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Do Not Love The World – Part 1
1 John 2:15-17 (15)
February 27, 2022

As you know, John has written us here a very direct and bold letter.
It’s not a hard letter to understand, though it can be hard to swallow.

• John writes in clear absolutes.
• John writes with black and white dogmatism.
• John quickly and succinctly gets to the heart of the matter.

And after studying verses 12-14 we know why.
THE CHURCH IS UNDER ATTACK.

The truth is being distorted and the lines of what is Christian and what is not
Are beginning to be blurred.

John writes to bring clarity.
• He wants those who are lost to know they are lost.
• He wants those who are redeemed to know they are saved.
• He wants the new converts to rest in the fact that they know the Father
• He wants believers who are contending for the faith to know they are right
• He wants the spiritually mature to pass on their convictions

In short, John is writing to solidify conviction.
And you don’t do that by being vague.

And by now I think we can clearly say that
• If you are saved you probably love the bold and direct nature of John here.
• If you are lost this is not a pleasant study.

But for both groups it is a necessary one.
Our encouragement is to simply hear what John say,
Believe him, and respond accordingly.

Well, having explained the purpose of his boldness,
THIS MORNING John immediately returns to being bold.

And these 3 verses might be the biggest litmus test yet.

LET’S JUST BE HONEST.
• We live in America
• We enjoy financial prosperity
• Having plenty has become a way of life

While we certainly give thanks to God for all the things we enjoy in life
We must at the same time recognize that
OUR PROSPERITY IS ALSO A GREAT THREAT TO OUR SPIRITUAL LIFE.

YOU HAVE TO SEE THAT.
When you live in a country as affluent as ours
You must maintain a visual image of the Rich Young Ruler
Walking away from Jesus weeping
And you must hear in your ears the explanation of Jesus:

Matthew 19:23-24 “And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. “Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

Certainly NOT every rich man is lost,
NOR is it that no rich man can be saved.

When the disciples recognized the difficulty of what Jesus said there, they asked, “Then who can be saved?”

And Jesus said:
Matthew 19:26 “And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Rich people can be saved.
• Zacchaeus is an example of that.
• Matthew is an example of that.
• Joseph of Arimathea is an example of that.

Rich men can be saved,
But it is important to recognize how difficult it is.
Earthly prosperity is NOT the easiest road to salvation.

And it is therefore important to recognize that
• While God does give us all good things to enjoy,
• Prosperity in this life will always be a threat
• Not only to salvation but also to sanctification and faithfulness.

There’s just no way around that.
That is a truth that you must come to grips with.

We LIVE IN A CULTURE WHERE PROSPERITY IS HIGH ON THE LIST.
• We live in a culture that seeks nothing like it seeks prosperity.
• We live in a culture that will do almost anything to protect its comforts.
• We live in a culture that applauds prosperous and questions the poor.

Now, it’s not your fault that you were born in America.
God determined the days of your life and the boundaries of your habitation.

BUT YOU MUST RECOGNIZE THE THREAT OF THIS PLACE.

In a place like this there is a constant temptation; a constant pull;
For you to SEEK, LOVE, and TRUST in earthly prosperity.

This is blatant idolatry.
We are called to seek, love, and trust God.

And, we also understand that seeking, loving, and trusting God
Is EASIER when you are POOR than when you are rich.

I just want you to be aware of the threat. (and so does John)

In fact, John now approaches perhaps his most convicting test yet.

John has already questioned whether or not we walk in darkness.
• Do you walk in darkness?
• Do you live in a sinful lifestyle?
• How you answer that is an indicator of the genuineness of your salvation.

John has already questioned our humility and repentance.
• Do you sin?
• Do you have sin?
• Do you confess that sin?
• How you answer that is an indicator of the genuineness of your salvation.

John has already questioned our obedience.
• Do you obey Christ?
• How you answer that is an indicator of the genuineness of your salvation.

John has already questioned our love.
• Do you hate your brother?
• How you answer that is an indicator of the genuineness of your salvation.

And now John moves to another test. Perhaps the hardest.
DO YOU LOVE THE WORLD?

In our culture this may be the most important question you or I ask ourselves.

John is about to expose a cancer that none of us can afford to overlook.

And as we begin, I want to remind you of something Jesus said:
John 3:19-21 “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. “But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”

Let that be a verse that guides our study of these very important verses.
• Let us not be people who reject the truth for fear of being exposed,
• But let us be people who run to the light in hopes that God will expose and
show us everything we need to know.

Well, let’s start with John’s simple command.

(15a) “Do not love the world nor the things in the world.”

That is the simple imperative.
It is clear, it is concise, and there really shouldn’t be any confusion.

However, let’s look at it and ponder it for a moment.

Let’s think about the word “world” for a second.

• What does John mean when he tells us not to love “the world”?

The Greek word is KOSMOS

• It can speak of the literal physical created world.
• We talk about the cosmos as the entire universe.

The word also speaks however of “order” as in the order of the universe.
• You are familiar with the word “cosmetology” which speaks of someone putting their face in order or their hair in order with cosmetics.
• Sometimes this word is even translated “adornment”

So is that the command?
• That we are not to love the created order?
• That we are not to love the physical universe?
• Is that what John means?

Well, listen, today there is some reality to this.

We think of ENVIRONMENTALISM
I’m going to tell you today that environmentalism is very much a religion.

I’m NOT saying a Christian should not care for the planet.
• The Levitical Law even prescribed things like providing the land with rest.
• The land was a very important aspect to the covenant God made with Israel.
• We read often of them polluting the land with the shedding of innocent blood.
• And obviously there is the common sense reality that if you make a mess of
your surroundings that those surroundings are going to be far less
pleasing to live in.
• Things like conservation and cleanliness are certainly not bad things.

But there are plenty of ways in which environmentalism
Has turned into a religion for many people.

We even hear of idolatrous and mythical terms like “Mother Nature” or “Mother Earth”
As the source of life.

And certainly we see the misguided mindsets
That regard the salvation of the planet
As the salvation of the human race.

But Scripture promises that
• This created order will one day be totally annihilated by God.
• He will burn up the elements with intense heat.

If you want to talk about ECOLOGICAL DISASTERS
Just go read the book of the Revelation.
No one is going to trash the planet like God will one day trash the planet.

God will destroy this one and create a new heavens and a new earth.

ANYONE who has made it their calling or purpose to “Save The Planet”
Is following a misguided purpose in life.

Certainly anyone who worships the planet is guilt of idolatry.

Romans 1:22-25 “Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”

There’s a sense in which John is saying don’t love the physical world

Though I think we all realize that THERE IS MORE HERE THAN THAT.

For John doesn’t just stop by saying “Do not love the world”.
John goes on to say, “nor the things of the world.”

It’s CLEARLY MORE than a command about the physical created order.

IN ONE SENSE we here have to address the love of physical things or maybe better called “STUFF”.

Earthly treasures.

Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

• We think of the Rich Young Ruler who refused to sell his possessions.
• We think of the disciples who left houses and farms and lands and fishing boats and money tables to follow Jesus.

There is a real aspect here in which John is telling us not to love stuff.
• It is the sin of hoarding.
• It is the sin of storing up treasure.
• It is the sin of putting our trust in retirement as our security instead of God.
• It is the sin of seeing our brother in need and closing our heart.

1 John 3:16-18 “We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.”

And this is a REAL PROBLEM and TEMPTATION in our affluent society.

Our society constantly preaches of the importance of financial security
And having enough for me first and things like that.

But we must be ever aware of
• The temptation to trust in our surplus as our security.
• Our propensity to hoard that which we do not need.
• The sin of finding satisfaction in stuff instead of God.

When John tells us not to love the things of the world
There is a very real and timely warning here regarding stuff.

And that may STILL NOT BE THE BEST understanding.

It’s NOT LIKE “things” are only physical things.

There are other worldly things we can love
That aren’t necessarily physical things.

For example we can talk about worldly praise or worldly esteem.
• The WORLD’S ADMIRATION is certainly something people are prone to love.

We live in a culture right now that craves worldly approval.
The current word is “WOKE”
Which oddly enough is supposed to mean “awakened to the truth”

What it actually represents is when a person
Has altered their beliefs to be accepted by the social majority.

• It is to love the approval of men so much that you cave on your convictions and
toss out any conflicting opinion so that you can have the world’s pat on the back.

That is one of the “things” that many have shown to love.

Even in Jesus’ day.
John 12:42-43 “Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.”

Loving the things of this world would include WORLDLY IDEOLOGIES.

Think about the temptation of Jesus.
Matthew 4:8-9 “Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.”

There was both a physical aspect there and a spiritual one.
Satan offered Jesus both thrones and glory.

When Jesus called His disciples to follow Him He was speaking about leaving physical treasures,

BUT ALSO THINGS LIKE THEIR COMFORTS AND REPUTATIONS.
• One man was told he’d be homeless if he followed Jesus.
• Another was told he would have to relinquish his earthly inheritance.
• Another was told he could not be concerned about his reputation.

Those are all “things” that we are told we cannot love
And “things” which we must surrender.

