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Manifesting Christmas
1 John 4:7-12
December 25, 2021

As you all know we have started studying through
The book of 1 John on Sunday mornings recently.

And last Sunday we studied what can be a difficult truth.
We are in chapter 1 and we talked about how “God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.”

This is of course the first leg of the message
Which John heard from Jesus and now has announced to us.

AND IT IS A VERY IMPORTANT POINT.
• It is important for non-believers to understand the holiness of God.
• It is important for non-believer to know they have no access to God on their
own.
• It is important for phony believers to realize that you cannot live in sin and
simultaneously claim to have fellowship with God.

Those are necessary truths.
The truth of God’s holiness is the first leg of the gospel message.

And as I told you Sunday
It is the most omitted part of Jesus’ message today as well.

Our world would rather focus on God being a “God of Love”
What they really mean is “God of Tolerance”
• They proclaim a God who isn’t bothered by sin
• They proclaim a God who has no need to punish sin
• They proclaim a God who would rather just live in harmony with sinners

Such a God does not exist for, as John said,
“God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.”

So, to proclaim this love of God without also proclaiming His holiness
IS A TERRIBLE ERROR.

HOWEVER, to proclaim His holiness
Without also proclaiming His love is just as grievous of an error.

Tomorrow when we gather back together on the Lord’s Day
• We will continue in 1 John
• And see the second leg of the message
• Which is of course that Jesus cleanses sinners from the sin that offends God.

But this morning in this special Christmas sermon
We can sort of look at the unseen motive behind all of that.

What is it that caused a holy God to send His Son to cleanse sinners?

And you know the answer, it is LOVE.

It is perhaps the most well-known verse in the world.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

We are talking about the motive of love.

As I told you Sunday, the world erroneously thinks
That holiness and love are somehow incompatible.

And therefore the world routinely sacrifices the holiness of God
That they might uphold the love of God.

That is a grievous mistake.

God’s holiness and God’s love in fact COMPLEMENT each other.
• God’s holiness demands atonement for sin.
• God’s love provides that atonement.

• Without God’s holiness there is no need for God’s love.
• Without God’s love there is no satisfaction for His holiness.

God’s holiness also INTENSIFIES God’s love.

It is only when we understand
The height of God’s holiness and His offense at sin
That we can truly grasp the depth of God’s love
To atone for those who offended Him.

THEY WORK TOGETHER.

And since we looked at holiness on Sunday, it is only fitting, especially here on Christmas morning to take a moment and look at God’s love.

Now, in our study of 1 John we will eventually get to chapter 4
And we will study this text perhaps a little more meticulously.

But this morning, I simply want to hit a couple of the main points.

What is clear when you read the text is that
THE CHIEF AIM of the text is to promote brotherly love in the church.

John states his purpose at the outset.
(7) “Beloved, let us love on another”

That’s the aim, that’s the goal.

You see it again in verse 11, “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”

So the chief purpose of the passage is clear.
By the time we are finished studying these verses, if we have understood them correctly, we should be loving one another.

That’s not hard to grasp.

But this morning we are also CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS and so there is an aspect here that we especially want to focus on this morning.

2 times in this text
We see reference to God sending His Son into the world.

(9) “By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.”

(10) “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

For what it’s worth if you look down to verse 14 in the chapter you’ll see it again. (14) “We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.”

But there is a clear reference to this miracle of the incarnation.

There is a clear mention by John that God sent His Son into the world.
That is the very essence of what we celebrate at Christmas.

From Christ’s perspective we focus on the humiliation of the incarnation.
• Namely that He would empty Himself of glory.
• That He would take on human form.
• That He would take the mantel of a servant.
• That He would submit Himself to the Law.
• That He would die on the cross.
• That He would rise from the dead.

And that will forever cause us to marvel.

And at times we look at Christmas from the FATHER’S PERSPECTIVE
• And we contemplate the sacrifice He made to actually send His Son from
Heaven to earth.
• And we contemplate the great love behind such a sacrifice.

What manner of love is it that causes a Father to send His Son
Into enemy territory and ultimately to sacrifice His Son
In order that He might save those enemies?

• Those who are offensive…
• Those who are rebellious…
• Those who are not welcome to enter His presence…

And yet the Father sends His Son into the world to save them.

There is an element of love here that must be recognized.

So first, let me draw your attention to verse 10.

Let’s talk about this great love of the Father on our behalf.
(10) “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

John says, “In this is love”

That is to say, “If you want an accurate example of what love is, then look at this.”

Our world is full of fallen and corrupt examples of love.
Our world is full of distortions.

But if you really want to see a true and accurate picture of love,
Then look here.

“In this is love”

And then John makes sure you are aware of something.
It is something that goes deeper than the actual act itself.

