Chardon church of Christ

Christ Gives a New Commandment

Christ Gives a New Commandment
John 13:24-25

INTRO: I will start this morning with a scripture from Matthew, though our text will be elsewhere. Matthew 7:28-29 tells us, “And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” The people hearing Jesus speak recognized He did so as one having authority.

Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20 told His disciples the extent of His authority. “Then Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” In John 17:1-2 Jesus in His prayer to God, “…spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: "Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, "as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him.”

Not only did Jesus claim to have all authority, but during His ministry, He demonstrated it in many ways. He demonstrated His power over the forces of nature, over demons, over ill health and He forgave a man’s sins which only God can do. There were many ways that He demonstrated His divine authority.

Jesus truly does have all authority and the practical point we find is that we are to submit to the Lord's authority. Colossians 3:17 refers to everything that we do and everything that we say, teaching us that everything is to be done or said in the name of the Lord Jesus. In other words, we are to do what the Lord tells us to do.

How do we know what the Lord wants us to do? Colossians 3:16 says, Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, in all wisdom. His word is the New Testament. Hebrews 9:15 says that Jesus is the mediator of the new covenant, and if we will search His Word diligently, we will know what He wants us to do. When we comply with His wishes we'll have the Lord's approval, and we'll be setting a good example for others to follow.

Today we are going to look at something the Lord commands us to do. Read with me now our very short text in John 13: 34-35 – “34. "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35. "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.''” From these verses, we learn that the Lord commands His followers to love one another. This is a direct command and is one of the ways scripture tells us how to please God, direct command.

To appreciate more fully what Jesus commands us to do, we need to look at the setting in which Jesus gave this particular command. This is called studying passages in their context. If we look at the setting in which various things occurred, it will help us to have a more full understanding of exactly what was taking place.

I. Let’s look then at the setting, what was taking place, when Jesus gave the command we find in John 13: 34-35. We need to know what was going on.

A. This was a short time before Jesus was arrested, and He and His apostles met in the upper room to eat the Passover meal. Passover was a very important feast for the children of Israel and was to be observed on the evening of the 14th day of the first month of the Jewish calendar.

1. That meal consisted of roast lamb, unleavened bread, bitter herbs, and of course, they would drink the fruit of the vine. The Law of Moses gave detailed instructions for eating that meal.
2. This meal was in remembrance of how God had delivered them from bondage years earlier when their ancestors were in Egypt. Each year, God wanted His people to remember that event.

B. Jesus ate the Passover meal with His apostles in the upper room and on this occasion, Jesus gave instructions for something else.

1. Jesus took two elements—the unleavened bread and the fruit of the vine—and gave instructions for eating His supper. I’m reading now from Luke 22:14-20 – “He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. Then He said to them, "With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; "for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.'' Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, "Take this and divide it among yourselves; "for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.'' And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.'' Likewise, He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.”
2. Jesus gave instructions for His followers to eat the Lord's supper and He said “do this in remembrance of me”. Each Lord's day, we're able to remember what Jesus did on our behalf. John doesn't show us this, but Luke does. That's why we always study all the verses that deal with a particular matter to help us see the full picture.
3. I believe we would all agree that that would be a very serious occasion. Jesus knew what was about to happen to Him and He conveyed that information to His apostles. He said that He was going to be betrayed. Jesus knew He would be killed, He knew all that was going to happen.
4. Now Jesus has told the apostles of His coming betrayal and He has given instructions for His supper. What did the apostles do?

C. Well, the first thing we see is in verse 23 where we are told they began to question among themselves, which of them it was who would betray Him. Then we see verse 24. Luke 22:24 – “But there was also rivalry among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest.”

1. This issue had come up before among the apostles during the Lord's ministry. Can you imagine when Jesus was assembled with His followers, gave instructions for eating His supper in remembrance of Him, and told them He would be betrayed, that what they are concerned about is which one was the greatest? There was rivalry among them.
2. Here Jesus was very patient, much more patient than I am. If I had been in that situation, I would have been tempted to say, fellas, I’ve dealt with this several times already. This is a pretty bad time to be discussing which one of you is the greatest.
3. I imagine many of us would have wanted to throw up our hands and been tempted to walk away saying, I've had it with this lot. Jesus is very patient because He knows people are sometimes slow to grasp the whole import of a situation.
4. He had already dealt with it at least twice, in Luke 9:46 and Matthew 18:1-4 for example. Jesus dealt with the situation in a little different way this time. Let's go back to John, chapter 13, and see how Jesus dealt with that situation on this occasion. What did he do?

D. He responded to that strife by washing the apostle's feet. John 13:4-5 – “So He rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.”

1. Jesus arose from the meal, took His garment off, put a towel around Him, took a basin with some water in it, and began to wash the apostles’ feet. Can you imagine what was going through their minds? They're arguing about which one is the greatest, and Jesus is doing something that only a servant would do. Now go down to verse 12, John 13:12-17 – “12. So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you? 13. "You call me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. 14. "If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. 15. "For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. 16. "Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. 17. "If you know these things, happy are you if you do them.”
2. Jesus is saying, I have just taught you a valuable lesson by my example. I'm your master and Lord. You call Me that, and you call Me that correctly. He said, if I would humble Myself to the point that I would wash your feet, you ought to wash one another's feet. Instead of being concerned about who's the greatest, show some humility, and be a servant. Jesus said you'll be blessed if you will follow My example.
3. What a wonderful approach, to use this strong example for teaching. After Jesus dealt with the situation the way that He did, you do not find in the Bible the apostles arguing about which one is the greatest anymore. I think they finally got it. Sometimes we need a stiff nudge to reach a point of understanding too.

E. At this point, Judas leaves. After he had left, Jesus had many things to say to the other eleven apostles. What Jesus had to say to them is recorded in chapters 14 and 15. Now though let’s consider our text, John 13:34-35 – “34. "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35. "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.''”

1. So looking at the context, as long as they were arguing about which one was the greatest, were they showing love to each other? No.
2. Not long from now, Jesus was about to trust His apostles with a great commission. How could they be successful in carrying out the great commission if they kept arguing about which one was the greatest? If they loved one another, they would be successful.
3. That's the setting, the context, for the Lord's command. Once we understand all of that information, it will help us to more fully appreciate what Jesus commanded of His apostles.

II. We need to look at this commandment in more detail because this commandment applies to us today. Jesus referred to this as a “new commandment”.

A. Is this the first time that God's people had been instructed to love each other? No. Back in the Law of Moses, in Leviticus 19:18, Moses wrote to the children of Israel – “You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.” The command for God's people to love others has been around for a long, long time. When Jesus said that this commandment is new, we understand that it was not new in the sense that it is the first time that God's people were commanded to love others. So what is new about the Lord's command?
B. If we look, it does indeed say something new. The Lord's command was new in the sense that His followers, today His followers are Christians, are to love each other, notice, “as I have loved you”. You don't find that in Moses’ Law.

1. Moses Law said that God's people were to love their neighbors as themselves. There wasn't anything in there about following the Lord's example of love.
2. The newness of it is implicit in the words, "even as I have loved you."
3. There is a deeper intensity in this love than can be found in Moses' "Love thy neighbor as thyself." In that commandment, that embraces the whole law, self-love is assumed and made the standard for the love of neighbor.
4. The new commandment, on the other hand, is based on a new principle, measured by a higher standard than a love of self. This is based on Christ's love, which was self-abandoning and self-sacrificing love.
5. I fear that lack of love among Christians is a glaring weakness of faith today.

C. Jesus has many things to say to His disciples in chapters 14, 15, and 16. As we study these scriptures the import of this new command becomes more apparent. Let’s look at some of this now in John 15:12-13 – “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.”

1. That's the greatest act of love that a person can show, to give their life on someone else's behalf. Sometimes we read about people doing heroic things to save someone else. We say that was great love.
2. The greatest act of love is to give your life for somebody else. Isn't that what Jesus was about to do? He said, love each other as I have loved you. Shortly after Jesus spoke those words, He gave Himself for our sins and He died on the cross.

D. Paul talks about this when he wrote to the Christians in Ephesus. He says in Ephesians 5:1-2 – “Therefore be followers of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.” The apostle Paul is referring to the love that Christ demonstrated on our behalf. He says we're to walk in that love. In other words, we're to do what Jesus taught us to do in John 13:34-35. God's people have been commanded to love others for years, but we are to follow the Lord's example of holy, sacrificial love.

III. There is something else about the Lord's command and I’d like us to go back to John 13:35. Jesus said that the way that we respond to His command will tell others something about us.

A. How did Jesus say that His followers are to be identified? He said, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if…” there is a condition, “ if you have love for one another.” People will recognize us as the Lord's true followers based on our love for one another. Let's look at two congregations that we read about in the Bible—one positive example and one negative.
B. First is the positive example. Turn to 1 Thessalonians 4:9-10 and look at the congregation that met in the city of Thessalonica. “9. But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; 10. and indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more;”

1. That is a high commendation. Paul said, concerning brotherly love, I don't have to write to you about it, you already understand it. He commended them for showing their love to others.
2. Then Paul went on to say, increase more and more. Do you ever get to the point where you say, I've got enough love? I don't think so. The Bible says increase more and more.
3. Even to this congregation, that was highly commended, notice what Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 3:12 – “And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you,”
4. To this congregation, noted because of its members’ love for one another… there was an admonition to grow in love. Not to become satisfied, but to continually increase and grow in their love for each other and toward others.

C. Now a negative example. Revelation chapters 2 and 3 are addressed to the seven churches in Asia. Let’s read a few things that the Lord had John write to the church in Ephesus. Revelation 2:1 - “To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, `These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands:” We know that imagery is explained in chapter 1.

1. When we examine these seven messages that are found in chapters two and three, they all have two statements in common.

a. In the first the Lord says, I know your works. In other words, the Lord knows what's going on in His congregations.
b. The second statement the Lord makes is, he who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says unto the churches. From that, we understand that we do not receive spiritual information regarding our salvation from any inner impulses, dreams, impressions, or inner strivings of the soul, but by listening to the words given by the Holy Spirit. We need to study this very carefully, make the proper application, and then comply with the Lord's will.

2. Now Revelation 2:2-3 – “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary.” If we stop right there—it
3. sounds to me like the church in Ephesus was an ideal congregation.

a. They were true to the Lord. They were devoted to serving him.
b. They would not put up with false teaching.
c. They tested people who came into their midst and claimed to be apostles and if they were determined not to be true apostles, they were rejected.
d. These people had not given up, had not fainted. They were serving the Lord faithfully. It sounds like an ideal church, doesn't it? Christ himself commended the diligence and faithfulness of the Ephesian church.

4. Then in Revelation 2:4 – “Nevertheless, I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” The charge is not that they were in danger of leaving their first love, but that they had already done so! The first love of every true congregation is our Lord himself, and what is indicated here is the departure (in heart) of the Ephesian church from their Lord who had redeemed them.
5. This congregation did not have the love it did earlier. If they lost their love of the Lord, how then could they follow His New Commandment?
6. This congregation had grown somewhat cold and the Lord knew it. He said, there's something wrong with your love. Did the Lord give up on this church? No. Revelation 2:5-7 – “5. "Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place unless you repent. 6. "But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7. "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.'' '”
7. This was not a hopeless situation and the Lord called upon the members of this congregation to restore the love that they had at the beginning.

D. As we examine various congregations in the New Testament, we see that some are highly commended because of their reaction to the Lord's command for the members to love each other. Some had some problems in those areas, and of course, we need to be sure that we're doing the Lord's will.
E. Let's contrast those two churches for just a moment. Which one would have been more attractive to outsiders? A congregation consisting of members who love each other, or a congregation consisting of members whose love has gone cold? You know which church would have been more attractive to those outside. Jesus said, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

IV. We can see that the love of God and the love of the brethren are inexorably intertwined. This is a very serious matter and we ought to have a desire to know all that the Bible has to say about Christians loving one another. Today let’s look at what John tells us in 1 John. We will find some responsibilities given to us, but also some blessings.

A. Let's look at 1 John 2:9-10 – “He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.” How important is it for us to abide in the light?

1. In 1 John 1:7 we read, “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son cleanses us from all sin.” John says if we walk (abide) in the light, we have the promise that the Lord's blood will continually cleanse us.
2. What is one way that we can determine if we're abiding in the light? John said, it is on the basis of our love for one another.
3. He was proclaiming the tremendous truths already revealed by Jesus nearly a whole generation previously. In the sermon on the mount, Jesus said: "If thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness" (Matthew 6:23).

B. Let’s look at 1 John 3:11-14 – “11. For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, 12. not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother's righteous. 13. Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you. 14. We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.” In verse 14 John says if a Christian loves his brother, he shows that he's gone from death unto life.
C. Chapter 3, starting at verse 16 – “16. By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17. But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18. My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. 19. And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him.” John begins by talking about the love of God, and that we know God loves us because of what He did for us at the cross. John went on to say that others can see our love at work. If we see a brother who is in need and we supply that need, that's a demonstration of love. It's one thing to talk about love, it is something else to show it.
D. 1 John 3:23 – “And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.” This verse teaches us that loving one another is as important as believing in Christ. Again we see how these are joined together, you can not separate them and be a Christian.
E. 1 John 4:7-8 – “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” Knowing God involves loving our brethren.
F. 1 John 4:11-12 – “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.” God dwells in those who love their brethren. We certainly want God to dwell in us, don't we? God wants us to meet certain requirements and one of those requirements is that we're to love one another.
G. 1 John 4:20-21 – “If someone says, "I love God,'' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.” These verses show us that true love for God includes loving his children.
H. Then 1 John 5:2 – “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments.” Loving our brethren is associated with loving God and obeying His will.

CONCLUSION: In John 13:34-35 we saw that John was present when Jesus gave this New Commandment. When John taught and wrote he had a lot to say about that very special subject. That's why John has often been called the apostle of love.

As far as we know, John was the only apostle to die of natural causes after living a very long life, that's why sometimes he's referred to as John the Elder. Can you imagine the things that that man saw in his life? I can appreciate that when I read his letters because he often wrote this, “Little children, love one another”.

Why did John say that? It was because he heard Jesus say those words and he understood how important they are. We are so very blessed to have all of these writings recorded by the apostle John for our benefit. He heard what Jesus said, and he recorded it. In his letter we call 1 John, he wrote all these extra details to help us understand exactly what the Lord requires and shows us how we are blessed when we carry out the Lord's will.

In this brief look, we have seen several verses about Christ telling His followers to love each other. He commands it, and He requires it.
____________________________________________________________________________________

We learn from the New Testament how to be saved. We need to hear the word; believe in Jesus; repent of our sins; we must confess our belief that Jesus is the Son of God; and be baptized for the remission of our sins… If we follow these steps, the Lord adds us to His church.

If anybody needs to respond, either to dedicate themselves to Christ, be buried with Him in baptism, and become a part of the work He has for us; or if you need to ask for prayers on your behalf, won’t you come forward as we stand and sing our Invitational song.

 

# 644—Trust and Obey

Reference Sermon by: Raymond Sieg

God Has Not Forgotten You

God Has Not Forgotten You
Psalm 13:1-6

INTRO: There was a time when I was young that patiently waiting was part of life. When you are raising crops or animals you learn that everything comes in its own time. I also learned, sometimes the hard way, that trying to rush a task or someone else’s response could lead to less than ideal results or at least unproductive frustration.
Things have changed over the years for me though. I now do a lot of shopping online and have become used to two-day shipping or in some instances same-day shipping. Now I, and I’m not alone, expect fast service from some companies and find it disappointing when the delivery date is further away. We also get irritated when a response to an inquiry takes too long to arrive. Email is a good example and so are text messages. Why haven’t they answered? Where is that email? Have you ever felt that? Felt irritated when something seems to be taking forever?

We just don't like waiting anymore, do we? And as Christians, sometimes we get frustrated when God doesn't answer our prayers according to our timeline. We pray, and then we seem to have this mental, built-in timeline saying we need the answer now. We think God has forgotten us when we go to Him with our sincere requests, we have sincere prayers and we don't hear anything. It seems to us we receive no answer, no response whatsoever, at least not right away. What do we do? If we could only see a light at the end of the tunnel—a tangible stopping point—it would make our situation much more bearable.

What does scripture tell us about this? The best answer I've ever found is in a very short Psalm, Psalm 13, and it has only six verses. You might think this means it's going to be a very short sermon. You might be wrong. Psalm 13 is a marvelous scripture. Most often it is attributed to David though any attempt to link it to a specific incident is conjecture. When you feel a little frustrated and maybe think God has forgotten about your prayer, your request, read Psalm 13.

I. When God Delays – Look with me at the first two verses. Psalm 13:1-2 – “How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, Having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?”

A. The first thing that David asked, is “how long?” These first two verses tell us of his frustration.

How long, O Lord, will You forget me forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?
How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily?
How long will my enemy be exalted – over me?

