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Understanding Christian Love – Part 2
1 John 3:11-18 (13-15)
May 29, 2022

We have been now several weeks in the 3rd chapter of 1 John.
We have likened it to a paternity test.

In the first 10 verses John gave the first area of examination which was PURITY or practical righteousness.

He gave the attributes of the potential fathers:
• Jesus (3:5) “in Him there is no sin”
• Devil (3:8) “the devil has sinned from the beginning”

So the first dividing attribute was sin.
• Jesus never did it.
• The Devil always does it.

John then told us to look at our lives with one penetrating question.
Who are you more like?

We looked at our practical righteousness to determine our spiritual pedigree.

Starting in the end of verse 10 John gave a second criteria by which we examine our spiritual pedigree.

1 John 3:10 “By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.”

So the next segment is our BROTHERLY LOVE.

And again John gives the attributes of the potential fathers.
• Devil (3:12) “Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother”
• Jesus (3:16) “He laid down His life for us;”

So the devil slays his brother, Jesus saves His brother.

And again the obvious question is: Who are you more like?

So we are currently examining our brotherly love.

And again we want to make sure we understand the point of John.

John is NOT primarily preaching about love as that which you should do. (Certainly you should)

John is preaching about love as that which Christians do.

In other words, John is speaking about
Brotherly love as revealing fruit.

You can tell if you are a child of God
By whether or not you love your brother.

So just as we did with righteousness, we would also make a definitive statement regarding love and say: CHRISTIANS LOVE THEIR BROTHER.

And it is this love which we have begun to examine.

We saw the first point last week:
#1 LOVE IS THE EXPECTATION OF CHRISTIANITY
1 John 3:11-12

John called it “the message which you have heard from the beginning”
• This has always been the chief expectation of the Christian call.
• There is no genuine form of Christianity that does not include brotherly love.
• From day one, this has been the expectation for those who trust in Christ.

And the reason is because no attribute better describes
God’s behavior toward humanity than love.

God loves humanity.
God loves even His enemies.
God certainly love His redeemed.

If we are to claim to be children of God we must also walk in love.

This has always been the expectation.

And John even helped us DIFFERENTIATE that love a little bit.

He told us to love, but “not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother.”

• We talked about Cain and how he brought an offering of works.
• We talked about how Abel brought an offering of faith.

And we talked about that since Abel showed Cain up
And in a manner of speaking condemned him,
Cain chose to sacrifice his brother for his own self-interest.

THAT IS NOT LOVE.
Christian love sacrifices self for the good of the brother,
It does not slay his brother for the good of himself.

Christians save their brother, they don’t slay them.
Love is the Expectation of Christianity.

This morning we move on to the second point.
#2 LOVE IS THE EXHIBITION OF NEW LIFE
1 John 3:13-15

NEW LIFE has really been one of John’s main points of emphasis.

We remember earlier in the chapter when
John made a big deal about the reality of being “born of God”

1 John 3:9-10 “No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.”

John mentioned being “born of God” which refers to the new birth.
• It is reference to what Ezekiel spoke about when he said God would wash you with clean water and put His Spirit within you.
• Jesus referred to it as being “born again”

And the simple point is this:
When you get saved you immediately get this new life.

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

You get new life through God’s Holy Spirit.

And the question on the table before us is:
HOW WILL I RECOGNIZE THIS NEW LIFE?

Well the first was that it will produce RIGHTEOUS LIVING.
The second is that it will produce BROTHERLY LOVE.

And it is such a reliable fruit that John will remind us many times that
If you don’t have love then you do not have this new life.

1 John 4:7-8 “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”

So you understand again John’s point.

If you do not have brotherly love then you do not have this new life
Which Christ gives to those who trust Him.

That is why we say: CHRISTIANS LOVE THEIR BROTHER
(not: Christians should love their brother)

But again we want some CLARITY here.

And I have to tell you that I think what John says here

Might be the most important couple of verses
That the 21st Century church needs to hear regarding love.

We are talking about how love is the exhibition of new life.

And to that end there are a couple of points I want to make
To help you identify whether or not you have this love.

1) THE OLD LIFE HATES THE NEW LIFE

By “old life” I mean the life of flesh.
• The life of the unredeemed.
• The life that is still enslaved in sin.
• The life that is still at enmity with God.

By “new life” I mean the life of the Spirit.
• The life which Christ gave you at redemption.
• The life which has been poured into you.
• The life that has made you a child of God.

And I’ll say it again: “The Old Life Hates The New Life”

Now look at Verse 13.
“Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you.”

Boy let’s just stop right there and chew on that a moment.

On one hand we have the reality that
A Christian can actually be hated by the world.

And on the other hand the reality that
It is apparently unsurprising when they are hated.

So on the surface we would simply remind you that:
RECEIVING THE NEW LIFE
DOES NOT PRODUCE WORLDLY FAVOR

DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT?

We talked earlier in the chapter about how God’s love is a redeeming love.
DO YOU REMEMBER THAT?

1 John 3:1 “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.”

Remember we talked about how the world used to love us, but after God’s love was poured upon us they no longer recognized us?

We noted then that God’s love must change us in some way.

When God set His love on us, it made us no longer attractive to the world.

Now we go A STEP FARTHER and realize
That when God manifests His love within us
It actually causes us to be hated by the world.

And this should NOT surprise you.
1 Peter 4:12 “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;”

Now let me tell you why the 21st century church needs to hear this.

Somewhere over the course of time
The church has begun to allow the world to deliver the final verdict
On whether or not we love like Christ.

THAT IS TO SAY THAT
It has come all to common place for Christians to go out and behave a certain way in the world and then we let the world determine whether or not our action was loving.

And if what we did or what we said “feels” loving to the world then they say, “Thank you for loving me like Jesus.”

And if what we did or what we said “feels” unloving to the world then they say, “You don’t love me at all like Jesus”

And the church has sort of willingly accepted that as status quo.

And so the measure of whether or not we are loving people
Is whether or not the world sort of “checks our box” and says we are.

You know, whether or not the world would give us our
“Loves Like Jesus” merit badge.

AND WHAT THIS HAS PRODUCED IS THAT
We no longer operate according to God’s definition of love,
But we instead operate according to the world’s definition of love.

DOES THIS MAKE SENSE?

Let me say it another way.

If we do exactly what God commands and the world deems that unloving,
• Then all too often the church will abandon God’s command in favor of what the world wants
• Because we are more concerned with being perceived by them as “loving”
• Than we are with being obedient to what God actually says love is.

I remember years ago when Carrie and I attended a church in Stephenville after we were first married.

You know those awards that go around Lubbock that you see posted in various businesses that will say “Lubbock’s Best…”

Well they did that in Erath county too.
And apparently one year our church won “Best Church of Erath County”

I remember the pastor showing me that plaque with this half-cocked grin like I was supposed to applaud the award and his humility for being so reluctant to show it to me.

I responded: “Great! The world thinks we are the best church.”

I didn’t know at the time that the year before he had won “Best Pastor of Erath County”, but you’ll understand why his face quickly turned sour.

Where did we ever come up with the idea that
The world would be a good judge of whether or not
The church followed Christ correctly?

THAT IS SO FOOLISH!
And yet that is precisely what happens in the department of love.

We allow the world to tell us
Whether or not we are loving them like Christ.

And if they say we are, then we pat ourselves on the back.
And if they say we aren’t, then we must need to figure out how to do it better.

LET ME TELL YOU WHY THIS IS A DISASTROUS FORMULA

It is built on 2 faulty presumptions.

ONE IS THAT the world actually knows Christ and what His love looks like.

Why would we ever think that one who is an enemy of Christ would have any true knowledge of Him at all?

That makes no sense.
• They don’t know Him.
• They don’t read His word, they don’t commune in prayer, they don’t follow
Him, they don’t have His Spirit, they are not being conformed into His image.

Yet we assume they recognize what is and what isn’t Christ-like love?

That’s a faulty presumption.

THE OTHER FAULTY PRESUMPTION IS THAT when they did experience Christ’s love that they liked it.

And that is not true either.
They, every day of their life,
Have done nothing but reject the love of Christ.

The world wouldn’t recognize Christ’s love
If it was poured out on their head
And every time it has been poured out on their head, they hated it.

So why in the world would the church let the world determine whether or not we are being loving?

DOES THAT MAKE SENSE?

AND YET when we go out and “the worlds hates” us

ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS WE DO IS
WE ASSUME WE MUST NOT BE ACTING LIKE JESUS.

As though the world knows or even wants the love of Jesus.
• THEY DON’T!
• THEY NEVER HAVE!

John 8:39-47 “They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham. “But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do. “You are doing the deeds of your father.” They said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father: God.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me. “Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. “But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. “Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? “He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”

Do you see that?
Here is the most truthful and loving Man who has ever lived
Standing in front of the world…
And they hated Him! They wanted to kill Him!

They DIDN’T SAY, (as the world would have us believe) “Oh, we feel Your great love for us. Thank You for loving us so wonderfully.”

They didn’t say that to Jesus, and they won’t say it to you either.

If you love men like Jesus loves men
Then they will hate you like they hated Him.

John 15:18-25 “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. “But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me. “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. “He who hates Me hates My Father also. “If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well. “But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, ‘THEY HATED ME WITHOUT A CAUSE.’”

See, the love of Jesus is PURE LOVE.
• The love of Jesus “does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth”
• The love of Jesus told men to leave their sin.
• The love of Jesus exposed their heart idols.

Do you remember that Rich Young Ruler?
Jesus exposed his greed and covetousness which was buried in his heart.

• No one else had ever seen it.
• That man was a synagogue ruler.
• He had been able to conceal his idolatry from everyone else
• AND JESUS PUT A SPOTLIGHT ON IT.

WHY?
Mark 10:21 “Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

Why did Jesus expose him? He loved him.

Did the Rich Young Ruler appreciate that love? No, he left.

“Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you.”

John 16:1-3 “These things I have spoken to you so that you may be kept from stumbling. “They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God. “These things they will do because they have not known the Father or Me.”

The church has bought into the lie that
If we live enough like Jesus in the world
Then we will know that because the world will love us.

BUT THAT IS BASED UPON THE ASSUMPTION THAT
THE WORLD LOVED JESUS, AND THEY DIDN’T!

LISTEN, being loved by the world is NOT an indicator salvation.

Luke 6:22-23, 26 “Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. “Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets…Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way.”

THE SIMPLE POINT HERE
Love is definitely the exhibition of new life,
But don’t expect the world to be the one who affirms it.

Brotherly love is not defined by the world.
God defines what true brotherly love looks like.

Want me to show you some examples of it?

Matthew 18:15 “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother.”

