Please Note: the full transcript is available in the Manuscript link above. 

Regeneration is the work of God whereby he gives new birth or new life to a spiritually dead person at conversion.

I. Our Need for Regeneration: Just like Nicodemus, the Problem is Worse than we thought (3:1-3)

A. Nicodemus was a very religious man (3:1)

B. Nicodemus recognizes something is different about Jesus (3:2)

C. Nicodemus comes at night (3:2)

D. Jesus’ response reveals the enormous problem (3:3)

John Calvin said it this way, “by the term born again He means not the amendment of a part but the renewal of the whole nature. Hence it follows that there is nothing in us that is not defective.”

II. The Act of Regeneration: Being Born Again is an Act of God (3:4-7)

A. Nicodemus’ response is one of unbelief (3:4)

B. Jesus explains that this rebirth is from God (3:5-7)

Ezekiel 36:25-27 - Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. (26) Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. (27) I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.

Ezekiel 11:19-20 - And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, (20) that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God.

Ephesians 2:1-5 - And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, (2) in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. (3) Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. (4) But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, (5) even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ.

III. The Results of Regeneration (3:8)

A. You can see when it happens

John 7:45-52 - The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, and they said to them, “Why did you not bring Him?” (46) The officers answered, “Never has a man spoken the way this man speaks.” (47) The Pharisees then answered them, “You have not also been led astray, have you? (48) No one of the rulers or Pharisees has believed in Him, has he? (49) But this crowd which does not know the Law is accursed.” (50) Nicodemus (he who came to Him before, being one of them) said to them, (51) “Our Law does not judge a man unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing, does it?” (52) They answered him, “You are not also from Galilee, are you? Search, and see that no prophet arises out of Galilee.”

John 19:39-40 - Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight. (40) So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen wrappings with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.

B. What happens is not fully understood by those of only one birth

IV. Regeneration only comes through Faith (3:9-15)

A. Knowledge is not enough (3:9-13)

B. Regeneration only comes by Faith (3:14-15)

Take Aways

1. Rejoice in your regeneration

2. Meditate on the doctrine of salvation every day

3. Seek to gain skill in gospel witnessing

Additional Files

Bulletin  PPT Notes

Please Note: the full transcript is available in the Manuscript link above.

Sermon Outline

Proverbs 21:5 - The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance.

1. Continue to Discuss, Refine, and Implement Our Discipleship Process.

2. Organize and Launch Our New Cluster of Ministries at Faith West.

3. Work Together as a Church Family to Develop Our Next 5-Year Strategic Ministry Plan.

I. Guard Against Ourselves (28a, 30)

Acts 20:28a, 30 - Be on guard for yourselves...³⁰and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.

A. Threat of doctrinal error

B. Threat of lost priorities

Revelation 2:1-4 - To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: “The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this: ²‘I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; ³and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary. ⁴But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.’”

C. Threat of pride 

James 4:6 - But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

D. Threat of foolishness

Proverbs 10:14 - Wise men store up knowledge, but with the mouth of the foolish, ruin is at hand.

E. Threat of laziness

Proverbs 10:26 - Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is the lazy one to those who send him.

F. Threat of perfectionism

Philippians 3:12 - Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.

G. Threat of resource constraints

II. Guard Against Attacks from the Outside (28b-29)

Acts 20:28b, 29 - Be on guard …for all the flock…²⁹I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.

A. Threat of materialism

2 Timothy 4:9-10 - Make every effort to come to me soon; ¹⁰for Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica

B. Threat of humiliation

Hebrews 10:32-34 - But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings, ³³partly by being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations, and partly by becoming sharers with those who were so treated. ³⁴For you showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and a lasting one.

III. Recognize Your Position by God’s Grace (28c)

Acts 20:28 - Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God.

IV. Recognize what God has done for the church (28d)

Acts 20:28d - Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.

Romans 5:8 - But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

V. Remember the truth that you have learned (31)

Acts 20:31 - Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.

Handouts

Bulletin	Powerpoint	Growth Chart

1. God owns everything. I own nothing.

2. God entrusts me with everything I have.

3. I am responsible to increase what God has given to me.

4. God can call me into account at any time.  It could be today.

2 Corinthians 8:2-3a - that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality. For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability…

2 Corinthians 9:3-5 - But I have sent the brethren, in order that our boasting about you may not be made empty in this case, so that, as I was saying, you may be prepared; otherwise if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we—not to speak of you—will be put to shame by this confidence. So I thought it necessary to urge the brethren that they would go on ahead to you and arrange beforehand your previously promised bountiful gift, so that the same would be ready as a bountiful gift and not affected by covetousness.

2 Corinthians 8:3-5 - For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord, begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints, and this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God.

2 Corinthians 9:7 - Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

1. Take one step because big goals begin by taking the first step

2. Seek resources, if necessary, for there are resources here to help

3. Fill out the stewardship commitment tab

Please Note: the full Manuscript is available in the corresponding download button above, and the accompanying PowerPoint is available in the Handout download (it is a PPT file even though it looks like a DOC).

Hebrews 1:1-3 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, ² but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. ³ He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high

 I want to discuss four themes of the gospel writers that should inform both how we counsel and what we discuss in biblical or Christ-centered counseling.

A.   Jesus is God: The one who came to dwell among his people

B.    Jesus is the Messiah: The deliverer and the redeemer of His people.

C.    Jesus is the Suffering Servant: The one who would take our punishment.

This point is where the title of this message is derived.

The gospels remind us of the definition of true righteousness. Let’s just think about three examples …

A.   Adultery (Matthew 5:27-30)

B.    Keeping your commitments (Matthew 5:33-37)

C.    Love your enemies (Matthew 5:43-48)

Friends, the gospel accounts, as a whole, provide a rich theology needed in our biblical counseling world.

·         They explain the IDENTITY OF JESUS so that we might have hope,

·         They record in great detail the D/B/R/A of Jesus so that we might have freedom and forgiveness

·         They record true righteousness so that we might repent in the inner man and not just in the outer man.

·         They explain the nature of a disciple so that we might have a mission and purpose.

Friends, if you get nothing else, then get this. “Jesus is Awesome!”

Please Note: the full transcript is available in the Manuscript link above. 

John 11:48-50 - If we allow him to go on in this way, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away our sanctuary and our nation. Then one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said, “You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is more to your advantage to have one man die for the people than for the whole nation to perish.”

Romans 8:28-29 - And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren

Romans 5:6-8 - For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly for one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Exodus 24:8 - So Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

Hebrews 9:11-14 - But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Psalm 55:12-14 - For it is not an enemy who reproaches me, then I could bear it; nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me, then I could hide myself from him. But it is you, a man my equal, my companion and my familiar friend; we who had sweet fellowship together walked in the house of God in the throng.

1 Peter 5:8 - Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

Ephesians 6:11-12 - Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

I want to begin with a little quiz this morning … ready. Each of the items has only one of two answers (it is not T/F … that is way too boring and much to “school-like”. The first possible answer is “Epic” … let’s try that together [that is the good one in case you were wondering] … The second possible answer is “Epic fail.” Got it? Two possible answers …

1.      Football fan or not. The Baltimore Ravens in the last 30 seconds of the game against NE last weekend. “Epic fail” … the dude dropping the touchdown pass to win the game and then the kicker missing the field goal to send the game to overtime.

a.       Man alive … I would not want to be that kicker going into that locker room!

2.      Dentist who used paper clips in root canals. I don’t think I can comment any more on that one! “Epic fail”

What about this one …

1.      Alaska woman, 5’ tall 97 lbs and 85 years old beats a moose with a shovel to save her husband. “Epic”

a.       That is one bad woman. I would never want to be a dinner party with her. I mean, how in the world could you beat that story?! “Your story is pretty cool, but try this on for size … I beat the living tar out of a MOOSE”!

2.      The article in the newspaper about how pleased the neighbors are with Faith West … “Epic”

a.       We are not done by any means, but remember a couple years ago. That article could not have been written.

3.      The fact that 1700 people are planning to come to the BCTC two weeks from today. “Epic”

a.       This year many of the conferences around the country (including some we have done) have not had that kind of attendance. The fact that we do is an unbelievable blessing from the Lord.

We played that game to illustrate a very important point this morning. I can use, and you can use, the focus this year on core strength to actually strengthen; resulting in something that is “Epic” or you and I can squander the opportunity resulting in something that is “Epic fail.”

For three weeks PV has been explaining the content of core strength

·         Shoring up foundational areas in our walk with Christ and our church ministries that comprise the basis of godliness and effective community service.

·         Planning and praying for the construction of Faith West and the successful launch of a cluster of new ministries in West Lafayette.

·         Preparing for the next round of ministry dreaming as we embark on a new strategic planning process in 2013.

One of the questions that we could be asking this morning is how do we get this core strength?   

I understand the value of dreaming, I understand the importance of preparing for FW, I understand that I need to be growing closer to Jesus. What does that look like? How do we grow in our walk with Christ and strengthen the ministries? How does the stretch result in strength as opposed to injury?

With that in mind, I would like to start that discussion this morning by having you turn with me to Colossians 3:12-17 (page 158 in the back section of the Bible in the chair in front of you). 

The title of the message is Building Core Strength by Fulfilling Your Calling in Christ

Let’s begin with a quick summary of the passage. In your bulletin we have printed the text with a few items in bold and a couple of lines in italics.

Bold = Commands from Paul

Italics = God’s Calling of His People in Christ

12 So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. 14 (SUMMARY) Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.

16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

17 (SUMMARY) Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

In other words, the bold represents commands given by God to his people that is the heart of what core strength is. The italics are your position in Christ that makes doing commands like this possible.

-          Notice in verse 12, as those – chosen, dearly loved. If you know Christ as your Lord and Savior this is a description of who you are. “dearly loved” … your hope and security is found in one who chose you and dearly loves you.

-          Notice in verse 15, to which you have been called … in one body – that is the body of Christ.

-          The Lord is helping us see that because of who I am in Christ, certain things can be true of me by the power of Christ in me. That is also why the Lord reminds us in 1:13-14 that we were rescued from the domain of darkness and transferred to the kingdom of his dear son [our citizenship in the Lord’s kingdom is firmly established]… and in 3:1 that you are raised with Christ so seek the things where he is [because I am positionally already with him].

You see, friends, part of what the “Epic” look likes for us is recognizing our position in Christ. Then, it is by God’s grace to begin living out our calling (Ephesians 4:1 puts it this way, live in a way that is worthy of your calling). So let’s get to the first point …

I. We must clothe ourselves with the righteousness of Christ.

Col 3:12 So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on (clothe). The imagery there is of garments being put on.  Clothe yourself with something…

Garments attract, garments detract, and sometimes they define who you are or what you are doing.

1.      I had a savings account when I was 4, but my first real trip to the bank came at 11 or 12. Family members had purchased savings bonds for me when I was very little and now, at 11 or 12, it was time to cash them in. I had to wear a sport coat and tie. This was a big moment because I was getting my first CD. My dad wanted my clothed with my best.

a.       When we walked in the bank everyone understand that we were not here for the run of the mill business. This was not about putting another dollar in my account. Something was going down.

2.      When you think about garments attracting how can you not talk about Bill and Peggy Strunk. Not only do they dress with vibrant colors, but they match perfectly. The garments attract attention.

Sometimes the way you are dressed, identifies you –we call them uniforms (football player, a police officer, or a ballerina).

God uses the imagery of garments to describe what living out your calling looks like. The point is very clear – you are responsible to do this. Just as you get dressed in the morning, you are expected to put on, to clothe yourself, with certain qualities.

When a person is clothed with (read v. 12-14) what do you see? … You see Jesus. These garments or “qualities/actions” identify you as a person like Jesus. They attract attention. Everyone around recognizes that you are with Jesus (much like the apostles in the book of Acts when the leaders acknowledge that they have been with Jesus).

-          In his incarnation and/or his exaltation we see his compassion, humility, patience, gentleness, bearing with us, forgiving, and ultimately his love!

With the big idea already in mind, let me apply this for a few moments

Compassion (the willing to care about others)

-          For each other. Honestly, if a bar can be a place where people know your name and they are always glad you came … [honestly there are quite a few bars like that] … then how much more should that be true in the church house?

o   One of the ways you can develop core strength is put on a heart of compassion that looks like this … look in the area where you normally sit and make sure you know every name in the 30 people around you and greet them by that name.

-          For your neighbors. Isn’t what we are doing the most important thing that people could be doing at 11 am on a Sunday morning?

o   I get that it can be awkward. I understand that the second you invite a neighbor to church or to pray for them, they might get uncomfortable.

o   Sometimes it is that stretch that really helps you reach out and it may be the means by which your neighbor comes to Christ.

o   Invite them, not solely out of duty, but because you really believe your neighbor is missing out on something wonderful.

Kindness (the quality of bringing goodness to others)

-          In the home … sometimes the people we love the most and are around the most are the people we are most harsh with.

o   When your spouse frustrates you, irritates you. Ask yourself… by the power of Christ in me, am I putting on kindness?

o   If you are a single mom or just a single … have you clothed yourself with the kindness of Jesus in your relationships?

-          In this service … When you come into service at 11:00, are you trying to get here 5-10 minutes early in the hopes of showing kindness to someone? Greeting them by name and finding out something about them?

o   Or are you scampering in here 5 minutes after the service begins and leaving during the prayer or announcements without saying a word to anyone?

Here is my take, every week, there are people in this room that could use a simple does of genuine kindness. So I hope one of the practical steps you will take is be in this room before the service countdown greeting those who will sit near you.

Humility – (thinking of others as more important to you)

Do I have to say anything more about humility?

Gentleness—(the acceptance of God’s dealing with us good)

Patience—(Graciously responding over the long haul during provocation)

Examples of this all over the place.

-          With our children, with our parents, with our teachers, our co-workers (who never seem to deliver what we want when we want it).

Bearing with one another (Choosing to put up with)

The applications to this are practically endless. But let me highlight a couple of them

1.      We are creatures of habit. We might all laugh when Steve tells us that he goes to McDonald’s every morning for a coffee. But the fact is, that many people come to service and sit in the exact same seats every week. They are practically assigned. What happens when someone (a newer person for example) takes your seat? Do you sit beside them, and learn their name OR are you irritated that you have to sit somewhere else because a visitor took your seat? Clothed with the righteousness of Jesus does not get would up about that. Instead, they would happily give of their seat for the goal of ministry purposes.

2.      I am sure that most of you have noticed that the 11:00 is pretty full (last week there were 20 people sitting in the foyer). So it is likely that some of you in this service will be asked to switch services. Maybe go to the 8 hour or maybe your ABF will be asked to move to 11 and go to 9:30. While we will always do this with an attitude of asking and a recognition that one service fits your family schedule much better, we hope being clothed with the righteousness of Jesus will also allow you to think about how a particular move might help our church accomplish its overall mission.

a.       Then, if there is a seat open we would seek to invite someone because there is nothing else going on at 11:00 on a Sunday morning that is more important than worship through song and study of the Word.

Forgiving (Choosing to relinquish offenses)

Relationships without forgiveness are relationships that cannot last.

-          Our forgiveness is motivated and characterized by the forgiveness of Jesus. So in those moments when you do not want to forgive or you think they deserve to suffer a little bit too. Remember that forgiveness is not based on the merit of the person you are talking to, it is based on the forgiveness that you have already received in Jesus.

-          That is a picture of core strength. That is clothing yourself with the righteousness of Christ.

LOVE (summary of all)

-          The final picture is that of love. A wonderful summary of that Christ embodies.

-          If we are putting on love (Eph 5:1-2), then we are putting on Christlikeness.

The second series of commands defines yet another aspect of our call and gives us a picture of what core strength looks like.

II. We must let the peace of Christ be decisive in circumstances and relationships.

Col 3:15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.

Let’s notice first what is doing the “ruling.” Because something always rules the heart. Something is in control of the way you and I make decisions. Something determines whether we follow one course of action or a different course of action.

The Bible says that the “peace of Christ” deserves this ruling privilege. This is Christ’s peace not yours and not one that you can conjure up on your own. It is the something that Christ gives.

John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.

2 Thessalonians 3:16  Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all!

There are probably a couple ideas that Paul is bringing together.

1.      In 1:20 Christ embodies peace and when we are reconciled to him, we are in a state or condition of peace before God because of Christ. We have a state or condition that provides all that I need. I have abundant spiritual blessings through the peace that Christ brings.

2.      But this also seems to indicate something going on inside us that results in a unity on the outside similar to Phil 4:7 where the results of prayer during times of anxiousness results in the peace of God dwelling in our hearts.  This means I don’t have to clamor after things in order to have peace in my life. 

When I am recognizing the peace that Christ brings that allows me to respond in such a way that unity is developed rather than splintered apart. When I allow the peace of Christ to rule my decisions the natural outflow is that all of us will enjoy that peace together. 

Here is looks like to live this out … When the peace of Christ determines my decisions …

-          You will not be jealous about a friend getting a dream that you wish you had. Maybe that dream is a better marriage (and it is just not happening right now), maybe that dream is getting married (and it is just not happening right now), or maybe it is having a baby (and it is just not happening right now). When Christ’s peace controls my thinking I can rejoice with them because I have what I need in Christ.

o   Friends, this attitude can exist at virtually every level…

-          You will not be insensitive to those hurting around you. Just as you want them to rejoice with those who rejoice, you will weep with those who weep – because Christ’s peace controls you.

o   That is why you can be genuinely concerned about your friends who are honestly hurting.

-          When the peace of Christ rules your heart your boss’ criticism will encourage you to do better rather than enrage you in bitterness.

o   Isn’t that a good thing?

-          When your spouse does not treat you the way you desire, you will be able to respond with kindness because you are allowing the peace of Christ to control your decisions.

-          Even when that ministry assignment or ministry task does not happen just like you want it to, the peace of Christ will allow you to respond well.

o   Who doesn’t want our ministries to go well and to accomplish their mission? Sometimes a ministry even has to die or be put on sabbatical for it to be evaluated. When those moments come we can be offended that our thing got dumped. But when the peace of Christ rules, we can look at the bigger picture.

-          When people do not seem to appreciate you or value you, the peace of Christ will help you serve for Jesus knowing that the reward is in heaven.

-          What happens when we sin against each other? Does the peace of Christ rule in such a way that the sin is handled in a godly fashion? Even in the midst of failures, the peace of Christ ruling in our hearts will allow us to overcome those failures and continue to work together.

Here is why you can do that … because the peace of Christ is fulfilling every need that you have. There is nothing lacking, there is nothing missing.

In this text do you see where that leads … unity in the body. The psalmist writes, how good and how pleasant it is for the brothers (and sisters) to dwell together in unity. As each of us allows the peace of Christ to rule us – to determine the our decisions – we all will experience the wonderful blessings of unity.

But notice the way the text puts this again … Let the peace of Christ …

-          Let’s face it, sometimes we are ruled by a lot of things that have nothing to do with the peace of Christ.

-          When we lust or clamor after those things it leads to a path of anger, bitterness, entitlement, and no productivity.

I want you think for just a minute … what would an 11:00 service ruled by the peace of Christ feel like?

-          People, lots of people, who are genuinely friendly.

-          People, lots of people, thinking not only about what I will get out of the sermon, but how I can minister to someone to promote unity.

-          People, lots of people, knowing the names of especially the people who usually sit around them.

-          People, lots of people, who want others to join them so that they do not miss out on the blessings available right here.

One of my ministry goals period – not that I am there yet, but a dream - (11:00 service, my ABFs, Sonrise at 8 and YC at 9:30, our conference training, our seminary classes) is that people do not have to be guilted into coming.  They come and encourage others to come because anyone who is not there is missing out on the blessing. Wouldn’t it be great if people at 11 came because the opportunities to give blessings and to be blessed were so great that only emergency issues would keep them away?

In case we forgot … be thankful too.

We have seen the command to clothe yourselves with the garments of Christ’s righteousness and the command to allow Christ’s peace to determine your decisions. The third command is in v. 16.

III. We must let the Word of Christ saturate our inner being. 

Col 3:16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another, with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Just as the peace of Christ was to rule in our decision making so now we are encouraged to let the word of Christ richly dwell in us. 

I think it is very reasonable to say that God expects us to know his word. While Sunday morning and the FCI classes on Wed nights are valuable times of teaching, it is also important to develop a habit of reading and meditating on the Bible. It is allowing your mind to dwell and to think on the Scriptures. 

-          Counseling training is the next step, not because you are necessarily going to be counselors, but you want to be mentors.

-          Some of you taking an FCI class to enrich your understanding of the Bible is the next step

-          Could greatly benefit from the ABF ministry where a portion of the time is given toward understanding Scripture.

 When the word of Christ dwells in you richly, it comes out.

-          Isn’t that true with whatever I might be fired up about at the time? If you kids are participating in some activity, then you tell others about it. Hey, my daughter has a ballet recital, or a piano performance, or a basketball game. You, as a parent, are stoked about it.

-          If Christ’s words saturate your being then they will come out.

As intimidating as this might be … we all will know what is saturating your being. Because the text makes it clear that IF YOU ARE INGESTING THE WORDS OF CHRIST, THEN THE WORDS OF CHRIST WILL COME OUT OF YOU.

With the result that the Word overflows from our lips in:

A.Wise edification (teaching and admonishing) of one another

-          When the word of Christ is saturating I am able to teach and admonish people with the words of Christ rather than my just own opinion or rather than my emotions might initially lead me.

-          Isn’t that what we need? Don’t we need teaching and at times a little admonishing?

An old song writer wrote these words, “Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love.” 

Those who are saturated with other things will teach and admonish others to go after their others things.

B.Grateful celebration (singing) with one another

When the word of Christ saturates us, it also results in celebration. I am not talking about putting on a show (some are more inclined to music than others), but I am also not talking about being a stoic either. 

A person who has his or her life saturated by the Word of Christ gratefully celebrates. 

Check out the summary in v. 17 …

Whatever you do, do that in the name of Christ! 

Friends, we are representing Christ. That is one of the reasons that he saved you. He was calling a group of people to be his possession to show the glories of Jesus to the world.

He has given you every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, he has transferred you from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of his dear son, he though you were dead in your sins made you alive together with Christ. 

Now, God says, clothe yourself with the righteousness of Christ, allow the peace of Christ to determine your decisions, and be totally saturated by the word of Christ.

That is how you will be able to exhibit core strength in the areas of (1) growing in your walk with Christ; (2) launching FW; and (3) ministry dreaming.

It is also the way that this service will be a service that people want to attend. It will be a place where people know your name and they are glad you came. It will be a place where you can serve and be encouraged just as it is a place where you can serve and encourage others.

Most importantly, if we get this done, we will be a people who represent well the name of Christ. So let pray and lets works toward this year being “Epic.”

Pastor Viars is ministering at the CCEF conference this weekend, so he asked that I speak this morning. I would like to begin by having you turn to Nehemiah 4. Last week we began this series about six words that every relationship needs with the word “grace.”

• Every relationship needs grace instead of bitterness.
• I hope this week you were willing to give grace to those around you.

This morning we are going to talk about the power of encouragement.

In Nehemiah 4 we find a group of exiles, from the regions of Babylon, finally allowed to return home. They were led by Nehemiah in order to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem – the first step in the process of becoming a nation and renewing their covenant relationship with God.

