"and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free"
By bro.rory
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By bro.rory
Anticipating Worship: The Fellowship of Suffering
Psalms 123
May 1, 2022
You know that we are currently in this section in our study of Psalms
Where we see a common sub-heading: “A Song of Ascents”
• This was the unofficial hymn book of the pilgrims as they traveled to Jerusalem.
• And they were songs that were sung in anticipation of gathering with the saints in Jerusalem for worship.
We enjoy them because they help us to evaluate and focus on
The true blessings and joys of corporate worship.
In a day in which the priority of attending corporate worship has slipped,
It is a wonderful thing to be reminded of the true value that is found there.
And thus far we have clearly seen a progression.
We started in Psalms 120
• With a Psalmist who lamented that he lived among liars.
• He dwelled with people who had no interest in peace.
• He anticipated worship as a place of sanctuary from an evil world.
In Psalms 121
• It was time for our Psalmist to start his journey, but it would be a difficult one.
• He thought about the hills and the weather and the dangers of travel
• He prayed for God to help him safely arrive.
In Psalms 122
• Our Psalmist entered the gates of Jerusalem, and we saw the joy of arrival.
• The excitement of just being in a place where the redeemed gathered was sheer joy to him.
• And he was motivated to pray that this city would always be a city of peace and prosperity.
Well tonight the progression continues
As he now looks past his contemporaries and past the hills he will walk
And past the city he has entered.
Now he lifts his eyes to the One he came to worship.
Now he approaches the heavenly throne.
We then understand certainly that this request
Must have been the heaviest upon his heart.
It is almost pictured like this: “As soon as I get to Jerusalem I know what I’m going to ask God.”
This was his burning issue.
This was the big one.
And it all has to do with the CONTEMPT and ILL-TREATMENT
That he has received from the world.
Look at verses 3-4
“Be gracious to us, O LORD, be gracious to us, For we are greatly filled with contempt. Our soul is greatly filled With the scoffing of those who are at ease, And with the contempt of the proud.”
In Psalms 120 he lamented that he lived among liars.
In Psalms 123 we find that the resentment was mutual.
The world in which he lived didn’t care much for him either.
Our Psalmist was the subject of their “contempt” and their “scoffing”
“contempt” is a word that speaks of “great disdain and mockery”.
Maybe you’ve watched a legal drama on television
And saw a time in which someone was held “in contempt of court”.
That means “they failed to properly respect the authority of the court
Or that they made a mockery of the legal system.”
THAT IS WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE.
It is the Hebrew word BUZ (booz)
In Genesis 38:23 it is translated “laughingstock”
In Proverbs 12:8 it is translated “despised”
It is actually a word that is used for the eternal fate of the wicked.
Daniel 12:2 “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.”
The Psalmist says that this is what he has felt from the world around him.
• He is not respected
• He is despised
• He is laughed at
• He is mocked
He says “we are greatly filled with contempt”
We are also filled “with the scoffing of those who are at ease”
“scoffing” is another term for “mocking or derision”.
And it comes from “those who are at ease”
In one sense it is people who have an easy life.
Perhaps it is the wealthy or the fortunate
And they belittle those who have nothing.
That could certainly be part of it.
But perhaps a better for translation of the word here would be “undisturbed” or “complacent”
(That is how the word is used in Isaiah 32)
Isaiah 32:9-11 “Rise up, you women who are at ease, And hear my voice; Give ear to my word, You complacent daughters. Within a year and a few days You will be troubled, O complacent daughters; For the vintage is ended, And the fruit gathering will not come. Tremble, you women who are at ease; Be troubled, you complacent daughters; Strip, undress and put sackcloth on your waist,”
It was people who may have experienced an easy life,
But more than that they just had an arrogant smugness
About the things of God.
They had life all figured out, they didn’t need God.
They were doing fine on their own.
To some extent this is the mindset of anyone
Who doesn’t feel the need to participate in worship.
But at it’s root it is simply a pagan mentality.
These people are fine without God…so they think.
And they throw “contempt” on those who would seek and trust God.
They are “the proud” who scoff at those who seek God.
Now, Scripture is clear about the fate of these arrogant people.
Psalms 37:7-15 “Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. Cease from anger and forsake wrath; Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing. For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land. Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more; And you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there. But the humble will inherit the land And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity. The wicked plots against the righteous And gnashes at him with his teeth. The Lord laughs at him, For He sees his day is coming. The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow To cast down the afflicted and the needy, To slay those who are upright in conduct. Their sword will enter their own heart, And their bows will be broken.”
Psalms 37:35-40 “I have seen a wicked, violent man Spreading himself like a luxuriant tree in its native soil. Then he passed away, and lo, he was no more; I sought for him, but he could not be found. Mark the blameless man, and behold the upright; For the man of peace will have a posterity. But transgressors will be altogether destroyed; The posterity of the wicked will be cut off. But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He is their strength in time of trouble. The LORD helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, Because they take refuge in Him.”
Psalms 49:16-20 “Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich, When the glory of his house is increased; For when he dies he will carry nothing away; His glory will not descend after him. Though while he lives he congratulates himself— And though men praise you when you do well for yourself— He shall go to the generation of his fathers; They will never see the light. Man in his pomp, yet without understanding, Is like the beasts that perish.”
Our Sunday School class has been studying Zechariah and we remember God’s disdain about this very thing.
Zechariah 1:14-15 “So the angel who was speaking with me said to me, “Proclaim, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, “I am exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and Zion. “But I am very angry with the nations who are at ease; for while I was only a little angry, they furthered the disaster.”
God does not take kindly to the world’s attitude toward His people.
God does not reward those who choose the world and ignore everyone else.
AND THE PSALMIST KNOWS THIS.
WE KNOW IT TO.
We’ve read the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus.
• We know that in this life that rich man had good things but in the afterlife he received bad things.
We’ve read of the Rich Young Ruler
• And how hard it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
We listened as Jesus pronounced woe
• Upon those who laugh now or who were well-fed now, or who were loved by the world now, as they are clearly told that eternity won’t have such favor for them.
We know what the Bible says about those proud and complacent and smug scoffers who hold God’s people in contempt.
AND SO DOES THE PSALMIST.
In fact, when he draws near to God in Jerusalem
That is item number one on his agenda to present to the Lord.
There is a personal anticipation on his part to draw near to God and cry out to Him regarding the contempt he has had to walk through at the hands of arrogant men.
So let’s look at his personal anticipation a moment.
Two main points we see here.
#1 HIS LOOK
Psalms 123:1-2
Verse 1 is such a great verse of awareness and contemplation.
“To You I lift up my eyes, O You who are enthroned in the heavens!”
Lets talk first about:
1) THE DIRECTION (1)
“To You” “and not to another” the Psalmist might have said.
Jeremiah reminded us:
Jeremiah 17:5-8 “Thus says the LORD, “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind And makes flesh his strength, And whose heart turns away from the LORD. “For he will be like a bush in the desert And will not see when prosperity comes, But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness, A land of salt without inhabitant. “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD And whose trust is the LORD. “For he will be like a tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of drought Nor cease to yield fruit.”
The Psalmist taught us:
Psalms 118:8-9 “It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in princes.”
Clearly our Psalmist knows that.
• He didn’t come to Jerusalem to appeal to David.
• He didn’t come to Jerusalem to appeal to the masses.
• He is here to appeal to God.
“To You I lift up my eyes”
AND THE REASON of course is because “You…are enthroned in the heavens!”
Psalms 115:3 “But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases.”
Psalms 113:4-8 “The LORD is high above all nations; His glory is above the heavens. Who is like the LORD our God, Who is enthroned on high, Who humbles Himself to behold The things that are in heaven and in the earth? He raises the poor from the dust And lifts the needy from the ash heap, To make them sit with princes, With the princes of His people.”
Our Psalmist knew that God dwells in the heavens.
• The earth is but His foot-stool.
• The temple is but a man-made sanctuary to symbolize his presence.
• For even Solomon said “Heaven and the highest heavens could not
contain” Him.
He is the chief authority.
He is the ultimate sovereign.
• If God says it, it is so.
• If God decrees it, it will happen.
And that is why our Psalmist comes to God.
But not only is our God the supreme authority,
BUT HE IS A GRACIOUS ONE AS WELL.
• He is not a Tyrant
• He is not cruel or mean
• He is not disinterested in the plight of humanity
He is certainly not negligent toward the needs of His children
Psalms 103:8-14 “The LORD is compassionate and gracious, Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness. He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust.”
