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Thinking About Hope
Psalms 119:81-88
December 12, 2021

Tonight we come to perhaps
The darkest moment of the entire 119th Psalm.

We’ve been actually DESCENDING to this point for a few stanzas.

We really first saw affliction show up on the scene 5 stanzas ago.

Psalms 119:50-51 “This is my comfort in my affliction, That Your word has revived me. The arrogant utterly deride me, Yet I do not turn aside from Your law.”

It was sort of the beginning of affliction
And our Psalmist showed great poise and commitment.

And the affliction continued
Psalms 119:61 “The cords of the wicked have encircled me, But I have not forgotten Your law.”

Still the Psalmist held fast.

He even learned to appreciate his affliction as that which had a purifying effect on his life.
Psalms 119:67 “Before I was afflicted I went astray, But now I keep Your word.”

Psalms 119:71 “It is good for me that I was afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes.”

He was doing his best to assign true redemptive value to the affliction
Which he had been walking through.

And even in the last stanza, though he didn’t understand why this affliction endured, he was still showing tremendous perspective that God knew what He was doing.
Psalms 119:75 “I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are righteous, And that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.”

But you see how this affliction has just sort of been hanging around.
• He has been committed
• He has tried to look at the bright side
• He has tried to make lemonade out of his lemons
• He has tried to walk in faith
• He has really focused on showing true perspective

And yet despite his commitment and prayer and perspective
The affliction has only gotten worse
And his circumstances have not seemed to improve.

And when we get to this stanza
We see that the Psalmist has HIT THE BOTTOM.

We covered this quite a bit last time, but I think it’s worth recapping a little here.

(81) “My soul languishes for Your salvation”

“languishes” there is KALAH
It means “complete, finished, or spent”
It is most often translated “finished”

What the Psalmist is saying is “My soul [is spent] for Your salvation”

“I’m done, I’m completely poured out, I’ve got nothing left”

He’s simply talking about that inner drive;
That determined fortitude that people exhibit.

Whatever that drive is to pick yourself up off the mat one more time,
The Psalmist says, I can’t any longer.

(82) “My eyes fail with longing for Your word”

It is a picture of a man who has sat by the window watching
Until he can’t watch any more.

Clearly when he says he is looking for “salvation” or “Your word”
He means that he is waiting for the fulfillment of God’s promises.

• He actually says in verse 82 “When will You comfort me?”
• Later in verse 84, “When will You execute judgment on those who persecute me?”

That is what he’s been looking for.
• He’s been watching for it.
• He’s been gazing at the horizon waiting for his Savior.
• He has been holding on by his fingertips as he watched for deliverance.

But it hasn’t come.
His soul is seemingly spent and his eyes can’t watch anymore.
He has been pushed to the brink by his affliction.

(83) “Though I have become like a wineskin in the smoke…”

The picture there is of total ruin.
• Certainly on one hand he could be describing his physical appearance as dirty
and old, but it is more than that.
• Wineskins were made of new leather that was pliable and even that could
expand when needed.

He compares himself to an old wineskin that has been hanging in the smoke and now it is dry and cracked and totally ruined.

It is worthless for its intended purpose.

That is how he describes his life.
It’s as though the affliction has gone too far.
The tribulation has taken its toll.
He can’t imagine ever being fully restored at this point.

In verse 84 that frustration seems to sort of boil over.
“How many are the days of Your servant? When will You execute judgment on those who persecute me?”

That is to say, “I’m almost out of time”

It is likely that he is an old man and he realizes that
If deliverance doesn’t come soon then it will be too late.

You put all of that together and it is clear that
Though our Psalmist was once resolved to handle affliction the right way,
The deliverance has been much slower coming than he ever anticipated.
• He never thought he’d have to hold on this long…
• He never thought he’d still be watching…
• He never thought his ruin would be so extreme…
• He never thought his time would be so far gone…

And again he reminds God that his affliction has been incredibly severe.

(85) “The arrogant have dug pits for me,”

• That is to say they are setting traps for me everywhere.
• It’s not just one guy, it’s a lot of them.
• It’s not just one trap, they are everywhere.

(86) “They have persecuted me with a lie;”

• They continually attack me and lie about me.

(87) “They almost destroyed me on earth”

You can hear his frustration can’t you?

And, as we have said in recent weeks
I’m not sure if I know anyone who has walked with God
Who has not at some point reached such a level of frustration.

Affliction is difficult.
And even when we gear ourselves up to be ready to handle it, there have been many times that we were shocked when it endured longer than expected.

• We saw frustration like that in Job
• We saw frustration like that in Moses
• We saw frustration like that in Eljiah
• We saw frustration like that in Habakkuk
• We saw frustration like that in Paul

We certainly don’t want to make light of the degree of hardship our Psalmist has had to endure.

For 6 stanzas we have seen him doing his best to make the most of it,

But you get the feeling by the time we reach this stanza
That he is out of answers and he is past pretending it’s all ok.

• His soul is finished
• His eyes are failing
• His life feels ruined
• His time is up
• His affliction is real

That we see.

However, what we NOTICED THE LAST TIME we studied this Psalm and what we still recognize again is that his ENDURANCE HAS NOT FAILED.

In fact, we are seriously encouraged by his endurance.

LOOK AT IT.

(81) “My soul languishes for Your salvation; I wait for Your word.”

• His soul is finished, but he is still waiting.

(82) “My eyes fail with longing for Your word, While I say, “When will You comfort me?”

• His eyes are failing but he is still watching for deliverance.

(83) “Though I have become like a wineskin in the smoke, I do not forget Your statutes.”

• His life feels ruined but he still remembers God

(87) “They almost destroyed me on earth, But as for me, I did not forsake Your precepts.”

• Obedience has become seriously dangerous, but he still does it.

And beyond that, look at his plan for the future.

(88) “Revive me according to Your lovingkindness, So that I may keep the testimony of Your mouth.”

That’s endurance isn’t it?
• Waiting when you can’t wait any longer…
• Watching when you can’t watch any longer…
• Remembering when you don’t see any deliverance…
• Obeying when obedience gets you in trouble…
• Remaining committed when tomorrow is not promised…

That is tremendous endurance.

And THE LAST TIME we studied this stanza our MAIN FOCUS was in fact on the Psalmist’s endurance.

We read
Hebrews 10:35-39 “Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. FOR YET IN A VERY LITTLE WHILE, HE WHO IS COMING WILL COME, AND WILL NOT DELAY. BUT MY RIGHTEOUS ONE SHALL LIVE BY FAITH; AND IF HE SHRINKS BACK, MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM. But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.”

• And we talked about the great faith that is required to endure as seen in the
faith chapter of Hebrews 11.
• We even talked some more about that perspective of Hebrews 12 about
understanding that God is bringing necessary discipline.

But this time, I want to peel back this Psalmist’s onion a little deeper.
The endurance is easy to see.
It sits right out there on the surface.

I want us to peel a layer back and see the power behind this endurance.

And so TONIGHT, as you notice by the title of the sermon,
We are going to think a little about HOPE.

At first glance that seems a little off
Since no where in this stanza is hope mentioned at all.

In fact, one could possibly argue that the Psalmist’s hope is fading.

After all statements like:
• “I have become like a wineskin in the smoke”
• “How many are the days of Your servant?”

Such statements might suggest that his hope is in jeopardy
He almost sounds like a man about to give up.

And yet, this is exactly why we are using this stanza to discuss hope.

It is possible that much of the time
When we think about the reality of hope
That we consider it purely on a human level.

The concept of hope is often attached to
That person with a positive attitude.

If we run across a person who is optimistic in their affliction we say, “They have lots of hope”

If we run across a person more like this Psalmist and who is a little negative we say, “They don’t have much hope”

Well that is true regarding the human aspect of hope.

As humans our hope is actually really fickle and even fragile.
• It can ebb and flow with the latest piece of information that we receive.
• We get a good report and we are hopeful and the very next minute we get a
bad report and our hope is gone.

That is NOT the kind of hope we want to discuss tonight.
We might call that “Human hope” or “Natural hope”

By that we DON’T MEAN that it is HOPE IN HUMANS for help
As though people with this hope aren’t trusting God.

No, we simply mean it is the hope that we muster within ourselves.
It is the hope that we produce based upon our reading of the circumstances.
It is the hope we sort of cling to by our own determination.

It is just natural hope or human derived hope

What we want to talk about is “SUPERNATURAL HOPE”

It is the hope that genuine believers possess (and get this)
That they may not even realize they have.

(That is why I picked this stanza to discuss it.)

I would tell you this.
While the natural hope of this Psalmist seems about to run out,
This Psalmist is actually gushing with supernatural hope.

HOPE IS NOT something that you as a believer are meant to concoct or produce or in some cases fake so as to put on a good show.

HOPE IS something that God supernaturally places into the heart of a believer.

Furthermore:
The EVIDENCE of these two types of hope are totally different.

• You tell if a person has natural or human hope by their demeanor or by the
positivity of their words.

But positivity is NOT the evidence that someone has supernatural hope.

• The evidence that someone has supernatural hope is endurance.

While you don’t see a lot of positivity from our Psalmist
You do see gobs of endurance.

That is sort of THE PREMISE that I want to throw out there to you.
Now let me show it to you.

I want to discuss with you 4 points as we think about hope.
• And I apologize in advance for this being sort of topical in nature,
• Tonight I’m really just using our Psalmist as an illustration
• But I’m going to take this liberty since we are working through this Psalm a second time and looking at things a little differently.

#1 BASIS FOR SUPERNATURAL HOPE

I told you that there is a difference between
Natural hope and supernatural hope.

I think perhaps the easiest passage to sort of see the difference
Comes from Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians.

1 Thessalonians 4:13 “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.”

Cleary there Paul is speaking with reference to when someone dies.

Now, our world can have all kinds of hope before death
Namely that something may change and spare a person’s life.

However after death occurs that hope is totally gone.
All that remains at that point is a supernatural hope.

But you also see here that is NOT MANIFESTED by outward optimism.
Both parties in this scenario are grieving.

So we learn that a grieving Christian does not indicate a hopeless one.
• Just because they are sad…
• Just because they aren’t “optimistic”…
• That doesn’t mean they don’t have hope.

That is clear.

We are talking then about a supernatural hope
Which God places in a believer
And that which transcends emotion or feelings.

Romans 15:13 “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

• There Paul talks about abounding in hope “by the power of the Holy Spirit”

That is clearly not a natural hope, that is a supernatural hope.
It is hope that IS NOT driven by human fortitude,
It is a hope that IS driven by supernatural power.

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 “Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word.”

• There Paul calls it “good hope” and he says that it comes to us “by grace”

So we are talking about a supernatural hope
• It is a hope that is given to us by grace
• It is a good hope which strengthens us for work
• It is a hope that is not revealed through optimism but through endurance

It is far greater and far different
Than what the world typically identifies as hope.
(there’s your distinction)

But let’s talk some more about it.
#2 SUPERNATURAL HOPE CAUSES ENDURANCE

The passage I would point out to you here comes from the book of Romans.

Romans 8:24-25 “For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.”

Now first we would point out again
This hope is not recognizable by positivity or “putting on a happy face”

We might call that “hope that is seen”
And that is the world’s kind of hope.

But Paul reminds that “hope that is seen is not hope”

It’s called hope but that’s not really what it is.

Supernatural hope is different.

And the point to be made here is that, though you don’t see it,
Supernatural hope is actually the engine behind your endurance.

Notice what Paul says:
“But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.”

Did you catch that?
“if we hope…we wait”

Now let me show you our Psalmist again.
(81-84) “My soul languishes for Your salvation; I wait for Your word. My eyes fail with longing for Your word, While I say, “When will You comfort me?” Though I have become like a wineskin in the smoke, I do not forget Your statutes. How many are the days of Your servant? When will You execute judgment on those who persecute me?”