This text describes how David feels when God delays. Remember, David was anointed the future king of Israel, but then spent years in the wilderness trying to outmaneuver Saul and his armies. Maybe that was the time period in which this Psalm was written. We are not told.

B. Four times the cry, "How long?" rises from these plaintive lines. Here is the evident distress of the psalmist coming from his impression that God has forsaken him, hiding His face from him and that somehow God's favor, at the moment, does not rest upon him. This consciousness of separation from God has brought an agony of near-despair to the psalmist. His sufferings have been going on, at least in his mind for a long time. He wants to know, how much longer is this going to go on. How long? I think in a sense he feels abandoned, he feels that God isn't there for him… and he has a profound sense of loss.

1. If we turn back to the 10th Psalm we find something very similar. In Psalm 10:1 the writer says, “Why do You stand afar off, O Lord? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?” In this Psalm, the psalmist is sorely grieved and distressed at the widespread wickedness that was bringing so much misery and sorrow to the poor and oppressed of the land. And his purpose is to bring the attention of God to focus upon the shameful conduct of lawless men whose behavior cried out to God for vengeance against them. That writer was saying something similar to what is said in Psalm 13, Why are you so far away?
2. That is the way the writer felt and maybe you’ve felt that way too. Maybe to you it seems like you've been waiting and waiting and waiting for God to answer that prayer. Maybe you've prayed it countless times and He still hasn't answered in the way you think He should.
3. Maybe you're ready to give up on God… Well know that God never gives up on you. He never forgets you. The prophet Isaiah says this in Isaiah 49. I'm sure you've heard these verses before, but they're great verses to remember or read when you think that God has forgotten you, that He's given up on you or your request. Let’s look at verse 15 “15. "Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you. 16. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; your walls are continually before Me.”

a. In verse 15 God says “Surely they may forget” and we know this all too well these days. The saddest things on earth today must surely include the failure of mothers to love and preserve their children. Despite such occurrences, however, I believe that the nearest thing to God's unfailing love is the love of a mother for her child.
b. God here declares that His devotion to His children was and shall forever be, invariably dependable and constant. God's parental love surpasses that of any human mother.
c. Then in verse 16, God says, “See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands”. Isn't that a wonderful way to picture God? He is so aware of your prayers and so aware of what's going on in your life, that it's like He has your name inscribed on the palm of His hands, so that your request and your concerns, your worries are ever before Him.

C. That is a wonderful verse. Back in Psalm 13 though, David says God just seems so far away. It feels like God’s blessings have been removed. How long will you hide your face from me? And how long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? In his heart, God just seems so far away.

1. David feels like he's been forsaken by God and that God's protection and safety have been removed. He kind of feels like he's been rejected, even though he hasn't.
2. In Psalms 88, we have another example of this same thing. Psalm 88: 14-18 - “14. Lord, why do You cast off my soul? Why do You hide Your face from me? 15. I have been afflicted and ready to die from my youth up; I suffer Your terrors; I am distraught. 16. Your fierce wrath has gone over me; Your terrors have cut me off. 17. They came around me all day long like water; They engulfed me altogether. 18. Loved one and friend You have put far from me, And my acquaintances into darkness.” See how forsaken the writer feels here? He feels like everybody has forsaken him, including God. He's been forgotten.
3. In Psalm 22:1 it says, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning?” We should note that Psalm 22 was given by the Holy Spirit to King David and in this Psalm, we have an extremely detailed prophecy about the crucifixion of the Christ given a thousand years before it happens.
4. It's a messianic psalm and Jesus says on the cross “my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus died on that cross and felt forsaken so that you and I would never have to feel forsaken. As a child of God, you should never feel forgotten because of what Jesus did on that cross.

D. Yet in our psalm David does feel abandoned. He feels that God is not listening. He's wrestling with his emotions—sorrow, and despair.

1. He's fighting negative thoughts. Most people at some point in their lives must fight negative thoughts. David feels like perhaps he's done something. He doesn't know what happened or why he's fallen out of favor with God.
2. He felt forsaken. David is feeling the burden of his sorrows, and he says that the sorrows are “in my heart daily”. It's not just something he feels occasionally, but he says he feels like it is a constant, an everyday feeling of sorrow and despair.

E. Immersed in this feeling of being forsaken David feels like his enemies are winning. We can understand that.

1. Even today enemies seem to crop up against us when we are at a disadvantage. When someone's down, there are always people around to kick them, aren’t there? Some people just seem to enjoy an easy target. When you're down or someone else is down, that seems to be their job. “Let's go ahead and kick them, take advantage of them, while they’re down.”
2. Many of our enemies are from the spiritual world. The Bible talks in Ephesians 6:10-20 about putting on the whole armor of God “to stand against the wiles of the devil.” (6:11) Because “…we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Satan is the prince of this world, and he has helpers in the spirit realm.

II. David has given us a picture of how he feels when it seems God has left him. Then in the next verses, we see him turning from his complaints. Yes, he might feel distant from God, but instead of giving up on his relationship with the Lord, he pushes further into it. He depends on it.

A. Verses three and four: “3. Consider and hear me, O Lord my God; Enlighten my eyes, Lest I sleep the sleep of death; 4. Lest my enemy say, "I have prevailed against him''; Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.” What does he do? He turns to God in prayer—more prayer.

1. The first thing we should always do in times of trouble is pray. Never say, well, the least I can do is pray. No, the most you can do is pray. That's the most important thing, it is the most powerful thing you can do. Always do it first.
2. In these verses, David asks God to consider him. He says, look upon me. He wants God to see what's happening. I have no doubt David knew that God knew, what was happening. He prays, God, look at what's going on. Look at my life. The psalmist's prayer for the avoidance of death is based upon the premise that "If he dies, his enemies will interpret his death in such a way as to mock his trust in God." My life's in danger every day. Consider me.
3. We never should throw in the towel. Call out to God. What we need to do is exactly what John says in 1 John 5:14 - “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” Ask God to answer your prayer according to His will.

B. David says, enlighten my eyes. That's a great expression, put the light back in my eyes. Throughout the Old Testament when someone has an experience with God they are overwhelmed by the light of His glory. In verses 1-2 we got the sense that the psalmist felt God had withdrawn, turned away, and left him in the dark. So here he is asking for God to once again shine brightly on his life.

1. Make me alive again. He feels like he's at the point of death. Make me alive again he pleads. He wants that close fellowship with the Lord. He does not want his enemies to think they can overcome a servant of God.
2. David says. “Lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,” lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.”[ESV] In Old Testament times when two nations or armies would go against one another, whichever was victorious, they would say, it was because of our gods. Ours is more powerful than your God. He is saying, don't let my enemies say they prevail against me.
3. Don't let them rejoice when I am shaken. Don't let that happen. David is asking, let the righteous be victorious over the wicked. In Psalm 27, which is another of David's psalms, the first three verses are encouraging. He says, “1. The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? 2. When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, my enemies and foes, they stumbled and fell. 3. Though an army should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; Though war should rise against me, in this I will be confident.” David knows prayer is power and he calls out to God.

III. We've seen how a person feels when God delays in verses one and two, we've seen when a person prays for help in verses three and four, and then in verses five and six we see when a heart rejoices, “5. But I have trusted in Your mercy; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. 6. I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me.”

A. Notice the progression. He's gone from tears to triumph. David says I trust in your mercy. God's mercy was rooted in the covenant God had made with Israel. David knew that he could trust in what God had said, and of course, we can too. David expresses hope now, why? Because of God's unfailing love. Even in his ongoing struggle, David doesn’t give up. He knows that there is something that will last longer than his enemies: the steadfast love of the Lord.

1. Some marvelous verses are written in Lamentations. Remember Lamentations, probably by Jeremiah, was written after the fall of Jerusalem when the Babylonian armies under Nebuchadnezzar came in.
2. We're going to read beginning in Lamentation 3:22-24 – “22. Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. 23. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. 24. "The Lord is my portion,'' says my soul, "Therefore I hope in Him!''” God is not going to let you down when you fully trust Him.

B. David says in verse 5, my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. The Lord has not forgotten David, because even though his life seemed bleak, he knows his salvation is secure. He knows God is going to look over Him, look after Him, be with Him, and shine His face upon him.

1. His salvation is secured. Psalm 18:46 says, “46. The Lord lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let the God of my salvation be exalted.”
2. The Bible says nobody can take away my salvation. I can give it up. I can turn away from God, but nobody can take it away from me.
3. In Romans 8:38-39, Paul talks about, how nothing in this world can take away my salvation except me. “38. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39. nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
4. We are the only ones that can give up our salvation. That should be very encouraging to us. The Devil cannot take away my salvation. He doesn't have the power. All the powers in this world, all the rulers in this world can't take away my salvation.

C. In verse 6 David sings of God's goodness. “I will sing to the Lord because He has dealt bountifully with me.” David remembers what God had done for him in the past and we should do likewise.

1. Remember all those prayers that we've taken to God that he answered. Remember how well God has dealt with us in life. This should boost our confidence that He will still take care of our needs. Psalm 28:7 – “The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song, I will praise Him.”
2. Looking back we have to admit that God has treated us far better than we deserve. He has. The Book of Romans tells us that He sent His son to die for us while we were still sinners. Oh yes, God has treated us far better than we could ever deserve.

CONCLUSION: Psalm 13 doesn’t say “I’m hurting, God, and you’re nowhere to be found, so forget you.” That is the sort of response the world would understand, the kind of thing Satan wants us to do. No, instead, in verses 3-4 we see the psalmist say “I’m hurting, God, and you’re nowhere to be found, so I’m going to sit right here and ask… plead, for You show up in some way...because I have nowhere else to go and nobody else to turn to.”

It may seem counterintuitive to keep praying for God’s attention and care after so clearly expressing our frustration with His absence, but that’s exactly what we see here. David was worried that God had forgotten him and left him to his dark, sorrowful thoughts, so he asks God to “hear him and enlighten him” to give him insights on what is going on, to speak in such a way that would satisfy his soul and put to rest his anguish.

David tells us that he experienced great sadness when he felt abandoned by God. Even though it may feel at times that God has forgotten you, He hasn't. If you pray to Him concerning some matter, know for a certainty, that He's going to answer in the very best way possible for you. It may be different from something that you're expecting, but whatever He answers is the very best answer, whatever is best for you. Why? Because He loves you very much.

The overwhelming sorrow captured in the lament of verses 1-2 is met with the trust in the unrelenting faithfulness and love of God in verses 5-6. The bridge between this is David’s prayer for help. Despite all that is going wrong, despite the pain, despite feeling helpless, despite not being sure where God is or why He won’t ...despite all this, the psalmist prays to God for enlightenment and he works his way back to declaring: “I trust in your unfailing love”...and I know you, God, have been good to me.

How this happens will look a little different for everyone, because the circumstances that surround your suffering will influence the way and even have an impact on the time you’ll need to work your way back and remember God’s goodness.

We tend to read scripture as quick-fix devotions. That approach may be too much, too fast for true lament and suffering. When we’re hurting -- from a chronic illness, a job loss, a family conflict, after losing someone dear to us, or from unconquerable depression -- we do ourselves a disservice by trying to make it all right, all at once. Most of the pain we experience in life cannot be reconciled or healed in the time it takes to read six verses alone.
If we try to force our emotions to comply and transform to what we have read it sometimes might make us feel guilty. We think, “The truth of God’s goodness is right here, in black and white...why can’t I feel it?! Why do I have such a hard time believing it is true?

When you don't feel God is near, when you feel God maybe has forgotten you, what should you do? Those times when you feel God is far away, when He's not answering prayers as you expect and you feel like He's forgotten you, what should you do? I think this last point is very critical. Do any activities that bring you in contact with His Word and His people. Those are going to be the most important things to do and the most beneficial. Sadly, a lot of times we do just the opposite. We turn away from those things.

During those times when we feel far from God, what do we need? We need His Word and His people. That's what we need. We don't need to turn away, we need to turn toward. That's what God did for us. He turned toward us by sending His Son to die for us while we were still sinners. That's how much He loved us.

Remember John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” This is how much God loved us, He was willing to send His son to die for us on the cross. We didn't deserve it, but God did it anyway because He loved us that much, and we should love Him in return.

This morning, we have a time to consider our relationship with God while we're singing this invitation song.
____________________________________________________________________________________

We learn from the New Testament how to be saved. We need to hear the word; believe in Jesus; repent of our sins; we must confess our belief that Jesus is the Son of God; and be baptized for the remission of our sins… If we follow these steps, the Lord adds us to His church.

Perhaps there is someone in the assembly today with the need to be buried with Christ in baptism. If you need to respond to that gospel message or need the prayers of faithful Christians on your behalf, don't wait, but come as we stand and sing.

# 603
Taken from a sermon by Bobby Stafford

The Danger of A Lie

Text: Genesis 3:1-9

 The story is told of four high school boys who couldn't resist the temptation to skip morning classes. Each had been smitten with a bad case of spring fever. After lunch they showed up at school and reported to the teacher that their car had a flat tire. Much to their relief, she smiled and said, "Well, you missed a quiz this morning, so take your seats and get out a pencil and paper." Still smiling, she waited as they settled down and got ready for her questions.
Then she said, "First question--which tire was flat?"
When regard for truth has been broken down or even slightly weakened, all things will remain doubtful. - Augustine.
A lie has no legs. It requires other lies to support it. Tell one lie and you are forced to tell others to back it up. Those that think it permissible to tell white lies soon grow colorblind. - Austin O'Malley.
The Bible tells us that God gave Adam and Eve every tree to eat from except one, and Genesis tell us there were plenty of other GOOD trees to eat from.
Genesis 2:9 says, 9 And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

So if that was true (that they’d had all these other trees to eat from), then why did they do it?
It would be easy to say “The Devil made them do it”... but it’s more than that.
Eve CHOSE to disobey God.
Now Satan may have “talked her into it...” but SHE KNEW what God had said.
She knew God didn’t want her to eat of the tree.
She knew God had said that those who ate of the tree faced death.
But she CHOSE to eat of the tree anyway.
She made bad choices.
Genesis 3 verses 1-3 tells us Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”
Once you get used to the idea that you think you can improve on God’s Word... when you believe you can change it when you want to... when you accept that you can tinker with God’s will for your life... then it gets easier to improve on other things God commanded.
There once was a preacher who was something of a cut-up on stage. He mentioned once that in English Class they taught him that using 2 negatives in a sentence made a positive statement.
Example: They ain’t got nothing! Well, if they ain’t got nothing …. Then they actually have something.
So the preacher would say that, since that was true
“The way he figured it, if he knew he was lying, and God knew he was lying – then he gotta be telling the truth!”

There is a LIST of 10 Famous American Lies we call “Fibs”
- The check is in the mail.
- I'll start my diet tomorrow.
- Give me your number and the doctor will call you right back.
- One size fits all.
- Your luggage isn't lost, it's only misplaced.
- This hurts me more than it hurts you.
- I just need five minutes of your time.
- Open wide, it won't hurt a bit.
- Let's have lunch sometime.
- It's not the money, it's the principle.
Lying seems to be a way of life for many people. We lie at the drop of a hat. The book The Day American Told the Truth says that 91 percent of those surveyed lie routinely about matters they consider trivial, and 36 percent lie about important matters; 86 percent lie regularly to parents, 75 percent to friends, 73 percent to siblings, and 69 percent to spouses.

A store manager heard his clerk tell a customer, “No, ma’am, we haven’t had any for a while, and it doesn’t look as if we’ll be getting any soon.” Horrified, the manager came running over to the customer and said, “Of course we’ll have some soon. We placed an order last week.” Then the manager drew the clerk aside. “Never,” he snarled, “Never, never, never say we’re out of anything- say we’ve got it on order and it’s coming. Now, what was it she wanted anyway?” The clerk said, “Rain!”
Spouses lie to one another in the name of keeping the peace, parents lie to their own children and vice versa, employers and employees just the same. Advertisers lie to sell products. Politicians lie in order to spin things their way.
But the Lord included the subject of lying in one of the 10 commandments of the Old Testament, and I believe He takes this sin very seriously. THEN in the NEW Testament …
We can read in Revelation 21:8, But the cowardly, [a]unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
And, in Revelation 22:15, ]But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.

Mark Twain said a lie can travel halfway around the world while truth is still lacing up her boots. It’s natural to lie, and there’s something about our nature that enjoys it. We like reading tabloids, or hearing gossip.
Lying is easy, but the truth is oftentimes hard.