Matthew 16:24-25 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”

There is a wide element here of what John is saying.
• Don’t love the physical planet as your source of security and provision.
• Don’t love the stuff of this world as your satisfaction or security.
• Don’t love the ideologies of this world as your guide for belief or conviction.

ALL OF THAT COULD CERTAINLY BE IN PLAY HERE.

John says, “Do not love the world nor the things in the world.”

Now some would immediately throw their hand up and quote:
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 I suppose one could ask, “How can John tell us not to love the world when Scripture is clear that God loved the world?”

The obvious difference is that God’s love for the world
Spoke of humanity not things.

Jesus did not come to save the planet.
Jesus did not come to save our stuff.
Jesus came to save humanity.
Jesus came to save sinners.

Certainly John is clear in his letter that we are to love people too.
• We are to love our neighbor.
• We have already been told not to hate our brother.

The distinction is obvious.

John’s command here prohibits us from loving the physical things of the world and the ideologies that the world broadcasts.

That is what John means by “world”

But let’s talk about ANOTHER WORD there.
Let’s talk about the word “love”

We’ve seen the object, but let’s talk about the action.

• John didn’t say, “Don’t store the world”
• John didn’t say, “Don’t admire the world”
• John didn’t say, “Don’t respect the world”
• John said, “Do not love the world”

What does that mean?

“love” there AGAPEO

Which is that familiar word which speaks of “God-like, or unconditional love”

If you look up the definition, especially as it relates to “things” it is defined like this: “to be well-pleased; to be contented at or with a thing.”

But I think there is ANOTHER PASSAGE THAT MIGHT BETTER HELP you understand the gist of what John is saying.

Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

Certainly you see the word “love” there in the text
Where Jesus said a man will “hate the one and love the other”

There Jesus uses hate and love as OPPOSITES.

But if you notice in the text, Jesus also uses synonyms of the words
To better understand His point.

For Jesus immediately restates the concept by saying,
“he will be devoted to one and despise the other.”

There “devoted” and “despise” are also OPPOSITES,
But they are also synonyms of the previous statement.

In this text to love something is synonymous with being devoted to it.
And hating something is synonymous with despising it.

That is a good way of understanding what the Bible means
When it talks about you loving something.
THE ISSUE IS DEVOTION

What are you devoted to?
• Are you devoted to God or to wealth?
• Are you devoted to God or Mother Earth?
• Are you devoted to God or your stuff?
• Are you devoted to God or your reputation?

• What was the Rich Young Ruler devoted to? (clearly wealth)

Do you understand then what John is talking about?

“Do not love the world nor the things in the world.”
Or
“Do not be devoted to this world or to stuff or to worldly esteem”

THERE IS OUR FIRST REAL POINT OF SELF-EVALUATION.

John very clearly tells us not to love those things.
Now I must ask, “Do I?”

• If Jesus asked me to part with my stuff and follow Him where would my devotion lie?
• If Jesus asked me to part with my reputation or comfort and follow Him, where would my devotion lie?

Now listen, don’t answer that as a herd.
You have to answer that as an individual.

What we like to do with passages like this is look around the room and say, “Well everyone else in here is keeping all their stuff so surely Jesus doesn’t care if I keep mine.”

I know that temptation.

It reminds me of when Jesus told Peter that he was going to be martyred.

John 21:21-22 “So Peter seeing him said to Jesus, “Lord, and what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!”

We don’t evaluate our devotion
By whether or not I appear as devoted as the next guy.

The Rich Young Ruler was told to sell everything and follow Jesus.
Zacchaeus agreed to give away half of his possessions and apparently keep living in Jericho.

I DON’T KNOW WHY.
• But I do know the issue of the heart was devotion.
• Neither of them was allowed to love their money.

In our culture with such a priority set on prosperity and security
Every one of us ought to take a deep inward look
And ask ourselves where our devotion lies.

Is there something you possess that God can’t have?
Is there something you are more devoted to?

The consistent call of God is that men lose this life
And forsake this world in order that they may gain Christ.

And though the extent of that loss may look different in various people
The willingness of that loss is 100% the same.

IN FACT, the willingness to forsake devotion to the world
Is such a central concept to Christianity that John uses it here
As another litmus test by which we evaluate genuine salvation.

John is actually going to show you that loving the world is characteristic of the lost.
• Loving the world is what lost people do.
• Loving the world is what unregenerate people do.
• And thus the command for us to not love the world.

IN THE REMAINDER OF OUR TEXT
John will show us 3 truths about people who love the world.

#1 THE LOVE THEY LACK
1 John 2:15

“Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

First you see the clear distinction.

A person can either love the world or they can love God
BUT THEY CANNOT DO BOTH.

Jesus made this same statement in the verse we looked at a moment ago.
Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

James was pretty dogmatic about it as well.
James 4:4 “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

It’s a wonder the church could ever get confused about such an issue.

Few truths in Scripture are spoken about
With more clarity and force than this one.

Genuine believers forsake their love of the world for a love for God.
Genuine believers forsake their devotion to the world for a devotion to God.

Paul said:
Philippians 3:7-9 “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,”

After the Rich Young Ruler left Peter said:
Matthew 19:27 “Then Peter said to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?”

There is simple fact that must be acknowledged:
You cannot love the world and God.

TO FURTHER CLARIFY you should understand
Why the statement “the love of the Father” is a distinguishing statement.

This love is not something that is produced by the person.

While we are commanded to love God, it is a command
Which can only be fulfilled through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 5:5 “and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

Your love for God is not a love that originates with you.
It is a supernatural love for God
Which is given to us when the Holy Spirit moves in.

IN FACT, the love a believer has for God
Is actually the love which Christ has for the Father.

In that famous Romans 8 passage (which is often misunderstood)

Romans 8:38-39 “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.”

• In that passage Paul is NOT SAYING (as so many claim) that nothing can cause God to quit loving us.
• That is true, for He loved us at our worst, but that is not Paul’s point.

• Paul is talking about tribulation and hardship and peril.
• He IS talking about the types of things that might cause us to quit loving God.
• But Paul says that we overwhelmingly conquer in all those things and that none of those things “will be able to separate us from the love of God”

He is talking about our love for God.
And then Paul defines that love. He says “which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”

The love that the believer is given for God
Is the same love which Christ has for God.

It is a supernatural love which does not originate with ourselves.

This is why love for God is such an accurate indicator of salvation.
It cannot be produced by the human will.

If a person has genuine love for God they are redeemed.

If you’ve ever heard R.C. Sproul talk about ASSURANCE OF SALVATION, he has a favorite analogy.

Someone would come and ask how to know if they are saved.
Sproul would ask them 3 questions.

1) “Do you love God perfectly?” (of course they must answer no)
2) “Do you love God as much as you should?” (well #1 is no then this is no too)
3) “Do you love God at all?”

And if you say “yes” then the next question is “Where did that love come from?”
That is a mark of regeneration.
That is a mark of salvation.

BUT HERE IS WHAT ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW.

You cannot lay claim to that mark of salvation if you love the world.

When asked “Do you love God?”
If you love the world you cannot answer “yes”
(at least not honestly)

For John is clear:
“If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

And that is the first point here.
• Those who are devoted to the world cannot claim to be devoted to God.
• And if they do make that claim, then it is a false claim.

I realize that this is somewhat of a painful test,
But it is a necessary one none the less.

The facts are these:
• God’s children do not crave the world, lost people do.
• God’s children do not pursue the world, lost people do.
• God’s children do not trust the world, lost people do.
• God’s children are not devoted to the world, lost people are.

Galatians 6:14 “But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”

That is a mark of regeneration.

Galatians 5:19-24 “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

You see it again.
Those sinful lusts and desires that crave the world
Have been crucified by child of God.

When Peter talks to the redeemed he says:
2 Peter 1:4 “For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.”

Believers don’t see the world and its evil system
As something to be loved, they see it as something to be escaped.

The world is anti-Christ and the believer has no desire for it.

They sing, “I’d rather have Jesus than silver and gold. I’d rather be His than have riches untold. I’d rather have Jesus than houses or lands. I’d rather be led by His nail-pierced hand. Than to be a king of a vast domain or be held in sin’s dread sway. I’d rather have Jesus than anything this world affords today.”

They sing, “Take the world, but give me Jesus, all it’s joys are but a name. But His love abides forever, through eternal years the same.”

They sing, “Where the whole realm of nature mine, that were a present far too small. Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.”

But that is a desire that the unredeemed lack.

They may be like the Rich Young Ruler
And understand that Jesus has answers for eternal life,
But they are too devoted to their wealth to receive that life.

Those who love the world demonstrate “The Love They Lack”
And that is that they lack a love for God.

But that’s just the first one, there’s 2 more.
And we’ll have to get to those next time.

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Thinking About Zeal
Psalms 119:137-144
February 20, 2022

We’ve been on quite a fiery ride with our Psalmist
Over the last few stanzas.

Our Psalmist has been dealing with his oppressors.
It is those who bring suffering to him because they don’t like his message.

