Chardon church of Christ

By What Authority

Matthew 21:1-27

INTRO:
Good evening. Our lesson for tonight comes from Matthew Chapter 21.
Let me tell you a brief story to get started. For centuries people believed that Aristotle was right when he said that the heavier an object, the faster it would fall to earth. Aristotle was regarded as the greatest thinker of all time, and surely he would not be wrong. Anyone, of course, could have taken two objects, one heavy and one light, and dropped them from a great height to see whether or not the heavier object landed first. But no one did until nearly 2,000 years after Aristotle's death. In 1589 Galileo summoned learned professors to the base of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Then he went to the top and pushed off a ten- pound and a one-pound weight. Both landed at the same instant. The power of belief was so strong, however, that the professors denied their eyesight. They continued to say Aristotle was right. I would ask you keep this in mind as we continue the lesson.

Authority is a very important principle, very important concept, in our relationship with God. I suggest it is near the top of the list, in terms of the important concepts that we need to grasp. My question for this evening is “Who has the authority in religion?” “Who is it that I am to listen to?” This is not a new problem by the way. It has been a consideration since religious authority began to be exercised among men who received the teachings of God. God’s authority has always been challenged not only by Satan but by common folks like you and me striving to do what's right. It's one of those things that we must come to an understanding of, if we're going to serve God correctly.

Matthew Chapter 21 provides an interesting scenario here in the life of Jesus in the last week of his life, the last few days of Jesus life. He enters the city of Jerusalem for the feast at the beginning of the week.

This was a big week in Jerusalem and Jesus was coming into the city. We see that entrance scenario as portrayed to us in the start of Matthew chapter 21. Jesus was the most watched person in the entire region and certainly in His coming to this feast everyone's eyes were on Jesus.

He was welcomed into the city with great pomp, great circumstance by those who put palm branches down in His path, and they cried saying “saying: "Hosanna to the Son of David! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!' Hosanna in the highest!''”

The city was stirred by Jesus presence and there were those who took Old Testament passages that were clearly messianic, that pointed to the very nature of God coming in the flesh, and they shouted those sentiments and those scriptures over and over again at Jesus arrival. There was great wonder involved in the triumphal entry as it's described to us here. But it was also a time of great division.

I. Two groups: It was a city that for the most part was split into two groups. There were those who readily identified Jesus as the Messiah and were there to worship him and to follow him and to watch closely what he did and to be blessed by Him. There were others who were his enemies. These others denied that Jesus was the Messiah and wanted to do everything they could to try to stop His ministry. I find it interesting that in spite of this, there was a clear answer given to who Jesus was. It says all the city was moved saying “Who is this?” and the multitude said “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.” This is God's man. This is the prophet. This is Jesus.

A. Jesus first public act in the city of Jerusalem on that particular week was not to stand before the people and address them in some public oration but rather to go to the temple. Starting in verse 12 we read; “Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of those who sold doves.” “And He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.' ''” “Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.”

1. This is interesting to me that these two events or the two activities of Jesus are linked together there. In the confines of the temple Jesus in a very aggressive way, in a physical way, drives out those merchants from the Temple making a clear statement that the temple area is not being used for the proper purposes and that He is the one will make judgment upon these people. He will physically drive them out. Then connected with that were these poor helpless people who were sick and infirm who came to Jesus. In the very confines of where the money changers were driven out, He healed the sick.
2. Jesus was expressing authority. The authority to judge and drive out, the authority to heal and make well, in this single place and time. Now both of those events seem to be such incontrovertible evidence of Jesus identity as the Messiah that it should have been put to rest there. There were the “children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!''” again referencing Jesus as the Messiah himself the son of David. When the religious leaders, and the chief priests heard the children crying out they were angry and indignant. Again we are given evidence here that the city is divided.

B. Fast forward to Wednesday of the very same week after Jesus and the disciples have walked past the fig tree that Jesus cursed the day before. Now Jesus, in Chapter 21:23, came into the temple again, and it says “He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?''”

1. Here the people who question and confront Jesus are described as the chief priests and the elders of the city. That gives us some insight into the type of opposition that existed against Jesus and those who would be so bold as to question the authority of Jesus. They were a conglomerate group. The Chief Priests were primarily Sadducees, the religious superintendents of the temple area. The elders of the people were the religious teachers of the day and they were largely made up of Pharisees.
2. So you had the chief priests, the Sadducees and you had the elders of the city the Pharisees, who on most occasions were unfriendly to one another, joining forces together to become a common enemy of Jesus. The question that they asked presents I believe, an overriding picture of the type of problem they had with Jesus from the very beginning. It had to do with His authority.
3. His authority in what He said and what He taught and what He did. They saw Jesus, in terms of exercising His authority, as a threat to their mutual system of religious authority. They were the folks who were on top. They were the folks who told people what they should and shouldn't do. They were ones who told the people in the temple how things were supposed to run. They were the ones who were in charge, and those who were in charge of the religion of the day you see, were threatened by Jesus authority.

C. I submit to you as we continue in this lesson that this has always been true. Those today who claim to be the religious authorities among men are threatened by the authority of Christ as contained in scripture. They constantly are trying to denigrate and demean the authority of Jesus in scripture so as to protect their own assumed authority. Any system of humanly devised religious authority is not of God and therefore must always stand in opposition to the authority that is of God.

II. By What Authority: The question they wanted to know is by what authority do you do these things? “These things” here may have included everything that Jesus did from the beginning of his ministry, but it probably refers more conclusively to the things he'd done since he arrived in the city. He drove out the money changers and He disrupted the tables and messed up all their merchandising. He also healed the sick and was hailed as the messiah.

A. Although when He ran out the money changers and when He healed the sick the Pharisees and scribes and the chief priests and Sadducees seem at that point to be rather speechless. Now they had come to the front, on the offensive, and in a public forum wanted to know by what authority do you do these things.
B. Understanding the position that they're in will help us to understand why the question was asked in the first place.

1. Rabbinical candidates, those who would be teachers of the law, those who would be Chief Priests or who would stand as elders in the city and would instruct others, were ordained to that position by a leading rabbi. They would be under the influence of and under servitude to others. They would serve as an apprentice of a rabbi. If a young man wanted to teach, he had to be appointed to a rabbi who would then instruct him personally on the law and all the teachings of the law and he would work his way up to where he had the authority to speak to others.
2. Because of widespread abuses among the Jews this aspect of rabbinical authority had been centralized and existed in the time of Jesus within the Sanhedrin council. Anyone who spoke publicly, anyone who was to speak in the position of interpreting scripture was to have been ordained by this particular council under this authority.
3. After his ordination the man was declared to be a rabbi or an elder or a judge. He was then given authority to teach at that point and to be recognized by people for who he was. He could render decisions, to give verdicts even in social matters if he had been given the credentials and the authority to do so.
4. This group of religious men was the most identifiable source of authority that existed in the Jewish religion and in the city of Jerusalem.

C. Jesus comes apart from any of that and speaks and teaches to the people so much so that the people say this man is a prophet. This man is a rabbi and they call Him rabbi. They call Him teacher and they want to hear more. Jesus in the view of the council was teaching—without authority. He had no such ordination. He had no recognition by any religious authority from the circles that they knew of. In their view He had no right to teach and no right to do what he did. He certainly had no right to run out their merchandising from the temple.
D. So the question that comes from that: By what authority then do you do these things? Now again, understanding this helps us to understand that there really is an issue here. We need to see the illegitimacy of the question. The question itself tells us something about the state of the hearts of those who would ask it. Is this the right question to ask in the face of what has just happened? Did Jesus just heal the sick? He has just made the lame to walk the blind to see. He has been proclaimed by the prophetic utterances of the Old Testament to be the messiah. Is there any rightful authority at this point to question?

III. The Questioners: Those who propose to ask such a question imply that they have the authority themselves to ask the question. You know if you’re going to ask questions about where somebody gets their authority you better have the authority to ask the question yourself.

A. I think that that's somewhat the position of these Pharisees and Sadducees as they turn to Jesus and say by what authority are you doing these things. Who is the real source of authority? Is it me or is it you? There's illegitimacy to the question itself because of who's asking it.
B. There's also this aspect here that in the context of establishing the authority, that Jesus has to say anything. They had overlooked the very confirmation of Jesus authority.

1. The Sadducees or Pharisees never questioned the miracles of Jesus. They never said; that guy wasn't really sick. You didn't really heal him. He not really walking. They never questioned or denied the authenticity of the miracles that Jesus had performed.
2. If Jesus could heal the sick, if he could do these miracles, certainly He had some authority from God to do these things. Don’t miracles presuppose the authority of the teacher?

i. In fact the very understanding of miracles of scripture is that when they occurred they occurred in connection with teaching and they confirmed the teaching and the teacher himself.
ii. The fact that Jesus has power, has ability to do something was absolutely incontestable in the first century. No one had ever healed the sick or cast out demons or raised people from the dead as Jesus had done.

3. When the Pharisees and Sadducees saw these things they should have been impressed to the point of recognizing a source of authority. When had the Sadducees or the Pharisees ever raised anybody from the dead? When had they ever healed the sick? What put them in a position where they believed they could question Jesus? All that having been said, if to look down at the Pharisees and Sadducees for asking the question, we realize that very same principle applies to each of us if we begin to question any authority contained in the scriptures or the words of Jesus. We simply do not have a right to ask questions about Jesus authority. He's already proven His ability and His power in that regard.

C. Consider God’s statement to Job in the book of Job. Do you remember Job, a man who suffered so much at the hands of Satan to test his faith? Job suffered without knowing why. He did not fault God through much of this. But there was a time in the context of that suffering when Job complained bitterly that the things happening to him were undeserved and unjust. In doing so Job was pleading his worthiness before God and that was his error.

1. In Job the 38th chapter God answers Job. You can read chapters 38, 39, and 40 you’ll get the whole conversation with God there. We’ won’t read the whole thing now. But let’s look a little. “1. Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said: 2. "Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge? 3. Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me. 4. "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. 5. Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? 6. To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone,” Job 38:1-6
2. Were you there when I made the earth? Do you know how I did it? Tell me if you know. He goes on to ask questions that clearly relate to the difference between Job and God. Job, can you feed the lion when he’s hungry? Can you tell the Raven where to go for food? Can you measure the waters on the earth? Can you make it rain?
3. Job could do none of those things. For Job or anyone in anyway to question God's sovereignty or authority over his own life by claiming his worthiness was simply illegitimate. God was by the very things He had already done His own credentials and always stood His own credentials before man.

IV. The Authority: Turn to Matthew chapter 9. Let’s look at the first few verses of that chapter. Matthew 9:1-8 – “1. So He (Jesus) got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city. 2. And behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, "Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.'' 3. And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, "This Man blasphemes!'' 4. But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5. "For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise and walk'? 6. "But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins'' then He said to the paralytic, "Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.'' 7. And he arose and departed to his house. 8. Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God who had given such power to men.”

A. Who has the right to forgive sins? You spoke and you think that because of what you said this man sins are forgiven? Who are you to forgive sins? That was the question. Where do you get this authority? Jesus calmly says Ok, which is easier, to say your sins be forgiven with no empirical evidence of what has happened, or say to the same man laying here, get up and walk? Do I have to have empirical evidence that I have the power to do this? The question is rhetorical.
B. He says “get up and walk” and the man gets up and walks and Jesus says there you go. Now you know if I can do that, I can forgive sin. If there's power to do one then there’s power to do the other. The aspect here is that they marvel that God had given power.
C. The word “power” or “authority” is translated from the word exousia—power of authority to men. Jesus was his own credentials. They glorified God because of the authority of Jesus expressed in the power.

1. The word exousia (ex-ou-see-ah) as found in Matthew chapter nine is found several times in the scriptures. Many times it is translated by the word authority rather than the English word power. What the word literally means here is the aspect of the right to command, exousia means you have the right, the privilege, to command someone.
2. The crowd of common people who witnessed what he had done physically made the only sensible conclusion that could be made. That is that if He had the ability to heal the sick, He had the authority to forgive sins.
3. The Scribes refuse to accept the obvious. No amount of evidence could penetrate that confirmed unbelief and so it exists today among men. There is a confirmed unbelief that no amount of evidence could ever penetrate.
4. Jesus finally said no more signs. I'm not giving you more evidence because you will not accept what is right here before your eyes.

D. What we see here is that the question is on its own sense illegitimate. Jesus knew their hearts. Jesus not only had great power, authority, but He had the right because His power and authority were from God, from His heavenly father.

1. In Luke 4:31-36 - “31. Then He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths. 32. And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority. 33. Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon. And he cried out with a loud voice, 34. saying, "Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know You, who You are, the Holy One of God!” Interestingly the demon himself who is on the other side of the spiritual scale recognized who Jesus is. There’s no question about His identity. You're the Holy One of God.
2. “35. But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!''” Even though he made a good confession there, Jesus rebukes him because he's a demon and he's going to cast him out. When the demon has thrown him in their midst the demon does not hurt him. “36. They were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, "What a word this is! For with authority (there’s exousia, (ex-ou-see-ah)) and power (that’s the word dynamis (dune-na-mus) the ability to act,) He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.” They were amazed. “37. And the report about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region.”

E. Jesus had the authority; He had the power to tell people what they could and couldn’t do. He had the authority to speak. There was authority in His word because He was the one who had the ability to act.

1. That's at the very heart of all of this. We see the difference between the two Greek words exousia, (ex-ou-see-ah) and dynamis (dune-na-mus). God has the right to tell you what to do because He's your creator. He's already exhibiting His power, His ability and that power, that ability, gives Him the right, the privilege to speak!—and to command. He has the right as our creator because He has the might as our judge. He demonstrated both as He came up out of the grave.

V. Who has the Authority: Now the real issue here is the authority of Jesus vs. the authority of men. The question of Matthew chapter 21 is; “Do we have the authority to question the authority of God?” That's the illegitimate aspect of it.

A. What about the authority of Jesus? In what way does His authority differ from other authority in religion in terms of our service?

1. At the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount people were astonished. It says in Matthew 7:28 - “28. And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, 29. for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” There's that word again. He taught as one who has the right to say what He was saying. Jesus taught authoritatively because he taught with clarity and definitiveness.
2. You know you ask some people what’s right or wrong and they don't really know. Even if they have a thought in their mind they are not going to express it that way. “Well, you know, who can say?” “Maybe it’s this way, maybe it's that way, we just don’t really know.”
3. For the most part that’s the way the scribes had spoken about the law for years. Their interpretations were not pronouncements with absolute authority. They were simply declarations of un-clarity and a key qualification you see in religious circles today is exactly that. If you want to get ahead in religion today you have to avoid at all costs any dogmatism. Certainly don't say; this is the only way there is to believe this, or that’s the only way to see this, or you'll be ejected immediately from any position of religious authority.
4. That's why I believe there are some generally honest, religious teachers who have rejected clear statements of scripture because if they didn't, if they spoke on them definitively, they'd lose their positions. Because that's the way it is, and that's the way it was in Jesus’ day. Among the Jews, human wisdom had long since replaced divine revelation to the point that when the scripture conflicted with tradition, tradition prevailed and what trumped everything was what men had taught. There was no exclusive authority.

B. Then when Jesus came and taught them with authority they were amazed! Jesus’ ministry always had this aspect of authority—authority of God himself.

1. In John 1:12 it says: “...He gave the right to become children of God,...” [NKJV] “...to them gave he power to become the sons of God...”[KJV] Jesus came and gave them the right, the power, and here is the word exousia, (ex-ou-see-ah) again.
2. His heavenly father gave “Him authority to execute judgment” in John Chapter 5 and Verse 27. He had authority over His own life in John 10:17-18 – “17. "Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. 18. "No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.''”. There's the word exousia, (ex-ou-see-ah), power, authority.

C. John chapter 17 speaks about Jesus’ authority over all mankind to give eternal life to those who the Father has given unto Him. “1. Jesus 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, 2. "as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him.”
D. In all the things He said and did, Jesus never sought the approval, He never sought the counsel, or the support of any recognized religious authority. He didn't go to any group of men and say: What do you think about this, or let's vote on this. He never sided with any religious authority. He completely ignored their system for ordaining rabbis and approving doctrines. He recognized only what God had already written in scripture, not only in His personal life but in His personal ministry to others. People sometimes say “what would Jesus do”, that is what He did. We should do likewise. It is only what God had already said and was saying to Him that made any sense at all for the establishment of authority.

VI. Jesus Authority: Now that is what makes Jesus’ authority unique. It’s what makes it unique in His day and makes unique in our day. Jesus authority was a single focus from the standpoint that it rested in the revealed word of the Father alone. So much so that he said; “I'm not doing my own will I'm doing the will of the Father.” Clearly Jesus was doing His own will in the sense that Jesus was doing what He willed to do. But the source of the authority of Jesus own ministry was not anything outside of what God had established and ordained in scripture and never will be.

A. So the question we go back to about authority is: Where is it from? Jesus doesn't directly answer their question. There are a couple times that Jesus doesn't directly answer a question. Jesus is not being evasive, He is not being political. It is not because he can't give them a direct answer. He's given them a direct answer to this question many times in direct fashion as we have just witnessed. They ignored it.
B. He knew their hearts, He knew their intentions, and He would not play into their hands. There's a lesson for us in that as well. There's a valid point to be made from this confrontation that was initiated by the religious rulers. That point needed to be made to those who were listening and you and I and that is; “whose authority are we listening to?”
C. Let’s go on in Matthew 21:24-26 – “24. But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things: 25. "The baptism of John, where was it from? From heaven or from men?'' And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?' 26. "But if we say, 'From men,' we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet.” His question was simple, from heaven or from men. We recognize that Jesus’ question is either one or the other. The reason Jesus doesn't give them a third choice is because there is no third choice.

1. Religious authority is either from God or it’s from man. If it's not from God, it is from man. Jesus was presenting back to them the simplicity of the nature of their question. It's either one of two sources, and so it is for us today. The authority to do something in religion either comes from God, it's in the Bible, it's in scripture, it comes from the Holy Spirit—or from men, it comes from the thinking of men and it's been derived from there.
2. How do we know? Well if it's from heaven it will possess the appropriate credentials. That's the basis on which Jesus did not directly answer their question about His authority, because His authority had already been established by the proper credentials of the miracles that had been provided. If they would ignore the clear approval that God has given of Jesus before they wouldn't accept it now.

D. If there is anything that you and I would ponder about whether something is right or wrong, we have to recognize that principle is still intact. If it's from God it will have the stamp of approval from the source of divine revelation. It will come through the revealing of the Holy Spirit in the way that God designed. Jesus told the apostles that the Holy Spirit would guide them into all truth [para]. John 16:13. That traces the delegation of the religious authority from Jesus to the apostles’ scriptures and that leads me to the conclusion that if I'm going to authorize something in religion I need to have something out of the Bible that will substantiate it. It needs to have that credential.

1. This is precisely what Peter was saying in Second Peter Chapter 1 Verse 19 he says. “19. We also have the prophetic word made more sure, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; 20. knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,” That means is not up to the prophet to decide wat it means but to deliver it as given to him. “for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” Peter says here in the context; we already have the word confirmed.
2. The credentials have already been established, holy men spoke as God moved them and carried them along with His Spirit to teach the things that God wanted them to learn.
3. In Acts chapter two and verse 42 it tells us that the church began through the direction of the Apostles and the presence of the Holy Spirit, and that the disciples continued steadfastly in the Apostles doctrine. Why? Because that’s where the credentials were.
4. The apostles were working miracles in the first six chapters of The Book of Acts. They provided the clear evidence of the ability that they had to show the power of God and therefore they had the right to speak. The authority. When the people listened to the apostles and what they were saying, they obeyed. Then they continued steadfastly in the Apostles doctrine.

