Victory In Jesus (Psalms 21)
Victory In Jesus
Psalms 21
December 30, 2018
Tonight we return to our study of the Psalms
Where we are learning not only about the songs of the church,
But also of the very character of God Himself.
These are the songs of praise that He inspired.
These are the songs that He ordained we sing.
In their theology we find our theology
In their praise we find our praise
In their hope we find our hope
They are encouraging and uplifting
And extremely fulfilling in the life of the believer.
Tonight we come to this 21st Psalm.
If you pick up a commentary you’ll quickly realize that
Most (if not all) scholars link this Psalm to the previous one.
If you remember Psalm 20, we called it “A Prayer for Battle”
• Trouble had come to Israel and David must go and meet it.
• Before the battle David had entered the tent to offer sacrifices and request God’s favor for the upcoming battle.
• While David was on this inside the people gathered outside and began to pray that God would answer David and calm his spirit, and that God would accept him and his offering and ultimately grant him the request of his lips.
• When David emerged from the tent the people encouraged him that they indeed believed God would.
• David no doubt agreed as he confessed that when he went to battle he would not trust in his horses or his chariots but in God would give him the victory.
• And as David rode off the people again began to pray for God to save the king.
It was a Prayer for Battle.
We have called it a commissioning Psalm.
Most agree that Psalm 21 is the Psalm of David’s return after the battle.
It is a Psalm of victory
It is a Psalm of thanksgiving
It is a Psalm of gratitude
You have here David announcing that the great victory he just won
Had nothing to do with his own power,
But was in reality all due to the powerful hand of God.
And a quick reading of the Psalm brings that easily to light.
• (1) “in YOUR strength the king will be glad”
• (1) “in YOUR salvation how greatly he will rejoice”
• (2) “YOU have given him his heart’s desire”
• (2) “YOU have not withheld the request of his lips”
• (3) “YOU meet him with the blessings”
• (3) “YOU set a crown of fine gold on his head”
• (4) “YOU gave [life] to him”
• (5) “YOU place [splendor and majesty and glory] upon him”
• (6) “YOU make him most blessed”
• (6) “YOU make him joyful”
• (7) “through [YOUR] lovingkindness he will not be shake”
• (8) “YOUR hand”
• (8) “YOUR right hand”
• (9) “YOU will make”
• (9) “The LORD will swallow”
• (10) “YOU will destroy”
• (12) “YOU will turn them back”
• (13) “Be exalted, O LORD, in YOUR strength; We will sing and praise YOUR power”
It’s rather obvious isn’t it?
• David has returned from battle victorious,
• But he’s not about to take credit for a single aspect of the victory.
Before the battle he entreated that God would deliver him.
God did deliver him and David now gives God the credit and the glory.
God saved, and David is honoring God and rejoicing in that salvation.
And from a simple sense I think we can ALL IDENTIFY WITH THIS
And from that alone would find reasoning for singing this song.
Every salvation, every deliverance, every victory, every moment of endurance, every successful ministry – it’s all because of God.
Paul said it remarkably well in 2 Corinthians:
2 Corinthians 2:14 “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.”
Romans 8:37 “But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.”
1 Corinthians 15:57 “but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
It’s safe to say that “Victory in Jesus”
Is fitting song for the believer to sing.
None of us looks at the successes or victories in our life and assumes that it had anything to do with our strength or our intelligence.
• God did it for us
• God did it in us
• God did it through us
It was not us, it was him.
That is David’s heart here, and if we went no further
We could sing this song right now crediting God for all our victories.
But there is something else here in this song that I think must be noticed,
And in recognizing it, may thrust your praise even deeper this evening.
It is also obvious when reading this Psalm
That David writes it in the 3rd person.
He DOESN’T write, “in Your strength I will be glad, And in Your salvation how greatly I will rejoice!”
And we have to admit that this is a little peculiar.
Now, we could possibly back up and say, “Well that’s because David was teaching this song to the congregation and when they sang about his victories he wanted them to sing about how God delivered him.”
And I really am ok with that, especially in the first 7 verses.
But when we get to verses 8 through 12,
The Psalm shifts gears and takes on a different feel.
Verses 8-12 don’t look back with gratitude,
They look forward with confidence.
• Those 5 verses speak that every time this king goes to battle he will totally annihilate his foes.
• Those 5 verses promise that no one’s plot against this king will ever succeed.
They drive hard into the prophetic realm of promise and confidence.
Now maybe we can even push this to be about David’s life,
And say something to the effect that David will always be victorious.
(We could probably go there)
But then how will this song ever be sung after David’s death?
Could you really sing this song with regard to Jeroboam, or Ahab, or Manasseh?
So David writing this in the 3rd person
Does cause a little bit a question
If we think this Psalm is referring only to David or his sons.
But I think David wrote this Psalm in the 3rd person,
Not because he wanted the congregation to sing about him or his sons.
I think David wrote in the 3rd person because
When David was talking about “the king”
He wasn’t necessarily talking about himself.
I think this is a prophetic Psalm referring to “the king”;
The Messiah; the Christ; Jesus.
This Psalm has within in it a feel
Much like some of the other prophetic Psalms David wrote.
Remember Psalms 2?
Psalms 2:7-9 “I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession. ‘You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.'”
Remember Psalms 16?
Psalms 16:10 “For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.”
Or there is another big one that we haven’t come to yet.
Psalms 110:1 “The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”
Regarding that Psalm Jesus even announced
That Psalms 110 wasn’t about David, but about Himself.
Matthew 22:41-46 “Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question: “What do you think about the Christ, whose son is He?” They said to Him, “The son of David.” He said to them, “Then how does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying, ‘THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, “SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I PUT YOUR ENEMIES BENEATH YOUR FEET”‘? “If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his son?” No one was able to answer Him a word, nor did anyone dare from that day on to ask Him another question.”
Those were Psalms written by David about the King
But we quickly learned that they could not be about David.
They had to look past David to the Messiah
And that is why David wrote them in the 3rd.
I think Psalms 21 is of the same mold.
ON ONE HAND
• Sure it is a song of gratitude by David for the victory God had just granted.
• Sure it is a common song of gratitude by all believers for all the victories God grants.
BUT ON THE OTHER HAND,
• It is actually a prophetic picture of the certain victory which God will grant the Messiah.
We need to read the Psalm in that light
And then we’ll talk about why you sing it now.
So let’s look at this Psalm and then I’ll remind you
Why you’re going to love that David spoke prophetically here.
First just look at the opening statement here.
(1) “O LORD, in Your strength the king will be glad, And in Your salvation how greatly he will rejoice!”
Now someone might say, “Well this can’t be about Jesus because Jesus didn’t need to be saved, and therefore can’t rejoice in salvation.”
Are you sure?
• Salvation here doesn’t necessarily refer her to spiritual death and salvation in the sense that we refer to it today.
• Salvation can be any deliverance which God ordained on behalf of the Son.
• We can be speaking of any victory, any deliverance, any show of strength on Christ’s behalf.
And Christ most certainly received
A great victory from the hand of the Father.
We call it: THE RESURRECTION
It was this victory which Peter preached so boldly at Pentecost.
Remember Peter quoted from Psalms 16 about how God would not allow His anointed to undergo decay, and how this must be about Christ.
And then Peter went on:
Acts 2:29-36 “Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. “And so, because he was a prophet and knew that GOD HAD SWORN TO HIM WITH AN OATH TO SEAT one OF HIS DESCENDANTS ON HIS THRONE, he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that HE WAS NEITHER ABANDONED TO HADES, NOR DID His flesh SUFFER DECAY. “This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. “Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear. “For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says: ‘THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, “SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET.”‘ “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ — this Jesus whom you crucified.”
That is Peter speaking of Christ’s great victory after the battle.
• You attacked Him!
• You beat Him!
• You mocked Him!
• You crucified Him!
• But God raised Him from the dead and exalted Him!
• God gave Him the victory!
Romans 1:4 “[He] was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,”
That is what we are singing about here.
It is Christ’s victory; Christ’s resurrection.
Ultimately is David looking at all that God has done for Christ
And marveling at the exaltation that He has now received.
Let’s walk through these BENEFITS that are Christ’s.
#1 ANSWERED PRAYER
Psalms 21:2
“You have given him his heart’s desire, and You have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah”
Again, don’t just think of this in a single instance
As when God answered David’s most recent prayer.
Think of this as though David were watching Christ
And acknowledging that God always answers Christ’s prayers.
