(17) To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
Paul finishes the first section of the letter with worship to God. His basic flow so far is this:
-Make sure no one’s contradicting the Gospel
-I’ve been entrusted with the Gospel
-God’s entrusting me with the Gospel is an example of his great mercy to others
Isn’t it fitting that he end with heartfelt praise towards God? He’s just talked about how God saved and forgave even such a rebel as himself – and not only forgave him, but gave him a responsibility – the charge to take the Gospel to the nations.
And so he gives us an example of how we should respond, from the heart, to our own salvation and to the great plan of God over all of history.
And so it’s fitting that he first addresses God as the King of the Ages.
Is this the Father or Jesus? Well, Paul’s just talked about Jesus as the giver of mercy. So he’s probably talking about Jesus. But is he talking about Jesus in exclusion to the Father and Spirit? Probably not. This is the Triune God who deserves praise.
What does King of the Ages mean? Typically, the ages refers to epochs of history – periods characterized by certain things. If God is the King of the Ages, he rules over all time, over all history, over all events, over all things, even time.
And so he deserves praise for what he has done.
God is immortal. We are in need of getting eternal life as a gift. God is life and can’t be otherwise. He is its source. And so he is the gracious giver, the loving bestower of life.
God is invisible. He governs all things without needing to make himself visible. His power is so great that he owns the will – he needn’t force people to do things by threat of consequence – rather, he rules the will and steers it as he wishes.
And he’s not an idol. He cannot be represented with anything we can create. God is completely and totally distinct. He is holy.
God is the only God. There is no other God. He does not contend with anyone for glory nor ownership. He is it. To him alone be honor and glory!
God deserves praise forever! He governs all history in a way that in every moment his glory is on display infinitely, and so his praise must endure forever.
And so, what do we learn?
1) Our worship must be heartfelt, truly from our inner beings.
2) Our worship must be in response to what God has done in and for us, individually.
3) Our worship must be in response to what God has and is doing globally.
4) We worship God as the only glorious ruler over all things for all time.
Prayer:
O God, you saved me! Even though I hated you and continue to break your laws, you saved me and forgave me through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Thank you for your displays of patience and mercy. Thank you for glorifying yourself in saving many people and making us into one body.
God, you rule over all things. You deserve glory. Open our eyes to see what your word says about you – and to have hearts soft enough to perceive how great you are – and to respond appropriately.
In Christ’s name,
Amen.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
1 Timothy 1:15b-16
(15b-16) …of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might disply his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.
Paul is continuing to emphasize the glory of God in giving him a ministry, making sure that Timothy understands that it is all by grace as a gift – salvation and service. And he’s just said that Christ had a mission when he entered the world: the salvation of sinners; the rescue of rebels.
Now he makes it very personal – he says that he’s the foremost, or first, among sinners. Why’s he say that? V. 13 – he was a blasphemer and persecutor. Everyone sins – but Paul’s were especially blatant and especially grievous. Though it’s true that everyone is a sinner, it is also true that there are degrees of sin – and Paul’s were up there.
But even Paul was given mercy by Jesus. And Jesus had mercy on Paul with a purpose, a reason. What was that reason?
Jesus gave Paul mercy to put his patience on display. Jesus made much of his mercy; he showed off his patience. He glorified himself by displaying his character.
And he did it as an example to other believers – so that we could take comfort in his patience.
Do we doubt Jesus’ patience? Do we tremble because of our sins? Because of others’ sins? Look at how Jesus treated Paul. Jesus is merciful and patient. Though he could judge all of us in a moment, he withholds judgment for the salvation of his people.
What do we learn from these verses?
1) We should always keep in mind the gravity and grievousness of our own sins.
2) We should even remember our sins from before we were converted to Christ – remember who it was to whom he gave mercy.
3) That evil is in the world in part because Jesus is being patient and merciful to sinners.
4) If we need to seek comfort in Jesus’ patience, we should look to how he treated Paul.
5) Jesus’ actions to glorify himself are the same as his actions of mercy to his people. He loves us by putting his glory on display.
Prayer: Jesus, thank you for your patience. Thank you for your patience with me before you gave me mercy – and thank you for always interceding for me despite the fact that I still sin. Thank you for your example of mercy in Paul. Cause me to delight in your mercy and patience and to remember that you save by your glory – that I am not glorious nor worthy of praise or favor – but because you are, you saved me.
Continue to bring in the full number of your elect people. Make us all humble people, knowing that salvation is all of you, and joyful people because you have saved us.
Amen.
Paul is continuing to emphasize the glory of God in giving him a ministry, making sure that Timothy understands that it is all by grace as a gift – salvation and service. And he’s just said that Christ had a mission when he entered the world: the salvation of sinners; the rescue of rebels.
Now he makes it very personal – he says that he’s the foremost, or first, among sinners. Why’s he say that? V. 13 – he was a blasphemer and persecutor. Everyone sins – but Paul’s were especially blatant and especially grievous. Though it’s true that everyone is a sinner, it is also true that there are degrees of sin – and Paul’s were up there.
But even Paul was given mercy by Jesus. And Jesus had mercy on Paul with a purpose, a reason. What was that reason?
Jesus gave Paul mercy to put his patience on display. Jesus made much of his mercy; he showed off his patience. He glorified himself by displaying his character.
And he did it as an example to other believers – so that we could take comfort in his patience.
Do we doubt Jesus’ patience? Do we tremble because of our sins? Because of others’ sins? Look at how Jesus treated Paul. Jesus is merciful and patient. Though he could judge all of us in a moment, he withholds judgment for the salvation of his people.
What do we learn from these verses?
1) We should always keep in mind the gravity and grievousness of our own sins.
2) We should even remember our sins from before we were converted to Christ – remember who it was to whom he gave mercy.
3) That evil is in the world in part because Jesus is being patient and merciful to sinners.
4) If we need to seek comfort in Jesus’ patience, we should look to how he treated Paul.
5) Jesus’ actions to glorify himself are the same as his actions of mercy to his people. He loves us by putting his glory on display.
Prayer: Jesus, thank you for your patience. Thank you for your patience with me before you gave me mercy – and thank you for always interceding for me despite the fact that I still sin. Thank you for your example of mercy in Paul. Cause me to delight in your mercy and patience and to remember that you save by your glory – that I am not glorious nor worthy of praise or favor – but because you are, you saved me.
Continue to bring in the full number of your elect people. Make us all humble people, knowing that salvation is all of you, and joyful people because you have saved us.
Amen.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
1 Timothy 1:15a
(15a) The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners…
Paul takes extra effort to emphasize here the truth of what he’s about to say. He doesn’t need to say that what he’s about to say is true. He’s writing Scripture, after all! But God wants to get our attention. This is important!
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Jesus is the Christ. He’s the Son of God, God himself. He is the ruler of all of creation. He’s the lover of humanity and its savior.
And he does not belong to this world, but rather had to enter it. He didn’t belong here, and though we didn’t know it, he certainly did. He was a stranger here, despised by what he’d created.
But he entered into this world to rescue those who disobeyed him. The glorious God over all became a man to rescue his enemies.
It’s interesting to note that Paul uses the same expression about a saying being worthy of full acceptance in 1 Timothy 4:8, 9. The idea is that the saying should become part of the very core of who we are.
And so this saying should!
In sum,
1) We should emphasize truth in our speech and draw attention to the separateness of the Gospel from other things we might say.
2) We should emphasize the God who saves.
3) We should make much of Jesus.
4) We should strive to make the message about Jesus the very core of our beings.
5) We should impress the necessity of doing so also upon others.
Paul takes extra effort to emphasize here the truth of what he’s about to say. He doesn’t need to say that what he’s about to say is true. He’s writing Scripture, after all! But God wants to get our attention. This is important!
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Jesus is the Christ. He’s the Son of God, God himself. He is the ruler of all of creation. He’s the lover of humanity and its savior.
And he does not belong to this world, but rather had to enter it. He didn’t belong here, and though we didn’t know it, he certainly did. He was a stranger here, despised by what he’d created.
But he entered into this world to rescue those who disobeyed him. The glorious God over all became a man to rescue his enemies.
It’s interesting to note that Paul uses the same expression about a saying being worthy of full acceptance in 1 Timothy 4:8, 9. The idea is that the saying should become part of the very core of who we are.
And so this saying should!
In sum,
1) We should emphasize truth in our speech and draw attention to the separateness of the Gospel from other things we might say.
2) We should emphasize the God who saves.
3) We should make much of Jesus.
4) We should strive to make the message about Jesus the very core of our beings.
5) We should impress the necessity of doing so also upon others.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
1 Timothy 1:13b
(13b) …but I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief.
Paul is talking about the graciousness of God in giving him the Gospel ministry. He’s overflowing with thanks to God – not showing that he’s worth being a minister of the Gospel – but showing how great God is in making a blasphemer, persecutor and insolent opponent (13a) into an apostle.
And he just has in broad brushstrokes painted his former self as an enemy of Christ.
And here he points out that God moved – God acted – God demonstrated mercy. God saw a puny human breathing hateful, blasphemous threats against Jesus Christ – and had pity on him – saw his true, depraved, wretched, poor, helpless state – and gave Paul mercy.
God felt compassion for Paul, forgave him his sins, and made him an apostle for the spread of His Good News.
We see what that mercy looked like in v. 14. But before we get there, we need to address Paul’s ignorance. He says that he received mercy because he acted in unbelief. Well, all unbelievers act in unbelief. But not all receive mercy, right? So what’s he mean?
