Using the Law, Lawfully
1 Timothy 1:8-11
January 17, 2010

Two weeks ago we began a new study
Of a fabulous letter in the New Testament.

A letter written from Paul to his young protégé, Timothy.
It is commonly known as a pastoral epistle
Since it gives much insight into the forming and leading of the church.

In fact Paul clearly spells out the purpose of this letter.
1 Timothy 3:14-15 “I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.”

Paul makes no bones about the purpose of his writing.
He desires the church of God to be a pure and spotless bride.

He told the Corinthians:
2 Corinthians 11:1-2 “I wish that you would bear with me in a little foolishness; but indeed you are bearing with me. For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin.”

Paul was continually concerned
That the church be all that Christ wanted her to be.

After all the purity of the church is of the utmost importance to Christ.
Ephesians 5:25-27 “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.”

Part of the reason for the sacrifice of Christ was to present to Himself
A pure and perfect redeemed and holy bride.

And so it is easy to understand
How important godliness is inside the church.

And so as Paul writes a letter to this church leader
It’s easy to understand why Paul puts a premium on godliness.

In fact, 9 times godliness is mentioned in this letter.
Godliness both for Timothy and for those he leads.

Paul is writing “so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself fin the household of God.”

And as we mentioned last week,
Right living is a result of right teaching and preaching.
If people are to live godly, then they must be taught godliness.

And in order to reach that desired end,
The first thing Timothy was to do
Was to get the teaching ministry of the church in order.

1 Timothy 1:3-5 “As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith. But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”

Some of the teachers were teaching “strange doctrines”
With an unhealthy fascination with “myths” and “endless genealogies”.

This did not further the cause of godliness but instead
Only succeeded in bring confusion and “speculation” to the body.

And this is not the goal of our teaching.

We are not trying to get men to ponder, and speculate,
And rationalize, and think outside the box.

“Deep Thinkers” is not the aim.

1 Timothy 1:5 “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”

If you wanted to summarize that, you could easily say that
Paul wants us to produce “GENUINE” people.

People who genuinely love God…
People who genuinely serve God…
People who genuinely trust God…

Paul told the Galatians
Galatians 4:19 “My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you”

To the Colossians Paul said:
Colossians 1:28-29 “We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.”

That is the goal of all instruction in the church.

But as you know, that was not occurring at Ephesus.

Paul said:
1 Timothy 1:6-7 “For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion, wanting to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions.”
Instead of producing godly followers,
These men were preaching speculation and myths.
The result is what Paul called “fruitless discussion”

The congregation at Ephesus was not producing godly fruit.
They were not growing in relation to Christ.
Christ was not being formed in them.
They were not being presented complete in Christ.

All because they had teachers who “[wanted] to be teachers of the Law, even though they [did] not understand what they [were] saying or the matters about which they [made] confident assertions.”

And there Paul clearly spelled it out.
The teachers did not understand the purpose of the Law,
And therefore they did not use it properly.

And since the Law was not used properly,
The fruit of godliness was not being cultivated in the church.

And so tonight we study the Law in order to learn how to use it lawfully.

#1 THE NATURE OF THE LAW
1 Timothy 1:8

First off:
“But we know that the Law is good,”
• The Law is not evil…
• The Law is not contrary to God…
• The Law is not a wicked step mother that God must save you from…

“the Law is good”

And allow me to take you to some other passages of Scripture
To help you see why.

TURN TO: ROMANS 7:7-12

Notice how he began verse 7.
“What shall we say then? Is the law sin? May it never be!”

In other words, the Law is not the problem.
The Law is not contrary to the plan of God.

“On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “YOU SHALL NOT COVET.”

The Law is not the problem, sin is.
And it is the Law that exposes sin.
Romans 3:20 “because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.”

Picture the Law somewhat like an MRI machine
That reveals the tumor in your liver.
The Law simply revealed that coveting is wrong.

And when the Law revealed sin, sin fought back.
(8-10) “But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin is dead. I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died; and this commandment which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me; for sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me.”

Some of you ladies that have had breast cancer in here.

Think back to the medical test that revealed you had cancer.
From that point on your life changed.
You became a slave to chemotherapy.
And to an extent the cancer still seeks to enslave you, forcing routine
checkups, etc.

Now, think back to the day before you had the test.
DID YOU HAVE CANCER THEN?
WAS YOUR LIFE THREATENED THEN?

But you didn’t know it, and so you felt free.

That is what Paul speaks of here.
He wasn’t really alive before the Law came, but he thought he was.

