Jesus + (Philippians 3:1-11)
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
Good morning my name is Chad I'm one of the pastors here grab your Bibles and go to to Philippians chapter 3 uh if you don't own a Bible uh or don't have one with you this morning there should be a blue one in the seat in front of you it's on page 571 if you don't own a Bible take that one home with you we want you to own a Bible uh we're working our way through the book of Philippians.
When you have children there are things that you have to warn them about and then there are things that you you don't have to warn them about there are things that they're naturally scared of um so you might have a kid and you don't really have to warn them about Heights because they're afraid of heights you might be somewhere and there's like a dog pulling against the chain and barking aggressively you don't have to look at your kid and go hey don't pet that dog like they got it they they can tell that that's something they shouldn't mess with it seems scary.
But then there are other things that don't seem dangerous that are like watch batteries and the outlets that are against the wall at you know infant height um for them to to mess with there are certain things like I I've got a son who has an egg allergy and I've had to take pains to help him understand that there are some things that are dangerous to him you know I've had to look at him and be like oh is that a cookie does it.
Look delicious were your little friends eating it yeah that will kill you you think this is nice this isn't nice this is evil you know like good parenting stuff um this past week I handed him some food he's six I handed to him I said try this and he went does it have egg in it and I was like oh we've first of all I should have checked and I was like probably not but let me go look um but well done like he he's got it he understands this things that don't seem dangerous can be dangerous and we've had to use some aggressive language to try to help him understand that.
Because he wasn't going to pick it up on his own Paul is going to issue an aggressive warning in this text he's going to put some aggressive language to a warning and it's to something that actually could seem fine it's to something that might could creep into how you relate to the Lord mik could creep into your understanding of Christianity and it could seem okay and it can be disastrous and so Paul uses some aggressive language to help warn us and warn the Church in Philippi against this.
And so let's go we're in chapter three we're going to start in verse one finally my brothers now that finally there just like any good preachers in conclusion doesn't really mean finally uh it's it's it's like one you know like the sermon has three points but each point has three points and you just like smuggle them in there it's like that when he says finally really what he means is like to the rest to this next concept and he's not really concluding the letter yet.
And so he's turning to the next thing finally my brothers rejoice in the Lord to write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you that verse to look out uh to write the same things to you sorry the back half of verse one to write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you is he's going to repeat himself something he's already told the Philippian Church he's saying doesn't bother me to repeat this and it's good.
For you to hear it again that's what he's talking about but that rejoice in the Lord is not just a throwaway statement it's the heading for all the stuff we're about to read he's calling us to Joy in Christ to Joy in the Lord to Celebration and rejoicing in the Lord and that in the Lord is very important it's not just hey Rejoice it's it's Anchored In Jesus and so he says rejoice in the lord it's a little bit like if your parent had walked in the house and said hey you need to celebrate your sister we you need to you need to congratulate her the thing you say is why what like you there's.
More to this like what what is it and he says rejoice in the Lord and now he's about to help us see where this Joy is found and one of the things we're going to see is that this Joy is actually at risk because he's about to give them a warning this joy that we have in the Lord is at risk because he says this finally my brothers rejoice in the Lord to write the same things to you is no trouble.
For me and is safe for you verse two look out for the dogs look out for the evildoers look out for those who mutilate the flesh yeah if those people exist let's look out for them they sound awful look out for the dogs look out for the evildoers look out for those who mutilate the flesh that's some aggressive language and it's also I told you he was going to give us a warning but it's a bit jarring where it comes in the text rejoice in the.
Lord what look out for the dogs look out for the evildoers look out for those who mutilate the flesh hey we we're going to celebrate your sister tonight why what happened there's a roving band of lunatics murdering people in the City what was she a part of the band I have so many questions did she stop them so he says rejoice in the Lord and then he gives this aggressive warning so we ought to want to know who these people are who are the dogs who are the evildoers who are those who mutilate the flesh what is he talking about.
Well his next sentence tells us look out for the dogs look out for the evildoers look out for those who mutilate the flesh for we are the circumcision and then he goes on to explain how we're the circumcision but that phrase for we are the circumcision is key to understanding who he's talking about it's it's odd but that let's focus on that phrase for a second for we are the circumcision it's it feels like what what is he's all over the place.
But if you understand the context this makes sense there's also a play of play on words here in the Greek uh mutilate the flesh is the Greek word catat and circumcision is the word perome so catat means to chop up to to mutilate to chop off parom means circumcision which is a very delicate form of cutting very different from katat but what he's saying here is that there are those who are coming along there was a group of people who were coming to the Christian Church and saying that they needed to partake in the Old Testament Jewish rights to belong to Abraham.
So that the the sign of circumcision was given to Abraham and that was what marked them as the Covenant people that was what told them they were in and then they were given the law to Moses was given to the law and so they had circumcision in the law and that was what marked them as belonging to God and so when he says we're the circumcision what he's saying is we're the ones who belong to God and specifically those who are coming by and telling you you need Jes.
Jesus and circumcision you need Jesus and to follow the law you need Jesus and Judaism to be saved he says no they're not in we're in what they're doing is a mutilation it's a catat it's not a parat it's not bringing you in it's not helping you belong to God it's actually messing it up it's tearing it up that's what he's communicating so there was a group of people coming along and saying yes you need Jesus but you also now have to be Jewish you have to practice the Jewish law you have to be circumcised you have to follow the festivals you have to follow the dietary restrictions you have to follow the sabbaths you.
Have to do all of these things to actually be in this is something we see in the book of Acts it comes before the Church and they say no that's not how it works you just need Jesus so that's the point he's making when he says we're the circumcision he's saying we're the ones who are in but he's going to explain what he's talking about here in a second but when he's saying this y'all this this still exists there's still those who will come along and say you need.
Jesus and something else there's actually those who will still say this exact thing you need Jesus and Judaism when we were meeting at Glen Forest school and renting space there was another group there that was meeting called the gates to Zion and they had Jesus and they practiced the Jewish festivals and the Jewish sabbaths and they had all these Jewish I don't know if they followed the dietary I don't know what they did but they basically were saying that you needed.
Jesus plus Judaism that sort of idea still exists but it exists in a lot of other ways too anything added to Jesus so this can be Jesus and but the real ones the real ones know the real ones who are in on it know that you need Jesus and this sort of political activism that's the real Christians or you need Jesus and this sort of Church structure Jesus and this type of myology this type of Miss Focus this type of service you need.
Jesus and this type of marriage this type of child raising you need Jesus and homeschooling you need Jesus and anything else that adds to it there's a lady in our community group who's come out of a menite background and it was Jesus yes but you need to be menite you need to practice it in these ways and then it becomes more about being menite than about Jesus it's anything that someone comes along and says yes okay Jesus sure but you really need this you can get on YouTube and you can find all kinds of versions of this message yeah yeah.
But the real stuff is here you got to know how to do the Bible math and then we can figure out when Jesus is coming back there's Secrets hidden here we got to get in here the real people know and they're in on what you really need to worry about is this you got to have this you got to have this thing and so it's not you need Jesus it's you oh yeah Jesus but you also really need this and Paul says no and it's tempting and in some ways it prays on something that we have which is this General desire to be in I don't want to mess this up I really want to.
Follow Jesus and when someone comes along and says you're missing something you don't want to be missing something so you say what what is it and they can make some compelling arguments at times but y'all the Bible isn't hasn't set out to trick us and to only let a secret group in the Bible is very clear you need Jes Jesus and that's what Paul says for we are the circumcision who worship by the spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh that's who's in that's what Paul says not them and their added adherence to the to the Jewish regulations.
But those who worship by the spirit of God meaning the spirits that work in us are service is through his work in us what he's accomplished and what he's accomplishing in us it's not through our adherence to the law or our morality it's something that the spirit is doing in us and then it says and we glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh the flesh being ourselves our ability to be moral so it's possible it's your first time hanging out with our Church or the.
First time you've been around a Church in a while and your general picture of what Christianity is is the Bible has some rules do the rules you're messed up get it together chip chop and you'll say things to yourself like you know I would you hear people say this all the time I would come back around Church but I got some stuff I got to straighten out first putting some confidence in the flesh but Paul says that's not who's in that's not how it works it's not about putting confidence in flesh it's glory in Christ my my wife and I won tickets to a Braves game and we went we were at the Braves game.
And we uh saw ay guy wearing a a McHugh Jersey he was sitting in front of us and he had McHugh on his jersey now if you're not a Braves fan you don't know who Colin McHugh is but if you are a Braves fan you also don't know who Colin mchu is you'd have to be like really really a Braves fan to know who Colin m is we just thought probably that guy's last name like spent some extra money pretends he's on the team um we're in the middle of the game and they're struggling and they swap out pictures at like the.
Third or fourth inning and they send out calling me Q he's a real person he's going to come in and Pitch one of these like middle Innings and when that happens there's a guy behind us who starts going hey mugh Jersey M Jersey hey you at the M Jersey and finally the guy turns around he goes do you know him and that guy says yes because that's the only person who wants a mchu jersey someone who knows McHugh they went to school together.
So I don't know Kyu but I did see a guy who does know Kyu one time what Paul's saying is when we glory in something we we put the winners on the Jersey we put who we're proud of on the Jersey you'll see Maddox jerseys and glavin jerseys and Jones jerseys and aunia jerseys you'll see those but we put who we're proud of that goes on the Jersey that's the jersey that sells and what Paul is saying is it just says.
Jesus it doesn't have your last name it doesn't have your little Club it doesn't have your little bonus thing that you want it just it just says Jesus we glory in Christ and we put no confidence here that's the point Paul's getting at so if you're part of something if you're listening to some teaching online if you've been a part of a Church you're coming out of a Church or you're trying right now to figure out what Church to belong to here's the thing I want to help you understand what are they excited about what are they proclaiming what are they pointing you to.
And if it's not Jesus get out if it's not highlighting his glory and his goodness and his salvation and his hope and his kingship if it's about something else if they say yes we worship Jesus but then all they talk to you is about your morality or your ability to do this certain thing or for you to be this type of wife or this type of mother or this type of husband or this type of Citizen or this type of whatever and it's not about.
Jesus and it's not about his glory and at the end of the day when you walk out there you're going to walk out with some Jersey that says something other than Christ get out that's what Paul's saying we we put no confidence in the flesh and then he's going to do something kind of weird he says we have no confidence there and then he says but I do watch verse four though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also what here's what he's doing he he doesn't want these people coming along to say.
Well of course Paul of course Peter doesn't want to you to practice Judaism Peter was awful at it he was a fisherman he does know anything of course these ragtag disciples they they they're teaching these things but you need Jesus and you need this extra thing and Paul says y'all I can I can whip anybody's tail on the court of Judaism like I I'm the best Jewish man you could find that's what Paul's doing he's about to say I have more Jewish credentials than they do and I'm telling you it's not worth it that's what he's doing here are his Jewish credentials.
If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh I have more circumcised on the eighth day not late as an adult after I decided to do this no I was born Jewish on the and I was circumcised on the right day of the people of Israel of The Tribe of Benjamin if you join Judaism late you just get to belong to the people of Israel but you don't have a tribe he says I have a tribe I can trace my lineage back he says a Hebrew of Hebrews which is either restating that he belongs it's like another way of saying I'm Tribe of Benjamin in Israel.
So I'm a Hebrew of Hebrews but it's also quite possible what he means is I speak Hebrew because there were a lot of those who were a part of the people of Israel who were in the helenistic Roman Empire who only spoke Greek so he says I'm a Hebrew Hebrew as to the law a Pharisee so if you if you're familiar with the gospels the Pharisees are the ones who would call fouls all the time on everybody they'd walk around and be like ah you're doing that wrong you're not following the rules right they do this to.
Jesus all the time and his disciples it's like anytime Jesus did something it was like Pharisees appeared out of nowhere and were like wrong uh non-stop they would tithe out of Jesus at one point says you tithe out of your spice rack like you take 10% like they were really focused on the minutia of the law but they had missed the point he says I was a Pharisee I was the best lawkeeper I was great at it as to Zeal was I like a like a lazy Pharisee no I was a persecutor of the Church how many people have you arrested.
For Judaism how many executions have you overseen that's what Paul's saying I was getting after it as to righteousness under the law blameless I perfectly followed adherence to the law now he doesn't mean righteousness before God Paul's very clear he didn't have that what he's saying is if it's about following these rules I was great at it verse seven but whatever gain I had so that's his confidence in the flesh that's his resume that's his history he said whatever gain I had I counted as loss.
For the sake of Christ he said I realized that all of this just stood in the way of me following Jesus that if I wanted Jesus I needed just Jesus I didn't need a resume I didn't need something that put glory in me I needed the glory to be in Christ and so it's a loss I got rid of it it's a waste indeed I count everything as lost because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord y'all Paul says I had more credentials than they have I have more credentials than they're trying to give you and I I got rid of it.
Because it stands in the way of Jesus either he gets the glory or we do Jesus doesn't share Glory it's either about his greatness or us and Paul says I realized I I didn't have greatness I didn't have goodness I didn't have anything so I got rid of it so that I could have Christ and the surpassing worth of knowing him and Paul has better credentials than you both in his Jewish credentials and in his Christian credentials he's out Christian to you.
If there was a score chart planted a bunch of churches suffered for the name of Christ he's been I mean he listed in other places beaten Shipwrecked like what have you what all these things that are for Christ all these things that he's done and Paul doesn't list that as a thing he just says none of that matters he actually says it really aggressively for his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish in order that I may gain Christ that word rubbish is.
Well attested to be a an exploitive in Greek it also is a technical word that has a right place that's not an expletive but it's an aggressive word and so Paul here is saying it's filth it's garbage it's trash it's the stuff you scrape off your shoe that's what he's talking about this word here is an aggressive word now that doesn't give us license to just use whatever words we want to use all the time there are other places that say watch how you speak Paul's being very pointed and very intentional here and he's using a word that does have a technically right use.
But it's an aggressive word what Paul says is my whole resume was garbage my whole resume needed to be hosed off my boots before I could go inside now I don't know what you think your resume is but you got to understand it fits in that category it doesn't hold weight compared to the glory of Christ and his work on our behalf now I think it's helpful for us to try to understand where can this creep in where can it show up that we're actually doing this and I'm going to try to give us some help with that in a moment.
But I want us to see something Paul says in verse 9 verse 80 says indeed I count everything as lost Lo because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord for his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish in order that I may gain Christ verse n and be found in him Paul says I just want Jesus and I just want to be in him positionally I want to belong to Jesus there's a mental picture that really helps me with this it's going to take me a.
Second to make sure on the same page but it's the idea of having a champion in battle there's some historical attestation to this that they would have Champions who would fight on behalf of their whole Army the the biblical picture we have of this the story that we have is David and Goliath Goliath stands and he says he represents the whole Philistine Army he's their champion and then he says send forth your Champion now Goliath is a giant 10 feet tall his spear is massive his shield is massive like he's massive and he says send forth your Champion.
If I win philistia wins and you're our servants if your Champion wins then Israel wins and we're your servants but he's got the whole Army in him he represents the whole thing and the champion that's going to come forth represents so you've got two armies encamped only one Champion's coming forward David comes forward for the Israelites and he wins but all the hopes and all the glory and all the the the whole battle rest on does David accomplish this that's what Paul's talking about Paul says I want to be in.