I think he means to distinguish himself here from the Pharisees that Jesus dealt with – who saw the miracles – who in some sense believed – and called the Lord a devil. The Lord, as you recall, responded to such accusations with his statements about how blasphemy against the Spirit will never be forgiven.
He was thus never a member of the community – and never participated in the life of the Spirit. He didn’t really see it. See Matthew 12:22 and following and Hebrews 6:1-9. In other words, he wasn’t an apostate. He didn’t do what those two passages talk about.
Why does he seem to distinguish himself from those people? I think because he’s addressing heretics in this book. He doesn’t want to shake Timothy’s trust in the word of the Lord, and so he’s careful about what he says.
There are, thus, degrees of depravity. They all make one guilty before God – but there are degrees of rejection – and ultimately – Paul was not one of the swine who knowingly trampled the pearls (Matt 7:1-6)– but rather, an unbeliever – a guilty one – who was given grace.
In sum,
1) A pastor must realize and give credit to God for his grace.
2) A pastor must be public about how it is God’s mercy that gave him a ministry.
3) A pastor must be public about how God’s mercy rescued him from sin.
4) A pastor must be careful in his speech, trying to make sure he is understood.
5) Thus, a pastor must take his audience into account – and harmonize everything he says, anticipating objections and questions that arise.
Paul is talking about the graciousness of God in giving him the Gospel ministry. He’s overflowing with thanks to God – not showing that he’s worth being a minister of the Gospel – but showing how great God is in making a blasphemer, persecutor and insolent opponent (13a) into an apostle.
And he just has in broad brushstrokes painted his former self as an enemy of Christ.
And here he points out that God moved – God acted – God demonstrated mercy. God saw a puny human breathing hateful, blasphemous threats against Jesus Christ – and had pity on him – saw his true, depraved, wretched, poor, helpless state – and gave Paul mercy.
God felt compassion for Paul, forgave him his sins, and made him an apostle for the spread of His Good News.
We see what that mercy looked like in v. 14. But before we get there, we need to address Paul’s ignorance. He says that he received mercy because he acted in unbelief. Well, all unbelievers act in unbelief. But not all receive mercy, right? So what’s he mean?
I think he means to distinguish himself here from the Pharisees that Jesus dealt with – who saw the miracles – who in some sense believed – and called the Lord a devil. The Lord, as you recall, responded to such accusations with his statements about how blasphemy against the Spirit will never be forgiven.
He was thus never a member of the community – and never participated in the life of the Spirit. He didn’t really see it. See Matthew 12:22 and following and Hebrews 6:1-9. In other words, he wasn’t an apostate. He didn’t do what those two passages talk about.
Why does he seem to distinguish himself from those people? I think because he’s addressing heretics in this book. He doesn’t want to shake Timothy’s trust in the word of the Lord, and so he’s careful about what he says.
There are, thus, degrees of depravity. They all make one guilty before God – but there are degrees of rejection – and ultimately – Paul was not one of the swine who knowingly trampled the pearls (Matt 7:1-6)– but rather, an unbeliever – a guilty one – who was given grace.
In sum,
1) A pastor must realize and give credit to God for his grace.
2) A pastor must be public about how it is God’s mercy that gave him a ministry.
3) A pastor must be public about how God’s mercy rescued him from sin.
4) A pastor must be careful in his speech, trying to make sure he is understood.
5) Thus, a pastor must take his audience into account – and harmonize everything he says, anticipating objections and questions that arise.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
1 Timothy 1:12-13a
(12) I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service
Paul has just made mention of his status as an apostle in v. 11 – simply because his responsibilities are explicitly tied to the Gospel itself. The Gospel was enacted in Christ, and the apostles were given the responsibility of giving direct witness to Christ.
It’s as if in the following verses Paul wants us to know that it’s all about God and not about him. He starts in the verse with ‘thanks’ – which means that there has been joy granted through the sovereign love of God – not through human effort. He goes further to show that Christ is the ‘strength-giver.’ Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior, the King, God Himself – and he is the giver of strength.
Paul thanks Jesus because of Jesus’ considering Paul faithful. And this has something to do with being appointed to his office as an apostle.
Was he appointed on the basis of his faithfulness? Absolutely not. Christ here is the strength-giver. Christ is the one who gives mercy (13). Christ is the giver of grace (14). Christ is the creator of faith and love (14). And this all shows Christ’s mercy (16).
So what is he saying? Here’s another way to translate the verse: “I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he treats me as a faithful person, having appointed me to his service.”
In other words, that word ‘judged’ in Paul has the connotation of how one is treated. Or in other words, Jesus treats Paul as a faithful person. Just as in 1 Timothy 6:1, Christian slaves were to treat their masters as worthy of all honor. Does that mean that they actually were worthy? Not really. It’s a matter of treatment.
Paul is thankful because he’s being considered faithful, even though, as he’s about to point out, he was the worst of sinners. And what’s the justification for his statement about this treatment? Jesus the Lord made him one of his chief representatives. Now, the grace from Jesus is transformative. When Jesus saves, he changes a person; he certainly changed Paul’s character! And so some faithfulness was created in Paul.
So Paul is absolutely not saying that Jesus saw some faithfulness in Paul and therefore made him an apostle. What Paul is saying is that Jesus treated him as faithful as an act of mercy, and created faithfulness in him by his appointment to serve.
This is explained in v. 13
(13a) …though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent.
It is all grace. Strength is from Christ, mercy is from Christ, ministry is from Christ, life change is from Christ, forgiveness is from Christ – and all of it is given to people who are wicked and depraved rebels.
Paul serves here as an example to pastors. The charge to preach the Gospel is tied up in the Gospel itself. It isn’t tied up in the messenger. It’s tied up in Jesus’ salvation of sinners and appointing people to proclaim Him. And its specifically tied up in the salvation of and merciful appointment of the minister.
And God should be publicly thanked and honored as such!
In sum:
1) Thanks should publicly be given to Christ
2) These thanks should be for salvation
3) These thanks should also be for gracious appointment to ministry
Paul has just made mention of his status as an apostle in v. 11 – simply because his responsibilities are explicitly tied to the Gospel itself. The Gospel was enacted in Christ, and the apostles were given the responsibility of giving direct witness to Christ.
It’s as if in the following verses Paul wants us to know that it’s all about God and not about him. He starts in the verse with ‘thanks’ – which means that there has been joy granted through the sovereign love of God – not through human effort. He goes further to show that Christ is the ‘strength-giver.’ Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior, the King, God Himself – and he is the giver of strength.
Paul thanks Jesus because of Jesus’ considering Paul faithful. And this has something to do with being appointed to his office as an apostle.
Was he appointed on the basis of his faithfulness? Absolutely not. Christ here is the strength-giver. Christ is the one who gives mercy (13). Christ is the giver of grace (14). Christ is the creator of faith and love (14). And this all shows Christ’s mercy (16).
So what is he saying? Here’s another way to translate the verse: “I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he treats me as a faithful person, having appointed me to his service.”
In other words, that word ‘judged’ in Paul has the connotation of how one is treated. Or in other words, Jesus treats Paul as a faithful person. Just as in 1 Timothy 6:1, Christian slaves were to treat their masters as worthy of all honor. Does that mean that they actually were worthy? Not really. It’s a matter of treatment.
Paul is thankful because he’s being considered faithful, even though, as he’s about to point out, he was the worst of sinners. And what’s the justification for his statement about this treatment? Jesus the Lord made him one of his chief representatives. Now, the grace from Jesus is transformative. When Jesus saves, he changes a person; he certainly changed Paul’s character! And so some faithfulness was created in Paul.
So Paul is absolutely not saying that Jesus saw some faithfulness in Paul and therefore made him an apostle. What Paul is saying is that Jesus treated him as faithful as an act of mercy, and created faithfulness in him by his appointment to serve.
This is explained in v. 13
(13a) …though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent.
It is all grace. Strength is from Christ, mercy is from Christ, ministry is from Christ, life change is from Christ, forgiveness is from Christ – and all of it is given to people who are wicked and depraved rebels.
Paul serves here as an example to pastors. The charge to preach the Gospel is tied up in the Gospel itself. It isn’t tied up in the messenger. It’s tied up in Jesus’ salvation of sinners and appointing people to proclaim Him. And its specifically tied up in the salvation of and merciful appointment of the minister.
And God should be publicly thanked and honored as such!
In sum:
1) Thanks should publicly be given to Christ
2) These thanks should be for salvation
3) These thanks should also be for gracious appointment to ministry
Monday, January 25, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Sermon: Genesis 11:1-9
Sorry about the brief hiatus from 1 Timothy. I've been preparing to preach this sermon. And here it is.
The sermon is the place in which God’s word is read, explained, and applied to his people. And that we will do, if God permits. So we’re going to read God’s word from Genesis 11:1-9, and then ask God for help. So open your Bible to Genesis 11:1-9, and if you don’t have one, there should be one in the pew in front of you. And if you don’t have one, you need to start bringing one – on Sunday morning you should expect to hear from God through his written word and to respond in worship. So bring a Bible. And if you have brought a Bible, don’t be arrogant about it. You only brought one because God gave you grace to.
Before we read, I want to make a note that I’m reading from a slightly different – and actually, a very hyper-literal – translation. So there are going to be some differences. But take note of those differences as we read.
Now, pay attention to God’s words from Genesis 11:1-9:
(1) Now the whole earth had a common language and a common vocabulary.
(2) As the people moved in the east, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.
