to die The prophet Simeon told Mary and Joseph, “‘Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed’” (Luke 2:34b-35, ESV). The crucifixion reveals Jesus and the means of His Mission. Jesus could not have lived and died in any other way and fulfill the prophecies of the Savior. Jesus could not live a “normal” life and die of old age and fulfill the prophecies of the Savior. Jesus could not have overthrown the Roman government and set up an earthly kingdom then and fulfill the prophecies. No, Jesus is glorified – He is better seen for Who He is and what He came to do – as the Pharisees lead Him through a mock trial, gave Him over to the Romans to be tortured, and then cried out with glee to have Him nailed to the cross and left to die.
In the generations to come, Christians would be mocked and persecuted for believing that some dead criminal is God. But Christians look to the crucifixion and hear Jesus say, “It is finished,” and rejoice, because He accomplished all that the Father sent Him to do.
Then Jesus said, “and God is glorified in him.” How is the Father glorified in the crucifixion and death of Jesus? How do we see God the Father more clearly through the slaughter of the God-Man?
At least in three ways: in the crucifixion, we see the fulfillment of the Promised Savior, and the way He would come and save, as it was promised to our first parents: “‘I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel’” (Genesis 3:15, ESV).
Second, God fulfilled His Justice and Holiness by not allowing sin to go unpunished. God could not be Holy and Just if He allowed sin to go unpunished, for He said, “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23a, ESV). We see Jesus receiving the Full Wrath of God for all of the sins of all of us who would believe as He “descended into Hell” while on the cross. When we make that confession, we understand that Jesus endured all the suffering of eternity in Hell for each one of us who would believe in those hours on the cross. It was so horrible, so unimaginable, that Jesus cried out, “‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” (Matthew 27:46B, ESV). In some horrible way that we cannot understand, the One God, in the Person of the Father, broke the eternal communion that the Trinity had from eternity past, and deserted the One God, in the Person of the Son, on the cross. Somehow, God disrupted the unity of Himself and imposed all of the eternities of Hell that we, believers, deserve, on Himself.
And third, God was also glorified in this horrible act of crucifixion, as He, at the same time He meted out His Justice and Holiness in punishing our sin on our Substitute, by showing us the greatness of His Mercy and His Love towards we who believe. “See what manner of love the Father has given us, that we should be called the children of God; and so we are” (I John 3:1a, ESV).
This leads us to the third way in which we see glorification in the events of the crucifixion: “If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once.” What is Jesus saying? Jesus is telling the eleven – and us – that the crucifixion is not – cannot – be the end of the story. God did more than promise that all those who believe would be forgiven for their sins. God did more than promise that the Savior would die to redeem us. Because if that’s all Jesus did, the first time we sinned, we would be lost and doomed to Hell again. No, Jesus, since He is Holy and Sinless, death could not hold Him, and God raised Him from the dead and God seated Jesus – the God-Man – on the eternal throne of the Son of God. “Therefore God has highly esteemed him and bestowed 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 every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the father” (Philippians 2:9-11, ESV).
God has glorified Jesus is raising Him from the dead and giving Him the throne of the Eternal Son, by giving Him the Name that is above every name, by causing all who believe to confess Him as Lord and Savior now and by causing all who do not believe to confess Him – to justify their damnation – on the last day. And the glorification was at once – Jesus was raised on the third day and seen and examined by hundreds of witnesses. They would not have to wait, but had salvation confirmed to the glory of God the Father in the resurrection of Jesus that Sunday morn.
So, Jesus assured the eleven by letting them know that the crucifixion was not the failure of His Mission, but the culmination of it – the crucifixion had to happen for salvation and to the glory of the Father and the Son.
This was hard news, even so. So, Jesus addressed the eleven – once Judas, the unbeliever, had left – calling them “little children.” Jesus expressed His Affection – His Love for the eleven – and for all of us who believe. Jesus speaks to us tenderly and assures us that He is sovereignly in control of history.
And then He tells them, explicitly, that He was going to leave them, and they would not be able to follow where He went. That was not to say that the eleven would not die for their faith – most of them did. What Jesus was telling them is that He must die, and they must not be afraid to allow Him to fulfill His Mission in this way. Jesus was calling them to trust Him and the Plan of God.
We know that’s not always easy. How do we trust a God we do not see? How do we trust when it seems like everything is going wrong? Do we question where God is or why God has allowed things to occur the way they have? Do we trust that God knows what He is doing, even when we don’t? As we see God glorified in all that He has done, we know Him better, and we can, with greater confidence, trust that God will not fail to accomplish what He intends, even though it may be hard for us to understand on any given day.
Then Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you are to love one another.” How is this a new commandment? Hasn’t God told us from the beginning to “love our neighbor as ourselves”? The difference is that, here, Jesus is emphasizing that the eleven – and all Christians – must love each other. What does that mean?
C. S. Lewis, in his book The Four Loves, (which I heartily recommend to all of you – it is short and very readable), explains that the Greeks have four words for “love.” The Greeks distinguished among four types of love: they have a word that means “affection for one another,” a word a means “brotherly love; comradery,” a word that means “sexual desire and/or intimacy,” and a word that means “self-sacrifice.”
The word that Jesus uses to described what He was doing and what He expects from those who believe in Him is agapeo – the love of self-sacrifice. Jesus was not saying that we all have to like each other’s personalities. He was not saying that we all have to be best buddies – BFFs. He was certainly not saying that we all ought to be sexually involved with each other. What Jesus was saying is that He commands all those who believe in Him to love each other with a self-sacrificial love. We are to love each other in a way that is willing to go out of our way for each other because Jesus loved us in that way and gave His Life for us.
The story is told of the conductor, Stravinsky, who was so passionate in his conducting on one occasion, that he dislocated his shoulder. Have you ever been willing to be dislocated to help a fellow Christian? Jesus commands us to be willing to love so much that – in every way that we are able – we are to be willing to show our love by being dislocated – by doing anything and everything we are able to do to make our brothers’ and sisters’ lives better. How often do you ask yourself what you can do to help the members of this congregation? If we love each other, as Jesus says we are to love each other – the way that He loved us – even to death – when we are able, we are to be willing to put ourselves out for each other. Most of us will not be asked to die for each other, but are you willing to give up your afternoon nap to help someone in this congregation for an hour?
Jesus said that it is by this type of love that the world will know we are His disciples. What are disciples? Disciples are followers or students or pupils of a teacher. Notice, Jesus does not say that we will be known for being part of the same denomination, or using the same hymnal, or agreeing on every point of teaching. Jesus says that we will be known as the disciples of Jesus because we are willing to love each other sacrificially. We are willing to go out of our way for each other. We are willing to give of our time and talents and gifts – as we are able – we all have different abilities and blessings – some people are able to do some things and some are able to do others.
Are you willing to look at a fellow believer in Christ and put aside their politics and personality, their quirks and eccentricities, their – whatever it is that puts you off – and recognize that this is a person for whom Jesus gave His Life, so you are called to do what you can for him or her? Are you a disciple of Jesus?
As Jesus looked forward to the crucifixion, He told the eleven that they ought to be comforted and trust in Him and in God as He and the Father glorify each other through His Horrific Death, and then through the Resurrection and Ascension. He tells them to be confident and trust in the Plan of God, because He is Sovereign over history. And then He tells them to love each other self-sacrificially, like He loves them – like He loves you and me and all those who believe in Him. Will you love each other like that? Will you be known as a disciple of Jesus?
Let us pray:
Almighty God, we thank You for glorifying Yourself, Father and Son, in the Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension. We thank You that You loved us so much to die to reconcile us to You. We ask that You would give us grace and help us to love each other in that way, that the world would know that we are Your disciples. May You be glorified in this and all we do. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
"You Are Children of the Light" Sermon: Ephesians 5:1-21
“You Are Children of the Light”
[Ephesians 5:1-21]
January 18, 2009 Second Reformed Church
You are the children of the Light.
If the Lord is willing, we will spend the next six weeks looking at who we are in Christ and what that means for our relationship with one another. Who are you now that you believe in Jesus Alone for your salvation? What does that mean for how you ought to behave, especially towards other Christians.
Paul tells the Ephesian Christians and us a number of things that ought to be true of us if we have believe in Jesus Alone for our salvation – if we have received God as our Father and Christ as our Brother:
First, since we who believe are the children of God, we ought to be imitators of God. The child ought to be like the parent – in good things – and since our Heavenly Father is Only Good, we, children, ought to strive to be like our Father.
To do that, we need to know God, we need to be in a passionate and intimate relationship with Him. We ought to find ourselves hungering to know Him as well and as deeply as we can. We need to open His Word, listen to it read and preached, learn the Character of God and do likewise. We have the Bible on MP3CD free in our literature rack, both in an adult and a children’s version. Pick one up if you haven’t before. If you don’t have an MP3CD player, it will play in most DVD players. Spend time in God’s Word – every day. We have Bible reading schedules for free in Freeman Hall. If you come across a difficult passage, ask me, look it up in a reliable commentary. Don’t give up – God wants you to know Him. The Bible was written for shepherds and slaves and the illiterate, not scholars.
We must be careful, though. Being imitators of God is not as simple as some would portray it. Paul is not simply telling us to ask ourselves, “What would Jesus do?” Why not? Because we are not Jesus There is no other God-Man. We cannot and ought not do everything Jesus did. We are the representatives of Christ; we are not Christ.
What does it mean, then? Jesus said, “‘But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who in heaven. For he makes the sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust’” (Matthew 5:44-45, ESV). And “‘Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends’” (John 15:14, ESV). Being imitators of God primarily means walking in love with one another, even to the extent of being willing to lay down your life for a brother or sister, as a sacrifice to God.
As disturbing as that sounds, in America, we can usually just shrug and say, “Sure, I’d lay down my life for so-and-so on behalf of the Gospel.” It would be a more difficult question in China and India and Iraq and Iran where Christians are systematically being put to death. It may come to the United States. There is a bill in Congress now to make it a hate crime for a minister to preach that it is a sin to engage in homosexual acts. If that bill goes through – if it becomes a law, I could go to jail for years for preaching the Bible. Would you stand with me? Would you stand before the news cameras as I am taken away and say that the Bible does teach that – that it is not a hate crime – would you be willing to go to jail for what the Bible teaches?
If hate crimes become punishable by death, would you stand by what the Bible says? Would you stand by my preaching? Would you be willing to die for the sake of Christ for my preaching? Would you be willing to die for Marla? Artie? Dorothy? Maria? For a true believer at a church you have never met? God loved us so much that He sent His Son to die for us. Are we willing to die for the sake of what is clearly taught in the Bible? Are we willing to die for Christ and for those who belong to Him? To be a “fragrant offering and sacrifice to God”?
Second, Paul says that we ought to be known as a people who refrain from sin.
Paul says that we are to be known as a people who do not engage in sexual immorality. We are to be known as a people who do not commit sexual sins, who do not lust, who do not engage in anything that would tempt others to engage in sexual sins. That means we will not do certain things that God has forbidden in His Word. It means that we will watch how we dress, how we speak, the books and movies we see. And there is not a specific list here because much of this – except for those things that God has specifically forbidden – are matters of Christian liberty. We need to know ourselves and the brothers and sisters we are around and not engage in those things that lead us into sin or engage in things before others that will lead them into sin. That’s hard work. It means we need to get to know each other – and ourselves.
Paul also says that we are to be known as a people who are not greedy, covetousness, filled with prideful desire. We ought to be known as a people who are satisfied with the Providence of God. We ought not to be striving to get more and accumulate more and crying out that we are not appreciated or recognized enough. “He who dies with the most toys wins” is a lie. This life is not about us – we’ve seen that over the past few weeks. This life is about Jesus – about His Gospel – about bringing Him glory. Christianity is about showing how great Jesus is – it’s not about showing how great we are – or about making us great.
And Paul says we ought to be known as a people who guard our mouths. This is, perhaps, one of the most difficult things, since we tend to consider this an acceptable sin, so it flourishes in the Church. We are not to use our tongue for foolishness, for foulness, for gossip, for backbiting. Instead, we are to use our tongues for giving thanks to God. James, the brother of Jesus, tells us that this is a difficult struggle: “So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire And the tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell” (James 3:3-6, ESV).
There’s a difference we must learn between concern and gossip and backbiting: for example, it is fine to come to me after seeing me have a piece of cake at coffee hour and express your concern for my health and wonder what you can do to help me better my health. It is another thing altogether, to whisper among yourselves about how much I ate and what I ate and how you know that’s wrong and I’m a horrible person, and so forth.
We all need to be more careful with our tongues. It’s not easy, but our bad habits can be broken. “That’s the way I was raised.” “I’ve done that all my life.” “That’s just the way I am.” Those are not acceptable excuses for the children of God. Paul wrote, “And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (I Corinthians 6:11, ESV). In Christ, we can reform our tongues. Rather than talking behind each other’s backs and making assumptions, let us go to the person who has offended us or with whom we are concerned, and express that to them. And then, leave it, unless you know that a brother or sister is persisting in unrepentant sin. Then there are Scriptural guidelines for that. And Paul tells us, that if a person is truly a child of God, when confronted with continuing in unrepentant sin, a Christian will repent and give thanks to God. If a person refuses to repent and remains in unrepentant sin, such have “no inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God.”
Third, Paul says that we are to be known as a people who are not swayed – that are not deceived – by empty words – by people full of hot air.
American Christians fall so easily for people full of hot air! We are not a people who look to our Bibles to check to see what they actually say. I would be so rich if I had a dollar for every time someone told me the Bible is full of contradictions, and then I ask them if they have read it and they say “no.” Or I ask them to show me one, and they say they don’t know, but read so-and-so or watch such-and-such a program. I remember my sister, Libby, coming home when she was in elementary school, after they had begun teaching evolution, and she said, “Well, it must be true, it’s in a book.” I remember a friend of mine coming to me with a copy of The Da Vinci Code, and she told me that it proved Christianity false, and that the author even had a preface where he said that though it is a piece of fiction, all of the historical evidence is true. Well, he lied. He distorted and made up the “historical evidence” in his novel. Brothers and sisters, we must go back to the source material – especially the Bible. If someone says something strange, especially about the Bible, ask them to show you where, and if it is confusing, bring it here, or look it up in a reliable commentary.
“The Gospel of Judas proves that the Gospels are wrong and Judas is really the Savior, and it has been suppressed for centuries!” No, it was known and refuted by the early Church fathers, and it was recently mistranslated to make money.
“There are several modern atheists who have proven that God doesn’t exist and all evil is caused by Christianity!” So the news would have us believe. Have you read any of these infantile authors and their rants? They put up straw men and false teachings and claim it is truth.
Brothers and sisters, don’t be fooled by them! Don’t be swayed by them. They are full of hot air. Check the Bible. Don’t believe things just because they are in print or on the news. There is plenty of garbage in print, and the news is merely a “reality show” based on events that occurred – it’s not truth.
Paul says we are not to associate with people who propagate such nonsense. Does that mean we should not share the Gospel with them? No, what Paul means is that God gives some people over to hardness of heart. Some people desire to remain in their sin so much, that God lets them go. Paul wrote, “Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen” (Romans 1:24-25, ESV). When Paul tells us not to associate with them, he means that we are not to join with them in leading others into sin.
On the contrary, fourth, Paul says that since we are children of the Light, we are to be exposing the darkness.