I know he doesn’t mention hope at all.
But do you see him waiting? Yes

WHY?
Because he hopes for what he does not see.

NO ONE in the world would call him a person of hope
Because he comes across so negative.

But we don’t measure hope by positivity,
We measure hope by endurance and our Psalmist is full of endurance.

And whether he realizes it or not, the reason he endures
Is because he has been given supernatural hope from God.

He is having trouble seeing the hand of God in his affliction.
• He is looking forward to the future
• Trying to figure out when God is going to show up and bring deliverance.
• He can’t see the intervention of God.

That is because thus far God has been behind him
• Holding him up
• and supernaturally giving him the hope that produces endurance.

I don’t know if our Psalmist realizes that yet, but he is about to.

When you get to the next stanza notice what he will say:
Psalms 119:89-91 “Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven. Your faithfulness continues throughout all generations; You established the earth, and it stands. They stand this day according to Your ordinances, For all things are Your servants.”

Psalms 119:93 “I will never forget Your precepts, For by them You have revived me.”

By the next stanza he will begin to realize that the secret to his endurance
Was not his own personal commitment to cling to God’s word,
But rather it was that God’s word was producing endurance in him.

In short, God was there all along providing hope through His word,
And thus causing our Psalmist to endure.

He thought his endurance was almost gone,
But in reality it was being supernaturally supplied to him
Through the grace of God and it was never actually in danger.

Supernatural hope causes endurance.

Now, since that is true, we can also then state the reverse as true.
#3 ENDURANCE PROVES SUPERNATURAL HOPE

The next question we might ask is:
How do I know if I have this kind of hope?
• How do I know if God is supernaturally pouring this “good hope” into my life?

Well again, it’s NOT necessarily positivity or smiling.
You will know that you have supernatural hope when you endure.

Endurance proves supernatural hope.

Let me show you another passage.
Romans 5:3-4 “And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;”

Paul speaks of a scenario in which
You can actually begin to “exult” in your tribulations.

HOW?
It’s a progression.

“tribulation brings about perseverance”

Tribulation doesn’t cause perseverance but it does reveal it.

In other words, you don’t know how much perseverance you have
Until you are tested a little.

And when you endure the trial what does that reveal?
“and perseverance, proven character”

So you face a trial and you endure, what does that reveal?
That you are the real deal.

How does that prove you are real?
• Because where does endurance come from?
• What produces it?

Supernatural, God-given Hope right?
“if we hope…we wait”

And that is what Paul says next.
“and proven character, hope”

When I face a trial and I am able to endure it,
That DOES NOT PROVE to me that I am stronger than other people,
IT PROVES to me that God has done a supernatural work in my heart.

It is revealed to me that God has given me
That supernatural hope whereby I was able to endure the trial.

And that actually causes me to rejoice in my trial.

So follow me here a second.
1. There is a supernatural hope from God
2. This hope causes you to endure in affliction
3. And when you endure it proves that you have this hope

Now there is one more point to make about this hope
#4 HOPE WILL NOT DISAPPOINT

Let’s add one more verse to the one we just looked at

Romans 5:3-5 “And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 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.”

Paul just spoke about how it has been proven that you have this supernatural hope from God.
• God brought a trial into your life.
• You endured and proved yourself to be a recipient of God’s hope.

And then Paul says
“and hope does not disappoint”

“disappoint” there is KATAISCHYNO (ka-tie-schoo-no)

It literally means “dishonor” or “disgrace” or “to be ashamed”
It can even refer to “one whom hope has deceived”

2 Corinthians 7:14 “For if in anything I have boasted to him about you, I was not put to shame; but as we spoke all things to you in truth, so also our boasting before Titus proved to be the truth.”

“put to shame” is the same word.

So what Paul is saying is this:
When you have this supernatural hope from God
Then you can be sure of 1 thing
THAT SHAME WILL NEVER HAPPEN TO YOU.

Once you learn that you are a recipient of God’s supernatural hope,
The hope that causes endurance,
You can rejoice that you will never suffer the humiliation of failing to endure.

Now think on that for a second.

When you contemplate all the possibilities of persecution and tribulation that could come upon you in this world does it cause at least a little anxiety that you might not be able to handle it?

• Have you ever read a book of martyrs?
• Christians have been treated pretty terribly at times in this world.
• And you read those stories and you wonder, “Can I do that?”
• Would I be able to endure that?

Well what is the answer?
YES!

Why, because you’re so strong?
No, but because you have a supernatural hope that will cause you to endure.

Look at what Paul says.
“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.”

This hope will not fail you.

And then Paul explains it a little deeper.

Notice how Paul explains hope in your life
• He describes it as “the love of God” which has been “poured out” in your
heart.

DON’T MISREAD THAT.
It is NOT a reminder that God loves you, though He does.

The love that has been poured into your heart is a love for God.
God, through His Holy Spirit, has poured into your heart
A supernatural love for him that will hold fast through any tribulation.

Now, there is ONE MORE PASSAGE I want to show you here.

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

People love the end verse about how nothing can “separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

And the most common explanation of that verse
Is that nothing can make God stop loving us.
Well that is certainly true, but that’s NOT what is being talked about here.

Look at the context.
Paul starts by asking a question:
“Who will separate us from the love of Christ?”

Is Paul asking who will make Christ stop loving us?
Or is he asking: Who will make us stop loving Christ?

And this is important
Because one of those is actually a bit of a concern for me.

I’m not worried about Christ stopping to love me.
But what if I am facing a literal cross for Christ, will I love Him that much?

That’s a serious question
I’m aware of His commitment, the concern here is my commitment.

So which is Paul talking about?
Is he asking if Christ will stop loving me,
Or is he asking if I will stop loving Christ?

Well, keep going.
“Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?”

Well based on that
The only possible scenario is that the second option is in view.

There is no way that me being persecuted
Is going to cause Christ to stop loving me,
The fear is if those things will cause me to fall away from Christ.

That is what Paul is asking.
Can “tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword” cause me to stop loving Christ?

That seems like a legitimate question
Since, as Paul notes, those things are happening.
“Just as it is written, “FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.”

CHRISTIANS ARE BEING SO TREATED,
So if that can cause us to fall away then we have a problem.

But notice what Paul says.
He answers the question.

Can tribulation cause a child of God to quit loving Christ?
The answer: NO
“But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Paul says that we are winning that battle over and over every day!
We “overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us”

It’s not our strength that is producing the victory it is His strength.

But why?
Because we have “the love of God poured into our hearts”
And nothing can “separate us from the love of God”

Let me clarify it a little more.
• Do you know why you endure trials, even bad trials?
• Do you know why this Psalmist endured?

Because God gives a supernatural hope to His children.

What is this hope?
More specifically it is a supernatural love for God
That He pours into the hearts of his children
That causes them to hold fast to Him.

What other reason did this Psalmist have for holding fast to God?
Not a single expectation of his had been answered and yet he remained.

There was something supernatural going on
That perhaps even he was unaware of.

AND IT GETS EVEN BETTER
This love that you have been given is said to be “in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Do you understand it?
The love God pours into your hearts, the basis for your hope,
Is nothing less than the love that Jesus has for the Father.

That is why you have endured.
That is why you will endure.
That is why this Psalmist endured.

That is Christian hope.

It is much deeper than some sort of fortitude or stubbornness
Or positivity that the world might call hope.

Our hope is supernatural and it is given by God
So that you will endure even the strongest storms and trials.

• This Psalmist was emotionally spent
• But he endured because he had hope
• It was a supernatural hope God had given him
• It was a hope that would not let him fail

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The Joy of Fellowship – Part 2
1 John 1:1-4 (1-4)
December 12, 2021

Last week we began this new book study in 1 John.

John of course was the famed apostle.
• He wrote the gospel that bears his name.
• He wrote the epistles of 1, 2, & 3 John
• He wrote the Revelation

He first appears on the scene as a disciple of John the Baptist,
But when Jesus walked by and John the Baptist pointed Him out
As “the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world”
John became a follower of Jesus.

He is noted in the gospels as
• The brother of James
• And also as one of the “Sons of Thunder”.
• A man with at times a harsh view of sinners and an unyielding zeal for truth.

And yet
• This harsh man would later name himself “The disciple whom Jesus loved”
• And by the time he becomes an old man his letters are filled with love and care for the church which Jesus built.

That DOESN’T mean that John lost his zeal, he most certainly did not.
He is as bold and dogmatic as any writer in the New Testament.

But it is true that Jesus took that raw zeal of John
And refocused it to where it should be.

AND SO
• This rough and bold disciple
• Who at one time wanted to call down fire on the Samaritans
• And who would even scheme for a seat beside Jesus
• Has now become a man who is zealous for the flock that Jesus left in his care.

AND THAT IS GOOD, because as we NOTED LAST WEEK,
There were at the present “many deceivers”
Who had gone out into the world.

The biggest threat was Gnosticism
• Which claimed a “higher knowledge” through some sort of special revelation or communion with God.
• Their dualistic doctrine said that the spirit was good but all physical matter was bad and therefore a person could basically be a righteous person who lived in physical sin.

And this dualistic view distorted their theology on Jesus.
• If spirit was good and physical matter was evil then there was no way to reconcile the truth of the incarnation which said that God became flesh.

So there were some heresies which evolved regarding Jesus.
• Heresies like Docetism which said that Jesus only appeared human but wasn’t really physical flesh.
• Heresies like Cerenthianism which said that Jesus was a sinful human, it’s just that the Christ spirit came on Him at His baptism and left Him at His crucifixion.

John of course would again cry “NONSENSE!”
To all of that.

But you understand how these false teachers who claimed a higher knowledge were upsetting the faith of the church.

John then wrote this letter to the church
To remind them of what they already knew to be true.

It is a letter which is meant to bring ASSURANCE and CONVICTION
By reminding the church of what is obviously Christian
And what is obviously not Christian.

Don’t let some puffed up liar claiming special knowledge fool you
And drag you away from what you have always known to be true.

That is the heart of the epistle of 1 John.

And the first issue that John addresses in this letter is the issue of FELLOWSHIP

You are familiar with the word.
It is the word we often use when we talk about Christian brothers and sisters getting together to eat each other’s casseroles.

(We even have a room where we eat called “The Fellowship Hall”)

But certainly fellowship is far more than just eating a meal together.

Theologically speaking fellowship occurs on TWO PLANES.

• We have what we might call HORIZONTAL FELLOWSHIP which is that which takes place between two believers.

• And we have what we might call VERTICAL FELLOWSHIP which is what takes place between a believer and God.

A GENUINE BELIEVER HAS BOTH.
They fellowship with God and they fellowship with fellow believers.

We would also say that
It is our vertical fellowship which enables our horizontal fellowship.

What we have in common with one another, the basis of our fellowship,
Is that we each share a fellowship with the Father through Jesus.

Jesus outlined this fellowship (sometimes referred to as “unity”)
In His prayer in the Upper Room.

John 17:20-23 “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. “The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.”

What you see there are terms of fellowship.
• “that they may all be one”
• “that they also may be in Us”

What Jesus refers to is common spiritual life.

Paul would say to the Corinthians:
2 Corinthians 5:16-17 “Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

The fellowship we enjoy is not a physical fellowship, but a spiritual one.
The recognition we have with one another is not that we all look the same outwardly
Or dress the same or anything like that.

There is a spiritual recognition.
• It is a fellowship of common spiritual life.
• We share in the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
• We unify in our love for Christ.

And this is the basis for our fellowship.
We are all in the same Jesus.
The same Jesus is in each of us.

Our horizontal fellowship is based upon our vertical fellowship.

Paul spoke of this to the Ephesians.
Ephesians 4:1-6 “Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.”

You see it again there.
• We are called to love one another and preserve our common unity.
• “one body and one Spirit…one hope…one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.”

WE ARE CERTAINLY ALL DIFFERENT.
Even in Christ we have different gifts and represent different parts of the same body. (i.e., some are hands, some are feet, some are eyes, etc.)