(12) “So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.”

The conclusion is obvious.
That regardless of how painful the revelation was,
We can be only grateful to the thing that revealed the tumor.

Most cancer survivors actually promote routine checkups

The Law is good.

TURN TO: GALATIANS 3:19-24

Here you notice that Paul begins with a question.
“Why the Law then?”

And the answer is what you and I just learned in Romans.
“It was added because of transgressions,”
“having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made.”

The Law was given because of transgression to be in effect
UNTIL the coming of Christ, who is the seed of Abraham.

It had a role, it had a time frame.

Then comes another question.
(21) “Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God?”

The question is, “Did the Law come and take the place of God’s promises?”
Is the Law the way that God chose to give people His righteousness?

And the answer “May it never be!”
“For if a law has been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law.”

Is the Law the means by which God gives righteousness?
NO

(22) “But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.”

The Law had a very important role.
That role was to make sure that by the time Christ came,
You knew you were a sinner.

Savior’s aren’t in great demand if people aren’t in peril.

THE LAW CAME TO GET YOU READY FOR JESUS.
(23-24) “But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.”

The Law is good.
IT IS WHAT MAKES CHRIST LOOK BEAUTIFUL!

When I pray for the lost,
Show them sin – Show them judgment – Show them Jesus

It is the Law that makes Jesus look beautiful.
It is the Law that makes men run to Christ.

And that is what Paul meant when he told Timothy.
“But we know the Law is good, IF one uses it lawfully.”

If you use the Law as a means to reveal sin and condemnation
In order to push men to Jesus, then you are using it correctly.

If you use the Law as a mean of self-exaltation, and legalism,
Then you are not using it lawfully.

The Law is Good, but it is only good if it is used properly.

The Nature of the Law
#2 THE USE OF THE LAW
1 Timothy 1:9-10

“realizing the fact that the law is not made for a righteous person”

And here is where many make a critical mistake in regard to the Law.

The law is not for those who are righteous.

In other words, the Law is not for those
Who have already been made righteous by Christ.

This was the flaw of the Galatian churches.
TURN TO: GALATIANS 3:1-9

“You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you..?”

“bewitched” translates BASKAINO (bas-kah-ee-no)
“to fascinate or to charm”

It carried the idea of someone showing up in a snake oil wagon
And deceiving them with an amazing display.

And this is especially shocking since the Galatians
Were well aware of the atoning work of Christ.

“before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified”

They knew the doctrine of the atonement
And yet they still had the wool pulled over their eyes.
HOW?

(2) “This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?”

The question is simple.
HOW DID YOU GET THE SPIRIT OF GOD?
Works or Faith?

(3-5) “Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain — if indeed it was in vain? So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?”

DO YOU SEE THE PROBLEM?

They were trying to use the Law on a righteous person
In order to make him more pleasing to God.

But that is not the purpose of the Law, that is legalism.
That actually belittles the work of Christ.

So Paul sets the record straight.
(6-9) “Even so Abraham BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS. Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU.” So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.”

Faith is what God is looking for, not legalism.

And so we clearly see that the Law is not being used lawfully
When it is being used on the righteous.

It was never meant to perfect you.
Jesus does that.

Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

There is no need for the Law in the life of the godly.
The Law only leads you to Jesus.

And so we understand what Paul meant to Timothy.
“realizing the fact that the law is not made for a righteous person”

However the Law is needed for the unrighteous.

“but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching,”

WHY?
Because they need to have their sin exposed.
They need to be driven to Jesus.
They are precisely who the Law is for.

This is also very important to our ministry today.

Commonly today the church seeks to lure in sinners
With a lawless gospel.
Teaching on sin is out…
Proclaiming judgment is out…
Explaining hell is out…

Instead the church has sought to draw men in
Based on meeting their “felt needs”
And appealing to their selfish desires for an abundant life.

We offer them all sorts of things.
Some even go to the extreme of offering cars, and houses,
And financial peace and security.

And I will be the first to tell you that those tactics
Have SUCCEEDED in filling the churches with people.

Go out and read a George Barna survey…

It has worked perfectly (nearly)

There is one thing this sort of attraction has not accomplished.
GENUINE GODLINESS

Such tactics produce complacent, selfish, comfortable, egotistical, wishy-washy, and highly uneffective people.

Paul said:
1 Timothy 1:5 “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”

BUT GENUINE GODLINESS IS THE LOST ATTRIBUTE TODAY

The point is that our tactics don’t work.
BECAUSE WE HAVE LEFT THE LAW OUT OF THE GOSPEL

What that means is that while people seem to be accepting Christ
This is not what they are really doing.