Jesus I want his victory to be my victory I want him winning to be me winning I want him his righteousness to be my righteousness I it's all on Jesus he gets all the glory what's at stake here is our joy and Christ's Glory he gets the glory we get the joy we get to just stand and watch as he walks towards the battle and if he wins we win well Jesus Christ goes to the cross and he takes our punishment and our debt.
For our sin and Jesus Christ rises again do you know how loud you would have shouted when you saw Goliath fall and David run over and chop his head off and hold it above his hands you know how excited you would be you hadn't shouted that loud at a baseball game I'm telling you you haven't been that excited for your football team you haven't you haven't had a moment like that that you would have been I mean I'd have lost my mind I thought we were going to lose it didn't.
Look like it was going to work out well we win and I didn't do anything he did it y'all Jesus goes forward as our champion and Paul says I'm in him his victory is my victory his win is my win he's accomplished it he gets the glory we get joy because it's not about us that's that's what that's what he's pointing out here that's what he says I want to be found in him not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law.
But that which comes through faith in Christ the righteousness from God that depends on faith you don't do work you trust Jesus you have faith and so people will say okay so I have to have faith like that's the thing you do but faith is an anti-work it's a surrendering faith is you not running down theill Hill you watching the champion go and trusting that this is going to work that's Faith so you can't brag about it because it was getting out of the way you don't boast in front of the.
Lord you boast in him you don't Rejoice on your own you rejoice in him you don't glory in yourself you glory in him because he's the one who's gone ahead of us and one for us that's what Paul's saying that he has righteousness but it depends on faith because it depends on Jesus and it's us just saying I trust Jesus so I said I would try to help you figure out where are you doing this and this is where I think it's helpful some of the things that he said is we don't Glory we glory in.
Jesus we don't put confidence in the flesh and then it says that it depends on faith so I would ask you is what do you have your confidence in and what are you depending on and one of the best ways to figure that out is what do you do when you're sad what do you do when you see your sin what do you do when you come face to face with the fact that you are inept and unable to accomplish this on your own.
Because if what you remind yourself of is in this category if you say well I'm struggling now but I'm going to get it together I got a bad resume now but I'm gonna have a better one in the future yeah I'm not doing well and yeah I fell into sin but also I've been doing way better I have been committed to our community group I've been serving in Kid City I grew up in the Church Church if you start listing things to try to help yourself do I really trust.
Jesus and you start saying well I've done this and I've done that and I haven't done this I'm not as bad as those people you're over here putting confidence in the flesh and you're depending on you what if in the midst of your sin you said but I have a champion Jesus Christ the righteous what if you said Lord if you don't save me nobody does if you don't work in this sin it doesn't get fixed if you don't forgive I'm not forgiven.
If it hasn't been accomplished by Jesus it won't be accomplished do you know what that would do to our hearts in those moments when you feel so down and you feel so unable to accomplish things and in those moments when you're going I got to get it together I got to do better Lord I'm such a failure Lord I'm so broken it's not just you hate your sin but you hate yourself because you think it's about you but what if in those moments we turn and said Praise.
Jesus do you know how much joy we'd have this is not about us but it's about him and his glory and his power and his goodness it doesn't matter that Goliath is bigger than you that you would have lost if we're trusting in what Jesus does we don't lose it's not about you so where do you turn what do you remind yourself of how do you encourage yourself do you tell yourself I'm going to get better I'm going to do it I'm going to fix it I'm going to get it going do you remind yourself that you've tried hard in the past and you can try hard again do you put it in this where.
You have confidence in the flesh and you're depending on the Flesh and let me ask you something are you tired are you burdened are you overwhelmed are you understanding that you're completely insufficient to save yourself can I tell you about Jesus who rescues and redeems all those who run to him who gets every ounce of Glory but that we get to re Jo in him and that if we start doing this we lose the joy and he loses the glory let.
Let me tell you something following the rules and having to be good is not a rejoicing spot you can be prideful so there are times where you can feel good some of you right now you feel good about you following Jesus when you're doing well this is going really well but it's just based off of I'm doing really well I'm behaving and so good right now I I bet God was looking around this morning and he was just like look at him getting it done or you can be exhausted.
Because you're one of the ones who's really trying you're one of the ones who's really accomplishing things you're one of the ones who really putting in effort and all these other people around you are messing it up you got a bunch of Scrubs in your group you're the only one who's working signed up to bring cheese didn't bring cheese don't let other's meal needs cheese I'm the only one who really loves Jesus it's like what are you doing you can have pride you can have despair.
But you don't get rejoicing but over here you're free because he's glorious and he's good and he gets the honor and he gets the praise and you get the joy like a child when Jesus says we have to become like children I think some of that is that children have no responsibility they're safe if their parents keep them safe they're fed if their parents feed them they just get to bounce around not worrying about anything I don't bring my boys into the room late at night sit them down at the table and go boys I need y'all to help me figure this out I put them to bed.
If they start worrying about stuff I say that's above your pay grade you don't even have a job shut up you're free go to bed they shouldn't be laying in bed stressing out we get to be free we get to have joy we get to rejoice in Jesus that's what he says not that I be found in him but it's not just that it says that I may know him it's not just that we would be in him positionally but that we would belong to him that we would know him that we would love him that we would cherish him.
Because he's so good and this makes so much sense for this is how God wants the world to work he has not come in and says I need you to be good enough I need you to meet the standard what he did is he came met the standard for us and says I need you to understand how good I am I need you to find joy in me I need you to calm down I need Glory I'm not sharing it with you you don't get the glory I do.
But you get the joy I need you to understand how good I am I need you to participate in my goodness and that's wonderful he says that I may know him that I might participate in him that might love him that I might see how good he is and the power of his resurrection part of the reason why you're exhausted is because you have no power you cannot raise one single thing from the dead not even once ever you have no ability to bring life to your finances to your attitude to your relationship to your marriage you have no ability to bring life in the midst of your sin and your Brokenness you have no.
Ability but he has the power of the Resurrection at work for those who will follow him he says that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and may share in his sufferings becoming like him in his death listen there are things that we do because we're Christians not things that we do to become Christians we don't do things to make us some of the good ones but there are things that we do because we know him and we love him and we follow him there are evidences of Faith that's what Paul says that I may share in his sufferings there are things that we participate in.
But he gets the glory and it's about his name and it's about his goodness so he says that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead that by any means possible May attain the resurrection from the dead that I might get the victory that he's earned that I'll participate I'll follow him I'll go wherever he goes I'll get rid of my whole resume so that I might have him that I might be in him and that I might get the victory.
If your hope is to get good enough to depend on your work and to have confidence in the flesh can I tell you that the Gospel is so much better than that that Jesus is so much better than that that he will not share Glory with you it is not Jesus and something else it's not Jesus and your Works Jesus and your behavior Jesus and your attendance Jesus and your particular little piece of theology that's the really good stuff that only the super smart people know it's.
Jesus to the glory of Christ to the praise of his name it's Jesus and y'all you don't want to run down the hill and fight the giant you've you've put off making a phone call because it stressed you out you've lost your mind in traffic or a te- ball game completely ceased to be a functioning adult just lost your mind you've had to quit interacting with your own children and go outside and take deep breaths you've hurt the people around you you've lied you've stolen you've cheated you've started a diet and it worked until there was food that wasn't on the diet that you wanted to eat near you anybody can diet hidden away from.
All food it came to the first test I've done this I'm a diet I walk in Miss Lou is like I bought donuts I'm like well I'm going diet tomorrow you don't want it to be about you you don't want it based off of your goodness and your work and your labor we want it to be about Jesus and we want him to get all the glory and we're going to sing and we're going to praise His name and we're going to hold him up and we're going to tell him this depends on you my confidence is in you my hope is in you my strength is in you the power is in you the.
Glory is in you and then I get joy and resurrection and victory to the praise of Jesus let's pray father we thank you we thank you that the Gospel is so good help us not to be tricked help us not to believe lies help us not to to Listen to evildoers Who Would mutilate the Gospel but Lord may we worship by the work of your spirit may we boast and glory in Christ and may we put no confidence in the flesh and anywhere where we're doing that anywhere that we've started to Hope in ourselves hope in our work hope in our achievements hope in our goodness hope in our resume hope in our our track.
Record anywhere we've been promising you we're going to do better in the future so that we might feel good now oh Lord may we have the joy of knowing that you have won and that you've won on behalf of all those who trust in you and Lord may you get all the glory may it not be about us may it not be about what we do or how we do it or what we think or how we approach it but Lord may we trust you and your work on the cross and your Victory and the resurrection.
So that we might be made whole and we might have joy in Jesus name amen the band's going to come back up and we're going to sing in a moment and celebrate that he has accomplished this for us but I want you to take a second I just want you to ask Lord where am I robbing you of Glory where am I trying to accomplish this on my own and I want you to say Lord I need joy and I need deliverance and I need confidence in you and I need to be dependent on you.
So can you do that for a moment can you just take a second and ask the Lord to help you see where you're trusting in yourself just a moment in prayer where you say Lord where am I trusting in me where am I hoping in me some of you have never trusted in Jesus it all depends on you your confidence is in you your hope is in you and you plan to one day stand before Christ and say I'm good enough maybe you have.
Jesus in there but it's Jesus and Jesus tells a parable where he says that on that day there will be many who will stand before him and say didn't we do this in your name didn't we cast out the enemy didn't we Proclaim didn't we do these things didn't we have and all they're doing in that moment he says I'll say depart from me I never knew you but what they're doing is saying look at my resume don't you remember your name was there.
And then I did a bunch of stuff don't you remember I said your name and then didn't you see all the stuff I did and he says I don't know you because that's not how it works that we'll stand before him and say you did it you got me here you redeemed me you're glorious you're good I'm in Jesus I'm going to be found in him and I'm going to have the power of his resurrection at work that I might have hope.
So would you take a moment if you've never said Jesus I Need You I depend on you my confidence is you my hope is in you the glory is in you and the Joy gets to be for me would you do that would you tell him you need forgiveness and you need hope that you don't want to stand in your own power and your own ability that you don't want confidence in yourself the Gospel is so good don't say no to it don't trust yourself.
But trust Jesus and then let's sing like he's won the Victory and we get the joy.
Community that Honors Christ (Philippians 2:14-18)
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
Good morning my name is Chad I'm one of the pastors here grab your Bibles and go to Philippians chapter 2 if you don't have a Bible with you you can grab one of the ones that's in the seat in front of you in the little tray if you don't own a Bible take that one home with you that's our gift to you we want you to own a Bible we are working our way through the book of Philippians and we're going to.
Look at Philippians 2 uh verses 14-8 today we took a few weeks off to uh for uh inst installing Isaac and then walking through Easter and celebrating Easter together but we're back in Philippians now we're going to finish out the book over the next several uh weeks and and a couple months and uh Paul is in prison and he's writing this letter to the Church in Philippi and the Church in Philippi had sent apodus to him because they found out he was in prison.
And while in prison he was responsible for his own needs and so you you were kind of dependent on people to help care for for you um because the Romans weren't going to and so they sent basically a care package to him so that he could survive and so he's writing this letter back in thanks to them to a Church that he helped get started um and you can read about that in the book of Acts and so that's what the where the we are in the letter and he's um going to give some helpful instruction.
Today but he's going to give what I would say is a good command for a great reason and so as we read it I hope that we follow and obey the commands because we ought to but I also hope that we in our time together this morning catch the reasoning that we understand why Paul says what he says not just what he says but why he says it why the command matters so that we might live our lives in line with that why.
If you and I were going to go on a trip together you were driving and we were going to Charleston and I got in your car as we start working our way to get out of the city of Columbia I said ooh hop on 77 it's so much nicer than 26 you might be inclin to say something like well while 77 might be nicer it will not get us to Charleston so unless you want to go to Charlotte or Casey we should not get on and Paul has a reason a destination a direction in mind that sets all of the little choices that are going to get him there.
And so I want us to see his good command but I want us to catch the great destination the great reason for it so let's read this whole passage together and then we'll walk through it slowly uh Philippians 2 starting in verse 14 do all things without grumbling or disputing that you may be blameless and innocent children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation among whom you shine as lights in the world holding fast to the word of life.
So that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith I am glad and rejoice with you all likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me so the first thing he says is the command do all things without grumbling or disputing immediately we're like wait when can we Grumble and he says do all things without it.
So never don't Grumble is another way to put this now I think that this applies to us individually that it's a blanket command that just says don't don't do it but I also think and we're going to see later as we work through the text that it implies to our life together that it applies to the Church collectively how we interact with one another as a Church but let's take a moment to just consider grumbling and considering it at the individual level there are some things that you will not Grumble about there are some things that you appreciate that are nice that you you enjoy you're not going to Grumble about it you're not going.
To complain if your boss says hey we're cutting out early today go home and take a nap I don't think you Grumble on the way home if you find a $20 bill on the street you don't mutter to yourself about people littering you don't there are certain things that fit inside of our preferences and things that we like and enjoy that we're not prone to Grumble about that things we Grumble about are the things that are outside of our preferences the things that Annoy Us that inconvenience us there are things that we will Grumble about and I I think one of the categories of things that we'll Grumble about is uh the weight of existence.
There are some things that you do that we have to do just to exist and it's possible for us to just be annoyed with them clipping your fingernails and getting a haircut and mowing your grass and doing your dishes these are things that just go along with existing that you might find yourself greatly annoyed by can't believe I have to wash dishes you just ate a meal that was nice we're not thankful for that we're just bothered by why would I be doing this laundry there are some things that you could potentially get in the habit of just groaning about complaining about mumbling to yourself about that just fit into the category of things you.
Do like you have a job and you're annoyed by it I got to get up and get over there oh my goodness when I get there they expect me to do the job when I open my email there better not be any email in there like we're just complaining about things that it takes to exist and to live now you might be going I don't complain about my laundry I complain about everyone else's laundry I don't complain about my dishes it's everyone else's dishes and that's the weight of existence in relationships.
So there's a weight of existence that you have but there's a weight of existing in relationships and you can easily Grumble about the people around you because the people around you can be very annoying you might have some co-workers that you consider very Grumble worthy they're frustrating sometimes you go home and you think they might be doing it on purpose this isn't just the thing they do naturally there this is turned into maliciousness but we Grumble about the things that are going on around us we Grumble about the things we have to do we Grumble.
Because we're inconvenienced in some ways grumbling is the exact opposite of what Paul just said and what Raz just read that we prayed about it says count others as more significant than yourselves one of the reasons that I Grumble is because I'm very significant and the people around me fail to see it I shouldn't have to stay late and clean other people should have to do that I shouldn't have to do these dishes other people should have to do that I shouldn't have like there's this this General sense of oh my goodness.
When I go to work these why am I having to deal with the fact that this person hasn't done what they're supposed to and we grumble but he says don't that's the command do all things without it you shouldn't Grumble at work you shouldn't Grumble at home you shouldn't when you're having to get up and go accomplish a thing mutter to yourself about it I've told my sons before to do something and watch them get up and go I say h no sir you go do the thing and I don't need to hear the muty little noises.