Are you known to be a truly honest person, or do people have to question you and wonder about your genuineness? Do you have a reputation as a liar, or do people know what you say is true? Is your word as good as your signature? Do you do what you say you will do? Do you tell the truth even when it will cost you something?
The Bible has a lot to say about lying:
We can read in Proverbs 6:16-22 a list of 7 things the Lord hates. “These six things the LORD hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
17 A proud look,
A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood,
18 A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that are swift in running to evil,
19 A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren.
20 My son, keep your father’s command,
And do not forsake the law of your mother.
21 Bind them continually upon your heart;
Tie them around your neck.
22 When you roam, they will lead you;
When you sleep, they will keep you;
And when you awake, they will speak with you.

Abraham Lincoln was quoted as saying the following: You can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time … but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time!

A poet said, “You can fool the public and be a secret fraud, you can try to hide your lying, but you can’t fool God!”
What upsets me is NOT that you lied to me, BUT that from now on I can no longer believe you. - Friedrich Nietzsche.

1. The Origin of lying.
Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees in John 8:44 “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”
So we’re a lot like Satan when we lie. Almost every time we see the devil in Scripture he’s lying...

The first time we see Satan in the Bible he lies about God to man.

• Satan lies About the truthfulness of God—“Hath God said?” Questioning God’s Word is skating on thin ice.

• Satan lies About the righteousness of God—“Ye shall not surely die”. In other words, God won’t judge you if you sin.

• Satan lies About the goodness of God—“God is trying to keep back from you good things!”
The next time Satan appears in the Bible is in the book of Job. This time he’s in the courts of heaven and he’s lying about man to God.

Satan Lying about man to God:
“The only reason Job obeys you is because you’re so good to him.” What a liar.
To Adam and Eve he says that God isn’t good enough, and now he’s saying that God is too good!
We see Satan again at the crucifixion. This time he lies to man, knowing that man will then lie about Jesus.
He put it in the hearts of many to bear false witness against Jesus in the kangaroo court they put together.
In Genesis he uses a lie to corrupt a godly man.
In Job he uses a lie to criticize a good man.
In the New Testament he uses a lie to crucify the Son of God.
In Revelation he embodies the antichrist, who tells a lie so big and believable that it brings about the end of the world.

So, from beginning to end, Satan is a liar! And when we lie we align ourselves with everything that brings death, destruction, doom and damnation to this world. Sin is what leads to death, but that sin was brought about by a lie!
Don’t take lying lightly. There’s no such thing as a little white lie. God is truth, and anything less than truth is wrong...IT IS SIN!

2. The Operation of lying.
Lying has many faces. Lying has many children in its family.
Here’s 5 ways people often lie without even thinking about it:

1) Slander
Psalms 101:5, “Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor,
Him I will destroy;
The one who has a haughty look and a proud heart,
Him I will not endure.

This is lying with the intention of doing harm to another’s reputation.
Some sins are worse than others in terms of damage done. If I steal from you I can return the item. But if I spread lies about you I may not be able to ever undo the far-reaching effects.

There was a man who spread lies about his neighbor. Then one day he repented, and asked the minister how he could make it right. The minister told him to get some feather pillows and rip them open, and place one feather on every porch in their community. It seemed strange, but the man did what he was told. He went back to the preacher and said he was done. The preacher said, no, you’re not. Now go back and pick up all the feathers.
“But I can’t” said the man. The wind has taken them who knows where!”
To which the minister said, “So it is with the words you have spoken about your neighbor.”
When we slander someone’s reputation we do irreparable damage. And we’ll answer to God for it!

2)Talebearing—this person loves to tell things. They share ‘news’. But they don’t care if their facts are correct or not. This is gossip. Rumors. Don’t spread it. Try to stop others from doing it. Don’t repeat gossip
1Timothy 5:13, “And besides they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house, and not only idle but also gossips and busybodies, saying things which they ought not.
Leviticus 19:16, “You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people; nor shall you take a stand against the life of your neighbor: I am the LORD.
Next time you’re enjoying listening to someone gossip, remember this fact: Anyone who will gossip TO you, will gossip ABOUT you!

3) Flattery—insincere praise...saying something to someone’s face that you would never say behind their back. Salesmen are often bad about this. Kids are too. Most of our children have learned how to compliment us first when they want something.

Psalms 55:21, “The words of his mouth were smoother than butter,
But war was in his heart;
His words were softer than oil,
Yet they were drawn swords.

When someone starts buttering you up, remember that they are probably about to have you for lunch!

4) Half truths—not telling the whole story. A parent asks their teen where they are going. “To Andy’s house.” That’s true, but they leave out where they’re going from there. You break the spirit of the law when you do this.  This is why in court you swear to not just tell the truth, but ‘the whole truth.’ Half the truth equals a whole lie.

5) Excuses—they are just dressed up lies.
The origin is Satan, the operation of lying...it comes in many forms...
Now, how do we overcome Lying?
Every negative command could be reworded positively. For instance. Thou shalt not commit adultery could be rephrased, Thou shalt be sexually pure. We could say today, Thou shalt tell the truth. And truth is the very character and nature of our God. Jesus said I am the truth. He called the Holy Spirit the spirit of truth. The truth sets us free!

How to overcome lying:
1) Love the truth. This is a heart change. David spoke of ‘truth in the inward parts.’ You see, a person is not a liar because they tell lies...they tell lies because they are a liar. We need an inward change.  2Thessalonians 2:10, “and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

2) Learn the truth.
Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. Saturate your mind w/ good things, like the Word of God. The truth sets you free. It’s how Jesus defeated Satan in the wilderness, with the truth of Scripture!

3) Live the truth.
Ephesians 4:25, “Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,”  Be accountable to others. Be open to others stopping you when you gossip or slander. Immediately confess, immediately correct, and immediately commit yourself to the truth.

Right now Satan wants to sell you a lie...don’t fall for it like Adam and Eve.
He’ll tell you: there is no God,
There is no heaven,
There is no hell,
OR that there is no hurry.
But today we can read from Hebrews 3:12-15,
” Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; 13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, 15 while it is said:
“Today, if you will hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”

And, Acts 2:36-38, tells us: “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”
38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the [a]remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

So, we must NOT lie to God...
WE need to admit our sins and be baptized!

Teach No Other Doctrine

Teach No Other Doctrine
First Timothy 1:1-7

INTRO: Good morning. I recently read a statement that I found intriguing, the author said conservation is as important as creation. I think what the author was saying, in using that terminology, was that what good is it if something is created and then not maintained?

If something, marvelous as it might be, only lasts for a little while and then it's not around anymore, it has had limited usefulness. My work life consisted in a large part of maintenance. On the farm, in the military and at various companies. I saw, and I’m sure you have too, that unless something is properly maintained, conserved, it’s usefulness will change.

I then thought about this aspect in connection with congregations of God's people—churches. Have you ever known a congregation that was at one time really vibrant and thriving for God, but maybe it’s not around anymore? Others that might be around in terms of being there, but are not faithful to the Lord?

It's a joyful message that's preached and it's a joyful occasion when the gospel is believed and individuals become Christians. A church begins in a particular locality, but it's appropriate to ask whether or not things are in place to make sure that congregation is still there down the road, and will it still be faithful to the Lord? Was it maintained? I think we can all recall Revelation chapters 2 and 3 to see that maintenance is indeed needed and the Lord calls for it.

What are the provisions that God has given us to make sure that that takes place or at least to work towards that end? Can what has been created be sustained? With that in mind let’s explore a bit this morning.

I. We found in Acts chapter 18 that when the Apostle Paul first visited the city of Ephesus, around AD 52 as scholars tell us, he had Priscilla and Aquila with him. There Paul reasoned with the Jews and they asked him to stay a longer time but he could not. It says in the text that he was only able to stay there for a very short time because he was on his way back to Jerusalem. He left Priscilla and Aquila there to preach and to teach the Gospel. Acts 18:21 - “but took leave of them, saying, "I must by all means keep this coming feast in Jerusalem; but I will return again to you, God willing.'' And he sailed from Ephesus.”

A. In Acts 19:1 we find Paul had returned to Ephesus and as we read we find he remained with that church for several years. It says he was teaching publicly and from house to house in Acts 20:20. If we look at all the places Paul established churches and all the places where the apostle spent time preaching the Gospel, we might conclude that he invested more time with the congregation at Ephesus than any other church recorded in the New Testament.
B. Then, after traveling through Macedonia and Achaia on his way back to Jerusalem, at the end of his third journey, Paul makes special arrangements to meet with the elders of the Ephesian church at the city of Malitas. He knew that this was the last opportunity he would have to encourage this church that he'd spent so much time with.

1. In Acts 20:22-31 it records what he said to the elders there. “22. "And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, 23. "except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. 24. "But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. 25. "And indeed, now I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, will see my face no more. 26. "Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. 27. "For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. 28. "Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. 29. "For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30. "Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. 31. "Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.” Paul was concerned, and he had a lot to be concerned about.
2. We see in this text that the Holy Spirit has revealed to Paul that there would be tough days ahead going to Jerusalem. But Paul was going to Jerusalem to do the Lord's will. He says not only here, but in other places that danger doesn't bother him. His concern was not for his physical suffering, his concern was for the church, and as recorded in these words in Acts chapter 20, particularly this church.
3. Notice what he's concerned about. Paul may not have expressed all he was concerned about here, but it behooves us to look at what he does mention to these elders. He's concerned for this church, and he told the elders that wolves were coming that would not spare the flock and that some would come from their own number.

C. Possibly ten years after his first visit to Ephesus, the apostle writes the first of two personal letters to a young man named Timothy, who at this point has grown to be Paul's own protégé in the faith.
D. When Paul writes to Timothy in these letters, Timothy is at Ephesus. He's the one who was there teaching and preaching at this church. Paul instructed Timothy to remain there, stay at Ephesus. Why was it so important to Paul for Timothy to remain there?

II. Paul writes in 1 Timothy 1:1-4 – “1. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope, 2. To Timothy, my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. 3. As I urged you when I went into Macedonia remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine, 4. nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith.”

A. The apostle Paul was still concerned about the church of Ephesus. In Acts 20:27 Paul declared, “I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.”

1. Yet, even after the church had received the whole counsel of God, the apostle writes to Timothy and says, stay there, because I'm still concerned about this church. Was he concerned about persecution? Was he concerned about the suffering of the Christians?
2. No. The danger that threatened the church was doctrinal. It had to do with what was being taught in the church itself. Some of the teaching that was being done, what people were hearing, wasn’t truly what God wanted them to hear.
3. Paul understood that the danger still remained that men would come in, even those who were the leaders of the church, and present perverse things, and draw disciples away. Timothy is to charge (the word charge here means command) those who teach, to teach no other doctrine..

B. Teach no other doctrine. The word doctrine is didachē and in the original language means a teaching, or that which is taught. Let’s look at this aspect of teaching no other doctrine. From the context of this passage, what are the implications of this command, this charge, and how do we relate it to our relationship with God today in the Church?

1. The phrase, “teach no other doctrine” is a single compound word in the original language. It is a combination of (heteros) other and (didaskaleo) teach modified by the negative no, or do not. (mē Heterodidaskaleō). This implies that there is an initial, or original doctrine that can be differentiated from others.
2. When Paul says teach no other doctrine, he is implying that there is a first, original doctrine that's different than the ones people might teach. I’ll repeat that; There is an initial, original, doctrine that is able to be differentiated from the others, and that has to be kept in view.
3. For example if Nina gives me a list and says go to the grocery store and get only what's on that list, what would that imply? Would that imply the possibility that I could add something to it? Can I have a list of my own? How should I interpret that command? The command would make no sense if there wasn't an original document or in my example, an original list.
4. When Paul tells Timothy not to allow the teaching of any other doctrine, it implies the presence of an initial and objective doctrine. The original doctrine is objective, not subjective. He doesn't say, make up your own list or that the list will change.
5. He's saying you should teach no other doctrine because there is an original doctrine that's objective and that is intended to be continually retained. Paul is telling Timothy, the one who's going to continue on with that work, saying make sure nobody teaches anything other than what I originally gave. No other doctrine then, implies the aspect of the original doctrine.

C. Would it not also be implied that Timothy was not to allow other doctrines to come in alongside the original? What this command would indicate to Timothy is that God did not want him to abandon the original message, but he also didn't want him to bring something in alongside, and say we'll take both of these Gospels. The idea of no other gospel or no other teaching, involved the aspect here of a singular initial message, that was to be retained, unmodified, and retained by itself, taught alone, with no other doctrine alongside it. That is an important perspective that is denied on many levels today.
D. Paul goes on to partially identify some false doctrine Timothy is to reject in verse 4. “nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith.” In this verse we see there were those who were placing emphasis on stories (myths) and ancestral lineage (genealogies) as though these had a place in the gospel message.

1. It is difficult to know the specifics of their doctrines or how they were using it in Ephesus, but the message was clear… these additions had no place with the doctrine of Christ. That doctrine was to be received by faith – faith comes by hearing the words of God. (Romans 10:17)
2. However we interpret the genealogies and the myths that would characterize the other doctrine, what Paul makes clear here is that it is not the same thing, it is differentiated from, and it works against the Gospel that came by faith.
3. Any of these other things that could be brought in alongside, the stories and the myths and the fables, the emphasis on genealogies, all of these other things work against the gospel message that's been presented.
4. I believe that there are many things flowing from pulpits today which have no place alongside the doctrine of Christ. There are those who preach the prosperity gospel, and what it means to enjoy physical success in this world. There are political agendas, and human traditions which come from the teachings of men. These things come right from the same mouths that attempt to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, and right alongside the message of Jesus on the cross.
5. We dare not be deceived. Those stories, myths, and traditions reflect agendas that have no place alongside the gospel of Jesus Christ. They may even have benefit to those presenting them. Those who put in other things and make them sound as though they're a part of the revelation, the original revelation of God… are teaching another doctrine.

E. The implication of Paul's command is that an objective, continually authoritative truth exists, that is to be retained from generation to generation. It also implies that Timothy understood what this initial doctrine was, and how to distinguish it from “another” doctrine. Paul tells Timothy to have the courage, and to make this distinction apparent to others (those who teach it, and those who might be influenced by it). What is this initial, objective, authoritative doctrine?

III. Later on in this letter Paul writes, 1 Timothy 6:3-5 – “If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain.” Paul goes on here to describe in greater detail, the character of this false teaching and this other doctrine and even some of the motivations that are involved in it.

A. It's not hard to recognize that what Paul is saying is that you must hold on to the words of Jesus Christ our Lord and to the teaching which is according to godliness. This is the doctrine to hold on to.

1. That doctrine, as contrasted to ones which should not be taught, is the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2. That's the difference. There are the sound words of Jesus Christ and then, everything else, is a different doctrine. The word wholesome as used in the NKJ version, is a word that means sound or healthy.
3. That helps me understand what Paul means here when he says that Timothy was to hold on to the sound words of Jesus Christ. These words of Jesus would make the church healthy spiritually, and maintain it through the years. Jesus words are pure and uncorrupted from the things around and from the world itself.

B. When we think about the word doctrine and how many times it's used in the religious world today, and we look at what Paul says to Timothy about doctrine, how could we ever conclude, like some do, that doctrine is inconsequential to unity or salvation?

IV. Does doctrine make any difference? There are different doctrines. Different churches have different doctrines, and people believe different doctrines. What difference does it make as long as we all believe in Jesus?

A. The Apostle Paul put a very high priority on the aspect of the doctrine, the words of Jesus Christ, for Timothy and for all those who would teach and lead even beyond the apostolic age.

1. He tells Timothy take what I delivered unto you and you commit it to other men who will be able to teach others also.
2. What has been presented originally continues to be presented, and that everything that what it teaches is sound, it is pure, it is healthy. More specifically, it is the words of Jesus Christ that are in view.

B. We understand how important it is for us to preserve ourselves and maintain our health. People can be very dedicated about a healthy diet. They avoid things they know are bad for them in the most part. They do not let their children eat things that are detrimental.

1. You think about what's going to happen on down the road if you put this or that in your food.
2. Today we are even more aware of clean hands aren’t we? In a restaurant I see people take out little bottles of hand sanitizer when they sit down.
3. We are aware of germs and we try to avoid them. Why? Because we want to be healthy so we keep our hands clean. We realize that we help to maintain our health through paying attention to what we eat, what we do and keeping ourselves clean.

C. That's exactly what Paul is telling Timothy. On the spiritual level, the health of the church, the ability of the church to sustain itself, is based upon the soundness of the word that is taught. That's what Paul's concerned about.

1. We might ask ourselves, how could Timothy know the sound words of Jesus? There is no evidence in the Scripture that Timothy was with Jesus, that he personally heard Jesus teach, or that he walked with Him as the disciples did.
2. Did Timothy know the words of Jesus intuitively? Was there a mystical thing that Jesus would reveal Himself to Timothy or speak the words to him personally?
3. No, we can’t assume any of that. In fact, what we see in the text is that the apostle Paul knew where Timothy's knowledge came from.

D. In the beginning of his second letter, Paul again commands Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:13 “ Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.” There's that word again, sound.