• That sounds wonderful …
• Here was the problem … there were a lot of people who did not want to see the wall rebuilt and the nation established, so they began to mock the Jews. Nehemiah 4:1-3.
  • In 500 BC that joke was hilarious!
• Nehemiah acts in the midst of their discouragement vv. 4-5.
• This results in even greater opposition vv. 7-8 … vv. 9-11
  • Do you hear the language and the discouragement among the people?
  • They are beginning to doubt the validity of the whole project.
• Vv. 12-23

Do you get the picture? A hard task, with great opposition and threats. Yet, Nehemiah, the leader, encourages his crew to remain faithful to the Lord and to continue in the work as aggressively as possible.

• What is the result? An extraordinary accomplishment from ordinary people.
• Read Nehemiah 6:15-16.

I would like you to imagine with me what would happen if all of your relationships were characterized by this level and type of encouragement.

• What if in my home you were known as the encouragement leader?
• What if at my workplace you were known as the “son of encouragement” like Barnabas?
• What if my neighbors considered us an encouraging family and a huge asset to the neighborhood?
• What if in my ABF you were known as the person to go see for encouragement?

Would that be awesome or what? Is it possible that just in Nehemiah’s situation extraordinary things were happening in my home, workplace, neighborhood, and ABF?

• Can I suggest to you that harmony, unity, progressive sanctification, and moving forward would be a normal part of the equation in these relationships?

It is simply not very hard to establish the importance of this second word that every relationship needs:  encouragement.

With that in mind I would like us to focus on our primary text this morning. Please turn to Ephesians 4:29.

As you are turning there I want to point out

Ephesians 4:1 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,

• The “therefore” points back to all the blessings we have in Christ. [give the gospel here]
  • Inheritance
  • Blessed us with all spiritual blessings
  • You were made alive though you were dead in trespasses and sins
  • United with brothers and sisters in Jesus into one new body – the body of Christ
  • Your redemption, your adoption, your reconciliation, your regeneration are all aspects of the blessings you have in Christ. As a result of all those truths you are called to live a worthy life.
• Manner in which you were called refers to the actions that you are supposed to take now that you are a genuine follower of Jesus.
  • While we could list many of them, our goal this morning is focusing on just one aspect of that worthy life … A life of encouragement.

Read Eph 4:29. I would like to organize my time dealing with the subject of encouragement into three basic points. The first of which is …

I.  Characteristics of Biblical Encouragement

1. Opposite of Destructive words

Eph 4:29 follows the pattern of all the verses in vv. 25-32. It shows what must be put off and then demonstrates in concrete action what must be put on instead.

• In v. 29 we see the put off side that of “unwholesome” words.
• We understand this phrase in terms of its opposite in the passage – words for edification or building up.
• In other words, the kind of words being discussed in this passage are the kind of words that hurt others in one form or another. Let’s identify a few types of those words…

1. Frontal Attack – Words that seek to hurt someone directly

As I think back over my life I can think of a number of times that I said something to someone where I meant to hurt them. Proverbs 12:18 says “Wreckless words pierce like a sword but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”

Maybe I shouldn’t admit that. But in my mind, there is no doubt that my words were being used as sword in order to inflict damage. These words were a frontal attack. Maybe you can think of incidents like that for you as well…

• To all you married persons … I have heard many people say to their spouse words like, “I wish I had not married you.” “I think it would be best to get a divorce.” “I would be attracted to you if you lost 25 pounds.”
  • Those words were meant to hurt and in the vast majority of the cases they do.
  • Even if your attacks have not been that aggressive you can probably think of times where you said what you said in order to hurt your spouse.
• To all you parents … Parents have told their children that “they would never amount to anything.” Parents have called their children “stupid, worthless, and annoying.”
  • Friends, those words crush your children.
• To you young people … you have done the same thing with your parents. You know exactly how to hurt them. There have been times you have gone right for the jugular.
• To those of you with roommates. You have the same opportunity.

Of course, the relationship was damaged, it was hurt, and you accomplished exactly what you want to accomplish. Another type of harmful word is …

2. Deflection – Words that open a new topic – a topic where you have the advantage

In this case, what happens is that topic A is not a very good topic. You are clearly wrong. You clearly need to ask for forgiveness. But, you don’t want to do that, so what you do instead is change the subject so that now you have the advantage.

We see this in arguments all the time. The place where people end the argument is totally different than the place it began.

• We started talking about getting the car fixed and all the sudden we are on to the cleanliness of the home, the ability to buy groceries that everyone likes for free, and the lack of date nights over the past 6 months.
• I am not saying that those topics are not legitimate issues to discuss, but when they are brought up in order to put you in the advantage in a conversation they are words that harm rather than build up.

You are violating the Scriptures about both being a listener and about coming back with harmful words. 

3. Intimidation – Words that are vulgar and aggressive

There is nothing encouraging or edifying about a foul mouthed person. I realize that some people have work responsibilities that demand they take charge and lead situations.

• But when that mentality exists at home and in the church house it is no longer godly responsibility and stewardship. It is alienating and ungodly.

Listen carefully. These types of words are sinful and ungodly. According to the text (“no”) these words should not be used. But here is what is even worse; these are the words that you wanted to use whenever you used them.  Jesus taught in Matthew 12…

Matthew 12:33-37  "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit.  ³⁴ "You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.  ³⁵ "The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil.  ³⁶ "But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment.  ³⁷ "For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

You see friends, being an encouraging person is not so much about whether your parents were encouraging to you,

• it is not so much about whether your boss is encouraging to work for,
• or whether your husband or wife is encouraging.
• This is a matter of your heart.

It is a matter of whether you want to live worthy of the gospel and the kingdom of God or whether you want to construct your own kingdom where you can be king or queen of it.

• Where things that irritate you are met with frontal attacks or things that paint you in a bad light are deflected so that you can hammer the other person.

I am asking you to evaluate your speech right now.

• Then I am asking you to go to the Lord right now and help you repent, confess your sin to the Lord,
• Beg him to change your heart so that the second part of this verse is what characterizes all the things that come out of your mouth.

That is the put off or the “don’t” side of this passage. The other side is that we must use

2. Words for Building Up and Encouraging

After the text emphasizes the important of not using harmful words, it explains that our new life in Jesus is supposed to be characterized by words that build up and encourage.

• That is one of the ways that we live out the gospel
• It is one of the ways that we live worthy of the gospel

I am sure that we could highlight a hundred different ways in which this building or edifying speech could be done, but let’s consider four types of edifying speech.

1. Words of Affirmation

Most, if not all, relationships could use a healthy dose of affirmation.

• Husbands. If you are fortunate enough to have a wife who cares for many of the details in the home (laundry, cleaning, cooking)
• then when is the last time you have encouraged her?
• When have you expressed heartfelt appreciation for all that she does for you and your family?

• Wives, if you are fortunate enough to have a hard working husband, to have a man who loves you and cares for you, to have a man who seeks to lead you to Christlikeness, then when is the last time you have encouraged him?

• When have you expressed heartfelt appreciation for all that he does for you?

• Parents, what about with your children?
• Do you affirm the things that they do right?
• Or do you view your job merely through the lens of what they do wrong?
• Do the areas that they need to improve become their identity in your mind?

• What about at work? Do you affirm the things that people do right and well?
• Or is the “right and well” stuff the expectation and then the “wrong” stuff if what you have to talk about?

• Teens, what about you? Do you encourage your parents in all that they do for you?

Affirmation for things done well is missing in a lot of people’s lives. If you are one of those persons that thinks stuff like:

• If I praise them they will become proud.
• If I praise them they will become lazy.
• If that is you then you have completely missed many opportunities to build up and encourage people.

The Lord is asking you for a new heart attitude. Encouraging or edifying words could also be …

2. Words of Affection

I realize that it is not appropriate to have words of affection in every relationship. But there are a number of relationships where it is appropriate and it is missing.

You men who have daughters. I liked this post one of my friends put on facebook.  PIC “Guns don’t kill, Dads with Good Looking Daughters Do”

• As funny as that line is, there is an alternative.
• It is helping your daughter have the kind of security in her relationship with you that she does not desire it from the boneheaded boys around her.
  • If she gets her hugs from daddy she won’t need them from the boys who have ungodly motives in their hugs.
  • If she has been treated well by her daddy she won’t even consider hanging out with a boy who treats her like trash.
  • If she has security in her parents and in the Lord she will not need to seek it other places.

You husbands. Sometimes you fail to remember how valuable words of affection are to your wife.

• She wants to tell her how much you love her.
• She wants you to tell her that she is pretty.
• She wants you to tell her that she looks cute in some outfit.
• Some guys are like “why would I do that?” or worse “what if I don’t think it.”
• Then it is time to confess, repent, and remember how the Bible talks about your relationship to your wife.

Fathers, it is okay to tell your boys you love them too.

• Even as they get more independent. Even as they spend less time at home.
• Even as they get older and move out of the house, you can still remind them of your love for them.
• You can still remind them that you think they are awesome.

Only God knows what could be accomplished by his people really offering words that build up and edify in all the relationships.

3. Words of Reconciliation

Someone once wisely said that no relationship can last long term without the matter of forgiveness. The reason is that we still remain sinful people. But you know some relationships are not reconciled because one person refuses to ask for forgiveness or because another person refuses to grant it.

Building up words are words that reconcile, that bring together what was once broken.

• Parents, when is the last time you had to ask forgiveness for your sinful anger, for your use of words that were harmful?
• When is the last time you asked your spouse for forgiveness?
• Your roommate?
• Your boyfriend or girlfriend?
• Your Lord?

The final category of edifying, encouraging or building up words I will mention are ..

4. Words of security

Words of security involve words that demonstrate you can be trusted.

In a marriage, phrases like, “babe, we are in this for the long haul.” “I intend to keep the promises I made to you on our wedding day until the day I die.” Help to establish security.

• Where discussions of divorce erode it.

Some workplaces love to talk about firing people. It is almost like it is part of the culture.

• I think we all realize that we live in economic conditions where downsizing is always possible.
• But when those words hit the street they erode security.
• They encourage your employees to spend thought capital on whether they should look for another job or stick it out. That is thought capital that could have been invested in the business.

As believers our ultimate trust, joy, satisfaction, and security is found in Jesus. But when security is eroded in our relationships, then accomplishments greatly diminish. Imagine if Nehemiah, in the passage we read earlier has simply decided not to post guards.

I guess you could argue that nobody has to have words of affirmation, affection, reconciliation, and security.

• After all, every believer in Jesus has those things in Christ. In a sense you would be correct.
• However, our focus is on the fact that since I have and you all those things in Christ we should be freely giving them to others.

Ephesians 4:29 calls us, by the power of the Holy Spirit and through our union with Christ, to let no harmful word come out of our mouths, but only those words that are for building up.

The text goes on to qualify these building up words…

3. Biblical Encouragement fits the situation and circumstances

I love these words, “according to the need of the moment.” Different moments require different kinds of encouragement. The proverbs explain this same principle on multiple occasions. 

Proverbs 15:23  A man has joy in an apt answer, And how delightful is a timely word!

Proverbs 25:11  Like apples of gold in settings of silver Is a word spoken in right circumstances.

Don’t you just love that imagery? “delightful is a timely word.” “apples of gold in settings of silver.” Just as your words have the power to do harm, so they have the power to do good, if we learn to use them at the right time.

Since I have the privilege of teaching the YC class (a class that meets during the 9:30 hour), I am regularly reminded of what it is like to have a newborn. Many of these couples have an interest in taking the command to be fruitful and multiply very seriously. These regular births remind me of a few lessons I have had to learn the hard way over the years.

• When you get home from work and you see your wife attempting to make dinner while holding an 8 week old who is screaming his or her head off, that is not the right time to ask questions like “How was your day?” [How does it look my day is going, moron?]
  • “What are we having for dinner?” [that is particularly dangerous question if she happens to be holding a sharp knife in her hand]
  • “Hey, I was looking at our schedule this month, and I was wondering whether you wanted to have 40 people over to our house next week.” [a response to that might involve all kinds of bad things]. 
  • In fact, I learned that the only words that she was interested in hearing at that moment were, “Can I please take the baby and care for his needs?” Nothing else mattered.
  • If you are in that stage maybe this might be a help to you, PIC “When a woman says “what” it’s not because …
• Or guys, when your wife meets you at the door with tears in her eyes it is not time for a deep theological discussion. It is time for a hug. Then it is time to find out how you can serve her.
• On a more serious note, I have also learned that people ask questions for lots of different reasons.
  • Sometimes people ask questions because they are curious. Curious people normally want straight up kind of answers.
  • Sometimes they ask because there is a deep pain in their heart that they do not know what to do with.
  • How you answer that question matters a lot. They want an answer, but that answer must be packaged a little differently. Right words at the right time are like apples of gold in settings of silver.

Friends, I want you to live worthy of the gospel. I want you to work to live out every day the fact that you have been saved by grace. In order to accomplish that, you must learn to use words that fit the situation and the circumstances. We also see in this passage …

4. Biblical Encouragement results in a positive response to the hearers

Did you hear the language, “good for edification,” “give grace to those who hear.”

Proverbs 12:25  ²⁵ Anxiety in a man's heart weighs it down, But a good word makes it glad.

The passage commands us not to use the harmful language but rather to use language that is good for building up.  Here is how you know you did it right … when it gives grace to the hearers.

• This relates to giving the hearers something of benefit to them, possibly based on a need that they have.
• There may be a sense here where Paul is saying that our words function as a conduit for God’s grace in the lives of those who listen.

The point is that the people we talk to are actually in a better place because we talked to them.

Teachers, coaches, parents, spouses, roommates, bosses. Do not underestimate how the Lord might use your words and your actions to set a person on an entirely different course in life.

Here is a story from my life:

When I was in the 5^th grade I had a very mixed academic reputation. On the one hand, I was very good in Math. But on the other hand, my reading was incredibly poor. When I entered the 5^th grade I was barely entering the 3d grade reading book.

• What happened next set my academic career in a different direction.
• My teacher handed me the 5^th grade reading book.
• I calmly objected that I had not completed the 3d grade book or even started the 4^th grade book, so taking the 5^th grade book seemed like an innocent mistake.
• Here were her words, “Rob, I think you can do it. This is your book.”
• She did not have to do that. She could have very easily just assumed that I was as dumb as my other teachers thought I was.
• She could have set me aside and worked with the kids that were already good at English and reading. She chose the path of encouragement instead. In the process redirected my academic career. 

Friends James 3:6-10  And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell.  ⁷ For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race.  ⁸ But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison.  ⁹ With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God;  ¹⁰ from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. 

One of the things we can learn about the tongue is that the power of tongue can work either negatively or positively. 

Ephesians 4:29 is a mouthful all by itself, but I would like to paint now with a slightly broader brush for a few minutes and see a few times that encouragement is directly taught in Scripture. 

II. Circumstances where Biblical Encouragement is Needed 

1. When the person is fainthearted

1 Thessalonians 5:14  We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 

I think many believers are as good at shooting their wounded as are those without Christ. It is true in people’s homes

• Some parents are so hard on their kids that they live in constant fear of the next problem. They have school problems, health problems, identity problems because there is no encouragement.
  • You take their “fainthearted” position and you use it against them. The end result is that you create a huge divide in your relationship.
• It is true in people’s workplaces.  Some of your are at the top of the food chain in your office. You have responsibilities to make sure things are done well and they are well oiled.
  • But listen to me, if your view is that the things they do right are simply what they should do and I am going to tell them about all they did wrong – you will not accomplish all that could be accomplished.
• Even coming to church can be done with different motivations. I can come to church as a consumer or I can come as a participant (where Yes there is something for me to learn, to think about, or to do but there are also people I need to greet, people I need to check on, and people I need to find out if things are better).
  • You can be a real encourager to the fainthearted around this place … if you have a heart to be that person. 

Those who are fainthearted need words of encouragement. They need to believe that someone is caring for them, interested in them, and willing to help them. 

2. When there is a struggle with sin

Hebrews 3:13-14  But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.  ¹⁴ For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end, 

I realize that I am still a young man, although in Bible times one of the most amazing miracles happened with a person who was 40 years old (that is where I am) I am learning that people sin for lots of reasons. I used to think that sin = high hand rebellion against God.

• Now I realize that for some sin has deceived them, it is has tricked them into thinking that what is bad is actually good.
• While sin needs to be stopped regardless of the reason, the motivation for sin impacts how I deal with people. 

3. When someone is dealing with hard faith questions

1 Thessalonians 5:11  Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing. 

In 1 Thess 4 and 5 there were many people struggling with happens to believers who already died or thinking that the Day of the Lord has already come. Both sections of text end with the words to encourage one another. 

People who are struggling with hard faith questions need to be encouraged with the truth found in Scripture.

Summary

Friends, living worthy of the gospel means that you being in union with Jesus will, by the power of the Holy Spirit, seek to eliminate harmful speech from your mouth.

• By God’s amazing grace, your mouth will be filled with words that are good for building up and you will have the wisdom to know when is the right time to use them.
• This will be done so that God is glorified and his people are made stronger and more productive. 

In the words of Eph 4:16 Ephesians 4:16  ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. 

Every relationship needs encouragement. Let’s ask the Lord to help us live it out. 

I have great news for you this morning.  Are you ready for that news?

"Your best days are yet to come."

• This is not some warm and fuzzy sermon that I downloaded from a TV preacher without biblical content.  The Scripture will be speaking this morning!

In order to drive this home, let's think about the implications to that statement.  "Your best days are yet to come" implies at least the following …

1. The coolest vacation you can imagine is not your best day

We have wanted to see Yellowstone national park for quite some time.  Last year our family had the awesome privilege of being there and seeing the beauty of Yellowstone and the surrounding area. 

Creating a travel brochure for this area of Montana/Wyoming is easy.  Here are a few photos that we took with our camera that show the amazing beauty of the place.

• Sunset … Waterfalls … Snowball fight on Washburn … Rock climbing

Our experience of seeing it with our own eyes makes us want to go back.  We want to feel the cool breeze, even during the summer.  We want to be in a pair of shorts and have a snowball fight at 10,000 feet in the snow-capped mountains.

Maybe your dream vacation is laying on the beach in the Carribean, doing an excursion in Alaska, visiting the classic European cities, going to the championships of your favorite sporting event, or just laying at home with no responsibilities.

Imagine two weeks of your dream vacation… Got it?  As good as your dream vacation might be – and it might be really good – it is not your best days.

2. The day you got married is not your best day

That day is a pretty awesome day!  If you are married and don't say that it is in top 2-3 best days, then your current day is going to get a whole lot worse (Father's day is over).  I remember when I got married about 18 years ago. 

• Here is picture (September 11, 1993).  … I was waiting for Stephanie to come down the aisle and I was thinking you have got to be kidding me. 
• How in the world did I pull this off?

She is godly.  She is a major servant.  She is frugal.  And she is hot! How did this happen?

That was a pretty awesome day.  But it is not the best day I will ever have.  If you are married, your wedding day is not your best day either.  If you are wanting to get married … it will not be your best day either.

My statement, "your best days are yet to come" also implies …

3. The day you have your child(ren) is not your best day

Again, these are pretty great days. 

• Pictures of each of my kids along with a current family picture. 
• I remember the birth of each child very vividly.
  • I remember being a room that must have been 40 degrees with Joseph.  I am wearing every piece of clothing I brought to the hospital and I am absolutely freezing.  She is in a hospital gown … "could you please turn down the temp!"
  • I remember Stephanie's water broke a couple hours after we set up the crib with Samuel. 
  • I remember the nice conversation Stephanie and I had with Mackenzie (she had an epideral this time). 
  • These are awesome days.  Your little ones fall asleep on your chest.  Not so common anymore.
  • Now look at the bunch.  They are growing up and it will not be all that long before we see them reach adulthood.

Each birth represents a ton of joys along the way as your kids grow.  But even these are not your best days.  I could go on and on, but we will stop with one more.

4. The day of your retirement is not your best day

Of course, we never retire from being servants of the Lord.  But some of you have enjoyed leaving the office for the last time.  Others of you are looking forward to the time when you are able to reduce the level of responsibility.

As our theme goes, "your best days are yet to come."

There is only one set of best days and this morning I want us thinking about them.  With that in mind please turn to Revelation 21.  That is on page 200 in the back section of the Bible in the chair in front of you.

Today is the final day in the series "the Friend of God."  Over the last several weeks we have taken this idea that God is our friend and examined it from several perspectives … almost as if we are inspecting a precious jewel from each possible angle.  We have seen that …

• God made friendship with him possible … as crazy as that sounds.
• God is the one who demonstrates his friendship by taking the initiative
• God interceding for us
• God graciously and lovingly rules over us as our great King
• God loves us almost beyond comprehension or measure
• God is our wonderful father

Today we are thinking about the ultimate expression of God's friendship and why our best days are yet to come.  God is preparing a place for us – a place of glory and a place of where he is. 

So God's final expression of his friendship is taking us to be with him in heaven forever.  Lets consider the question, what is heaven like?  What will I experience when I get there?  For these will truly be our best days.  [Read Revelation 21-22:5]

I would like to share 6 facts about heaven that prove they will be our best days.

I.  Everything is new (21:1-2, 5)

We love "new." 

• New cars.  They smell different!  They feel different. 
• The coolness of the new electronic gadget that will suddenly make your life more productive.
• The fit of a new piece of clothing.
• Going to visit a new place. 
• The new ride at holiday world, Cedar Point, or Disney World.  You can always tell the new ones by whatever ride has the longest lines.
• We love "new."

Notice the text…everything is new.

1. Heaven is new

There is some mystery to that phrase, but it is clear that the old heaven is replaced by the New.  This is something that God's people have known about since the time of the OT prophecies.

2. Earth is new

So don't freak out if some scientist has calculated that 15,000 years from now the earth will be swallowed by the sun … even if he is right, we are getting a new one anyway.

3. Jerusalem is new

This will settle the battles once and for all!  Some of you have been to Israel and Jerusalem …

• I am sure it is cool to walk the road to Emmaus and imagine when Jesus appeared.
• I am sure it is very awesome, albeit sobering, to walk the via dolorosa.
• I am sure it is super cool to sit on the country side, close your eyes, and listen to your guide read the sermon on the mount while you imagine being there.

But if you never get to see it … just relax … there is a new one coming that is not only way better but you will get to live there!

In heaven, everything is new!  Look at v. 5.  What is faithful and true is that indeed he who sits on the throne is making all things new!!!  It will be so totally awesome!  Indeed, your best days are yet to come.

II.  Everything is beautiful beyond measure (21:10-21)

John, the author of Revelation, uses 21:10-22:5 to provide some further explanation on vv. 1-8.  I want us to see some of these expansions.  In particular, he focuses on the picture – the travel brochure, if you will, of the New Jerusalem.  The brochure is amazing.

In fact, according to v. 11, the city will have the Glory of God.

• The kind of glory that Moses could only see partially lest he be killed
• The kind of glory that radiated off his person making it obvious to everyone that he had seen God
• The kind of glory that is absolutely amazing.
• We are talking about exceeding beauty.

I mentioned a trip we took out West.  One of the reasons I enjoy going to Montana is that there is a kind of beauty that we don't see in the Midwest. 

• Corns and beans are awesome.  I enjoy seeing them every year.  They represent the food that fuels the world.  It means I go to Meijer and food is actually on the shelf. 
• Corn and beans are beautiful. 
• But there are other kinds of beauty too.

1. Lake Yellowstone
2. Grand Canyon of Yellowstone
3. Mt Washburn
4. Lava Lake

As beautiful as these pictures were, they pale in comparison to John's description of the glory of God:

1. As a Bride adorned for her husband. 
   • The bride has often made every provision possible to look her best. 

2. Jewels and gold
   • Brilliance and wonderful colors of the various types of jewels mentioned

3. Walls and Gates & Tribes and Apostles
   • This is a beauty that has shows the fulfilled promises of the past.  Israel is included and so are the NT believers.  We are all going to be there.  This is the fulfillment of Gal 3:28.