• Brotherly love is unwilling to allow a brother to live in that which God will judge.
• Brotherly love will take a brother aside and say, “You can’t do that”

James 5:19-20 “My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”

I CRINGE SO OFTEN TODAY with the type of absolutely false love that is handed out even by the church.

I see people celebrate all sorts of things on social media.

I see someone in a homosexual relationship post it on social media
• And inevitably there will be someone who claims to be a Christian post “So
happy for you!”

I see a couple decide to live together outside of wedlock, in blatant sexual immorality. They’ll post in social media
• And some supposed Christian will say, “How fun, congratulations on
starting your life together!”

I see an unwed girl post pictures of how she’s going to have a baby
• And some supposed Christian will say, “Congratulations! So happy for
you!”

And the world says, “NOW THAT’S LOVING LIKE JESUS DID!”

REALLY? (That’s how Jesus loved sinners; by affirming them?)

LET ME REMIND YOU AGAIN.
GOD’S LOVE IS REDEEMING LOVE, IT IS NOT ENABLING LOVE.

DO YOU KNOW THE DIFFERENCE?

Now I’m NOT SAYING you should get on social media and call those people out, that’s hardly the place. But Christian love urges that person to repent.

Christ tells those in sexually immoral relationships the same thing He told the Woman caught in adultery:
John 8:11 “Go. From now on sin no more.”

Christ tells those who have reaped the consequences of sinful choices, the same thing He told the Cripple at the Bethesda pool:
John 5:14 “do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you.”

Jesus told the crowds:
Matthew 4:17 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Why would He be so direct?
Why would He so boldly tell them to stop?

BECAUSE HE LOVED THEM
(really loved them)

Love is the absolute exhibition of new life,
But make sure you’re identifying the right kind of love.

We are NOT talking about what the world calls love.
We ARE talking about the kind of love Christ has for sinners.

The kind of love that loved them too much to leave them in their sin.
The kind of love that will get you hated in the world.

“Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you.”

THE OLD LIFE HATES THE NEW LIFE
• It convicts them. (As Abel did Cain)
• It confronts them.
• They hate that new righteous change.
• They hate the love that corrects them.

That is not a shocking thing.
Being loved by the world is NOT a fruit of genuine Christianity.

THEN WHAT IS?

(14) “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.”

And this is the second point I’d make to you this morning.
2) THE NEW LIFE LOVES THE NEW LIFE

Unredeemed people hate people who CONFRONT their sin
And EXPOSE their idolatry and CALL them to repentance.

But redeemed people love people who do that.

• Redeemed people love those who walk in righteousness.
• They love people who challenge them through their testimony.
• They love those who warn them and call them to purity.

THEY LOVE RIGHTEOUSNESS.
It is such an obvious distinction.

And this is the criteria by which we know if we have the new life or not.

DO I LOVE THOSE WHO LOVE RIGHTEOUSNESS?
(Or do those people get on my nerves?)

“We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren.”

That is to say we love to receive Christ-like love from the brethren
And we love to show Christ-like love to the brethren.

Now John is here PRETTY GENERIC.
In a moment he’s going to show you exactly what he means; namely the self-sacrificing aspect of love.
• That we, like Jesus, “ought to lay down our lives for the brethren”
• And that we should love “in deed and truth.”

When you are willing to lay down your life for the brethren,
That’s how you know you have been given new life.

Being loved is not the measure of Christ-likeness, loving others is.

And because we’re on the thread let me give you a concept of this
That perhaps you’ve not thought about before.

We just talked about how Jesus confronted sin and exposed sinners
And called them to repentance.

THAT WAS LOVE, THAT’S WHY HE DID IT.

But do you know what it is when we affirm sinners instead of calling them to repentance?

That is a terrible form of selfishness.
(That is self-love)

You and I know full well why we don’t like to confront sinners.
We don’t want to do it because in the world’s eyes
It will make us look like the bad guy.

They will hate me if I confront them.
They won’t like me.
I’ll be ostracized if I don’t affirm them.

YOU KNOW THAT’S THE TRUTH.

And so the motive behind
Why you affirm them instead of confronting them
Is not because you love them, but because you love yourself.

You would rather they get judged than you get hated.

At that moment you will sacrifice them instead of yourself.
And you do it craftily and deceitfully by pretending to bless them.

That is NOT an attribute of Christ.
That is an attribute of Satan.

Charles Spurgeon once said:
“The most shameful way of cursing another is by pretending to bless him.”

The world may call it love.
But the only kind of love it is, is self-love.

That is not the love we are called to give to the brethren.

You want A PICTURE of Christian love to the sinning brother?
Galatians 6:1 “Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.”

The name of the game is restoration.
• Gently? Absolutely!
• Humbly? It better be!
• But you restore him, you don’t affirm him.

Jude 21-23 “keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. And have mercy on some, who are doubting; save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.”

If a brother is on fire, you don’t say, “Those flames look so good on you!”
• You snatch them out of the fire.
• You throw off that burning jacket and you stomp it on the ground.

THAT IS CHRISTIAN LOVE.

And “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren.”

• Do you?
• Do you love your brother?

What about when role is reversed (and it will be) ?
What about when you are the one who messed up and it is your brother who comes to restore you?

Do you hate him for it?
Or do you love him for it?

“We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren.”

DO YOU LOVE YOUR BROTHER?
“He who does not abides in death.”

If you don’t love your brother there is no new life in you.
LOVE IS THE EXHIBITION OF NEW LIFE

And John goes on.
(15) “Everyone who hates his brothers is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.”

Now we are back to the word “hates”

Interesting word.
Often times “hate” is lifted up as the opposite of love.

It’s really not.
Hate is the absence of love.

Hate is actually a word that is used to measure our love for another.
Let me give you a passage to show you what I mean.

Luke 14:25-26 “Now large crowds were going along with Him; and He turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.”

Jesus was speaking in exaggerated language there.
• His point was that the love you have for Him must be so great
• That it would actually make your love for everyone else
• Seem like it was non-existent.

Hate isn’t really the opposite of love
So much as it is the absence of love.

It is when instead of sacrificing yourself,
You withhold that love and instead allow your brother to be sacrificed.

Later in verse 17 John defines hatred a little differently.
He says, “But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him…”

• There hatred is described as the closing of one’s heart.
• It is the absence of love.
• It is the refusal to sacrifice self.

And John says:
“Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer;”

That’s a bold statement.

“Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer;”

Where is he getting that?
He’s getting it from the example of Cain who was a child of the evil one.

You know Cain was a murderer
Because he lifted up his hand and murdered his brother.
In all reality Cain was a murderer long before he ever lifted up his hand.

Cain had no love for his brother.
Cain hated his brother.

Matthew 5:21-22 “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.”

Do you understand that?
• Murder is of the heart, not the hand.
• All the hand does is expose the heart.

So all hatred…
All moments of withholding love…
Those moments reveal the same evil heart that Cain had.

That is the very heart of the unredeemed.
• They withhold love from others.
• They refuse to sacrifice self for others.
• It is hatred and it is not a fruit of redemption.

The new life which is given us in Christ
Exhibits itself by its willingness to sacrifice for our brother.

And again I remind you,
True love might not be called true love by a world that hates true love.

But that’s not how we measure it.
We measure it by our willingness to sacrifice
Our comfort, our safety, our reputation, our provision, and anything else
In order to benefit our brother.

That kind of love is the exhibition of new life.

Next time we’ll look at the final point about this Christian love.

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Anticipating Worship: Encouragement in Captivity
Psalms 126
May 22, 2022

Everyone here knows the beloved song “Amazing Grace” by heart.
Those verses ring so true to the journey of our lives.

“Through many dangers, toils, and snares I have already come. Tis grace has brought me safe thus far and grace will lead me home.
The Lord has promised good to me, His word my hope secures. He will my shield and portion be as long as life endures.”

Those two verses of that great hymn
Could easily be the theme song of Psalms 126.

We return to these songs of ascents and it is as though
We journey with the pilgrims as they make their way to Jerusalem.

Each time they face a new hill or a new burden
It is as though the leader of the caravan shouts out,
“Psalms 122 everyone!” or “Let’s all sing Psalm 125 together”.

They are songs of encouragement and hope
Meant to express the sheer joy it will be
When we all arrive together to worship the Lord in Jerusalem.

Certainly each of these Psalms has its ULTIMATE FULFILLMENT
In the coming worship of heaven.

“When we’ve been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing His praise than when we’ve first begun”

That is the ultimate fulfillment of all these hymns
As we are all on this pilgrimage together.

But as we journey we find A SYMBOL or A PICTURE of that fulfillment
As we gather for corporate worship.

The gathering of the church is
The closest glimpse we are allowed to see of the coming glory of heaven.

And while we wait for the day of glory, corporate worship
Becomes one of our greatest joys and greatest encouragements.

So we have been talking about
The tremendous blessings of corporate worship.

Everything from fellowship in suffering to joy in arrival.
Everything from a sanctuary from evil to a place where hope is rekindled.

It is a blessing to be able to gather with God’s people in worship.

And TONIGHT we talk about this blessing some more.
Here we have a people in “captivity”.

I think it is best to see their “captivity”
In a GENERIC SENSE rather than a specific one.

By that I mean, I’m not certain the reference is here to the Babylonian captivity,
Or even a captivity that has removed Israelites from their land.

Rather, it’s best to see it here as a generic burden.
• Perhaps the Philistines have attacked…
• Perhaps the locusts have ravaged the fields…
• Perhaps there is a drought in the land…
• Perhaps it is that “scepter of wickedness” that disheartens…
• Perhaps it is a time of spiritual apathy in the land…

It is a figurative captivity.

We’ve felt something to that effect over the last few years in our nation.
• When people were told to stay home or wear masks or stay 6 feet away.
• When stores were closed and services were not rendered.
• When travel was restricted and gatherings monitored.

• Now when inflation is driving up prices and life is harder.
• As drought and fires ravage our part of the world.

It is a bondage
It is a burden
It is a captivity of sorts

That is what is going on in the lives of our pilgrims.

And again we see that relief in this captivity is found
As they gather with the saints and find some perspective
In their difficult circumstances.

They get encouragement.
How valuable is this in difficult days!
Encouragement is a true blessing of corporate worship.

Let’s work our way through this 126th Psalm
And see the encouragement our pilgrims have found in captivity.

We describe here what the corporate gathering is used for.

#1 A TIME TO REFLECT
Psalms 126:1-3

There is definitely a present and real conflict or burden
That faces our pilgrims.

LIFE IN THE PRESENT IS DIFFICULT.

BUT as they gather for corporate worship
It is NOT to immediately recount all their problems.