John wants to make sure that
You are aware of the unworthiness of the object.

He says, “not that we loved God”

You just have to love the COMMON LINGO of our world sometimes.

We see relationships come to an end and inevitably one person will say to the other,
“I just don’t love you anymore”

What they are actually saying is: “I have no longer deemed you worthy of receiving my love”

Love is a sacrifice; love comes with a cost.
And in our world when the person you are in a relationship with fails to be worth the sacrifice or the cost then they are cast aside as no longer worthy of love.

Well John wants you to understand from the outset
That the love which God demonstrated was not for those who deserved it.

It’s easy to love people who love you.
• But God set His love on people who didn’t love Him.
• He didn’t love people who loved Him, He loved people who needed His love.

We are talking about the VOLITIONAL aspect of God’s love.

There was nothing external that compelled God to love those He loved.
There was no loveliness in the object.

God loved of His own free volitional will.
God loved because He chose to love.

In fact, John sort of makes these two profound theological statements early in the text.

(7) “for love is from God”
• Which is to say that love is unique to Him.
• He is the only source of it.
• It only comes from Him.

(8) “God is love”
• Which is also profound.
• Everything God does is love.

Our world is constantly trying to take their definitions of love
And cast them on God, but love doesn’t define God.
God defines love.

I’ve heard many a person argue against things like election or predestination by saying, “God wouldn’t choose because that’s not love”

Well if God does it, it is love because God is love.
It could be that your definition of love is wrong.

But the simple point here is that
God is loving people who do not deserve it simply because He chose to.

God is loving people who do not love Him because that is who He is.

In His holiness He has no fellowship at all with sinners
So in His love He works to cleanse them
And bring them back into fellowship.

If He were only holy
• He would merely read His Law to sinners,
• Pronounce them guilty,
• And then throw them in hell where He satisfied Himself in the death of His enemies.

But He is also loving
• So He uses His Law to warn sinners
• And sends His Son to save them from their sin.

It is a love that takes no pleasure in the death of His enemies.

So again we understand His holiness demands atonement
And His love provides it.

And it is all purely part of HIS VOLITIONAL WILL to do so.
He is not loving those who deserve it.

It is “not that we loved God”

AND HERE IS THE DEMONSTRATION OF HIS LOVE.
“that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

Merry Christmas!

This Holy God, who was offended by and separated from sinners,
In love sent those sinners a Savior.

And to begin to grasp the DEGREE of His love
You have to see the VALUE of the One He sent.

• God didn’t send Satan to die.
• God didn’t send an angel to die.
• God didn’t split humanity down the center and say, “I’ll kill half of humanity on behalf of the others”

God sent “His Son”
In verse 9 He is called “His only begotten Son”

He sent the most prized.
He sent the most valuable.

1 Peter 1:18-19 “knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.”

The love of God spared no expense.

Not only was God’s love volitional, it is also SACRIFICIAL.

THIS IS LOVE!
It pays the highest price for the most unworthy object.

• That is what God did when He sent His Son into the world.
• That is what God did at Christmas.
• God paid the highest price for the most unworthy object.

NO ONE FORCED HIM TO DO IT.
No one compelled Him to do it.
It wasn’t done out of some sense of loneliness or lack of fulfillment.

God didn’t need to do it.

I hate that lyric in that song, “You didn’t want heaven without us so Jesus You brought heaven down.”

That is blasphemous.

The theological term is called GOD’S ASEITY
• It means that God is totally self-sufficient.
• He doesn’t need us.
• He doesn’t need anything.
• He didn’t need creation.
• He didn’t need humanity.
• He didn’t need us in heaven.

God wasn’t trying to fill some hole in His heart
By creating and saving humans.
He was and is totally self-sufficient and fulfilled in His own person.

God’s love is totally uncoerced.
• He loved the unworthy because He wanted to love.
• He didn’t need it, we did.

And when He loved He went all out.
• He paid the highest price for the most unworthy object.

Romans 5:7-8 “For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Ephesians 2:4-5 “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),”

Titus 3:3-6 “For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,”

This is certainly what we recognize and celebrate at Christmas.
• We worship God because He is love.
• We thank God for the love He showed.
• We come and rejoice and sing and worship because of the love which God has shown to us who do not deserve it.

He “sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
That means “appeasement” or “satisfaction” or “covering”

Christ was sent by the Father to satisfy our offense.
Christ was sent by the Father to cover our sin.

• He bore our sin and the judgment that accompanied it.
• He suffered death on our behalf that our sin might be atoned for and God’s
holiness might be satisfied.

That was the great gift of love we received at Christmas.
That God sent His Son to save the world by covering their sin.

THAT IS WHY WE ARE HERE THIS MORNING.
We come in celebration of the greatest gift we ever received.