Galatians 3:28-29  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.  ²⁹ And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to promise.

4. Dimensions that are hard to imagine
   • Size sometimes is beauty.  Part of the glory of the places like the grand canyon is the sheer size of it.  Imagining a dwelling place like this is absolutely amazing.

By the time you get to v. 21 you get the idea that John is doing his best, but you need to see it for yourself.  Its brilliance and wonder are just too much for words. 

You and I will be in awe by the beauty of heaven.  We will have "open jaw" moments where we gasp at the level of beauty. 

• We will never get tired of the view. 
• It will be so wonderful and so glorious that you will and I will see it everyday as if it is our first time.

When God prepares a place for us – he gives you what is new and he gives you what is amazingly beautiful.  That is one of the reasons these are your best days.

III.  God is there  and we are with him (21:3, 22-27, 22:3-5)

God is among them … He will dwell with them … they will be his people … God will be among them.  That is great news all by itself.

In heaven, there will no longer be a mediated presence of God. 

• In the OT that mediation came through the curtain in front of the Holy of Holies. Even today the presence of God is mediated by the Spirit.

But there is coming a day when God does not mediate his presence he moves you into his house!  Can you imagine that!  You get a room in this glorious place called heaven where God is there.

• No ethnic distinctions.  Your next door neighbor might be from Israel, while two doors down is an Etheopian, while across the hall is a dude from Brazil.
• Unlimited access to the Lord.
  1. Will you have questions for Jesus?
  2. Questions about your own life?

As we all talk about heaven I think many of us enjoy thinking about being with loved ones. 

• We think of parents, brothers, sisters, even children that have gone to be with the Lord and we want to be with them.
• Of course, we rejoice in seeing our loved ones again.   
• However, what should overwhelm us more is that Jesus is there.  In Scripture, the reason that heaven is glorious is because our savior is there.

Vv 22-27 and 22:3-5 give several wonderful results of the presence of the Lord.

A.  No temple because Jesus is the temple

There will not be a need for a localized worship center or a localized manifestion of God because we will have the privilege of seeing him "as he is."

I love 22:3 … his bondservants will serve him.  No longer divisions in the body of Christ.  As this point, we all just become like Jesus and we serve him wholeheartedly.

B.  No need for additional lighting because Jesus provides all the light needed

I don't think about lights until the power goes out.  Then I go scrambling for a flashlight or a set of candles.  In heaven, we won't need any of that. 

In John, Jesus is the light of the World. In Heaven, he will be the permanent light!

C.  No need for security measures because the light never fades and nothing harmful exists

We live in a nice community.  Crime exists but overall this is a wonderful place to be.  As parents of young children we tend to be careful.  We don't want our children in compromising situations.  So certain restrictions exist.

In heaven, there is no such thing as a compromising situation.  In heaven, there is absolutely nothing harmful that exists. 

• No more germs, no more viruses, no more people with evil intentions, no more thieves, and no more threats. 
• Heaven does not need security measures.

D.  No doubt about the future because Jesus reigns forever

Every now and then news stations conduct poles about consumer confidence or economic recovery.  In heaven, such polls would always result in 100% confidence.  There are absolutely no worries because Jesus is reigning forever.  His thoughts and decisions are always right and always just.

Heaven represents your best days because Jesus is there blessing you with tremendous benefits.

IV.  No more suffering present (21:4)

Suffering comes in so many forms.  Sometimes we suffer physically, sometimes we suffer emotionally, and sometimes we suffer in every way we can imagine.  Here are just a few of the elements of suffering that will not be in heaven.

A. No more feelings of despair and aloneness

Psalm 6:3-7   ³ And my soul is greatly dismayed; But You, O LORD-- how long?  ⁴ Return, O LORD, rescue my soul; Save me because of Your lovingkindness.  ⁵ For there is no mention of You in death; In Sheol who will give You thanks?  ⁶ I am weary with my sighing; Every night I make my bed swim, I dissolve my couch with my tears.  ⁷ My eye has wasted away with grief; It has become old because of all my adversaries.

Psalm 13:1-2  For the choir director. A Psalm of David. How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?  ² How long shall I take counsel in my soul, Having sorrow in my heart all the day? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?

In fact, according to 21:4 there will not be any more crying at all.

Friends, when you are in your best days, you will never ever feel Psalm 6 or Psalm 13 ever again.

B.  No more suffering from health issues. 

Two weeks ago one of our seminary students, Drew Papillion, had some tests ran.  The results … a brain tumor.  Surgery was scheduled this past Monday … just a few days before his wife Amy was to deliver their first child.  They had so many people contact them that they decided to post a video.  I want you to see a portion of this video.

Let me just pause and say that your support for the seminary is going for guys like him and churches like his.  Many of you have seen the information on Race for Hope.  You may have even had some people ask you to sponsor them.  Drew and his family are the kind of people being supported.

Heaven is a place where the sufferings of this life are forever removed. 

• No more cancer, no more AIDS, no more children dying from malnutrition, no more brain tumors, and no more stinkin' cancer.

C.  No more natural disasters

So far this year about 700 people have died from Tornados.  One teenage boy was picked up and dropped by a tornado ¼ mile from his house.  No more of that going on.

Very recently a home from people in our church, Pat and Kerri Robertson, was hit by lighting and caught fire.  In heaven there is no more of that either.

When you are in your best days NO ONE in heaven suffers.  Is that awesome, or what?

D.  No more death

I obviously have never been through death, but I have been with a dying person enough to know that the hymn writer was not joking when he said, "we fight life's final war with pain."

• Death can sometimes be a slow, painful process where there is little to do but attempt to make the person comfortable 

I am looking forward to no more funerals … no more attending them … no more thinking about who might be next … no more pall bears … no more walking away from the cemetery.  We are talking about no more funerals!

E.  No more sorrow   

Do you realize that the sorrows of your life on earth will be overshadowed by the greatness of Jesus and the place that he has prepared? 

• Sometimes I counsel someone and as they tell me their story I am reminded of the stuff I did too.  I wish I was never reminded of that.  I wish that I could live 100% of the time in the forgiveness of Jesus without ever wishing that I had done something different.
• I cannot wait until my life no longer has a hint of sorrow anymore.
• I am looking forward to meeting other believers, hearing their stories, and rejoicing in the finished work of Jesus that brought us to this place.

F.  No more pain  

No more root canals, cavities, and people doing very unpleasant things in your mouth!  No more sore muscles.  No more pain, period.

I admit that I don't understand all that heaven will be like, what the New Jerusalem daily news will say, or what we will all talk about. 

However, I am fairly sure that the phrase, "have a good day" will be one of the stupidest things you could say in heaven.

• Everyone will look at you and say, "Are you new here?"  Dude, everyday is a good day!

When you are in your best days NO ONE in heaven suffers.  Not you, not anyone you know or love, no one.  I think I have belabored this point long enough … In heaven there will be no suffering.  Amen!

Where are we?  I have argued that Scripture teaches your best days are still to come. In Heaven, everything is new, everything is stunningly beautiful, Jesus is there, and there is no more suffering.  The text continues…

V.  Satisfaction is abundant in Heaven (21:6, 22:1-2)

I am not sure it is still very popular, but about 10 years ago a group of videos called VeggieTales came out.  We had a bunch of them.  But my all time favorite has to be Madam Blueberry. 

• In the introduction, Larry gets a cool su-v-action Jeep (like Pastor Viars'). 
• While talking with Bob, we all discover that Larry would really be happy if he had the Jet Ski, the dirt Bike, the camper, and all the other products that would make his life enjoyable.  The intro lines end this way.  "Larry, how must stuff do you need to be happy?"  Larry responds.  "I don't know, how much stuff is there?"

In our world, it is so easy to be discontent.  Whether it is a car, a home, a job, a piece of entertainment, it is really easy to want something else and better. 

In heaven, satisfaction is abundant.  We will not need to be greedy because all of our desires will ultimately be met.

There are some interesting descriptions given:

A.  There is a River from the throne through the middle of street

• The river runs from the throne … the source of life for all eternity.  The life giving concept of water [which fits the lack of a sea on the new earth … not needed].
• It runs right down the middle of the road.  In other words, it is in a place that is accessible to everyone. 

• I can only image what some of our brothers and sisters in Christ who suffer from hunger and starvation think when they read something like this.

B.  Tree of life with all that is necessary for sustenance

• This time we see that the tree exists on both sides of the river. That is pretty strange.  But the point of accessibility again comes to the forefront.  God's wonderful life giving provisions are available.
• Twelve kinds of fruit available from the tree.  There is a picture of having everything that we will need. 

The tree and the water provide everything.

The text does not directly say this, but I think you and I will only want the right things.  That part of our new bodies fit for an eternal dwelling is that you and I would not even want the wrongs things. 

• Wouldn't it be awesome if you never wanted to sin, you never wanted to think or act in a way that dishonored God, or you never wanted to miss doing something that God would want?
• Wouldn't it be great if we truly could find our joy, peace, and satisfaction in the Lord?

Here is the promise from Scripture:  Heaven will not lack 1 thing that brings satisfaction.  You will be satisfied in the presence of Christ.

I realize that some of you at this point are thinking it is time to check out … just land this plane and let's get going with our day.  Please pay particular attention to this final point.

A final reason given in this passage for the glories of Heaven is that

VI.  Everyone will not be there (21:7-8)

Notice v. 27 again.  One of the reasons that heaven is so wonderful is that noting harmful and no one who lies or practices evil will be there.  That is good news.  But that news has another side to it.

According to v. 8 people who fit this characteristic will be in the lake of fire that is called the second death. 

1. The second death is an expression for hell

Death simply means separation.  In the Bible there are three types of separation or deaths.

• Physical death … this is where the person's immaterial and his material part separate.  The body is nothing more than a shell at that point.
• Spiritual death … this describes the living person who is not right with God.  Ephesians 2:1 says we were all dead in our trespasses and sins.  Thus, every person who does not know the Lord is spiritually dead.
• Second death … this is an eternal separation of a person from God forever in hell.  The descriptions of second death are truly scary.

In Revelation 21:8 and in Revelation 20, the second death is the lake of fire.

2 Thessalonians 1:6-9  ⁶ For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you,  ⁷ and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire,  ⁸ dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.  ⁹ These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,

Mark 9:47-48  ⁴⁷ "If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell,  ⁴⁸ where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.

Friends, here is the conclusion …

2. Hell will be as awful as Heaven is wonderful.

The word "hell" is used in our culture pretty freely.  The more it has been used the more its real meaning has been taken from it.  It is not just a word that is used to express frustration or heightened emotion.  It is a real place and real people will be there.

• That place is not the party house for all those people who reject Jesus.  It is the place where God's wrath is poured out. [Either Jesus takes your wrath or you suffer it yourself]
• The OT judgments are made more intense in the NT.

One of the things that the Lord used to give me a desire for ministry was a funeral I attended about 30 years ago.  I remember going to the funeral – it was very ritualistic.  Since I did not know my relative very well, I was not particularly attuned to all that was happening.  But I will never forget the gravesite.  I began to cry almost uncontrollably.  I left the area and went to the car when I wept bitterly.  It was the first time I had a real sense that someone I knew had died without the Lord.

Friends, real people go to hell.  Real people suffer.  Part of what makes heaven so wonderful is that evil is finally brought to justice.

Let me speak to those of you who aren't sure you are right with God.  If you are not sure that heaven will be your eternal home, then please know …

• From God's perspective sin is sin.  And all sin is worthy of eternal life in hell.  People who wan to argue that their good outweighs the bad do not have a proper understanding of what an offense sin is to God.
• That you believe in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus as your personal savior.  No one can make that decision for you.  I want to encourage you to make that decision today.  Heaven truly is a wonderful place.  But Hell will be equally terrifying.

Conclusion

Heaven is a wonderful place.  It lacks nothing good and it excludes anything that potentially corrupts it. 

If today you are in a great place.  Life is about as positive as it could be.  Imagine how much better is the place that your friend (God) prepared for you.

If you are hurting today, remember that your best days are yet to come.  Your suffering is, in comparison, for a little while.

Introduction
I would like to begin this morning with a question:  What is it that fires you up? 

• Not in terms of anger or irritation, but excitement and happiness.  Where is it that your joy and your happiness come from?
• In other words, what are the kinds of things that you want to talk about, share with your friends, and enjoy in your own mind? 

For many in our culture they would give answers like this:

• Our sports team won!
  • The last two weekends there have been rivalry games like IU vs. PU, OSU vs. Mich, Ala vs. Auburn, ND vs. USC, Oklahoma vs. Okla St.
  • Yesterday, there were games that determined who will play for the national championship.
  • Some of those fans were fired up, they were excited … because their team won.  They cannot wait to get to work to talk to others about the game. Their identity is wrapped up in their favorite team.
  • The Bears are having a great year, the Colts not quite as good.  But people get fired up when their teams are winning.

In fact, find someone who is passionate about their sports team and it is amazing the facts they know, the length of time they could spend talking about it.  They are genuinely fired up.

• Major celebratory events in life
  • Turning 18 or 21
  • Graduating from HS, College, or Graduate school
  • Getting married
  • Having a first child
• Maybe the kids would say Christmas morning gets them pretty fired up.
  • They stay up most of the night hoping that the right gifts will be under the tree.
  • They hoped their parents were out on black Friday getting the really great deals.

I am not trying to be a scrooge and take fun things out life.  I am all for the fun. I like rooting for teams, celebrating milestones, and watching kids (and adults) be excited about what someone else did for them.  However, those things have a place.  That place is behind the awesome news that a savior is born … who is Christ the Lord.

• Our lives should be lived in such a way that people around us would say this about us …. He or she is all about Jesus.  He or she follows Jesus, lives humbly before Jesus and praises Jesus in all they do.

This Christmas we decided to study Luke 1-2 from the perspective of Taking the Next Step in our knowledge of the Savior. 

Last week, Pastor Viars explained how the message of Jesus can remove our shame and our disgrace as it had for Zacharius and Elizabeth. 

• Even though they had to bear the weight of not being able to have children for many years it was God who removed their disgrace by not only giving them a child but giving that child (John the Baptist) a very special mission. 
• This morning I would like us to continue our study by thinking about Three Proper responses to a growing knowledge of our Savior Jesus. 

With that in mind please turn to Luke 1:26.  That is on page of the back section of the Bible in the chair in front of you.  I am going to be reading from v. 26 through v. 56.  This is the Word of the Lord.

• By way of reminder Luke is organizing his account in order to explain in an orderly fashion the life of Jesus.

I would like to show how being fired up about Jesus find specific expression in the text this morning.  This text has a ton and let's just dive in right into the middle.

I.  Follow Jesus the Great Savior King (vv. 32-33)
In due course I will deal with the angel’s greeting and Mary’s response.  For now, however, I would like us to think about the angel’s description of the child that Mary will bear.  This text gives 5 descriptions of Jesus.  They have a striking similarity to the words of Isaiah who foretold:

Isaiah 9:6-7 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.

Notice how the angel describes Jesus in very similar terms.

• He will be great (v. 32)

As we are reading the text we cannot help but notice v. 15 where John is described as “great in the sight of the Lord.” Jesus on the other hand is simply regarded as great … no qualifications … no additions … no subtractions.  

• Of course, living on this side of the cross we know how true and marvelous Gabriel’s statement is.  Jesus truly is great. 
• According to Col 1 he is Creator and Rev 5 makes it clear that he is also Redeemer.  Jesus is great (period).  Gabriel adds:

• He is the son of the Most High God (v. 32)

This is a fascinating phrase.  In the Bible this phrase normally occurs in the midst of contexts where people tended to serve multiple gods.  In these contexts, then, a distinction is being made between the gods that are powerless and worthless, and the most high God – the God of heaven and earth.  For example,

• When Abraham meets the Melchizadek in Gen 14 he is called the priest of the Most High God.  For Abraham who was in the early stages of learning about the God of heaven and earth this would have been in sharp contrast to the pagan gods found in his society.
• In the Aramaic section of Daniel [written in Aramaic to give the people of the world access to this portion of Scripture] the term is found frequently distinguishing the gods of the world from the God of heaven and earth.
• In the writings of Luke which seem to have a more gentile audience.  Again Luke wants to make a distinction that Jesus is not the son of a god, but the son of the Most High – the one true God.

The descriptions continue…

• The Lord God will give him the throne of David (v. 32)

This would have been an incredible statement to Mary.  She appears to be a very pious Jew.  She is acquainted with her OT.  So she would have known that a messiah was coming.  There was a prophecy made in 2 Sam 7.

2 Samuel 7:12-13, 16  12 "When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom.  13 "He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.… 16 "Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever."'"

In the context remember that they are living under Roman rule. 

• In fact, there has been very little freedom of God’s people for the last 200 years! 
• God’s people were looking for the one who would take the throne of David as promised. 

For Mary to hear these words must have been unbelievable.  Are you kidding me?  I am going to give birth to the one who will receive the throne of David?

• He will reign forever (v. 33)

Can you imagine the hope that would have filled her heart?  After the Greek rule and the reality that Israel was simply the whipping boy for the Ptolemy’s and the Seleucids in the 3d and 2d centuries BC only to gave a brief period of freedom before Rome came. 

The child born to Mary stands in obvious contrast to the rulers of the nations whose rules and reigns last for a limited period of time.  Her son, Jesus, will reign forever.  Are you fired up yet?

• His kingdom will have no end (v. 33)

Around here we believe in something called premillenialism.  It simply means that there will be a 1,000 reign of Jesus on the earth prior to the eternal state when the final consummation comes to pass.  It is Revelation 20 just before Revelation 21-22. 

• But it is important not to say that the kingdom of God will last 1,000 years.  What does this passage say?  It lasts forever.  The millennium is the kick off party, the pre game warm up where his saints rule and reign with him. 
• But let’s be clear.  The reign of King Jesus is forever and the kingdom for which he is sovereign is FOREVER!

The birth of King Jesus is something that we can all get pretty fired up about can’t we?  Earlier we heard the worship team sing “To know you.” Friends, Jesus is not simply a miracle baby – like John was – he is more than John.  He is the Great Savior King.  So let me encourage you … be fired up about Jesus.  “To know you, Jesus, is to want to know you more.”

For those here this morning that aren’t sure what it means to be in that kingdom then please let me tell you if you do not have a personal relationship with this Savior King – you are in the wrong kingdom.  You are in a kingdom that will be destroyed, crushed, and ruined.  

• “Kingdoms” on this earth rise and fall.  Sovereign states are overrun, conquered, and sometimes liberated only to have the cycle repeat at some later point in human history. 
• But there is one kingdom that will never fall.  There is one kingdom that will stand forever.  That is the kingdom of God with King Jesus on the throne.

God is the only one that transfer you from the kingdom of darkness where sin reigns and where you will be punished for your sin and put you into the kingdom of his dear son. 

• You need to see your sin for what it is … an offense against God
• You must believe in the birth, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.
• You must trust that there is only one way … through Jesus (quote Acts 4:12)
• This Christmas could mean so much more to you!

For those of you here is morning who do that you are in the kingdom of his dear son, then these truths about Jesus raise some interesting questions:

• Whose kingdom are you serving?  Jesus said not to worry about your life but seek the kingdom of God instead.  It is so easy to seek our own kingdom.  To create a little empire all our own.  But This passage would encourage us to “follow” him and let him care for the other details.
• Does this knowledge of Jesus encourage you to “want to know him more?”  He is the Great Savior King … what else is true about Jesus?
• Do these truths about who Jesus (that he is Savior King) is cause you to finish the story in your mind [his life, death, burial, and resurrection and then the gracious calling for you to be one of his children] cause you to praise the Lord?  Are you fired up in Jesus?
  • Could use the water glass to illustrate that what comes out is based on what was in it.

Let’s be fired up about Jesus, our Savior King and follow him with a passion and a zeal worthy of the name of Christ. 

• Fired up at CFE
• Fired up at LN
• Fired up in your personal Christmas outreach activities

Now that we have focused particular attention on Christ let’s back up and pick up the rest of the text.  As we look at Mary we can see how this announcement of Christ’s birth impacted her.  From her example we should…

II.  Live by Faith, Trust, and Humility (vv. 26-45)

I think many of you know that I was born into a very traditional Irish catholic family.  Mass was a normal part of the holiday routine.  The nativity scene could be seen all over the home. 

• Of course, the traditional Catholic view of Mary is extremely overstated. 
• However Scripture makes it clear that her response toward the news of King Jesus is right on the mark and we do very well to emulate her response.

Reading Luke 1 requires that you see the appearances to Zacharias and Mary, the news they receive, and the responses to the news together.  So I will be reminding you along the way of the text that P.V. explained last week to refresh our memory.  Lets see …

•  Comparison of the News given to Zacharias and Mary (vv. 13-17 and vv. 28-33)

Of the two messages Mary gets the more outrageous one.  Admittedly, the message to Zecharias is unusual and seemingly to good to be true.  However, Mary’s news is a bit more shocking on at least three accounts:

• While we must admit that an angel appearing to explain how one of our prayers will be answered seems a bit wild, at least there was a prior occasion for the visit.  For Mary, there is no such occasion.  She is simply a poor young woman engaged to man living in a small town of very little significance in the culture.
• She will conceive in a means that is very different than everyone else.  She will be overshadowed by the Holy Spirit.  Zacharias is told that Elizabeth will bear him a son. 
• The child that will be born will be the Messiah, the great savior king.  The description of John the Baptist is wonderful and all of us who are parents would love to see one of our children called by God to do ½ of John’s mission.  Yet, Mary is told she is giving birth to the Son of the Most High God.

So the message given to Zacharias might be an 8 or 9 on the “that’s unbelievable” scale, but Mary’s message is off the charts.  She is asked to believe that

• God’s grace has chosen her
• She will conceive in a unique way … never before and never again
• She will give birth to the son of the one true God. 

•  Comparison of the Response to the News by Zacharias and Mary (vv. 18-20, vv. 34-38)

This comparison is the most amazing of all.  Mary gets the more shocking news and yet she responds with belief and trust.  Despite Mary’s youth she is, at this stage, sold out for all that God had designed her for.  We even need to admit that the answer she gets from the angel in vv. 35-37 does not exactly explain all the details.

• The power of the Most High (remember Jesus is called the son of the most high) will come upon her.  Oh … well then… that explains it!
• Elizabeth is pregnant despite the fact that she is beyond normal child bearing years.
• Nothing is impossible with God.

At this, according to the text, Mary does not ask another question.  She does not offer up a fuss or complaint.  With great humility simply acknowledges that she is nothing more than a bondservant of the Lord.

In v. 34 there is no reason to assume that Mary does anything but believe the angel and in v. 38 she acknowledges her trust.

• This series is particularly interested in what Luke describes, not what all the other gospels describe, but if we allow the others to speak for a moment we realize just how hard this news would be to Mary.
• Joseph has to be convinced by an angel that Mary has not committed adultery against him (in their society betrothal was like engagement on steroids.  It could only be broken by divorce and sexual activity at this stage was considered adultery.)  Had Joseph divorced her, life for Mary was extremely uncertain.
• Just as Elizabeth had been given the name “barren” because she could not have any children (and thus the shame that went with it) so Jesus’ birth was well known.  On several occasions in the gospels the Jewish leaders refer to Mary’s supposed adultery as the reason for Jesus’ birth.  They call Jesus an illegitimate son and they call Mary an adulteress.