Indeed, God has told us:
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

While there is a time to present our requests and burdens to God,
(As our pilgrims surely will.)

The first business of the church when they gather
Is to give thanks to God for all that He has done.

Our first mandate and priority is to praise and give thanks to our God.

And that is where these pilgrims begin.
It begins with a time of reflection
On all the places where God has brought them.

They remember a time of prior deliverance.

“When the LORD brought back the captive ones of Zion…”

As the pilgrims assemble there is a time given to remember where they once were.
• They were in captivity.
• They have struggled before…
• They have suffered before…

BUT THE FOCUS OF THE SONG
Is not on the suffering but rather on God’s redemption.
“the LORD brought [them] back”

And this is of course where we are called to begin
Every time we gather.

We even periodically take the Lord’s Supper
To remember what Christ did for us.

We all must stop and think about what we were.
• Do you remember your life before redemption?
• Do you remember the sin that enslaved you?
• Do you remember your terrible attitude toward life?
• Do you remember your fallen logic?
• Do you remember the way you used others?
• Do you remember your idolatrous ambitions?

You were in captivity.

Paul spoke to Timothy about ministering to such people.

2 Timothy 2:24-26 “The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.”

The reality is that this was us.
We used to be enslaved.
And God redeemed us!

Psalms 40:1-3 “I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me and heard my cry. He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; Many will see and fear And will trust in the LORD.”

Titus 3:3-7 “For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

Ephesians 2:1-7 “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see.”

That is the opening song of the congregation.

But it’s NOT JUST salvation we remember.
There have been plenty of other captivities from which we have also been saved.

• Remember that time of financial hardship and God carried you through?
• Remember that time when your marriage was on the rocks and God fixed it?
• Remember that time you were sick and God healed your body?
• Remember that time your kids were in peril and God brought them back?

• Or even remember that time of tragedy and grief and God sustained you?

Remember your captivity and how God delivered!

We delight and we rejoice once again in the joy of that day.

(1b) “We were like those who dream.”

We were people who, in that moment, thought God could do anything.

If you’ve ever seen the movie “Facing the Giants”
It’s that story of the football coach who is losing, who is about to be fired, who can’t pay the bills, and who as a couple can’t have children.
And God does great things for him. He starts to succeed, his finances turn around and his wife gets pregnant.

And on the heels of each blessing the question is asked, “Tell me what is impossible with God?”

You know how you feel on the day of God’s deliverance.
There is an unbridled hope that God can do anything!

• Imagine the optimism when the Red Sea split!
• Imagine the optimism when that giant fell!
• Imagine the optimism when Cyrus issued the decree for Israel to go home!

You felt that once when God delivered you.
(2) “Then our mouth was filled with laughter And our tongue with joyful shouting;”

• When God delivered did you shout?
• When God delivered did you sing?
• When God delivered did you laugh?

I’ll bet you did!
It was a glorious time of rejoicing
Because God redeemed you from your captivity.

And what an IMPACT it even had on those around you.
“Then they said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.”

Even those around you could see God’s great redemption in your life.
• We think of Balak terrified because he saw how God was favoring the
Israelites.
• We think of Rahab in Jericho saying, “We’ve heard about how God is on
your side.”

• Or we think of others who notice God’s deliverance and God’s transformation.
They notice the change God works in us.

And they see God’s glory through our redemption.

That is a reality which God has worked in our lives.
From captivity to redemption
From redemption to testimony

And the pilgrims here first spend a moment thinking about
All that God has done on their behalf.

TURN TO: NUMBERS 33
(1-37)

And you read that and say, “Preacher, that’s pretty boring.”
It is unless you were one of the children of Israel.

And then every one of those stops becomes another story in the journey.
• Another place of God’s deliverance.
• Another place of God’s protection.
• Another lesson learned of God.

YOU COULD DO THAT IN YOUR LIFE.
We could do that in THIS CHURCH.

I think of 2004 in September we had a month of stillness and how a few women came forward compelled to go on mission and a year later God sent us to Africa, Lebanon, Israel, and El Paso.

In 2006 we were compelled to go to China but had no money and the PBR hired us to build all of those spur racks.

In 2012, 16 people were compelled to go to Sanyati and we certainly could not afford the projected $64,000 it would cost until God opened the flood gates and send like $75,000 to us.

How God sent funds to remodel a kitchen and the sanctuary.

I think of the day people in our church were saved.
Or the day when those in sin found repentance.

“Through many dangers, toils, and snares I have already come.
Tis grace has brought me safe thus far and grace will lead me home.”

When you go back over the course of time it is quite remarkable
All that God has done in His work of redemption.

And it culminates with A CORPORATE STATEMENT.
(3) “The LORD has done great things for us; We are glad.”

And there we rest a moment.

I don’t know what captivity you currently endure…

I know there are some we corporately endure.
• We have a sceptor of wickedness in our land…
• We are enduring drought…
• We are dealing with economic inflation…

You may have some personal issues that make life difficult as well.

But before you take another step,
Can you gather with God’s people and say,
“The LORD has done great things for us; We are glad.”

The opening of worship is the recognition of all that God has done.
And a declaration that He is good and you are glad.

The is the epitome of Christian gratitude.

It is impossible for Job not to come to mind here.
On the day when Job lost everything on earth.
Job 1:20-21 “Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped. He said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.”

Can we do that first?

I love the break in the book of Romans.
After 11 chapters in which Paul outlines the glory of the gospel and all that God has done for us through Christ Jesus.

Chapter 12 begins the application section of the book and Paul says:
Romans 12:1 “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”

The motive of Christian worship is not merely what God will do
But what He has already done.

Before you petition Him for His promises of future deliverance
You must first worship Him for His past mercies.

START THERE.
If God never did another good thing for us,
Thank Him for what He has done.

Make that declaration: “The LORD has done great things for us; We are glad.”

AND OF COURSE WE DO THAT CORPORATELY
SO THAT: those who currently struggle with the pain of captivity
Might be caught up to join us.

There are times
When our burdens are heavy and bitterness threatens to steal our joy.

It is then that
The rest of the congregation (through their worship) does us the great service of reminding us of all that we have to be thankful for.

START THERE.
That is what corporate worship is, it is a TIME TO REFLECT.

And then comes the next chapter:
#2 A TIME TO REQUEST
Psalms 126:4

I’m so glad that God not only permits this, but even commands it.

Philippians 4:6 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

There is certainly a time to “let your requests be made known to God”

And that is where we come now.
Having remembered that our God is a God who delivers the captives,
The congregation now cries out for deliverance once again.

“Restore our captivity, O LORD”

That is a little misleading.
• They are NOT asking to go back into captivity,
• They ARE asking for deliverance from their current captivity.

Psalms 85:1-2 “O LORD, You showed favor to Your land; You restored the captivity of Jacob. You forgave the iniquity of Your people; You covered all their sin. Selah.”

Clearly the idea of “Restore our captivity” is a reference to restoring us from it.

It is the idea of restoration and bringing us back.

And because the congregation spent a moment
Remembering God’s past mercies and power
Now it is easier to pray in faith about their present predicament.

When you fail to give thanks…
When you fail to worship for what God has done…
It robs you of your faith when you present your current requests to God.

First take a moment and remember who you are addressing
And then let your faith rise in your request to Him.

They are not praying to an indifferent God.
They are not praying to an impotent God.

They are praying to a God who has a track record of deliverance,
And to a God who even if He doesn’t deliver,
It is only because He is at work in a greater way.

So remember that and then cry out.

We ask Him to save because He has saved before.
We ask Him to deliver because He has delivered before.
We ask Him to send rain because He has sent rain before.

You get the idea.

“Restore our captivity, O LORD, As the streams in the South.”

There deliverance is compared to the relief after a long drought
When the waters come and the streams again begin to flow.

What was your mood when it rained last Monday night after almost 12 months of drought?

Well that is what we still pray for.
That God would deliver and restore as He has done so many times before.

And we do this not only individually, but corporately.

And can I put a plug in again for prayer meeting?

I realize it’s difficult and perhaps uncomfortable for some to come and just pray around a circle, but something in me refuses to make it about anything other than prayer.

I have this crazy belief that one ought to be able to expect the children of God to be willing to gather and to pray.

Personal prayer is certainly important, but I can think of few things more basic than when God’s people gather to pray together.

That just seems like something that is obvious church behavior.
We should gather together to seek and present our requests to God.

The corporate gathering is a time to REFLECT and a time to REQUEST.
#3 A TIME TO REMIND
Psalms 126:5-6

Our Psalmist takes what has been true in the past, adds to it a prayer of faith
And then reminds the congregation of the coming result.

• We know who God is.
• We know what God is done.
• We know He responds to the prayers of His people.

And now, we gather corporately
And we remind one another of what God has promised.

“Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting. He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed, Shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.”

IT’S FARMING.

I often use the analogy at funerals,
But the bible uses farmers for illustrations a lot and farmers always represent the same thing.

Farmers are pictures of hope.
(That’s all they have)

• A farmer will spend a large amount of money on a seed.
• Sometimes he’ll even go into debt to acquire that seed.
• And then he will do the unthinkable with it.
• He buries it in the ground.
• Ground he has prepared, but he buries it none the less and then he waits.
• All he has is hope that a crop will be produced.

It is hard labor, but if that crop comes up it will be pure rejoicing.

I don’t know if Lance and Willie and Chris actually cry when they have to go plow and plant, but I know they rejoice when they sell that cotton.

THAT IS THE ANALOGY USED HERE.

But it is more than a picture of farming,
It is a picture of bearing burdens.

We go through difficult events in our lives.
We go through difficult seasons in our lives.

And there are many times when we don’t really have a clue
Why we have been charged to go through them.

We have only the promise:
Romans 8:28 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

Romans 8:18 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

We go through these times of captivity and all we have is the promise
That God knows what He is doing and it will be worth it.

BUT LET’S BE HONEST,
When you are in the middle of captivity it’s hard to see that.

And if you stay secluded it’s really hard to remember that.

YOU NEED THE CONGREGATION.
You need that brother or sister who will come up
And remind you of what you already know.

Hebrews 12 is that great chapter about God’s discipline
And how it produces righteousness in us.

The writer reminds:
Hebrews 12:10-11 “For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”

WE KNOW THAT,
But in the middle of captivity it’s hard to remember that.

And that is where the corporate reality comes in.

Notice what the writer of Hebrews says next:
Hebrews 12:12-13 “Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.”

What is that?
• That’s when the brother or sister approaches and lifts you up.
• You’ve got weak knees and feeble legs.
• You’ve been beet and it feels like something is dislocated.