But there is MORE I want you to see this morning.

I told you that the text is actually about our calling to love one another.

Christmas is more than theological it is meant to be transformational.

You certainly should marvel at the great love of God,
But you don’t stop there.
You are supposed to marvel and then manifest His love.

Ephesians 5:1-2 “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”

That is what I want you to see this morning.
We titled this sermon “Manifesting Christmas”

Let me show you what I mean.

Look now at verse 9
“By this the love of God was manifested in us”

Stop there for a moment.
Pay special attention to the words “in us”
• John doesn’t say God’s love was manifested TO us, but “IN us”

“manifested” there is PHANEROO
It means “to make known what has been hidden”

In this case it is “the love of God”

The world doesn’t understand love
Because the world doesn’t understand God.
THE WORLD HAS NO CONCEPT OF LOVE.

So God is putting love on display.
Certainly He put it on display at Christmas and Calvary.
But God is still putting it on display.

God is still making love manifest to the world.
HOW?
By putting it in you!

“By this the love of God was manifest in us”

God is putting His love on display through you.

“By this the love of God was manifest in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.”

John is here giving you the INTENT of Christmas.

God sent His Son.
• God did it of His own volitional free will.
• God sacrificed greatly to do it.
• He sent Him “into the world”

And the purpose was clear.
“so that we might live through Him”

That is to say so that we might be partakers of the life of God.

Remember what we have said about fellowship for the last several weeks?
• It is a sharing in common life.
• The life of God in us.

Well if God is love and God’s life in us, then what has God put in us?
LOVE!

That is why John can say at the beginning of this text:
• (7b) “everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.”
• (8) “The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love”

When Christ saved you, He gave you life.
He gave you the love of God.

And part of that intent was so that you might show the world that love.

Look at verses 11-12
“Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.”

The world doesn’t know God.
The world doesn’t see God.

Where are they going to see Him?
Where are they going to see His love?

IN YOU!

So, “Beloved, let us love one another”

The expectation is NOT that you would
Simply marvel at the great love of God on your behalf,
But that you would put it on display to the world.

That you would love volitionally, as God did.
• That means loving the unlovable
• That means loving those who don’t love you
• That means loving without compulsion

And that you would love sacrificially, as God did.
• That you and I would also pay the highest possible price for the least valuable object.

The world doesn’t do that.
The world doesn’t understand that.

The first time the world ever saw it was when Christ came to this world.
But now Christ has returned to the Father.

And the only chance this world has of seeing it today
Is when you and I put it on display for them.

This is what it means to Manifest Christmas.

And that is MY ENCOURAGEMENT to you this morning.

Certainly we MARVEL at the love of God shown at Christmas.
But we must also MANIFEST the love of God shown at Christmas.

And we do that when we volitionally and sacrificially love one another.
That’s the only way our world will ever see who God is.

So go put God’s love on display
By sacrificially loving someone who doesn’t deserve it.

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The Message of Jesus – Part 1
1 John 5:5-10 (5-6)
December 19, 2021

This morning we move forward in our study of 1 John.

We have called this study “Obvious Christianity”
For that is exactly what John is bringing to the forefront in this epistle.

The church had been bombarded with many deceivers.
• John says that many “anti-christs” have appeared.
• They are pummeling the church with lies and deceptions and false doctrines
• Regarding the person of Christ, the reality of fellowship, the Christian lifestyle

It is apparent that the deceptions were of such a nature that
John was compelled to write this epistle to set the record straight.

John’s primary tactic is simply to remind the church
Of what is obviously true and what is obviously false.

And we are grateful for such clarity
Since WE ALSO LIVE in a world where deception abounds.

John began his epistle with a reminder about FELLOWSHIP

If you missed that segment it is important that you simply understand
• When the Bible speaks of fellowship we are NOT simply talking about people who get together and laugh and eat food.

The fellowship John is talking about is the fellowship of the Spirit.
IT IS COMMON SPIRITUAL LIFE.

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

That passage is often read during a discussion of unity,
But it is the same thing John is talking about.

It is unity based upon common spiritual life.
And this is also Christian fellowship.

John opened his epistle with a discussion on the JOY of FELLOWSHIP
There is no other joy like it on this earth.

The spiritual fellowship through our common spiritual life
Is a tighter and more enjoyable bond
Than can be achieved anywhere else on this earth.

There is no greater or more satisfying relationship than this.
(Because this is a fellowship of spiritual life)

John reminded us of THE MEANS through which this fellowship came about.

1 John 1:3 “what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.”

John and the rest of the apostles where given all of the truth about Christ.
• Certainly they have the relational truth of having physically lived with Him
• But they also were given the full revelation of the Holy Spirit regarding Jesus.