We are to walk as children of the Light, living and explaining to others why these teachers and ideas are wrong. We are to spend our lives illuminating the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Explaining, showing others that there is salvation only in Jesus. We are to show why other religions are not true, and we are to lead the world in living according to the Love and the Law of God. Keith Green has a song called, “Asleep in the Light,” in which he criticizes the Church for claiming the benefits of Christ, while refusing to follow Him and live out the Gospel before the world: “The world is sleeping in the dark that the Church just can’t fight, ‘cause it’s asleep in the Light. How can you be so dead when you’ve been so well fed, Jesus rose from the grave, and you, you can’t even get out of bed!”
No, we must walk according to the wisdom of God. We must pray to understand, seek to understand more and better that we can be shining lights to all those who are still in the darkness. We need to turn away from sin – from the “unfruitful works of darkness” – and turn to “the fruit of the light...all that is good and right and true,...try[ing] to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.”
“‘Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’” If you are a Christian, you have been raised from the dead, you have been awakened from your sleep, the Light of Christ has shone on you, and you are now a child of the Light – get up! Stop hiding. Stop pulling the blankets over your head. Stop putting your “light under a bushel.”
Paul tells us to walk carefully, to search after the wisdom of God in His Word, to let others know, because the days are evil – that is, the time is short, and we each only have a short time on this earth. We need to spend our time and our efforts, our gifts and blessings, on those things that will last, on those things that are meaningful, on those things that shine the Light of Christ on Him and His Gospel. Don’t waste your life. Don’t be a fool. There is nothing more valuable that learning at the feet of Christ – read His Word, learn from those who preach it and teach it biblically.
There are those who have accepted a fatalistic view of the world and say, “Eat, drink, for tomorrow we die.” And there is a sense in which they are right – we don’t know how long we have to live on this earth, which is why we dare not waste our lives. Paul tells us not to spend our time being drunk on wine – we ought not spend our time in “debauchery.” Literally, Paul says that we are not “to abandon ourselves to recklessly immoral behavior” (Bible Windows Analytical Lexicon). We are not to do anything that throws our lives away in sin.
Rather, Paul says, we are to be filled with the Spirit – and God the Holy Spirit indwells all those who believe, and He helps us to grow and mature and to understand God’s Word. And then, rather than addressing our brothers and sisters in sin or insincerity, let us come together, joining in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Let us join together, bound together in knowing and understanding the Scripture together. Let us literally sing together and let us spiritually be united in perfect harmony in Christ. Let us put aside our criticism of imperfect notes and hear the perfect melody of Christ that flows through each believer.
And then let us be thankful. One of the great criticisms in the Bible is that God’s people are not thankful. Seek and find reasons to be thankful every day and give thanks to God for them. The more time we look for reasons to be thankful, the more things we will find to be thankful for – even in our bloated and unthankful country. And as we spend more time giving thanks, it will change our attitude and life. Christians ought not to be a people who look like they have been sucking on lemons their whole lives – the most melancholy Christian has reason to give thanks, and that will show. If you are a thankful person, it will show. It will change you and it will change those around you. Especially as we give thanks “always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Understand, I have said before, we are not be told that we should enjoy suffering. God is not telling us to be thankful for suffering itself. For example, if you get a flat tire, we are not being told to thank God for the flat tire. What we are being told, is to give thanks for the tire not blowing up, for not getting into an accident, for having the ability to get the tire fixed, and so forth. There is always reason to give thanks. We have real disappointments, real frustrations, real sufferings that we live through and ought to call on God for help with, yet, we always have reason to give thanks.
One of the ways we show our thanks is by “submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.” In other words, in thanks for what Christ has done for me, I’m willing to do this for you and that for you when you ask me. In thanks for what Christ has done for me, I am willing to submit to the government of the Reformed Church in America – our denomination – while I serve as a minister in her. Etc. That does not mean that we should be a doormat or use others as a doormat; it does not mean that you always have to do anything and everything another Christian asks you to do. What it means is if you are able, you should submit to the request of a brother or sister, and this is reciprocal, there ought to be thanks shown to each other as we submit to each other in Christ.
This is some of what it means to live as children of the Light. Let us find ourselves striving to be known as children of the Light by the world and living out that call in love and service to each other.
Let us pray:
Almighty God, we thank You for choosing us to be children of the Light and for giving us brothers and sisters with our Brother, Jesus. Lead us away from sin and cause us to be ever more desirous in knowing You and loving each other for Your Sake. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
[Ephesians 5:1-21]
January 18, 2009 Second Reformed Church
You are the children of the Light.
If the Lord is willing, we will spend the next six weeks looking at who we are in Christ and what that means for our relationship with one another. Who are you now that you believe in Jesus Alone for your salvation? What does that mean for how you ought to behave, especially towards other Christians.
Paul tells the Ephesian Christians and us a number of things that ought to be true of us if we have believe in Jesus Alone for our salvation – if we have received God as our Father and Christ as our Brother:
First, since we who believe are the children of God, we ought to be imitators of God. The child ought to be like the parent – in good things – and since our Heavenly Father is Only Good, we, children, ought to strive to be like our Father.
To do that, we need to know God, we need to be in a passionate and intimate relationship with Him. We ought to find ourselves hungering to know Him as well and as deeply as we can. We need to open His Word, listen to it read and preached, learn the Character of God and do likewise. We have the Bible on MP3CD free in our literature rack, both in an adult and a children’s version. Pick one up if you haven’t before. If you don’t have an MP3CD player, it will play in most DVD players. Spend time in God’s Word – every day. We have Bible reading schedules for free in Freeman Hall. If you come across a difficult passage, ask me, look it up in a reliable commentary. Don’t give up – God wants you to know Him. The Bible was written for shepherds and slaves and the illiterate, not scholars.
We must be careful, though. Being imitators of God is not as simple as some would portray it. Paul is not simply telling us to ask ourselves, “What would Jesus do?” Why not? Because we are not Jesus There is no other God-Man. We cannot and ought not do everything Jesus did. We are the representatives of Christ; we are not Christ.
What does it mean, then? Jesus said, “‘But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who in heaven. For he makes the sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust’” (Matthew 5:44-45, ESV). And “‘Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends’” (John 15:14, ESV). Being imitators of God primarily means walking in love with one another, even to the extent of being willing to lay down your life for a brother or sister, as a sacrifice to God.
As disturbing as that sounds, in America, we can usually just shrug and say, “Sure, I’d lay down my life for so-and-so on behalf of the Gospel.” It would be a more difficult question in China and India and Iraq and Iran where Christians are systematically being put to death. It may come to the United States. There is a bill in Congress now to make it a hate crime for a minister to preach that it is a sin to engage in homosexual acts. If that bill goes through – if it becomes a law, I could go to jail for years for preaching the Bible. Would you stand with me? Would you stand before the news cameras as I am taken away and say that the Bible does teach that – that it is not a hate crime – would you be willing to go to jail for what the Bible teaches?
If hate crimes become punishable by death, would you stand by what the Bible says? Would you stand by my preaching? Would you be willing to die for the sake of Christ for my preaching? Would you be willing to die for Marla? Artie? Dorothy? Maria? For a true believer at a church you have never met? God loved us so much that He sent His Son to die for us. Are we willing to die for the sake of what is clearly taught in the Bible? Are we willing to die for Christ and for those who belong to Him? To be a “fragrant offering and sacrifice to God”?
Second, Paul says that we ought to be known as a people who refrain from sin.
Paul says that we are to be known as a people who do not engage in sexual immorality. We are to be known as a people who do not commit sexual sins, who do not lust, who do not engage in anything that would tempt others to engage in sexual sins. That means we will not do certain things that God has forbidden in His Word. It means that we will watch how we dress, how we speak, the books and movies we see. And there is not a specific list here because much of this – except for those things that God has specifically forbidden – are matters of Christian liberty. We need to know ourselves and the brothers and sisters we are around and not engage in those things that lead us into sin or engage in things before others that will lead them into sin. That’s hard work. It means we need to get to know each other – and ourselves.
Paul also says that we are to be known as a people who are not greedy, covetousness, filled with prideful desire. We ought to be known as a people who are satisfied with the Providence of God. We ought not to be striving to get more and accumulate more and crying out that we are not appreciated or recognized enough. “He who dies with the most toys wins” is a lie. This life is not about us – we’ve seen that over the past few weeks. This life is about Jesus – about His Gospel – about bringing Him glory. Christianity is about showing how great Jesus is – it’s not about showing how great we are – or about making us great.
And Paul says we ought to be known as a people who guard our mouths. This is, perhaps, one of the most difficult things, since we tend to consider this an acceptable sin, so it flourishes in the Church. We are not to use our tongue for foolishness, for foulness, for gossip, for backbiting. Instead, we are to use our tongues for giving thanks to God. James, the brother of Jesus, tells us that this is a difficult struggle: “So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire And the tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell” (James 3:3-6, ESV).
There’s a difference we must learn between concern and gossip and backbiting: for example, it is fine to come to me after seeing me have a piece of cake at coffee hour and express your concern for my health and wonder what you can do to help me better my health. It is another thing altogether, to whisper among yourselves about how much I ate and what I ate and how you know that’s wrong and I’m a horrible person, and so forth.
We all need to be more careful with our tongues. It’s not easy, but our bad habits can be broken. “That’s the way I was raised.” “I’ve done that all my life.” “That’s just the way I am.” Those are not acceptable excuses for the children of God. Paul wrote, “And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (I Corinthians 6:11, ESV). In Christ, we can reform our tongues. Rather than talking behind each other’s backs and making assumptions, let us go to the person who has offended us or with whom we are concerned, and express that to them. And then, leave it, unless you know that a brother or sister is persisting in unrepentant sin. Then there are Scriptural guidelines for that. And Paul tells us, that if a person is truly a child of God, when confronted with continuing in unrepentant sin, a Christian will repent and give thanks to God. If a person refuses to repent and remains in unrepentant sin, such have “no inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God.”
Third, Paul says that we are to be known as a people who are not swayed – that are not deceived – by empty words – by people full of hot air.
American Christians fall so easily for people full of hot air! We are not a people who look to our Bibles to check to see what they actually say. I would be so rich if I had a dollar for every time someone told me the Bible is full of contradictions, and then I ask them if they have read it and they say “no.” Or I ask them to show me one, and they say they don’t know, but read so-and-so or watch such-and-such a program. I remember my sister, Libby, coming home when she was in elementary school, after they had begun teaching evolution, and she said, “Well, it must be true, it’s in a book.” I remember a friend of mine coming to me with a copy of The Da Vinci Code, and she told me that it proved Christianity false, and that the author even had a preface where he said that though it is a piece of fiction, all of the historical evidence is true. Well, he lied. He distorted and made up the “historical evidence” in his novel. Brothers and sisters, we must go back to the source material – especially the Bible. If someone says something strange, especially about the Bible, ask them to show you where, and if it is confusing, bring it here, or look it up in a reliable commentary.
“The Gospel of Judas proves that the Gospels are wrong and Judas is really the Savior, and it has been suppressed for centuries!” No, it was known and refuted by the early Church fathers, and it was recently mistranslated to make money.
“There are several modern atheists who have proven that God doesn’t exist and all evil is caused by Christianity!” So the news would have us believe. Have you read any of these infantile authors and their rants? They put up straw men and false teachings and claim it is truth.
Brothers and sisters, don’t be fooled by them! Don’t be swayed by them. They are full of hot air. Check the Bible. Don’t believe things just because they are in print or on the news. There is plenty of garbage in print, and the news is merely a “reality show” based on events that occurred – it’s not truth.
Paul says we are not to associate with people who propagate such nonsense. Does that mean we should not share the Gospel with them? No, what Paul means is that God gives some people over to hardness of heart. Some people desire to remain in their sin so much, that God lets them go. Paul wrote, “Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen” (Romans 1:24-25, ESV). When Paul tells us not to associate with them, he means that we are not to join with them in leading others into sin.
On the contrary, fourth, Paul says that since we are children of the Light, we are to be exposing the darkness.
We are to walk as children of the Light, living and explaining to others why these teachers and ideas are wrong. We are to spend our lives illuminating the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Explaining, showing others that there is salvation only in Jesus. We are to show why other religions are not true, and we are to lead the world in living according to the Love and the Law of God. Keith Green has a song called, “Asleep in the Light,” in which he criticizes the Church for claiming the benefits of Christ, while refusing to follow Him and live out the Gospel before the world: “The world is sleeping in the dark that the Church just can’t fight, ‘cause it’s asleep in the Light. How can you be so dead when you’ve been so well fed, Jesus rose from the grave, and you, you can’t even get out of bed!”
No, we must walk according to the wisdom of God. We must pray to understand, seek to understand more and better that we can be shining lights to all those who are still in the darkness. We need to turn away from sin – from the “unfruitful works of darkness” – and turn to “the fruit of the light...all that is good and right and true,...try[ing] to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.”
“‘Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’” If you are a Christian, you have been raised from the dead, you have been awakened from your sleep, the Light of Christ has shone on you, and you are now a child of the Light – get up! Stop hiding. Stop pulling the blankets over your head. Stop putting your “light under a bushel.”
Paul tells us to walk carefully, to search after the wisdom of God in His Word, to let others know, because the days are evil – that is, the time is short, and we each only have a short time on this earth. We need to spend our time and our efforts, our gifts and blessings, on those things that will last, on those things that are meaningful, on those things that shine the Light of Christ on Him and His Gospel. Don’t waste your life. Don’t be a fool. There is nothing more valuable that learning at the feet of Christ – read His Word, learn from those who preach it and teach it biblically.
There are those who have accepted a fatalistic view of the world and say, “Eat, drink, for tomorrow we die.” And there is a sense in which they are right – we don’t know how long we have to live on this earth, which is why we dare not waste our lives. Paul tells us not to spend our time being drunk on wine – we ought not spend our time in “debauchery.” Literally, Paul says that we are not “to abandon ourselves to recklessly immoral behavior” (Bible Windows Analytical Lexicon). We are not to do anything that throws our lives away in sin.
Rather, Paul says, we are to be filled with the Spirit – and God the Holy Spirit indwells all those who believe, and He helps us to grow and mature and to understand God’s Word. And then, rather than addressing our brothers and sisters in sin or insincerity, let us come together, joining in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Let us join together, bound together in knowing and understanding the Scripture together. Let us literally sing together and let us spiritually be united in perfect harmony in Christ. Let us put aside our criticism of imperfect notes and hear the perfect melody of Christ that flows through each believer.
And then let us be thankful. One of the great criticisms in the Bible is that God’s people are not thankful. Seek and find reasons to be thankful every day and give thanks to God for them. The more time we look for reasons to be thankful, the more things we will find to be thankful for – even in our bloated and unthankful country. And as we spend more time giving thanks, it will change our attitude and life. Christians ought not to be a people who look like they have been sucking on lemons their whole lives – the most melancholy Christian has reason to give thanks, and that will show. If you are a thankful person, it will show. It will change you and it will change those around you. Especially as we give thanks “always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Understand, I have said before, we are not be told that we should enjoy suffering. God is not telling us to be thankful for suffering itself. For example, if you get a flat tire, we are not being told to thank God for the flat tire. What we are being told, is to give thanks for the tire not blowing up, for not getting into an accident, for having the ability to get the tire fixed, and so forth. There is always reason to give thanks. We have real disappointments, real frustrations, real sufferings that we live through and ought to call on God for help with, yet, we always have reason to give thanks.