1. Paul is saying, you know what's right, you know what's pure, because I told it to you. Timothy had heard the words of Jesus from Paul the apostle. Paul tells Timothy these original words constitute a pattern to be followed. They are the guide book for what you will believe and what you are to teach.
2. This principle points out to us the authority of apostolic doctrine. The source of the true doctrine that God wants us to teach, one that's healthy for God's people, has to do with this aspect of the teachings of the apostles.

E. It's clear from Jesus own words that He intended to exercise His authority through the apostles. Jesus told His apostles that He had other things to reveal to them that He was not going to reveal at that time, because they were not ready for those things.

1. Though Jesus always taught the truth, He didn't always tell the apostles everything. Look at John 16:12-13 – Jesus says, “12. "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13. "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come”.
2. Then in John 14:16-17 – “… I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.”
3. Think about the powerful implications in the words that Jesus spoke to the apostles. He told them, I'm not telling you everything, but the Holy Spirit is going to teach you all truth. You, on your own, will not be able to remember everything, but the Holy Spirit is going to give you the ability to remember everything that I've ever said.
4. If Jesus gave the apostles all truth, if He fulfilled His promise, and He put them in the remembrance of everything that Jesus had taught, then if I'm going to find out what Jesus said, the apostles become the premier witness of that, and certainly that's what takes place.
5. If Christ gives authority to the apostles, then the apostles must be the avenue through which the authority of Jesus is exercised in the first century.
6. In Acts 1:8 just before His ascension, Jesus told His apostles “you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” The apostles recognize and express this delegated authority..
7. Paul, speaking as an apostle, said, 2 Corinthians 5:20 – “Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God”. The word ambassador means the one who represents or speaks for another.

F. Jesus said earlier in Luke 10:16 – “He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.”

1. 1 Thessalonians 2:3 – Paul writes, “For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.”
2. The apostles were speaking audibly, personally with individuals, but they're also writing it down in what the Bible refers to as Scripture. The apostles, under the authority of Christ, in their teaching and their writing, always recognized the absolute position of Christ as the head of the Church. It was His authority they were expressing and not their own.
3. In 2 Corinthians 4:5 – “For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.”
4. What we recognize in terms of the history of the Book of Acts is that apostolic teaching emerged as the authority of the New Testament Church.
5. In Acts 2:42, a passage we're familiar with, the very beginning of the Church at Jerusalem. “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.” When the Church was going to determine what are they were going to do, how are they were going to worship God, and what does God want from them, they continued in the teachings of the apostles.

V. In the Book of Acts as well as the Epistles we find that disputed matters in the Church of the New Testament were settled by apostolic teaching. There were some big problems like circumcision, eating meats sacrificed to idols and how Christians were to live in a pagan society. What we see is that all of those things were settled by apostolic teaching.

A. That's illustrated certainly in the letters of the Apostle Paul. Paul taught in Thessalonica, yet he found it necessary to write two letters to the Church there to correct a misunderstanding about the second coming. He was correcting things that had already been taught but not fully understood. He says, no, this is what God revealed to me. The apostolic doctrine by the Apostle Paul became what settled the matter.
B. Paul spent 18 months at Corinth, and the Church at Corinth had prophets among them, and yet they still had problems. Paul wrote two letters to them, and this apostolic doctrine was to settle these disputes and to bring people's mind to unity.

1. Paul tells them, I'm writing to you, so that you can do what God wants you to do. He tells them not to keep company with those that do evil.
2. This is how you deal with it and this is how it is resolved.

C. Apostolic doctrine, is the true message of the Holy Spirit and will be taught as the continuing standard of the Church. The truth of God was not a dynamic, ever evolving, subjective standard. We do not figure out for ourselves what we're going to do. People were not to meet and put their minds together and come to a consensus or some ecumenical council.

1. It wasn't the idea of a single man and what he thinks being right, but rather it was by the writings of the apostles in the first century that the Church was to be guided.
2. It is that objective standard for every generation of God's people. In the earliest writings of the Apostle Paul, the apostle warned against accepting another standard.
3. In Galatians 1:8-9 - “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.” Paul says, the validity of a teaching is not just whether or not I say it, or whether even an angel of God would say it, but whether or not it has already been said.
4. Even if I come to you and teach you something different than what was originally taught to you by me, I'm accursed for that. It's what was originally given. It was this original, initial, objective message, that was to be the standard for God's people for all time, and neither men nor angels could change that. What was taught in one Church by the apostles was to be taught in all the churches.

D. In 1 Corinthians 4:16 – “Therefore I urge you, imitate me.” Paul says, for this reason I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful Son in the Lord, who reminds you of my ways in Christ as I teach everywhere, in every church.

1. When Paul sent Timothy to Corinth, he told the brethren in Corinth, this is why I'm sending him, so he can tell you what I've taught you before, and he can bring you to remembrance of my ways in Christ. Paul taught that same message everywhere. There weren't different doctrines for different churches. There weren't different doctrines for different geographical locations or different age groups or different cultures. There was one truth.
2. Nothing has changed. There is the scripture. That's what there is. The reason it's that way is because God designed it to be that way. He designed that there be no other teaching, that there be no other doctrine than that which was originally given.

CONCLUSION: In one of the last books of the New Testament, there is a call for unity of practice and faith based on a single source of authority. In 2 John 8-11 – “8. Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward. 9. Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. 10. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; 11. for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.” From Galatians one to Second John nine, the message is consistent—teach no other doctrine.

There is one message. Doctrine really does matter. The doctrinal pattern for Christians was drawn for all time in the writings of the first century, and we strive to follow that pattern today. That's why we can, if we in all good conscience are able to do it, call ourselves a people that belong to Christ. We are the church of Christ, not because we belong to some ecclesiastical society, or because we find our validity in a propagation of a particular sect or denomination. We are a church that belongs to Christ because we teach the doctrine of Christ alone.

It is the words of Christ which we strive forever to follow, committed to no other doctrine than the doctrine of Christ contained in Scripture. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God. That's where we must stand. That's where Paul told Timothy he must stand… If the church at Ephesus was to survive, Timothy was charged to make sure they taught no other doctrine. Now I speak of the health of the body, the Church, the body of Christ, but as Ephesians 5:30 says, “… we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.” Therefore we are encouraged to commit ourselves to the doctrine of Christ for our own spiritual health as well.

Are you willing to submit to the doctrine of Christ alone? The teachings of Christ alone?
Shy away everything that you've heard or anything that you've been taught before, that might very well be based upon the traditions of men. Read what God has for you to do in the Scriptures themselves. That's my urging for you. Not that you believe what I say, because I say it. Not that you believe what's taught by this church, because it's taught by this church and it has the right name, but that you find what you do and what you practice in the pages of the Bible. If you're going to belong to Christ, listen to Jesus. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. He that does not believe will be condemned. That's doctrine, folks. That's the doctrine of Jesus Christ. Those are the sound, healthy words of Jesus, our Lord.
____________________________________________________________________________________

We learn from the New Testament how to be saved. We need to hear the word; believe in Jesus; repent of our sins; we must confess our belief that Jesus is the Son of God; and be baptized for the remission of our sins… If we follow these steps, the Lord adds us to His church.

Perhaps there is someone in the assembly today with the need to be buried with Christ in baptism. If you have never done these things, we urge you to do so today. If anyone has this need or desires the prayers of faithful Christians on their behalf, we encourage them to come forward while we stand and sing.

# ???
Taken from a sermon by Rick Sparks

Are You Loyal?

Are You Loyal?
Matthew 26:21-35

John Kenneth Galbraith was a noted economist in the early 1900s who was called upon by many dignitaries to help sort the economic markets.
He wrote the following story in his autobiography about his housekeeper:

“It had been a wearying day, and I asked Emily to hold all telephone calls while I had a nap. Shortly thereafter the phone rang. Lyndon Johnson was calling from the White House.
‘Get me Ken Galbraith. This is Lyndon Johnson.’
‘He is sleeping, Mr. President. He said not to disturb him.’
‘Well, wake him up. I want to talk to him.’
‘No, Mr. President. I work for him, not you.’
When I called the President back, he could scarcely control his pleasure.
‘Tell that woman I want her here in the White House.’”

Emily the housekeeper understood an important truth—she was a servant to one man and obeyed his wishes explicitly.
Her loyalties were to Mr. Galbraith alone.
What a great example of a true servant.

Much of what we do in life is influenced by our loyalties. Oftentimes our loyalties shape our decisions, guide our activities, & give purpose to our lives.
ILL. Shortly before the collapse of the old Soviet Union, Jerry Whitworth, who had sold secret military codes to the Russians, was convicted of treason.
In sentencing him, the judge stated that in a time of war, his betrayal could have caused the death of thousands of soldiers & sailors, & have made the difference between victory or defeat for our nation.
ILL. It was Sir Walter Scott who wrote,
"Breathes there the man, with soul so dead,
Who never to himself hath said, 'This is my own, my native land!'
It's hard for us to understand how anyone could actually betray our country the way Whitworth & some others have done since then.
But there are many ways to betray our country. And one way is simply to forget or ignore the ideals & principles that made it great in the first place. And I’m afraid that is the desire of some in leadership roles throughout our country.
I am sure that we consider ourselves very patriotic, & the idea of loyalty to our nation is important to us.
Most of us have what might be called "family loyalty." Loyalty to our husband or wife, to our children, & to our parents, is vital for a happy home.
And most young people feel a strong school loyalty, too. Win or lose, they cheer their school teams on.
We have all kinds of loyalties. But there is one loyalty that should stand in a class by itself. It is a loyalty that can permeate & add even more meaning to all other loyalties. This is loyalty to Jesus.
This morning we find ourselves with Jesus & his apostles in Jerusalem, in the upper room, celebrating the Passover, & eating the Passover meal together.
Matthew 26:21 tells us, "And while they were eating, Jesus said, 'I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me." Well, as you can imagine, this created quite a commotion among the apostles. And in the midst of the commotion, Judas leaves the upper room.
The meal is over - they sing a Passover hymn, & leave for the Mt. of Olives.

I. PETER EXPRESSES HIS LOYALTY
As they are walking along, Peter tells Jesus, 'Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.' Jesus answered, 'I tell you the truth, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.'
"But Peter declared in verses 33 – 35, 33 Peter answered and said to Him, “Even if all are [a]made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.”
34 Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”
35 Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!”
And all the other disciples said the same."

A. Did you hear the loyalty expressed in the words of Peter? "Even if I have to die with You, I will never disown You." Those are thrilling words! And his loyalty was contagious. Did you notice? Matthew says, "All the other disciples said the same."
Now compare that scene to the times when we come together to worship Jesus & to partake of the Lord's Supper. Here, with other Christians we draw close to Jesus, & we, too, feel like saying, "Lord, I'd die before I would deny You."
B. But Peter failed the loyalty test, because just a few hours later he says, "I don't know what you are talking about. I don't know the man."
Twice he says this about Jesus, & the third time he emphasizes it with oaths & curses.
It’s the same Peter, but his words are so different. What happened?
Well, his environment has changed. Peter is now in the midst of the enemies of Jesus.
Here, among people who want to destroy Jesus, Peter denies Him again & again. You see, the environment he was in made all the difference!

II. WHAT ABOUT OUR LOYALTY TO JESUS?
Now, how about us? What effect does environment have upon us? What about our loyalty to Jesus? How would we react if our environment changed?

A. If I were to ask young people, "What causes you to say that you will be loyal to Jesus?" Perhaps some would answer, "My parents expect me to be loyal. If I weren't a Christian it would break their hearts."
But what if your parents didn't care?
What if they didn't care when you came in at night, where you had been, or what you had done? Would you still be loyal to Jesus? What if it didn't matter to them where you spent eternity? Would you still be loyal?
B. If I were to ask parents, "What causes you to say that you will be loyal to Jesus?" Some might answer, "My children need the right example." That is certainly true! It is wonderful that God has blessed you with children before whom you can set the right example. And great is your responsibility!
But what if there were no children in your home to follow your example? Would you still be loyal to Jesus?
C. We ask others, "What causes you to say that you will be loyal?" They answer, "I appreciate the congregation & its members & I don't want them to be disappointed in me."
But what if the congregation isn't really what you would expect it to be? Would you still be loyal to Jesus?
What if some of the members disappoint you? What if you didn't like the preacher? Would you still be loyal to Jesus? Would you still meet around the Lord's table? Would you still be faithful in your tithes & offerings? Would you still be loyal to Him?
SUM. Unfaithfulness to Christ brings heartache & disappointment, but loyalty to Christ brings rejoicing.

III. WHY SHOULD WE BE LOYAL TO JESUS?

A. Why should we be loyal to Jesus? One reason is because He was loyal to us! Jesus bore your sins & mine upon Calvary.
2 Corinthians 5:21 says, "God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God."
And He is just as faithful today. Hebrews 7:25 says, 25 Therefore He is also able to save [a]to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
1 John 1:9 tells us, "He is faithful & just, & will forgive us our sins."
And the apostle Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 that Christ's loyalty stretches into eternity. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
SUM. You see, Christ's love for us is constant. Everything else may be swept away, but never His love!
B. Now how about our love & our loyalty?
You see, the real test doesn't come during the church services while we're worshiping with others who love the Lord. The real test comes when we find ourselves with those who care nothing about Christ or His church.
ILL. A young man from a good Christian family went off to a large college half way across the country. Four months later, when he came home for Christmas break, among the questions his mother asked him was, "Did anyone make fun of you because you're a Christian?"
The young man hung his head as he answered, "I’m not sure that anyone knows that I'm a Christian." Think about that. Four months with his classmates & no one knows that he is a Christian.
As you know, there is a little lizard that changes color to match its environment. He turns brown on the bark of a tree. In grass he takes on a greenish hue, & at the edge of blue water he blends to that color.
God gives the chameleon the ability to turn the color of his environment. But God never intended for His people to be like the chameleon.
C. Yes, Peter failed the test in the enemies' courtyard, but as you already know, that's not the end of the story. Fifty-three days later in Jerusalem, on Pentecost, PETER is PROCLAIMIMG in Acts 2:36, 36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
It is Peter, but the words are so different! Peter is standing fearlessly before those who killed Jesus, & he has no guarantee that they will not kill him, too. But it doesn't matter to him.
Jesus is King of Kings & Lord of Lords, & Peter is determined to be true to Him to the very end. And history tells us that Peter was!
What has happened? After he denied Jesus the Bible tells us that Peter "went out & wept bitterly." He realized his weakness & what he had done, & bitterly repented. Then he saw the risen Lord on the resurrection day & many times more before Jesus ascended into heaven.
He also heard the command to go & preach the gospel to all the world. Knowing now that Jesus is the living Lord, Peter stands courageously on the day of Pentecost & proclaims for the first time God's message of salvation.

WE are asked to believe that Jesus is the son of God
Repent of our sins as Peter did after denying Jesus
Be buried with him through baptism to wash away our sin
and to walk in newness of life…
Being found faithful until death
To also pass the loyalty test to God and Jesus!

Please allow me, in closing, to use an illustration from the battle fields of WW 1. It's an old story, but I think it will get my point across.

Two brothers volunteered & went through training together. They crossed the Atlantic on the same transport ship, & went through several battles together.
One day, after a particularly hard-fought battle in the Argonne Forest…
Jack came back to a hastily set up camp. He looked for Bill, his brother, but Bill was nowhere to be found.
He sought permission from his commanding officer to go back into the forest, but the officer refused to grant that permission. He pointed out that Jack might just be risking his life in vain.
But Jack continued to plead. Finally, the officer gave him permission to go.
Hours later, with the lifeless body of his brother in his arms, he made his way back into camp. Seeing him, the officer said, "Young man, it was just like I said, wasn't it? You risked your life in vain."
With tears streaming down his cheek, Jack replied, "No sir, I didn't risk my life in vain. When I found Bill he was still alive, & when I bent over to pick him up he knew me & said, `Jack, I knew you'd come.'"
Those brothers, loyal to one another, were so close… that only death could separate them.
APPL. But friends, the Bible says in Proverbs 18:24 that we have A man who has friends [a]must himself be friendly,
But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
One from whom even death cannot separate us. And if we are loyal to Him, then some day we shall walk into eternity with Him.
He is coming for us. Whether alive or dead, we shall look up some day, & with the same assurance as the brother on the battlefield, we shall joyously cry out, "Lord, I knew you would come. I knew you would come!"