Our Psalmist however has been unyielding in his commitment.
• We’ve talked about his conviction.
• We’ve talked about his refusal to compromise.
• We’ve talked about his steadfastness.
• We have seen this passion for several stanzas now.

Psalms 119:113 “I hate those who are double-minded, But I love Your law.”

Psalms 119:126 “It is time for the LORD to act, For they have broken Your law.”

Psalms 119:136 “My eyes shed streams of water, Because they do not keep Your law.”

Tonight we talk about another attribute that fits in that same category.

WE TALK ABOUT ZEAL.

He says, (139) “My zeal has consumed me, Because my adversaries have forgotten Your words.”

The English definition is: “fervor for a person, cause, or object; eager desire or endeavor; enthusiastic diligence; ardor.”

The Hebrew word here that the Psalmist uses is: QINA (kin-ah)
And it also can mean ardor and enthusiasm.

An interesting note however is that most of the time in the Old Testament
The word is not translated “zeal”.
Most of the time the word is translated “jealousy”

Our Sunday school class is currently studying Zechariah and we are familiar then with the Lord’s statement.

Zechariah 1:14 “So the angel who was speaking with me said to me, “Proclaim, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, “I am exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and Zion.”

Zechariah 8:2 “Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘I am exceedingly jealous for Zion, yes, with great wrath I am jealous for her.’”

Last Sunday morning when talking about how salvation is for the glory of God we looked at Ezekiel 36.

• Ezekiel 36 is all about God’s jealousy or zeal.
• He is jealous for what is rightly His.
• He is passionate that He does not give what is rightly His to another.

You simply understand then that there is a connection.
• God is jealous and zealous for His own glory.
• Believers then are also jealous and zealous for His glory.

Often times in our day zeal brings with it a NEGATIVE CONNOTATION.

Zeal is associated with things like being rigid or harsh or too dogmatic.

But I would remind you that zeal is often seen in Scripture
And it is often demonstrated in a very positive light.

John the Baptist was called the greatest man born of woman and he dripped with zeal.
• Who can forget him demanding repentance lest a person suffering the burning wrath of God?
• Who can forget him calling the Pharisees a “brood of vipers” and questioning their very motives for baptism?
• Jesus Himself said that John was not reed shaken by the wind.
• Ultimately John’s zeal cost him his head when he rebuked even Herod.

A few weeks ago we talked about Phineas, that man who stopped the plague in the wilderness when he speared to death the arrogant transgressor of God’s Law.

Psalms 106:30 “Then Phinehas stood up and interposed, And so the plague was stayed.”

Or we think of Samuel.
God had commanded Saul to kill everything living when he attacked the Amalekites but Saul had chosen to spare King Agag.

When Samuel arrived his zeal for God showed forth.
1 Samuel 15:33 “But Samuel said, “As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women.” And Samuel hewed Agag to pieces before the LORD at Gilgal.”

That is zeal.

We think of David who was only a shepherd but had had enough of that uncircumcised Philistine taunting Israel and her God.

1 Samuel 17:26 “Then David spoke to the men who were standing by him, saying, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living God?”

That zeal then led David to slay the giant.

We think of Elijah standing firm and then ordering the slaughter of the 450 prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel.

One of the defining characteristics of these men of faith
Is that their faith also came with tremendous zeal for the glory of God.

And that doesn’t let up in the New Testament.

Certainly at times zeal CAN BE MISGUIDED.
We think of James and John wanting to call down fire on the Samaritans.

But often the zeal of the New Testament saints is very commendable and necessary.

• We remember Peter telling Simon the Magician, “may your silver perish with you because you though you could obtain the gift of God with money.”

• We remember Paul telling the Galatians, “if anyone preaches a different gospel…he is to be accursed.”

• We remember Paul confronting Peter to his face.

And certainly when we think of zeal we must think of Jesus.

Isaiah 59:17 “He put on righteousness like a breastplate, And a helmet of salvation on His head; And He put on garments of vengeance for clothing And wrapped Himself with zeal as a mantle.”

And was that ever true!
• Do you hear Jesus pronouncing woe on the religious leaders calling them hypocrites and a brood of vipers?

How about this one:
John 2:13-17 “The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables; and to those who were selling the doves He said, “Take these things away; stop making My Father’s house a place of business.” His disciples remembered that it was written, “ZEAL FOR YOUR HOUSE WILL CONSUME ME.”

Can you see Jesus actually making a whip and driving people out of the temple?
He did.

Turning over tables, pouring out money bags,
And swinging a whip at everyone.

Mark 11:16 “and He would not permit anyone to carry merchandise through the temple.”

• I guess He was knocking stuff out of people’s hands.
• It was tremendous zeal.

The point is, it is not a bad thing when it is properly aimed.

In fact, a couple of passages in the Bible EVEN COMMAND ZEAL.

Titus 2:11-14 “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.”

• Paul said that believers should be “zealous for good deeds”

Revelation 3:19 “‘Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.”

• That was the church at Laodicea.
• If you will remember they were “lukewarm”.
• They were apathetic and complacent.
• They had no passion, they had no zeal and Jesus rebuked them and called for repentance.

And so I first just sort of want you to THINK ABOUT ZEAL here.

And I want to ask you:
Should a child of God not demonstrate zeal for the things of God?

Indeed they should!
• There ought to be passion.
• There ought to be jealousy for the things of God.
• There ought to be righteous indignation.
• There ought to be zeal.

God’s people should care about the things of God
And they should care about them deeply.

Charles Spurgeon said:
“If you never have sleepless hours, if you never have weeping eyes, if your hearts never swell as if they would burst, you need not anticipate that you will be called zealous. You do not know the beginning of true zeal, for the foundation of Christian zeal lies in the heart. The heart must be heavy with grief and yet must beat high with holy ardor. The heart must be vehement in desire, panting continually for God’s glory, or else we shall never attain to anything like the zeal which God would have us know.”

Now in our culture, we often see zeal, just not always for the things of God.
• Go to a high school basketball game and see if you don’t see passion and zeal and jealousy come gushing out.
• All it takes is one missed foul call or one bad foul call and immediately the zeal will come forth.
• I see grown men and women demonstrate tremendous amounts of passion and zeal over the game. (And it’s easy to get caught up in that)

BUT ZEAL FOR THE THINGS OF GOD…
Where is it?

People will stand up red-faced, vehemently screaming at a referee who mistreats a basketball player,
But sit silently by when God is blasphemed in the world.

THERE IS A TIME WHEN ZEAL FOR GOD IS CALLED FOR.

THE REASON WE DON’T SEE IT MORE IS BECAUSE
ZEAL OFTEN BRINGS BACKLASH.

When DAVID rose up in offence over the blasphemy of Goliath it was David’s brothers who instantly rebuked him.

1 Samuel 17:28 “Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger burned against David and he said, “Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your insolence and the wickedness of your heart; for you have come down in order to see the battle.”

When ELIJAH zealously removed heresy from the land of Israel he felt a swift backlash from his culture.

1 Kings 19:10 “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.”

As we already noted JOHN THE BAPTIST was beheaded in return for his zeal.

And JESUS was hung on a cross for the zeal He demonstrated.

Zeal is necessary, but zeal will get you in trouble.
(That’s why so many prefer to rather bit their tongue and sit on their hands)

And if you’ll notice that is precisely where the Psalmist finds himself.

• (141) “I am small and despised”
• (143) “Trouble and anguish have come upon me”

I AM A HATED MAN.

WHY?
(139) “My zeal has consumed me,”

That’s a strong word that the Psalmist uses.

“consumed” translates TSAW-MATH

Literally it means “to put an end”
Often it is actually translated “destroyed”

What the Psalmist is saying is that my zeal for God
Has put an end to every other passion or calling or emotion in me.

My zeal for God has destroyed
Every other desire or mission or purpose or hobby.

I’M A ONE-ISSUE GUY NOW.

If you were to split me down the middle
You’d find nothing in me but zeal for God,
For my zeal has rooted out every other passion.

And WHAT IS IT specifically that has him so consumed?
“Because my adversaries have forgotten Your words.”

He is passionate because everyone else has become complacent.
• No one seems to care about what God says.
• No one even seems to know what God says.
• He lives in a day of arrogant Biblical illiteracy.
• Men don’t care.

And it has lit a fire in him that cannot be extinguished.

And, as we said, this zeal has GOTTEN HIM IN TROUBLE.

“I am small and despised”

“small” there can actually be translated “young”

It could be that they hated him because he was young.

We remember Elihu:
Job 32:6 “So Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite spoke out and said, “I am young in years and you are old; Therefore I was shy and afraid to tell you what I think.”

We remember Timothy:
1 Timothy 4:11-13 “Prescribe and teach these things. Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe. Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching.”

It could be that no one wanted to hear the passion of this young man.

That word can also be translated “insignificant”

Which is to say he is just unimportant and no one should listen to him.

2 Corinthians 10:10 “For they say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his personal presence is unimpressive and his speech contemptible.”

They just didn’t want to hear from this unimportant man
And as a result he was “despised”.