(3) And they said to one another, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” (They had brick instead of stone and tar instead of mortar.)
(4) Then they said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens to make a name for ourselves. Otherwise, we will be scattered across the face of the entire earth.”
(5) But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the people had started building.
(6) And the LORD said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing they plan to do will now be impossible for them.
(7) “Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they won’t be able to understand one another’s speech.”
(8) So the LORD scattered them from there across the face of the entire earth, and they stopped building the city.
(9) That is why its name was called Babel – because there the LORD confused the language of the entire world, and from there the LORD scattered them across the face of the entire earth.
This is the word of God.
Ask God for help with me, and then we’ll get to work. Let’s bow our heads
Pray
The point of the Scripture you’ve just heard read is this: God will secure worship for himself from every corner of this world. Or in other words, God will make sure that he is glorified globally.
We’ll see in this passage that God will do this. We humans cannot thwart his purposes. We’ll see that God created humans to love, obey, worship, and serve him alone – since he is God, our loving Creator. And we’ll see that God intends that humans all over the globe will praise him.
So God will secure worship from every part of this world. That leaves us with a choice. The big question we need to be asking ourselves this morning is this: will we participate in the goal of God’s global glorification, OR, will we pursue a good reputation and security? Let me repeat that. The big question we need to be asking ourselves this morning is this: will we participate in the goal of God’s global glorification, OR, will we pursue a good reputation and security?
Here’s where we’re going. First, we’ll look at the setting of the story. Second, we’ll look at human rebellion. Third, we’ll look at what God observes about the situation. Fourth, we’ll look at how God acted for his own glory.
So first, let’s look at the setting of the story. And by the way, keep your Bibles open so you can follow along.
Verse one says: “Now the whole earth had one language and the same words.” What’s going on here? Well, this is just a few generations after Noah’s flood. You remember what happened, right? Sin increased in the world so much that there was only one man and his immediate family who were worshipers of God. So God judged the world – he drowned everyone except for this man, Noah, and his family.
This is just a few generations later, and so, ‘the whole earth had one language and the same words.’
Now, we all in this room speak English. We can communicate decently well with each other. However, something more was going on here: they had ‘the same words.’ What’s that mean?
Well, when my car breaks down – or even if I need an oil change, I take it to the shop. Now, my background is theology and biology. I don’t use words that a mechanic does. I have no idea what a crankshaft is. I don’t know what a gasket is. I know it’s bad if they break. That’s why I pay him to fix it. So when they come out and try to explain things to me, I smile and nod and for the most part hope that I’m not getting ripped off. The thing is, we have different words, even though we speak the same language.
These Babelites, though – they did have the same words. They were like two mechanics working together on a car. They could work together well and accomplish what they set out to do.
Verse two says, “And as people migrated in the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.” Without going into detail, this was the tipoff in the story that these people were about to do something bad. This is like an old Western where a cowboy shows up wearing all black. Or if you’re watching Batman or something and somebody with a really jacked up face shows up. You know he’s about to do something bad. And these people were, too.
Verse 3 says, “And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick instead of stone and tar instead of mortar.” Moses goes out of his way to tell us that they used brick and tar instead of stone and mortar for building materials. Why? He’s showing us that these people were creating culture. And it was unique – it was different from other cultures.
I know we usually don’t self-consciously think that we have a culture, but we do. When you’re observing architecture or art and talking about what you find beautiful, you’re demonstrating culture. When you go out to eat, or when you cook, you’re reflecting your culture. When you choose a movie or a tv show, you’re showing your culture. When you use a cell phone or facebook, you’re showing your culture. When you have family over for certain holidays, and you for some reason pull a pine tree in from outside, hang lights on it, and hang your socks over the fireplace, you’re demonstrating that you belong to a particular culture.
And there’s nothing wrong with having a culture. We’re made to be creative beings – in art, music, food, language. What we’re about to see become a problem, though, is how that culture is used.
Here’s the second part of the story: human rebellion. Verse four says, “Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens so that we may make a name for ourselves. Otherwise, we will be scattered across the face of the entire earth.’”
But what’s the problem? Cities and towers aren’t bad, right? It’s the intent here that’s bad. They wanted to make a name for themselves. And that means that they wanted fame. They wanted a good reputation. They wanted to be honored by people. They wanted others to think highly of them.
Well, why’s that a problem? Flip backwards a few pages to Genesis chapter one. Verse 27 says, “God created man in his own image…”
Alright, put your thinking cap on. What does an image do? It images. It shows something off. For instance, say you’ve got kids. And you show me a picture of your kid. And I say, ‘Wow – this is great photo paper!’ You’re going to say, ‘Wow… that guy’s weird.’ Why? Because the image of your kid is supposed to show how great your kid is.
That’s what it means when it says we’re images of God. We’re like photographs of him. Not physically – but in terms of our personhood. We have wills, emotions, thoughts – and all those things are supposed to show off how great God is. We exist to glorify God.
What happened at Babel? Look at verse four again, “’Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens so that we may make a name for ourselves.’” So that we may make a name for ourselves. They didn’t do this to make God appear great – they did it to make themselves look great.
Now – very few of us are building cities and towers. But I’m guessing people here want to be known as good husbands, good wives, good parents. They want to be known as hard-workers, good employees – even just good people. You want to be known as the funny person – or the smart person – or the courageous person. You want to be the good Sunday School teacher, or the person who says really good prayers, or the person who has good clothes or good hair. You want to be known as punctual.
Or maybe you just don’t want to be shamed. You don’t want to be seen as impatient, selfish, lustful - as the sinner that you actually are.
You indeed are building a city and a tower for your name’s sake. For your glory. You want to be important. You don’t want people to see you as you really are. Because you want to be God.
And that’s extremely dangerous. God said in Isaiah 42:8, “I am Yahweh! That is my name! I will not share my glory with anyone else…”
And it gets worse. There’s a reason that these folks wanted to make a name for themselves. It wasn’t enough that they wanted to steal God’s praise – they did that with purpose. Verse four says, “’Let us make a name for ourselves. Otherwise, we will be scattered across the face of the earth.’”
They were trying to prevent being scattered. They didn’t want to move. They’d have to leave their family and friends and culture – the foods and traditions and everything they knew – behind. It’d be expensive, too. I’m sure you’ve moved at some point in your life. It’s hard. It’s much easier to stay where you are, right?
So what’s the problem? Flip back to Genesis one. There was a reason God created people in his image, for his glory – for his name. In verse 28, God says, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth…” This command is repeated to Noah in Genesis 9 – just a couple generations before these people.
It boils down to this: God commanded that we fill the earth with his glory. That we fill the earth with worshipers. That we fill the earth with people who existed to make God look good. That this whole globe would be filled with the glory of God!
And they said, ‘no, we’d rather be comfortable and secure right where we are, thank you.’
We can understand that. Who likes to move?
This command, though – fill the earth with the glory of God– gets repeated in a different way later in Scripture. Matthew 28:19 – “Go and make disciples of all nations.” Or Matthew 24:14 – “This gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations” or Acts 1:8 “you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the farthest parts of the earth” or Luke 24:47 “and repentance for the forgiveess of sins would be proclaimed in his name to all nations” or Malachi 1:11, “My name will be great among the nations!” And there are still over 6,000 nations – cultures – ethnicities – without any witness to Christ and any chance of salvation for the people who live there – mostly in North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.
I remember as a kid hearing missionaries come and talk at my church. And I used to think, “wow, I’ll never be one of those guys.” You know why? I didn’t want to give up friendships. Or family. Or potentially making money. Or a stable home. Or air conditioning and heating. Or good plumbing. Or American entertainment. I’ve heard many say they don’t want to give up sports.
And you know why I didn’t want to give those things up? Because they were more important to me than God’s global glory. Because I was an idolater. And if any of those things are holding you back from living for God’s global glory, then you are too – and you want to usurp God’s throne.
This is the part where I’m supposed to say that not everyone is supposed to go. That’s true. Some Babelites should’ve remained in Babel. But I’m guessing that far more people should go than do. And don’t throw out the ‘I don’t feel called’ line. Your feelings are nowhere in Scripture seen as a good indicator of what God’s will is – and they’re usually seen as in rebellion against him.
It’s true that not everyone should go. But everyone should think about life through this lens: how am I to live my life for God’s global glory? How should I live so that God gets the most praise from the most parts of the earth? How should I handle my life so that happens?
I’ll give you some practical things to do at the end of this sermon. But for now, know this: you will either live for your own reputation and security – OR – you will sacrifice those things for the global purpose of the glory of God. And you will make that choice every day in every decision you make.
For now, I’ll leave you with that choice – and the promise that if you repent, that the blood of Jesus will cover your sin, and you will be considered blessed by God, because your sin will be no longer counted against you. And you will stand in right relationship with God and he will give you the power to continue seeking his glory in the whole world.
The Babelites made the wrong choice. They decided it was easier to stay and to live for their security and comfort.
Here’s the third part of the story – God observes the situation.
Verse five says, “And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built.”
That’s actually pretty funny. Man says, “I’m going to build a tower that reaches into God’s throne room.” God says, “I guess I should go down there and take a look at it.”
At the risk of killing the humor of this – the idea is that they didn’t actually reach God’s throne room. They tried! And they failed. And God is mocking them.
Here’s the thing – no matter how much we rebel, God is still God. We will not thwart his plans. We will not cause his purposes to fail. As Prov. 19:21 says, “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.” And that means that the success of God’s plan doesn’t depend on you or I. It means that our failures will not stop God from accomplishing what he wants. It means that if you forget this sermon and this Scripture and nothing changes in your life and you go home and watch the colts and eat chips and glory in entertainment, God will still glorify himself without you.