Our God is perhaps best known in the fact that
He does not treat us as we deserve.
We have spoken many times about His remarkable CHECED
That He richly gives to those whom He has chosen.
Jesus reminded us of God’s loving nature to answer the prayers of His children.
Matthew 7:7-11 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. “Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? “Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!”
So it is no wonder our Psalmist begins by lifting his eyes to God.
He is suffering contempt from the world.
He is scoffed at and mocked.
He has become a laughingstock.
And though he may have found no help or relief in the world,
He knows where to look and so he lifts his eyes to God.
So we see the direction of his look.
2) THE DESCRIPTION (2a)
Our Psalmist gives an analogy of exactly the way in which he is looking to God.
“Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, So our eyes look to the LORD our God.”
Two analogies which mean the same thing.
• “As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master”
• “As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress”
You might be TEMPTED here to see this in the light of SUBMISSION.
One could paint the picture of a focused servant who’s only job is to patiently watch and listen for the directive of his master so that he might quickly jump in compliance.
Or you could make the same analogy regarding a hand maid who sits patiently listening only for the call of her mistress that she might spring to fill the need.
And certainly both of these roles have submission in common.
But that is NOT THE POINT to which the Psalmist is driving.
As you will see, he isn’t looking for his next assignment,
Our Psalmist is looking for grace.
(3) “Be gracious to us, O LORD, be gracious to us”
Our Psalmist wants relief.
Our Psalmist wants deliverance.
He uses this analogy to point out his DILIGENCE IN SEEKING God.
His diligence in seeking God for grace
Can be likened to the diligence of a servant or the diligence of a maid.
As their focus is continually upon their master,
So his focus is continually upon God.
He is looking to God and he refuses to turn his eyes away.
He is looking to God and he refuses to look anywhere else.
We think of a child who wants something from their mother.
That child will ask, and then will stand there and stare at their mother until they get an answer.
That is how our Psalmist is looking to God.
There is a commitment and a diligence here.
And that ties directly to the third aspect of his look.
3) THE DURATION (2b)
“Until He is gracious to us.”
• He is looking to God and he won’t look away until God comes through.
• He’s got nowhere else to go.
• He’s got no other hope.
• And he refuses to leave.
Luke 18:1-8 “Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. “There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me legal protection from my opponent.’ “For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.’ ” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge said; now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? “I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”
A familiar story, but a tremendously convicting one as well.
In that parable we are reminded that
Faith often looks like patience in our prayer life.
Our faith is in fact proven by our diligence and our patience.
We come to God and we keep looking until He moves or answers.
That is clearly what our Psalmist is doing.
• In his affliction and in his contempt he has now come to Jerusalem
• And he is lifting his eyes to heaven that he might call upon God
• And he’s not going anywhere until God demonstrates grace to him.
Now that’s his look.
#2 HIS LONGING
Psalms 123:3-4
As we clearly said, his longing is for relief.
(3) “Be gracious to us, O LORD, be gracious to us”
And you know why.
He is a laughingstock and has been filled with contempt.
And his cry is that God would show him grace.
The KJV actually translates this verse, “have mercy”
He has found no relief in the world, but he appeals for it from God.
So we have here a Psalmist who has been chewed up in the world.
• He said he lived among liars, but his pain has been more than that.
• They have lied about him and they have scoffed at him.
• He was eager to come to Jerusalem that he might seek the God of heaven
• And find mercy and grace and relief from his affliction.
He came because he wanted mercy.
(And we learn a lot there about seeking God
And seeking Him for mercy in a difficult world)
Well that is all clear, but at this point I suppose WE HAVE TO ASK.
WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH LONGING FOR CORPORATE WORSHIP?
This is “A Song of Ascents”
Couldn’t this man simply have prayed this prayer while he dwelt along in his own country?
Could not this prayer have been prayed from his own closet at home?
He clearly indicated that God is “enthroned in the heavens”
So it’s not even like he felt as though
He had to be in Jerusalem to offer this prayer.
• Why is this one of these songs of ascents?
• What does this have to do with corporate worship?
Well, there is a SUBTLE INDICATION in this Psalm that I hope will make it obvious why the pilgrims sang this song on their journey.
If you’ll notice
The Psalmist started as a single pilgrim with a solitary request.
“I” lift up “my” eyes.
He was one man who had suffered scorn
And he was traveling to Jerusalem that he might call upon God.
But no doubt as he traveled along the way it wouldn’t be long before he joined other travelers, perhaps even a caravan.
Certainly by the time he entered the gates of the city he saw plenty of others who had made the journey just as he did.
And by the end of his prayer,
It’s no longer “I” and “me”
“So OUR eyes look to the LORD our God, Until He is gracious to US. Be gracious to US, O LORD, be gracious to US. For WE are greatly filled with contempt. OUR soul is greatly filled with the scoffing of those who are at ease, and with the contempt of the proud.”
“I” becomes “we”
“Me” becomes “our”
What do you suppose has changed his tune or his perspective?
THE FELLOWSHIP OF SUFFERING
He was not alone in his plight.
He was not the only Israelite who had been scorned by the world.
As he walked along the road and as he entered the city
He was welcomed by others who had endured
The same sufferings that he walks through.
AND THIS IS A GREAT ENCOURAGEMENT.
1 Peter 5:8-9 “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.”
SUFFERING IS DIFFICULT,
But is there not relief and encouragement
In hearing the testimony of others?
• Some who sympathize with your pain…
• Others who have stories of victory and deliverance from when they were in your shoes…
That is what Peter references.
“the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world”
“accomplished” there DOESN’T mean endured.
It is not just common suffering.
“accomplished” is EPITELEO
It means “to bring to an end” or “to execute” or “to complete”
It comes from the same root word as that famous announcement
Jesus made on the cross, “It is finished”
Peter spoke of the encouragement we receive from other believers
When we see how they have completed or finished their sufferings.
It not only fuels our hope
But it encourages our faith to continue looking to God.
God delivered them, may He also deliver me.
THE POINT IS that there is fellowship in our sufferings.
Consider Jesus’ teaching on prayer (The Model Prayer)
Matthew 6:9-13 “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. ‘Give us this day our daily bread. ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’”
You hear the same focus in that prayer don’t you?
• “Give US this day our daily bread”
• “Forgive US our debts, as WE forgive OUR debtors.”
• “And do not lead US into temptation, but deliver US from evil”
These are all subtle reminders that
Our walk of faith was never intended to be in a vacuum.
We were never meant to “go it alone”.
An integral part of our walk and our growth and encouragement
Comes from the presence of other believers.
Imagine now the sheer joy and relief that strikes our Psalmist.
• He has left a country of pagan liars who scoff at him and dish contempt upon him.
• He has entered a city of worshipers who have been enduring the same struggles that he has.
That is a fellowship you cannot get apart from corporate worship.
You can most certainly (and you should)
Pray to God about your struggles in your closet at home.
But there is also a tremendous encouragement in gathering with the saints and sharing the fellowship that comes from suffering.
Remember when the apostles suffered at the hands of the Sanhedrin and were commanded to not preach anymore?
Do you remember what they did after that threat?
Acts 4:23-31 “When they had been released, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. And when they heard this, they lifted their voices to God with one accord and said, “O Lord, it is You who MADE THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH AND THE SEA, AND ALL THAT IS IN THEM, who by the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our father David Your servant, said, ‘WHY DID THE GENTILES RAGE, AND THE PEOPLES DEVISE FUTILE THINGS? ‘THE KINGS OF THE EARTH TOOK THEIR STAND, AND THE RULERS WERE GATHERED TOGETHER AGAINST THE LORD AND AGAINST HIS CHRIST.’ “For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur. “And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence, while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.” And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.”
What a blessing the congregation was to the apostles there!
Consider the book of Hebrews.
Remember they wanted to quit.
• The writer gave that strong warning in chapter 10 that if you shrink back the Lord will have no pleasure in you.
• And then to encourage them he gave them Hebrews 11.
What is Hebrews 11?
It is the record of other men and women who suffered just like them but who trusted God and endured.
And then the writer said:
Hebrews 12:1-2 “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
TAKE ENCOURAGEMENT FROM THEM!
Let the saints lift your spirits that they endured as well.
DO YOU SEE WHY YOU NEED THE CORPORATE FELLOWSHIP?
But encouragement to continue is NOT THE ONLY BENEFIT.
When you suffer in this world for your faith and then you come to church and see other men and women of God suffering the same way, that doesn’t just bring encouragement it also bring ASSURANCE.
