Luke 18:1-8, The Parable of the Persistent Widow
Introduction
Can you imagine running a race perfectly and never making it to the finish line? I remember seeing this video on Youtube about this bicycle race. One guy was in a race and he was coming right to the finish line. He was probably 20 or 30 feet away. He began to celebrate and put his hands in the air, and his bike spun out and he crashed.
Or how often do you see guys in professional football, who make an amazing catch, run down the field for the touchdown, and instead of sprinting into the end zone they slow down and begin to celebrate early. Then out of no where comes another jersey who hits him before he scores.
What a shame to come that close to the goal, that close to the finish line and not make it.
For those of you who like math, maybe you have heard of the race between the Tortoise and the hare, or the turtle and the rabbit? They both have to run a hundred feet. The turtle runs at about a foot a minute. The rabbit runs half the remaining field every minute. So the first minute the turtle is only one foot into the race, and the rabbit is 50 feet. Then the next minute the turtle is only 2 feet in the race, and the rabbit is 75 feet, running half the remaining field. But of course the rabbit never crosses the finish line, because one half the field never actually gets you to the end, and in 100 minutes the turtle wins.
What a shame to be so close, and never make it past the finish line. As Christians, as disciples of Christ, we can fall into the same trap. You see there is a danger, that we as disciples become like the cycler or the wide receiver who make it close to the end but don’t cross the finish line. Like the Rabbit in the race we start off running fast, studying God’s Word and praying and serving, but we give up before we make it to the end.
I. Retell the Story
Jesus tells the parable about a certain persistent widow and an unjust judge. This judge is basically a corrupt and immoral man masquerading as a judge. He doesn’t fear God and he doesn’t care about man. Maybe over time he’s given up on the concept of justice. Maybe he just wants to use his position of power to receive bribes and look out for number one. Maybe he is just a cold-blooded guy that doesn’t care about anything.
Nevertheless a certain desperate widow kept coming to him and asking for justice. She appears to have no sons, as she comes alone to the judge and his desperate. We are not told what the issue was, but she is persistent. Maybe she is looking for justice for her husband’s death. Regardless, she is determined. She will have her justice.
Of course at first the judge doesn’t care about the widow. This just shows how bad of a judge he really is, because judges were supposed to especially care for widows and orphans. But to him, she’s just another lady asking him to do more work and it makes no difference to him. But she keeps coming and keeps coming.
Eventually the judge is annoyed with her, and he says, “Even though I don’t care in the least about what is right and wrong here, and even though I couldn’t care less about this widow, I’m going to give her justice simply so that she will leave me alone.” The judge answers her request and she gets what she so desperately longed for.
Shockingly Jesus applies this to God. He says we are supposed to be like the widow crying out for justice. And God is like the judge who is responsible for giving justice. Now, you hear this and may think, ‘Huh?’ How can God compare himself to the unjust judge? He is nothing like God.
But that’s the point, Jesus is using an argument from the lesser to the greater. If this is true of an unjust judge, how much more so is it true of God. God is not like the unjust judge, he is infinitely greater.
· This judge couldn’t care less about justice. God is infinitely concerned about justice.
· This judge did not fear God. God does not merely fear God, he is God
· This judge did not care about man. God cares more about us than we could ever imagine.
· This judge didn’t know this woman from Adam. God has chosen and loved his people like nothing else in the universe.
But if even this unjust judge will hear the request of this widow, then how much more so will God hear our Prayers. If this unjust judge will hear this widow, God Almighty will certainly hear us.
II. Big Idea
The good thing about this parable is we don’t have to guess what it is about. Luke tells us what this parable is all about from the outset in verse 1 “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.”
As disciples of Christ, Jesus is very concerned that we continue to pray and not give up. He calls us to make it past the finish line, make it to the end. It would be tragic for us to come all the way near the end in prayer, and give up. Disciples of Jesus continue to pray and never give up.
III. Application
I. Continue to Pray
(Hymn 517, bookmark ‘Pray without ceasing’)
As disciples of Christ, God calls us to pray without ceasing. Sometimes people ask, “How often should I pray?” And the answer to that is: continually. In fact, many people take this to mean we need to have to maintain a spirit of prayer. We need to try to live life in such a way that we are constantly talking and listening to God.
"You may as soon find a living man that does not breath, as a living Christian that does not pray." Matthew Henry
Friends if you want to grow as a Christian, I don’t know another way besides prayer. This is it. This is huge. Prayer has got to be central. There is no loophole around this one. There is no escape hatch from the prayer. But here is the funny thing about prayer, the more you do it, the more you will love doing it. Paul said that we train in godliness like physical training. It is a lot like going to the gym. (FBC people at the gym). The first time you go the gym, it hurts, you get sore, you feel weak. Then you start going consistently, once a week, twice a week, three times a week, and it starts to get easier and you start to look forward to it. It sets off the endorphins in your body and you feel more energy. In fact if you miss a week you feel bad, because your body feels icky. The same is true of prayer.
The more you pray, the more prayer will be a sweet retreat and refreshing oasis to your week. Prayer ceases to feel like a chore or a duty. Instead we look forward to praying, like we would look forward to talking to a loving Father.
Reverent but real. When we speak to God we speak to him reverent, but real. Be reverent. We shouldn’t talk to God like he’s some guy we met at mechanic shop. “Hey Gawd, you gonna do something for me today or what?” But at the same time God is not interested in you simply using fancy language. “I thank thee for thine bounty and for thine excellencies.” In fact Jesus said make sure you don’t babble like the pagans when you pray. Reverent, but real.
“God you are Holy and I am not, so I need you now to be with me as I go home to my family now. Give some grace to be a good husband and father, even though I’m exhausted. Amen.” Reverent.
“God. I just want to thank you for giving me this day. Thanks for that delicious breakfast I had this morning. Homemade waffles with real syrup (none of that sugar-free low-fat junk). And that bacon and sausage.” Real
That’s not a chore. That’s not a duty. That’s a conversation with someone we know and love. Reverent, but real. You are talking to a loving Father. I have one of those. I recently called up my dad for advice. I presented this situation to him, and said, what do you think I should do. So we talked about it, he gave me some advice. I took his advice and the situation was resolved. I thought, “My dad has learned a few things in his 55 years.”
Mark Twain once said, “When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years."
Here are a list of ideas that may help you in prayer. Some may be helpful for you, others may not be helpful for you.
1. Pray the Scriptures
2. Have a place and time of prayer
3. Journal when you pray
4. Come to Wednesday night, There is group prayer and there is private prayer.
5. Be willing to pray out loud
6. Sometimes just be silent
7. Pray with your family.
8. Pray while driving alone
9. Learn breathing prayers
10. Structure your prayers (ACTS, written)
II. Never give up
Jesus said disciples never give up. Persevere to the end in prayer. Think about this widow, she bugged this judge night and day. She was persistent. She stuck it out. That’s how determined we should be about pray.
Think about it, why did Jesus tell this story? I mean if God is not like the unjust judge and he loves us, and he always answers our prayers, why even tell this parable?
All of us know the answer from our own experience. Things aren’t so nice and tighty. God doesn’t always seem to answer us when we pray. Sometimes we feel like the widow who isn’t receiving justice. Sometimes we pray for something over and over, “God help me find a job”, and still no job. “God help my wife be healed of her cancer”, and still no healing. Why is that? I mean if God loves us, and wants what’s best for us, why then does he not give us that job or heal her of her cancer? That’s why he told this parable.
You see friends, God’s answer to our prayers are not always what we want them to be. God always answers the prayers of his people, but he doesn’t always answer them as we might expect. So, if it seems like God is not answering our prayers, we just keep asking him and begging him, but nothing seems to happen, what should we do? Jesus’ answer, Disciples continue to pray and never give up.
God is mysterious. This is deep stuff friends, this isn’t Christianity 101, we’ve moved on to 201. I remember teaching a class on prayer about a year or two ago. And one of the questions that kept coming up was “If God knows the future already, what does it matter if we pray or not?” And my answer was there is a mystery here. “You see, God not only knows the future, he also knows whether or not we are going to pray. So God is not only sovereign over what he wills for the future, but he is also sovereign over whether or not we pray for that will.” I think that caused more confusion than help. But here is what we can say God is completely sovereign over everything, AND God calls us to pray. How it all works together is not for us to know.
God is mysterious. He is not easy to understand. He is not like a giant candy machine. If I put in two prayers for health, then he gives me health. If I put in four prayers for a better marriage, then I get out a better marriage. Doesn’t work that way. God is mysterious. He is not a giant candy machine. He is a wise Father who doesn’t always explain himself to us. He doesn’t always give us an answer to the ‘why’ question. Instead he gives us himself, which is better by far.
God why are you not answering my prayer? God why did you not heal my spouse? Why did you not fix my marriage? Why did you not watch over my teenager that rainy night? And it is almost as if God puts his hand our shoulder like a wise old Father and says “You don’t need to know the answer to the ‘why’ question right now, but here’s what you need to know. I am right here with you. I am not going anywhere. You may not have what you asked for, but you have me. Don’t give up just because things haven’t turned out as you asked. Stick to it, in the end it will all make sense.”
We need to be persistent in prayer, like George Mueller. George Mueller was an evangelist in the 1800s in England. He was known for his orphanages, but also for his deep love of God. I recently came across this quote about Muller:
“One day George Mueller began praying for five of his friends. After many months, one of them came to the Lord. Ten years later, two others were converted. It took 25 years before the fourth man was saved. Mueller persevered in prayer until his death for the fifth friend, and throughout those 52 years he never gave up hoping that he would accept Christ! His faith was rewarded, for soon after Mueller’s funeral the last one was saved.”
Just like this persistent widow got an answer in then from an unjust judge, so God will give us an answer in the end. Just don’t give up. Persevere to the end in prayer. Finish the race. Don’t be like the bicyclist or the wide receiver who stopped before the finish line. Don’t be like the rabbit who runs fast in the beginning but never crosses the finish line.
This parable that Jesus told is not so much a parable about prayer as it is about perseverance. The context in Luke is about the end times. Oftentimes people will talk about the end times, and whether or not the end is near. You know what Jesus concern was? Not that his disciples would know the end, but that they always remain faithful to the end. People ask, ‘Do you think that we are near the end’. The truth is I don’t know, I don’t have a clue. Here is what I do know, whether Christ comes back tomorrow, or comes back in 10,000 years, he calls me to be faithful and pray. He calls me to never give up.
Just like the persistent widow never gives up, so it is true that we as Christians must never give up. We are called to persevere to the end. Notice how Jesus ends the parable, verse 8, “when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” When Jesus comes back will we still be persevering in prayer? Will he find us praying, or giving up?
Conclusion
Jesus tells us to continue to pray: to pray without ceasing. And he calls us to never give up: to persevere in prayer to the end.
Imagine if our church made prayer central to everything we do. Imagine if the first thought that came into people’s minds when they heard First Baptist Church is that is a church that loves to pray. That love to talk to God there.
Imagine what God would do to our church if we all prayed without ceasing; where we all maintained a spirit of prayer; where when someone expressed a difficult situation we come together and pray. When something great happens to our church, we thank God about it in prayer.
Imagine a church where we persevere in prayer; where we look to God as a loving Father who even though we don’t understand why he does things, we never give up.
The whole culture of the church would change. That would be a church that I would dream of being a part of. Continue to pray and never give up.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Follow the Leader
Exodus 13:17-22
Last summer Jess and I drove down to Florida to take the kids to Disney World. That is a long drive with two kids. In fact we took two nights to do it, one night in North Carolina, and one nigh in Savannah, GA. On the way back we decided to try and do it with only one night on the road. So we drove for hours straight through the day and late into the night. Sometime around midnight I believe we tried to find a hotel to stay in. What we didn’t know was that it was college football season in the Virginia area, and that virtually every hotel would be booked. So we kept driving and tried calling hotel after hotel trying to find a vacancy for miles, nothing. Finally it turns to around 2am. As you can imagine we are both extremely tired, the kids are sound asleep, and it is pitch black outside. I could barely keep my eyes open. Something needed to be done. I turn to Jess and say, ‘Here is the plan. We find a Starbucks at a rest stop and get a large caffeinated ice coffee. You drive for an hour and let me get a short nap. After that, I’m going to go ahead and just drive straight through the night. It may not sound very good, but we have no other choice. But before we do that, let’s pray and call one more hotel.”
So we pray, we are both tired and upset, and we try one last place. You guessed it, vacancy. We had called dozens of places before that. Thank God. Something became evident to me on that ride back. God was leading us the whole way. He allowed us to sweat a little, just to test how we would act. Just to see if we really trusted him throughout this journey. But the whole time, he was going before us.
Friends, How does God lead us, his people? How does he guide and direct his people? Turn with me if you will in your Bibles to Exodus 13:17-22.
Let us examine together how God’s leads us.
I. God sometimes leads his people by surprising detours (17-18)
Consider where “God did not lead them…” We read that God specifically did not lead them through the Philistine country. Now if you are trying to get to Israel from Egypt, that would be the road to take. Or so you would think. It was a whole lot shorter, 4 or 5 days. Instead God takes them around by the desert toward the Red Sea. So instead of taking them 4 or 5 days to get to where they are going, it takes them 40 years! So imagine you are trying to get from Boston to Los Angeles. You have two choices, you can take the shortcut, and drive down to Logan Airport, and fly out there in a matter of hours. Or you can take the scenic route and walk there wandering around the US for the next 40 years. You would think that was a no brainer, but God had different plans.
Consider with me for a moment where God has not lead you. Look back on your life and think for a moment. Think about the person you almost married but didn’t. God did not lead you there. Think about jobs you almost took but eventually felt lead not to. God did not lead you there. Think about the number of bad decisions you just about made but by God’s grace didn’t. God did not lead you there. Isn’t it amazing that decisions we made 10 or 20 years ago have shaped who we are today? Consider where God does not lead you. Step by step God has directed you in certain ways to shape who you are.
The reason why he lead Israel away from the short road is that direction would lead them into sin. If they went the short road they would face war, and would return as slaves back to Egypt. So, instead he takes them the long way to mold and shape them on the journey. For 40 years in the desert God was molding Israel. Sometimes that is why God has us take the long road. To protect us and mold us. God is not just interested merely in where we are trying to go. God is also interested in how we get there. He is also interested in the process.
This is true of us individually. And this is true of us as a church. Thinking about when we face big decisions, like with the building for example. God is not just interested in the outcome. He is interested in the process, whether we will seek first the kingdom; whether we will genuine seek him in prayer; whether or not we will be faithful even through difficulties; whether or not we will work together and be the church.
When you think about it, we will never really be at our final destination. Even when Israel returned to their land, they still had new challenges, new problems, and new adventures to go through. The same is true of us, even if we had a surplus budget, a perfectly restored building, a growing congregation, we will still not have arrived. We will still have new challenges, new problems, and new adventures. The question is how are we doing on the journey? How is God shaping and molding us through it all? God leads us sometimes through surprising detours.
II. God leads his people by His Promises (19)
God not only leads his people by his surprising detours, he leads them by his promises. Look at verse 19.
Why is this little section about carrying Joseph’s bones in here? Does that throw you off? Is that sort of like a useless aside? Doesn’t have anything to do with God leading Israel, but Moses wanted to throw it in.
It demonstrates a trust in God’s promises. God promised that Israel would eventually leave Egypt and come back to their land. So that even Joseph 400 years before they left Egypt, asked that his body be brought back when God fulfills his promise. He knew he could trust God’s promise. He could stake on that promise. God knew the end from the beginning and promised Israel that they will return. Think about Israel looking at the box of Joseph’s bones year after year for 400 years knowing that God would eventually bring them home. He gave his word. He made a promise.
It also shows the Israelites trust in the promise of the resurrection. The people of Israel took extreme care for the physical body even after death. The reason why is, they knew God will raise the dead. Now, they weren’t stupid, they know that the body decays, and eventually it will turn to dust, even the bones in time. God can raise his people from the dead, even from dust. He made us from dust once, he can do it again. But even still because God is the creator of the body, and the body will eventually be raised, the greatest respect should be given to the body even after death because the promise of resurrection.
God’s promises are always trustworthy. You and I make and break promises all the time. God doesn’t. Ever. If you want to know how God leads, look to his promises. They are like stakes in the ground that you can hold on to. They don’t move.
We need to know what God promises and what he does not promise. God does not promise health and wealth and prosperity. He does not promise a wonderful marriage and a great job, a big house with a dog and a cat in the yard. Search the Scriptures from beginning to end, and you will never see that promise.
Sometimes you will hear someone say “I can’t trust God, because he let my down. I lost my job and my marriage is falling apart.” That has nothing to do with trusting God. God may give you those things. It may be his leading for you to be married and to have a job you love. But never does he promise them. In fact God clearly says there will be trials and struggles and suffering. God’s sovereign over the journey, he’s in control of the global mapping system, but he never said it was going to be an easy go-lucky journey.
