Monday, April 30, 2007
Essential !!!
“Ecstasy and delight are essential to the believer’s soul and they promote sanctification. We were not meant to live without spiritual exhilaration, and the Christian who goes for a long time without the experience of heart-warming will soon find himself tempted to have his emotions satisfied from earthly things and not, as he ought, from the Spirit of God. The soul is so constituted that it craves fulfillment from things outside itself and will embrace earthly joys for satisfaction when it cannot reach spiritual ones… The believer is in spiritual danger if he allows himself to go for any length of time without tasting the love of Christ and savoring the felt comforts of a Savior’s presence. When Christ ceases to fill the heart with satisfaction, our souls will go in silent search of other lovers… By the enjoyment of the love of Christ in the heart of a believer, we mean an experience of the “love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given to us” (Rom. 5:5)… because the Lord has made himself accessible to us in the means of grace, it is our duty and privilege to seek this experience from Him in these means till we are made the joyful partakers of it.” John Flavel, 1630-1691
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Loving Jesus is Costly!
Take Up Your Cross
Matthew 10:34-39
"Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
Who would pick these verses as a favorite Bible passage? These words are no less true than the easy words! Jesus said many shocking things during his earthly ministry. Not a few times he left the religious leaders with their mouths wide open, gasping for air. He also said some things to Believers which are meant to knock the breath out of us long enough for us to really consider what Jesus said. This is one of those statements.
(v.34) “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth.”
Some people in Jesus’ day thought that Jesus came to just bring the icing to the cake. The Jews thought that they had everything right, except they were constantly being pestered by the Romans and others. They were waiting for Jesus to “do what he was supposed to do” and fix the Romans so they would stop bothering them and then everything would be peachy! – But Jesus didn’t come to bring peace!
Some people today think the same sort of thing. They think after they have gone to high-school and college, gotten married, bought a house, had 1.5 kids and started their career, that they still need something else to complete their lives. They say, “I think I need religion. Yes, I think I need church, and then everything will be just right.” Some people actually think that it is part of being culturally acceptable to say you love Jesus! Jesus did not come in order to add the one missing piece to our puzzled lives. But Jesus didn’t come to bring peace
Jesus did not come so we all could just get along. Jesus didn’t come to put the bullies in their place so that we could go on with our lives more peacefully. Jesus did not come to be the cherry that tops off our lives which really were just fine before! Jesus did not come to bring peace!
Jesus didn’t come as company does either. Company comes and brings their stuff to the guest bed room and stays with you a while. You don’t change the way you make coffee just because you have company. You don’t alter your relationship with your neighbor because you have company. You wake up in the morning and tell your guest: “It is so nice to have you in my home!” and then go about your daily routine. Jesus didn’t come to bring peace, to make life nice, or easier.
Jesus came and brought a sword- “I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” v.37
i. Swords were much more prevalent in Jesus’ day than in ours- especially in the army.
ii. Swords cut or divide
iii. Jesus came with a sword in order to draw the line very clearly between the children of God and the pretenders
iv. We might say Jesus has come to show us who has on which jersey.
v. Jesus has come to show you which jersey you are wearing. Will you hear his voice?
Jesus came for your greatest love, not just a vote! (vv.34b-37)
In this area, many people claim to be a Christian for the same reason they claim to be a Republican or a Democrat or a Libertarian. On the last vote, the Republican candidate looked more promising than the Democrat so that’s who they voted for. But day to day, it makes no difference. Jesus didn’t come to secure votes! Jesus came for your greatest love! And giving Jesus your greatest love will put you at odds with the other people you love from time to time. Which love will win the day?
i. “I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”
ii. A true disciple’s love for Jesus must be greater than his love for anyone or anything else! Sometimes, loving Jesus will cost you other relationships.
iii. Illus. Muslims converting to Christ
iv. Illus. In the South, being ostracized and ridiculed as a fanatic because you take Jesus seriously.
v. Who has your loyalty?
With Jesus’ sword, He has divided between those who love Him supremely and everyone else!
i. This idea of loving Jesus seems weird to the average person.
1. We can somehow grasp what it is to know about Jesus and pray to Jesus; even worship Him, but LOVE Jesus?
2. John Piper writes: “Love is not a mere choice to move the body or the brain. Love is also an experience of the heart. . . Christ is to be cherished, not just chosen.”
3. We need to take this a step further. Christ is not just to be cherished, but cherished infinitely more than everything else you cherish. He is to have your most costly loyalty and undying devotion.
4. Luke 14:26 ”If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”
ii. Your Supreme Love is what Jesus requires
1. v.37 “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”
2. Greatest commandment (Matt. 22:35-38) “One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment.” i.e. The most important thing in the UNIVERSE!
a. The purpose of the Law was to show us how unable we are to keep God’s law on our own and drive us to Jesus who satisfied God’s wrath for our not keeping God’s law and he kept God’s law perfectly earning a righteousness that He would give as a gift to all who love Him.
iii. It is true love for Jesus which more than anything else demonstrates a changed heart.