E. The church was based upon the apostolic doctrine, based upon the credentials the Holy Spirit gave to the apostles. Jesus’ question that He reverts back to them was not irrelevant to their own. If John's message was from God then there were some credentials that backed it up. If it was from men then they didn't have to listen to John. But John's message was from God and had already been confirmed by the credentials of Jesus himself as well as John the Baptist. If John's message was from God then Jesus’ authority was from God as well because John testified of Him. Jesus takes them to a place in the aspect of this dilemma, where they cannot escape.
F. The chief priests pondered that, the elders pondered that and it didn't take long to recognize that Jesus had put them on the horns of their own dilemma. If they say from heaven then Jesus would ask them why you didn’t do it. They didn’t have an answer for that. If they say from men then they would risk a backlash from the people who recognized who John was.

VII. The Response: In Matthew 21:27 – “They answered Jesus and said, "We do not know.” Jesus says well I'm not going to tell you. Their only recourse was to confess, with embarrassment no doubt, that they did not know. Why did they not know? They should have known. More to the point of the question, I suspect, is their agnosticism didn't answer the dilemma they were in. If they proposed they were the ones qualified to judge Jesus’ authority, they had to know!

A. If we would question the authority of scriptures, if we would any way balk against what God would say, or simply dismiss what's in the Bible, then we need to have the authority to know what's really true.
B. The agnostic has nowhere to go with this except to say well we really don't know what's true. Ok, if you don't know what's true, how do you know this is not true? By what authority would you judge the rightfulness of what God says in the Bible or what the scriptures say if you already confess that you don’t know?

1. The Pharisees and Scribes say we don’t know. Ok that ends the discussion then. You have no right to ask me whether or not I have the authority because you don't know. Jesus I think worked this in to show us that this principle cannot be overlooked.
2. Matthew Henry wrote; “Those that imprison the truths that they know in unrighteousness are justly denied the further truths they inquire after.” Take away the talents of him that buried it; those that shall not see shall not see. You give up on what God says over here or you deny it or you just ignore the evidence, and guess what, you don't get anymore.
3. Those who imprisoned the truths that they know in unrighteousness, those of us who will not put into practice in our life those truths in the Bible, are denied the further truths that can make us what God wants us to be. That's one of the tragedies of those who have denied the authority of Scripture, the authority of Jesus in their own lives.

C. The Pharisees faced the ramifications of their own question. They could have been saved but they rejected that truth and they rejected it at all costs. From them the truth then continued to be hidden.

1. Later on in Matthew Chapter 23 Jesus looking back over the city of Jerusalem laments; “37. "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! 38. "See! Your house is left to you desolate; 39. "for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!' ''”
2. He was referencing the destruction the total destruction of that city as was told about Matthew Chapter 24 when God’s judgment came up on Jerusalem and destroyed it and left it desolate.

CONCLUSION:
Who is it that will reject the authority of Jesus? Following his resurrection Jesus said He has all authority on heaven and on Earth. He commissioned the apostles to preach the gospel in His name alone. What did they preach? If you look at religious authority today and how it answers the question of what a person must do to be saved, you will get a lot of different answers. What does a person have to do to become a Christian? What's involved in coming to God? What will save us? What does save us?

Those are questions that have perplexed religious authorities for years and years and there has been dissension among them as to how to answer the questions. In all of those answers that are derived from human wisdom there is absolutely not one ounce, not one little bit, of authority. Because all of it belongs to Jesus Christ.

We can all get together and decide what it takes to become a Christian and it means nothing, absolutely nothing. The only answer to that question that has authority, is the one from the authority of Jesus Christ. What did those who preached in the name of Jesus Christ preach? “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved”. Mark 16:16 That statement is authoritative, not because you and I accept it, not because you and I have done it, not because of some church ordinance, not because we agree with it,... but because Jesus said it!

That's why it's important that we believe it. Is this from heaven? Or is it from man?
That question is important to your life and to mine as we view anything that we would practice in religion, anything that we would do in the name of Jesus Christ. Is this from Heaven or is it from man?

If there is anyone here evening who needs to respond to the gospel, or if you need are in need of prayer or need to come before the church for one reason or another we encourage you to do so as we stand and sing this song of invitation.

Invitation song: ???

Reference sermon: David Schmidt

The Hero of the Ages

Romans 8:31-39

INTRO:
Good evening. For this evening I would like to again venture into the sermons of the preacher I was named after, DeWitt Talmage, and present another to you with minor adjustments. I find the lessons in these sermons just as applicable today as they were in the 1800’s. They serve to show us that though the presentation may change, God’s word does not change and we can learn from it as clearly as they could over 100 years ago.

Our scripture for this evening is Romans 8:31-39 – “31. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32. He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33. Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36. As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.'' 37. Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 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.”

In particular here I want us to notice verse 34; Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

Paul flung his challenge of the text to the feet of all ecclesiastical and civil authority—synagogues and Neros. He feared neither sword nor lion, earth nor hell. Diocletian slew seventeen thousand under his administration, and the world has been full of persecution; but all the persecutors of the world could not frighten Paul. Was it because he was physically strong? Oh, no! I suppose he was very much weakened by exposure and maltreatment. Was it because he was lacking in sensitiveness? No; you find the most delicate shades of feeling playing in and out of his letters and his sermons. Some of his communications burst into tears. What was it that lifted Paul into this triumphant mood? The thought of a Savior dead, a Savior risen, a Savior exalted, a Savior interceding!

We all have had or still have heroes. People real or fictional that to us seem larger then life, able to do things that we find amazing. All the world has sung the praise of Princess Diana. To a great many she was a modern hero celebrated for her charity work and her support of the ban of landmines. Diana was involved with dozens of charities, many focused on children, and through her efforts and advocation raised awareness and help for people affected with HIV/AIDS, cancer and mental illness. The Princess developed an intense interest in serious illnesses and health-related matters outside the purview of traditional royal involvement, including AIDS and leprosy. In recognition of her effect as a philanthropist, Stephen Lee, director of the UK Institute of Charity Fundraising Managers, said "Her overall effect on charity is probably more significant than any other person's in the 20th century." She was the patroness of charities and organizations who worked with the homeless, youth, drug addicts, and the elderly. She was president of Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, patron of the Natural History Museum, and president of the Royal Academy of Music. President of Barnardo's, a charity to care for vulnerable children and young people. Patron of the British Red Cross and supported its organizations in other countries such as Australia and Canada. She made several lengthy visits each week to Royal Brompton Hospital, where she worked to comfort seriously ill or dying patients. She was a patron of Headway, a brain injury association, and became the first patron of Chester Childbirth Appeal. She helped her friend Julia Samuel launch the charity Child Bereavement UK which supports children "of military families, those of suicide victims, [and] terminally-ill parents.” She was loved and cherished by many. Her efforts for those who were suffering made her a hero. But I have to tell you that when our race was suffering and dying the Lord Jesus stooped down and gave us the kiss of His everlasting love, and perished that we might live. “It is Christ that died.”

I. Can you tell me how tender-hearted Paul could find anything to rejoice at in the horrible death scene of Calvary? We weep at funerals, we are sympathetic when we see a stranger die; when a murderer steps into the execution chamber we pray for his departing spirit; and how could Paul—the great-hearted Paul—find anything to be pleased with at the death of Jesus? Beside that, Christ had only recently died, and the sorrow was fresh in the memory of the world, and how in the fresh memory of a Savior’s death could Paul be exalted?
A. It was because Paul saw in that death—his own deliverance, and the deliverance of mankind from still worse disaster; he saw the gap into which mankind must plunge, and he saw the bleeding hands of Christ close it. The glittering steel on the top of the executioner’s spear in his sight kindled into a torch to light men the way heavenward.
B. The persecutors saw over the cross five words written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin; but Paul saw over the cross of Christ only one word—“atonement!” He heard in the dying groan of Christ his own groan of eternal torture taken by another. Paul said to himself, “Had it not been that Christ volunteered in my behalf, those would have been my mauled hands and feet, my gashed side, my crimson temples.”
C. Men of great physical endurance have sometimes carried very heavy burdens—three hundred pounds, four hundred pounds—and they have still said, “My strength is not yet tested; put on more weight.” But after a while they were compelled to cry out, “Stop! I can carry no more.”
1. But the burden of Christ was unlimited. First, there was his own burden of hunger and thirst and bereavement, and a thousand outrages that have been heaped upon him, and on top of that burden were the sorrows of his poor mother, and on the top of those burdens the crimes of the ruffians who were executing him. “Stop!” you cry, “it is enough; Christ can bear no more.” And Christ says, “Roll on more burdens; roll on me the sins of this entire Jewish nation, and after that, roll on me the sins of the inhabited earth, and then roll on me the sins of the thousands of years past, so far as those sins have been forgiven.”
2. The angels of God, seeing the awful pressure, might cry, “Stop! He can bear no more.” And the blood rushing to the nostril and lip seems to cry out, “Enough! He can endure no more.” But Christ says, “Roll on a greater burden—roll on the sins of the next thousands of years, roll on me the sins of all the succeeding ages, roll on me the agonies of hell, ages on ages, the furnaces and the prison-houses and the tortures.” That is what the Bible means when it says, “He bore our sins, and carried our sorrows.”
D. “Now,” says Paul, “I am free; that suffering purchased my deliverance; God never collects a debt twice; I have a receipt in full; if God is satisfied with me, then what do all the threats of earth and hell amount to?” “Bring on all your witnesses,” says Paul; “show all your force; do your worst against my soul; I defy you; I dare you; I challenge you. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died.”
E. What a strong argument that puts in the hand of every Christian! Some day all the past sins of our life come down on us in fiery troop, and they pound away at the gate of our soul, and they say, “We have come for your arrest. Any one of us could overcome you; we are ten thousand strong; surrender!” And we open the door, and single-handed and alone we contend against that troop; we fling this divine weapon into their midst, we scatter those sins as quick as you can think it. “It is Christ that died.” Why, then, bring up to us the sins of our past life? What have we to do with those obsolete things?
F. You know how hard it is for a salvage company to bring up anything that is lost near the shore of the sea; but suppose something be lost half-way between Liverpool and New York; it cannot be found, it cannot be fetched up. “Now,” says God, “your sins I have cast into the depths of the sea.” Mid-Atlantic! All the machinery ever fashioned in foundries of darkness, and launched from the doors of eternal death, working for ten thousand years, cannot bring up one of our sins that is forgiven and forgotten and sunken into the depths of the sea. When a sin is pardoned, it is gone—it is gone out of the books, it is gone out of the memory, it is gone out of existence. “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” (Hebrews 8:12)
G. From other tragedies men have come away exhausted and nervous and sleepless; but there is one tragedy that soothes and calms and saves. Calvary was the stage on which it was enacted, the curtain of the night falling at mid-noon was the drop scene, the thunder of falling rocks the orchestra, angels in galleries and devils in the pit the spectators, the tragedy a crucifixion. “It is Christ that died.” Oh, triumphant thought!
H. If you go through a museums picture gallery year after year you will find changes there. I once said to a friend who had been through the galleries of Versailles, “Are they as they were before the French war?” and I was told there was a great change there; that all that multitude of pictures which represented Napoleonic triumphs had been taken away, and in the frames were other pictures representative of Germanic triumph and victory.
1. Would that all the scenes of Satanic triumph in our world might be blotted out, and that the whole world might be a picture-gallery representing the triumphant Jesus!
2. Down with the monarchy of transgression! Up with the monarchy of our King! Hail! Jesus, Hail!
II. Allow me to give you the second cause of Paul’s exhilaration. If Christ had stayed in that grave we never would have gotten out of our graves. The grave would have been dark and dismal as the Paris City Prison during the Reign of Terror in France, where the carts came up only to take the victims out to the scaffold. I do not wonder that the ancients tried by embalmment of the body to resist the dissolution of death. The grave would be the darkest, deepest, ghastliest chasm that was ever opened if there be no light from the resurrection throne streaming into it; but Christ stayed in the tomb all Friday night and all Saturday, all Saturday night, and a part of Sunday morning. He stayed so long in the tomb that he might fit it for us when we go there. He tarried two whole nights in the grave, so that he saw how important it was to have plenty of light, and he has flooded it with his own glory.
A. In my mind I see it is early Sunday morning, and we start up to find the grave of Christ. We find the morning sun gilding the dew, and the shrubs are sweet as the foot crushes them. What a beautiful place to be buried in! Wonder they did not treat Christ as well when he was alive as they do now that he is dead. Give the military salute to the soldiers who stand guarding the dead. But hark to the crash! an earthquake! The soldiers fall back as though they were dead, and the stone at the door of Christ’s tomb rolls away.
1. Come forth, O Jesus! From the darkness into the sunlight. Come forth, and breathe the perfume of Joseph’s garden. Christ comes forth radiant, and as he steps out of the excavation of the rock, I look down into the excavation, and in the distance I see others coming hand-in-hand, and troop after troop, and I find it is a long procession of the precious dead. Among them are our own loved ones—father, mother, brother, sister, companion, children—coming up out of the excavation of the rock until the last one has stepped out into the light, and I am bewildered, and I cannot understand the scene until I see Christ wave his hand over the advancing procession from the rock, and hear him say, “I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.” And then I notice that the long dirge of the world’s woe suddenly stops at the angelic proclamation of “He is risen”! “go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead”!
2. My friends, if Christ had not broken out of the grave you and I would never came out of it. It would have been another case of John Brown attempting to free the slaves, himself hanged. It would have been Death and Christ in a grapple, with Death the victor. The black flag would have floated on all the graves and mausoleums of the dead, and hell would have conquered the forces of Heaven, and captured the ramparts of God, and Satan would have come to coronation in the palaces of Heaven, and it would have been devils on the throne and sons of God in the dungeon.
3. No, no! When that stone was rolled from the door of Christ’s grave, it was hurled with such a force that it crashed in all the grave-doors of Christendom, and now the tomb is only a bower where God’s children take a siesta, an afternoon nap, to wake up in mighty invigoration. “He is risen.” Hang that lamp among all the tombs of my dead. Hang it over my own resting-place. Christ’s suffering is ended; His work is done. The darkest afternoon of the world’s history becomes the brightest Sunday morning of its resurrection joy. The Friday of bitter memories becomes the Sunday of glorious transformation and resurrection.

Ye mourning saints, dry every tear
For your departed Lord.
Behold the place: he is not here;
The tomb is all unbarred.
The gates of death were closed in vain,
The Lord is risen, he lives again.

III. I give you the third cause of Paul’s exhilaration. We honor the right hand more than we do the left. If in accident or battle we must lose one hand, let it be the left. The left hand being nearer the heart, we may not do much of the violent works of life with that hand without physical danger; but he who has the right arm in full play has the mightiest of all earthly weapons.
A. In all ages and in all languages the right hand is the symbol of strength and power and honor. Hiram sat at the right hand of Solomon. Then we have the term, “He is a right-hand man.” Lafayette was Washington’s right-hand man; Marshal Ney was Napoleon’s right-hand man.
B. Now you have the meaning of Paul when he speaks of Christ, who is at the right hand of God. That means He is the first guest of Heaven. He has a right to sit there. The Hero of the universe! Count his wounds; two in the feet, two in the hands, one in the side—five wounds. Oh! you have counted wrong. These are not half the wounds. Look at the sever wounds in the temples; each thorn a wound, look at His bloody back, scourged with cruelty.
1. If a hero comes back from battle, and he take off his hat, or roll up his sleeve, and show you the scar of a wound gotten at Ball’s Bluff or at Fredericktown, you stand in admiration at his heroism and patriotism; but if Christ should make conspicuous the five wounds gotten on Calvary—that Waterloo of all the ages—he would display only a small part of his wounds.
2. Wounded all over, let Him sit at the right hand of God. He has a right to sit there. By the request of God, the Father, and the unanimous suffrage of all heaven, let Him sit there. In the grand review, when the redeemed pass by in cohorts of splendor, they will look at Him and shout “Victory!”
C. The inhabitant of heaven never saw a grander day than the one when Christ took the right hand of God. Hosanna! With lips of clay I may not appropriately utter it, but let the martyrs under the altar throw the cry to the elders before the throne, and they can toss it to the choir on the sea of glass until all heaven shall lift it—some on point of scepter, and some on string of harp, and some on the tip of the green branches. Hosanna! hosanna!
IV. Yet let me declare a fourth cause of Paul’s exhilaration. Oh! my friends, there will be so many things going on in heaven, I have sometimes wondered if the Lord would not forget you and me!
A. Had I been in Paul’s place I would have thought sometimes: “I wonder that God doesn’t forget me down here in Antioch and in the prison and in the shipwreck. There are so many sailors, so many wayfarers, so many prisoners, so many heart-broken men,” I would think, “perhaps God may forget me. And then I am so vile a sinner. How I tried to destroy those Christians! With what vengeance I dashed down to Damascus! Oh! It will take a mighty attorney to plead my cause and get me free.”
B. But just at that moment there comes something mightier than the surges that dashed Paul’s ship, swifter than his trip to Damascus. It is the swift and overwhelming thought of Christ’s intercession.
C. My friends, we must have an advocate. A poor lawyer is worse than no lawyer at all. We must have one who is able successfully to present our cause before God. Where is he? Who is he? There is only one advocate in all the universe that can plead our cause in the last judgment, that can plead our cause before God in the great tribunal.
1. Sometimes in earthly courts attorneys have specialties, and one man succeeds better in patent cases, another in insurance cases, another in criminal cases, another in land cases, another in will cases, and his success generally depends upon his sticking to that specialty.
2. I have to tell you that Christ can do many things; but it seems to me that his specialty is to take the bad case of the sinner and plead it before God until he gets eternal acquittal. Yes! We must have him for our advocate.
D. But what plea can He make?
1. Sometimes an attorney in court will plead the innocence of the prisoner. That would be inappropriate for us; we are all guilty! guilty! Unclean! unclean! Christ, our advocate, will not plead our innocence.
2. Sometimes the attorney in court tries to prove an alibi. He says: “This prisoner was not at the scene; he was in some other place at the time.” Such a plea will not do in our case. The Lord found us in all our sins, and in the very place of our iniquity. It is impossible to prove an alibi.
3. Sometimes an attorney will plead the insanity of the prisoner, and say he is irresponsible on that account. That plea will never do in our case. We sinned against light, against knowledge, against the dictates of our own consciences; we knew what we were doing.
4. What, then, shall the plea be? The plea for our eternal deliverance will be Christ’s own martyrdom. He will say: “Look at all these wounds. By all these sufferings I demand the rescue of this person from sin and death and hell. Constable, knock off the shackles—let the prisoner go free.” “Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.”

CONCLUSION:
Why all this gladness on the faces of these sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty? I know what you are thinking of. A Savior dead, a Savior risen, a Savior exalted, a Savior interceding. “What,” say you, “is all that for me?” All! It is all! Never let me hear you complaining about anything again. With your pardoned sin behind you, and a successful Christ pleading above you, and a glorious heaven before you, how can you be despondent about anything?

“But,” says some man in the audience, “all that is very good and very true for those who are inside the kingdom; but how about those of us who are outside?” Then I say, Come into the kingdom, come out of the prison-house into the glorious sunlight of God’s mercy and pardon, and come now.

We know that a dictatorship is a form of government characterized by the absolute rule of one person or a very small group of people who hold all political power. The dictatorship often maintains power by employing oppressive methods. It is an old form of government with origins in ancient Rome. Recent examples include Hitler and the Nazi Party in Germany, Stalin and the Communist Party in Russia and Benito Mussolini and the National Fascist Party in Italy. Once a dictatorship is in power it often uses unlawful methods to cement itself in power. It may imprison, exile or assassinate political opponents, change any constitution that exists, manipulate the press, and subvert the rule of law. A dictatorship closely aligns itself with the military and is often seen as a high general, the commander.