One of the ways we show our thanks is by “submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.” In other words, in thanks for what Christ has done for me, I’m willing to do this for you and that for you when you ask me. In thanks for what Christ has done for me, I am willing to submit to the government of the Reformed Church in America – our denomination – while I serve as a minister in her. Etc. That does not mean that we should be a doormat or use others as a doormat; it does not mean that you always have to do anything and everything another Christian asks you to do. What it means is if you are able, you should submit to the request of a brother or sister, and this is reciprocal, there ought to be thanks shown to each other as we submit to each other in Christ.
This is some of what it means to live as children of the Light. Let us find ourselves striving to be known as children of the Light by the world and living out that call in love and service to each other.
Let us pray:
Almighty God, we thank You for choosing us to be children of the Light and for giving us brothers and sisters with our Brother, Jesus. Lead us away from sin and cause us to be ever more desirous in knowing You and loving each other for Your Sake. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Review: "Stand: a Call for the Endurance of the Saints"
I recently finished reading Stand: a Call for the Endurance of the Saints edited by John Piper and Justin Taylor. I can honestly say that this book came along at the right time for me, and I would heartily recommend it for anyone who is pastoring in difficult circumstances and even for any Christian going through difficult circumstances.
This book is a compilation of essays from a 2007 conference and ends with transcripts of two roundtable discussion among the speakers/authors.
The first essay, by Jerry Bridges, is about four essentials for finishing well: “daily time of focused personal communion with God, daily appropriation of the gospel, daily commitment to God as a living sacrifice, and a firm belief in the sovereignty and love of God” (18). Bridges does an excellent job of fleshing these out and calling Christians to live every moment before our God and Savior.
John Piper picks up writing about “getting old to the glory of God.” He references a number of historical figures to show how they did this, and it was reminiscent of his Don’t Waste Your Life.
John MacArthur writes about “certainties that drive enduring ministry” in which he looks at a number of truths that Paul embraced – the overarching theme being that our ministry and our lives are not about us – they are about Jesus and His Gospel. If we are focused there, we will endure.
Randy Alcorn, at the request of the team, tells the story of how he has come to financially run his ministry the way he does. I had never heard the story before, and frankly, it blew me away. I’ll let you read it for yourself if you don’t know it. Alcorn looks at the life of Jesus and shows that, from the mouth of Jesus, we have no right to expect better than Jesus received. That being the case, American Christians have it pretty easy.
Helen Roseveare finishes off the collection presenting her conviction that an enduring ministry must be focused on “one thing.”
If you or your minister ever has need to be encouraged to endure in the service of Christ, pick up this book.
This book is a compilation of essays from a 2007 conference and ends with transcripts of two roundtable discussion among the speakers/authors.
The first essay, by Jerry Bridges, is about four essentials for finishing well: “daily time of focused personal communion with God, daily appropriation of the gospel, daily commitment to God as a living sacrifice, and a firm belief in the sovereignty and love of God” (18). Bridges does an excellent job of fleshing these out and calling Christians to live every moment before our God and Savior.
John Piper picks up writing about “getting old to the glory of God.” He references a number of historical figures to show how they did this, and it was reminiscent of his Don’t Waste Your Life.
John MacArthur writes about “certainties that drive enduring ministry” in which he looks at a number of truths that Paul embraced – the overarching theme being that our ministry and our lives are not about us – they are about Jesus and His Gospel. If we are focused there, we will endure.
Randy Alcorn, at the request of the team, tells the story of how he has come to financially run his ministry the way he does. I had never heard the story before, and frankly, it blew me away. I’ll let you read it for yourself if you don’t know it. Alcorn looks at the life of Jesus and shows that, from the mouth of Jesus, we have no right to expect better than Jesus received. That being the case, American Christians have it pretty easy.
Helen Roseveare finishes off the collection presenting her conviction that an enduring ministry must be focused on “one thing.”
If you or your minister ever has need to be encouraged to endure in the service of Christ, pick up this book.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
"The Servant & the Spirit" Sermon: Isaiah 42:1-9
“The Servant & the Spirit”
[Isaiah 42:1-9]
January 11, 2009 Second Reformed Church
Israel was captive in Babylon at the time that Isaiah preached. The Babylonians had conquered Israel and brought the Israelites to Babylon – to what we call Iraq and Iran, today. The prophecies of Isaiah are a combination of condemnations of the Israelites and the Babylonians – for different reasons – and passages of a glorious restoration of Israel – and the world – that would come one day.
The second half of chapter forty-one of Isaiah is his condemnation of Israel for worshiping idols. He tells them that it was the sin and the stupidity of worshiping idols that caused God to send them into captivity as punishment. He asks them what good it does to make an idol out of wood or metal and worship it? It cannot hear; it cannot see; it cannot do anything, because it is merely an idol that a human has created. It is not the Almighty God.
John Calvin, one of the reformers who led part of the Church back to the Reformed – we would say, biblical – understanding of the Scripture, said that humans are naturally idol-makers. We naturally, sinfully seek to put something else in God’s place – so we don’t have to submit to God, so we can have control over our circumstances – over God.
Most of us don’t have carved statues that we pray to and worship, but we commit idolatry whenever we put our trust in something above God. Look how many are committing idolatry in this current economic situation: how many have put their trust in their finances above God, and when they slip away, they sink into despair. It’s times like these that we need to stand up before the world and let them know that we do not put our hope and faith in the things of this earth, but in Jesus Christ, our God and Savior, Who has and will always provide us with ever need that we have. Are you putting your trust in something other than God and His Savior this morning? Are you putting your trust in something that can be lost or taken away? That’s idolatry.
Isaiah turns from this condemnation to revealing part of the glorious future that would come to Israel in the form of the Servant: “Behold, my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him;”
This morning’s Scripture is God directly speaking through Isaiah, and God tells Israel that He has chosen and appointed His Servant to do something. This Servant will be Someone in Whom God delights, and in Whom God gives the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit. And in 2009, we will remember what happened in those first days of Jesus’ Ministry as He submitted Himself to the baptism of John the Baptist, “And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him, and behold, a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased’” (Matthew 3:16-17, ESV) On this side of the cross, it is obvious Who Isaiah is prophesying about.
The Servant, Isaiah says, will bring justice to the nations, and surely Israel heard this to mean that they would get their land back, and that is part of what it means, but it is not the whole story: not only will the land of Israel be returned to her, but when the Servant comes, He will rule over and govern, not only Israel, but all nations.
And when He comes, as we just celebrated, “He will not cry aloud or lift up His voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench.” This is a message of reconciliation through Christ. We remember, He did not come with all the pomp and circumstance of kings – few people knew of His Birth, and when people realized Who He is, He often told them not to tell anyone. It was not His Plan in His First Coming to announce Himself to the world – remember we saw last week that He gave it to the Church – all those who believe throughout space and time – to spread the Gospel before His Second Coming.
And see, the Servant comes with mercy: “a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench.” If a branch had been damaged, but has not completely broken off the plant, we will often break it off; if a candle, or a lamp, has an ember of fire on the wick, we will stamp it out. Not so with the Servant And here, he is referring to faith – to belief – Jesus came to the weak, the bruised, the failing, the hurt – He healed the branch and blew the ember back into a flame.
Remember what Paul wrote, “For consider your calling, brothers, not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what was foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing that things that are, so that no human may boast in the presence of God. He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption. Therefore, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord’” (I Corinthians 1:26-31, ESV).
Most Christians are not in the top echelon of those the world sees are “valuable.” The Servant has come and chosen – mostly – from the bruised reeds and smoldering wicks to claim a people for Himself. Remember, last week, I said that we were like a litter box that God has put a diamond in, and the point of God putting a diamond in a litter box is so that it will stand out and emphasize the glory of the diamond Don’t feel dismayed that God doesn’t put you on a pedestal, instead, let us rejoice and be glad, knowing who we are, knowing our sin and our weakness, and that God has chosen us to make the world know how glorious He is through us!
Matthew tells us that these first four verses were fulfilled in the ministry of Jesus: “Jesus, aware [that the Pharisees wanted to kill him], withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all and ordered them not to make him known. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah” (Matthew 12:15-17, ESV) and then he quotes those four verses. The Servant came with mercy for those who are His people.
Yet His Mildness and Humility should not be misunderstood for weakness. Isaiah continues, “he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he established justice in the earth; and the coast lands wait for his law.”
Here, when it is said that the Servant will bring justice, we understand this to mean full justice – the end of evil – and this justice is for the whole earth, not just for Israel, but for beyond the coast lands. Matthew tells us that Jesus ministered where He did to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah, “‘The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles – the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned’” (Matthew 4:15-16, ESV).
This prophecy has obviously not been completed: justice has not come to the whole earth, evil has not been punished, not everyone throughout the world has heard the Gospel. So, let us understand that this began with the Incarnation of the Servant – with Jesus’ Birth, and it continues through His Life, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension, and through the age of the Church – when we are the light of the world, the deliverers of His Gospel, until the day when He returns to Judge and restore all things.
So, Isaiah told Israel, “God has not forgotten His Promise to send a Savior: He will send a Savior. The Savior will be indwelt by God the Holy Spirit. But He will come quietly and to the poor and the humble, and not only to the Jews, but to every nation, as was promised to Father Abraham. But He will accomplish his Work – Judgment and Restoration – in His Time.”
After giving them this glorious hope, God swears by Himself that this is true. God confirms their faith and assures them by swearing on Himself:
God says that they can trust in that promise because God is the God of the Creation – nothing exists that exists except by the Will and the Word of This One God. He can be believed and trusted.
God says that they can trust in that promise because God is the God that caused humans to come into existence. He is the God that put breath into their bodies, and He gives the Holy Spirit to those who walk in His Ways. He can be believed and trusted.
God says that they can trust in that promise because called out a people for Himself. He has made them righteous for His Sake and by Himself. He has taken them by their hand – God will never leave or forsake them – they are His forever. God has entered into a covenant with them – a treaty – God has reconciled them to Himself through His Servant. God has looked down in mercy at the spiritually dead, and given them life; He has opened the eyes of the spiritually blind; He has freed the prisoners of sin and called them sons and daughters of God; He has rescued them from everlasting darkness and brought them into the Light. He can be believed and trusted.
God says that they can trust in that promise because He swears on His Own Name, “I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.” God tells them the most valuable thing in the world to Him is His Glory and He will not allow anyone else to have it, so He swears by His Name and the Glory He is due that He will send the Servant, Who will be victorious – they will see the Glory of God as He fulfills His Promises. He can be believed and trusted.
God says that they can trust in that promise because it is already coming to pass: “Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them.” He can be believed and trusted.
These promises and this assurance is not just for the believers of Israel, but for the whole Church – for all throughout time and space that believe – including you and me. In 2009, we know that some of these things have come to pass, but God is still working through the Church, and He will work through us until He returns. God has given us the priceless gift of Salvation through His Servant, Jesus, and God has sworn by Himself that He will bring to pass all that He promised, and God’s past actions give us no reason to doubt Him, rather, let us trust Him.
God sent His servant, Who was indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and now the Servant gives to all those who believe in Him the same indwelling of God the Holy Spirit. Let’s put away our idols. Let’s put away our fears. Yes, let’s use the wisdom and the gifts God has given us, but let us rely on the Spirit and the Servant and His Word, trusting in God because He is the One and Only God, Who has sworn by His Name that all these things shall occur, and all our needs shall be met.
Rather than worrying our bank accounts, rather than worrying about terrorists and war, rather than worrying about the future, let us trust God and tell others how glorious He is. He can be believed and trusted.
Let us pray:
Almighty God, we thank You that You are the Only True God and You keep all Your Promises. We thank You for letting us live on this side of the cross so we can see Your promises fulfilled and being fulfilled. Help us to trust You and to put away our idols. Make us be Your light in this world, and glorify Yourself through us. For it is our joy, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
[Isaiah 42:1-9]
January 11, 2009 Second Reformed Church
Israel was captive in Babylon at the time that Isaiah preached. The Babylonians had conquered Israel and brought the Israelites to Babylon – to what we call Iraq and Iran, today. The prophecies of Isaiah are a combination of condemnations of the Israelites and the Babylonians – for different reasons – and passages of a glorious restoration of Israel – and the world – that would come one day.
The second half of chapter forty-one of Isaiah is his condemnation of Israel for worshiping idols. He tells them that it was the sin and the stupidity of worshiping idols that caused God to send them into captivity as punishment. He asks them what good it does to make an idol out of wood or metal and worship it? It cannot hear; it cannot see; it cannot do anything, because it is merely an idol that a human has created. It is not the Almighty God.
John Calvin, one of the reformers who led part of the Church back to the Reformed – we would say, biblical – understanding of the Scripture, said that humans are naturally idol-makers. We naturally, sinfully seek to put something else in God’s place – so we don’t have to submit to God, so we can have control over our circumstances – over God.
Most of us don’t have carved statues that we pray to and worship, but we commit idolatry whenever we put our trust in something above God. Look how many are committing idolatry in this current economic situation: how many have put their trust in their finances above God, and when they slip away, they sink into despair. It’s times like these that we need to stand up before the world and let them know that we do not put our hope and faith in the things of this earth, but in Jesus Christ, our God and Savior, Who has and will always provide us with ever need that we have. Are you putting your trust in something other than God and His Savior this morning? Are you putting your trust in something that can be lost or taken away? That’s idolatry.
Isaiah turns from this condemnation to revealing part of the glorious future that would come to Israel in the form of the Servant: “Behold, my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him;”
This morning’s Scripture is God directly speaking through Isaiah, and God tells Israel that He has chosen and appointed His Servant to do something. This Servant will be Someone in Whom God delights, and in Whom God gives the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit. And in 2009, we will remember what happened in those first days of Jesus’ Ministry as He submitted Himself to the baptism of John the Baptist, “And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him, and behold, a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased’” (Matthew 3:16-17, ESV) On this side of the cross, it is obvious Who Isaiah is prophesying about.
The Servant, Isaiah says, will bring justice to the nations, and surely Israel heard this to mean that they would get their land back, and that is part of what it means, but it is not the whole story: not only will the land of Israel be returned to her, but when the Servant comes, He will rule over and govern, not only Israel, but all nations.
And when He comes, as we just celebrated, “He will not cry aloud or lift up His voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench.” This is a message of reconciliation through Christ. We remember, He did not come with all the pomp and circumstance of kings – few people knew of His Birth, and when people realized Who He is, He often told them not to tell anyone. It was not His Plan in His First Coming to announce Himself to the world – remember we saw last week that He gave it to the Church – all those who believe throughout space and time – to spread the Gospel before His Second Coming.
And see, the Servant comes with mercy: “a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench.” If a branch had been damaged, but has not completely broken off the plant, we will often break it off; if a candle, or a lamp, has an ember of fire on the wick, we will stamp it out. Not so with the Servant And here, he is referring to faith – to belief – Jesus came to the weak, the bruised, the failing, the hurt – He healed the branch and blew the ember back into a flame.
Remember what Paul wrote, “For consider your calling, brothers, not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what was foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing that things that are, so that no human may boast in the presence of God. He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption. Therefore, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord’” (I Corinthians 1:26-31, ESV).
Most Christians are not in the top echelon of those the world sees are “valuable.” The Servant has come and chosen – mostly – from the bruised reeds and smoldering wicks to claim a people for Himself. Remember, last week, I said that we were like a litter box that God has put a diamond in, and the point of God putting a diamond in a litter box is so that it will stand out and emphasize the glory of the diamond Don’t feel dismayed that God doesn’t put you on a pedestal, instead, let us rejoice and be glad, knowing who we are, knowing our sin and our weakness, and that God has chosen us to make the world know how glorious He is through us!