What does God promise? He promises grace and forgiveness for our sins through faith in Christ. He promises the Holy Spirit to comfort and sanctify us. He promises eternal life and resurrection. He promises that there can be joy in the midst of suffering and hope in the midst of trials. Those are promises that you can stake your life on. Study the Scriptures to know what God promises.
But friends, how amazing it is that we do have God’s promises to trust in. God sees the whole picture, he sees the end from the beginning, he knows where we are going before we even know we are going. His promises are trustworthy. He is leading us in a very specific direction to a very specific destination. Follow his leading by knowing his promises.
III. God leads his people by his Presence (20-22)
There used to be this old bumper sticker that said, “God is my co-pilot.” Then they came out with another bumper sticker that said, “If God is your co-pilot, switch seats.”
Look at verses 20-22. The pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire were physical representations of God’s presence. There is a big word used to describe this, it is called a theophany. There are times in Scripture where God reveals himself using some temporary image (Burning Bush, Ark of Covenant, Dove, etc)
Why the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire? Because they show God’s care. The cloud would block the hot desert sun during the day, and the fire would give light and warmth to the cool dark night.
But notice how God leads. The cloud and fire never leave them: while they ate, slept, or walked. God’s presence never leaves his people. He leads them by his own presence with his people. He’s not sitting in the control room up in Heaven somewhere, he’s the pilot. He is present with his people. He leads by his presence. To lead by presence is different and more powerful than leading merely by directions.
If you go flying on a Boeing 747, you are going to want to have a pilot with you. Or to take another example, if you go trekking through the Amazon jungle, you are going to want a guide with you. That is how God leads his people, with his own presence.
There are few leaders that people trust more than doctors. I can remember when Jess and I had Isaac, I was only 22 years old, and Jess and I had only been married for 1 year. We arrived at the hospital and they induced her into labor. I don’t know about you, but that is a pretty intense situation. I didn’t know anything about having a baby. I went through that short little class with Jessica, and we had those videos in High School that made everyone feel uncomfortable, but that’s about it. As we waited hour after hour for the time to come, things get a bit crazy. And the doctor doesn’t come until your pretty close to ready. Instead, you get a nurse assigned to you. Now the way it worked with our nurses is we ended up having three of them over the 14 hours or so of labor. For us, they got progressively better. The last nurse was great. The first one was new, and not the most friendly, and she didn’t seem very competent. So as time goes on Jess’ labor is getting stronger and stronger. She is in more and more pain. I’m trying to stay calm. And the nurse doesn’t seem to know what she is doing.
Finally the Doctor comes in. Doctor Weiner. He yells out a couple of orders to the nurse, does a couple of medical things to Jess, and says a couple of humorous words to me. And wow, what a feeling of relief. The Doctor is here. And as some of you know we ended up with some complications and we had an emergency C-section. But the Doctor was there to lead us through the whole process.
Now, I’m sure that the nurses were probably more competent than I gave them credit for. But there was something about having the doctor present. The one who knows what’s going on, the one who has done this hundreds of times, the one who is skilled, trained, gifted, to do this very thing. That was leadership.
That is how God lead Israel in the desert. Now, what does this have to do with today? I mean we don’t have a pillar of cloud directing us, or a pillar of fire telling us what to do next? How is God present with us today?
The cloud and the fire were just a shadow of God’s most stunning theophany to come. God’s presence was shown in Christ and his incarnation as the ultimate theophany! Christ was the image of the invisible God, the actual presence of God with us in human flesh. And as Christ died for us and rose from the dead, his promise is that he would be with us, by His Spirit forever.
You know what the goal of a church is? To follow the leader. It’s not to get complicated with numerous strategies and methods. It is not to rely on specific programs and unique ministries. It is not to try and be as attractive and appealing as we can to the culture. It is much simpler than that. It’s to follow the leader. Where is God leading us? What is God calling us to? What is God doing among us? What detour is he calling us to? What does he promise in his Word?
God leads his people by surprising detours. God leads his people by global mapping. God leads his people as the pilot. God leads his people.
I started getting into rock-climbing. One thing I learned is that if you are going on a serious climb, let’s say 400 feet in the air on steep rock wall. Perhaps the most important thing is to follow the leader. The leader is going to be the one with the experience. He is the one with the right tools. He is the one who has you in mind as you go. As the leader climbs, he will decide the path that everyone should take. It may be that he will take you on a detour that you don’t understand. Maybe he is trying to avoid a section of rock wall that is impossible to climb. Maybe he is trying to take you in a direction that has a ledge to take break. But he knows something you don’t.
He is the one who has studied the mountain and knows where to wedge stakes in the mountain. Stakes that you will need to trust in. If you fall it is those stakes that will need to hold your rope. Without them you will not only fall but will take everyone with you.
And finally he is the one who you have to trust. He will tell you what you need to do. You can ask him questions, let him know if your stuck. Let him figure things out for you. Because he’s the leader and he is right there with you.
We as Christians need to follow the leader. We need to recognize the detours God may be calling us to. I don’t have any in mind. But it may happen. Even when a certain direction seems to be the shorter direction, God may still be calling us to another direction. He is more interested in the process than merely the destination.
It means we need to trust promises. God is sovereign. He knows everything. He is in control. Look to his promises and stake in them. Study the Scriptures with an eye to God’s promises. Know where to stake your life. What does he actually promise, and what are things that he may or may not give.
And finally we need to look to his Presence. He is present with us. His Spirit is real and truly with us. The church a congregation lead by God’s Spirit. He has given us His Word, he has given us pastors and elders, but he Himself is also present with us. Let us faithfully follow the leader.
Last summer Jess and I drove down to Florida to take the kids to Disney World. That is a long drive with two kids. In fact we took two nights to do it, one night in North Carolina, and one nigh in Savannah, GA. On the way back we decided to try and do it with only one night on the road. So we drove for hours straight through the day and late into the night. Sometime around midnight I believe we tried to find a hotel to stay in. What we didn’t know was that it was college football season in the Virginia area, and that virtually every hotel would be booked. So we kept driving and tried calling hotel after hotel trying to find a vacancy for miles, nothing. Finally it turns to around 2am. As you can imagine we are both extremely tired, the kids are sound asleep, and it is pitch black outside. I could barely keep my eyes open. Something needed to be done. I turn to Jess and say, ‘Here is the plan. We find a Starbucks at a rest stop and get a large caffeinated ice coffee. You drive for an hour and let me get a short nap. After that, I’m going to go ahead and just drive straight through the night. It may not sound very good, but we have no other choice. But before we do that, let’s pray and call one more hotel.”
So we pray, we are both tired and upset, and we try one last place. You guessed it, vacancy. We had called dozens of places before that. Thank God. Something became evident to me on that ride back. God was leading us the whole way. He allowed us to sweat a little, just to test how we would act. Just to see if we really trusted him throughout this journey. But the whole time, he was going before us.
Friends, How does God lead us, his people? How does he guide and direct his people? Turn with me if you will in your Bibles to Exodus 13:17-22.
Let us examine together how God’s leads us.
I. God sometimes leads his people by surprising detours (17-18)
Consider where “God did not lead them…” We read that God specifically did not lead them through the Philistine country. Now if you are trying to get to Israel from Egypt, that would be the road to take. Or so you would think. It was a whole lot shorter, 4 or 5 days. Instead God takes them around by the desert toward the Red Sea. So instead of taking them 4 or 5 days to get to where they are going, it takes them 40 years! So imagine you are trying to get from Boston to Los Angeles. You have two choices, you can take the shortcut, and drive down to Logan Airport, and fly out there in a matter of hours. Or you can take the scenic route and walk there wandering around the US for the next 40 years. You would think that was a no brainer, but God had different plans.
Consider with me for a moment where God has not lead you. Look back on your life and think for a moment. Think about the person you almost married but didn’t. God did not lead you there. Think about jobs you almost took but eventually felt lead not to. God did not lead you there. Think about the number of bad decisions you just about made but by God’s grace didn’t. God did not lead you there. Isn’t it amazing that decisions we made 10 or 20 years ago have shaped who we are today? Consider where God does not lead you. Step by step God has directed you in certain ways to shape who you are.
The reason why he lead Israel away from the short road is that direction would lead them into sin. If they went the short road they would face war, and would return as slaves back to Egypt. So, instead he takes them the long way to mold and shape them on the journey. For 40 years in the desert God was molding Israel. Sometimes that is why God has us take the long road. To protect us and mold us. God is not just interested merely in where we are trying to go. God is also interested in how we get there. He is also interested in the process.
This is true of us individually. And this is true of us as a church. Thinking about when we face big decisions, like with the building for example. God is not just interested in the outcome. He is interested in the process, whether we will seek first the kingdom; whether we will genuine seek him in prayer; whether or not we will be faithful even through difficulties; whether or not we will work together and be the church.
When you think about it, we will never really be at our final destination. Even when Israel returned to their land, they still had new challenges, new problems, and new adventures to go through. The same is true of us, even if we had a surplus budget, a perfectly restored building, a growing congregation, we will still not have arrived. We will still have new challenges, new problems, and new adventures. The question is how are we doing on the journey? How is God shaping and molding us through it all? God leads us sometimes through surprising detours.
II. God leads his people by His Promises (19)
God not only leads his people by his surprising detours, he leads them by his promises. Look at verse 19.
Why is this little section about carrying Joseph’s bones in here? Does that throw you off? Is that sort of like a useless aside? Doesn’t have anything to do with God leading Israel, but Moses wanted to throw it in.
It demonstrates a trust in God’s promises. God promised that Israel would eventually leave Egypt and come back to their land. So that even Joseph 400 years before they left Egypt, asked that his body be brought back when God fulfills his promise. He knew he could trust God’s promise. He could stake on that promise. God knew the end from the beginning and promised Israel that they will return. Think about Israel looking at the box of Joseph’s bones year after year for 400 years knowing that God would eventually bring them home. He gave his word. He made a promise.
It also shows the Israelites trust in the promise of the resurrection. The people of Israel took extreme care for the physical body even after death. The reason why is, they knew God will raise the dead. Now, they weren’t stupid, they know that the body decays, and eventually it will turn to dust, even the bones in time. God can raise his people from the dead, even from dust. He made us from dust once, he can do it again. But even still because God is the creator of the body, and the body will eventually be raised, the greatest respect should be given to the body even after death because the promise of resurrection.
God’s promises are always trustworthy. You and I make and break promises all the time. God doesn’t. Ever. If you want to know how God leads, look to his promises. They are like stakes in the ground that you can hold on to. They don’t move.
We need to know what God promises and what he does not promise. God does not promise health and wealth and prosperity. He does not promise a wonderful marriage and a great job, a big house with a dog and a cat in the yard. Search the Scriptures from beginning to end, and you will never see that promise.
Sometimes you will hear someone say “I can’t trust God, because he let my down. I lost my job and my marriage is falling apart.” That has nothing to do with trusting God. God may give you those things. It may be his leading for you to be married and to have a job you love. But never does he promise them. In fact God clearly says there will be trials and struggles and suffering. God’s sovereign over the journey, he’s in control of the global mapping system, but he never said it was going to be an easy go-lucky journey.
What does God promise? He promises grace and forgiveness for our sins through faith in Christ. He promises the Holy Spirit to comfort and sanctify us. He promises eternal life and resurrection. He promises that there can be joy in the midst of suffering and hope in the midst of trials. Those are promises that you can stake your life on. Study the Scriptures to know what God promises.
But friends, how amazing it is that we do have God’s promises to trust in. God sees the whole picture, he sees the end from the beginning, he knows where we are going before we even know we are going. His promises are trustworthy. He is leading us in a very specific direction to a very specific destination. Follow his leading by knowing his promises.
III. God leads his people by his Presence (20-22)
There used to be this old bumper sticker that said, “God is my co-pilot.” Then they came out with another bumper sticker that said, “If God is your co-pilot, switch seats.”
Look at verses 20-22. The pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire were physical representations of God’s presence. There is a big word used to describe this, it is called a theophany. There are times in Scripture where God reveals himself using some temporary image (Burning Bush, Ark of Covenant, Dove, etc)
Why the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire? Because they show God’s care. The cloud would block the hot desert sun during the day, and the fire would give light and warmth to the cool dark night.
But notice how God leads. The cloud and fire never leave them: while they ate, slept, or walked. God’s presence never leaves his people. He leads them by his own presence with his people. He’s not sitting in the control room up in Heaven somewhere, he’s the pilot. He is present with his people. He leads by his presence. To lead by presence is different and more powerful than leading merely by directions.
If you go flying on a Boeing 747, you are going to want to have a pilot with you. Or to take another example, if you go trekking through the Amazon jungle, you are going to want a guide with you. That is how God leads his people, with his own presence.
There are few leaders that people trust more than doctors. I can remember when Jess and I had Isaac, I was only 22 years old, and Jess and I had only been married for 1 year. We arrived at the hospital and they induced her into labor. I don’t know about you, but that is a pretty intense situation. I didn’t know anything about having a baby. I went through that short little class with Jessica, and we had those videos in High School that made everyone feel uncomfortable, but that’s about it. As we waited hour after hour for the time to come, things get a bit crazy. And the doctor doesn’t come until your pretty close to ready. Instead, you get a nurse assigned to you. Now the way it worked with our nurses is we ended up having three of them over the 14 hours or so of labor. For us, they got progressively better. The last nurse was great. The first one was new, and not the most friendly, and she didn’t seem very competent. So as time goes on Jess’ labor is getting stronger and stronger. She is in more and more pain. I’m trying to stay calm. And the nurse doesn’t seem to know what she is doing.
Finally the Doctor comes in. Doctor Weiner. He yells out a couple of orders to the nurse, does a couple of medical things to Jess, and says a couple of humorous words to me. And wow, what a feeling of relief. The Doctor is here. And as some of you know we ended up with some complications and we had an emergency C-section. But the Doctor was there to lead us through the whole process.
Now, I’m sure that the nurses were probably more competent than I gave them credit for. But there was something about having the doctor present. The one who knows what’s going on, the one who has done this hundreds of times, the one who is skilled, trained, gifted, to do this very thing. That was leadership.
That is how God lead Israel in the desert. Now, what does this have to do with today? I mean we don’t have a pillar of cloud directing us, or a pillar of fire telling us what to do next? How is God present with us today?
The cloud and the fire were just a shadow of God’s most stunning theophany to come. God’s presence was shown in Christ and his incarnation as the ultimate theophany! Christ was the image of the invisible God, the actual presence of God with us in human flesh. And as Christ died for us and rose from the dead, his promise is that he would be with us, by His Spirit forever.
You know what the goal of a church is? To follow the leader. It’s not to get complicated with numerous strategies and methods. It is not to rely on specific programs and unique ministries. It is not to try and be as attractive and appealing as we can to the culture. It is much simpler than that. It’s to follow the leader. Where is God leading us? What is God calling us to? What is God doing among us? What detour is he calling us to? What does he promise in his Word?
God leads his people by surprising detours. God leads his people by global mapping. God leads his people as the pilot. God leads his people.
I started getting into rock-climbing. One thing I learned is that if you are going on a serious climb, let’s say 400 feet in the air on steep rock wall. Perhaps the most important thing is to follow the leader. The leader is going to be the one with the experience. He is the one with the right tools. He is the one who has you in mind as you go. As the leader climbs, he will decide the path that everyone should take. It may be that he will take you on a detour that you don’t understand. Maybe he is trying to avoid a section of rock wall that is impossible to climb. Maybe he is trying to take you in a direction that has a ledge to take break. But he knows something you don’t.
He is the one who has studied the mountain and knows where to wedge stakes in the mountain. Stakes that you will need to trust in. If you fall it is those stakes that will need to hold your rope. Without them you will not only fall but will take everyone with you.
And finally he is the one who you have to trust. He will tell you what you need to do. You can ask him questions, let him know if your stuck. Let him figure things out for you. Because he’s the leader and he is right there with you.
We as Christians need to follow the leader. We need to recognize the detours God may be calling us to. I don’t have any in mind. But it may happen. Even when a certain direction seems to be the shorter direction, God may still be calling us to another direction. He is more interested in the process than merely the destination.
It means we need to trust promises. God is sovereign. He knows everything. He is in control. Look to his promises and stake in them. Study the Scriptures with an eye to God’s promises. Know where to stake your life. What does he actually promise, and what are things that he may or may not give.
And finally we need to look to his Presence. He is present with us. His Spirit is real and truly with us. The church a congregation lead by God’s Spirit. He has given us His Word, he has given us pastors and elders, but he Himself is also present with us. Let us faithfully follow the leader.
Adoption
The Authority of Adoption
John 1:9-13
Introduction
Ask someone near you who is a parent to tell you about their kids...What did you notice about the way people talked about their kids? People adore their kids. Mothers and Fathers love to talk about their kids. And the funny thing is they assume you like to talk about them too. Because they like to talk about their kids they assume that you do to.