What we see in this passage is an amazing example of trust, faith, humility, and obedience. 

• This message from the angel would result in great spiritual blessing, but there would be a social cost she would have to pay. 
• For Mary, the bondservant of the Lord, she was more than happy to pay it.  Her life would be characterized by faith, trust, and humility
• For Mary, things are simple.  She is the Lord’s and all that she has is the Lord’s.  So when the Lord decides that her task in this life will be the mother of the messiah she joyfully submits without a shred of attitude! 

I just simply love that.

This interpretation of the Mary’s response is also confirmed in the text.

•  Confirmation of her wonderful reaction  (vv. 39-45)

As we learned last week, Zacharias gets his sign … he cannot speak for a long time (like a year!).  Mary simply responds “May it be according to your word … a bondslave of the Lord.”

• So while Zacharias grads his legal pads and a box of pens (as P.V. put it last week…an image I can’t yet get out of my mind), Mary and Elizabeth have a little reunion … I wonder if Zacharias was there (can you say awkward!)
  • You wonder if anyone has gone to be with the Lord and asked Zacharias … “Dude, what was it like for the Lord to shut you up for a year?”  After you were able to speak how many times did you have to tell that story?  Grandpa … can you tell us the story of when the Lord shut you up again???
    • It is a really bad day when you go to church and everyone knows that you have seen a vision and you can’t say anything. (vv. 21-23) (notice vv. 57-59 it is still awkward)
    • It reminds me of the sons of Sceva…remember those guys … they take on a demon possessed man.  Thinking that they were going to cast out the demon.  When you go into a fight with your clothes on and you leave the fight naked that is a pretty good indication that you lost!
    • Enough of that…
• At this reunion Mary is once again given a sign that the words of the angel have indeed come true
  • John the Baptist leaped for joy in her womb
  • Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit and reveals the mind of God regarding Mary
    • It may be that this is how Elizabeth understands that the child Mary is carrying is in fact the Lord Jesus.
  • Mary is called the “mother of my Lord” … here she is a poor girl probably somewhere in her teens at this point who is called blessed and the mother of my Lord … Isn’t that amazing!  Elizabeth is impressed
  • Mary is referred to as the one who “believed.”  That is in contrast to Zachariah.

The text is clear:  Mary stands in sharp contrast to Zacharias and she is praised for her godly response to the message.  Her humility, her belief, and her trust indicate that truly she viewed herself as a bondservant of the Lord.

This reminds me of the story of Joseph [develop].  Who did the right thing even when it cost him! 

This raises several application type questions for you and me:

• Do we view ourselves as bondslaves of the Lord?  With the kind of humility that Mary did, where God had the right, and we would consider it a privilege to live for him regardless of what he calls us to?
  • Even something challenging or painful
• Are we willing to suffer socially for living wholeheartedly for Jesus?
  • In our schools, workplaces, friends, even in our own homes
• Are you willing to look for joy in your heartaches believing that this is part of God’s plan for your life?
• Are you believing that the ministry of Jesus is truly what saves and what your friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers need above all else?

Mary serves as a wonderful example of what it looks like to live by faith, to trust in the one she serves, and to be humble before the strong arm of the Lord.

In addition to following, trusting, and living by faith the final point I would like us to consider this morning is…

III.  Praise the Lord for He is Awesome (vv. 46-56)
This song is powerful.  It flows out of a heart that is all about humility, service, and appreciation for all that God is doing in and through her.  Listen to her prayer. 

• [For those of you who would like to study this prayer more please see 1 Sam 2:1-10 and the prayer of Hannah … we just don’t have time to deal with it this morning].

• Praise him for his work in your life (vv. 46-49)

This section of her song praises the Lord for the work that he has done in her life.  She mentions

• He looked upon her with care in her humble state.  Despite the fact that she was a social nobody … God saw her with his great care.
• The Mighty One [the one for whom nothing is impossible .. the one who is Most High] has done great things for her in allowing her to be this person
• Despite the challenges that will come in the days ahead she recognizes that God has chosen her to leave a mark on human history.

Friends, do you have praise for the Lord like this?  Where you, like Mary, recount to the Lord the great things that he has done for you.

• I have mediated recently on the book of Judges and more importantly the gracious God of the Judges and the reality that the problems faced in the Judges are reversed and solved through King Jesus.
• Then to consider how it is that this gracious, compassionate God deals with me.  Truly amazing. 
• We all have a story. Most of our stories include some dark days.  Some troubling days.  Some days that we would like to forget if we could.  Yet, if you know Christ as your savior then those days have been redeemed.  Your life has been changed.  You are not who you once were.  You are more!  You are more than your mistakes, your sin, your hurts.  You are a child of the King.
• Do you praise him for making you “more”?  Do you praise the Lord because he has transferred you from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of his dear son?
• Do you praise him for how he uses you today to get things done for the Lord?

Mary begins her song by praising the Lord for all he had done for her.

•  Praise him for his work for all (vv. 50-53)

In the second section of this song Mary focuses on what God has done for people in general.  Her praise focuses around the following points:

• He is great in mercy to those who fear him and to those who are humble before him
• He is great in his judgment toward those who are proud, able to crush others, and wealthy through sinful means.

In other words, Mary, despite her youth, is able to see things as they are. 

• Those who are powerful, rich, and influential often use those means in order to exploit those around them. 
• There is no justice in these cases. 
• People in these places are able to harm others without repercussions.

But Mary recognizes that her God keeps proper score. 

• He rewards those who fear the Lord and remain humble before the Lord even if they suffer at the hands of the powerful. 
• Those rewards may not be obvious in this life, but her soul magnifies the Lord because she understands that God will eventually settle the accounts.

This is a new and fresh way to praise the Lord. 

• We praise him for giving our friends strength to live godly lives in a bad marriage. 
• We praise the Lord for protecting the weak from those who harm them (VOM). 
• We praise the Lord that he is the one who is sovereign over all.

Do you have a place in your prayer life for this kind of praise?

•  Praise for His covenant keeping actions (vv. 54-55)

In vv. 54-55 Mary praises the Lord that he is keeping his covenant with his people Israel.  The nation of Israel has a mixed past with the Lord.  Sometimes they followed him and sometimes they rejected him.  God however, remained faithful to them.

Again, God’s covenant keeping promises free you up to do so many things.  Imagine if you had to keep your salvation.  The amount of effort that would require would be challenging especially once you realize you could never keep it going.

Do you praise him that you can count on his promises?

• When he say you have an inheritance you have one
• When he says his Spirit dwells in you then his spirit dwells in you
• When he says that he makes intercession for you then he really makes intercession .
• That is something guaranteed.  Do you praise him?

Summary
The Christmas season gets a little crazy.  Amidst the craziness let’s not miss the most important because we are too busy with the urgent. 

• Knowledge of our savior should encourage us to follow him (as the only one worth following), it should encourage us to be humble recognizing that we are a bondservant of the Lord, and it should encourage us to praise Him because he is a great God.

In the words of the song we are about to sing together.  “To know you is to want to know you more.”  Is that your testimony this morning?

Over the years our church has found it extremely helpful to dedicate one month to the issue of stewardship.  We have also encouraged everyone who attends our church to know four statements related to stewardship:

1. God owns everything, you own nothing.

2. God entrusts you with everything you have.

3. You can either increase or diminish what God has given you; God wants you to increase it.

4. You can be called into account at any time, and it may be today.

It is important to note that these four stewardship principles relate to every area of life.  At Faith we have worked to show that stewardship is not simply a financial thing, it is a who you are thing. 

Part of your identity in Christ (if you know him as your personal savior) is he has made you a steward … you are his steward.

• Your mind and intellect belongs to him
• The possessions in your home belong to him
• The financial resources you have belong to him
• The physical strength that you possess and your body belongs to him. 

[develop … how 1-4 relate to each of these areas]

You can exercise that charge/stewardship well or not so well.  So this month is about equipping all of us to be a good steward. 

• In addition to the testimonies like the one you heard this morning,
• We are doing a 4 part sermon series [dedicated to finances …. Taking the Next Step in Financial earning, spending, giving, and saving]. It is our hope that as a result of focusing on what God has to say about we will be better financial stewards. 
• Stewardship month also involves our ABFs as they are focusing particularly on our stewardship of compassion
• Our month concludes and even culminates in our stewardship celebration on Nov. 21.
• A church family evening dedicated to celebrating all that God has done this last year.
• We will have some light refreshments as we celebrate and thank the Lord as a family.
• Please put it on your calendar … it will be a great night together.

Let’s turn our focus now to our primary task this morning “Taking the Next Step in our Financial Earning.”  Please consider with me three work related challenges.

Scenario #1:  Your annual review just occurred. 

• Your supervisor explains that you have done a good job this year and you will receive a 3% raise beginning in January. 
• Three weeks after your review you hear some rumbling about the fact that your place of business has decided to renig on the raises and offer a one-time bonus prior to the holiday season instead. 
• So there is some disappointment, but at least it is not crushing news .. until you see the email.  In the email you discover that your bonus will be a whopping $0 (no raise, no bonus)… apparently you did not make the list.

Scenario #2:  You spent a ton of time and effort on a project at work. 

• Your project has been successful.  It has resulted in company sales and company improvements.  Despite the fact that you worked like 1500 hours on the project your part of the “thank you” was zero, zilch. 
• The person who took the credit, who did next to nothing, did not even bother to thank you.

Scenario #3:  The company has been a bit slower during this economic downturn. 

• The company has explained that bonuses, raises, and the like need to be postponed so that everyone can remain employed. 
• This seems reasonable to you – after all who wants to see people lose their job. 
• However, things get much more challenging when you learn the “rest of the story.”  It is true that the rank and file will not get raises, but the senior level executives, who seem to take the least amount of responsibility for the failures, are actually taking both bonus and raises.

Here is my question:  How does a person function in a godly manner in these scenarios? 

• How can a person move forward without succumbing to the bitterness, anger, and frustration that will be part of the lives of many of his/her coworkers?
• How can they continue to wake up each morning ready to go to work and excited about the prospect of putting in a solid day’s work?

With these questions in mind please turn in your Bibles to Col 3:22-25.  That is found on page 158 in the back section of the Bible in the chair in front of you.  [Read the text]

Here is the main point of Col 3:22-25:

Taking the Next Step in Financial Earning is about working wholeheartedly for the Lord. 

• If you get nothing else this morning than at least get that!
• After all it is repeated 3 times in this text … v. 22, 23, and 24.

You see friends, this is not about earning more necessarily (although those who do what God says in this passage will be in the best possible position to earn more), it is about working and earning as a proper steward of the Lord Jesus.

Earlier in Col 1:18 God told us that Jesus was to have first place in everything.  Just two chapters later we find that part of what is included in “everything” is the way in which I do my work.

• In other words, one of the financial principles found in the Word of God is that your earning is part of how you should give Christ first place in your life.

Please notice what the text did not say … It did not say you execute your stewardship best if you earn the most or earn more money than someone else. 

• While slavery in the first century had some very different elements than the slavery of the 17-1800’s in America it is not like slavery was a wonderful thing.  In the hands of a kind and compassionate master it could have been very good, but in the hands of a cruel master it would have been absolutely horrible and terrifying. 
• In either case, the slave has no bargaining power.  He or she’s earning had absolutely nothing to do with what he or she thought was a fair wage.
• There are some people who have wronging developed a level of pride because their job “earns” more money than other jobs.  Culture has dictated that – not the inherent value of the job itself.

Please notice what else the text did not say … It did not say you execute your stewardship best if you earn the least. 

• So if you are in the lower pay grades it is not like you can stick your noses up at the higher ups with a “holier than thou attitude.”

The point of the text is that your financial earning … which is certainly premised on the reality of work (according to 2 Thess 3:10 - if you do not work, neither shall you eat!) … is to be done for the Lord.

• This is part of what it means to worship the Lord with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength. 
• This is part of what it means to carry out your stewardship responsibilities. 
• Whatever amount is deposited into your account, or cashed at the bank must be earned while honoring the Lord.

I think if we were being honest we would need to come to the conclusion that earning while honoring the Lord is not necessarily an easy task. Thankfully the Colossians passage offer further explanation.  Let’s use the rest of our time to unpack 7 truths that can help us be God’s faithful servant.

I.  Seek to obey your boss and resist the temptation to say “I know better how I should use my time” (v. 22a)

The text is simply, “Obey your human masters in all things.”  The text does not say in some things, in the things that we already agree about, but all things.

1. Even when your plans have to change

Before I entered the ministry I had the privilege of working at four different places. 

• The first, during my high school and early college years was a laborer on a landscape crew. 
• The second was a help desk rep for a computer system. 
• The third was as a technical business consultant. 
• My final position, during my seminary time, was a buyer and inventory controller for a business.

During those 15 years I had countless times when I was given the responsibility to do something that did not fit the original plan I had for the day.  I can hear myself saying, “But I did not plan for that?” 

• The text speaks to that situation “obey in all things” …. But… but… but .. but don’t you understand that you have given me another task to do?

It is incredibly frustrating, right?  Today, this is the priority so I get all fired up about that just in time for you to change the priority.

• Friends, this is where our Christianity meets the streets. 
• This is where we find out whether or not Jesus is really our Lord and our King.  Whether we worship him in name only or whether we do in the challenges of our everyday lives.

The passage does not say, “obey in the things you already had scheduled.”

1.  Even when your ideas are better

Let’s throw Just to make this a bit more complicated…in reality, you might know better how to use your day than the boss does in a given instance. 

• I once had a boss that well to put it nicely was a moron. 
• He just liked telling people what to do and then took the credit for it
• I later learned that he had been dismissed.  I was not surprised.

However, at that point of God’s Word is simply this ... you are responsible to “obey in all things.”  Quite frankly it does not matter how much of a moron he is … before God you are responsible to do what you have been told.

It is true of course, that we are not slaves in the same sense as many of the original readers of the book of Colossians. 

• Most of them were trapped, but here is the deal:  as long as you are employed that is a responsibility. 
• If you don’t want the responsibility of being obedient that human master anymore you can resign or find a new place.
• Until you do you may not simply ignore what your boss is asking of you.

The text adds…

II.  Seek to give God Glory and Praise rather than seek to get it for yourself (v. 22b)

The text says that we are not to obey only in external service as those who merely please men including …

1. Even if you think you deserve it

Praise and glory are addictive aren’t they?  It sure does feel good to be praised publically.  My 3 year old daughter has a shirt (I am not even sure how we got it … gift… hand me down…whatever) and the saying on the shirt is wonderful.

• It does not say “I love my daddy” although that would be nice
• It does not say “I am daddy’s girl” although that would be nice too
• It says something far more addictive.  It says “My daddy is king of his castle”

That feeds every ounce of pride I have.  “Yea, that’s right, Daddy is king of his castle.”  It praises me, it gives me glory and those are things that I long for.

In your work place, don’t you want praise and glory?  Don’t you want to be known as the top of the top, the cream of the crop, and the 5 star prospect?

This text makes it very clear that you cannot take the next step in your financial earning if you seek your glory and praise – regardless of the amount of money you make. 

Friends, that praise and glory can come in many different forms

1. The office that we get
2. The size of our raise / paycheck
3. The recognition as a key player on the team
4. The credit when the project that you worked on actually worked

Even if you are sitting here this morning thinking man alive my boss needs a sermon on how to give thanks because you deserve it … I want you to see that this passage says to us that if we want this praise and this glory then we are not good stewards before God in our earning.

1. Even if you think you have great abilities in your own mind

Another component of seeking praise or giving glory has to do with our own minds.  We know that just as some people are more athletic than others, some are more likely to be on the cover of magazines and advertisements than others, some are more likely to have an ability to speak publically than other, that some have the abilities to earn more than others.

One of the challenges in our own pride and in our own desire for praise and glory is to fail to heed the warnings given to Israel.

Deuteronomy 8:6-18  ⁶ "Therefore, you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him.  ⁷ "For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing forth in valleys and hills;  ⁸ a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey;  ⁹ a land where you will eat food without scarcity, in which you will not lack anything; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper.  ¹⁰ "When you have eaten and are satisfied, you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land which He has given you.  ¹¹ ¶ "Beware that you do not forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments and His ordinances and His statutes which I am commanding you today;  ¹² otherwise, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built good houses and lived in them,  ¹³ and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and gold multiply, and all that you have multiplies,  ¹⁴ then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.  ¹⁵ "He led you through the great and terrible wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water; He brought water for you out of the rock of flint.  ¹⁶ "In the wilderness He fed you manna which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do good for you in the end.  ¹⁷ "Otherwise, you may say in your heart, 'My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.'  ¹⁸ "But you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

The point is that everything we have, everything we are is based on the gracious purposes of God.  Stewardship is recognizing that God could change our level of stewardship at any point ... Joni Erickson Tada.

Taking the Next Step in your Financial earning involves a willingness to give God praise and glory for everything he accomplishes through you and to seek none of the praise and glory yourself.

III. Seek to earn with a commitment to the Lord rather than merely because “I said so”  (v. 22c)

The text says “With sincerity fearing the Lord.”  In other words there is a willingness to own your responsibilities. 

• Sometimes people do something with a “whatever” kind of mentality because they don’t own their responsibilities they are just doing something because the boss “said so.”

Friends, this kind of attitude may get you through on some occasions, but it will never work as true motivation. 

After all, at work bad days come.  Check out this dudes very bad day.

The reason this is so funny is that we have all had those days!  We totally get it.

If our attitude is not firmly based on a commitment to earn what we can for the Lord , that is to own our responsibilities, then days like this become very difficult to handle in a godly way.  I think it is fair to say that this dude just lost it.

If the text stopped there God would have given up plenty of instruction but the text continues

IV. Seek to do your best in earning for the Lord rather than be lazy (v. 23)

The text simply says that we are work heartily for the Lord.  This point may sound a bit like the prior point but there is a careful nuance in the text that we should not miss. 

• It is not only that our work is to be done sincerely but now the focus is on heartily. 
• To put it another way it is to our work with all we are:  The opposite of laziness. 

1. An hour’s pay should be earned with an hour’s worth of work

One commentator put it this way: 

“The implication is that one of the chief dangers of the slave status was a lack of personal motivation which made all work a drudgery provided grudgingly, with lack of effort and always with a view to doing as little as one could get away with.”

This concept of laziness can be found in every type of workplace.

• You see it in sports.  Where someone decides to take a play off or not actually hustle to the base … after all they will be out anyway. 
• You see it in labor world.  Where someone decides that today is “extra break day” - a self declared double break day.  Anyone who tries to buck that system will be met with some level of ridicule “Quit working, you are making us look bad.”
• You see it in state and government work where one state had to remove solitare from their worker’s computers.  During march madness some places have just “given up” now that practically all the games are streamed online.
• Some video games were produced with a “boss key” so that the person could hit just one key to make the game disappear anytime the boss neared them.
• I am not a fan of the office, but Monday night I saw a one minute clip of an old Office show and all the computers had solitare running.
• It is found in the professional world where the “white collar” folks have found slightly more sophisticated ways of wasting time at work.

The point given in the text is that an hour’s worth of pay should be matched by an honest hour worth of work.

1. Avoid the mindset that you are “worth more”

One of the challenges that we can face in fulfilling this task is that we slip into the mindset that we are worth more than whatever we get.  So we justify in our minds our shotty work by saying “Well, they got what they paid for.”

From God’s perspective, an honest hour of work needs to be done for the Lord whether you think you are being fairly compensated or not.  Your pay cannot be the criteria to determine how hard you will work.  The amount of focus and energy given to your tasks must be determined by your relationship with the Lord not your relationship with the bank.

V. Seek to do your best at all you do even if it is not your favorite thing to do (v.23)

In verse 23 we find that the text says “whatever you do, do it heartily”.  Here is yet again another challenge for our lives.

There are some things that I really like to do.  Do you have some of those?  There are others things that I like to do far less.  Do you have any of those?

• I will be frank … Tuesday was the day I put this message together and I was fired up to get here, get both my computers going, have my research computer pull up all the stuff I wanted to see while my other computer was on Word so that I could use both simultaneously to get this sermon pulled together.
• But other times there are tasks that I would rather not do.  They don’t seem to be in my wheelhouse.
• Here is where my Christianity meets the streets.

Am I willing to serve the Lord by doing ALL of my tasks with a level of focus, determination, and excellence that would honor the Lord?  Or would that level of focus, determination and excellence only apply to the things that I like to do?

Let me say a word to students here. 

• I understand that some things interest you more than others do. 
• I understand that there are times you take a class and you cannot wait until it is over. 
• But please listen here.  If your task right now is a student (maybe your parents are even making that possible for you) then you, before God, have the obligation to do your best at all you do not simply the tasks or classes that you like to do.

For those who are a bit younger. 

• The issue of your chores is equally important.  If you parents have asked you to do certain chores around the house do you do them grudgingly just well enough to get by or do you do them as if Jesus were going to inspect your work?

Pastor Dutton has often shared the story that when he went to serve at the Wilds Camp part of his “other” duties involved cleaning the bathrooms.  One of his supervisors said to him, “Mark, I want you to clean this bathroom as if Jesus were going to use it.”

• That was Col 3 in action.  It is where their Christianity met the streets.

It is easy to say that we love the Lord, want to live for him, and do what he says, but sometimes those desires are not carried out in the little moments of your life.

This is such a huge issue that I think it would be wise for you to write down in your notes two tasks that you really don’t like to do and tasks that you want to work at making a significant improvement at doing them for the Lord.

VI. Seek the Lord in your earning looking for the reward to come rather than the present one (v. 24)

The text says, “knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance.”

Receiving an inheritance would not have been normal for a slave.  A slave would have first had to be freed before that was even possible.  So they would not have missed the significance of this statement.

Some of us may have work situations that are so wonderful that we cannot believe we get paid to do this.  Others however may be a in a different situation where they believe they are under paid or under appreciated and they, like the slave of old, feel trapped in a dead end situation.

What v. 24 reminds us of is that there is an inheritance awaiting that lasts a whole lot longer than this life.  That is why God often directs our attention to the eternity to come.

• With our work, where maybe we are under paid or under appreciated
• With our suffering, where our trouble is compared to the glories of heaven
• With our blessings, where even our best days on earth are not better than our days with the Lord Jesus

In all cases, the Lord has encouraged us to look not at the size of our paycheck but at the size of our eternal reward for being a good steward.

• In Christian circles we often hear the comment that folks want to hear “well done, thou good and faithful servant.”  Sometimes these words are uttered at funerals either publically or in private conversations.
• However, one of the things that we often forget (or choose not to discuss) is the reality that not everyone hears that.  One person in each of the gospel accounts does not steward what he has been given.

That is why it is so important, using the language of 1 Cor, to “run so that you many win.”  Our financial earning is not simply about the benefits that come in this life, if any, but more importantly what about the rewards that come later.

VII. Whether Boss or Employee understand that one reaps what one sows (v. 25)

Text:  the one who does wrong will receive appropriate consequences

Our economy has been such that some very good people – some people who have been motivated by their stewardship before the Lord – have lost their jobs.

But other times, part of the reason people or businesses struggle is that some folks are not properly carrying their load.  They have allowed the desire for more money, more praise, more glory, or more privileges to corrupt their thinking resulting in poor job performance.

• As a result, God has decided to remove some of that stewardship from them (something God has the right to do at any moment).

Summary: 

We come back to our scenarios, it is possible after the disappointments of raise/no raise, of doing the hard work that you don’t seem to be recognized for doing, and seeing what you think are the wrong people being rewarded that one can avoid anger, frustration, and bitterness?  Absolutely.