I fear that we have a bunch of rich young rulers
Running after Jesus trying to carry their wealth with them.

They come in selfishness, not in sacrifice, because
They don’t feel like they need Him worse than their comfort.

THAT IS WHAT THE LAW DOES.
It drives people to Jesus.

It forces them to answer the question Jesus asked.
Matthew 16:24-27 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.”

When they see their end, they are all the more willing to sacrifice
In order to receive the Godliness that is only found in Christ.

The Law is to be used to lead men to a total commitment to Jesus.

The Nature of the Law The Use of the Law
#3 THE END OF THE LAW
1 Timothy 1:11

“according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted.”

In short, the Law is a tool to aid the work of the gospel.
The gospel is not a tool to aid the work of the Law.

• The Law has to be rightly understood…
• The Law has to be rightly applied…
• The Law has to be rightly used…

And when a person comes to Christ through believing the gospel,
Then the work of the Law is finished.

I don’t know if the teachers at Ephesus
Were still trying to hold the Law over people
(Ch. 4 suggest that they were),

But Paul wants Timothy to know that when Christ comes
The work of the Law is over.

Romans 10:4 “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”

Galatians 2:19-20 “”For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God. “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

TURN TO: ROMANS 7:1-6

And the point he is making is stated in verse 1
“Or do you not know, brethren (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law has jurisdiction over a person as long as he lives?”

And you know this.
The Law doesn’t work on dead men.

And then he uses the analogy of marriage.
(2-3) “For the married woman is bound by law to her husband while he is living; but if her husband dies, she is released from the law concerning the husband. So then, if while her husband is living she is joined to another man, she shall be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress though she is joined to another man.”

A woman as bound to her husband while he lives,
But if he dies, she is free to marry another.

And then comes the application.
(4) “Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.”

This is why we are crucified with Christ.
This is why we died to self.
So that we might be born again able to be married to a new husband.

“so that we might be joined to another” (Jesus)

And then notice the reason.
“that we might bear fruit for God.”

REMEMBER PAUL’S PROBLEM WITH THE TEACHING AT EPHESUS?
“fruitless discussion”
Men weren’t godly.

Well, we leave the Law and are joined to Christ
So that we can be truly righteous and fruitful.

(5-6) “For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death. But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.”

When we were sinful and unrighteous
The more the Law commanded the more we sinned.

But once we died, we were released from the Law
And joined to Christ and now we are righteous to God.

The point is there comes a time when the work of the Law ends.
It ends when the gospel is believed and we run to Christ.

And so let me bring this all to a conclusion.

If the church is ever to be godly like God intends,
Then we have to get our theology on the Law correct.

• The Law is good, it reveals sin and it drives men to Christ.
• The Law is necessary for wicked men for it is the only thing that renders them condemned and hopeless.
• But once the gospel is believed the Law has no more use for it is not for righteous persons.

That means we preach the Law to drive men to Jesus,
But once you come to Jesus we no longer hold the Law over you.

And now we know what the problematic teachers at Ephesus were doing.
They were not using the Law lawfully.

Either they weren’t using it to condemn the wicked
And therefore drive them to Christ.

Or they were using it on the righteous
In order to snare them under legalism.

And the either way the result is the same. – FRUITLESSNESS

The lost weren’t being saved
And the saved were not being conformed to godliness

The Law was not being used lawfully and godliness was not produced.

You and I learn then the importance of the Law
And the means to produce godliness
In the lives of those around us.

1 Timothy 3:14-15 “I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.”

“The Goal of Our Instruction”
1 Timothy 1:1-7
January 3, 2010

Tonight we begin a new study and one of my absolute favorites.

This was actually the first book I ever preached through,
But one I am excited about studying more and preaching again.

Before we get into our first text I want to show you the main point
In order to help you grasp the individual truths.

From our introductory reading, you are aware of much of the point.

When Paul left Macedonia, he left Timothy behind
To finish straightening out the church at Ephesus.

And this letter is written to encourage Timothy in completing that task.

It is most noteworthy to point out that 2 Timothy is written
To encourage Timothy as the task has been so difficult
That he is contemplating giving up.

And so we are aware that Timothy has been given
A large and difficult task by the apostle Paul.

And to really summarize that task,
We might say that it was to “Restore Truth & Godliness”.

Paul mentions “godliness” 9 times in this letter
Both for Timothy and for those he leads.