What a blessing when
• One comes up and helps you bear your load by reflecting with you on God’s past redemption.
• One comes up and helps you by joining you in prayer to the Lord.
• One comes up and helps you by reminding you of God’s promise to work for good.

Those are the absolute joys of corporate worship
Which cannot be overstated.

There is even a tremendous correction that can come here.
Hebrews 12:15 “See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;”

That is a blessing in our pain as well isn’t it?

Sometimes in our captivity we are prone to bitterness.
• We don’t understand and we get angry.
• Satan whispers in our ear and we listen to him.

What a blessing to have the church who can recognize that bitterness,
Expose it, and call us back to gratitude and gladness.

You see here that the corporate worship is also a time to remind.

We remind one another that “weeping may last for the night but joy comes in the morning.”

We remind one another that “plowing and planting and weeding is hard work, but the harvest is so worth it.”

We remind one another that “even though God may allow trials and suffering in our lives that He is always at work for our good.”

BEYOND THAT…

Many people use these verses in an evangelistic sense.
They liken the sowing to the preaching of the gospel
And the harvest to the day a sinner is saved.

AND THAT IS NEEDED AS WELL.

Paul told Timothy to be faithful “in season and out of season”
There would be times when it seemed like people couldn’t get enough of the gospel
And there would be times when no one wants to hear it.

• The call to the Christian is to preach anyway.
• The call to the Christian is to keep sowing seed even if it feels like it’s all fallen on hard or weedy soil.

BUT THAT’S HARD ISN’T IT?

It’s hard to keep teaching that class week after week when it doesn’t appear they are listening.

It’s hard to keep sharing the gospel with that friend who just never seems to listen.

And fatigue hits us all.

But it’s then that
• We gather and reflect on how God has saved in the past. He has saved before and He will save again.
• We gather and request again God’s salvation of the lost.
• We gather and remind one another that God can save anyone, even the most hard hearted.

Paul said:
1 Timothy 1:15-16 “It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.”

That is encouraging isn’t it!
There’s hope for that friend you’ve been witnessing to.
There’s hope for that kid you’ve been teaching.

And sometimes we need that encouragement.
• Keep plowing…
• Keep sowing…
• Some day the harvest will come.

This is the encouragement we receive even in times of captivity.
WE NEED THE CONGREGATION.

• They help us remember what God has done.
• They petition God with us.
• They remind us that God is faithful to bring a harvest.

And in our captivity we are encouraged.

We love the blessing of being able to gather together.

Download Here:

Understanding Christian Love – Part 1
1 John 3:11-18 (11-12)
May 22, 2022

This morning we return to our study of 1 John
And it is a study we have called “Obvious Christianity”

We just spent about a month looking at verses 1-10 of this chapter
And understanding the reality of
Personal righteousness and purity in the life of a believer.

It is very accurate to say that “Christians live righteous lives”

1 John 3:9-10 “No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.”

Christians live righteous lives.

But we also notice that as John concluded that thought,
He immediately introduced us to his next thought.

At the end of verse 10 John listed a second reality of the Christian life.
John said, “nor the one who does not love his brother.”

That is to say that anyone who does not love his brother
Is also “not of God”

It is another distinguishing characteristic between the children of God and the children of the devil.

It is another obvious attribute that sets the redeemed apart from those who are still enslaved to their sin.

So beginning in verse 11
John starts articulating for us this second reality which is LOVE.

And what we get in verses 11-18
Is in reality nearly a CARBON COPY of what we got in verses 1-10.

IT IS STILL A PATERNITY TEST.

In the first 10 verses
• John gave us undeniable characteristics about Christ
• And showed us that Christ and the devil are total opposites.

Remember that?

1 John 3:5 “You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin.”

Talking about Jesus, John said, “in Him there is no sin.”
We remember.
• Jesus never sinned.
• He was perfect and flawless in holiness.

The devil is the exact opposite of Jesus.

1 John 3:8a “the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning.”

The devil knows nothing but sin.
• He is a liar and the father of lies
• He was a murderer from the beginning.
• He comes only to steal, kill, and destroy.

So John pointed out that Jesus and the devil are polar opposites
As it relates to their righteousness or their purity.

You can’t have two more opposite beings than them
When you are discussing the reality of righteousness.

And that distinction then helped us to identify their offspring.
• You recognize children of Christ by their righteousness.
• You recognize children of the devil by their lawlessness.

That would have been PATERNITY TEST NUMBER 1.

Well, in the second part of this chapter
John issues A SECOND PATERNITY TEST
And this one works the same way.

John will again compare Jesus and the devil
Only this time John will use THE CRITERIA OF LOVE.

And once again we will see that
The devil and Jesus are on total opposites of the scale.

Look at verse 12
“not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother.”

The example John uses is “Cain”,
But that is only because Satan never became flesh and walked among us.

John is simply quick to point out that Cain “was of the evil one”.

Cain here is a representative of the devil.

And then down in verse 16 you get the opposite example of Christ.
“We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us;”

Once again then you see the total contrast between Jesus and the devil.

We have the devil who slays his brother.
We have Jesus who saves his brother.
POLAR OPPOSITES.

And you see that John is doing it again.
He is holding up for you the devil and he is holding up for you Christ and he is asking which one you resemble?

IT IS ANOTHER PATERNITY TEST.

SO
In the first segment of 1 John 3 we repeatedly made the statement that “Christian’s live righteous lives”.

Now we take the next step and say that “Christians love their brother”.

This is another fruit.
This is another obvious attribute.
This is a distinguishing mark.

SO THIS MORNING,
Let’s begin looking at these next 8 verses
And see if we can’t understand why love (along with righteousness)
Is a defining characteristic of the children of God.

We’re going to divide these 8 verses into 3 points.
#1 LOVE IS THE EXPECTATION OF CHRISTIANITY
1 John 3:11-12

By that statement I mean,
There is no version of Christianity
That does not include brother love.

If your faith or doctrine or theology
In any way allows you to hate your brother in Christ,
Then your faith or doctrine or theology is not Christian.

(11) “For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another;”

“from the beginning” doesn’t necessarily refer to the beginning of creation, though it could, rather it refers to the beginning of your Christian faith.

In other words John is saying,
“From the first moment you ever heard the gospel,
Present in that message was the requirement to love one another.”

The criteria or command for love
Was NOT AN AMENDMENT added to Christianity at a later date,
That has always been the command.

Let me say it another way.

Jesus never saved anyone apart from the absolute expectation
That they love their brother.

This is universal and obvious Christianity.
• It is foundational.
• It is “from the beginning”
• It is Christianity 101

If you are redeemed and have failed to see this,
Then you have failed to understand the very basic expectations
Of what Christ demands of you.

Right there with righteous living is brotherly love.

“For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.”

John 13:34-35 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

John 15:12-13 “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”

That was the night before Jesus died.

We talked about earlier in our study of 1 John
How this was a “new” commandment.

It was old in the sense that God had always commanded His people to
“love your neighbor as yourself.”

It was a new commandment in the sense that Jesus totally exploded our understanding of what love is.
He said, “love one another, just as I have loved you.”

Same command, but totally new understanding.
But love was always the expectation.

Romans 13:8-10 “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For this, “YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET,” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”

THE EXPECTATION HAS ALWAYS BEEN LOVE.

And let me just BRIEFLY EXPLAIN WHY that is the case for a moment.

It is because:
Love is the best attribute to describe
God’s behavior toward humanity.

If we wanted to use the best word to describe GOD’S NATURE
We would use the word “Holy”,
For that is the only word used in triplicate to describe God.

He is never called “Love, Love, Love” or “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy”.
He is only called “Holy, Holy, Holy”

When talking about His nature we use the word holy.

But when describing God’s behavior toward humanity,
The best word to use is LOVE.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

• And we talked about His BENEFICENCE toward humanity, that He has “good will toward men.”
• And we talked about His BENEVOLENCE toward humanity, that He “sends rain on the just and the unjust”

And certainly we talk about His REDEEMING LOVE for His elect.

But love is the best word to describe God’s behavior toward humanity.

Jesus highlighted this love in His Sermon on the Mount.
Matthew 5:43-47 “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.’ “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? “If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?”

• What is it that causes God to sustain the lives of even those who hate Him?
• What is it that causes God to provide for even those who are His enemies?
• What is it that causes God to endure with great patience those who reject Him?

IT IS LOVE.
He sacrifices Himself on behalf of even His enemies.

Even the unredeemed awaken every morning
And enjoy the benefits of God’s love.
That is how God treats humanity.

To be certain,
• One day He will judge His enemies…
• There is coming a day of reckoning…

But the reality is that
Every single moment that even the unredeemed live,
They do so because of God’s love demonstrated toward them.

That is true even for the unredeemed.

It is certainly true for those whom He has saved.

Psalms 103:8-12 “The LORD is compassionate and gracious, Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness. He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.”

Titus 3:3-7 “For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

Romans 5:7-8 “For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

What else can we say but that God loves us?

Perhaps John says it the clearest later in this epistle.
1 John 4:7-8 “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”

John says it there:
• “love is from God”
• “God is love”

And this is why love is the expectation of Christianity.

Since love is the perfect way to describe
How God behaves toward humanity (all of humanity)
Then love must be the way in which God’s children behave,
Especially toward their brothers.

Ephesians 5:1-2 “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”

And that is what John is referring to here.

John is NOT here talking about our love for the unredeemed.

Now, certainly WE ARE commanded to love our enemies.
Jesus said that in verse we read a moment ago.

Matthew 5:43-44 “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.’ “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”

Clearly we are commanded to love even our enemies, for that is what God does.

But how much more are we commanded to love our brothers in Christ!
We are certainly commanded to love them.

And this is what John is referring to.
• It is absolutely foundational that Christians love other Christians.
• It is absolutely the expectation of Christianity that you love those for whom Christ died.

In fact, if you don’t do that,
You are missing the whole point of Christianity.
It only proves that you do not know God.

For God does love His enemies,
But He has especially shown love to His children.

THIS IS SIMPLE.
Love is the Expectation of Christianity.

But I love the thoroughness of John.
He doesn’t just leave it at that and go on.

John wants to make sure we are clear
On what he means when he tells us to “love one another”

(12) “not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother.”

Immediately John gives us some CRITERIA
By which we can understand what he means.

When he tells us to “love one another” he then shows us what love is not.

What “the evil one” does is NOT love.
And if we act like him then we are not of God.

So let’s look at this example here of Cain.
And as we said a moment ago,
Cain is used because he is a clear child of the devil in Scripture.

(12) “not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.”