But just like the slave of old, we will need to remind ourselves (as this passage does 3 times … read again with emphasis) that it is the Lord whom we ultimately serve.

Taking the Next Step in our Financial Earning is first and foremost about living worthy of the Gospel … and that is working wholeheartedly for the Lord and not for men (including us).

Last week we concluded our “Who are you?” series where we realized that all those who have come to Christ are described with words like forgiven, free, befriended, and adopted. 

• That is our condition – that is what is true of us. 
• But I think most of you would agree with me that sometimes we don’t live that way. 
• In other words our conduct is not always consistent with our condition.
• We struggle to adopt that mindset and we struggle to live out those truths about our identity in the normal relationships of life. 

So I think it is fair to ask this question:

• If I am free, if I am forgiven, if I am adopted ….
• Then why is that I struggle to live it out?
• Why do I get upset with the people who love me most in life?
• Have you noticed that the people closest to you are the ones that can really frustrate you?
• Why do I get worried when I have seen God take care of me 100 times before?
• When we first got married we lived on love! 
• We still live on love, but we also live with funds thanks to your generosity. 
• In those days we ate on $25 a week … I ate 2 lbs of “chip chopped ham” a week.  That kind of lunch meat has been pulled from certain stores.  I have heard that there are studies being conducted concerning the long term impact of eating who knows what that was!  If God can provide in the midst of all that, why do I ever worry?
• Why do I spend my time very selfishly instead of being a help to others around me?
• Why do I spend my money so flippantly when there are so many good things surrounding the work and cause of Christ to put it toward?
• Why do I spend time complaining about things I don’t like rather than give thanks for everything that is right?
• In other words, Why do I struggle living out what I know to be true?

While that question could be answered in several different ways, today we are going to answer that question in one word:  Are you ready?  Can you feel the tension rising?  Is the tension dying because you have read the handout????  Grace. 

We are going to study this morning the significance of Grace.  I would like to demonstrate from the Word of God this morning that thinking about the impact of Grace on our lives can help us take the next step in our journey of walking with God and becoming like Jesus with joy.

With that in mind please turn in your Bibles to Titus 2:11-14.  We want to unpack these four wonderful verses and then show how important they are in normal daily living. 

• The last time I was given the pulpit we discussed freedom (free from the power of daily sin and the eternal penalty of sin and free to live for Christ … Free From …. Free to).  Today we are going to again have two basic points …. God’s Grace Appears bringing salvation and God’s Grace Instructs you how to live (or say it another way Grace Received…Grace Given).

I.  God’s Grace Appears Bringing Salvation (Grace Received)

Opening comments:

• The first is that this grace is not just any grace; it is God’s grace.  This implies that this grace, since it is God’s, is perfect grace.  There is no shred of selfishness, no shred of deceitfulness in this grace.
• Grace is often defined as unmerited favor or unmerited kindness.  While this is not the limits of grace, it is exactly the meaning of grace in this context.
• God’s Grace is active.  God’s grace does something and in this passage we see it does many things.

A. God’s Grace Appeared

Paul refers in this point to none other than the historical life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.   The ministry of Jesus, in this passage at least, comes under the heading of God’s grace.  The ministry of Jesus is also referred to as God’s Grace in the book of Hebrews – one of the most sobering of the NT.

Hebrews 2:9  But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.

B. God’s Grace Brings Salvation

The text also points out that this grace does something.  It brings salvation.  This is a constant theme throughout the NT.  Paul records on two other occasions.

Colossians 1:3-6  ³ ¶ We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,  ⁴since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints;  ⁵because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel  ⁶which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth;

Ephesians 2:8-9  ⁸For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;  ⁹not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

This reminder removes forever the possibility that

• God saved us because we are so good
• We were in need of just a little help

C. God’s Grace comes “to all men”

This section does not teach universalism.  As is sometimes the case, the word “all” has connotations that need to be considered. 

In this passage, it is best to see all men with the understanding that no one comes to saving faith apart from God’s Grace.  In other words, every single follower of Christ is a follower because God’s Grace appeared to them.

• “All” can refer to all without exception. 
• Or it can refer to all without distinction (that is all kinds … slaves, free, men, women, children, etc)
• and it can even be further limited as in 1 Tim 4:10 all is actually explained as the believers

If you are here this morning and you would say that you have come to know Christ then you are the recipient of amazing grace.

• God took you from being an enemy and he made them a friend
• You were once forsaken and now you have been forgiven
• You were once orphaned and now you are adopted
• You were bound to power and penalty of sin and now you have been set free.
• You were once were abandoned and forsaken and now you enjoy the full time presence of God.
• You were once seen through the ugliness of your sin and now you are seen through the righteousness of Christ.

We need to stop and connect this point to the question we posed earlier …. Why don’t I, why don’t you live consistent with your condition (free, adopted, forgiven,…)? 

The answer in part is because you have not valued God’s Grace and I have not valued God’s Grace that brought salvation nearly enough.  We just haven’t!  We haven’t thought enough, studied enough, rejoiced in God’s grace enough.

• That is why Pastor Viars recommended this book, The Gospel Primer, to you a while back. 
• The book encourages all of us to “preach the gospel to ourselves” because there is great value in the person who has come to Christ to reflect, to think, and to value all that God did for them to make salvation possible. 

To see another aspect of this significance, Paul described the importance of this in …

Galatians 2:19-21  "For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God.  ²⁰"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.  ²¹"I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly."

Sometimes we just minimize the importance of God’s saving Grace in our lives by not thinking about it, by not giving God glory for it, by not talking about God’s grace in our lives.

• So we talk about our favorite baseball team … we talk about how awesome our yard looks … we talk about the upcoming [who knows what].  All that is fine and good.
• Unless we don’t talk about the grace of God that actually brought our salvation, that gave us a new identity, and showered us with a new view of life. 
• When we don’t do that we are in danger of doing what the Galatians did – nullifying the grace of God.

But consider the person who does the following…

• Wakes up each morning thanking God for the salvation that he brought.
• While praying for each meal the person thanks God for his Grace that brought salvation.
• Several times each day takes a 5 second break to remind himself or herself that without Jesus he/she would be ashamed rather than forgiven, bound rather than free, and  alone rather than adopted.

Wouldn’t that put the person in the best possible position to respond to the day in a way consistent with their condition?  Wouldn’t that put the person in the best possible position to view everything in their life from the perspective of their salvation in Christ?

I am convinced that if you and I can take a total of 5-10 minutes each day to think about, meditate on, and thank God for his wonderful grace then I can, you can, take a step of growth and live more and more consistent with our condition. 

• Will you commit to that?  Will you commit to spending 5-10 minutes each day thinking about God’s wonderful, perfect, matchless grace? 
• The text does not end there, for God’s grace does something else…

II.  God’s Grace Instructs Us How to Live (Grace Gives)

God’s grace in this passage is very active! 

• It is the means by which we are saved and it is the means by which we understand how we should live. 
• In fact, the main statement in v. 12 is “God’s Grace instructs us that we should live” … everything else in the passage describes the details of that living. 
• So God’s grace gets a lot done!  It is indeed significant!

This living that God’s grace helps us do is couched in several phrases in this text.  Let’s consider them in turn:

A. God’s Grace Instructs us to Deny ungodliness

Not surprisingly the word is associated with conduct that does not please and honor the Lord.  Let’s consider some of the ways that ungodliness can play out in our lives.  

• Marriage relationship

When in our frustration or in our anger we say things that are designed to put each other down, to hurt the other person, to attack them, or to explain just how miserable it is to live with that person.  Consider how ungodly it is when one of God’s children says to another one of God’s children …

• “I wish I had never married you”
• “I would be more attracted to you if you lost 15 lbs”
• “I can’t take this anymore, I want a divorce”
• “I do all this for you [normally with a series of things they do] and you cannot do one simple thing for me.”

Statements like these come out of people’s mouths who don’t understand grace.

• With the children

I get the challenges.  We at least choose our spouse.  Our children on the other hand are designed by God to have their own strengths and weaknesses.  Yet sometimes as a parent it is possible to say, and especially think, things like this:

• “You are so stupid”
• “Why can’t you do anything right?”
• “I provide all this for you and you are such an idiot that you don’t get it.”
• “I cannot wait until you turn 18 so you can finally leave”

Sometimes this ungodliness flows out to other family members or to their church family. 

• Some people won’t serve with other people.

According to Heb 12:15 being a lousy learner of grace can create all sorts of challenges:

• Hebrews 12:15 - See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;

On the other hand, when Grace has its day, the person begins to see their part of the problem.  They begin as Matt 7:3-5 explains to take the log out of their own eye.

Matthew 7:3-5  ³"Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?  ⁴"Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and behold, the log is in your own eye?  ⁵"You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.

B. God’s Grace Instructs us to deny Worldly lusts

Desires are not the problem.  But worldly desires are a serious problem. 

• Just for illustration’s sake I have included a chart of desires typically for communication (not exhaustive). 
• These are some of the underlying desires that encourage people to respond with such ungodliness.

• Give an illustration or two from my life…

Can you see yourself in any of these desires?  Will you be willing to let Grace do the teaching in order to help you deny these things? 

Grace is supposed to be the instructor to help us see all the ways in which we seek to build their own kingdoms.  Grace is supposed to help us see all the ways in which we need to change.

It is as Paul wrote to the Corinthians - 2 Corinthians 6:1  And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain--

C. God’s Grace Instructs us that we should live soberly, righteously, and Godly

Grace also teaches that those who get grace should be quick to give it that is let it motivate and control all that they do.

We could unpack each of these three descriptions but let me summarize them as follows:

• Soberly:  reference to thoughtful self-control (Yourself)
• Righteously:  uprightness in dealings with others (Others)
• Godly:  Genuine piety toward God (God)

In other words, the characteristics of a person who is properly instructed results in proper thinking about who he/she is, with how they are supposed to respond to each other, and to a genuine desire to please, love, and honor the Lord.

Consider a biblical character who clearly understood this... the man was David.

• His anointing as King prior to Goliath (1 Samuel 16 …. David was not even invited to the party!!!! Yet the Lord had selected him for a very special service … is that grace?)
• His run from Saul who wanted to kill him (For years he is running from Saul … Look at Psalm 63:3 to see David’s heart for God).
• His promise to Saul after God presented another opportunity to kill him. 1 Sam 24:21-22 (notice first 24:6 … the Lord’s anointed!!!!  How can David possibly call him the Lord’s anointed?). It was customary to eliminate all competition.  Any member of the previous family poses a severe threat to the Kingdom.
• His commitment of that promise. 2 Samuel 9 [read the whole chapter] (how can David bring a member of Saul’s family into the palace and give him a place at the king’s table.  What about a coup?)

In other words, David not only understood grace in his own life, but also the importance of giving and showing grace to others. 

• God had made David king, God gave David success in battle and while he had to wait many years before he would finally rule over all Israel he did not let that go to his head. 
• Despite the fact that Saul wanted to kill him and made life absolutely miserable for David at times, David still responds with grace.  He responds with grace because God had been gracious to him.

In this story, David’s grace extends to giving a member of Saul’s family (his grandson) a place at the King’s table.  In those days the last thing you wanted to do was let family members of the former king live let alone let them live with you (what a place to start a new coup … after all Methibosheth has a son)!

• David understood the grace that he received and he also understood the importance of giving that kind of grace to others.

Let’s be frank, I don’t always get that and some of you here today would happily join me in confessing the same.  In our pride we think we are better than we are, when in reality we need to say as Paul did, that “I am what I am by the grace of God.” 

Just for fun lets pick a couple of examples of how grace could come up.

Let’s pretend (not that there are any husbands like that in our church) that a man comes home for a day at work and discovers when he arrives that his wife has blown dinner.

• No grace approach.
•  Irritation, frustration.  You can’t even get dinner on the table?  I go to work everyday and seek to provide for this family and you cannot even get a decent meal to the table?  What is wrong with you?
• Forget the 100 things that she does right, let’s hammer the fire out of her for the one they did wrong.
• How does God look at that?  How is the rest of the evening going to go?
• Imagine, if he took a totally different approach – an approach based on grace. 
• He said … “You know thank you for all you do around here.  I know you work tirelessly to make everything so wonderful and if we have to have one ‘less than ideal’ meal that is no problem at all.”  I am thankful that you made it and that we can enjoy it together.
• How does God look at that?  How is the rest of their evening going to go?

We could easily turn the tables and bring up examples about their husbands.  What if a woman responded to her husband with similar words acknowledging all he does to work, to provide, to protect, and to care for them.  Tolerating something small is really not a big deal.

• If the truth were known Stephanie is more handy than I am.  I haven’t exactly dropped a tree on our house, but lets put it this way.  After I change a lightbulb I am thinking move over tool time Tim …. It is time for Tool Time Rob!
• I didn’t choose to be mechanically incompetent.  I was born that way.  In 7^thgrade we had to build a little model house.  They gave us most of the parts, we had to cut some and sand some of them.  My friend built his and it was perfect.  I built mine and it looked like the house had been hit by an earthquake.
• Here is the point … if someone took a non-grace based approach they could ridicule the fire out of me. 
• They could demonstrate how ignorant I am and they really would not have to try very hard. 
• But a grace based approach values all things I do right and well and the skills I do have and seeks solutions to weaknesses.

Is that the way people view you?  Are you the grace based person who just gives grace about struggles and weaknesses or are you the non-grace based person who harms the relationship with unkind words and actions?

What happens when the children do not excel in the athletic contest or does not do well in school?

• One person’s best is just not the same as another person’s best.  God has given abilities differently.  Do you treat your children that way?
• Imagine how frustrating it would be if you ridicule their lack of ability when God chose not to give it to them.

Vv 13-14 add much to the discussion.  It is still connected to the way we should live.  We need to live soberly, righteously, and godly but we also need to do something else.

D. God’s Grace Instructs us to Look for the Return of Jesus

Grace also instructs us that earth is not our home.  We are sojourners awaiting the consummation of our home.  Since our citizenship is in heaven we are to live like citizens of heaven.

Philippians 3:20-21  For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;  ²¹who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.

• Grace helps us see the bigger picture
• Thus, there should be a hint of homesickness in our lives.

It is as if, in this passage, God wants us to have one eye on the present life now and one eye on our future.  A future that is glorious and wonderful and free from all the challenges we face today.

As is so often in Paul, as soon as he brings up Christ, he must give some reminders about all that Jesus is.

In v. 14  Paul shifts subjects.  No longer is the issue grace per se, it is the foundation of that Grace – Jesus Christ.  With four very simple phrases reminds us of some great truths that will help us follow the example of our savior by giving grace.

• Who gave himself
• Redeem us from every lawless deed
• Purify for himself a people of his own possession
• A people zealous for good works

As good of a picture of Grace that David is, Jesus is better!  So friends, let me remind you that Jesus designed you to be a people for his possession zealous for good works so that we might do this:

Colossians 1:15-18  ¹⁵ ¶ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.  ¹⁶For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-- all things have been created through Him and for Him.  ¹⁷He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.  ¹⁸He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.

Jesus redeemed so you could give him first place in everything.  Today, the exhortation is simple:

Friends, God’s grace is a teacher.  God’s grace help one make the connections between the grace that they have been given and the grace that is now required.

Imagine if all of the families in our church made the commitment to work this week and each week on a grace based approach to life. 

• Imagine if you will marriages that are defined by grace rather than “right” or what you deserve.
• Imagine children living in a home acting like all they have is by God’s grace rather than the attitude that mom and dad should let me do what I want, have the clothes I want, and drive the car I deserve.
• Imagine parents looking at their children through the grid of God’s grace for them.  Instead of being critical for everything they don’t do well encouraging the things they do right.

Summary

I don’t know all that is happening today.  What you are afraid of … What you are upset about … or whether you are happy in Jesus or not?  But I want to exhort you to do something with the truth we have talked about today.

• For those that would say you have never experienced this grace …
• For those of you that have …. Grace not only appears it teaches.  Maybe you have been listening to the wrong influences.

Here is what I am asking you to do today. 

1. Take 5-10 minutes each day this coming week and think about God’s grace in bringing salvation to you and the lessons that God’s grace wants to teach you and then
2. To work really hard to give grace in the relationship you struggle with the most (maybe a husband-wife … parent-child … co-worker, etc).

• From Zechariah 3 he explained the metaphors of forgiveness such as the brand plucked from the fire or removing filthy clothes to receive clean ones instead. 
• God’s forgiveness thus makes it possible to think of ourselves through the grid of forgiveness rather than the grid of shame.  Or to use his sunglasses illustration to look at my identity through all of the filth of my sin or the clean garments given to me in forgiveness.
• Rather than ashamed, I can gladly say, “I AM FORGIVEN.”

You have surely noticed the chains symbolizing bondage.  In addition to our singing we have a drama that will highlight what it is like to be in bondage and what it is like to find freedom in Christ.  Notice carefully the harmony found in Jesus and the chaos associated with the temptations … the temptations will be present on the screen to help with understanding.  It is called “Everything”. 

The picture is powerful. 

• With Jesus there is safety, security, harmony, and freedom. 
• With the powers of this world there is harm, fear, chaos, and bondage.  The chains in the auditorium picture bondage, but the shackles are open representing freedom.
• As the woman was bound by romance/promiscuity, as she was bound by materialism/money, as she was bound by self image/bulimia, and as she was bound by cutting/thoughts that life was not worth living she saw how none of those ultimately satisfied – there were no answers!
• When Jesus came she who was once was bound was set free. 
• We can all relate to her can’t we?  You may not have been bound to the bottle, to an image of yourself that was wrong, to the thoughts of cutting, or to promiscuity, but you were bound.  You were bound by your sin.  Jesus stepped in and opened these shackles and set you free.
• With her we can say, “I once was bound but now I am FREE!“

Tell your neighbor, “Praise God, I am Free.”

That leads us to the very logical questions of “What am I free from? I am free to do what?”  With that in mind please turn in your Bibles to Romans 6; that is on page 122 of the back section of the Bible in the chair in front of you.

With the time I have remaining we are going to consider two truths from this passage about our Freedom.

[Read vv. 1-11]

I.WE ARE FREE from the power and penalty of sin (vv. 1-11).

There are several contrasts found in this passage.  This first portion of the text emphasizes the freedom from sin and the power that sin exerted over one’s life.  That freedom is described using several key ideas.

A. Free not to act or think in sinful ways based on our Union with Christ (vv. 1-7)

This truth needs to sink in just a bit!  Paul’s argument is very simple.  In Chapter 5 he had explained justification.

• [my favorite Justification illustration]. 
• It simply means a legal declaration whereby God declares a sinner righteous before Him. 

But Paul anticipates an argument here.  Well, if grace is able to reach to the deepest and darkest of sinful places and overcome those places then it would seem that the best way to get grace is to sin some more. 

• Surely we all can be tempted to think that as we are often enamored by testimonies of how God worked in the lives of those who were literally spiraling out of control.

God says, that this line of thinking [sin to get grace] makes no sense.

• I might get in trouble for saying this.  It is kind of like the phrase the more you spend the more you save.  I always thought that the more you don’t spend the more you save!  I am all for discounts, sales, coupons and all that but at some point we can ask whether it would be better to get a 50% discount on something I don’t need or a 100% discount by not buying it in the first place!

That is why he says rhetorically, “if we have died to sin, why should we live in it?”  The very nature of this question explains that that we do not have to sin. 

• Is that a wonderful idea or what?
• When someone in my life does something that I don’t like, I don’t have to respond sinfully!
• When I am tempted through the various struggles associated with life on earth I don’t have to give in to those temptations.
• Even when I do sin I don’t have to throw in the towel and willingly launch myself into deeper and darker sin just because I blew it once!

God’s word then gives the reason that you and I do not have to sin even when tempted.

1.Because we have been united in Christ’s death (v. 3)

This Easter we reflected on the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus and we thought about its significance.  As powerful as the cross is, this text reminds us that we have been united with Christ in his death.  We share something wonderful with our savior.

2.Because we have been united in Christ’s resurrection (vv. 4-5)

Not only are we united in death, but more importantly in the resurrection.  I who was once dead, am now raised to walk in the newness of life.

• I get new sunglasses to look through.  I see myself not as the rotten sinner that I am but as the one who is united with Jesus, clothed in his righteousness.

Now check out the next point in the argument because it is so wonderful.

3.Since Christ has overcome sin I also can overcome sin by virtue of my union with Him (vv. 6-7)

I was bummed with Butler missed those two chances they had to win the game.  Not because I am a Butler fan per se, but because it was a great story.  I would have been jumping up and down, going crazy with excitement.

Friends, Jesus overcame death …. He has united himself to me … and it is by virtue of that union that we too can overcome sin in our lives.

We now have a new sphere of existence.  We used to be trapped in the bondage of sin.  We were bound by a cruel taskmaster.  The domain of sin and Satan is that of destruction

1 Peter 5:8   ⁸ Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

But the domain of freedom in Christ frees us from that power and bondage.  It offers harmony, purpose, and value as the woman in the drama understood.

Mark 5:1-5 They came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gerasenes.  ² When He got out of the boat, immediately a man from the tombs with an unclean spirit met Him,  ³ and he had his dwelling among the tombs. And no one was able to bind him anymore, even with a chain;  ⁴ because he had often been bound with shackles and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him and the shackles broken in pieces, and no one was strong enough to subdue him.  ⁵ Constantly, night and day, he was screaming among the tombs and in the mountains, and gashing himself with stones.

If think about that demoniac very long we recognize this – Jesus set him Free!  While I don’t have time to develop this theme, the reality is that the OT pictures a coming messiah who gives sight to the blind, makes the lame to walk, makes the deaf hear, and who sets the captives free!  The gospels picture Jesus doing all of those things.

I think we have all been taught well enough around here to know that we will not reach sinless perfection this side of heaven.  But this passage helps us avoid a different extreme:

• The extreme that says, “I blew it, I guess it doesn’t matter anymore.”  This is an identity question the bound person looks in the mirror and says “forget it,” “I can’t do anything about it.” That person, if they are a geninue follower of Christ has been deceived.
• The person who recognizes their freedom understands that their union with Christ is so wonderful, so significant, and so meaningful that they can choose to say “no” next time.

• At my conversion I was buried with Christ … in the likeness of his death.
• At my conversion I was raised with Christ ….in the likeness of his resurrection.
• At my conversion I was brought into union with my savior – Jesus. and so were you!

So this attitude of “I blew it, I guess it doesn’t matter anymore” is a lie from the pit.  It makes you a voluntary slave to sin and it does not recognize the wonderful power of our union with Christ.

Let me say a word about habits…

• I realize that we are creatures of habit.  Some areas of sin seem to be easier for us to commit than others.  It is possible that we need some additional guards in particular areas of life.  But let’s make sure not to push the “habit” thing too far. 

Let me illustrate:  Last weekend one of my boys and I participated in the 5K Homeward Bound run/walk to support VOH.  I decided about 2 months ago that a 5K would be really difficult without some exercise before the event especially since running from the couch to the refrigerator during the winter Olympics occasionally required mouth to mouth resuscitation from my wife … okay, I admit it sometimes I faked it!

• So I began a little training regimen.  You know what, this habit thing is not all it has cracked up to be!  It is a racket!  I have been working to do something 5-6 days a week for 2 months and I hurt everyday!  Getting ready for my next exercise is hard.  It is not natural.  I would much rather eat some bon-bons.
• Yes, we might be creatures of habit but it seems to me it is much easier to form a bad one than a good one.  Maybe that is why Paul told 1 Timothy 4:7-8  Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness;  ⁸ for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
• Here is my point … never let “habits” be an excuse to minimize your union with Christ and to remain in sin!