Matthew tells us that these first four verses were fulfilled in the ministry of Jesus: “Jesus, aware [that the Pharisees wanted to kill him], withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all and ordered them not to make him known. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah” (Matthew 12:15-17, ESV) and then he quotes those four verses. The Servant came with mercy for those who are His people.
Yet His Mildness and Humility should not be misunderstood for weakness. Isaiah continues, “he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he established justice in the earth; and the coast lands wait for his law.”
Here, when it is said that the Servant will bring justice, we understand this to mean full justice – the end of evil – and this justice is for the whole earth, not just for Israel, but for beyond the coast lands. Matthew tells us that Jesus ministered where He did to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah, “‘The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles – the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned’” (Matthew 4:15-16, ESV).
This prophecy has obviously not been completed: justice has not come to the whole earth, evil has not been punished, not everyone throughout the world has heard the Gospel. So, let us understand that this began with the Incarnation of the Servant – with Jesus’ Birth, and it continues through His Life, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension, and through the age of the Church – when we are the light of the world, the deliverers of His Gospel, until the day when He returns to Judge and restore all things.
So, Isaiah told Israel, “God has not forgotten His Promise to send a Savior: He will send a Savior. The Savior will be indwelt by God the Holy Spirit. But He will come quietly and to the poor and the humble, and not only to the Jews, but to every nation, as was promised to Father Abraham. But He will accomplish his Work – Judgment and Restoration – in His Time.”
After giving them this glorious hope, God swears by Himself that this is true. God confirms their faith and assures them by swearing on Himself:
God says that they can trust in that promise because God is the God of the Creation – nothing exists that exists except by the Will and the Word of This One God. He can be believed and trusted.
God says that they can trust in that promise because God is the God that caused humans to come into existence. He is the God that put breath into their bodies, and He gives the Holy Spirit to those who walk in His Ways. He can be believed and trusted.
God says that they can trust in that promise because called out a people for Himself. He has made them righteous for His Sake and by Himself. He has taken them by their hand – God will never leave or forsake them – they are His forever. God has entered into a covenant with them – a treaty – God has reconciled them to Himself through His Servant. God has looked down in mercy at the spiritually dead, and given them life; He has opened the eyes of the spiritually blind; He has freed the prisoners of sin and called them sons and daughters of God; He has rescued them from everlasting darkness and brought them into the Light. He can be believed and trusted.
God says that they can trust in that promise because He swears on His Own Name, “I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.” God tells them the most valuable thing in the world to Him is His Glory and He will not allow anyone else to have it, so He swears by His Name and the Glory He is due that He will send the Servant, Who will be victorious – they will see the Glory of God as He fulfills His Promises. He can be believed and trusted.
God says that they can trust in that promise because it is already coming to pass: “Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them.” He can be believed and trusted.
These promises and this assurance is not just for the believers of Israel, but for the whole Church – for all throughout time and space that believe – including you and me. In 2009, we know that some of these things have come to pass, but God is still working through the Church, and He will work through us until He returns. God has given us the priceless gift of Salvation through His Servant, Jesus, and God has sworn by Himself that He will bring to pass all that He promised, and God’s past actions give us no reason to doubt Him, rather, let us trust Him.
God sent His servant, Who was indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and now the Servant gives to all those who believe in Him the same indwelling of God the Holy Spirit. Let’s put away our idols. Let’s put away our fears. Yes, let’s use the wisdom and the gifts God has given us, but let us rely on the Spirit and the Servant and His Word, trusting in God because He is the One and Only God, Who has sworn by His Name that all these things shall occur, and all our needs shall be met.
Rather than worrying our bank accounts, rather than worrying about terrorists and war, rather than worrying about the future, let us trust God and tell others how glorious He is. He can be believed and trusted.
Let us pray:
Almighty God, we thank You that You are the Only True God and You keep all Your Promises. We thank You for letting us live on this side of the cross so we can see Your promises fulfilled and being fulfilled. Help us to trust You and to put away our idols. Make us be Your light in this world, and glorify Yourself through us. For it is our joy, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Friday, January 09, 2009
Consistory Meeting
Consistory members, please remember that we are meeting on Sunday after worship, D.V. This is a very important meeting, and if we are not able to meet due to the impending snow storm, we will need to schedule a meeting during the week. Please keep that in mind in case we wake up snowed in Sunday -- and pray the snow is gone and cleared by Sunday morning!
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Annual Meeting and Pot-Luck Lunch
D.V., we will hold our annual meeting after worship on Sunday, January 25th. We also plan to have a pot luck lunch. Please sign up with what food you will be able to bring and plan to stay to discuss the business of the church and elect a new elder.
Sunday, January 04, 2009
"The Mystery Revealed" Sermon: Ephesians 3:1-12
“The Mystery Revealed”
[Ephesians 3:1-12]
January 4, 2009 Second Reformed Church
Today is Epiphany Sunday. What does “epiphany” mean? Have you ever heard someone say they had an epiphany? Most generally, it refers to an insight, to something being revealed, to a revelation. This morning, we are turning to Paul’s letter to the Ephesians to look at a mystery that was revealed to Paul.
In the first three verses of chapter three, Paul is defending himself as an apostle. We will remember that Paul, who was named Saul, was one of the most vicious persecutors of the Church. He will a murderer who sought to stamp out Christianity, so when he converted, there were not a few sceptics.
So Paul tells the Ephesians to remember that he was now in prison for preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles – to the non-Jews. He reminds them of the work he did by God’s Grace in Ephesus. And he tells them to remember how the mystery of Christ was revealed to him. Do you remember?
After Paul’s conversion, many did not believe him and sought to cast him away, if not kill him. In the book of Acts, we have Paul’s testimony:
“‘Brothers and fathers, hear the defense that I now make before you.’
“And when they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew language, they became even more quiet. And he said:
“‘I am a Jew; born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day. I persecuted the Way to death, blinding and delivering to prison both men and women, as the high priest and the whole council of elders can bear witness. From them I received letters to the brothers, and I journeyed towards Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished.
“‘As I was on my way and drew near to Damascus, at noon a great light from heaven suddenly shown around me. And I heard a voice saying to me, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And I answered, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said to me, “I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.” Now those who were with me saw the light but did not understand the voice of the one who was speaking to me. And I said, “What shall I do, Lord?” And the Lord said to me, “Rise, and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do.” And since I could not see because of the brightness of the light, I was led by the hand of those who were with me, and we came into Damascus.’
“‘And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, came to me, and standing by me said to me, “Brother Saul, receive your sight.” And that very hour I received my sight and saw him. And he said, ‘The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth; for you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard. And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.”’
“‘When I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance, and I saw him saying to me, “Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.” And I said, “Lord, they themselves know that in one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you. And when the blood of Stephen your witness was being shed, I myself was standing by and approving and watching over the garments of those who killed him.” And he said to me, “Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles”’” (Acts 22:1-21, ESV).
Paul told them, when they remember how he, a prominent Jewish rabbi and scholar, became the apostle to the Gentiles (Ephesus was in what we now call south-western Turkey), and they remembered the mystery of Christ, which he just went over in chapter two: that all mere human beings are born dead in sin and under the Wrath of God, but God in His Mercy sent Christ to save us, while we were dead in our sin and didn’t want anything to do with Christ – God chose some to be His and made us His without our help and without our will – remember, Paul hated Jesus and he hated Christians, but Jesus took Saul and made him Paul, suddenly, unexpectedly, without the help or will of Paul, then, Paul told them, they could also understand the mystery that was revealed to him: the Gentiles – the non-Jews – “are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel.”
Remember, the Jews were looking for the Savior of the Jews to come, not the Savior of all peoples. They understood that there was an occasional faithful non-Jew that God saved in His Mercy, but the history of the Old Testament is the history of a people – the Jewish people – that God chose to be His people – the people through whom He would work out His Plan of Salvation. They had become blind to the wideness of God’s Mercy. They forgot the promise of God to Father Abraham, “And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:2-3, ESV). This is exactly what Jesus was referring to when He said, “‘And I have other sheep who are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock and one shepherd’” (John 10:16).
Yes, God chose the Jews to be His people, but all the peoples of the world are to be blessed through the Savior. Jesus came first to bring the Gospel to the Jews, but the Gospel is for every type of person and every nation.
When I was in college, I read the autobiography of Charles “Tex” Watson, Will You Die for Me? Watson was the man who actually committed the infamous Manson murders. Watson’s story is the story of how he went from being willing to die for Charles Manson to being willing to die for Jesus Christ.
I read the book and there was an address you could write to, so we began corresponding, and I told my pastor at the time about Watson and his conversion to Christ, and he told me it is not possible for a murderer to come to Christ. That pastor is wrong. All I have to do is ask the question, “What about the murderer, Saul of Tarsus? Was his conversion a fraud?”
Even if we believe that God can change all types of persons, it’s not easy to sit next to a former murderer, a former rapist, a former politician. We only sin polite sins. We only sin nice sins. No one would have a reason to be afraid to sit by us. Because we’re better than they are – though we wouldn’t say it, because we’re better than they are.
No, all believers in Christ, no matter what our past, are “fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel.” Certainly, we need to do what we can to keep each other out of situations where we might fall into sin: a former pedophile should not be the sole provider in the nursery; a former gossip should not be told things that need to be kept private. We all have sins we struggle with, but in Christ we are one. Paul, the murderer, was made a minister of the Gospel, by the Power of God. You and I and all who believe receive Christ by the Power of God.
Then Paul says in verses eight and nine, “To me, though I am the very least of the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things.”
Why does Paul call himself, “the least of the saints”? Is this false modesty? Paul is recognizing that he was a murderer of Christians, and he still was a sinner, but mostly, he was recognizing that his joy was not found in himself or what he had become, but in the “unsearchable riches of Christ.” We remember we saw John the Baptist say that same thing a few weeks ago: “The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:29-30, ESV).
In other words: the Gospel is not about you and me, it’s about Jesus Christ. And the more we get our eyes off ourselves and off our church and off our minister and off our perceived problems and, instead, focus on Jesus and making sure that we make His Name Glorious, that we let others know Who He is, our joy will increase!
When I was first in seminary, some of my classmates encouraged me not to go into the ministry because I had just found out I had some heart issues. They said the ministry is too stressful; this is probably a sign that you should teach or do something else. I have been fairly frank with you about my health: I am chronically and incurably ill. Some days are better; some days are worse. I’m told I will have more worse days than good as time goes by. I don’t tell you that for your sympathy, and I don’t enjoy being sick – sometimes it’s very difficult for me.
However, there is a real sense in which I rejoice in being ill, because it is a reminder to me that I cannot save myself. I cannot do anything except through Jesus Christ. And it is my privilege and my joy to be the pastor of this church because I want you to see Jesus – not me – not us – Jesus. Everyone in this sanctuary and everyone outside of these doors needs to know that Jesus Alone will save you if you repent and believe in Him. He is able – we are not – I am not.
John said he must decrease. Paul said he was the least of the saints. We need to present the Gospel as it is – the lifting up and glorifying of Jesus. The Gospel is not about what you and I can get or be – though God gives us “unsearchable riches in Christ.” But when I am gone and your new minister arrives, nothing will have changed. Your new minister may be better at some things than I and worse at others, but that’s not the point. The mystery that has been revealed is that the Gospel – Salvation in Jesus Christ Alone – is for every type of person in the world, and it’s all about Him – not me, not you.
So, what shall we do? How do we go forward in the hope and promise that this is all for Him?
Paul wrote, that this mystery has been revealed to us, “so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.”
God from before the foundation of the world chose to have the mystery of salvation delivered through the Church. What is the Church? The Church is everyone throughout time and space who believes in Jesus Alone – God’s Savior Alone – for salvation. Think about that – God chose to use those who believe in Him and His Savior to deliver the message of Salvation to the world.
And someone may be thinking, “Well, then, God is pretty dumb. Wouldn’t it have made more sense for God to broadcast the news of His Salvation to everyone at once? If God is really all-powerful, He could have done that. Just look at Christians: we remain sinners in this life. We have thousands of denominations – many divided over petty issues. How can the world see unity in us – in our message?”
Here’s the answer that Paul gives us, “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us” (II Corinthians 4:7, ESV). Listen again: “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”
If you drop a diamond in a diamond encrusted jar, it’s not going to stand out, but if you drop a diamond in a litter box, it will stand out, right? God chose to deliver the Gospel through Christians because it would be more obvious – it would show up better – it would make it clear that all glory and all power is God’s, not ours.
He must increase; I must decrease. Don’t be discouraged if I say you are a litter box. The Bible uses words that are even more gross than that. Be encouraged that God chose to save me – God chose to save you who believe – not because of who you are or what you could do – but because it pleased God to save you. Before the foundation of the world, God chose me to be a pastor for Him. My health is not good. I struggle with sin and I will until Jesus returns. I am not the most intelligent person or the best speaker in the world. Compared to who I am, I don’t have the ability to properly convey to you how glorious, how wonderful, how unsearchable the riches of Jesus Christ are.
And isn’t that the point, beloved? The better we know ourselves, the better we know Jesus – that He is Holy, Beautiful, Awesome – He is everything and more than anyone could ever desire or enjoy. We do well to rightly examine ourselves, as I said this morning, but let’s not get fixated on the litter box – let’s turn our eyes to the diamond that God has given us. Let us rejoice in knowing that God is making us like that diamond – like His Son, so on that final day we will be like Him, fully righteous, holy, perfect – that we might perfectly worship and glorify Him forever.
But what about today. And tomorrow. What are we to do with this mystery that has been revealed to us – that Jesus Alone is Salvation for anyone and everyone who will believe?
“In [Jesus Christ] we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.”
The author of Hebrews tells us that since Jesus is our Savior, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16, ESV), and, “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:19-25, ESV).
Since Christ saved us by Himself, we can come boldly before Him and ask Him to forgive us and make us willing and able to make known the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all peoples. And since He has promised to give us His Grace – to strengthen us for this work – we can confidently let others know that He is the Truth, the Only Salvation, our Only Hope – not because we figured it out – not because we’re so wonderful – but because God chose to reveal the mystery to us – the Church – and now sends us forth in His Power.
Let us pray:
Almighty God, we thank You for revealing the mystery of Jesus Christ and His Salvation to us and for all peoples. We thank You that Your Salvation is not made or broken by who were are or what we are able to do. We ask now, as we receive the bread and the cup in the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, that You would give us more of Your Grace – that You would meet with us here in the elements – and that You would strengthen us, making us bold and confident in You – that others would look at us and hear us and know that You are the Great God and Only Savior. For it is in Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.
[Ephesians 3:1-12]
January 4, 2009 Second Reformed Church
Today is Epiphany Sunday. What does “epiphany” mean? Have you ever heard someone say they had an epiphany? Most generally, it refers to an insight, to something being revealed, to a revelation. This morning, we are turning to Paul’s letter to the Ephesians to look at a mystery that was revealed to Paul.
In the first three verses of chapter three, Paul is defending himself as an apostle. We will remember that Paul, who was named Saul, was one of the most vicious persecutors of the Church. He will a murderer who sought to stamp out Christianity, so when he converted, there were not a few sceptics.
So Paul tells the Ephesians to remember that he was now in prison for preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles – to the non-Jews. He reminds them of the work he did by God’s Grace in Ephesus. And he tells them to remember how the mystery of Christ was revealed to him. Do you remember?