You know the story.
Genesis 4:1-8 “Now the man had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and she said, “I have gotten a manchild with the help of the LORD.” Again, she gave birth to his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the LORD of the fruit of the ground. Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and for his offering; but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell. Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? “If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.” Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.”

It’s actually a story that I think gets greatly misunderstood.
It is an important story to our understanding of the gospel.

• We have 2 boys.
• We have 2 offerings.
• God accepts one and rejects the other.

And we must recognize that God didn’t just accept or reject the offering, God accepted or rejected the man.

“the LORD had regard for Abel and for his offering; but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard.”

It’s not just about accepting the gift, but even the giver of the gift.

Now some have been confused as to why God accepted Abel, but not Cain.

SOME HAVE SAID
Well Abel “brought of the firstlings” and Cain didn’t and since Abel brought the first and Cain presumably brought the last God accepted Abel and not Cain.

OTHERS HAVE SAID
Well Abel brought a blood sacrifice and Cain brought produce and that is why God accepted Abel and not Cain.

Both of those explanations are wrong.

The writer of Hebrews clarifies it.
Hebrews 11:4 “By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.”

The reason God accepted Abel and his sacrifice and not Cain’s
Is because Abel came in faith, Cain did not.

This is confirmed by John who says in our text this morning that Cain’s “deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.”

It is only by faith that righteousness is credited to us.
• Abel came in faith and God justified him.
• Cain came with works and as Isaiah said, “all our righteous deeds are as a filthy garment” before God.

This also helps you understand why Cain hated Abel so much.

When God pronounced the curse on Adam do you remember what God cursed?

THE GROUND.
Genesis 3:17-19 “Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life. “Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field; By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.”

And what did Cain bring?
“the fruit of the ground”

I want you to think about what it took for Cain to bring an offering from the ground to God.
• The plowing
• The watering
• The weeding
• The waiting

IT WAS WORK!

Abel brought “the firstlings of the flock”

Now that’s not to say that
There was no effort involved with Abel’s offering,

BUT IF YOU COMPARE IT SIDE BY SIDE
IT IS CLEAR WHICH BOY WORKED THE HARDEST.

When we explained it to our youth we compared Hannah and Abigail.
• Later this summer Hannah is likely to bring buckets of squash and jalapenos
and tomatoes to the church, because she works the garden.
• Abigail is likely to bring eggs because she raises chickens.

No offense to Abigail, but for every minute Abigail spends working for her chickens, it is not a stretch to say that Hannah spends an hour if not more.

It is far more work to bring a tomato than it is to bring an egg.

Now put yourself in Cain’s shoes.
• You brought that which was the result of your labor and God wouldn’t accept you.
• Your brother brought that which was not the result of labor and God did accept him.

There is the gospel.
God wants faith, not works.

But Cain was furious.
And Cain killed Abel.

WHY?
“Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.”

• Abel exposed Cain.
• Cain hated God, but you can’t kill God.
• So Cain lashed out against the one God accepted.

WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN?

Cain was filled with jealousy which is the opposite of love.
Cain was willing to sacrifice his brother in order to benefit himself.

We have said to many times before, but
“The opposite of love is not necessarily hate. The opposite of love is self”

Abel’s righteous life made Cain’s sin look even worse.
So in order to benefit himself, Cain killed Abel.

NOW CERTAINLY THAT IS AN EXTREME STORY,
But it is one that is played out in our world over and over and over again.

We see babies aborted, but it certainly isn’t done out of love for the baby.
• People choose to sacrifice the baby for their own selfish interest.

We see it in the redefined sexual relationships of our day
• Where immorality and lust and living together is all preferred over the
commitment of marriage.
• It is a situation in which people seek to gratify their own cravings at the
expense of another.
• I’ll convince you to do what God will judge you for because it pleases me.

We see greed or extortion or even price gouging and robbery
• In which someone seeks to benefit financially off of the misfortune of another.

Gossip / Slander or even these bold “self-defense” posts
• That are so prevalent on social media where in order to defend my reputation
or my self-interest a person will verbally bash someone else.

The response of Cain literally saturates our world.
We see the results of “the evil one” all over the place.

AND JOHN IS CLEAR,

That is NOT what we’re talking about
When we talk about the Christian’s expectation to “love one another.”

Genuine God-like love is self-sacrificing not self-gratifying.
God’s love sacrifices self for the good of another.

A quick consideration of “The Love Chapter” is well worth it here.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 “Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails”

We see words like “patient” or “kind” or “not jealous”

• Cain’s response to his brother was none of those thing.
• Cain was not kind, but in jealousy he chose to slay his brother.

We see things like “does not seek its own” or “is not provoked” or “does not take into account a wrong suffered”

• And we see so very little of that in our culture.
• Instead of self-sacrificing we are in a world that is self-seeking.
• It is the “make sure I get mine” mentality, and when I don’t, I send the coach an email or lambast someone on social media.
• The world doesn’t understand how to overlook a wrong that is suffered, but everyone must pay.

We read that “love does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth”

• We certainly don’t find this in the world.
• The very ADVERTISING that saturates our culture is that which tells us that unrighteousness is where the real rejoicing is.

THE POINT IS THAT OUR WORLD KNOWS NOTHING OF LOVE.

I know our world loves to throw out the words “I love you”
Or likes to champion “love” as the chief goal of humanity.

But it is important for you to understand that
What the world calls love is anything but.

• Love is to suffer long with no time limit.
• Love is when you respond to a sharp rebuke with kindness.
• Love is when you rejoice at someone else’s triumph without jealousy.
• Love is when you downplay your own successes and never broadcast them.
• Love is when you do what is right by another.
• Love is when you forgive the wrong you suffer and refuse to fire back.
• Love is when you don’t laugh at another’s wickedness which will ruin them, but
rejoice when they walk in righteousness.

This is what God does.
This is how God behaves toward humanity.

And this is what God expects from His children
When they relate to their brothers and sisters.

And Jesus said: “by this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

There is no room for bitterness or anger or slander or enmity
Or lack of forgiveness or rudeness between Christian brothers.

The world has those things, Christians are called to behave like God.

Philippians 2:1-4 “Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”

1 Corinthians 3:1-3 “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?”

When there is jealousy and strife among you
There is no other way to say it other than you are acting like a baby!

Any baby can scream or bite or go over in the corner and pout and throw a hissy fit when they don’t get their way.

We can’t walk “like mere men” we are called to imitate God.

• The Christian is expected to walk in love.
• The Christian is expected to not take record of wrongs.
• The Christian is expected to forgive.
• The Christian is expected to respond in kindness
• The Christian is expected to sacrifice themselves for the good of another.

THAT IS WHAT CHRIST DID.
And that is what He expects of us.

“This is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.”

Ephesians 4:1-2 “Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,”

Colossians 3:12-14 “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.”

1 Thessalonians 4:9-10 “Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; for indeed you do practice it toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, to excel still more,”

Hebrews 13:1 “Let love of the brethren continue.”

1 Peter 1:22 “Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart,”

1 Peter 4:12 “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;”

IT IS SIMPLE OBVIOUS CHRISTIANITY.
And more than the expectation, it is also the proof.

CHRISTIANS LOVE THEIR BROTHER.
Up in verse 10 John said those who don’t are not of God.

So this morning we are taking again this paternity test.

We have God who sacrifices Himself that He might love others.
And we have the evil one who sacrifices others because he loves himself.

And then we simply have to ask, “Which one am I?”

• Do I use people for my own personal gain?
• Do I corrupt people for my own satisfaction?
• Do I swallow the wrongs done to me or do I demand restitution?
• Do I rejoice in the victory of others or am I more interested that my
accomplishments are recognized?

I realize Cain is an extreme example,
But you realize that murder was in Cain’s heart
Long before it was in his hand.

This morning I would simply ask you to examine your life to see if
There is any self-sacrificing love like what God shows for humanity.

This is the expectation and even proof of Christianity.

We’ll talk about the others next time.

Download Here:

Anticipating Worship: The Rekindling of Hope
Psalms 125
May 15, 2022

Tonight we return to this segment of Psalms
Which were sung by the pilgrims as they traveled to Jerusalem.

Psalms 120-134 are all given the distinction “A Song of Ascents”

And we enjoy studying them because

In a day when corporate worship seems to have slipped down the list of many people’s priorities

These songs remind us again what a blessing it is for the saints to be able to gather together in worship.

• We’ve been reminded that corporate worship can be a sanctuary from evil.
• We’ve been reminded that corporate worship is a place of joy in redemption.
• We’ve been reminded that corporate worship is a place where we fellowship even in our suffering.
• We’ve been reminded that corporate worship is a physical manifestation of God’s favor.

Corporate worship is more than a command,
It is a blessing to us that we can participate in it.

And TONIGHT in this study we look to the 125th Psalm.

Having read the Psalm to open the sermon, we immediately are able to pick up on THE SETTING that must have inspired this particular song.

We find out for instance that
Currently the land was under what the Psalmist called (3) “the scepter of wickedness”

• A “scepter” is that ornate staff that was carried by a ruler.
• It was meant to be a symbol of sovereignty.

So “the scepter of wickedness” then is an indication that
The land currently languished under an evil ruler.

Israel certainly had plenty that would have grieved them.
• We think of Rehoboam whose arrogance split the kingdom.
• We think of Ahaz who actually imported an Assyrian pagan altar into Israel.
• We think of Manasseh and his idolatry and shedding of innocent blood.

Any of those kings could certainly be described in Jerusalem as
“the scepter of wickedness”

A time in which righteousness is discouraged and evil is rewarded.

We know from the book of Romans that the civil government does have a legitimate function and mandate from God.

Romans 13:4b “…for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.”

The civil government is to be the sword of God
To bring swift and physical punishment on those who violate God’s Laws.

That is why God instituted them.
That is why they have authority.

And just like it is when anyone neglects their God-given role,
When the government abdicates that role
It brings hardship and suffering to those who are under them.

It was not a day in which the king ruled in righteousness,
But rather a day in which the king was wicked.

I’ll let you just go ahead and make the present day application as you will.

Certainly the church today understands the grief associated
With living in a land where wicked men and women are in power.

It is a grief to a nation and especially to the righteous.

But that is THE SETTING of Psalms 125.

In addition to that,
It is also clear that some (5) “turn aside to their crooked ways”

It is an added grief when you see the corrupting influence
That the wicked government seems to have.

• Through their wicked rule…
• Through their ability to reward evil and punish good…
• This wicked administration has even succeeded in pulling men and women into their wickedness.

They are producing deserters and apostates.

• How many in Judah began to participate in Baal worship because of Ahaz?
• How many in Judah offered their children to Molech because of Manasseh?

And again we understand the scene.