So God observes that these people are just people and cannot thwart his plans. However, he makes another observation in verse six: “And the LORD said, ‘Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them.”
God takes their disobedience seriously. He must be glorified through the whole earth! And if they are permitted to stay and not scatter, God’s purpose would be thwarted.
Romans 10 is very clear – no one can believe in Christ without hearing the gospel, and no one will hear without someone telling them. And that means that everyone who has never heard of Christ is under his wrath. And that should make us weep – and it should impel us to be about God’s business of going to the world!
Are you bothered by the fact that I just said God’s purposes can’t be thwarted and that if we do nothing that they will be? It seems to be a contradiction, doesn’t it? There’s one major thing that makes it not a contradiction: God is at work! God is active. God is doing things. And God is about to show that he’s in complete control.
So here’s the fourth part of the story: God acts. Verses 7-9 say, “’Come, let us go down” – again, God’s mocking them – they said, ‘come, let us build a tower into God’s throne room,’; God says, ‘Come, let us go down there’ – “and confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.’” So the LORD scattered them from there across the face of the entire earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why its name was called Babel – because there the LORD confused the language of the entire world, and from there the LORD scattered them across the face of the entire earth.”
So these people try not to scatter; they try to resist God’s plan for filling the world with his glory, and God shows up and scatters them. And they end up getting a name for themselves: Babel, which sounds like the Hebrew word (The OT was written in Hebrew) for ‘confused.’ The wanted the name ‘glorious’ and they ended up with ‘confused.’
And God accomplished his will. And that’s the point. God will secure his praise from every corner of the earth. God’s purposes cannot be hindered.
But there was still a problem – the images of God that God filled the earth with were still rebellious. They still did not glorify him, says Romans 1:21. They still mocked God, and we still earned more and more every day, condemnation.
And so God acted. Jesus died on a cross and suffered condemnation in our places, because we didn’t honor God. Jesus rose again from the dead. And Jesus reigns over all the earth from heaven.
In Revelation 5, Jesus is being worshiped. Heavenly beings cry out, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and open its seals” – that scroll is the scroll where God has written his plan for the whole world; so in other words, Jesus is worthy to execute God’s plan.
Then the heavenly beings tell Jesus why he is worthy to reign: “because you were killed, and by your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe, language, people and nation.”
Why’s Jesus worthy? Because his death has effectually saved particular people from every culture on earth. They will hear the gospel at some point and turn to Jesus. And that means that missionaries will be sent to them.
Jesus’ cross has done it all. Jesus has secured God’s praise from every corner of the earth – and if you have relied on him for your salvation, he has secured it for you.
Let’s close with six points of application.
1) Repent. If you haven’t come to grips with the fact that God is worth being glorified all over the world by all of life, you need to turn from your self-seeking and turn towards Jesus as your God for forgiveness, and he will forgive you and change you.
2) Talk. You need to talk about this with other people. Christian growth happens in community through conversation. Confess sin to each other. Talk about Jesus and his mission. It’s not private and it is more important than anything else you talk about.
3) Get educated. The Bible is about God’s plan to glorify himself throughout the entire world by the death and resurrection of Jesus, and there are over 6,000 individual ethnic groups in the world with no gospel witness. Go to www.travelingteam.org . Write that down. Don’t let laziness result in ignorance. Go learn the Bible and the world.
4) Pray. You need to get educated to pray. You need to know what the Bible says about God’s plan and what is going on in the world. And you need to make the choice to spend time in prayer daily. Just do it. Especially you men. Take responsibility, make the choice, and spend time in prayer.
5) Give. Everything in your life needs to be structured around the purposes of God’s global glory. That includes your spending habits. Find missionaries. Give so that they can proclaim the gospel where it has never been heard.
6) Go. Some of you should probably go. I’m not going to go through a full decision—making process for you, but some of you should probably be beginning a trek to die to yourself for the sake of the glorious Gospel of Christ in the world. You need to start the process of figuring that out, and it’ll begin with the process of fleeing sin and restructuring your life around the global purposes of God.
The sermon is the place in which God’s word is read, explained, and applied to his people. And that we will do, if God permits. So we’re going to read God’s word from Genesis 11:1-9, and then ask God for help. So open your Bible to Genesis 11:1-9, and if you don’t have one, there should be one in the pew in front of you. And if you don’t have one, you need to start bringing one – on Sunday morning you should expect to hear from God through his written word and to respond in worship. So bring a Bible. And if you have brought a Bible, don’t be arrogant about it. You only brought one because God gave you grace to.
Before we read, I want to make a note that I’m reading from a slightly different – and actually, a very hyper-literal – translation. So there are going to be some differences. But take note of those differences as we read.
Now, pay attention to God’s words from Genesis 11:1-9:
(1) Now the whole earth had a common language and a common vocabulary.
(2) As the people moved in the east, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.
(3) And they said to one another, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” (They had brick instead of stone and tar instead of mortar.)
(4) Then they said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens to make a name for ourselves. Otherwise, we will be scattered across the face of the entire earth.”
(5) But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the people had started building.
(6) And the LORD said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing they plan to do will now be impossible for them.
(7) “Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they won’t be able to understand one another’s speech.”
(8) So the LORD scattered them from there across the face of the entire earth, and they stopped building the city.
(9) That is why its name was called Babel – because there the LORD confused the language of the entire world, and from there the LORD scattered them across the face of the entire earth.
This is the word of God.
Ask God for help with me, and then we’ll get to work. Let’s bow our heads
Pray
The point of the Scripture you’ve just heard read is this: God will secure worship for himself from every corner of this world. Or in other words, God will make sure that he is glorified globally.
We’ll see in this passage that God will do this. We humans cannot thwart his purposes. We’ll see that God created humans to love, obey, worship, and serve him alone – since he is God, our loving Creator. And we’ll see that God intends that humans all over the globe will praise him.
So God will secure worship from every part of this world. That leaves us with a choice. The big question we need to be asking ourselves this morning is this: will we participate in the goal of God’s global glorification, OR, will we pursue a good reputation and security? Let me repeat that. The big question we need to be asking ourselves this morning is this: will we participate in the goal of God’s global glorification, OR, will we pursue a good reputation and security?
Here’s where we’re going. First, we’ll look at the setting of the story. Second, we’ll look at human rebellion. Third, we’ll look at what God observes about the situation. Fourth, we’ll look at how God acted for his own glory.
So first, let’s look at the setting of the story. And by the way, keep your Bibles open so you can follow along.
Verse one says: “Now the whole earth had one language and the same words.” What’s going on here? Well, this is just a few generations after Noah’s flood. You remember what happened, right? Sin increased in the world so much that there was only one man and his immediate family who were worshipers of God. So God judged the world – he drowned everyone except for this man, Noah, and his family.
This is just a few generations later, and so, ‘the whole earth had one language and the same words.’
Now, we all in this room speak English. We can communicate decently well with each other. However, something more was going on here: they had ‘the same words.’ What’s that mean?
Well, when my car breaks down – or even if I need an oil change, I take it to the shop. Now, my background is theology and biology. I don’t use words that a mechanic does. I have no idea what a crankshaft is. I don’t know what a gasket is. I know it’s bad if they break. That’s why I pay him to fix it. So when they come out and try to explain things to me, I smile and nod and for the most part hope that I’m not getting ripped off. The thing is, we have different words, even though we speak the same language.
These Babelites, though – they did have the same words. They were like two mechanics working together on a car. They could work together well and accomplish what they set out to do.
Verse two says, “And as people migrated in the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.” Without going into detail, this was the tipoff in the story that these people were about to do something bad. This is like an old Western where a cowboy shows up wearing all black. Or if you’re watching Batman or something and somebody with a really jacked up face shows up. You know he’s about to do something bad. And these people were, too.
Verse 3 says, “And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick instead of stone and tar instead of mortar.” Moses goes out of his way to tell us that they used brick and tar instead of stone and mortar for building materials. Why? He’s showing us that these people were creating culture. And it was unique – it was different from other cultures.
I know we usually don’t self-consciously think that we have a culture, but we do. When you’re observing architecture or art and talking about what you find beautiful, you’re demonstrating culture. When you go out to eat, or when you cook, you’re reflecting your culture. When you choose a movie or a tv show, you’re showing your culture. When you use a cell phone or facebook, you’re showing your culture. When you have family over for certain holidays, and you for some reason pull a pine tree in from outside, hang lights on it, and hang your socks over the fireplace, you’re demonstrating that you belong to a particular culture.
And there’s nothing wrong with having a culture. We’re made to be creative beings – in art, music, food, language. What we’re about to see become a problem, though, is how that culture is used.
Here’s the second part of the story: human rebellion. Verse four says, “Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens so that we may make a name for ourselves. Otherwise, we will be scattered across the face of the entire earth.’”
But what’s the problem? Cities and towers aren’t bad, right? It’s the intent here that’s bad. They wanted to make a name for themselves. And that means that they wanted fame. They wanted a good reputation. They wanted to be honored by people. They wanted others to think highly of them.
Well, why’s that a problem? Flip backwards a few pages to Genesis chapter one. Verse 27 says, “God created man in his own image…”
Alright, put your thinking cap on. What does an image do? It images. It shows something off. For instance, say you’ve got kids. And you show me a picture of your kid. And I say, ‘Wow – this is great photo paper!’ You’re going to say, ‘Wow… that guy’s weird.’ Why? Because the image of your kid is supposed to show how great your kid is.