1. The natural man is at war against God from birth! We weren’t just ignorant about God or indifferent to Him, we hated him and this was manifested by our wicked deeds according to Colossians 1.
2. For this to change, a miracle must occur.-the New Birth- adopted into God’s family
a. John 8:42 “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here.”
b. This is why love for God more than a decision or a memory or an experience is more telling about one’s salvation.
3. The love spoken of here is intense passion and commitment, not mere indifference. Jesus doesn’t rescue us to be indifferent! He rescues us from passionate darkness to passionate Jesus loving!
iv. This idea of loving God is used as a description of Believers in the NT
1. Romans 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
2. 1 Peter 1:8 “Though you have not seen him, you love him.”
v. Those who don’t love Jesus are called accursed
1. I Cor. 16:22 “If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed.”
Jesus didn’t just drop out of Heaven and demand love (though He could have) . . . He earned it!
i. He created us
ii. He beautified the Earth for our enjoyment
iii. He humiliated Himself by becoming flesh
iv. He lived a perfectly righteous life as our substitute
v. He died a horrible death on the cross in our place.
vi. He rose from the dead so that we could have life without fear!
vii. He now lives at the Father’s right hand praying for us!
viii. He sent the Holy Spirit!
ix. Now He directs all of history and every detail for our good!
x. He has promised to come again and take us to be with Him immediately forever!
Jesus came for lovers, not votes, and not to pass out fire insurance.
Do you love Jesus?
i. Do you talk to Him?
ii. Do you think about Him and rejoice in His everywhere presence?
iii. Do you thank Him for what you see Him doing everyday?
iv. Do you long to see Him face to face?
1. Some people are truly shocked to find out that if you don’t enjoy loving Jesus now, you’ll hate Heaven. You’d rather have Hell. Heaven is all about adoring Jesus!
Jesus calls his lovers to everyday-death (vv.38-39) “And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
Jesus is not calling us to pay for our sins! In fact, this passage occurs before the cross and the first disciples didn’t yet understand about Christ having to die.
In this time period, those who were sentenced to be crucified carried their own cross from the court room to the “Place of the Skull.” They were not only sentenced to death, but terrible shame before death!
i. Take up your death sentence! - What a marketing ploy!
ii. Is this Effective Evangelism technique?
This is what Jesus is calling for. Do you love Jesus so much that you lay down your wishes, preferences, agenda, rights, your life and endure shame and persecution for His sake?
The issue is not can you say “I love Jesus!” The issue is whether you love Jesus more than your Dad, Mom, Wife, Husband, Children, Home, etc. The issue is passionate loyalty! There will come times when those you love want you to do something, but Jesus wants you to do another. Who wins? There will come a time when following Jesus will cost you your Nascar collection or your favorite fishing rod or your dream home or your comfort or your free time. Will Jesus have your loyalty then?
i. v.37 “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me”
There are many ways to lose your life,
i. Work, family, pleasure, attention, church
ii. Dr. William Finnigan “Everybody is somebody’s fool. Whose fool are you?”
but only one way to save your life.
i. Losing your life for Jesus sake and the Gospels
To be a follower of Jesus is costly:
i. Your Job – work as unto the Lord
ii. Your marriage- Husbands love as . . ., wives submit. . .
iii. Your Kids- Train up your children in the . . .
iv. Your Money- Lay up treasure in Heaven
v. Your Leisure- whatever you do, do in the name. . .
vi. Your neighborhood- Jesus placed me here, not just for my viewing pleasure, but to be His presence here. Invest in the lives of our neighbors in order to build bridges for the Gospel. Your co-workers are your neighbors too!
vii. Your ideas of church.- Christ is the head of all things for the Church (Ephesians)
Taking up your cross is a total life commitment
i. Romans 12:1 “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”
1. “body” here represents the whole person.
2. This sacrifice is active and total!
ii. Matt. 16:24-26 “Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life?”
You must lose your life to find life. Jesus won’t lose it for you.
i. Jesus is calling for a lifestyle of laying down your life
1. A lifestyle of laying down my life for Jesus is made up of days of laying down my life for Jesus, which are made up of hours of laying down my life for Jesus, which are made of moments like this one where we must choose to lay down our lives for Jesus.
This doesn’t mean that Christians should become monks and wear a frown all their lives, but rather to be prepared for whatever it costs you to follow Jesus and to bear gladly the stigma of following Jesus.
i. Hebrews 13:12-14 “So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.”