Incidentally, Jesus attested to this on earth.
At the tomb of Lazarus:
John 11:41-42 “So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. “I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me.”
Simply put, Jesus doesn’t prayer prayers that don’t get answered.
God always grants His requests,
Because He always prays according to the will of God.
That reality is what makes chapters like John 17 so encouraging.
That great High Priestly prayer of Jesus where He prayed things like:
• “Holy Father keep them in Your name”
• “Sanctify them in the truth”
• “for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one”
• “I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am going so that they may see My glory”
Those aren’t wild hopes of Jesus.
Those are the requests of Jesus, and the Father always answers Him.
• Because Jesus prayed that we’d be kept, we are kept.
• Because Jesus prayed that we’d be sanctified, we are sanctified.
• Because Jesus prayed that we’d be one, we are one.
• Because Jesus prayed that we’d see His glory, we will see His glory.
God answers the prayers of His anointed, namely Christ.
And David rejoices in that.
You always grant His requests.
Answered Prayer
#2 GOOD THINGS
Psalms 21:3
Here David says, “For You meet him with the blessings of good things; You set a crown of fine gold on his head.”
This is David marveling at the blessings which have fallen on Christ,
And he recounts that Christ has been given “good things”
Like “a crown of fine gold”
See it as authority…
See it as a reward…
See it as the spoils of war…
It doesn’t really matter, it’s just a general observation by David
As he stares at the future King and realizes that
God has showered “good things” upon Him.
And we read:
Matthew 11:27 “All things have been handed over to Me by My Father…”
We know what Psalms 84 teaches:
Psalms 84:11 “For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”
And we know that Christ alone has truly walked uprightly.
Therefore we have no difficulty in understanding that
God has not withheld one single good thing from Christ.
David is marveling at this.
Answered Prayer, Good Things
#3 ETERNAL LIFE
Psalms 21:4
“He asked life of You, You gave it to him, Length of days forever and ever.”
That of course cannot be about King David since David didn’t live forever.
But God raised Christ from the dead.
And Christ knew He would:
John 2:19-21 “Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” But He was speaking of the temple of His body.”
Or consider:
Titus 1:2 “in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago,”
I remind you that the statement “long ages ago”
Is literally translated “before time began”
That means that before God ever said “Let there be light”
He made a promise of “eternal life”.
And the question we have to ask is, “To who?”
Well this was before creation.
• There were no angels, there were no humans,
• This can only be a promise from the Father to the Son.
“He asked life of You, You gave it him, Length of days forever and ever.”
David now rejoices that God’s Christ has not only received answered prayer, and all good things, but also that He has received eternal life.
#4 GLORY AND HONOR
Psalms 21:5
“His glory is great through Your salvation, Splendor and majesty You place upon him.”
And we saw this on earth.
Matthew 3:16-17 “After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”
Matthew 17:5 “While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!”
We certainly were told it was coming in even greater degree.
Philippians 2:9-11 “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.”
We’ve read Revelation 4 and 5 and heard the heavenly choirs giving blessing and honor and glory and power to the Lamb who was slain.
God poured upon Him the highest glory.
God poured upon Him the highest honor.
Answered Prayer, Good Things, Eternal Life, Glory and Honor
#5 GLADNESS IN YOUR PRESENCE
Psalms 21:6
“For You make him most blessed forever; You make him joyful with gladness in Your presence.”
The blessing referred to here is obviously the nearness of God.
Asaph said:
Psalms 73:25-28 “Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For, behold, those who are far from You will perish; You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You. But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works.”
Asaph understood the immeasurable blessing of the nearness of God.
David here announces that the Christ has received that blessing.
He has “gladness in Your presence.”
And what did Jesus tell us?
John 14:12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.”
John 14:28 “You heard that I said to you, ‘I go away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.”
John 16:10 “and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me;”
Jesus would go to be exalted at God’s right hand.
• That’s what Peter said at Pentecost.
• Jesus has been exalted in God’s presence.
• The writer of Hebrews reminded that He sat down at the right hand of the majesty on High.
Now, those are the first 5 benefits that David recognized about the Christ.
• God answers His prayers
• God gives Him every good thing
• God granted Him eternal life
• God crowned Him with glory and honor
• God satisfied Him with the blessing of His presence
Those are big!
And then David takes 1 verse
To explain why the Christ received all these things.
(7) “For the king trusts in the LORD, and through the lovingkindness of the Most High he will not be shaken.”
To put it simply.
Christ trusts God, and God is loyal to Christ.
And we see that everywhere throughout the gospels.
One good verse here is:
John 8:28-29 “So Jesus said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me. “And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.”
And we are reminded that the reason Christ received all those blessings
IS BECAUSE HE EARNED THEM.
• He earned the right for God to answer His every prayer.
• He earned the right for every good thing.
• He earned the right of eternal life
• He earned the right of glory and honor
• He earned the right of God’s presence
It’s not peculiar that He has those things, He earned them.
And then David gives ONE LAST BENEFIT that the King enjoys.
#6 VICTORY
Psalms 21:8-13
The first 7 verses of this Psalm is about a past victory; the resurrection.
But the rest of this Psalm is about a future victory; the Second Coming and the day He defeats all His foes.
And notice the confidence with which David sings about that victory.
(8) “Your hand will find out all your enemies; Your right hand will find out those who hate you.”
That is to say all Your enemies will be DISCOVERED.
They can’t hide.
Revelation 6:15-17 “Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
They may cry to the mountains and the rocks to fall on them
And hide them from Your presence, but they will not be able.
(9) “You will make them as a fiery oven in the time of your anger; The LORD will swallow them up in His wrath, And fire will devour them.”
Not only will Your enemies be discovered, but they will be DEVOURED
Revelation 14:9-11 “Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. “And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”
Revelation 20:15 “And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”
We have seen that anyone who takes the mark of the beast,
Or anyone whose name is not written in the Lamb’s book of life
Is thrown into the lake of fire.
Christ’s enemies will not escape, and they will not survive.
(10) “Their offspring You will destroy from the earth, And their descendants from among the sons of me.”
God will discover and devour all Christ’s enemies,
And then He will DESTROY their offspring.
Often times in the Kings we see that when a King was overthrown, they would also kill all of his children so that none of the survivors might hold a grudge and one day come back and challenge for the throne.
No such threat will remain against this king.
All of His enemies and all their offspring will be destroyed.
Satan and all his children will be destroyed
And Christ will reign unchallenged and supreme.
Revelation 19:20-21 “And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.”
(11-12) “Though they intended evil against You And devised a plot, They will not succeed. For You will make them turn their back; You will aim with Your bowstrings at their faces.”
All of His enemies and all of their plans will be DEFEATED
Revelation 20:7-10 “When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”
It’s just a strong reminder that the future victory also belongs to this King.
And so the Psalm rightly ends:
(13) “Be exalted, O LORD, in Your strength; We will sing and praise Your power.”
That is to say, when we look at the coming King
And see all that You have done for Him and all You will do for Him
We will rejoice and sing of Your power and Your salvation.
David loves what God has done and will do for this coming King.
Let’s makes sure we are clear now one the blessings that are Christ’s from God.
• God answers all His prayers
• God gives Him all good things
• God gives Him eternal life
• God gives Him glory and honor
• God gives Him the blessing of His presence
• God gives Him total and final victory
Can you see that?
• Do you agree that Christ has earned all those things?
• Do you agree that God will in fact give Him all these things?
Well then let me tell you WHY YOU SING this song.
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,”
If I’m “in Christ” and Christ is receiving all of these benefits, then I am too!
That was really one of the main points of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians
To try and get them to understand all that was theirs in Christ.
Ephesians 1:18-19 “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.”
Ephesians 3:14-21 “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.”
That is Paul’s way of saying,
• I wish you could understand that blessings and benefits that are Christs.
• And I wish you could understand that in Him those blessings are yours.
Let me quickly get a little clearer.
LET ME SHOW YOU WHAT THIS MEANS FOR US
GOD ANSWERS THE PRAYERS OF CHRIST.
John 14:13-14 “Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. “If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”
John 15:16 “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.”
John 16:23-24 “In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. “Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.”
GOD GIVES ALL GOOD THINGS TO CHRIST
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,”
GOD GIVES ETERNAL LIFE TO CHRIST
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?”
John 14:19 “After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also.”