Furthermore (143) “Trouble and anguish have come upon me”

• Like Herod who beheaded John the Baptist
• Like David’s brothers who despised him
• Like Jezebel who wanted Elijah dead
• Like the chief priests who crucified Jesus

HIS ZEAL HAS WALKED HIM INTO A WHOLE HEAP OF TROUBLE.

And this is why so many avoid it today.
• But does God not deserve our zeal?
• Should we not be passionate about the things of God?
• Should there not be a holy jealousy for God’s glory?

Of course there should, even if it brings trouble down upon our heads.
But many even condemn the church if she gets too zealous.

But I DON’T THINK the problem of the church today
Is that they are too zealous for the things of God.

If anything, the church is too passive.
• Everyone ought to carry a soapbox around with them and be ready to stand upon it at a moment’s notice.
• Something ought to light our fire.

YOU MAY NOT REMEMBER THIS, but back when we did our study called “It’s All About Jesus” we actually talked about the Zeal of Jesus.

And in that sermon we talked about
How to know if a situation deserves a zealous response.

There were 3 questions you should ask.

1) DOES IT DISTORT THE GOSPEL?

• Remember Paul said if anyone preaches another gospel let him be accursed.
• Peter rebuked Simon because he though salvation could be obtained by money.
• Jesus rebuked the Pharisees because they make men twice as much a son of hell as themselves.

If it distorts the gospel then it deserves a fiery rebuke.

2) DOES IT DEFAME GOD?

• This was David’s passionate issue as that uncircumcised Philistine taunted God’s armies.
• Were not the kings routinely rebuked because they would not tear down the high places?
• When Peter quit eating with the Gentiles and pulled away Paul rebuked him because Peter made it look like Jesus was a minister of sin.

If God is blasphemed then it is time to pull our sword in zeal.

3) DOES IT DISTURB THE CHURCH?

• Christ purchased the church with His own blood.
• He died to unify her.
• He is sanctifying her and interceding for her.
• And she must be defended.

• Can you see the zeal of John in his letter of 1 John?
• Can you hear Paul say that he wishes who ever was troubling the Galatians would emasculate himself?

Those are areas where zeal is certainly the response of the day.

There are times when the TABLES MUST BE OVERTURNED,
In fact it is a sin if they are left standing.

BUT ZEAL CANNOT BE FAKED.
You can’t just decide to be more zealous.

Zeal is a byproduct of intimacy with God.

And so tonight, in the time we have left,
I want to show you both the source and the sincerity of our Psalmist’s zeal.

#1 THE SOURCE OF HIS ZEAL
Psalms 119:137-138

These two verses are PURE PRAISE.
• He starts the stanza with a doxology.

But it is also THE FOUNDATION OF HIS ZEAL.
He truly believes this.

“Righteous are You, O LORD, And upright are Your judgments. You have commanded Your testimonies in righteousness And exceeding faithfulness.”

The simple question at this point is “Do you believe that?”
• Do you believe God is righteous?
• Do you believe God’s judgments are upright?
• Do you believe God’s requirements are good?
• Do you believe God is faithful?

And I suppose we could furthermore ask: DO YOU CARE?
What if God gets accused of not being those things?

If someone gets on social media and says something that is blatantly false about someone you love.
• Does something well up in side of you?
• Does a fire light in your belly?
• Are you compelled to rise up and defend the one you love?

We see that kind of zeal all the time don’t we?

Well if you believe God is righteous are you willing to quietly sit by when someone proclaims that He isn’t?

If you love God are you ok with someone questioning His motives or why He does what He does?

If you love God’s word is of no consequence to you that someone might question its ACCURACY or AUTHORITY or SUFFICIENCY?

If you love God are you ok when people accuse Him of anything less than perfection?

Is there no emotion at all?
Is there no concern at all?

John Calvin said:
“A dog barks when his master is attacked. I would be a coward if I saw that God’s truth is attacked and yet would remain silent.”

And yet a dog might not bark if anyone else is attacked.
A dog’s zeal is forged out of his love and intimacy with his master.

This is where it starts.

One has to wonder, if there is no zeal is there any knowledge of God at all?

Perhaps to say it another way.
If you are not zealous for God it might be that you do not know Him.

The great men and women of faith throughout the Old Testament
Could not help but unleash their passion
When God was blasphemed or God’s word was distorted.

The man that comes to mind at this point is NEHEMIAH.

• The children of Israel had come back to Jerusalem after a lengthy stay in
Babylon.

• When they returned with Ezra intermarriage quickly became a problem again
an Ezra wept and tore his clothes and called on the people to put away their
foreign wives.

• Nehemiah came 100 years later and the problem had resurfaced.

Nehemiah 13:23-29 “In those days I also saw that the Jews had married women from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab. As for their children, half spoke in the language of Ashdod, and none of them was able to speak the language of Judah, but the language of his own people. So I contended with them and cursed them and struck some of them and pulled out their hair, and made them swear by God, “You shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor take of their daughters for your sons or for yourselves. “Did not Solomon king of Israel sin regarding these things? Yet among the many nations there was no king like him, and he was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel; nevertheless the foreign women caused even him to sin. “Do we then hear about you that you have committed all this great evil by acting unfaithfully against our God by marrying foreign women?” Even one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was a son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite, so I drove him away from me. Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites.”

That’s called zeal.
That was Nehemiah’s temple clearing moment.

Why?
• Because they defamed God.
• Because they disturbed the church.
• Because they distorted the gospel.

But do you also see that his passion and zeal
Where born out of a love for God and love for God’s people?

That is the source of zeal.

• If you are lacking zeal then spend time with God.
• If you are lacking zeal then ask God to reveal Himself to you.

This Psalmist’s zeal which had consumed him
Was born out of his great knowledge of God and love for God.

That is the source of his zeal.
#2 THE SINCERITY OF HIS ZEAL
Psalms 119:140-144

On one hand I suppose we could measure
The sincerity of his zeal by the presence of his oppression.

The very fact that he was attacked
Is a tremendous evidence to us that his zeal was real.

But we also see evidence in his testimony.

(140-141) “Your word is very pure, Therefore Your servant loves it. I am small and despised, Yet I do not forget Your precepts.”

There again you see the Psalmist’s love for God’s word.
• He says it is “pure”
• It has been tested and tried and run through the ringer and the furnace and it has come forth pure and true.

And so no matter how much he is hated.
• No matter how much he is maligned.
• He is not leaving.

“I do not forget Your precepts.”

What he means there is that
I do not suddenly go mute when the battle rages.

• He was not one who was prone to just bite his tongue and shrug his shoulders when God was under attack.
• When men had forgotten God’s word and spewed the most idiotic logic our Psalmist refused to play dumb.

God’s word is perfect and it deserved to be spoken.

Everyone else may conveniently forget
What God has to say about an issue, but he won’t.
Even if it causes him to be despised.

That is sincere zeal.

(142-143) “Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, And Your law is truth. Trouble and anguish have come upon me, Yet Your commandments are my delight.”

I love the statement “Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness”

Who else can you say that about?

Men have so many VARYING DEFINITIONS
Of what is “true” and “good” and “righteous” today.

BUT IN THE END there will only be one righteousness left standing
And that is God’s righteousness.

• Every other belief system of good and evil will be obliterated.
• The sinner will not be allowed to proclaim evil good forever.
• God’s righteousness is the only one that is everlasting.

And the Psalmist says that he will delight in that
Even if it brings trouble and anguish.

His zeal is not a fair-weather zeal.

I CAN REMEMBER several years ago we took the youth to a “Hot Hearts Conference” in Lubbock.

It was a massive youth evangelistic rally.

As the conference was getting started the youth broke out into a chant.
One side yelled “We love Jesus, yes we do, we love Jesus how ‘bout you?”
And of course the other side responded in kind.
And it got louder and louder.

But that is easy.
That zeal may or may not be sincere.

Let one man stand alone in his locker room for the word of God and I’ll show you a ZEAL THAT IS SINCERE.

Let one coworker speak of and interject God’s truth into a conversation and I’ll show ZEAL THAT IS SINCERE.

That is the zeal of our Psalmist.
He’s not letting it go, even if it is hard.

Is that your zeal?
• Does your passion for God run beyond this room?
• Does your conviction show up at the coffee shop?
• Does your zeal rear its head in secular circles?

We are talking about zeal that is sincere.

And then this stanza closes with the ONLY REQUEST OF THE STANZA.

(144) “Your testimonies are righteous forever; Give me understanding that I may live.”

We see the sincerity of his zeal
Because he only wants more
Of that which gets him in the most trouble.

You DON’T FIND him standing up and then saying,
“Well I’m never doing that again.”

This man doesn’t retreat he reloads.
• He goes right back to the word.
• He goes right back to a prayer for understanding.
• He doesn’t want less zeal, he wants more!

That is the encouragement here.
• For the church of God to rise up and be passionate for God.
• For the church of God to rise up and be zealous for God.

That we might care about His reputation and His truth and His church
And that we dare not be silent when those things come under attack.