We are different parts BUT we are all in Christ.
We are different people who all have the same Holy Spirit.

And there is tremendous joy and satisfaction to be found here.

We love the fellowship of the saints because it’s A DEEPER FELLOWSHIP

For many this fellowship is more real and rich and fulfilling
Than perhaps even the fellowship they may feel with family members.

IT IS DEEPER EVEN THAN FLESH AND BLOOD.

Jesus alluded to this:
Matthew 12:46-50 “While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him. Someone said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You.” But Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers! “For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.”

Certainly Jesus loved his mother, but you understand His point.

The truest and deepest and most fulfilling fellowship
IS NOT between those who share your DNA or genetics,
But IS between those who share the Holy Spirit.

This is why a believer may lose fellowship
With father or mother, brother or sister, son or daughter,
But still find true and lasting fellowship among the saints.

Spiritual fellowship is a pure and true and lasting joy.

WHAT IS MORE,
If you think about it, fellowship was the FIRST GLORIOUS REALITY that really DISTINGUISHED the early church from everyone else.

Remember how the early church was immediately described?
Acts 2:41-47 “So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

The FIRST REAL PRACTICAL BENEFIT felt by the early church
Was the joy of fellowship.

• They had a great community.
• They shared a common Savior.
• They shared a common salvation.
• They shared a common Spirit.

And they couldn’t get enough of each other.

AND YET, it was the joy of this fellowship
That WAS BEING CHALLENGED in John’s day.

HOW?

Well you have this Gnosticism
Which claims a higher and more spiritual knowledge.

In fact, these Gnostics who really had the higher knowledge were referred to as the “GNOSTICOI”.
• These were the ones who were considered to be “in the know”
• They were the “haves” everyone else then was the “have nots”
• They walked in “the light” everyone else was in “the darkness”

And here they came attacking the church
By seeking to explode the fundamental reality of their fellowship.

You can hear them:
• “You don’t really have fellowship with God, we are the ones who have
fellowship with God.”
• “We are in the know, you don’t know anything”

SO THAT VERTICAL FELLOWSHIP WAS CHALLENGED.

And since our horizontal fellowship rests in our vertical fellowship
The consequence was an unraveling of the fellowship of the saints.

“We are with God and you are not with us”

It was excluding…
It was certainly arrogant…

And it was threatening to the early church
Because they were beginning to wonder if their fellowship was a lie.

And in steps John to settle their hearts.
“Don’t be fooled by all this nonsense, you know what is true.”

And the FIRST AREA in which John wishes to comfort the church
Is in the area of their fellowship.

And we sort of started this last week, but let’s now work our way through the text.

John has 3 points to make to these believers regarding the joy of their fellowship.

#1 THE REALNESS OF JESUS
1 John 1:1

Again, we talked about this last time regarding how John exposed the lies of the Gnostic view that Jesus merely appeared human.

John of course says, “NONSENSE!”

As John discussed “the Word of Life” (who is Jesus)

John reminds the early church of what has been Christian doctrine “from the beginning”
• Ever since Jesus rose from the tomb…
• Ever since Peter preached at Pentecost and the Holy Spirit came…
• This has been the true Christian doctrine of the church.

Jesus was no phantom, Jesus was absolutely and truly human.
• John says, “we have heard” Him.
• John says, “we have seen with our eyes”
• John says, “we have looked at” Him
• John says, “we have…touched [Him] with our hands”

Our revelation was not some spiritual or esoteric vision.
With our physical eyes we saw His physical body.
With our physical ears we heard His voice.
With our hands we touched His body.

And we talked about that last week, especially regarding the miracle of the incarnation, that Jesus would empty Himself to become human.
• He had to be human.
• He can’t bear the sin of man if He is not man.
• He cannot fulfill God’s Law as a human if He is not human.

That is still a great and absolutely foundational Christian doctrine.

But John’s point is deeper than just straightening out our Christology.

Don’t miss what John is saying.
• John says, “WE HAVE heard…”
• John says, “WE HAVE seen…”
• John says, “WE HAVE looked at…”
• John says, “WE HAVE touched…”

What is John doing?
He is defending His own fellowship with Jesus.

John doesn’t speak of someone else
Hearing or seeing or looking at or touching Jesus.

John defends his own fellowship with Jesus.
I saw Him! – I heard Him! – I touched Him!

John’s fellowship with Jesus was in fact a physical fellowship.
(John reminds of that when he reminds you that Jesus was real.)

And yet John’s fellowship was also far more
Than just a physical fellowship with Jesus.

And that is where he goes next.

The Realness of Jesus
#2 THE REVELATION OF JESUS
1 John 1:2

When John spoke of Jesus even in verse 1,
While John did describe seeing His physical body,
John still spoke of Jesus in spiritual terms.

John didn’t say, “concerning the body of Jesus”
John said, “concerning the Word of Life”

There was a physical body
Which John hear and saw and looked at and touched,
But that is NOT the primary connection John wants to discuss.

There is a deeper more spiritual connection which John had.

John is referring to “The Life” which Jesus gave him.

When John met Jesus he didn’t just get some physical buddy,
He found the very source of life.

And that is what John TALKS ABOUT NEXT.

(2) “and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us”

John said that Jesus brought “life”

John called it “the eternal life”
• Meaning that it is not simply physical life.

It is the life “which was with the Father”
• Meaning it is the true life which comes only from God.

And this true, and spiritual, and eternal life
John says “was manifested to us”

If you are confused regarding John’s point,
He is now laying what he knows
Right beside what the Gnostics claim to know.

They claim this higher knowledge of God
Gained through their spiritual experience.

John is here laying what he knows right beside them.

You claim a higher spiritual knowledge of God,
• Well I’m telling you that I heard, saw, and touched Jesus
• And Jesus Himself introduced me to the true spiritual and eternal life which comes directly from God.

(In a sense he is sort of daring them to compare resumes.)

And incidentally, if you’ll remember
John spent his entire gospel chronicling and describing this life to us.

• It is John’s gospel that really focuses on those 7 remarkable “I Am” statements from Jesus.
• It is John’s gospel that focuses so heavily on “the life” which Jesus revealed.

Think about John’s gospel for a moment.

John opened his very gospel with this announcement:
John 1:1-4 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.”

Only John gives us the story of Nicodemus and the promise Jesus made to him.
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.”

Only John gives us the story of the woman at the well and the offer Jesus made to her.
John 4:13-14 “Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

Only John records the story of the healing at the Bethesda pool and the sermon Jesus preached afterwards:
John 5:24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”

Only John records Jesus sermon about bread after the feeding of the 5,000
John 6:35 “Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.”

Only John records Jesus’ sermon during the Feast of Booths.
John 7:37-38 “Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’”

During that same sermon Jesus said again:
John 8:12 “Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

It is John who revealed Jesus sermon as the door and the Good Shepherd:
John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

John 10:27-28 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.”

Only John tells of the resurrection of Lazarus and Jesus promise to Martha:
John 11:25-26 “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”

Only John gives the details of the Upper Room:
John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

And if you’ll remember as Jesus finished revealing the truth about being the true vine, He concluded by saying this:

John 15:11 “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.”

It was all about true, eternal, spiritual, abundant life.
John couldn’t get past it.

• Jesus came to bring to light something he had never seen before.
• Jesus came not to simply be some physical example of how to live.
• Jesus came to bring life!

Jesus came to show the true life of God
And to make that life available to those who believed in Him.
Spiritual life – eternal life – abundant life

And this is what John reminds the church of here.

Church, I know Jesus.
• I knew Him physically,
• More than that I know about the life which He came to give.
• It is nothing less than the life of God
• And the result of having it is nothing less than fulness of Joy.

That is what Jesus revealed.

The Realness of Jesus, The Revelation of Jesus
#3 THE REALITY OF JESUS
1 John 1:3-4

And here is where John takes that necessary NEXT STEP.

These Gnostics
• Talk about a special private revelation which they have and you don’t.
• They are in the know and you are in the dark.
• They have knowledge and you don’t.
• They have fellowship and you don’t.

But that is NOT how it worked with John or the other apostles.

For what does John remind the church of here?
(3) “what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also”

The truth of Jesus…
The life of Jesus…
Was not such which was kept hidden.

It is not just for a select few special believers.

The truth of Jesus and the life of Jesus is for all believers.
What we were shown and taught about Jesus we gave to you…ALL OF IT!

IF YOU ARE IN CHRIST
There is no secret knowledge which you have not received.
There is no secret life in Jesus which you do not have.

The Gnostics wanted the church to feel like they had been left out of the loop and that there was more to be gained through them.

This has been one of my main beefs with some from the CHARISMATIC community (not all, but certainly some) who claim this new and higher and secondary understanding of God and His Spirit.

This notion that God didn’t give all of Himself to every believer, but to a select few who were granted this “secondary filling” (which they refer to as baptism of the Holy Spirit) God has given it all.

The rest of us believers are lacking…
They are in the know, we still don’t know it all.
They have it all, we are still in the bottom tier.

That is no different than what the Gnostics were teaching.

JOHN CRUSHES SUCH ARROGANT NONSENSE.

EVERYTHING Jesus revealed about Himself to the apostles,
They passed on to us.

Remember the promise Jesus made to the apostles in the upper room?
(this was a promise to them)

John 14:26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”

Later Jesus told them:
John 16:12-13 “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.”

Jesus told them that they would get it all,
And John says “what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also”

THE CHURCH GETS IT ALL!

And John reveals WHY THEY PASSED IT ALL ON to us.

“so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.”

The church is not a tier system.
The church is not like when you purchase a cable plan.
• There are no tiers.
• There are no gold level members with preferred access
• And then silver level members with a good access
• And then bronze level members with limited access.

When Jesus tore down that veil He took us all directly to the Father.

Every member of the church gets it all.
• Every believer receives ALL of the life of Christ.
• Every believer receives ALL of the Spirit of God.
• Every believer receives ALL of the benefits of Christianity.

Go read Ephesians some time.
Ephesians 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,”

Don’t let some Gnostic or other deceiver
Approach you and act like you only received part of the blessing
When you trusted in Christ.

If you are in Christ, you got it all.
The apostles held nothing back!
• There is no secret knowledge.
• There is no secondary filling.
• There is no deeper fellowship.

When you believed the message of the gospel
(the message of the apostles)
You were instantly entered into fellowship with them.

And their fellowship is with God and with Jesus Christ.

WHAT A GREAT WAY TO DESCRIBE THE CHURCH!

Have you ever thought of it like that?

When you invite someone TO church
You are merely inviting them to attend a worship service.

What we really WANT TO DO IS invite someone INTO the church.

We want to invite someone into this glorious fellowship
Which we have with one another and which we have with God.

It’s worth noting:
HOW DO YOU INVITE SOMEONE INTO THE CHURCH?
You do the same thing John did.

“what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ”

You preach the gospel to them!
You give them the word of Christ!

And when they believe the gospel you proclaim…
When they hear and believe the words of Christ…
They are also granted full access into the fellowship we call the church.

• They get the same Holy Spirit
• They get the same access to the Father
• They get the same eternal life
• They get the same inheritance
• They get the same total blessing package

That’s how you invite someone into the church.
You don’t just invite them to a service,
You proclaim to them the truth about Jesus.

AND JOHN SAYS, THAT IS WHAT WE DID FOR YOU.
You have it all!

And WHY does John remind the church of that to open his epistle?

(4) “These things we write so that our joy may be made complete.”

That is an interesting statement.

Remember that Jesus offered it back in John 15 in the upper room.
John 15:11 “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.”

There is a true and deep abiding joy
Which is found when you know Christ and know His people.

This was the joy that the deceivers were seeking to strip from the church.
• These believers were being told that they didn’t really have fellowship with God,
• They were still on the outside looking in.

How can you rejoice when you think
That you still don’t have a real relationship with God?

John is writing to restore that joy.

And I would REMIND YOU of that this morning as well.