Young people …

• Do you seek to honor and obey your parents with a happy heart or would you admit this morning that you struggle? 
• Is that struggle being read through the grid of “well I blew it yesterday so what does it matter?” or through the grid that God put you in union with Christ and that next time you can choose to do right? 
• Do you seek to do your best in school in order to honor the Lord?  Or is your attitude a bit more like “I am doing fine so what difference does it make?”

In your home …

• Do you have a “whatever” attitude toward your spouse, child or roommate? 
• Have you had 100 outbursts of anger and think that is always the way it will be?
• Have been frustrated about a billion times?
• Friends, your union with Christ makes it clear that you don’t have to live in the habitual pattern of sinfulness anymore!  You have been set free.

James MacDonald in his book, “I really want to Change” encourage us to do this…say in our minds or even out loud, when we are tempted to sin, “I am DEAD TO THAT” we could say it posivitely and say “I am freed from that!”

Praise God, I am free!  Not only am I free from the power of daily sin, I am also …

B. Free from the penalty that sin brings based on our Union with Christ (vv. 8-11)

The argument in vv. 8-11 has a slightly different emphasis.  Notice that Paul explains that if a person has died with Christ then they will also live with him!  While the future casts a shadow on the present the reality is still a focus on the future.

1.We have a Glorious Future

Sin, as we know already in Romans and we will see later brings with the penalty of death - more specifically the eternal separation of the person with God.  Scripture gives clear warnings about this…

2 Thessalonians 1:6-9   ⁶ For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you,  ⁷ and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire,  ⁸ dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.  ⁹ These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,

If you have repented from your sin and trusted in the finished work of Jesus then you are rescued from this.  This is not your future.  Yours is so much better!  Peter describes it this way

1 Peter 1:3-5  ¶ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  ⁴ to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,  ⁵ who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

2.Because Jesus died once for all

Hebrews 9:11-14  ¹¹ ¶ But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation;  ¹² and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.  ¹³ For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh,  ¹⁴ how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

We are free from the power and penalty of sin.  That is why Paul can summarize these first eleven verses with the simple phrase, “dead to sin and alive to God.” 

• You see friends, God wants all of you to understand very clearly this morning that you have been rescued from the power of sin in your daily lives and from the penalty of sin that results in eternal separation because you were brought into union with Christ.

Anger … You are not bound to anger, you are free from its power

Anxiety or Despair … You are not bound to that, you are free from its power

Sinful Communication … You are not bound to that, you are free from its power

You are not bound to life dominating sins of

• materialism,
• self image and the sinful approaches to food and exercise that can result,
• cutting,
• promiscuity. 
• Instead, You are free.

In the moment of the battle, when the temptation is the strongest, you can say “I AM FREE” because Jesus made me free.  I died with him, I was raised with him, and now I am FREE.  Based on the truths of vv. 8-11 you can even add in the reality that you are free FOREVER!

Tell your neighbor, “Praise God, I am free”

You thought we were done didn’t you!  You were thinking Rob rocks … we’re not done J

Scripture teaches that all those who trusted Christ as their personal Lord and Savior are free from the power of sin in their daily lives and free from the penalty that sins brings!  We have answered the first question this morning. “I am free from what?”.  Now we need to answer a slightly different question, “What am I free to do?”  If vv. 1-11 were good news check out vv. 12-23!

[read vv. 12-23]

II. I AM FREE to live my life for King Jesus (vv 12-23).

Not only am I free from the power of sin, but this passage actually helps me understand What I am supposed to do with my freedom!  Or to put it another way, the truth that I am free makes me ready for the command to use my freedom well.  In a more scholarly fashion, the gospel indicatives serve as the foundation for the practical living imperatives.

To organize this point let’s consider 3 emphases in this passage

A. Command:  Present Yourselves to Your King

In Bible study there are times that the repetitive nature of a word seems to jump off the page.  Notice, in v. 13 “Presenting” is found 2 times (1 negative and 1 positive), in v. 16 we find it again, and v. 19 two more times (1 negative and 1 positive).  In other words, 5 times we see this same word usage.  If we were to expand the issue to the place of concept we see the command in v. 12 is not radically different.

Thus, 6 times in 11 verses we find the command.

• Present Yourself to your King.

When this word is used I often have the imagery of military service. 

• In Israel they stand at Masada and pledge the Masada will not fall on their watch. 
• In America soldiers pledge to protect the U.S. and to obey their commander in chief. 
• It is an oath that is taken where everyone understands that death may result.  In the last several years thousands of soldiers have not returned home alive.
• In film we see this in the Lord of the Rings when the Hobbit Mary promises, to the death, his allegiance to the king of Gondor.

What God’s word is doing here is challenging us to use our freedom in order to serve King Jesus.  Earlier we read a bit from Mark 5.  After the man was set free, Scripture records.

Mark 5:14-19   the people came to see what it was that had happened.  ¹⁵ They came to Jesus and observed the man who had been demon-possessed sitting down, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the "legion"; and they became frightened.  ¹⁶ Those who had seen it described to them how it had happened to the demon-possessed man, and all about the swine.  ¹⁷ And they began to implore Him to leave their region.  ¹⁸ As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed was imploring Him that he might accompany Him.  ¹⁹ And He did not let him, but He said to him, "Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you."

• This man’s response to being set free was to do nothing short of follow Jesus! 
• This man was using his freedom in order to follow Jesus, not to accomplish all the things he had not done in life during his captivity!

That is what you and I are being called to do.  Use our freedom to please and honor the Lord.  It is a willingness to allow your gifts, your abilities, all that you are in service to the one who paid for your freedom.

We do not believe we work for our salvation, instead we work in response to it.

Ephesians 2:10  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

This portion of the text provides the positive side where as vv. 1-11 presented the negative side. 

• Yes, we are free from the power of sin so we can choose not to sin, but there is more to it than that. 
• We have the option and privledge of living life in order to please God.

It should also be noted that v. 13 says , “members of your body,” “members as instruments” sometimes we are told to simply “present ourselves” in v. 19 we see “present your members”. 

• I would like to suggest to you that the argument in this text is not that merely our hands, feet, arms, and legs are given to the Lord, but our whole person. 
• All we are, all our gifts, our talents, our dreams, everything is offered as a sacrifice to the Lord.

Earlier I asked if you lived bound to sin.  Willingly giving yourself to sin even through you were free from it.  Now I want to ask you are your using your freedom – all you are and all you have to offer – to serve and honor the Lord.

Husbands….

• How are you doing at using all of you (your mind, your money, your abilities, your person) to lead your family to a greater place of Loving the Lord Jesus?
• Or are there some secondary issues that own first place at this point?
• One thinks even of issues like FCI … just 6 weeks left before a summer break.
• One thinks of ABF and the importance of Psalm 1
• Is your leadership in your home moving your entire family to a more meaningful, joyful, and wonderful relationship with the Lord?
• Are you intentional with your correction and loving with your instruction to your children?
• Or is your correction really about your kingdom being violated?  Your comfort being disrupted? Your rest being interrupted?
• Do you encourage their stregenths and help them with their weaknesses?

Men …

• How are you doing with your purity this time of year?  Are you seeking to offer your eyes and the things you look at as an instrument of righteousness?
• How are you doing at your job?  Are you offering our skills and abilities first and foremost to the Lord and also to those who supervise you?  Or would you say that you could get a lot more done if you just worked it bit harder?

Ladies …

• Are you offering the members of your body as an instrument of righteousness?  Is the way you use your tongue honoring to the Lord?
• For those whose vocation remains within the walls of your own home, do you work in your home as if the home really matters?  Is that part of presenting yourselves to the Lord?  Is that part of the using your freedom for righteousness sake?
• Are you taking advantage of faithful women’s groups, ladies ministries, the conference here starting on Friday?

God says, “I have set you free, therefore, present yourself and all you are to him as an instrument of righteousness.”  Let’s also see that this text highlights our condition.

B.Condition:  Willing Slaves to Someone

There is something else very important in this section.  We see that all of us are slaves. 

• Thus, our freedom from sin has given us the opportunity to have a new master. 
• Instead of the master that seeks to destroy me I have a master that loves me.

vv. 16-18 makes it clear that we are slaves.  We were freed from one master (sin) and we were give a whole new master (righteousness).  Thus, God is saying that I want you to live consistent with your real condition.

• If you are a freed from sin to be a slave to righteousness then present all of you to the Lord as an instrument of righteousness.  This same truth is found in so many other passages of Scripture including Ephesians.  After explaining our wonderful salvation the Word reads:

Ephesians 4:1-3  Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,  ² with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,  ³ being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Unfortunately they were not always successful for the text later says,

Ephesians 4:17-19   ¹⁷ ¶ So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,  ¹⁸ being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart;  ¹⁹ and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.

Obviously, the Lord wants our practice to be consistent with our new condition.  To say it another way, your action needs to keep pace with your knowledge!

A logical point of application is how you view God’s commandments.

• When the Scripture says to present yourself, when it says not to sin in your anger, when it says to speak truth in love, when it says to forgive, to be compassionate, to love always, to abound in the love, and to obey those who oversee you  -  do you bristle under the commands?  Are you tempted to think that you have a better way?
• When you think of a command of Scripture you think “Don’t, I am so sick of don’t”.  I want to encourage you to think of something else, when Scripture says “don’t” take it as “Don’t hurt yourself!” 

If you have little ones, or when your children were little you established certain rules to protect them.  To keep them from getting hit by car or taken by a kidnapper. 

• Isn’t it possible that the loving, gracious, and compassionate God understands all that.  His commands were not meant to be burdensome but were rather designed for his glory and your protection?
• His commands, His warnings are radically different than those of sin/Satan whose goal is to crush you. 
• God’s commands and his warnings are designed for your good. 

Let’s highlight that point in the third emphasis.

C.Benefits:  Sanctification and Eternal Life

The benefits of freedom and presenting yourselves as a slave to righteousness are pretty clear are they not?  In v. 19 and v. 22 we see that the benefits are sanctification and in v. 23 eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

• The benefits of being freed are none other than the opportunity to be more and more like Jesus.
• He rescued you and now he is making you like him.

Your identity is no longer that you are bound (like the girl was) to all kinds of things that don’t satisfy.  Your identity is freedom in Jesus Christ!

Tell your neighbor, “Praise God, I am free”

Friends, if you know Christ as your savior, then the words of Jesus are for you, “if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” 

• One of my concerns as one of the pastors is there are folks here today who have yet to be set free because there are folks who have yet to repent of their sin and trust in the D/B/R of Jesus Christ for salvation.
• So this message that has come in song, in drama, and in word has not been applied to you.  But I want you to know that it can be true for you today.  You can go from bound to the power and penalty of sin to be free in Jesus.
• Scripture is clear … you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead and you shall be saved!
• You can do that today.  If you would like to meet with one of the pastors please get in touch with us and there is nothing more important than talking to you about how you can have a saving relationship with Jesus – the one who sets captives free.
• For the rest of us, let’s use our freedom to live free indeed.  Free from the power of sin, free to use all of me and all of my members (from my mind to my hands to my heart) for righteousness, to the praise and glory of Jesus, the one who set us free indeed!

[Final prayer] 

Introduction

First, I would like to publically thank Pastor Viars for his willingness to give me the pulpit this morning.  For those I have not met yet, my name is Rob Green and I serve in the counseling and seminary ministries as well as in the ABF ministry to the YC and Encourager’s classes.  My wife Stephanie and I have been married 16 years and by God’s grace we have 3 wonderful children.

I would like to begin by asking you a question.  Is it fair to say that you are looking forward to Jesus’ return? 

• Rev 21:4 reminds us that there will be no more tears, no more death, no more mourning or crying. 
• That sounds good all the time but particularly when we are going through circumstances that cause tears, mourning, and death.

Before that final state, we believe that Jesus will begin his eternal reign on the earth and that we will reign with him.  I thought I would show you the piece of sacred, holy ground I hope to reign under Christ someday.

• [two pictures of the OSU football stadium]

If that is not funny check this out …. I can so relate!

[Go Buckeyes blind date]

I am, of course, joking, but what is really interesting is how each of you responded either verbally or at least in your mind.

• Some of you are like, whatever, who cares about football.  OSU, Purdue, Colts, Saints, Bears Bah humbug!  I don’t get it.  The amount of time and money spent on one football season could erase the national debt!
• Some of you are like, dude, who threw up all over that picture and all over your hat?  In fact, sarcastically you are thinking, Rob, that is a picture of THE Ohio State University.
• Maybe a few of you are like, right on man.  Let’s sing the fight song.  Go Bucks! 

I would like to suggest to each of you that one word explains your response:  Loyalty.

• Some of you have zero loyalty to colleges, to football teams, or to the game itself.  So you are like whatever.  I DO NOT CARE.
• Some of you are deeply DISLOYAL to OSU because for one reason or another you cannot stand Ohio State.
• A few of us are saying “right on” because we have loyalty to OSU… you grew up in Central Ohio or like me OSU is your alma mater. 

Loyalty explains our response.  It’s all about loyalty!  With that in mind please turn to 1 Cor 3:16-23.  That is on page 131 in the back section of the bible in the chair in front of you.

If you get nothing, remember nothing from this sermon besides one thing … Here is it:

Notice v. 23.  “You belong to Jesus, and Jesus belongs to God.”  We will unpack this statement a little later but for now let’s hang our hat on that some simple truth. 

• Tell your neighbor “I must be loyal to Jesus, because I belong to Jesus.” 

Before I go any further, some of you may have had a hard time saying that [maybe because the “tell your neighbor thing freaks you out”] or maybe because you are not sure you do belong to Jesus.

If you are here this morning wondering if that is true let me first say that we are glad you are here.  But let me also say that

• Romans 6:23 would give you a very strong reason to believe that you do not belong to Jesus
• Romans 6:23  For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
• If you have never come to have a relationship with Jesus then you sin has separated you from God and that is why you cannot say “I belong to Jesus.”
• Thankfully, Romans 10:9-10 provides the explanation for the second part of the verse “the free gift of God is eternal life”
• Romans 10:9-10   that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;  ¹⁰ for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
• When a person repents of their sin and trusts Christ as their personal Lord and Savior then the words of 1 John 5:13 can be true of them...
• 1 John 5:13  ¹³ ¶ These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

Call to repentance

For those of you who would confess this morning that you truly belong to Jesus, then I can ask you, “Are you loyal to Jesus?” have you made the logical connection in your mind between the reality that you belong to him with the reality that you then, in response, must be loyal to him?

• When you see this symbol (picture of the cross) does your mind flow to the mercy and grace that saved you and that is still makes an impact or are you like “whatever”?
• When you turn on the TV and some godless activity or words is going on does your loyalty to Jesus cause you to be bothered by that or are you like “whatever?”
• When your spouse or children honk you off and you are about ready to unload the 42 reasons you are right and they are wrong are you thinking about your loyalty to Jesus or about your loyalty to your functional God – you?

God wants to point out in very clear terms – you belong to Christ, Christ belongs to God, and therefore you belong to God.  Those facts are true.  It is also true that if you belong to Jesus then you must be loyal to him. 

The only issue we have to deal with this morning is whether we will respond with loyalty to King Jesus.

• Not simply on Sunday morning
• But in the thousands of little decision points this coming week.

If I were to switch the metaphors a bit… are you loyal to the kingdom that God is building or you are loyal to your kingdom. 

• You just can’t do both…Jesus said no man can serve two masters.  You will love the one and hate the other.

We are studying this year the book of 1 Corinthians and the important subject of taking the next step with joy.  Thus, we are going to look this morning in this passage at 3 steps you can take to grow in your loyalty to Jesus.

#1.  Increase your loyalty to Jesus by being Loyal to His Church (vv. 16-17)

As PV has been explaining the first three chapters of this book there is a recurring theme:  DIVISION.  That division even played out in the sarcasm of “I belong to Christ.”  Paul’s argument has been very simple

• The divisions were having such a serious impact on the church that according to 1:12 Chloe’s people heard about and reported it to Paul. 
• The church was not as effective as it could have been, the church in Corinth was struggling to represent God well in their city and they could not have unity because they were fussing about too many other things.
• As if those issues were not enough…later in this book we will see issues over ignoring blatant sin, immorality, taking believers to court, legalism, and interpersonal insensitivity.

In other words, the church at Corinth has a number of issues that need to be addressed.  There are a number of truths that they have to grasp.  One of them is that loyalty to Jesus requires loyalty to his church.  The text explains, 

The church is a temple of God (v. 16)

Sometimes the Bible draws a distinction between the whole temple [the precincts] and the portion of the inner portion of the temple – the sanctuary if you will. 

• It would be the difference between talking about our campus verses talking about our auditorium. 
• The temple/sanctuary is the location where the deity dwells.  Paul says that the temple is the church!

Think about how radical this is to the church at Corinth.  As we will learn in chapter 8 some of them have still been visiting the pagan temples.  They are well aware of the temple thing, been there, done that. 

• In essence, Paul says there is only one temple in Corinth and you, the church, are it!  Let’s consider the purpose of the temple…

1. It is a place to worship God.
   1. Worship takes place in a number of ways.  In the Bible, people worshipped by singing, playing instruments, dancing, hearing the law, giving, and sacrificing.  Here at our church, during our services, we incorporate some of those same elements.
2. Could your signing be rightly defined as worship?  Is your mind resting on the truths from God’s Word as you sing them? 
3. When you gave this morning, were you thankful for the privilege to worship God in that way.  Or was it more like, “Oh well, I guess I can’t get ____ now.” 
4. Now that we are studying the Scriptures.  Had you read the passage beforehand to get some general idea of what we would be studying?  Are you hoping that there is something in this text that will challenge you to life your life for Christ?
5. It is a place to meet with God.
   1. When you came this morning, were you hoping to meet with God?  Or was your expectation just a bit lower – like, I sure hope I stay awake today?
   2. Did you come hoping that God would do something in your life today or in the life of someone else in the church?

People Loyal to Jesus are loyal to his church.  Paul adds,

The church is indwelt by the Holy Spirit (v.16)

This passage is a bit different than the passage in 1 Cor 6:19-20 where the issue there is that the believer is indwelled with the Holy Spirit and therefore should remain sexually pure. 

Here the point is that the church [the group of people] is indwelt by the Spirit. 

The application of this is powerful…

On the positive side, what happens when one does all they can to help the church, to build it up and to strengthen it?

• That person is honoring the dwelling place of the Spirit. 
• That person is demonstrating loyalty to the head of the church, Jesus Christ.

It is not possible to be loyal to Jesus and then to ignore the church for whom he gave his life, for which he promises to build, for whom he serves as the head.  In verse 17, he takes matters one step farther…

Those that Seek to destroy the Church – God destroys (v. 17)

Think about when one does harm to the church. 

• Some people get mad at churches or people within them.  So they gossip, slander, quit giving, and rot in their bitterness. 
• Here is what is worse, they harm the dwelling place of the Spirit and the church for which Jesus gave his life and promised to build.

According to v. 17, God says that he will defend it vigorously. 

• In fact, God will destroy them. 
• That is one of the reasons Titus 3:10 reminds us to reject a factious man after a first and second warning. 
• God says that people who seek to divide the church actually should be rejected by the church. 
• Creating division is simply that serious.

I must be loyal to Jesus because I belong to Jesus.  One way to be loyal to Jesus is to be loyal to his church.

Here are a few ways you can demonstrate Loyalty to Jesus by being loyal to the church. 

• Baptism.  In the minds of some, baptism is viewed as an option and membership is not significant at all. 
• The problem with that line of thinking is that it minimizes loyalty to Jesus.  Or to use the words of PV sermon two weeks ago, it is the equivalent of living in spiritual diapers. 
• Baptism was the way you confessed your allegiance to Christ.  There is no example of the Bible of a genuine believer that we know was not baptized.
• Membership.  Some don’t want to join a church because they don’t want any accountability. 
• They want to do what they want and then they want everyone to get happy about it.  The problem is that is loyal to you. 
• Here is the heart of deception…when you believe you are being loyal to Jesus when in reality you are only loyal to yourself!
• Service…every year people at the BCTC make a point to emphasize the service of this church family.  Without question many of you served incredibly sacrificially giving up vacation and all the rest.  So this point is not for you. 
• But the reality is this…some of you need to serve.  Service, for you, is your next step of loyalty.
• Passion play is coming up and some of you need to demonstrate loyalty to Jesus by doing what is necessary to make sure that passion play is an opportunity to share Christ with as many unbelievers as possible and to share the gospel message again with believers so that they might be strengthened. 
• Getting along with others... have you ever noticed that not everyone always agrees with you?  What happens? 
• Do you get all grumpy and whiny and proud (like you could do better with ½ your brain tied behind your back)? 
• Get along, quite thinking that you are so wonderful and work together.
• Celebrate and keep it up…some of you can honestly praise the Lord for helping you get this point.  My encouragement to you is to keep up the good work.

The church, every church, belongs to Jesus.  If you belong to Jesus then Jesus expects you to be loyal to him and one of the ways you do that is to be loyal to his church.  A second step found in this passage is…

#2.  Increase your loyalty to Jesus by finding wisdom in the Word and not in the World (vv. 18-20)

“World” can mean different things in the Bible.  It can refer to people and the importance of loving them or it can refer to thinking that lines itself up against the Scripture.  It is the latter point that we are concerned with here.

It bears saying that the wisdom discussed here does not eliminate our willingness

• To see a surgeon if a part of our body is not functioning well.
• To trust the engineers who design hydroelectric power plants that they got their math right and power will safely be delivered to our home.   
• The point instead relates to the World’s philosophies and concerns that stand in opposition to the truth found in Scripture.

What Paul is saying is that those that are loyal to Jesus are not attracted by the wisdom of this age.  Some have called this concept the great reversal.  The great reversal in 1 Cor 1-4 has at least two elements

Wisdom is found in the message of Jesus (v. 18-19a)

The message of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus sounds foolish.  Attacks come not only from Charles Darwin or Carl Sagan but they even come from people like Bart Ehrman. 

• Bart is a NT scholar and popular author who teaches at the University of North Carolina – a former student at Moody Bible and a graduate of Wheaton College – was asked what he thought of Jesus. 
• The 2007 published version of his words are as follows, “I think Jesus was crucified like a lot of other people were crucified, and I think that, like a lot of other people, he stayed dead.” 
• This man earns his living studying the Bible.  But his study has led him to conclude that the gospel is foolishness.

Loyalty to Jesus however finds the words and works of Jesus true.  The one loyal to Jesus regularly reminds himself or herself that Jesus is central to all of Christianity.  Colossians 1:15-18 says…

• He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.  ¹⁶ For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-- all things have been created through Him and for Him.  ¹⁷ He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.  ¹⁸ He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.

John Piper, not long ago explained why he used Twitter. 

• Simply, because everything is designed to exalt the name of Christ.  Everything. 
• So the message of Jesus is far from foolishness, it is what gives you life. 
• The gospel, his death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is central to all we think and are but so is the concept of his return.
• Jesus will return and when he does he will make all things right.  In the words of Philippians 2 “every knee will bow, …and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father.”

In other words when I equate WISDOM with the reality that everything is for Jesus then it changes my entire outlook:

• It changes the way you respond to your co-workers because the words you say to your co-workers are a reflection of your loyalty to Jesus.
• It changes the way you speak with your spouse because it is reflection of your loyalty to Jesus.
• It changes the way you discipline your children because it is reflection of Jesus. 