After Paul’s conversion, many did not believe him and sought to cast him away, if not kill him. In the book of Acts, we have Paul’s testimony:
“‘Brothers and fathers, hear the defense that I now make before you.’
“And when they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew language, they became even more quiet. And he said:
“‘I am a Jew; born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day. I persecuted the Way to death, blinding and delivering to prison both men and women, as the high priest and the whole council of elders can bear witness. From them I received letters to the brothers, and I journeyed towards Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished.
“‘As I was on my way and drew near to Damascus, at noon a great light from heaven suddenly shown around me. And I heard a voice saying to me, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And I answered, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said to me, “I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.” Now those who were with me saw the light but did not understand the voice of the one who was speaking to me. And I said, “What shall I do, Lord?” And the Lord said to me, “Rise, and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do.” And since I could not see because of the brightness of the light, I was led by the hand of those who were with me, and we came into Damascus.’
“‘And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, came to me, and standing by me said to me, “Brother Saul, receive your sight.” And that very hour I received my sight and saw him. And he said, ‘The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth; for you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard. And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.”’
“‘When I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance, and I saw him saying to me, “Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.” And I said, “Lord, they themselves know that in one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you. And when the blood of Stephen your witness was being shed, I myself was standing by and approving and watching over the garments of those who killed him.” And he said to me, “Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles”’” (Acts 22:1-21, ESV).
Paul told them, when they remember how he, a prominent Jewish rabbi and scholar, became the apostle to the Gentiles (Ephesus was in what we now call south-western Turkey), and they remembered the mystery of Christ, which he just went over in chapter two: that all mere human beings are born dead in sin and under the Wrath of God, but God in His Mercy sent Christ to save us, while we were dead in our sin and didn’t want anything to do with Christ – God chose some to be His and made us His without our help and without our will – remember, Paul hated Jesus and he hated Christians, but Jesus took Saul and made him Paul, suddenly, unexpectedly, without the help or will of Paul, then, Paul told them, they could also understand the mystery that was revealed to him: the Gentiles – the non-Jews – “are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel.”
Remember, the Jews were looking for the Savior of the Jews to come, not the Savior of all peoples. They understood that there was an occasional faithful non-Jew that God saved in His Mercy, but the history of the Old Testament is the history of a people – the Jewish people – that God chose to be His people – the people through whom He would work out His Plan of Salvation. They had become blind to the wideness of God’s Mercy. They forgot the promise of God to Father Abraham, “And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:2-3, ESV). This is exactly what Jesus was referring to when He said, “‘And I have other sheep who are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock and one shepherd’” (John 10:16).
Yes, God chose the Jews to be His people, but all the peoples of the world are to be blessed through the Savior. Jesus came first to bring the Gospel to the Jews, but the Gospel is for every type of person and every nation.
When I was in college, I read the autobiography of Charles “Tex” Watson, Will You Die for Me? Watson was the man who actually committed the infamous Manson murders. Watson’s story is the story of how he went from being willing to die for Charles Manson to being willing to die for Jesus Christ.
I read the book and there was an address you could write to, so we began corresponding, and I told my pastor at the time about Watson and his conversion to Christ, and he told me it is not possible for a murderer to come to Christ. That pastor is wrong. All I have to do is ask the question, “What about the murderer, Saul of Tarsus? Was his conversion a fraud?”
Even if we believe that God can change all types of persons, it’s not easy to sit next to a former murderer, a former rapist, a former politician. We only sin polite sins. We only sin nice sins. No one would have a reason to be afraid to sit by us. Because we’re better than they are – though we wouldn’t say it, because we’re better than they are.
No, all believers in Christ, no matter what our past, are “fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel.” Certainly, we need to do what we can to keep each other out of situations where we might fall into sin: a former pedophile should not be the sole provider in the nursery; a former gossip should not be told things that need to be kept private. We all have sins we struggle with, but in Christ we are one. Paul, the murderer, was made a minister of the Gospel, by the Power of God. You and I and all who believe receive Christ by the Power of God.
Then Paul says in verses eight and nine, “To me, though I am the very least of the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things.”
Why does Paul call himself, “the least of the saints”? Is this false modesty? Paul is recognizing that he was a murderer of Christians, and he still was a sinner, but mostly, he was recognizing that his joy was not found in himself or what he had become, but in the “unsearchable riches of Christ.” We remember we saw John the Baptist say that same thing a few weeks ago: “The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:29-30, ESV).
In other words: the Gospel is not about you and me, it’s about Jesus Christ. And the more we get our eyes off ourselves and off our church and off our minister and off our perceived problems and, instead, focus on Jesus and making sure that we make His Name Glorious, that we let others know Who He is, our joy will increase!
When I was first in seminary, some of my classmates encouraged me not to go into the ministry because I had just found out I had some heart issues. They said the ministry is too stressful; this is probably a sign that you should teach or do something else. I have been fairly frank with you about my health: I am chronically and incurably ill. Some days are better; some days are worse. I’m told I will have more worse days than good as time goes by. I don’t tell you that for your sympathy, and I don’t enjoy being sick – sometimes it’s very difficult for me.
However, there is a real sense in which I rejoice in being ill, because it is a reminder to me that I cannot save myself. I cannot do anything except through Jesus Christ. And it is my privilege and my joy to be the pastor of this church because I want you to see Jesus – not me – not us – Jesus. Everyone in this sanctuary and everyone outside of these doors needs to know that Jesus Alone will save you if you repent and believe in Him. He is able – we are not – I am not.
John said he must decrease. Paul said he was the least of the saints. We need to present the Gospel as it is – the lifting up and glorifying of Jesus. The Gospel is not about what you and I can get or be – though God gives us “unsearchable riches in Christ.” But when I am gone and your new minister arrives, nothing will have changed. Your new minister may be better at some things than I and worse at others, but that’s not the point. The mystery that has been revealed is that the Gospel – Salvation in Jesus Christ Alone – is for every type of person in the world, and it’s all about Him – not me, not you.
So, what shall we do? How do we go forward in the hope and promise that this is all for Him?
Paul wrote, that this mystery has been revealed to us, “so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.”
God from before the foundation of the world chose to have the mystery of salvation delivered through the Church. What is the Church? The Church is everyone throughout time and space who believes in Jesus Alone – God’s Savior Alone – for salvation. Think about that – God chose to use those who believe in Him and His Savior to deliver the message of Salvation to the world.
And someone may be thinking, “Well, then, God is pretty dumb. Wouldn’t it have made more sense for God to broadcast the news of His Salvation to everyone at once? If God is really all-powerful, He could have done that. Just look at Christians: we remain sinners in this life. We have thousands of denominations – many divided over petty issues. How can the world see unity in us – in our message?”
Here’s the answer that Paul gives us, “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us” (II Corinthians 4:7, ESV). Listen again: “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”
If you drop a diamond in a diamond encrusted jar, it’s not going to stand out, but if you drop a diamond in a litter box, it will stand out, right? God chose to deliver the Gospel through Christians because it would be more obvious – it would show up better – it would make it clear that all glory and all power is God’s, not ours.
He must increase; I must decrease. Don’t be discouraged if I say you are a litter box. The Bible uses words that are even more gross than that. Be encouraged that God chose to save me – God chose to save you who believe – not because of who you are or what you could do – but because it pleased God to save you. Before the foundation of the world, God chose me to be a pastor for Him. My health is not good. I struggle with sin and I will until Jesus returns. I am not the most intelligent person or the best speaker in the world. Compared to who I am, I don’t have the ability to properly convey to you how glorious, how wonderful, how unsearchable the riches of Jesus Christ are.
And isn’t that the point, beloved? The better we know ourselves, the better we know Jesus – that He is Holy, Beautiful, Awesome – He is everything and more than anyone could ever desire or enjoy. We do well to rightly examine ourselves, as I said this morning, but let’s not get fixated on the litter box – let’s turn our eyes to the diamond that God has given us. Let us rejoice in knowing that God is making us like that diamond – like His Son, so on that final day we will be like Him, fully righteous, holy, perfect – that we might perfectly worship and glorify Him forever.
But what about today. And tomorrow. What are we to do with this mystery that has been revealed to us – that Jesus Alone is Salvation for anyone and everyone who will believe?
“In [Jesus Christ] we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.”
The author of Hebrews tells us that since Jesus is our Savior, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16, ESV), and, “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:19-25, ESV).
Since Christ saved us by Himself, we can come boldly before Him and ask Him to forgive us and make us willing and able to make known the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all peoples. And since He has promised to give us His Grace – to strengthen us for this work – we can confidently let others know that He is the Truth, the Only Salvation, our Only Hope – not because we figured it out – not because we’re so wonderful – but because God chose to reveal the mystery to us – the Church – and now sends us forth in His Power.
Let us pray:
Almighty God, we thank You for revealing the mystery of Jesus Christ and His Salvation to us and for all peoples. We thank You that Your Salvation is not made or broken by who were are or what we are able to do. We ask now, as we receive the bread and the cup in the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, that You would give us more of Your Grace – that You would meet with us here in the elements – and that You would strengthen us, making us bold and confident in You – that others would look at us and hear us and know that You are the Great God and Only Savior. For it is in Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.
Thursday, January 01, 2009
Review: "Romancing Opiates"
I just finished reading Theodore Dalrymple’s Romancing Opiates: Pharmacological Lies and the Addiction Bureaucracy. Dr. Dalrymple worked for fourteen years in a hospital in Britain where he dealt with over 20,000 patients. His thesis in this brief work is that opiates are non-addictive. It is the media and the pharmacological industry, for financial interest, that has caused the widespread belief that opiates are addictive.
The book is fascinating, relying on ken logic and anecdotal evidence. Dr. Dalrymple specifically takes issue with the Beat writer, William S. Burroughs and his writings about opiates, showing that Burroughs does contradict himself and present withdrawal as a minor issue with opiates.
The book is written for lay people, I would say, and he presents a strong argument. The one area of weakness is that this book is anecdotal. There is no presentation of scientific support for his thesis. (But then, one could argue it is not possible to provide proof for a negative...)
This is certainly a work to make one think as we minister to those who abuse drugs. It is also a work that should make us consider what action we ought take regarding our politicians and the pharmaceutical companies and their claims. There is talk of weakening the restrictions on prescriptions, for example. Do we want less proof and less regulation with our medications?
The book is fascinating, relying on ken logic and anecdotal evidence. Dr. Dalrymple specifically takes issue with the Beat writer, William S. Burroughs and his writings about opiates, showing that Burroughs does contradict himself and present withdrawal as a minor issue with opiates.
The book is written for lay people, I would say, and he presents a strong argument. The one area of weakness is that this book is anecdotal. There is no presentation of scientific support for his thesis. (But then, one could argue it is not possible to provide proof for a negative...)
This is certainly a work to make one think as we minister to those who abuse drugs. It is also a work that should make us consider what action we ought take regarding our politicians and the pharmaceutical companies and their claims. There is talk of weakening the restrictions on prescriptions, for example. Do we want less proof and less regulation with our medications?
January Sermons
D.V., I will preach:
1/4/09 Communion/Epiphany Ephesians 3:1-12 “The Mystery Revealed”
1/11/09 Baptism Isaiah 42:1-9 “The Servant & the Spirit”
1/18/09 Ephesians 5:1-20 “You Are Children of the Light”
1/25/08 John 13:31-35 “You Are My Disciples”
1/4/09 Communion/Epiphany Ephesians 3:1-12 “The Mystery Revealed”
1/11/09 Baptism Isaiah 42:1-9 “The Servant & the Spirit”
1/18/09 Ephesians 5:1-20 “You Are Children of the Light”
1/25/08 John 13:31-35 “You Are My Disciples”
Friday, December 26, 2008
"That Thing That Took Place" Sermon: Luke 2:1-20
“That Thing That Took Place”
[Luke 2:1-20]
December 24, 2008 Second Reformed Church
Mountains. That thing that took place. Advent has led us to this place. As the hours pass into what we call “tomorrow,” Advent will be over and we will celebrate that thing that took place on that first Christmas.
In talking about the prophecies concerning Jesus, I asked us to consider looking at a mountain range, or at a number of objects over a great distance. As we look at them from the distance, they look like they’re right on top of each other, when, in reality, they are very far apart. So it is with biblical prophecy: we often find that a single prophecy refers to more than one event, often to events that take place years apart. We looked at the prophecy of a child being born to a “virgin” in the book of Isaiah, and we saw that the prophecy had to refer to the birth of a child in Isaiah’s time. We saw that the word that is sometimes translated “virgin” in Hebrew can refer to a young woman, so while it was a sign in the days of Isaiah, it was not the miracle that we associate with the birth of Jesus. (If the Lord is willing, on Sunday we will consider why Mary had to really be virgin and never had physical relations with a man before the birth of Jesus.)
We heard Luke’s record of the birth of Jesus; let us hear Matthew’s as well, because it mentions the fulfillment of this prophecy: “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from his sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus” (Matthew 1:18-25, ESV).
Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophecy. The birth of Jesus – of God Incarnate – is that thing that took place on that first Christmas – that thing that took place that was revealed to the shepherds as we heard from Luke.
Very quickly this evening, let’s look at our text and see four things about that thing that took place that we should know, and then consider two responses:
First, that thing that took place is good news of great joy for every type of people.
Some of the Jews of the first century had draw the wrong conclusion about the Promised Savior: some had come to believe that the Savior was only for the Jews, for the children of Abraham. Some had come to believe that the Gentiles, the non-Jews, were completely lost and unsaveable. We would never do that, would we? We would never think that such and such a type of person is beyond God’s Salvation in Jesus, would we? We would never think that it was so obvious why God would save me, but so and so is beyond that Hand of the Almighty, would we?
That was not the promise and the prophecy made to Father Abraham. Listen to what God said: “‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed’” (Genesis 12:1b-3, ESV).
All the families of the earth shall be blessed – the Jews and the Gentiles; the Jews and the Non-Jews. That thing that took place is good news of great joy for every type of people.
Second, that thing that took place fulfilled the promise and the prophecy made to our first parents.
Earlier this year we looked at the opening chapters of the book of Genesis, and we saw that after Adam and Eve sinned, both as individuals and as our representatives, God punished the entire Creation, and every mere human born from that day forth is born a sinner, destined for eternal Hell. But we also saw, in the midst of the punishment, God made a promise – what the theologians call, “the first Gospel,” and we find it in the cursing of the serpent:
“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15, ESV).
We came to understand that this prophecy and promise was fulfilled in Jesus: in God being born of a woman, living, dying, and rising from the dead, defeating the devil, and securing salvation for all those who would believe in Him. That thing that took place fulfilled the promise and the prophecy made to our first parents.
Third, contrary to the popular American understanding of faith, that thing that took place does not call for blind faith – for an ignorant acceptance of what occurred.
Notice what we are told in this evening’s Scripture: the shepherds were out in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks, when an angel appeared to them and told them the Good News of the birth of the Savior, and the angel gave them a sign by which they would know the Child. Then a multitude of angels joined in praising and glorifying God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors.”
They had been told the Good News, the fulfillment of prophecy, and then what? They said to each other, “‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this things that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.’” The shepherds went to see the evidence. They went to check that this Baby existed, just as the angel had said. They went to see that thing that took place. They went to get proof.
Having faith does not mean turning off our brains. Yes, there are things that are beyond our comprehension, but most things we can understand and check to see if they are true. Remember how Paul complemented the Berean Christians – that they didn’t listen to his preaching and just accept it, they went back to the scrolls – to the Bible – and they checked to make sure that the things he said were true – that they matched up with God’s Word.