Christina Rossetti wrote the following poem…
• What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would give Him a lamb.
If I were a wise man, I would do my part.
Yet what can I give Him? I’ll give Him my heart
INVITATION

 

Sermon Contributor: Melvin Newland

Christian Influence

Christian Influence
Matthew 5:1-16

INTRO: Good morning. In Matthew 5 verses 1 through 12 we find the beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount.
Matthew 5:1-16 – “1. And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.
2. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:
3. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.
7. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
8. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
11. "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.
12. "Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Following the beatitudes, Jesus tells His followers that people who receive these blessings matter:

13. "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.
14. "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
15. "Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
16. "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

I know this passage is familiar to us, and I’m glad it is. I think repeatedly reading the Bible is probably one of the best things we can do for ourselves. Reading the Bible often, gets us familiar and comfortable with the contents. Then, as we get into deeper study on the text, we will find the studying easier and more productive.

This morning we will be looking at the last few verses of this passage, 13 through 16, about the salt and the light.

I. First of all, salt. Salt is absolutely fascinating. In ancient times, salt was considered very valuable. In our time we don't really have a feel for that. Salt was accepted and collected as taxes by the Romans. One of the main sources of salt for Palestinians of course, was the Dead Sea, or Salt Sea. Salt was also an important article of trade, and was transported by boat across the Mediterranean, along specially built salt roads, and even across the Sahara on camel caravans.

A. In the days before refrigeration, the only way to preserve meat was to salt it. They would rub the salt into the meat or soak it in brine. They either kept it soaked in brine or they just left the salt on and let it harden. Salt is a preservative.

1. The word salary comes from an ancient word meaning “salt-money,” referring to a Roman soldier’s allowance for the purchase of salt. Someone who earns his pay is still said to be “worth his salt.”.
2. Salt was a sign of friendship. Today in some cultures, if two men partake of salt together they are sworn to protect one another—even if they had previously been enemies. People in other cultures throw salt over their shoulders when they make a promise.
3. Aristotle wrote about a Greek proverb; “As the proverb says, men cannot know each other until they have eaten salt together.”

B. There were salt covenants and one is mentioned in II Chronicles 13:5 - “Should you not know that the Lord God of Israel gave the dominion over Israel to David forever, to him and his sons, by a covenant of salt?” Here, Abijah refers to the strong, binding promise of God to give Israel to David and his sons forever.
C. Salt was a very important commodity in ancient times. When Jesus said, you are the salt of the earth, and they heard just that phrase… they could have thought about a lot of different things. They could have thought Jesus was saying, for instance, that they were valuable, since salt was valuable.
D. Salt was also used to season food. Food without salt just seems to have something missing. Many people have a difficult time when they are asked to go on a salt free diet.

1. The Bible illustrates that concept. In Job 6:6 “Can flavorless food be eaten without salt? Or is there any taste in the white of an egg?” What a difference there is between an egg with salt and an egg without salt. Those listening may have thought of this seasoning idea.
2. They could have thought of… …Well in Ezekiel, chapter 16, there's an interesting use of salt at the birth of a baby in verse four. “As for your nativity, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed in water to cleanse you; you were not rubbed with salt nor swathed in swaddling cloths”

a. It was a practice in ancient times that when a baby was born it is first washed with water and then salt is rubbed all over the baby's body. The practice is not well understood now. It may have been that in the process of birth, some nicks or scratches may have occurred and the salt would have acted as a healing agent that would be good for the skin.
b. It may have had something to do with the idea that salt would help toughen the newborns skin. However, a baby that was not salted at birth, was considered neglected in very ancient times.

E. Salt, though, could also serve a destructive purpose. In Judges 9:45 – “So Abimelech fought against the city all that day; he took the city and killed the people who were in it; and he demolished the city and sowed it with salt.” Land that has been salted will not grow most plants that are used for food. Asparagus has a higher tolerance for salt in the soil than many weeds do, so an old practice was to pour the salty water from the ice cream maker over the asparagus bed to kill weeds. However, this is no longer done, because too much salt in the soil will eventually kill the asparagus, too!.

1. It was such a horrible thing to do, to salt the fields of an enemy that it was almost unheard of. In fact, Judges 9 is the only time in the Bible that I can think of where it was done.
2. In history the Romans did the same thing to the city of Carthage.

F. We can see how the statement you are the salt of the earth could take people's minds in several directions and that several understandings of it were possible.

II. Commentators. I'll mention to you in passing, a few of the things that commentators on this passage suggest. And I'll tell you the one that I think is best.

A. Some of the commentators think that Jesus had purity in mind here. Salt is white, and white is the symbol of purity.
B. Some state that Jesus was connecting the salt with verse eight—blessed are the pure in heart. Certainly it's true that we are to be examples of purity and hold up God's standard in thought and speech and action.

1. Though… when Jesus talked, for instance, about whited sepulchers, He certainly wasn't talking about purity there! He was speaking of “looking” pure. The whiteness there did not have a good connotation at all.
2. If Jesus is connecting purity with the whiteness of salt here, I don't think that's His main point.

C. Another thought is that He's talking about flavor. You are the flavor. You're the flavor of the world. Without you, the world is just tasteless. Now there is a sense in which we flavor the world.

1. First Corinthians 7:14 says “For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.”
2. Does the world thinks of us as salt though? … I suspect not. I suspect the world, in general, thinks that we make the world tasteless.

a. They have connected Christianity with that which takes the flavor out of life. Oh, I don't want to be a Christian. You can't do anything.
b. The English poet Swinburne, considered a poet of the decadent school, wrote; “Thou hast conquered, O pale Galilean, the world hath grown gray from thy breath.” That's quite a statement, you have lulled the world into gray.

3. Although there is a sense in which we are symbols of purity in the world and we do flavor the world, I don't think that's quite dead center on what was meant when our Lord said, you are the salt of the earth.

D. A third opinion is that salt stings and many commentators point this out. Salt does indeed have medical applications. Today we still use it for easing pain of canker sores, ingrown toenails, bug bites, sore throat, and heat cramps. We also use it in neti pots for sinus problems, as a soak for tired feet and to relieve the scaly patches and inflammation of psoriasis or eczema.

1. Some would say Christians are not to be honey to soothe the sinful world but salt to the world to help to heal it.
2. Second Corinthians 2:15-16 says; “For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death to death, and to the other the aroma of life to life…” As McGarvey put it, “To the unbelieving, the news of the gospel is from one who was crucified and is dead; so, for them, it is an odor from death unto death, even eternal death; but to Christians, the news of the gospel is "from life," that is, from One who is alive forever more. Hence, the news of the gospel is "from life unto life" in them that are saved.
3. There are times when we get into the wounds of the world, whether we really intended to or not. And there are times when we have to say things to people in the world that they don't like very well. I suspect though that's not all there is to the salt the Lord is talking about here.

E. Another function of salt is to create thirst. The body does need some salt to maintain a proper balance. The human body regulates how much sodium it contains. If levels are too high, we get thirsty and drink, and the kidneys speed up the process of getting rid of it. We are told too much can lead to kidney stones, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease. Too little sodium can lead to nausea, vomiting, headache, confusion, fatigue, and muscle cramps.

1. Sometimes we have that effect in the world and create a kind of an interest or a thirst. What is it that you've got? How can you be so peaceful in this or that situation? Where does your contentment come from?
2. We are the salt. They may not like our theology. They may not want our Christ, but they do see a lifestyle in us that makes them thirst for what Jesus brings. Is that what Jesus is talking about? He may have meant elements of all of these possibilities.

F. I can see what those commenting on this passage are picturing, because we ought to be pure in the world. We ought to flavor it. We ought to sting it at appropriate times like salt in a wound. We should make the world thirsty for God because our lives are so rich and full.

III. Corruption. There is another key thought that a person hearing this may have had, and that is salt as a preservative. In that age and even today salt is used to preserve food. Salt retards spoilage. It does so by dehydrating the food and being toxic to many microbes. We are in a sense an antiseptic preservative in the world to retard the spread of its corruption. If it weren't for the Christians in the world, the world would be far more corrupt than it is now. We, essentially, preserve it.

A. As we live a holy, Christ-like character in the world, we are adding flavor to the world, a bit of sting where needed, making those in need thirsty for the word, and preserving the world from going completely corrupt. Christians are a check on the rottenness and decay of the world.

1. Jesus also says “but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men”.
2. What a truly worthless state is that of the apostate Christian! The Savior says of them, that they are "good for nothing".

B. Our presence in the world should influence, deter evil behavior, change certain kinds of conversations. It ought to affect, barb, or shock. Our presence should condemn apostasy, affect the way people think, even affect the way the people talk around us.

1. It's amazing how many people alter their conversations in the workplace when they know you are a Christian.
2. If we're going to do that, we cannot live the way the world lives. We're in the world, yet different and separate. We are the only restraint in the rotting carcass of humanity. It's absolutely astounding how God uses something as humble and basic as us.

C. God gives a noble purposes to ignoble people. When He made man in the beginning, He didn't use silver or gold, didn't even use iron, He used common dirt.

1. When David was used to deliver the children of Israel from the Philistines, he did not use Saul's Kingly armor. He used a slingshot and a little rock.
2. When Jesus came, He didn't enter a family of wealth and nobility. He came to a peasant girl and was born in a stable.
3. When He chose the Twelve, He didn't choose elite, affluent, educated men. He picked unlearned Galileans.
4. 1 Corinthians 1:26 – “26. For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28. and the base things of the world and the things which are despised, God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are,” It's always been that way.

D. God declares that we, meager as we are, are the salt of the earth. He wants to use us to retard the corruption. God gets the greater glory, listen to me now, God then gets the greater glory because of the humbleness of the ones that He uses. Notice Jesus says, “You are…”. Whether we act like it or not does not change the fact that as Christians, we are.

IV. The light. In a way salt and light balance each other. You might say that salt is more hidden. It just melts away into whatever it flavors or preserves, but light shines on the outside. Light is open and light is working visibly.

A. We affect society's thinking and living by the power of our lives. We turn on the light so that everybody can see the message that we want to give. It isn't just in our words, but in our overt, open, Godly conduct. We are both a subtle influence like salt and a blatant influence like light. Salt cannot change corruption into incorruption. Salt only retards the corruption. We have to shine the light of the Gospel to transform corruption into incorruption.
B. Verse 16 says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” It implies that they have heard something about the Father which is in heaven. If they're going to glorify Him by seeing us, they have heard something about Him somewhere along the line.

1. This implies both a life and a message, lived and spoken. Often people ask which is more important, the Christian walk or the Christian talk? To me, they're just like the two wings on an airplane. You're not going to get off the ground without both of them. They're both important.
2. Here's an interesting thing. In the first chapter of the Book of Acts, very first verse Acts 1:1, Luke writes “The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach.” There's both of them right there—to both do and teach. Those two things go together—the living and the speaking, living the righteous life and speaking the truth in love.

a. 1 John 1:5 – “… God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.”
b. Psalm 119:105 – “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.” God is light. The Word is light.
c. John 8:12 – “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.''” Christ is the light that lights every man.
d. Second Corinthians 4:6 – “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” We can enlighten people only because God has enlightened us. God passes that light down through us.
e. Philippians 2:14-15 – “Do all things without murmuring and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.” If they're going to criticize us, let them have to make something up, because there's nothing true they can use.

3. If we have to be hated, let's be hated like Christ was—hated without a cause, blameless, harmless, children of God without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom we shine as lights in the world holding forth the word of light. That should always be our motto - holding forth the Word of light.

C. The light has to shine openly. A city that is set up on a hill cannot be hid. Often villages in Jesus day were built on the tops of the hills. That way they could be more easily cooled by the breezes, and they could also be more easily defended. When night came and everybody lit a lamp in their house, it just made the village sparkle.

1. A city could not be hidden. Light was for the purpose of shining forth openly.
2. In World War II during the time of the Blitz, they tried to get everybody to keep their lights off and it was almost impossible. A city is a very, very hard thing to hide.

D. We are not just subtle salt. We are very conspicuous light. We're not a secret society. We're not pagans with mysteries only for the initiated. We don't have a cult that is known only to a few. We're a city, set on a hill, and the whole world ought to see us. There's nothing hidden here.

V. What's the problem with all of this? The problem is that, if sin enters our lives and we no longer walk in the spirit, then we stop being effective as salt and we will become useless as a light.

A. In verse 13, He says, if the salt has lost its saltiness, what good is it? Non salty salt has no use. It's good for nothing but to be cast out and trod under the foot of men. Neither do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all that are in the house. There's no place for a secret Christian.
B. Can salt lose its saltiness? Indeed it can, and I’ll mention one way it did in Biblical times. The harvested salt from the Dead Sea contained both the desired salt, sodium chloride, as well as other salts and impurities. It was the custom to store vast amounts of this salt in buildings that had earthen floors. In time, the salt next to the ground spoiled, became bitter, because of the dampness. Since it would be harmful to land because of its salt content, no man would allow it to be thrown on his field. The only place left was the street, where it was trodden under foot. The Greek word here means flat and tasteless.

1. That's what the Lord is talking about in Luke 14:34 – “Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
2. Yes, salt can lose it’s usefulness to flavor or preserve and we can lose ours too. If sin begins to dominate our lives, then we lose our saltiness, and with it, we lose our influence for good. We can't retard the corruption of the world any longer, because we are of the world and there's nothing to distinguish us from the world anymore. We forfeit our influence, we lose our impact, and we can become a castaway.

C. It is true that perfectly pure salt does not lose its flavor. Trouble is, none of us are perfectly pure salt. Just like the sea salt has impurities, while we're in the world, we're going to have some impurities. The potential for losing our saltiness is always going to be there.

1. What about the light? What they used most commonly in that time were little terracotta lamps with a spout on one end and a handle on the other, and a wick in the oil. If the lamp was left lit at night to provide light to the house, they would have to keep enough oil on hand and be conscientious enough to keep the wick trimmed so it would burn brightest and not smoke.
2. You and I have this treasure in our earthen vessels. Unfortunately some Christians are not willing to shine that light because of what they perceive it will attract. It may mean they will need to “give an answer to every man who asketh you a reason for the hope that is in you” (First Peter 3:15).
3. The fear of persecution, whether it's subtle or overt, makes us hesitant at times.
4. In verse 16 He personalizes this. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

D. There is a beauty, an attractiveness, in those good works. When you do something good for somebody that affects their attitude towards you. He says, let the world see My beauty in you. This light is in you. You don't have to crank up the light or worry about getting the light started. All you have to do is let it go and let it be seen. Christ lives in you already and He is the light just let that light shine. Don't let Satan blow it out. Like the song says, “This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine”.

1. If you've got a basket of fear over it, all you got to do is take that basket off.
2. If you've got a basket of wanting to be acceptable over the light, all you got to do is take that basket off.
3. Perhaps a basket of not wanting to offend somebody or a basket of not wanting to make waves, just take that basket off.
4. Just simply let it shine by the things you do and say.

CONCLUSION: The purpose of all of this is the glorification of God, that they may glorify your Father, which is in heaven—the last phrase of verse 16.

If that is not your priority, then you're more concerned with yourself than you are with God's glory. If your top priority is the glory of God, then you will be salty. Salt and your light will be made manifest.

Those people 2000 years ago needed to hear the basics and we who know the Bible still need to hear and remind ourselves. What is this about then? It is about your personal influence. As Christians we have been given the greatest gift of all, freely, simply for accepting it, eternal life with our Creator. We are also given the ability to share that gift with the world and honor the Giver. How? Through our life, our personal influence.

What about your personal influence? What's it like? What happens when you walk by?
We need to live and talk so that the world can see who God is, and that we belong to Him. This very day some have passed into the next world. Tomorrow more will pass into the next world. We never know who it's going to be. Often it's surprising.

If you were to die tomorrow, would it be said, could it be said, that you made a difference in the world? Sweep through this life as salt and light and make a difference.

We know it is not always going to be easy. It seems that it is probably going to get harder in this world where we live today, not easier. But just because the world makes it hard on us, we shouldn't hide or keep our mouths shut.

We work God's plan that is for us. The way we change the world is not to go out and try to change the world politically. It isn't to rewrite the laws or to march in a protest. It isn't to use technology for altering society. The way we change the world is to infiltrate it with Godliness and righteousness and holiness and affect it from the inside out.

Those other things I mentioned aren't wrong. It's just that they are powerless to change the world. The way to do it is through the influence of Godly people.

In Matthew 23 Christ told His disciples that the scribes and Pharisees were successors to some of the dignity and authority of Moses, not in the sense of really possessing such authority, but in the sense of being responsible for teaching Moses' Law and faithfully interpreting it to the people. Yet, they did not practice what they taught and their lives were amiss. In verse 37 Christ says, “How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!”

God is willing ,yet we may cause Him tears because we too have been unfaithful. May we live to fill this marvelous commandment. May God make us different, that the world may be different because we are.

God may call on us in the days ahead to stand up and be counted for His cause. We don't know what the future holds. Hebrews 12:4 says, “You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.” In this country we haven't been murdered yet, but that time could easily come.

Things have accelerated recently to where we can see possibilities that could really occur even during the lifetime of those who don't have much earth-life left. We don't know what the future holds, but we need, each of us, to come to grips with our intentions.