Romans 8:11 “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”
GOD GIVES CHRIST GLORY AND HONOR
Romans 8:16-17 “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”
2 Timothy 4:7-8 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”
GOD GIVES THE SATISFACTION OF HIS PRESENCE TO CHRIST
Revelation 21:1-4 “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”
GOD GIVES VICTORY TO CHRIST
1 Corinthians 15:55-57 “O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Do you see now why David is rejoicing in how God saved Christ?
Do you see now why we rejoice in this salvation?
Because in Him, these blessings
(that we have no doubt He deserves)
THESE BLESSINGS ARE ALSO OURS!
2 Corinthians 1:19-22 “For the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who was preached among you by us — by me and Silvanus and Timothy — was not yes and no, but is yes in Him. For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us. Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.”
SO
• Sing this song of victory!
• Rejoice in the benefits Christ has received!
• In Him, those are your blessings as well!
The Truth About Following Jesus – Part 3 (Luke 9:61-62)
The Truth About Following Jesus – Part 3
Luke 9:57-62 (61-62)
December 30, 2018
This morning we are going to conclude this marvelous chapter of Luke 9.
It is the segment which we have referred to as Messianic Misconceptions.
It is where Jesus, after revealing who He was,
Has set the record straight regarding where He is headed
And what it means to follow Him.
HE IS HEADED TO THE CROSS.
He must suffer, be rejected, be killed, and be raised from the dead.
• This is the mission.
• And in doing so Jesus will purchase the salvation of all of God’s elect.
AND THEREFORE ANYONE SEEKING TO FOLLOW HIM
Must wash from their minds any notion of earthly fame or prosperity.
• If you are going to follow a man who has come to be rejected and killed
• Then you’d be foolish for assuming it will lead you to prosperity and fame.
AND JESUS EMPHATICALLY REVEALED THAT TO THE 12.
Luke 9:23-26 “And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. “For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself? “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”
And as we have said,
Luke has spent the rest of this chapter clarifying that statement.
We’ve seen incident after incident giving further proof that the disciples NEITHER UNDERSTOOD NOR ACCEPTED that statement from Jesus.
• They argued with Him
• They ignored Him
• They tried to get Him to seek earthly fame here on earth
• They failed to deny themselves,
• They misunderstood the call to follow.
And that has really been the POINT OF THESE LAST 6 VERSES as well.
NO ONE GETS IT
We have here 3 men who share their interest in following Jesus
And we have 3 men who did not understand what that meant
We’ve covered the first two, but let me recap them quickly.
#1 FOLLOWING JESUS IS NOT FOR THE AMBITIOUS
Luke 9:57-58
The man who said the right thing, “I will follow You wherever You go”
But Jesus saw the man’s heart and Jesus knew why he said that.
This man thought Jesus to be his ticket to earthly prosperity and fame.
When we looked at the context in Matthew’s gospel
We learned that this man made that offer on a day when Jesus was wildly popular.
This man thought to capitalize on that fame and offered to follow Jesus.
Jesus set the record straight by revealing that
He had not acquired the world,
And neither would those who followed Him.
“The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
No one buys a homeless man’s book to learn the secrets of getting rich,
And that is what Jesus was pointing out.
You are following Me for prosperity, but if you follow Me, you won’t get it.
Jesus squashed the prosperity gospel
And crushed this man’s hopes of using Jesus to gain the world.
But as we noted last time, THIS MAN WAS NOT ALONE.
There was another man with him.
• They both had approached Jesus,
• They both had their hopes of using Jesus for prosperity crushed.
• And when this man heard Jesus’ response to the first, he seemed content to just walk away,
• But Jesus confronted the second man.
#2 FOLLOWING JESUS IS NOT FOR THE ACQUISITIVE
Luke 9:59-60
Not Inquisitive, but ACQUISITIVE;
It means those who wish to acquire the world.
When Jesus crushed the notions of the prosperity gospel
This man was probably willing just to leave,
But instead of letting him, Jesus confronted him saying, “Follow Me.”
This man was now stuck.
• It was a direct order from the Lord,
• But he had just learned that there’d be no money in it for him if he did.
• So he answers with a very sly response. “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.”
This man’s father was not dead, he just wanted to wait until he died
So that he could collect his inheritance.
He had just learned that following Jesus would not result in riches,
So he told Jesus that he would gladly follow
After he gained riches somewhere else.
And Jesus told him, “Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.”
Jesus associated love of the world with being spiritually dead.
• Concerning yourself with wealth is a worldly, pagan, mentality.
• The righteous concern themselves with the kingdom.
Jesus told this man to follow now,
And give up his love of the world and desire to acquire it.
So you can’t follow Jesus if you are AMBITIOUS
(thinking Jesus will make you rich)
And you can’t follow Jesus is you are ACQUISITIVE
(more interested in gaining worldly wealth)
This morning we come to the final example:
#3 FOLLOWING JESUS IS NOT FOR THE ASHAMED
Luke 9:61-62
First I would reveal that Matthew does not include this man’s story,
So it is likely that it did not occur at the same time as the others.
It is more likely that Luke included this conversation here because it fit the theme and reveals yet another instance in which Jesus corrected a would-be follower.
But let’s look at this 3rd man this morning.
“Another also said, “I will follow You, Lord”
There we have a man more like the first of the 3.
• He speaks out with his willingness.
• He walks the aisle
• He is proactive in his commitment.
He even confesses that Jesus is “Lord”, which is certainly notable.
• He knows who Jesus is…
• He seems to know what Jesus wants…
• And he volunteers his life into the service of Jesus.
Those first 5 words are pretty encouraging.
It is the 6th word that messes everything up.
“but”
Like the second man we saw,
This man seeks to attach stipulations to his submission.
He is seeking to negotiate his terms of following.
Now before we even get into his terms can I remind you that
THIS IS NOT AN ACCEPTABLE ASPECT OF SUBMISSION?
Those who truly submit do not do so with strings attached.
Romans 14:7-9 “For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.”
When we talk about submission to Christ as Lord
We aren’t talking about entering negotiations for terms of submission.
It is full surrender in all things.
Let me give you another picture of Lordship that I have always loved.
• On the day when Absalom launched his conspiracy to overthrow David as
King, David was forced to flee Jerusalem.
• In David’s service were some servants who had accompanied him from foreign
lands.
• One of these servants was a man named “Ittai the Gittite” who had
apparently only joined David the day before.
Let me show you what submission to your Lord looks like.
2 Samuel 15:19-22 “Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why will you also go with us? Return and remain with the king, for you are a foreigner and also an exile; return to your own place. “You came only yesterday, and shall I today make you wander with us, while I go where I will? Return and take back your brothers; mercy and truth be with you.” But Ittai answered the king and said, “As the LORD lives, and as my lord the king lives, surely wherever my lord the king may be, whether for death or for life, there also your servant will be.” Therefore David said to Ittai, “Go and pass over.” So Ittai the Gittite passed over with all his men and all the little ones who were with him.”
No ultimatums – No conditions – No arguing – No complaint
Just full obedience to your Lord regardless of the circumstances.
The man here obviously doesn’t understand
What it means to call Jesus “Lord”.
We know that because he is still trying to call the shots.
“I will follow You, Lord; but…”
That is a false confession.
But let’s look at his terms.
“I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home.”
Again, we are confronted with what appears to be a reasonable request.
• I mean, what man goes off to war without first hugging his momma?
• It just reads like he wants to let his family know where he is going.
And like we did with the last guy, we sort of EXPECT JESUS TO SAY,
“No problem, I am breaking camp tomorrow morning, be back by then.”
But again, that’s NOT what Jesus says.
He tells the man, “No”
(62) “But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
So not only does Jesus say, “No” to the man’s request,
But He does so with a somewhat cryptic reasoning.
WHAT DOES JESUS MEAN?
Well first we recognize the obvious.
That Jesus equated this man’s desire to first go and say good-bye
To a farmer who is plowing but keeps looking back.
That is clear.
So now we have to figure out what it means to be a farmer who keeps looking back.
Well, one thing I know about TODAY’S FARMERS is that
• When they plow, they are almost always looking back.
• They easily spend more time looking back than they do looking forward.
The reason today’s farmers look back when they plow
Is because the plow is behind them.
But that was different in Jesus’ day.
In Jesus’ day the plow wasn’t behind you, it was in front of you.
So a farmer who was plowing but who kept looking back,
Wasn’t looking at the work he was doing,
He was constantly looking at how good of a job he had done.
WELL YOU SAY, “What’s the problem in that? A man should want to do a good job.”
The problem is that if this farmer takes his eye of the plow in front
And starts looking behind, WHAT KIND OF ROW IS HE ABOUT TO PLOW?