My friends, sin is the worst of all Dictatorships; it is the tyrant of tyrants; it has built a prison house for our soul; it plots our death; it has shorn us for the sacrifice, but, blessed be God, this morning we hear the sounds of God’s gracious deliverance pounding against the door of our prison. Deliverance has come. Light breaks through all the wards of the prison. Revolution! Revolution! “Where sin abounded, grace does much more abound, that whereas sin reigned unto death, even so grace may reign unto eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” What a glorious truth! A Savior dead, a Savior risen, a Savior exalted, a Savior interceding!

Would that He be your savior too! If you have heard the gospel message and it has led you to believe in Jesus, then you need to repent of your sins and confess that belief and be baptized for the remission of your sins. God is faithful and if you do these things He will wash away your sins and add you to His Kingdom, His church. If perhaps you are a Christian and somehow your foot has slipped, you may become right with God by asking for forgiveness. 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.
# ???
Reference Sermon: DeWitt Talmage

An Earnest Prayer

Matthew 26

A young boy was kneeling in prayer, looking quite disgruntled.
He muttered, “Aunt Harriet hasn’t gotten married,
Uncle Hubert hasn’t found work,
and Daddy’s hair is still falling out…
I’m getting tired of praying for this family
without getting any results!”

Or there’s the prayer of the person who asked:
Dear God,
My prayer for 2024 is for a FAT BANK account and a THIN BODY
PLEASE don’t MIX these up like you did LAST YEAR!

I. THE GARDEN AT GETHSEMANE

A. A Place of Prayer.
The Garden at Gethsemane – just the very mention of that name produce a variety of images in our minds – images of prayer, agony & betrayal. Yet it is a beautiful site, & tourists visiting it will often be told that 8 of the olive trees there today were nearly a century or more old when Jesus went there that night. Our Scripture text this morning is Matthew 26:36-56. It begins with these words: “Then Jesus went with His disciples to a place called Gethsemane...”  And Luke 22:39 tells us about it in this way, “Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and His disciples followed Him.” Being in the Garden at Gethsemane was not something unusual for Jesus.Evidently, when He was in Jerusalem this was where He usually went to pray. So when Judas went hunting for Jesus to betray Him, he knew just where to go. Jesus had gone “as usual” to the Garden at Gethsemane to pray.

ILL. Surveys indicate that about 85% of all Americans say that they pray. Some pray a lot, & some not very much. But 85% of us say that we pray. In fact, I have even heard that 20% of self-proclaimed atheists & agnostics say that they pray, too. I’m not sure to whom they pray, but they say that they pray. You see, God has offered us a source of strength through prayer, but too seldom do most of us really pray.

So this morning, as we look at the Garden at Gethsemane, the place where Jesus prayed, may God help us to realize the power of prayer that He has so freely offered to us. By the way, do you have a place that is your place of prayer?
Is there a spot where, maybe early in the morning, or during the day, or late at night, you can go & be undisturbed as you pray?  Gethsemane was a place of prayer for Jesus. But for Him it was more than that.

B. For Jesus it was also a place of privacy. Vs’s 36-37 tell us that as Jesus & His disciples reach the garden Jesus “... said to them, 'Sit here while I go over there & pray.’ He took Peter & the two sons of Zebedee along with Him, & He began to be sorrowful & troubled.”

Here is the scene.  After eating the Passover meal together in the upper room, Jesus & 11 of His disciples are walking back toward Bethany. Judas is not with them. He had left them earlier to carry out his plan to betray Jesus.  As Jesus & His disciples are going up the Mt. of Olives they come to the Garden at Gethsemane. Jesus stops at the entrance & leaves 8 of them there to wait while He goes into the Garden to pray. He takes Peter, James & John with Him.  Then, after asking them to watch & pray, Luke tells us that He left them & went about a stone’s throw beyond them. Then He fell to the ground & prayed, all alone with God.  And there are times in our lives when we, too, need to be alone with God. I imagine that most of us have experienced times like that.

C. For Jesus, the Garden at Gethsemane was also a place of great agony. Vs. 38 tells us that He said to Peter, James, & John “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here & keep watch with me.” It was a time of intense feeling & agony for our Lord because He knew what tomorrow would hold for Him. He knew about the illegal trials, the scourger's whip, the crown of thorns, & the cross.

Is there any doubt that Jesus was feeling the agony of it all? The Gospel of John says that when Jesus left the upper room with his disciples to go to the Garden at Gethsemane that they crossed the Kidron Valley. And in that Valley was a stream called the "Brook of Kidron" that flowed down from the temple mount.  On that particular day, it was Passover, So thousands of lambs had been offered as sacrifices for the sins of the people. And the blood of those lambs had drained out upon the temple mount.

The Brook of Kidron would have been red with their blood. And Jesus, the "Lamb of God," knew that as He crossed this brook, it would soon be his blood that flowed.  Luke 22:44 says, “And being in anguish, He prayed more earnestly, & His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.”  Scientists say that it is possible in moments of intense stress for capillaries to burst & blood to mix with perspiration. And as Jesus agonized in prayer that must have happened with Him.

D. For Jesus, Gethsemane was also a place of submission. Vs. 39 says, “Going a little farther, He fell with His face to the ground & prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.’”
Jesus completely submitted Himself to God’s will. Sometimes we come to God in prayer & say, “God, this is what I think should happen.” And we ought to feel free to say that.  But because He is our heavenly Father & knows what is best for us, He may not always give us what we want.

ILL. Garth Brooks has a song entitled “Lord, Thank You for Unanswered Prayers.”  In it he sings about going back to his high school reunion & seeing his old sweetheart. She was the one he once planned to marry, the one that he thought he wouldn’t be able to live without. But after high school, for some reason, they went their separate ways. And after seeing her again at that reunion he wrote the song, “Lord, Thank You for Unanswered Prayers.” Just after we got married, Debbie and I placed bids on 3 different houses throughout northeast Ohio that we thought were ideal for our future family ....but we were out bid on all 3. We didn’t understand OR know at the time how happy we would be with the house in Perry that we have lived in for over 33 years. Our prayers back then went unanswered And it worked out to be a better future for us.

Jesus knew exactly what was happening, so he prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not MY will, but THY will be done."

E. For Jesus, this Garden was also a place of patience & understanding.

1. Notice vs’s 40 & 41. “Then He returned to His disciples & found them sleeping. ‘Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?’ He asked Peter. ‘Watch & pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.’”  Now we have to sympathize with the apostles here, don’t we?  It had been a busy week. There was the Triumphal Entry as Jesus came into the city & was greeted with hosannas & the waving of palm branches. After that came the cleansing of the temple & conflict with the religious leaders.

The Passover meal in the upper room had also been a very emotional experience as Jesus told them again that He was going to die, & that one of them would betray Him.  Then they had walked to Gethsemane, & by then it was probably well after midnight. They were tired. They wanted to do what Jesus asked them to do, but they fell asleep. And when Jesus came back to where they were, notice His patience & under-standing. He didn’t bawl them out. He just gently reminded them what they were supposed to be doing & said, “The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”  One of the benefits of prayer ought to be that we become more patient with each other. If we’re not patient with each other, then we’re not praying the way we ought.

2. Vs. 42 says, “He went away a second time & prayed, ‘My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may Your will be done.’”  Vs. 43 says, “When He came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. So, He left them & went away once more & prayed the third time, saying the same thing.” The Bible teaches us that we ought to be persistent in our prayers – never giving up, coming again & again in prayer to the Lord, seeking His will in our lives.Jesus prayed this same prayer at least 3 different times. If prayer is going to be a source of power in our lives, then there must be some persistence in what we pray for.

F. Again, for Jesus the Garden at Gethsemane was also a place of strength & renewal. Vs’s 45 & 46 tell us, “Then He returned to the disciples & said to them, ‘Are you still sleeping & resting? Look, the hour is near, & the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us go! Here comes my betrayer.”  What a change! Just a few verses ago we were reading about Jesus being sorrowful & troubled & near the point of death. But here is renewed energy. Jesus is saying, “It’s time! Rise up! Let’s go! Here comes my betrayer.”  Where did His renewed strength & determination come from? It must have come from His time of prayer in the Garden at Gethsemane.  Luke 22:43 says that as Jesus was praying, “An angel from heaven appeared to Him & strengthened Him.”  Now He is ready to face the cross for us!

ILL. Bill Hybells in his book “Too Busy to Pray” says that if the request is wrong, God says, “No!” If the timing is wrong God says, “Slow!” If we are wrong God says, “Grow!” But if everything is right God says, “Go!” So, God said to Jesus, “It’s time to go.”

II. JESUS IS ARRESTED!

A. Before we close, I want us also to see the arrest of Jesus. Vs's 47-49 tell us, “While He was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords & clubs, sent from the chief priests & the elders of the people.  "Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: ‘The one I kiss is the man; arrest him.’ Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, ‘Greetings, Rabbi!’ & kissed him.”

Have you ever been betrayed by someone you loved & trusted? If so, you understand the deep hurt & pain that Jesus must have felt as Judas approached. In spite of this, notice how Jesus responds in vs. 50, “Jesus replied, ‘Friend, do what you came for.’” He still called Judas His “friend.”  Vs. 50 goes on to say,  “Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus & arrested him." "With that, one of Jesus’ companions reached for his sword, drew it out & struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.”  Matthew doesn’t tell us it was Simon Peter, but John does.

Vs’s 52-54 tell us “’Put your sword back in its place,’ Jesus said to him, ‘for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.  'Do you think I cannot call on my Father, & He will at once put at my disposal more than 12 legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?’”   And while the people who stood there didn’t see angels, they saw in Jesus a power such as they had never experienced before. In fact, John 18:6 says that when all this happened, instead of rushing forward to grab Jesus, the soldiers & Temple guards drew back & fell to the ground. But Jesus surrendered to them. After all, He had just prayed, “Father...not my will but Yours be done.” “Then all the disciples deserted Him & fled.” (Vs. 56)

B. Now there are two lessons we need to learn this morning.

1. “Effective emergency prayer should be preceded by regular daily prayer.”  The Bible says that Jesus often prayed all night. He would often go up into the mountains to pray. He was constantly in an attitude of prayer. So, when an emergency arose, when the crisis came, when the cross was before Him, Jesus was able to handle it. Don’t expect emergency prayers to work if you haven’t developed a daily habit of prayer. God may say, “Who’s that stranger calling?” So, every day let Him hear your voice. Then when emergencies arise, when crises come, you’ll be ready.

2. Secondly, “Prayer strengthens us to face our difficulties more than it changes our circumstances.” Sometimes prayer changes circumstances. Sometimes we see people healed who should have died. Sometimes we see situations in life changed because we have prayed about them.  But for the most part, God gives us strength to face the difficulties more than He changes the circumstances.  When the apostle Paul prayed that the thorn in his flesh be removed, God said “No, you’ll keep the thorn in the flesh. But I’ll give you the strength you need.” And Paul proclaimed that God’s grace was sufficient for him.  When Jesus prayed, “Let this cup pass from me,” God said, “No, this is a part of the plan. But I’ll give you the strength to face the cross.”  And sometimes God will say that to us, too. He may not always change the circumstances, but he will give us the strength to face the difficulties.

ILL. Someone wrote:
I prayed for strength that I might achieve.
I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey.
I asked for health that I might do greater things.
I was given infirmity that I might do better things.
I asked for riches that I might be happy.
I was given poverty that I might be wise.
I asked for power that I might have the praise of men.
I was given weakness that I might feel my need for God.
I asked for all things that I might enjoy life.
I was given life that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing I asked for, yet everything I’d hoped for.
Almost despite myself, my prayers were answered.
I am among all men most richly blessed!

These are stressful times. We need a Garden at Gethsemane, a place where we can go & recognize that we’re not strong enough or wise enough to do what God has called us to do. We can only do it as we realize His strength & His blessings in our life.
This morning, if you’re not a Christian, we give you the opportunity to come to Jesus, to be baptized for the remission of your sins and to walk in newness of life. It is His invitation, & we offer it to you. Will you come as we stand & as we sing?

INVITATION

Based on a sermon given By Melvin Newland

Not Conformed But Transformed - Part 2

Romans 12:1-2

INTRO:

Good morning.   Today we are going to continue to look at Romans 12:1-2.  Just as a reminder if you hear me say anything that you do not think is according to scripture please let me know and we can look at it together.   In general I will be using the New King James or the King James Version for reference.   Specifically we will be looking at where Paul says we should not be conformed to this world and that we should be transformed by the renewing of our minds.   Last week we looked at the word conformed and wondered what that looked like, what it meant for us.

 

Do you like “new things”?    What about a new person?   Mark Hull or Ray Mihalacki can tell you about their new grandchildren.   New babies are so small, innocent and clean.   All of that changes as individuals mature.   Today we will talk about the power of change and the beauty of newness.  If it were not for the ability for us to change we could never be what God intended us to be.   We must become new again.   The restoration plea.

 

1. A New Creation: A New Creation is what Paul describes in 2 Corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”   The idea of “newness” is an important element of the gospel message.   In fact, that is the practical “good news” that God brings, as described in scripture.   We can be redone and we can start anew.   We are not shackled forever with the past or with what we have done before.   God can make things new again. 
   1. The idea of being redone, reborn and being a new person implies something about us that we must deal with and understand.
      1. If implies that we have a need to be “fixed” or “recreated“. We are not what God would have us to be, we are not as he created us.   We have to be transformed because we have created within ourselves with our own disobedience, a situation where we are not acceptable to God.   That’s important for us to recognize.
      2. We have to believe that there is a necessity for everyone to be transformed and be made new again. Sometimes we are tempted to believe that we’re good enough for ourselves, we’re good enough for the church, the kingdom, and we’re “good enough” for what we have to do. 
      3. We also often believe that our neighbors or our family are good enough. We believe that they’re going to be ok and the end is going to be alright.   After all we’re not all that bad, are we?  The very idea of the need for renewal in scriptures implies that we are all that bad.   If not for the blood of Christ we would be eternally lost.  If it were not for the ability that God gives us to make the right choices, to be sorry for what we have done, to study, learn and develop our character, we could never be what God would have us to be.
   2. What we find described in all this, is a complete makeover. That’s what the scripture describes, it is what God does for us and what the transformation involves.  The nature of the change that God makes in us is described in the most comprehensive terms in scripture.
      1. It is described as a new birth in John chapter three. Jesus spoke privately to a well-educated religious leader and focused on the necessity of a complete change.  He said that change must be so drastic; it must be so comprehensive that it is like being born again.   Becoming like Mark or Ray’s grandchild, a new birth.   “Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”  John 3:3
      2. In Ephesians 2:1 Paul focused on the comprehensive nature of change when he said: And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins. The change he talks about here, took place in Ephesus in conversions of sinners.   Described as a resurrection from the dead.   They weren’t just sick.   They weren’t just feeling bad.   They were dead in their trespasses and sins but God made them alive again.   In Romans 6:4, he uses that very same analogy again.  “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” 
      3. Then in 2 Corinthians 3:18 – “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” It is a transformation.
      4. It is a complete change that a Christian undergoes, and here is an important note,… continues to undergo. Do we see any evidence of this transformation in our lives or the lives of other Christians today?   Can we see this drastic change the Bible talks about when we look at Christians?   How about when we look at those of the world?   When we stand them side by side is there really a great contrast between the lives of Christians and the lives of others who are not Christians?  
      5. Or do we miss the mark? Christian marriages fail as well as marriages in the world.   Christians fail in the lives of their children.   They fail to teach their children about the love of God.   Many times Christians speak like the world or aspire to the goals of the world.    In the end they live the life that the world lives around them.   How can we say that Jesus can make a difference in the lives of others if He makes no difference in ours?
   3. Be Transformed: The transformation in our own individual, personal lives becomes the greatest evidence of what we’re teaching about Jesus Christ from the scriptures. It teaches that it is actually true and is practical for everyone. If the Gospel does not change our life we cannot expect to teach others and have it change their lives.   That may be one reason that sometimes both hypocrisy and mediocrity in service to Christ, transcends generations.   When parents are not very faithful to the Lord many times the children will not be.   The transformed life is the agent through which the power of the gospel takes hold.   If the transformation is not there, the words simply fall on ears that will never put them into practice.
      1. Paul’s admonition to us in Romans 12:2: 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. We read this last week as we looked closely at the first part of Paul’s admonition, do not be conformed.   Now let us continue by looking at the 2^nd
         1. The positive command here is to “be transformed”. The two are absolutely connected and this part helps us to understand the negative prohibition, “be not conformed”.
         2. In fact, we cannot hope to escape being conformed unless we are inwardly transformed in our thinking. If we are not changed in the likeness of Jesus Christ we will be molded into the likeness of the world.   There’s no middle ground here you can wander around in.
         3. When we think about our own lives, the old man and the new man: What does the before and after picture of our mind look like? I believe to a great extent that is what Paul addresses here—that there is to be a contrast in the way we think from the way we thought when we were in the world.
      2. Has the Spirit of God transformed our thinking? The Greek verb for be transformed is (metamorphoo) and is very insightful.   It describes a change of place or condition… To transform, transfigure, change one’s form. (Word Study Dictionary).   It’s the same word that is used to describe, in Matthew chapter 17, the transfiguration of Jesus.   Jesus was inherently divine yet in the flesh, but in that particular moment He was transformed so that His outward appearance gave indication of His inherent nature within.   He was shown to be the deity that He is by the transforming of His outward character or form.
         1. It is the term from which we get the English metamorphosis. You may see that word in the Greek word itself.  What do you think of when you hear metamorphosis?   I think of science class and the Monarch butterfly.   That was the first lesson I had illustrating what the word metamorphosis meant.  The butterfly doesn’t start out as a butterfly so it becomes a very good illustration from the natural world as to what change is.  It doesn’t start out the same as what it becomes.   It was morphed over a period of time.   God’s natural world about us illustrates His word to us.
            1. There are four stages in the metamorphosis of the butterfly. First there is the egg laid on the milkweed plant.  It’s a very tiny ball.  
            2. From the egg comes the caterpillar. It still doesn’t look like a butterfly, does it?   It’s kind of cute, but it’s not a butterfly.   It doesn’t in any way resemble a butterfly.

• After the caterpillar, then comes a cocoon, or a chrysalis. The caterpillar builds an outer shell around itself.  

1. Within the chrysalis there is a transformation. The green caterpillar is disappearing and the butterfly is emerging.   It’s interesting that God lets us see all that.   Finally the transformation (metamorphosis) is complete, and the full grown butterfly emerges.
2. The butterfly flies away after having gone through this process of change. There has been a transformation.  What kind of change is this?  I think we all realize that this is a complete   What the thing started out as is not what it ends up as.   It’s completely different.   This change, this metamorphosis, took place over a period of time.   It didn’t happen in a moment.  I think it’s about two weeks from the time the caterpillar goes into the cocoon until it comes as a butterfly.

2. Spiritually we go through a metamorphosis, a transformation. We don’t end up anything like we started as.  It doesn’t happen in a moment.   It happens over a period of time.  
3. The verb “be transformed” is like the preceding verb, “be not conformed”. In the original language we get the sense this is also a passive imperative.   It literally means we are not to allow ourselves to be conformed, but rather we are to allow ourselves to be transformed.   This indicates that the power to transform is like the power to conform.   Allowing it is something we have control over.  We have a say over whether we’re conformed to the world.   We have a responsibility to allow the power of God to work a transformation in our mind.
4. In 2 Corinthians 3:18 you see: “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” An important aspect of this particular passage is not only the dimension that we are being transformed as children of God, but that the transformation takes place “by the Spirit of the Lord”.   Although we are to aspire to this outward change, it can be accomplished only by the Holy Spirit working in us. 