Right now you've just got one life, just one shot at life, while you're here. You've chosen Christ. You love Christ. His word has penetrated your heart. We have been redeemed at a price and He paid that supreme price for us. He bore the blows that should have been borne by us.

We're the only salt and light. Let's be different and let's make a difference.
____________________________________________________________________________________

We learn from the New Testament how to be saved. We need to hear the word; believe in Jesus; repent of our sins; we must confess our belief that Jesus is the Son of God; and be baptized for the remission of our sins… If we follow these steps, the Lord adds us to His church.

Perhaps there is someone in the assembly today with the need to be buried with Christ in baptism. If you have never done these things, we urge you to do so today. If anyone has this need or desires the prayers of faithful Christians on their behalf, we encourage them to come forward while we stand and sing.

# ???
Taken from a sermon by Rick Sparks

What Do We Trust In?

1 Kings 16 & 17

OPEN: Years ago I read the story of a man by the name of Wally who owned a farm in Connecticut. He had a remarkable talent he had with birds. Chickadees specifically.
It seems that every morning these little birds would flutter down and land on his hands. And it wasn’t just for food; He’d talk to them and they seemed to enjoy his companionship.

One woman who visited was so enthralled by what she asked for permission to try and get the birds to do that for her. She practiced for weeks, but never got one bird to land on her hand.
Then one day, she tried something different. She put Wally’s cap on her head and wrapped herself in his mackinaw coat.
Seconds later, she was covered with birds.
They came to her, because they trusted Wally so much that they even trusted his scent on his clothes.

Trust.
It’s a valuable commodity.
Independence Day, also called Fourth of July , in the United States, commemorates the passage of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776.The belief at that time by these individuals was to establish a nation who TRUSTED GOD!
Printed on coins, etc. …. IN GOD WE TRUST!

People rarely GIVE trust... usually it’s something that’s earned.
But without having trust in someone - or something – it’s hard to do anything in this life
• We trust that our cars will start. Have you ever gotten in your car, put the key in the ignition... and then have it NOT start?
How did it make you feel? It should have started!
It had started hundreds of times before... but now it didn’t.
You TRUSTED it to be able to start when you needed it.

• We trust that our grocery stores will have food.
Most of us would have never have thought that there would be times that we couldn’t find Toilet Paper, or Baby Formula, or PEANUT BUTTER!

• When we have trouble around the house, we trust that the police and firemen will be available to protect us.

• And we trust that our friends will BE THERE for us. That our church family will lift us up in prayer and be there in our moments of joy and sadness.

Trust is woven into the very fabric of our lives.
Without trust, we can hardly function.
So, the question is: what do you trust... and why?

The story we’re looking at today is a story about trust... and the lack of it.

1 Kings 16:29-33 tells us:
“In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years.
Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any of those before him. He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him.
He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria.
Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than did all the kings of Israel before him.”
Ahab was a wicked king.
But he NOT JUST a wicked king... he was a wicked man
1Kings 21:25 tells us
“There was never a man like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the LORD, urged on by Jezebel his wife.”
So Ahab was a wicked King and a wicked man.
But what made him so wicked?

Well, he TRUSTED in the wrong things.
We’re told that he built a temple to the pagan god Baal in Samaria. And that he erected Asherah poles for the worship of that goddess.
God repeatedly stressed how foolish the worship of these (and other gods) was.
In Isaiah 46: 5 - 7 God declared:
"To whom will you compare me or count me equal?
To whom will you liken me that we may be compared?
Some pour out gold from their bags and weigh out silver on the scales; they hire a goldsmith to make it into a god, and they bow down and worship it. They lift it to their shoulders and carry it; they set it up in its place, and there it stands. From that spot it cannot move. Though one cries out to it, it does not answer; it cannot save him from his troubles.”

But these were not just false gods... they were evil gods in whom Ahab put his trust.
Part of the worship of Baal was the sacrifice of your children to please him. And the religious activity of male and female prostitution were part of both their worships.

So Ahab trusted these false and evil gods.
But the reason he trusted these gods was because he trusted the wrong person
He married Jezebel
Have you ever heard the name of Jezebel?

How many of you would name your daughter “Jezebel?”
This woman was so despised in Scripture that to this day her name is still a symbol of treachery and wickedness.
Ahab trusted the wrong things... and he trusted the wrong people
And most tragically of all - he didn’t trust God.

So God decided it was time to teach Ahab a lesson in trust.
ILLUS: Trust is based upon a track record.
If I tell you I’m going to something and then I don’t do it - and I do that again and again and again – are you going to trust me? Of course not.

But if I tell you that I’m going to do something and then that’s exactly what you do - and I do that often enough – you’ll be likely to trust that I’ll do what I say... even if you don’t like what I tell you I’m going to do.
God wants Ahab to trust him.
So He sends Elijah with this basic message:
“Trust me on this I’m going to make life VERY uncomfortable for you.
Until Elijah comes to you again, there will be no rain nor dew on the land.”

ILLUS: Every year, our farmers watch anxiously to see how much rain will fall on crops.
If there’s too much, the crops drown.
If there’s too little, some of those crops dry up and die.
BUT if there’s no rain at all... ALL the crops will die.
Some of us may currently have some brown grass due to the lack of rain we currently experienced.

The book of James in chapter 5 verse 17 tells us that “Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.”

Three and a half years without rain is a long time.
Three ½ years of drought is enough to turn a paradise into a wasteland.
And three ½ years of dryness can make men and kings desperate enough to do anything to change the weather... even kill a prophet.
So, God sent Elijah on an extended vacation.
And that (of course) is where we meet the ravens of this story.
God has Elijah hide near the brook Kerith down by the Jordan River and that’s where he lives for the next couple of years.

And while he was hiding there: 1Kings 17:6 tells us
“The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.”

Now this is odd for several reasons:
1st Ravens don’t generally like being around humans... they avoid us if at all possible.

2ndly Ravens were unclean birds. God’s people were not allowed to eat them, nor offer them in sacrifice.

3rd The food of ravens has usually been dead for a while. They eat road kill. They were scavengers. They’re kind of like vultures. Who would want to share with them the food they are eating?

4th Even if we wanted to share their food, Ravens would never share. They don’t even share their food with their babies.

ILLUS: Once a young raven is able to fly – it’s kicked out of the nest and left to fend for itself. No matter how much the young raven cries its parents will not bring it food, it is on its own. Apparently that’s an uncommonly cruel trait not shared by many other birds.

So here God has Elijah being fed by unclean, disgusting,
anti-social, and notoriously cruel birds.
WHY?
Why would God use Ravens to supply Elijah with food when there are so many other simple and satisfying ways of getting the job done?

There are several reasons why people end up not trusting God or His word.
1. Sometimes, people refuse to trust God’s Word, because they want a God they can understand. If they can’t understand something about Him it can’t be true. They want their God to be able to fit into their small box. They put walls around Him and tell Him – you can’t exist outside of this.

ILLUS: A minister was once confronted by an atheist who was one of his students.
The young man told the minister: “For me to believe in God, I have to have a God that I can understand."
And the minister replied "God refuses to be that small!"
So, sometimes people refuse to trust God (and His Word) because doesn’t fit inside their small box.

2. Other times people refuse to trust God and His Word because (like King Ahab) they’ve listened to the wrong people. They’ve spent time with skeptics and scoffers who have made them ashamed of their faith and doubt their God.

3. Other times people refuse to trust God’s Word because they’ve been hurt. God didn’t help them like they wanted Him to when they needed it, and because of that incident(s) they turn their back on God.

4. Still other people refuse to trust God’s Word because they’re into sin. They’ve done things they shouldn’t do and because God’s Word condemns their particular behavior or lifestyle they try to disarm God. They try to dull his right to judge them, because IF God’s Word is wrong on something they can ignore it as being unreliable in all things.

The problem with these approaches to God’s Word is that it puts us in danger.
If you can’t trust God... you gotta trust something.
SOMETHING has to step in where God has been thrown out.

That’s what happened to King Ahab.
He didn’t trust the God of Israel.
So he turned in trust to other gods... and suffered for it.

ILLUS: It has been said that:
“It is often supposed that when people stop believing in God, they believe in nothing.
Alas, it is worse than that.
When they stop believing in God, they believe in anything.”

Without God… the only standard of TRUST - of right and wrong - is what appeals to you. And that’s a shifting standard. It all depends on what I want, what I like, what I accept, what pleases me.

But scripture says: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”

My standards are all warped.
My morality is riddled with impurity.
And if I base what I TRUST on that warpedness/ that impurity, then I’m going to embrace whatever allows me to do what I want to do.

It’s insanity
When I stop trusting in the God of Scripture... I’ll believe in anything
And eventually that will lead me to destruction.

But now, by contrast, if I trust in the God of Scripture I’m no longer led by MY righteousness and holiness.
Instead I’m trusting a God who is so holy and so righteous that my tendency will be to build my life around Him
(rather than Him around me).

I’ll use His standards of right and wrong – not mine.
I’ll build on His morality in my life – not mine.
I’ll build on His expectations for me... not mine.
AND I know if I trust in Him in these matters... I will be blest.
But first I have to decide whether I trust Him or not.
And that leads me to my final point
That point has to do with a question that plagued me most of the week.
Why would God use ravens to minister to Elijah?
He could have done it more pleasantly and much easier some other way.
Why use the ravens?

Well, when the brook dried up – God had Elijah move on.
God asked him to go approach a poor widow in Zarephath to house and feed him. But the widow had no food to share. What little food she had – she was preparing for a final meal for her son and herself... and then they were going to die.
And Elijah had to ask her to share the final meal with him.
Why didn’t God send Elijah to somebody who at least had some food???

Why?
For the same reason God sent the ravens to feed him in the desert: To show Elijah His power.
1Kings 17: 13-15
Elijah said to her, "Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD gives rain on the land.’"
She went away and did as Elijah had told her.
So, there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family.” Now, you can’t convince me that God’s sole purpose in having the widow feed Elijah was simply so that he could have something to eat!

So, what other reason could God have?
TRUST
God wanted to strengthen Elijah’s trust in Him.
2Chronicles 16:9 says “... the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him..."
God got Elijah into situations where he had no choice but to trust Him.
Because when this drought was over, God was sending Elijah back to confront Ahab.
And when Elijah went back, he had to be able to know that he could trust God.
This whole time in exile was designed by God so He could train Elijah in trust.

He showed Elijah that He could order the very ravens to feed him
He showed Elijah that He was able to enable a destitute widow to meet his needs.
Over and over again, God trained Elijah in trust.
God knows that trust is something that’s earned.

And He knows the power of trust in our lives.
That’s why He lays such an emphasis on our counting our blessings. Repeatedly throughout Scripture God tells us be thankful, to rejoice to focus on what He has done in our lives. This is more than just a “religious activity” – it’s a training ground in trust.

If Elijah had not been trained in trust, he probably wouldn’t have been ready when the time of testing came. In the same way – if we don’t train ourselves in trusting God, we will not have the strength to stand in the time of testing.

CLOSE: The question for you this morning is this:
Who do you trust?

One man made this observation:
“Trust in yourself and you are doomed to disappointment
Trust in money and you may have it taken from you;
But trust in God, and you are never to be confounded in time or eternity.”

Hebrews tells us
“Without faith it is impossible to please God...”
That kind of faith is more than just “believing God exists?”
It’s a faith that has learned to trust God because of what He’s done for us.

Hebrews 11:6 tells us
“Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists AND that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

INVITATION

 

Contibuting Sermon
Given by Jeff Strite

Fools

Fools
Luke 11:37-54

INTRO: Good morning. Our text for this morning is Luke 11:37-54 – “37. And as He spoke, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him. So He went in and sat down to eat. 38. And when the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner. 39. But the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness. 40. "Foolish ones! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also? 41. "But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you. 42. "But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. 43. "Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. 44. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them.'' 45. Then one of the lawyers answered and said to Him, "Teacher, by saying these things You reproach us also.'' 46. And He said, "Woe to you also, you lawyers! For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. 47. "Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. 48. "In fact, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs. 49. "Therefore the wisdom of God also said, `I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,' 50. "that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, 51. "from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation. 52. "Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered.'' 53. And as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, 54. lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him.” [NKJV]

In verse 40 Jesus calls them Foolish ones! What do you think about when you hear the term “fool”? Probably about someone doing something that gets them in trouble when they should have easily seen the negative result coming. We see this all the time. It has been a popular topic in stories, books, films, TV, and the internet. We see all sorts of dumb things being done. People complain that governments are being run by fools, but that's a different problem. At the same time, none of us want to be thought of as a fool. Yet, most of us have played the fool at times, doing or saying something foolish in the heat of the moment, perhaps pressed for time, not having a full understanding of the situation, or even due to social involvement.

A couple of examples from the news. Back in 1995 in West Chapel, Florida, Joseph Aaron, who was aged 20 at the time, while repairing a car, found that he needed to put a hole in a pipe. He couldn't find his drill, so he tried to shoot a hole in it… and hit his leg with the fragments from the bullet that ricocheted.

Canada - A man was cleaning a bird feeder on the balcony of his condominium apartment in a Toronto suburb when he slipped and fell 23 stories to his death. The police report read; Stefan Macko, 55, was standing on a wheeled chair Sunday when the accident occurred, said Inspector Arcy Honer of the Peel regional police. It appears the chair moved and he went over the balcony. One of those freak accidents reported Inspector Honer. No foul play is suspected.

Mark showed me a quip last week that went like this; The pessimist sees a dark tunnel. The optimist sees a light at the end of the tunnel. The realist sees a train entering the tunnel. The train engineer sees… 3 fools standing on the track.

If we only thought about it more, if we only knew a little bit more about the situation, perhaps we would have done something different and not been foolish. When I hear the word “fool” I instantly think of what Jesus says in Matthew 5:22 – “But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, `Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, `You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire.” Jesus in this context shows that ALL insults are sinful and that all our derogatory and deprecatory expressions against our fellow human beings find their origin in a heart full of anger and hatred.

What else does the Bible say about this word though? We find that the Bible speaks of the problem at great length. The word “fool” occurs in 62 verses in the King James version, in the books of Samuel, in the Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Jeremiah, Luke, and the Corinthians.

The book of Proverbs especially has a lot to say about foolishness. This morning we will focus a little bit on learning how to not be fools. One of the problems with fools, and this is mentioned in the definition of the word, is that a fool is a person who refuses to learn.

I. The fool does not want to learn - In Proverbs 1:22 Wisdom is discussing the fact that she has tried to get people's attention to teach them how to live better. She says in verse 22, “"How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? For scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge.”

A. It isn't that the fool is incapable of learning, they just do not see the need. Often we find that they despise good advice and they will reject correction because they don’t see any need for change.
B. In Proverbs 15:5 – “A fool despises his father's instruction, but he who receives reproof is prudent.”. A father's instruction proceeds from love, and it is folly and ingratitude to despise it. But some children are such enemies of themselves that they break the spirits of their affectionate parents by spurning the admonitions needed for their own welfare.
C. Often we will find that the foolish person acts like they’re listening, but we know, because nothing changes, that they were not hearing what was being said. This can be a very serious problem. Take a look at Matthew 7:26-27 - “Now everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

1. The person was foolish because they were not thinking ahead. It's foolish that when we hear God's words, when Jesus tells us what we need to do, and we don't do those things, we're not thinking ahead.
2. The fool ends up walking in darkness. He doesn't see the problems around him because he refuses to learn. He doesn't want to see them.
3. Ecclesiastes 2:14 says this; “The wise man's eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. Yet I myself perceived that the same event happens to them all.” Jesus said this too in Matthew 7. “The rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house”. But the house of the wise man stood and the house of the foolish man fell.

D. Inevitably of course the fool reveals that he's a fool. Take a look at Proverbs 13:16 – “Every prudent man acts with knowledge, but a fool lays open his folly.” A person who doesn't want to learn, eventually exposes that there's not much going on in their head but their selfish thoughts.

II. A fool is more interested in being heard – The fool thinks they have something interesting to say, and they think what they have to say is important because it's their thoughts.

A. They are not interested in understanding anybody else's thoughts. They want to spout their own ideas. In Proverbs 18:2 – “A fool has no delight in understanding, but in expressing his own heart.”
B. Easy enough to recognize this because once their jaw starts flapping, we realize there's nothing of substance that is present. Take a look at Proverbs 12:23 – “A prudent man conceals knowledge, but the heart of fools proclaims foolishness.”
C. In a real sense, a fool's native language is folly. Proverbs 15:2 – “The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, but the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.”
D. The problem is, he doesn't have anything worth saying. He's never learned. He never grew. He's never done much of anything other than lived his own life. The fool typically makes up for the lack of content with the quantity of words. In Ecclesiastes 5:2-3 – “Do not be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; therefore let your words be few. For a dream comes through much activity, and a fool's voice is known by his many words.”