First of all it's not going to make you enjoy the thing that you have to do you have to do it so you might as well do it with a good attitude second of all I'm not going to listen to it and that's what Paul is saying to us H we don't need the muty little noises don't do it my sons were watching a uh a little science program for kids and they were doing tests on how to help you deal with pain um and there were two things they said that can help you.
When you're dealing with pain that'll help you deal with it one of them is smiling so if you're going through pain if you smile it'll help you bear with the pain the other one is cussing they did clarify that it doesn't actually have to be cussing you can just go and that helps as well one of the reasons we Grumble is that it feels good it feels like it's accomplishing something you feel like you're doing something y'all we we Grumble with each other some of your best friends are just the people that you most enjoy grumbling with you know what drives me crazy oh hit me with it tell me about it you want to.
Know what's frustrating oh I'm hot I'm aggravated when can we get together oh I'll clear my schedule because it feels like we're doing something it feels like it accomplishes something but it's not actually helping anything it's souring our souls and it spreads you ever had an enjoyable experience until you had a friend who told you why you shouldn't have enjoyed the things you ever had a movie you really enjoyed and then you talked to someone and they said no here are six things wrong with that movie and you can never enjoy it again grumbling spreads people can talk you into not enjoying a restaurant not enjoy enjoying a place that you would visit it's not.
Good for us so Paul says don't don't Grumble and don't dispute and that one's going to play into more of our life together but it's like a little bit like Paul talking to a toddler um whenever you talk with a toddler you you often start with what and then you answer why 17 times in a row why did we just stop because there's a red light that's that's a what there's a red light that's a thing here red light stop why do you stop at red lights.
Because when I was 15 they made me read a book and it told me to stop at those and if I don't these people have green and they're going to run into me why we got a government um and they set that up that way why probably Commerce and safety like you just you keep doing that and so he said what do all things without grumbling or disputing but now he's going to hit us with why why he's going to hit us with two yse why why here's the.
First why that you may be blameless and innocent children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation among whom you shine as lights in the world okay so blameless and innocence there is practical you not sin so grumbling and disputing and this being a fostered pattern for us is sinful so that we would not sin then it says then he says children of God that's not dependent that's accomplished by Jesus that's not something that we're practically working out the truth is.
Because of Jesus we're made blameless and innocent Justified before Christ through his work but then we need to live that out we need to practice it but we're children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation his first why is because the whole world grumbles and disputes but you're children of God one of the best ways for you to display that you belong to Jesus is have a good attitude roll with inconvenience be unfl flappable in the face of frustration be the one person on your crew that.
When everything falls apart goes hey we got this all right smile that was your other option you know when you're dealing with pain one was smile and one was shout smile be the people who who can do that now you've been around people who can do that you've worked with people who can do that and it's a joy it's a delight and what he's saying is the Church should do that we should be people who aren't grumbly complainy frustrated people we should be joyfill hope-filled people and this is why I think that it's not just you individually.
But it's us collectively he's writing to this Church and he's saying y'all don't complain and argue about everything put on display shine as lights in the middle of a of a generation that this will be startling to because everybody grumbles and complains and disputes about everything don't that our conversations shouldn't center around complaining we should work out of this that we should not Foster it but we should correct each other I think there's probably been times in your community group when it was a care night and what you effectively did was not repent not grow not correct.
But Grumble just kind of complained about the things in our lives and we actually need to start saying okay hold on a second I understand your boss may be frustrating but what's going on in your heart and how are you acting and how do you handle that and how do you respond to that and how do you shine in the middle of that now if I'm in the middle of grumbling and you go pause let's look at your sin I'm going to be annoyed with you.
But I'm going to be greatly helped by you and the Jesus loving part of me is going to go no that's good thank you and we're going to be able to grow together but he says this you shine as light so I want you to see that by not grumbling you put something on display and then the question becomes what well verse 16 says holding fast to the word of life so when we shine it's not to show off us when your coworker says how you have such a good attitude don't go thanks I'm great glad you noticed I get to hang out with me all the time and I'm awesome that's not the point.
The point is I I'm holding on to something that gives life I'm holding on to something that empowers Joy I'm holding on to something that can't be taken away from me because it's been accomplished by Jesus there's a Word of Life where Jesus Christ came to save Sinners where Jesus Christ came to redeem and to rescue the lost where Jesus Christ came to fulfill righteousness on our behalf that's what we hold on to so what is inconvenience what is difficulty what how would these things even come close to touching us.
If we're holding fast to the Gospel and the life that's found in Jesus the truth is we've been told that we're servants and slaves you can't inconvenience a servant that's what we're here for we're meant to be serving and loving and and caring for those around us as we hold on to the Gospel and what that means as a Church y y'all understand when we all get together there's no possible way that all of us get our preferences there are things here that you do not prefer.
Okay that's how it works there's things here I don't prefer yeah that's fine they're not the main thing we're supposed to not Grumble not dispute not argue and hold fast to the word of life there are things that we should fight over and it's are we holding to this are we clinging to this Gospel are we making much of Jesus are we believing this and then there's a whole lot of stuff that we're just supposed to go not the main thing not the thing we're holding on to not the thing we're fighting.
For doesn't matter my mom grew up in the Church I asked her you ever been a part of a Church while y'all fought over something kind of stupid she said oh yeah there was a big fight over the color of the carpet big was big deal I think she said it was a huge deal now there is a huge deal for the Church and it's that we hold fast to the Word of Life the carpet it's not a huge deal that's the stuff we walk on it doesn't does doesn't matter.
Look up if you don't like the color that's not a big deal we're the Church isn't collectively going around and telling you what color carpet you can have in your house have whatever color you want when we get together we just need something under our feet it's not a big deal if you went to a Church and it was their third called business meeting to talk about the color of the carpet what they have articulated to the world is this matters oh it matters and you're like oh my goodness is that in Deuteronomy like where I need to re reading my Bible I didn't understand carpet was such a big where is this at it's.
Not in there we're holding fast to the word of life that is what matters that we're proclaiming the Gospel that we're declaring that Jesus is King that there's hope in him and him alone that's what matters and all the rest of this stuff you're like I I don't know I'd have painted it a different color okay I like this song rather than that song okay are they making much of Jesus is the theology wrong let's talk about that otherwise let's look like a group of people who.
So love Jesus and so love each other and keep the main thing the main thing y'all uh mil City Church got started in 2013 a hundred years before that First Baptist Church of Casey got started and in 2019 we started talking about what would it look like for m city Church and First Baptist Church at casy to become one Church the question was does that help us hold fast to the Word of Life does that help us proclaim the Gospel and I was.
So humbled and delighted and impressed to see the people who had been in First Baptist Church of Casey for decades lay down so many preferences to see Christ proclaimed I remember Mr Tru at one point said he was a part of a Church he was traveling back and forth between Columbia and somewhere on the coast it was near Charleston and there was a Church that he would be a part of here and a Church that he would be a part of there and he said one time.
When he went back to Charleston he went to that Church on Sunday and he walked up and he said there was chains around the door and there was a padlock on it he said the Church had gotten into arguing about some stuff and couldn't sort it out and they just locked it up and he looked at us and he said there's not nobody's putting a padlock on these doors he said ' this place is going to keep proclaiming the Gospel that's saying hey the main thing is the main thing are we making much of.
Jesus do we believe that he's better than everything else are we calling Our Lives to be in obedience to his glorious goodness and let's we don't have anything to Grumble about we don't have anything to dispute over let's fight for what matters that's the first why he says do all things without grumbling or disputing so that or that you may and he says be blameless and innocent children of God in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation shining as lights holding fast to the word of truth that's the.
First why here's his second why so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain I really love his second reason you would think that if it said so that in the day of Christ the next thing he would say is something about the Philippians Church the Philippian Church he would say something like so that in the day of Christ y'all May something be found to have whatever what he says is.
So that in the day of Christ I won't have wasted my time with y'all I won't have spent this time to to start this Church in Philippians to try to get y'all going and then I leave I get arrested and y'all argue with each other and cease to be a thing I don't want that to happen I I appreciate his honesty I also think his reasoning is really good this is this is where I said he gives a good command with a great reason here's Paul's great reason here's how Paul lives his life Paul does whatever he's doing this day looking towards that day.
If you read Philippians if you went home this afternoon and read through it he's going to do this three four times he's going to say the day of Christ the day of Christ on the day of Christ he's going to hold this up if you read his letters he holds this up all the time he has in view all the time the destination he's not going to let him get on I77 because it doesn't take you to Charleston he's he's got in his mind the day of Christ.
And so he is saying he's not saying the opposite of what he just said which is that Jesus was humble so we ought to be humble and then he's somehow acting like he's going to be really prideful before the Lord on the day of Christ that's not what he's talking about at all he doesn't mean self exalting pride what he's talking about is so that I might Delight in and be proud of you as you have done what we set out to do it's like a dad with children that kind of Pride that's rebounded it's reflected in the Philippians Church doing what the Philippians Church is supposed to do that's what he's talking about.
But he has in his mind that day the day of Christ is when Jesus reclaims his Church and judges the world and that day is coming it's closer today than it was yesterday and Paul Paul lives his life with that in mind and we know that because of what he says next you can see it so clearly he says even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith I am glad and rejoice with you all likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.
Okay so he's saying even that being poured out as a drink offering is even if my imprisonment ends in death even if what happens to me now is all I do is help show off y'all's Faith because they just sent aphodius to him he says if all I end up doing is y'all put your faith on the offering your sacrificial offering of your faith is mine's just a drink offering that gets poured on top of that that just makes the the flame blaze up.
For a moment and helps highlight your faith and if that's all that happens if I get poured out I will rejoice I will have joy and Delight in the Lord and then he says I want you to as well the day you hear Paul's been beheaded in Rome I want you to call the Church together and I want you to to Praise Jesus that's what he's saying why because Paul lives this day in light of that day and on that day all the inconveniences and sufferings and difficulties that are.
For Christ matter you know we have the saying live this day like it's your last live each day like it's your last if you're not a Christian what that's got to mean is live this day for this day but if you're a Christian what that means is that day is tomorrow wait that day is tomorrow this day is the last this day I get to do stuff for that day I got some neighbors I need to tell about Jesus I got some people I maybe need to repent to or forgive I got some This Day stuff that I've got to do in light of that day most of the things that will happen this day.
That I will not Grumble about will matter 0% on that day I got to eat the last donut nobody asked me to serve them or help them I kept all of my money or spent it on things that I like I watch three episodes of The Office neat I won complain about any of those but they won't matter on that day and if I live this day for this day I don't have anything on that day but the things that I might complain about the things that we might Grumble about a lot of those are glorious inconveniences.
For our Church family for our neighbors for the glory of Christ and the proclamation of the Gospel that matter on that day it flips it 150 of you serve in Kid City it's not really true but it feels like it there's a lot of people that serve in Kid City it actually should be true if you don't serve in Kid City you we got get that number up to 150 kid city where they're about 60 children 50 to 60 children many of whom don't know.
Jesus are around people who do but don't yet believe it's an opportunity in our Church to serve it's also a place where you might be tempted to Grumble my wife she serves in Kid City and she watches babies and she she always tells them the rules when they starts she says all right no fighting no fussing no crying no pooping and being babies they don't follow the rules super well I don't think they fight I think that's just in there just in case you know.
But otherwise they fuss and cry and poop she did a couple weeks ago come home and said the babies followed all the rules but there are things that we might would be oh my goodness I got to do this again oh I've got to I got to face this I got to handle this oh I host my group and then I got to clean up afterwards and I got to deal with all this stuff or there may be someone in your group that the only way they can be around is you got to go pick them up and it's possible.
For you to on the way be like oh here we go got I just don't even know if this is going to be sustainable I don't know if this is going to be able to last there might be some people who they they're struggling with their own thoughts their own emotions and one of the best ways to get out of that is to talk to somebody who can help sort out what's real and what's not real what's true and what's not true and can help point you to.
Jesus but that means you're going to have to have a conversation with a really muddled frustrated sad person and it's going to make you a little more muddled and frustrated and sad and you may not want to answer that phone call you might have someone in your group who says I just need to be around somebody today but this was the day you weren't going to be inconvenienced to never have to leave your couch there are things that you might Grumble about this day oh that are glorious on that day the stuff that I actually want to be like I did a whole bunch of this the stuff that I actually want to have labored.
For there's things I'm going to spend my money on that will rot and waste away and there are things that I'm going to spend my money on and give my money away to that are going to last into eternity and they're going to shine in a glorious light to make much of Jesus on that day and Paul just says don't live this day for this day live this day for that day remember what matters remember what's important Matthew chap 10 Jesus says this he's talking to his disciples about them being received and served and what it looks like to serve and love the Church and he says whoever gives one of these little ones even.
A cup of cold water because he is a disciple truly I say to you he will by no means lose his reward well if a cup of cold water counts and changing diapers counts and cleaning up after your community group counts and answering phone calls late at night counts and serving and loving and laboring for those who don't know Jesus counts and it matters that we do things on this day for that day because Jesus is gloriously good and there is a day.
When we all get to rejoice in the things that we would not otherwise have Earthly rejoiced in Paul says if they do the absolute worst to me and kill me let's Praise Jesus but the only way to do that is to understand how good it is then and to have that in mind all the time if I got in your car to go to Charleston and I said I wanted to get on 77 you would tell me can't do that it's.
So Church family as we in our hearts want to live for this day I want you to get real used to telling yourself I can't do that because that's not where I'm trying to go and as we live together collectively I want us to get real used used to saying hey no we can't do that because that's not where we're trying to go we we want to be ready for that day y'all Paul wanted so many Philippians to be there on that day way more than he was writing the letter to and we want.
So many people in Colombia in casy so many people that go to USC y we want Gamecock fans all over the place in heaven we want people who live in hermo and chapen and Gaston and pan and Hopkins we want them all over the place in heaven we want people at your job and on your street to be able to stand in the glory of Christ and praise His name that he saves Sinners because you did things on this day that mattered.
For that day that's what we want and so as a Church we're not going to Grumble and we're not going to dispute and we're not going to fight about silly things we're going to hold fast to the word of Truth and we're going to tell people that Jesus Jesus is glorious and good and we're going to live this day for that day by his grace and his empowerment through his Spirit let's do that let's pray Lord may we by your spirit keep in mind that one day all the suffering is gone all the sin is gone and you our glorious King rescue your Church and may we keep in mind that on that day there.
Is no repentance there is no more at that point turning and trusting in you that everybody is either forgiven of their sins or trapped in their sins so may we live this day in light of that day and may we tell people about you Lord may we serve and love one another knowing that inconvenience and anything that declares to us that we aren't that important is good as it brings glory to your name may we be repentant over our grumbling repentant over our disputing may we joyously and graciously hold firm to the Gospel.
For ourselves and for each other that we might make much of you in Jesus name amen
Abounding in Love (Philippians 1:9-11)
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
My name is Chad I'm one of the pastors here if you will grab your Bible and go to Philippians uh chapter 1 we're working our way through the book of Philippians if you don't own a Bible grab one of the blue ones in the seat in front of you in that little rack and it's on page 570 this is a letter that the Apostle Paul wrote to the Church in Philippi while he was in prison and so he's writing this letter to instruct the Church they have just sent a gift to help care.