Church, if you have repented of your sins and believed in Jesus
Then you have full access to and fellowship with the Father.

• Through Jesus you can go boldly before the throne of God.
• Through Jesus your prayers are heard and answered.
• Jesus said that through Him we could ask the Father anything.

In Jesus Christ you are “IN”!

And the life that Jesus puts inside you
• Is the very same life He put in the apostles.
• It is the same life He put in the early church.
• It is the same life He put in the believer sitting next to you.

We may have different gifts and different roles but we all get the same life!
We all, through Jesus, have fellowship with God.

And that should give you joy!

But that is NOT ALL John says.
He DOESN’T just say “that your joy may be made complete”

He says “so that OUR joy may be made complete.”

In his 3rd epistle John will write:
3 John 1:3-4 “For I was very glad when brethren came and testified to your truth, that is, how you are walking in truth. I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.”

It is impossible to have the full joy of fellowship
When your brother is struggling in deception.
Because part of our joy is that horizontal fellowship.

Paul wrote:
1 Corinthians 12:26 “And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.”

2 Corinthians 11:28-29 “Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern?”

We remember when Paul was concerned about the Thessalonians:
1 Thessalonians 3:5-10 “For this reason, when I could endure it no longer, I also sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter might have tempted you, and our labor would be in vain. But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always think kindly of us, longing to see us just as we also long to see you, for this reason, brethren, in all our distress and affliction we were comforted about you through your faith; for now we really live, if you stand firm in the Lord. For what thanks can we render to God for you in return for all the joy with which we rejoice before our God on your account, as we night and day keep praying most earnestly that we may see your face, and may complete what is lacking in your faith?”

THAT IS THE JOY JOHN WANTS.

• He was grieved that so many in the church were disturbed and confused regarding their relationship with Christ.
• He wrote to encourage all those who believe that through Jesus they have it all
• So that not only could they rejoice, but he could rejoice with them.

THIS IS FELLOWSHIP!
THIS IS WHAT MAKES CHURCH SO WONDERFUL!

That we gather here with those who believe in Jesus
And with whom we share the common life of God.

• It is NOT a physical link it IS a spiritual one.
• It is NOT a tiered link it IS a common one.
• It is NOT a grievous fellowship it IS an all-satisfying joyous one!

And it is enjoyed by all those who believe in Christ
According to all that the apostles declared about Him.

If you are in that fellowship rejoice!
Rejoice with God and rejoice with your brother!

If you are not in that fellowship,
Namely because you have not trusted in Christ,

Then let me extend the invitation to you.
• Jesus Christ was fully God who became fully human.
• As a human He fully obeyed God and fulfilled God’s righteous requirement for humanity.
• As a human He then died on a cross to pay the debt of sinners before God.

And when you believe in Jesus
You are believing that His righteousness is acceptable to God
And His death satisfied God.

And the Bible says that when you believe
• You get justified as His righteousness is imputed to you
• You get forgiveness as your sin is imputed to Him.
• You get true, eternal, spiritual, abundant life.
• You get fellowship with God and full access to Him
• You get fellowship with the children of God and access into the church.

You get it all!
And it is nothing short of fullness of joy!

Download Here:

Thinking About Perspective
Psalms 119:73-80
December 5, 2021

Tonight we come to back to the 119th Psalm
And since this is our second time through it,
Instead of expositing the whole stanza, we are just focusing on specific truths.

THE LAST TIME we looked at this stanza we called it “7 Requests of the Afflicted”

And when you read these 8 verses that really sort of just jumps out at you.
This man had been afflicted and in that affliction he had 7 requests.

I do actually want to identify those again tonight
Because I think it will help give balance to the truth we want to discuss.

So let me show you those 7 requests quickly tonight.

1) UNDERSTANDING OF YOUR WORD

(73) “Your hands made me and fashioned me; Give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments.”

This is an important request to begin the list
Because it reminds us of the PSALMIST’S SUBMISSIVE SPIRIT.

• Very similar to Jesus who in the garden,
• Who even though He would pray that “this cup might pass from Me”
• He also would pray “Yet not My will but Yours be done”

Even in affliction this Psalmist is only interested in obedience.
He is not looking for an easy way out.

And so his initial request is for understanding of God’s word.

That’s a good prayer to pray when you’ve been afflicted.

2) PATIENCE FOR YOUR WORD

(74) “May those who fear You see me and be glad, Because I wait for Your word.”

The Psalmist had prayed for understanding and yet
He was certainly aware that it MIGHT NOT COME IMMEDIATELY.

Sometimes we must simply endure while we do not understand.

So the request of the Psalmist is that
While he is waiting and while he is confused
HE WANTS TO BE A BLESSING and an encouragement to other believers.

That is also a great request during affliction.

Paul taught us in 1 Corinthians that when 1 member of the body suffers the rest of the body suffers with it.

You probably can think of times when you’ve seen other believers respond so positively to their affliction that it actually grew your faith.

That is what the Psalmist wants here.
He wants to wait well so that other believers
Will be encouraged by how he endures.

That is a great request.

3) COMFORT ACCORDING TO YOUR WORD

(76) “O may Your lovingkindness comfort me, According to Your word to Your servant.”

And we certainly have no complaint here.
If you’ve ever been afflicted then you likely sympathize.
The Psalmist wanted comfort.

We don’t know specifically what kind of comfort he wanted
Because we don’t know the nature of his affliction,
But none of us can blame him
For appealing to “the God of all comfort” for comfort.

What we do see is what the Psalmist wants to be comforted by.
“may Your lovingkindness comfort me”

More than anything he wants to be reminded of God’s loyalty to him.
That is big isn’t it?

This was Job’s plight.
• He was afflicted and his friends kept telling him it was because God had forsaken him.

The Psalmist wants the comfort of knowing
That despite the affliction God is still for him.

That is a good request too.

4) DELIVERANCE FOR YOUR WORD

(77) “May Your compassion come to me that I may live, For Your law is my delight.”

What is the request?
I want to live!

This lends us to believe that this particular affliction
May in fact have been such that threatened his life.

So the Psalmist prayed for deliverance.
• Again, anyone who wouldn’t pray for deliverance when facing death probably isn’t really facing death.
• There is nothing wrong with this request.

What is even better however is WHY he is making the request.

And it is because “Your law is my delight”
He has a desire to be a testimony.

This is similar to Paul saying it is better for me to depart and be with Christ but it is better for you if I remain here.

This Psalmist doesn’t want deliverance to return to an apathetic life of sin,
This Psalmist wants deliverance to continue a life of obedience.

And in that sense, this is also a great request.

5) VINDICATION BY YOUR WORD

(78) “May the arrogant be ashamed, for they subvert me with a lie; But I shall meditate on Your precepts.”

If the Psalmist’s life is in danger
It may be due to the false witness uttered against him.

And so in harmony with a prayer for deliverance is also a prayer for vindication.
• Elijah wanted such a vindication…
• Paul wrote 2 Corinthians chasing such vindication…

Both of those men wanted it, not just for their own personal satisfaction,
But because their reputation was tied to
The credibility of the message they preached.

In many ways their vindication was a vindication of the word of God.

The Psalmist isn’t specific that this is why he wants vindication,
But even in this request his commitment to God’s word is obvious.

He is leaving his defense to God while he merely seeks out God’s word.

And that is a good request.
When afflicted to turn over your defense to God.

6) FELLOWSHIP WITH YOUR WORD

(79) “May those who fear You turn to me, Even those who know Your testimonies.”

Earlier he wanted to be an encouragement to other believers.

Now he wants other believers to be an encouragement to him,
Specifically as they come and share the word with him.

And that is a great request.

A Christian has no desire in the “misery loves company” mentality.
But we love it when someone can strengthen us with God’s word.

The Psalmist prayed for that to happen.
And that is a great request.

7) OBEDIENCE TO YOUR WORD

(80) “May my heart be blameless in Your statutes, So that I will not be ashamed.”

He STARTED with a submissive request for understanding
And he ENDS with a submissive request to be obedient.

God help me obey!

And when you are afflicted that is also a great request.

So you can see the overall force of the stanza.

The Psalmist is afflicted and his prayer is clear and concise.
In fact his prayer is a great example and pattern for you or I
To pray when we are afflicted.

He is afflicted and in that affliction he prays for:
• Understanding
• Patience
• Comfort
• Deliverance
• Vindication
• Fellowship
• Obedience

That is still great advice.

But as I said, we studied that in more detail last time and you can go find that sermon on the website if you want to study it again.

TONIGHT we want to zoom in a little and focus just on one aspect.

This stanza has 8 verses.
7 of those verses express a request for God.

• 1 verse stands alone without a request.
• 1 verse is merely a statement of theology.
• 1 verse shows us the perspective of this afflicted Psalmist.

That is verse 75 and we want to examine it a little closer tonight.

(75) “I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are righteous, And that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.”

That is the Psalmists perspective.
Behind every single one of those great requests sits this perspective.

In fact, it is this perspective that allows him to make such great requests.

What we find here is great insight to affliction.
• Since sooner or later you will find affliction in your life,
• Let’s see if we can’t all gain a little of the perspective that this Psalmist has.
• And then you can follow his example in your prayer life.

FIRST I think it would do us all good to examine the word “afflicted”

Since everything in this Psalm flows from that condition.

“afflicted” is the Hebrew word ANA

In it’s simplest sense it means “to be occupied” or “to be busied with”
Which carries the idea of frustration or having to do what you don’t want to do.

But here the tense of the word carries the idea of
Someone actively doing it to you
For the purpose of humbling or humiliating.

It wasn’t just random, it was for a purpose.

The preacher in Ecclesiastes used the word
Just to express the everyday frustrating occupations of life.

But the Psalmist here is NOT talking about something random
Or the result of living in a cursed world.

The Psalmist here is talking about something that was specifically and intentionally done to him.
• He was intentionally humbled.
• He was intentionally afflicted.
• He was set as the target and he was afflicted; he was humiliated.

Now probably all of you have felt that at one point in your life or another.

But WHAT IS GREATLY LACKING in our world
Is the PROPER PERSPECTIVE as to what’s going on when that happens.

So we have a Psalmist who has been intentionally humbled,
Now let’s look at what he perceives about it.

There are 3 things.

#1 THE AUTHOR OF AFFLICTION
Psalms 119:75

And this first point actually comes from the end of the verse.

The Psalmist was intentionally humiliated or afflicted,
but the question is: BY WHO?

And the answer: GOD

“You have afflicted me”

Listen, if you believe in the sovereignty of God
Then you must go here.

Oddly enough the world doesn’t typically mind going here.

The world doesn’t seem to mind blaming their affliction on God.
Now, most do it because they want to use it to blaspheme Him.

They use the presence of their affliction as proof that
Either God isn’t good or God isn’t powerful.

“If God was good He would not do this”
“Or maybe He is good, He’s just now powerful enough to stop it”

And the world thinks they have God in some sort of trap
And so they love to actually attribute affliction to God.

And many times people in the church sort of buckle the knees here
And run backward and don’t know what to do with it.

That’s where we get such backward and awful statements like,
• “God didn’t will for this to happen.”
• “It’s not God’s will for such awful things”
• “God didn’t do this, sin did this.”

YOU’VE HEARD THEM ALL.
But none of those statements answer the world’s reproach.

• If God didn’t will for this to happen, then how did it happen unless it’s because He couldn’t stop it?
• If God didn’t do this, but sin did, then who is really in charge here?

You see the problem?

That is why the perspective of the Psalmist is the only perspective.
God did do this.

God is the Author of affliction.

We love passages like this:
Psalms 139:13-16 “For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.”

We especially love that type of passage when everything is rosy and wonderful.

But that passage doesn’t only apply to things you perceive to be good.

• If God wove us in our mother’s womb then that has to include those who are born with physical deformity doesn’t it?

• If God ordained all our days then that has to include the tragic days too doesn’t it?