While as any father, I’m going to do the same thing right now. I have two kids, a 6 year old and a 2 year old. My son Isaac, is the apple of my eye. He is just this very peculiar and very smart little boy. He loves to read and play with his animals. He will literally sit and read the Bible by himself for 30 minutes. But more than almost anything he likes to spend time with his dad. I can remember driving down to Disney World last summer and he and I talking at 2am as I drive. Just talking and talking while Jess and Sophie slept.
My daughter Sophie is the sweetest and most sensitive little thing in the world. She cries if you look at her funny. She’s the apple of my other eye. She is the slowest eater on the planet. We’ll sit down for lunch together and it will be dinner time before she finishes what’s on her plate. But she loves to dance, she loves to laugh, and she loves to cry.
There is no relationship like a mother or father has with their kids, right? Imagine if we could be like that to God. Imagine if we could have the right to be called children of God. Turn to John 1:9-13 where we are told that those who receive Jesus are given the right to be called children of God.
Read Passage
This passage is right at the prologue of John’s gospel. He is describing who Jesus is and what his purpose was. And he is saying that those who have been reconciled to God, those who have been justified in the court of God, have been given the right of sons and daughters. God has adopted us. The Greek word for ‘right’ literally means the ‘authority’. We have been given the authority of adoption, the right of sons and daughters
Just two points this morning. They are really two sides to the same coin.
First side, the Authority of Adoption means God is our Father (heads side)
As a Father God provides for you
Now one thing that must be said is not all people are God’s children. Notice in our passage, “He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.” Most people have not recognized Christ to be Lord, they have not received him as Savior. What percentage of human beings are genuine Christians, there really is no sure way to tell. I hope it is growing percentage.
Sometimes you’ll hear someone say, “We are all God’s children.” Or “God is the Father of everyone.” Well in a very limited sense this is true, the Bible says “We are all his offspring” or in Ephesians God’s fatherhood is described as extending towards those in heaven and earth. God is the Creator to all, so in one sense yes he is the father of all. But this is not the normal understanding of God as Father. Sadly most people reject God. Most people do not receive Christ. And yet he is the provider even of them. God’s Fatherhood is much more specific. God adopts as his own those who receive Christ, those who believe in his name.
To them he gives the right to be called children of God. To them there is a re-birth. Born not of physical bodily birth, but of God, spiritually. To them is given the authority of adoption. To them God provides in a unique way.
Just like any good Father, God looks at his adopted children as his own. He treats us as his very own children. It is the highest privilege of a Christian. J I Packer says, “Adoption is…the highest privilege that the gospel offers: higher even than justification” (Packer, Knowing God)
God could have justified us and saved us and not made us his children. But God does even more than that: he adopts us as his very own.
As a father God provides for his children. Father’s feel the need to provide for their kids. Every good father I know wants to provide for their children. How many fathers do we have here today? Let’s say you take your child hiking in the woods. You get lost and stranded. A few days go by and you have almost no water left. In fact dehydration is starting to set in. All you have is a sip left in your canteen. What do you do? You give it to your child. You provide even if you have to die for it.
God is a father that loves to provide for his children. Jesus tells us “…do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” God provides for his children as a Father.
Think about the prayer Jesus taught us to pray “Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in heaven give us this day our daily bread. As a father God provides for us
As a Father God disciplines us
Even as children of God we will face hardships. They are seen as a discipline to endure that God as a loving Father allows to happen. In Hebrews 12 we read:
7Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! 10Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.
Discipline is never fun to receive, but it is evidence of our adoption. When we know that it comes from a loving Father who really cares and has our good in mind, it’s easier to take. One more story about my kids. I promise this will be the last one for this sermon. I can remember one time specifically Isaac didn’t want to brush his teeth. But I told him, “Isaac you have to brush your teeth.” So he has the toothbrush in his mouth. He’s standing there in the bathroom looking at the mirror. But he’s not brushing. So I told him again “Isaac brush your teeth” and he said “I don’t know how” So we went back and forth a few times, same answer “I don’t know how” Finally I gave him a swat in the gluts, and instantly he remembered how to brush his teeth!
Friends when God disciplines us, that’s what it is. It is not a wrathful vengeance upon us. It is the loving discipline of a father. It is the careful swat in the gluts that gets us back on track.
One of the worst things a parent can do to a kid. One of the meanest, most hurtful, most devastating things a parent can do to their child: nothing. Apathy. Ignorance. Just to not care either way. “Whatever you do, son or daughter, go to college get arrested, I just don’t care.” That is wicked. And God is not wicked. He disciplines us and he cares for us. This is not one to one, as if every time we do something wrong we are going to a get a little swat. I think there are times when God uses blessings to discipline us as if to say, “See how much I love you even when you’re disobedient.” Nor does it mean that when something bad happens, if we get cancer, God is somehow punishing us. If we learn anything from the book of Job we learn that. But God does discipline us. He uses hardship to draw us to himself.
As a Father God loves us
This is something that it would be so easy to assume that Christians know, but is so deadly to overlook. Did you know that God loves you? If you have received Christ, if you have believed in his name, God loves you. Not just the person next to you, you. How much? like a son, like a daughter.
Jesus said, 27the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.
Don’t make the heretical mistake of thinking, Jesus loves me, the Father doesn’t. The Father is angry with me, so it is a good thing I have Jesus. No, the heavenly Father loves you. He cares about you. He looks out for you. He knows you. He knows everything about you, and he still loves you. That’s a hard thing to do.
This is the difference the gospel makes. In the Old Testament it was common to see God as the Father of Israel, of the whole nation. But in Christ God is the Father of each of us individually. In fact I have an Israeli friend whom I was talking to. We were talking about how in Hebrew the word for father is abba. Do you call God abba? He said no, we call God abinu “our Father” but not abba. Friends, as Christians we call God not just our Father (the father of a people) but also abba, Father as in me individually. God has adopted you personally. God loves you.
Mac Anderson and Lance Wubbels tell the story about an old man who while searching through his attic finds two journals. His own journal from years passed, and his sons.
he sat down at his desk and placed the two journals beside each other. His was leather-bound and engraved neatly with his name in gold, while his son's was tattered and the name "Jimmy" had been nearly scuffed from its surface…
As he opened his journal, the old man's eyes fell upon an inscription that stood out because it was so brief in comparison to other days. In his own neat handwriting were these words: Wasted the whole day fishing with Jimmy. Didn't catch a thing. With a deep sigh and a shaking hand, he took Jimmy's journal and found the boy's entry for the same day, June 4. Large scrawling letters, pressed deeply into the paper, read: Went fishing with my dad. Best day of my life.
Friends God is not that type of father. He is not a father who sees you as a waste of time. He doesn’t see time with you as a day lesser spent. In fact it is us who so often neglect time with him. God delights in you as his very own.
God loves you. God adopted you.
Second side, the Authority of Adoption means we are children (tails side)
Children are supposed to adore their Father
Now, of course it is true that not all children adore their father. There are bad fathers. There are fathers who abuse their children. There are fathers who walk out on their children. There are fathers who spend so much time at work that they mine as well have walked out on them. Chances are that some here have had a really hard time with their fathers. Seeing God as Father for you is going to take a little work, going to take some time and patience and rethinking.
So we must understand that God is a good Father. In fact he is a perfect Father. He never ever acts evilly. He may do things we don’t understand that may hurt for the time being, but He never acts sinfully. With a good father, children adore their Father.
Often, this just happens instinctually. Oftentimes you don’t have to tell a kid to honor his father, he just does. You walk in the door, and the kids come running. But this is commanded in Scripture too. It is one of the 10 commandments “Honor your mother and father”. This is repeated in the New Testament in Eph 6 “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother’ –which is the first commandment with a promise—‘that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” There is a Scriptural precedent for honoring your father.
For those who have been adopted by God, this is the type of relationship we are to have with God. For God, one of the ways this respect or honor is expressed is worship.
Now, there is a certain worship that comes with knowing God as God. Even if God were not our Father, we would worship him. God is King, God is Judge, God is God. But, there is something even more worshipful knowing God is Father.
Because God is also your Father, this doesn’t make you worship him less but more. Subjects in a kingdom will respect a king as king, but the son or daughter of the king will respect him even more than the subjects, not less.
Let us adore God as father!
Children are to feel safe from their Father’s wrath
Now, this doesn’t mean children don’t need good old-fashioned punishment every once in a while. We’ve talked about that already. I mean children are safe from their father’s wrath: A guy breaks in the back door in the middle of the night when the wife and kids are sleeping, dad jumps out of bed and grabs a baseball bat and runs after him. That type of wrath. Full-out, no-holds-bar, you can run but you can’t hide, wrath. A father doesn’t use that kind of wrath on his children. If he does, he’s abusive, and he’s a bad father. That wrath is meant for an intruder, not a son or daughter.
The wrath of God is not meant for his children, those who have been adopted. There is a wrath of God in Scripture, and it is meant as judgment for sin. Don’t misunderstand God, adoption does not mean that the eternal Almighty God has turned into a big teddy bear. God is a consuming fire, who maintains a terrible wrath upon evil. Read Revelation. But it is not for God’s children. No we have received Christ and have believed in his name. We are justified and reconciled to God. We are adopted as his own. Just like your kids should never have to fear your wrath (a spank on the bum yes, wrath no), so we do not have to fear the wrath of God.
We read in Romans 8:15, For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.
Children are supposed to model their father
My dad is an airline mechanic. My brother Mike is an airline mechanic. I have no idea how to fix an airplane, but my dad loves sports and I love sports. A son or daughter begins to model their parents. This is true of work and this is true of godliness.
Al Sanders writes in his book Crisis in Morality of the descendents of two men, one an atheist and the other a studious Christian minister Jonathan Edwards.
"Max Jukes, the atheist, lived a godless life. He married an ungodly girl, and from the union there were 310 who died as paupers, 150 were criminals, 7 were murderers, 100 were drunkards, and more than half of the women were prostitutes. His 540 descendants cost the State one and a quarter million dollars.
"But, praise the Lord, it works both ways! There is a record of a great American man of God, Jonathan Edwards. He lived at the same time as Max Jukes, but he married a godly girl. An investigation was made of 1,394 known descendants of Jonathan Edwards of which 13 became college presidents, 65 college professors, 3 United States senators, 30 judges, 100 lawyers, 60 physicians, 75 army and navy officers, 100 preachers and missionaries, 60 authors of prominence, one a vice-president of the United States, 80 became public officials in other capacities, 295 college graduates, among whom were governors of states and ministers to foreign countries. His descendants did not cost the state a single penny. 'The memory of the just is blessed' (Prov. 10:7)."
Children model their parents. Again this isn’t always true. If you had parents who weren’t Godly, it doesn’t mean you will be ungodly. But oftentimes we do model our parents. I like to read books, my kids like to read books. Jessica likes to do arts and crafts, our kids like to do arts and crafts.
In Scripture we are called to model our heavenly Father. Of course this is a pretty high calling when it comes to God. Jesus said, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Mt 5:48). Some people complain, ‘I will never be as good as my dad.’ While as a Christian friend, you can be absolutely certain, you will never be as good as your Heavenly Father. Nevertheless it is something we strive for, we pursue as sons and daughters. To model your earthly father is to honor him. It honors God as father that we strive to be like him.
The Authority of Adoption means we are God’s children.
Conclusion
I hope friends, that the reality of adoption will become more and more larger in our thinking. God as Father and we as children will begin to be central in how we view God.
God adopted you. He took you as his very own. I’m not sure if anyone here has ever adopted a child or who here is adopted. But let’s imagine an adoption. You finish all the extensive paperwork. You finish making all the payments. Adoption is expensive these days, easily costing in the tens of thousands. You travel far to go and find your child. Many adoptions nowadays are in Russia or China or Vietnam. You have to go there and pick up your child. So you travel halfway across the globe to your child.
You finally find the place and walk into the adoption agency. It is probably a dirty dingy place. It’s loud and smelly, with more babies than the workers can handle. You walk past all the different babies. You finally stop at one particular place. You turn towards one particular little crib. You see your particular little child. Alone, helpless, crying. You reach in and you grab hold of your child. The one you adopted. You pick him up. You hold him high above your head. And you say “This is my son, my very own. You will come home with me. Everything I have is yours. I’ll protect you and take care of you and love you.”
That is what God did to you. God adopted you. He paid for you. At the price of Christ’s death and resurrection in our behalf. He traveled a great distance to get you. He went into the dingy and dirty sinful world for you. He saw you helpless. He reached down and grabbed hold of you. He lifted you up and held you high and said “This one is my very own.” “My son or my daughter” “you will come home with me.” “All that I have is yours” God loves you. God chose you. God adopted you.
Men we have the rights of sons. Women you have the rights of daughters. To have a Father who provides, and disciplines, and loves you. To be children who adore, and feel safe, and model our Father. Let’s use these rights as children of God.
John 1:9-13
Introduction
Ask someone near you who is a parent to tell you about their kids...What did you notice about the way people talked about their kids? People adore their kids. Mothers and Fathers love to talk about their kids. And the funny thing is they assume you like to talk about them too. Because they like to talk about their kids they assume that you do to.
While as any father, I’m going to do the same thing right now. I have two kids, a 6 year old and a 2 year old. My son Isaac, is the apple of my eye. He is just this very peculiar and very smart little boy. He loves to read and play with his animals. He will literally sit and read the Bible by himself for 30 minutes. But more than almost anything he likes to spend time with his dad. I can remember driving down to Disney World last summer and he and I talking at 2am as I drive. Just talking and talking while Jess and Sophie slept.
My daughter Sophie is the sweetest and most sensitive little thing in the world. She cries if you look at her funny. She’s the apple of my other eye. She is the slowest eater on the planet. We’ll sit down for lunch together and it will be dinner time before she finishes what’s on her plate. But she loves to dance, she loves to laugh, and she loves to cry.
There is no relationship like a mother or father has with their kids, right? Imagine if we could be like that to God. Imagine if we could have the right to be called children of God. Turn to John 1:9-13 where we are told that those who receive Jesus are given the right to be called children of God.
Read Passage
This passage is right at the prologue of John’s gospel. He is describing who Jesus is and what his purpose was. And he is saying that those who have been reconciled to God, those who have been justified in the court of God, have been given the right of sons and daughters. God has adopted us. The Greek word for ‘right’ literally means the ‘authority’. We have been given the authority of adoption, the right of sons and daughters
Just two points this morning. They are really two sides to the same coin.
First side, the Authority of Adoption means God is our Father (heads side)
As a Father God provides for you
Now one thing that must be said is not all people are God’s children. Notice in our passage, “He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.” Most people have not recognized Christ to be Lord, they have not received him as Savior. What percentage of human beings are genuine Christians, there really is no sure way to tell. I hope it is growing percentage.
Sometimes you’ll hear someone say, “We are all God’s children.” Or “God is the Father of everyone.” Well in a very limited sense this is true, the Bible says “We are all his offspring” or in Ephesians God’s fatherhood is described as extending towards those in heaven and earth. God is the Creator to all, so in one sense yes he is the father of all. But this is not the normal understanding of God as Father. Sadly most people reject God. Most people do not receive Christ. And yet he is the provider even of them. God’s Fatherhood is much more specific. God adopts as his own those who receive Christ, those who believe in his name.
To them he gives the right to be called children of God. To them there is a re-birth. Born not of physical bodily birth, but of God, spiritually. To them is given the authority of adoption. To them God provides in a unique way.
Just like any good Father, God looks at his adopted children as his own. He treats us as his very own children. It is the highest privilege of a Christian. J I Packer says, “Adoption is…the highest privilege that the gospel offers: higher even than justification” (Packer, Knowing God)
God could have justified us and saved us and not made us his children. But God does even more than that: he adopts us as his very own.
As a father God provides for his children. Father’s feel the need to provide for their kids. Every good father I know wants to provide for their children. How many fathers do we have here today? Let’s say you take your child hiking in the woods. You get lost and stranded. A few days go by and you have almost no water left. In fact dehydration is starting to set in. All you have is a sip left in your canteen. What do you do? You give it to your child. You provide even if you have to die for it.
God is a father that loves to provide for his children. Jesus tells us “…do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” God provides for his children as a Father.
Think about the prayer Jesus taught us to pray “Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in heaven give us this day our daily bread. As a father God provides for us
As a Father God disciplines us
Even as children of God we will face hardships. They are seen as a discipline to endure that God as a loving Father allows to happen. In Hebrews 12 we read:
7Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! 10Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.
Discipline is never fun to receive, but it is evidence of our adoption. When we know that it comes from a loving Father who really cares and has our good in mind, it’s easier to take. One more story about my kids. I promise this will be the last one for this sermon. I can remember one time specifically Isaac didn’t want to brush his teeth. But I told him, “Isaac you have to brush your teeth.” So he has the toothbrush in his mouth. He’s standing there in the bathroom looking at the mirror. But he’s not brushing. So I told him again “Isaac brush your teeth” and he said “I don’t know how” So we went back and forth a few times, same answer “I don’t know how” Finally I gave him a swat in the gluts, and instantly he remembered how to brush his teeth!