In other words, those who are wise understand that wisdom is bound in the message of Jesus and loyalty to Jesus is living consistent with that wisdom.

• So if “foolish” is what I need to become in order to gain God’s wisdom – bring it on!  A second point found in this passage is…

Wisdom is found in resting in God’s Sovereignty rather than yourself (vv. 19b-20)

Paul quotes from two texts, Job 5:13 and Psalm 94:11.  What unites these two passages in Paul’s mind is that they both teach the same thing.

• Sometimes people try to outsmart God. 
• These two texts remind those in Corinth that not only does is it impossible to outsmart God but God turns the tables on them and uses their ‘wisdom’ to demonstrate their foolishness.

The world celebrates leadership even at the cost of character, the world parades heroes and celebrities for their accomplishments, and knowledge is viewed as the ultimate winner. 

• Jesus however, values servanthood, denying yourself, and humility.
• It is just as PV said last week; God uses a different measuring stick than man does because God’s wisdom is to man, foolishness.

Let’s be frank about it, God’s sovereignty does not always feel like wisdom.  In fact, sometimes it feels like foolishness.

• We have had death after death in our church family ---- some of them were real surprises.
• We have had some in our church family experience job loss, a severe health challenge, and sufferings of various kinds.

When those days come, loyalty to Jesus will look like

• Not getting bitter
• Living in trust of a good God and doing all you can
• Not thinking that if you were God it would work so much better

The church at Corinth really struggled because they were using standards that the World would use and thus lost their loyalty to Jesus.  In order to be loyal to Jesus you have to live out the message of Jesus.

For some of you taking the next step

• Taking FCI classes that help you understand the Bible better
• Taking FCI classes that will help you with parenting, marriage, or finances from God’s point of view.
• Keeping a journal of one way each day that you worked to be loyal to Christ by being loyal to his word.

We have seen to this point that we must be loyal to Jesus because we belong to Jesus.  Loyalty to Jesus is being loyal to his church and by counting the Word of God as the source of wisdom.  The third potential step is

#3.  Increase your loyalty to Jesus by boasting in Jesus alone (vv. 21-23)

Before we dive into these final verses, I want you to know that like many of you there are certain people that God has used to make a significant impact on who I am. 

1 Thess 5:12-13 But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, 13 and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another.

• When I was in high school (Tom Zentz)
• My pastor growing up (Tim Kenoyer)

In each case, they were the ones in my life when major forks in the road occurred.  God used them to steer me in the proper direction.

But God did not design any of them to take his place or to be praised beyond the scope of their servanthood. In essence he says this…

• You can appreciate John Piper  (I read Desiring God like 20 years ago)
• You can appreciate Mark Driscoll (he has some great sermons)
• You can appreciate James MacDonald (funny preacher)
• You can appreciate Pastor Viars, Dutton, Aucoin, Woodall, Curtis, Garner

But you may not worship them, the sermons they preach, or the cool things they do that you like so much. 

In v. 21, we get the list of men again (1:12).  We have already learned from Paul that

• He did not baptize you
• The wisdom of this world, particularly of your pagan society of absolute foolishness
• Paul is nothing because he plants
• Apollos is nothing because he waters
• In fact, every leader is nothing but a servant

In the text there are 2 primary reasons why you must emphasize Jesus a lot and people just a little.

In Christ everything belongs to you already (vv. 21-22)

The point is simple; every one of those individuals already belongs to you.

There is absolutely no sense in fighting about who is best, giving the four reasons you listen to Driscoll’s podcasts instead of Piper or why you follow Piper instead of following MacArthur.

• When you do this you automatically become self limiting.
• You limit your knowledge, you limit your exposure, you limit your ability to think outside of certain limits and you miss all that God has for you.
• It is like going to the beach on vacation and never getting up early enough to watch the sun rise.
• It is like going to Niagara Falls and never going to the observation deck.  The views from the side are cool, but that is only one perspective.  Ride the boat, go to the observation deck.  See it from as many places as possible.
• It is like going on an airplane and never looking out the window to enjoy God’s creation from an entirely different perspective.
• If time, trip to Washington Dullus with unbelievable clouds
• When you get hooked on only one preacher, one spiritual mentor, one important person in your life.  You miss it!  You automatically limit yourself.  Because you miss the views that God has for you.

Here is one simple example,

• Growing up somehow I got the idea that there was no such thing as a saved Presbyterian.  They did not exist.  Those words were mutually exclusive.
• Today, I have learned so much from my Presbyterian brothers.  I don’t agree with them about everything but I have learned so much. 
• I learned why some churches only sing the Psalms. 
• I learned why some don’t believe in instrumentation. 
• I learned how they understood their Bibles and I became more grounded because of it. 
• Even when I don’t agree I have learned so much about Christ’s church that I would have otherwise missed.

Loyalty to Jesus is not exclusive loyalty to any one man – that is foolishness.  Loyalty to Jesus is recognizing that he has provided all of these persons for the benefit of the whole body. 

So enjoy it.  Let’s also notice,

You belong to Christ and Christ belongs to God which means you belong to God (v. 23)

You belong to Christ and to God.  This is where we started.  It is an amazing truth that Jesus rescued you and made you his own. 

Part of the reason in these first 4 chapters that Paul is so irritated by their divisions is that when you praise men you praise the person delivering the mail rather than the one who sent it.  Here is what that does….

It encourages people to believe that they are more important than they are

I think it is good to be reminded from time to time that God can replace you and everything you do in less than 5 seconds. 

• Because what happens when people fill us with praise is that we begin thinking that they are right. 
• It is easy for us to want to be king and queen (absolute ruler of our little kingdoms).  When we are worshipped that tendency gets encouraged.

It demonstrates that you don’t understand where your loyalty should lie

PV talked about his relationship with Kris before they were married and how crazy it would be if she married the one who delivered the mail. 

• We get that don’t we?  Yet, that is exactly what we might be tempted to do spiritually. 
• When we do, it is not only damaging for the person we praise but for us as well.

So we return to the place where we started.  The text says that you belong to Jesus.  That is a positional fact that is true for every believer.  The question is whether you are loyal to him.  In this passage those who are loyal.

• Increase their loyalty to the Church
• Increase in their willingness to find wisdom found in the Word
• Increase in their boasting about Jesus and not about mere men 

Isn’t it great when all the pieces come together?

• Christmas is upon us and I am in the stage of life where some of my children like toys that have a little saying in 2 point font on the box “Adult assembly required.”  What it really should say is “You will be up all night on Christmas putting this toy together  – We hope you make it before your kids get up!”
• If your family is like ours that you know that your kids will be excited come Christmas Eve. 
• Our family Christmas Eve is very simple.  Come to the candlelight service at 6:00.  Spend time reading the Christmas story in the Scriptures.  Allowing our kids to exchange their gifts to each other.  Sometime watch a movie like “Polar Express” by our fireplace while we eat junk food and drink hot chocolate.
• You finally usher your kids to bed having had an evening of fun with a strong emphasis on the message of Jesus.
• It is time to get to work…you gather your tools, set out the presents, grab a beverage – preferably one loaded with caffeine.
• You get “done” and there are 4 pieces left and it is now midnight.  So you take it apart, actually read the directions this time, and by 1 am you finally have it together.
• There is a sigh of relief coupled with a sense of pride that you are the man!  You actually put together a toy that a bon a fide 3 year old will play with and it only took you 3 hours!
• Or maybe you are sports fan and your team has everything working.  All the players are playing well together and your team is just dominating the others.  The Colts are 11-0, West Lafayette won the state football championship, and the Purdue basketball team looks like it has all the players necessary to make a run at the NCAAs. 
• That is an awesome feeling.  You want to watch your team. 
• You want to watch them put the smack down on all their opponents and then you want to gloat that “your team” is awesome.

It is really great when all the pieces come together.  With that in mind please turn in your Bibles to two passages; the first is Acts 8:26, that is on page 99 in the back section of the Bible in the chair in front of you and Isaiah 49:1 which is on page 522 in the front section of the Bible.  Read Acts 8:26-35.

• The eunuch was reading Isaiah, in fact, he was reading one of the servant songs – a passage that Pastor Viars will use for the Christmas Eve services.  The servant song was initially confusing.  He had a few pieces to the puzzle but there were things that did not quite make sense.
• He knew it had to be talking about a person, but he didn’t know who.  Is it Isaiah himself, is he the servant?  Or is this talking about someone else? 
• So Phillip began there, in Isaiah, filling in the details.  Phillip put the puzzle together and demonstrated that the servant in the servant songs of Isaiah was none other than Jesus the Messiah.
• With the rest of puzzle filled in, the eunuch believed.

When you read some passages of the Bible, they are hard to understand.  But thankfully God has given us the “rest of the story.”  Phillip put the pieces together for the Eunuch that day.  Our Sunday morning services during Christmas are devoted to studying the servant songs of Isaiah with the overall theme of “Finding Hope in God’s Servant at Christmas.”  Last week, we saw the perfection of the Servant’s purpose.  Today, we are going to consider the perfection of the Servant’s Mission.

Please turn now to Isaiah 49.  Read Isaiah 49:1-13. Sounds a bit confusing, huh. 

• In fact, if we were reading this at home on our couch we might be thinking, “What in the world is this about?”.  Hopefully, over the next few minutes we can uncover and understand the rest of the story. 
• Before we get to the details let’s get a big picture.

All of the Isaianic servant songs are ultimately about Jesus.  Israel, by this point [700 BC with the northern tribes in exile and the Southern tribes 100 years before their own exile] has failed in her mission of bring a witness to the nations. She has failed to be a testimony and a light for God to pagan nations. Jeremiah 13:11 says, “as the waistband clings to the waist of a man, so I made the whole household of Israel and the whole household of Judah cling to Me,' declares the LORD, 'that they might be for Me a people, for renown, for praise and for glory; but they did not listen.'  This is epitomized in the ministry of Jonah.  Despite the fact that God wanted to be the God of the nations Israel’s own prophets looked at the nations with disdain and hatred.  So much, in Jonah’s case that he cared more for a plant than the people and wished he would die rather than see blessing fall on Ninevah. 

They failed according to live out Exod 19:6 and be a nation of priests.  So the servant songs provide a portrait of one who was to come, the ideal “Israel” who would accomplish the mission of taking God’s salvation to every tribe and tongue.  Isaiah 49 gives us the picture of this servant’s mission. 

• In v. 1 we find the servant himself calls to the nations. 
• In v. 6, the salvation of Israel alone was much too small a task for this servant – his mission was going to include all the nations. 
• In v. 13 we see the appropriate emotion one is to have toward the mission and ministry of the servant.

So this servant, the servant of Isaiah 49 was going to be and do what Israel did not – “bring salvation to the ends of the earth.”  This was a mission that required the call of God.

With the big picture in mind, I would like us to consider 5 truths that help us (1) find hope in the perfect mission of our perfect Savior, and (2) understand our role in his mission today.

Truth #1:  God’s Servant Jesus was an effective servant and we should be also

A. A look at Isaiah 49:  An Effective Servant

In v. 2 the servant is described using two metaphors. 

• The first metaphor is that of a sharp sword concealed for the proper moment. 
• The second metaphor is an arrow hidden in the quiver. 

At first glance there is a temptation of seeing these as elements of war.  The servant will make war.  But Isaiah 49 and all the servant songs describe a ministry of the servant in much calmer tones.  Thus, the focus of the metaphors is someplace different.

Notice again v.2.  he has made my mouth as a sword.  This places focus not on the wealding of weapons but on the message of the servant. 

• God’s servant was called by God as a messenger not a warrior. 
• This servant would be a spokesperson for God.  He would deliver the message of God. 
• The images of the concealed sword or the arrow in the quiver refer to his effectiveness in proclaiming the message that God has given him at the time at which God appointed.

B. Fast forward to the “rest of the story.” 

When I look at the ministry of Jesus – much like Phillip did with the Eunuch – we see that no prophet was more prolific at delivering God’s message at the right time to the right people.  Consider the following:

1. Jesus’ ministry occurs at just the right time

Romans 5:6 says “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.”  It does not get any clearer than this.  In the soverign plan of God the sword needed used and the arrow needed nocked during the days of 4 BC through 33 AD.  That was the time for the messenger to deliver God message -  a message that ultimately took him to the cross.

Truly Jesus was the servant was at the ready and used at the proper time.

1. Jesus speaks only that which the Father has given him to speak

Israel was supposed to share the truths God had given them with the nations.  Instead they adopted the mindset of the nations and worshiped other gods. 

But Jesus says in John 12:49"For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak.

The teaching of Jesus was one of the indications that he was no ordinary man.  Those who heard him said, “he speaks with authority, not like the scribes and elders.”

1. Jesus completed the work that the Father had given him to do

John 5:36"But the testimony which I have is greater than the testimony of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish-- the very works that I do-- testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me.

John 18:11So Jesus said to Peter, "Put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?"

Jesus did not come to make war he came to accomplish the mission given to him by his father; nothing more and nothing less.

1. Jesus’ work began the most significant “movement” known to man

I don’t have time to trace this historically but suffice it to say that the Bible has been read more than any other book known to man.  The followers of Jesus, while small in number at the beginning, have multiplied to millions and maybe billions.

How much more effective could he have possibly been?  All of the failures of national Israel to be the proclaiming light, to be the effective servant of God, have now been covered by the perfect servant – Jesus – who accomplished all that God had given him to do.  Truly Jesus was the concealed sword and the quivered arrow.

C. A challenge for us:  Be an Effective Servant

Now the issue before us is who we are going to model. 

• Will we model the ideal servant, Jesus, and be an effective servant in the hand of God?
• Or will we model the servant Israel who failed in her mission to be an effective servant for God and lost, for a time, that opportunity?

Many of you filled out the stewardship commitment cards last month.  You marked what you were going to do and what changes you believe God wanted you to make.  But here we are, a couple weeks after, and it is easy to lose sight of being a good and effective servant.

Being an effective servant of the Lord’s is not just saying you are or that you will be one.

It comes down to the 10,000 little moments of each and every week. 

• When you tempted to be angry about someone violating your little world and your little kingdom – God needs to live there.
• When you are tempted to lust – God needs to live there.
• When you are tempted to speak harshly with one of your family members – God needs to live there.
• When you are tempted to overspend on your gift list – God needs to live there.
• When you are talking to your neighbor – God needs to live there
• Being an effective servant is choosing in the 10,000 moments of each week that God will live there.  You simply cannot be an effective servant of King Jesus if you are trying to be king yourself.

In Isaiah 49 we not only see the effectiveness of the servant but we also see.

Truth #2:  God’s Servant Jesus reflected God’s glory and we should as well

A. A look at Isaiah 49:  A Servant that Glorifies God

In v. 3 God speaks to his servant.  It appears clearly in v. 3 that Israel is the servant.  However, as we read this whole section there are a number of challenges to identifying Israel, the nation, as the servant. 

• First, historically ½ of them are in exile and the others are heading in that direction. 
• Second, in v. 6 how can the servant Israel restore national Israel (Jacob / Israel) is the servant Israel is national Israel? 
• In Acts, when the Eunuch was reading Isaiah 53 his question was “Does this text refer to Isaiah himself or to another person?”  Israel, as a nation made no sense, to him. 

On what basis than can we say that Jesus is the servant when the servant is called Israel? 

• Outside the reality that all the servant songs provide a perfect picture of the person and work of Jesus there are two other factors. 
• First, this servant was going to accomplish all that the Israel herself was supposed to accomplish but could not. 
• Second, in Matthew after Jesus goes to Egypt Matthew quotes Hosea 11:1 which says, “out of Egypt I have called my son.”  In Matthew the reference has to be Jesus.  But in Hosea, the “son” is none other than the nation of Israel herself.  At times, Jesus is called Israel.

Thus, “Israel” is more of a comparison to “servant” in this passage than it is an identificaition of the servant.  Jesus, the Ideal Israel will show God’s glory.

B.Fast forward to the “rest of the Story”

Once again the portrait painted in the text of Isaiah 49 is perfectly done by Jesus Christ.  Consider just the following:

1. Jesus glorified the Father in his life

In John 17:4Jesus prayed "I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do.”

At the baptism of Jesus, God the Father says “This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.”  Jesus was the example of what it meant to glorify God in his life.  Even Nicodemus, who ultimately believed, and the other priests and Pharisees acknowledged that Jesus did what he did because he was enabled by God to do those things.  They could see the works and they acknowledge the source – even in their unbelief.

1. Jesus glorified the Father in his death

The process of death is not a very pleasant thought.  One of the temptations is to say Lord, when it is my time to die could you do it really fast.  We understand that kind of thinking because it is hard to suffer.  But listen to the words of Jesus.

John 12:23And Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. And John 17:5 "Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.  These words were spoken just prior to the cross. 

Jesus knew the suffering would be difficult and painful.  But he also wanted to glorify God in the midst of it.  Glorify God is exactly what Jesus did.

C. A challenge for us:  Be a Servant that brings Glory to God

 National Israel was supposed to demonstrate the glory of God to the nations around.  Instead, they became just like them. It is important for us in the church to remember however that we suffer from some of the same problems.

Ephesians 4:17-24 explains that believers sometimes continue to live like unbelievers.  In other words, we do not shine God’s glory instead we make God out to look like all the other “gods” in the universe.  Instead we are to growing and changing regularly.  Putting off behavior and thinking that dishonor God and putting on behavior that honors Him.

1 Cor 10:6-11 is written to the church explaining that we need to learn the lessons from Israel because they (1) were idolatrous (2) were immoral (3) were complainers and (4) put God to the test.  Then v. 12 says “Be careful lest you fall!”

Jesus said in John 15:8"My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.

So a fair question to ask ourselves is this:  In my attitude and in my actions does God get glory or does the God of heaven and earth look no more attractive to the unbelieving world than the gods of materialism, fame, pleasure, and wealth?

• On a scale of 1-10 rate how well you glorify God in my body.  Do you use the members of your body for righteous activity or for unrighteous.
• On a scale of 1-10 rate how well your work ethic brings glory to God.
• On a scale of 1-10 rate how well your handling of your finances brings glory to God
• On a scale of 1-10 rate how well your marriage and communication brings glory to God.

Understanding that your purpose in life is to glorify God 1 Cor 10:31 “Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it to the glory of God” really helps you prioritize life.  Instead of making it harder it makes it much easier.

Not only was the servant in Isaiah 49 an effective servant and a servant that brought God glory but we also see…

Truth #3:  God’s Servant Jesus was rewarded for suffering and God promises rewards to all who suffer patiently

A. A look at Isaiah 49:  Suffering Servant and Exalted Servant

In v. 4 and 7 we find two additional truths about God’s servant. 

• In v. 4 we see that the mission that God’s servant was not an easy one.  It was a mission that would be filled with trouble, sorrow, and difficulty.  The servant of Isaiah 49 does not ride on chariots with the vanquished following behind, the servant of Isaiah 49 does not lead a powerful army, and the servant of Isaiah 49 does not enjoy the “finest” things in life.
• Instead, he “toils” seemingly in vain, and his strength was spent. 
• God would bring his salvation to the world not by meeting the world’s arrogance with arrogance but instead with humility, weakness, and powerlessness

But v. 7 makes it clear that the suffering was not the end. 

• Humility was not the completion of his ministry because after humility came exaltation and after suffering came glorification.
• According to v. 7 it is the rulers, the kings and the princes that ultimately will bow down before the servant.

B. Fast forward to the “rest of the story”

It does not take much to see in Jesus both the suffering and the exalted servant.  Consider the following:

1. Jesus was born in home for animals and slept in a feeding trough

The picture of the stable that is often shown on Christmas decorations seems much like a western idea rather than a historical look.  It probably was much more like a cave in a small town just outside Jerusalem. 

Rather than doctors and nurses surrounding Mary it was more like farm animals would keep her company.  It is in this scene that the angels proclaim that Jesus, the Messiah, is born.  His bed was nothing more than a place for animals to eat.  Hardly the picture of a kingly birth.

1. Jesus was mocked in life and abandoned

As if the birth was not challenging enough, we learn that his life would be marked by constant conflict.  He journeys to Egypt to escape Herod’s men while the few males remaining in Bethlehem were slaughtered.

In his ministry there was constant conflict with the Pharisees, his “disciples” abandoned him leaving just a few that wished to genuinely follow Christ, there was the betrayal from one of his own, Judas, and then the ultimate abandonment when Jesus cried out on the cross, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”

1. Jesus took his place on high 

When the mocking was over, when the cross work of Christ was finished and his body was laid in the tomb – that was not the end.  Instead there was resurrection, victory, and exaltation.  That is why Philippians 2:5-11 records these words:

Philippians 2:5-11   Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,  ⁶ who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,  ⁷ but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.  ⁸ Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.  ⁹ For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,  ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,  ¹¹ and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

C.A challenge for us:  Patient Endurance and Opportunity

We are living in a day, and in a country where overt Christian persecution is fairly minor.  Our values may come into occasional conflict with the values of the ones we work for, they come into conflict with some of decisions our government makes but there is little “because you are Christian” you cannot ___________ (vote, have a job, etc).

But there are some appropriate responses:

First, we can pray as Paul did to know the Lord better:

Philippians 3:8-11  ⁸ More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,  ⁹ and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,  ¹⁰ that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;  ¹¹ in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Second, we can use this season of light persecution in order to take advantage of the opportunities put before us. 

• Tonight we will discuss more about the Purdue property.  The fact that we can consider such a purchase is an opportunity from the Lord. 
• The Christmas ministries like CFE (hard to believe that the Red Cross was willing to partner with area churches to get that done for the last 7-8 years)
• The opportunity to rent the Long Center
• The openness of our community to accept the Scriptures, the gospel of Jesus Christ as a legitimate option for people whose worlds are falling apart.

The point is this….on the days when suffering comes to be the servant Jesus and endure patiently knowing that exaltation will happen at the proper time.  But if the Lord continues to allow opportunities as he has to take full advantage of them.

Truth #4:  God’s Servant Jesus extended salvation and a new covenant to all who believe – a message God commands us to repeat.

A. A look at Isaiah 49:  Servant is Salvation to all who believe

Here is the crux of the passage.  According to vv. 5-6 God’s servant has a very important job.  In v. 5 the job is to restore Israel.  However, in v. 6 that job is expanded.  After all, rescuing Israel is much too small a task for this servant. 

• I don’t have time to trace this theme through the latter part of Isaiah however it is interesting to note that in Is 45 Cyrus (who has not been born yet) will also be a servant of God.  He will release Israel from her captivity.
• This servant’s task is much bigger and better that Cyrus’ task.  This servant will not only restore Israel but he will bring salvation to the nations.

It is not my custom to bring original language work to the pulpit but I cannot resist in Is 49:6.  The KJV and ASV put a focus on the text that NIV, ESV, NIV, NAS leave for a footnote.  The LXX, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible agrees with KJV on this point.  The text reads not that the servant will “bring” salvation but that he will be salvation!  [I will also give you for a light to the nations to be my salvation to the ends of the earth].

This servant is not only responsible for the restoration of the nation of Israel but is equally responsible to be salvation of all who believe regardless of ethnicity.

As we consider v. 8 we see another point worthy of mention.  This servant will be the initiator of a new covenant.  A better covenant and one based on the finished work of Jesus.

Thus, this servant’s mission is to accomplish what the nation of Israel never could.  Reach every last person possible!