When wicked men come and threaten punishment to the righteous,
It is to our grief that many will fall away from the truth
And participate in what is evil merely to escape their hatred.

How many descent minded Germans stood by for Hitler?
How many even followed his orders out of fear of his repercussion?

TODAY we have an entire generation that is willing to actually embrace absolute folly just because they don’t want to be ostracized.

Romans 1:22 “Professing to be wise, they became fools,”

I am intrigued at times by these videos where people will street witness or go on college campuses and ask basic questions to students to sort of challenge their acceptance of the lunacy of our world.

I saw one recently where a man was witnessing on a beach
In what appeared to be California.

He would ask simple questions like:
• Is there a difference between a man and a woman?
• What would you say if I told you that “I am a woman”? (he was a man)
• What would you say if I told you that “I am a black woman”?

And you watch these people look at these white man and say, “Well, I’m not going to say otherwise. If that’s what you say, then you are entitled to that.”

Why would an otherwise intelligent person look at a white man and not be willing to say, “You are clearly not a black woman”?

It is because they have been intimidated into compliance.
They are afraid of the social repercussions of simply using their brain.
Satan must laugh hysterically as they admit to such nonsense.

And yet he is far too successful.
Jeremiah 5:30-31 “An appalling and horrible thing Has happened in the land: The prophets prophesy falsely, And the priests rule on their own authority; And My people love it so! But what will you do at the end of it?”

And our Psalmist, like us, lived in such a culture.

The governing authorities were evil and their evil was influencing people
To fall away from the truth and to embrace wickedness.

We understand the grief and THE PRESSURES of such a day.

There is the temptation to adopt their wicked ideology.
• That temptation is real or else no one would do it and people across our land are doing it.

There is the fatigue of resisting it.
• It is exhausting to stand against and to debate with people who have yielded up the faculty of logic and common sense.
• There are no more rational discussions anymore, it’s all name calling and offense and tears…
• It’s exhausting to try and be a voice of truth in a culture that has abandoned truth.

There is certainly a concern for the future.
• The Psalmist must have wondered what was coming for Judah.

I would imagine that watching the nightly news
Produced great despair in our Psalmist.

And perhaps it threatened to overtake him…UNTIL
HE WENT TO CHURCH.

Arriving in Jerusalem, as you will see,
Completely changed his outlook and rekindled his hope.

Now, he’s not the only one who experienced such a rekindling of hope by going to church.

You’ll remember this one:
TURN TO: PSALMS 73

(READ 1-16)
• You see a similar despair there from Asaph.
• And he was totally broken by what he saw.

(READ 17-20)
• He entered God’s sanctuary and he was allowed to see the reality of what is
coming and his entire demeanor changed.

His hope was restored and his resolve was strengthened.

I will tell you from the outset here that
This is what we learn tonight from Psalms 125
As one of the blessings of simply going to church.

It is a time when we get to see that
Everything that appears to be reality in the world
Is not actually the reality at all.

• The world and the media would have you believe that EVERYONE is on board with gender confusion…
• The world and the media would have you believe that EVERYONE agrees with critical race theory…

• Perhaps the media in the Psalmists day had people believe that EVERYONE now thinks Baal worship is the way to go…

And if you stay isolated, the odds are good you might believe that.
But when you step into the sanctuary of God
And you attend the fellowship if the saints

It could be that you might learn that
What is portrayed as reality isn’t reality at all.

So let’s look at this 125th Psalm
And see how attending worship can rekindle our hope.
4 points tonight
#1 HIS EPIPHANY
Psalms 125:1-2

Here we find what it was that sort of strengthened our Psalmist’s resolve.
Oddly enough it was actually the landscape surrounding Jerusalem.

And yet God used that landscape to settle him and remind him.

When he traveled to Jerusalem and saw the mountains surrounding the city
His heart was immediately encouraged
As God used those mountains to remind him of what is true.

1) GOD’S PEOPLE ARE LIKE MOUNTAINS
2) GOD IS LIKE THE MOUNTAINS

(1) “Those who trust in the LORD Are as Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but abides forever.”

What happened here?

This man lived in a nation of wickedness where wickedness was on the rise and people were falling away left and right to join the evil.
• He must have felt like he was alone in the world.
• He must have felt like the last man standing.

But as he approached the city guess what he saw:
THE CITY WAS STILL THERE
AND PEOPLE WERE STILL WORSHIPING GOD.

He wasn’t alone.
Worship of God endured.
Truth endured.

It may indeed be a time of wickedness,
But the wickedness wasn’t as dominate
As perhaps he had been led to believe.

And the Psalmist immediately likened God’s people,
“Those who trust in the LORD”
To the mountains of Jerusalem.

The idea is that of steadfastness.
That “which cannot be moved but abides forever.”

Mountains are pictures of strength and endurance.
There is a steadfastness about them.
And the Psalmist said, that is also true of God’s people.

No matter how evil and wicked this world gets, God’s people remain.
THERE IS ALWAYS A REMNANT!

We remember the book of Isaiah
• How he preached to people who were blind and deaf and hard-hearted.
• We remember how he was to preach until basically everyone was dead and judged.

However:
Isaiah 6:11-13 “Then I said, “Lord, how long?” And He answered, “Until cities are devastated and without inhabitant, Houses are without people And the land is utterly desolate, “The LORD has removed men far away, And the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land. “Yet there will be a tenth portion in it, And it will again be subject to burning, Like a terebinth or an oak Whose stump remains when it is felled. The holy seed is its stump.”

God would leave a remnant.

We remember Elijah
• His despair as he saw a land overrun by Ahab and Jezebel.
• It was a time when Baal worship was out of control
• The prophets of God had been slaughtered.

Elijah ran to the mountain of God and moaned that he was all alone in the world.

1 Kings 19:14-18 “Then he said, “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.” The LORD said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus, and when you have arrived, you shall anoint Hazael king over Aram; and Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint king over Israel; and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place. “It shall come about, the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall put to death. “Yet I will leave 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

Elijah was not alone, it only felt that way.
God’s people endured.
God always has a remnant.

Paul rested upon that story for encouragement in his day.
Romans 11:2-5 “God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? “Lord, THEY HAVE KILLED YOUR PROPHETS, THEY HAVE TORN DOWN YOUR ALTARS, AND I ALONE AM LEFT, AND THEY ARE SEEKING MY LIFE.” But what is the divine response to him? “I HAVE KEPT for Myself SEVEN THOUSAND MEN WHO HAVE NOT BOWED THE KNEE TO BAAL.” In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God’s gracious choice.”

God’s people are like mountains, they endure!

We think of all the hard times which have plagued the church throughout history and yet here she is.

• The Jews tried extremely hard to eradicate the church and were unsuccessful.
• Catholicism and people like Bloody Mary tried to eradicate the church and failed.
• Islam has tried…

There may be days of wickedness
But the church endures forever.

And when our Psalmist attended this time of corporate worship
HE WAS REMINDED OF THAT.

God’s people “Are as Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but abides forever.”

Matthew 16:18 “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.”

Romans 8:36-37 “Just as it is written, “FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.” But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.”

2 Corinthians 2:14 “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.”

“The church shall never perish!
Her dear Lord, to defend,
to guide, sustain, and cherish,
is with her to the end;
tho’ there be those that hate her
and false sons in her pale,
against the foe or traitor
she ever shall prevail.”

https://www.godtube.com/popular-hymns/the-church-s-one-foundation/

Do you understand that encouragement?
• How great is it to pull up to church and just see other cars in the parking lot?
• How great is it to hear the congregation sing beside you?
• How great is it to hear the “Amen” across the room?

“I’m not alone!”
• I’m not the only one who thinks the wisdom of this world is foolishness!
• I’m not the only who stands for truth and righteousness!

How encouraging to know that the church has not been overrun!
She stands strong!

“Those who trust in the LORD Are as Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but abides forever.”

But that’s not all God showed our Psalmist.
He also saw the reason the church is like a mountain.

The church is like a mountain because GOD IS LIKE THE MOUNTAINS

(2) “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, So the LORD surrounds His people From this time forth and forever.”

The church endures because God wills for her to endure.
She is protected.

She resides behind that hedge or bubble we spoke of this morning.
Though the world would love to eradicate us, they will never succeed.

We remember that WARNING that was given by Gamaliel to the Sanhedrin who wanted nothing more than to squash the early church.

Acts 5:35-39 “And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you propose to do with these men. “For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a group of about four hundred men joined up with him. But he was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. “After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census and drew away some people after him; he too perished, and all those who followed him were scattered. “So in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action is of men, it will be overthrown; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God.”

It is because God protects His people.
The church exists because God wills for her to exist.

What great encouragement our Psalmist experienced
Simply by seeing the Jerusalem endures!

• Had he stayed home…
• Had he neglected the journey…

He would have been left with nothing but the world’s propaganda
Which told him he was all alone and all the world believes as they do.

BUT THAT WASN’T TRUE.
And simply seeing the city and the worship which occurred there
Lifted his spirits and rekindled his hope.

What a blessing!
• Go to church.
• Assemble with the saints.
• Have your hope rekindled simply in seeing that God’s people endure!

His Epiphany
#2 HIS ENLIGHTENMENT
Psalms 125:3

Because the church endured…
Because God willed for it to be so…

Now the Psalmist was also keenly aware of something else.

“For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest upon the land of the righteous, So that the righteous will not put forth their hands to do wrong.”

The “scepter of wickedness” might invade for a time,
But it will never find “rest upon the land of the righteous”

And don’t you love that the land is called “the land of the righteous”!
It belongs to them!

Jesus said:
Matthew 5:5 “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.”

The righteous are not the invaders here, the wicked are.
And though the wicked might invade, they never get to rest.
They don’t get to stay forever.

The Psalmist was reminded of that.

Wicked scepters come, but they also go!

Isaiah 40:21-24 “Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. He it is who reduces rulers to nothing, Who makes the judges of the earth meaningless. Scarcely have they been planted, Scarcely have they been sown, Scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth, But He merely blows on them, and they wither, And the storm carries them away like stubble.”

They are not the church.
They have no staying power.

Psalms 49:20 “Man in his pomp, yet without understanding, Is like the beasts that perish.”

Psalms 73:18-20 “Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. How they are destroyed in a moment! They are utterly swept away by sudden terrors! Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when aroused, You will despise their form.”

God will not let the wicked endure.

I’ve been contacted several times over the past few months
From a pastor in Tanzania who wants some help learning.

I’ve been corresponding with him some back and forth.

He emailed me 2 weeks ago frustrated because the number of Mosques continue to grow in his area but church buildings do not.

He sees the scepter or wickedness on the rise.