I listened to a sermon excerpt from Voddie Baucham this week and shared it on Facebook of you want to see it.

Voddie talked about the day he discovered heart issues and was rushed to the doctor. The doctor told him that he made it within an hour of his death. He noted how many believers have told him, “That was the providence of God”

(As though providence was the equivalent to luck or good fortune)

Voddie Baucham agreed that his arriving an hour before he would have died was in fact the providence of God, however if he had died an hour before he arrived that also would have been the providence of God.

The providence of God is that
God ordains ALL THINGS after the counsel of His will.
(Not just the things you like)

Remember when God called Moses to go to Egypt to lead His people out?
God told Moses to approach Pharaoh.

What was Moses’ hesitation?
He shouldn’t do it because he stuttered.

Do you remember God’s response?
Exodus 4:10-11 “Then Moses said to the LORD, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” The LORD said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the LORD?”

Was Moses speech impediment a surprise to God? – No
Why, because God knows all things? – No

God wasn’t surprised by Moses’ speech impediment
Because God is the one who caused him to have it!

God made him that way!

Just like God makes man mute or deaf or seeing or blind.

Remember?
John 9:1-3 “As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

That man was created exactly as God intended.
He was fearfully and wonderfully made.

Now, that IS TRUE in regard to your birth,
But it is ALSO TRUE in regard to your days.
God ordained all your days too,
And that includes your days of affliction.

GOD IS THE AUTHOR OF THEM.

And someone would then balk and say, “Why in the world would God be so calloused as to bring such affliction into someone’s life?”

The world would say, “Aha! See, we told you He wasn’t good.”

Why would God author your affliction?

WELL PERHAPS it is precisely what the Psalmist understood
HUMILITY!

OR MAYBE it is shape you into a person who can encourage others.
Remember Peter?

Luke 22:31-32 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”

MAYBE it is like the blind man, simply for the glory of God.

I don’t know, and incidentally neither did this Psalmist.
Remember, his first request was for UNDERSTANDING.

But knowing why is not important.
Knowing that God is providentially behind it is.

Because if God is sovereign over your affliction
Then you can be confident that it is not random
And that He has a redeeming purpose behind it.

But knowing the author of affliction is important.

#2 THE JUSTICE OF AFFLICTION
Psalms 119:75

Well, we might be able to square with the fact that
God orchestrated my affliction, BUT THIS ONE is really difficult.

The Psalmist said: “I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are righteous”

Not only is God behind all decisions, but all of God’s decisions are right!

“judgments” is MISPAT
And it means “the act of deciding a case”

Deuteronomy 1:7 “‘You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not fear man, for the judgment is God’s. The case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.’”

Proverbs 16:33 “The lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the LORD.”

So God is behind the decisions.

THIS IS REALLY THE ABSOLUTE MIRACLE OF PROVIDENCE.
If you want to have your mind blown
Just try to ponder the providence of God.

We already read that God ordains all our days.

But did any of you get the directive this morning regarding every single thing you were supposed to do? – No.

Instead, God gave you autonomy in a sense to do whatever you wanted.
And this autonomy isn’t just for the redeemed,
God even gives this autonomy to the most vile and wicked.

And so every day we live in a world
Which in essence does whatever they want.
And yet, at the end of the day, it is exactly what God ordained.

I mean try to figure all the contingencies that could occur
Based on 1 different choice by 1 different human.
It’s unfathomable, and yet God in His providence controls it all!

It’s mind-blowing.

You see it in stories like Daniel’s brothers selling him into Egypt.

But the easiest place is certainly the cross.
Acts 2:22-23 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know— this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.”

• God certainly didn’t make the Jews appeal to the Romans to crucify Jesus;
• They wanted to do that.
• And yet, at the end of the day that’s exactly what God ordained.

God is making the decisions.
God is making the judgments.

And that is not just about major things like the cross,
That is even about the minor things of life like your affliction.

But here the Psalmist DOESN’T JUST acknowledge that God is making the decisions, he says they “are righteous”

“righteous” is SEDEQ
And it means “right”

Job 31:6 “Let Him weigh me with accurate scales, And let God know my integrity.”

There “accurate” is the word SEDEQ

So not only does the Psalmist acknowledge
That God is making all the decisions
But that God is making the right decisions!

Now that is perspective isn’t it!
Can you say that?

• I’ll be honest, there have been times in my affliction where I didn’t say that.
• There have been times where I wondered if God had a clue what He was doing.

So did others in Scripture.
• Elijah was perplexed why Jezebel got to run free.
• Habakkuk couldn’t figure out why God would use the Chaldeans to discipline Israel.
• John the Baptist was shocked to be rotting in prison.

Job 9:19-20 “If it is a matter of power, behold, He is the strong one! And if it is a matter of justice, who can summon Him? “Though I am righteous, my mouth will condemn me; Though I am guiltless, He will declare me guilty.”

Job 19:7 “Behold, I cry, ‘Violence!’ but I get no answer; I shout for help, but there is no justice.”

Job 23:1-4 “Then Job replied, “Even today my complaint is rebellion; His hand is heavy despite my groaning. “Oh that I knew where I might find Him, That I might come to His seat! “I would present my case before Him And fill my mouth with arguments.”

Job had trouble with this notion for a while, maybe you have too.

But Elihu quickly confronted him.

Job 34:10-15 “Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding. Far be it from God to do wickedness, And from the Almighty to do wrong. “For He pays a man according to his work, And makes him find it according to his way. “Surely, God will not act wickedly, And the Almighty will not pervert justice. “Who gave Him authority over the earth? And who has laid on Him the whole world? “If He should determine to do so, If He should gather to Himself His spirit and His breath, All flesh would perish together, And man would return to dust.”

Elihu reminded Job that God does not act wickedly, He can’t.

Now, you may have to take that by faith…
So, take it by faith!

God is the author of affliction and God is right in all that He does.

He is not making the wrong decision.
• If you knew all the facts like He knows all the facts.
• And if you loved purely like He loves purely.
• You’d have no problem at all with decisions He makes.

The best perspective in affliction is
To see that God is the author of it and His affliction is always just.

And by the way, it is this perspective that allows our Psalmist to pray that God will help him be obedient.

If you don’t think God is doing the right thing in your life
You’re going to have a really tuff time obeying His commands.

This perspective is essential.

The Author of Affliction, The Justice of Affliction
#3 THE FIRMNESS OF AFFLICTION
Psalms 119:75

Well those first 2 perspectives are sort of hard to swallow,
But I have to tell you it doesn’t immediately get any easier.

The Psalmist says, “And that in faithfulness You have afflicted me”

What does that mean?

I know how you want to read it.
You want to read it that even in my affliction, God will be faithful to me.

Well, He will be, but THAT’S NOT what the Psalmist is saying.

That is actually what the Psalmist requests in the next verse.
(76) “O may Your lovingkindness comfort me”

That is what you are looking for.

• And certainly God is loyal, and certainly God will be for you.
• And certainly God will not abandon you or turn His back on you.

But when the Psalmist says that “in faithfulness You have afflicted me”, He is NOT saying that God will be faithful to me in the affliction.

What the Psalmist is actually saying is that
God is faithful in His decision to afflict.

“faithfulness” there is EMUNA
It means “firmness or fidelity or steadfastness”

It is a word that refers to
“God’s strict observance of His promises and His duties.”

So let me tell you what the Psalmist is actually saying.
• He’s NOT saying that God is faithful to you in affliction (though He is)
• What the Psalmist IS saying is that: GOD IS FAITHFUL TO AFFLICT

Wait! What?
God is faithful to afflict

He afflicts out of His faithfulness.
He humbles people because He is faithful to His purposes and duty.

Think about Nebuchadnezzar and the great humbling God gave him.
• Could anyone else humble Nebuchadnezzar? -No
• But if Nebuchadnezzar is never humbled he’ll never be saved.
• Was anyone faithful enough to humble him? God was.

God is faithful to that.
• He is resolute to afflict.
• He is resolute to humble.

He has said that you need it and He is faithful to make sure you learn it.

Now that is good perspective.

Let me show you where Paul learned that perspective.
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 “Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”

• Paul had a thorn in the flesh.
• It was a messenger of Satan sent to torment him.
• The purpose was humility.

Do you see the providence of God?
• Surely – Satan wanted to afflict Paul
• That messenger of Satan was happy to lie about Paul

But who authored it?
God did.

Now Paul asked 3 times for it to be taken away, but what did he learn?
• God was faithful in it.
• God was resolute in it.
• God wouldn’t change His mind about it.

WHY?
Because it was the right decision.

God was using it to humble Paul
And to ultimately squeeze more glory out of his ministry.

When Paul learned this perspective,
He quit praying for the thorn to be removed
And started rejoicing in the presence of every other thorn in his life!

Perspective!

Didn’t we read from the Psalmist in the previous stanza?
Psalms 119:71 “It is good for me that I was afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes.”

This is a great perspective!

It DOESN’T’ MEAN you can’t pray for comfort or deliverance.
Our Psalmist did that.

But what it does mean is that
There is a perspective in that even while you pray
• You understand that God’s will is being done
• And even a refusal by God to remove your affliction is simply because He is faithful to finish what He started in you.

I want to look at one final text here,
But it’s a little too lengthy for the screen.

TURN TO: HEBREWS 12:4-11

This is exactly what the writer of Hebrews is talking about.
He is recognizing the faithfulness of God
To bring the necessary affliction into your life.

In fact, God is doing it because He loves you
And He is faithful to love you the right way.

Do you see the perspective?
So don’t regard lightly His discipline.
And don’t faint when you are reproved.

Understand that God is faithfully at work in your life.
• He has authored this affliction.
• This affliction is right.
• It is right because He is faithful to finish what He started in you.

That is good perspective when you face affliction.
And when you have that perspective, then go ahead and pray your way through those 7 requests that the Psalmist laid out.

Download Here:

The Joy of Fellowship – Part 1
1 John 1:1-4 (1)
December 5, 2021

This morning we begin a new Sunday Morning book study together.
We are going to study the book of 1 John.

I can’t really explain why I was compelled to go here next, but what I can say is that since I decided to go here and started studying it more thoroughly, I have grown more and more excited about it.

As we commonly do, before we dive into the text,
We need to give an overall sense of the book.

It’s that “Forest Approach” we talk about so much.

I’m a firm believer that you have to get the gist of the whole thing
Before you will ever accurately understand the parts.

So let me just give you THE THRUST of the book here right off the bat.

The main thrust of the book is what I’m going to call: CONVICTION
(Or perhaps you might prefer the word ASSURANCE)

John is simply setting out to solidify for you
What is Christianity and what is not.

And I think this is so valuable.

What is ABUNDANTLY CLEAR when you read 1 John
Is that heresy has surrounded the church.

1 John 2:18 “Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour.”

From John’s perspective there are any number of heresies and heretics
That are seeking to subvert the truth in any number of ways.

And we’ll get to some specific ones in a minute,
But what is helpful to understand is that 1 John is written to the church
In a time when “Biblical Christianity” had sort of gotten confusing.

There were any number of false prophets
Who were offering up their view on what it meant to be “Christian”.

We can sympathize there today I think.

There is no shortage of variations presented today as to
• What the gospel is,
• Who Jesus is,
• Or what the Christian life should look like.

It can lead to confusion and a lack of conviction.

No book in the Bible seeks to set the record straight more so than 1 John.

He is writing about what I have called “Obvious Christianity”
He is calling you back to the very basic and obvious points of the faith.

He is bringing back to mind the basic and simple truths that easily help us discern what we see and hear in the world.
• Things like who Jesus is as God incarnate.
• Things like what Jesus did as the sacrifice for sin.
• Things like the necessary Christian lifestyles of righteousness and brotherly love.

It’s basic stuff, it’s obvious stuff.

I was listening to R.C. Sproul this week
And he talked about a heckler who stood up in one of his Q&A times and yelled out that the message of the cross that Sproul was explaining was “Primitive and Obscene”.