For him because while in prison he's in house arrest where he would have been chained in Rome to a guard um but while you're under house arrest you have to provide for your own means you have to cover your own food and everything so he's at the mercy of those outside to tend to him and the Church at Philippi sent a gift 800 miles to him so that he might have his needs met and he's writing this letter back in thanks and appreciation and um talking to them about what it is to follow.
Jesus and what they should look like as a Church how do you go about making decisions there there are some things in life you didn't get to pick you didn't get to pick your parents you didn't get to pick where you were born you didn't get to pick uh some of your genetics I mean there's no you didn't get to pick any of your genetics sorry made it sound like you could pick some you don't get to pick any of them uh there's some things that you don't have any choice over there are things that happened to you in life that you had uh you just have to deal with that you didn't get to.
Choose but then there are a lot of things in life that you pick that you choose whether you're going to give energy to you're going to give attention to you're going to give effort towards that you're going to do this or not do that you're going to to pursue this or not pursue that and how do you go about making those decisions because we're going to see this morning In this passage that we're looking at verses 9- 11 in chapter 1 that Paul's talking about a prayer that he has.
For them and one of the things that we're going to see is that how we love and how we think affects what we choose which affects the trajectory of our lives so how we love and how we think affects what we choose the choices that we make the things that we bring in or reject and that affects the trajectory of our lives and Paul is writing to Christians which is very important for us as we understand this that this letter is written to Christians those who have trusted in.
Jesus and who have had him uh atone for their sins who have accepted his sacrifice on their behalf and he's talking about what it looks like as they follow Jesus and what his prayer for them as they follow Jesus and so this doesn't apply in general to all people but it applies specifically to this Church that he's saying as y'all are following Jesus this what I'm praying for you so let's read the passage together we'll pray briefly together and then we'll walk through it bit by bit.
So we're looking at chapter 1: 9-1 and it is my prayer that your your love may abound more and more with knowledge and all discernment so that you may approve what is excellent and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God father as we study this passage this morning this is our prayer for our Church family that we by your grace and by the work of your spirit would abound more and more in love with all knowledge and discernment.
So that we may approve what is excellent and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God help us to understand this and to get to walk in it by your grace in Jesus name amen all right so he says and it is my prayer that's the first thing we're looking at is this is a prayer and he's bringing them in on this is a prayer.
Now I would ask do you pray for people and if you do what do you pray for people and this is a good one so maybe start including this as a a thing that you would pray for yourself you would pray for others uh there are several prayers found in Paul's letters they're helpful for you to go you know I want to pray for my Church family I want to pray for my community group I even want to pray for myself as I follow the.
Lord what should I pray for and there are some that are in Scriptures this is a good one write it down h mark where it is and use this to help guide some of your prayers but he says this is what I'm praying for you on he says that your love may abound more and more we got to talk about that word your for a second so in English the word you can mean singular or plural so you you this is this is unclear at times someone's looked at you and a group of people and said all right you can come and you do that just me all these people also all of the.
And if they turn around and walk off you'll look at each other like did they make eye contact was there a point do they mean and and so in all the places in the country we've basically we've just fix this we have things like 's and you guys and yans and you guys all of which are dumb and so we say y'all we've got the best one and if you're angry you say all y'all and then you tell them what all y'all can do you know the this word you're here in Greek they don't have this problem they have plural youu and and singular you and this is the y'all version of you in Greek.
So that's y'all's it is my prayer that that y'all's love may abound more and more or some of y'all say y'all's for some reason y'all's love would more and more but that's who he's talking to he's talking to the Church and so I want you to hear this not as just a singular you which it does include you but he's writing to y'all he's writing to I don't know if you've ever been on a team and somebody was given the pregame speech or whatever and they said I want you to fight I want you to overcome you understood they meant you.
But they meant all y'all and so that's what he's talking about this is to the Church this is to us together to them together the Church of Philippi and they would have understood that when they read it so it's that y'all's love may abound more and more that's the first thing he says is that your love may abound more and more now he's not going to say love for what he just means love that that it would be not just love directed at this certain thing.
But it would be that you would be loving people that you would abound in love that you would have a source of love that would grow and grow his prayer would be that y'all were loving people I think sometimes the American version of praying that prays for abounding we want to abound in what abundance stuff yeah when we pray for abundance we mean you know more and people like more of what it all of it the good stuff and I think in Life As Americans most of us have probably had more of a taste of abounding in abundance we more often have overeaten overindulged partaken in things that were I mean we we live in.
A historically globally y'all we live like kings I read sometimes about King Solomon and it talks about that the Queen of Sheba came and visited him and it said at no other time in in Israel was there ever that amount of spices and I'm like I can I mean there's an international aisle at the food Lon I can go hit that up I think if I could go back in time and just hand King Solomon a MoonPie he'd be like you're a world-renowned chef I'd be like.
Well I mean let me you don't had even met Debbie she got all kind of stuff like the amount that we get to participate in all of this abundance and that's what we so often are craving and wanting and praying for but y'all have you abounded in love have you ever had a season of life where you were surrounded by love where you dwelt in love where you in a household of love when you were in relationships filled with love when you were in a Church filled with love and that that is way better than this.
So let's quit praying for this and start praying that we might abound in love that that might be what this is like and I just want to say Church family I think that we've tasted this as a Church family I don't think we're an unloving group but the hope is that we would grow and grow and grow and that five years from now you'd be more loving than you are today that the trajectory of the Christian Life is that we would grow in sweetness and kindness and patience and graciousness towards one another.
So let's read about love for just a second so we might understand exactly what is he talking about what does he mean when he says love well Paul defines love gives us a lot of tangible handles on it in 1 Corinthians 13 I know it's hard for us to read this passage without first hearing Canon and D but this isn't just about romantic love while it applies to that it's much more broad it's written WR to the Church and so this is what he says love is patient and kind is that one of the beautiful things about people who are loving does they have space.
For you you ever noticed that you need something you need help you show up at the doorstep and they have space it's one of the things that love does it creates room for people it's patient and kind love does not envy or boasts you ever seen somebody get something good and the first thing you think about is yourself I wish I had that rather than being able to just Rejoice with them that they have a thing that they got a thing it's not envious it it Delights with everything that other people get it joins in.
And then it doesn't boast on the other side when they have something good for yourself you're not bragging about it you just appreciate it but you open handedly hold it it's not arrogant or rude it does not insist on its own way love is not irritable and resentful I I love that because irritable and resentful are like the front end and the back end of anger irritable is easily angered resentful is angered for a long time holding on to it.
When it comes to your relationships with your Church family are you trying to abound in love or do you show up to hang out with your community group irritable ready for these people to get on your nerv again you ever show up on Sunday just walk around and be like watch watch how they going to act ain't nobody going to talk to me you're not talking to anybody and you're making a face like you don't want people to talk to you.
Because you're judging all of them but you're waiting to prove it you've shown up irritable you're ready for them to offend you or do you ever the other side of that where it's you hold on to something you rehearse in your mind things that have happened to you a long time ago oh what if we abounded in love what if if we weren't irritable or resentful wouldn't that be nice and I'm talking about you not the person you're thinking about I wish they weren't irritable no that's not what I'm talking about I'm talking about you growing in this sounded like resentment honestly.
When you said it it does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth love bears all things believes all things hopes all things endures all things Love Never Ends specifically verse 8 that's the beginning of it it goes on to say that there are other things that basically don't carry into eternity but loved uses but y'all if you have a Church family that Bears all things believes all things hopes all things endures all things and we can get through all things.
So he's saying to the Philippian Church H I pray that y'all be a people who abound in love love is the foundation but it's also the furniture the walls the roof it's everything love is what we're supposed to dwell in and abound in that we would grow in that that we'd be blessed in that that we'd be the type of people who overflow in love so he says my prayer that your love may abound more and more so he's told us basically the quantity of love that there would be it would be abound in it there' be more and more.
But he's going to give a qualifier he's going to give quality of that type of the type of love that we're about to have he says with knowledge and all discernment so what kind of love we would have would be an informed love it's knowledge discernment means judging rightly so an informed and choosy love a picky Love A Love That rightly chooses what's good and not good that this is the type of love that the Church is meant to be marked with abundant love that's patient and kind endures Bears isn't resentful isn't angry.
But that doesn't Rejoice with wrongo doing but rejoices with the truth a love that's filled with knowledge and discernment the the difference between knowledge and discernment first of all one of the things he's saying to them is that they would know their Bibles they'd know the the teaching of the New Testament they'd know the teaching the letters that he's writing they'd know the teaching of the Apostles and for us that means that we would know our Bibles that's the knowledge we're meant to have not just general knowledge.
But that we would have specific biblical knowledge that we would know what is true and good and right from the Scriptures that we would be Bible people so that we would grow in knowledge but then we would use that knowledge practically for helpful decision making that we would judge what is right and wrong and good and bad the the distinction between uh knowledge and discernment is shown to us in like a ton of our television sh so Sherlock Holmes he has knowledge.
But the whole point of the show is that like put knowledge together and then he's the one who's able to decipher how that knowledge applies in a helpful way and the really good ones are when you already had all the pieces of evidence and then they explained at the end you're like a but that's a ton of our shows that's Sherlock Holmes that's house house is just Sherlock Holmes but he's a doctor Monk Is Just Sherlock Holmes but he has OCD Psych is just Sherlock hes.
But he thinks everything's a joke and Bones she's Sherlock Holmes but a lady and a doctor with OCD who thinks nothing is a joke so these are these are our TV shows where they they build up knowledge but then discernment is the ability to use it in a helpful way to make a right choice and that's the type of love we're supposed to have as a Church and just so you know as soon as knowledge and discernment are added we we leave our culture behind cuz America us culture we could stand at an inauguration and say we pray that your love would abound more and more.
And then just close the Bible and everybody in our culture would go yes it's exactly what we want but as soon as you say a choosy Discerning love that knows right from wrong it's like oo no because what we celebrate culturally is approval love I'm just on your team that real love culturally this is what we celebrate is for me to say I just want you to be happy and I'm not evaluating what makes you happy I'm just saying I want you to be happy I'm just on your team whatever you say is good.
For you is good for you whatever you want that's I'm I'm on your team I'm not ever going to tell you that you're wrong about anything I'm just going to tell you I'm on your team like I thoroughly enjoyed the movie wreck at Ralph and then the second movie came out and the little girl girl in the movie was like I'm going to leave my video game and go live on the internet and Ralph says that's a bad idea and I thought what a hero.
Because if a little girl tells you she's going to go live on the internet you should say no that's a bad idea the internet is is not don't do that but the the movie was that he's the bad guy he turns into a big monster at the end because he didn't just celebrate what she wanted and he has to learn to just let her have what she wants that's the that's the story that's at least how I took the story and you might have taken it differently.
But I'm still mad about it because culturally the hero is the person who says I just want you to be happy and anybody who would step in and say I don't think that's good for you is actually not right but we also overreact to this as Christians and we have knowledge and discernment without love which is just we know what's right and they're wrong well they're wrong they're idiots they're they're wrong about this there's tons of YouTube channels videos that you can watch where someone just I would say sometimes very rightfully walking through the Bible and saying this is right this isn't right this is wrong.
But they do it gleefully like they're happy and angry that that all of this it's weird it's this weird mix of angry and happy of like I'm mad at them but I'm also so happy that it tastes so good to be right and for us to to operate the way we're supposed to we're supposed to be abounding in love and a love that has knowledge and discernment so that we know our Bibles and we choose well and it's quite possible that you lean in one of those directions that it's easier.
For you to just be gracious and kind and welcoming and patient really hard for you to look at someone and say I think if you choose that it'll be bad for you but discernment is wonderful because there are are things that are bad for you and if you have no radar for that if you have no ability to to know what is good and right and wrong and choose well it harms you I have I have a son who uh was born with food allergies we were walk we were carrying him around I always feel bad about this we were we were with him somewhere he was a little baby and somebody looked at us.
And said what's going on with his skin and we were like I don't know he's itchy and they were like he looks like he's allergic to milk we were like you think and they were like yeah guess what he was allergic to milk we were harming him he was also allergic to oats which we started adding to his milk I guess to try to absolutely destroy this child but we also found out he was allergic to eggs and milk he eggs milk and um wheat which means you can't have anything that tastes good there's no no cake no can candy no cookie no I mean like it just he cut out all kinds of stuff.
There were many a night where he ate green beans while the rest of his family ate pizza because we're not going to not eat pizza cuz you can't it's tough man it's going to be your whole life just I don't know eat your beans let's go but he's had to learn to have a discernment for what he takes in he's got to be able to approve he's got to be able to choose whether or not it's good or bad for him he's got to be able to do that all the time even as a four five six-year-old and he's thankfully outgrown some things.
But here's what's happened to him he's begun to do what this what Paul says is supposed to happen here because Paul's about to tell us what matters why this matters why it matters that we would abound in love with all knowledge and discernment with knowledge and all discernment verse 10 so that when you're reading your Bible those phrases are very important so so that if then any of those kind of things help you understand how the flow of thought works so that.
So the reason that we're abounding in love with all with discernment with knowledge and all discernment is so that you may approve what is excellent and so that we'd pick the good stuff in life we choose what was right we choose what would bring life and joy and Delight what's funny now is that when we when him and his brother are having to eat like regular healthy meals his brother would be like I don't like this and he's younger so he always be yeah me neither.
And then he'll start eating and go it's actually okay because he's so used to eating just butter beans and green beans and white rice you can just feed him healthy stuff and he just tears it up I know some of you are like white rice isn't healthy well you should see how we the other meals we eat white rice is great it's basically a vegetable but he takes in what is good for him and that's what he's saying is that we would learn how to approve approve what is excellent how to approve what is healthy that we would learn what is right and wrong and good.
And then we would choose it now that's a prayer that you would learn how to love what was excellent look Step One is knowing what is excellent step two is being able to discern well to choose what is excellent and many of us are there a lot I mean as a pastor sometimes we talk to people and they'll say I know the Bible says I just don't want to do that yeah I know what it says I don't want that we plead with them and by God's grace some of them as the spirit Works in them still choose what is good and some of you that's where you are you're like I know what's right.
And so I'm choosing it I don't like it yet I like Jesus I love him I wish this weren't true but I'm going to choose it because it's what's excellent it's what he tells me will be good for me it's what he tells me will bring joy even though doesn't feel like that but the hope the prayer would be eventually we wouldn't just approve what is excellent but we would also love what is excellent we would Delight in what was good and that we would Delight in Christ as we Delight in what is good and that we would grow to have a discernment radar and choose what is good.
Because how do you choose right now what you want so often we do we base it off of what we think and what we feel which is what he's talking about that you'd have knowledge and discernment that's the thinking part and that we would abound in love that's the feeling part but the hope is that we would do all of that in Christ it would be Christ empowered love Christ empowered knowledge and discernment so that we would choose what is excellent.