(A crooked one)
IN HIS CASE, IT IS A MISTAKE TO LOOK BACKWARD.
IT INDICATES A MAN MORE CONCERNED ABOUT APPEARANCES THAN HE IS ABOUT HIS JOB.
Jesus said that this is what this guy was doing
In wanting to go home and say good-bye.
Jesus is looking at his heart, and it is apparent that
He doesn’t mind following, but he is concerned
About what his family and friends will think about it.
HE IS CONCERNED ABOUT APPEARANCES.
He’ll follow, but he first wants to stick his finger in the air
And get the public consensus as to whether others think he should.
SO HERE IT IS:
This man will follow Jesus, but only if following Jesus gains the approval of his family.
And how did Jesus respond to that?
“No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Jesus said that this type of mentality means that
A person is not “fit for the kingdom of God.”
“fit” there is EUTHETOS
It means “useful”
Hebrews 6:7 “For ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God;”
Jesus in effect says to this man.
Anyone who is only willing to follow Me if he can gain the approval of others to do so is not useful to Me or the kingdom.
“Don’t bother, I don’t need followers
who are overly concerned about the approval of others.”
This is not the only time Jesus will speak like that.
Luke 14:25-35 “Now large crowds were going along with Him; and He turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. “For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? “Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ “Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand? “Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. “So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions. “Therefore, salt is good; but if even salt has become tasteless, with what will it be seasoned? “It is useless either for the soil or for the manure pile; it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
There Jesus spoke of the importance of counting the cost of following.
And He mentioned it in the context of following Him
Requiring the loss of worldly possessions.
“If you aren’t willing to lose the world you shouldn’t follow Me”
And then He said, “Therefore salt is good; but if even salt has become tasteless, with what will it be seasoned? It is useless either for the soil or for the manure pile; it is thrown out.”
Literally there the word is again EUTHETOS
Jesus said flavorless salt, “Is only useful for the soil or the manure pile, but not for food”
I don’t need any salt that doesn’t have flavor.
And that is in effect what He is saying to this man.
I don’t need people who are only concerned about the approval of others.
Is that shocking to you?
That this man didn’t turn down the invitation of Jesus,
But rather Jesus revoked the invitation.
“I’m sorry, I can’t use you.”
Is it true that a man can be unusable to Jesus?
2 Peter 1:5-9 “Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.”
Peter gave a list of qualifications and said
If they are yours then you are useful and fruitful,
But if those qualities aren’t yours then you really aren’t.
Do you remember the argument of between Paul and Barnabas?
• On Paul’s first missionary journey he took Barnabas and John Mark.
• But John Mark deserted them on the journey.
• And so when it came time for the second journey, when Mark wanted to go, Paul said, “no”.
Acts 15:36-41 “After some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brethren in every city in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” Barnabas wanted to take John, called Mark, along with them also. But Paul kept insisting that they should not take him along who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. And there occurred such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus. But Paul chose Silas and left, being committed by the brethren to the grace of the Lord. And he was traveling through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.”
And most of my life I heard that story preached as though Paul was in the wrong, that he should have taken Mark.
But if you’ll read the text you’ll find that it was Paul, not Barnabas,
Who was commended by the brethren.
Paul was on mission.
• This was serious.
• It wasn’t a sight-seeing tour.
• And it wasn’t that he didn’t like Mark, it’s that there was no room on the mission for those who didn’t see it through.
Now, to give balance, it is obvious that later on Mark proved himself.
For in Paul’s last letter, from prison, he wrote to Timothy:
2 Timothy 4:11 “Only Luke is with me. Pick up Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for service.”
• That is NOT Paul saying that he messed up previously.
• That IS Paul recognizing that Mark has now overcome his previous fear and is
now useful.
Listen to what Paul said about himself:
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.”
Did you hear there the threat?
“so that…I myself will nto be disqualified”
Listen to Paul write to Timothy:
2 Timothy 2:5 “Also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules.”
What happens to an athlete that breaks the rules?
He is disqualified.
Have we not read about overseers and deacons the “qualifications” for service?
IT IS EVERYWHERE.
And I share that simply to point out that
There are requirements for those who follow Christ.
Christ expected that those who followed Him,
Would do so without an attachment to this world.
(That could be money, power, or even concern for reputation)
But you couldn’t follow if you were concerned about wealth
And you couldn’t follow if you were concerned about what people think
Those types of people are not useful.
They are not “fit for the kingdom of God.”
That’s what Jesus said.
That’s why we say that: FOLLOWING JESUS IS NOT FOR THE ASHAMED
Isn’t that what Jesus said earlier in Luke’s gospel?
Luke 9:26 “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”
Matthew’s gospel says the same thing, but records different terminology.
Matthew 10:32-33 “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. “But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.”
Different wording, but the same point.
If all you are worried about is what people will think,
Then you will never follow Jesus.
CAN I TELL YOU WHY?
BECAUSE ACCORDING TO THIS WORLD: ONLY FOOLS FOLLOW JESUS.
1 Corinthians 1:18-25 “For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I WILL DESTROY THE WISDOM OF THE WISE, AND THE CLEVERNESS OF THE CLEVER I WILL SET ASIDE.” Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”
The word there for “foolishness” is MORIA (mor-ee-a)
It means “siliness” or “absurdity”
The root word “fool” is MOROS
And it means “dull” or “stupid”
That’s what the world thinks of the gospel message
And that’s what they think of those who pledge their life to it.
That is so much the case that Paul wrote:
1 Corinthians 4:10 “We are fools for Christ’s sake…”
Or again:
Galatians 1:10 “For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.”
Which is to say that there are better ways of gaining the world’s approval
Than being a Christian.
We go and tell the world that
• Jesus is God who became humble man
• That he lived a perfect life pleasing to God
• And that He died on the cross bearing the wrath of God for sinners.
• We say that our sin was imputed to Him and His righteousness was imputed to
us.
• And we hold that through no works of our own, we are now pleasing to God
simply by faith in this crucified and resurrected Son of God.
And the world says, “That’s about the dumbest thing I’ve ever heart; only a fool would believe that! Only a stupid person would believe that.”
So, if you’re signing up to follow Jesus,
But you hope to keep your reputation intact, well think again.
THIS WORLD WILL NOT HONOR YOU, IT WILL HATE YOU.
Matthew 10:24-25 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. “It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign the members of his household!”
Matthew 10:34-36 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. “For I came to SET A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW; and A MAN’S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD.”
John 15:18-20 “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘ A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.”
1 John 3:13 “Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you.”
1 Peter 4:12 “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;”
Do you see that?
One of the great mistakes of our modern Christianity
Is that so many “Christians” seek to follow Christ
While remaining credible in the world.
If you seek credibility in the world, you will deny Christ.
I see it all the time under the heading of being “Culturally Relevant”
• That is people or churches or pastors who do everything they can to please the world and they do it under the pretense of trying to win the world.
• Look like the world, act like the world, even make the worship service something the world will enjoy
• Accept everyone, don’t confront sin, be friendly, be loving, be warm and welcoming.
• What they’re really saying is “when sinners come to your church make sure they like you.”
• Because if they don’t like you then you they won’t listen to you.
Is that really the goal of the church? Is it our objective to be liked?
I see it in would be scholars who want to follow Jesus, but still be acclaimed for their scholarly intellect in the world.
• Preachers chasing PhD’s and Degrees wanting to be regarded as scholars and experts.
But the message we are commanded to preach
Is not a message that the world finds scholarly.
But I hear pastors educate themselves in philosophy or psychology or even in our day a fascination with scientific data called “apologetics”.
They think if they can argue scientific data, and debunk philosophical theory,
And hold their own in intellectual debate with atheists
That they are somehow doing the Lord’s work and following Christ.
I would submit to you that when the Bible says to “contend earnestly for the faith that was once for all handed down to the saints” it is NOT SAYING that you should familiarize yourself with scientific arguments debunking evolution.
I would submit that the Bible is telling you to be true to the gospel.
Preach the gospel.
But if you enter a scholarly debate with a scientific genius and all you do is preach the gospel, then you’re going to look like an uneducated fool.
YEP!
What did they say about Paul in Athens?
Acts 17:1 “And also some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers were conversing with him. Some were saying, “What would this idle babbler wish to say?” Others, “He seems to be a proclaimer of strange deities,” — because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection.”
Yet many today, wishing to be accepted in an academic community,
Actually stray from the foolishness of the gospel
In exchange for intellectual arguments.