That’s what it means when it says we’re images of God. We’re like photographs of him. Not physically – but in terms of our personhood. We have wills, emotions, thoughts – and all those things are supposed to show off how great God is. We exist to glorify God.
What happened at Babel? Look at verse four again, “’Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens so that we may make a name for ourselves.’” So that we may make a name for ourselves. They didn’t do this to make God appear great – they did it to make themselves look great.
Now – very few of us are building cities and towers. But I’m guessing people here want to be known as good husbands, good wives, good parents. They want to be known as hard-workers, good employees – even just good people. You want to be known as the funny person – or the smart person – or the courageous person. You want to be the good Sunday School teacher, or the person who says really good prayers, or the person who has good clothes or good hair. You want to be known as punctual.
Or maybe you just don’t want to be shamed. You don’t want to be seen as impatient, selfish, lustful - as the sinner that you actually are.
You indeed are building a city and a tower for your name’s sake. For your glory. You want to be important. You don’t want people to see you as you really are. Because you want to be God.
And that’s extremely dangerous. God said in Isaiah 42:8, “I am Yahweh! That is my name! I will not share my glory with anyone else…”
And it gets worse. There’s a reason that these folks wanted to make a name for themselves. It wasn’t enough that they wanted to steal God’s praise – they did that with purpose. Verse four says, “’Let us make a name for ourselves. Otherwise, we will be scattered across the face of the earth.’”
They were trying to prevent being scattered. They didn’t want to move. They’d have to leave their family and friends and culture – the foods and traditions and everything they knew – behind. It’d be expensive, too. I’m sure you’ve moved at some point in your life. It’s hard. It’s much easier to stay where you are, right?
So what’s the problem? Flip back to Genesis one. There was a reason God created people in his image, for his glory – for his name. In verse 28, God says, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth…” This command is repeated to Noah in Genesis 9 – just a couple generations before these people.
It boils down to this: God commanded that we fill the earth with his glory. That we fill the earth with worshipers. That we fill the earth with people who existed to make God look good. That this whole globe would be filled with the glory of God!
And they said, ‘no, we’d rather be comfortable and secure right where we are, thank you.’
We can understand that. Who likes to move?
This command, though – fill the earth with the glory of God– gets repeated in a different way later in Scripture. Matthew 28:19 – “Go and make disciples of all nations.” Or Matthew 24:14 – “This gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations” or Acts 1:8 “you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the farthest parts of the earth” or Luke 24:47 “and repentance for the forgiveess of sins would be proclaimed in his name to all nations” or Malachi 1:11, “My name will be great among the nations!” And there are still over 6,000 nations – cultures – ethnicities – without any witness to Christ and any chance of salvation for the people who live there – mostly in North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.
I remember as a kid hearing missionaries come and talk at my church. And I used to think, “wow, I’ll never be one of those guys.” You know why? I didn’t want to give up friendships. Or family. Or potentially making money. Or a stable home. Or air conditioning and heating. Or good plumbing. Or American entertainment. I’ve heard many say they don’t want to give up sports.
And you know why I didn’t want to give those things up? Because they were more important to me than God’s global glory. Because I was an idolater. And if any of those things are holding you back from living for God’s global glory, then you are too – and you want to usurp God’s throne.
This is the part where I’m supposed to say that not everyone is supposed to go. That’s true. Some Babelites should’ve remained in Babel. But I’m guessing that far more people should go than do. And don’t throw out the ‘I don’t feel called’ line. Your feelings are nowhere in Scripture seen as a good indicator of what God’s will is – and they’re usually seen as in rebellion against him.
It’s true that not everyone should go. But everyone should think about life through this lens: how am I to live my life for God’s global glory? How should I live so that God gets the most praise from the most parts of the earth? How should I handle my life so that happens?
I’ll give you some practical things to do at the end of this sermon. But for now, know this: you will either live for your own reputation and security – OR – you will sacrifice those things for the global purpose of the glory of God. And you will make that choice every day in every decision you make.
For now, I’ll leave you with that choice – and the promise that if you repent, that the blood of Jesus will cover your sin, and you will be considered blessed by God, because your sin will be no longer counted against you. And you will stand in right relationship with God and he will give you the power to continue seeking his glory in the whole world.
The Babelites made the wrong choice. They decided it was easier to stay and to live for their security and comfort.
Here’s the third part of the story – God observes the situation.
Verse five says, “And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built.”
That’s actually pretty funny. Man says, “I’m going to build a tower that reaches into God’s throne room.” God says, “I guess I should go down there and take a look at it.”
At the risk of killing the humor of this – the idea is that they didn’t actually reach God’s throne room. They tried! And they failed. And God is mocking them.
Here’s the thing – no matter how much we rebel, God is still God. We will not thwart his plans. We will not cause his purposes to fail. As Prov. 19:21 says, “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.” And that means that the success of God’s plan doesn’t depend on you or I. It means that our failures will not stop God from accomplishing what he wants. It means that if you forget this sermon and this Scripture and nothing changes in your life and you go home and watch the colts and eat chips and glory in entertainment, God will still glorify himself without you.
So God observes that these people are just people and cannot thwart his plans. However, he makes another observation in verse six: “And the LORD said, ‘Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them.”
God takes their disobedience seriously. He must be glorified through the whole earth! And if they are permitted to stay and not scatter, God’s purpose would be thwarted.
Romans 10 is very clear – no one can believe in Christ without hearing the gospel, and no one will hear without someone telling them. And that means that everyone who has never heard of Christ is under his wrath. And that should make us weep – and it should impel us to be about God’s business of going to the world!
Are you bothered by the fact that I just said God’s purposes can’t be thwarted and that if we do nothing that they will be? It seems to be a contradiction, doesn’t it? There’s one major thing that makes it not a contradiction: God is at work! God is active. God is doing things. And God is about to show that he’s in complete control.
So here’s the fourth part of the story: God acts. Verses 7-9 say, “’Come, let us go down” – again, God’s mocking them – they said, ‘come, let us build a tower into God’s throne room,’; God says, ‘Come, let us go down there’ – “and confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.’” So the LORD scattered them from there across the face of the entire earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why its name was called Babel – because there the LORD confused the language of the entire world, and from there the LORD scattered them across the face of the entire earth.”
So these people try not to scatter; they try to resist God’s plan for filling the world with his glory, and God shows up and scatters them. And they end up getting a name for themselves: Babel, which sounds like the Hebrew word (The OT was written in Hebrew) for ‘confused.’ The wanted the name ‘glorious’ and they ended up with ‘confused.’
And God accomplished his will. And that’s the point. God will secure his praise from every corner of the earth. God’s purposes cannot be hindered.
But there was still a problem – the images of God that God filled the earth with were still rebellious. They still did not glorify him, says Romans 1:21. They still mocked God, and we still earned more and more every day, condemnation.
And so God acted. Jesus died on a cross and suffered condemnation in our places, because we didn’t honor God. Jesus rose again from the dead. And Jesus reigns over all the earth from heaven.
In Revelation 5, Jesus is being worshiped. Heavenly beings cry out, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and open its seals” – that scroll is the scroll where God has written his plan for the whole world; so in other words, Jesus is worthy to execute God’s plan.
Then the heavenly beings tell Jesus why he is worthy to reign: “because you were killed, and by your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe, language, people and nation.”
Why’s Jesus worthy? Because his death has effectually saved particular people from every culture on earth. They will hear the gospel at some point and turn to Jesus. And that means that missionaries will be sent to them.
Jesus’ cross has done it all. Jesus has secured God’s praise from every corner of the earth – and if you have relied on him for your salvation, he has secured it for you.
Let’s close with six points of application.
1) Repent. If you haven’t come to grips with the fact that God is worth being glorified all over the world by all of life, you need to turn from your self-seeking and turn towards Jesus as your God for forgiveness, and he will forgive you and change you.
2) Talk. You need to talk about this with other people. Christian growth happens in community through conversation. Confess sin to each other. Talk about Jesus and his mission. It’s not private and it is more important than anything else you talk about.
3) Get educated. The Bible is about God’s plan to glorify himself throughout the entire world by the death and resurrection of Jesus, and there are over 6,000 individual ethnic groups in the world with no gospel witness. Go to www.travelingteam.org . Write that down. Don’t let laziness result in ignorance. Go learn the Bible and the world.
4) Pray. You need to get educated to pray. You need to know what the Bible says about God’s plan and what is going on in the world. And you need to make the choice to spend time in prayer daily. Just do it. Especially you men. Take responsibility, make the choice, and spend time in prayer.
5) Give. Everything in your life needs to be structured around the purposes of God’s global glory. That includes your spending habits. Find missionaries. Give so that they can proclaim the gospel where it has never been heard.
6) Go. Some of you should probably go. I’m not going to go through a full decision—making process for you, but some of you should probably be beginning a trek to die to yourself for the sake of the glorious Gospel of Christ in the world. You need to start the process of figuring that out, and it’ll begin with the process of fleeing sin and restructuring your life around the global purposes of God.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
1 Timothy 1:8-11
1:8-11
“Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, (9) understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, (10) the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, (11) in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.”
Paul makes a sidenote here. He wants to make sure of something: even though these false teachers that Timothy is to correct are misusing the Law – the Old Testament including its rules and regulations – Paul wants to make sure that Timothy knows they’re misusing it. The Law itself is a good thing.