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

1 Timothy 6:11-12 “But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”

But it isn’t just godliness for Timothy,
It is for all and especially those who lead.

He was to outline godliness for the churches leaders.
1 Timothy 3:1-3 “It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money.”
And he was to hold those leaders accountable.
1 Timothy 5:19-20 “Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses. Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also will be fearful of sinning.”

PAUL WANTS THE CHURCH TO ACT LIKE THE CHURCH

1 Timothy 3:14-15 “I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.”

You can see that Paul wants the church to display godliness
Because we are the pillar and support of the truth.

We must live it so that we can preach it.

And so this letter is all about “doing church”
And even more specifically the role that the church has
In supporting the truth of God.

Timothy was to bring about this change by preaching the truth.

Look at the many references:
1:3 4:6 4:11 4:13 4:16 5:7 6:2 6:17 6:20-21

Timothy was called to turn Ephesus into a church
Concerned with the truth.
He was to make her “the pillar and support of the truth.”

And that is why I love this book so much.
It is practical, it is pointed, it is very much essential.

Tonight we begin by studying the first 7 verses.

There are 4 things I want you to see:
#1 THE GREETING
1 Timothy 1:1-2

I always find it significant to not allow us to overlook
The greeting that Paul gives when writing one of these letters.

For in the greeting comes the authoritative punch
That is necessary to our understanding.

“Paul, and apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus, our hope.”

Very simply what is occurring there is that
Paul is flexing his authoritative muscle.
This letter is not suggestion,
Nor is it based upon his own personal expertise.

• Paul was an apostle, a “sent one”.
• He was entrusted with the truth and commanded to preach it.
• He was commanded to do so by Jesus Himself.

As an apostle he had authority to command in Jesus name.

That is why we listen to what he had to say to Timothy.

It is also worthy to recognize that Paul
Refers to God as “our Savior” and to Christ Jesus as “our hope”.

This reveals to us the reason why Paul was commissioned.
He was commanded to preach to bring those two glorious truths to light.

He was called upon to preach salvation to the lost and hope to the defeated.
He was commanded to take the gospel to the world.

And then comes the greeting.

(2) “To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.”

And you are also familiar with who Timothy is.

Acts 16:1-3 “Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. And a disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek, and he was well spoken of by the brethren who were in Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted this man to go with him; and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.”

Timothy was from Galatia,
That region of intense legalism and severe persecution.

Those brethren were under constant attack,
Paul himself was stoned in Lystra,
Yet it was those faithful brethren who commended this disciple.

And that also explains why Paul circumcised Timothy.
They would never even get a chance to preach to the Jews in that area
If Timothy were not circumcised and so Paul removed the stumbling block.

Here Paul calls him, “my true child in the faith”
And so we see his tremendous love and admiration of Timothy.

1 Corinthians 4:17 “For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, and he will remind you of my ways which are in Christ, just as I teach everywhere in every church.”
1 Thessalonians 3:2 “and we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith,”

And so we know that Timothy is a very important person to Paul
And one that Paul is very fond of.

And in order to fulfill his mission Paul wishes him “grace, mercy and peace”

That is the greeting, now lets move on.

The greeting
#2 THE COMMAND
1 Timothy 1:3-4

Paul wastes no time in giving Timothy his marching orders.

“As I urged you upon my departure from Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus…”

When Paul left the church at Ephesus he specifically told Timothy
To stay there and finish the work that he started.

Now, some time later, Paul is reiterating that command.
The command is still to stay.

WHAT TASK?
“so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith.”

If you want to summarize the point it was this.

You have a few teachers there who are fascinated
By things that don’t matter, and as a result
They are neglecting the truth of God. Tell them to stop it.

Some were teaching “strange doctrines”
HETERODIDASKALEIN

It is a compound word that Paul himself may have originated.

HETEROS – strange or different
DIDASKALEIN – to teach

These men were teaching different doctrines, or strange doctrines.

It might have been outright heresy,
At the very least it was weird and unimportant.
I’ll never forget the Sunday Carrie came out of her Sunday School class at Crawford to tell me that the entire lesson had centered around whether or not Adam had a belly button.

And the same was going on at Ephesus.

This is also why Paul concluded the letter with this statement:
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.”

And let me just say men do this.

Pastor’s Conference:

“If you’re one of those preachers who has grown your church
From 200 down to 100 then you need to move out of your momma’s basement and kiss a girl for once.”

The aim was to be funny, the aim was to be amusing.
That is not what the pulpit is for.

Paul told Timothy to command them to stop.

“nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation”

It is not exactly known what they were teaching
Other than somehow your lineage was important,
Most likely promoting hereditary class and clout.

It could have been that men were exalting themselves
Based on their linking back to an Old Testament patriarch or prophet.

Such information is long, tedious, and absolutely useless.

1 Timothy 4:7 “But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness;”

And they were devoting themselves to this
“rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith.”

Instead of preaching the truth of God and calling men to faith in Him,
They were spending their time focusing on things of no importance.

He had to remain on at Ephesus until those men
Either ceased to teach or changed their curriculum.

The pulpit has never been a place for speculation, or comedy, or anything other than the truth of God.

When a church loses that, she has absolutely nothing.
SHE IS USELESS

Remember New Year’s Eve?
2 Timothy 2:14-23 “Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers. Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, men who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and they upset the faith of some. Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness.” Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels.”

The strange doctrines were of no benefit to the church
And Timothy had to get them stopped.

The Greeting
The Command
#3 THE REMINDER
1 Timothy 1:5

And just to make sure Timothy knew
What they were supposed to be teaching Paul clarifies it.

“But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”

And what a wonderful truth for every teacher or preacher to learn.

WHY DO WE PREACH?
• To get more numbers?
• To build bigger buildings?
• To grow our resume and become famous?
NO NO NO

TO CAUSE YOU TO LOVE GOD.

To love Him with a “pure heart”
To love Him with a “good conscience”
To love Him with a “sincere faith”

As we talked about this morning.
The greatest command is that you love God with all that you have.

The reason we preach
Is to motivate people to that type of relationship.

We preach so people will love God with all their heart.
• We don’t want to make me smarter…
• We don’t want to entertain men…
• We don’t want to moralize men…
• We don’t want to fill their lives with “How to’s” regarding life’s troubles…

We want men to love God.

And therefore we preach God’s word
For it is the only thing that can formulate such a response.

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.”

1 Thessalonians 2:13 “For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.”

The Ephesian teachers were fascinating men, and entertaining men,
And even causing them to think deeply and speculate,
But they were not causing men to love God more
And therefore their teaching had to be changed.

Never forget the purpose and aim of preaching.

The Greeting
The Command
The Reminder
#4 THE THREAT
1 Timothy 1:6-7

And here Paul reveals why these false teachers are so dangerous.

“For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion,”

This is a clear indicator that they are false teachers.
Their discussion is “fruitless”

Jesus said:
Matthew 7:15-20 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? “So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. “A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. “So then, you will know them by their fruits.”

The fruit spoken of there and here is not the fruit of the Spirit.
It is referring to the type of converts they produce.

And the focus is not so much on quantity, but quality.
True teachers produce true disciples.
False teachers cannot produce true disciples.

And that is what is going on at Ephesus.

Because teachers have been allowed to stray from the truth
And focus on any and every other little non-essential,
The church at Ephesus was not producing true converts.

That is why Paul will tell Timothy:
1 Timothy 4:16 “Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.”

Paul knew that because the truth wasn’t being preached at Corinth
That many of the converts at Corinth were not real.

Timothy had to preach truth and godliness in order to push through the misconceptions and lead people to real and genuine salvation.

THE THREAT AT EPHESUS WAS A THREAT AGAINST SALVATION
Without the accurate presentation of the gospel,
Salvation could not truly occur.

Romans 10:14 “ How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?”

A preacher can never assume that those he preaches to are truly saved.
A church has to be thorough.

CAN YOU SEE HOW SERIOUS A THREAT THIS WAS AT EPHESUS?

Something had to be done.
Doctrine had to be corrected.

Paul goes on to talk about these false teachers
(7) “wanting to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions.”

These false teachers had a deadly combination
• AMBITION – “wanting to be teachers of the Law”
• IGNORANCE – “even though they do not understand”
• CONFIDENCE – “they make confident assertions”

They want the title of teacher,
But they have no clue what the true gospel is,
Yet that doesn’t stop them
From claiming to be an authority on the matter.

It screams what Jesus taught the disciples about the Pharisees
Matthew 15:14 “Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

So it was at Ephesus.

There was a threat of bad doctrine penetrating the church,
And it was causing the gospel to be ignored
And the listeners to be deceived.

Timothy had to make sure this stopped.

He had to make sure that the teaching at Ephesus
Was producing Godliness.

And so be reminded that we are the church.
We are called to preach truth to turn men’s lives from sin to godliness.

If we fail to do that we miss our purpose.

1 Timothy 3:14-15 “I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.”

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 9:57-62 (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.”