1. Ephesians 5:18 – “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,” In the context of that verse Paul is describing the changed individual.  If you go back to chapter four he talks about the old man and the new man and putting off certain characteristics and putting on others.   He talks about the possibility of redemption that is made possible through Jesus Christ.  He says we are not to grieve the Holy Spirit.  We are to make this change.  In the context he tells us how this takes place.   He says it takes place when the individual is filled with the Spirit of God.  That’s not mystical thing or a mystery.   It is the ability of the individual to allow the Spirit of God to influence their lives.  And not just a little bit, but totally influence their lives so that they are filled with the influence of the Spirit of God working in them.
2. To get a better picture of this transformation, let’s consider the Greek noun, morph, from which this verb comes. The word morph refers to a unique form or nature of something.   It describes the inherent quality of a person or thing. 
   1. This word is used by the apostle Paul in Philippians 2:6-7 - Talking about Christ Paul says: “6. who, being in the form (morph) of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,    but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form (morph) of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men.”  We’re all familiar with that passage to describe the incarnation of Jesus Christ. 
      1. Jesus’ inherent “form” was divine, but he took on the “form” of a man in becoming flesh, and living as an obedient servant. He was God before He came into this world.  He has always been God yet He took on a form.
      2. Jesus “morphed” from one form to another. (He did this without giving up His divinity, but Jesus’ previous “form” was completely different from His “form” while on the earth.  
   2. We are called upon to change completely back to what we were intended to be. We must empty ourselves of the world in order to be transformed into the image of Christ.  
      1. When I go to work on a car I have what are called coveralls. I used them a lot in the Air Force as well.   We put them on over the top of our clothes.   Very, very useful things.   Sometimes I need to work on something and just do not have any clothes I want to take a chance on wrecking.   We know what can happen to clothes when you work on a car.   However, when you put on coveralls and work on your car you don’t worry about it because your good clothes are underneath.  
      2. Coveralls are just that, a cover. God does not provide coveralls though.   If you are going to put on good clothes, you’ve got to take off the old.   That’s the process for us.  
   3. There’s a clear distinction between what’s old and new in scripture, what’s old and new in the life of the Christian, between the life previously in the world and what God expects of us. Sometimes that comes in the form of direct commandments, the application of principles.   A complete change, from old to new, a transformation, is exactly what God requires.   Let’s go back to Romans chapter 12.  He says there we are transformed by the renewing of our mind.

• By the Renewing of Your Mind: Paul indicates this necessity of putting off the old as a part of our transformation in Ephesians 4:22 -24 – “22.  that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,    and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,  24.  and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in righteousness and true holiness.” 
  1. A couple things I notice here. Lusts are mentioned a number of times in scripture for example 1 John 2:16 – “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the Father but is of the world.”   John points out these are part of the world.    They are deceitful in that the world likes to present them as normal or acceptable.   The second thing I notice is that the “new man” we are told to put on is the one “created according to God”.
  2. Notice here in Ephesians 4, as in Romans 12, that the part of us that God is interested in transforming is our minds. I believe in both passages he talks about the renewing, transformation, of the mind as the way, the avenue, where the outer conduct is changed and the form of a person becomes—different
     1. There’s a change in the intellectual capacity of an individual to understand God’s word, and his willingness to apply what he knows.
     2. Earlier in Ephesians 4 Paul described those who were alienated from God as being darkened in their understanding. They were ignorant, he says.   They were blind in their hearts, but now they’ve been enlightened and renewed in the spirit of their minds.   This lack of knowledge and faith led them to practice those things that are not right in the sight of God.  
     3. You don’t accidently do what God wants you to do. You can’t accidently follow a culture and be what God wants you to be.  There has to be revelation.   There has to be understanding of the truth.   The way in which we decide to become a Christian starts there.   We say that a person must hear the word of God.   Faith comes by hearing what God says.   That hearing is designed to change the mind of the individual and ultimately in changing their mind they change their conduct.
  3. How is the mind renewed? We’ve already mentioned part of that.   It’s renewed by revelation, by the power of the Holy Spirit.   It is through the power of the Holy Spirit that the mind of the individual is brought to newness.   That’s not mystical or mysterious. 
     1. Certainly we need to recognize that God is the true change agent. Without His power we could not change ourselves to be what God would have us to be.  The Spirit’s means of transforming our minds is the Word of God.
     2. This is a concept or idea that’s always reinforced throughout the scriptures. The apostle Paul, when he talks about transformation by the Spirit of God mentions it within the context of the word of God that brings the transformation about.   David testified, “Thy word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against Thee” (Psalms 119:11).    It’s the word of God within the heart of the individual that guides an individual to do what’s right and keeps him from doing the things that are wrong. 
     3. 2 Timothy 3:15-17 – “15. and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16.  All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17.  that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”    The transformation of our mind can only be accomplished through our constant association with the word of God.   Paul told the Ephesians if they read what he wrote them they could understand his knowledge in the mystery of God.
     4. Paul told Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:13-16 – “13. Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. 14.  Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery (that is elders).  Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. 16.  Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.”    The word of God is at the heart of the transformation of the character, not only in the one that was being taught, but in the teacher as well.   The mind must be changed by the revelation of the word of God.
  4. What does a renewed or transformed mind look like? You’ve probably seen one.  You’ve seen transformation take place in the lives of individuals when they came out of the world and became Christians.   Their character changes before your eyes.   They become new people.   What does a transformed mind look like?   Let me suggest a couple of things.
     1. One is that the transformed mind is saturated with and controlled by the word of God. We read:   “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…” – Colossians 3:16.
     2. The transformed mind is the mind that spends less time with the things of the world and more time with the things of God. Paul’s admonition is: “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” (Colossians 3:2).    That’s a practical admonition having to do with the change of the mind of an individual by opening the Bible and meditating on the things that are there.   We need to check ourselves.
        1. How many times a day do we read the Bible?
        2. How many times a week do we meditate on what the scriptures say?

• How much time do we spend trying to understand what is said?

3. The transformed mind is the mind that responds to the events of life (reflexively) with the words of God.
   1. We interpret the events of our life in the context of scripture.
   2. We respond to temptation with the context of scripture.

• This is our living sacrifice; our spiritual service.

1. Jesus responded to Satan’s temptations by hurling Scripture back into His adversary’s face (Matthew 4:4,7,10). Satan came in with temptation.  Jesus hurled scripture right back at him because He was a spiritual Man and a spiritual man will always use scripture.   What Paul says, is that in the living sacrifice, the spiritual service to which we are called—we will use the word of God.  

4. The transformed mind is seeking to transform others through the word of God. It recognizes that the power of the word of God is not just for our benefit only.   It is to renew the minds of other individuals who do not yet have the spiritual perspective.
5. 2 Corinthians 10:5 – Paul says: “cast down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” That’s an enormous challenge.   God calls us to cast down what exalts its self against the knowledge of God, be they arguments or things, and then to bring every thought into the obedience of Christ.
6. When you look at the world today and all the different thinking and anti-God philosophies that exist in our culture, all the people who do not know about God, and all the people who do not care about God, you recognize the enormity of this task and the desperate need for it.
7. We are to be renewed in our minds and we want everyone to think like the mind of Christ. Indeed I think that the renewed mind looks like the mind of Christ.   We look like the image we’re transformed to.   The goal of the renewed minds is to be like Christ Himself.
8. Paul says in Colossians 3:9-10 – “9. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10.  and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,”      Earlier in Colossians 1:28 Paul says: “Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.”  
   1. Romans 8:29 – “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” God has plans for us in spiritual transformation.   What is the goal?   Paul says that before He knew us “that He also predestined us to be conformed to the image of His son.”
   2. Another verse where the Greek word “morph” is used is Galatians 4:19 – “My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you,”   That is why Paul labored.  That’s why he gave his life over to do what he was doing.  It was so he could go to a city where individuals knew nothing about Christ and Christ could be formed in them by the preaching of the gospel.

• It seems that in our society, we simply do not believe that this happens any more. Do we believe that you can take the word of God and nothing but the word of God, preach it and teach it, and by that action show to an unregenerate heart Jesus Christ?   Do we believe that a person can be truly transformed?

9. Sometimes the more practical question is: Has Christ formed in us?   Do others see the mind of Christ in our decisions and attitudes?   Do they hear the words of Christ in our speech and how we relate to other individuals?   Do they see us reacting to situations in life as Christ would react in His own life?

1. That you might prove: Paul says in the end of the verse: “That you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” We are renewed in our minds so that we might “prove”.  The word for “prove” here was often used to mean “ascertain or investigate” (as the precious metals were investigated with a testing of fire to “prove” their worth.)  A precious metal is put under fire and tested.  It is proved to be what it says that it is.   What does this passage mean?   That our transformed minds prove what is the will of God.  
   1. Those with a transformed mind are able to properly investigate the will of God in their life. A person’s mind that has changed, having now a disposition to obey Him, will be prepared to understand His precepts because the mind is renewed toward Him.
      1. It’s not struggling whether or not God has a prerogative to tell him what to do. That person has taken the mind of the servant, the one who will obey, and their mind has been renewed not to seek their own, but to seek the things of God.   Whatever God says, wherever God’s word leads them, they will go because their mind has the ability to prove the will of God.
      2. There is a difference between knowledge and will. I may know something, but have no will to do it.  I have to recognize that God intends in every way to mold and transform my will by the gaining of knowledge.
      3. The Greek construction makes “that you may prove” in the original text a purpose / result phrase. It means that this is the purpose and that will be the result.   As a believer’s mind is transformed he is able to properly assess everything, and to accept only what conforms to the will of God.   To judge their life by the will of God in so much that their will becomes the same as God’s will.   Our lives can prove what the will of God is, by doing those things that are good and acceptable and perfect to Him.
   2. There you have it. That’s the transformation of the life of a Christian.   Thus, as the mind is transformed, the will is changed.  The Christians’ will becomes conformed to the will of God.   God’s people want what God wants; they want to do what God wants them to do.  Does that seem like an enormous challenge?
      1. Paul said that his purpose in preaching the gospel, was that he might be well pleasing to God in all things.
      2. Paul tells us that as we are transformed in mind we come to realize three things—that God’s will is good, acceptable and perfect. Let’s think about that.
      3. Good – That which promotes what is best for man and God. Do you think monogamous marriage for a lifetime is good?  What about; Honesty, humility, compassion for others, love for all mankind?   By obeying God I will be able to apply these principles to the events of my own life.
      4. Acceptable – That which is approved of God, that which has His blessing and will bring His blessings. Do we know, in our own mind, what will please Him?   If we develop the mind of Christ we will know what pleases Him.
      5. Perfect – That which has all its parts – complete. God’s will is consistent and complete.   See how it all fits together?
   3. Maybe you remember that when you first became a Christian and God began to impart knowledge from His word, you began to read the scriptures and began to meditate on them and you began to understand what God was saying to you.
      1. In your mind you came to understand, put together the plan of salvation. You put together the Old Testament and the New Testament.   You saw how things fit together and then you saw what God was telling you to do in your own life.
      2. You saw how by being humble you could be a better parent. By being compassionate how you would be perceived by others and could become more effective in teaching them.   You saw how by doing what God tells you to do in your actions, attitudes and character you were exactly what you needed to be in this life and the life to come.
      3. What you were doing, you were proving the will of God to be perfect and acceptable in your transformed mind. That is a Spiritual Metamorphosis.
   4. The 19^th century commentator Albert Barnes, said: “A transformed mind produces a transformed will, by which we become eager and able, with the Spirit’s help, to lay aside our own plans and to trustingly accept God’s, no matter what the cost.  This continued yielding involves the strong desire to know God better and to comprehend and follow His purpose for our lives.”
      1. That’s a challenge. Let me suggest something.  If we don’t come through our own desire and our own will, to study God’s word in the assembly of the saints, we’re not going to get this.  
      2. Christians who willing stay away from the study of God’s word, don’t open their Bibles at home, don’t pray, and don’t seek after a better relationship with God will never be changed. They were nice people before and they’re nice people now, but the Spirit of God has not renewed and transformed their minds therefore their wills will never be acceptable to God.
   5. Spiritual Metamorphosis: God changes us, but not in an instant.  It is the continuing work of the Holy Spirit.  The Spiritual Metamorphosis described in the Bible has a beginning followed by growth to maturity.
      3. There is a birth - John three says you must be born again.   John 3:3-7- “3.  Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.'' 4.  Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?'' 5.  Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6.  "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7.  "Do not marvel that I said to you, `You must be born again.'” 
         1. In Romans chapter six Paul identifies that beginning point. Romans 6:3-4 – “3.  Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4.  Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” 
         2. That’s the beginning of this new life..
      4. There is growth - There is a process of spiritual growth to maturity and it is God that transforms us if we allow Him. Philippians 1:6 – “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;”   When we come out of the waters of baptism we are not all God wants us to be, but we have been changed from a sinner to a saint.   Our sins have been forgiven.   There is still a transformation that God requires of us.   We have responsibility to grow spiritually and mature.   This is by definition a change that is noticeable and advantageous.   God’s still working on us.   If we fail we will fall.   In some sense it’s like riding a bicycle.  Once you take your feet off the ground you better start pedaling.  If you are not moving you are going to fall.   If you get baptized and think you can sit still then you’re going to fall.  You’ve got to keep pedaling to stay upright and reach the destination.
      5. Colossians 2:6-7 – “6. As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,    rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.”

 

CONCLUSION:

Have you been transformed by the renewing of your mind?   Have you been born again?   Have you been buried with Christ in baptism?  Has the word of God so influenced you that you recognize that Jesus died for you?   Have all the things God did for you brought you to a point of repentance?   If you’ve been born again and you’ve gone back into the world, then you’ve fallen away, but God’s purposes have not been completely thwarted.   The blood of Jesus Christ has the same power today as it did the day when you first became a child of God.  It can forgive each and every sin.   If you come back to Him in repentance and a change in your heart now, you’ll strive to do the things that are right and pray to Him for forgiveness.  In either case the blood of Jesus Christ can make you new.  Will you come and be a new person?

 

Invitation song: ???

 

Reference sermon:  David Schmidt

Not Conformed But Transformed - Part 1

Romans 12:1-2

INTRO:

Good morning.   Today’s lesson is from chapter 12 of Romans verses 1 and 2.  In general I will be using the New King James or the King James for reference.  Look with me now at this text.    “1.  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.  2.  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”  Romans 12:1-2. 

 

Those verses are familiar to us, yet in reading them recently I found myself needing to examine my understanding of them   It seems to me that as we read, we should also take time to study and try to gain a better understanding of the scriptures with the purpose of developing in our lives, a deeper spirituality.

 

1. Living Sacrifice: Paul says in Romans 12:1 – “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”
   1. We know that God would not give us a command without giving us instructions on how to fulfill that command or provide for us counsel on how to recognize the importance of it to our spiritual life.
      1. How does a person give their physical bodies as a sacrifice to God?
      2. When that happens, what does that look like? That is, if we were to see it happen, what would it look like?
      3. In a sense I believe that verse two gives us an important insight into this.
   2. It helps us better discern what it looks like for us to actually give ourselves in the way that Paul describes here.
2. Do not conform but transform: Paul goes on in Romans 12:2 – “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
   1. The conjunction “and” in this text at the start of the verse tells us right off that we can understand this verse if we study it with verse one. They are connected.  Here Paul is giving us a better understanding of how we present our bodies as a living sacrifice.
   2. The description of a living sacrifice in Paul’s words has both a positive and a negative exhortation. It is in that sense, comprehensive.
   3. Paul presents throughout Romans 12 what I believe is a very comprehensive picture of the spiritual person, by giving us different angles from with which to look at ourselves… our spirituality. How a person lives their life, how they develop their spirituality, and how they react to the world that is around them.
   4. Paul says here, as he says other places, that this process of offering a sacrifice, of giving our lives to God or being pleasing to Him, is putting off some things, and putting on other things. It is a change.   You and I cannot diminish that idea in our own minds or in the minds of others to whom we would teach the gospel.  God demands change.
   5. In Genesis we read in chapter one that “God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female”. “God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.”  But Satan came and brought to man a change that was away from God, disobedience.   God demands that to be one with Him again man must change back.   This is the restoration plea.
      1. The scriptures point to this change that God has always called individuals to make.
      2. The preaching of the gospel is a message of change.
      3. There is no room in Paul’s statements here, or anyplace else where the Bible talks about this change, to imply a compromise. Nor is there any room for there to somehow be reconciliation between that which we change from or from that which we put off, and that which we acquire or put on.
      4. The world must be put behind us. Our lives as Christians are before us and there must be this change.   Paul presents it here as we mentioned in what I think is both a positive and negative way.

• “Be Not Conformed to this World”  Let us begin with the negative side in the lesson this morning. 
  1. Here Paul gives the command that we be not conformed to this world. The words in the original language are insightful.  This is given as a passive imperative, that is, it is a direct command, not a suggestion.   What Paul is saying here, and the language bears out, is a command.  It is passive in that the conforming is by something that we allow ourselves to be conformed to.  It’s something that works on us.   It’s not just something we do, but it’s something that works on us which accomplishes this task or has a certain result.   We allow the “world” to “conform” us—to make us into what it would like to make us.  Let’s look more closely at this concept of conformed.
  2. What does this word “conformed” mean? Our English word means “to be or to become the same or similar”.   It means to conform to some outside influence or for something to be conformed to you as an outside influence.
     1. A few years ago psychologist Ruth W. Berenda and her associates carried out an interesting experiment with young people designed to show how a person coped with group pressure. The plan was simple.  They brought groups of ten adolescents at a time into a room for a test.  
        1. Each group of ten was then instructed to raise their hands when the teacher pointed to the longest line on three separate charts. What one person in each group did not know was that the nine others had been instructed ahead of time to vote for the second-longest line, regardless of the instructions they heard.
        2. The experiment began with nine young people voting for the wrong line. The tenth would typically glance around, frown in confusion, and slip their hand up with the group. The instructions were repeated and the next card was shown.  Time after time, the self-conscious tenth would sit there saying a shorter line was longer than a long line, simply because they lacked the courage to challenge the group.  This remarkable conformity occurred in about 75% of the cases, and was true of small children and high-school students as well.   
     2. Do you remember bean bag chairs? I do and I have had one in time past.   Sort of silly when you think about it and after I got older I wondered “what was that all about”.   I have wondered about many things that have come and gone which people seem to buy into.
     3. You throw a sack of pellets on the ground and you sit on it. They were big in the 70’s.   You sit in the bean bag chair and you get up—that was the hard part.   I could not get out of one today, I’m sure.  You get up and look back at the chair.   What you see is that the chair has conformed to your body.   There’s an impression where you sat down.  That’s the aspect of conformation.   It means that something happens and you conform to something or something conforms to you.
     4. The Greek word has a similar meaning to our English definition, it is suschematizo ‎(soos-khay-ma-id’-zo) from which we get the English word scheme or schematic. It means to fashion alike, i.e. conform to the same pattern (figuratively) and suggests the idea of “fashioning or shaping one thing like another” (Vine).   Therefore to conform means that you fit a pattern.  You see a pattern before you and you conform to that pattern therefore you become like it or you become similar to it.   We think of that in the physical terms of a blueprint or schematic. 
     5. If you build a house you have a blueprint. If you have a builder, if he’s a good builder, he will look at a blueprint before he even starts.  He’ll look at it several times as he builds the house to be certain the house conforms to the blueprint.
        1. That’s the use of the word here in the original language. We are not to allow the world to conform us, to make us like the pattern the world presents to us through social norms,… pressures,… customs… and perhaps contrary laws.
        2. The ASV of verse 2 says: “And be not fashioned according to this world:” The translated verb “fashioned” suggests forming something with external force.   

• There are some interesting translations of this verse and one that caught my attention is by J.B. Phillips; “Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity.”