Can I tell you that Paul warned explicitly against this?
1 Timothy 6:20-21 “O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called “knowledge” — which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith. Grace be with you.”
Do you know what Paul was telling Timothy to guard? (The gospel)
But some through “worldly and empty chatter” and what they call “knowledge” actually deny it and go astray.
• We aren’t called to be regarded as wise men.
• We aren’t called to be respected by the academic community.
• We aren’t called to be loved by an immoral society.
We are called to proclaim the gospel even if we are hated for it,
And even if we are regarded as fools for it.
But Paul said:
Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”
He told the Corinthians:
1 Corinthians 2:1-5 “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. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.”
If you are going to follow Jesus,
Then you had just better understand that
This world is not going to applaud you.
In fact, if they are applauding you, you had better check whether or not you are actually following Jesus.
Luke 6:26 “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way.”
As I heard one preacher say, “How is it that the world couldn’t get along with the holiest Man who ever lived, but it can get along with you and me? Are we compromised?”
You can’t follow Jesus if you are afraid of disappointing the world.
I JUST WANT TO CHALLENGE YOU THIS MORNING
That if you are intent upon following Jesus
Then you need to know that you can’t do that
If you are AMBITIOUS, or if you are ACQUISITIVE, or if you are ASHAMED.
NOW HERE’S THE GOOD NEWS.
Do you find yourself falling short in one of these areas?
• Have you found that at times you disdain the least?
• Have you found that at times you despise the laity?
• Have you found that at times you disregard the lost?
• Have you found that at times you are ambitious?
• Have you found that at times you are acquisitive?
• Have you found that at times you are ashamed?
Well, let me encourage you,
So were the disciples at the time when Jesus said this.
• James and John would even get their mother involved in trying to gain them places of honor.
• Peter would deny the Lord 3 times.
• All the disciples would scatter in fear at His arrest
They, at a point in their life, followed wrong too.
But they didn’t follow wrong forever.
At Pentecost Jesus filled each of them with the Holy Spirit
And resting upon His power, they denied themselves
And took up their cross and followed Jesus.
They did it without a desire for applause
They did it without a desire for gold
THIS MORNING I WOULD REMIND YOU THAT
Even if you have currently failed to follow correctly,
• That Jesus is merciful and forgiving
• And if you will humble yourself before Him,
• He will raise you up.
In fact that is why we are ending this study with the Lord’s Supper.
Luke 9 has been a tough chapter.
Luke 9 has confronted us in many ways.
But I don’t want you leaving Luke 9 thinking
That your failures render salvation impossible for you.
So this morning we conclude by coming to the Lord’s Table
Where we remember that Jesus satisfied the righteous requirement for us,
And Jesus satisfied the just wrath against us.
We aren’t going to be saved because of our flawless living.
We are saved because of His flawless living.
So let your failures drive you closer to Jesus
YES, we have much to work on in our lives as we seek to follow Christ,
BUT we never lose sight of the reality that our salvation is not accomplished by how good we follow, but rather, it is accomplished by the One we follow.
We tune our hearts to His sacrifice.
IT IS CHRIST WHO NEVER disdained the least, or despised the laity or disregarded the lost.
HE WAS NEVER ambitious, or acquisitive, or ashamed.
And we stand before God clothed in His righteousness, not our own.
These requirements we have studied over the last 6 weeks
Are certainly God’s expectation, and they are certainly our desire,
But they are ultimately only fulfilled in Christ.
And so at the end of the day, regardless of my best efforts,
I still throw myself at the feet of Jesus
And trust only in His life and death as my justification.
And that is why we come to this table again this morning.
We remember His righteous life and we remember His atoning death.
And we come in humility pledging that though I have failed to deny myself as I should, and though I have failed to follow as I should, that is my desire.
And I come here again proclaiming Him as Lord, denying myself to the best of my ability, and following with all the commitment I can muster, but ultimately trusting His faithfulness, not my own for my salvation.
At the end of the day we always end at the cross.
And we rejoice in what He did.
As always we have a time of preparation.
1 Corinthians 11:27-28 “Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup.”
Let There Be Light (John 1:1-13) Christmas Day 2018
Let There Be Light
John 1:1-13
December 25, 2018
We gather here this Christmas morning as brothers and sisters in Christ
Because we believe that more than anything else,
TODAY IS ABOUT THE GLORY OF CHRIST.
After all, even in a worldly sense, we understand that someone’s birthday
Is primarily about them and not everyone else.
Well certainly that is true in this case.
• We celebrate Christ.
• We celebrate His birth.
• We celebrate His life.
And we gather to do that.
And the objective this morning is a simple one.
Primarily just to tune our hearts again to the truth
Of the blessing that Christ was born into this world.
Now, I know I promise you a shorter sermon on Christmas day,
But we still need to start this story where all good stories start,
And that is in the beginning.
The first 3 verses of the Bible give us tremendous insight,
Even into the miracle of Christmas.
Genesis 1:1-3 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.”
In that verse we find something of the work and nature of God.
“The earth was formless and void”
“formless” translates TOHU
It means “meaningless” or “confusion”
Isaiah 40:17 “All the nations are as nothing before Him, They are regarded by Him as less than nothing and meaningless.”
Isaiah 59:4 “No one sues righteously and no one pleads honestly. They trust in confusion and speak lies; They conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity.”
“void” translates BOHU
It means “emptiness”
Isaiah 34:11 “But pelican and hedgehog will possess it, And owl and raven will dwell in it; And He will stretch over it the line of desolation And the plumb line of emptiness.”
And hopefully you pick up on the literary work of Moses.
The earth was TOHU and BOHU
It started in a completely unusable, formless, confused, orderless reality.
GOD CHOSE TO BEGIN IT THERE.
• He didn’t start with perfection and maintain it.
• He started with chaos and renovated it.
And there is a reason God did it this way.
It reveals God’s role as ONE WHO REDEEMS.
He always takes what is flawed and makes it new.
• He brings order from chaos
• He brings blessing from struggle
• He brings what is good from what is not
That is the point here.
His plan for creation was to take what had no value
And work it until it was perfect.
And the PRIMARY STATEMENT we see about this was:
“The God said, “let there be light”; and there was light.”
It was the first aspect of God’s creation.
• God intervened!
• God transformed!
• God took what was unusable, formless, confused, and orderless and gave it purpose.
• God redeemed the darkness.
That was His very first act.
And of course we follow from there THE ENTIRE CREATION STORY and remember how all that God created was good.
But we also remember the story of THE FALL.
• By reason of his transgression Adam fell and doomed us all.
What God created perfect had fallen back into that
Which was unusable and confused and without order.
• It was creation, but it was distorted.
• It was creation, but it was tainted.
• It was creation, but it was corrupted.
In short, DARKNESS RETURNED
(not necessarily literal physical darkness, but spiritual darkness)
And from there DARKNESS REEMERGES in the Scripture message.
And darkness comes to represent 2 different things.
ON ONE HAND darkness begins to represent sin and corruption and lostness and ignorance and defilement. Darkness begins to represent spiritual death.
Proverbs 4:19 “The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know over what they stumble.”
Isaiah 5:20 “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!”
Darkness becomes an analogy for the return of
The corrupt and fallen picture of sin and rebellion and wasted life.
AND ON THE OTHER HAND darkness becomes the chief descriptor of God’s holy wrath on that sin.
Psalms 18:9-11 “He bowed the heavens also, and came down With thick darkness under His feet. He rode upon a cherub and flew; And He sped upon the wings of the wind. He made darkness His hiding place, His canopy around Him, Darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.”
Psalms 97:2 “Clouds and thick darkness surround Him; Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.”
So after the fall darkness returns
And it is seen both in the corruption of man
And the judgment of God on that corruption.
And sinful man begin to recognize that in the darkness
They have a tremendous problem.
And many begin to cry out for deliverance from the darkness
And throughout the O.T. there are promises of salvation coming.
There are promises and pictures that the light might return.
There is a growing hope that what God did on the first day of creation,
That He might do that again.
Psalms 18:28 “For You light my lamp; The LORD my God illumines my darkness.”
Psalms 107:10-14 “There were those who dwelt in darkness and in the shadow of death, Prisoners in misery and chains, Because they had rebelled against the words of God And spurned the counsel of the Most High. Therefore He humbled their heart with labor; They stumbled and there was none to help. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble; He saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death And broke their bands apart.”
Isaiah 9:2 “The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them.”