And so we seek to draw near to God
And we pray that God might light a fire in us which cannot be quenched.

Download Here:

For The Church At War – Part 2
1 John 2:12-14 (13-14)
February 20, 2022

We started looking at this passage last time, and when I started studying it
I had every intention of covering the whole thing in one sitting,
But I was enamored with that marvelous statement in verse 12.

“I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His name’s sake.”

It is a remarkable thing to contemplate forgiveness
And it is certainly a wonderful thing to know why it was offered.

We rest in our forgiveness and in the security of that forgiveness
Because it is done for the glory of God.

But I realize in stopping at verse 12
That it left the idea of the passage hanging just a little.

I titled this text “For The Church At War”

And I told you that THE PURPOSE of these 3 verses is
To bring some encouragement to the soldiers
Who are currently caught in the middle of the struggle.

They are facing LIARS & DECEIVERS.

John has already called out several liars.
• One who says he has fellowship with God and yet walks in darkness.
• One who says he knows Christ but doesn’t obey Him.

John has exposed several who are deceived.
• Like those who say they have no sin
• Or those who say they have not sinned
• Or those who say they know Christ and yet hate their brother

There is clearly an evil infiltration that is occurring.

And we talked about last time how THIS IS DETRIMENTAL.
Any time the truth is distorted the casualties are many.

CERTAINLY IT IS DETRIMENTAL TO THE LOST
• Jesus came to forgive and save sinners.
• But if a man denies that he is a sinner in need of forgiveness then obviously he can’t be saved.

IT IS ALSO DETRIMENTAL TO THOSE WHO ARE IN THE CHURCH.
• When the gospel is distorted then assurance is the casualty.
• If you don’t know that you are saved or why you are saved it is very difficult to enjoy the benefits of salvation.
AND IT IS DETRIMENTAL TO THE GLORY OF CHRIST.
• If you remove sin and forgiveness from the gospel you remove the glory of Christ.
• And salvation is for His name’s sake.

So John is on a mission to bring much needed clarity.

You are aware of the clarity that he has brought thus far.
It is so direct and black and white that it is impossible to miss.

John has drawn clear lines in the sand for evaluation.
• Do you deny your sin or do you confess it?
• Do you obey Christ or do you disobey Him?
• Do you love your brother or do you hate your brother?

These are really clear distinguishing marks
To determine if genuine salvation has occurred.

But as we said LAST TIME,
Such a direct letter seems to have motivated a question.

“Why are you writing like this to us John?”

• I mean, you really came out of the gate swinging.
• You’ve written some direct stuff regarding who is saved and who is not.
• You’ve written some direct stuff regarding what salvation is and what it is not.

WHY DID YOU WRITE THIS LETTER LIKE THIS JOHN?

That question is not mentioned, but it is answered.

In fact in verses 12-14 John uses the phrase 6 times.
“I am writing to you…because”

It’s as though John has said, “I hope you don’t think this is strange that I would write such a direct letter to you, there is a reason.”

Now last time we looked at the first two reasons.
#1 CORPORATE ASSURANCE
1 John 2:12a

John said one of the reasons that I am writing to you is because
I want all of you, who are in the Lord, to know that you are forgiven.

When these deceivers come in a blur up the lines
It runs the risk of robbing genuinely saved people of their assurance.

I wrote to clarify what salvation is and what it is not.
I wrote to clarify who is saved and who is not.
And I did that because I want those who are saved to know it.

Sometimes the temptation is to leave the lines of salvation a bit blurry.
• You take a man who lives in sin…
• You take a man who doesn’t obey Christ…
• You take a man who hates his brother…

But you say, “Well, I wouldn’t say that you’re lost…”

You may think you’re being compassionate when you do that.

But in reality what you are doing is fueling his false assurance.
AND you are confusing those who are saved.

John wanted to set the record straight.
• He wanted those who are saved to know they are saved.
• He wanted those who have been forgiven to know they have been forgiven.

You’ll also remember, I told you that verse 12 is for all the redeemed.

• I told you that “little children” in verse 12
• And “children” in verse 13 is two different groups.
• It is even two different Greek words.

We are all those “little children” who have been forgiven.

John is being direct to help us see that.

We also looked at the second reason that John has been so direct.
#2 CLARIFIED WORSHIP
1 John 2:12b

John wanted the redeemed to know they are forgiven
And he wanted them to know why.
It is “for His name’s sake.”

We have to be clear about the truth of the gospel and salvation
• Not only for the sake of the lost man who must be convicted,
• Not only for the redeemed man who should be comforted,
• But also for the sake of Christ who must be glorified.

And so John says the reason I’m writing to you is because
I want Christ to be glorified for forgiving you.

BUT THIS MORNING WE MOVE ON
To the third reason for John’s bold and direct writing.

Corporate Assurance, Clarified Worship
#3 CALM CHILDREN
1 John 2:13-14

This is really an interesting couple of verses.
• Granted, when you first read them you can come away wondering what in the world John is talking about.

But once we do understand it, his point is very reassuring.

John is seeking to encourage various people in the church
In regard to their relationship with God
And in regard to their role in this war which is being fought.

Every soldier in battle needs encouragement.
Every soldier in battle needs to know his role.
JOHN IS CLARIFYING THAT.

Now, what you clearly see as we read these two verses is that John identifies 3 types of people.

• We see “fathers”
• We see “young men”
• We see “children”

FIRST you should understand that we are NOT speaking here in a physical sense, but in a spiritual one.

As many have pointed out, these can be clearly categorized as levels of spiritual maturity.

• “fathers” would be the most mature.
• “young men” would be the next level down.
• “children” would be new converts or those whose faith has never grown.

And so you also then understand that

• “fathers” is NOT a term limited only to men, it can also be a reference spiritually to mature women of faith.
• Likewise “young men” is NOT limited just to young males, but can also be a reference to those women who are at this level, and really it is believers of any age.

This is a spiritual analogy, not a physical one.
He is using figurative language to make a point.

Now, in that let’s discuss for a moment these 3 levels that John brings up.
1) THE SUSCEPTIBLE

These would be the “children”
These would be those whom we would call “babes in Christ”

Now there is some Biblical precedent for this also being those who have been saved and never grown or matured.

FOR EXAMPLE we have the writer of Hebrews:
Hebrews 5:11-14 “Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.”

We have Paul to the Corinthians:
1 Corinthians 3:1-2 “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,”

So there is a precedent for saying that “children” here
Could be those who have for some reason refused to grow spiritually.

But I don’t think John is here seeking to rebuke lazy believers.

John’s point is to encourage and therefore it seems obvious
That he is merely referencing new believers.
AND THERE IS NO REBUKE FROM JOHN HERE TO THEM

John is referring to those who have recently been saved.

John references them at the end of verse 13
And says, “I have written to you, children, because you know the Father.”

This is a wonderful reality.

These are babes in Christ.
These are the newly converted.
• They don’t have a handle on deep theology.
• They can’t debate the truths of Christianity.
• They aren’t real sure about many things in the ministry.

But they are sure of one thing.
They “know the Father”

Think about an actual infant or child.
• A 2 year old child doesn’t know what his dad does for a living.
• That child doesn’t understand what his dad does all day.
• That child doesn’t really even know a lot about his dad.

• He doesn’t know about his passions or much about his abilities.
• He doesn’t know what makes his dad tick.
• He still has a lot to learn about his dad’s likes and dislikes.

Really and truly a 2 year old is pretty ignorant about who his dad truly is.

But one thing that baby knows – HE IS DAD
That he gets.

And this is rung 1 of Christian maturity.
EVERYONE STARTS HERE.

• These are the new converts in a church who have a whole lot to learn yet.
• These are the spiritual babes in our church who don’t know a whole lot about who their Father is.

They know God is their Father,
But they may not know a whole lot more than that.

And what is John’s point?
Well, as you will see, these are those who ARE SUSCEPTIBLE.

These are the ones who are in the greatest danger
Of being deceived and discouraged and led astray.

Like an actual baby, their discerners aren’t fully operational yet.
• They don’t yet know you can’t drink the Drano under the sink.
• They don’t yet realize that the oven door will burn you.

• They aren’t ready yet to handle the full blown heresies of Gnosticism.
• They are susceptible to those deceptions.

They are “children”

Now, one thing I find particularly interesting
• John mentions “fathers” and “young men” twice,
• He only mentions “children” once.

And, if you’ll notice, he sort of sandwiches them in between.
If there is a word picture going on here
Then it is certainly one of protection and spiritual care.

But just understand that in the church there are always “children”
Who are saved and who are forgiven
But who are more susceptible to the deceiving lies of the enemy.

Now there is a second group.
2) THE SOLDIERS

This is those “young men”.

They are the next level up on the spiritual maturity chart.

You see them twice.
(13) “I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the devil.”

And again:
(14) “I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.”

These are the soldiers.
• They have moved beyond the milk that infants drink and they have begun to digest the meat of the word.
• They have developed their theology.
• They have solidified their doctrine.
• They have studied and grasped and understood the gospel.