But so often we're just you know how many decisions you're making all the time big ones little ones sometimes you make big intentional ones sometimes you make little ones over and over and over and over and over again that make a really big decision for you so it's never a big decision it's just a repeated little decision but it makes a massively big decision for you we do this all the time based off of what we think and what we feel and what he's saying is his prayer is that would be.
God empowered Spirit empowered Bible aligned that Jesus would be at work in it that they would abound in love but it would be a knowledge and Discerning love so they might choose what is excellent so this why does that matter he says and so so this is the next part so he's saying that you would abound in love with knowledge and all discernment so that you might approve what is excellent and so so if we're doing that if we're abounding in love with knowledge and discernment and approving what is excellent.
If the Church is doing that if Philippi is doing that if we're doing that here's what happens next and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ often when the Bible refers to pure and blameless in Paul's writing he means eternally theologically accomplished by Jesus on your behalf here he means practically in life because he's talking about the choices that they're making that they would approve what is excellent and so as they continue to do that their life would have a tenor of being pure and blameless and there are other places where he uses blameless kind of in that way and even this word blameless is translated a Greek word that usually the.
Word blameless in your text is is not this Greek word this Greek word kind of means un undamaged so he's saying that we would abound in love with knowledge and all discernment so that we might approve what is blame us so that we could drive the course of life without running into the wall y' that's what we want if you belong to Jesus that's what you want that's sounds wonderful that we might abound in love that we might make good decisions and that we'd be walking through life.
Well for the day of Christ and the day of Christ we looked at last week is the day that he judges the world it's the day when everyone presents thems to Christ and Christ displays the Church in glory and Christ judges those who rebelled against him it's the day and he's saying that we would make it to that day undamaged now in verse six which we looked at last week he says I'm sure of this that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of.
Jesus Christ we celebrated that Jesus if he's at work in you on that day he makes you whole and complete and this is talking about now his work that's for the day of Christ meaning that he's at work in our lives practically as we go so that it's both that at that that day he makes us whole and complete through his work but also through his work he's working in us now I heard a comedian one time say I'm sick of following my dreams I just want to find out where they're going and meet up with them later and sometimes I feel like that's the way we feel about us growing as a Christian really.
Tired of the process super looking forward to the awesome version of me later and I'm just going to wait till he shows up but that's not how it works it's a daily thing where he works in us to grow Us in patience and kindness you actually have to grow to be less irritable as love is at working you to abound being irritable sometimes is kind of fun way more fun than feeling irritable and controlling that resentfulness sometimes is like a security blanket there is I'm secretly mad at them take that I don't know why we think that feels good.
But it does there's something to it and it's like no we're actually supposed to be repenting of these things we supposed to be growing in love and this is going to happen us over time as we walk in Church family and as we carry this out and it's going to be something he does in us over time as he develops us and works in us and if you're paying attention this prayer is for their entire life here's my he says here's my prayer.
For you you'd bound in love more and more with all knowledge and discernment so that you might approve what is blameless he's now talking about the decisions they're making and what they're choosing what they're putting in their life and what they're doing so that on the day you meet Jesus that's their whole life on the day you stand before him and he judges the world this this a lifelong process and a lifelong prayer and a lifelong hope and a lifelong work that he does in us I want you to.
See what happens next next because this is a lifelong work that he does in US it says this in verse filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God now if you're not a Christian and you're not familiar with the Scriptures that logic feels broken feels like his argument just broke down and what he just said doesn't make any sense because the way that sentence should work if we're following this logic is we following this progression is it should say filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through what good decision making that discernment we just talked about choosing what is what is excellent like it.
Should say something like that it would have to do with how you picked the things that were in your life and then it would say to the praise and glory of you or your discernment or your good decision-making you'd get to the end and you wouldn't have wrecked your life and people would say how'd you not wreck your life and you'd say cuz I'm smart I have this thing called discernment ever heard of it maybe you've seen the show House he had it whatever you it would be you at the end that people would celebrate and clap.
For and be excited for it would be the glory and praise of you that would be the logic of this statement but if you're a Christian you see this and you immediately go yes exactly that's exactly how this works we're filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus because he's the one who's at work in us to do this there's nothing good in myself but it's Christ at work in me to accomplish these things that Jesus is the one who's accomplished this.
And then ultimately will stand with any amount of righteousness we have both uh theologically eternally and also practically in life and we'll say all glory be to God who's this good who's at work in me in this way Praise Jesus that he did this and praise God God that his glory is manifested through fruitfulness in life and y'all that's the hope that's that's wonderful that's what we want that's why Paul's said I'm praying this for you he's actually he's praying that.
Jesus is going to do what Jesus does and y'all we should pray that when you're facing sin and Temptation you should say hey I pray that you'll break me over this you'll lead me to repentance you'll do what you do you'll grow this in me that you'll help me walk away from this that you'll put in me your spirit so that I might walk with you that you'll do what you do to help walk in me to keep me from running this off the road and yesterday I got to my day was filled up we went to um a a funeral visitation and we went to my uh granddad's 95th birthday party and can't help.
But consider the impact in those situations the impact that our lives have on other lives the Practical real impact of living a life and making decisions and choosing to be this way or that way to pour your energy into this or that and how that affects people and this is the hope that at the end of all of it Jesus says a a good tree will bear good fruit and a bad tree will bear bad fruit and when when we become Christians he changes us from from The Roots up from the inside out.
So that Christians should bear good fruit but as we do it the hope is that it's this we're filled with fruitfulness that was brought through Jesus to the glory of God so that's the hope is that at your 95th birthday party or your funeral service it'd be packed out with people who'd say they did this they love me in this situation they didn't have to you don't know how secretly generous they were you don't know the time that they they talked me off a ledge that they got me to make a wise decision they kept our marriage together that they fought.
For this that people would come and gather and they'd say oh and then they'd all go Praise Jesus for a life like that oh may God be glorified with a life like that and that one day the whole Church will be gathered in front of the Lord and He unveils Us in righteousness that's not our own filled with righteousness that's not our own and it's it's this display of all that has happened in our lives and all the things that we fought.
For worked for and labored over and repented of and worked in and all this would be to praise the glory of God as he's worked in sinners like us to bring about being filled with the fruit of righteousness there's not a there's not a Bear tree in the place but we're filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God that's our hope that's the prayer that we would be people who would abound in love more and more with knowledge and all discernment.
So that we might approve what is excellent and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ Jesus filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Christ Jesus to the glory and praise of God let's pray Lord we ask for the work of your spirit that we would abound in love you'd help us to repent of all the places that we're impatient unkind irritable resentful all the places where we've rejoiced with wrongdoing or failed to Rejoice with the truth we pray.
Lord that you would be at work in us that we might be a loving people that our Church might be a loving place and Lord we pray that we would be filled with love that is anchored in your word so that we might fight for what is true and good and right in a gracious and kind and patient way that we would tell each other you're wrong here but we would do it because we love each other so deeply that we cannot watch someone walk off into sin and pain and hurt and choose something that is not excellent.
Because we so love them we ask Lord that you would help us to approve what is excellent forgive us for all the times that we have approved of something that isn't Lord keep us pure and blameless to the work of your spirit in US fill us with the fruit of righteousness and may your name be praised may this be a place and our community groups be places where when someone comes around who doesn't know you that they hang out for a.
While and they don't come to the conclusion what nice people but they come to the conclusion how good is Jesus that people would see our lives and walk in our lives that we would love and serve and care and that eventually someone would just go oh praise God that he's at work we love you Lord in Jesus name amen the band's going to come back up and we're going to sing and I would encourage you to take a moment to consider how you make decisions whether or not you need to grow in love whether not you need to grow in discernment whether or not it's like I need to start reading my Bible.
Because I I feel loving and I feel like I'm gracious and patient but I just don't know what's right I don't know how to choose some of you you know what's right but you need to grow in your patience and your kindness towards others but we need to ask the Lord for a moment just take a moment and say Lord help us here some of you know people you've been irritable or resentful towards you need to go talk to them to work some of these things out as we grow to be a place where we Bear all things believe all things hope all things things and endure all things together to the glory of.
God and then we'll sing.
Carried to Completion (Philippians 1:3-8)
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
Well good morning my name is Chad I'm one of the pastors here if you have a Bible grab it go to Philippians chapter 1 we are working our way through the book of Philippians if you don't have a Bible there should be a blue one tucked under the seat in front of you uh if you're sitting on the front row I guess you should have brought a Bible because it's hidden but um if you grab that blue Bible it'll be on page 570.
If you don't own a Bible we'd love for you to take that Bible home with you that'd be our gift to you we'd love for you to own a Bible we are working our way through the book of Philippians together and Paul is writing from prison to a Church that has been supporting him and we're going to work through this I um I get to coach flag football I've coached flag football for the past couple years now and uh there's a spring league and a fall league and I've been coaching flag.
Because that's the age my sons are and that's kind of the without having to track travel that's the age of football they're in and uh it's a lot of fun coaching flag football is is a lot of fun I I like football I like coaching one of the things I've noticed and I've been surprised by is that the first practice goes really well I always expect the first practice to be difficult because we've never done any of this with these with these children they're learning it all.
But it's like they show up zoned in ready to go and the first practice usually goes well and in the first couple of weeks their knowledge football because with a lot of flag football I've had practices where at the end of it I say who's played football before like flag football before and they all just and I'll say who who hasn't sorry and they all rais their hand and I'll be like okay my whole team it's like all right this is a football like we've got to start at the very Basics.
But they learn a ton of stuff in the first couple of weeks like their amount of knowledge is just it's an explosion of football knowledge in the first couple of weeks because when they show up they don't know anything and I realize this you're you're you're trying to instruct them but you're speaking a different language you're looking at the kids going you got to get up you got to get on the line you got to get on the line and they will.
Look for a line well there is no line it's an imaginary line attached to the football we had a kid one time we put him in the back we said this is your spot you're you're running back you're about four yards off the thing he said okay he lined up we ran the play we gained like five yards we lined the ball back up everybody get your spot get your spot he runs he's like 12 yards off the ball and I was like hey man your spot's right here and he goes no it's not I marked it and we're like oh no that's going to move it's going to move you have to mark it.
In relation to the ball he had he had dug a little hole in the ground it was pretty smart but it was like it's not going to work um so it's a thing where they they grow and then all of a sudden after a while they kind of know what we're doing they they show up to practice they know kind of the drills we're going to run they know the words we're going to use and now it's work it's practice we're going to do the same stuff we've been doing we're just going to try to get better at it the amount of effort that it took to learn and to grow on the.
First practice was very little the amount of effort it takes on the 12th practice the 15th practice you're actually now working on a specific thing that you're not good at that's why we keep talking to you about it you're having to grow in this area and one of the things that I've noticed about that is that that's similar in some ways to what it looks like to follow Jesus at times we have these explosions of growth when you first become a Christian it's like everything is new everything.
If you're taking it all in if you're new to Christianity Today even as we sang read parts of the Bible you might have only understood like every third word you were like what what's that word mean what's that word mean what what are we talking about here why we all think about blood a lot what's that about like we're just there's a whole lot of things where it's like you're new to it and you're learning you're growing and then at some point you kind of know the stuff.
But now it's time to practice it and so we have seasons where we feel like we're growing then we have seasons where it's like this just feels like a lot and then there are times where we thought we were doing pretty well and then we fall into sin or we have relational difficulty and it's just like I just don't even know there are times as you're following Jesus you really oh God just I don't know if I'm going to make it I don't know.
If I'm going to get to the end of this I don't know if I'll still be standing when all this is over I just don't know and so I want you to take a moment if you're a Christian you've placed your faith in Jesus to just consider where are you right now just in your own heart and before the Lord just are you are you zealous for the Lord is this a season of growth for you you wake up excited to read your Bible and to study and to love your community group.
When when you're hosting and getting your house ready for your group to come or you're on your way over there are you whistling and happy and just praying for the Lord to minister through you to these people and to be a blessing or did you have to give yourself a pep talk to get in the car you're like I'm not sick but I feel kind of sick and someone near me coughed today and I might have CAU that and I'd hate to give it to my group how can I word this text.
So it's not a lie but they don't ask a lot of questions like is that what you had to do you had to talk yourself out of that you had to go get in the car you had to go like where where are you right now in your Zeal for the Lord where are you right now in your desire to grow and to minister and to serve because what we're going to see that Paul says in chapter 1 to the Church in Philippi is wildly encouraging as we try to follow.
Jesus day in and day out for the rest of our lives which if you're a Christian that's what you're going to do you're going to follow Jesus every day for the rest of your life and this is very encouraging so look at chapter uh chapter 1 verse three is where we start we read this last week just trying to get our head in the right space I thank my God in all my remembrance of you so this is Paul writing to the Church in Philippi whove blessed him with a gift as he's been in prison they're helping take care of him always in every prayer of mine.
For you all making my prayer with joy because of your partnership in the Gospel from the first day until now verse 6 and I am sure of this that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ that's the verse we're going to spend our time this morning considering that I'm sure of this that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
But we're going to read verses seven and eight and follow the logic in them because it ties back to verse six and then we'll spend our time on verse six it is right for me to feel this way about you okay what he says in verse S and 8 is weird and has always been very confusing to me and I think I actually now have an understanding of it so I'm very excited to share this with you but it's going to take a.
Second to just start to articulate what he's talking about here what he says is it is right for me to feel this way about you well what way does he feel about him he feels that he's sure that he who began a good work in them is going to carry it to completion okay I want him to say it is right for me to feel this way about you because of what Jesus is like and we're going to see that that actually is baked into how that works is it's based off of who.
Jesus is but that's not what he says he says it's right for me to feel the way about you because I hold you in my heart for you are all partakers with me of Grace both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the Gospel so at first this sounds weird because you need to be in Christ not in Paul and when they go face Jesus at the end of time they don't get to go I'm in Paul's heart.
Let me in that's not how it works so it's weird for him to base is certainty off of that but there's a word in here that makes a very big difference what he says is it's right for me to feel this way about you because I hold you in my heart verse six is true for all Christians and we'll see that in a second what he's saying is I'm confident you actually belong to Christ I'm confident that you Church in Philippi are really Christians I'm saying this to you specifically and I'm confident.
For you specifically so what we're going to see is it's true for all Christians because of Jesus but Paul's certain it's true for them because of how he feels about them so he's taking an objective reality and adding this subjective layer that makes him more certain and here's why he says this because you're all partakers with me of Grace both in my imprisonment and the defense of the confirmation of the Gospel meaning you've joined me in what I'm having to face right.
Now imprisonment in my imprisonment and my defending of the Gospel and declaring the Gospel to those who I've been prisoned who've imprisoned me for God is my witness how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus not the affection of Paul he says Jesus is at work in me to love you in such a supernatural way that I'm confident that you belong to him and so I don't mind saying about you specifically not about Christians in general but you specifically this is what's true and maybe some of us have experienced that in the Church where we love one another in a way that's like no this is.
Jesus at working me to love you like this this is a Jesus at work in us for us to have this kind of relationship and I'm confident that he's at work in you because of how he's empowering this love in me and if you haven't prayer would be that we would grow in our love for one another but that's what he's ba he's basing it off of so we're going to go back to verse six so he says his confidence in them specifically is based off of how he loves them.