Jesus promises His lovers that everyday-death brings life! (v.39) “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
Here is a contrast between the world’s idea of life and Jesus’ promise of life. The World says that if I want life to the full I have to keep getting better toys and guard what is mine. Jesus says that at the end of this person’s life, they’ll lose their life and find that their whole life was spent on nothing. Jesus promises that if you will pursue pleasing me no matter what it costs in this life, you’ll not regret it and you’ll one day see that your whole life was spent on something worthwhile which will be rewarded richly in Heaven.
i. The Christian life is one of paradoxes.
1. Lose your life to keep it. Guard your life and you’ll lose it.
ii. He who dies with the most toys wins?
What if I don’t love Jesus supremely?
You need to realize that loving the Right One supremely is a matter of life and death!
Confess it to Jesus and ask Him to forgive you and give you the New Birth.
God promises to give a new heart through believing the Gospel. Ezekiel 36:26-27a “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, . . .”
What is Jesus asking you to lay down as His lover?
Jesus said that “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” That’s not to say that simply doing what Jesus says is the same thing as loving Him, but it is to say that if you don’t apply yourself to obey His commands, you don’t really love him. Are there specific commands that Jesus is reminding you of right now? Who will have your loyalty?
Matthew 10:34-39
"Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
Who would pick these verses as a favorite Bible passage? These words are no less true than the easy words! Jesus said many shocking things during his earthly ministry. Not a few times he left the religious leaders with their mouths wide open, gasping for air. He also said some things to Believers which are meant to knock the breath out of us long enough for us to really consider what Jesus said. This is one of those statements.
(v.34) “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth.”
Some people in Jesus’ day thought that Jesus came to just bring the icing to the cake. The Jews thought that they had everything right, except they were constantly being pestered by the Romans and others. They were waiting for Jesus to “do what he was supposed to do” and fix the Romans so they would stop bothering them and then everything would be peachy! – But Jesus didn’t come to bring peace!
Some people today think the same sort of thing. They think after they have gone to high-school and college, gotten married, bought a house, had 1.5 kids and started their career, that they still need something else to complete their lives. They say, “I think I need religion. Yes, I think I need church, and then everything will be just right.” Some people actually think that it is part of being culturally acceptable to say you love Jesus! Jesus did not come in order to add the one missing piece to our puzzled lives. But Jesus didn’t come to bring peace
Jesus did not come so we all could just get along. Jesus didn’t come to put the bullies in their place so that we could go on with our lives more peacefully. Jesus did not come to be the cherry that tops off our lives which really were just fine before! Jesus did not come to bring peace!
Jesus didn’t come as company does either. Company comes and brings their stuff to the guest bed room and stays with you a while. You don’t change the way you make coffee just because you have company. You don’t alter your relationship with your neighbor because you have company. You wake up in the morning and tell your guest: “It is so nice to have you in my home!” and then go about your daily routine. Jesus didn’t come to bring peace, to make life nice, or easier.
Jesus came and brought a sword- “I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” v.37
i. Swords were much more prevalent in Jesus’ day than in ours- especially in the army.
ii. Swords cut or divide
iii. Jesus came with a sword in order to draw the line very clearly between the children of God and the pretenders
iv. We might say Jesus has come to show us who has on which jersey.
v. Jesus has come to show you which jersey you are wearing. Will you hear his voice?
Jesus came for your greatest love, not just a vote! (vv.34b-37)
In this area, many people claim to be a Christian for the same reason they claim to be a Republican or a Democrat or a Libertarian. On the last vote, the Republican candidate looked more promising than the Democrat so that’s who they voted for. But day to day, it makes no difference. Jesus didn’t come to secure votes! Jesus came for your greatest love! And giving Jesus your greatest love will put you at odds with the other people you love from time to time. Which love will win the day?
i. “I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”
ii. A true disciple’s love for Jesus must be greater than his love for anyone or anything else! Sometimes, loving Jesus will cost you other relationships.
iii. Illus. Muslims converting to Christ
iv. Illus. In the South, being ostracized and ridiculed as a fanatic because you take Jesus seriously.
v. Who has your loyalty?
With Jesus’ sword, He has divided between those who love Him supremely and everyone else!
i. This idea of loving Jesus seems weird to the average person.
1. We can somehow grasp what it is to know about Jesus and pray to Jesus; even worship Him, but LOVE Jesus?
2. John Piper writes: “Love is not a mere choice to move the body or the brain. Love is also an experience of the heart. . . Christ is to be cherished, not just chosen.”
3. We need to take this a step further. Christ is not just to be cherished, but cherished infinitely more than everything else you cherish. He is to have your most costly loyalty and undying devotion.