And they are putting their knowledge to the test on the battlefield.
• They are challenging heresy.
• They are challenging false assumptions.
• They are warring for the truth.

We see such references in Scripture.

1 Timothy 1:3-4 “As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith.”

1 Timothy 1:18-20 “This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight, keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith. Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, so that they will be taught not to blaspheme.”

1 Timothy 4:11-16 “Prescribe and teach these things. Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe. Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching. Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery. Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.”

2 Timothy 1:6-8 “The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops. Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel,”

2 Timothy 2:1-7 “You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier. Also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules. The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops. Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.”

Timothy is a great example of what we’re talking about.

These “are strong, and the word of God abides” in them.

• They’ve read the Bible.
• They let the word of Christ dwell within them richly.
• They know the truth.
• They preach the truth.
• They defend the truth.
• They war for the truth.

This is that next step of spiritual maturity and growth.
You get saved and you immediately start your growth

• Those infants are born again into the kingdom and they immediately enter fellowship with the Father.
• But then they begin to eat the meat of the word to learn all about who their Father is.
• And as they grow in the grace and knowledge of the truth they grow in spiritual maturity.

You see them also in a congregation.
• These are those soldiers, those “young men”
• And certainly in a battle for truth disillusionment can set in.

It’s hard to fight battles over and over and over.
Soldiers become weary

And the 3rd group
3) THE STRONG

This would be those John calls “fathers”

Twice John mentions them and he says the same thing both times.

(13) “I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning.”

(14) “I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning.”

This is a different kind of knowledge than the child has.

They don’t just know God is their Father,
They know who their Father is.

• They have spent countless hours communing with God in the word.
• They have spent hours communing with God in prayer.
• They have spent days and nights walking with God.

We might say that the child knows who God is.
We might say that the young man knows about God.
We might say that the father knows God.

He understands God in His eternal and sovereign reality.
He knows “Him who has been from the beginning.”

He is not the slightest bit derailed by the modern distortions.
He does not get confused by the latest fads and notions of God.

HE KNOWS GOD.
It is solidified and concrete.

I think of men like R.C. Sproul when I think of this or men like Oswald Chambers.

We are NOT talking here about the old folks in a congregation.
You can be a senior adult and still be a child in the faith.

These “fathers” started as children
• But they then devoured the word until they comprehended the mysteries of the faith.
• They fought many battles and they begot many spiritual children.
• But their knowledge went beyond mere knowledge and became the very essence of their walk.

They are not simply socially mature, they are spiritually mature.

1 Corinthians 13:11 “When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.”

When you read of elders in the Bible, you see this theme emerge.
1 Peter 5:1-4 “Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.”

Paul describes them in his letter to Timothy
1 Timothy 3:1-7 “It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money. He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?), and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.”

These are the men who know God
And who know therefore what the church is to be
And how she should conduct herself.

So John here clearly identifies these 3 levels of spiritual maturity.

He DOESN’T REBUKE them for the level they are in,
In fact, if anything he unifies them
By reminding them in verse 12 that they all are forgiven.

The purpose of John here is
• TO REVEAL that in the church some are weak and some are mature.
• And TO ENCOURAGE each person in their walk and purpose.

For example take the children, those who are babes in Christ.
John writes to: REASSURE THE SUSCEPTIBLE

“I have written to you, children, because you know the Father.”

Imagine being a 3 year old child
And one day a strange man walks in the door and looks at you and says, “I am your Father.”

Is that kid going to say, “Oh, ok, wow you look different, but if you say so.”?
No, that kid is going to say, “No you’re not, I know my dad, and you’re not him.”

In fact little kids love to say to other people who are giving them direction,
“You’re not my dad!”

How does that coincide here?

Well, you’ve had a church infiltrated
By people who are distorting who God is.

And John rights to reassure these spiritual babes,
“You know better than that. You know that is not your Father.”

That is one of the reasons John has been so simple and direct.
He is simply reminding these spiritual infants what they know to be true.
• It’s what we’ve called Christianity 101 several times.
• It’s basic stuff.

John is writing to remind even the spiritually immature of what they know.
• You know your Heavenly Father dwells in Light.
• You know your Heavenly Father is holy.
• You know your Heavenly Father is love.

YOU KNOW THIS.

So don’t let someone walking in darkness act like they know your Father.
Don’t let someone living in sin act like they are in fellowship with your Father.
Don’t let someone who doesn’t love tell you they are from your Father.

Does that make sense?
That is why John is writing.
He is writing to REASSURE THE SUSCEPTIBLE.

But John is also writing to that next group – THE STRONG; why?
John is writing to REAFFIRM THE STRONG

Look at what John told them.
(14) “I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.”

What a great statement!
These are those warriors on the front lines fighting the battles.

And John reminds them:

“you are strong” – in other words, you can do this. This battle is not beyond you.

“the word of God abides in you” – in other words, you are right! In this debate, you have the truth, not them. Don’t let their arguments sidetrack you.

“you have overcome the evil one” – in others words, you are winning!

The Greek word there is NIKAO
It’s were the shoe company Nike gets its name.
It means “to conquer or to prevail”

John said that he was writing to these young men
Because he wanted them to know that they are doing well!

Romans 16:20 “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.”

1 John 4:4 “You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.”

When you are constantly fighting battles
And constantly being hit with debate and opposing arguments
IT CAN BE EASY TO BEGIN TO SECOND GUESS.

He wrote this letter to reaffirm to those spiritual soldiers
That they are right and should keep going!

Think about the things John has said just in a chapter and a half.

• John has emphatically stated that if you walk in darkness you don’t know God.
• John has emphatically stated that if you aren’t obedient you aren’t saved.
• John has emphatically stated that if you don’t love you don’t know God.

Why do you suppose John has been so forceful and dogmatic?

He was writing that way to encourage those young men
Who had been on the front lines preaching the gospel.

• If you are one of those people who has actually confronted a sinner…
• If you are one of those people who has actually exposed a lack of obedience…
• If you are one of those people who has actually exposed a lack of love…

You know that when you expose such things
It can often bring a whirlwind of opposition down on your head.

Not only will the sinner often attack,
But even many who claim Christianity
Will rebuke you for being wrong and unloving.

It is hard to stand for truth in a culture that loves sin.

But what does it do for your faith when you read something like this from John that is so clear and bold?

John wrote so direct and forceful and bold because
He was seeking to reaffirm that soldier
Who has been preaching the same thing.

How encouraging it must have been to read that letter from John
If you had just been preaching that in the world.

He wrote to reassure the susceptible – you know who God is, don’t be deceived.
He wrote to reaffirm the soldier – you are fighting correctly, and you are winning!

And John wrote to: REMIND THE STRONG

He said it twice “I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who was from the beginning.”

What was John reminding them of?
Of their responsibility.

John is writing this letter to the church,
He is leaving a blueprint for the other “fathers” to follow.

Those “fathers”; those spiritually mature who know God
• They should be reassuring the children as John is.
• They should be reaffirming the soldiers as John is.

They knew Gnosticism was heresy.
They knew it was wrong.
And they could not just sit back silently.

The church needed these spiritually mature
To rise to the forefront and help the rest.

There were spiritual infants who were really confused,
• These spiritually mature needed to reassure them as to who God is.

There were soldiers on the front lines getting attacked for their gospel preaching,
• These spiritually mature needed to reaffirm them and stand beside them.

THAT IS WHY JOHN IS WRITING.

SEE, THIS IS A CHURCH AT WAR.
• The soldiers needed to be strengthened.
• The soldiers needed to be encouraged.
• The soldiers needed to be made clear as to their roles.

AND JOHN IS WRITING TO DO JUST THAT.

So do you see why he has been so direct?
Do you see why he has been so bold?

This letter is for the benefit of the church.

It is for the benefit of the whole church
The mature and the immature.

He wants them to know the truth.
• To know they are forgiven.
• To know who God is.
• To know the gospel they preach is right.
• To know they are victorious.

And that is a GREAT BLUEPRINT for us.

Let me ask you,
Where are you on that spiritual maturity chart?

But wherever you are in that chart, do you now see your role?

If you are child in the faith,
• Cling to your Father and don’t let someone tell you He is someone He is not.
• Get in the word and learn more about Him.
• Grow in the grace and knowledge of the truth.
• Prepare to become a soldier.

Are you one of those soldiers on the front lines?
• Then keep fighting, you are strong, you are right, and you are winning.
• Don’t let the enemy discourage you, keep up the good fight.
• Fight off the heresies and defend the purity of the gospel.

Are you a spiritual father?
• Then take what you know of God and start encouraging those soldiers.
• Take what you know and start comforting those children.
• Help make the gospel clear as John has.
• Quit blurring the lines, quit softening the truth.
• If it is sin, call it sin like John does.
• That brings clarity to the church.
• If it is a fruit of salvation then say so, and if it is not then say that too.
• The gospel demands such clarity.

This is why John wrote and it is so comforting to us.
We are in a war and we must serve the right way.

Download Here:

Thinking About Steadfastness
Psalms 119:129-136
February 13, 2022

Last time we met here in Psalms 119,
We talked about resisting compromise.