Sproul said, “I agree on both counts”
• Any time you have all the sin of all the elect being imputed on one man and he
is bearing the full weight of that guilt and being punished before God, it is
certainly obscene.
• And while the gospel has a depth that we will never fully excavate, primitive or
simple is also a good word.

What else do you call simple truths like God commanding His people to get a goat, confess their sins over it, and then kill it, and poor it’s blood on the altar?

That is certainly primitive.

AND SO IS THE GOSPEL.
• It is not simply for those of high intellectual capacity.
• It is in so many ways simple and obvious.
• It is so simple that a child can understand it and be moved to faith in Christ.

And it is good to remember that.

Our world loves to question things and debate and rationalize
And at times that can even lead a believer into confusion.

John counters such confusion by giving a straightforward letter
Regarding what is obviously Christian and what is obviously not.

THE PURPOSE IS to solidify your faith;
To give you conviction, and to allow you enjoy assurance.

JOHN IS GIVING THE SIMPLE OBVIOUS TRUTH OF CHRISTIANITY.

That is why you constantly get the words “you know”
• “By this we know…”
• “from this we know…”
• “we will know by this…”

1 John 2:21 “I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie is of the truth.”

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

1 John 5:13 “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

In fact John uses the word “know” over 30 times in this letter.

He is not confused and from his perspective
There is NO REASON that you should be confused either.

And I am thankful for this.

There is a sort of CULTURAL MINDSET that is pretty popular today and sadly is even sweeping into the church.

It is the mindset that we might call RELATIVISM
“The doctrine that knowledge, truth, and morality exist in relation to culture, society, or historical context, and are not absolute.”

You’ve likely heard statements like:
“That may be true for you, but it’s not true for me”

The sort of popular image or illustration of this (which drives me crazy) but I see shared on social media is two men facing each other, and on the ground in front of them is the number “9”. One guy is standing at the top of the number looking down the other is standing at the bottom of the number and is looking up. The man on the top confidently says “6” and the man on the bottom confidently says “9”

And the argument is made that this is how truth works.
Depending on your culture and your context and your position even in history
Is how you will determine what is true.

What may be a “9” for you is in fact a “6” for someone else.

Now, just to clarify that drawing you need to understand that the number on the ground is either a 6 or a 9 but it is not both. One of those two men is wrong.

How do you know which one?
• Well you don’t from that drawing, in that case you need more information.
• You need the input of the one who wrote the number.
• And when you get more information there is the possibility that both of them are
wrong, but there is 0 chance that both of them are right.

BUT OUR CULTURE LOVES THIS MINDSET.

And in this culture the GREATEST SIN that can be committed
Is to be DOGMATIC.

You actually hear people say, “We cannot be dogmatic about this.”
In fact to be dogmatic is to be considered as arrogant today.

And that may be true of some things, there are to be certain some things that we cannot be dogmatic about, but it is not true of all things.

If I might quote Steve Lawson here,
“Regarding the gospel we are not just dogmatic, we are bull-dogmatic”

Well, that’s John.
• John is black and white
• John is bull-dogmatic

He is not confused in the least regarding
What is genuine Christianity and what is not genuine Christianity.

In John’s mind Christianity is OBVIOUS

For example:
1 John 1:6 “If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;”

1 John 2:4-6 “The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.”

1 John 2:9-11 “The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now. The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.”

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.”

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

1 John 3:15 “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.”

1 John 4:20 “If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.”

You get the idea.
• There is no vacillating in John.
• There is nothing relative about truth to him.

He knows what is true.
He knows what is false.
He doesn’t mind telling you the difference.

Our world hates that sort of confidence.

And the problem even in the church today is that
Such thinking isn’t creeping in, it is gushing in.

There are quotes all over the place from leading “Evangelicals” (you can youtube it) who are asked about homosexuality for instance, and here’s the types of answers you get.

• “Well, like, that’s a tough one.”
• “I’m not sure”
• “I’m not God”
• “I’m trying to understand this too”
• Or the famous Olsteen statement, “I just try to stay in my lane”

People who claim Christianity are becoming master contortionists.
They are adopting the theology of relativism.

And this is obviously bigger than just homosexuality.
It comes in all forms.
• Is Jesus the only way to heaven?
• Are other religions false?
• Is hell real?
• Does God really judge sinners?

And a host of others.

The world doesn’t want you to answer definitively on any of those topics.
And so the world would absolutely hate the book of 1 John.

And incidentally, John knows that.
1 John 3:13 “Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you.”

He gets it.
His brand of confidence and dogmatic theology is NOT POPULAR.
BUT IT IS NECESSARY

WHY?
On one hand, certainly, because it’s true.
• It doesn’t do anyone any favors to call it true if it’s false or to call it false if it’s true.

But the main reason John writes with such conviction
And dogmatism in this letter is not to warn the lost,
But it is because HE WANTS TO HELP YOU.

There are no doubt some hard and very direct and revealing passages in the book of 1 John.

• 5 times John uses the word “liar”
• 3 times he references something being a “lie”

That is direct and hard and polarizing language.

YET, THE INTENT OF THIS LETTER is quite possibly
The most caring and compassionate in the New Testament.

This letter is NOT some harsh and abrupt beat down with truth.
The purpose of this letter is to restore believers
To a place of confidence and conviction and assurance.

John is looking at a church who has just gone 10 rounds with a heretic.
• They were asked questions they couldn’t answer.
• They were given “facts” they couldn’t dispute.
• They were proposed scenarios they couldn’t handle.

And they walked away from that conversation in spiritual limbo,
Not knowing what was true or which way was up.

Maybe you’ve been in an argument like that.
• Someone got the better of you in a disagreement.
• And you were left timid and afraid and without any assurance or confidence.

That’s where John found many believers and his purpose in writing was very simply so that you may “know” what is true.

Now it does help in our understanding also
To get a little background on what THE DECEPTION of the day was.

John never names a specific heresy.
He never names a specific heretic.

However, from reading what he writes it becomes a little clearer
What the heresy of his day most likely was.

Most agree that the most prevalent enemy that John’s readers faced was GNOSTICISM.

If you’re not familiar with Gnosticism here is a crash course.

Gnostic comes from the Greek word GNOSIS which oddly enough means “to know” or “knowledge”

So the whole Gnostic heresy was a heresy that was derived around
The supposed acquisition of knowledge
Or in their case a special knowledge.

There is today what we might call ORDINARY KNOWLEDGE.
• That which we obtain through observation
• Or that which we obtain through intellectual reflection (reason)

The Gnostics weren’t after either of those.

They claimed a SUPERIOR KNOWLEDGE which came through a higher and direct mystical or intuitive apprehension.

They had a supposed higher knowledge than everyone else.

They had supposedly drawn closer to the deity
And thus knew what the average man did not know.

Some achieved this through drunkenness or through starvation or through other various means, but somehow through their communion with this higher deity that had a more perfect understanding. They were “in the know”.

To a Gnostic salvation was not acquired by faith but rather by knowledge.
And so those with the special knowledge were saved
And those without were lost.

You can see how this might have upset various believers who didn’t claim such esoteric knowledge.

It also helps you understand passages like:
1 John 2:20-21 “But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know. I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie is of the truth.”

1 John 2:26-27 “These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you. As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.”

John was reminding believers that this supposed special knowledge was a myth. Through the Holy Spirit every believer has the full knowledge of the truth.

Now there are a lot of other aspects to Gnosticism
But for the perspective of 1 John the main thing you need to understand is regarding what is called DUALISM.

Dualism basically states that spirit and matter are not compatible.
More specifically it is the spirit that is good but all matter is evil.

SO TO A GNOSTIC if the spirit is good and all matter is evil and the two are not compatible then you can do whatever you want in the flesh because it is only the spirit that matters anyway.

And thus you understand why John would write things like:
1 John 2:29 “If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him.”

1 John 3:7-8 “Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.”

You see how John is confronting the lie
That how you live in the flesh doesn’t matter.

But Gnosticism didn’t just affect their practical living
IT ALSO AFFECTED THEIR THEOLOGY OF JESUS.

If physical matter is evil then there was no way that a Gnostic
Could believe in something as profane as the incarnation.

There is no way that a holy deity would put Himself into physical flesh.

So there were a couple of heresies that arose about Jesus.

One group of Gnostics called the DOCETISTS
• Believed that the body of Jesus wasn’t a real body, it only appeared to look like
a body (DOKEO means “to appear” or “to seem”)
• Jesus was like a phantom, not really in the flesh.

Another group of Gnostics called the CERINTHIANS
• Believed that there was a body but the “Christ Spirit” descended on that body at
Jesus’ baptism but departed from Jesus’ body before His death.

Both of those are problematic from the standpoint of the gospel
Since Jesus is only a mediator between God and men
If He is both God and man.
• He had to be human.
• He had to suffer as a human.
• He had to pay for human sin.

But maybe you can see
How all of this (and there was much more to it) had begun to confuse believers.

SOME GUY APPROACHES
Who claims to have had a special communion with God,
And thus knows more than you know.
• He knows the truth about Jesus which you don’t know…
• He knows what is really important in life…
• He knows how to really be saved…

And you know if you’re just a simple guy in a simple world who just loves Jesus but who has never had some special meeting with a deity or don’t have this secret knowledge, there’s a chance you could be really confused regarding the truth.

• I’ve always thought Jesus was a human, he wasn’t?
• I’ve always thought being righteous was important, it’s not?
• I’ve always thought faith was how to be saved, it’s not?
• I thought the main thing was loving your brother, it isn’t?

So you see how these Gnostics had come in
To supplant the apostles and turn Christianity on its head.

JOHN WRITES A BOLD AND DOGMATIC EPISTLE
To silence such foolish notions, expose such nonsensical knowledge,
And to restore assurance to those who have had the truth all along.

So I know that’s a lengthy introduction but now perhaps you understand what we’re trying to gain from this study.

If I might simply state it, the goal is just to convince you
That what you already know is absolutely true.

It is to comfort you.
It is to give you assurance.

And as we see in these first 4 verses,
It is to restore to you “The Absolute Joy of Fellowship.”

Well, let’s start looking at these first 4 verses. There are 3 things here.
#1 THE REALNESS OF JESUS
1 John 1:1

Here we are at Christmas time
And what a glorious truth to begin 1 John.

John clearly has A SUBJECT IN MIND here in this first verse.

That subject is “concerning the Word of Life”

One could perhaps argue that
JOHN MERELY REFERENCING THE TRUTH HERE

But verse 2 makes it obvious what he means.
When John says, (2) “and the life was manifested”

John is clearly harkening back
To the exact same way in which he opened his gospel.

John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Or like what we see in the upper room (and by the way in some ways you could call 1 John a commentary on the upper room because there is so much complimentary doctrine here)

John 17:6 “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.”

So this is what John is referring to here again right off the bat.
“the Word of Life” is Jesus.

John starts off his letter by reaffirming
A fundamental and foundational Christian truth about Jesus.

WHAT IS THAT TRUTH?
Jesus is real
JESUS WAS A REAL HUMAN

He is talking about the glorious truth of THE INCARNATION.

And look at how John defends that obvious truth.
“What was from the beginning”

That DOESN’T MEAN from the beginning of time.
• He is talking about the beginning of the gospel.
• He is talking about from the moment Jesus entered earth.

1 John 2:24 “As for you, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.”

In other words John is going to restate
What has always been proclaimed about Jesus.

You can ignore all of those knew and supposed revelations regarding Jesus being a phantom or whatever.

Do you remember what you learned about Jesus at the very beginning?
Do you remember the first truth about Him?

THAT HE WAS GOD MADE FLESH.

And how does John defend that obvious truth?

“what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands,”

WHAT IS JOHN SAYING?