Isaiah 42:6-7 “I am the LORD, I have called You in righteousness, I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You, And I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the nations, To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the dungeon And those who dwell in darkness from the prison.”
Isaiah 49:6 “He says, “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”
There was a prophetic hope that what God did before; He would do again.
• Humanity longed for God to redeem the darkness.
• Humanity longed for God to make something perfect out of what was formless and void and corrupt and broken.
AND GOD DID!
God intervened again!
And the first to recognize it was an elderly man in God’s temple.
Who, after a lifetime of languishing in the darkness, saw God’s light.
Luke 2:29-32 “Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation, Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, A LIGHT OF REVELATION TO THE GENTILES, And the glory of Your people Israel.”
And so you see:
• We are talking about redemption.
• We are talking about salvation.
• We are talking about redeeming the darkness.
And you’ve already figured out for quite some time now,
We are talking about Jesus.
This One who was born, NOT just as a moral example.
This One who was born, NOT just as a prophetic voice.
This One who was born, NOT just as promised relief.
We are talking about God’s Light.
We are talking about God’s salvation.
We are talking about God’s Redemption
SO TURN WITH ME NOW TO JOHN 1:1-13.
• You of course are familiar with this passage.
• And we are not going to work out the depths of all of it here.
• But I want you to see the ANNOUNCEMENT that is being made here by John.
If you notice the first 3 verses, what do you hear about?
CREATION
• We are reminded of “the beginning”
• And we are reminded who was there in the beginning – “God”
• And we are reminded that “All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being.”
GOD CREATED ALL THINGS.
We saw that back in
Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
The one difference here is that John makes the point
That God in a sense was not alone.
He was accompanied by Himself.
We are of course speaking of the nature of the Trinity
And the fellowship the Triune God has within Himself.
It’s mysterious I know, but you see that here.
Now there’s a reason John is so INTERESTED IN INTRODUCING you to the second person of the trinity here.
Because that second Person is huge to the story!
So…
• We are reminded of God’s creative work,
• And we are reminded how God took what was TOHU and BOHU and redeemed it.
Remember:
Genesis 1:2-3 “The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.”
Well now we look at verse 4.
“In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men”
ONCE AGAIN LIGHT SHOWN FORTH!
• God intervened!
• God transformed!
• God took what was unusable and useless and corrupt and broken and went to work on it.
• God reached in to redeem the darkness!
In short, John said this.
• God’s light came!
• God’s salvation came!
• God’s life came!
And it came through a “Him”
“In Him was life”
• Just as we aren’t talking anymore about literal physical darkness, but rather sin and the judgment on it.
• We aren’t talking about literal light, but rather salvation and the life that it brings.
But the point is, God moved again to restore broken creation
And He did it by sending One who brings life and light.
Now certainly we are reminded that the darkness did not love the light and that is certainly a theme of the book, but not our point for today.
We see more about this light.
Namely that this light (this salvation) was SO IMPORTANT that God sent a man to announce it to the world.
(6-9) “There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light. There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.”
And that is just a beautiful testimony to the light of God
And the salvation and redemption He provided.
Light came, it was true light (true salvation)
And it came to enlighten every man (it was available to all)
It’s just a restatement of the perfection of the new creation
Which God was providing.
Verses 10 and 11 remind us again that not every man was interested in the light,
But those who wanted the light received freedom from the darkness, (freedom from death, and freedom from the wrath of God,)
Received it!
(12-13) “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”
Now, that is the introduction of this book, just like we saw it in Genesis.
• God spoke into the darkness and brought forth light.
• God through His word redeemed the darkness.
• God brought order to chaos
• God brought purpose to what was ruined
• God brought life to what was dead
We saw that in Genesis 1 – We see that in John 1
And of course you know that the name of that light is Jesus.
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.”
John 9:1-5 “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. “We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work. “While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.”
John 12:44-47 “And Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in Me, does not believe in Me but in Him who sent Me. “He who sees Me sees the One who sent Me. “I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness. “If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.”
• Jesus came as Light
• Jesus came as Salvation
• Jesus came as Life
He is God’s redemption of what was broken.
• If God had never spoken into the darkness in Genesis 1 this world would not exist.
• And if God had not spoken into the darkness a second time in John 1 then life would not exist.
God Intervened!
That is why when Matthew saw Jesus walk into the Gentile region of Zebulun and Naphtali he wrote:
Matthew 4:12-16 “Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee; and leaving Nazareth, He came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “THE LAND OF ZEBULUN AND THE LAND OF NAPHTALI, BY THE WAY OF THE SEA, BEYOND THE JORDAN, GALILEE OF THE GENTILES — “THE PEOPLE WHO WERE SITTING IN DARKNESS SAW A GREAT LIGHT, AND THOSE WHO WERE SITTING IN THE LAND AND SHADOW OF DEATH, UPON THEM A LIGHT DAWNED.”
Matthew screamed to that Gentile region
“It’s the Light!” “It’s salvation!” “It’s freedom from the darkness!”
That’s why when Paul preached in his ministry he said:
Acts 26:21-23 “For this reason some Jews seized me in the temple and tried to put me to death. “So, having obtained help from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, stating nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place; that the Christ was to suffer, and that by reason of His resurrection from the dead He would be the first to proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”
And in short, this is why we celebrate Jesus today.
This is why we love Christmas.
• The birth of Christ was our new creation.
• The coming of Jesus was light in our darkness.
• It is the day God shone forth to correct what was TOHU and BOHU
Man was useless and corrupt and void before God.
And God said, “Let there be light”
This morning we rejoice in this
• That for us there is a Savior.
• That for us there is Redemption.
• That God did not leave us wandering aimlessly in the darkness, but that He intervened and gave us light!
Jesus is that light and the promise remains.
(9-13) “There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”
Salvation is now available to all who believe in Christ.
• Those who do are “born”, later Jesus will say “born again”
• And they are not born “of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”
That is to say that through this Jesus,
All those who have become corrupted and broken and useless and who wander about in darkness CAN BE REBORN, that is RECREATED.
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”
Jesus can save you.
Jesus can redeem you.
Jesus can recreate you.
He is Light!
This morning I invite you to leave the darkness of sin and shame
And run to Christ for forgiveness and life.
And if Christ has already made you new,
Then this morning I remind you to rejoice in it.
Simeon had it figured out:
Luke 2:29-32 “Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation, Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, A LIGHT OF REVELATION TO THE GENTILES, And the glory of Your people Israel.”
The Truth About Following Jesus – Part 2 (Luke 9:59-60)
The Truth About Following Jesus – Part 2
Luke 9:57-62 (59-60)
December 23, 2018
You are very aware of the portion of Scripture which we are studying.
It is one of absolutely profound importance.
A chapter which not only definitively named Jesus as the Christ,
But one which has also been very clear about His requirements.
In Luke 9 we have seen that
Jesus is without a doubt God’s anointed and chosen King.
• It is Jesus whom God has ordained to literally rule the world.
• To Him God has decreed that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord.
• Submission to Him and His will is the divine mandate and expectation.
• Refusal to submit to Him brings only wrath and judgment.
The Psalmist prophesied in Psalms 2
Psalms 2:6-12 “But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.” “I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession. ‘You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.'” Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; Take warning, O judges of the earth. Worship the LORD with reverence And rejoice with trembling. Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!”
The Psalms was clear.
• God has already chosen His reigning King.
• This King is in fact God’s Son.
• God has given Him the very ends of the earth as His possession.
• And God has decreed that He will rule the earth and literally break anyone
who rebels as with a rod of iron like one shattering a clay pot.
• The warning then was made that all men (even the kings of earth) should
come trembling to God’s King
• They should do homage to Him and submit to Him so that they not fall under
His wrath.
• Instead they should take refuge in Him as their means of salvation.
That was the call of Psalms 2.
When you find God’s King (who happens to be His Son)
Then take refuge in Him, but do not rebel against Him.
It left the world asking, “WHO IS THIS KING?”
And in verse 20 of this chapter,
Luke made it very clear that this King had been identified.
Luke 9:20 “And He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered and said, “The Christ of God.”
Jesus asked His disciples IF THEY KNEW who He was AND THEY DID.
“You are that King that God promised.”
The implication then is that now that we know who this King is,
It is time to take refuge in Him; to do homage to Him;
To submit to His divine authority and will.
God has appointed Him to rule, we now submit.
That was made clear.
THE NEXT QUESTION is also of absolute importance which would be,
“What does He require?”