John 16:12-15 “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. “He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. “All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.”

Jesus promised that the apostles would get it all.
And they did.

And John says we then relayed it all to you.
“so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.”

So if we could quickly SUMMARIZE what John taught us last week.

To be a part of the church is nothing short of
Sharing in the common spiritual life which is in the Father and the Son.

We all got it.
• There are no tiers to Christianity…
• There are no membership levels…
• There are not “haves” and “have-nots”…
• There are not “those in the know” and “those who don’t know”…

If you have believed in Christ,
You were given the same life that the apostles received
Which is nothing less than the very life of God.

And our fellowship is that common bond.

That is really the true blessing and joy of the church.

And if you’ll just think on that for a moment,
There is no other organization in the world like the church.

Think about her for a moment.

THE CHURCH:
• Is Chosen before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4)
• Predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29)
• Is Built by Jesus (Matt 16:18)
• Purchased by His blood (Acts 20:28)
• Powered by His Spirit (Acts 1:8)
• Entrusted with His gospel (Matt 28:19)
• The pillar and support of the truth (1 Tim. 3:15)

• Is The bride of Christ (Eph 5:25)
• The body of Christ (Col. 1:18)
• Is The flock of Christ (John 10:11)
• The building of God (1 Cor. 3:9)
• She is a Kingdom of Priests (Rev. 1:6)

• Has been Baptized into His Death (Rom. 6:3)
• And has been Resurrected into His Life (Rom. 6:4)
• She is Filled with His Spirit (Eph. 5:18)
• And Sealed for eternity (Eph. 1:13)

• Is Clothed in His righteousness (1 Cor. 1:30)
• Displays power In weakness (2 Cor. 12:9)
• Is A Voice in the wilderness (Matt 3:3)
• Light in the darkness (Matt 5:16)
• Salt to the tasteless (Matt. 5:13)
• Encouragement to the hopeless (1 Thess. 5:11)
• A source of conviction to the godless (1 Pet. 4:4)
• She is a guide to the clueless (Phil. 2:15)

• Is Promised Pardon for every transgression (Rom. 8:1)
• And Freedom from every sin (Gal. 5:1)
• She receives Mercy every morning (Lam. 3:22-23)
• And Love that never fails (1 Cor. 13:8)
• She is promised Grace in every trial (2 Cor. 12:9)
• Peace that surpasses comprehension (Phil. 4:7)
• And Hope that will not disappoint (Rom. 5:5)

• Shares in Christ’s suffering (Phil. 1:29)
• But Perseveres to the end (Jude 1:24)
• Will Overcome the evil one (Rev. 12:11)
• Inherit the world (Matt. 5:5)
• Reign in glory (2 Tim. 2:12)
• Live forever (John 11:25-26)
• See God (Matt. 5:8)

There is no other organization like her in the world.
There is no greater joy than to be a part of the fellowship of the church.

BUT these realities have also made her the CHIEF TARGET of the enemy.

The apostle Paul made a unique and profound statement
In his letter to the Colossians.

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

Paul is NOT SAYING that in some way Christ didn’t suffer enough.
• Christ most certainly did finish all His required suffering.
• Christ totally satisfied the wrath of God
• And thus secured salvation for all who believe in Him.

But while Christ did satisfy the wrath of God
He did not satisfy the wrath of Satan.

Satan is not yet finished persecuting Christ.
• But since Christ is no longer on the earth, his focus is now turned to His bride.
• And that is what Paul is referring to.

The church suffers today because she is so unique.
• She suffers because she is the bride of Christ.
• She suffers because she shares in common spiritual life.

And Satan has never stopped attacking her.
• Sometimes those attacks are outward and of a physical and violent nature.
• Sometimes those attacks are internal and of a deceptive and destructive
nature.
• But he never stops attacking Christ’s bride.

Her unique privilege also makes her hated.

The attacks John addresses in this epistle are those INTERNAL attacks.

The church is the most amazing fellowship to be a part of
So it is no wonder that Satan sought to infiltrate it.

And that is what you are SEEING NEXT in John’s epistle.
• The first 4 verses reminded us of the joy of fellowship.
• This next segment points to the imposters who have tried to enter it.

Before we start just working through the text,
LET ME SHOW YOU THOSE IMPOSTERS FIRST.

They are actually easy to see in the text because John identifies each of them
With the phrase “If we say…”

In other words, there is a bit of a litmus test.
Not everyone who associates with the fellowship of the church is actually part of the fellowship.

There are those whose fellowship is only a physical fellowship.
• They attend…
• They gather…
• They sing…
• They outwardly participate…

They are a part of the physical aspect of fellowship,
But they are not a part of the true spiritual fellowship.