B. Fast forward for the rest of the story

When it comes to the salvation of the nation, only one servant could have possibly accomplished that feat.  Consider the following:

1. Jesus is the only means by which anyone can be saved

Acts 4:12 says “Neither is there salvation in any other for there is no other name given among whereby we must be saved.”  The gospel message is the core of Christianity.  The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is the means by which anyone and everyone is saved.  There simply is no other way.

[give the gospel]

1. Jesus inaugurated a new covenant

Every church family night we celebrate what the Lord initiated – communion.  Not simply as a good idea, not simply as if you feel like it, but as one of the ordinances of the church [church family night tonight].  According to the text it is the “blood of the new covenant”. 

• A covenant made not with the blood of bulls and goats but with the cleansing blood of our Lord Jesus Christ who entered the holy of holies in heaven and sprinkled his own blood as an atoning sacrifice. 
• It is a new covenant where the Spirit is given to live inside me that I might not sin – but that I might bring praise, honor, and glory to God.

C.A challenge for us:  Spreading the Message of the Gospel

I think it is helpful if we all recognize that without this mission of Jesus we would not be here today.  We are Gentiles, we are the ones who history rests in paganism rather than worship of the creator and redeemer.  Yet, God has called us anyway. 

You and I are ambassadors for Christ.  That is why Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:20-21  ²⁰ Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.  ²¹ He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

As ambassadors for Christ we are expected to live out and share the gospel of Christ.  Living for Christ is being fired up enough about what Jesus has done for you that (1) you don’t demand your way (2) that you don’t yell, argue, fuss, and whine about your boss your spouse or your children (3) that you serve joyfully rather than make people beg before you will do anything (4) that your unbelieving neighbors and coworkers will see that you are really excited about your faith (5) that you will do all you can to take advantage of this Christmas season to spread the wonderful message of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for your sins!

Truth #5:  God’s Servant Jesus will bring to final completion all that God has given him to do so rejoice this Christmas season

The final truth this morning relates to vv. 8-13 and the completion of the mission. 

• The picture given in vv. 8-13 is a picture of what will be true when Jesus returns.  When “all Israel” is saved and when all things have been made right.  Thus, the challenge for us is pretty simple… rejoice. 
• Rejoice this Christmas season that Jesus is coming and that he will make all things right.    

Summary

Reading Isaiah 49 on its own is not easy.  In fact, we can relate to that Eunuch in Acts who read the Scripture but didn’t really get it.  But in due course God revealed the rest of the story.  And when the additional pieces are added it makes perfect sense.

Jesus, God’s perfect servant in the servant songs, had a perfect mission – a mission that was fortold in the dark days of Israel.  That mission was to extend God’s salvation in Jesus Christ (his servant) to the ends of the earth.  Many of us in this room today have been the recipient of that salvation.  We have been called by God.  We have also been commissioned by God

• To be an effective servant like Jesus
• To be a servant to shows the glory of God just like Jesus
• To suffer with trust just as Jesus did
• To spread the message of the gospel our world
• To hope and rejoice that the mission’s end will be even better

Col 1:18 says, “He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead so that He Himself will com e to have first place in everything.”  Hebrews expands that theme over 13 chapters to explain the supremacy of Jesus. 

• Friends, Jesus lives in the 10,000 little moments of your life where you decisions are made or he does not live in your life at all.

May we be focused and faithful to task of displaying God’s glory, His gospel, and His Word in everything we do. 

Do you enjoy surprises?  I sure do.  I am not a big basketball fan.  I will watch or go to a game now and then but I am not into it until …

• March madness ---
• I love watching the underdogs attempt to knock off the big boys.  It is those last second shots by the underdogs are always enjoyable to watch.    
• After one of the buzzer beaters everyone goes absolutely nuts.  One team rejoices with jubilation while the other team walks off or lays on the court in disbelief.
• There is just something about those surprises that are fun and enjoyable.

Sometimes commercials offer us surprises that make them really funny.  Check out this video regarding the German coast guard.

• German coast guard video (we are sinking)

The surprise is what encourages us to respond.  Sometimes that response will be joy or laughter.  If our team got knocked out of the tournament it might be frustration, anger, or discouragement.  But it is the surprise that encourages us to respond.

• In Genesis 11 they are going to build a tower to Heaven.  However, they were able to accomplish this to such an extent that the Bible says that God had to come down in order to take a look at it!  The language is surprising.
• Put Genesis 11:1-5 on the powerpoint.
• Remember when Nathan confronts David.
• David, on the whole, is a good king.  He was a military giant, he unified tribes, and he followed the Lord in many ways.
• However, he gave in to his desires with Bathsheba
• In due course she communicates that she is pregnant
• So David, seeking to resolve the matter brings her husband home (assuming that he will sleep with her and the pregnancy will be their little secret)
• But Uriah does not go for the plan.  He cannot bear the thought of his friends fighting while he is enjoying his wife so he sleeps at David’s doorstep
• It is David who sends Uriah back to the front with his own death certificate.
• Put 2 Sam 12:1-9 on the powerpoint
• David is about ready to go pound the guy that stole a sheep! 
• There is a great surprise coming when Nathan says to David the King --- “You are that Man”

This year we have been thinking about the subject of Hope in uncertain times.  So it is logical to ask the question, “Rob, what in the world do surprises in the Bible have to do with hope?”

With that in mind I invite you to turn to Matthew 27:27.  That is on page 25 in the back section of the Bible in the chair in front of you.  Read Matthew 27:27-54 – this is the word of the Lord.

We are going to look this morning at “Finding Hope from 5 Surprises at the Cross”. 

• These surprises in the story are meant to highlight the most significant elements of the story. 
• It is only our familiarity with the story (having heard it and read it 100 times) that hides these subtle surprises.

Surprise #1:  The One who is Mocked as king, Really is the KING! (vv. 27-31)

It is helpful to remember a bit about Roman legal proceedings as we read this portion of the text.  In the Roman system they were not particularly interested in housing criminals for long periods of time.  In fact, many towns like Philippi would have had a very small prison like this one [picture of prison].

One of the reasons had to do with the way they carried out sentences.  Once a person was arrested there would be a trial --- attorneys were not given weeks or months to prepare as often trials would occur with a day or so of the arrest ---typically early in the morning.

The evidence would be heard, the sentence read, and then sentence was carried out.  Even in the case of flogging, assuming the person survived, he/she would be released [Paul experienced this many times].  Again, there was no reason for long prison terms.  So the process was clear

• Arrest
• Trial and Sentence
• Sentence executed as soon as possible

All three would happen very quickly, especially the final two.  So what we find in vv. 27-31 is very unusual.

We find a group of soldiers who take it upon themselves to carry out their own sentence --- a sentence of torture and humiliation.  Matthew records the events quite simply ---

1. A roman cohort gathered around him.  If the cohort were at full strength that would be 600 soldiers.  Although it is possible that only a portion of them were on duty at the time.  Either way, all those present were involved.
2. They stripped off his old clothes and gave him a scarlet or purple robe.  In other words, the soldiers gave Jesus one of their robes.
3. A group of soldiers went outside and found a thorn bush native to the area (one with long spikes) and made a make-shift crown and crushed it on his head.  No doubt symbolizing the royal wreath that Caesar wore --- and a symbol that would have been inscribed on all their money.
4. They put a reed in his right hand to symbolize a royal scepter
5. Some picture of a king --- he has already been flogged which means he would have been a bloody pulp… he is draped with a soldiers garment to make him look official, he is given a crown of thorns, and a reed is put into his hands as a scepter (Some Kingly image!)

As if it were not enough to make a mockery of his appearance they put the finishing touches

• By kneeling before him
• Crying out “Hail, King of the Jews” --- you can almost hear their snickers in the background
• They spat on him
• Took the reed and hit him on the head with it.
• Each act --- the scepter, the robe, the crown, and the proclamation was a picture of how Caesar was worshipped (the King in the soldier’s mind).  These very acts were used to mock Jesus.

Verse 31 explains that after they had had their fun they put his old clothes on him and took him to be crucified.

Looking back on the events of the cross, like we can, allows us to see this event from an entirely different perspective.  It is, of course, a scene of humiliation and mockery.  But, looking at as we do, it is a scene of great hope.  Because Matthew has explained many times in his gospel that Jesus is in fact the KING!  As I read it on this side of the cross, the reality that Jesus is the king changes the way I think and it changes the way I live (or at least it should!).

• We have almost 200,000 soldiers deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Some of those young men will not return home.
• We have an economy where many folks have lost their jobs. 
• For the first time in my working lifetime I hear people thankful that they did not have to take a pay cut when the norm was people whining about their raises.  That tells us that times are rough.
• We have people working later in life because their retirement plans have been so radically affected.  That tells us that times are rough.
• But is Jesus still the KING in the midst of all these pressures?

Matthew answers that question with a resounding YES, Hebrews (which Pastor Viars just finished) answers that question with a resounding YES.  So, one of the questions before the house this morning is this:

• Young people --- does the way you treat your parents display the fact that you understand and believe that Jesus is King?  [Are you happily keeping your room clean and taking out the trash??]  
• Does your choice of friends make it obvious that you understand Jesus is King? 
• Does your choice of music demonstrate to others around you that you really believe that Jesus is King?
• Not just asking whether it is sin – we are asking whether it is helping you live as if Jesus is King.
• College students and young adults --- Does the fact that Jesus is the King make a difference in the people who are interested in dating? … Why not look for someone that lives like Jesus is really the king of their life??? 
• Does it affect the parties that you would or would not go to? 
• Does it impact the way you do your studies?  Merely to skate by or working heartily for the Lord.
• Husbands / wives --- Does Jesus being King make a difference in the way you treat your spouse?
• Would you respond so tersely and short with your spouse if Jesus were there.
• If you are a parent does Jesus being king impact the way you treat your kids?

Surprise #2:  The man who is utterly powerless is powerful. (vv. 32-40)

In this section we find three symbols that present Jesus as powerless – humanly speaking.

Symbol #1.  Jesus cannot even carry his own crossbeam

The Romans were very much into public execution.  They believed that one of the ways to keep folks in line was to carry out sentences so as many people as possible could see and hear the events. 

• Therefore, they would find a public road, like SR 26, and they would prepare by putting posts in the ground.  Those posts were fixed; almost like telephone poles today.
• They were visible reminders of what it meant to disobey Rome.
• Crucifixion was not for any reason or for any one.  It was reserved for those who challenged Rome’s authority.

So when it was time for a criminal to be crucified, the criminal would carry the crossbeam to the location of his/her execution.  It would be there that the criminal was nailed and/or tied to the cross beam and hoisted up onto the stationary post where the criminals feet might also be nailed.

Yet v. 32 makes it clear that Jesus is so weak from the scourging (that itself resulted in death at times), the trials, and the torments described in vv. 27-31 that he cannot complete the task himself.  So Simon is given the job of carrying the cross of Jesus to his place of execution.

Symbol #2.  Jesus is exposed to great shame on the cross with no possibility of rescue

The ancient literature on crucifixion emphasizes two basic points. 

1. Crucifixion is all about a painful death for the convicted.  He or she was supposed to agonize and suffer.  Thus death would be prolonged, as time was available, so that the suffering was severe.  There were times when a person lived for several days on the cross suffering in unspeakable agony.
2. Crucifixion was all about shame.  It is unlikely that Jesus would have been permitted to keep any clothing at the cross.  After all dead men don’t need clothing.
3. Even in Roman law only certain crimes and certain people could be crucified.  No roman citizen could be crucified without the written permission of Caesar himself.
4. It was the way you and I would view Auschwitz today or the treatment of African American slaves 2-3 centuries ago.  It was humanity at its worst.
5. The cross, from a human perspective, was a place that hope ended!
6. For Jews this element would be even more significant in light of Deut 21:23 – “Anyone who I s handed on a tree is under God’s curse.”  Jesus is not only suffering as the worst of all criminals but more importantly he is suffering under the disgrace of God!

So the criminal would be fully exposed to those walking by the road.  He, or she, would have been a bloody pulp crying out in agony for all to see.

The text also explains that the Roman guards sat down near him. 

• Earlier in their history Rome got into the habit of crucifying a person and simply leaving them to die. 
• However, there are several recorded accounts of family and friends taking a person off a cross and the person lived.  So by this time Rome would station a group of soldiers to oversee the crucifixion.  It may be that Matthew has given us this detail to help us see that Jesus really did die.

So Jesus is on a cross exposed to all the shame and pain that came with the cross and his executioners sit ensuring no rescue.  Above him reads the mocking title “King of the Jews.”  The picture could not be any more helpless than it is.

Symbol  #3.  Jesus cannot keep his word – at least from the crowd’s perspective (v. 40). 

Once Jesus’ ministry began, conflict with the Jewish leadership began almost immediately.  They hated his disregard for the oral traditions, they hated his willingness to heal on a Sabbath day, and they especially hated the references that he made claiming to be divine.  But now they accuse him of being a liar.  He is unable to keep his word.

• In their minds Jesus is completely crazy thinking that he can rebuild the temple.
• But that is because they are thinking about it all wrong. 
• They have in mind the construction business.  You cannot even cut a stone on the temple precincts.  This means that they envisioned Jesus cutting the stone some distance away, transporting the stone, and doing the finish work in 3 days.  That seemed utterly ridiculous. [Epsom construction in 2 weeks]

And thus they argue that there is no way that he can keep his word.

• Adding insult to injury the crowd now confesses that Jesus cannot possibly be who he says he is.  His credentials are all messed up. 
• He cannot be the son of God because he cannot come down from that cross.

In other words, in a surprising fashion the crowd speaks better than they know. 

• Yes, he will endure the shame
• Yes, he will submit to the human authorities sent to crucify him
• But he will do so because the greatest act of power the world has ever seen is taking place at that moment!

You see God knows, Matthew knows, the readers know, and we know…

1. He might be too weak to carry his crossbeam, but he is strong enough to bear the weight of the world’s sin on his shoulders.
2. He might be guarded by a squadron (probably 4) of Roman soldiers, but he could send legions of his angels to eradicate Rome and any other who stood in his way.  
3. He may not rebuild the physical temple with block and mortar but he will enter the temple not made with hands (Hebrews 9:11-14 on the powerpoint)

This episode functions at an incredibly practical level because earlier in the book Jesus has explained what real discipleship looks like … take up your cross and follow me.

• Cross bearing is no joke and yet Jesus says simply if you are not willing to take up your cross daily you cannot be his disciple.

This was no simple message for those in the 1^st century who had actually seen a crucifixion.  Today, the horror of such an event does not seem quite so striking.  Yet that is what Christian discipleship looks like. 

• It looks like denying yourself, it looks like giving up all your “rights”, it looks like being concerned about the interests of others, and it looks like living a life that is concerned about getting something done for Jesus.
• Sometimes folks do not care about sin…they do not care who they will hurt…quite frankly they are not particularly worried that God might choose to discipline them

• Does the reality that he is the “rewarder of those who diligently seek him” motivate you to faithful service?
• Passion play this week!
• CFN tonight and the need to pray together before such an event takes place.
• We will be presenting, in drama form, the most powerful story ever told!
• Children’s SS --- do you look at the lesson at breakfast before you come or have you thought through your lesson and tried to help those you’re teaching grasp the greatness of the truth of God’s word?
• Does the fact that Jesus accomplished his mission, kept his word, and did so tolerating all the human ignorance that surrounds the cross events motivate you to want to please him with your life. 
• Does the fact that Jesus is powerful encourage you to believe that he has solutions to your challenges?
• Does the fact that Jesus is powerful motivate you to be a blessing in the life of someone who is hurting?
• The economic challenges at some companies have provided opportunities for many of us to meet a need that never existed before.  We have an opportunity to help our friends.

Matthew continues the surprises in vv. 41-42.

Surprise #3:  The man who cannot save himself saves others [Matt 27:41-42]

In this short section the mocking continues.

According to v. 41 it is the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes – the ones who have orchestrated this plot from the beginning continue the mocking.  Their confession is nothing short of wicked.

They agree that Jesus was a miracle worker.  They affirm that Jesus was able to rescue many people from the challenges that plagued them.

• Jesus healed the sick
• He made the blind to see
• He made the lame walk

Yet, in spite of his ability to do something wonderful for someone else he is not able to save himself.  This claim, is true in one sense and not true in another. 

It is not true that the Son of God is under the authority of men against his will.  It is not true that the nails and the soldiers are the ones preventing Jesus from such an act.  In fact, Jesus can call his legions of angels and all those who stand against him will perish.  The Son of God is more than able to save himself from the anemic attempts of human beings to control him. 

But it is true in this sense --- Jesus is constrained to remain on the cross because that is the will of his father.  Jesus prayed in the garden, “not my will but yours be done.”  Michael Card in his song “Why?” asks this question, “Why did they nail his feet and hands when his love would have held him there?”  He gets it…the cross was part of the plan of the Father and Jesus is morally constrained to carry out that mission!

In other words, Jesus does not exercise all of his authority to do what he CAN do. 

• Instead, he is constrained by his morals to do that which he should do – obey his father.
• Jesus knows that he cannot both save himself and save us too. 
• It is his willingness to give of himself (not because he is forced to do so) that means you and I can be saved.

Friends --- that is a lesson from the life of Jesus that is crucial for our day and age.

• One version usually goes something like this, “how far can I go and still not sin?”  That applies to the way they treat their teachers, to the way they treat their parents, to their relationships with the opposite sex.
• A second version is not much different although it is typically couched in more subtle terminology.  How much time can be wasted at work and it not be a big deal?
• We need to do what is right because it is God’s will for us to do what is right.

Surprise #4:  The man who cries out in despair trusts in God. [Matt 27:43-50]

In vv. 43-44 the mocking continues...with two additional elements of significance in their sayings.

• They are wrong that the test of God delighting in him will be his willingness to remove him from the cross.  Isaiah writes that it “pleased the Lord to bruise him.”  He is the Son of God and the Father does delight in him as will be made clear in three short days at the resurrection.
• They are right that Jesus is facing his most severe test --- rejection of the father.

Beginning in v. 45 darkness falls on the land of Israel.  The darkness was not only a description of the current weather conditions, but more importantly described the spiritual realities of the cross.

The Father has turned his back on Jesus and Jesus, in the words of Paul, became sin for us.  God the father was pouring out his wrath on sin bore by his own son.

Romans 5:8-9  ⁸ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  ⁹ Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!

Jesus probably knew at least 3 languages and probably 4 (Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Latin).  In the light of the weight of rejection, the weight of wrath, and the weight of suffering Jesus cries out in the language he learned as a little boy in his home (Aramaic) – ELI, ELI, LAMA SABATHANI?  Which Matthew translates for us My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?

These words are powerful not only because in his moments of deepest anguish he returns to his mother tongue (much like missionary couples living oversees often retreat to English in the home) but also because of the words themselves.

• Quotation of Psalm 22 --- notice the end of the Psalm – despite the horror and trauma he resolves to trust in God.
• Jesus cries in despair and he trusts God in the midst of that despair.
• Notice their response vv. 48-50 --- they read the whole thing wrong!
• They think that Jesus has finally understood that he has failed and has turned to Elijah for help. 
• One seeks to offer a drink (possibly as an aid and possibly to prolong his suffering) while the others simply watch in disbelief.
• If God has rejected him surely Elijah will not come to his rescue.
• In reality, they have completely misunderstood Jesus’ message and Jesus’ quotation of Psalm 22.

This is one of the most terrible cries found in the pages of the Scripture or ever recorded in human history.  The son of God – the one who the father says “I am well pleased.” – bears the sin of sinful humanity and suffers rejection from the Father.

Jesus asks “Why was he forsaken”

• So that you would not have to.
• That is the power of the cross, that is the hope of the cross.
• Keith and Kristen Getty sign a song – The power of the Cross [read the words]

O to see the dawn of the darkest day

Christ on the road to Calvary, tried by sinful men

Torn and beaten then, nailed to a cross of wood

O to see the pain, written on your face

Bearing the awesome weight of sin

Every bitter thought, every evil deed

Crowning your blood-stained brow

[Refrain]

This the power of the cross

Christ became sin for us

Took the blame, bore the wrath

We stand forgiven at the cross

• Jesus cries out “My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me” so that for all eternity Rob Green will not have to.
• For all you here this morning who have repented of your sin and trusted Christ and your personal Lord and Savior you don’t have to utter that either.

[Give the Gospel]

Some of you here this morning have never reached the place where you have understood your need to Christ.  You have never seen your sin for what it is.  You have never seen the cross as the hope that it is.

• The picture of the cross is a picture of the horror of the offense, and how God views sin.
• But the picture of the cross is also a picture of hope.  It is a picture that you can be forgiven.  What Jesus accomplished is available to you.
• He simply asks you to believe and trust.  You need to be freed from the power and penalty over sin and the foot of the cross is the only place where that can be accomplished.

But those of you who have trusted in Christ; that begs this question:  Do you live and function in light of the power and the hope of the cross?

Their song ends this way…

[Final Verse]

O to see my name; Written in the wounds,

For thru your suffering I am free

Death is crushed to death, life is mine to live

Won through your selfless love

This the power of the cross, son of God slain for us

What a love, what a cost we stand forgiven at the cross

• Are you struggling to forgive?
• Are you struggling wanting your way in your marriage and you are willing to yell, and fuss, intimidate or manipulate in order to get your way?
• Are you struggling living for Jesus wondering if it is worth it?

Friends, the power and hope of the cross is that Jesus is worth everything you have. 

• He is worth your allegiance, he is worth every ounce of energy you give to serve him, he is worth being wronged, being inconvienced, being hurt, he is worth it all. 
• So whether you are here this morning in youthful vigor he is worth your strength. 
• Or whether you are here wondering if you have the strength to survive today he is worth everything you have.

That brings us to the final point this morning:

Surprise #5.  The event signifying the end actually starts a whole new beginning

If Jesus were any other man the story would rightly conclude at v. 50.  The Jews and Romans have got their way.  This ‘messianic impersonator’ has finally been taken care of and there is no longer any need to be concerned about him.

In reality – the death of Jesus immediately causes three significant events:

Event #1.  The temple veil was torn in two

This veil signifies a new system not bound in the temple system of the old covenant, but rather centered on Christ.  It is the blood of the new covenant that we celebrate at the communion table.

The temple, the meeting place between God and man, is now none other than the person of Jesus Christ.  1 Tim 2:5 There is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus.  The veil was torn in two not simply to foreshadow the destruction of the temple decades later, but to demonstrate that the demise of the temple was a theological necessity.

Event #2.  Many were immediately resurrected – setting in motion resurrection doctrine

Next week is Easter – the day we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.  The death of Jesus and the resurrection of Jesus are inseparably linked with the ushering of the new covenant. 

As yet a further evidence of all that God as doing – several “saints” (possibly known?) rose.  What happened to them?  We don’t know.  But what is clear is that these pieces are connected to show the hope and power of the cross event.

Event #3.  Even the Soldiers recognize that Jesus was no ordinary man

Maybe the greatest irony found in the text is speech of the soldiers.  If nothing else, these soldiers understood one thing --- this execution was different from all the others they had witnessed.

Summary:

Matthew records 5 surprises in the crucifixion story that build hope.

• Jesus is the King
• Jesus is powerful
• Jesus saves others
• Jesus trusts God
• Jesus starts a whole beginning 

The Getty’s captured it well

This the power of the cross

Christ became sin for us

Took the blame, bore the wrath

We stand forgiven at the cross

The question before the house is this:  In the midst of times that are good and bad will you function as if Jesus really makes a difference.  He loves you --- now the question is how much we are willing to love him back in our actions and our attitudes.