Listen to Jesus here:
Matthew 5:10-12 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Do you hear what Jesus said?
• When I suffer contempt and scoffing…
• When I become a laughingstock…
• That just puts me in good company!
That is how the world treated the prophets and the apostles.
1 Corinthians 4:11-13 “To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless; and we toil, working with our own hands; when we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure; when we are slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now.”
So when you come to the church there is encouragement
And there is assurance that your faith is real!
Beyond that, that leads to a fellowship even with Jesus!
Philippians 3:10 “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;”
Paul wanted the fellowship of His sufferings.
Well what did Jesus say to that?
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!”
John 15:18-19 “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.”
There is assurance that is also produced here.
• When we suffer as Jesus did…
• When we suffer as the apostles did…
• When we suffer as other saints do…
It gives us the greatest form of assurance
That the faith we possess is the same that they possessed.
But how will you know that unless you gather with the saints in fellowship?
The fellowship of suffering is a tremendous reason
To faithfully attend corporate worship.
It’s not that we long to gather and just dump out all our pains and problems to one another,
But what a blessing to know that our journey is not unique.
Others are walking the same path.
And their suffering can be a tremendous encouragement to me.
BUT I’LL TELL YOU ONE OTHER THING.
It is a blessing when your pain can be an encouragement to someone else.
One of the things that we so often look for in our struggle
Is to find some sort of redeeming purpose in it.
We ask God “Why?”
And often times that is a question we can’t answer.
But when someone looks at you and says, “The way you are enduring through your trial is encouraging me.”
• Does that not lift your spirits in your own affliction?
• Does that not redeem to some degree your pain?
• Does that not give at least a little purpose to your trial?
And that is encouraging!
AND I HOPE YOU GET THE IDEA.
• Our Psalmist could have stayed home and prayed about this in his closet,
• But much of the grace which God would bestow upon him would actually come
through the corporate worship he was commanded to attend.
Attending church is not a burden, it is such a rich blessing.
And tonight we see it in the form of THE FELLOWSHIP OF SUFFERING.
By bro.rory
Obvious Christianity – Part 3
1 John 3:1-10 (4-8)
May 1, 2022
As you know, we are currently in the middle of our study of 1 John
And the overwhelming theme has been clear.
1 John 5:13 “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.”
The epistle of 1 John is an epistle ultimately meant
To give assurance to the Redeemed.
1 JOHN IS A PATERNITY TEST.
It carries us through various tests and points of examination
To help us determine who our Father is.
And the way John does so is really obvious and fascinating.
He reminds us of THE CHARACTER OF GOD
And then asks us to see IF WE SHARE in any of His attributes.
For example:
1 John 1:5-6 “This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;”
• It is a simple of issue of whether or not you bear the resemblance of your Father?
Or consider:
1 John 2:4-6 “The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.”
• Do you walk like Him?
• It’s built on the understanding that a son will walk like his father.
Or consider:
1 John 2:8-10 “On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining. The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now. The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him.”
• Does your love for others resemble His love for others?
You get the idea.
After all, how can one say he is someone’s child
When there is absolutely no resemblance whatsoever?
Well that is theme that John continues on here in chapter 3.
As I’ve told you, I believe this section to be sort of the heart of the letter.
It is perhaps the MOST DIRECT AND BOLD PATERNITY TEST
That John delivers in the entire epistle.
We read in verse 10:
“By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.”
And that is what we then are discussing: OBVIOUS CHRISTIANITY
• Do you resemble your Father at all?
• Do you resemble Christ at all?
• Or do you look more like that usurper who slipped into the garden?
AND THE ISSUE AT HAND IS PURITY.
Namely that Christians live pure and righteous lives.
In these 10 verses John gives us 3 reasons why Christians live pure lives.
These AREN’T 3 reasons why a Christian “should” live a righteous life.
These ARE 3 reasons why Christians DO live righteous lives.
We’ve already seen the first one.
#1 THE HOPE PRODUCING LOVE OF GOD
1 John 3:1-3
The simple point is that
God’s love is an active love that changes us.
It is a redeeming love that makes us different from the world
And is ultimately making us like Christ.
And that is the Christian hope now.
That one day we will no longer sin, but will be like Christ.
And that hope causes us to purify ourselves.
(3) “And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”
Christians will instinctively begin to strive for the perfect purity
That is one day promised them in Christ.
That is one of the reasons that Christians live righteous lives.
The Hope Producing Love of God
This morning let’s move on to the second reason.
#2 THE SIN CONQUERING WORK OF CHRIST
1 John 3:4-8
We’ll work through it, but it really is AS SIMPLE AS THIS:
What did Jesus come to do? & Has He done that in your life?
• If you tell me Jesus came to make people tall, then has He made you tall?
• If you tell me Jesus came to make people skinny, then has He made you skinny?
• If you tell me Jesus came to make people speak Spanish, then do you speak Spanish?
You get the idea.
If you want to know if you are a Christian
Then ask yourself what Christ came to do
And then ask yourself if He has done that in your life.
Well let’s look at what John has to say here.
And we’re going to bounce around inside these 4 verses a little
Because John’s argument isn’t really laid out in a linear fashion,
But I think you’ll see it fine by the time we’re done.
Let’s break these 4 verses down into 4 points that will help us understand what John is saying a little better.
1) A DEFINITION (4)
“Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.”
First John begins here by giving us a better understanding of what sin is.
In a sense he is defining sin.
Now we could do a vocabulary test here.
I can tell you that the word for “sin” John uses is: HAMARTIA
And that word simply means “to miss the mark”
Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
So there is a sense in which it just means to fail to reach the goal.
It is a failure to live up to God’s righteous standard.
But here’s the problem with that understanding.
It has been easily softened by humanity; especially our culture.
How many times have you heard someone say:
• “Well we all fall short.”
• “Everybody sins”
• “I’m only human”
What I mean is this: Humanity has sort of softened their understanding of sin simply because we all do it.
We treat it as nonchalantly as a basketball player who misses the free throw
Or the baseball player who strikes out.
We just sort of shrug it off and say, “Oh well, it happens to everybody.”
And with such a mindset sin loses its sting.
With such a mindset sin loses its sinfulness.
We don’t view it as that big of a deal.
Well perhaps John’s definition here will help you better understand sin.
For John says, “Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.”
John defines sin with a different word there.
“lawlessness” translates ANOMIA
And it refers to “being one without law or a lawless person”.
It speaks of “one who holds the law in contempt or who is rebellious”.
And I hope you understand what John is doing here.
He is taking a nonchalant view of sin
And trying to help you see it through God’s eyes.
Sin may seem insignificant to you
But to God it is the very epitome of rebellion.
It is cosmic treason.
It is insubordination.
Let me take you back to the day God instituted His Law and remind you of the seriousness of the scene.
Exodus 24:3-8 “Then Moses came and recounted to the people all the words of the LORD and all the ordinances; and all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words which the LORD has spoken we will do!” Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD. Then he arose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel. He sent young men of the sons of Israel, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as peace offerings to the LORD. Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and the other half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. Then he took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people; and they said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!” So Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.”
Here you have Moses reading all the words of the covenant to the people.
• He is reiterating the Law to them.
• And they agreed to obey all of it.
And did you catch what Moses did then?
He took the blood of the peace offering and he sprinkled it on the people.
Imagine that: You just agreed to obey all the commands of God and the first thing that happens is you get sprinkled with blood.
What was that?
It was the stipulations of the agreement.
Hebrews 9:19-22 “For when every commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the people according to the Law, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, “THIS IS THE BLOOD OF THE COVENANT WHICH GOD COMMANDED YOU.” And in the same way he sprinkled both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry with the blood. And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”
So we read that and ask:
What is the penalty for breaking the Law? (death)
This is serious.
Listen to Jesus:
Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’”
What John is doing here is
Making sure you understand that sin is not insignificant.
Sin is utter rebellion against the God of the universe.
• It is not God-like
• It is not of little consequence
• It is a big deal
And as John goes further you will see that
The practice of sin is an indication of lostness.
So first John gives us a definition
2) A DISTINCTION (5b, 8b)
In the middle of these 5 verses John gives us here a contrast.
As a human you are actually a child of one of only two fathers.
You are either a child of God or you are a child of the devil.
There is no 3rd family.
There is no other option.
And so John here identifies the defining characteristics
That distinguish those two families from one another.
And the chief difference between them is that
One of them is righteous and one them is not.
Look at Jesus:
(5b) “in Him there is no sin.”