But we're going to look at verse six which is true for all Christians and we're going to spend our time just breaking this sentence down because it is a wonderful sentence and it says something that the Bible says all over the place this is not like this is one place where it says this it says this idea all over the place we're going to walk through it so he says this I am sure of this it's so first thing he's certain this is a reality this is true it's a certainty there are some things where Paul says I hope even in this letter he says I hope to do this or he says I'm not.
Quite sure what's going to happen but he says I'm sure of this I'm certain this is solid this is true this is real what's he sure of that he who began a good work in you okay so we need to know who he is what's the he who began a good work so who's that that's God or more specifically Christ so if you're a Christian that's true for you that he began a good work in you he began it you know you ever try to get in a situation where you're trying to uh figure out what's going on between kids and they'll yell he started it.
Well we get to gloriously declare he started it he he began this he's the one who did the work if your relationship to Jesus is you know one day I decided I was going to get it together the reason I'm a Christian and the reason I'm a part of a Church is because I decided you know what I got to get my act together I'm going to start doing this right I'm going to become one of the good ones you don't belong to.
Jesus because it's not about you starting it it's about him starting it he he does this work he rescues and redeems let me show you this is uh John this is Jesus speaking in John chapter 6 he says no one can come to me unless the father who sent me draws him and I will raise him up on the land last day now you might in that moment feel like I'm I'm following Jesus I'm choosing to do this and that you that's part of it.
But it's also because he's allowing you and he's calling you and he's pulling you forward that's what Ephesians 2 says Ephesians 2 this is a longer section I've chopped it up a little bit it's still the same idea I haven't cut out anything that changes the meaning but it says this and you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked but God being rich in Mercy because of the love with which he loved us even when we were dead in our trespasses made us alive together with Christ by Grace you have been saved.
So if you belong to Jesus you were dead rebellious in your sin and because he loved you and because he's wonderful by Grace he brought you to life we sang a song about that this morning I once was dead in sin alone and hopeless then we sing we've been made alive that's Jesus's work in us to begin this work that he starts it it says you've been saved by grace by Grace you have been saved Grace is unearned favor undeserved Merit somebody taught me a a little um we use the.
First letters poem a crostic is that what it's called a crostic is that what it's called did somebody say that to me thank you yes I'm very smart I knew it was a acrostic I was just seeing if y'all did um God's riches at Christ's expense that's what Grace is you get God's riches because Christ paid for it you didn't earn it it's been given to you it's granted to you so you've been saved by grace and you're like is that really what that means.
Well he verse eight for by Grace you have been saved through faith this is not your own doing it is the gift of God not a result of works so that no one may boast if you brag about a gift you brag about the person who gave it not about you like if if I'm wearing a new shirt and you say that's a nice shirt I say thanks I I don't mean to brag but I did do Christmas this year You' be like what do you mean i' be like you know I guess it's kind of like a trophy cuz I went you know was at Christmas and my mom gave it to me it's.
Like I think they just your mom's nice I don't even know what you're talking about it'd be weird that's what he's saying nobody boasts nobody stands before the Lord and says look at how wonderful I am in any sort of way that points on us it's that he began this work okay that's great news that he who began the work in you that he's the one who started it and then he says this so I'm sure of this let's go back to verse six that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of.
Jesus Christ will bring it to completion what is it what's he bringing to completion the good work that he started Jesus finishes what he starts oh y That's So Good your Christian walk goes from Jesus to Jesus you're there but he's the one at work to accomplish it he starts it he finishes it so much better than what this could say it'd be theologically inter inaccurate but what if Paul had written I know you're going to make it to the end.
Because y'all are great I know you're going to make it to the end because you don't mess stuff up we're in uh just finished the college football playoff and the national championship and this Pros playoffs I was watching a basketball game yesterday we just been enjoying a lot of sports at my house I have a a six-year-old who wakes up in the morning other kids want to watch cartoons he says there a football game on it's like dude it's 6: a.m.
But we recorded one so you can watch that watch a lot of sports but there's these moments at the end of games when it's close the ball's got to go into somebody's hands some somebody's got to run the ball somebody's got to throw the ball somebody's got to catch it somebody's got to take that final shot we got 5 seconds left we're going to try to get in this guy's hands he's going to take the shot now it's encouraging when someone says you're taking the shot we believe in you it's like yeah.
Okay but also that's a lot of pressure you ever had someone look at you and go I know you won't mess this up I know you won't mess this up because you don't mess stuff up and you're like do what someone say I know you'll handle this right cuz I just I know how you handle things it's like do you cuz I'm I mess up stuff like all the time I hurt people all the time I I do things poorly all the like that one of the main things I do actually it's not that.
Jesus gave you a clean slate handed it to you said all your past sins are forgiven then leaned in real close and said don't mess up see at the end no he he began the good work he's going to complete it Jesus finishes what he starts that's wonderful if you belong to Jesus if he began a good work in you he's going to finish what he started when he says he'll never leave you or forsake you he means it he's going to bring it to completion and here's another thing that we need to.
See in this this sentence he began a good work in you in you I think so often we just think about it being for us it is something he did for us that he died for us and he did he did die for us but his work that he's doing is in you we're going to talk more about this next week but that means you're going to be there the whole time it's not just something that's in impersonal and that's happening out there it's something that he's doing at work in you that he he's changing you that he's redeeming you that he's working in you that you're going to grow and you're going to develop.
So it's going to feel like repentance it's going to feel like effort it's going to feel like uh confession it's going to feel like service it's going to feel like ministering and caring for others and he's going to be doing this at work in you the whole time I love what John Piper said about this he said it's not an inoculation he gave you when you were 6 years old an inoculation is where they give you a little bit of something.
So your body will develop your own immunity to it like Polio I have never once worried about Polio I was inoculated to it I did get Chickenpox what they now have an inoculation for and I learned that there's a whole group of people right up underneath me who didn't get chicken box but I got chicken boox I'm a little salty about it but it's fine it's nice that we you know my dad got Ms I didn't have to get that so I mean it's nice that that we have inoculation.
But he says this that's not how this works it's not like Jesus brings you in one time says all right get out of here you don't have to worry about this anymore you don't have to think about this anymore he says no it's not an inoculation it's dialysis dialysis is when your kidneys fail and you have to go in four to six times a week for 3 to four hours and have them cycle your blood and filter it for you and he says it's in you and it's beautifully wonderfully Personal.
Jesus is doing this work in you do you know that you growing as you follow Jesus is not something you're doing on your own or that he's impersonally doing he's the one at work in all of it to grow you to develop you to change you he's there he set it up it's dialysis and he's the one doing it he set it up to where he's never not the one working on you so it's not just something that's going to happen in you over time.
And then he'll see you at the end and see how it turns out it's something that's going to happen in you overtime daily all the time and he's doing it do you see how close he is how much he cares when you struggling to grow to repent to confess to work do you see how near he is in all of that and because it's going to be in you and because it's going to be completed I want you to know to the glory of Christ he's going to do it.
So right now if you're in a Zone where you just think I just don't know if I'm going to make it the question isn't am I strong enough the question is do I really belong to Jesus because if you do you're going to make it but also if you're thinking maybe I'll just choose this sin maybe this will be one I just don't repent of if you belong to Jesus Jesus says the kingdom of God is like leaven that's put into a lump and it works its way through the whole lump I know that in my personal life there's been every once in a.
While where I'm like Jesus you can have all that stuff over there but this right here I know kind of what the Bible says about it but I that's why I don't want to talk to you about it this one's still mine and Jesus is like you know I'm going to finish what I start right and and to his glory and for our Grace and for our good he doesn't Lo he doesn't lose those he claims that territory my suggestion would be surrender knowing that he's good.
Because he's going to finish what he started there's a CS Lewis quote where he says in his book the problem of pain he says we are pauses not metaphorically but in very truth so we are and this is true a Divine work of art something that God is making and therefore something with which he will not be satisfied until it has a certain character that he's at work in you on you and he's not going to stop till he's made you perfect which is wonderful.
So he began the work he's going to complete the work it's going to be done in Us by him as he works uh in US by his love and his goodness to change us to grow us to develop us and then it says this bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ let's take a second what's the day of Jesus Christ well Isaiah 13 the Old Testament will refer to it as the day of the Lord quite often Isaiah 13:6 says whail.
For the day of the Lord is near as destruction from the almighty it will come so the day of the Lord is a day of Destruction from the almighty Ezekiel 33 says for the day is near the day of the Lord is near it will be a day of clouds a time of Doom for the Nations Jesus talking about Luke 17 says the day of the Lord is his it belongs to him he refers himself as the son of man but he says.
For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other so will the son of man be in his day the day of the Lord is Jesus's day of Judgment of Reckoning when the world is stripped bare brought down to its foundations in second Thessalonians says this verse uh chapter 1 verses 6 and 7 since indeed God God considers it just to repay with Affliction those who afflict you talking to the Church and Grant relief to you who are afflicted as.
Well as to us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty Angels so the day of the Lord is the day of judgment but it's very different experientially for those who belong to Jesus and those who don't when Jesus calls everyone to account and we're all going to pay for our sin what Paul says is on that day if you belong to Jesus you won't have any sin to pay for you'll be perfect so you might be picturing in your head that one day.
Jesus is going to judge everybody and in that moment you're going to feel shame and guilt and fear and doubt you're going to want to shrink back you're going to want to hide and press yourself up against the wall and just hope that you make it out not if you belong to Jesus that'll be the day that the Church is unveiled in its Perfection that'll be the day that we are displayed in all the Glorious Wonder as a completed Masterpiece accomplished by.
Jesus do you understand that if on that day Jesus is like I'm here to judge the world and look at this ragtag bunch of scamp weirdo dirty punks all right you're in Father this is my Church kind of gross that would besmer his glory that's not what he's going to present he's going to unveil the Church in Beauty and glory and completed Perfection that on the day that he judges the world do you understand that the Church will walk forward not shrink back.
But be made perfectly whole perfectly perfect without a spot or blemish or wrinkle or any such thing holy and blameless and above reproach presented F and blameless above reproach before him that we've been washed by his work and there will be no spot wrinkle blemish or any such thing so if you have in your mind that you're going to make it in like Indiana Jones just as the door drops and barely get your hat and then push yourself up against the wall as the one little creature that snuck into the Church that's dirty and gross not.
If you belong to Jesus because he's going to make you glorious to the praise of his glory if you stare at a masterpiece it proclaims the work of the master he's not going to be done with you till he's perfected you and on that day you'll be perfect if Jesus has begun a good work in you he's going to complete it and there's going to be a day when we stand glorious whole restored new perfected to the praise of the glory of Christ who gets to display his glory in how he's redeemed Sinners and made us whole some of us understand rightly that we're sinners in need of Grace.
But we somehow fail to realize you've received Grace I'm a sinner in need of Grace yes and by Grace you have been saved you needed it you have it pick your head up yeah there are times to get before the Lord and say have mercy on me a sinner and then stand up and say thank you Jesus that you have mercy on a sinner I'm going to be whole in that day we're not limping in we're not a straggling mess we're being made complete in us he will have done his work and before him will be presented glorious and wonderful he's presenting us to himself to the.
Father and all of our Glory which represents his glory that's why in Thessalonians it says 2 Thessalonians if you go further in verse 10 it says to be glorified in his Saints I think we would always want a word that as by his Saints but he's going to be glorified in his Saints as he displays how good he is you know the best hospital around here is the one that takes the sickest people and lets them walk back out that's the best one.
Now if they were like we're able to pack the most sick people in here it's like okay okay do they leave nah it's like I'm going to go to a different hospital we'll take the sickest people you fix them Nah if there was a hospital that said only well people you need to be kind of already okay our emergency room is more like an inconvenience room that wouldn't be a glorious Hospital the most glorious Hospital in our area is the one that takes the sickest people and lets them walk back out to the glory of the hospital that's what.
Jesus does on an eternal scale in you if you belong to him he takes all that's twisted and sick and broken messed up deceased disgusting and he renews it restores it until it is glorious and it proclaims and shines to the glory of to the glory of Christ in his work and to the glory of the father so that when someone sees us in that day they will go oh isn't Jesus wonderful I think sometimes specifically people who don't know Jesus will.
See a passage like this and will say well if that's true if he starts the work and he finishes the work and he's going to perfect you then you know take a nap don't worry about it he's just going to do it wouldn't that just make you want to quit wouldn't that just make you want want to stop not if you really know Jesus this is the sort of thing that makes you go Jesus I trust that you actually are going to fix this in me I trust that you actually are going to work in this I trust that you are here right.
Now performing Dialysis in my soul on all the things that I want to fight you over and I want to read my Bible and I want to pray and I want to study and I want to go be around my group because I want you to be at work in me and I want to be presented complete and whole in that day to the glory of your name this grants us courage as we seek to follow him if Jesus has not begun the work in you ask him to ask him to save you ask him to redeem you.
But if he has oh on that day we will be made perfect because Jesus finishes with he starts let's pray Lord we come in here functionally and practically as those who follow you we come in functionally and practically in different places but Lord we come in theologically in the same place that you have us that you hold us that you keep us that you protect us that you lead us that you work in us that you will never leave us or forsake us that you will get us to the finished line that you will present us holy and blameless and above reproach before yourself to your own Glory that you will bring us made new.
And whole and righteous and perfect without spot or blemish or wrinkle or any such thing and so Lord while we may be more or less tired with more or less relational difficulty with more or less enjoyment and delight and Zeal at this moment we do not have more or less of you and more or less of your promises and more or less of a certainty of the end result of those who belong to you so we ask by your spirit that there would be courage to cling to your promises and to hold to the hope.
Lord we thank you that you finish what you start in Jesus name amen the band's going to come back up we're going to take communion together as.
Introduction to Philippians
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
I've had my mic on all morning and turned it off before I came up so if you thought the singing sounded extra good um I have the distinct pleasure this morning of uh catching everybody up who who has not already been caught up on how our give projects finished up this past uh Christmas so in December we um take time to focus our attention on generosity um in the middle of when we can get whipped into a consumer frenzy we try to take some time to to give some money away as a Church and this past year we did something a little different we picked three different give projects and we announced them over time.
The first one was Shop with a cop and we raised $2,000 for that to help KCPD yeah excited to get to do that the second one was uh for Providence home to redo their flooring in a men's home they have in downtown Columbia and we raised $10,000 for that in a week and we're able to to do that and the third one which was a little more open-ended was our uh work we got to do with Oliver Gospel Mission we contacted Oliver Gospel Mission and we asked them uh what can we do how can we partner with you is there anything that you need and they said we need a new roof and we said.
Well how does half a roof sound uh because we don't think we'll be able to you know be able to do all of that but we'd love to be able to Kickstart that we'd love to be able to get that started if you went around to other donors and said hey somebody's helping us get a roof and so they thought it was going to be about $43,000 and that's well beyond anything We've Ever Raised Even in our whole give project we'd already given away 12.
And so we just said hey let's try to see what we can do to get this started for them they uh contacted us and let us know that someone came walking in off the street which doesn't usually happen and just says walked in and said I'd like to make a donation people come in off the street all the time that happens at Oliver Gospel Mission people don't walk in off the street and say I'd like to make a donation and uh got to talking with them and they that person uh puts roofs on buildings and they said hey interesting uh and they started talking to them and that person works with an organization that will.