To claim that Jesus was just some sort of phantom spirit who merely appeared as human is stupid!
• I lived with the man.
• I heard Him with my own ears.
• I saw Him with my own eyes.
• I looked at Him (which means I pondered Him and thought about Him)
• I touched Him with my own hands

I’m telling you this notion that He wasn’t a human is absolutely foolish!
• He was fully human!
• He was totally human!
• He was truly human!

I don’t know what guy walked in here
Or what special knowledge he claimed to have,
But take it from me, Jesus was no mere phantom.

So in the VERY FIRST VERSE John has just laid to rest
Perhaps what was most confusing to the early church.

They had always heard that Jesus was God made flesh.
They had always been taught that He was fully human.
• But that guy was pretty convincing…
• He said he had a vision…

And John explodes it.
• Church, don’t go there.
• Church, this is obvious.

1 John 4:1-3 “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.”

Don’t let such a deceiver lie to you and upset your faith.
I lived with the Man, I walked and talked with the Man, I touched the Man.

Jesus was a human.
And John will totally attest to the fact.

John 21:24 “This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and wrote these things, and we know that his testimony is true.”

Do you see how comforting that is?
• Just because a guy claims to have special knowledge doesn’t mean he actually does.
• Just because a guy can propose riddles and mysteries doesn’t he knows something you don’t.

Don’t buy everything you hear.

And I think you can just see a corporate exhale from the church who must have been actually upset by these gnostic heresies.

Can’t you see them when they read verse 1?
• “Duh, right!”

IT IS OBVIOUS.

Now, obviously we can’t get through the next 3 verses this morning

But here we are in December approaching Christmas
And if nothing else this morning we rejoice in
What has always been a foundational truth regarding Jesus.

We read it to our youth Wednesday night:
Philippians 2:5-11 “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

• Jesus was God.
• Seated as God.
• Honored as God.
• Obeyed as God.

But He chose not to hold on to that
And instead took on the form of a bond-servant.

• He didn’t quit being God He just gave up being treated like He was God.
• He embraced humility and reproach and shame.
• He took on humanity.

Hebrews 2:14-18 “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham. Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.”

He took on “flesh and blood”
He became a human.

He became human under the Law so He could fully obey God as a human and earn the righteousness He would impute to us.

He became human so He could suffer God’s wrath on humanity and thus atone for our sins.

He became human so He could die as a human and conquer death.

I love some of the Christmas songs that have been written in recent years
To ponder this marvelous truth.

“Who is This?”
https://sovereigngracemusic.org/music/songs/who-is-this/

Who is this, divine and tender, hailing from eternal shores?
Once arrayed in highest splendor, now in poverty adorned
He is Jesus, God made mortal, Word in flesh, the Light of Life
From a throne room to a stable, hope is born this holy night

Who is this of might and meekness, given all authority?
With a word He stills the tempest, at His touch the blind can see
He is Jesus our Messiah, long awaited, long proclaimed
Sing “Hosanna in the highest!” Christ the King has come to reign

Who is this reviled and stricken broken on a cursed tree?
Son of God by God forsaken, drenched in our iniquity
He is Jesus slain for sinners, laden with our guilt and grief
All our praise to Him we render for His wounds have won our peace

Who is this entombed in darkness, cast into the bitter depths?
He whom grave nor Hell could harness rose and tore the sting from death
He is Jesus, God triumphant, risen to the Father’s side
All will bow in awe and reverence at the name of Jesus Christ

O come let us adore Him, O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him, Christ the LORD

IT IS A GLORIOUS TRUTH.
Our glorious God became human that He might bring salvation to us.

• This is a truth from the very beginning.
• This is a truth that you all know.
• This is a truth on which we rest.

Jesus became human, don’t let anyone tell you any different.
And we’ll talk about it more next time.

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Contemplating Forgiveness, Urging Repentance
Psalms 32:1-2
November 28, 2021

This morning we find ourselves between two book studies.
• Having finished Ecclesiastes last week
• Planning to begin 1 John next week

This morning provided an opportunity to study wherever we wanted,
And that is always an easy decision.

When the topic can be anything, how could it be anything
Other than the glorious forgiveness purchased for us
Through the work of our Savior Jesus Christ?

Paul said it like this:
1 Corinthians 2:1-2 “And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.”

THIS MORNING we will also take a moment
And remember the wonderful forgiveness which was purchased for us
Through the cross of Jesus Christ.

And while we all just came through Thanksgiving
• And many of us sat around a family table eating all manner of good food,
• It certainly seems to fit that this week culminate by sitting at our favorite table
• Which is the Lord’s Table and feasting upon the riches of His sacrifice.

In order to prepare our hearts for this rich feast
WE ARE GOING TO STUDY A VERY POPULAR TEXT.

We are looking at the first 2 verses of Psalms 32.

Psalm 32 in it’s entirety is a Psalm on the joy and value of repentance,
But it’s the first 2 verses we are primarily interested in this morning.

And in those first 2 verses there are 3 things we want to discuss.
#1 THE IDENTITY OF SIN
Psalms 32:1-2

One of the things that comes to light in these 2 verses
Is the various ways in which sin is described.

David uses 3 different words for sin here.
• “transgression”
• “sin”
• “iniquity”

In one sense we would just see these as synonyms
And there is nothing wrong with that.

And yet, there are differences in each of these words
That perhaps helps us get a better grasp on exactly what sin is.

In our culture today the word “sin”
Isn’t so much taboo as it is disregarded.

There was a time when people shied away from the word “sin” or “sinner”
But in our day and time it is a word that no longer seems bother anyone.

We hear phrases like,
• “Well we’re all sinners”
• “Everybody sins”
Almost as though it’s really not that big of a deal.

Obviously such a nonchalant view of sin is A MISTAKE
Since the Bible is extremely clear what sin brings.

Romans 6:23a “For the wages of sin is death…”

And this we saw from the very beginning.
• We saw Adam and Eve removed from the garden.
• We saw the curse fall upon the earth.
• By Genesis 5 we were smacked in the face with the recurring phrase, “And he
died…” “And he died…” “And he died…”
• And by Genesis 6 every living thing with breath in its nostrils died except for
Noah’s family and the remnant of animals he saved.

The initial understanding of sin is that whatever it is, it is so bad
That it motivates the Creator of all things to kill all things.

THAT MAKES SIN TERRIFYING.

• But what is it?
• Why is it so bad?
• Why does it anger God so?

Well there is some explanation to that bound up in these 3 words.
And it is important that you understand this.

Let’s look at the words David used.
“transgression”

The Hebrew word is PESA (peh’-shah)
And it means “Rebellion” or “A Revolt”

It is a word that speaks of a subordinate
Who seeks to get out from under the authority of their superior.
It is a mutiny, an act of defiance.

Genesis 31:36 “Then Jacob became angry and contended with Laban; and Jacob said to Laban, “What is my transgression? What is my sin that you have hotly pursued me?”

Jacob wanted to know what his rebellion was that would cause Laban to be so suspicious and pursue him?

And certainly just from that aspect
We can begin to understand why it is a big deal to God.

• It is the utter audacity that this creature who was formed out of the dirt would
dare to defy the living God.

• It is unthinkable arrogance that the clay would rebel against the potter.

• It is the mindboggling disrespect that one who derives their very life and
being from God would then seek to escape from under His sovereign hand.

THAT ALONE IS BAD ENOUGH.

But there is even more to the word than just a rebellion.

We see the word also in Exodus 22
Exodus 22:7-9 “If a man gives his neighbor money or goods to keep for him and it is stolen from the man’s house, if the thief is caught, he shall pay double. “If the thief is not caught, then the owner of the house shall appear before the judges, to determine whether he laid his hands on his neighbor’s property. “For every breach of trust, whether it is for ox, for donkey, for sheep, for clothing, or for any lost thing about which one says, ‘This is it,’ the case of both parties shall come before the judges; he whom the judges condemn shall pay double to his neighbor.”

In that passage the word is translated “breach of trust”

There is a personal aspect to this.
• This was a man who entrusted something to his neighbor
• And not only did the neighbor rebel against his wishes,
• But the neighbor also violated his trust.

MORE THAN JUST REBELLION IT IS ALSO BETRAYAL.

And we are talking here about how man does this to God.
• It is Adam and Even defiantly eating from the tree from which they were forbidden to eat…
• It is the Children of Israel entering covenant with God and then defiantly choosing to worship other gods…
• It is any man who derives his life and breathe from God seeking to remove God’s authoritative hand from his life without any gratitude or thought to all that God has done for him.

There is a sting in this.
There is pain in this.
And according to David, this is WHAT WE HAVE DONE TO GOD.

You wonder why transgression is such a bad thing,
And why God would punish it with death,
It’s because through it we have treated God
As He did not deserve to be treated.

He created us
In Him we live and move and exist
He has good will toward us
We owe Him all things

AND YET WE disregard His commands, reject His authority,
Despise His commands, and go our own way.

This is not only insubordination, but it is also a personal offence
To our God who deserves better.

Romans 1:21 “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”

Or consider:
Isaiah 1:2-4 “Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth; For the LORD speaks, “Sons I have reared and brought up, But they have revolted against Me. “An ox knows its owner, And a donkey its master’s manger, But Israel does not know, My people do not understand.” Alas, sinful nation, People weighed down with iniquity, Offspring of evildoers, Sons who act corruptly! They have abandoned the LORD, They have despised the Holy One of Israel, They have turned away from Him.”

Malachi 1:6a “‘A son honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect?’ says the LORD of hosts…”

You see the frustration from God.
It is transgression.

And it comes with such a sting that
It causes one to forget any previous good.

Ezekiel 33:12a “And you, son of man, say to your fellow citizens, ‘The righteousness of a righteous man will not deliver him in the day of his transgression…”

We have all done this to God.
Perhaps you see why it is such a big deal to Him.
Perhaps you see why God judges it with death.

There’s another word David uses here.
“sin”

This is the Hebrew word HATA’A (khat-aw-aw’)
And this word means “an offense”

Certainly in our culture today we understand the term “OFFENDED”.

We live in a culture now that is offended by everything
And we have seen society literally begin to turn itself upside down
In order to keep from offending people.

Oddly enough the only One they aren’t worried about offending is God.

This word is the first word that is used to describe sin in the Bible.

Genesis 4:7 “If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.”

The warning to Cain?
If you don’t watch yourself then you will offend God.

Consider these passages:
Exodus 32:21 “Then Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you, that you have brought such great sin upon them?” (golden calf)

Exodus 32:30-31 “On the next day Moses said to the people, “You yourselves have committed a great sin; and now I am going up to the LORD, perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” Then Moses returned to the LORD, and said, “Alas, this people has committed a great sin, and they have made a god of gold for themselves.”

That golden calf was a great offense to God.
It was supposed to be a depiction of Him and it was offensive.
• Any graven image is offensive to God because they all do nothing but dumb Him down.
• And this gaudy golden calf was no different.

Here’s another one:
2 Kings 17:21 “When He had torn Israel from the house of David, they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king. Then Jeroboam drove Israel away from following the LORD and made them commit a great sin.”

This sin of Jeroboam was a big deal!

9 times in the book of 2 Kings we read about how a king “did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat.”

Do you know what that sin was?
• He built those golden calves
• And told the northern tribes of Israel to worship there instead of Jerusalem.

It was an offense to God!

God never let forgot those things
Until He finally removed Israel from His sight.

Hosea 8:5-7 “He has rejected your calf, O Samaria, saying, “My anger burns against them!” How long will they be incapable of innocence? For from Israel is even this! A craftsman made it, so it is not God; Surely the calf of Samaria will be broken to pieces. For they sow the wind And they reap the whirlwind. The standing grain has no heads; It yields no grain. Should it yield, strangers would swallow it up.”

IT IS TO OFFEND GOD.
And this we have all also done.

Romans 1:25 “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.”

And it is to offend Him to the point
That He is willing to destroy those whom He has created.

• So you’ve got “transgression” which is to rebel.
• And you’ve got “sin” which is to offend.