4. Luke 14:26 ”If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”
ii. Your Supreme Love is what Jesus requires
1. v.37 “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”
2. Greatest commandment (Matt. 22:35-38) “One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment.” i.e. The most important thing in the UNIVERSE!
a. The purpose of the Law was to show us how unable we are to keep God’s law on our own and drive us to Jesus who satisfied God’s wrath for our not keeping God’s law and he kept God’s law perfectly earning a righteousness that He would give as a gift to all who love Him.
iii. It is true love for Jesus which more than anything else demonstrates a changed heart.
1. The natural man is at war against God from birth! We weren’t just ignorant about God or indifferent to Him, we hated him and this was manifested by our wicked deeds according to Colossians 1.
2. For this to change, a miracle must occur.-the New Birth- adopted into God’s family
a. John 8:42 “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here.”
b. This is why love for God more than a decision or a memory or an experience is more telling about one’s salvation.
3. The love spoken of here is intense passion and commitment, not mere indifference. Jesus doesn’t rescue us to be indifferent! He rescues us from passionate darkness to passionate Jesus loving!
iv. This idea of loving God is used as a description of Believers in the NT
1. Romans 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
2. 1 Peter 1:8 “Though you have not seen him, you love him.”
v. Those who don’t love Jesus are called accursed
1. I Cor. 16:22 “If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed.”
Jesus didn’t just drop out of Heaven and demand love (though He could have) . . . He earned it!
i. He created us
ii. He beautified the Earth for our enjoyment
iii. He humiliated Himself by becoming flesh
iv. He lived a perfectly righteous life as our substitute
v. He died a horrible death on the cross in our place.
vi. He rose from the dead so that we could have life without fear!
vii. He now lives at the Father’s right hand praying for us!
viii. He sent the Holy Spirit!
ix. Now He directs all of history and every detail for our good!
x. He has promised to come again and take us to be with Him immediately forever!
Jesus came for lovers, not votes, and not to pass out fire insurance.
Do you love Jesus?
i. Do you talk to Him?
ii. Do you think about Him and rejoice in His everywhere presence?
iii. Do you thank Him for what you see Him doing everyday?
iv. Do you long to see Him face to face?
1. Some people are truly shocked to find out that if you don’t enjoy loving Jesus now, you’ll hate Heaven. You’d rather have Hell. Heaven is all about adoring Jesus!
Jesus calls his lovers to everyday-death (vv.38-39) “And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
Jesus is not calling us to pay for our sins! In fact, this passage occurs before the cross and the first disciples didn’t yet understand about Christ having to die.
In this time period, those who were sentenced to be crucified carried their own cross from the court room to the “Place of the Skull.” They were not only sentenced to death, but terrible shame before death!
i. Take up your death sentence! - What a marketing ploy!
ii. Is this Effective Evangelism technique?
This is what Jesus is calling for. Do you love Jesus so much that you lay down your wishes, preferences, agenda, rights, your life and endure shame and persecution for His sake?
The issue is not can you say “I love Jesus!” The issue is whether you love Jesus more than your Dad, Mom, Wife, Husband, Children, Home, etc. The issue is passionate loyalty! There will come times when those you love want you to do something, but Jesus wants you to do another. Who wins? There will come a time when following Jesus will cost you your Nascar collection or your favorite fishing rod or your dream home or your comfort or your free time. Will Jesus have your loyalty then?
i. v.37 “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me”
There are many ways to lose your life,
i. Work, family, pleasure, attention, church
ii. Dr. William Finnigan “Everybody is somebody’s fool. Whose fool are you?”
but only one way to save your life.
i. Losing your life for Jesus sake and the Gospels
To be a follower of Jesus is costly:
i. Your Job – work as unto the Lord
ii. Your marriage- Husbands love as . . ., wives submit. . .
iii. Your Kids- Train up your children in the . . .
iv. Your Money- Lay up treasure in Heaven
v. Your Leisure- whatever you do, do in the name. . .
vi. Your neighborhood- Jesus placed me here, not just for my viewing pleasure, but to be His presence here. Invest in the lives of our neighbors in order to build bridges for the Gospel. Your co-workers are your neighbors too!
vii. Your ideas of church.- Christ is the head of all things for the Church (Ephesians)
Taking up your cross is a total life commitment
i. Romans 12:1 “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”
1. “body” here represents the whole person.
2. This sacrifice is active and total!
ii. Matt. 16:24-26 “Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life?”
You must lose your life to find life. Jesus won’t lose it for you.
i. Jesus is calling for a lifestyle of laying down your life
1. A lifestyle of laying down my life for Jesus is made up of days of laying down my life for Jesus, which are made up of hours of laying down my life for Jesus, which are made of moments like this one where we must choose to lay down our lives for Jesus.
This doesn’t mean that Christians should become monks and wear a frown all their lives, but rather to be prepared for whatever it costs you to follow Jesus and to bear gladly the stigma of following Jesus.
i. Hebrews 13:12-14 “So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.”