There’s a scary note we have to make here: and that’s that teachers of false things will use God’s word; they’ll just use it wrong. And in doing that, they will contradict God’s word. The pastor, then, must be able to and up to correcting people who are misusing God’s word.
At the end of verse 10, Paul says that all of these evil behaviors are contrary to sound doctrine, and he clarifies what that means by saying ‘in accordance with the gospel.’ In other words, there is a pattern of life that is consistent with believing in the gospel.
Here we see that the Law and the Gospel are not contrary to each other – but that the Gospel teaches us to renounce wickedness (see Titus 2). The Gospel is the power for salvation – including salvation from a slavery to sinning (Rom. 1, 6).
It’s interesting that Paul calls the gospel the ‘gospel of the glory of the blessed God.’ There’s a parallel to 2 Corinthians 4:4 – in which Paul uses the phrase, “the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” There, Paul is saying that the gospel is about, in its message, Christ’s glory. When it is announced, the glory of Christ is on display.
If Paul is using the phrase the same way here, he’s saying that the gospel that brings the renouncing of sin, in its content, shows forth the glory of God. And of course sin does not make sense in light of God’s glory.
Also note – Paul calls God ‘blessed’ – even in this statement of doctrine, he can’t help but worship.
And he also makes note of the fact that he’s been given the task of preaching – which we’ll pick up on next time. But he’s about to point out that the preaching is about God’s glory – not his.
Summary
1) False teachers who must be silenced will be using the Bible.
2) There is a pattern of life that is consistent with the gospel, since the content of the gospel is God’s glory.
3) That seeing of God’s glory leads to real life transformation –and love.
4) Our reaction to the gospel should be to call God ‘blessed.’
“Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, (9) understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, (10) the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, (11) in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.”
Paul makes a sidenote here. He wants to make sure of something: even though these false teachers that Timothy is to correct are misusing the Law – the Old Testament including its rules and regulations – Paul wants to make sure that Timothy knows they’re misusing it. The Law itself is a good thing.
There’s a scary note we have to make here: and that’s that teachers of false things will use God’s word; they’ll just use it wrong. And in doing that, they will contradict God’s word. The pastor, then, must be able to and up to correcting people who are misusing God’s word.
At the end of verse 10, Paul says that all of these evil behaviors are contrary to sound doctrine, and he clarifies what that means by saying ‘in accordance with the gospel.’ In other words, there is a pattern of life that is consistent with believing in the gospel.
Here we see that the Law and the Gospel are not contrary to each other – but that the Gospel teaches us to renounce wickedness (see Titus 2). The Gospel is the power for salvation – including salvation from a slavery to sinning (Rom. 1, 6).
It’s interesting that Paul calls the gospel the ‘gospel of the glory of the blessed God.’ There’s a parallel to 2 Corinthians 4:4 – in which Paul uses the phrase, “the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” There, Paul is saying that the gospel is about, in its message, Christ’s glory. When it is announced, the glory of Christ is on display.
If Paul is using the phrase the same way here, he’s saying that the gospel that brings the renouncing of sin, in its content, shows forth the glory of God. And of course sin does not make sense in light of God’s glory.
Also note – Paul calls God ‘blessed’ – even in this statement of doctrine, he can’t help but worship.
And he also makes note of the fact that he’s been given the task of preaching – which we’ll pick up on next time. But he’s about to point out that the preaching is about God’s glory – not his.
Summary
1) False teachers who must be silenced will be using the Bible.
2) There is a pattern of life that is consistent with the gospel, since the content of the gospel is God’s glory.
3) That seeing of God’s glory leads to real life transformation –and love.
4) Our reaction to the gospel should be to call God ‘blessed.’
Saturday, January 16, 2010
1 Timothy 1:6, 7
1:6 – “Certain persons, by serving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion…”
The people that the pastor is to silence and correct with the gospel have forgot the goal: love that comes from a born again heart that is transformed by the gospel.
It’s really interesting here that Paul says when the goal is forgotten, discussion is ‘vain’ – or useless and worthless. What a convicting idea! The speech and teaching of a pastor is to be gospel-centered with love as the goal – or it is worthless.
1:7 – “desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.”
How scary. These people whose talk is worthless not only don’t understand the truth – they’re confident in their ignorance. These aren’t soft-spoken, uncertain people spreading lies and pointless talk – they’re outspoken and sure of themselves.
Summary:
1) Any talk or teaching not based on the gospel or aiming towards love is worthless.
2) Many who must be contradicted are very sure of their teaching.
The people that the pastor is to silence and correct with the gospel have forgot the goal: love that comes from a born again heart that is transformed by the gospel.
It’s really interesting here that Paul says when the goal is forgotten, discussion is ‘vain’ – or useless and worthless. What a convicting idea! The speech and teaching of a pastor is to be gospel-centered with love as the goal – or it is worthless.
1:7 – “desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.”
How scary. These people whose talk is worthless not only don’t understand the truth – they’re confident in their ignorance. These aren’t soft-spoken, uncertain people spreading lies and pointless talk – they’re outspoken and sure of themselves.
Summary:
1) Any talk or teaching not based on the gospel or aiming towards love is worthless.
2) Many who must be contradicted are very sure of their teaching.
Friday, January 15, 2010
1 Timothy 1:4, 5
1:4 – “…not to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith”
Paul gives a little bit of a description of the false teaching that Timothy was to silence. I’m really not sure what exactly people were doing, but it seems like the false teachings led to 2 things.
1) False teaching led to speculation. Thinking and meditation surely is a good thing – but guessing games are not. Consider the words of the Psalmist in worship towards God: “I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation”(Ps. 119:99). Our thoughts should be controlled by and given substance by Scripture. Timothy’s charge was to make sure that happened, lest we think wisdom and truth comes from us.
2) False teaching neglected the ‘stewardship from God that is by faith.’ A ‘stewardship’ is a set of responsibilities in someone else’s house – in this case, God’s house. When someone comes to faith, then, they are given responsibilities in God’s house.
What false doctrine does, then, is to move us away from our responsibilities towards God. We get lost in our thoughts and extra-Biblical stuff, and don’t obey God.
Again, here – Timothy is instructed to silence false teaching and promote the gospel. (1:11)
Why?
1:5 – “The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith”
Paul tells us why. The goal of Timothy’s ministry is that Christians would live in love. He gives us three sources for this love – a pure heart, good conscience and sincere faith. They all have one thing in common – they’re genuine. This isn’t love that’s a show. This isn’t just being ‘nice.’ This is real soul-heart-mind transformation that results from believing the Gospel and results in genuine love.
So to summarize –
1) Pastors are charged to get people to meditate on God’s word, not their own thoughts.
2) God has given us a responsibility: love. This comes from faith in the gospel.
3) The ‘aim’ or ‘goal’ must be kept in mind.
4) God truly does transform lives through the proclamation of his word.
Paul gives a little bit of a description of the false teaching that Timothy was to silence. I’m really not sure what exactly people were doing, but it seems like the false teachings led to 2 things.
1) False teaching led to speculation. Thinking and meditation surely is a good thing – but guessing games are not. Consider the words of the Psalmist in worship towards God: “I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation”(Ps. 119:99). Our thoughts should be controlled by and given substance by Scripture. Timothy’s charge was to make sure that happened, lest we think wisdom and truth comes from us.
2) False teaching neglected the ‘stewardship from God that is by faith.’ A ‘stewardship’ is a set of responsibilities in someone else’s house – in this case, God’s house. When someone comes to faith, then, they are given responsibilities in God’s house.
What false doctrine does, then, is to move us away from our responsibilities towards God. We get lost in our thoughts and extra-Biblical stuff, and don’t obey God.
Again, here – Timothy is instructed to silence false teaching and promote the gospel. (1:11)
Why?
1:5 – “The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith”
Paul tells us why. The goal of Timothy’s ministry is that Christians would live in love. He gives us three sources for this love – a pure heart, good conscience and sincere faith. They all have one thing in common – they’re genuine. This isn’t love that’s a show. This isn’t just being ‘nice.’ This is real soul-heart-mind transformation that results from believing the Gospel and results in genuine love.
So to summarize –
1) Pastors are charged to get people to meditate on God’s word, not their own thoughts.
2) God has given us a responsibility: love. This comes from faith in the gospel.
3) The ‘aim’ or ‘goal’ must be kept in mind.
4) God truly does transform lives through the proclamation of his word.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
1 Timothy 1:1-3
God recently convicted me of something: I need to spend time in his word, as a minister of the Gospel, to really search out what God says about ministry.
So, I decided to take some time to study the 'Pastoral' epistles - that is, the letters that Paul wrote to Timothy and Titus, 2 pastors in the early Church.
If God wills, I'll be studying them and posting my observations here.
I just started; and today was 1 Timothy 1:1-3.
1:1 – Paul, unlike anyone alive now, is an apostle and speaks the word of God. I like here how he identifies Jesus as our hope. He’s not the giver of hope – he’s the thing that we hope for. That is to say, he’s the object of our joy. Knowing him perfectly is what we’re looking forward to.
1:2 – I like how Paul calls Timothy ‘my true child’ and then essentially prays the grace of God towards him. It’s clear that Paul loves Timothy a lot. In 2 Tim 1 Paul calls him ‘my dear child’ or ‘to the child I love.’ What an example of the love of Christ for us – and what a call to genuinely love those we serve.