They are non-believers who outwardly associate with the church.
They don’t have the life of God within them
So there is no true spiritual fellowship.

From the earliest formation of the physical church this has been a reality.
• There have always been tares that were sewn among the wheat.
• There have always been those spiritual apostates who masquerade in the church.

Some do it MALICIOUSLY, some do it IGNORANTLY,
Some do it APATHETICALLY,
But they have always been there.

Jude told us how to handle them.
Jude 20-23 “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. And have mercy on some, who are doubting; save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.”

While the primary model is that evangelism is to take place outside the walls of the church, the reality is that at times evangelism must also take place inside.

There have always been, and I suppose there will always be,
Those inside the church who are yet unredeemed,
And we seek to preach the gospel to them so that they may be saved.

But how do you know which is which?

That’s a good question.
• Especially if they are those who claim to be Christians…
• Especially if they are those who may have even been baptized…

John gives lot of tests to help us see it
And part of this text does just that.

John shows us 3 imposters here and I’ll show you them right off the bat.
• THE FRAUD (6)
• THE DELUSIONAL (8)
• THE BLASPHEMER (10)

THE FRAUD
(6) “If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;”

We’ll talk more in a moment about what that fully means, but simply put you see that they are lying about their fellowship with God.

They say they have it but they don’t.

And we know they don’t because they “walk in the darkness”.

THE DELUSIONAL
(8) “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.”

Simply put, this is the person who is self-deceived.
When they look in a mirror they wear rose-colored-glasses.

They think themselves to be “a good person”
And are LACKING the necessary HUMILITY and REPENTANCE
That is an absolute staple of the Christian life.

THE BLASPHEMER
(10) “If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.”

The distinction here is that not only does this person think themselves to be good but they also ignore God’s testimony to the contrary.

• They ignore God’s word and His judgments.
• They are their own standard for truth
• So they are also void of humility and repentance.

THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT IN THE FELLOWSHIP.

• That doesn’t mean they don’t claim to be.
• That doesn’t mean they don’t attend worship services.
• That doesn’t mean they don’t volunteer and serve.
• That doesn’t even mean that in some cases they aren’t even in the pulpit.

They are physically present but they are not actually part of the church.

We might say that their name is on the church roll
But it is not in the Lamb’s book of life.

And these are the ones that John will call the church to watch out for.
• These are the deceivers.
• These are the anti-Christs

And if you are following JOHN’S REASONING,
The reason they are not part of the fellowship
Is because they have failed to respond appropriately
To the message of the apostles.

WE SAID IT LAST WEEK,
How does a person get invited into the fellowship?

1 John 1:3 “what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.”

A person enters the fellowship of the church
When they hear and believe the message of the apostles.

We call it “the gospel”.

When you hear and believe the gospel
You also are granted the same spiritual life
And are granted access into the fellowship of the church.

Those who are the imposters either never heard that message
Or they heard it and have not truly believed it.

And since THE MESSAGE PLAYS THE CENTRAL ROLE in this process
John now will give it to you again.

Notice what he says in verse 5
“This is the message…”

Is that clear enough for you?

John said earlier that “what we saw and heard we proclaimed to you”,
But you know there’s always that guy in the back of the room who says,
“Wait! What? I wasn’t paying attention. What was the message again?”

So John spells it out.
“This is the message…”

More specifically “This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you…”

This is not our message, this is Christ’s message.
Jesus came to this earth and He preached to us the gospel.
• He told us everything we needed to know pertaining to life and godliness.
• He gave us the message.

The Holy Spirit reiterated and clarified and brought that message back to our memory so that we could share it with you.

This is the message of Jesus.
This is the message of the church.

This is the truth that must be believed
If one is to be saved and enter the true fellowship of the church.

“This is the message…”
• This is the message that produces fellowship.
• This is the message that exposes imposters.
• This is the message of Jesus which became the message of the apostles and has now become the message of the church.

Are you ready for it?

#1 GOD IS HOLY
1 John 1:5

• How is that for Christianity 101?
• How is that for obvious truth that you’ve always known?

I’m telling you, John desires to make it simple.

“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 you just want simple Christianity
Then even a child can understand the analogy that
“God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.”

Even if we want to keep this on a simple level
We understand the difference between LIGHT being a picture of good
And DARKNESS being a picture of evil.

There’s nothing overly cryptic about the statement.
There is a surface level truth to be easily gleaned there.

But there is also some depth which is perhaps why John says
“God is Light” instead of just saying that God is holy.

So let’s talk about the wording John uses for a moment.

Light can be a reference to good in contrast to evil.

Isaiah 5:20 “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!”

• You think about evil deeds being called “deeds of darkness”

So to say that “God is Light” is a reference to His goodness.

Light can be a reference to hope in contrast to hopelessness.