A third word David uses.
“iniquity”

This is the Hebrew word AON (aw-vone)
And it is a word that speaks of “perversity” or “depravity” or “intrinsic guilt”

We talk about how after Adam sinned the image was marred or distorted.
Adam was to bear the divine image, but Adam perverted that image.

As we said when speaking about Adam,
It wasn’t that all of a sudden his physical appearance changed,
It was that his nature was distorted.

We are talking here about an INTERNAL DEPRAVITY or perversion.

Jeremiah 2:22 “Although you wash yourself with lye And use much soap, The stain of your iniquity is before Me,” declares the Lord GOD.”

Isaiah 64:6 “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.”

And we are talking about that which is UNIVERSAL to the human race
Because we all inherit this same perversion and distortion
From our father Adam.

It is generational.
Exodus 20:5 “You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,”

Isaiah 14:21 “Prepare for his sons a place of slaughter Because of the iniquity of their fathers. They must not arise and take possession of the earth And fill the face of the world with cities.”

It speaks to the OVERALL FALLENNESS of humanity.
It is the notion of “there is none who does good, not even one”

Since the fall, all humanity is a distortion.
• All of humanity is in perverse depravity and wickedness.
• We all fall short of the divine image.
• We all fall short of the glory of God.
• We all bear Adam’s defect.
• We are distorted clay pots, a mere distortion of the original intent.
• We don’t measure up.

What we have become and how we live
Is perverse and deprave before God.

It is the disgust you feel
As we read about the “deeds of the flesh” from Paul.

Galatians 5:19-21 “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.”

It’s just ungodliness and perversion which appalls us at the deepest level.

AND WE, BY OUR VERY NATURE HAVE SO APPALLED GOD.
Is it any wonder then that God has dealt with such sin with death?

Now these are the 3 words which David used to give us a picture of sin
And to help us understand why it brings with it the wages of death.

• We see humanity has rebelled against God.
• We see humanity as participants in that which offends God.
• We see humanity as those who are perverted and deprave before God at their
deepest level.

And when you understand that THIS IS WHERE WE ARE,
It really does cause one to wonder
WHY GOD WOULD HAVE ALLOWED US TO HANG AROUND THIS LONG?

It certainly explains His decision to flood the earth in the days of Noah.

“Sinner” is far from an insignificant title.
To be called a sinner is to be called that which is:
• At enmity with God through rebellion,
• In danger before God because of offence,
• By our very nature perverse and guilty before a Holy God.

THIS IS NOT A TITLE TO RELISH IN.

That is the identity of sin.
But there is a second reality here David would show.
#2 THE AVAILABILITY OF FORGIVENESS
Psalms 32:1-2

I know we spent a lengthy time on the issue of what sin is,
But it is necessary that we might better understand the joy of David here.

David uses the phrase “How blessed” twice.
It is a statement that you and I are supposed to ponder.

We are supposed to think about the deep offense of sin
And the judgment that accompanies it.
We are supposed to grieve under the weight
Of having offended a Holy God.

And then we are supposed to contemplate how good it would be
If that same God whom we have so greatly offended
Were to pronounce us forgiven.

Well you also notice that accompanying each of those descriptive words of sin also comes words of forgiveness.

We have “transgression” which is rebellion against God.
• But David contemplates the blessing of having it “forgiven”

We have “sin” which is an offence to God.
• But David contemplates the blessing of having it “covered”

We have “iniquity” which is a detestably deprave nature.
• But David contemplates the blessing of it “not being imputed” to us.

So let’s now examine those words.

“forgiven”

Is the Hebrew word NASA (naw-saw)
It means “to lift up” or “to bear up” or “to carry”

After Cain sinned by killing Abel God punished him.
Cain responded:
Genesis 4:13 “Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is too great to bear!”

Cain said, “I can’t carry all of this burden”

“forgiven”
Here is a word that speaks of someone else carrying it for you.

The most vivid picture in Old Testament life was during the Day of Atonement.
Leviticus 16:21 “Then Aaron shall lay both of his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the sons of Israel and all their transgressions in regard to all their sins; and he shall lay them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who stands in readiness. “The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to a solitary land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness.”

“bear on itself” is the same Hebrew word.

So if you want to hear what David is so happy about
It is that he has rebelled against God,
But God has chosen to put that rebellion on someone else.

David basically says, “Wouldn’t that be great!”
Wouldn’t it be awesome if instead of punishing you, God chose to put your rebellion somewhere else?

What a blessing would that be?

The next word David uses
“covered”

In the Hebrew it is KASA (kaw-saw)

(naw-saw & kaw-saw) you see the poetry here.

KASA means literally “to cover”

It brings the idea of concealing it from view.

Job asked:
Job 31:33 “Have I covered my transgressions like Adam, By hiding my iniquity in my bosom,”

• Job argued that he was humble and honest before God by not trying to hide or
cover up his sin before God.

The beauty of forgiveness is when God covers our sin up for us.

Isaiah 61:10 “I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, My soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”

Wouldn’t it be a blessing if when we offended God, our offense was covered so He couldn’t see it?

Wouldn’t it be a blessing if someone would have thrown a tarp over that golden calf and God had not seen it?

So we have REBELLION but it is NASA – carried by someone else.
We have OFFENCE, but it is KASA – covered up by God and not seen.

David also speaks of a third blessing.
“the LORD does not impute iniquity”

“impute” there is HASAB (khaw-shab)
It means “to think” or “to esteem” or “to make a judgment” or “to count”

Isaiah 29:16 “You turn things around! Shall the potter be considered as equal with the clay, That what is made would say to its maker, “He did not make me”; Or what is formed say to him who formed it, “He has no understanding”?”

And it is a very dangerous word for a sinner.
No one wants to be considered by God as a perverse and deprave sinner.

Job 19:11 “He has also kindled His anger against me And considered me as His enemy.

That is a horrific way to be viewed by God.
Just ask Sodom and Gomorrah

The most famous use of the word is:
Genesis 15:6 “Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.”

• There the word is translated “reckoned”
• There it is God choosing to consider Abraham to be righteous.

And this is the blessing David is referring to.

Wouldn’t it be great if even though we were sinful, God didn’t consider us to be sinners?

NOW THINK ABOUT THESE THREE FOR A MOMENT.

DAVID IS OUTLINING TRUE BLESSING FOR YOU.
In fact, it is somewhat immeasurable blessing for David only says, “How Blessed!”

David is saying wouldn’t it be great if:

• Those who rebelled against God, that instead of bearing the weight of their
guilt, God put that burden somewhere else?

• Those who offended God, that instead of punishing them, God just covered that
offense up where He no longer saw it?

• Those who are deprave and detestable, God just started considering them as
though they weren’t?

Think about that.
Wouldn’t that be great!

Think about that in any relationship, even human ones.

Suppose there is someone you’d like to be friends with, or someone you’d like to impress, but they can’t stand you.
• To them, you are offensive.
• To them, you are perverse and deprave.
• To them, you are rebellious and full of betrayal.

And you come up to them and say, “I realize that I betrayed you and offended you, and that my very being is pretty much repulsive to you in every way. But do you think you could just forget all that and start looking at me like someone you really like?”

If you approach someone like that they’re going to laugh in your face!

But David says that is exactly the blessing
He is talking about between us and God.

That even though we betrayed God, and are offensive to God, and are pretty much repulsive and detestable in every possible way to Him,

WE WERE JUST WONDERING IF
He’d maybe start looking at us like He liked us instead.

And the blessing here from David is that apparently God said, “YES!”

WHY?
Well, you know the answer.
It is all because of Christ.

When God chose not to impute your iniquity to you,
It’s because He was willing to instead impute it to Jesus Christ.

Remember that word means “credited” or “to count” or “to esteem”

Isaiah 53:3-4 “He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.”

In that passage the word “esteem” is the same word.

We committed “iniquity”
But it wasn’t us who was treated as such.

Isaiah 53:5-6 “… He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.”

Isaiah 53:11b “…He will bear their iniquities.”

Here we have Jesus who was perfectly righteous,
But He was never credited as He should have been.

He should have been esteemed, but He was not.
Instead, God imputed our sin to Him.

2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

When we talk about sin being covered, that was also thanks to Christ,
For we then were covered by His righteous robe.

This is the glory of the phrase “in Him”

Philippians 3:8-9 “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,”

In the Old Testament we read phrases like “my refuge” or “my hiding place” or “my strong tower”.

They are all pictures of the wicked looking for a place to hide
So that their sin might be covered.

In the tribulation they will call to “the mountains and the hills” to fall on them and cover their sin before a holy God.

But we are only covered in Christ.
We are only hidden in Him.

Our sin was imputed to Christ and His righteousness was imputed to us.

David also spoke of forgiveness.
To have someone else bear the weight of our punishment.

And we read:
Isaiah 53:4 “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.”

Isaiah 53:12 “Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors.”

We were the transgressors, but:
Isaiah 53:5 “But He was pierced through for our transgressions…”

In short, Christ bore the weight and the burden of our rebellion.
• We rebelled, God pierced Him.
• We offended, God covered our offence with Christ’s righteousness.
• We are deprave, God imputed that to Christ and crushed Him for it.

• He was the scapegoat, we are the forgiven.
• He was the victim, we are the covered.
• He was the judged, we are the esteemed.

It’s no wonder then that David says, “How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered! How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity,”

This is an enormous blessing that we should escape such wrath
While Christ should take our place.

Now, I know we are short on time, but there is one more phrase
In Psalms 32:2 that cannot be overlooked.

David makes one more statement, and it is our final point.
#3 THE URGENCE OF REPENTANCE
Psalms 32:2b

“And in whose spirit there is no deceit!”

This is one more statement that David makes.
It is another aspect to the blessing of being forgiven.

But what does he mean?

“deceit” is REMIYA (rem-ee-yaw) and it can certainly mean deceitful.

But it also is often translated as “slothful” or “idle” or “slack”

Proverbs 10:4 “Poor is he who works with a negligent hand, But the hand of the diligent makes rich.”

Proverbs 12:24 “The hand of the diligent will rule, But the slack hand will be put to forced labor.”

And this negligence is what David refers to here.

There is the undefinable blessing of forgiveness for the most vile sinner,
How blessed is the man who isn’t too negligent to take advantage of it!

And that is what the rest of the Psalm is about.
(READ PSALMS 32:3-11)

• Do you hear David say that for a while he was negligent to repent?
• Do you hear David say that once he found repentance he enjoyed forgiveness?
• Do you hear David tell you that you should not be stubborn, but also repent?

HE IS GIVING A WARNING
To those who will miss out on the blessing of forgiveness.

LISTEN TO ME.
• There is no greater blessing than to be considered righteous by God.
• There is no greater blessing than to have your sin covered.
• There is no greater blessing than forgiveness.

BUT IT IS NOT A UNIVERSAL BLESSING!
It is NOT automatically on all men.

It is only on those who repent of their sin and trust in Christ.
They get forgiveness, everyone else gets judgment.

David says, “Don’t be a negligent person”

The writer of Hebrews asked:
Hebrews 2:3 “how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?”

YOU WON’T!
Matthew 22:4-5 “Again he sent out other slaves saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.” ’ “But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business,

The king burned those people’s city with fire.

Hebrews 10:29 “How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?”

But for those who are in Christ!
• All our transgressions have been carried by Christ.
• All of our sins have been covered by His righteousness.
• All of our iniquity was imputed to Him and He paid the penalty.

THIS MORNING we come to the table of the Lord to celebrate His work.

This cracker represents His body in which He lived an obedient life and satisfied the righteous requirement of God.

It is the righteousness that we are covered with before God.
Jesus said this body is “for you”.

This juice represents His blood which was shed as He bore our sin and our guilt and suffered the wrath of God for our rebellion and our offense.

Jesus said His blood is “for you”.

And it all comes with one command.
“Do this in remembrance of Me”

That we will do this morning.