One of the greatest problems with Christians, and Americans in general, in the anti-intellectualism that we have embraced. We believe the news and the paper, but we are unwilling to read or think or investigate anything ourselves. I was talking to a friend the other day who was telling me that the Gospels contradict each other throughout, so they are not to be believed, and, in fact, there was little or no evidence for most of what they claimed. I asked her to tell me more about it, but she remember nothing – it was a PBS show she saw that said all these things. I told her I had actually read the Gospels and can’t find a single contradiction, and there is plenty of archeological and historical evidence to support almost every word of the Gospels. She told me she couldn’t believe that someone with so much education was so ignorant.
God is not offended when we seek to prove His Word to be true Read it. Learn it. Compare it to the historical, archaeological records and evidence. Compare one book of the Bible to another. See that it is all true – wonderfully true Beloved, that thing that took place does not call for blind faith – for an ignorant acceptance of what occurred.
Fourth, that thing that took place is amazing.
The shepherds found their way to the manger and saw exactly what the angel had told them, and they told Mary and Joseph and the others who were there everything that had heard and seen – about this Baby – the long-awaited Savior, Who is also God in the flesh. And our Scripture tells us that they were amazed.
Are we still amazed? Do we listen to the Christmas history and consider that the Almighty God, Who had never had a physical body, became enfleshed as a human being, to glorify the Father and to save all of us that are His? Do we still gasp out, like John, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God, and so we are” (I John 3:1, ESV). That thing that took place is amazing.
Two responses to that thing that took place – two ways in which we ought to respond:
What did Mary do? “But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.” Knowing and believing in that thing that took place ought to cause us to ponder – to meditate – on what happened and what that means for us. What Mary did – what we ought to do – is to employ Christian meditation about the things of God – about what we are taught in the Scripture. When we talk about Christian meditation, what our text calls “treasuring” and “pondering,” we do not mean “emptying ourselves,” as Eastern meditation teaches. No, what these words literally mean – what we ought to do – is to “preserve them in our memory” – memorize Scripture and to “throw them together” or to “think them through in great detail, with great care, in comparison with others.”
Let us learn the Scripture. Study the Scripture. Work hard to understand the Scripture.
And then, what did the shepherds do? After they told everyone, “the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen....” Again, let us consider the words: glorifying – we may define that as “enhancing the reputation of one.” Like that telescope we have talked about, they looked through the lense which brought God more clearly before them, and they let others know – as they understood better and more about God and His Salvation, they told others, so others would better know God and His Salvation. And they praised Him – the responded to their knowledge of God by exclaiming His Worth and giving Him thanks.
As we learn more about God and His Salvation and know them better, let us tell others. Let’s not hold back, but exclaim His Worth and give Him thanks.
Where do you plan to be tomorrow? Who will you be with? Make sure Jesus is mentioned. Make sure everyone knows about that thing that took place. And make sure they know why it matters to you.
Let us pray:
Almighty God, we thank You for Your Incarnation, for becoming Man through the Virgin. We ask that tonight, and henceforth, we would not be bigoted about Your Salvation and that we would make an effort to know what things are really true. We ask that you would help us, that the Holy Spirit would teach us and help us to learn Your Word. And we ask that You would make us a people who love to tell others about You, to praise You, and to give You thanks. For it is in Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.
[Luke 2:1-20]
December 24, 2008 Second Reformed Church
Mountains. That thing that took place. Advent has led us to this place. As the hours pass into what we call “tomorrow,” Advent will be over and we will celebrate that thing that took place on that first Christmas.
In talking about the prophecies concerning Jesus, I asked us to consider looking at a mountain range, or at a number of objects over a great distance. As we look at them from the distance, they look like they’re right on top of each other, when, in reality, they are very far apart. So it is with biblical prophecy: we often find that a single prophecy refers to more than one event, often to events that take place years apart. We looked at the prophecy of a child being born to a “virgin” in the book of Isaiah, and we saw that the prophecy had to refer to the birth of a child in Isaiah’s time. We saw that the word that is sometimes translated “virgin” in Hebrew can refer to a young woman, so while it was a sign in the days of Isaiah, it was not the miracle that we associate with the birth of Jesus. (If the Lord is willing, on Sunday we will consider why Mary had to really be virgin and never had physical relations with a man before the birth of Jesus.)
We heard Luke’s record of the birth of Jesus; let us hear Matthew’s as well, because it mentions the fulfillment of this prophecy: “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from his sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus” (Matthew 1:18-25, ESV).
Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophecy. The birth of Jesus – of God Incarnate – is that thing that took place on that first Christmas – that thing that took place that was revealed to the shepherds as we heard from Luke.
Very quickly this evening, let’s look at our text and see four things about that thing that took place that we should know, and then consider two responses:
First, that thing that took place is good news of great joy for every type of people.
Some of the Jews of the first century had draw the wrong conclusion about the Promised Savior: some had come to believe that the Savior was only for the Jews, for the children of Abraham. Some had come to believe that the Gentiles, the non-Jews, were completely lost and unsaveable. We would never do that, would we? We would never think that such and such a type of person is beyond God’s Salvation in Jesus, would we? We would never think that it was so obvious why God would save me, but so and so is beyond that Hand of the Almighty, would we?
That was not the promise and the prophecy made to Father Abraham. Listen to what God said: “‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed’” (Genesis 12:1b-3, ESV).
All the families of the earth shall be blessed – the Jews and the Gentiles; the Jews and the Non-Jews. That thing that took place is good news of great joy for every type of people.
Second, that thing that took place fulfilled the promise and the prophecy made to our first parents.
Earlier this year we looked at the opening chapters of the book of Genesis, and we saw that after Adam and Eve sinned, both as individuals and as our representatives, God punished the entire Creation, and every mere human born from that day forth is born a sinner, destined for eternal Hell. But we also saw, in the midst of the punishment, God made a promise – what the theologians call, “the first Gospel,” and we find it in the cursing of the serpent:
“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15, ESV).
We came to understand that this prophecy and promise was fulfilled in Jesus: in God being born of a woman, living, dying, and rising from the dead, defeating the devil, and securing salvation for all those who would believe in Him. That thing that took place fulfilled the promise and the prophecy made to our first parents.
Third, contrary to the popular American understanding of faith, that thing that took place does not call for blind faith – for an ignorant acceptance of what occurred.
Notice what we are told in this evening’s Scripture: the shepherds were out in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks, when an angel appeared to them and told them the Good News of the birth of the Savior, and the angel gave them a sign by which they would know the Child. Then a multitude of angels joined in praising and glorifying God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors.”
They had been told the Good News, the fulfillment of prophecy, and then what? They said to each other, “‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this things that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.’” The shepherds went to see the evidence. They went to check that this Baby existed, just as the angel had said. They went to see that thing that took place. They went to get proof.
Having faith does not mean turning off our brains. Yes, there are things that are beyond our comprehension, but most things we can understand and check to see if they are true. Remember how Paul complemented the Berean Christians – that they didn’t listen to his preaching and just accept it, they went back to the scrolls – to the Bible – and they checked to make sure that the things he said were true – that they matched up with God’s Word.
One of the greatest problems with Christians, and Americans in general, in the anti-intellectualism that we have embraced. We believe the news and the paper, but we are unwilling to read or think or investigate anything ourselves. I was talking to a friend the other day who was telling me that the Gospels contradict each other throughout, so they are not to be believed, and, in fact, there was little or no evidence for most of what they claimed. I asked her to tell me more about it, but she remember nothing – it was a PBS show she saw that said all these things. I told her I had actually read the Gospels and can’t find a single contradiction, and there is plenty of archeological and historical evidence to support almost every word of the Gospels. She told me she couldn’t believe that someone with so much education was so ignorant.
God is not offended when we seek to prove His Word to be true Read it. Learn it. Compare it to the historical, archaeological records and evidence. Compare one book of the Bible to another. See that it is all true – wonderfully true Beloved, that thing that took place does not call for blind faith – for an ignorant acceptance of what occurred.
Fourth, that thing that took place is amazing.
The shepherds found their way to the manger and saw exactly what the angel had told them, and they told Mary and Joseph and the others who were there everything that had heard and seen – about this Baby – the long-awaited Savior, Who is also God in the flesh. And our Scripture tells us that they were amazed.
Are we still amazed? Do we listen to the Christmas history and consider that the Almighty God, Who had never had a physical body, became enfleshed as a human being, to glorify the Father and to save all of us that are His? Do we still gasp out, like John, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God, and so we are” (I John 3:1, ESV). That thing that took place is amazing.
Two responses to that thing that took place – two ways in which we ought to respond:
What did Mary do? “But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.” Knowing and believing in that thing that took place ought to cause us to ponder – to meditate – on what happened and what that means for us. What Mary did – what we ought to do – is to employ Christian meditation about the things of God – about what we are taught in the Scripture. When we talk about Christian meditation, what our text calls “treasuring” and “pondering,” we do not mean “emptying ourselves,” as Eastern meditation teaches. No, what these words literally mean – what we ought to do – is to “preserve them in our memory” – memorize Scripture and to “throw them together” or to “think them through in great detail, with great care, in comparison with others.”
Let us learn the Scripture. Study the Scripture. Work hard to understand the Scripture.
And then, what did the shepherds do? After they told everyone, “the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen....” Again, let us consider the words: glorifying – we may define that as “enhancing the reputation of one.” Like that telescope we have talked about, they looked through the lense which brought God more clearly before them, and they let others know – as they understood better and more about God and His Salvation, they told others, so others would better know God and His Salvation. And they praised Him – the responded to their knowledge of God by exclaiming His Worth and giving Him thanks.
As we learn more about God and His Salvation and know them better, let us tell others. Let’s not hold back, but exclaim His Worth and give Him thanks.
Where do you plan to be tomorrow? Who will you be with? Make sure Jesus is mentioned. Make sure everyone knows about that thing that took place. And make sure they know why it matters to you.
Let us pray:
Almighty God, we thank You for Your Incarnation, for becoming Man through the Virgin. We ask that tonight, and henceforth, we would not be bigoted about Your Salvation and that we would make an effort to know what things are really true. We ask that you would help us, that the Holy Spirit would teach us and help us to learn Your Word. And we ask that You would make us a people who love to tell others about You, to praise You, and to give You thanks. For it is in Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
One Week Left!
Don't forget to register for the Banner of Truth Conference while it is still available at 2008 prices -- just through the 31st!
From the good folks at the Banner:
Register NOW and Save!
The Banner of Truth 2009 U.S. Ministers' Conference
May 26-28, 2009
Grantham (near Harrisburg), Pennsylvania
Unlike other conferences, The Banner of Truth U.S. Ministers' Conference is a unique fellowship of like-minded men in ministry - pastors, elders, deacons, missionaries, chaplains, seminary students - coming together for rich spiritual nourishment from the Word of God and Christian fellowship, praying for and providing real encouragement to one another. There's nothing like it!
Speakers for the 2009 Conference:
Sinclair Ferguson
Alistair Begg
Walter Chantry
William Edgar
Mark Johnston
Jonathan Watson
Register NOW and lock in your 2009 registration at 2008 prices!
Visit this link for more details and to access the online
conference registration form:
http://www.banneroftruth.org/pages/events/us_ministers_conference.php
P.O. Box 621, Carlisle, PA, USA
Telephone: 1-800-263-8085
www.banneroftruth.org
From the good folks at the Banner:
Register NOW and Save!
The Banner of Truth 2009 U.S. Ministers' Conference
May 26-28, 2009
Grantham (near Harrisburg), Pennsylvania
Unlike other conferences, The Banner of Truth U.S. Ministers' Conference is a unique fellowship of like-minded men in ministry - pastors, elders, deacons, missionaries, chaplains, seminary students - coming together for rich spiritual nourishment from the Word of God and Christian fellowship, praying for and providing real encouragement to one another. There's nothing like it!
Speakers for the 2009 Conference:
Sinclair Ferguson
Alistair Begg
Walter Chantry
William Edgar
Mark Johnston
Jonathan Watson
Register NOW and lock in your 2009 registration at 2008 prices!
Visit this link for more details and to access the online
conference registration form:
http://www.banneroftruth.org/pages/events/us_ministers_conference.php
P.O. Box 621, Carlisle, PA, USA
Telephone: 1-800-263-8085
www.banneroftruth.org
Christmas Eve Worship
Come join us for worship this evening at 7 PM, D.V. We plan to have a service of Christmas hymns, Scripture, and candle light. Come, worship the Newborn King!
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Today's Worship
I regret to post that due to the snow and ice on the roads, we are not opening the church today. Please join us for worship, D.V., Christmas Eve, Wednesday, at 7 PM.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
"Holiday" Party
Second Reformed Church will be hosting a "holiday" party for one of our local politicians this Saturday at 6:30 PM. If you are a "holiday" person, or just like "holiday" parties, come and celebrate a "holiday" with us, enjoy a free dinner, and look over some of the nick-knacks and "holiday" items that will be for sale. And then join us for worship Sunday morning at 10:30 AM!
"The Bridegroom" Sermon: John 3:22-36
“The Bridegroom”
[John 3:22–36]
December 14, 2008 Second Reformed Church
What is Christmas about? Is it about Christmas carols and hymns? Is it about children and Santa and presents? Is it about angels and shepherds? Is it about Rudolph and Frosty? Is it about candy and family and friends? It is about going to church? Is it about measuring the health of the economy? Is it about there being more money in the offering plate? What is Christmas about?
Last week, we saw that John the Baptist was the forerunner of Jesus – he prepared the way for His Coming. Let us remember what John said about himself and about Jesus:
“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 sandal I am not worthy to untie.’ These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
“The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and he said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the whole 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, 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’” (John 1:19-34, ESV).
We’re told in this morning’s Scripture that after these testimonies about himself and Jesus and what occurred at the baptism of Jesus, John and his disciples went into the Judean countryside and continued to baptize.
And we’re told that a Jew, or some of the Jews – in fact, the very ones who had questioned him about who he was – were now questioning John’s disciples about what he had said and done. “Rabbi John, do you see what has happened? You testified about this Jesus and baptized Him back at the Jordan, and now everyone is going to Him and His disciples to be baptized. You’ve got to have noticed how small your congregation has gotten; they’ve all left you and started following Jesus. What are you going to do about this?”
The Jews asked him, “Rabbi John, you were the talk of Israel, everyone flocked to you to hear you and be baptized by you. And now this Jesus that you testified to and baptized has taken your followers away. Does that really seem fair? Don’t you think you should do something about this? You’ve got your reputation to think of.” They were trying to get John to sin through envy.
But John didn’t sin. Instead, John said, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.” John said, “Everything a person has and is is given to him by God.” Jesus’ biological brother, James, would write the same thing, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17, ESV). John is saying, “God has given and gifted to each person according to His Will; it is not for us to be envious of others, but to be faithful and obedient with what God has given to us.”
Do we understand? God has given each of us everything we have and made us everything we are, and the question we need to ask ourselves is, “Are we being faithful?” We ought not to look at others and be envious and wonder why we are not like them.
John gives us the cure for envy as we continue in our text: John explains to the Jews that he already told them that he was not the Christ, but he is the forerunner of the Christ. John told them that the ones who follow the Bridegroom are the bride, so it is right that Israel follow after Jesus, because Jesus is the Bridegroom and those who follow Him are the bride.
John explained that when you go to a wedding, the friends of the Bridegroom rejoice as the Bridegroom is lifted up – as the Bridegroom is the center of attention. Weddings are not about the friends of the Bridegroom, they are about the Bridegroom. So, the joy the friends experience increases as more and more attention is paid to the Bridegroom and less to the friends of the Bridegroom.