Jesus promises His lovers that everyday-death brings life! (v.39) “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
Here is a contrast between the world’s idea of life and Jesus’ promise of life. The World says that if I want life to the full I have to keep getting better toys and guard what is mine. Jesus says that at the end of this person’s life, they’ll lose their life and find that their whole life was spent on nothing. Jesus promises that if you will pursue pleasing me no matter what it costs in this life, you’ll not regret it and you’ll one day see that your whole life was spent on something worthwhile which will be rewarded richly in Heaven.
i. The Christian life is one of paradoxes.
1. Lose your life to keep it. Guard your life and you’ll lose it.
ii. He who dies with the most toys wins?
What if I don’t love Jesus supremely?
You need to realize that loving the Right One supremely is a matter of life and death!
Confess it to Jesus and ask Him to forgive you and give you the New Birth.
God promises to give a new heart through believing the Gospel. Ezekiel 36:26-27a “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, . . .”
What is Jesus asking you to lay down as His lover?
Jesus said that “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” That’s not to say that simply doing what Jesus says is the same thing as loving Him, but it is to say that if you don’t apply yourself to obey His commands, you don’t really love him. Are there specific commands that Jesus is reminding you of right now? Who will have your loyalty?
God's Grace-Community: Gathered for a Person, a Message, and a Mission
Acts 20:17ff.
2. What is the Church for?
a. Social Life?
b. So we have a place to give our money?
c. So that men with big ego’s can share their opinions for a couple of hours each week?
d. Organization?
3. What is the “Church”?
a. The word actually means “assembly.”
i. But not just any assembly!
ii. We, the Church, are God's Empowered Grace-Community gathered for: a Person, a Message, and a Mission.
iii. We’ll go through the three parts before unpacking the phrase “God's Empowered Grace-Community.”
b. The idea of the assembly of believers is not a new idea found only in the New Testament. The Old Testament also spoke of the congregation or the assembly.
c. What brought the people of the Old Testament together as an assembly is that they were called by God to be His People.
d. This idea carries over into the New Testament, but it is much fuller.
i. That’s why there is no drawn out teaching about what the church is in the NT
ii. Israel was the church of the Old Testament.
iii. In the New Testament, we are not primarily made up of one ethnic group. We are diverse. We are called from every nation and tribe and language!
iv. We are called to be Jesus’ body as local expressions of God’s world-wide work.
1. Epistles were letter written to the church at _____. (i.e., Sardis, Ephesus, etc.)
4. God's Empowered Grace-Community gathered for a Person
a. The Church exists because of the work of Jesus!
i. Ephesians says that Jesus tore down the wall of separation between races and cultures and purchased a people from all people groups
ii. Jesus has earned the righteousness we needed to be in God’s presence.
iii. Jesus bore the wrath of God in our place so that we could enjoy His presence and fellowship
iv. The church gathers as a celebration of Jesus!
1. Our preaching ought to be full of Jesus.
2. Our singing ought to be full of praise to Jesus!
v. When we come together it is because of Jesus and through Jesus that we are in the presence of God.
1. The Old Testament was full of blood and the overwhelming absence of blood in the New Testament is a testimony to the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus.
b. Ephesians 1:22 “And He put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”
5. God's Empowered Grace-Community gathered for a Person and a Message
a. Ephesians 1:13-14 “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”
b. It was hearing and believing the message of the Gospel which added us to the assembly.
c. It is the Gospel which sustains true faith.
i. Paul’s letter to the Galatian church is proof enough of this. He confronted them in very clear language for mixing works of the law with faith and thinking that that’s what it took to be acceptable to God.
d. It is the Gospel we are to guard and preach!
i. Paul charged Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:13,14 “Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.”
6. God's Empowered Grace-Community gathered for a Person, a Message, and a Mission
a. We cannot understand what the Bible means by church by reflecting only on our identity. That is introverted. But the complete idea comes when we understand who we are and what we are to do. That is we have to understand the extroverted aspect of the church as well.
b. Matt. 28:18-20 Great commission
i. “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’”
ii. Make Disciples by
1. Making disciples
a. is different from making decisions
b. Is different from altar calls
c. Making disciples is essentially making copy-cats!
i. Paul- Imitate me as I imitate Jesus
d. Disciple making requires a lot of one-on-one life time.
e. “make disciples of all nations”
i. Multi-ethnic discipleship.
ii. Where are they?
f. This is not only the job of the Pastors.
i. Eph. 4:11-12 says “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of the ministry, . . .”
g. This is not a numbers game- whoever has the most votes wins
2. Baptizing
a. Baptism doesn’t earn salvation.
b. Baptism is God’s way of marking out those who He has called to be His own.
c. In Baptism, the work of the Triune God is pictured, which is why a person is baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and the person being baptized is passive.