Isaiah 9:2 “The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them.”

• Perhaps you’ve heard someone say, “There’s a light at the end of the tunnel”

To say that “God is Light” is reference to Him as our hope and salvation.

Light can also be a reference to understanding in contrast to ignorance.

1 Corinthians 4:5 “Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.”

• We might say, “So and so was kept in the dark”

So to say that “God is Light” is a reference to His omniscience and truth.

Light is also a reference to life in contrast to death

In the opening chapter of John’s gospel he wrote:
John 1:4-5, 9 “In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it…There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.”

There is a link for John with the Life and the Light.

Remember Jesus’ statement?
John 8:12 “Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

• There again you see Jesus almost use the statements interchangeably.
• There is a sense in which Light is a reference also to Life.

So to say that “God is Light” is a reference to the fact that
He is the giver and source of spiritual and eternal life.

So in a basic sense to say that “God is Light”
Is a reference to His HOLY NATURE, His SAVING HOPE,
His OMNISCIENCE, and as the source of SPIRITUAL LIFE.

And John goes even further when he says:
“God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.”

That means that there is never even a shred of darkness in God at any time or in any amount.
• God is never evil or sinful
• God never fails or falls short
• God never sits in ignorance or lies about anything
• God never brings spiritual death

God is always holy and never anything else.

Now what we also then understand is that
Man, on his own, is none of those things.

Man is not naturally good, he is evil.
Romans 3:10 “as it is written, “THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;”

Man has no natural hope for salvation.
Ephesians 2:12 “remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.”

Man has no true wisdom of the things of God.
1 Corinthians 2:14 “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.”

Man has no life within himself.
Romans 6:23a “For the wages of sin is death…”

So while God is holy and never anything else,
Man is evil and never anything else.

So what is clear to us from the outset, when you want to go a little deeper
Is that there is A CLEAR SEPARATION between God and man.

• Man was created good…
• Man was created in the image of God…
• But man fell into sin and with that sin came hopelessness and ignorance and death.

This is very basic and obvious Christianity.
GOD IS HOLY AND MAN IS NOT.

They are separated.

And you have seen this separation throughout the Bible.

From the beginning in the garden we saw it.
• We saw Adam and Eve removed from the garden and never permitted to enter again.

We saw events like Isaiah seeing God on His throne and wanting to claw out his own eyes because he knew he did not belong there.

But the greatest depiction of this great separation came in the form of the veil.

When the writer of Hebrews described the physical appearance of the earthly tabernacle he then told us what it signified:
Hebrews 9:6-8 “Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle performing the divine worship, but into the second, only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance. The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing,”

In other words, that veil had one message.
“OFF LIMITS”

You are not welcome here.
There was a separation between a holy God and sinful man.
GOD IS HOLY

He is not like you.
You are not like Him.

1 Timothy 6:15-16 “He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see.”

There is a separation.

And John says “This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you…”

This is Christianity 101
• God is holy
• He is separated above sinners
• He is above us
• He is beyond us
• There is a great divide and on your own you cannot get to God.

Jesus preached this!

John 8:21-27 “Then He said again to them, “I go away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin; where I am going, you cannot come.” So the Jews were saying, “Surely He will not kill Himself, will He, since He says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” And He was saying to them, “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” So they were saying to Him, “Who are You?” Jesus said to them, “What have I been saying to you from the beginning? “I have many things to speak and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and the things which I heard from Him, these I speak to the world.” They did not realize that He had been speaking to them about the Father.”

Jesus came preaching the message of the Father
That apart from salvation men would die in their sins
And would never make it to the Father.

He is holy and they are not.

THE MESSAGE STARTS HERE.

Certainly in John’s day the Gnostics had distorted the truth of God
Into someone less than holy,
But this happens in our day as well.

The emphasis in our day
Has shifted away from the holiness of God.

Today God is primarily depicted as “A God of Love”
(Which He is, but the love they talk about is distorted
Because they do not know about His holiness)

The love they talk about is better defined as “tolerance” not love.
Biblical love does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth
God’s love and holiness compliment each other, they don’t cancel each other out.

God today is rarely ever depicted as holy.
God is rarely ever depicted as set-apart.

Today,
• Sin isn’t even considered bad,
• That is if it even exists at all.
• And if salvation is even necessary it is only a salvation from disappointment.

Very few people today see the need to be saved from God.

After all, (they say)
• God is not angry.
• God is not disappointed.
• God is not offended.
• God is not holy.

God is loving and tolerant and open-minded.
• He’s sitting in the stands rooting for you
• He’s got a box of participation medals that He’s going to pass out to everyone in the end for being true to themselves.

I JUST WANT TO ASK YOU, Is that really the message of Jesus?
Is that really Christianity?