In the same way, you and I are filled with joy when Jesus is more and we are less. Our joy in Jesus increases as we make much of Him. John Piper uses the example of a telescope: when you look through a telescope, it helps us to see something for what it really is. When we look through a telescope, our attention is not on the telescope, but on being able to see more of what the thing is that we’re looking at. So it is with Jesus: we are Christ’s representatives, but our joy is not found in drawing attention to ourselves, our joy is found in making Jesus more clear to everyone else. This is not about us; it’s all about Him!
John said that in focusing on the Bridegroom, “Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease.” The commentator, A. W. Pink, explains it this way:
“‘This my joy therefore is fulfilled’ (v. 29). How precious is this! Joy of heart is the fruit of being ‘occupied with Christ!’ It is standing and hearing His voice which delights the soul. But again we say that the all-important prerequisite for this is a cessation of the activities of the flesh. His voice cannot be heard if we are rushing hither and thither in fellowship with the fearful bedlam all around us. The ‘better part’ is not to be like Martha – ‘cumbered about much serving’ – but to ‘sit’ at the feet of the Lord Jesus like Mary did, hearing His word (see Luke 10:38-42). Notice, too, the tense of the verbs in John 3:29: ‘standeth and heareth.’ The perfect tense expresses continuous action: again and again, daily, this must be done, if our joy is to be filled full. Is not our failure at this very point the explanation of our joyless lives?
“‘He must increase, but I must decrease’ (3:30). Blessed climax was this to the lovely modesty of John, and well calculated to crush all party feeling and nip in the bud any jealousy there might be in the hearts of his own disciples. In principle this is inseparably connected with what he had just said before in the previous verse. The more I ‘decrease’ the more I delight in standing and hearing the voice of that blessed One who is Altogether Lovely. And so conversely. The more I stand and hear His voice, the more He will ‘increase’ before me, and the more shall I ‘decrease.’ I cannot be occupied with two objects at one and the same time. To ‘decrease’ is, we take it, to be less and less occupied with ourselves. The more I am occupied with Christ, the less occupied I will be with myself. Humility is not the product of direct cultivation, rather it is a by-product. The more I try to be humble, the less shall I attain unto humility. But if I am truly occupied with that One who was ‘meek and lowly in heart,’ if I am constantly beholding His glory in the mirror of God’s Word, then I shall be ‘changed into the same image from glory to glory, even by the Spirit of the Lord’ (II Cor. 3:18).” (The Gospel of John, 148-149).
John explains further, beginning in verse thirty-one, telling the Jews that Jesus came from Heaven, whereas John and the Jews came from earth. Jesus came from Heaven and has all authority, so the bride belongs to Him. Paul explained it this way, “They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen” (Romans 9:4-5, ESV).
Jesus, Who is God, and has all authority, came from Heaven, first to the Jews. So John tells the Jews that he is not envious of the Christ and that Israel is going to be baptized by His disciples, because that is the way it is supposed to be. The Gospel is not about John, it is about Jesus.
Even so, we know that most of Israel did not believe in Jesus – more of the Jews rejected Him. John said, “no one receives his testimony.” Of course some did receive Jesus, so John means, compared to the whole population of Israel, no one received His Testimony.
But, John says, those who do receive Jesus “set [their] seal” – they confirm – they believe – “that God is true.” They believe that Jesus fulfilled the prophecies of the Coming Savior. They believe in Him whole-heartedly. And, John explains, this makes good sense because Jesus speaks the words of God, because God the Holy Spirit has fully indwelt Jesus – without measure. Each Christian in indwelt by the Holy Spirit and He gives us gifts and graces as it pleases Him, but Jesus received all of the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit. Whereas each Christians receives a measure of the Holy Spirit, Jesus received the Holy Spirit without measure. Why? Because “the Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand.”
The trap of envy that the Jews set before John is really all about the question of Who Jesus is. If Jesus is the Savior, God Incarnate, the Perfect God-Man, then there is nothing to envy. Instead, John, and we ought to find ourselves bowing before Him, doing everything we can to draw attention to Him, spending every moment learning more about Him, focusing on Him, finding our joy in Him.
Paul answers the question this way: “[Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth of in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross” (Colossians 1:15:20, ESV).
The testimony of John and all the Scripture is that Jesus is God Who came to earth in human form on that first Christmas. John, and we who believe in Jesus Alone as Savior, are friends of the Bridegroom, and Jesus is the Bridegroom. And the more we are focused on Jesus, the more we are centered on Jesus, the more time we spending knowing Him and worshiping Him, the greater our joy will be and the smaller our problems will seem.
Well, the economy is so bad, I’m cutting back on my giving – everyone is getting smaller gifts from me this year. But I better get what I want, or Christmas will be ruined. I’ve worked hard and I deserve to get what I’m expecting. God knows how hard I’ve worked, and I’ve been suffering a lot physically this year, so I expect everyone to be generous and really thankful to me this year. And I hope so-and-so is busy and can’t make it to our Christmas party, or Christmas will be ruined. So-and-so is so annoying; everything has to be about so-and-so – never lets anyone else be the center of attention.
Advent is a season of preparation: what are we preparing for? What is Christmas about?
Christmas is about the Bridegroom. It’s about Jesus. It’s all about Jesus.
Let us pray:
Almighty God, as we prepare to celebrate and remember Your Coming to earth in the flesh, we ask that You would help us get our eyes off ourselves. Help us to focus on You and help us to tell others that Christmas is all about You. And may our joy increase in You as we celebrate You as the Bridegroom. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
[John 3:22–36]
December 14, 2008 Second Reformed Church
What is Christmas about? Is it about Christmas carols and hymns? Is it about children and Santa and presents? Is it about angels and shepherds? Is it about Rudolph and Frosty? Is it about candy and family and friends? It is about going to church? Is it about measuring the health of the economy? Is it about there being more money in the offering plate? What is Christmas about?
Last week, we saw that John the Baptist was the forerunner of Jesus – he prepared the way for His Coming. Let us remember what John said about himself and about Jesus:
“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 sandal I am not worthy to untie.’ These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
“The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and he said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the whole 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, 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’” (John 1:19-34, ESV).
We’re told in this morning’s Scripture that after these testimonies about himself and Jesus and what occurred at the baptism of Jesus, John and his disciples went into the Judean countryside and continued to baptize.
And we’re told that a Jew, or some of the Jews – in fact, the very ones who had questioned him about who he was – were now questioning John’s disciples about what he had said and done. “Rabbi John, do you see what has happened? You testified about this Jesus and baptized Him back at the Jordan, and now everyone is going to Him and His disciples to be baptized. You’ve got to have noticed how small your congregation has gotten; they’ve all left you and started following Jesus. What are you going to do about this?”
The Jews asked him, “Rabbi John, you were the talk of Israel, everyone flocked to you to hear you and be baptized by you. And now this Jesus that you testified to and baptized has taken your followers away. Does that really seem fair? Don’t you think you should do something about this? You’ve got your reputation to think of.” They were trying to get John to sin through envy.
But John didn’t sin. Instead, John said, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.” John said, “Everything a person has and is is given to him by God.” Jesus’ biological brother, James, would write the same thing, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17, ESV). John is saying, “God has given and gifted to each person according to His Will; it is not for us to be envious of others, but to be faithful and obedient with what God has given to us.”
Do we understand? God has given each of us everything we have and made us everything we are, and the question we need to ask ourselves is, “Are we being faithful?” We ought not to look at others and be envious and wonder why we are not like them.
John gives us the cure for envy as we continue in our text: John explains to the Jews that he already told them that he was not the Christ, but he is the forerunner of the Christ. John told them that the ones who follow the Bridegroom are the bride, so it is right that Israel follow after Jesus, because Jesus is the Bridegroom and those who follow Him are the bride.
John explained that when you go to a wedding, the friends of the Bridegroom rejoice as the Bridegroom is lifted up – as the Bridegroom is the center of attention. Weddings are not about the friends of the Bridegroom, they are about the Bridegroom. So, the joy the friends experience increases as more and more attention is paid to the Bridegroom and less to the friends of the Bridegroom.
In the same way, you and I are filled with joy when Jesus is more and we are less. Our joy in Jesus increases as we make much of Him. John Piper uses the example of a telescope: when you look through a telescope, it helps us to see something for what it really is. When we look through a telescope, our attention is not on the telescope, but on being able to see more of what the thing is that we’re looking at. So it is with Jesus: we are Christ’s representatives, but our joy is not found in drawing attention to ourselves, our joy is found in making Jesus more clear to everyone else. This is not about us; it’s all about Him!
John said that in focusing on the Bridegroom, “Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease.” The commentator, A. W. Pink, explains it this way:
“‘This my joy therefore is fulfilled’ (v. 29). How precious is this! Joy of heart is the fruit of being ‘occupied with Christ!’ It is standing and hearing His voice which delights the soul. But again we say that the all-important prerequisite for this is a cessation of the activities of the flesh. His voice cannot be heard if we are rushing hither and thither in fellowship with the fearful bedlam all around us. The ‘better part’ is not to be like Martha – ‘cumbered about much serving’ – but to ‘sit’ at the feet of the Lord Jesus like Mary did, hearing His word (see Luke 10:38-42). Notice, too, the tense of the verbs in John 3:29: ‘standeth and heareth.’ The perfect tense expresses continuous action: again and again, daily, this must be done, if our joy is to be filled full. Is not our failure at this very point the explanation of our joyless lives?
“‘He must increase, but I must decrease’ (3:30). Blessed climax was this to the lovely modesty of John, and well calculated to crush all party feeling and nip in the bud any jealousy there might be in the hearts of his own disciples. In principle this is inseparably connected with what he had just said before in the previous verse. The more I ‘decrease’ the more I delight in standing and hearing the voice of that blessed One who is Altogether Lovely. And so conversely. The more I stand and hear His voice, the more He will ‘increase’ before me, and the more shall I ‘decrease.’ I cannot be occupied with two objects at one and the same time. To ‘decrease’ is, we take it, to be less and less occupied with ourselves. The more I am occupied with Christ, the less occupied I will be with myself. Humility is not the product of direct cultivation, rather it is a by-product. The more I try to be humble, the less shall I attain unto humility. But if I am truly occupied with that One who was ‘meek and lowly in heart,’ if I am constantly beholding His glory in the mirror of God’s Word, then I shall be ‘changed into the same image from glory to glory, even by the Spirit of the Lord’ (II Cor. 3:18).” (The Gospel of John, 148-149).
John explains further, beginning in verse thirty-one, telling the Jews that Jesus came from Heaven, whereas John and the Jews came from earth. Jesus came from Heaven and has all authority, so the bride belongs to Him. Paul explained it this way, “They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen” (Romans 9:4-5, ESV).
Jesus, Who is God, and has all authority, came from Heaven, first to the Jews. So John tells the Jews that he is not envious of the Christ and that Israel is going to be baptized by His disciples, because that is the way it is supposed to be. The Gospel is not about John, it is about Jesus.
Even so, we know that most of Israel did not believe in Jesus – more of the Jews rejected Him. John said, “no one receives his testimony.” Of course some did receive Jesus, so John means, compared to the whole population of Israel, no one received His Testimony.
But, John says, those who do receive Jesus “set [their] seal” – they confirm – they believe – “that God is true.” They believe that Jesus fulfilled the prophecies of the Coming Savior. They believe in Him whole-heartedly. And, John explains, this makes good sense because Jesus speaks the words of God, because God the Holy Spirit has fully indwelt Jesus – without measure. Each Christian in indwelt by the Holy Spirit and He gives us gifts and graces as it pleases Him, but Jesus received all of the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit. Whereas each Christians receives a measure of the Holy Spirit, Jesus received the Holy Spirit without measure. Why? Because “the Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand.”
The trap of envy that the Jews set before John is really all about the question of Who Jesus is. If Jesus is the Savior, God Incarnate, the Perfect God-Man, then there is nothing to envy. Instead, John, and we ought to find ourselves bowing before Him, doing everything we can to draw attention to Him, spending every moment learning more about Him, focusing on Him, finding our joy in Him.
Paul answers the question this way: “[Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth of in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross” (Colossians 1:15:20, ESV).
The testimony of John and all the Scripture is that Jesus is God Who came to earth in human form on that first Christmas. John, and we who believe in Jesus Alone as Savior, are friends of the Bridegroom, and Jesus is the Bridegroom. And the more we are focused on Jesus, the more we are centered on Jesus, the more time we spending knowing Him and worshiping Him, the greater our joy will be and the smaller our problems will seem.
Well, the economy is so bad, I’m cutting back on my giving – everyone is getting smaller gifts from me this year. But I better get what I want, or Christmas will be ruined. I’ve worked hard and I deserve to get what I’m expecting. God knows how hard I’ve worked, and I’ve been suffering a lot physically this year, so I expect everyone to be generous and really thankful to me this year. And I hope so-and-so is busy and can’t make it to our Christmas party, or Christmas will be ruined. So-and-so is so annoying; everything has to be about so-and-so – never lets anyone else be the center of attention.
Advent is a season of preparation: what are we preparing for? What is Christmas about?
Christmas is about the Bridegroom. It’s about Jesus. It’s all about Jesus.
Let us pray:
Almighty God, as we prepare to celebrate and remember Your Coming to earth in the flesh, we ask that You would help us get our eyes off ourselves. Help us to focus on You and help us to tell others that Christmas is all about You. And may our joy increase in You as we celebrate You as the Bridegroom. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Consistory Meeting
Consistory members, please remember that we are meeting after worship this Sunday (D.V.)
For Small Church Pastors
On John 3:23 --
"'John also was baptizing.' There is a word of great practical importance here for many a servant of God. The Lord Jesus was there in Judea in person, and His disciples were with Him, baptizing. The crowds which at first attended the preaching of John had now deserted him, and were thronging to Christ (v. 26). What then does the Lord's forerunner do? Does he decide that his work is now finished, and that God no longer has need of him? Does he become discouraged because his congregations were so small? Does he quit his work and go on a long vacation? Far, far from it. He faithfully persevered: 'John also was baptizing.' Has this no message for us? Perhaps these lines may be read by some who used to minister to big crowds. But these are no more. Another preacher has appeared, and the crowds flock after him. What then? Must you conclude that God has set you aside? Are you suffering this experience to discourage you? Or, worse still, are you envious of the great success attending the labors of another! Ah, fellow-servants of Christ, take to heart this word -- 'John also was baptizing.' His season of popularity might be over: his light might be eclipsed by that of a greater: the crowds might have become thin, but, nevertheless, he plodded on and faithfully persevered in the work God had given him to do! 'And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not' (Gal. 6:9). John performed his duty and fulfilled his course."
-- A. W. Pink, The Gospel of John, 142.
"'John also was baptizing.' There is a word of great practical importance here for many a servant of God. The Lord Jesus was there in Judea in person, and His disciples were with Him, baptizing. The crowds which at first attended the preaching of John had now deserted him, and were thronging to Christ (v. 26). What then does the Lord's forerunner do? Does he decide that his work is now finished, and that God no longer has need of him? Does he become discouraged because his congregations were so small? Does he quit his work and go on a long vacation? Far, far from it. He faithfully persevered: 'John also was baptizing.' Has this no message for us? Perhaps these lines may be read by some who used to minister to big crowds. But these are no more. Another preacher has appeared, and the crowds flock after him. What then? Must you conclude that God has set you aside? Are you suffering this experience to discourage you? Or, worse still, are you envious of the great success attending the labors of another! Ah, fellow-servants of Christ, take to heart this word -- 'John also was baptizing.' His season of popularity might be over: his light might be eclipsed by that of a greater: the crowds might have become thin, but, nevertheless, he plodded on and faithfully persevered in the work God had given him to do! 'And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not' (Gal. 6:9). John performed his duty and fulfilled his course."