3. Teaching
a. The Church is to teach disciples to do all that Christ commanded.
b. The Church is to teach doctrine which builds up our faith and renews our minds.
7. We are a Grace-Community
a. We are a community- an assembly of Jesus worshipers who share this new life together. It is grace which birthed us into this family and it is God’s grace which must characterize our relationships within this family.
i. Ephesians 4:32-5:1 “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.”
ii. John 13:35 “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
b. A quick survey of the “one-anothering” passages in the NT shows that God has made us to live as an organism, interdependent upon one-another. There are so many “one-anothering” commands in the NT that if you are isolated from the Church, you cannot possibly obey those commands!
c. This community of people owned by the grace of God and a passion for Jesus are called the “household of God.”(Eph. 2:19)
i. As the “household of God”, our life together is vastly different than anything the world can produce, because only the grace of God can cause a naturally selfish person to give up what is important to me so that another person is helped.
ii. As the “household of God” and as the “body of Christ”, every member has a task to do and the church’s mission can only be accomplished if all are doing their part.
1. Eph. 4 is talking about how when Jesus was raised from the dead, it was for glorification and as he was receiving his reward, he showered gifts on the church. On the whole church. (Rom. 12, 1 Cor. 12 also)
2. Ephesians 4:15,16 “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, in to Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”
8. We are an Empowered Grace-Community
a. In John 14:15-17 Jesus told his disciples “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”
i. The disciples were shocked to hear that Jesus had to die and then ascend to Heaven, because that meant that He would no longer be with them like he had been.
ii. They were ready to mourn the loss of their greatest friend, when Jesus promised His Father would send “another Helper.”
1. a helper just like Jesus
2. When the disciples were in the presence of Jesus, they didn’t have to wonder about where their next meal was coming from.
3. When the disciples were with Jesus, they had confidence that anything He asked them to do, they could do. (i.e. walk on water)
a. Illus, Emma walking down the large steps holding my hand
4. The way that Jesus helped and comforted his precious group of disciples, the Holy Spirit does so with each and every child of God.
b. Jesus told his disciples in Luke 24:49 “And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
c. Jesus had already given them the Mission instructions, but instruction isn’t all we need.
i. We need power!
d. This was fulfilled at Pentacost.
e. The Holy Spirit has never left. He is still helping, comforting, and teaching His children just like Jesus did.
f. Notice the change in the disciples from before Pentacost and after.
i. After Jesus was buried, but before Pentacost, the disciples locked themselves in a room. They were afraid that they would be found out.
ii. After Pentacost, in Acts 3, Peter and John were walking boldly in the streets and a man who was lame asked them for some money. Peter told him to look at him and John and said, I don’t have any silver or gold, but what I do have, I give to you freely. “Get up and walk!” The man went away dancing!
g. The Power Helper is with us.
i. Yes, the mission is great and difficult!
ii. Yes, it takes boldness to guard and proclaim the Gospel!
iii. Yes, I have to deny myself in order to live at peace with you fellow believers!
iv. Yes, there are millions sick and suffering!
v. But the Power Helper is here!
Church, the Risen Christ has given clear instructions and sent the power to accomplish it. Go. . . Make disciples… baptize them and teach them all that Jesus commanded.
"17Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him. 18And when they came to him, he said to them:
"You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, 19serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; 20how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, 21testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. 22And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. 24But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. 25And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again. 26Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all of you, 27for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. 28Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. 29I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish everyone with tears. 32And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33I coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel. 34You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. 35In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"
36And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. 37And there was much weeping on the part of all; they embraced Paul and kissed him, 38being sorrowful most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they accompanied him to the ship."
"You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, 19serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; 20how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, 21testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. 22And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. 24But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. 25And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again. 26Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all of you, 27for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. 28Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. 29I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish everyone with tears. 32And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33I coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel. 34You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. 35In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"
36And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. 37And there was much weeping on the part of all; they embraced Paul and kissed him, 38being sorrowful most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they accompanied him to the ship."
2. What is the Church for?
a. Social Life?
b. So we have a place to give our money?
c. So that men with big ego’s can share their opinions for a couple of hours each week?
d. Organization?
3. What is the “Church”?
a. The word actually means “assembly.”
i. But not just any assembly!
ii. We, the Church, are God's Empowered Grace-Community gathered for: a Person, a Message, and a Mission.
iii. We’ll go through the three parts before unpacking the phrase “God's Empowered Grace-Community.”
b. The idea of the assembly of believers is not a new idea found only in the New Testament. The Old Testament also spoke of the congregation or the assembly.
c. What brought the people of the Old Testament together as an assembly is that they were called by God to be His People.
d. This idea carries over into the New Testament, but it is much fuller.
i. That’s why there is no drawn out teaching about what the church is in the NT
ii. Israel was the church of the Old Testament.
iii. In the New Testament, we are not primarily made up of one ethnic group. We are diverse. We are called from every nation and tribe and language!
iv. We are called to be Jesus’ body as local expressions of God’s world-wide work.