Friends when God disciplines us, that’s what it is. It is not a wrathful vengeance upon us. It is the loving discipline of a father. It is the careful swat in the gluts that gets us back on track.
One of the worst things a parent can do to a kid. One of the meanest, most hurtful, most devastating things a parent can do to their child: nothing. Apathy. Ignorance. Just to not care either way. “Whatever you do, son or daughter, go to college get arrested, I just don’t care.” That is wicked. And God is not wicked. He disciplines us and he cares for us. This is not one to one, as if every time we do something wrong we are going to a get a little swat. I think there are times when God uses blessings to discipline us as if to say, “See how much I love you even when you’re disobedient.” Nor does it mean that when something bad happens, if we get cancer, God is somehow punishing us. If we learn anything from the book of Job we learn that. But God does discipline us. He uses hardship to draw us to himself.
As a Father God loves us
This is something that it would be so easy to assume that Christians know, but is so deadly to overlook. Did you know that God loves you? If you have received Christ, if you have believed in his name, God loves you. Not just the person next to you, you. How much? like a son, like a daughter.
Jesus said, 27the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.
Don’t make the heretical mistake of thinking, Jesus loves me, the Father doesn’t. The Father is angry with me, so it is a good thing I have Jesus. No, the heavenly Father loves you. He cares about you. He looks out for you. He knows you. He knows everything about you, and he still loves you. That’s a hard thing to do.
This is the difference the gospel makes. In the Old Testament it was common to see God as the Father of Israel, of the whole nation. But in Christ God is the Father of each of us individually. In fact I have an Israeli friend whom I was talking to. We were talking about how in Hebrew the word for father is abba. Do you call God abba? He said no, we call God abinu “our Father” but not abba. Friends, as Christians we call God not just our Father (the father of a people) but also abba, Father as in me individually. God has adopted you personally. God loves you.
Mac Anderson and Lance Wubbels tell the story about an old man who while searching through his attic finds two journals. His own journal from years passed, and his sons.
he sat down at his desk and placed the two journals beside each other. His was leather-bound and engraved neatly with his name in gold, while his son's was tattered and the name "Jimmy" had been nearly scuffed from its surface…
As he opened his journal, the old man's eyes fell upon an inscription that stood out because it was so brief in comparison to other days. In his own neat handwriting were these words: Wasted the whole day fishing with Jimmy. Didn't catch a thing. With a deep sigh and a shaking hand, he took Jimmy's journal and found the boy's entry for the same day, June 4. Large scrawling letters, pressed deeply into the paper, read: Went fishing with my dad. Best day of my life.
Friends God is not that type of father. He is not a father who sees you as a waste of time. He doesn’t see time with you as a day lesser spent. In fact it is us who so often neglect time with him. God delights in you as his very own.
God loves you. God adopted you.
Second side, the Authority of Adoption means we are children (tails side)
Children are supposed to adore their Father
Now, of course it is true that not all children adore their father. There are bad fathers. There are fathers who abuse their children. There are fathers who walk out on their children. There are fathers who spend so much time at work that they mine as well have walked out on them. Chances are that some here have had a really hard time with their fathers. Seeing God as Father for you is going to take a little work, going to take some time and patience and rethinking.
So we must understand that God is a good Father. In fact he is a perfect Father. He never ever acts evilly. He may do things we don’t understand that may hurt for the time being, but He never acts sinfully. With a good father, children adore their Father.
Often, this just happens instinctually. Oftentimes you don’t have to tell a kid to honor his father, he just does. You walk in the door, and the kids come running. But this is commanded in Scripture too. It is one of the 10 commandments “Honor your mother and father”. This is repeated in the New Testament in Eph 6 “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother’ –which is the first commandment with a promise—‘that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” There is a Scriptural precedent for honoring your father.
For those who have been adopted by God, this is the type of relationship we are to have with God. For God, one of the ways this respect or honor is expressed is worship.
Now, there is a certain worship that comes with knowing God as God. Even if God were not our Father, we would worship him. God is King, God is Judge, God is God. But, there is something even more worshipful knowing God is Father.
Because God is also your Father, this doesn’t make you worship him less but more. Subjects in a kingdom will respect a king as king, but the son or daughter of the king will respect him even more than the subjects, not less.
Let us adore God as father!
Children are to feel safe from their Father’s wrath
Now, this doesn’t mean children don’t need good old-fashioned punishment every once in a while. We’ve talked about that already. I mean children are safe from their father’s wrath: A guy breaks in the back door in the middle of the night when the wife and kids are sleeping, dad jumps out of bed and grabs a baseball bat and runs after him. That type of wrath. Full-out, no-holds-bar, you can run but you can’t hide, wrath. A father doesn’t use that kind of wrath on his children. If he does, he’s abusive, and he’s a bad father. That wrath is meant for an intruder, not a son or daughter.
The wrath of God is not meant for his children, those who have been adopted. There is a wrath of God in Scripture, and it is meant as judgment for sin. Don’t misunderstand God, adoption does not mean that the eternal Almighty God has turned into a big teddy bear. God is a consuming fire, who maintains a terrible wrath upon evil. Read Revelation. But it is not for God’s children. No we have received Christ and have believed in his name. We are justified and reconciled to God. We are adopted as his own. Just like your kids should never have to fear your wrath (a spank on the bum yes, wrath no), so we do not have to fear the wrath of God.
We read in Romans 8:15, For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.
Children are supposed to model their father
My dad is an airline mechanic. My brother Mike is an airline mechanic. I have no idea how to fix an airplane, but my dad loves sports and I love sports. A son or daughter begins to model their parents. This is true of work and this is true of godliness.
Al Sanders writes in his book Crisis in Morality of the descendents of two men, one an atheist and the other a studious Christian minister Jonathan Edwards.
"Max Jukes, the atheist, lived a godless life. He married an ungodly girl, and from the union there were 310 who died as paupers, 150 were criminals, 7 were murderers, 100 were drunkards, and more than half of the women were prostitutes. His 540 descendants cost the State one and a quarter million dollars.
"But, praise the Lord, it works both ways! There is a record of a great American man of God, Jonathan Edwards. He lived at the same time as Max Jukes, but he married a godly girl. An investigation was made of 1,394 known descendants of Jonathan Edwards of which 13 became college presidents, 65 college professors, 3 United States senators, 30 judges, 100 lawyers, 60 physicians, 75 army and navy officers, 100 preachers and missionaries, 60 authors of prominence, one a vice-president of the United States, 80 became public officials in other capacities, 295 college graduates, among whom were governors of states and ministers to foreign countries. His descendants did not cost the state a single penny. 'The memory of the just is blessed' (Prov. 10:7)."
Children model their parents. Again this isn’t always true. If you had parents who weren’t Godly, it doesn’t mean you will be ungodly. But oftentimes we do model our parents. I like to read books, my kids like to read books. Jessica likes to do arts and crafts, our kids like to do arts and crafts.
In Scripture we are called to model our heavenly Father. Of course this is a pretty high calling when it comes to God. Jesus said, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Mt 5:48). Some people complain, ‘I will never be as good as my dad.’ While as a Christian friend, you can be absolutely certain, you will never be as good as your Heavenly Father. Nevertheless it is something we strive for, we pursue as sons and daughters. To model your earthly father is to honor him. It honors God as father that we strive to be like him.
The Authority of Adoption means we are God’s children.
Conclusion
I hope friends, that the reality of adoption will become more and more larger in our thinking. God as Father and we as children will begin to be central in how we view God.
God adopted you. He took you as his very own. I’m not sure if anyone here has ever adopted a child or who here is adopted. But let’s imagine an adoption. You finish all the extensive paperwork. You finish making all the payments. Adoption is expensive these days, easily costing in the tens of thousands. You travel far to go and find your child. Many adoptions nowadays are in Russia or China or Vietnam. You have to go there and pick up your child. So you travel halfway across the globe to your child.
You finally find the place and walk into the adoption agency. It is probably a dirty dingy place. It’s loud and smelly, with more babies than the workers can handle. You walk past all the different babies. You finally stop at one particular place. You turn towards one particular little crib. You see your particular little child. Alone, helpless, crying. You reach in and you grab hold of your child. The one you adopted. You pick him up. You hold him high above your head. And you say “This is my son, my very own. You will come home with me. Everything I have is yours. I’ll protect you and take care of you and love you.”
That is what God did to you. God adopted you. He paid for you. At the price of Christ’s death and resurrection in our behalf. He traveled a great distance to get you. He went into the dingy and dirty sinful world for you. He saw you helpless. He reached down and grabbed hold of you. He lifted you up and held you high and said “This one is my very own.” “My son or my daughter” “you will come home with me.” “All that I have is yours” God loves you. God chose you. God adopted you.
Men we have the rights of sons. Women you have the rights of daughters. To have a Father who provides, and disciplines, and loves you. To be children who adore, and feel safe, and model our Father. Let’s use these rights as children of God.
Glorification
Glorification
Matthew 25:31-46
What is it like to be glorified? Jesus actually doesn’t tell us a whole lot about it. He doesn’t describe in detail what we will be doing, what we will look like, what we will be thinking. It’s a bit mysterious. We know it is going to be wonderful, we know it is going to be joyous and worshipful. But the emphasis is not on what we will be like, but on our preparation for it. We are called to live in such a way as to prepare for eternity.
Jess and I just came back from a trip to Louiseville, KY (two syllables). We went there to attend a Pastor’s conference Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, didn’t end up getting back till Friday. And we are so different when it comes to preparing. I find it best to not concern myself with anything that I can figure out when I get there. Jess is a civil engineer, enough said. Before we left Jess asked me a number of questions about preparation that I could care the least about. Things like “When is check in?” or “What time does the flight arrive?” or “What are we going to do with our luggage?” you know little things like that. After the conversation I was convinced that I should at least figure out how we are going to get from the airport to the hotel.
I can’t blame her though, it’s important to be prepared. When you are heading into something major, like being away from the kids for three days in a different state, you want to be ready. Well friends, what if you were heading into a new life of eternity, wouldn’t you want to be prepared? Shouldn’t we at least give it some preparation before it comes? We are heading to a new Kingdom, an eternal Kingdom? Shouldn’t we be ready?
Let’s look together at Matthew 25:31-46, where Jesus gives us a description of what this eternity will look like. We are called to know and love Christ to prepare for an eternal Kingdom.
I want to look at two ways to prepare for an eternal Kingdom
I. Know the King
The most important way we can prepare for an eternal kingdom is by knowing a few things about the King. Here are a few things we need to recognize about the King in preparation for his eternal kingdom.
Recognize Jesus is the King
In this passage one thing is certain: Jesus is the King. He is the eternal King of the Kingdom. He will come in his glory surrounded by angels and sitting upon his throne. He gathers all the nations before him. This is serious power.
Jesus’ coming the second time will be very different than his first coming. The first coming is one in which he comes as the suffering servant. The second coming he comes with glory and power. Matthew Henry writes, “his first coming was under a black cloud of obscurity; his second will be in a bright cloud of glory.” In his second coming, there will be no mistake that Jesus has the right to rule. In preparation for eternity we need to recognize Jesus rightful rule over everyone and everything. He is King of all Kings.
Anyone here ever meet the President of the United States? Not just the current one, but any president of the United States? I think it would be awesome to meet the president and shake his hand (or her hand!). I’m not talking about politics here, Republican or Democrat, Liberal or Conservative, I would like to meet the President. Just out of respect for the Office I think it would pretty cool.
I would get dressed up. Make sure I’m clean shaven. When he walks by I would probably unconsciously stand up straight. My voice would probably drop a few levels “Hello, Mr. President, very nice meet you.”
Here’s what I wouldn’t want to do. Mistake his identity. Hello Mr…begins with a B. Bosh, Bish, Bush! I thought so, I knew it was George something. Your dad was president too right? Yeah. Gotcha. Same name.
That would not be a good way to start a relationship with the President.
In preparation for eternity, recognize Jesus as the rightful Ruler of the Universe. He will come and he will reign.
Recognize Jesus as Judge
Friends, not only will Jesus rule, he will judge. He separates all people one from the other as a shepherd separates the sheep and the goats. Sheep on the right, goats on the left. The sheep are the righteous ones and the goats are the wicked ones.
I remember I was talking about this passage to someone and I said, it is not as if Jesus has anything against goats, if he wanted to he could have switched it around and said the goats are the righteous and the sheep are the wicked. The person looked at me and said something like, “You don’t know much about goats” Well, I hadn’t then. But I visited Ingaldsby Farm last year a number of times, and they keep the sheep and goats in the same pen together. I have to agree with this person now. The goats are mean-spirit little devils. The kept head-butting the poor sheep. We would try to feed them and they were terrible little things. So I guess in hearing this in an agricultural society, this would make more sense than it did at first to me.
But Jesus perfectly separates all people into two categories. These categories are clear and unmistakable. We live in a time when people like gray areas. My friend is sort of a Christian. This girl I know is kind of saved. My co-worker she is like a Christian. In the end there will be no gray areas when it comes to Jesus’ judgment. And Jesus will make no mistake in his judgment. Again Matthew Henry writes, “This separation will be so exact, that the most inconsiderable saints shall not be lost in the crowd of sinners, nor the most plausible sinner hid in the crowd of saints, but every one shall go to his own place.”
Notice carefully how he separates people. Not by race or ethnicity. All nations are gathered TOGETHER. Friends, Jesus judgment is colorblind when it comes to race. There are no whites, Hispanics, blacks, Asians, Canadians. There are only sheep and goats in the end.
Jesus decides the eternal fate of every human being. He decides whether they are blessed or condemned. He decides their destiny. Friends, Jesus is the Judge. Prepare for eternity by recognizing his ability to judge. Recognize this carefully. If we don’t, we will be sorely sorry about it.
Recognize Jesus authority to give
Notice what Jesus gives. He tells those on his right, his sheep, “Come, you are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.” What a gift friends! What an inheritance! A kingdom prepared for us since the creation of the world!
I was with a group of seminary students listening to a fellow student give a sermon. In the sermon he mentioned that he had a rich grandmother who was dying, and was leaving all of her inheritance to him. As he was preaching, you could see the emotion welling up inside of him as he said “But I don’t even care about it, I just want my grandmother.” It was pretty emotional. What do you think was going on in the minds of all us seminary students? Remember seminary students are sinners too. My guess is we were all thinking “Boy he really loves his grandmother, and at the same time, lucky dog, I wish I had a wealthy grandmother who was going to leave her inheritance to me.”
Friends, if you are a Christian, you and I have an inheritance coming that is far greater than any inheritance in this world. If Donald Trump or Bill Gates were leaving everything to you it would not compare. We have an eternal kingdom awaiting us. And who is going to give it to us? Jesus. He alone has the authority to give. Recognize this.
But also beware. Not only does he have a blessing to give, he also has a punishment to dish out. Verse 41, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” Friends this parable is a passage of great comfort or of great warning depending on who you are. For some it is about a mighty inheritance. For others, it is a terrible condemnation. And friends, this is not a temporary ordeal. It is eternal.
Notice how Jesus ends this description verse 46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” These are eternal destinies. So, prepare for your eternal destiny by knowing the King.
II. Love the King
It is not enough just to recognize who Jesus is, we must also have a relationship with him. We need to love him. I think we might be surprised in how he tells us to do this.
Love the King by being one of his own
One thing is clear in hearing Jesus’ words. You want to be a sheep. You don’t want to be a goat. Be a sheep. Now, how do we become a sheep? The thoughtless answer is “By doing what a sheep does” feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, care for the sick, and visit those in prison. But think about that a little more. If a goat tried to sound like a sheep, walk like a sheep, and eat like a sheep, what would it be? A goat. A goat can’t make itself a sheep no matter how sheepish it is!
How does one become a sheep? How does one become a Christian? By turning in repentance and faith in Christ, the Shepherd. Through faith in Christ, God transforms us into a sheep. Remember the fruit tree analogy. Fruit trees bear fruit that reveals that it is a fruit tree. God must first make us a fruit tree, then we will bear fruit. In the same way, God must first make us a sheep, then we will begin to act like sheep.
We don’t become a Christian because we act like one, we act like a Christian because we have become one. And we become a Christian only through trusting in Christ by faith.
Now some people may hear that and say, “I don’t know. It really does seem like Jesus is saying we are saved by our works. Maybe what we do makes us a sheep”
A few things make it clear that that is not what he is saying. This is so important I think it is worth spending some time making this clear.
1. Jesus separates the sheep and goat before the judges their actions. Jesus separates them based on who they are not on what they did. What they did is the evidence that follows.