-- A. W. Pink, The Gospel of John, 142.
Sunday, December 07, 2008
"Here Is Your God" Sermon: Isaiah 40:1-11
“Here Is Your God”
[Isaiah 40:1-11]
December 7, 2008 Second Reformed Church
On this Second Sunday of Advent, we are turning again to the prophet Isaiah, and we may remember that Isaiah was preaching during the Assyrian conquest of the Kingdom – about eight hundred years before Jesus. He preached before the Babylonian captivity and before the Persian captivity.
In our text, we find four promises from God. For promises to the people of Israel and to all those who believe in Jesus Alone as their Savior.
After prophesying to Hezekiah that the kingdom would be taken into captivity by Babylon, Isaiah spoke God’s very words to the king, telling him that the people should take comfort (and this is actually in the future tense in the Hebrew). Isaiah says that Israel should take comfort because, in the future, God will comfort her, God will speak tenderly to her, her warfare will come to an end, her sins will be pardoned, after she receives a double punishment from the Lord.
God tells Israel through the prophet, that they should not be distressed by the war and the captivity that will follow in the generations to come, because God loves His people. Rather, they ought to understand that those who humble themselves before God – before the cross – will experience comfort, despite the extent of the distress they would go through. God promised that after the captivity, after they had suffered for their sins, they would receive God’s comfort.
Now, we might wonder what Isaiah and God meant by saying, in verse two, “[Israel] has received from the Lord’s hand double for her sins.” There are two ways we can interpret this: we could understand this to mean that God punished them twice as much as their sin deserved. But that cannot be the right understanding, or else that would leave God sinning. The other possibility is that this means that God punished them twice as much as usual, but still not necessarily as much as they deserved. This is the interpretation that makes sense, since God is Holy and Just – God punished them twice as much as usual, but still less that what they deserved.
So, God’s Promise is that after a period of time, God will comfort His people.
And that promise is for us, as we look forward in hope and remember this familiar Scripture: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold the dwelling place of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:1-7, ESV).
In verses three through five we hear the second promise in our text, as we hear this very familiar text of a voice crying in the wilderness. Luke records its fulfillment this way: “And [John] went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As it is written in the words of Isaiah the prophet, The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord. Make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places shall become level ways, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God” (Luke 3:3-6, ESV).
God promised to send a prophet to prepare the way and to prepare the people for God’s Savior.
But we need to remember something: when the prophets gave their prophecies, it was like they were looking at a series of mountains before them. And if you’ve ever looked at a bunch of mountains, they can look like they’re very close – or even right on top of each other – when they are very far apart. The same is true with biblical prophecy: often, a single prophecy deals with more than one issue and/or time period. That is the case here.
It’s clear from the rest of Isaiah’s prophecies, that Isaiah is the prophet “crying in the wilderness”, and the savior that Isaiah is talking about in this section of the text, is Cyrus, King of Persia, who will set the people of Israel free from captivity over one hundred and fifty years after Isaiah. So, Cyrus is the first mountain, if you will.
Then, we have the confirmation in the Gospels that John the Baptist is also the prophet “crying the wilderness” who prepares the way for Jesus, as the Greatest and Final Savior of God’s people. Whereas Cyrus freed Israel from slavery to other nations, Jesus frees us from our slavery to sin. So, Jesus is the second mountain.
And at this point, we may wonder about the mountains and valleys: There are still mountains and valleys. They haven’t all been flattened and filled up. So what is going on with Isaiah’s prophecy? John Calvin, in his commentary, explains that the mountains and valleys in this prophecy are part of a metaphor. What Isaiah is prophesying is that God will remove all obstructions from His accomplishing the salvation He intends to bring. Isaiah is not saying that the earth will be as flat as a pancake one day; he is saying that nothing can stop God from saving His people.
Yet there is a third mountain to consider, because Jesus’ Work was not finished (in history) in His First Coming to earth: the prophecy says that all flesh – all people – all nations – shall see the glory of God – or the salvation of God. That has not occurred yet. Not everyone on the planet has seen the glory of God – not everyone God intends to save has received His Salvation. That will happen at Jesus’ Second Coming: “For as the lightening comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the heavens, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (Matthew 24:27-31, ESV).
The third promise is found in verses six through eight, where we find God telling the prophet Isaiah to make the pronouncement that all flesh is like grass and like flowers – we have a finite life – we will, one day, unless the Lord tarries, die and return to the dust.
Peter quotes this text in his first letter: “‘All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever”’ And this word is the good news that was preached to you” (I Peter 1:24-25, ESV). And James uses the same theme in his letter: “Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because, like the flower of the grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits” (James 1:9-11, ESV).
The fading, failing human flesh is the contrast to the promise: the Word of the Lord will stand forever. No matter what you and I face in this world, no matter how many people and teachers and ministers and friends and family members fail us, the Word of God never fails. It is always authoritative. It is always true. We can always go to it to find out what God has done and promised and will surely do. We can always go to it to find out how we are to live and how we can be right with God.
Then God tells Isaiah to go up to the highest peak, to Mount Zion, to the highest point in Jerusalem, as the herald of Good News and to cry out to Israel, with strength and not fear: “Here is your God.”
Israel was being ravaged by the Assyrians. She would be taken into captivity by the Babylonians, and then ruled over by the Persians, until Cyrus came to power. And in the midst of this, surely the people were crying out, “Where is our God?” And the answer from God through the prophet Isaiah is, “Here is your God.” “Your God is allowing the Assyrians and the Babylonians and the Persians to punish you for your sin, but the day will come when I will comfort you. The day will come when I will send a prophet and a savior to you. But for now, you have My Word, which shall never fail. My Word, in which every word is Truth and I commit myself to keep.”
And, as the fourth promise, God promises to return for His people with might, as their Ruler. He will come to receive the people that belong to Him; salvation shall be the reward to all those who believe in Him Alone for their salvation. He will be a shepherd to them. He will protect them and care for them and love them as his own.
Jesus said, “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that never went astray” (Matthew 18:12-13, ESV). And “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me. Just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I received from my Father” (John 10:14-18, ESV).
And remember what the author of Hebrews wrote, “And without faith it is impossible to please [God], for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Hebrews 11:8, ESV). We often hear the first part of this verse – that it is impossible to please God without faith. But notice what it says in the second part: in order to draw near to God, we must believe that He is Who He says He is in His Word, and that He will reward those who seek Him in faith. And Who is that reward? Isaiah tells us that the Savior is the reward of all those who seek the God of the Bible in faith.
As we continue through this Advent season and remember the first coming of our God and Savior Jesus, let us remember that our God is here, and He has made promises to His people. After we have suffered on this earth, He will comfort us. God has sent a Savior to all who will believe, and He is coming again. God stands behind the everlasting authority and truth of His Word. And God promises security for His people in His Love and Care.
We might add a fifth promise as we prepare to receive the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper: Jesus has promised to be with us here spiritually, and as we receive the bread and the cup, He ministers to us by giving us His Grace, strengthening us to be able to do all that He has called us to do and giving us understanding. Amen.
Let us pray:
Almighty God, we continue to celebrate the Advent of Your Birth in human flesh. We ask that You would renew our hope and trust in Your Promises as we look forward to Your Second Coming. And we ask that we would receive the grace we need to be Your people as we receive the elements of the sacrament. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
[Isaiah 40:1-11]
December 7, 2008 Second Reformed Church
On this Second Sunday of Advent, we are turning again to the prophet Isaiah, and we may remember that Isaiah was preaching during the Assyrian conquest of the Kingdom – about eight hundred years before Jesus. He preached before the Babylonian captivity and before the Persian captivity.
In our text, we find four promises from God. For promises to the people of Israel and to all those who believe in Jesus Alone as their Savior.
After prophesying to Hezekiah that the kingdom would be taken into captivity by Babylon, Isaiah spoke God’s very words to the king, telling him that the people should take comfort (and this is actually in the future tense in the Hebrew). Isaiah says that Israel should take comfort because, in the future, God will comfort her, God will speak tenderly to her, her warfare will come to an end, her sins will be pardoned, after she receives a double punishment from the Lord.
God tells Israel through the prophet, that they should not be distressed by the war and the captivity that will follow in the generations to come, because God loves His people. Rather, they ought to understand that those who humble themselves before God – before the cross – will experience comfort, despite the extent of the distress they would go through. God promised that after the captivity, after they had suffered for their sins, they would receive God’s comfort.
Now, we might wonder what Isaiah and God meant by saying, in verse two, “[Israel] has received from the Lord’s hand double for her sins.” There are two ways we can interpret this: we could understand this to mean that God punished them twice as much as their sin deserved. But that cannot be the right understanding, or else that would leave God sinning. The other possibility is that this means that God punished them twice as much as usual, but still not necessarily as much as they deserved. This is the interpretation that makes sense, since God is Holy and Just – God punished them twice as much as usual, but still less that what they deserved.
So, God’s Promise is that after a period of time, God will comfort His people.
And that promise is for us, as we look forward in hope and remember this familiar Scripture: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold the dwelling place of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:1-7, ESV).
In verses three through five we hear the second promise in our text, as we hear this very familiar text of a voice crying in the wilderness. Luke records its fulfillment this way: “And [John] went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As it is written in the words of Isaiah the prophet, The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord. Make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places shall become level ways, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God” (Luke 3:3-6, ESV).
God promised to send a prophet to prepare the way and to prepare the people for God’s Savior.
But we need to remember something: when the prophets gave their prophecies, it was like they were looking at a series of mountains before them. And if you’ve ever looked at a bunch of mountains, they can look like they’re very close – or even right on top of each other – when they are very far apart. The same is true with biblical prophecy: often, a single prophecy deals with more than one issue and/or time period. That is the case here.
It’s clear from the rest of Isaiah’s prophecies, that Isaiah is the prophet “crying in the wilderness”, and the savior that Isaiah is talking about in this section of the text, is Cyrus, King of Persia, who will set the people of Israel free from captivity over one hundred and fifty years after Isaiah. So, Cyrus is the first mountain, if you will.
Then, we have the confirmation in the Gospels that John the Baptist is also the prophet “crying the wilderness” who prepares the way for Jesus, as the Greatest and Final Savior of God’s people. Whereas Cyrus freed Israel from slavery to other nations, Jesus frees us from our slavery to sin. So, Jesus is the second mountain.
And at this point, we may wonder about the mountains and valleys: There are still mountains and valleys. They haven’t all been flattened and filled up. So what is going on with Isaiah’s prophecy? John Calvin, in his commentary, explains that the mountains and valleys in this prophecy are part of a metaphor. What Isaiah is prophesying is that God will remove all obstructions from His accomplishing the salvation He intends to bring. Isaiah is not saying that the earth will be as flat as a pancake one day; he is saying that nothing can stop God from saving His people.
Yet there is a third mountain to consider, because Jesus’ Work was not finished (in history) in His First Coming to earth: the prophecy says that all flesh – all people – all nations – shall see the glory of God – or the salvation of God. That has not occurred yet. Not everyone on the planet has seen the glory of God – not everyone God intends to save has received His Salvation. That will happen at Jesus’ Second Coming: “For as the lightening comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the heavens, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (Matthew 24:27-31, ESV).
The third promise is found in verses six through eight, where we find God telling the prophet Isaiah to make the pronouncement that all flesh is like grass and like flowers – we have a finite life – we will, one day, unless the Lord tarries, die and return to the dust.
Peter quotes this text in his first letter: “‘All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever”’ And this word is the good news that was preached to you” (I Peter 1:24-25, ESV). And James uses the same theme in his letter: “Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because, like the flower of the grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits” (James 1:9-11, ESV).
The fading, failing human flesh is the contrast to the promise: the Word of the Lord will stand forever. No matter what you and I face in this world, no matter how many people and teachers and ministers and friends and family members fail us, the Word of God never fails. It is always authoritative. It is always true. We can always go to it to find out what God has done and promised and will surely do. We can always go to it to find out how we are to live and how we can be right with God.
Then God tells Isaiah to go up to the highest peak, to Mount Zion, to the highest point in Jerusalem, as the herald of Good News and to cry out to Israel, with strength and not fear: “Here is your God.”
Israel was being ravaged by the Assyrians. She would be taken into captivity by the Babylonians, and then ruled over by the Persians, until Cyrus came to power. And in the midst of this, surely the people were crying out, “Where is our God?” And the answer from God through the prophet Isaiah is, “Here is your God.” “Your God is allowing the Assyrians and the Babylonians and the Persians to punish you for your sin, but the day will come when I will comfort you. The day will come when I will send a prophet and a savior to you. But for now, you have My Word, which shall never fail. My Word, in which every word is Truth and I commit myself to keep.”
And, as the fourth promise, God promises to return for His people with might, as their Ruler. He will come to receive the people that belong to Him; salvation shall be the reward to all those who believe in Him Alone for their salvation. He will be a shepherd to them. He will protect them and care for them and love them as his own.
Jesus said, “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that never went astray” (Matthew 18:12-13, ESV). And “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me. Just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I received from my Father” (John 10:14-18, ESV).
And remember what the author of Hebrews wrote, “And without faith it is impossible to please [God], for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Hebrews 11:8, ESV). We often hear the first part of this verse – that it is impossible to please God without faith. But notice what it says in the second part: in order to draw near to God, we must believe that He is Who He says He is in His Word, and that He will reward those who seek Him in faith. And Who is that reward? Isaiah tells us that the Savior is the reward of all those who seek the God of the Bible in faith.
As we continue through this Advent season and remember the first coming of our God and Savior Jesus, let us remember that our God is here, and He has made promises to His people. After we have suffered on this earth, He will comfort us. God has sent a Savior to all who will believe, and He is coming again. God stands behind the everlasting authority and truth of His Word. And God promises security for His people in His Love and Care.
We might add a fifth promise as we prepare to receive the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper: Jesus has promised to be with us here spiritually, and as we receive the bread and the cup, He ministers to us by giving us His Grace, strengthening us to be able to do all that He has called us to do and giving us understanding. Amen.
Let us pray:
Almighty God, we continue to celebrate the Advent of Your Birth in human flesh. We ask that You would renew our hope and trust in Your Promises as we look forward to Your Second Coming. And we ask that we would receive the grace we need to be Your people as we receive the elements of the sacrament. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
December Sermons
D.V., I will preach:
12/7/08 Communion/Advent 2 Isaiah 40:1-11 "Here is Your God"
12/14/08 Advent 3 John 3:22-36 "The Bridegroom"
12/21/08 Advent 4 Luke 1:26-38 "How Can This Be?"
12/24/08 Christmas Eve 7PM Luke 2:1-20 "The Thing That Took Place"
12/28/08 Galatians 3:23-25; 4:4-7 "Now"
12/7/08 Communion/Advent 2 Isaiah 40:1-11 "Here is Your God"
12/14/08 Advent 3 John 3:22-36 "The Bridegroom"
12/21/08 Advent 4 Luke 1:26-38 "How Can This Be?"
12/24/08 Christmas Eve 7PM Luke 2:1-20 "The Thing That Took Place"
12/28/08 Galatians 3:23-25; 4:4-7 "Now"
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