But I reminded him of what the Psalmist sees here.
• They may enter…
• They may build…
• But they will not get to stay!

Revelation 11:15 “Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.”

Psalms 2 “Why are the nations in an uproar And the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us!” He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them. Then He will speak to them in His anger And terrify them in His fury, saying, “But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.” “I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession. ‘You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.’ ” Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; Take warning, O judges of the earth. Worship the LORD with reverence And rejoice with trembling. Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!”

Our Psalmist realized that here too.

AND THERE IS A REASON
Why God won’t let those squatters rest in the land.
(3b) “So that the righteous will not put forth their hands to do wrong.”

Paul reminded that God will “not let you be tempted beyond what you are able”.

And this is also a reason why
The wicked don’t get the land indefinitely.

Even in the tribulation we read:
Matthew 24:21-22 “For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. “Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.”

God protects His own.
He has determined that the church shall endure,
And therefore He has determined that the wicked will not.

What encouragement our Psalmist received by attending Jerusalem!
It is the rekindled hope which is received from corporate worship.

He was encouraged!

His Epiphany, His Enlightenment
#3 HIS ENTREATY
Psalms 125:4

Do you see his excitement?

He knows what is coming, but in anticipation he can hardly wait!
He wants it now!

“Do good, O LORD, to those who are good And to those who are upright in their hearts.”

His encouragement spills over into a prayer request.

It is the excitement of John upon receiving the Revelation and seeing the sure and ultimate victory of Christ.

Revelation 22:20 “He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”

It is even what our Lord taught us to pray:
Matthew 6:10-13 “‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. ‘Give us this day our daily bread. ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’”

A man who is defeated might give up on prayer altogether.

Jesus taught us through that widow and the unrighteous judge that we “ought to pray at all times and not lose heart”.

Well how encouraged now is our Psalmist’s prayer life
When his hope is restored and he remembers again
That one day the wicked will be removed!

THIS IS HOPE REALIZED.
I am a firm believer that corporate worship strengthens hope
And hope strengthens one’s prayer life.

He knows that God is for His people and he easily prays that
God will carry them and do them good.

#4 HIS EXPECTATION
Psalms 125:5

The Psalmist ends with a chant of victory.
• For all those who caved to the social pressures…
• For the woke mob who chose social acceptance…
• For those who abandoned for the sake of comfort…

“But as for those who turn aside to their crooked ways, The LORD will lead them away with the doers of iniquity.”

Some day God will not only rid our land of its evil influence
But also of all those who fell prey to it.

God will totally purify our land…
God will totally remove the wicked from it.

It doesn’t matter if they pretended righteousness.
It doesn’t matter if they tried to play both sides of the fence.

SOME DAY THE WICKED MUST LEAVE.

Matthew 7:23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’”

Matthew 13:40-43 “So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. “The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. “Then THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.”

One day they area all being plucked
And the earth will be restored to the glory which God intended.

Isaiah 66:22-24 “For just as the new heavens and the new earth Which I make will endure before Me,” declares the LORD, “So your offspring and your name will endure. “And it shall be from new moon to new moon And from sabbath to sabbath, All mankind will come to bow down before Me,” says the LORD. “Then they will go forth and look On the corpses of the men Who have transgressed against Me. For their worm will not die And their fire will not be quenched; And they will be an abhorrence to all mankind.”

In short, it won’t always be this way!
• God’s church endures.
• God makes sure she endures.
• The wicked don’t get to stay.
• God will remove them.

And in that final day: “Peace be upon Israel”

You can see the encouragement of our Psalmist.
It is his new anticipation
Now that he has joined the fellowship of the saints.

Imagine the despair if he had stayed home.
The news is so depressing.

Psalms 73:17 “Until I came into the sanctuary of God; Then I perceived their end.”

And not only their end, but our endurance.
It is a blessing to gather with the saints
And be reminded of the victory we enjoy through Christ.

Download Here:

Addressing The Issue of College Apostasy
2 Corinthians 5:20 – 6:2
May 15, 2022

This morning we are going to do something a little bit different.
We’re going to look at a text, but the majority of what we’re going to talk about this morning is of A TOPICAL NATURE.

I’ve had this topic on my mind for quite some time, in fact I had initially thought it might be a theme for a future Disciple Now, but since we recently completed a segment in 1 John and since today is our senior recognition day, today seemed like that day.

The issue we’re going to talk about is what I’m calling:
“The Issue of College Apostasy”

APOSTASY of course is a falling away from the faith.

It is the issue that has grieved and burdened
Countless parents and church members for years.

You take a child who is raised in church and who is active
And then they go off to college and they abandon the faith.

Lifeway has tracked these types of statistics for years and for the past decade the number has rested somewhere between 66 and 70 percent.

That alone is a staggering number.
If that number holds in our church, then of the 7 youth we are celebrating today
That would mean that 5 of them would drop out after they leave here.

We certainly hope that is not the case,
But tragically it is the case in churches all across America.

I want to address that this morning, especially with you seniors and even with those of you who will graduate in the next few years.

This is hardly a new statistic, it’s been discussed for years.
Most of the time THE BLAME for this staggering statistic has been pointed at the church and probably even more specifically, at the youth ministry.

The George Barna group recently posted an article entitled “Six Reasons Young Christians Leave The Church”

Reason #1 – Churches seem overprotective.
• Namely the church painted everything outside as “taboo” and the teen’s own curiosity leads them to try what was previously forbidden.

Reason #2 – Teens’ and twentysomethings’ experience of Christianity is shallow.
• Church is boring, they didn’t feel God enough.

Reason #3 – Churches come across as antagonistic to science.
• When they enter a secular atmosphere where science is used to attack Christianity they feel they have to choose one or the other and end up leaving.

Reason #4 – Young Christians’ church experiences related to sexuality are often simplistic, judgmental.
• Partly it is the issue of sexually active teens who are now feel judged and partly because the church’s views are anti-cultural.

Reason #5 – They wrestle with the exclusive nature of Christianity.
• The church isn’t tolerant enough and teenagers don’t want to choose between their faith and their friends.

Reason #6 – The church feels unfriendly to those who doubt.
• They don’t feel allowed to question their beliefs or the church doesn’t have sufficient answers for their doubt.

https://biologos.org/articles/six-reasons-young-christians-leave-church/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw4PKTBhD8ARIsAHChzRIgaP3H-nNeDfVFkpCazi_CuAKvfqnEfdpQ-qQnvWGHto0hO978gNMaArKhEALw_wcB

And so typically the reason why teenagers leave the church
Is stemmed from some failure of the church
To do church the right way.

(The one I always heard is that we don’t do a good job of discipling)

Now, I IN NO WAY would say that any church (including ours)
Is a perfect example of what the church should be all the time.

Every church has ways in which we can improve
To be better suited for the work of Christ, and we are no different.

However, it shows an extreme lack of spiritual discernment
To not realize what is really happening.

IN FACT, as we have been studying 1 John recently, I believe John has already clearly and emphatically answered the question.

1 John 2:19 “They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.”

John was clear that believers don’t leave the church.
Those who do fall away do so because they “are not of us”

Now, that DOESN’T MEAN that every kid that goes off to college and temporarily gets out of the habit of church attendance is lost.

The writer of Hebrews is clear that sometimes even genuine believers fall out of habit and need to return.

But for those who totally lose their faith and turn from the Lord,
The problem is not that the church in someway failed,
But rather that their faith was not genuine.

Now perhaps the church was too quick to declare them “saved”
But still the problem is a lack of genuine redemption,
Not some failure of church style.

And this is what I want to address with you seniors this morning,
And even you other teenagers who are not far behind them.

We’re going to bounce around a little, but I want you to understand the reality of this world and what awaits.

#1 THE DANGER

I want to remind you of something that is often forgotten.

In fact, it is ASTOUNDING to me that someone could research why teenagers leave the church and yet no one put this on the list.

1 Peter 5:8 “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS DIDN’T MAKE THE LIST.

But here is the reality.
• There is a spiritual enemy of your soul.
• There is one who is on the loose who is looking to attack.

Ephesians 6:12 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

LISTEN TO ME VERY CAREFULLY GUYS.
There is a very active and eager enemy in this world who comes
“only to steal, kill, and destroy.”

He is the chief adversary of your soul.
• He is the DRIVING FORCE behind every agnostic professor…
• He is the DRIVING FORCE behind every sexual temptation…
• He is the DRIVING FORCE behind every woke cultural deception…

Satan is “the god of this world” and make no mistake,
He has set his eyes on toppling you!

Not necessarily in a physical or even financial way.
But of utmost priority his objective is TO WRECK YOUR SOUL.

He is warring to destroy your faith
And to lead you into unbelief, sin, and absolute ruin.

I want you to be aware of that.

But there’s a second thing I want you to know about.
#2 THE BUBBLE

Perhaps you’d call it “the shield” or “the hedge” or whatever.

But I want you to be aware of is that God has
A protective bubble that He places upon His children.

Psalms 2:12 “Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!”

Psalms 5:12 “For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O LORD, You surround him with favor as with a shield.”

Psalms 32:7 “You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah.”

Psalms 32:10 “Many are the sorrows of the wicked, But he who trusts in the LORD, lovingkindness shall surround him.”

Psalms 9:9 “The LORD also will be a stronghold for the oppressed, A stronghold in times of trouble;”

Psalms 31:20 “You hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the conspiracies of man; You keep them secretly in a shelter from the strife of tongues.”

So while there is an enemy who rages and seeks to devour,
There is also a shield from God over His children.

This bubble DOES NOT keep them from being persecuted or hated,
But IT DOES keep them from falling away from the faith.

John 10:27-29 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”

John 6:39 “This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.”

SO while the enemy would seek to pull God’s children away from Him,
There is a protective refuge which God places over His own
To keep them from falling away.

This is easily seen in the story of Job.
Job 1:6-10 “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. The LORD said to Satan, “From where do you come?” Then Satan answered the LORD and said, “From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.” The LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.” Then Satan answered the LORD, “Does Job fear God for nothing? “Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.”

There you have that lion prowling seeking someone to devour.
And when God mentions Job, notice what Satan said:

“Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side?”

So you think Satan hadn’t tried to get to Job?
• He’d tried to get Job…
• He’d tried to get to his house…
• He’d tried to get to his possessions…
• He’d tried from every side…

WHAT WAS THE PROBLEM?
Satan couldn’t get to Job because God had protected him.
Job was in the bubble, he was in the hedge.

God has a protective bubble or hedge or hiding place or refuge
That He places over those who are His own
And they are protected from the evil one.