Then look at the Devil
(8b) “for the devil has sinned from the beginning.”
So John has just defined sin for us and then he points out that
Jesus never did it and the devil has always done it.
The distinction between the two couldn’t be clearer.
Their defining characteristics are polar opposites.
“in [Jesus] there is no sin.”
Hebrews 4:15 “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.”
John 8:29 “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.”
Matthew 3:17 “and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”
In fact, we just celebrated Easter which is the forensic proof that Jesus was without sin.
• He never sinned, not once.
• He never said a sinful word…
• He never thought a sinful thought…
• He never had a sinful motive…
• He never did a sinful deed…
Jesus never sinned; AT ALL; EVER
The same most certainly cannot be said about the devil.
“the devil has sinned from the beginning.”
We barely make it 3 chapters into the Bible
Before the devil shows up with all his lies and deceptions.
Jesus called him “the father of lies”
And “a murderer from the beginning” (John 8:44)
We won’t go into all of it this morning,
But Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 both speak of this fallen angel who had such jealousy of God’s glory that he rebelled and swept 1/3 of the angels of heaven away with him.
Satan is anything but compliant.
Oh, he is forced to submit to whatever God says,
But rebellion and lawlessness are in his heart.
He is a liar and a thief and rebel and usurper
And a murderer and a slanderer and an adversary.
The simple and obvious point that we gain here is that
Jesus and the devil are on opposite ends of the spectrum.
Would you agree with that?
John 14:30 “I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me;
Jesus is the very epitome of righteousness
And the devil is the very epitome of lawlessness.
3) A DECEPTION (6-8a)
“No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. Little children make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil;”
Here we are confronted again with the deception of the day.
Apparently there were some who practiced sin quite regularly
And yet still claimed to be children of God.
AND JOHN BALKS AT THAT.
That’s a lie!
If you see a person who walks like the devil, talks like the devil, and acts like the devil, it shouldn’t be too hard to tell who their daddy is.
If you see a person who walks like Jesus, talks like Jesus, and acts like Jesus, then that should be obvious as well.
Does that make sense?
Jesus said the same thing, only with a bit of a different analogy.
Matthew 7:16-20 “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.”
It’s the same point here.
You’ve probably heard the analogy before, “He’s a chip off the old block”
Or “The apple didn’t fall very far from the tree.”
Do you want to know who your daddy is?
Then tell me who you walk like.
That’s the point.
• We first talk about sin,
• And then we talk about how Jesus never sinned and the devil always does
• And then we ask which one you act like.
But to come out and say, “I’m a Christian” while living like the devil
IS A TERRIBLE DECEPTION.
We talked about it last week, but I’ll mention it again.
This concept of the supposed “Carnal Christian” is a faulty concept.
John couldn’t be clearer:
“No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him.”
The tense of that verb “sins” does indicate the ongoing practice of sin,
Not a momentary stumble.
BUT THE POINT IS CLEAR.
And if that wasn’t clear enough, he’ll say it again:
“the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.”
And if that still doesn’t clear it up:
“the one who practices sin is of the devil;”
Now that helps us identify whether a person is a Christian or not,
But we want to know WHY Christians live righteous lives.
Someone might say:
“OK preacher, maybe the devil is my biological father, but I’ve been adopted into the kingdom. I’m not a genetic child of Jesus; I’m an adopted child. That’s why I look like the devil even though I’m a child of Jesus.”
LET ME SHOW YOU WHY THAT DOESN’T WASH.
It’s the 4th point here.
4) A DECLARATION (5a, 6c)
In these 5 verses John shows you TWO THINGS JESUS CAME TO DO.
In fact John actually twice uses the word “appeared”
• It is the mission of Jesus.
• It is why He came.
(5a) “You know that He appeared in order to take away sins;”
(8c) “The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.”
Those are two distinct statements
But they are in effect saying the same thing.
And they answer for us the question why Christians live righteous lives.
It is because when Jesus adopts someone one,
He also cleanses them.
• IT IS TRUE that God loved us when we were sinners.
• IT IS TRUE that Christ died for us while we were sinners.
• BUT IT IS ALSO TRUE that when Christ adopted us He cleansed us.
And in fact, He keeps on cleansing us.
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.”
Or remember that famous scene in the upper room
When Jesus is washing the disciple’s feet.
Remember when He comes to Peter?
John 13:6-8 “So He came to Simon Peter. He said to Him, “Lord, do You wash my feet?” Jesus answered and said to him, “What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.” Peter said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”
THAT’S A STRONG STATEMENT.
If you don’t let me purify you, then you can’t stay with Me.
Remember the parable of the wedding banquet?
Remember that guy who tried to enter without wedding clothes? (righteousness)
Matthew 22:11-13 “But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?’ And the man was speechless. “Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”
Consider what Jesus taught about church discipline.
Matthew 18:15-17 “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. “But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY FACT MAY BE CONFIRMED. “If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.”
Are you getting this?
It is true that Jesus was and is a friend of sinners.
It is true that Jesus loved the unlovely.
But Jesus doesn’t let any of them stay in their sin.
Before He redeemed the woman at the well, did He not first confront the sin in her life?
Do you remember the cripple he healed at the Bethesda pool?
Do you remember His command to that man?
John 5:13-14 “But the man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away while there was a crowd in that place. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you.”
What did He tell that woman caught in adultery?
John 8:10-11 “Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.”
So this notion that you can be an adopted sinner
Who is a Christian that still looks like the devil IS A FARCE.
Everyone Jesus adopts He cleans.
• He came “to take away sins”
• He came “to destroy the works of the devil”
Titus 2:11-14 “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.”
And think for a moment HOW HE DID THIS.
“to take away sins” gives us such a mental picture. (Day of Atonement)
• How that one goat was sacrificed on God’s altar.
• How that scapegoat what was sent away to carry away the sin of God’s people.
And we remember that our Lord was also crucified outside of the city.
How he was buried in the tomb.
OUR SIN WAS IMPUTED TO HIM AND HE CARRIED IT AWAY.
We think about how He destroyed the works of the devil.
Hebrews 2:14-15 “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.”
Jesus destroyed the devil’s power by disarming him.
The entire power of the devil has been the threat of death,
But Jesus conquered death and Satan lost his power.
1 Corinthians 15:56-57 “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.”
SO THINK ABOUT THIS.
• We have Jesus, who came to this earth and lived totally without sin.
• He then took our sin upon Himself and carried it away.
• He did so by carrying it to the cross where He would die.
• And He would rise from the dead to crush Satan’s power.
That is a pretty big mission IN ORDER TO SET YOU FREE from sin.
Now the question is this:
Do you suppose that
• Jesus would come to this earth
• And resist all that temptation
• And live a holy life
• And take our sin upon Himself
• And suffer our reproach and shame
• And die upon a cross
• And be stuck in a tomb
• And rise from the dead
JUST TO LEAVE HIS CHILDREN IN THEIR SIN?
And the answer is a resounding NO!
Certainly God loved us when we were sinners.
Certainly Christ died for us when we were sinners.
BUT HE ALSO SET US FREE FROM OUR SIN
SO THAT WE MIGHT BE RIGHTEOUS.
Do you remember PAUL’S TORTUROUS LAMENT in Romans 7?
Where he moaned and groaned because despite his efforts he continues to do the very thing he hates?
Romans 7:19 “For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.”
Remember his wail?
Romans 7:24 “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?”
You want to see his answer:
Romans 7:25-8:4 “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin. “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
Do you see it?
JESUS CHRIST SET HIM FREE!
• Jesus “appeared in order to take away sins”
• Jesus “appeared…to destroy the works of the devil”
• Paul said “He condemned sin in the flesh”
This is why Christians live righteous lives.
Because Jesus Christ set us free from the Law of sin and of death.
It is also why non-believers CAN’T live righteous lives.
Apart from Jesus, they have not been set free and they are slaves.
We’re running out of time, but go back and read Romans 6.
There you have that infamous question about believers being ok with living in sin simply because they are under grace.
And Paul emphatically answers, “May it never be!”
WHY?
Romans 6:5-6 “For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;”
WE HAVE BEEN SET FREE FROM SIN
Through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.
Romans 6:17-18 “But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.”
This is why Christians live righteous lives!
• It is NOT why they should, it IS why they do.
• We are now “slaves of righteousness”
The work of Christ in our lives
Has produced a slavery to righteous living.
And the only question left to ask this morning is this:
DID CHRIST DO THAT FOR YOU?