1. Epistles were letter written to the church at _____. (i.e., Sardis, Ephesus, etc.)
4. God's Empowered Grace-Community gathered for a Person
a. The Church exists because of the work of Jesus!
i. Ephesians says that Jesus tore down the wall of separation between races and cultures and purchased a people from all people groups
ii. Jesus has earned the righteousness we needed to be in God’s presence.
iii. Jesus bore the wrath of God in our place so that we could enjoy His presence and fellowship
iv. The church gathers as a celebration of Jesus!
1. Our preaching ought to be full of Jesus.
2. Our singing ought to be full of praise to Jesus!
v. When we come together it is because of Jesus and through Jesus that we are in the presence of God.
1. The Old Testament was full of blood and the overwhelming absence of blood in the New Testament is a testimony to the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus.
b. Ephesians 1:22 “And He put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”
5. God's Empowered Grace-Community gathered for a Person and a Message
a. Ephesians 1:13-14 “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”
b. It was hearing and believing the message of the Gospel which added us to the assembly.
c. It is the Gospel which sustains true faith.
i. Paul’s letter to the Galatian church is proof enough of this. He confronted them in very clear language for mixing works of the law with faith and thinking that that’s what it took to be acceptable to God.
d. It is the Gospel we are to guard and preach!
i. Paul charged Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:13,14 “Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.”
6. God's Empowered Grace-Community gathered for a Person, a Message, and a Mission
a. We cannot understand what the Bible means by church by reflecting only on our identity. That is introverted. But the complete idea comes when we understand who we are and what we are to do. That is we have to understand the extroverted aspect of the church as well.
b. Matt. 28:18-20 Great commission
i. “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’”
ii. Make Disciples by
1. Making disciples
a. is different from making decisions
b. Is different from altar calls
c. Making disciples is essentially making copy-cats!
i. Paul- Imitate me as I imitate Jesus
d. Disciple making requires a lot of one-on-one life time.
e. “make disciples of all nations”
i. Multi-ethnic discipleship.
ii. Where are they?
f. This is not only the job of the Pastors.
i. Eph. 4:11-12 says “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of the ministry, . . .”
g. This is not a numbers game- whoever has the most votes wins
2. Baptizing
a. Baptism doesn’t earn salvation.
b. Baptism is God’s way of marking out those who He has called to be His own.
c. In Baptism, the work of the Triune God is pictured, which is why a person is baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and the person being baptized is passive.
3. Teaching
a. The Church is to teach disciples to do all that Christ commanded.
b. The Church is to teach doctrine which builds up our faith and renews our minds.
7. We are a Grace-Community
a. We are a community- an assembly of Jesus worshipers who share this new life together. It is grace which birthed us into this family and it is God’s grace which must characterize our relationships within this family.
i. Ephesians 4:32-5:1 “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.”
ii. John 13:35 “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
b. A quick survey of the “one-anothering” passages in the NT shows that God has made us to live as an organism, interdependent upon one-another. There are so many “one-anothering” commands in the NT that if you are isolated from the Church, you cannot possibly obey those commands!
c. This community of people owned by the grace of God and a passion for Jesus are called the “household of God.”(Eph. 2:19)
i. As the “household of God”, our life together is vastly different than anything the world can produce, because only the grace of God can cause a naturally selfish person to give up what is important to me so that another person is helped.
ii. As the “household of God” and as the “body of Christ”, every member has a task to do and the church’s mission can only be accomplished if all are doing their part.
1. Eph. 4 is talking about how when Jesus was raised from the dead, it was for glorification and as he was receiving his reward, he showered gifts on the church. On the whole church. (Rom. 12, 1 Cor. 12 also)
2. Ephesians 4:15,16 “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, in to Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”
8. We are an Empowered Grace-Community
a. In John 14:15-17 Jesus told his disciples “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”
i. The disciples were shocked to hear that Jesus had to die and then ascend to Heaven, because that meant that He would no longer be with them like he had been.
ii. They were ready to mourn the loss of their greatest friend, when Jesus promised His Father would send “another Helper.”
1. a helper just like Jesus
2. When the disciples were in the presence of Jesus, they didn’t have to wonder about where their next meal was coming from.