1. “This world”. Let’s look at the words “this world”.  The use here implies the culture we’re in has a pattern.   It holds things that are in common with the elements of the world.   There are others that conform to this and live by this world or pattern and are part of it.   The Christian is called out of that on a personal level, on a congregational level.   We’re called out of this world so that we may not conform to it.   We do not allow ourselves to be molded.   The pattern, in Paul’s language, is what is presented by this world.   Do not be conformed to this world Paul says.   We should note that there is more than one word in the original language of the Bible that is translated as “world”.   However, there is not the same meaning.   We have to look at the context in which this particular word is used in the translation to get the full meaning of the word “world”.
   1. The word “Kosmos”( κόσμος) is the most common Greek word used in the New Testament that is translated into “world”.   It refers to both the geographical sphere we live on as “God created the world” (earth) and also to the people who inhabit the world.
      1. 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.” Here we understand it is not referring to the ball of dirt and water, but that He loved the people who are on the earth.
      2. Kosmos is used in other passages, particularly by the apostle John to refer to Satan’s dominion and influence. It is used in the negative sense in 1 John chapter 2.

• 1 John 2:15 – “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” Here the world does not mean the aspect of the globe, nor does it just mean the people that inhabit the earth.   It means the aspect of the dominion or the influence of Satan whether it’s expressed in activities or people or philosophies or ideas.   John says many times there is a distinction between Christ and the world.   Those two things cannot be reconciled.

2. Now “Kosmos” is not the word that Paul uses in Romans 12:2. He doesn’t use the word we find most often used to describe the dominion of Satan.   Rather he uses the word, “aion” (eon) which often is translated “age” or period of time.   It is used in scriptures often to describe a period of time that has spiritual or moral characteristics.   Sometimes it describes an aspect of age that is to come, and the Bible describes the different events that are to come with the age or the age of an individual.  Sometimes it is used to describe an aspect of the present age.
   1. We use that word in the same way occasionally. We might sigh and say. “What is this world coming to?”    We probably don’t mean what’s going to happen to the planet.  We mean what’s the culture around us going to look like.  Or what is society going to look like?
   2. We describe this aspect of a culture by the use of the term “world”. The Bible does the same thing and that’s what Paul’s doing here in Romans 12 when he says we are not to be conformed to the world in which we live—to the society, the culture in which we live.

• There is another way I believe that word is used. We find it in Jesus’ parable of the sowing of the seeds.   Jesus told the story of how a sower went forth and sowed seeds on the ground.   Some of that seed fell to ground among the thorns.   The thorns grew and choked out the seed so they could not grow.   Jesus’ parable predicts the ability of the word of God to grow in certain spiritual soil. 

22. Jesus says; “and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word”(of God) Matthew 13:22.   I would suggest to you that these “cares” are specific to the period in which you and I live.   Our parents, our grandparents, and our great grandparents had “cares” associated with their time.   Including some that you and I no longer have to struggle with.  
23. We have “cares” associated with our culture that those folks didn’t have to think about and maybe our children won’t have to think about either. Each particular time has “cares” that are unique to them.   It is a spiritual discernment for us to recognize those “cares” that belong to the “world” that have the propensity to strangle the word of God out of our lives and keep us from developing spiritually.    Now there are those cares, those concerns; which I believe repeat themselves culturally as society goes on.   We have to recognize they have their root, they have their design, in Satan himself.  That’s what I believe Jesus teaches here in the parable of the soil. 
24. We recognize is that we live in an age that is antagonistic toward God. I don’t think any of us would disagree with that, but so did the people of the first century.  The apostles wrote about and spoke about this by inspiration in the scriptures.   Look at Galatians 1:4 - “who(Jesus) gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,”  The deliverance that God has for us in Jesus Christ is described in the Bible as rescuing us from our culture, rescuing us from the influence of the world around us.

• In 2 Corinthians 4:4 Paul says: “whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.” He says there is a god of this age—Satan himself who has the ability to blind people’s eyes so that they can’t understand the gospel when they don’t seek after spiritual things.

3. The terminology here, I believe, certainly is applicable to us. The Bible gives us some real insight to the aspect of the dangers of the culture in which we live… whatever that culture might be.   What Paul’s is telling us here is that culture has the ability to mold us into its own image.   We have a very great propensity to be like the people around us.   God consistently calls us away from that.   What the language also tells us that we cannot allow ourselves to be drawn in to the culture.   Notice the personal responsibility there.
4. If we are going to be molded to culture it is because we allow We don’t have to be molded to the people around us, to the world around us.   When someone is influenced by their culture to do the things that the culture suggests and society does, then they are driven by the world to be conformed by that world.   Sometimes we describe those people as being “worldly”.   We use the word itself to describe the person.   Sometimes we talk about the threat of worldliness and that the church has to be careful lest it is influenced by worldliness.

1. What then is worldliness? What does a worldly person look like? or sound like? or think like?   How would you describe them?  What does that person look like today?   I think that we most often picture the worldly person as a philandering, drinking, cussing, spouse abuser down the road or an unbeliever—one who doesn’t believe in God.   They go clubbing and run around with their friends.  They use bad language.  That’s a worldly person.
   1. When we describe this aspect of worldliness we certainly ought to recognize that those things are of the world and speak against them as God does, because God gives specific prohibition against such things. I think though there’s a danger here in our view.   In our comprehensive definition of worldliness it’s very easy for us to say: I don’t do those things so I must not be worldly because those are the things that describe worldliness and I don’t do those things so I’m not worldly in that sense.  Does that seem familiar?   Does that definition fit us?
   2. This view serves our purposes when we look at what God tells us in Romans 12 telling us about not being conformed to the world. That must not be me.   That must not be you.
   3. One writer suggested that a list of “worldly” traits should be way more comprehensive. It is suggested we sometimes have a very shallow view of what God is calling us out of.   It has been suggested, for example, that maybe one of the characteristics we should include on this list is “consumerism”.  What does the worldly person look like?  What about this:
      1. The insatiable need to buy and consume things, to have things. How does that fit our definition of worldly?
      2. We live in a society where everything is geared to, everything run by money and what money can buy. To have things becomes the greatest pursuit of life because it becomes the ultimate blueprint for how we pursue life.

• Is that part of the blueprint offered us? Is success defined by whether we accomplish that?   The one with the most toys, best things and so on is the successful one.  Could it possibly be that that’s what Paul’s talking about when he says you cannot be conformed to this world?

4. Jesus said to the people of his day (to people with a lot fewer things than we have) “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” (Luke 12:15) He went on to tell the parable of a rich man, one who the world would call very successful, so successful that he had to have bigger places to put his things.  Jesus tells the judgment of God on this man and concluded by saying, “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”  (Luke 12:21)  The rich man thought about what his tomorrow would be in the context of whether he would be physically successful. 
   1. What Jesus was describing was a worldly person, a person that was not morally bad, but in the terms of the prospective of their life, their aspirations, their desires and their lifestyle they had been conformed to the culture around them.
   2. They believed that what should be important to them was what was important to everybody else. They thought that the way you measure success is the way everybody else measures success.

• Are we to think like the people around us?  We must not be molded by the world.   That’s what Paul is warning against, what he’s describing here…   The ability to not be molded is what he is describing as the sacrifice that we make toward God.

1. Do we offer our bodies as a sacrifice to God because we do not allow our bodies and our lives and our physical experience to be molded by the world around us? Yes, we live differently.   Our sacrifice is living the Christian life on a daily basis.

1. How Do We Fit in the Mold of Our Age? In what ways do we need to apply this teaching that Paul presents?   The implications go far beyond the common vices that we correctly shun in our lives.   John accounts that we must not be conformed to the affections of the world.
   15. 1 John 2:15-17 – “15. Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16.  For all that is in the world the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the Father but is of the world. 17.  And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”
       1. John through the Holy Spirit has the unique ability to make the dichotomy of right and wrong, light and darkness, the world and Jesus so clear to us. His language is simple, given by God to present to us when we cannot reconcile what is light and what is darkness.
       2. How do we think about ourselves in God’s true assessment of us? We are sinners and we cannot in any way be acceptable to God in that sense.  If we claim to walk in the light as He is in the light, we must put away darkness in our practices.  John tells us of the Father… and of the world… they cannot be reconciled.
       3. That’s a struggle for all of us. He says: “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in Him.”    If I understand that passage, John not only tells us that the Kingdom of the Father and the Kingdom of Satan, are separate.   But they are mutually exclusive
   16. He’s telling us in our daily experience of living as a Christian we must choose one or the other. That’s how the human experience plays out in living the Christian life.   God gives us the opportunity to make choices.   Through those daily choices that we make, we either give our body as a sacrifice to God and do not become conformed to the world, or we do just the opposite of that.   There is no middle ground.
       1. Jesus agrees with that in His own teaching. Luke 16:13-14 – “13.  "No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.'' 14.  Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him.” The English word “derided”, which is translated from (ekmyktērizō) is not used much today.  Strong translates ekmyktērizō as “to deride by turning up the nose, to sneer at, to scoff at” .
       2. Would we expect any other response from individuals that wanted to incorporate covetousness in religion? There are a lot of folks that work that way today, ones who even claim to be religious leaders.   They teach the message that what God really wants for you is to be financially prosperous.   He wants you to be a millionaire.   He wants you to get ahead in life so He’s laid down principles in the Bible that can help you succeed in business and can help you become rich.  
       3. Jesus says those two aspirations are mutually exclusive. They are irreconcilable.   They cannot in any way be brought together.  One is of the world and one is of the Father.  If you seek after the things of the world the love of the Father is not in you.   I suppose that if they read these verses in the view of teaching a prosperity gospel they have to sneer at Jesus too.
       4. Jesus makes it clear that we as Christians are called to a different set of values, to a different lifestyle, to a different practice and to a different way of thinking. We cannot be conformed to the culture around us.
   17. How do we identify that? The values of this world are easy to identify.   I don’t think we have much trouble with that, do we?   Do you have much trouble identifying the values of the world we live in?
       1. Materialism and selfish indulgence (especially sexual indulgence) rule the day. Individualism and personal freedom are cherished more than anything else in people’s lives.   Self-esteem and personal ambition are promoted as the greatest things you can acquire for yourself.   Just feel good about yourself and have the personal ambition to succeed.   Put yourself first.  Those are things that are all around us.
       2. The Christian must honestly assess these things and ask where did they come from? Can I open the teachings of Jesus Christ, can I go to Jesus’ personal ministry and examples of His life, can I live as Jesus lived in His own culture and come away with these things?   We can’t.
       3. Sometimes I am confounded by how modern religious teachers can stand up and call for individuals to send them money so they can be wealthier than more than half the people they’re speaking to. They build monstrous empires around them and claim solidarity with the Savior who did not have a stone to lay His head on.
       4. They claim to be following the example of one who gave no preference to physical prominence or social class or money. He actually said it’s easier taking a camel through the eye of a needle then for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God.    Jesus life and teachings confront our culture folks, and they confront us.   Our culture would have you molded into the idea that these are the things that really matter.
   18. God calls us from that, sometimes in specific details. He calls the Christian to abstain from the activities of the world around him and remain pure.   These are not the things that belong in the life of the Christian.
       1. We read in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 –“ 19. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?    For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.”  You simply cannot do whatever you want to do with your body.   The world will teach you that you can.  That’s the value that the world has for itself.   People make those choices because “it belongs to you” they are told, but God says, no it does not belong to you because it belongs to Him.
       2. Ephesians 5:3-6 – “3. But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.  5. For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.  6. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.”  
       3. 1 Peter 4:3-5 – “3. For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles when we walked in licentiousness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. 4.  In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you. 5.  They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.”
       4. The character of the Christian is counter-cultural in more than just the activities of the body. Jesus calls for a revolution of the mind.   Jesus’ declarative statements in Matthew 5:3-10 are more than just sermon platitudes.  They are the revolutionary marching orders to the Christian in his battle against worldliness.  
          1. Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
          2. Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.

• Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth.

1. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.
2. Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.
3. Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.

• Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.
• Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

1. These are not the values of our culture.  If we pursue these things we will not be conformed to this world.   We will be transformed.

5. Notice that Jesus follows up by giving us a positive command to influence others. It is a demand that flows from who we are – “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 underfoot by men. “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  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.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (v. 13-16)   When we do this we glorify God through the holy (separated) sacrifice of ourselves to Him.

 

CONCLUSION:

In our lives do we feel that there are any sharp corners?   Or do we fit comfortably where we live?   One writer, J.C. Ryrie, asks some pertinent questions:

 

Are you willing to give up anything which keeps you back from God?…  Is there any cross in your Christianity?   Are there any sharp corners in your religion, anything that ever jars and comes in collision with the earthly-mindedness around you?   Or is all smooth and rounded off, and comfortably fitted into custom and fashion?   Do you know anything of the afflictions of the gospel?    Is your faith and practice ever a subject of scorn and reproach?    Are you thought a fool by anyone because of your soul?

 

Do you remember Demas in the Bible?  He is mentioned 3 times in scripture.  In Colossians 4:14 and Philemon 1:24 he is specifically described by Paul as His fellow laborer, numbered with the other disciples.   But then there is that last reference in 2 Timothy 4:10 – “for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica”   This is his epitaph.  What will ours be?

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

We learn from the New Testament how to be saved. We need to hear the word; believe in Jesus (John 8:24); repent of our sins (Acts 2:38); we must confess our belief that Jesus is the Son of God (Matthew 10:32); and be baptized for the remission of our sins (1 Peter 3:21)… 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. 

 

# ???

 

Reference Sermon

David Schmidt 

Fading As The Leaf

Isaiah 64:6

INTRO:

Good evening. As we have been studying in I Thessalonians we noticed that Paul goes to great lengths to articulate about sexual purity in a Christian congregation; We found that the Thessalonians had only newly come into the Christian faith and they had come from a society in which chastity was an unknown virtue; they were still in the midst of that society and the infection of it was playing upon them all the time. It would be difficult for them to unlearn what they had, for all their lives, accepted as natural. It was a place where marriage vows were disregarded and divorce extremely easy.

In contrast to this when Peter preached the first sermon on Pentecost he preached to an entirely different sort of audience. For the Jews of Peter’s audience marriage was theoretically held in the highest esteem. It was said that a Jew must die rather than commit murder, idolatry or adultery. In addition the Jews already believed in one God, not the many gods of Paul’s audience. They understood God as the Creator, they knew what sin was, knew how death came into this world, and understood the principal of sacrifice because of sin. Paul’s audience did not have those concepts so the message that Paul preached must of necessity be far different from Peter’s and no doubt took longer.

Paul tells of this necessity of adjusting ones approach in I Corinthians 9 where he says: “... I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.
Now this I do for the gospel's sake...” Paul preached to his audience.

Thinking on this and having heard David’s lessons in our Gospel meeting, made me wonder just how the language we use to deliver God’s word has changed even for us. Some of you know this and some may not, but “Tom” is my nickname. My first and middle name are “DeWitt Talmadge”. I know from family anecdotes that I was named after a gospel preacher, DeWitt Talmadge, in much the same way as many people are named after others who for some reason have been admired by the parents. In the past this was a common practice. Some who have been named this way have their own prominence for example George Washington Carver. Most of course do not.

I wondered, how do sermons differ today from those taught by the person who inspired the name I now carry, DeWitt Talmage, just over 100 or so years back? Certainly there will be some differences. The DeWitt Talmage I was named for was a preacher in the Reformed Church in America and the Presbyterian Church. He was a prominent religious leader, the Billy Graham of his day, during the mid- to late -19th century and was often involved in crusades against vice and crime. Wikipedia tells me that “Attending Talmage's sermons became one of the most popular religious experiences of the era. In 1870, the congregation built a tabernacle solely to accommodate the large crowds who attended his church services. The building was built over an old church structure then being used as a Sunday School. The demand for his sermons helped with the raising of funds, and construction was completed in only three months. Although the tabernacle had been built to seat large crowds, seating was free of charge and hundreds were turned away every Sunday. Now even in his day there were other people with that same name so of the name’s origin I can not say.

For our lesson tonight I thought it might be interesting for me to take one of the sermons he delivered and with as few alterations as possible bring it to you this evening. The sermon I selected is one titled “Fading as a Leaf”.

Our text for tonight is from the book of Isaiah 64:6. In this chapter Isaiah is appealing to God for the deliverance of His people from Babylon. Isaiah is praying to God in verses 1-4 for a great salvation such as accompanied the Exodus from Egypt.

I have heard from time to time that it seems like the Old Testament is full of repeats. It is as if people never learn. Perhaps that is true. It is so hard for us to understand religious truth that God constantly reiterates. As the teacher takes a blackboard, and puts upon it figures and diagrams, so that the students may not only get their lesson through the ear, but also through the eye. In like manner God takes all the truths of his Bible, and draws them out in diagram on the natural world.

In the 1800s, Jean-Francois Champollion went into Egypt to study the hieroglyphics on monuments and temples. After much labor he deciphered them, and announced to the learned world the result of his investigations.

I have heard it expressed that the wisdom, goodness, and power of God are written in hieroglyphics all over the earth and all over the heavens. God grant that we may have understanding enough to decipher them! There are scriptural passages, like our text, which need to be studied in the presence of the natural world. An example is found in Habakkuk 3:19 – “19 The LORD God [is] my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' [feet], and he will make me to walk upon mine high places... ”

Habakkuk says," Thou makest my feet like hind’s feet;" a passage which means nothing save to the man that knows that the feet of the red deer, or hind, are peculiarly constructed, so that they can walk among slippery rocks without falling. Knowing that fact, we understand, when Habakkuk says "Thou makest my feet like hind’s feet," he is saying that the child of God can walk amid the most dangerous and slippery places without falling.

In Lamentations 4:3 we read “Even the sea monsters draw out the breast, they give suck to their young ones: the daughter of my people is become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness.” That part, "The daughter of my people is become cruel, like the ostriches of the wilderness;" seems a passage that has no meaning save to the person who knows that the ostrich often leaves its egg in the sand to be hatched out by the sun, and that the young ostrich goes forth unattended by any maternal care. Knowing this, the passage is significant— "The daughter of my people is cruel, like the ostriches of the wilderness."

There are those who know but little of the meaning of the natural world, who have looked at it through the eyes of others, and from book or canvas they have received their impression. The face of Nature has such a flush, and sparkle, and life, that no human description can gather them and present them to be known. No one knows the pathos of a bird’s voice unless he has sat in the summer evening at the edge of a wood, and listened to the cry of the whippoorwill. Perhaps you have experienced this yourself. When seeing some wonder of nature, a roaring waterfall perhaps, or mountain covered with flowers and seeing this taken a snapshot to share with family and friends. Then when showing them, in your mind you can relive the experience yet those viewing the snapshot really only have a two-dimensional experience.

When walking in the fall of the year I find there is more glory in one branch of sumac than a painter could put on a whole forest of maples. God has struck into the autumnal leaf a glance that none see but those who come face to face—the mountain looking upon the man, and the man looking upon the mountain.

I recall many years back visiting the parks of the eastern US, and one autumn, I saw scenes which I shall never forget. I have seen the autumnal sketches and photographs by many skillful people, but on that trip I saw a pageant that seemed a thousand miles long. Let artists stand back when God stretches his canvas! A grander spectacle was never kindled before mortal eyes. Along by the rivers, and up and down the sides of the great hills, and by the banks of the lakes, there was an indescribable mingling of gold, and orange, and crimson, and saffron, now sobering into drab and maroon, now flaming up into scarlet. Here and there the trees looked as if just their tips had blossomed into fire. In the morning light the forests seemed as if they had been transfigured, and in the evening they looked as if the sunset had burst and dropped upon the leaves. In more sequestered spots, where the frosts had been hindered in their work, we saw the first kindling of the flames of color in a lowly sprig; then they rushed up from branch to branch, until the glory of the Lord submerged the forest.