We just read that Jesus said, “you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”

Jesus told those people that without Him
They had absolutely zero chance of making it to the Father.

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

You can’t get to God without Him.

WHY?
Because God is Holy!
He is set apart and man cannot get to Him.

Man dare not approach Him on his own.

Ask Uzza; remember him?
1 Chronicles 13:7-10 “They carried the ark of God on a new cart from the house of Abinadab, and Uzza and Ahio drove the cart. David and all Israel were celebrating before God with all their might, even with songs and with lyres, harps, tambourines, cymbals and with trumpets. When they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzza put out his hand to hold the ark, because the oxen nearly upset it. The anger of the LORD burned against Uzza, so He struck him down because he put out his hand to the ark; and he died there before God.”

You don’t just approach God.
God is Holy!
He is separated from sinners.

THAT IS THE CHRISTIAN MESSAGE.
IF ANYONE is preaching a different message than that,
Then they aren’t preaching the Christian message.

And again, this isn’t rocket science, this is OBVIOUS CHRISTIANITY.

And that is when we will approach our first deceiver.

It is the FRAUD we talked about in verse 6.

(6) “If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;”

This is a guy who says that has “fellowship with Him”
But he walks “in the darkness”

That is to say that He claims to have common spiritual life with God but…
• He lives in sin.
• He walks in sin.
• Implied here is that there is an acceptance of sin in his life.

He is sinning and he is cool with it.
Does that sound like Biblical Christianity to you?

Based on everything you’ve ever learned of God from the Scripture
Why in the world would you suppose that God
Would be in fellowship with a man who lived in sin?

When has God ever been in fellowship with sin?

Do you remember when Paul spoke to the Corinthians about being unequally yoked?

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. “Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE,” says the Lord. “AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN; And I will welcome you. “And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,” Says the Lord Almighty.”

Most people apply that to marriage, which is unfortunate.
At it’s core it’s a reminder that God does not fellowship with sinners.

“what fellowship has light with darkness?”

SO THERE’S YOUR FIRST ASSESSMENT.
Just because a person attends church doesn’t make them in fellowship with God.

We have to dig deeper.
• Are they still in sin?
• Are they still in darkness?

See, (as we will see next time), Jesus came to save us from sin.
Jesus came to cleanse us.

That is the mark of being a part of the fellowship.
That Jesus takes sinners and cleanses them.

Remember Jesus telling Peter, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me”?

A man that is content to live in sin
And claim that He is part of the fellowship is a liar.

And the only reason that is even the least bit shocking to you
Is because there have been so many deceivers in our world who have tried to say that God doesn’t care if you sin or not.

This is OBVIOUS CHRISTIANITY

And this is the first leg of the obvious Christian message of Jesus.
God is holy and apart from the salvation of Jesus
You will never be in fellowship with Him.

But those who have come to Christ,
• Have been wrapped in the righteousness of Christ
• And are being cleansed of their sin daily
• And thus they are granted fellowship with the Father.

Those who have come to Jesus have left the darkness and come to the light:
• Through Christ they have left sin to pursue righteousness…
• Through Christ they have obtained the hope of salvation…
• Through Christ they have believed the truth of the gospel…
• Through Christ they have been granted true spiritual life…

But those who “walk in the darkness…lie and do not practice the truth;”

So as we clarify the fellowship just start there.
• God is Holy
• God is separated from sinners
• And the chief objective of men is to obtain holiness
• That they might be reconciled to this Holy God.

Don’t let the world’s deceptions
Distort what has always been obvious Christianity.

Without holiness you will never be reconciled to God.
This was the message of Jesus.

Matthew 5:48 “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Next time we’ll talk about the next part of this message which reminds us that Jesus is the One who cleanses us so that we might be reconciled.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Still the Psalmist held fast.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(81) “My soul languishes for Your salvation”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It is worthless for its intended purpose.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

• They continually attack me and lie about me.

(87) “They almost destroyed me on earth”

You can hear his frustration can’t you?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That we see.

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

In fact, we are seriously encouraged by his endurance.

LOOK AT IT.

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

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

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

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

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

• His life feels ruined but he still remembers God

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

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

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

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

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

That is tremendous endurance.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Well that is true regarding the human aspect of hope.

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

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

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

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

It is just natural hope or human derived hope

What we want to talk about is “SUPERNATURAL HOPE”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

• The evidence that someone has supernatural hope is endurance.

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

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

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

#1 BASIS FOR SUPERNATURAL HOPE

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That is clear.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Supernatural hope is different.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Supernatural hope causes endurance.

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

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

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

Endurance proves supernatural hope.

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

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

HOW?
It’s a progression.

“tribulation brings about perseverance”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And that actually causes me to rejoice in my trial.