2. The Father has already prepared the inheritance. It is prepared specifically for the sheep since the creation of the world. If we can end up going either way, at one minute we’re a sheep, another minute we’re a goat, based on our actions, then how can there be an inheritance ready for us since the creation of the world?
3. Jesus judges us as a group: In this parable Jesus doesn’t judge each sheep and goat individually, he looks at them as a group. Sheep, you did what was right, heaven is prepared for you. Goats you did what was evil, Hell is prepared for you. If we are saved by works, then you would think Jesus would have to examine each one individual and weigh their works.
4. The sheep are surprised. What are they surprised about? Not that they are sheep, they know that. They are surprised that Jesus would commend their works. They had no thought that their works were earning salvation. They did them out of love not trying to earn salvation.
D A Carson writes, “The surprise of the righteous makes it impossible to think that works of righteousness win salvation...The sheep did not show love to gain an eschatological reward…” (Carson 522)
Friends, the most important way we can prepare for eternity is by becoming a sheep, becoming a Christian. The only way you can become a sheep who belongs to the Good Shepherd, is by trusting in Christ as your Redeemer. It is by grace alone through faith alone.
Love the King by loving your neighbor
How do we love the King? Well yes we do it by worship and prayer and praise to Jesus. But Jesus points out another way we do it. We do it by loving our neighbor.
Loving “these brothers of mine” Specifically fellow Christians (Jesus calls them his brothers, which is always a designation of Christians), This doesn’t mean we are not called to love everyone, but Jesus is probably referring to fellow Christians in this case.
“The least of these” he is referring specifically to the ‘least of these’ in this case. Jesus calls us to serve the down and out. Who needs your help? Those are the ones Jesus says when you love them, you love me!
How important is this? Very important. It is our way of preparing for eternity. Clearly in Scripture there is a calling for us to act. Christians are not merely those who have come to a certain philosophy. They are people who act like Christ. We are called to serve and love our fellow Christians with compassion and love. If you are not doing that, take heed. Beware! Examine yourself. Though we are not saved by our works, our works are examined as evidence. Jesus will look at our works as the evidence of whether or not we have truly believed.
Jesus gives us a list. Feed the hungry. Give a drink to the thirsty. Clothe the naked. Care for the sick. Visit those who are in prison. Have you fed the hungry in the last 30 days? Cared for the sick? This is very convicting for me.
Shouldn’t we just send money? Let the experts handle it. I mean we can do a lot more with our money than we can by serving ourselves. Well, definitely give generously, but it’s more than that. Think about it, how can you put a price tag on what God does in your own heart when serving? How can you put a price tag on the one-on-one relationships you will build when you serve someone? Right now 5 people from our church are heading out on the mission field in La Romana. Yeah we could have just send money, but that is not what God calls us too. We need to get down and dirty and serve. Jesus is saying visit prisons, feed hungry people, care for sick people. Serve, and in doing so we will find ourselves serving not just our neighbor but Christ himself. Storing up evidence for the day of judgment.
Prepare for eternity by loving the King through loving your neighbor.
Friends, it is of first important for us to be prepared for eternity. For the simple reason that everything else is temporary. Sure you can prepare yourself for a career: going to college, finding a job, saving for a house. You can prepare yourself for kids, buying all the cribs, strollers, and high chairs. You can prepare yourself for retirement. 401Ks, social security. That will last 20 maybe 30 years if you are really diligent. But what about eternity? Are you prepared for eternity? Are you ready to enter into an eternal kingdom?
Are you prepared? God is prepared for you. Notice God’s preparation. God is very careful in his preparation. There are in this passage two places prepared by God. One place is for sheep and one place is for the goats. The one for the goats is actually prepared not for them, but for the Devil and his angels. God didn’t create hell for human beings made for his glory. Nevertheless, Jesus tells us this is the destiny of those who reject Christ. They neither know the King nor love the King.
But there is also another place prepared by God. God has prepared a kingdom since the creation of the world. An eternal inheritance. It took a lot of preparation. In order to prepare this place for his sheep, God planned to send his Son into the world. And God planned to crush his Son by the sins of the world. In fact if you read the chapters following our chapter, 25, you will see how God has prepared this kingdom for you. God prepared it with the atonement of his own Son. God sent his Son into the world to prepare a place for you and God crushed his Son on the cross instead of you to prepare a place for you. God is prepared. He is prepared for an eternal kingdom. He is prepared to judge between the sheep and the goats, between eternal life and eternal punishment. God is prepared. Are you? Do you know the King? Jesus is the King, he will judge, he has the authority to give. And if you know him, do you love him? Do you love him as a sheep, a Christian, his very own. And do you love him by caring for your neighbor? This is not a 3 day trip to Louiseville, this is eternity? Jesus calls us to be prepared.
Prepare for it by knowing the King and Loving the King who has prepared a place for you.
Matthew 25:31-46
What is it like to be glorified? Jesus actually doesn’t tell us a whole lot about it. He doesn’t describe in detail what we will be doing, what we will look like, what we will be thinking. It’s a bit mysterious. We know it is going to be wonderful, we know it is going to be joyous and worshipful. But the emphasis is not on what we will be like, but on our preparation for it. We are called to live in such a way as to prepare for eternity.
Jess and I just came back from a trip to Louiseville, KY (two syllables). We went there to attend a Pastor’s conference Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, didn’t end up getting back till Friday. And we are so different when it comes to preparing. I find it best to not concern myself with anything that I can figure out when I get there. Jess is a civil engineer, enough said. Before we left Jess asked me a number of questions about preparation that I could care the least about. Things like “When is check in?” or “What time does the flight arrive?” or “What are we going to do with our luggage?” you know little things like that. After the conversation I was convinced that I should at least figure out how we are going to get from the airport to the hotel.
I can’t blame her though, it’s important to be prepared. When you are heading into something major, like being away from the kids for three days in a different state, you want to be ready. Well friends, what if you were heading into a new life of eternity, wouldn’t you want to be prepared? Shouldn’t we at least give it some preparation before it comes? We are heading to a new Kingdom, an eternal Kingdom? Shouldn’t we be ready?
Let’s look together at Matthew 25:31-46, where Jesus gives us a description of what this eternity will look like. We are called to know and love Christ to prepare for an eternal Kingdom.
I want to look at two ways to prepare for an eternal Kingdom
I. Know the King
The most important way we can prepare for an eternal kingdom is by knowing a few things about the King. Here are a few things we need to recognize about the King in preparation for his eternal kingdom.
Recognize Jesus is the King
In this passage one thing is certain: Jesus is the King. He is the eternal King of the Kingdom. He will come in his glory surrounded by angels and sitting upon his throne. He gathers all the nations before him. This is serious power.
Jesus’ coming the second time will be very different than his first coming. The first coming is one in which he comes as the suffering servant. The second coming he comes with glory and power. Matthew Henry writes, “his first coming was under a black cloud of obscurity; his second will be in a bright cloud of glory.” In his second coming, there will be no mistake that Jesus has the right to rule. In preparation for eternity we need to recognize Jesus rightful rule over everyone and everything. He is King of all Kings.
Anyone here ever meet the President of the United States? Not just the current one, but any president of the United States? I think it would be awesome to meet the president and shake his hand (or her hand!). I’m not talking about politics here, Republican or Democrat, Liberal or Conservative, I would like to meet the President. Just out of respect for the Office I think it would pretty cool.
I would get dressed up. Make sure I’m clean shaven. When he walks by I would probably unconsciously stand up straight. My voice would probably drop a few levels “Hello, Mr. President, very nice meet you.”
Here’s what I wouldn’t want to do. Mistake his identity. Hello Mr…begins with a B. Bosh, Bish, Bush! I thought so, I knew it was George something. Your dad was president too right? Yeah. Gotcha. Same name.
That would not be a good way to start a relationship with the President.
In preparation for eternity, recognize Jesus as the rightful Ruler of the Universe. He will come and he will reign.
Recognize Jesus as Judge
Friends, not only will Jesus rule, he will judge. He separates all people one from the other as a shepherd separates the sheep and the goats. Sheep on the right, goats on the left. The sheep are the righteous ones and the goats are the wicked ones.
I remember I was talking about this passage to someone and I said, it is not as if Jesus has anything against goats, if he wanted to he could have switched it around and said the goats are the righteous and the sheep are the wicked. The person looked at me and said something like, “You don’t know much about goats” Well, I hadn’t then. But I visited Ingaldsby Farm last year a number of times, and they keep the sheep and goats in the same pen together. I have to agree with this person now. The goats are mean-spirit little devils. The kept head-butting the poor sheep. We would try to feed them and they were terrible little things. So I guess in hearing this in an agricultural society, this would make more sense than it did at first to me.
But Jesus perfectly separates all people into two categories. These categories are clear and unmistakable. We live in a time when people like gray areas. My friend is sort of a Christian. This girl I know is kind of saved. My co-worker she is like a Christian. In the end there will be no gray areas when it comes to Jesus’ judgment. And Jesus will make no mistake in his judgment. Again Matthew Henry writes, “This separation will be so exact, that the most inconsiderable saints shall not be lost in the crowd of sinners, nor the most plausible sinner hid in the crowd of saints, but every one shall go to his own place.”
Notice carefully how he separates people. Not by race or ethnicity. All nations are gathered TOGETHER. Friends, Jesus judgment is colorblind when it comes to race. There are no whites, Hispanics, blacks, Asians, Canadians. There are only sheep and goats in the end.
Jesus decides the eternal fate of every human being. He decides whether they are blessed or condemned. He decides their destiny. Friends, Jesus is the Judge. Prepare for eternity by recognizing his ability to judge. Recognize this carefully. If we don’t, we will be sorely sorry about it.
Recognize Jesus authority to give
Notice what Jesus gives. He tells those on his right, his sheep, “Come, you are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.” What a gift friends! What an inheritance! A kingdom prepared for us since the creation of the world!
I was with a group of seminary students listening to a fellow student give a sermon. In the sermon he mentioned that he had a rich grandmother who was dying, and was leaving all of her inheritance to him. As he was preaching, you could see the emotion welling up inside of him as he said “But I don’t even care about it, I just want my grandmother.” It was pretty emotional. What do you think was going on in the minds of all us seminary students? Remember seminary students are sinners too. My guess is we were all thinking “Boy he really loves his grandmother, and at the same time, lucky dog, I wish I had a wealthy grandmother who was going to leave her inheritance to me.”
Friends, if you are a Christian, you and I have an inheritance coming that is far greater than any inheritance in this world. If Donald Trump or Bill Gates were leaving everything to you it would not compare. We have an eternal kingdom awaiting us. And who is going to give it to us? Jesus. He alone has the authority to give. Recognize this.
But also beware. Not only does he have a blessing to give, he also has a punishment to dish out. Verse 41, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” Friends this parable is a passage of great comfort or of great warning depending on who you are. For some it is about a mighty inheritance. For others, it is a terrible condemnation. And friends, this is not a temporary ordeal. It is eternal.
Notice how Jesus ends this description verse 46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” These are eternal destinies. So, prepare for your eternal destiny by knowing the King.
II. Love the King
It is not enough just to recognize who Jesus is, we must also have a relationship with him. We need to love him. I think we might be surprised in how he tells us to do this.
Love the King by being one of his own
One thing is clear in hearing Jesus’ words. You want to be a sheep. You don’t want to be a goat. Be a sheep. Now, how do we become a sheep? The thoughtless answer is “By doing what a sheep does” feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, care for the sick, and visit those in prison. But think about that a little more. If a goat tried to sound like a sheep, walk like a sheep, and eat like a sheep, what would it be? A goat. A goat can’t make itself a sheep no matter how sheepish it is!
How does one become a sheep? How does one become a Christian? By turning in repentance and faith in Christ, the Shepherd. Through faith in Christ, God transforms us into a sheep. Remember the fruit tree analogy. Fruit trees bear fruit that reveals that it is a fruit tree. God must first make us a fruit tree, then we will bear fruit. In the same way, God must first make us a sheep, then we will begin to act like sheep.
We don’t become a Christian because we act like one, we act like a Christian because we have become one. And we become a Christian only through trusting in Christ by faith.
Now some people may hear that and say, “I don’t know. It really does seem like Jesus is saying we are saved by our works. Maybe what we do makes us a sheep”
A few things make it clear that that is not what he is saying. This is so important I think it is worth spending some time making this clear.
1. Jesus separates the sheep and goat before the judges their actions. Jesus separates them based on who they are not on what they did. What they did is the evidence that follows.
2. The Father has already prepared the inheritance. It is prepared specifically for the sheep since the creation of the world. If we can end up going either way, at one minute we’re a sheep, another minute we’re a goat, based on our actions, then how can there be an inheritance ready for us since the creation of the world?
3. Jesus judges us as a group: In this parable Jesus doesn’t judge each sheep and goat individually, he looks at them as a group. Sheep, you did what was right, heaven is prepared for you. Goats you did what was evil, Hell is prepared for you. If we are saved by works, then you would think Jesus would have to examine each one individual and weigh their works.
4. The sheep are surprised. What are they surprised about? Not that they are sheep, they know that. They are surprised that Jesus would commend their works. They had no thought that their works were earning salvation. They did them out of love not trying to earn salvation.
D A Carson writes, “The surprise of the righteous makes it impossible to think that works of righteousness win salvation...The sheep did not show love to gain an eschatological reward…” (Carson 522)
Friends, the most important way we can prepare for eternity is by becoming a sheep, becoming a Christian. The only way you can become a sheep who belongs to the Good Shepherd, is by trusting in Christ as your Redeemer. It is by grace alone through faith alone.
Love the King by loving your neighbor
How do we love the King? Well yes we do it by worship and prayer and praise to Jesus. But Jesus points out another way we do it. We do it by loving our neighbor.
Loving “these brothers of mine” Specifically fellow Christians (Jesus calls them his brothers, which is always a designation of Christians), This doesn’t mean we are not called to love everyone, but Jesus is probably referring to fellow Christians in this case.
“The least of these” he is referring specifically to the ‘least of these’ in this case. Jesus calls us to serve the down and out. Who needs your help? Those are the ones Jesus says when you love them, you love me!
How important is this? Very important. It is our way of preparing for eternity. Clearly in Scripture there is a calling for us to act. Christians are not merely those who have come to a certain philosophy. They are people who act like Christ. We are called to serve and love our fellow Christians with compassion and love. If you are not doing that, take heed. Beware! Examine yourself. Though we are not saved by our works, our works are examined as evidence. Jesus will look at our works as the evidence of whether or not we have truly believed.
Jesus gives us a list. Feed the hungry. Give a drink to the thirsty. Clothe the naked. Care for the sick. Visit those who are in prison. Have you fed the hungry in the last 30 days? Cared for the sick? This is very convicting for me.
Shouldn’t we just send money? Let the experts handle it. I mean we can do a lot more with our money than we can by serving ourselves. Well, definitely give generously, but it’s more than that. Think about it, how can you put a price tag on what God does in your own heart when serving? How can you put a price tag on the one-on-one relationships you will build when you serve someone? Right now 5 people from our church are heading out on the mission field in La Romana. Yeah we could have just send money, but that is not what God calls us too. We need to get down and dirty and serve. Jesus is saying visit prisons, feed hungry people, care for sick people. Serve, and in doing so we will find ourselves serving not just our neighbor but Christ himself. Storing up evidence for the day of judgment.
Prepare for eternity by loving the King through loving your neighbor.
Friends, it is of first important for us to be prepared for eternity. For the simple reason that everything else is temporary. Sure you can prepare yourself for a career: going to college, finding a job, saving for a house. You can prepare yourself for kids, buying all the cribs, strollers, and high chairs. You can prepare yourself for retirement. 401Ks, social security. That will last 20 maybe 30 years if you are really diligent. But what about eternity? Are you prepared for eternity? Are you ready to enter into an eternal kingdom?
Are you prepared? God is prepared for you. Notice God’s preparation. God is very careful in his preparation. There are in this passage two places prepared by God. One place is for sheep and one place is for the goats. The one for the goats is actually prepared not for them, but for the Devil and his angels. God didn’t create hell for human beings made for his glory. Nevertheless, Jesus tells us this is the destiny of those who reject Christ. They neither know the King nor love the King.
But there is also another place prepared by God. God has prepared a kingdom since the creation of the world. An eternal inheritance. It took a lot of preparation. In order to prepare this place for his sheep, God planned to send his Son into the world. And God planned to crush his Son by the sins of the world. In fact if you read the chapters following our chapter, 25, you will see how God has prepared this kingdom for you. God prepared it with the atonement of his own Son. God sent his Son into the world to prepare a place for you and God crushed his Son on the cross instead of you to prepare a place for you. God is prepared. He is prepared for an eternal kingdom. He is prepared to judge between the sheep and the goats, between eternal life and eternal punishment. God is prepared. Are you? Do you know the King? Jesus is the King, he will judge, he has the authority to give. And if you know him, do you love him? Do you love him as a sheep, a Christian, his very own. And do you love him by caring for your neighbor? This is not a 3 day trip to Louiseville, this is eternity? Jesus calls us to be prepared.