III. A fool lacks reason - Because a fool doesn't use their reasoning, they do not think about matters, nor look into them in any depth. The result is, a fool tends to be led by their emotions.

A. They trust that what they feel must be right. In Proverbs 28:26 – “He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but whoever walks wisely will be delivered.”
B. It follows that because fools are focused on their emotions, they tend to focus on pleasures. Ecclesiastes 7:4 says “The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.”

IV. The fool acts confident - They are indeed self-confident, but at the same time, because they are emotionally led, they tend to get angry very easily. In Proverbs 14:16 – “A wise man fears and departs from evil, but a fool rages and is self-confident.”

A. Fools oftentime are overcome with the emotion of anger. In Ecclesiastes 7:9 – “Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools.”
B. I suspect the reason for that is it's easier to get angry at somebody than to try to reason with them. Reasoning takes work, and it takes thought. It takes trying to understand the other person's position. A foolish person goes beyond wanting to reason with someone. They want it their way so they respond in anger. Proverbs 20:3 – “It is honorable for a man to stop striving, since any fool can start a quarrel.”
C. Since the foolish person gives in to anger they will often pick fights with the object of their anger. Proverbs 18:6-7 – “A fool's lips enter into contention, and his mouth calls for blows. A fool's mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul.”
D. Then there is the foolish person who instead of trying to solve their problems, stew in their anger, hide their feelings, and then spend their time plotting out how to backstab their perceived opponent. Take a look at Proverbs 10:18 – “Whoever hides hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool.” This is not talking about being restrained in your speaking when you are angry. In fact, the next verse says, “… he who restrains his lips is wise.” What this is talking about is the person who holds in their anger, maintains a grudge against someone, and plots to “get even”.

V. A fool is arrogant - If you haven't got the idea yet, a person with a foolish nature is arrogant. They think that they are superior to those around them.

A. Another foolish position some people take is to make fun of sin because they don't believe they're guilty of it. Proverbs 14:9 tells us; “Fools mock at sin, but among the upright there is favor.” In reading that Proverb you probably immediately think of Luke 18:11-13 – “"The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, `God, I thank You that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. `I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.' "And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, `God be merciful to me a sinner!'”

1. The foolish person doesn't believe that something is sinful or that they are guilty of sin.
2. Instead, they make a mockery of the seriousness of sin.

B. In fact, sin to a fool is almost like a sport. It's a game. How close can they get without going over the line that they imagine is there? Take a look at Proverbs 10:23 – “To do evil is like sport to a fool, but a man of understanding has wisdom.” They get a kick out of it—to see how much they can get away with.
C. Like we mentioned about hiding their anger, sometimes the fool will hide what they believe. They might act religious, but when you look at their life, they do not walk the walk. In our text this morning, Luke chapter 11, look at verse 39 again. “But the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness. "Foolish ones! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also?”

1. Some people look on the outside like they're religious. They're all whitewashed. They look good, but are corrupt inside.
2. God knows both the inside and the outside, and you can't get away with that.

D. Gary Coles wrote an illustration about this and I’ll just read a part of it here. Sam was what you might call a middle-of-the-road Christian. He saw himself as a faithful member of the local church of Christ. However, his heart had not truly been into serving God for about the past 15 years. He was the kind of Christian who shows up for Sunday morning worship, and maybe one bible study a month. He didn't believe it was necessary to attend every time the church assembled to worship. After all, He was a busy man who often worked 50-60 hours a week. He needed weekend time to rest and unwind, and he was usually too tired to attend every service. Besides, there was usually a good ball game on TV. God understood. If the people at the local church didn't, well, that was just tough. Besides, it boiled down to their opinions, versus his. That argument had served him well through the years.

VI. The fool disbelieves – Then there is the fool that is convinced there isn't a God. In Psalms 53:1 – “The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God.'' They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity; There is none who does good. God looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God. Every one of them has turned aside; They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one.”

A. Why? It's because they don't think they are responsible to anyone else but themselves. They don't act as if there's a God. They don't believe they're going to be called into judgment.
B. Fools don't want to retain any knowledge of God. I believe that is why our society has reached the low point we see now. In the past, people have chosen to forget about God and the Old Testament gives examples.
C. In the New Testament also, as we see in Paul’s letter to the Romans. Take a look at what happened to the Gentile society in Romans 1:20-22 – “20. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21. because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22. Professing to be wise, they became fools,”

CONCLUSION:
It's not that the evidence isn't there. Those Gentiles were not ignorant of God, nor was their information limited to the knowledge that came from the observance of natural phenomena and the existence of conscience within man. God had manifested himself to the Gentiles repeatedly through many centuries, and their knowledge was more than sufficient to make their conduct inexcusable.

Heathenism is not the primeval religion, from which man might gradually have risen to the knowledge of the true God, but is, on the contrary, the result of a falling away from the known original revelation of the true God in His works.

The fool would rather believe the world exists without God. R.C. Bell wrote, “Who close their two eyes (worship and praise) for seeing and knowing God, and turn their backs on the light to walk in their own shadow.”

That's what fools are. Having closed the eyes of their minds with which they might have seen the invisible things of God, they fall into a state of total disability in the perception of spiritual realities. How profoundly sad is the state of persons like that, they might have the highest academic degrees, perhaps occupying positions of trust and honor, possibly considered by their contemporaries as the wisest and ablest of people, but from whose minds the light has gone out, and the knowledge of God has faded. Those, despite their worldly excellence, are the living dead!

Verse 27 says, Professing to be wise, they became fools The persons addressed by Jesus as "fools" in our text today, include an impressive list of the "respectable." This Pharisee was doubtless hailed by his peers as wise; the man who built on the sand (Matthew 7:26) may very well have been a respected builder; the rich farmer who mistook his body for his soul (Luke 12:20) probably had a high social status; and the foolish virgins of the parable (Matthew 25:1ff) were without doubt the cream of their society. This gives a glimpse of what Jesus meant by the terms "fools" or "foolish"; any person who does not respect his soul's deep need of salvation is foolish.

Ah, yes, how wise man fancies himself; and, if we hesitate to believe that, look in the dictionary and see that man is listed as "Homo sapiens," which is Latin for "the wise one;". Perhaps instead we should be called "Homo ignoramus"! Because, apart from what God has revealed to us, we have no certain knowledge of who we are, from where we come, or to where we go. Why be a fool? We are free to choose our master. When a soul turns away from God, there remains no meaningful initiative left. The soul’s great option has already been exercised, the unbeliever is left free to choose only among secondaries, all of which are evil. Demonstrations of this truth are continually visible in Christians who turn away from the gospel. Why be a fool?
____________________________________________________________________________________

We learn from the New Testament how to be saved. We need to hear the word; believe in Jesus; repent of our sins; we must confess our belief that Jesus is the Son of God; and be baptized for the remission of our sins… If we follow these steps, the Lord adds us to His church.

Perhaps there is someone in the assembly today with the need to be buried with Christ in baptism. If you have never done these things, we urge you to do so today. If anyone has this need or desires the prayers of faithful Christians on their behalf, we encourage them to come forward while we stand and sing.

# ???
Taken from a sermon by Jeffrey W. Hamilton

Father’s Day

Father’s Day – Joseph As An Example
Matthew 1:18-25

Someone noticed that the word "father" appears in the dictionary ... just before the word ... "fatigued" ...and just after the word ... "fathead."
So, ... to all us fatigued, ... fathead fathers, ......Happy Father's Day!
One night a wife found her husband standing over their newborn baby’s crib. Silently she watched him. As he stood looking down at the sleeping infant, she saw on his face a mixture of emotions: disbelief, doubt, delight, amazement, enchantment, skepticism. He would stand back, shake his head and say, "Amazing," while smiling from ear to ear.
Touched by his unusual display and the deep emotions it aroused, her eyes glistened as she slipped her arms around him. "A penny for your thoughts," she whispered in his ear.
"Isn’t it amazing!" he replied. "When you take the time and really look close, how can anyone make a crib like that for only $95.99!"

ILL.- Someone wrote a list of words that most dads have said at some time or another to their children.
- This is going to hurt me more than it hurts you.
- Quiet. I’m watching the ball game.
- Bring back all the change.
- How should I know? Ask your mother.
- I’m not made out of money!
- When I was your age I walked 5 miles to and from school each day and it was uphill both ways.
- You are going and you will have fun!
- If you break your leg don’t come running to me.
- Get down before you hurt yourself. On second thought, go ahead.
- Be quiet! Can’t you see I’m trying to think!
- Why? Because I said so!
- You better get that junk picked up before your mother comes in here.
- Just wait till you have kids of your own.
- I was not asleep. I was just resting my eyes.
Brethren, I suppose we who are fathers could probably add a couple of quotes to this list.
Being a parent and a father can be an interesting and trying experience.

Today is known as Father's Day, & the honor of this special day began back in 1910 in Spokane, WA. Necktie & shirt manufacturers have rejoiced ever since.
ILL. Then a few years later, a group in Wilkinsburg, PA, declared the dandelion the official Father's Day flower because, they said, "The more it is trampled on, the better it grows."
ILL. Something that Erma Bombeck wrote seems to express the sentiments of Father's Day better than most. Here is an excerpt:
"When I was a little girl, a father was like the light in the refrigerator every house had one, but no one really knew what either one of them did once the door was shut.
"My dad left the house every morning & always seemed glad to see everyone again at night. He opened the jar of pickles when no one else could. He was the only one in the house who wasn't afraid to go into the basement alone.
"He kept busy enough. He set mousetraps. He oiled my roller skates & they went faster. When I got my bike he ran along side me for at least a thousand miles until I got the hang of it. He signed all my report cards. He took a lot of pictures, but was never in them.
"I was afraid of everyone else's father, but not my own. Once I made him some tea. It was only sugar water, but he sat in a small chair & said that it was delicious. He looked very uncomfortable.
"Whenever I played house the mother doll had a lot to do. But I never knew what to do with the father doll, so I had him say, 'I'm going off to work now,' & threw him under the bed.
Today we are taking the father doll out from under the bed, & honoring the dandelions & refrigerator lights of society.
PROP. And in doing that, we want to talk about a step-dad who was given the tremendous responsibility of raising God's Son. His name was Joseph, the husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus.
So go with me back in time as we consider his commitment, his concern, & his faithfulness.
Text  Matthew 1: 18 – 25
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. 20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.”
22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”
24 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, 25 and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS.

I. JOSEPH WAS COMMITTED
The first part of Joseph's story is one of commitment & happy expectations. Matthew 1:18 begins with these words, "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. . . ."

A. Now we need to understand that a Jewish marriage consisted of 3 stages. The first stage is the engagement. Usually that was arranged by their parents. Parents would arrange the engagement without the young people even being involved.
ILL. One example of that in the O.T. was when Abraham sent his servant back to his home country to find a wife for his son, Isaac. The servant found Rebekah & brought her back. Isaac had never seen her before. Then she became his wife.

B. The second stage of a Jewish marriage was the betrothal. During this time the young couple agreed to the marriage, the groom signed a document declaring his responsibilities to her, & they were considered "husband & wife." But they didn't live together yet.
Betrothal usually lasted about one year. It was a time for the groom to prepare the place where they would live. It was a time of building a relationship, of coming to know one another, of planning & dreaming & happy expectations.
However, all of this suddenly ended in shock & disappointment for Joseph for vs. 18 goes on to say, "But before they came together, she was found to be with child..."
The Bible doesn't tell us when Joseph was told, or who told him. Maybe Mary told him. Maybe she said something like, "Joseph, I have the most wonderful news. I'm going to have a baby, & not just any baby. This is the Messiah, the one our people have been waiting for & praying about for so many years. An angel told me."
"I asked the angel, ‘How can this possibly be because I have never slept with a man?’ The angel told me, ‘That which is conceived in you is of the Holy Spirit.’ "It's a miracle, Joseph. Isn't it wonderful? Aren't you happy?"
But Joseph wasn't happy. How could he believe such a story? And Joseph must have felt that Mary had betrayed him. But notice, even in this stage of his disappointment, Joseph still loved Mary.
Matthew 1:19 says, "Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly."
The law said that Joseph could have taken her to the city gate & the people there would have taken rocks & stoned her to death. Then Joseph's name would have been cleansed & his reputation restored.
But Joseph decided not to do that. He decided not to disgrace her, but rather to divorce her quietly so that she could start her life over again. And he could start his life over again as well.
That is when the angel appeared to him in a dream, telling Joseph what had happened that the Holy Spirit had caused Mary to conceive a child that would be God's only Son. And God had a request of Joseph. Would Joseph be a father a step-dad? Would Joseph raise God's Son?
Joseph had to decide. He had to make a commitment about a child who didn't belong to him. He had to make a commitment to a marriage that would be held up to scorn & gossip. But Joseph said that he would. So Joseph took Mary to be his wife.
ILL. Barbara Herrenrich wrote a book in which she said, "Yesterday's man was a husband & a father & the family breadwinner. Today's man is a conspicuous consumer & is proficient at dodging commitment."

C. But Joseph didn't dodge his commitment. He accepted the responsibility that God asked him to take. It was Joseph who put his wife on the donkey & began the long trip to Bethlehem. It was Joseph who found a place in which Mary could give birth.
It was Joseph who helped her through birth. It was Joseph who first saw the Son of God, & then held in his hands God's only Son.
Joseph had made a commitment. But he didn't realize what all that commitment entailed. He didn't realize that he would have to serve as a midwife, to help deliver God's only Son.
But he had promised. He didn't dodge his commitment. He kept his word.
APPL. Every so often we have the privilege of seeing parents and their family attend services at our congregation. We challenge them to be faithful Christian parents & examples to their family.
We pray for them, asking God to help them raise their children in the love & nurture of the Lord. We do this because we are concerned about them & their family.

II. JOSEPH WAS CONCERNED

A. Joseph was also concerned. He was used to living in Nazareth, but now he was in Bethlehem. Somehow he had to support his wife & child.
So here was Joseph in Bethlehem trying to get carpentry work, concerned about being able to provide for God's Son & to take care of Him.
Jesus was less than two years old when wise men from the east came & brought exotic gifts. Then Joseph is warned to flee from Herod's murderous intent to kill Jesus. So Joseph uproots his family & flees to Egypt. Later, he uproots them again & takes them to Nazareth.

B. As you know, Mary & Joseph had several children after that. And every year, along with many others from Nazareth, they would take their family to Jerusalem for the Passover Feast.
So we can understand what happened when Jesus was twelve. They worshiped in Jerusalem as they always did, & then began their journey home once again. That evening, as all of those who were traveling together stopped to rest for the night, Joseph may have asked Mary, "Where is Jesus?"
Mary answers, "I thought He was with you." "No," Joseph says, "He isn't with me. Where is He?" They frantically searched through the whole company, but Jesus was nowhere to be found.

C. They rushed back to Jerusalem & began looking up & down the streets. But they can't find him anywhere. Finally, they go to the temple & they notice a meeting taking place. Sadducees & Pharisees are sitting around nodding their bearded heads & looking intently at the speaker.
And who is the speaker? Jesus, a 12 year old boy. "And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. (Luke 2:48)
And Jesus says something that Joseph would never forget, How is it that ye sought me? Did you not know that I must be about my Father's business?" (Luke 2:49)
SUM. Joseph realized that Jesus had just one mother, but two fathers. And it was Joseph's responsibility to turn loose of Him & let Jesus be about what God had sent Him to do. God had given him Jesus on loan. He was a steward, a manager, to help Jesus develop & grow.

III. JOSEPH WAS FAITHFUL

A. So Joseph probably made some decisions on that long road back to Nazareth. He would do the very best he could to help Jesus be about His Father's business to help Jesus be the person God wanted Him to be.
But Joseph's problem was that he was just a carpenter. "Tekton" is the Greek word that is used, a "carpenter."
ILL. It is said that in ancient days a "tekton" was a man who probably had just two chisels, a hammer, a saw, & a square. But with just those few tools he could make a chair or a table, a bridge or a house.
He wasn't just a workman, he was a craftsman, a carpenter.
It is obvious that Joseph had an impact on Jesus. In Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, He talked about a fellow who had some sawdust in his eye. He talked about two men, two carpenters, who built houses. One was wise & one foolish.
Toward the end of Jesus' ministry, when He was trying to communicate to the disciples the importance of finishing what you start, He told of a man who wanted to build a tower, but who first went out & got all of the materials to make sure he could finish what he started.