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

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

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

Romans 5:3-5 “And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

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

And then Paul says
“and hope does not disappoint”

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

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

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

“put to shame” is the same word.

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

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

Now think on that for a second.

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

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

Well what is the answer?
YES!

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

Look at what Paul says.
“hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

This hope will not fail you.

And then Paul explains it a little deeper.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

But notice what Paul says.
He answers the question.

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

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

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

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

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

Because God gives a supernatural hope to His children.

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

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

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

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

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

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

That is Christian hope.

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

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

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

Download Here:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That is the heart of the epistle of 1 John.

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

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

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

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

Theologically speaking fellowship occurs on TWO PLANES.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What Jesus refers to is common spiritual life.

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

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

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

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

Our horizontal fellowship is based upon our vertical fellowship.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

IT IS DEEPER EVEN THAN FLESH AND BLOOD.

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

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

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

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

Spiritual fellowship is a pure and true and lasting joy.

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

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

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

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

And they couldn’t get enough of each other.

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

HOW?

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

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

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

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

SO THAT VERTICAL FELLOWSHIP WAS CHALLENGED.

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

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

It was excluding…
It was certainly arrogant…

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

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

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

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

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

#1 THE REALNESS OF JESUS
1 John 1:1

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

John of course says, “NONSENSE!”

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

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

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

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

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

That is still a great and absolutely foundational Christian doctrine.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And that is where he goes next.

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

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

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

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

There is a deeper more spiritual connection which John had.

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

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

And that is what John TALKS ABOUT NEXT.

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

John said that Jesus brought “life”

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

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

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

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

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

John is here laying what he knows right beside them.

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

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

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

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

Think about John’s gospel for a moment.

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

Only John gives us the story of Nicodemus and the promise Jesus made to him.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And this is what John reminds the church of here.

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

That is what Jesus revealed.

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

And here is where John takes that necessary NEXT STEP.

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

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

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

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

It is not just for a select few special believers.

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

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

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

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

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

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

That is no different than what the Gnostics were teaching.

JOHN CRUSHES SUCH ARROGANT NONSENSE.

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

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

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

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

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

THE CHURCH GETS IT ALL!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And their fellowship is with God and with Jesus Christ.

WHAT A GREAT WAY TO DESCRIBE THE CHURCH!

Have you ever thought of it like that?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That is an interesting statement.

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

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

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

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

John is writing to restore that joy.

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

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

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

In Jesus Christ you are “IN”!

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

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

And that should give you joy!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

THAT IS THE JOY JOHN WANTS.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Download Here:

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

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

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

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

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

So let me show you those 7 requests quickly tonight.

1) UNDERSTANDING OF YOUR WORD

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

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

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

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

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

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

2) PATIENCE FOR YOUR WORD

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

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

Sometimes we must simply endure while we do not understand.

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

That is also a great request during affliction.

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

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

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

That is a great request.

3) COMFORT ACCORDING TO YOUR WORD

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That is a good request too.

4) DELIVERANCE FOR YOUR WORD

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

What is the request?
I want to live!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

5) VINDICATION BY YOUR WORD

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

6) FELLOWSHIP WITH YOUR WORD

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

Earlier he wanted to be an encouragement to other believers.

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

And that is a great request.

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

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

7) OBEDIENCE TO YOUR WORD

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

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

God help me obey!

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

So you can see the overall force of the stanza.

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

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

That is still great advice.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Since everything in this Psalm flows from that condition.

“afflicted” is the Hebrew word ANA

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

There are 3 things.

#1 THE AUTHOR OF AFFLICTION
Psalms 119:75

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

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

And the answer: GOD

“You have afflicted me”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

You see the problem?

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

God is the Author of affliction.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

God made him that way!

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

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

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

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

GOD IS THE AUTHOR OF THEM.

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

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

Why would God author your affliction?

WELL PERHAPS it is precisely what the Psalmist understood
HUMILITY!

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

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

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

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

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

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

But knowing the author of affliction is important.

#2 THE JUSTICE OF AFFLICTION
Psalms 119:75

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

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

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

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

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

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

So God is behind the decisions.

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

We already read that God ordains all our days.

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

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

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

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

It’s mind-blowing.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“righteous” is SEDEQ
And it means “right”

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

There “accurate” is the word SEDEQ

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

But Elihu quickly confronted him.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This perspective is essential.

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

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

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

What does that mean?

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

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

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

That is what you are looking for.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wait! What?
God is faithful to afflict

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

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

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

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

Now that is good perspective.

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

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

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

But who authored it?
God did.

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

WHY?
Because it was the right decision.

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

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

Perspective!

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

This is a great perspective!

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

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

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

TURN TO: HEBREWS 12:4-11

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

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

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

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

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