Prepare for it by knowing the King and Loving the King who has prepared a place for you.
Sanctification
Sanctification: bearing fruit
Matthew 7:15-23
You may be wondering ‘What is sanctification?’ Maybe if you were here when we talked about reconciliation, you could figure that out. Maybe you have heard about justification before. Adoption is a familiar term, so it makes sense. But what is sanctification, and how is it a blessing?
Sanctification is just a big word that means ‘to become holy’. To be sanctified means to be made holy. We can be made holy. Some of you might be thinking, ‘I don’t think I will ever be holy.’ Well, you’re right. You will never be completely holy in this life. But you can be in the process of becoming holy by God’s grace. Which really just mean, becoming like Christ.
To use another word instead of sanctification, but brings out the same idea is growth. As a Christian you want to grow. You want to keep growing in becoming more like Christ. Now to be clear this doesn’t happen until the other three things we mentioned already happen. Until you have been reconciled with God, and justified by God and adopted as his very own, you will never grow in becoming like Christ. But when we are sincerely saved, we will begin to grow.
[Matthew 7:15-23]
Jesus says these words at the end of his Sermon on the Mount. He has just proclaimed for 3 chapters what being a disciple is all about. And now, here at the very end, he is saying “Live it, do it, put it into practice. Look for fruit, because fruit is the sign of genuine faith.” As a Christian, our job is to be constantly looking for fruit, both in others and in ourselves.
Look for good fruit in others
Christians are recognized by their fruit
Jesus tells us that people are like fruit trees. Some people are more fruity than others! A good tree bears good fruit. A bad tree bears bad fruit. For example, Jesus tells us, you don’t get grapes from thorns, you get them from a grapevine. You don’t get figs from a thistles, you get them from a fig tree. Those were common fruit in that part of the world. So today we might use an apple tree, we get apples from apples trees.
What is fruit? Fruit in this illustration is good works. Good things. But not just what people do, but also what people think and what people say. Good works.
Here is a list of some things that would be considered fruit. This is not the whole list, but just an example so we know what we are talking about. No particular order: In Galatians, Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. We could add to that from other parts of Scripture, giving to the poor, loving your neighbor, serving the community, controlling our tempers, overcoming addictions, protecting the life of the unborn, sexual purity, watching over our tongues, forgiving those who sin against us, honoring parents, loving your spouse and kids, encouraging others, helping the sick, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting those in prison, prayer, repentance, study of Scripture, teaching, fasting, evangelism, gratefulness, and worship. These are all fruit that come with being a Christian.
Jesus tells us, the type of fruit someone bears will eventually reveal if they are a Christian. D A Carson writes,
One’s ‘fruit’…will ultimately reveal what one is…Living according to kingdom norms can be feigned for a time; but what one is will eventually reveal itself in what one does.” (Carson, 191)
The fruit that someone bears enables us to recognize the sincerity of their faith.
Adoniram Judson, the famous missionary to Burma was talking to his Burmese teacher about a man they both knew who died.
Adoniram: “His soul is lost, I think,”
The teacher: “Why so?’
Adoniram: “He was not a disciple of Christ.”
The teacher: “How do you know that? You could not see his soul.”
Adoniram: “How do you know whether the root of the mango tree is good? You cannot see it; but you can judge by the fruit on its branches. Thus I know the man who died was not a disciple of Christ, because his words and actions were not such as to indicate the disciple.”
The teacher: “And so all who are not disciples of Christ are lost!”
Adoniram: “Yes, all, whether Burmans or foreigners.”
The teacher: “This is hard,” answered the teacher, after digesting the idea little while.
Adoniram: “Yes, it is hard, indeed; otherwise I should not have come all this way, and left parents and all, to tell you of Christ.” (185)
By their fruit you will know them.
False Teachers are recognized by their bad fruit
The type of fruit someone bears is an indication of whether they are a true teacher or false teacher.
Jesus uses another analogy as well. He starts off with sheep, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.” At first glance they look like Christians, what they teach or say seems right from the outside, and it’s a deception. Then Jesus switches to trees. “By their fruit you will recognize them.” Be careful of them. Stay away from them. Do not be tricked by them.
Just a note, Jesus is not talking about young Christians who are just starting to figure out their faith. Maybe they are asking questions about theology. Maybe they are struggling with coming out of a former lifestyle. Give it time. Nor is he talking about non-Christians who are interested in learning about Christian faith. People who are questioning and seeking and looking for answers are welcome to be part of a church as they look to learn.
Jesus is referring to false teachers: those who are intentionally and dangerously deceiving. Friends, not everyone who calls himself or herself a Christian is a Christian. Be wary of those who claim to be preachers, or pastors, or teachers, or religious leaders, and whose life does not match that of the Scripture. Jesus gives us a clear strategy of discernment: Look at their fruit. Are they bearing good fruit or bad fruit? As we mentioned earlier, an apple tree bears apples. A fig tree bears figs. A faithful Christian teacher bears good fruit.
For example, some of these TV preachers are way out there. Now, I don’t want to get down on all TV preachers, there are a few that stick to teaching the Scriptures and are faithful teachers. But some of these guys we have got to be careful of.
One time a youth group kid came and asked about a particularly TV preacher he liked. And the particular TV preacher he was referring to was one I had heard a lot of before, and I knew he was out to lunch. I will try not to mention his name. Just for the heck of it, let’s call him Benny. So me and this youth group kid decided to do a little research on Benny. We looked at the fruit of Benny’s ministry.
A few red flags quickly came up.
There were serious financial issues with Benny. For example, Benny’s ministry asked for donations to purchase him a new jet, for the bargain deal of $36 million dollars and cost about $600,000 a year to run. Independent organization have examined his ministry and found him ‘exorbitant in his spending’
There were serious dishonesty issues with Benny. For example Benny prophesied that before 2000 Fidel Castro would die, the first female president would be elected, and the East Coast would be destroyed by earthquakes. None of which occurred. There were also many claims of healing that were unsubstantiated.
There were serious theological issues with Benny. For example, Benny believes in what is called the Word of Faith theology, which teaches that God will make you rich if you have enough faith in him. If you’re not rich, it’s because you need more faith. I guess Jesus and his apostles simply needed more faith.
The fruit of Benny’s ministry left us wanting. Friends, by their fruit you will know them. Not everyone who claims to be a Christian is a Christian. Jesus declares the harshest punishment for them, “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” Examine their life, examine their fruit.
In the late 1800s a poet named James Whitcomb Riley said a phrase that stuck with us Americans for years.
"When I see a bird that walks like a duck and swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, I call that bird a duck."
Friends, the saying is true of people as well. If someone looks like a fake and quacks like a fake, we are safe to assume their a fake. If someone looks like an apple tree, bears fruit like and apple tree, then we are safe to assume they are an apple tree. Bearing fruit is the evidence of faith. Look for good fruit in others
Look for good fruit in ourselves
Our faith is recognized by its fruit
Jesus tells us in verse 15, not everyone who calls him ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom. Instead who is it that will enter the kingdom? “But only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” The one does the will of the Father, who produces the good fruit!
Now, it is important to clarify, you are not saved by doing these things. No matter how many good works you do it will never save you. God does that by grace through faith in Christ. Fruit is the product of saving faith. An apple tree grows apples. Until we become an apple tree, we will never grow apples. Until one is adopted as a child of God, you will never grow into being like Christ. Trying to become a Christian by good works is like one tree trying to become another tree. No matter how hard a thorn bush tries, it will never become an apple tree. God must do that.
And there are even good works that you can do, and not be a sincere Christian. Notice, Jesus says some will even say “Did we not prophesy in your name and drive our demons in your name and perform many miracles in your name?” And still the response is “I never knew you.”
Simply having the appearance of good works doesn’t save you, you must know Christ. It begins first with justification and reconciliation and adoption. Then the one who knows Christ will do the will of the Father. In a similar passage in John, Jesus says “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (15:5) Christ is the one who bears the good fruit through us, like a vine nourishing the branches.
Notice there is a bit of a paradox here. Do you see it? A genuine Christian, will do good works. An apple tree will bear apples. It will happen. It’s not a maybe, it’s a must. If you are a genuine Christian you will begin to be sanctified.
“There is no justification without sanctification, no forgiveness without renewal of life, no real faith from which the fruits of new obedience do not grow" (Martin Luther)
Here’s the paradox. Why then are we judged based on our fruit? The fruit doesn’t save us, and all who are sincere Christians will have fruit, why are we judged by our fruit?
Evidence. Evidence of grace.
Good fruit is the evidence that we know Christ
Bertrand Russell the famous atheist was asked before, what will he do if he dies and finds out there is a God. God asks him “Why didn’t you believe in me?” His answer was “Evidence, there wasn’t enough evidence.” It’s ironic friends, that it is not God who must produce evidence of who He is, but us who must produce evidence of who we are. Are we truly reconciled to God? Where is the evidence? Are we truly justified before God? Where is the evidence? Are we truly adopted by God? Where is the evidence?
I learned before that one of the things a pastor should do in ministry is to look for evidences of grace in people. Someone says they want to be a Christian, they say a prayer of repentance and faith. You rejoice, you hug them and love on them. Then you start to look for evidences of grace.
Does the way they treat their wife change? Does the integrity which they approach their job change? Does their language change (fewer GDs and F-bombs? Do they start to show interest in studying the Bible and praying? Do they want to talk about God? Do they start to get involved in serving others in ministries? Evidences of grace. They don’t save us, they don’t make us a Christian, but they are evidence that we are Christians.
Evidence, evidence, evidence, will be the one thing wanted when the great white throne is set, when the books are opened, when the graves give up their tenants, when the dead are arraigned before the bar of God. (J C Ryle, Holiness)
So to use an old Billy Graham question “If you were to die tonight and God should ask you, why should I let you into my heaven? What would you say? The answer is “Because Christ has died for me and saved me from sin.”
But perhaps his next question will be “What evidence is there of this?” And we will say, “Lord, here is my fruit. It may not be much. It’s certainly not enough to justify me before you. But it is evidence of your grace.”
Look at this tree behind me. What if I told you it was an apple tree. What would you say? Well, first of all if you were up close you would be able to tell it was it was made of plastic. But let’s say, I never let you up close. It’s looks like an apple tree I guess. It has no fruit. It has no apples. Apple trees grow apples. I can assure you this tree has never grown an apple. By their fruit you will recognize them.
Look for good fruit, as evidence of the sanctifying work on your soul. Look for it, search for it, examine your own life. Is there fruit in your life as the evidence of sincere faith? “Wow, I do love people. Not perfectly, but more than I did before. God did allow me to overcome that addiction. I do look forward to studying Scripture with my small group. I do have a desire to take care of someone who is sick, I am able to forgive that person who hurt me. There is fruit of sanctification in my life. God is working in my life. I really am justified by God, and reconciled to God, and adopted as his very own because I see the fruit of what he has done!”
Look for good fruit in ourselves.
Friends why is sanctification a blessing? Because it means God doesn’t leave us in our sin. God is the one who by his grace enables us to be sanctified. It’s a gift. God takes us beyond saving us from our sin, into changing us into his Image.
Take for example reconciliation. Remember in the story of the prodigal son, the son repents of his sin and returns to his father? Well what do you think would happen next? The son would learn to be the son he should have been. He will begin to really obey and honor and love his father. That is sanctification!
Or take the example of justification. Remember the parable of the tax collector who was justified, declared righteous by God? What do you think happened next? He began to change his life of sin. He stopped cheating people, and robbing his neighbor. He began to come to the temple joyfully and thankfully, praising God for justifying him. That is sanctification!
And thinking about God adopting us making us his very own children. What do you think should happen next? We should learn to love him, to honor him, to obey him. We should be growing in our relationship with our Heavenly Father and modeling Him. That is sanctification!
Growing as Christian is not a duty we have to accomplish to earn salvation before God. It’s a gift. It is God making us an apple tree so we can bear apples. It is God making us his child so we can live for him. Friends you and I are not thorn bushes. You are an apple tree. I am an apple tree. Look for fruit, in others and in our selves.
Matthew 7:15-23
You may be wondering ‘What is sanctification?’ Maybe if you were here when we talked about reconciliation, you could figure that out. Maybe you have heard about justification before. Adoption is a familiar term, so it makes sense. But what is sanctification, and how is it a blessing?
Sanctification is just a big word that means ‘to become holy’. To be sanctified means to be made holy. We can be made holy. Some of you might be thinking, ‘I don’t think I will ever be holy.’ Well, you’re right. You will never be completely holy in this life. But you can be in the process of becoming holy by God’s grace. Which really just mean, becoming like Christ.
To use another word instead of sanctification, but brings out the same idea is growth. As a Christian you want to grow. You want to keep growing in becoming more like Christ. Now to be clear this doesn’t happen until the other three things we mentioned already happen. Until you have been reconciled with God, and justified by God and adopted as his very own, you will never grow in becoming like Christ. But when we are sincerely saved, we will begin to grow.
[Matthew 7:15-23]
Jesus says these words at the end of his Sermon on the Mount. He has just proclaimed for 3 chapters what being a disciple is all about. And now, here at the very end, he is saying “Live it, do it, put it into practice. Look for fruit, because fruit is the sign of genuine faith.” As a Christian, our job is to be constantly looking for fruit, both in others and in ourselves.
Look for good fruit in others
Christians are recognized by their fruit
Jesus tells us that people are like fruit trees. Some people are more fruity than others! A good tree bears good fruit. A bad tree bears bad fruit. For example, Jesus tells us, you don’t get grapes from thorns, you get them from a grapevine. You don’t get figs from a thistles, you get them from a fig tree. Those were common fruit in that part of the world. So today we might use an apple tree, we get apples from apples trees.
What is fruit? Fruit in this illustration is good works. Good things. But not just what people do, but also what people think and what people say. Good works.
Here is a list of some things that would be considered fruit. This is not the whole list, but just an example so we know what we are talking about. No particular order: In Galatians, Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. We could add to that from other parts of Scripture, giving to the poor, loving your neighbor, serving the community, controlling our tempers, overcoming addictions, protecting the life of the unborn, sexual purity, watching over our tongues, forgiving those who sin against us, honoring parents, loving your spouse and kids, encouraging others, helping the sick, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting those in prison, prayer, repentance, study of Scripture, teaching, fasting, evangelism, gratefulness, and worship. These are all fruit that come with being a Christian.
Jesus tells us, the type of fruit someone bears will eventually reveal if they are a Christian. D A Carson writes,
One’s ‘fruit’…will ultimately reveal what one is…Living according to kingdom norms can be feigned for a time; but what one is will eventually reveal itself in what one does.” (Carson, 191)
The fruit that someone bears enables us to recognize the sincerity of their faith.
Adoniram Judson, the famous missionary to Burma was talking to his Burmese teacher about a man they both knew who died.
Adoniram: “His soul is lost, I think,”
The teacher: “Why so?’
Adoniram: “He was not a disciple of Christ.”
The teacher: “How do you know that? You could not see his soul.”
Adoniram: “How do you know whether the root of the mango tree is good? You cannot see it; but you can judge by the fruit on its branches. Thus I know the man who died was not a disciple of Christ, because his words and actions were not such as to indicate the disciple.”
The teacher: “And so all who are not disciples of Christ are lost!”
Adoniram: “Yes, all, whether Burmans or foreigners.”
The teacher: “This is hard,” answered the teacher, after digesting the idea little while.
Adoniram: “Yes, it is hard, indeed; otherwise I should not have come all this way, and left parents and all, to tell you of Christ.” (185)
By their fruit you will know them.
False Teachers are recognized by their bad fruit
The type of fruit someone bears is an indication of whether they are a true teacher or false teacher.
Jesus uses another analogy as well. He starts off with sheep, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.” At first glance they look like Christians, what they teach or say seems right from the outside, and it’s a deception. Then Jesus switches to trees. “By their fruit you will recognize them.” Be careful of them. Stay away from them. Do not be tricked by them.
Just a note, Jesus is not talking about young Christians who are just starting to figure out their faith. Maybe they are asking questions about theology. Maybe they are struggling with coming out of a former lifestyle. Give it time. Nor is he talking about non-Christians who are interested in learning about Christian faith. People who are questioning and seeking and looking for answers are welcome to be part of a church as they look to learn.
Jesus is referring to false teachers: those who are intentionally and dangerously deceiving. Friends, not everyone who calls himself or herself a Christian is a Christian. Be wary of those who claim to be preachers, or pastors, or teachers, or religious leaders, and whose life does not match that of the Scripture. Jesus gives us a clear strategy of discernment: Look at their fruit. Are they bearing good fruit or bad fruit? As we mentioned earlier, an apple tree bears apples. A fig tree bears figs. A faithful Christian teacher bears good fruit.