There is an enormous amount of pressure placed upon
The Christian to compromise his convictions.

• We live in a world that loves sin and hates righteousness.
• We live in a world that loves darkness and hates light.
• We live in a world that loves error and hates truth.

It is just as Jesus said:
John 3:19-20 “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.”

This is also the reason for oppression upon God’s people.

The night before Jesus died He told His disciples:
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.’”

We see that the hatred and oppression that the world has for Christians
Is really simply a manifestation of the hatred the world has for Christ.

• The evil world is of their father the devil.
• They hate God, just as he hates God.
• They seek to rebel against God, just as he rebelled against God.

And they hate the fact that the righteous God
Will one day judge them for their wicked deeds.

And that would be no problem for us, except
That when we became followers of Christ,
We then also became enemies of the world.

THE WORLD HATES CHRIST
And all who take His name and preach His message.
And so oppression for the Christian is a reality.

2 Timothy 3:12 “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

If you follow Christ…
If you preach His truth…
If you proclaim His name…
Rest assured you will be hated for it.

We are all aware of the beatitudes,
And we remember that the last two beatitudes are sort of an indicator
As to whether or not you are living the first six.

Matthew 5:10-12 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

And we could go on and on, but the point is made,
Oppression and persecution are reality for any who seek to follow Christ.

And as we said last week, this oppression is A CHOICE for us.

Affliction or hardship or misery is a guarantee in this life
And is virtually unavoidable.

We live in a fallen, sinful world and because of that affliction
Happens to everyone, and often cannot be escaped.

But Christian oppression is NOT like that.
It is actually a choice that a Christian must make.

We often have the ability to put an end to our oppression,
And that is simply done by compromise.

Just let go of Jesus’ name…
Just quit proclaiming His truth…
Just turn around and go the other direction…

If you do, the world will love you, but you will have failed Christ.

And that is why as Christians we are told
Not only to ENDURE suffering, but to EMBRACE it.

1 Peter 4:1-2 “Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.”

2 Timothy 1:8 “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God,”

2 Timothy 2:3 “Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.”

The writer of Hebrews said:
Hebrews 13:12-14 “Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate. So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach. For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.”

And this is really the very essence of what Jesus meant when He said:
Matthew 16:24 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”

It is obvious that as Christians
We are not called to continually take the easy way out.

We are not called to take the path of least resistance.
We are not called to be men pleasers.

I’m often mindful of the statement of Paul:
Colossians 1:24 “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions.”

As we have said that does not mean that Christ didn’t finish suffering.
It simply means that the world is not yet finished persecuting Christ.

And Paul says “I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church”

It sort of forces us to ask, “Do I do my share of the suffering, or do I leave that for others?”

As Christians we are called to embrace the suffering
That will inevitably come with being faithful to our Lord.

And so compromise really has no place in the Christian walk.

Listen to what God told a couple of His prophets of old:

When Jeremiah whined to God about the suffering being too severe:
Jeremiah 15:19 “Therefore, thus says the LORD, “If you return, then I will restore you — Before Me you will stand; And if you extract the precious from the worthless, You will become My spokesman. They for their part may turn to you, But as for you, you must not turn to them.”

When God was preparing Ezekiel for the ministry before him:
Ezekiel 2:3-7 “Then He said to me, “Son of man, I am sending you to the sons of Israel, to a rebellious people who have rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day. “I am sending you to them who are stubborn and obstinate children, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD.’ “As for them, whether they listen or not — for they are a rebellious house — they will know that a prophet has been among them. “And you, son of man, neither fear them nor fear their words, though thistles and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions; neither fear their words nor be dismayed at their presence, for they are a rebellious house. “But you shall speak My words to them whether they listen or not, for they are rebellious.”

And this message is continued in the New Testament.
1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”

Ephesians 6:10-13 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 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. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.”

I think we get the picture.
We call this being steadfast.

And this is a good word to describe our Psalmist.
Tonight, let’s think a little about what it means to be steadfast.

And I’ll just tell you here.
• Being steadfast is not rooted in some sort of inner strength or stubbornness.
• Being steadfast is not a genetic trait
• Being steadfast doesn’t come from being some sort of courageous hero type.

TONIGHT WE’LL SEE WHERE STEADFASTNESS COMES FROM
AND WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE.

4 characteristics
#1 IT LOVE’S GOD’S WORD
Psalms 119:129-130

We actually talked about this concept last week.

In verses 121-128 we saw our Psalmist continually resist compromise.
They had oppressed him because of his righteousness
And he was more than ready for God to come and vindicate him.

But despite his oppression the Psalmist would not compromise,
And the reason was because he loved God’s Word.

Psalms 119:127-128 “Therefore I love Your commandments Above gold, yes, above fine gold. Therefore I esteem right all Your precepts concerning everything, I hate every false way.”

And this is reiterated here in the beginning of the next stanza.
“Your testimonies are wonderful;”

“wonderful” translates PE-LE
It means “astounding” or “unfathomable”

Samson’s parents
Judges 13:17-18 “Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, “What is your name, so that when your words come to pass, we may honor you?” But the angel of the LORD said to him, “Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?”

Isaiah’s Christmas prophecy
Isaiah 9:6 “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.”

And that is the same description the Psalmist uses for God’s word.
It is “wonderful”

And he is not just saying that they are good,
He is saying that they are TRANSCENDENT.

They are lofty and exalted.
Isaiah 55:8-9 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.”

Remember what David said about God’s omniscience in Psalms 139?
Psalms 139:1-6 “O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O LORD, You know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it.”

Paul said the same in the New Testament:
Romans 11:33 “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!”

That is the message of the Psalmist about God’s Word
It is “wonderful”

“Therefore my soul observes them.”

“observes” is NASAR
It means “to guard, keep, watch over”

And interesting use of the word comes in Ezekiel when God talks about people who are under attack.
Ezekiel 6:12 “He who is far off will die by the plague, and he who is near will fall by the sword, and he who remains and is besieged will die by the famine. Thus will I spend My wrath on them.”

There the word is translated “besieged”
• It is referring to those who survived the battle and now are kept under guard
and constant watch.

And the Psalmist says that is what he does for God’s word.
• He is constantly watching it…
• He is constantly focusing on it…
• He is devoted to it…
• He even guards it…

WHY?
Because it is “wonderful”

And so I just want you to see a very important point.
STEADFASTNESS BEGINS WITH
AN ASTONISHMENT OF GOD’S WORD.

The Psalmist is totally captivated by God’s Word.
He loves it.

THIS IS WHY HE WILL NOT COMPROMISE.
Some would say: “Come on man, let it go, is it really worthy all the oppression?”

The Psalmist would say, “yes”, it is “wonderful”,
That’s why I can’t let it go.

Furthermore, that is why he KEEPS STUDYING it and even PREACHING it.

(130) “The unfolding of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.”

It is obvious from this verse that our Psalmist is not only obedient,
But is also a committed student of God’s word as well as a teacher of it.
He loves to see God’s word unfolded.

And the Psalmist says that doing that “gives light”

Light always has three meanings.
1) Understanding
“Shine some light on the subject” or “His light came on”

2) Hope
“Light at the end of the tunnel” or “Light in the darkness”

3) Righteousness
“Deeds of darkness or deeds of light”

And all of those three are certainly benefits which are achieved
From carefully “unfolding” the word of God.

Specifically here the Psalmist mentions the “understanding” part.

“It gives understanding to the simple.”
I think the Psalmist here would include himself and those he teaches.

Psalms 19:7 “The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.”

We are not those that the world would ever call wise.
And yet, wisdom is what we have, because of God’s Word.
And so you see this picture here of our Psalmist
Who just can’t stop gazing into the word of God.
He is captivated by it.

He is most blown away how it can take a simple man like himself
And give him such wisdom.

Remember?
Psalms 119:98-100 “Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies, For they are ever mine. I have more insight than all my teachers, For Your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the aged, Because I have observed Your precepts.”

And this is where his steadfastness begins.
It begins with a love for God’s word.
• You’ll never be committed to God’s word if you don’t love it.
• But you’ll never love it if you aren’t captivated by it.
• And you’ll never be captivated if you don’t read it.

But if you’ll study this book, it is only a matter of time
Before its value will increase in your life as well.
IN FACT LOOK AT WHAT WE SEE NEXT

The Steadfast heart loves God’s Word
#2 IT LONGS FOR GOD’S WORD
Psalms 119:131-132

And of course this is only logical and obvious.
If a person love’s God’s Word then they begin to long for God’s Word.

“I opened my mouth wide and panted, For I longed for Your commandments.”

It reminds of David’s statement:
Psalms 63:1 “O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water.”

It reminds of Jesus:
John 4:31-34 “Meanwhile the disciples were urging Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” But He said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” So the disciples were saying to one another, “No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.”

Or again:
Matthew 4:3-4 “And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.'”

Certainly that is the imagery given to us by the Psalmist.
He is panting, he is begging for God’s Word.

In fact look at the next verse.
(132) “Turn to me and be gracious to me, After Your manner with those who love Your name.”