Here and there you would find a tree just making up its mind to change, and others were a mass of color. Along the banks of Lake Huron, there were hills over which there seemed pouring cataracts of fire, tossed up, and down. Through some of the ravines we saw occasionally a foaming stream, as though it were rushing to put out the flames. If at one end of the woods a commanding tree would set up its crimson banner, the whole forest prepared to follow. If God’s pallet of colors were not infinite, one swamp that I saw along the Maumee would have exhausted it forever. It seemed as if the sea of divine beauty had dashed its surf to the tiptop of the Alleghenies, and then it had flowed down to lowest leaf and deepest cavern.

The wonder of the natural world that God has provided us is something each one of us should take the opportunity at some point our life to experience, and explore. There are lessons and illuminations for lessons there for us.

Let us read the text then. Isaiah 64:6 - “6 But we are all as an unclean [thing], and all our righteousnesses [are] as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” I would imagine that most people reading this text find only in it—a vein of sadness. I find that I have two things that sing out to me—one of sadness, and one of infinite joy. "We all do fade as a leaf."

I. First. Like the foliage, we too fade gradually. The leaves which, only recently, felt the frost, have, day by day, been changing in tint, and will for many days yet cling to the branch, waiting for the fist of the winds to strike them. Pluck one of these glorious leaves and hold it in your hand. Do you suppose that leaf you are holding took on its color in an hour, or in a day, or in a week? No. Deeper and deeper the flush, till all the veins of its life now seem opened and bleeding away. After a while, leaf after leaf, they fall. Now those on the outer branches, then those most hidden, until the last spark of the gleaming forge shall have been quenched.
A. So gradually we pass away. From day to day we hardly see the change. But the frosts have touched us. The work of decay is going on. Now a slight cold. Now a season of over-fatigue. Now a fever. Now a stitch in the side. Now a neuralgic thrust. Now a rheumatic twinge. Now a fall and little by little. Pain by pain. Less steady of limb. Sight not so clear. Ear not so alert. After a while we take a cane.
B. Then, after much resistance, we come to accept glasses. Instead of bounding into the vehicle, we are willing to be helped in. At last the octogenarian falls. Forty years of decaying. No sudden change. No fierce explosion; but a fading away—slowly—gradually. As the leaf!
II. Again: like the leaf we fade, to make room for others. Next year’s forests will be as grandly foliaged as this year’s. There are other generations of oak leaves to take the place of those which this autumn perish. Next May the cradle of the wind will rock the young buds. The woods will be all a-hum with the chorus of new rustling leafy voices.
A. If the tree in front of your house, like Elijah, takes a chariot of fire, its mantle will fall upon Elisha. If, in the blast of these autumnal cannons, so many ranks fall, there are reserved forces to take their place to defend the fortress of the hills.
B. The beaters of gold leaf will have more gold leaf to beat. The crown that drops today from the head of the oak will be picked up and handed down for other kings to wear. Let the blasts come. They only make room for other life.
C. So, when we go, others take our place. We do not grudge the future generations their places. We will have had our good time. Let them come on and have theirs. There is no sighing among these leaves at our feet because other leaves are to follow them. After a lifetime of what ever we do, preaching, doctoring, selling, sewing, building or digging, let us cheerfully give way for those who come on to do the preaching, doctoring, selling, sewing, building and digging.
1. God grant that their life may be brighter than ours. As we get older, do not let us be affronted if young men and women crowd us a little. We will have had our day, and we must let them have theirs. When our voices get cracked, let us not snarl at those who can warble. When our knees are stiffened, let us have patience with those who go fleet as the deer.
2. Because our leaf is fading, do not let us despise the unfrosted. Autumn must not envy the Spring. Old men must be patient with boys. Dr. Guthrie, a Scottish philanthropist once said, "You need not think I am old because my hair is white; I never was so young as I am now." I look back to my childhood days, and remember when, on winter nights, in the sitting-room, where I played or read, father and mother chatted. For some reason though they aged, in my sight they never got old.
3. Do not be disturbed as you see good and great men die. People worry when some important personage passes off the stage, and say, "His place will never be taken." But neither the church nor the State will suffer for it. There will be others to take the places. When God takes one man away, he has another right behind him. God is so rich in resources that he could spare thousands of great men and women. There will be other leaves as green, as exquisitely veined, as gracefully etched, as well-pointed. However prominent the place we fill, our death will not jar the world. One falling leaf does not shake the Adirondacks.
4. In the olden days a ship was not well manned unless there was an extra supply of hands—some working on deck; some sound asleep in their hammocks. God has manned this world very well. There will be other seamen on deck when you and I are down in the cabin, sound asleep in the hammocks.
III. Again: As with the leaves, we fade and fall amid myriads of others. One can not count the number of plumes which these frosts are plucking from the hills. They will strew all the streams; they will drift into the caverns; they will soften the wild beast’s lair, and fill the eagle’s aerie.
A. All the aisles of the forest will be covered with their carpet, and the steps of the hills glow with a wealth of color and shape that will defy the looms of the greatest cloth makers. What urn could hold the ashes of all these dead leaves? Who could count the hosts that burn on this funeral pyre of the mountains?
B. So we die in concert. The clock that strikes the hour of our going will sound the going of many thousands. Keeping step with the feet of those who carry us out will be the tramp of hundreds doing the same errand. In the US between 6600 and 7000 people every day lie down in their final resting on earth.
1. Lakeview Cemetery has one hundred and five thousand of the dead. I contemplated this and thought; Then if there are a hundred and five thousand here, it must be the largest cemetery in Ohio. It isn’t of course; Green Lawn in Columbus has a hundred and fifty thousand headstones. Spring Grove in Cincinnati two hundred and thirty thousand.
2. We all are dying. London, New York and Peking are not the great cities of the world. The grave is the great city. It has mightier population, longer streets, and thicker darkness. Caesar is there, and all his subjects. Nero is there, and all his victims.
3. It is a city of kings and paupers! It has swallowed up in its immigrations Thebes, and Tyre, and Babylon, and will swallow all our cities. Yet, it is a City of Silence. No voice. No hoof. No wheel. No clash. No clang and clamor of the factory. No murmur and hum of commerce. No jar. No whisper. A Great City of Silence! Of all its billions of hands, not one of them is lifted. Of all its billions of eyes, not one of them sparkles. Of all its billions of hearts, not one pulsates. The living in this world are a small minority.
C. If, in the movement of time, some great question between the living and the dead should be put, and God called up all the dead and the living to decide it, as we lifted our hands, and from all the resting-places of the dead they lifted their hands, the dead would outvote us many times over. The multitude of the dying and the dead are as these autumnal leaves drifting under our feet this season. We march on toward eternity, not by companies of a hundred, or regiments of a thousand, or battalions of ten thousands, but thousands of millions abreast! Marching on! MARCHING ON!
IV. Again: As with variety of appearance—the leaves de-part, and so do we. You have noticed that some trees, at the first touch of the frost, lose all their beauty; they stand withered, and uncomely, and ragged, waiting for the northwest storm to drive them into the mire. The sun shining at noonday gilds them with no beauty. Ragged leaves! Dead leaves! No one stands to study them. They are gathered in no vase. They are hung on no wall.
A. It is so that death smites many. There is no beauty in their departure. One sharp frost of sickness, or one blast off the cold waters, and they are gone. No tinge of hope. No prophecy of heaven. Their spring was all abloom with bright prospects; their summer thick foliaged with opportunities; but October came, and their glory went. Frosted! In early autumn the frosts come, but do not seem to damage vegetation. They are light frosts. Yet some morning you look out of the window and say, "There was a killing frost last night," and you know that from that day every thing will wither.
B. So many seem to get along without religion, amid the annoyances and vexatious of life that nip them slightly here and nip them there. But after a while death comes. It is a killing frost, and all is ended.
C. Oh! What withering and scattering, death makes among those not prepared to meet it! They leave every thing pleasant behind them—their house, their families, their friends, their books, their pictures, and step out of the sunshine into the shadow. They hang their harps on the willow, and trudge away into everlasting captivity. They quit the presence of bird, and bloom, and wave, to go unbeckoned and unwelcomed. The bower—in which they stood, and sang, and wove garlands, and made themselves merry, has gone down under an awful equinox. No funeral bell can toll one half the dolefulness of their condition. Frosted!
D. But thank God that is not the way people always die. Tell me, on what day of all the year the leaves of the Virginia creeper are as bright as they are today? So Christian character is never so attractive as in the dying hour. Such ones go into the grave, not as a dog, with frown and harsh voice, driven into a kennel, but they pass away calmly, brightly, sweetly, grandly! As the leaf! As THE LEAF!
E. Why go to the death-bed of distinguished men, when we all know of a house from where a Christian has departed? The Christian has bought from Christ gold refined in the fire, and white garments. Their eyes have been anointed that they may see. Their treasure is in heaven and their reward is great. When we look at our precious relative, loved elder who has ceased to breath we think of our sorrow, the emptiness we feel. Yet should we, when it is all over, not think how grandly they slept! —a giant resting after a battle. Oh! There are many Christian death-beds. The servants of God are taken home as His children. From every corner they come, from the gate of the poorhouse; to the gate of princes. The shout of captives breaking their chains comes on the morning air. The heavens ring again and again with the coronation. One can imagine in the final day how the twelve gates of heaven are crowded with the ascending righteous. I see the accumulated glories of a thousand Christian death-beds—an autumnal forest illumined by an autumnal sunset. They died not in shame, but in triumph! As the leaf! As THE LEAF!
V. Lastly: As the leaves fade and fall only to rise, so do we. All this golden shower of the woods is making the ground richer, and in the juice, and sap, and life of the tree the leaves will come up again. Next May the south wind will blow the resurrection trumpet, and they will rise. So we fall in the dust only to rise again. "The hour is coming when all who are in their graves shall hear His voice and come forth." (John 5:28) It would be a horrible consideration to think that our bodies were always to lie in the ground. However beautiful the flowers you plant there, we do not want to make our everlasting residence in such a place.
A. I have with these eyes seen so many of the glories of the natural world, and the radiant faces of my friends, that I do not want to think that when I close them in death I shall never open them again. It is sad enough to have a hand or foot amputated. In a hospital, after a soldiers hand was taken off, he said, "Good-by dear old hand, you have done me a great deal of good service, and burst into tears." It is a more awful thing to think of having the whole body amputated from the soul forever. I would wish to have my body again, to see with, to hear with, to walk with. With this hand I to clasp the hand of my loved ones when I have passed clean over Jordan, and with it wave the triumphs of my King. Aha! we shall rise again—we shall rise again. As the leaf! As THE LEAF! (Philippians 3:20-21)
B. In crossing the waters the ship may founder and our bodies be eaten by the sharks; but God tameth Leviathan, and we shall come again. In an awful explosion our bodies may be shattered into a hundred fragments in the air; but God watches the disaster, and we shall come again. He will drag the deep, and ransack the tomb, and upturn the wilderness, and torture the mountain, but He will find us, and fetch us out and up to judgment and to victory. We shall come up with perfect eye, with perfect hand, with perfect foot, and with perfect body. A new body. All our weaknesses left behind.
C. We fall, but we rise! We die, but we live again! We molder away, but we come to higher unfolding! As the leaf! AS THE LEAF!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

# ???

Reference Sermon
T. DeWitt Talmage

A Passionate Appeal

A Passionate Appeal
1st John 4:7-21

INTRO: Good morning! A few weeks ago, we said that it might be good for us to begin each day with the request that is found in Psalm 143:8, “Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, For in You do I trust; Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, For I lift up my soul to You.”

Then in Mark’s lesson last week, we read in Psalm 19 about the wonder and glory of God’s handiwork that is declared in the heavens and all that we see around us. In Psalm 8:3-4 David wonders, in all this “… what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” Finally, in John 3:16 we read, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son… ” In thinking about God’s love my attention turned to other writings of the Apostle John, often called the apostle of love, and his telling us of the love of God, Christ, truth, and people.

I invite you now to turn with me to our text for today, 1st John 4:7-21. I will begin reading in verse 7. “7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.”[ESV]

John, in these verses made a passionate appeal summed up in the last verse. Let's read that verse again. “And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.”[NKJV]

What I would like to do this morning is examine that very special appeal that John made in these verses of our text, 1^st John 4:7-21. As we study this appeal, we want to remember that Jesus made this same appeal to His apostles. Let's turn to John 13:34-35, but before we read this let us remember what is going to happen later. Jesus was going to spend some time talking to His disciples. Then He was going to pray the very beautiful prayer found in chapter 17. He would be arrested, tried, condemned, and eventually crucified.

In the first part of this chapter, Jesus gives a lesson in humility. (John 13:3-17). We read there that Jesus arose from supper and removed His outer garment. He placed a towel around Himself, took a basin and some water, and washed the disciples’ feet. Can you imagine the expressions on the faces of the apostles?

Peter wanted to refuse. He said, Lord, you'll never wash my feet. Jesus said, if I don't wash your feet, you have no part with Me. Then Peter said, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. Just wash me all over is basically what Peter was saying. Jesus was teaching His apostles a very important lesson, and He summed it up when He gave this command. Listen to what our Lord told all the apostles. Now John 13:34-35 – “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” Remember John was present when Jesus gave that command to His apostles.

In the verses we're studying in 1^st John, chapter four, isn't that basically what Jesus taught the apostles, to love one another as He had loved them?

We also need to keep in mind that Jesus commanded the apostles to teach all things that He had commanded them. When He gave the great commission in Matthew 28:19-20, our Lord said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” Listen to this, “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Jesus commanded them to teach people who were converted to Christianity to observe all things that Jesus had taught them. What did He teach them in John 13?—to love one another. Remember John was present when Jesus gave this command to the apostles, and that they, the apostles, were responsible for teaching the things that Jesus had taught them. Therefore, when we're studying this appeal that was made by John in his letter, we're studying a command of the Lord.

I. The first point we need to make is that God's love is the foundation of this appeal.

A. John indicated that God is the source of love. There is a beautiful song in our Hymnal, number 256, God is love. The scripture reference under the title is 1^st John 4:16. It's based on what John wrote in this section of his letter that God is the source of love.

1. In our text in verse 7 he says love is of God.
2. Then in verses 8 and 16 John said God is love. As we look at what John wrote in these verses, keep in mind that God's love is the very foundation of this appeal. How do we know that God is the source of love?

B. John goes on to show how God has demonstrated His love in verses 9 and 10. “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”[ESV]

1. God demonstrated His love by sending His son into the world to be the atonement for our sins. That's not the first time that John mentioned this in his letter. Go back to 1^st John 2:1-2 for a moment… it says, “My little children, these things I write to you, that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.” How do we know that God is the source of love? Because He demonstrated it. He demonstrated His love by sending Jesus into the world to serve as the atonement for our sins. Jesus paid the price so that we could receive the forgiveness of our sins.
2. In 1st John 4:14, John and his fellow apostles saw and testified that the Father sent Jesus to be our savior. That's how we know that God is the source of love. John said, along with his fellow apostles; “we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world”.

a. Notice how John began this very special letter, laying the foundation for his appeal. 1^st John 1:1-2. “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life — the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—”. [ESV]
b. The apostles saw the Lord, heard His voice, touched Him and they saw the Lord prove His divinity. Many, many times they observed the miracles that Jesus performed. They observed all the proof that God provided through Jesus, indicating that He truly is the Son of God. John said that he and his fellow apostles saw the Lord and can tell us that He came, and the reason He came is to be our savior.

C. John in laying the foundation for this appeal… wrote of God's love. There are so many ways that God shows His love for us. Mark talked about many of them last week. John focused on the most important one for us—God provided a way we can come back to Him, overcoming Satan and his power. Such love needs a response and that leads us to the next point. We've seen that God's love is the foundation of the appeal that John is making in these verses and that wonderful love deserves a response.

II. John went on to show in these verses that God's children respond to God's love in two ways.

A. First, God's children respond to God's love by loving Him. That just makes common sense, doesn't it? John makes a very strong point about that in these verses.

1. He explained in verse 19 why God's children love him. “We love Him because He first loved us.”
2. He went on to show that those who love God enjoy some very special blessings.

a. In verse 16, he said “… he who abides in love, abides in God, and God in him.” We certainly want God to dwell in us and we want to dwell in God. We must love Him and our love for Him is a response to the love that He's shown to us.
b. In verse 17 John writes, “Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.” One blessing received from a love-oriented and love-motivated life is a dramatic reduction of fear, both earthly fears and those regarding the ultimate summons of all people to the judgment of God. Those who love God will have boldness at the judgment.

i. The key - is being prepared. His children will have confidence in the hour of the final judgment when people are pleading for the rocks and the mountains to fall upon them.
ii. That's why Jesus when He was talking about His return said; watch and be ready. He talked about that in the latter part of Matthew 24 and on through chapter 25.
iii. If we're watching for the Lord's return and if we're prepared, we don't have to worry about it. Part of our being prepared - is loving God.
iv. In 1st John 5:1f he explained that loving God involves submitting to His will. I’ll just read a few verses, “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.”[ESV] We demonstrate our love for God by obeying His will.

c. Another blessing is mentioned in 1st John 4:18. “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.”

i. Those who love God overcome fear. John, like the Lord Jesus, did not speak of many judgments, but only one. A lot of people are afraid of the final judgment and if they are not right with God they should be.
ii. Perfect love casts out that fear and notice that last phrase; he who fears has not been made perfect in love.

3. These are three special blessings that John mentioned in connection with loving God. He first talked about how God has demonstrated His love for us.
That wonderful love deserves a response.
One way in which we respond to God's love is by loving him.

B. There's another way in which God's children respond to His love. That is for God's people to love each other.

1. Look at verse 7 again, “Beloved, let us love one another”. One reason why I enjoy reading the writings of John is the affectionate terms that he often uses. He refers to his readers as beloved. John loved the people to whom he was writing. By the way, he was writing to us, as Christians, wasn't he? John had special feelings for God's people, and he let that be known in his writing. Also, look at verse 11 again. “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” Christians’ loving each other is motivated by the overwhelming majesty of the love of God.
2. The foundation for John's appeal is the love of God. We know that God loves us because He proved it. He demonstrated His great love for us. We said that love deserves a response, and John talked about two responses. One response is to love God, and the other response is for God's people to love one another.
3. Once again, there are special blessings associated with loving God's children. Go back to the second part of verse 7, “everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.” Then in verse 12, “If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.” Our love toward God is perfected and brought to maturity by the exercise of love towards our brethren in Christ.
4. What about a person who makes the conscious decision not to love God's children? John touched on the spiritual condition of those people. Look at verse 8. “He who does not love, does not know God” That's pretty strong, isn't it? Well… look at verse 20 again. “If someone says, "I love God,'' and hates his brother, he is a liar;”

a. It is understandable to us that if what a person is contradicts what that person says, they are a liar. John, in his writings, says a person who claims to know God and walks in darkness is a liar… a person who "knows God" but denies the Son of God is a liar… a person who pretends to love God and hates his brother is a liar. Very straightforward.
b. John makes it very clear that one response to God's love is for His people to love each other.

C. John concluded his appeal in verse 21 which we've already read a couple of times. “And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.” John was present when Jesus gave that command in John 13. John is repeating that, of course. Yes, many years have passed by this time. John says, “this commandment have we from him.” In other words, this came from the Lord, that he who loves God must love his brother also. John made a very passionate appeal in these verses for God's people to love one another.

III. Of course, John wasn't the only apostle to write about these things. Let's look at a few verses written by the Apostle Paul and by the Apostle Peter.