And Jesus made that clear in:
Luke 9:23-26 “And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. “For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself? “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”
This is the requirement of God’s chosen and anointed King.
• Deny Yourself
• Take up the Cross
• Follow Him
He is God’s King, appointed to rule, and this is what He requires.
The rest of the chapter then has been to flesh out what that means.
We most recently saw 3 examples which shed light on the subject of self-denial. In fact we saw 3 bad examples of self-denial.
• The disciples Disdained the Least
• The disciples Disrespected the Laity
• The disciples Disregarded the Lost
All 3 done because they still had not learned what it meant to deny self and let go of their own ego and their own pride and live solely for the glory of the King.
And now we are at the final point of the chapter which is
3 more examples which now shed light on the subject of following Jesus.
As we said last time we have 3 men with 2 things in common.
• They all profess a willingness to follow Jesus.
• None of them knows what that means.
And so we are again learning from bad examples.
Namely we are seeing what it does not mean to follow Jesus.
And how important this is to get right!
Since it is true that our Lord has promised that in the final judgment
There will be a great many people who lived their entire life
Assuming they were following Jesus when in fact they were not.
Do we remember our Lord’s warnings in the Sermon on the Mount?
Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
Those are people who THOUGHT they were following the Lord
And who THOUGHT they were headed for eternal life,
Only to find at the end that they were not.
That is terrifying.
These people emerge again at the end of that same sermon.
Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’”
The warning is clear. Not only must you follow the King,
But you must follow as He commands, not as you desire.
And here at the end of Luke 9 we get 3 examples
Of those who DID NOT intend to follow as He commanded.
We looked at the first last week, let me briefly hit it again.
#1 FOLLOW JESUS IS NOT FOR THE AMBITIOUS
Luke 9:57-58
Here we met a man who came to Jesus and initially said the right things.
“I will follow You wherever You go.”
• To our limited discernment this man seemed to have it figured.
• It seems as though He is giving the Lord a blank check.
• If he were to set in our church would never suspect His genuineness.
But the Lord looks at the heart.
The Lord knows all men.
There is no creature hidden from His sight.
And our Lord knows that this man
Has very selfish and carnal reason for following Jesus.
This man supposes that Jesus will be his means
To obtaining worldly comfort and riches and glory.
In short, this man is ambitious for the world
And he sees Jesus as his meal ticket for acquiring it.
It is the very essence of today’s prosperity gospel,
Whereby men suppose that Jesus is some sort of genie in a bottle whose sole purpose is to provide for you all the worldly extravagance that you flesh desires.
Jesus SQUASHED this man’s carnal hopes.
He said, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
Jesus points out the obvious to this man
That Jesus Himself had not acquired the world.
In fact Jesus was homeless.
Any notion of following Jesus to worldly riches and fame
Was a misguided notion.
Jesus had not acquired the world
And He would not be leading His followers to that end either.
And so we learned that
• If our motivation for following Jesus is because we think Jesus will be some ticket to earthly bliss and prosperity,
• Then we are not following as Jesus commanded.
We are thus deceived and quite frankly,
According to what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount,
It is even likely that in that state we could very well be
On the wide road leading to destruction.
Following Jesus is not for the Ambitious
Having learned that last week, this morning we move to the next example.
#2 FOLLOWING JESUS IS NOT FOR THE ACQUISITIVE
Luke 9:59-60
(Not inquisitive, but acquisitive)
ACQUISITIVE it means “eager to acquire things; materialistic.”
We are talking here about those who are only interested in the wealth of this world.
• They love the world.
• They want the world.
• That is their goal.
Now immediately you might ask,
“How then is this man different than the first?”
After all, didn’t we just say that this was the problem of the first man;
That he wanted wealth and comfort and prosperity?
Yes we did, but there is a fundamental difference between these 2.
There is an important distinction between these 2 men.
The first man thought Jesus to be his means of acquiring prosperity.
This man knows Jesus is not, and so he wishes to delay following until he can satisfy that craving.
Whereas the first man believed the prosperity gospel,
This man does not believe it.
He is well aware that following Jesus
Will not lead to earthly prosperity and comfort.
And it is that understanding that is causing his dilemma.
Let’s look at this man and I’ll show you what we mean.
(59) “And He said to another”
Here we find that (different from the first man) Jesus initiates this invitation.
• The first guy approached Jesus and offered to follow.
• But Jesus approaches this guy and asks him to follow.
The fact that Matthew also puts these 2 examples together
Seems to indicate that these two examples happened at the same time.
Meaning, it is likely that both of these men approached Jesus,
And possibly for the same reason.
And the first man offered to follow, but Jesus quickly shut him down indicating that there would be no prosperity gained in following Him.
The implication is that the second man then was kind of left speechless.
He doesn’t make the same offer to follow that the first man made
Because Jesus has made it clear that He won’t grant what they desire.
So perhaps this man is just willing to walk away and never say anything.
But Jesus doesn’t allow that.
As this man stands in silence Jesus looks at him and addresses him as if to say, “Well, what about you?”
“And He said to another, “Follow Me.”
• It’s not a confusing command.
• It’s the same command that our Lord introduced earlier in the chapter.
This is the King
And He is asking here for submission.
In fact, He is requiring it, “Follow Me”
NOW REMEMBER, this man just learned
That if He says “Yes” then he will NOT be following to prosperity.
So, he answers like this to Jesus.
“But he said, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.”
• So in a simple sense we see that this man does say, “I will”.
• But before he follows there is one thing he wants to do first.
Wait until I “bury my father” and then I will follow You.
Now we should point out that THIS MAN IS ALREADY OUT OF LINE
Because he is in no position to make requirements.
• This is the King, He has heavenly authority.
• This is not a negotiation.
• You have no leverage.
But this man still gives Jesus his terms of consent.
I’ll follow after I “bury my father”
And I’m quite sure that the first time you read that,
You probably thought something like, “Well that’s certainly reasonable. Surely Jesus will have no problem with that small stipulation.”
And then we are shocked to hear Jesus say:
(60) “But He said to him, “Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for You, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.”
Now first let’s deal with the elephant.
Are you seriously saying that Jesus
Wouldn’t even let this man go bury his father?
THAT EXACTLY WHAT I’M SAYING. THAT’S WHAT JESUS SAID.
And there’s a reason Jesus won’t let this man bury his father.
IT’S BECAUSE HIS FATHER ISN’T DEAD
• It’s NOT LIKE this man was at his father’s funeral and simply told Jesus, can you give me 20 minutes until we finish up here?
What this man meant was, “I will follow You, but let me wait until my father dies so that I can first collect my inheritance.”
SO DO YOU UNDERSTAND NOW WHAT’S HAPPENING HERE?
• Both of these men approached Jesus with the idea of following Him to
prosperity.
• The first man spoke up about their willingness and Jesus revealed that they
would earn no prosperity by following
• Perhaps they were both willing to walk away at that point
• But Jesus asked this other man to follow anyway
• And he agreed so long as Jesus would let him gain some financial security first
It is as if he said, “If following You isn’t going to make me rich, then I need to obtain some financial security before I follow.”
It’s NOT the prosperity gospel.
It IS the idol of greed.
IT IS SEEN IN PEOPLE
• Like the Rich Young Ruler who will not give up his wealth to follow.
• Who make statements like, “I plan on getting saved after I do the things I want to do first in this life”
• Who make statements like, “Once I finish my job, once I raise my kids, once I cash in my pension, once I…. then I will follow Jesus.”
We could certainly say that this man was just as ambitious as the first.
But the problem Jesus addresses here is that this man is ACQUISITIVE.
Jesus exposes that this man loves the world.
He has the idol of greed.
AND YOU CANNOT (and will not) FOLLOW JESUS
IF YOU LOVE THIS WORLD.
That is obvious to us isn’t it?
James 4: 4 “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
1 John 2:15-17 “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. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.”
Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”
We know this right?
If your preoccupation is with gaining the world then you will never follow Jesus.
• The timing will never be right…
• The greed will never be satisfied…
• You will daily deny the Son of God so that you can keep the world…
THAT’S JUST THE TRUTH.
That’s why Jesus said regarding the Rich Young Ruler
Luke 18:22-25 “When Jesus heard this, He said to him, “One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when he had heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. And Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God! “For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
And THE IMPLICATION there from Jesus is clear.
It’s not just hard for a rich man to enter heaven, IT’S IMPOSSIBLE.
In fact “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
If you love the world you won’t follow Christ.
If you love the world you can’t follow Christ.