He actually tells God to “be gracious”
Be gracious like You always are to those who love Your name.

Gracious about what?
Gracious in regard to his request for God’s Word.

Any preacher charged with preaching a text understands this prayer!

He doesn’t see having God’s Word as a right,
He sees it as a privilege.

This is often lost on us today in America.
• We have Bibles stacked on bibles.
• We have constant and instant access to the Word of God.

BUT THIS IS NOT SO FOR THE REST OF THE WORLD.
(The China formula: Your population x .0045)
(Spur would have 6 Bibles)

There are people in the world who count access to God’s Word
As the finest of privileges,
And yet in America Bible reading seems burdensome.

David Platt writes in his book “Radical” about a house church meeting in an Asian country were church meetings are illegal.

“On my first day with these believers, they simply asked me to lead a Bible study. “Please meet us tomorrow at two o’clock in the afternoon.”
So I put some thoughts together for a short Bible study and went to the designated location, where about twenty house-church leaders were waiting. I don’t remember when we started, but I do remember that eight hours later we were still going strong. We would study one passage, and then they would ask about another. This would lead to another topic, then to another, and by the end of the day, our conversations had ranged from dreams and visions to tongues and the Trinity.
It was late in the evening, and they wanted to continue studying, but they needed to get back to their homes. So they asked the two main church leaders and me, “Can we meet again tomorrow?” I said, “I would be glad to. Shall we meet at the same time?” They responded, “No, we want to start early in the morning.” I said, “Okay. How long would you like to study?” They replied, “All day.” Thus began a process in which, over the next ten days, for eight to twelve hours a day, we would gather to study God’s Word. They were hungry.”

Later he speaks of the conditions of the meeting place.
He called it a “small room”

And then wrote:
“Despite its size, sixty believers have crammed into it. They are all ages, from precious little girls to seventy-year-old men. They are sitting either on the floor or on small stools, lined shoulder to shoulder, huddled together with their Bibles in their laps. The roof is low, and one light bulb dangles from the middle of the ceiling as the sole source of illumination.
No sound system. No band. No guitar. No entertainment. No cushioned chairs. No heated or air-conditioned building. Nothing but the people of God and the Word of God. And strangely, that’s enough.”
(Platt, David “Radical” pg. 22-26)

These people saw God’s Word as a privilege,
And so did our Psalmist, he longs for it.

And this is a KEY to having a steadfast heart.
• It starts with admiration of God’s word.
• It forms into love for God’s word.
• That turns into a longing for God’s word.

And then look what happens.

#3 IT LEANS ON GOD’S WORD
Psalms 119:133-135

And of course now it makes sense why our Psalmist longs for it so much.
He longs for it because he leans on it.
He needs the word of God.

God’s Word is in fact a privilege,
But don’t let that cause you to assume that is not a necessity.

In fact, notice the Psalmist is leaning on God’s Word for three things.
(It is these three things that allow him to be steadfast)

1) STRENGTH (133)

“Establish my footsteps in Your word, And do not let any iniquity have dominion over me.”

The Psalmist wants to stand.
And he wants to stand in purity.
And the place he goes for strength is God’s Word.

I have this conversation fairly often.
A person is seemingly trapped in a sin and they want out.

How do they get out?
How are sinful habits broken?

Start here:
Galatians 5:16-17 “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.”

Paul speaks of the flesh that desires sin.

But the Spirit is the One who wars against the flesh
And keeps us from committing that sin.

And the admonition of Paul then is to “walk by the Spirit”
If you “walk by the Spirit, you will not carry out the desires of the flesh.”

But what does it mean to walk by the Spirit?
Very simply it is to obey the words that the Spirit inspired – God’s word.

Colossians 3:16 “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

Do you want to overcome sin?
Do you want sin to no longer have dominion over you?

Well certainly you must be saved, otherwise you are still in bondage.
But even as a saved person you must fill your mind with the word of God.

It begins to work a supernatural transformation in you.
It cleanses you.

The Psalmist knew he would get strength from God’s word.
He leaned upon it in his quest for purity.

2) INCENTIVE (134)

“Redeem me from the oppression of man, That I may keep Your precepts.”

Now the oppressor shows up again.
This is that man who is inflicting pain on him.

• He wants God to deliver him from the oppressor.
• He wants God to help him stand strong.
• He wants God to pull him out of their snare.

Why does he want God to redeem him?

“That I may keep Your precepts.”

Remember, the double-minded can be a barrier to obedience.
He wants deliverance, so that he can freely obey.

So God’s Word not only provides strength against sin, but also incentive.

HE DOESN’T WANT TO BE DISOBEDIENT.
He wants to obey God’s Word.
That is what keeps him going.
Remember from a couple of weeks ago, one of the reasons men don’t have conviction is because the have no fear of God.

Psalms 119:120 “My flesh trembles for fear of You, And I am afraid of Your judgments.”

This Psalmist does.
He doesn’t want to disobey.

And so he wants deliverance from oppression,
Not because it is hard, but because it is a threat to his obedience.

Obedience to God’s word is his incentive.

He leans on God’s Word for strength.
He leans on God’s Word for incentive.
3) BLESSING (135)

“Make Your face shine upon Your servant, And teach me Your statutes.”

Here the Psalmist equates learning God’s Word
To having God shine upon Him.

This is of course a reference to God’s glory.
And the Psalmist is saying, that in God’s Word he sees God.

We understand this.
2 Corinthians 3:12-18 “Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech, and are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was fading away. But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.”

When the Jews read the Law a veil is there.
When we read the Law the veil is lifted through God’s Spirit.

And now we “with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory”

As we study God’s Word we receive the glory of God.
We behold Him, and we are blessed.

There is an unspeakable blessing in reading God’s word
And having the Author illumine it to you.

We ended the sermon with it last week, but read it again:
Psalms 19:7-14 “The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether. They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; In keeping them there is great reward. Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults. Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous sins; Let them not rule over me; Then I will be blameless, And I shall be acquitted of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.”

• It is God’s word that warns him of sin.
• It is God’s word that helps him discern his errors.
• It is God’s word that exposes his hidden faults.
• It is God’s word then that leads him to repentance and mercy and to be found acceptable in the sight of God.

He leans on God’s word in order that
His fellowship with God might be sustained.

DO YOU SEE THAT?
You see why he loves God’s word.
You see why he longs for God’s word.
You see why he leans on God’s word.

• Are you beginning to understand why he is steadfast?
• Are you beginning to see why he won’t compromise?
• Are you beginning to see why he is so opposed to the oppressor?

The Steadfast Heart Loves the Word of God
The Steadfast Heart Longs for the Word of God
The Steadfast Heart Leans on the Word of God.
#4 IT LAMENTS OVER GOD’S WORD
Psalms 119:136

Certainly we saw this attitude with JESUS weeping over Jerusalem.
We know JEREMIAH to have been the weeping prophet.

And it is true of the steadfast heart as well.

They are steadfast because they love God and His Word,
And so nothing grieves them more than disobedience to it.

Remember what John said?
3 John 4 “I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.”

And so certainly the flip-side is true as well.

The Psalmist not only hates the double-minded, but he grieves over them.
WHY? – Because they treat him harshly?
No

“Because they do not keep Your law.”

It is probably also true that the Psalmist grieves when he breaks God’s Law, but he doesn’t say “I” here, he says, “they”.

“My eyes shed streams of water because they do not keep Your law.”

He grieves because they grieve God.
He is heartbroken because they break God’s heart.

There is no part of him that rejoices in disobedience.
THIS MAN CANNOT COMPROMISE
IT IS AGAINST THE VERY FABRIC OF HIS BEING.

He saw people like the children of Israel:
Psalms 78:34-37 “When He killed them, then they sought Him, And returned and searched diligently for God; And they remembered that God was their rock, And the Most High God their Redeemer. But they deceived Him with their mouth And lied to Him with their tongue. For their heart was not steadfast toward Him, Nor were they faithful in His covenant.”

And that is why our Psalmist wept.
He wept because they disregarded the God he loved.

That is a picture of a steadfast heart.
They love obedience in themselves, they love obedience in others.

They love God’s Word
They long for God’s Word
They lean on God’s Word
They lament when God’s Word is broken
BECAUSE THEIR HEART IS STEADFAST.

You and I need a steadfast heart, so that we may choose to stand
Even in the midst of hardship and oppression.

And you see that this steadfastness IS NOT about
how stubborn or strong-willed you are.
Steadfastness is directly linked to your love for God’s word.

BUT WHAT IF I DON’T HAVE IT?

First, repent like David did.
Psalms 51:10-13 “Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation And sustain me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners will be converted to You.”

Then, do as the Psalmist did.
LOVE God’s Word (make a sacrifice of self to read it)
LONG for God’s Word (a natural reaction to loving it)
LEAN on God’s Word (obey what you read and see it proven true)
LAMENT over God’s Word (another natural response to loving it)

And as God’s unchanging word begins to take root in your heart,
You will find your heart becoming more steadfast as well.