NOW LISTEN VERY CAREFULLY TO THIS

THERE ARE TIMES WHEN EVEN NON-BELIEVERS
ENJOY THE BENEFIT OF GOD’S BUBBLE.

There are people, who do not know the Lord; who are not saved,
Yet, who do enjoy the safety and protection
Of living inside of God’s bubble or hedge.

Let me show you:
1 Corinthians 7:12-14 “But to the rest I say, not the Lord, that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he must not divorce her. And a woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, she must not send her husband away. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband; for otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy.”

I know this is about marriage, but listen to what is being said here.
• Here we have a marriage where one of the spouses is a non-believer.
• It is either a non-believing husband or a non-believing wife married to a believer.

And the question is: Should I divorce them and send them away?

Paul says, “No”

WHY?
“For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband…”

“sanctified” means “set-apart”

What Paul is saying is this.
• If that non-believer wants to stay, let them stay.
• They are “sanctified” or “set-apart” or in the bubble because of you!

God doesn’t have them in a bubble, He has you in a bubble,
But because of you they get to live under that same protection.

In Job’s day it would be Job’s wife who enjoyed all the blessings of living in the hedge that God had placed around Job.

Let me show you some MORE EXAMPLES of this:

Remember the story of Sodom and Gomorrah?
• God determined to destroy Sodom because of their great sin.
• But God first sent to pull Lot out who the Bible says was a righteous man.
• But I want you to notice what the angel says to Lot.

Genesis 19:15-22 “When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city.” But he hesitated. So the men seized his hand and the hand of his wife and the hands of his two daughters, for the compassion of the LORD was upon him; and they brought him out, and put him outside the city. When they had brought them outside, one said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you, and do not stay anywhere in the valley; escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away.” But Lot said to them, “Oh no, my lords! “Now behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have magnified your lovingkindness, which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, for the disaster will overtake me and I will die; now behold, this town is near enough to flee to, and it is small. Please, let me escape there (is it not small?) that my life may be saved.” He said to him, “Behold, I grant you this request also, not to overthrow the town of which you have spoken. “Hurry, escape there, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” Therefore the name of the town was called Zoar.”

Did you catch that?
“I cannot do anything until you arrive there.”

God would not destroy Sodom so long as Lot was there.
Why? Because Lot was His child.

Sodom was actually protected from judgment
So long as Lot was in their midst.

There again you see non-believers who are allowed to live inside the bubble that God has placed around one of His children.

Remember the parable of the wheat and the tares?
Mathew 13:24-30 “Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. “But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. “But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. “The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ “And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ “But he said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. ‘Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

Later Jesus explained that parable:
Matthew 13:36-43 “Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.” And He said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. “So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. “The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. “Then THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.”

You see the same principle.
You have tares, who do not know God, and who are not His children,
Yet they enjoy protection only because
God is not willing to destroy any of His wheat.

So it’s NOT that the tares are protected,
But they are living inside the bubble of protection
Which God has afforded to the wheat.

This is why the ultimate penalty of CHURCH DISCIPLINE is to remove the sinner outside of the bubble.

Remember the church at Corinth who had that “so-called” brother who was sleeping with his father’s wife.
1 Corinthians 5:1-5 “It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father’s wife. You have become arrogant and have not mourned instead, so that the one who had done this deed would be removed from your midst. For I, on my part, though absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged him who has so committed this, as though I were present. In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are assembled, and I with you in spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus, I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”

What did Paul say to do to that man?
“deliver such a one to Satan”

What does that mean?
• Kick him out of the bubble.
• Send him outside of the hedge.

That man is protected so long as he is in your midst,
You need to remove him so that he will be chastised by the enemy.

So are you following the point that I am making here?
• We have a protective bubble which God has placed over His children.
• This keeps them from the evil one.
• And at times even non-believers benefit from that bubble.

At times even those who do not know the Lord are protected
Simply because they live in that bubble.

SO WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH COLLEGE APOSTASY?

Let me tell you what is about to happen in your life.

Everyone of you is about to leave your home.
I think probably most of you are about to leave this church.

YOU HAVE BEEN IN A BUBBLE HERE.

If you have believing parents, you have benefited from God’s protection over their home.

If you have been a part of this church, you have benefited from God’s protection over this church.

Namely there has been a hedge around you that kept Satan at a distance.

But WHAT IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN to high school seniors across our nation?
They’re about to leave the bubble.

Does that mean that they are about to be unprotected?
Yes, UNLESS they have their own bubble.

THIS IS THE EXPLANATION
For why so many teenagers go off to college and fall away.

It is because they have spent the first 18 years of their lives
Under the protection that God has afforded their home,
And they have been relatively sheltered from the attacks of the enemy.

But they are ABOUT TO LEAVE THAT BUBBLE; leave that hedge; leave that home and go out into the world.

And once they leave the hedge…
“Satan prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour…”

And the lion wastes no time pouncing on his prey.

And we see the devastating effects year after year
• Of teenagers who grew up in the church,
• But who did not know Christ
• And they find out very quickly that they are no match for the enemy.

They end up doing things people thought they would never do.
They end up abandoning the church and people are shocked.

WHY?
It’s because on their own they are no match for the enemy.
On their own they are no match for the lion.

• The god of this world spews his godless doctrine at them…
• The god of this world hits them with his foolish logic…
• The god of this world showers them with temptation…
• And they have no power to overcome him.

And they stumble and fall because for the first time in their lives
They faced him without the hedge in between them.

And if the statistics hold true
That is happening to 7 out of 10 teenagers in the church.

SO THE QUESTION ON YOUR MIND SHOULD BE:

How do I become one of those 3 who remains?

Well this morning LET’S CONCLUDE YOUR YOUTH TRAINING.

For the past 7 years that you’ve been in youth
We have bombarded you with 2 words.

We’ve talked about it over and over and over.
Those two words are, “in Him”

• We have told you repeatedly that the only way to be justified is to be “in
Christ Jesus”
• We have told you repeatedly that the only way to be saved is to be “in Christ
Jesus”

And now let me tell you that
The only way to be protected from the evil one is if you are “in Him”

UP UNTIL NOW,
• You could come to church or youth, hear the gospel and reject Christ
• You could ignore the call and still live somewhat protected
• Because while you may have rejected Christ you were still safe because your dad is “in Him” or your mom is “in Him”
• They are shielded and you have been living inside their hedge.

BUT THAT TIME IS DRAWING TO A CLOSE.
You are about to leave their bubble.

This morning I want to ask you if you have a hedge of your own?
Jesus Christ is our bubble.
Jesus Christ is our hedge.

Romans 8:1 “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Romans 8:35-39 “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, “FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.” But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

And I remind you that this promise is NOT UNIVERSAL to all people.
There are plenty who abide under the wrath of God
And who are fair game for the enemy.

That promise of protection.
That promise of victory.
Is only for those who are in Christ Jesus.

He is our hiding place.
He is our refuge.
He is our hedge and our bubble.

And when you leave your home and this church
And you go out into the world,
If you do not go in Christ Jesus,
You will not survive the attack of the evil one.

• He will deceive you…
• He will lead you into sin…
• He will pull you away from the truth…
• He will lure you into that which is designed to destroy your soul…

I CAN’T STRESS TO YOU ENOUGH

You must yield your life to Christ.
You must believe in Christ
You must trust Christ

The time is soon approaching when
You will no longer be trading on the faith of your parents.

You are about to go into this world on your own.

AND AS THE STATISTICS SEEM TO BEAR OUT,
Far too many go out unprepared to face the lion that is hunting them.

YOU NEED THE SEAL OF CHRIST.

Revelation 7:1-3 “After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.”

Revelation 9:1-4 “Then the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him. He opened the bottomless pit, and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit. Then out of the smoke came locusts upon the earth, and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power. They were told not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.”

Do you see it again?
You don’t want to face the enemy without God’s protection.

SO WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE US THIS MORNING?

It leaves you with the responsibility to trust Christ.

Remember the book of Acts
• Peter preached to the Jews who had just rejected Jesus.
• Peter revealed to them how much danger they were in for rejecting Christ.

Acts 2:37-40 “Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. “For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!”

Are you listening?

Before you face the god of this world, what should you do?
“Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

DO YOU SEE THAT?

AND INCIDENTALLY PARENTS
• This is the goal of raising kids, to lead them to Christ.
• If kids have already strayed, the goal is to lead them to Christ.

SENIORS
• I know this is supposed to be celebratory time in your life.
• I realize there is tremendous pressure for me just to tell you to shoot for the moon and hopefully land among the stars.
• I know the expectation is that I will just sit here and tell you all that you will do great things in life.

But wouldn’t Satan love it
If we decided to party instead of getting prepared.

You must be saved from this perverse generation.

• I realize you’ve all been GOOD KIDS.
• I realize you’ve all been taught GOOD MORALS.
• I realize you’ve all got a handle on ETHICS and right and wrong.

And yet we’ve seen plenty of good kids go to college
And come back supporting abortion and gay marriage
And sexual immorality and plenty other ideas of godlessness.

I see the videos on social media where college students are interviewed and can’t even answer the question regarding what is the difference between a man and a woman?

I promise you they knew the answer 5 years ago in high school.
You all know the answer this morning.

WHAT HAPPENED?

The went into this world and Satan attacked them
With his perverse and backward logic
And without Christ they were not match for him.

Listen to me teenager, THIS IS NOT A GAME.
• You need Christ!
• You personally need Him!
• You cannot trade any longer on the faith of your parents.
• You must hide in Christ!
• You must rest in Him!

And this morning I’m putting that directly to you.

• Have you given your life to Christ or just ignored the issue?
• Maybe you made a decision in the past, but that’s not what I’m
asking.

I’m asking if you belong to Christ today?
I’M ASKING IF CHRIST IS IN YOU TODAY?
Are you His?
Are you serving Him?
Do you love Him?

Are you a child of God?
Do you have your own bubble?

If not, then this morning, I beg you to be reconciled to God.

I beg you not to go off to college without a relationship with Jesus,
You won’t make it.

So let me come back to that text we opened with.
2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2 “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain— for He says, “AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU, AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU.” Behold, now is “THE ACCEPTABLE TIME,” behold, now is “THE DAY OF SALVATION”

I am begging you to be reconciled to God.
• Christ was treated as though He lived your life so that you might be forgiven.
• I am begging you to trust in Him
• So that you might be treated as though you lived His life.

You must be in Him.

For the past 7 years God’s grace has been on you.
• He has allowed you to hear the gospel.
• He has offered you salvation over and over and over.
• It is an offer of grace.

And to that we say with Paul:
“we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain”

If you have neglected that offer, then neglect it no longer.
“now is “THE DAY OF SALVATION”