1:3 – Paul had to leave Timothy behind. Their relationship had to cease being close for a reason. Why? So bad doctrine, bad theology, bad teaching wouldn’t spread. So this love between brothers is true and real – but it had to take a back seat to doctrine and the ministry.
And that doesn’t mean that love ceases – it means that at the moment, something was urgent and important.
Why? For the spread of love in the Church of God! (v. 5) And this is the result of true heart change (v. 5) through the Gospel (v. 11).
In summary, then, we have a few things to note:
1) Jesus is our hope and our treasure. Our aim is in the future being with him.
2) Ministers are to be characterized by love – real love.
3) That love means pointing people to Jesus as their hope - and making sure people aren't believing false things about God!
4) It also means that sometimes we have to take relational losses in the present so that God’s Church will experience that love of God.
5) And that ultimately happens through the Gospel’s changing lives.
Prayer: God, make Jesus our treasure. Cause us to stop seeking ultimate joy in things now - even good relationships - so that we can see how great it is that one day we get to be with you. Fill our hearts with the good news of your Son so that we will be characterized by genuine love for people. Cause us to speak about that Gospel out of love for others. In Christ, Amen.
So, I decided to take some time to study the 'Pastoral' epistles - that is, the letters that Paul wrote to Timothy and Titus, 2 pastors in the early Church.
If God wills, I'll be studying them and posting my observations here.
I just started; and today was 1 Timothy 1:1-3.
1:1 – Paul, unlike anyone alive now, is an apostle and speaks the word of God. I like here how he identifies Jesus as our hope. He’s not the giver of hope – he’s the thing that we hope for. That is to say, he’s the object of our joy. Knowing him perfectly is what we’re looking forward to.
1:2 – I like how Paul calls Timothy ‘my true child’ and then essentially prays the grace of God towards him. It’s clear that Paul loves Timothy a lot. In 2 Tim 1 Paul calls him ‘my dear child’ or ‘to the child I love.’ What an example of the love of Christ for us – and what a call to genuinely love those we serve.
1:3 – Paul had to leave Timothy behind. Their relationship had to cease being close for a reason. Why? So bad doctrine, bad theology, bad teaching wouldn’t spread. So this love between brothers is true and real – but it had to take a back seat to doctrine and the ministry.
And that doesn’t mean that love ceases – it means that at the moment, something was urgent and important.
Why? For the spread of love in the Church of God! (v. 5) And this is the result of true heart change (v. 5) through the Gospel (v. 11).
In summary, then, we have a few things to note:
1) Jesus is our hope and our treasure. Our aim is in the future being with him.
2) Ministers are to be characterized by love – real love.
3) That love means pointing people to Jesus as their hope - and making sure people aren't believing false things about God!
4) It also means that sometimes we have to take relational losses in the present so that God’s Church will experience that love of God.
5) And that ultimately happens through the Gospel’s changing lives.
Prayer: God, make Jesus our treasure. Cause us to stop seeking ultimate joy in things now - even good relationships - so that we can see how great it is that one day we get to be with you. Fill our hearts with the good news of your Son so that we will be characterized by genuine love for people. Cause us to speak about that Gospel out of love for others. In Christ, Amen.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Wedding Homily: Josiah and Jackie Gray
The Scripture you wanted to hear a little bit from today is part of the reason I love you guys. It has absolutely nothing to do with marriage. Nothing. I tried stretching it. Nope. Didn’t work.
The thing is though, this passage is about how Jesus Christ saves his people. And the reason that you wanted this passage to be part of your wedding is because you realize that your marriage is a signpost – it points to the ultimate relationship of Jesus to his Church – of Jesus to the whole group of people who love him.
And you also realize that a ‘successful’ marriage isn’t necessarily the same as a ‘happy’ marriage – even though we want you to be happy; you guys recognize that a truly successful marriage is one in which Jesus is made much of, not your marriage itself.
Let me make a series of brief observations from this passage, then, and I’ll throw in a few marriage applications as well, God willing.
First, this passage exists because there are people that are truly Christians – that truly follow Jesus – and people that think they’re Christians. Even preachers that think they’re Christians who aren’t. Paul’s point here is to show what the true Christian life looks like. So he says this: (vv. 15-17). So there are real Christians and people that only think they’re Christians – and Paul is about to show us the difference.
Second, a true Christian considers themselves bad. Paul outlines his religious achievements. He looks like a moral dude on the cover. Any one of us would’ve said he was a ‘good man.’ And he’d achieved great things, even religiously. But he knew that he could either keep trying to look good before God and man, or he could have Christ. He couldn’t have both, and neither can we. (v. 7) A true Christian knows that to have Christ – you have to consider yourself to be a bad person.
This is good for your marriage, by the way. Josiah and Jackie – you’re about to be a bad husband and wife. When you begin to think you’re good at it, you’ll begin to think the other person’s bad, and you’ll fight. So remember, you’re bad.
Third, a true Christian treasures and values enjoying Jesus more than anything in this world. (v. 8). Paul here uses a vulgarity to describe everything that exists in comparison to knowing Christ. He says that knowing Christ is so good that everything else is a flaming pile of poo. So enjoy Jesus more than anything else, okay?
In marriage, that means that you shouldn’t be seeking to enjoy marriage more than Jesus. You do that, you’re going to seriously be disappointed. Josiah and Jackie, you guys are great. But you ain’t God, and you can’t be all-satisfying to each other. Only Jesus can.
Fourth, a true Christian gets their status of ‘righteousness’ by being united to Christ – not from trying really hard to be good people. (v. 9) In order to enter into God’s kingdom rather than being punished by it, you need to be considered righteous before God. But you’re a bad person. So you need to be covered by someone else’s righteousness. Hence, being united to Jesus. You want to be righteous before God – you have a choice – look to your own goodness – which doesn’t exist – or bank on Jesus’. A true Christian says, “I’m going to bank on Jesus’ righteousness – not mine.” And so God considers them righteous.
In marriage, remember that you’re not righteous, but that God has considered you both to be righteous. Real love in marriage is going to come from remembering that God considers your spouse to be righteous because of Jesus.
Fifth – the results of being considered righteous by God are as follows: a) knowing Jesus in a personal way. B) being empowered to live for Jesus, not for yourself. C) living a life of suffering in this world to show that it’s not your home – your home is with Jesus. (v. 10)
Those are the things that characterize and make a Christian marriage unique.
Sixth – the end goal of this is rising from the dead and living with Jesus forever. That’s a Christian’s goal. That’s what Paul is talking about in v. 11 – (v. 11)
Don’t make marriage your goal. Make living with Jesus one day your goal. Then, you’ll have a successful marriage.
Seventh – Christians work really hard at all this stuff. (vv. 12-14) Christians strive and strain to live like Jesus.
Eighth – that straining is based on the fact that a Christian knows Jesus has already earned heaven for them – not because they’re trying to earn it. (v. 12, 14). In other words, you strain towards living in a heaven-type way because Jesus has grabbed you and made you a citizen of heaven. You’re not trying to earn it. You do that, and we’ve seen that you won’t enter it. You’re just trying to live in a way that’s appropriate to the fact that that’s your true home - with Jesus. Not on this earth.
So guys, I love that you wanted to be reminded of this stuff. A God-honoring marriage is about Jesus – not the marriage. Remember Jesus, and you’ll have a successful marriage.
The thing is though, this passage is about how Jesus Christ saves his people. And the reason that you wanted this passage to be part of your wedding is because you realize that your marriage is a signpost – it points to the ultimate relationship of Jesus to his Church – of Jesus to the whole group of people who love him.
And you also realize that a ‘successful’ marriage isn’t necessarily the same as a ‘happy’ marriage – even though we want you to be happy; you guys recognize that a truly successful marriage is one in which Jesus is made much of, not your marriage itself.
Let me make a series of brief observations from this passage, then, and I’ll throw in a few marriage applications as well, God willing.
First, this passage exists because there are people that are truly Christians – that truly follow Jesus – and people that think they’re Christians. Even preachers that think they’re Christians who aren’t. Paul’s point here is to show what the true Christian life looks like. So he says this: (vv. 15-17). So there are real Christians and people that only think they’re Christians – and Paul is about to show us the difference.
Second, a true Christian considers themselves bad. Paul outlines his religious achievements. He looks like a moral dude on the cover. Any one of us would’ve said he was a ‘good man.’ And he’d achieved great things, even religiously. But he knew that he could either keep trying to look good before God and man, or he could have Christ. He couldn’t have both, and neither can we. (v. 7) A true Christian knows that to have Christ – you have to consider yourself to be a bad person.
This is good for your marriage, by the way. Josiah and Jackie – you’re about to be a bad husband and wife. When you begin to think you’re good at it, you’ll begin to think the other person’s bad, and you’ll fight. So remember, you’re bad.
Third, a true Christian treasures and values enjoying Jesus more than anything in this world. (v. 8). Paul here uses a vulgarity to describe everything that exists in comparison to knowing Christ. He says that knowing Christ is so good that everything else is a flaming pile of poo. So enjoy Jesus more than anything else, okay?
In marriage, that means that you shouldn’t be seeking to enjoy marriage more than Jesus. You do that, you’re going to seriously be disappointed. Josiah and Jackie, you guys are great. But you ain’t God, and you can’t be all-satisfying to each other. Only Jesus can.
Fourth, a true Christian gets their status of ‘righteousness’ by being united to Christ – not from trying really hard to be good people. (v. 9) In order to enter into God’s kingdom rather than being punished by it, you need to be considered righteous before God. But you’re a bad person. So you need to be covered by someone else’s righteousness. Hence, being united to Jesus. You want to be righteous before God – you have a choice – look to your own goodness – which doesn’t exist – or bank on Jesus’. A true Christian says, “I’m going to bank on Jesus’ righteousness – not mine.” And so God considers them righteous.