Um offer a cheaper uh prices on materials and they'll offer cheaper prices on labor and so they were actually able to get a bid for a nicer material for less money and so they got a bid for nicer material for $33,000 instead of $43,000 so less $10,000 less and uh nicer material that was going to have a longer warranty on it at that same time our Church was raising money and uh had been doing pretty well and then at our Christmas Eve Gathering raised another $177,000 and we raised $39,000.
For all ofer Gospel Mission so they're going to get to do a whole roof and we got to participate in that which means that over Christmas our Church was able to give away $51,000 praise the Lord and so let's just take a second I just want to pray as we consider that let's pray and then we'll study the Bible together this morning Lord you are so generous and you provide all things and Lord we're thankful that we got to participate in you blessing that we got to participate in seeing how you provide and how you work and how you orchestrate and how you take care of your people.
And so Lord we're thankful for your generosity to us in Christ we're thankful for your generosity to us Us in every blessing we've ever received in every day that we've ever eaten and lived and breathed and we're thankful that we got to participate in just a taste of your generosity and we ask Lord that by your grace our Church will get to continue to do that in Jesus name amen so happy New Year do you make New Year's resolutions is that a thing is that a thing you do every year I my assumption is.
If you're the type of person who makes New Year's resolutions you're also the type of person who doesn't mind raising your hand so raise your hand if you make New Year's resolutions this is the thing you do yeah we got a handful of people okay anybody doesn't make New Year resolutions but did this year like you're like I'm in this year I'm going to do it yeah all right anybody usually makes uh New Year's resolutions and we're just like I'm done I'm not doing it this year I'm out all right cool that actually is almost the amount of people that make them that's interesting we got we're falling off here the um here we're going.
To look this morning and we're going to start the book of Philippians so if you'll turn to Philippians chapter 1 we're going to work our way through the book of Philippians at the beginning of this year and there's something as we start this book and we look at it today we're going to see a characteristic of Paul an aspect of who he is and how he lives that I think if you could have this become part of your life a characteristic of yours an aspect of who you are and how you live you would be blessed by it your year would be better whether you make New Year's resolutions or not that you would.
If you could take on this characteristic of Paul it would be good for you and if you could get to the end of 2024 and that be a reality for you if you can get to the end of 202 if that could be how the rest of your life looked you would be blessed and so as we study this this morning we're going to try to understand this characteristic of Paul and how it's actually accessible to us in Christ and how we can live this way and have this and I want to tell you what it is as soon as I introduce Philippians.
So I'll tell you what that characteristic is in just a second but look at chapter 1 verse one Paul and Timothy Servants of Christ Jesus okay so this this is a letter and at the beginning of their letters they put who it's from so we put that at the end so you know it's a real surprise you get to the very end you don't know who this Letter's from and then you finally see who wrote it but they don't do that they tell you right at the beginning who it's from.
Okay Paul and Timothy Servants of Christ Jesus to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi with the overseers and deacons grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ so it's to all the saints in Christ Jesus now Saints just means all those who belong to Jesus all Christians there's not a special class of Christians that are Saints it's all Christians have been made Holy by Jesus and so it's all of them.
Then it says and to the uh overseers and deacons and those are two offices in the Church overseers or elders and then deacons and Deacon just means the word servant but it's a a specific set aside office and so he says to the whole Church and then to the overseers and deacons and this is the Church at Philippi so let's get to know the city of Philippi for just a second so that we can a little bit understand uh what the city's like.
And then why Paul's writing this letter to them and what his relationship to the Philippians is and so this is a map that I got from the internet and that's why Antioch is on there even though we're not going to talk about it Jerusalem Philippi Rome so Jerusalem is where the Gospel starts that's where Jesus uh where Pentecost happens where Jesus has been crucified where his Church is praying where the Gospel spreads and then it works its way around and we're in the city of Philippi.
Now now Philippi was originally called kennedies and it was uh a part of the thian people live there and then Philip of Macedon conquered it and he renamed it and can you guess who he named it after he named it after himself yeah so if I was a more violent man there might be more places in South Carolina named Chester but there's just the one so he renames it Phillippi and Philippi is strategically located so it's Inland from a bigger Port City it is next to a big plane where there's uh fertile crop growth opportunities it is at the base of and on top of an acropolis which just means Hill it's the Greek term.
For Hill so that's why the Acropolis is in Athens but all of their cities were on Acropolis which is a strategic position to be able to defend the city so the top part is on the top of the Acropolis and the bottom of Philippi is at the base of it and so uh it was conquered by first it was thians then the Greeks move in and then the Greeks are conquered by the Romans and Philippi becomes a Roman city and then they build the ignatian way that runs all the way across the top of uh from this area over here that's galatia all the way across Macedon right there.
And so it's this large road that runs across here and so there's this large fertile area an acropolis and a mountain that had gold people liked Philippi and they F about it a good bit it's also the place where Octavian and Mark Anthony right in that same big plane defeat Brutus and cassus that the the Brutus and cassus that killed Julius Caesar at two brute and all that o Octavian and Mark Anthony kill them defeat their army right there next to Philippi.
And then it was shocking to everybody Mark Anthony and Octavian start not liking each other as soon as the other guys are out of the way and they battle and then Octavian wins and he becomes Augustus Caesar and he relocates a whole bunch of retired Roman soldiers to Philippi to accomplish two things one get them out of Rome that has too many people and two make Philippi very very thankful and gracious to him so that's the Augustus Caesar that you read about at Christmas that s a decree that all the world would be taxed that's that guy.
And so that all happens so the city of Philippi large city well off filled with Greek people and Roman people and very loyal to Rome and the Gospel begins to spread from Jerusalem Paul becomes a Christian begins to travel around he's trying to go to a couple of different places and the Holy Spirit's not letting him and then he has a dream and this is all in Acts 16 he has a dream of a Macedonian man saying come so he wakes up says Silas we're going to Macedonia which is where Philippi is and it says they went to Philippi.
Because it was one of the leading cities probably traveled right along the ignatian way as they're going to proclaim the Gospel they go to Philippi they show up to Philippi it was normal for Paul to go to a synagogue on the Sabbath and proclaimed the Gospel but it doesn't seem like there was a synagogue or he couldn't find one and it says that he went to the river where he assumed there was a place of prayer he goes to the river there are some ladies there praying one of those ladies Nam is Lydia he shares the Gospel with Lydia Lydia is a seller of purple goods and has her own household she's a well-off lady.
She becomes a Christian and then she says to them where are y'all staying and they tell her and she says no you're staying with me and they're like no we're fine and she's like that wasn't a question and that's basically how it reads it says she she impressed upon them uh that they're going to stay with with her so they go stay with her while they're in the city of Philippi to continue sharing the Gospel this again acts 16 so they're sharing the Gospel.
While they're sharing the Gospel in Philippi there is a slave girl who begins to follow them around it says that she is demon oppressed and she begins to follow Paul and Silas and yell loudly walking behind them these men serve the most high God and preach to you the way of Salvation it's interesting probably helpful she does this for 3 days straight and then it says Paul becoming greatly annoyed sends the the demon out of her he turns around and rebukes the demon and sets her free from demonic oppression I find it very interesting that his reasoning was annoyance.
But it was a blessing to this girl but her uh she was a slave her Masters are not happy because they used her to do fortune telling and now they've affected a a business they were running a side hustle and so they go complain to the authorities Paul and Silas are taken just a complaint taken arrested stripped beaten and then it says they were put in stocks and their ankles their feet were put in stocks in the in the prison so this is all in Philippi they're in Philippi having been beaten in the center part of this this jail and they are singing and praying and it says the whole jail was listening to them.
I don't know if they sang well if it was just odd that anybody would be singing and being happy some more amount of joyfulness I don't know what they were seeing I don't know how lamenting this was what was going on but it says that they're praising God and then there's an earthquake and all the doors open all the chains fall off all the stocks break that around the ankles and everything which is just so you know earthquakes shake things they don't usually pop every chain in a room you know.
But this one's special because the Lord s it and so everybody's suddenly free the Jailer wakes up looks sees that all the doors are open and thinks oh oh no worst thing that could possibly happen if you run a jail and then all the doors are open you're going to get fired probably but in his case he's pretty sure he's going to get executed so he goes to kill himself Paul yells don't do that we're all still here he comes in and and is like what what on Earth.
So he takes them out cleans their wounds they share the Gospel with him him and his whole household become Believers so you've got Lydia who's well off her whole household has become Believers you've got this Jailer who's Lydia's probably most likely Greek this Jailer most likely Roman he's he's a Roman Centurion or a Roman Jailer and he's his whole household becomes Believers and then you've got the slave girl who we don't know if she became a Believer or not she did.
If she listened to herself she said these are Servants of the most high God and they're telling you the way of Salvation And then she was set free from demonic activity so it's possible she did but the text doesn't tell us that's the beginning of this Philippian Church well-off Greek working class bluecollar Roman potentially a slave girl we know that the the Church spread amongst uh people who were in slavery like and so if you've ever thought your community group was awkward it's possible they had a hard time figuring out things to talk about other than how good.
Jesus was and the the people come to Paul in jail the Jailer comes they they basically say y'all can let Paul and Silas free now I think I always read this text and I think that I would have said thanks Paul says no no no no um we're Roman citizens we didn't have a trial they stripped us and beat us we're not leaving quietly tell them to come down here and talk to us we'd like to know why they treated Roman citizens like this and they freak out.
Because they should not treat Roman citizens like that they show up they tell them they're sorry for the beating yesterday walk them to the edge of town and say will you please leave Paul goes to the Church encourages them and then leaves we see in the book of Acts that he does come back a couple of times it's not Philippi is not mentioned but uh they go through the Macedonian churches and so it would be highly unlikely that they would go through the Macedonian churches and circle through and encourage everybody and not not go to Philippi.
So they go back through about twice to re encourage this Church now move ahead from acts 16 about 10 years Paul got arrested in Jerusalem they they found out there was a plot to kill him so they moved him to cesaria which which is up towards Antioch and then he appeals to Caesar and they move him to Rome Paul's in Rome in prison when he writes this letter and the way this works is if you got arrested in Rome you would quickly have some sort of a trial usually usually would happen fairly quickly depending on what it was they would often beat you and release you make you pay a fine release you they could.
Put you in a debtor's prison where you worked off a debt there were underground prisons for people who weren't Roman citizens or who people were people who were going to be executed quickly Paul's not put there if you're a Roman citizen but you're not well off you were put in house arrest but you were chained to a guard that seems to be the situation that Paul's in he's under house arrest chained at all times to a Roman guard um that's why he refers to his chains multiple times in his letters.
Remember my chains he says I write this chain as a criminal we don't think he was being uh dramatic we think he had chains um but we know he was under house arrest and when you're under house arrest you have to supply your own needs they don't feed you they don't take care of you so you're on the the mercy of your friends and family to take care of you and so he was chained to a uh just so you know.
If you're a well-off Roman you could be under house arrest and not be chained up but Paul fits in the not well-off Roman situation the Philippians find out Paul's in in jail in Rome he's under house arrest and they decide to send him a gift 800 miles away this Church says no this is Paul this is Paul that helped us get started this is Paul that we love this is Paul that's our missionary that helped us plant us and has gone on we've helped sin and they've partnered with him throughout and they.
So they send apodus to take a gift to them apodus almost dies trying to do this but he gets the gift to him Paul now receiving this gift to help provide for his needs while he's in house arrest writes this letter and sends it back with aitis it probably took aitis he would have taken the ignatian way we don't know if he walked rode a horse paid for somebody to take him on a cart but it probably took him and then he could go up and around or he could go across the water.
And then up which is probably what he did but it probably took him six weeks to six months depending on how he traveled to to to deliver this then he would have stayed with Paul a little bit and was sent back that's the letter that Paul's writing back to the Philippians in thanks for their partnership look at verse three I thank my God in all my remembrance of you always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy.
Because of your partnership in the Gospel from the first day until now now something interesting shows up right here in this text and that's what I want to point out to us today as we begin trying to wrap our head around the message of Philippians and and the tone of Philippians arguably things aren't going great for Paul he's been under arrest for quite a while now from Jerusalem to cesaria and over to Rome and if you'll read in Acts his trip to Rome wasn't a nice one there was shipwrecks and problems he got they he got Shipwrecked he survives that they build a fire to dry off a snake comes out and bites him that's.
A bad day y'all like it just is a continual just everything's kind of going poorly and he's in jail now and in prison now in house arrest in Rome and he's having to he needs people to supply his own needs like he's he's in trouble and he writes this letter and do y'all see the word joy in verse four says always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy that's the first time it shows up in Philippians.
But it's not the last time it shows up in Philippians people refer to this as the joy epistle the The Joy letter that's what epistle is so if you ever hear of someone called refer to the Pauline Epistles they just mean the letters written by Paul but this is the joy one he's joyful y this whole letter the tone of it Paul's posture his heart in this letter is joyful hopeful and confident joyful hopeful and confident now I imagine whether you make New Year's resolutions or you don't and since we raised our hands earlier most of you don't.
But I imagine that if you could know that at the end of 2024 the way your year would have been described was joyful hopeful and confident you'd be like yeah sign me up sounds great if you could know that your life played out and on your on your Epitaph on your Tombstone was a couple of dates a little Dash and it said joyful hopeful confident okay that sounds good because I'm not sure that's how you would describe 2023 maybe it is by Lord's Grace may maybe it is maybe that's how you would describe this past year maybe you'd use words like anxious sad maybe just things like tired bored fine y'all Paul's Paul's in prison.
So so this tone of life for him is not based off of his circumstances but so often ours is when someone asks how are you doing I can answer that question but I report on it like I'm reporting the weather I can just tell you what it's like but it's just based off of what's going on are things good or are things bad like I'm somehow just I'm I'm a victim to it I'm just participant in it I just see it.
But I I don't have any control over it there's it's based off of my circumstances it's what's going on around me and if you'll think about a lot of the goals that we set in life whether you make them every year or you just have them going on in your head but a lot of the things that you're striving for looking forward to chasing after are circumstantial things things that you can gain or lose things that can be good and if you don't have them can be bad and much of your life has been after circumstantial things it's been a a relationship or a job or a house a physical trait it's been something you.
Could own that therefore could be broken or stolen like it's circumstantial but Paul evidently is a part of something tapping into something existing in a situation where it's not circumstantial because if it were circumstantial this letter would read differently but let me show you how this reads I want to show you joyful hopeful confident we're going to go through all of this whole book together uh over time but I'm going to show you some highlights today look at verse six which we'll spend time on next week I am sure of this that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of.
Jesus Christ if you're looking at asking what does Paul have that helps him exist in a non- circumstantial way where there's joy and hope and confidence in the middle of difficulty well here's the first answer Jesus he says I'm sure of this he who began a good work in you I'm I'm certain of who Jesus is I know who I believe in I know what he's like I know how good he is I'm trusting in Jesus and if you're surprised to hear that it's.