FOLLOWING JESUS IS NOT FOR THE ACQUISITIVE.
But there is really even MORE HERE THAT JESUS SAYS
That we can draw upon.
When this man gave the terms to Jesus about first collecting his inheritance
Jesus DID NOT SAY, “Why don’t you give your inheritance up.”
Instead He said this, “Allow the dead to bury their own dead”
What did Jesus mean by that?
Jesus just made a harsh statement of fact.
Namely that those who live for this world are what? “dead”
Not physically dead; obviously.
Those who live for this world are spiritually dead.
That is to say they do not have within them the life of God.
Isn’t that what James and John both implied earlier in those passages we read?
• James said if you love the world you are an enemy of God.
• John said if you love the world you don’t love the Father.
Those who love the world and seek to acquire the world
Are spiritually dead.
And this isn’t the only place where that truth is revealed.
Speaking about the requirements of widows in the church.
1 Timothy 5:6 “But she who gives herself to wanton pleasure is dead even while she lives.”
Or do you remember how the Prodigal Son was described?
Luke 15:24 “for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.”
Luke 15:32 “But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.'”
Paul spoke of it to the Ephesians:
Ephesians 2:1-3 “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.”
That is to say that those whose goal
Is to indulge the desires of the flesh are dead.
Jude spoke about men who love the world like Cain or like Balaam or like Korah:
Jude 11-13 “Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of Korah. These are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.”
Jesus spoke to the church at Sardis who had soiled their garments with their complacency and love of the world.
Revelation 3:1 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.”
Do you get the picture?
• A person may indeed think that they are saved…
• A person may indeed think that they are following Jesus…
• But if that person loves the world they are mistaken.
The reality is that they are dead even if they think they live.
So here we have a man who won’t follow Jesus yet
Because he wants to obtain the world first
And Jesus says, “That is spoken just like a dead man”
“Allow the dead to bury their own dead”
That’s another way of saying, “The preoccupation with wealth and inheritance is a worldly concern, not a spiritual one.”
Remember what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount?
Matthew 6:31-33 “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Worry and preoccupation with worldly things is a “Gentile” mentality.
That is to say it’s a “pagan; worldly; lost” mentality.
The spiritually alive seek the kingdom…
The spiritually alive seek righteousness…
Seeking the world is a fruit of spiritual death.
And those who are dead do not follow Jesus, even if they think they do.
And so Jesus told this man “Allow the dead to bury their own dead”
And THEN He said, “but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.”
I find this interesting as well.
• Namely that instead of saying “Follow Me”
• Jesus got more descriptive regarding specifically what He wanted of this
man.
Instead he said, “go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.”
That’s an interesting statement.
• But do you see that Jesus is using the phrases interchangeably?
In fact Matthew reveals that Jesus said both to this man.
Matthew 8:21-22 “Another of the disciples said to Him, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and allow the dead to bury their own dead.”
So now, if I were to ask you at this point,
What does it mean to follow Jesus?
You can now say, “It means to “go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.”
Can you see that?
Now let me tie the scene up for you a little more.
We saw last week that Matthew indicated that
This conversation occurred following Jesus healing of Peter’s mother-in-law and all the miracles that He worked at that time.
(You can see that context in Matthew 8:14-22)
But let me remind you what else happened on that day.
Luke 4:38-42 “Then He got up and left the synagogue, and entered Simon’s home. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Him to help her. And standing over her, He rebuked the fever, and it left her; and she immediately got up and waited on them. While the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and laying His hands on each one of them, He was healing them. Demons also were coming out of many, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But rebuking them, He would not allow them to speak, because they knew Him to be the Christ. When day came, Jesus left and went to a secluded place; and the crowds were searching for Him, and came to Him and tried to keep Him from going away from them.”
This would have been when these 2 men approached Him.
• That means that these 2 men where part of that crowd that didn’t want Jesus to leave.
• And in desperation had even considered following Him to cash in on prosperity.
• But Jesus confronted both of those men.
And you could put right there these 2 conversations.
And then look at what happened next.
Luke 4:43-44 “But He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose.” So He kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.”
So when I ask you what Jesus came to do?
You can say that He came to “preach the kingdom of God”
And so when He asks this man to follow Him,
It is clear what that means.
You too go and preach the kingdom of God, just like I am.
So when I ask you if you follow Jesus? (and you say “yes”)
You’ll understand why I follow that up with the question,
“Then do you “go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God”?
Does that make sense?
• It may be that people think they are following Jesus, but in reality they are not.
• It may be that they only intend to follow Jesus, but it is their love of this world that has thus far caused them to delay.
“I do intend to follow Jesus, but not yet”
And ACCORDING TO JESUS the reason for the “not yet”
Is because they love the world, they want to acquire the world,
They want to keep the world, and friendship with the world.
Even more directly. The reason they do not yet follow and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God is because they are in fact “dead”.
And that is why we say that:
FOLLOWING JESUS IS NOT FOR THE ACQUISITIVE
Following Jesus is not for those who want the world (to gain it or keep it).
• We already know that Jesus is not going to gain the world.
• But we also know that Jesus left His world behind that He might go and proclaim the truth of the Kingdom.
AND THAT IS THE CALL.
You cannot love this world and follow Christ.
AND YOU MUST UNDERSTAND THE WHOLE ISSUE HERE.
One hand it is certainly an issue of idolatry.
• Christ will not share the heart.
• He is a jealous God.
• When He says that He will have no other gods before Him, that includes the
god of gold.
That’s certainly one issue.
That is what stopped the Rich Young Ruler in his tracks.
That is what is referred to as the “weedy soil”
Luke 8:14 “The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity.”
Certainly then part of the problem is that if you love the world,
You confess idolatry which the Lord will not tolerate.
But there is more to this issue than just that.
Namely it is that IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO BE FAITHFUL to follow Christ if you maintain a love of this world.
What I mean is this.
If you seek to follow Christ you will continually be put in circumstances in which it will be impossible to follow Him and do what He asks if you love the world.
For example, look at the early church.
Acts 2:43-45 “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.”
Obviously if you love the world
You are unwilling to part with your stuff for the sake of your brother.
Acts 4:34-35 “For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostles’ feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need.”
There it is again. Following Jesus there would not have been possible
If love of the world was the driving focus.
Listen to John:
1 John 3:16-18 “We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.”
Again following Christ requires willingness to part with this world.
Look at:
2 Corinthians 8:1-6 “Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality. For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord, begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints, and this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God. So we urged Titus that as he had previously made a beginning, so he would also complete in you this gracious work as well.”
• There we aren’t just talking about people who had an abundance and chose to part with it,
• But rather people who endured an even greater lack than they already had.
The Macedonians (Philippians) gave out of their poverty.
Paul took that example and then told the Corinthians,
“You need to follow Christ like that too!”
AND THE POINT I AM MAKING HERE IS SIMPLE:
If you’re only love is riches
Then you’re going to inevitably pass on all those opportunities
And in those instances you won’t follow Christ.
Your desire to first go and bury your father will keep you from following.
Look, I’ve got a whole note pad filled up with support Scriptures on this. We could keep going and going and going.
The Bible has much to say about how loving the world hinders following Christ.
• Should we talk about the Rich Man in Hades who wouldn’t help the beggar Lazarus?
• Should we talk about the man who wanted to tear down his barns and build bigger ones so that he’d never have to worry again?
• Should we talk about Lot’s wife who loved this world and looked back?
• Should we talk about the rich in James 5 who had hoarded their gold to the point of rust and James told them they were fattened for slaughter?
• Should we listen to Asaph in Psalm 73 talk about how those who seek wealth are suddenly destroyed in an instant?
The list goes on and on. But the point is simple
Loving this world keeps people from following Jesus.
• FOLLOWING JESUS IS NOT FOR THE AMBITIOUS
• FOLLOWING JESUS IS NOT FOR THE ACQUISITIVE
Luke 16:14-15 “Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and were scoffing at Him. And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.”
How’s that one?
Loving the world like the Pharisees did is “detestable in the sight of God”
YOU GET THE POINT.
We are called to follow Jesus.
• We don’t follow Him because we think He will make us prosperous.
• And we don’t resist following Him because we know it will make us poor.
Those who followed Christ left this world behind
And went everywhere and proclaimed the kingdom of God.
They forsook this earthly city for a heavenly one.
And they followed Jesus to it.
UNDERSTAND what the King is demanding when He says, “Follow Me”
AND THEN ASK yourself if you are.
Luke 9:23 “And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”
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