• If He has then you will walk in righteousness – YOU HAVE ASSURANCE
• If He has not, then you will walk in sin – YOU NEED CHRIST
WHO IS YOUR FATHER?
This is why we say that Christians live righteous lives because of the sin-conquering work of Christ.
We celebrate the fact that He came and conquered my sin.
We celebrate the fact that He set us free.
And that is a celebration we are going to have this morning.
We are going to partake of the Lord’s Supper.
We do this to remember the sin-conquering work of Christ.
That’s why Paul said:
1 Corinthians 5:8 “Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”
When you take this Lord’s supper, do it in righteousness.
1 Corinthians 11:27-32 “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. For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep. But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world.”
What a great time of worship and self-examination this table is.
And listen to that warning.
• This table is for the redeemed.
• It is for those who yielded their lives to Christ.
• It is NOT for those who would partake because it’s trendy or cool.
• It is NOT for those who would prefer to live in sin and partake anyway.
• Paul said when you do that you “shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord”.
• Paul even said that’s why people in the Corinthian church were dying.
Here we come to celebrate the work of Christ on our behalf
And we remember that His work is a sin purifying work.
If He is doing that in your life then come to this table and celebrate.
If He is not, do not make a mockery of it by partaking.
So now we come to our time of preparation for each of us to examine ourselves and then to partake in the table of the Lord.
By bro.rory
Anticipating Worship: The Joy of Arrival
Psalms 122
April 24, 2022
Tonight we return to our study of Psalms
And specifically these Songs of Ascents.
Psalms 120 – 134 is sort of the UNOFFICIAL HYMNAL of Israel for those specific times in which they traveled to Jerusalem for one of those 4 major feasts.
We certainly see them in their historical relevance and understand them from that ancient Jewish perspective.
However, at the same time we see them as songs to be sung even today by those who still love the physical gathering of the people of God.
And in a day when physical church attendance is dropping in priority
It is a breath of fresh air to us to be reminded what a blessing it is
To gather physically with the saints to worship the Lord.
We’ve already seen 2 of these Psalms
And we see A SMALL PROGRESSION emerge.
Psalms 120 showed us a Psalmist who was ready to make the journey to Jerusalem for worship.
• He lived among liars.
• He lived among people who didn’t want peace.
• He was eager to travel to Jerusalem simply as a sanctuary from evil.
And that is certainly one of the blessings of gathering with the saints.
For a brief moment we get a reprieve from the immorality and filth and deception and anger of the world and we enter a sanctuary of truth and justice.
Psalms 121 showed us the Psalmist as he stepped out his door to make the journey.
• He contemplated the rough terrain and the high hills.
• He contemplated the weather and the elements.
• He contemplated the dangers of evil men and camping at night.
• And yet he trusted that God would protect him on his journey.
And while we likely don’t fret too much the physical journey to church,
We do understand the hardships of journey to Zion.
And we rejoice in God’s grace to keep us from stumbling
As we anticipate the great eternal gathering of the saints.
So thus far we’ve seen
• Our Psalmist anticipate worship.
• Our Psalmist begin the journey.
In Psalms 122 he arrives safely in Jerusalem.
(2) “Our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem”
And don’t read that verse without first remembering the prayer of Psalms 121.
Psalms 121:1-8 “I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel Will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is your keeper; The LORD is your shade on your right hand. The sun will not smite you by day, Nor the moon by night. The LORD will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. The LORD will guard your going out and your coming in From this time forth and forever.”
Psalms 122:2 indicates that all of those hopes were fulfilled.
• God did help.
• God did shade.
• God did keep.
• God did guard.
And now the Psalmist has safely arrived in the city he set out to reach.
That alone is grounds for a song of worship.
But the thrust of Psalms 122 is not the journey he has completed
But rather the joy that he has now arrived
Where his heart longed to be.
And so TONIGHT as we study this Psalm
We contemplate the joy of arriving at worship.
• What do you feel when you pull up in the parking lot?
• What do you expect when you walk in the doors?
• What is your anticipation?
• And even, how do you pray for what is about to occur?
That is what we see in our Psalmist tonight.
We’re going to break this Psalm into 2 main points
#1 THE PLACE HE LOVES
Psalms 122:1-5
This Psalm begins with a great statement that is well worth pondering.
“I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD.”
Now we know that even genuine believers can fall out of habit in regard to attendance.
• Hebrews 10 makes it clear that it was “the habit of some” to skip the actual assembly of the saints.
• So it is possible that even the redeemed can be influenced by external circumstances and temptations and fall into the sinful habit of skipping the assembly.
BUT…
Neglect of worship or dread of worship
Is NOT the natural view of the believer.
Dreading worship is an anomaly, it is an aberration,
It is a consequence of a sinful influence.
Once redemption occurs the normal and natural occurrence is that
The believer will be eager to “go to the house of the LORD”
Consider the early church.
Acts 2:43-47 “Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.”
And of course you remember how later we read:
• That no one had any need for people were even selling their land and bringing
the proceeds in to feed this newly formed church.
And think about it for a moment.
Pentecost occurred during “The Feast of Weeks”.
That was one of those feasts where everyone was required to attend.
And while they were there, the Holy Spirit arrived
And Peter preached resulting in the salvation of 3,000 souls.
At that time there was 1 church on the entire planet.
(I suppose there’s always 1 church, but at that time there was 1 church location)
If these new believers went back home they went with no church. It’s no wonder they stayed, and it’s remarkable that the others sacrificed to allow them to stay.
We call that joy in the gathering.
They loved it.
I remember when we were preparing to go to Africa the first time in 2005 and none of us really knew anything about what to expect.
I was reading some Southern Baptist literature about IMB missions in Africa. And one of the articles said, “Be aware that many of these churches are comprised of new believers and they don’t realize that worship services don’t have to last all day.”
The point is, when a person is saved,
Eagerness to attend worship is a natural occurrence.
Sort of like how a new believer will long to read the Bible – they’ll also long for the saints.
It always puzzles me when we see someone claim salvation on Sunday morning
And then not even return for Sunday night.
When a person is redeemed their desire for worship is natural.
If there is not a desire to worship with the saints in your life,
It DOESN’T necessarily indicate that you are lost,
But at the very least you are BACKSLIDDEN.
The Psalmist said, “I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD.”
And then we get his STATEMENT OF SATISFACTION.
(2) “Our feet are standing withing your gates, O Jerusalem,”
We’re here!
We’ve made it!
I think it’s worth mentioning at this point
THE PHYSICAL ASPECT of what is occurring.
I hear people say it, and they aren’t wrong.
Things like, “The building is not the church, the people are the church.”
Certainly that is true.
But, I understand growing to love a building or a location.
Does your house not hold memories?
Do you not have locations you fondly remember?
• For sure, if your house burned, you’d rejoice in your family getting out safely.
You’d recognize that wood and bricks aren’t the truest value.
• And yet, there would still be a sadness for that house was the gathering of
so many good memories and moments.
I don’t have a problem with people loving the church’s location
Or even the building.
It is a hallowed place.
It is an important location.
There is something wonderful about pulling up in the parking lot
And walking inside these doors.
I certainly don’t feel the same about entering the grocery store
As I feel about entering this place.
I’m ok with a delight even in the physical location.
Our Psalmist is glad.
His “feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem”
BUT LET’S CONSIDER HIS TRUEST GLADNESS.
• What are his expectations?
• Why is he so glad?
• What is he anticipating?
Well he’s going to give you 3 reasons he is so glad to worship.
These are 3 things that certainly give us joy as we gather here as well.
1) He loves the: FELLOWSHIP AND UNITY (3)
“Jerusalem, that is built as a city that is compact together.”
I DON’T THINK he’s marveling at the architecture or city plan here.
I know the disciples did that from time to time.
One Bible translation translated this verse, “Jerusalem, that is built as a city that is at unity with itself.”
The idea is tightness.
The idea is togetherness.
The idea is unity.
• This man traveled from far away to enter this city for worship.
• And as his feet landed in Jerusalem he saw people from all over the country side.
BUT GUESS WHY THEY WERE ALL HERE.
They had all traveled here for the exact same reason.
I think about when we take the youth to camp, or when I’ve gone to a pastor’s conference.
• You pull up and get out of the vehicle and you know that everyone here is here
for the exact same reason as me.
• And there’s a great unity and a fellowship in that unity.
And this is one of the reasons we love to come to a place of worship.
(You miss this when you just try to worship alone or worship online)
The church was meant to enjoy this unity.