A. Let's turn to Ephesians 5:1-2. Of course, Paul was not one of the original twelve. He was added as an apostle. Later, he described himself as one born out of due time, but he was just as much an apostle as the rest of them. He wrote in detail about love. “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 term, sweet-smelling is a compound word euōdia, (yoo-o-dee'-ah), which means a fragrance, a sweet odor, or a satisfaction, and metaphorically a thing well pleasing to God. When God's people walk in love, that presents a very pleasing aroma unto God.
B. Let's turn to Colossians 3:5-8. “5. Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, 7. in which you also once walked when you lived in them. 8. But now you must also put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. 9. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds,” Here Paul has shown us that there are certain things that are to be put off, to be mortified.

1. Then having dealt with those things, he presents some things that are to be put on. Skip down to verse 12. Colossians 3:12-14, “12. Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13. bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.”
2. Paul tells us to put on all these wonderful activities and attitudes mentioned in verses 12 and 13 and then he says above all these things put on love which Paul calls the bond of perfection. Love is viewed as the bond of perfectness, or girdle that bonds together the "clothing" that has just been put on. Both the graces and the Christian persons are bound together by love.
3. In 1st Corinthians 13 Paul has a lot to say about love.

a. In verse 1 he says no matter how elegantly he was to speak, without love he would be as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
b. In verse 2 Paul lists many virtues; prophecy, understanding, knowledge, and faith, yet he says without love “I am nothing”
c. Then in the last verse of 1st Corinthians 13 he admonishes “… now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

C. Let's turn next to 1^st Peter chapter 1 which we are currently studying in bible class. He's writing to people who have become God's children. He talked about how that's accomplished, how to become a child of God by being born again. In 1^st Peter 1:22-23 Peter says, “Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,” Now look in chapter 4. 1^st Peter 4:8, says, “And above all things have fervent love for one another, for "love will cover a multitude of sins.''” That's a beautiful passage. The apostles dealt at length with the fact that God's people are to love one another.

CONCLUSION:
All these apostles emphasize the things that Jesus taught them.

We cannot help but observe today that quite often there's a lack of love in our society. --- People need to see something better.

Something better is available. When they see God's people loving one another, it should be appealing. That should give people something to examine and look at and say, you know, there's a better life. Maybe I need to check into this Christianity that the Bible talks about. Maybe there's something to it.

They need to see Christian love in action and that's where we're involved. The way that we conduct ourselves has an influence. Others are observing our behavior even when we may not realize it. When people see God's children loving one another, it should be appealing to them.

We know that God loves us because He demonstrated His love. God's children are to respond to His love in two ways, first, by loving God, and second, by loving one another.

According to what John wrote, our response to those requirements, (which he dealt with in great detail), shows whether we are God's true children.

These are some serious matters. If we put into practice what the Lord is teaching us through His disciple, whom He loved, we'll be able to enjoy some very special blessings.

Let's think about these matters very seriously as we go through our daily lives. I think people will see it and it will make a good impression on them.
___________________________________________________________________

We learn from the New Testament how to be saved. We need to hear the word; believe in Jesus; repent of our sins; 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 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.

# ???
Reference Sermon by: Raymond Sieg

Message From the Skies

Psalms 19:1-6

With all the hype and excitement concerning April 8th And the TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE I thought we would that a look at the skies this morning..
The Title of Our Sermon is A MESSAGE FROM THE SKIES.

When you thought I wasn't looking,
I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator,
and I immediately wanted to paint another one.
When you thought I wasn't looking
I saw you feed a stray cat,
and I learned that it was good to be kind to animals.

When you thought I wasn't looking,
I saw you make my favorite cake for me
and I learned that the little things
can be the special things in life.
When you thought I wasn't looking,
I saw you make a meal and
take it to a friend who was sick,
and I learned that we all have to help
take care of each other.

When you thought I wasn't looking,
I saw you give of your time and money
to help people who had nothing
and I learned that those who have something
should give to those who don't.
When you thought I wasn't looking,
I felt you kiss me good night and I felt loved and safe.
When you thought I wasn't looking,
I saw you take care of our house and everyone in it
and I learned we have to take care of what we are given.

When you thought I wasn't looking,
I saw how you handled your responsibilities,
even when you didn't feel good
and I learned that I would have to be responsible when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn't looking,
I saw tears come from your eyes
and I learned that sometimes things hurt,
but it's all right to cry.
When you thought I wasn't looking,
I saw that you cared
and I wanted to be everything that I could be.

When you thought I wasn't looking,
I learned most of life's lessons that I need to know
to be a good and productive person when I grow up.
When you thought I wasn't looking,
I looked at you and wanted to say,
Thanks for all the things I saw
when you thought I wasn't looking.'

OPEN: According to “Ripley’s Believe It or Not” the longest love letter ever was written by Marcel de Leclure in 1875. Marcel was an artist in Paris France and his letter contained the 3 word French phrase “je vous aime” (pronounced “shavou same”)
which means “I Love You.” This wasn’t just written down once... it was written 1,875,000 times.

And he didn’t EVEN write the letter. He hired a scribe. He dictated that message – word for word (all 3 of them) – and then had the scribe read it back to him (remember, this was the same phrase written 1,875,000 times).
Reflecting on this love letter, Robert Ripley (the creator of “Ripley’s Believe It Or Not”) said “Never was love made manifest by as great an expenditure of time and effort.”

(PAUSE) One person observed “That’s ridiculous. How loving is it to just write the same thing a million times?” But that’s how some people think sometimes. By contrast – when God showed his love for David – David realized that God did far more than write down “I love you” a million times. In Psalm 19 David tells us HOW God showed His love. David looked up at the heavens and saw God’s love filling the night sky.

Please turn with me to Psalm 19:1-6
The opening verse declares,
• “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the sky above proclaims His handiwork.”
• This poetic language emphasizes that the vast expanse of the heavens— the moon, stars, sun, and the entire celestial canvas— serves as a testimony to God’s creative power.

• When we gaze at the night sky or marvel at the intricate design of the universe, we sense that someone greater than ourselves crafted it all.

• Verse 3 continues, “There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard.”
• Unlike human speech, the heavens communicate silently but powerfully. Their existence speaks of a divine Creator. Day after day, night after night, creation pours forth its silent message, inviting us to recognize God’s handiwork.

• In verse 4, we encounter the imagery of a tent set for the sun.
• The sun, like a radiant bridegroom, emerges from its chamber each morning and follows its course with joy. Its rising and circuit span the entire heavens, leaving nothing hidden from its warmth and light.

These verses teach us that creation itself testifies to God’s glory. The heavens and the sky proclaim His handiwork day and night, inviting us to recognize the Creator behind it all. As we marvel at the natural world, we catch glimpses of the divine Artist who shaped the cosmos.

Abraham Lincoln said: “I never behold (the stars) that I do not feel I am looking in the face of God.” In our culture, where we spend so much time inside, we rarely get to experience the majesty of a starry heaven like David did.  But, when we do – like all the hype of the TOTAL SOLAR eclipse set for April 8th … it can sometimes be a little overwhelming.

In one of his Psalms, Psalm 8:3-4 David wrote: “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?”

The heavens are so imposing that David wondered why God even gave him a 2nd thought. (pause) But God DID give David a 2nd thought, and David knew it. That’s why he tried so hard to be a man after God’s own heart. But, if he’d only known how much God did for us in the heavens…
David would have written far more of his Psalms. Because - you see - the heavens might be pretty, but they’re more than just that.  Over the centuries, STARS have served as way to measure seasons (a fact taught us in the first chapter of Genesis). From the structures of the Aztecs to those of the Egyptians and perhaps even with Stonehenge – the ancients used the stars to chart the stars and determine the best times to plant and harvest their crops. Stars were also used by sailors to find their way across uncharted oceans.

And of course, there’s the closest star in our universe. The SUN. One scientist marveled “In many ways, the sun is just an ordinary star. But in other ways, sun was designed for life to be possible on Earth.” The sun’s temperature and distance from Earth is ideal for LIFE. If it were closer or hotter, LIFE would be burned away; and if it were farther away or colder than it is, last week’s cold snap would seem like summer day.

Earth would just be too cold to sustain life. In addition there are scientists out there who mock our Sun because it’s smaller and weaker than some of the more impressive stars in the universe. But those bigger and hotter stars produce huge amounts of harmful radiation. And they tend to fling devastating flares far out into their solar systems. These flares – would incinerate any life on our planet (not to mention what they’d do to our cell phone reception).

Yes, our star was DESIGNED by God to make life possible. Back in 1968 there was an Astronaut named Bill Anders who had the privilege of flying over the earth in space. He said: “(The earth) was the only color we could see in the universe...” So, the starry heavens are more than just another pretty face. They’re a declaration of God’s loves for us and that He has made a beautiful planet for us to live on.

As Romans 1:19-20 declares “What can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.”

You see - that’s what David saw. When David looked up into the heavens he saw a God Who was not only powerful, but a God Who also loved HIM enough to show Him the beauty of His creation. But David didn’t stop there. While the heavens may declare God’s majesty and power, God’s WRITTEN WORD reveals what God really thinks about us.

David wrote in Psalm 19:7-10: “The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.”

Now, bear in mind, David’s Bible was much smaller than yours and mine. There was no New Testament (this was centuries before Christ was born), and less than half the Old Testament had been written at that time. There were just a few books of Bible history at that time... but most of what David knew and studied were the Books Of The Law – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

And THAT was what David was praising here:
The LAW, the PRECEPTS, the COMMANDMENTS, and the RULES. He declared that they were more precious than fine gold, and sweeter than the sweetest honey.
(PAUSE) But now, wait a minute... that doesn’t make any sense. Those books are boring. They were filled with long tedious rules and regulations. And they spoke of an angry and vindictive God who doesn’t seem to love anyone.

OR... at least that’s what some scholars have said over the years.  For centuries many have said the God of the Old Testament was different than the God of the New Testament. The God of the Old Testament was mean and harsh and spiteful, but the God of the New Testament was loving and forgiving.

Now, that’s all pure hogwash (it’s the same God), but I can see where someone might get that impression.

I mean the Old Testament does talk a lot about RIGHT and WRONG, GOOD and EVIL, SIN and MORALITY. And, of course, it talks a lot about judgment and condemnation of wickedness. There are folks who read the Bible and struggle with God being... so JUDGMENTAL. But that’s not the way David saw it. David saw a God who defined what evil was. A God who hated wickedness, a God who punished evil doers and rewarded those who tried to do the right thing.

David wrote in Psalm 19:11 & 13: “By (God’s laws) is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.... Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.”

You see, there’s something about God’s written word that changes people. If we take the Bible seriously it makes us into better people. In other words – God loves us so much that He’s given us a tool to transform us – His BIBLE.

David knew the power of God’s written word to transform and to improve the lives of those who would listen to God. And in that truth, David realized that God believed in us. God had not given up on us. And God believed that we could be better than what we’ve been.

(PAUSE) And one more thing.
As much as David understood the love of God there was one thing that David did NOT know about God’s love. He didn’t know the truth of John 3:16. Repeat it with me: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

God did something in sending His Son that neither stars nor the Scriptures could begin to describe for us. The stars may be beautiful... but they’re wayyyy up there (way above us) and we don’t know very much about them.

And while the Bible is mighty and has the power to transform us, there are things about the Scriptures that are hard to understand. Stars and words on a page can seem cold and impersonal – but when God gave His Son... that’s something else again.

We all have sung this song for years:
“Jesus loves me this I know,
for the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong.
They are weak, but He is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
The Bible tells me so.”

MORAL OF THE STORY IS … Jesus loves you. He loves you in spite of what you may have done in the past or how badly you may have messed up your life.
He LOVES YOU.

A major question was asked to the disciples by many people who were in this same situation back in Acts 2:36 – 38
Men and Brethren what must we do to be saved?
"36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.  37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."
The answer to them is the some answer we hear God tells us today, Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of your sins.

It was in God stepping down out of heaven and becoming a man that we understand just how much Jesus did love us.

CLOSE: Someone once said this in a powerful way:
“When God chose to reveal Himself to mankind,
what medium did He use?
A book? No, that was secondary.

A church? No, that came afterward.

A moral code? No, to limit God's revelation to a cold list of do's and don'ts is as tragic as looking at a road map of Colorado and saying that you'd seen the Rockies.

When God chose to reveal Himself,
He did so through a human body.
The tongue that called forth the dead was a Human one.
The hand that touched the leper had dirt under its nails.
The feet upon which the woman wept were callused and dirty.
And His tears... oh, don't miss the tears...
they came from a heart as broken as
yours or mine has ever been.

So, people came to Him. My, how they came to Him!
They came at night;
they touched Him as He walked down the street,
they followed Him around the sea;
they invited Him into their homes,
and placed their children at His feet.

Why?
Because there was not one person who was reluctant to approach Him for fear of being rejected.”

INVITATION

Based on a sermon
By Jeff Strite

Walk In Newness of Life

Romans 6:1-4

INTRO: Good morning church! I once knew a person who attended assembly regularly. They were curious about the Christian faith, but they had not yet committed their life to Christ. When asked why they hesitated, they said, “I’m not ready to give up my life.” This person understood something some Christians do not – giving your life to Christ is life-changing and impacts every aspect of who you were and are becoming.

Turn with me to Romans 6:1-4, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”[NKJV]

Paul’s purpose in this paragraph was to stress that Christians who were dead to sin should not continue to live wickedly; but the manner of their being dead to sin must have brought the ordinance of baptism into his thoughts. Consequently many of the most positive teachings concerning baptism were included in this letter. In this verse, Paul explained HOW it is true that Christians are dead to sin, and WHEN they became so.

Baptism is the ordinance that brings people "into Christ," as stated here and in Galatians 3:26-27, and through this unity with Christ, the Christian enters the spiritual body of Christ, thus making it true that "in Christ" they are dead to sin since Christ died. That is the thought expressed here as "baptized into his death," meaning into the status of being dead to sin in Christ.

In these verses, the Bible explains how we experience a likeness of the Lord’s resurrection, are saved from our sins, are baptized into His death, and are raised with Him. It is at that point that we are able to walk in newness of life.

That reference to death, burial, and resurrection with Christ in Romans 6 points to almost every dimension of the Christian life. It points to the gospel and our faith because it indicates our identification with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

Then you have a hint of our future hope. “As Christ was raised from the dead to the glory of the Father, so are we too…” (Romans 6:4). The implication is we too are raised with Him. And because we will be raised with Him (and this is the point that Paul emphasizes), we too might walk in newness of life. What do those words mean?
Walk - The word “walk” is a reference to the Christian life here and now, and it suggests this life now is the beginning. It’s a kind of anticipation, a foreshadowing, and an initiation into the life of Heaven. We are walking in newness of life, a new life.

Newness - For Paul, the word “newness” is a word that implies resurrection. The new creation is out of the book of Isaiah 65:17-25 – and you find it in the gospels as well. This word “newness” is used to refer to the new age, the Kingdom of God that comes with the person of Jesus. So we are walking in newness.

Life - Then for Paul the word “life” is a word that invariably refers to everlasting life. As the Gospel of John says, it’s the life that comes from the living water, which is Christ, and the Bread that comes down out of Heaven. “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). It’s the life of the glorious age to come. When Paul refers to “newness of life,” at first blush he is speaking of the new life of the Kingdom of God, as the everlasting life, the resurrection life that we now have because we are participants in the death and resurrection of Jesus, which is marked out by our baptism.

The Christian Life - But when Paul uses the phrase, “walk in newness of life,” it is a reference to the Christian life. The Jews have a category of literature that they call Halakah. It’s the “walking literature.” It’s a way of looking at the scriptures that emphasizes walking, behavior, the way you live, ethics, and practice.

Paul refers to our walk, as he says in Colossians 2:6, “Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him…” and in Galatians 5:25, “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” In both texts, the word “walk” refers to the living out of the Christian life.

As we begin our lesson refer to Romans 6:3-4 again. This is from the letter that the apostle Paul wrote to the congregation in the city of Rome. In these verses the Bible explains how we experience a likeness of the Lord’s resurrection. When we are saved from our sins, we are baptized into His death, and we are raised with Him. It is at that point that we are able to walk in newness of life.
The newness of life mentioned here seems to justify the opinions of those who hold this to be the first resurrection, a view certainly permissible in the light of Jesus’ teaching in John 5:25.

The newness of life is made possible by the reception of the Holy Spirit of promise (Ephesians 1:13), imparted after the believer’s repentance and baptism (Acts 2:38f). Does this newness of life mean that the person cannot sin? No. Our old self is dethroned through conversion to Christ, and the rightful sovereign of the soul, who is Christ, is enthroned instead. Yet the will of man, still free, can reverse the decision. As Wuest explained; “When the believer sins, the dethroned king, the evil nature, mounts the throne, with the consequent dethronement of the Lord Jesus.” The Christian remains a free moral agent capable of choosing between obeying the divine nature or the evil nature. To be alive spiritually in Christ Jesus is to "walk in newness of life"; and what a difference there is. Before their salvation, people are without hope or promise, alienated from God, children of wrath, walking in darkness, hateful, and hating one another; but in Christ, one is part of an utterly new creation. They are truly born again. Old things have passed away, and the future is bright!

In the lesson today I want to concentrate on the matter that is revealed in the latter part of verse four. When we are raised from baptism, we are to walk in newness of life. That’s a very important responsibility. Let’s look at a few points about this.

I. General Guidelines - From Romans 6 let's now turn to Titus 2. Here we are given some guidelines that will help us to walk in newness of life. Toward the end of the chapter, there are some general guidelines and we will consider them first. Then at the beginning of the chapter, there are some specific guidelines revealed. If we follow these instructions… and with the Lord's help, I’m convinced we will be walking in newness of life as the Lord desires.

A. I like the expression in 2^nd Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” It shows that when we get into Christ, when we're baptized into him, (that's the way that we get into Him), all the past is gone, we don't have to carry it anymore, and we're given a clean slate. That is, all things become new! What a blessing that is. However, I’m also convinced that with a clean slate, we also have new responsibilities. As new creatures in God's sight, we are to walk in newness of life.
B. To accomplish that we need to understand exactly what it involves. Although many passages deal with that particular matter, I want to concentrate now on some very helpful information given to us in Titus 2:11-14. In these verses are the general guidelines I spoke of. “11. For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12. teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13. looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14. who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.”

1. To know how to walk in newness of life as the Lord desires, we have to go to the right source. Verse 11 tells us that “the grace of God… has appeared to all men”. This is a reference to the incarnation, the arrival of the Son of God, whose visitation upon our planet came directly and solely from the grace of God. With His birth at Bethlehem, it was appropriate to say that salvation had indeed been brought to all men. According to verse 12, it is the grace of God (Jesus in His word) which instructs us regarding the conditions which must be fulfilled for us to partake of that grace; and rejection of these instructions is equivalent to the rejection of God’s grace. Both positively and negatively the conditions are laid out.
2. Some people have the mistaken idea that God's grace will allow them to live as they please. Nothing could be further from the truth. We'll come right back to Titus 2 in a few minutes, but now let's look at a few verses in Romans 6.

a. It seems even in the first century, when the apostles were alive; some were saying that God's grace would permit us to live as we please. That was dealt with in the book of Romans. Look at Romans 6:1-2 again, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?”
b. Paul’s answer here was because of allegations based upon a perverted understanding of justification by faith.
c. Some of Paul’s hearers and readers had concluded that as long as Christians have faith, it makes no difference at all what kind of life they live. Such a position arising from a misunderstanding of justification by faith. This is understood to be "faith only," just as some still misunderstand it. Look also at Romans 6:14-15. “ For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!” So a misunderstanding of God's grace is cleared up in those verses.

3. Back to the point we want to establish from Titus 2, that God's grace teaches us how to live. We're talking about walking in newness of life. We need to understand what that involves, and we have to go to the right source for information. The Bible shows us that God's grace teaches us both how we are not to live, and how we are to live.

a. We learn from verses 11 and 12 that God's grace teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lust. Now, does that sound like we can live as we please? No, of course not. We've already cleared that up in Romans 6. God's grace teaches us to deny certain things. If we participate in ungodliness and worldly lust, that's not walking in newness of life. God's grace teaches us that.
b. But then on the positive side, God's grace teaches us to live soberly, righteously, and godly. Someone teaching from these verses made a point about what that means.