3. When the disciples were with Jesus, they had confidence that anything He asked them to do, they could do. (i.e. walk on water)
a. Illus, Emma walking down the large steps holding my hand
4. The way that Jesus helped and comforted his precious group of disciples, the Holy Spirit does so with each and every child of God.
b. Jesus told his disciples in Luke 24:49 “And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
c. Jesus had already given them the Mission instructions, but instruction isn’t all we need.
i. We need power!
d. This was fulfilled at Pentacost.
e. The Holy Spirit has never left. He is still helping, comforting, and teaching His children just like Jesus did.
f. Notice the change in the disciples from before Pentacost and after.
i. After Jesus was buried, but before Pentacost, the disciples locked themselves in a room. They were afraid that they would be found out.
ii. After Pentacost, in Acts 3, Peter and John were walking boldly in the streets and a man who was lame asked them for some money. Peter told him to look at him and John and said, I don’t have any silver or gold, but what I do have, I give to you freely. “Get up and walk!” The man went away dancing!
g. The Power Helper is with us.
i. Yes, the mission is great and difficult!
ii. Yes, it takes boldness to guard and proclaim the Gospel!
iii. Yes, I have to deny myself in order to live at peace with you fellow believers!
iv. Yes, there are millions sick and suffering!
v. But the Power Helper is here!
Church, the Risen Christ has given clear instructions and sent the power to accomplish it. Go. . . Make disciples… baptize them and teach them all that Jesus commanded.
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Humble Leadership
Josh Harris was recently interviewed regarding his participation with the Reform and Resurge Conference. He models humble leadership and emanates Gospel-priorities.
Friday, April 28, 2006
The Luring Effect of a Cracker
The other day we were riding in the van as a family going to see our new niece (Jubilee Hope Andrews). We told our girls that we had some crackers they could eat after we were finished at their cousins' house. When we were finished, we loaded up into the van and noticed that it was nearly dinner time. In a quiet conversation, Faith and I decided that we would take the girls to McDonald's for dinner since we were so close. Just then, the girls began begging for the crackers we told them they could have. We told them that we had something even better for them if they would just wait. They continued to beg for the crackers and it finally ended with me telling the girls not to ask for the crackers anymore. They were upset. They felt entitled to their crackers and they wanted them now instead of waiting for Daddy's surprise which was supposed to be far better. As we pulled into MickeyD's our girl's faces brightened up and they suddenly forgot about the crackers. As we pulled into the parking lot and noticed the girls' expressions changing, I commented to Faith; "What an analogy!"During this episode, I was thinking of a comment made by C. S. Lewis from The Weight of Glory ". . .if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desire, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased. "
God wants us completely satisfied in HIM, but how often we demand immediate satisfaction from far lesser things which only end up disappointing! In Jeremiah 2 (vv.12-14) God complains "Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the LORD, for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters,and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water." You see my girls were sinning two-fold. They were demading lesser goods while rejecting the far better thing I was promising them.
Brothers and Sisters, we do this with every sin we commit against God. Sin is essentially believing the deceitful promises of sin over God's promises. When we sin, we reject God and His "living water" and we instead stuff our faces with cotton candy which tastes sweet for a short season but then is gone, leaving a still empty stomach. God alone satisfies the human heart with joy unspeakable and full of glory!
What God promises is always worth the wait and the forsaking all lesser promises from deceitful sources!
We need to see crackers for what they really are and trust God to give us the full meal!
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Happy Birthday, Chad Mahaney!
For his son's thirteenth birthday, CJ Mahaney invited David Powlison to write a letter to his son, Chad. We all can benefit greatly from receiving the wisdom and encouragement of this letter. Thanks to the sweet ladies at the Girltalk blog for posting this!
What Would Jesus Do? . . . with the Sick and Demonized?
This is the question Sam Storms attempts to answer in a recent sermon delivered at the home pulpit of John Piper (Bethlehem Baptist Church). It is amazing how we want to see Jesus as an example of so many things, but what about Spirit-empowered ministry? How did Jesus do so many great works? Did He flip his "God-switch"? or was He demonstrating the fulness of life in the Spirit? And what does His example mean for every believer? How does our ministry to the sick and demonized stack up when compared with His? In the Great Commission, Jesus commanded us to teach all disciples to do all the things He has commanded. That definitely includes healing the sick and delivering those who are oppressed by demons (Matthew 10:8). What are your thoughts after hearing this message?
Friday, April 14, 2006
Convergence Seminar with Sam Storms
Since John Piper is on writing leave in England, Dr. Sam Storms of Enjoying God Ministries was invited to preach at Bethlehem Baptist Church and conduct a seminar (2 sessions + Q&A) based on his newest book "Convergence." The book is great and this seminar is a good introduction to the issues covered in the book. Enjoy!
*You'll need to scroll down to the block that says "Download fresh audio each week" on the right-hand side of the page, then scroll down to Sam Storms' sermons.
"Too Atonement-Centered"?
Mark Dever recently wrote an article for Christianity Today magazine discussing some current opposition to the Atonement and its centrality in the Christian life. It is well worth the read!
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