You are aware of the foundation for this:
John 17:20-21 “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.”
• That wasn’t just everyone getting along.
• Jesus was talking about common spiritual life.
But that is certainly the basis for our unity.
It’s why we all get along
Paul fleshed out the idea of practical unity for us.
Ephesians 4:1-6 “Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.”
This is how we come.
• “one body”
• “one Spirit”
• “one hope”
• “one Lord”
• “one faith”
• “one baptism”
• “one God and Father”
And the real joy is in knowing that this is shared by everyone here.
I was actually thinking about this as I was sitting on the stage at Jayton before preaching a funeral this past Friday.
There is an ENTIRELY DIFFERENT FEEL when sitting in church on a Sunday preparing to preach versus sitting at a funeral and preparing to preach.
For the most part, when I preach here on Sundays there is an overwhelming sense that the majority are eager to hear what is going to be said.
• You can feel the unity and its calming and encouraging to know that you are
preaching to people for the most part want to hear it.
But at a funeral that is not the feeling you get.
• There is totally different feeling as you realize that there will be many in the
room who absolutely do not want to hear a sermon.
It is that UNITY OF FELLOWSHIP that makes gathering here so great.
• We are unified in Spirit.
• We are unified in hope.
• We are unified in the Lord.
You can’t get that anywhere else in the world.
That is one of the reasons our Psalmist is so happy to be in Jerusalem
And it’s why we are happy to be here.
There’s another reason he loves that place so much.
2) He loves the: FRUIT OF REDEMPTION (4)
“To which the tribes go up, even the tribes of the LORD – an ordinance for Israel – To give thanks to the name of the LORD.”
Look at the Individual Elements of the things he notices.
• He sees DIVERSITY – “the tribes”
• He sees REDEMPTION – “tribes of the LORD”
• He sees OBEDIENCE – “an ordinance for Israel”
• He sees GRATITUDE – “To give thanks”
What does that mean?
Here you have people from different backgrounds and different cultures.
• They are from different geographic regions.
• They speak different languages.
• They like different foods.
• They look different.
And yet, the one thing they have in common is that
They have all been redeemed by the LORD.
THEY ARE HIS TRIBES.
And they are here because He commanded them to come
• This is a congregation of people who obey the Lord.
• This is a gathering of people who prioritize worship.
And they eagerly come to give thanks to the God who has redeemed them.
• This is a people of gratitude.
• They aren’t here to grumble.
THESE PEOPLE (despite their differences)
ALL ACT LIKE SAVED PEOPLE.
THE CHURCH IS UNIQUE LIKE THAT
This is the joy that many of you have felt on THE MISSION FIELD.
• You walk into a church building on the other side of the world.
• They sing a song in a language you don’t know.
• Every word you speak has to be interpreted.
• They dress differently…
• They eat different food…
• They look different…
AND YET YOU RICHLY FELLOWSHIP WITH THEM – WHY?
Because they have been saved by the same God who saved you,
And they love Him too.
It’s the only thing you have in common and that is more than enough.
Galatians 3:28-29 “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.”
We might say “neither African nor American, neither Asian nor Hispanic”
And this of course is a foretaste of heaven.
Revelation 7:9-12 “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”
What a great joy!
We are all unique, but we share this common bond of redemption.
AND EVEN BEYOND THAT
We actually enjoy the diversity of our own personal differences,
Because even our differences are uniquely designed
For the edification of the body.
• Paul reminded us that not everyone is an eye or a foot or a hand.
• The Holy Spirit uses each of us differently, but always for the same end goal
which is the edification of the body.
AND THAT IS A TRUE JOY IN GATHERING TOGETHER.
What the Psalmist recognizes as he looks over the diverse crowds
Is that they all share the common bond of redemption.
No matter where they came from or what their particular interests are,
They are all here in obedience to the Lord to give thanks to Him!
That makes church a wonderful place to be.
Why would you want to be any place else?
There’s a third thing he loves.
3) FORESHADOW OF JUSTICE (5)
“For there thrones were set for judgment, The thrones of the house of David.”
This of course doesn’t just reference the temple, but all of Jerusalem.
He recognizes David’s throne.
And it is a throne of justice.
• It of course was a foreshadow of the coming Messiah who would reign on David’s throne.
Isaiah 11:1-5 “Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. And He will delight in the fear of the LORD, And He will not judge by what His eyes see, Nor make a decision by what His ears hear; But with righteousness He will judge the poor, And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked. Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins, And faithfulness the belt about His waist.”
THAT KING IS COMING.
• Currently it was David’s throne and the Messiah was not yet here.
• But you did have all Israel gathered together in submission to that throne.
• And it was a picture of a coming promise that one day the true King would arrive and he would rule from that throne in justice over the whole world.
And this is something we love about the gathering of the saints today.
When we gather in this building
• We certainly want to obey Scripture and submit to the governing authorities,
• We certainly want to honor the king as Scripture teaches.
But at our core the reality remains that we serve 1 King.
We serve Jesus Christ.
We are citizens of a heavenly kingdom.
We bow the knee to heaven’s king.
• We aren’t ruled by earthly powers…
• We aren’t ruled by logic…
• We aren’t governed by majority…
THE CHURCH IS NOT A DEMOCRACY!
IT IS A THEOCRACY.
Christ is head!
Christ is King!
Christ is Lord!
We bow to Him, we follow Him, we serve Him.
What He says goes.
And what you see currently in the church
Is a picture of what it will one day be like on the whole earth.
It is a foretaste of glory divine.
It is a foretaste of Christ’s millennial reign!
And it is one of the things we love about being here.
SO PICTURE NOW OUR PSALMIST ENTERING JERUSALEM.
His feet walked through the gates and joy fills his soul.
• He is among those who are redeemed.
• He is among those who are here for the same reason he is.
• He is among those who serve heaven’s king.
It is enough to make one wish
We could gather in this place and never leave.
THIS IS THE PLACE HE LOVES.
And we love this place.
• It’s more than bricks and lumber. (though we love that too)
• It is a place where the redeemed gather.
• It is a place where we come for the same purpose.
• It is a place where we get a taste of what is coming some day.
How could you not be glad when they say to you, “Let us go to the house of the LORD”?
We love this place!
The Place He Loves
#2 THE PRAYER HE SOLICITS
Psalms 122:6-9
Solicits may not actually be a strong enough word.
It reads more like a command.
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:”
First of all you recognize that the word “peace”
Dominates these final 4 verses.
There is a reason for that.
The Hebrew word for “peace” is SHALOM
Which runs very closely to the word Jerusalem.
Jerusalem was to be the city of peace.
Remember when the writer of Hebrews spoke about Melchizedek
Hebrews 7:1-2 “For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth part of all the spoils, was first of all, by the translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then also king of Salem, which is king of peace.”
“Salem” there is “peace”
That is true for the church as well.
This ought to be a place of peace.
Remember back in Psalms 120
This is why the Psalmist wanted to come so bad.
Psalms 120:6-7 “Too long has my soul had its dwelling With those who hate peace. I am for peace, but when I speak, They are for war.”
This place should be a place of peace.
And the Psalmist TELLS YOU TO PRAY to that end.
“May they prosper who love you. May peace be within your walls, And prosperity within your palaces.”
Do you want a prayer to pray for the church?
THERE IT IS.
• Pray for God to bless those who love the church.
• Pray that peace will abound within the walls of this church.
• Pray that prosperity will be here.
Now, someone might balk at that initially and say, “That sounds a little bit like the prosperity gospel.”
No, this guy isn’t hoping that serving the church will make him rich,
He’s praying that the church will prosper and be a place of peace.
WHY?
Well, there’s 2 reasons.
(8) “For the sake of my brothers and my friends, I will now say, “May peace be within you.”
He prays for peace and prosperity for the church
Because a prospering peaceful church benefits his brothers and friends.
We certainly don’t put our hope in temporal things,
And we certainly steer away from the love of money.
However, we still understand that when the church does well and walks in peace that it is a blessing to those who worship there.
• How many youth have enjoyed going to camp because of the prosperity of the
church?
• Where do things like DiscipleNow come from?
• It is a blessing to have air conditioning and a church van and padded pews
• And food to serve on Wednesday nights, etc.
We are grateful for God’s provision and blessing and prosperity
Which He pours upon His church and we even pray for it.
IT BENEFITS THE SAINTS.
But there’s another reason he prays for the church’s peace and prosperity.
(9) “For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your good.”
He wants Jerusalem to prosper
Because it DIRECTLY effects the house of worship.