To live soberly means to live right with self.
To live righteously means to live right with others.
To live godly has to do with being right with God.

c. Well, that covers everyone, doesn't it? In this present world at this time, this world that we're living in right now, we are to live soberly, righteously, and godly, while denying ungodliness and worldly lust. That's a very important part of walking in our new life. There are certain types of behavior we need to understand that are just wrong, and we're to abstain from those things. Of course, some people don't like to hear that, but the Bible is very clear, and we want to follow God's word. The Bible also shows us how the Lord wants us to live; it covers both sides of the issue and points out things that we're to avoid, as well as things that the Lord wants us to do.

C. Now back to Titus 2:13-14 that we read a few moments ago. Here we are told to be looking for the Lord's return. That's one reason why it's so important for us to walk in newness of life because by doing so, we will be looking forward to that great day when Jesus will come back.

1. In the first part of verse 14, we're reminded of the Lord's suffering. This verse tells us that Jesus gave Himself for us. He made a great sacrifice on our behalf. Consequently, He made it possible for us to enjoy some very special blessings—to be "His own special people, zealous for good works". In other words, by His sacrifice, the Lord has made it possible for us to be able to walk in newness of life.
2. We looked at some general guidelines revealed at the end of Titus 2, that relate to walking in newness of life. God's grace teaches us that there are certain things to be avoided, and there are certain things that we are to do, with the Lord's help. By following those guidelines, we're able to look forward to that great day when Jesus will return.

II. Specific Guidelines - Let's turn our attention now to some specific guidelines that are given to us in Titus 2:1-6. “1. But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine: 2. that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience; 3. the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things 4. that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5. to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed. 6. Likewise exhort the young men to be sober-minded,”

A. Keep in mind that this letter was written by the apostle Paul to Titus, who was an evangelist serving on the island of Crete. The gospel had been taken to Crete, and there were people there who had become Christians. Titus was working with them, and he was given the responsibility of teaching sound doctrine. When we study chapter one, we see that the Cretans did not have a very good reputation. “One of them, a prophet of their own, said, "Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.'' This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith,” (Titus 1:13-14). So the Cretans did not have a good reputation, but those who became Christians were responsible for walking in newness of life. Titus had the responsibility of teaching these things and he had his work cut out for him. I think this shows the power of the gospel. Even people like the Cretans could become Christians. However becoming Christians, they were responsible for walking in a new life.
B. Whenever we cover these first few verses in Titus 2 we find that there is something revealed for the benefit of everyone. Regardless of whether we're men or women, young or old, there's something for each of us.

1. Let's begin with the aged men in verse 2. These are not the elders in an official sense, but simply the older men. “… the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience;”

a. The aged men are to be sober. That means being free from excess in anything.
b. The aged men are to be reverent. That means honorable, worthy of respect, and dignified.
c. The aged men are to be temperate. Meaning curbing one’s impulses and demonstrating self-control.
d. The aged men are to be sound. That word sound means incorrupt and the aged men are to be sound or incorrupt in three areas, faith, love, and patience. "Faith here is objective," meaning that older men should cling to the fundamental doctrines of Christianity.
e. In these three, faith, love, and patience lay the sum of Christian perfection. A commentator wrote; It is with "faith" that we worship God; no prayer, no work of piety can be severed from faith. "Love" spreads its wings over all our duties to our neighbor; and "patience" must ever go hand in hand with "faith" and "love."

2. Let me digress for a moment. Many of us are older and we have found age brings about significant changes. A preacher wrote that an older man brought him a heavy question, “Why does the Lord allow us to get old and reach the point where we can't do things that we used to be able to do?” The preacher gave the following reply; he said, “I'm looking for the answer to that myself, because I'm getting older and find that I can't do everything I used to be able to do either. Those of us who are younger need to have a proper example set before us.” He continued; “When I see someone lacking in the physical vitality they had at one time, struggling to do things that please the Lord it is a tremendous source of encouragement.” He said, “Don't ever underestimate your power of influence. I know you can't do things that you used to be able to do, but when I see you continuing to do the Lord's will, that shows me that there's something to your faith.”

The preacher recalled a time when a man who was having some severe breathing problems talked to him and expressed the concern that his breathing was bothering others in worship services. The man said, “I think I'm going to stop attending worship service.” The preacher said, “Let me give you something else to think about. When I'm up front and I see you walk in the door, I know that you have put forth tremendous effort to be here. That gives me and others a lot of encouragement. If you stayed at home, you're missing out on that opportunity to influence someone.”

When we are experiencing our limitations, it is easy to lose sight of the influence that we have on others. I believe one reason why it's so important for older people to conduct themselves as is taught in these verses, is because others need to have the right influence set before them. All of us need to fulfill our responsibilities.

3. Continuing now in verse 3, are some instructions given to the aged women.

a. The aged women are to be reverent in behavior. As before this means befitting actions, honorable, worthy of respect, and dignified.
b. The aged women are not to be slanderers, given to slander. That means not false accusers.
c. The aged women are not given to much wine. That just simply means being free from addiction.
d. The aged women are to be teachers of good things. They're teachers of what is right.

4. In verses 4 and 5, the aged women are responsible for teaching certain things to the young women. Though I suspect the primary reference of this was to mothers teaching their daughters in the home, there are situations where other young women need to be taught these things.

a. Significantly, the older men were not entrusted with the training of young married women; this is a function that pertained to the godly older women in the congregation. There are seven qualities to be instilled in the younger women; two are mentioned in verse 4 which the older women are responsible for communicating to younger women.
b. Older women are to teach the young women to love their husbands. That is, to be suitable companions and helpers.

I’ll digress here again for a moment. In Genesis 2:18 God made this statement concerning creation about the one thing that wasn't good. God said, “It is not good that man should be alone;” There was no companion for Adam. God continued, “I will make him a helper comparable to him”. Recall at the end of the days of creation, the statement was made, “And God saw that it was good” Then at the end of the creation, “… God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good” Genesis 1:31. What did that include? God made a suitable companion for Adam. Then everything was very good. There was only one thing that God made that wasn't good. It wasn't good for the man to be alone. But the Lord took care of that.

c. Returning to verse 4, the aged women are to teach the young women to love their children, that is, to care for their children. Love in the family requires thoughtfulness, and that takes effort. Paul recognized this, and the older could inspire the younger. Now verse 5.
d. The aged women are to teach the young women to be discreet. That is temperate, controlling the desires and the impulses.
e. The aged women are to teach the young women to be chaste. That's an old word that means to be pure and modest.
f. The aged women are to teach the young women to be homemakers, that is, able to take care of household affairs.
g. The aged women are to teach the young women to be good. The word good means upright and virtuous.
h. The aged women are to teach the young women to be obedient to their own husbands, this is fully in keeping with the New Testament teaching that the husband is the head of the family.
i. Finally the aged women are to teach the young women to follow these guidelines for a very special purpose, so that the word of God will not be blasphemed. If the older women were not successful in instilling these noble virtues in the younger women, Paul was sure that the word of God would "be blasphemed." So much depends on the women, in great part on the young women. Even today the world still judges Christianity by the character of the young women produced by the church.

CONCLUSION: First, instructions were given to the older men. Next instructions were given to the older women, who in turn, were responsible or are responsible for teaching certain things to the young women. Then starting at verse 6, “6. Likewise exhort the young men to be sober-minded, 7. in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, 8. sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.” Paul instructs Titus to in like manner “exhort”, encourage, the young men to be “sober-minded”; meaning of sound mind… sensible, discreet, wise… having control over the sensual desires, self-controlled, moderate, chaste, sober.

This reiterates instructions already given to others above; but here is the additional thought that Titus is to exemplify in himself the conduct, demeanor, and virtues to which he encourages others. Paul is talking of Titus’ teaching, and his conduct as well. Titus is to be “a pattern of good works”. Whether we like it or not the world is watching and listening to us. We can be a godly influence if our walk in newness of life is parallel to our profession of faith. The bottom line is that young men have to decide whether or not they're going to be sober-minded. But Titus, as the preacher of the gospel, was responsible for encouraging them.

Walking in newness of life is a privilege and responsibility for those who have been baptized into the Lord's death and raised with him. Thankfully, we have these guidelines in Titus 2, as well as many others that are given to us in the Bible that show us how to walk in newness of life. I believe that a good request for us to make is found in the Book of Psalms. Let's turn to Psalm 143:8. It might be good for us to begin each day with this particular request. “Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, For in You do I trust; Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, For I lift up my soul to You.” That is a request made by someone serious about walking in newness of life. He realizes that he can't do it on his own, but with the Lord's help, he can, and he will. I notice he begins in the morning, that's the time to begin. The rest of the day will be headed in the right direction if we start right in the morning.

The lesson is yours. Perhaps there is someone in the assembly today with the need to be buried with Christ in baptism. 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.

# ???
Reference Sermon by: Raymond Sieg

Prior Preparation Prevents Poor Performance

2 Peter 3:10-18

In December 2018, all of the approximately 400 St. Paul firefighters trained for ice rescues.
The department’s firefighters usually respond to a couple of ice rescues each winter and practicing for them is important because, if someone is in the icy water, time is of the essence.

Less than two hours after St. Paul firefighters completed ice rescue training that month, they responded to a call that would put their practice into action. A cross-country skier fell through the ice on McCarrons Lake in Roseville… and St. Paul firefighters successfully got him to safety.

It was reported that, “The new firefighter who actually went in the water to lead the rescue, said the training that day was the first time he had been in the water
with the ice rescue suit doing those maneuvers.”

We sing a song that says…
1) “There’s a great day coming, a great day coming.
There’s a great day coming by and by.
When the saints and the sinners
will be parted right and left,
are you ready for that day to come?”

CHORUS: Are you ready? Are you ready?
Are you ready for that Judgment Day?

2) "There’s a bright day coming, a bright day coming.
There’s a bright day coming by and by.
But the brightness will be only for the ones that love the Lord. Are you ready for that Day to come?”
That’s a repeated question throughout Scripture: Are You Ready? In fact, one of the major teachings of Jesus was - you need to BE READY!

PRIOR PREPARATION PREVENTS POOR PERFORMANCE
This was the motto of the Perry Middle School Science Olympiad Team. P5

For example: Jesus told the story of ten virgins in Matthew 25:1-13, who were part of a wedding ceremony. Back then marriages were more elaborate than the ones we have today. Part of the ceremony required the bridegroom to parade through city by night and fetch his bride from her father’s house and then escorted her to the wedding party at his parent’s home.

Part of that wedding procession included the virgins Jesus spoke of (they were kind of like bridesmaids).

Jesus explained that, as these virgins were waiting for the bridegroom to arrive, 5 of them were very foolish – they had no EXTRA oil for their lamps. But the other five were wise because they’d brought along extra oil – just in case.

It was a good thing too, because the bridegroom was delayed, and by the time people shouted that he was coming the 5 foolish virgins were nearly out of oil for their lamps. They begged the other 5 virgins to give them some of their oil, but the wise virgins answered that there wouldn’t be enough for all of them – and that the 5 foolish girls would have to go get some for themselves.

While they were gone the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him to the marriage feast,and the door was shut.

Afterward the foolish virgins came and asked the bridegroom to let them in. “But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’

Jesus closed the parable with these words: Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

Again and again,
Jesus warned us ... BE READY!

In our text today, Peter tells us that very same message. In II Peter 3:10-11 He says: "The day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed."

Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be.

There are three kinds of givers –
the flint,
the sponge
and the honeycomb.
To get anything out of a flint you must hammer it. And then you get only chips and sparks.

To get water out of a sponge you must squeeze it, and the more you use pressure, the more you will get.

But the honeycomb just overflows with its own sweetness.
Which kind of giver are you?

We need to BE READY!
The day of the Lord will come ... like a thief. And when that happens, there will be no more time to prepare. If you’re NOT ready, that ship will have sailed, and there won’t be another one, ever!

ILLUS: Let’s say a very wealthy person approaches you and says that he wants to send you on a 2 week trip to someplace you’ve always wanted to go to –
all expenses paid. (Would you like that?).

There’s only one catch –
because of the paperwork in lining up the trip he can’t tell you exactly when you’ll be leaving. It’s gonna be in the next few months. AND when he calls you only have a few hours to get down to the Airport and catch your flight.

It is inconvenient... but you really want to go. So how are you gonna prepare for this trip? Well – you might have to clear things down at the office or factory, or wherever you have commitments.

You’ll have to get your passport.
You’ll have to get shots.
You’ll have to ask someone to take care of your pets and get your mail.
And then you’re going to pack (SUITCASE).
When are you going to start preparing for this free trip?

NOW!!!!

Not later, because you don’t know when you’ll have to leave and if you want to get on that plane you better prepare now!!!!  You realize – if you ain’t ready, you ain’t going.

And that’s what Peter is telling us. Prepare NOW!!! Because if you ain’t prepared, you ain’t going.

But, how do you prepare for this trip – this trip to heaven?  Well, you don’t have to get a passport or shots, and you don’t have to have anyone take care of your pets or get your mail.  And the suitcase isn’t going to do you any good (you’re not going to be able to take anything with you anyhow).

But Peter does tells us HOW we should prepare.

1st – he says (to be ready to go) we need to be holy and godly. Now, what does that mean?

Well, it’s not that hard. Holy means “set apart” and godly means you live for God.

If you put those 2 together, Peter’s telling us to set ourselves apart (from world) and to live for God. It’s that simple. At least... in principle it is.

You see, a lot of people struggle with that idea because they love the things of this world more than they love God.

One of the saddest statements in the Gospels in John 12:42-43 tells us that: “... many even of the authorities believed in (Jesus), but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.”

I’m going to ask you a few questions about this – do NOT raise your hand... just think about how you’d answer:

Are there times you don’t talk about God because you’re afraid you’ll offend someone?
Or you’re afraid they’ll make fun of you?
Or you’re afraid they won’t want to have you around?
Do you depend upon the approval of others... or the approval of God?

WHAT you depend upon says a lot about whether or not you want to be holy and godly ... OR if you want to blend in with everyone else.

ILLUS: I came across an article about the S. Pacific island of Tonga. Something severed the internet cable to the island. And the title of the article read “Tonga sent back to 'dark ages' after underwater Internet cable severed.”

It affected their e-mails, airline bookings, university enrollment, wiring of money and prevented businesses from processing credit and debit cards.

It has literally thrown that small country into chaos ... all because they depended upon that cable for their daily lives.

Here’s the deal... what do you depend upon for your daily life? Do you depend on the approval or others OR God? If it came down to a choice of whether you lost the approval of others OR... if you lost your approval of God... which would you choose?

Now, that may sound kind of harsh, but listen to these words of Jesus: “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 10:32-33

The Apostle John writes in 1 John 2:15: “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

That’s what it means to live a life of holiness and godliness. To be so much in love with God that it doesn’t matter what others think. You are going to set yourself apart for him!!!

So, 1st – to prepare yourself for Heaven... you need to set yourself apart from world and follow God.
2ndly, Peter tells us in II Peter 3:13-14, “according to God’s promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.”

We should STRIVE (or be diligent) to be found without spot or blemish!! Holiness and godliness speaks about WHO we’re committed to. We set ourselves apart to follow God.

BUT striving to be without spot or blemish is all about HOW we should behave as someone who follows God.

The spots and blemishes are the sins we commit. The things we SAY, DO, and THINK. We’re all going to mess up once in a while but we should never accept our sins as normal.

ILLUS: It’s like going out to eat somewhere. You’re wearing your Sunday best. Your shirt or blouse is white and (horrors) you spill something on your best white shirt/blouse. Have you ever done that?

What’s your first reaction? You’re angry... you’re upset.This is your Sunday best white shirt/blouse and now it is stained. The rest of the garment may still be pure and white but the stain stands out and it makes you feel awkward. It embarrasses you!!  So what do you do? Well, when you get home, you spray that stain with a stain remover and you wash it!

The stain is not normal. You don’t like it.  You don’t want it, and so you strive to remove that spot or blemish.

That’s the difference between those who are committed to Jesus and those who aren’t. Those who AREN’T committed to Jesus tend to ignore the spots and blemish of their lives.

They’re kind of like the guy you’ve eaten with who is wearing a shirt that you can tell what he’s eaten over the past few weeks by the stains that are still on his shirt.

He doesn’t care! He doesn’t even try to hide his stains.  But those who love Jesus aren’t satisfied with just allowing the lives to permanently be part of their lives.

They refuse to make excuses; they refuse to try and hide the sin. When they sin they want the spot removed from their souls. But what do we use for a “stain remover.”

Well, if you don’t belong to Christ, the first step is become a Christian – believe in Christ, repent of your sins, confess Jesus as God’s Only Son, and be buried in the waters of baptism rising up to become a new creation.
But if you’re already a Christian and you’ve sinned?  Well, you turn to I John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

God calls on us to CONFESS our sins, and He will be faithful to remove them for us.

ILLUS: Confession is what God has always asked His people to do - but it has always seemed to be the hardest thing He’s asked.  Do you remember the story of Adam and Eve?

They ate of the fruit God commanded them not to eat... and then God comes for a visit. Do you remember what Adam and Eve did? They hid!

God asked “Adam where are you?” And do remember what Adam replied? “I was hiding because I was naked.” That didn’t turn out to well for Adam and Eve.

When Cain killed his brother Abel God comes along and asks him “Where is your brother Abel?”  But Cain hides behind his comment “Am I my brother’s keeper.” That didn’t turn out to well for him either.

All God asks is that we “fess up” and admit we’ve fallen short... then He removes the stain and we start all over again with a new “shirt.”

So 1st – (in order to prepare ourselves for our trip to Heaven) we need to set ourselves apart from this world to follow God.

And 2nd – we strive to remove the stains of sin from our lives.

Lastly, Peter warns us to be careful not to lose our “STABILITY.” “There are some things in (Paul’s writings) that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable TWIST TO THEIR OWN DESTRUCTION, as they do the other Scriptures." "You, therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of LAWLESS people and lose your own stability.” II Peter 3:16-17

You would think that if somebody quotes the Bible you could trust them. But that’s not always true. Peter WARNS us here that there are people out there who will warp and twist the Bible so it says what THEY want it to say.

Sometimes these folks have Ph.D.s and are respected scholars. You see, there are very religious people out there who are LAWLESS.
When the Bible disagrees with them, they warp and twist it. But notice what Peter says about them: They “twist (the Bible) to their own destruction.”

Now, that’s scary. These folks (and the people who listen to them) aren’t gonna BE READY when Jesus comes back. And if they ain’t ready – they ain’t going.
Why would God be so angry with these people?

Because it’s ONLY in the Bible that we learn about righteousness. And about God’s will for our lives. And about Jesus and WHO He is and WHAT He’s done for us. When these folks undermine God’s Word they work at weakening our faith and our confidence. Don’t let them do that! Because you don’t want to go where they’re gonna go.

CLOSE: The story is told of a man who rushed into a railroad train station one morning and, almost breathlessly, asked the ticket agent: "When does the 8:01 train leave?" "At 8:01," was the answer.

"Well," the man replied, "it is 7:59 by my watch, 7:57 by the town clock, and 8:04 by the station clock. Which am I to go by?"

"You can go by any clock you wish, but you cannot go by the 8:01 train – it’s already left.”

Be ready! Because if you’re not ready, you’re not going.

That’s why the Bible stresses the immediacy of making your decision to follow Christ. As it says in II Corinthians 6:2:
"Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation"

INVITATION

Based on a sermon given
by Jeff Strite