B. Joseph didn't teach Jesus about nobility. He didn't teach Him about speech making. But by his example he taught Him to "finish what you start," & how to handle disgruntled customers.
He taught Him to pay His bills. He taught Him to treat His mother with respect. He taught Him to take care of His younger brothers & sisters.
Joseph didn't know that sometime before the beginning of Jesus' ministry that God would call him home & leave his family fatherless. And that the boy he trained, the boy he worked with, sawed lumber with, chiseled wood with, would take his place & become a leader to His younger brothers & sisters.
Joseph had no idea that the work that God had called His Son to do was the work of a carpenter & that when Jesus was 33 years old He would construct a bridge that would span eternity.
Joseph had no idea that one day a carpenter's product, a wooden cross, would be the greatest monument that this world has ever known.
All Joseph did was to be a step-dad to Jesus. All Joseph did was to keep the commitment he'd made to God. All Joseph did was to take a few tools & help mold Jesus, the Son of God.
ILL. I came across an interesting poem this last week. It is titled: "A Father’s Love" Please listen as I read it to you.
We hear about a mother’s love
In story & in song,
How staunch it is through trial & storm,
How tender & strong,
How sweet and pure & beautiful;
And every word is true.
But what about a father’s love?
That claims some notice, too.
A father delves the deepest mine
And climbs the girders high
He swings upon the scaffolding
Between the earth & sky.
It’s father who bends his aching back
And bows his graying head
To bear the burdens of the day
And earn the children’s bread.
For both must work & both must plant
And do an equal share
To rear the little ones the Lord
Has entrusted to their care.
All honor to the mother’s love;
The universe it fills.
But when you praise it, don’t forget
That father pays the bills.

CONCLUSION: So to all of you dandelions, to all of you refrigerator lights, to all of you father dolls that have been thrown under the bed, this is your day.
You might feel inadequate for the task that God has called you to do. But just like Joseph you must make a commitment. Like Joseph you must be concerned, not just for the physical well-being of your family, but for their spiritual well-being too.
And you must understand that you are a steward, a manager, & God has given you just a little while with your children. You must devote yourself to do your best in the job that God has called you to do.

This morning there may be some of you who have never known God as your Father, & have never known that God has the same commitment & concern for you that Joseph had for Jesus.
Regardless of whether you are a father or a mother, or whoever you are, we ask you to make a decision this morning, to make a commitment, to give your heart & life & soul to the King of Kings & the Lord of Lords. We invite you to make your life count for Him. You have the opportunity to do that as we stand & sing?
INVITATION

What Will You Do With Jesus?

What Will You Do With Jesus?
Acts 28:17-20

INTRO: Good morning. We are reaching the end of our Study of the Books of Acts. There is so much in this book to strengthen and encourage us in our faith. As we have studied this book we have been challenged to live better lives for Christ and have been inspired to keep on—keeping on. It’s been a long journey but one which I hope and pray has been worth it.

Our lives are also a journey, some long and some short. I’m reminded of an old story told by an English preacher;

A young man was walking along a country road. Along came a farmer driving a wagon.
Without asking permission, the young man jumped up on the wagon and said, "I'm going to ride along with you to London."

The farmer just looked at him and said nothing. They rode on for perhaps ten miles. The young man began to feel uneasy. He turned to the farmer and said, "I say, how much farther is it to London?"

The farmer replied, "If you keep on the way we are going, it is about 520 miles, but if you want to get off and walk back the other way, it is about sixteen miles—six miles from where you jumped on."

Sometimes in life we just jump on for a ride without really finding out where the ride is going to take us. God has a ride mapped out for us already as long as we follow His divine will. Like the apostle Paul we need to always make sure we’re heading in the right direction. Check the map, and see if we are on course.

I. Now let us conclude our look at Acts. Remember that we left Paul at the port of Puteoli where he found some brethren and stayed with them for seven days. He journeyed on and he finally reached Rome. He was overwhelmed with thankfulness and encouraged to keep going when some brethren traveled many miles to greet him.

A. This was a great moment for Paul and for the saints in Rome and so we continue with Luke’s account to Theophilus in Acts 28:17-20 – “17. And it came to pass after three days that Paul called the leaders of the Jews together. So when they had come together, he said to them: "Men and brethren, though I have done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans, 18. "who, when they had examined me, wanted to let me go, because there was no cause for putting me to death. 19. "But when the Jews spoke against it, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar, not that I had anything of which to accuse my nation. 20. "For this reason therefore I have called for you, to see you and speak with you, because for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain.''”
B. After three days in Rome, Paul called for the leaders of the Jews. As Paul always did, he addressed himself "to the Jew first" (Romans 1:16).

1. He explained to them that he was in Rome because of charges brought against him by their brethren in Jerusalem. He told them that the authorities had wanted to release him, but he had to appeal to Caesar because the Jews were opposed to Paul being at liberty. Paul's forbearance here is notable, in that he made no mention of the repeated attempts against his life, aided and abetted by the high priest himself.
2. This passage sheds additional light on what happened under Festus. It was the protest of the Jews that led Festus to withhold from Paul the liberty which he could have had.

C. Paul says the reason I’m in chains today is because I’m a Christian. He is someone who whole heartedly follows Christ because he knows and fully understands that Jesus Christ was and is the true fulfillment of Israel's hope. By this, Paul meant that the Christian faith was the true fulfillment of the hope of God's people. Throughout his speeches and epistles, Paul always insisted upon the identity of the New Covenant with all that had been prophesied and typified in the Old.

II. Do we have that kind of conviction? Do we believe that Jesus was the promised Messiah who was the true fulfillment of Israel’s hope? We have read of one woman who truly believed that, and she is found in John 4.

A. In a discussion with Jesus about worship, the Samaritan women says in John 4:25 – “ "I know that Messiah is coming'' (who is called Christ). "When He comes, He will tell us all things.''”

1. What a priceless jewel of faith lay at the bottom of this poor beleaguered woman's heart. All the sins and mistakes of her life had not erased her knowledge of the essential truth that Christ would come into the world and teach men all they need to know to obtain salvation.
2. Look at Jesus’ response to this claim in verse 26 “Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He.''” Scholars say that the Samaritans only accepted the Pentateuch which is Genesis through Deuteronomy as Scripture, yet they anticipated the Messiah confidently.

B. In the Temple court, Peter preached in Acts 3:22-24 “22. "For Moses truly said to the fathers, `The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. 23. `And it shall come to pass that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.' 24. "Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days.”

1. Quoting from Deuteronomy 18:15 ff Peter makes his statement clear. Jesus was the promised Messiah.
2. All the way through the Old Testament there are many prophecies concerning this coming Messiah.

C. The Jews and the Samaritans were waiting on the arrival of the Christ.

1. In Luke 2:25 we find that Simeon was “… waiting for the Consolation of Israel,…”.
2. In Luke 2:38 we find that Anna spoke of Him to “… all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem… ”.
3. Andrew announced to Peter, “… We have found the Messiah'' (which is translated, the Christ).” in John 1:41.
4. In John 1:45 we find Philip bringing Nathanael to Jesus, saying, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

D. Even the enemies of Jesus recognized the Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament.

1. In Matthew 2:4-6 we find Herod calling the Scribes, the copiers of the Old Testament manuscripts, to inquire “… where the Christ was to be born.”
2. When disputing the belief of some in Jesus as the Christ, the Jews affirmed, in John 7:42 “Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?”
3. While being tried, the high priest asked the Lord, in Matthew 26:63 “I adjure You by the living God that You tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God.” Look at Jesus’ response in verse 64, “It is as you said.”

E. You see, there was a reason that the Samaritan woman said, “I know that Messiah is coming”. The reason is found in the Old Testament prophecies concerning Christ. This was well known.

1. No wonder the apostle Paul asked King Agrippa in Acts 26:27 “King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe.”
2. The question you really need to answer is; Do you really believe that Jesus is the Messiah? Because the evidence is indisputable.
3. The Old Testament predicted the events. Christ came and fulfilled them.

III. Folks, believing that Jesus is the Christ and yet doing nothing with that belief, are two different things. For those who are not Christians, they need to ask themselves the same question which Pilate asked the mob in Matthew 27:22 “… "What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?...”

A. In the Tabernacle Holy of Holies, the light of God's glory was present between the cherubim, telling Israel that God was in her midst. The mercy seat was the place appointed where God met once a year the blood of the sacrifice of atonement.

1. The blood of atonement was sprinkled there. Atonement, it was not an appeasement. God does not have to be appeased.
2. He is merciful, compassionate, and full of loving kindness, but He will not hold man guiltless without an atonement.
3. When the blood was sprinkled, there was satisfaction. Sin was rolled forward. The offering for sin was made.

B. That was the Old Testament, but now the One whose blood was made an offering for sin is Jesus, the Messiah, the Christ.

1. He is the Mercy Seat where the justice of God and the satisfying sacrifice bring peace to all who believe.
2. We don’t want anyone to leave here today making the same mistake that many other people do, and that is to reject Him. We don’t want anyone leaving here today saying that ‘no one ever told me that Jesus was the Messiah’.

C. Have you ever talked to someone about something that has happened, but they didn’t know anything about it? You thought they would have known something about it because it concerned them, but they hadn’t heard anything.

IV. In a way that’s what Luke goes on and shares with us next. Listen to their reaction to Paul’s words. Acts 28:21-22 – “ And they said to him, "We neither received letters from Judea concerning you, nor have any of the brethren who came reported or spoken any evil of you. "But we desire to hear from you what you think; for concerning this sect, we know that it is spoken against everywhere.''”

A. It seems from our text that the leaders of the Jews in Rome knew nothing of the charges against Paul and reported that no word had come from Jerusalem.

1. Since Paul’s accusers were Jews and the people he is speaking to here are Jews, you would think that such a serious charge against Paul would be known by most Jews.
2. If that happened today, with our modern version of the grapevine, social media, people the world over would be saying. ‘Hey, you know that guy Saul who became a follower of Christ, man he’s such a troublemaker, he stirred up a rebellion amongst the Jews in Jerusalem, he is the main ringleader of the Nazarene party among the Jews, and hey, if you think that was bad, he even defiled the temple by bringing Gentiles in there and spoke against our forefather’s teachings.’

B. They hadn’t heard anything bad about Paul. In fact, they were more interested in hearing more about this Christianity which everyone, everywhere is speaking against.

V. Paul after a while arranges to do just that. Now I say this tongue in cheek, but if someone were to think that listening to a sermon for thirty or forty minutes is long, they really should count their blessings. We are now Acts 28:23-24 – “ So when they had appointed him a day, many came to him at his lodging, to whom he explained and solemnly testified of the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets, from morning till evening. And some were persuaded by the things which were spoken, and some disbelieved.”

A. On the appointed day, a large group returned, and Paul preached all day using Moses and the prophets to testify concerning God's kingdom. We see over and over again as we study that we can’t just use the New Testament and leave out the Old Testament.

1. In teaching a person willing to study, the preacher took him straight to the Old Testament and to the Book of Genesis to show him how sin had separated mankind from God. After discussing a few others passages in the Old Testament, he smiled at the preacher at the end of the study and said, ‘someone once told me that the church of Christ doesn’t believe in the Old Testament, I now know that is simply not true.’
2. Romans 15:4 - “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.”
3. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 – “ All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
4. The apostle Paul used the Old Testament to convince the Jews and Gentiles that Jesus was the Messiah. We should be doing the same thing.
5. By the way notice we read; “he explained and solemnly testified of the kingdom of God, persuading them” I think it would be a mistake to suppose this took the form of a monologue and I suspect the debate must have been keen and impassioned.

B. As we have seen so often the group was divided as to whether to believe Paul or not. This always occurs when the gospel is preached: people are polarized with reference to it, some believing, some not believing (2 Corinthians 2:15-16).

VI. At this point Paul has one more statement to make, again using the Old Testament as his proof. Now at Acts 28:25-27 – “25. So when they did not agree among themselves, they departed after Paul had said one word: "The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the prophet to our fathers, 26. "saying, `Go to this people and say: "Hearing you will hear, and shall not understand; and seeing you will see, and not perceive; 27. For the heart of this people has grown dull. their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their heart and turn, so that I should heal them.'' '”

A. Paul quoted from Isaiah 6:9-10 why? To show that their rejection to the gospel had been foretold by the Holy Spirit. This same passage was applied to Israel by Christ, as affirmed in all four gospels (Matthew 13:13-15; Mark 4:12; Luke 8:10; and John 12:37-41). The reason for its being repeated here is because the same blindness that closed the hearts of Israel to the Christ was still operative in closing their hearts against the gospel.
B. This is still a major problem for many people today. They hear of the Bible, they even read and listen to the Bible but they fail to understand it. They see Christians coming together every week and living their lives fully devoted to God but they can not perceive of having that commitment.

1. Why don’t they understand? Why can’t they perceive? Simply because their hearts have become hardened. They have ears but they only hear what they want to hear. They have eyes but they don’t use them to see truth. The cares of this world are too important to them and they take the easy way.
2. Isaiah says, ‘listen, open your hearts, listen to what God is saying to you, open your eyes and see the truth’.
3. In other words, leave your own ideas behind, forget about what the world says and turn to Jesus in repentance, and He will heal you from the disease of sin.

VII. There is good news. Paul says in Acts 28:28 – “Therefore let it be known to you that the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will hear it!” Paul tells them that salvation would be taken to the Gentiles and they will listen. What about us today, are we listening?

A. A visitor approached a preacher after listening to his sermon on the necessity of receiving Christ as his Savior. The man said he thought that Christianity should limit itself in presenting Christ as our example whom we should follow.

The preacher turned to the visitor and said, "If I were to preach Christ as our example, would you follow His example?" "Why not?" was the flippant answer. The preacher said, "Okay, let us think of some of the things that Jesus did and did not do. One of the things that is said of Him is that He did not sin. Can you take that step and follow His example in doing no sin?" "No, I must be very honest about myself, I do sin said the man."

The preacher then answered: "It is impossible then to follow Jesus unless you first make Him your Savior. It is He who must live in you so that you can say 'For me to live is Christ.'"

1. Jesus Christ came into the world not only to set an example for us, but to become our Savior. It is only when we receive Him as our Savior that we are able to follow Him as our example because He dwells in us.
2. The only reason the offer to have Jesus as your personal Savior is still an offer today is because Jesus hasn’t given up on you. God loves us. 2 Peter 3:9 – “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
3. Do any of us really think that God wants people to perish and spend eternity in hell? God is patient with you. He doesn’t want you or anyone to be condemned to hell. He is waiting patiently for you to turn and be healed spiritually.

B. Please don’t ever think though that Jesus is not going to return for Judgment Day until you repent. Peter tells us in 2 Peter 3:10 – “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night…”

1. It’s not a question of ‘if’ Jesus is coming back, it will happen. Scripture is clear on that. It’s a question of ‘are you ready’ before He comes back.
2. He’s not going to come back and say, ‘hi, I understand you’ve struggled to believe in me ever since the creation of the world. I’m going to give you another few thousands years to believe.’
3. No! When Jesus comes back, that’s it. If you haven’t believed and obeyed His commands before that happens you’re in trouble.

C. Listen to those familiar words Jesus says in Matthew 7:21-23 – “21. "Not everyone who says to Me, `Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22. "Many will say to Me in that day, `Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' 23. "And then I will declare to them, `I never knew you; Why didn’t Jesus know them? They were prophesying in Jesus Name, they drove out demons in His Name, they performed miracles in His Name. Why then didn’t Jesus know them?

1. Because of what He said in verse 21, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
2. Look at what Jesus said following on in Matthew 7:24-27 – “24. "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25. "and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. 26. "Now everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27. "and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.''”
3. Being a Christian is more than just coming to Jesus, it’s more than just hearing His words. It’s about obeying His words and practicing what Jesus preached.

CONCLUSION:
We are now at the conclusion of acts. Paul is finished speaking with the Jews, but he is far from finished when it comes to preaching the gospel. Acts 28:29-31 – “29. And when he had said these words, the Jews departed and had a great dispute among themselves. 30. Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, 31. preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him.”

Paul spent two years in his own rented house where he received guests and taught many people concerning the kingdom of God. He spoke boldly and no one forbid him to continue.

He finally made it to Rome and his ambition to preach the gospel in the greatest city then known to mankind was fulfilled, thanks to the grace of God.

This concludes our look at the Book of Acts starting with the first sermon called, ‘It’s all about Jesus’. There is much more of course. The Book of Acts, Luke’s report to Theophilus, begins and ends with Luke writing about Jesus. The question is for each of us; What are you going to do with Jesus, the Messiah?
____________________________________________________________________________________

We learn from the New Testament how to be saved. We need to hear the word; believe in Jesus; repent of our sins; we must confess our belief that Jesus is the Son of God; and be baptized for the remission of our sins… If we follow these steps, the Lord adds us to His church.

Perhaps there is someone in the assembly today with the need to be buried with Christ in baptism. If you have never done these things, we urge you to do so today. If anyone has this need or desires the prayers of faithful Christians on their behalf, we encourage them to come forward while we stand and sing.

# ???
Taken from sermon by Mike Glover