And thus it INDIRECTLY attributes to the glory of God.
We pray for the church to prosper to the glory of God.
We pray for the church to be at peace to the glory of God.
• We certainly understand that the church has always thrived through persecution, and should it come we would not fear.
• Yet, when called to pray, we pray for peace;
We certainly don’t desire a church that does not dwell in peace.
Paul rebuked the Corinthians several times for the divisions among them.
We pray for peace.
2 Corinthians 13:11 “Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.”
We pray for the prosperity of the church to the glory of God.
• What a blessing to be able to send money to others
• We think of the Philippians giving to help the Jerusalem saints
• As one put it: “We are blessed to be a blessing, with enough to give enough”
We plead with God to make His church dwell in peace and prosperity.
It is a blessing to have such a place where we can freely and openly proclaim the gospel and worship God in song.
We thank God for blessings like instruments and people who can play them, for air conditioning and lights and things of that nature.
BUT WHEN YOU CONTEMPLATE IT ALL
What do we learn here?
Namely that the gathering of the redeemed is a place of joy!
I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD”
• It is a joy to the soul to be afforded the privilege of attending this place.
• It is a joy to the soul to gather with the redeemed.
• We pray that it is a gathering that makes other people glad as well.
• We pray that it is a gathering that glorifies God and makes Him glad.
And we pray that it remains that way.
We pray for the peace and prosperity of this place.
For this place represents far more to us than just a building.
This is the building where we worship God.
May it always be pure joy just to walk through the doors!
Psalms 100 “Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth. Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing. Know that the LORD Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting And His faithfulness to all generations.”
By bro.rory
Obvious Christianity – Part 2
1 John 3:1-10 (1-3)
April 24, 2022
A couple of weeks ago we started this new segment in John’s epistle.
I think it really is the heart of the epistle.
And as I told you last time when we introduced this text,
The EMPHASIS of these ten verses is on RIGHTEOUS LIVING.
We see it clearly in verse 10.
“By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.”
• As a young man John was called a “Son of Thunder” and he was pretty rigid
and harsh.
• Certainly the love of Christ transformed this rigid disciple, but his black and
white view on what is obvious is as strong as it ever was.
John is now likely in his 90’s. He’s been around a while.
And there is nothing confusing to him regarding
The role of practical righteousness in the life of a believer.
True believers practice righteousness.
It is obvious.
WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT, it’s actually a little perplexing
To wonder how anyone ever came to doubt such a reality.
It’s probably been around for 40 years or so now, but there has arisen a view or belief even in our day which has been titled “Carnal Christianity”.
It is an idea that believe it or not
Has been widely adopted in the American church.
Basically it is the belief that a person can be saved,
But not be transformed.
You’ve likely heard it stated like this: “You may get saved at one point in your life and then later, at a separate time, you choose to make Jesus Lord.”
That view became real popular about 40 years ago.
And with the rise of that view came the rise of the supposed “Carnal Christian”.
• That one who had supposedly been saved and forgiven by Jesus,
• But who was still totally in the flesh; who still lived a life of carnality.
The sort of banner verse for that view is found in 1 Corinthians.
1 Corinthians 3:1-3 “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?”
And so using the Corinthians as an example people began to say that
“It’s possible for a person to be saved and yet still walk as fleshly or carnal men.”
• That such a person may have accepted Jesus as their Savior, but have not
surrendered to Him as their Lord.
• That such a person has received the blessing of forgiveness but does not
walk in obedience and is not experiencing sanctification.
Of course that is not Paul’s message to the Corinthians at all.
In fact, in chapter 5 Paul will call for the Corinthians to actually expel any “so-called” brother who still lives in sin.
1 Corinthians 5:11 “But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one.”
Even later Paul will tell them:
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.”
Clearly Paul does not hold to a belief that a person can be saved
And yet still maintain a life of carnality.
What Paul spoke of in chapter 3 was IN REFERENCE TO
Their spiritual immaturity not their physical immorality.
We could even add passages like:
Romans 8:5-8 “For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”
It is clear from Paul there that men who walk in the flesh
And practice unrighteousness are clearly not redeemed.
Paul would go on to say:
Romans 8:12-14 “So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”
The view of the carnal Christian is a tragic distortion
That seeks to allow unredeemed men to feel saved
In spite of their sinfulness.
It is NOT what Scripture teaches.
But none the less that has been a view adopted even in our culture,
And even by the modern day church.
APPARENTLY it was a deception even floating around in John’s day.
(7-8a) “Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil;”
John was concerned that people in his day
Would buy into this deception of carnal Christianity
And so John is writing to boldly and clearly address the issue.
It doesn’t really get any clearer than: “the one who practices righteousness is righteous”.
And so we are reminded:
CHRISTIANS LIVE RIGHTEOUS LIVES
• Their righteous living is NOT the means of their salvation, but it is certainly a fruit of it.
• NOR would we say that Christians live perfectly righteous, but righteousness is certainly the goal.
And in these ten verses John is giving us
3 reasons why Christians live righteous lives.
I gave them all 3 to you last time, I’ll repeat them here again so you’ll clearly see where we are headed.
1) THE HOPE PRODUCING LOVE OF GOD
• God’s love gives hope and that hope produces righteous living.
2) THE SIN CONQUERING WORK OF CHRIST
• Jesus clearly came to destroy the works of the devil.
• He came to rescue men from sin, not leave them in it.
3) THE LIFE CHANGING PRESENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
• He’s not called “The Holy Spirit” for nothing.
• He is a sanctifier and He does not leave men in sin.
And that will be the backbone of John’s argument
As to why Christians live righteous lives.
Well, last time we started looking at the first.
#1 THE HOPE PRODUCING LOVE OF GOD
1 John 3:1-3
All we really got accomplished last time was to
Sort of give clarity regarding this great love of God.
“See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God”
So we took John’s advice and we examined this love.
God’s love is a SOVEREIGN LOVE
• It was God’s will to put that love on us, not ours.
• It was God’s decision.
• It was God who instigated it.
• He sovereignly chose to love those who were not lovely.
God’s love is a SACRIFICIAL LOVE
• Redeeming sinners is not free; it’s not even cheap.
• God certainly loved us, but if He was to redeem us it would be a high price.
• It would cost Him the life of His Son.
• And God paid that price.
God’s love is a SUSTAINING LOVE
• He didn’t just love us and ignore us.
• He didn’t just love us, redeem us, and then set us loose.
• He brought us to His table; He adopted us as sons and daughters; He gave us an inheritance.
It really is a remarkable thing that God would take sinners like us,
And not only love us but redeem us,
And not only redeem us, but adopt us.
How could it be “that we would be called children of God”?
And yet John says: “and such we are.”
It is unfathomable, but it is reality none the less.
God has so loved us that He redeemed us and adopted us into His family.
Frederich Lehman wrote in his beloved hymn: “The Love of God is Greater Far”
“Could we with ink the ocean fill, And were the skies of parchment made;
Were every stalk on earth a quill, And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole, Though stretched from sky to sky.”
John would certainly have you marvel at
God’s great love for those He has redeemed.
But that is NOT ALL John wants you to do.
John also wants you to UNDERSTAND THE HOPE God’s love produces.
You see it down in verse 3, “And everyone who has this hope…”
John is referring to a hope that we have
Which is the consequence of being a recipient of God’s love.
On one hand that is easy to understand.
• Each of us has a hope of eternal life.
• Each of us has a hope of dwelling with God in heaven one day.
But that hope is NOT based on our worth.
That hope is not based on our merit.
If that were the case our hope would be pretty thin.
• We’d actually live in great anxiety each moment out of fear that we might re-offend the God who saved us and lose our inheritance.
But our hope is not based on our will or our effort.
Our hope is actually based on God’s great love.
We delight in the fact that God loved us when we were sinners.
We delight that God loves us though He knew everything about us.
God didn’t get buyers remorse after redeeming us,
For He was well-aware of what we where when He chose to purchase us.
Romans 8:33 “Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies;”
We may in fact slip up from time to time,
And certainly Satan is more than eager to point that out to God.
And yet we rest in the fact that God justified us when we were sinners.
• He loved us when we were unlovable.
• His love is our security.
• His love is our hope.
That is a simple understanding of how God’s love produces hope in us.
My children may fear my discipline if they disobey or make a mistake,
But they don’t fear me putting them up for adoption.
And my love is practically evil compared to God’s.
GOD’S GREAT LOVE PRODUCES HOPE IN US.