For example, some of these TV preachers are way out there. Now, I don’t want to get down on all TV preachers, there are a few that stick to teaching the Scriptures and are faithful teachers. But some of these guys we have got to be careful of.
One time a youth group kid came and asked about a particularly TV preacher he liked. And the particular TV preacher he was referring to was one I had heard a lot of before, and I knew he was out to lunch. I will try not to mention his name. Just for the heck of it, let’s call him Benny. So me and this youth group kid decided to do a little research on Benny. We looked at the fruit of Benny’s ministry.
A few red flags quickly came up.
There were serious financial issues with Benny. For example, Benny’s ministry asked for donations to purchase him a new jet, for the bargain deal of $36 million dollars and cost about $600,000 a year to run. Independent organization have examined his ministry and found him ‘exorbitant in his spending’
There were serious dishonesty issues with Benny. For example Benny prophesied that before 2000 Fidel Castro would die, the first female president would be elected, and the East Coast would be destroyed by earthquakes. None of which occurred. There were also many claims of healing that were unsubstantiated.
There were serious theological issues with Benny. For example, Benny believes in what is called the Word of Faith theology, which teaches that God will make you rich if you have enough faith in him. If you’re not rich, it’s because you need more faith. I guess Jesus and his apostles simply needed more faith.
The fruit of Benny’s ministry left us wanting. Friends, by their fruit you will know them. Not everyone who claims to be a Christian is a Christian. Jesus declares the harshest punishment for them, “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” Examine their life, examine their fruit.
In the late 1800s a poet named James Whitcomb Riley said a phrase that stuck with us Americans for years.
"When I see a bird that walks like a duck and swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, I call that bird a duck."
Friends, the saying is true of people as well. If someone looks like a fake and quacks like a fake, we are safe to assume their a fake. If someone looks like an apple tree, bears fruit like and apple tree, then we are safe to assume they are an apple tree. Bearing fruit is the evidence of faith. Look for good fruit in others
Look for good fruit in ourselves
Our faith is recognized by its fruit
Jesus tells us in verse 15, not everyone who calls him ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom. Instead who is it that will enter the kingdom? “But only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” The one does the will of the Father, who produces the good fruit!
Now, it is important to clarify, you are not saved by doing these things. No matter how many good works you do it will never save you. God does that by grace through faith in Christ. Fruit is the product of saving faith. An apple tree grows apples. Until we become an apple tree, we will never grow apples. Until one is adopted as a child of God, you will never grow into being like Christ. Trying to become a Christian by good works is like one tree trying to become another tree. No matter how hard a thorn bush tries, it will never become an apple tree. God must do that.
And there are even good works that you can do, and not be a sincere Christian. Notice, Jesus says some will even say “Did we not prophesy in your name and drive our demons in your name and perform many miracles in your name?” And still the response is “I never knew you.”
Simply having the appearance of good works doesn’t save you, you must know Christ. It begins first with justification and reconciliation and adoption. Then the one who knows Christ will do the will of the Father. In a similar passage in John, Jesus says “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (15:5) Christ is the one who bears the good fruit through us, like a vine nourishing the branches.
Notice there is a bit of a paradox here. Do you see it? A genuine Christian, will do good works. An apple tree will bear apples. It will happen. It’s not a maybe, it’s a must. If you are a genuine Christian you will begin to be sanctified.
“There is no justification without sanctification, no forgiveness without renewal of life, no real faith from which the fruits of new obedience do not grow" (Martin Luther)
Here’s the paradox. Why then are we judged based on our fruit? The fruit doesn’t save us, and all who are sincere Christians will have fruit, why are we judged by our fruit?
Evidence. Evidence of grace.
Good fruit is the evidence that we know Christ
Bertrand Russell the famous atheist was asked before, what will he do if he dies and finds out there is a God. God asks him “Why didn’t you believe in me?” His answer was “Evidence, there wasn’t enough evidence.” It’s ironic friends, that it is not God who must produce evidence of who He is, but us who must produce evidence of who we are. Are we truly reconciled to God? Where is the evidence? Are we truly justified before God? Where is the evidence? Are we truly adopted by God? Where is the evidence?
I learned before that one of the things a pastor should do in ministry is to look for evidences of grace in people. Someone says they want to be a Christian, they say a prayer of repentance and faith. You rejoice, you hug them and love on them. Then you start to look for evidences of grace.
Does the way they treat their wife change? Does the integrity which they approach their job change? Does their language change (fewer GDs and F-bombs? Do they start to show interest in studying the Bible and praying? Do they want to talk about God? Do they start to get involved in serving others in ministries? Evidences of grace. They don’t save us, they don’t make us a Christian, but they are evidence that we are Christians.
Evidence, evidence, evidence, will be the one thing wanted when the great white throne is set, when the books are opened, when the graves give up their tenants, when the dead are arraigned before the bar of God. (J C Ryle, Holiness)
So to use an old Billy Graham question “If you were to die tonight and God should ask you, why should I let you into my heaven? What would you say? The answer is “Because Christ has died for me and saved me from sin.”
But perhaps his next question will be “What evidence is there of this?” And we will say, “Lord, here is my fruit. It may not be much. It’s certainly not enough to justify me before you. But it is evidence of your grace.”
Look at this tree behind me. What if I told you it was an apple tree. What would you say? Well, first of all if you were up close you would be able to tell it was it was made of plastic. But let’s say, I never let you up close. It’s looks like an apple tree I guess. It has no fruit. It has no apples. Apple trees grow apples. I can assure you this tree has never grown an apple. By their fruit you will recognize them.
Look for good fruit, as evidence of the sanctifying work on your soul. Look for it, search for it, examine your own life. Is there fruit in your life as the evidence of sincere faith? “Wow, I do love people. Not perfectly, but more than I did before. God did allow me to overcome that addiction. I do look forward to studying Scripture with my small group. I do have a desire to take care of someone who is sick, I am able to forgive that person who hurt me. There is fruit of sanctification in my life. God is working in my life. I really am justified by God, and reconciled to God, and adopted as his very own because I see the fruit of what he has done!”
Look for good fruit in ourselves.
Friends why is sanctification a blessing? Because it means God doesn’t leave us in our sin. God is the one who by his grace enables us to be sanctified. It’s a gift. God takes us beyond saving us from our sin, into changing us into his Image.
Take for example reconciliation. Remember in the story of the prodigal son, the son repents of his sin and returns to his father? Well what do you think would happen next? The son would learn to be the son he should have been. He will begin to really obey and honor and love his father. That is sanctification!
Or take the example of justification. Remember the parable of the tax collector who was justified, declared righteous by God? What do you think happened next? He began to change his life of sin. He stopped cheating people, and robbing his neighbor. He began to come to the temple joyfully and thankfully, praising God for justifying him. That is sanctification!
And thinking about God adopting us making us his very own children. What do you think should happen next? We should learn to love him, to honor him, to obey him. We should be growing in our relationship with our Heavenly Father and modeling Him. That is sanctification!
Growing as Christian is not a duty we have to accomplish to earn salvation before God. It’s a gift. It is God making us an apple tree so we can bear apples. It is God making us his child so we can live for him. Friends you and I are not thorn bushes. You are an apple tree. I am an apple tree. Look for fruit, in others and in our selves.
Church-ification
The Church
Matthew 16:13-20
The Church is a blessing that God gives his people. Not the building of course, He gives us each other. We are not lone ranger Christians. And God’s promise is that in the church God’s Spirit will dwell. God gives us himself by giving us the church. It is something different than the other blessings (justification, sanctification, etc.), and it is something we get before we go on to glorification. God gives us the church. And friends the Church is a miracle. It is a supernatural, stunning, glorious miracle. It is an absolute miracle of God. It is not man made. It is God made.
There is no little tag on the church that says “Made in America” or “Made in China” or “Made in this world” Instead there is a tag on it that says “Made in Heaven, a miracle of God” Let’s look at that tag.
Turn with me to Matthew 16:13-20 where we will learn that the miracle of the church is built around who Christ is.
Let’s look together at three things we must do with the miracle of the church.
1. Pray that Christ will be miraculously revealed to us
In our passage, Jesus is in Caesarea Philippi with his disciples and he asks them the question “Who do people say that I am?” And the disciples are all over this question, “Some say you are John the Baptist back from the dead.” Somehow they got his head back on, I guess. “Others say Elijah, the prophet who was supposed to come before the messiah.” Then Jesus turns it around and says “Who do you say that I am?” To which Peter replies “I say you are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”
He’s got it. He nailed it. He figured it out. They have all suspected it from the beginning perhaps, but Peter has the crystal clear conviction that it’s true. Jesus is the Christ, God’s own Son.
How important is that? That’s the one thing that makes every Christian a Christian. In fact, that is what a church is, right? The church is those who believe Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of God. If you have a bunch of people who believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and you bring them all together in a big room like this one, they meet together, they worship together, they study the Scriptures together, they pray together, what do you have? A church.
So how do we get that? How do we get that deep conviction that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God? Is it through careful reasoning and good argumentation? Perhaps a good debate between a Christian, a rabbi, and a Muslim cleric? If the Christian wins then you are convinced. Maybe you get it through hanging around with the right people. After hanging around with Christians long enough, you start to get that conviction: Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Or maybe we can psycho-analyze it. Maybe it is all about conditioning. If you grow up in a Christian household, your parents read the Bible to you before you go to bed, you went to Sunday School your whole life, that’s how you get it. Well obviously those are all means God may use, but they are not the source of the conviction.
Let’s look at how Peter got it. Peter says “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God” and Jesus says, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.”
God did it. The Father did it. Peter didn’t figure it out on his own. It wasn’t something about his reasoning or his friends or his conditioning that brought him to his conviction. It was a miracle of God. God revealed it to Him. The deep conviction that Jesus is the Son of God, comes from the Father.
The same is true of us. Where do we get this deep conviction that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God? We get it from the Father. He reveals it to us.
Sometimes we as Christians say things like, “I don’t know if I would be a Christian if I lived in Jesus time. Maybe I would be part of the crowd that rejected him. Or I don’t know if I would be a Christian if I lived in Iraq or Iran today. Friends, we are not Christians because of when or where we live, if we are true Christians who believe Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of the Living God, it is a miracle of God. Whether in the United States in 2008, or in the Middle East in the year 28. The Father reveals Christ to us.
Anyone looking forward to see the new Narnia movie coming out next month? Prince Caspian. My son can’t wait. He’s really looking forward to it. He knows it comes out in 33 days and 12 hours. Alright, actually I am probably looking forward to it more than him. I hope the movie will be faithful to the books. The first one was pretty close. The books written by CS Lewis are children’s books that bring out the imagery of Christianity. I hope it does real well, just so they will make the third one, which is my favorite out of the 7, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Because at the end of the third one, Christ is revealed. The kids travel all the way to the end of the world across the sea (Narnia is flat not round) to find Aslan’s country. Aslan is the great lion who is the King of Narnia. And when the kids finally find Him at the end of the world at the end of the book, Aslan is revealed to them. He is the Christ figure. He says to the kids, the reason I brought them into Narnia so that they might know me better in your own world. He is revealed to them as the Lord of all the worlds.
Friends, Christ must be revealed to us. Not just as a great man, another John the Baptist, but as the Lord of all the worlds. Knowing Christ is a miracle. You and I can’t do it, we can’t make it happen. You can’t make yourself convicted of the Christ anymore than you can make someone else convicted of it. The Father in Heaven does that.
You know what we can do? Pray for it. We can beg God to reveal himself to us. “Father in Heaven, please please please, reveal Christ to us. Flesh and Blood cannot reveal him to us, but our Father in Heaven can!” If you have a son or daughter, or friend or parent who doesn’t believe in Christ, pray for them. 1 Sam 12:23, Samuel says, “far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you.” Come on Wednesday night and pray for people. Grab your spouse’s hand at night before you go to sleep, and pray with them. Get up in the morning and pray to God. “God reveal Jesus to us. It is only a miracle of God that will make it happen. So I ask you. I beg you to do it. Just like you did to Peter, reveal Christ to my son or daughter or friend or parent.” Pray for God to miraculously reveal Christ to us.
2. Look for leaders to be miraculously raised up for us
After Jesus says to Peter that the Father is the one who revealed this to you, Jesus says, “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”
Now this has been one of the most controversial passages in all of church history. I am going to try and simplify the issue as much as possible, but it is going to take some effort to follow. It all boils down to the question: ‘Who is the rock?’ The name Peter, comes from a masculine Greek word petros which means rock. Little rock, detached rock, a small boulder. Jesus says to Simon Peter ‘You are petros,’ and upon this Rock I will build my church. The word ‘Rock’ comes from a feminine Greek word ‘petra’ which means Rock, big rock, attached mountain rock.
So who is the rock? Is Peter the rock? The reason why this is important is the church is built on the rock? If Peter is the rock, then the church is built on Peter. That means he is really really important. In fact he must be so important that he’s really in charge of the church. And, those who succeed him generation after generation are also in charge of the church on earth. We call them, what? Popes, Cardinals, Bishops, Priests. The church is built on earthly leaders.
Others say “No, no, Jesus is the rock” Peter is nothing, he’s inconsequential. He’s not important at all. He’s no different than any other disciple. He’s just a stand in and anyone could have done what he did. If that is the case, Jesus is all that matters. It’s just me and Jesus. We don’t need pastors, and elders, and deacons, in fact we don’t need “the church” at all. All that stuff is ‘organized religion’. Just me and Jesus and my pickup truck is alls I need. But if Jesus is the rock, then why is he saying this to Peter “You are petros?
There is a third view that I think makes the most sense. The rock is not Peter, nor is it Jesus in this specific case, it is Peter’s confession “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” That is the rock that the church is built on: The declaration of who Christ is. The church is built on this confession. Through proclaiming Christ to be who he is, the church is built.
Practically speaking what does this mean? It would mean that Peter is important, but not the rock. He is the one who made the confession. It is almost like Jesus is saying “Peter you are rock, a little rock, a boulder. But out of a little rock like you comes the confession you just made about me, which is the solid rock mountain that the church is built on.
And I think we have to say, historically speaking Peter does play a huge role in the building of the church. He is the one who initially takes leadership in the church. He proclaims the gospel in the beginning of Acts, and is used by God to get the church going. But he does it through his confession “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Believe in him.
God does use people to serve and lead and direct his church. God raises up leaders like Peter, miraculously. Leaders in the church are different than leaders in business. They are different than leaders in politics, or sports, or the military. They are leaders under the authority and lordship of Christ, the Son of the Living God. Look for these leaders. We need them.
So this means there is no me and Jesus and my pickup truck Christianity. We need the church. We need each other, we need good loving leaders. I was given the advice before that we should always seek out people to minister to and at the same time people who are mentoring you. Find people you are giving to, and people who are giving to you. There are people in my life right now whom I feel a particular calling to lead and minister to. And there are people in my life right now whom I am receiving from and learning from: Pastor Howard being one of them. We need leaders who lead under the authority of the lordship of Christ.
But this also means, there are no popes and priests today. The rock upon which the church is built is not an earthly leader. We are all sinners who need a Savior. It has been said, at the foot of the cross, the ground is level. Because we are all sinners, no earthly leader is essential to the church. In fact, leadership can start getting to people’s heads. From world famous evangelists, to local church pastors, to the guy or girl leading a small group, there is the temptation to begin to think you are rock. Pride sets in. The rock upon which the church is built is not us, but the confession “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Any leaders God raises up minister under the Lordship of Christ.
Just to keep us humble so we don’t make too much of any mere human leader, we have in the next section after this one, Jesus rebuking Peter and saying “Get behind me Satan” Imagine going from “My Father in Heaven revealed this to you” to “Get behind me Satan” Be careful not to make too much of any mere human leader.
But God does miraculously provide leaders. We need to be looking for leaders. On the local level. Thank God for pastors like Howard and other local pastors. Also folks like Josh and Stacey Williams who lead the youth ministry. It is amazing to see someone like Nate becoming more and more a worship leader. But also look for leaders God has given us in the broader church picture. Look for good theologians and pastors, good sermons, good books from Christian leaders on the larger scale. And if you are really want some good Christian leadership: read dead guys. My favorite Christian leaders are all dead: Read the Reformers and the Puritans, Charles Spurgeon, Martin Lloyd-Jones and C S Lewis. Read biographies of famous missionaries.
God has built the church in such a way that we need good leaders like Peter to follow, no matter who you are. There are no Jesus and me and my pickup truck Christians and there are no popes, bishops, or priests. There are only leaders who lead under the authority of Christ.
3. Unleash the miraculous ministry of the Kingdom
Jesus says to Peter the gates of Hades will not prevail against the church. What does that mean? Hades is just a Greek word referring to the place of the dead. His point is that even death will not prevail against the church. The conviction of who Jesus is as the Christ, the Son of God, who dies for us and is risen is triumphant even over eternity.