In marriage, remember that you’re not righteous, but that God has considered you both to be righteous. Real love in marriage is going to come from remembering that God considers your spouse to be righteous because of Jesus.
Fifth – the results of being considered righteous by God are as follows: a) knowing Jesus in a personal way. B) being empowered to live for Jesus, not for yourself. C) living a life of suffering in this world to show that it’s not your home – your home is with Jesus. (v. 10)
Those are the things that characterize and make a Christian marriage unique.
Sixth – the end goal of this is rising from the dead and living with Jesus forever. That’s a Christian’s goal. That’s what Paul is talking about in v. 11 – (v. 11)
Don’t make marriage your goal. Make living with Jesus one day your goal. Then, you’ll have a successful marriage.
Seventh – Christians work really hard at all this stuff. (vv. 12-14) Christians strive and strain to live like Jesus.
Eighth – that straining is based on the fact that a Christian knows Jesus has already earned heaven for them – not because they’re trying to earn it. (v. 12, 14). In other words, you strain towards living in a heaven-type way because Jesus has grabbed you and made you a citizen of heaven. You’re not trying to earn it. You do that, and we’ve seen that you won’t enter it. You’re just trying to live in a way that’s appropriate to the fact that that’s your true home - with Jesus. Not on this earth.
So guys, I love that you wanted to be reminded of this stuff. A God-honoring marriage is about Jesus – not the marriage. Remember Jesus, and you’ll have a successful marriage.
Wedding Homily: Chris and Jen Miller
Chris and Jennifer have asked me to talk to them, and all of us, about what God says about marriage in Colossians 3:18 and 19: “Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.”
Now instantly, most people in this room have their ire raised a little bit. There are several reasons for that.
1st, we’ve seen authority abused – notably in marriage. The second verse of the two expressly forbids that – but it is very true that many husbands have abused their authority.
2nd, we tend to distrust authority. We think that giving someone authority implies that they are intrinsically better than us – more valuable. We believe that the person in authority somehow earned it. Sometimes that is the case. Promotions at work, for instance, should be because you’re doing a better job than other people.
But that is not the case in marriage. Nor is it the case with God! Jesus is God. The Father is God. Yet, Jesus always submits to the Father – even though they are equals.
3rd, we tend to think authority exists for the happiness of the authority. We think this because most often, the person in authority gets what they want. But in the case of what God commands marriage to look like, there’s a massive difference: the person in authority is to use that authority for the happiness of the other person – not their own.
4th, these commands require that you both – and all husbands and wives – lose something. True, you will gain great happiness in marriage – but wives lose autonomy. They are no longer free to merely do as they please; they’re under authority. Husbands lose whatever it is that they want. In the command to love, they are to seek the happiness of their wives – not their own. Paul adds here – don’t be harsh with them. Why? Well, why does someone become harsh? Because they don’t get what they want. Chris and all the husbands here have lost the right to pursue what they want.
Even as we explore this, some of you are simply thinking, “well, I don’t want this sort of marriage. This is just bizarre.” And you’re right. This sort of living belongs to a completely different world. And living in this way is impossible for people living in this world.
Here’s the point of this text: wives submitting to their husbands and husbands loving their wives is a result of Jesus having transferred your citizenship from this world to his Kingdom (repeat).
Let’s look at what God has written here. These commands to husbands and wives flow out of what has already been said. Listen to God’s word from Col. 3: “If, then, you have been raised with Christ…”
There are 2 kinds of people, then. People that have been raised with Christ, and people that haven’t. What’s it mean to be ‘raised with Christ?’ Well, Jesus rose from the dead. And the rest of this verse says this: “seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.”
In other words, people that are raised with Christ belong in Christ’s Kingdom. They belong in the presence of God. They are citizens of heaven. Those that aren’t raised with Christ belong outside of God’s presence. Outside of heaven. Being punished by the King – rather than enjoying his friendship.
If you are a member of Jesus’ Kingdom – a member of heaven – you will seek to obey Jesus’ commands about marriage.
How do you know if you are raised with Christ? Simple. The previous chapter tells us that it is ‘through faith in the powerful working of God.’ In other words, one becomes a citizen of heaven by trusting Jesus to make them one. And in the moment they trust God, God raises them to life. God adopts them into his family.
But we are sinners. We do not obey God. If any of us are honest, we know we don’t love him like we should. How does God give sinners heaven when they deserve punishment? Chapter 2 goes on to tell us that it is because he has, “forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.”
In other words, if any of you here trust in Jesus, God has already punished Jesus – past tense- for all of your sins. You have rebelled against God. To some degree, you continue to. But God has completely forgiven you, because he punished Jesus instead of you.
You are free from a guilty verdict and forgiven by God. You don’t grow towards being accepted by God. This isn’t about becoming better and better and being accepted by God – this is about God forgiving you on the basis of Christ’s death, period.
In other words, God forgives every sinner who trusts Jesus once and for all, through faith alone.
This means that you can never be good enough to enter Christ’s Kingdom. It means that you do not enter Christ’s Kingdom through becoming a better person. It means that you become a member of heaven because of Jesus death and resurrection, by trusting him.
To think that one enters heaven by being morally good enough to enter – to think that one enters heaven on the basis of partnering with Jesus and trying really hard to be good; by being transformed to being a better person – is to deny Christ himself.
So there are two types of people in this room. Some of you have been raised with Christ. You have trusted him and his rising from the dead to guarantee your entrance into his Kingdom. And he has already guaranteed it.
But some of you haven’t. You are either apathetic about Jesus –or you are trying to be ‘good enough’ to get to heaven.
Jesus’ is coming back to this world to be its King – and you are not a member of it. Yet. If you will trust the God who raised Jesus from the dead for it, he’ll make you a citizen of heaven – of the Kingdom of Christ – right in the moment you trust him to.
Why is this pertinent to marriage? Well, God has given you specific commands regarding a Christian marriage. And they’re impossible to obey. Unless you see that they don’t stand alone – but flow out of this command, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on things that are on earth.”
In other words, living like God wants you to in marriage is the result of remembering and focusing on the fact that Jesus died for your sins, rose from the dead, and is Lord of everything that exists. It’s the result of remembering that through that he’s earned your entrance into heaven.
Chris and Jennifer, as you seek Jesus – as you are focused on him and his reign and his Lordship and his glory – you will, Jennifer, give up your autonomy; Chris, give up your desires – and both work together to act as servants of Jesus Christ.
Scripture tells us exactly why you should seek to act as members of Christ’s Kingdom. Listen. “Because you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, you will also appear with him in glory.”
Everyone who believes in Jesus then – your old self is dead. Your new self – the new heart you have that obeys Jesus - is a reality because Jesus rose from the dead. Your new self will be fully revealed when Jesus returns to this earth to rule over it and to set up his eternal Kingdom.
Everything in you that is stained by rebellion against God, he’ll completely take away, and you will love Jesus perfectly forever.
Jennifer – as you seek Christ; as you remember how his death has forgiven all of your sins, as you remember that he is returning to rule his world, you will submit to Chris.
Chris – as you seek Christ, as you recall that God punished him instead of you and that you’re free from punishment and that he’s returning so that you can serve him fully, you’ll love Jennifer well.
The Conscience and 'Stumbling'
Don't cause other people to stumble!
Good word. Well, of course it is. God commanded it.
Unfortunately, a lot of times it's taken to mean: don't make legalistic people mad. That's not what it means.
It means this:
1) Person A thinks something may or may not be a sin.
2) Person B knows that Person A wrestles with that issue, and is prone to be tempted into said activity.
3) Person B does said activity in the knowledge of Person A, and so the temptation for Person A to engage in said activity is increased.
4) Person A does said activity, not sure if it's right or wrong.
5) Because Person A thought that said activity may be sin and did it anyway, they do rebel against God, since they think that he may not want them to do it.
Romans 14
Good word. Well, of course it is. God commanded it.
Unfortunately, a lot of times it's taken to mean: don't make legalistic people mad. That's not what it means.
It means this:
1) Person A thinks something may or may not be a sin.
2) Person B knows that Person A wrestles with that issue, and is prone to be tempted into said activity.
3) Person B does said activity in the knowledge of Person A, and so the temptation for Person A to engage in said activity is increased.
4) Person A does said activity, not sure if it's right or wrong.
5) Because Person A thought that said activity may be sin and did it anyway, they do rebel against God, since they think that he may not want them to do it.
Romans 14
Does this truth work?
Many people tend to choose a religion or belief system based on the question, "does this belief system work?" Another way of phrasing that question is usually, "will my entering into this belief system make me happy?"
That's understandable. We all want to be happy. And there's nothing wrong with that.
But someone being happy now isn't the goal of Christianity. The Bible claims to be true, real, historical events - that if believed, if Jesus is accepted as Lord and God - result in real forgiveness of sins and freedom from judgment and the promise of entering into God's presence when Jesus returns to this world.
There is happiness that results from that - BUT - that happiness doesn't necessarily prove Christianity is true - and it isn't necessarily more happiness that one would receive right now by believing something that's not true.
In other words, other religions can work. And as Paul said, "If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied"(1 Corinthians 15:19).
Christ claims to be real, historical, and returning - and he promises a happiness with him in the future that's worth waiting for.
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