But there is MORE TO UNDERSTAND here than just that.
To fully understand how God’s love produces hope in us
We must examine exactly what God’s love is accomplishing in us.
And this is what John would show you.
Let me break these down a little further this morning and show you 3 effects God’s love has in our lives.
1) OUR DISTINCTION (1b)
“For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.”
You could ask: WHAT REASON?
But John told us that.
Since God has loved us and adopted us and now calls us His children, John says, “For this reason the world does not know us”
So at the very least we must now acknowledge that
The love John refers to in verse 1
Is not a love that everyone equally receives.
Clearly the world did not receive it.
Clearly it is only a love which the redeemed enjoy.
In fact, it is A LOVE WHICH HAS DISTINGUISHED US from the world.
Whatever it is that God’s love has done in our lives,
The effect is that it has made us unrecognizable to the world.
Do you see that?
People who once knew us…
People who once recognized us…
People who once understood us…
Now no longer do because of God’s love in our lives.
His love has clearly TRANSFORMED us.
And so you must understand that GOD’S LOVE IS NOT STAGNANT.
• God’s love is not indifferent.
• God’s love is not passive.
GOD’S LOVE IS ACTIVE.
• It is a saving love
• It is a redeeming love
• It is a transforming love
Otherwise God’s love wouldn’t make us unrecognizable to the world.
When God’s great love is poured upon a sinner
It has a transforming effect on that sinner’s life.
Hebrews 12:6 “FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES.”
God, in His love for His children, actually disciplines us
So that we may share in His holiness.
Romans 8:28-30 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”
God, in His love for His children,
Is actually conforming us into the image of Christ.
You may not be able to see God’s love,
But you can see the effects of it on a life.
TO PUT IT SIMPLY,
AFTER WE BECOME A RECIPIENT of God’s sovereign, saving, and sustaining love WE ARE NO LONGER THE SAME.
And that is seen in the fact that: “the world does not know us”
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
• sure, they still know your name.
• Yes, they still recognize your face.
BUT THEY HAVE NO CONCEPT OF THIS CHANGE
THAT HAS OCCURRED IN YOUR LIFE.
1 Peter 4:4 “In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excesses of dissipation, and they malign you;”
Peter said they are shocked; they don’t understand
Why you don’t like doing the things you used to like to do.
Paul would say:
Colossians 3:3 “For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
“hidden” is the word KRUPTO
It’s where we get our word “cryptic”
THE WORLD DOESN’T GET IT.
AND THEY NEVER HAVE.
Take Abraham:
Hebrews 11:13 “All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.”
• Abraham was called a “stranger” and an “exile on the earth”
• Nobody understood him.
And this same terminology is used of believers today:
1 Peter 1:1 “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen”
1 Peter 2:11 “Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.”
BUT WHY DOES THE WORLD NOT KNOW US?
John says, “because it did not know Him.”
Certainly John learned this from Jesus:
John 15:18-21 “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. “But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me.”
So are you putting it all together here?
• Once you become a recipient of God’s love the world no longer recognizes you.
• And John says that is because they didn’t recognize Jesus.
And you have to ask: What does one have to do with the other?
Well clearly then God’s love is working
To cause you to look like Jesus.
DO YOU SEE THAT?
That’s the only way John’s statement makes sense.
If God’s love wasn’t making you like Jesus
Then it wouldn’t matter if the world recognized Jesus or not.
God’s love is having an active effect on your life
And that effect makes you unknown to the world.
So there is a distinguishing aspect of God’s love in your life.
• It sets you apart.
• It makes you different.
• That is our distinction and it is a consequence of God’s love in our lives.
Now there is a second effect of God’s love
2) OUR DESTINY (2)
“Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.”
So we know that God, through His love, is causing us to look like Jesus.
The immediate effect is that it makes us distinct from the world.
But, we realize that is still an ongoing process.
• He is conforming us into the image of Christ,
• But none of us would say that we have fully arrived.
In fact, we can’t even full grasp
What that might look like in our lives.
John says, “it has not appeared as yet what we will be.”
We understand that we have a long way to go before we are like Christ,
But even in that we still don’t have a full grasp of it.
We know God is changing us,
But we don’t fully grasp what that change will look like.
However, “We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.”
We don’t know now what it will be, but we will.
There is coming a day,
• When the Lord returns, that our sanctification will be complete.
• We will be fully transformed.
• We will be glorified.
1 Corinthians 13:12 “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.”
1 Corinthians 15:51-52 “Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.”
Philippians 3:20-21 “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.”
This is the Christian destiny.
FURTHERMORE THIS IS THE CHRISTIAN HOPE!
The Christian hope is NOT JUST a longing to go to heaven when we die.
The Christian hope is much greater.
Our hope is that one day I’ll never sin again!
Our hope is that one day I’ll be made perfect like Christ!
God has certainly begun that process to such an extent that the world should no longer recognize me,
But the Christian longs for the day when God completes that process.
We have often discussed that powerful chapter of Romans 7
And even pondered Paul’s urgent plea:
Romans 7:24 “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?”
When you read Romans 8 it becomes clear that Paul’s plea was immediately answered by salvation and the sanctifying work of the Spirit.
It is the Spirit who sets us free from our sinful slavery.
However, there is a sense in which that hope of deliverance is on-going.
For even though God has set us free from our sin
And is sanctifying us,
There is still a deep desire for the total completion of this process.
Paul speaks of that later in Romans 8
Romans 8:18-23 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.”
And this is our Christian destiny.
And it is a product of God’s love toward us.
So when God sets His great love on us, it has a distinguishing effect
And it points us to our future destiny.
And here is John’s final effect
3) OUR DESIRE (3)
“And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”
This is the final effect of God’s love in your life.
It actually causes you to desire to join God in His sanctifying work.
Christians don’t begrudgingly accept God’s sanctification.
Christians eagerly participate in God’s sanctification.
The Christian,
• Having received God’s love,
• Begins to see that God is transforming us.
• Though he doesn’t know exactly what he will be,
• He does know the direction he is headed.
• And so the Christian eagerly and actively participates in that process.
Philippians 2:12-13 “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”
“this hope” which Paul refers to is “the hope of perfection”.
• It is the hope of glorification.
• It is the hope of Christ-like-ness.
We see that God has started this in us and we eagerly anticipate the day He completes it and so we also run toward it.
THIS IS THE CHRISTIAN DESIRE.
Notice how John puts it:
“everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself”
• This ISN’T just the mindset of a select few over-zealots.
• This ISN’T just for the fanatic.
• This IS basic and obvious Christianity.
• This IS what Christians do.
1 Peter 1:13-16 “Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.”
Ephesians 5:3-5 “But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”
Colossians 3:3-10 “For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him”
1 Thessalonians 4:3-8 “For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you.”
I mean it’s the obvious Christian desire and expectation
Christians live pure lives.
Christians live righteous lives.
• They may not be perfectly pure all the time…
• They may not be perfectly righteous all the time…
But that is the goal, that is THE DESIRE, that is THE DESTINY,
And that is what THEY WORK FOR.
And all of this is THE EFFECT of God’s redeeming love.
He set His love on sinners in an active and redeeming way.
• He didn’t just save them and ignore them.
• He saves them and adopts them.
• He calls them children and then treats them as His children.
And the children who have received this great love
Will respond with a desire to please this Father
Who has so lavishly loved them.
THAT IS OBVIOUS CHRISTIANITY.
Does that make sense?
AND SO AGAIN WE WONDER
Where this notion of carnal Christianity comes from?
• ARE WE TO ASSUME that God has children whom He loves, but He doesn’t care how they turn out?
• ARE WE TO ASSUME that God has children whom He loves, but He doesn’t transform them?
• ARE WE TO ASSUME that God has children whom He has redeemed, who totally despise His love and plans for their life?
THAT WOULD BE ABSURD!
Look, if you don’t care about righteous living…
• If you don’t care about sanctification…
• If you don’t care about God’s will for your life…
• If you don’t eagerly anticipate being glorified…
There is reason to question if you have ever been redeemed at all.
God’s love is an active love.
God’s love is a redeeming love.
God’s love is a sanctifying love.
You cannot remain unchanged after receiving it.
• You cannot continue to look like the world after receiving it.
• You cannot be content in sin after receiving it.
• You cannot be indifferent toward glory after receiving it.
“everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”
That is THE FIRST REASON why Christians live righteous lives.
There are two more, and we’ll talk about those next time.
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Romans 8:1 "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Amy Harris … learn more >>