Jesus tells Peter, as a leader of the church, “I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven; whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven.” What the church binds in sin on this earth was bound in heaven, what the church looses from sin in this world was loosed in heaven.
Now what is he saying? Is Jesus saying we get to decide who goes to heaven and who doesn’t? Who is forgiven of their sin and who isn’t? Not exactly. Remember what we said, the conviction of who Jesus is, is something the Father reveals, not something we decide. We can’t save anyone. Only God does. We can’t condemn anyone. Only God does.
Here’s the point. The way in which God binds and looses people from sin, is through the ministry of the church. It is through the preaching, teaching, evangelizing, sharing of God’s people that “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” That people are either bound to their sins because they reject the message, or loosed from their sin because the receive it.
Jesus tells us that what we can bind on earth though, is only what is bound in Heaven. Don’t be legalistic. We shouldn’t say something is sinful that God has not said is sinful. And we can’t loose on earth what is not loosed in Heaven. We better not say “Everyone goes to heaven no matter what religion, or what we believe” We have a responsibility to loose what God has loosed in Heaven.
I tried to think of an example of this, and the best I could come up with is a cop. What is the job of a cop? A police officer can only bind someone if the court says so. And the police officer can only loose someone, or let them go, if the court says so. Yes they have the practical work of binding and loosing, but only as so far as the court allows.
I can remember when I was a teenager driving home from Jessica’s house late at night one time. It was probably like 2 or 3 o’clock in the morning we had watched a movie. Now, I am a bad driver, I admit it. But that night I was particularly bad because I was barely able to stay awake. So I’m driving home and probably not doing a great job of driving in a straight line. Eventually a cop pulls me over. It ends up being this little woman probably about 5 feet tall 110 pounds. She tells me to get out of the car. I get out. She says put your hands on the back of the vehicle and spread your legs. So I do. She pats me down and searches my vehicle. Finally I explain to her that I am just really tired. I don’t do drugs, I don’t drink, I was just tired. And of course she let me go. She loosed me. Why? Because I was innocent.
Friends that is the job of the church. We bind only what God has bound in Heaven. And we loose, by the power of the gospel only what God has loosed in heaven.
But friends, what a privilege. The Church through confesses Jesus to be the Christ, gets to see the miraculous work of God. We get to watch God loose people from sin who have been imprisoned by it all there life.
If you are here and you are chained by sin. Maybe it’s a substance. Maybe it’s alcohol. Maybe it’s drugs. Or maybe it’s pornography. Maybe it is something less tangible like fear or anger or laziness. Friends, God can loose you from it. He does it through the gospel, through the Lordship of Christ. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. He has the power to bind and loose.
How important is it for us to share the gospel with people: immeasurably important. God uses us to proclaim Christ. If you have a friend who has never heard the gospel, tell them. Tell them who Jesus is. But you can’t save anyone. God has to reveal Christ to them. If someone rejects the message of who Christ is from you, then their rejection binds them in sin not only on earth but in heaven. But if Christ is revealed to them, and someone does believe your message, they will be loosed for all eternity.
Well, we like to think about miracles. God giving sight to the blind, or healing the crippled, or even God raising the dead. A miracle by its very definition is not something we can do. There are no miracle Max’s. Anyone remember Miracle Max, the Princess’ Bride? He could only raise someone who was mostly dead. Well God can raise someone who is all dead. God can do any miracle. And one of his most stunning miracles, is the miracle of the church.
What other miracle does God work through that reveals Jesus to us as the Christ the Son of the Living God? What other miracle does God work through that raises up faithful leaders to guide and direct his church under the Lordship of Christ? What other miracle does God give us that looses people from the shackles of sin through the gospel? The miracle of the church built on the rock: Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.
Matthew 16:13-20
The Church is a blessing that God gives his people. Not the building of course, He gives us each other. We are not lone ranger Christians. And God’s promise is that in the church God’s Spirit will dwell. God gives us himself by giving us the church. It is something different than the other blessings (justification, sanctification, etc.), and it is something we get before we go on to glorification. God gives us the church. And friends the Church is a miracle. It is a supernatural, stunning, glorious miracle. It is an absolute miracle of God. It is not man made. It is God made.
There is no little tag on the church that says “Made in America” or “Made in China” or “Made in this world” Instead there is a tag on it that says “Made in Heaven, a miracle of God” Let’s look at that tag.
Turn with me to Matthew 16:13-20 where we will learn that the miracle of the church is built around who Christ is.
Let’s look together at three things we must do with the miracle of the church.
1. Pray that Christ will be miraculously revealed to us
In our passage, Jesus is in Caesarea Philippi with his disciples and he asks them the question “Who do people say that I am?” And the disciples are all over this question, “Some say you are John the Baptist back from the dead.” Somehow they got his head back on, I guess. “Others say Elijah, the prophet who was supposed to come before the messiah.” Then Jesus turns it around and says “Who do you say that I am?” To which Peter replies “I say you are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”
He’s got it. He nailed it. He figured it out. They have all suspected it from the beginning perhaps, but Peter has the crystal clear conviction that it’s true. Jesus is the Christ, God’s own Son.
How important is that? That’s the one thing that makes every Christian a Christian. In fact, that is what a church is, right? The church is those who believe Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of God. If you have a bunch of people who believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and you bring them all together in a big room like this one, they meet together, they worship together, they study the Scriptures together, they pray together, what do you have? A church.
So how do we get that? How do we get that deep conviction that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God? Is it through careful reasoning and good argumentation? Perhaps a good debate between a Christian, a rabbi, and a Muslim cleric? If the Christian wins then you are convinced. Maybe you get it through hanging around with the right people. After hanging around with Christians long enough, you start to get that conviction: Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Or maybe we can psycho-analyze it. Maybe it is all about conditioning. If you grow up in a Christian household, your parents read the Bible to you before you go to bed, you went to Sunday School your whole life, that’s how you get it. Well obviously those are all means God may use, but they are not the source of the conviction.
Let’s look at how Peter got it. Peter says “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God” and Jesus says, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.”
God did it. The Father did it. Peter didn’t figure it out on his own. It wasn’t something about his reasoning or his friends or his conditioning that brought him to his conviction. It was a miracle of God. God revealed it to Him. The deep conviction that Jesus is the Son of God, comes from the Father.
The same is true of us. Where do we get this deep conviction that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God? We get it from the Father. He reveals it to us.
Sometimes we as Christians say things like, “I don’t know if I would be a Christian if I lived in Jesus time. Maybe I would be part of the crowd that rejected him. Or I don’t know if I would be a Christian if I lived in Iraq or Iran today. Friends, we are not Christians because of when or where we live, if we are true Christians who believe Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of the Living God, it is a miracle of God. Whether in the United States in 2008, or in the Middle East in the year 28. The Father reveals Christ to us.
Anyone looking forward to see the new Narnia movie coming out next month? Prince Caspian. My son can’t wait. He’s really looking forward to it. He knows it comes out in 33 days and 12 hours. Alright, actually I am probably looking forward to it more than him. I hope the movie will be faithful to the books. The first one was pretty close. The books written by CS Lewis are children’s books that bring out the imagery of Christianity. I hope it does real well, just so they will make the third one, which is my favorite out of the 7, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Because at the end of the third one, Christ is revealed. The kids travel all the way to the end of the world across the sea (Narnia is flat not round) to find Aslan’s country. Aslan is the great lion who is the King of Narnia. And when the kids finally find Him at the end of the world at the end of the book, Aslan is revealed to them. He is the Christ figure. He says to the kids, the reason I brought them into Narnia so that they might know me better in your own world. He is revealed to them as the Lord of all the worlds.
Friends, Christ must be revealed to us. Not just as a great man, another John the Baptist, but as the Lord of all the worlds. Knowing Christ is a miracle. You and I can’t do it, we can’t make it happen. You can’t make yourself convicted of the Christ anymore than you can make someone else convicted of it. The Father in Heaven does that.
You know what we can do? Pray for it. We can beg God to reveal himself to us. “Father in Heaven, please please please, reveal Christ to us. Flesh and Blood cannot reveal him to us, but our Father in Heaven can!” If you have a son or daughter, or friend or parent who doesn’t believe in Christ, pray for them. 1 Sam 12:23, Samuel says, “far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you.” Come on Wednesday night and pray for people. Grab your spouse’s hand at night before you go to sleep, and pray with them. Get up in the morning and pray to God. “God reveal Jesus to us. It is only a miracle of God that will make it happen. So I ask you. I beg you to do it. Just like you did to Peter, reveal Christ to my son or daughter or friend or parent.” Pray for God to miraculously reveal Christ to us.
2. Look for leaders to be miraculously raised up for us
After Jesus says to Peter that the Father is the one who revealed this to you, Jesus says, “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”
Now this has been one of the most controversial passages in all of church history. I am going to try and simplify the issue as much as possible, but it is going to take some effort to follow. It all boils down to the question: ‘Who is the rock?’ The name Peter, comes from a masculine Greek word petros which means rock. Little rock, detached rock, a small boulder. Jesus says to Simon Peter ‘You are petros,’ and upon this Rock I will build my church. The word ‘Rock’ comes from a feminine Greek word ‘petra’ which means Rock, big rock, attached mountain rock.
So who is the rock? Is Peter the rock? The reason why this is important is the church is built on the rock? If Peter is the rock, then the church is built on Peter. That means he is really really important. In fact he must be so important that he’s really in charge of the church. And, those who succeed him generation after generation are also in charge of the church on earth. We call them, what? Popes, Cardinals, Bishops, Priests. The church is built on earthly leaders.
Others say “No, no, Jesus is the rock” Peter is nothing, he’s inconsequential. He’s not important at all. He’s no different than any other disciple. He’s just a stand in and anyone could have done what he did. If that is the case, Jesus is all that matters. It’s just me and Jesus. We don’t need pastors, and elders, and deacons, in fact we don’t need “the church” at all. All that stuff is ‘organized religion’. Just me and Jesus and my pickup truck is alls I need. But if Jesus is the rock, then why is he saying this to Peter “You are petros?
There is a third view that I think makes the most sense. The rock is not Peter, nor is it Jesus in this specific case, it is Peter’s confession “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” That is the rock that the church is built on: The declaration of who Christ is. The church is built on this confession. Through proclaiming Christ to be who he is, the church is built.
Practically speaking what does this mean? It would mean that Peter is important, but not the rock. He is the one who made the confession. It is almost like Jesus is saying “Peter you are rock, a little rock, a boulder. But out of a little rock like you comes the confession you just made about me, which is the solid rock mountain that the church is built on.
And I think we have to say, historically speaking Peter does play a huge role in the building of the church. He is the one who initially takes leadership in the church. He proclaims the gospel in the beginning of Acts, and is used by God to get the church going. But he does it through his confession “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Believe in him.
God does use people to serve and lead and direct his church. God raises up leaders like Peter, miraculously. Leaders in the church are different than leaders in business. They are different than leaders in politics, or sports, or the military. They are leaders under the authority and lordship of Christ, the Son of the Living God. Look for these leaders. We need them.
So this means there is no me and Jesus and my pickup truck Christianity. We need the church. We need each other, we need good loving leaders. I was given the advice before that we should always seek out people to minister to and at the same time people who are mentoring you. Find people you are giving to, and people who are giving to you. There are people in my life right now whom I feel a particular calling to lead and minister to. And there are people in my life right now whom I am receiving from and learning from: Pastor Howard being one of them. We need leaders who lead under the authority of the lordship of Christ.
But this also means, there are no popes and priests today. The rock upon which the church is built is not an earthly leader. We are all sinners who need a Savior. It has been said, at the foot of the cross, the ground is level. Because we are all sinners, no earthly leader is essential to the church. In fact, leadership can start getting to people’s heads. From world famous evangelists, to local church pastors, to the guy or girl leading a small group, there is the temptation to begin to think you are rock. Pride sets in. The rock upon which the church is built is not us, but the confession “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Any leaders God raises up minister under the Lordship of Christ.
Just to keep us humble so we don’t make too much of any mere human leader, we have in the next section after this one, Jesus rebuking Peter and saying “Get behind me Satan” Imagine going from “My Father in Heaven revealed this to you” to “Get behind me Satan” Be careful not to make too much of any mere human leader.
But God does miraculously provide leaders. We need to be looking for leaders. On the local level. Thank God for pastors like Howard and other local pastors. Also folks like Josh and Stacey Williams who lead the youth ministry. It is amazing to see someone like Nate becoming more and more a worship leader. But also look for leaders God has given us in the broader church picture. Look for good theologians and pastors, good sermons, good books from Christian leaders on the larger scale. And if you are really want some good Christian leadership: read dead guys. My favorite Christian leaders are all dead: Read the Reformers and the Puritans, Charles Spurgeon, Martin Lloyd-Jones and C S Lewis. Read biographies of famous missionaries.
God has built the church in such a way that we need good leaders like Peter to follow, no matter who you are. There are no Jesus and me and my pickup truck Christians and there are no popes, bishops, or priests. There are only leaders who lead under the authority of Christ.
3. Unleash the miraculous ministry of the Kingdom
Jesus says to Peter the gates of Hades will not prevail against the church. What does that mean? Hades is just a Greek word referring to the place of the dead. His point is that even death will not prevail against the church. The conviction of who Jesus is as the Christ, the Son of God, who dies for us and is risen is triumphant even over eternity.
Jesus tells Peter, as a leader of the church, “I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven; whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven.” What the church binds in sin on this earth was bound in heaven, what the church looses from sin in this world was loosed in heaven.
Now what is he saying? Is Jesus saying we get to decide who goes to heaven and who doesn’t? Who is forgiven of their sin and who isn’t? Not exactly. Remember what we said, the conviction of who Jesus is, is something the Father reveals, not something we decide. We can’t save anyone. Only God does. We can’t condemn anyone. Only God does.
Here’s the point. The way in which God binds and looses people from sin, is through the ministry of the church. It is through the preaching, teaching, evangelizing, sharing of God’s people that “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” That people are either bound to their sins because they reject the message, or loosed from their sin because the receive it.
Jesus tells us that what we can bind on earth though, is only what is bound in Heaven. Don’t be legalistic. We shouldn’t say something is sinful that God has not said is sinful. And we can’t loose on earth what is not loosed in Heaven. We better not say “Everyone goes to heaven no matter what religion, or what we believe” We have a responsibility to loose what God has loosed in Heaven.
I tried to think of an example of this, and the best I could come up with is a cop. What is the job of a cop? A police officer can only bind someone if the court says so. And the police officer can only loose someone, or let them go, if the court says so. Yes they have the practical work of binding and loosing, but only as so far as the court allows.
I can remember when I was a teenager driving home from Jessica’s house late at night one time. It was probably like 2 or 3 o’clock in the morning we had watched a movie. Now, I am a bad driver, I admit it. But that night I was particularly bad because I was barely able to stay awake. So I’m driving home and probably not doing a great job of driving in a straight line. Eventually a cop pulls me over. It ends up being this little woman probably about 5 feet tall 110 pounds. She tells me to get out of the car. I get out. She says put your hands on the back of the vehicle and spread your legs. So I do. She pats me down and searches my vehicle. Finally I explain to her that I am just really tired. I don’t do drugs, I don’t drink, I was just tired. And of course she let me go. She loosed me. Why? Because I was innocent.
Friends that is the job of the church. We bind only what God has bound in Heaven. And we loose, by the power of the gospel only what God has loosed in heaven.
But friends, what a privilege. The Church through confesses Jesus to be the Christ, gets to see the miraculous work of God. We get to watch God loose people from sin who have been imprisoned by it all there life.
If you are here and you are chained by sin. Maybe it’s a substance. Maybe it’s alcohol. Maybe it’s drugs. Or maybe it’s pornography. Maybe it is something less tangible like fear or anger or laziness. Friends, God can loose you from it. He does it through the gospel, through the Lordship of Christ. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. He has the power to bind and loose.
How important is it for us to share the gospel with people: immeasurably important. God uses us to proclaim Christ. If you have a friend who has never heard the gospel, tell them. Tell them who Jesus is. But you can’t save anyone. God has to reveal Christ to them. If someone rejects the message of who Christ is from you, then their rejection binds them in sin not only on earth but in heaven. But if Christ is revealed to them, and someone does believe your message, they will be loosed for all eternity.
Well, we like to think about miracles. God giving sight to the blind, or healing the crippled, or even God raising the dead. A miracle by its very definition is not something we can do. There are no miracle Max’s. Anyone remember Miracle Max, the Princess’ Bride? He could only raise someone who was mostly dead. Well God can raise someone who is all dead. God can do any miracle. And one of his most stunning miracles, is the miracle of the church.
What other miracle does God work through that reveals Jesus to us as the Christ the Son of the Living God? What other miracle does God work through that raises up faithful leaders to guide and direct his church under the Lordship of Christ? What other miracle does God give us that looses people from the shackles of sin through the gospel? The miracle of the church built on the rock: Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.
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