Jesus we're glad that you're here at mil City Church but that's what we talk about it's Jesus that's who we talk about and how good he is and how wonderful he is because that's what the Bible talks about that's what Paul's talking about that he has Jesus we're going to see he has something else as well but he's got Jesus vers uh chapter 1 verse 20 it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed but that with full courage.
So we already saw he's sure now he's got hope and courage full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body whether by life or by death for to me to live is Christ and to die is gain so if some of you were thinking well maybe he's hopeful because it looks like it's going to go in his favor he just says I'm fully courageous fully hopeful that whether I live or die because he's facing execution as a real possibility that Christ will be glorified.
So it's not that he's hoping his circumstances will get better it's that he has something beyond that chapter 2:10 he says so that at the name of Jesus he's talking about Jesus and who he is and what he's like he says every knee should bow in heaven and on Earth under the Earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the father that Paul's eyes are on Jesus that's what he says in chapter 3:20 our citizenship is in heaven and from it we await a savior the.
Lord Jesus Christ who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious Body by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself Paul's in prison and he says oh my eyes are on Jesus and my eyes are on that day when every knee bows and every tongue confesses my eyes are on that day when this lowly chained up body is transformed that I have hope Beyond these four walls that I have hope Beyond these circumstances because I have Christ and everything's in him that's that's good that's a wonderful place to be chapter 4.
Verse 4 he says rejoice in the lord always again I will say rejoice Rejoice means to show joy to participate in to experience joy we don't use the word Rejoice much it's not like like what you probably didn't use it yesterday you weren't like my team won we must Rejoice probably didn't happen and for Colts fans it definitely didn't he says to show joy to experience joy and here he says why let your reasonabl be known to everyone the Lord is at hand here's why there's joy here's why there's rejoicing.
Jesus he's imminent he's King he rules He reigns he'll return all of our joy is bound up in him the Lord is at hand he ends of the book and my God Will Supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus Paul's in prison but goodness doesn't he sound happier than us to hear the way he speaks the where his heart is where his head is where his Joy is and the way we walk around.
See he doesn't just have Jesus he does and I think Paul might would I don't like the way I said that because I think Paul might would argue with me when it boils all down he does he just has Jesus but because he just has Jesus he has something else that I want us to see he's got purpose he's got a why Beyond his circumstances there's a a man named Victor Frankl who was a Jewish man who lived in Austria uh was born in 19 teens 1920s.
And so was just coming of age uh getting out of school getting married when the Nazis began to take over Austria and as a Jewish man his his world was getting tightened in on him where he was allowed to work what he was allowed to do was tightening and tightening and I want to read this quote about his life it says this in 1942 just nine months after his marriage Frankle and his family were sent to Terin zad concentration camp his.
Father died there of starvation and pneumonia in 1944 Frankl and the surviving members of his family were transported to aitz where his mother and brother were murdered in the gas Chambers his wife Tilly died later of typhus in Bergen bellson Frankl spent three years in four concentration camps he was rescued he was released and he wrote a book called man search for meaning because he was a a doctor and a psychiatrist and he said that when he was in the concentration camps that there was it did things to people that there were three primary things that it did there were some people who kind of just turned into animals they went into survival mode they.
Became brutal and harsh and did whatever they had to do to make their life and existence there better he said some people with all hope and all joy and everything taken away from them just gave up all their Circumstances had gotten so so bad they just they just quit and they died before they died and he says there was a third type of person that remained human continued being able to show compassion continued to be able to exist in this sort of framework and he said he noticed that about those they were able to.
See something beyond the Concentration Camp they had something further out to hold on to there was something Beyond the Horizon for them and so in trying to discuss this he puts it this way he says those who have a why to live can bear with almost any how another way he puts it is in some ways suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds a meaning Paul has Jesus but the reason he's in prison is for the sake of the advancement of the Gospel which is.
So that other people might have Jesus some of us need to get a better why in 2024 need to get a better meaning in 2024 because so much of what we're aiming for is circumstantial so much of what we've planned out for this year and what we're hoping for in this year that we could get or lose or gain or lose but at the end of it if you get it does it matter in two years does it matter matter in 10 does it matter in 5050 does it matter a 100 million years later.
When we're in eternity proclaiming the glory of Christ see Paul says this in verse 3 45 he says this I thank my God and all my remembrance of you always and every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy because of your partnership in the Gospel from the first day until now he said you've joined me in the Gospel you've joined me in the proclamation of the Gospel you've joined me is going to later say in my imprisonment and my defense of the Gospel that y'all have participated in something that lasts and matters some of you should be full-time foreign missionaries and some of you should participate in a Church plant some.
Of you should go into preaching Ministry pastoral Ministry but there's a whole lot of people in our Church that are lyas and Ethiopian and jailers and Philippian jailers we're going to work but my goodness what if this year instead of losing 10 pounds you pray daily for three co-workers what if that was on your list what if this year instead of running a half marathon you invited every person on your street to eat dinner at your house and you labored that there might be more tongues and mouths proclaiming the glory of Christ in eternity what.
If we participated in the Gospel and so that at the end of all of this at the end of our Lives when anything ran into us to cause US problems or to mess us up when our circumstances changed it actually didn't matter because we were eternally focused on the Glorious King and his goodness and rescue and hope in the Gospel and so our circumstances are just our circumstances but our mission stays our mission and so suffering isn't wasted because it has a meaning and honestly suffering can't take it away from us difficulty can't take it away from us.
Because the hope of the Gospel remains and the glory of Christ remains I'd love for you to lose 10 pounds and run a half marathon put the sticker on the back of your car we're proud of you that takes work it takes Focus but Paul says it's good but when you die it's over your abs don't go to heaven but there are people around you who might and they might not up and there's a hope of a Gospel that's worth it.
So by God's grace and as we study Philippians may we tap in to partnership with Paul in the Gospel for the glory of Christ in all of eternity let's pray oh Lord we're thankful because of Jesus our circumstances won't win our sin won't win the enemy won't win because you have gloriously redeemed a people for yourself and Lord we ask that we would lift our eyes and that we would await a savior from heaven and that our life would look like that's where we're at that that's where our hope is that that's where our courage is that that's where our joy is and may we be a people who participate in the Gospel praying.
Laboring for our neighbors and our co-workers and our friends hosting and welcoming and sharing and declaring for the sake of the glory of your name among all the nations Lord may you call people right now to quit their job pack their bags and go to another Nation Lord may you call people right now to begin to commit to participating in a Church plant in an area that needs one and Lord may you call people right now and bring to mind those people that they already work with that they already live near and may they participate fully in the Gospel and partner just as the Philippians did with Paul and by your grace may we get.
To do this in Jesus name amen band's going to come back up we're going to sing I would encourage you to take a moment and to consider where your energy going where your efforts going what your meaning is what your why is and begin to ask the Lord to help you see how you might partner in the advancement of the Gospel who you might begin to pray for who you might begin to labor for what you might begin to take on what you might begin to get rid of.
So that you have more room to the praise of his glorious name.
|giv| Week 4: He Is Coming
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
Good morning my name is Chad I'm one of the pastors here if you will grab a Bible and go to Malachi chapter 3 we are uh finishing up our Series in the Book of Malachi today we're finishing up our give Series this is the last Sunday morning this year that we'll meet together next week we will meet uh in the evening for a Christmas Eve service at 5:30 um so this we're wrapping up a whole lot of things today um and as we come to the end of Malachi we are going to have our attention directed to the end of all things you.
See in the Christmas season we celebrate as Christians uh the season of Advent which is the appearing or the arrival of God in humanity that he incarnated that he took on flesh to join us and to redeem us and to rescue us and we celebrate that during during this time of year we uh remember that on Christmas Day and I I do want to point out that the Bible does not say what day of the year Jesus was born so I've heard people before say you know I found out that that uh Christmas isn't even.
When Jesus was born so I quit believing the Bible and it's like well the Bible never said that it just is a traditional thing this time of year that we focus our attention on and remember that as a thing that the Church does but we don't know exactly when he was born but this is when we focus on the Incarnation that Jesus has come to rescue his people and that his life and death and Resurrection redeem us from our sin and that's known as uh the coming of Christ or the.
First coming and then there's the second coming when he returns to judge the world and rescue his Church and the prophet Malachi is going to turn our gaze to that this morning and so if you will let's pray and then we'll uh begin to read together Lord we ask for your help we ask for ears to hear mental Clarity Supernatural focus on something that is eternally urgent we ask this in Jesus name amen if you'll look at Malachi chapter 3 we're going to read the section we studied last week together.
Because it uh is setting up what Malachi is going to say this morning he's going to be responding to what he's to this um accusation that the people have been made been making and so we're going to look at this he says your words have been hard against me says the Lord but you say how have we spoken against you verse 14 you have said it is vain to serve God vain meaning it's a waste it's it's dumb has has no uh result what is the profit of our keeping his charge or his walking and mourning before the.
Lord of hosts and now we call the Arrogant blessed evildoers not only Prosper but they put God to the test and they escape that's the accusation that what we're going to see in a moment he's responding to he's actually going to use that phrasing the arrogant and the evildoer verse 16 it says then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another the Lord paid attention and heard them and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the.
Lord and esteemed his name there's this teaching in the Scriptures that God keeps a record and that there will be books opened on the last day and there will be a distinction made between those who belong to him and those who don't that's what it's referring to here that God recorded those who feared him verse 17 they this is God speaking they shall be mine says the Lord of hosts in the day when I make up my treasured possession and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him.
Then once once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked between one who serves God and one who does not serve him there's going to be a distinction made and he says there going to be a distinction between the righteous and the wicked between the one who serves God and the one who does not serve him now this distinction that is made we're going to see in just a moment is as distinct as any two groups can ever be the gap between these two groups is infinitely eternally massive there's a fixed Gulf between the two that cannot be bridged this distinction that's going to separate all of human history and all.
Of humanity it's going to cut right through just as Jesus Christ uh splits up our Reckoning of time that we have before Christ and the year of Our Lord Lord when Jesus comes just as he does that he's actually going to do that with all of human history that there's going to be a dividing line between those who serve the Lord and those who don't between the righteous and the wicked when um my wife and I had our first son we were in the hospital and we had had our son.
For like in our care for like an hour and I have never like help a baby cared for a baby tended to a baby ever and then I just had hours to do that with like I held my niece one time and I was like neat take it back I I actually had had people before be like here hold my baby and I just said no which is fun to watch a mom be like but it's like why are you handing your baby off anyway you keep the baby it's yours don't make me hold it.
If I drop it like this is you know I just you just you keep it so I'd had this baby for like an hour he was smaller than like a peeee size football I did not know what to do with him I'm holding him and he like gurgles kind of spits up into his own mouth and begins to choke so I'm holding a 1-hour old baby and he's choking I say to my wife he's choking call the nurse she's in a hospital bed she has a button that will call a nurse she presses the button.
Now I don't remember what word for word what she said so I'm going to paraphrase and she's not here she's in Kid City so what I'm going to paraphrase is wildly accurate she presses the button yes that's how nurses respond whatever this is the nurse I don't know she said my wife says um yes if uh if you have time if it's not a bother um when you get a chance I said not when you get like I'm like this is already taken way too long you need two words baby choking like that's it that's all we needed.
When you get a chance and I don't know if it's that she couldn't see his face or she was still on some like pregnancy drugs or if she just can't jump the hurdle of being like a polite Southerner I don't know any and all of those things but I do distinctly remember the nurse being surprised when she finally got the piece of information because nothing in the conversation had led up to the the urgency that was needed at the end of it our baby's choking she was like oh yes they hustled down there flipped him over did a thing that I learned how to do later which is help them you don't hold them backwards.
If they're choking you flip them over I was just staring at him like I don't know dude flipped him over got him okay handed him back to me and I was like okay I took note of how to do that when a situation is tense when a situation is life or death when a situation is urgent you want Clarity you want urgency you want action you want to focus up and when the Bible speaks about the end of all things when we step into eternity what happens to our Everlasting Soul we ought to want Clarity this is something that you ought to want to know definitively the answer to what.
God says about this subject because there are moments in your life where you wish I wish I could have a second chance I wish I could go back and redo that I did not handle that well I feel like I had a window to have Act Ed properly or spoken properly I wish I had a chance to go back and fix that and there is not a single moment in your life that has the amount of urgency and intensity and longlasting nature other than the decision that you will make about what happens to your soul.
For all of eternity and there will be many on that day who wish they could go back for another chance to have heard this process this thought about this responded to this and there will be no other chance and so we ought to take Serious iously what the prophet of God says next as God speaks through him he says this 4 verse 1 for behold the day is coming burning like an oven when all the arrogant and all evildoers so he's using their words from earlier will be stubble bits of dry wood and grass that will be burned up the day that is coming shall set them Ablaze says the.
Lord of hosts so that it will leave them neither root nor Branch so the Bible teaches that there is a day coming a day of judgment that is burning like an oven when evildoers and arrogant will not Escape they will be left with nothing neither root nor Branch they're gone that this day of judgment will uh capture all of them he says that the arrogant and the evildoers they taunt God and they escape he says no there's a day coming when they will not Escape.
Now if you're not familiar with Christianity or if you were talking to someone who's not familiar with Christianity and not familiar with the Bible and didn't care anything about this and you told them that there's a day coming when God will judge evildoers I think the general response would be good fine even if they don't believe what you believe when you say that it's like that's fine if there is a God he should do that the reason our general response to that would be.
Well good is because I don't include myself in the category of evildoer sounds like someone Batman fights and I just think if Batman lived in Columbia he would leave me alone like I just I just don't think that I'm an evildoer and so I think in general people think I'd love for God to judge evil if there is a God that's one of the things he should do honestly I'd like to give him some tips because he's got some things that I want him to judge like that's in general our attitude there.
Now if you're a little more thoughtful you might ask the follow-up question of how does he Define that category which is a good question for you to ask that is a good follow-up question to try to understand how does the Bible define evildoer but as we look at this this morning I want us to focus in on this other category because I think it's very helpful for us to understand what's actually happening on that day and that day is a real day that is coming.
When all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble who are The Arrogant in God's Reckoning you see there are those who are doing evil they're maliciously rebelling against God the truth is the New Testament says that we're all pretty much in that category but the Arrogant are those who believe that they don't need God they don't need to submit to him that's fine if he's real cool he can judge the evil but the idea that I need him that I'm supposed to surrender that I'm supposed to ask.
For forgiveness that I'm supposed to live my life in light of him and what he has for me and what he wants from me the idea of the Arrogant are those who have rejected God some intentionally you'll hear people make arguments like well if there is a God and there is a day of judgment then I've got some questions for him on that day yeah that's arrogant I saw something online recently that said well God May judge you but don't worry his sin and outnumber yours and a bunch of people had posted underneath there what a great quote I'm writing that down that's wonderful how true that's that's arrogant.
But there's also an arrogance that just treats God is unimportant as you as self-sufficient as you as the Pinnacle of all creation that there is no God and that humanity and our reasoning and our thoughts are the top of everything and that we're to decide for ourselves what is right and wrong and good and bad that's arrogant and like someone in our justice system who chooses to represent themselves in court while knowing nothing about how the court works it's going to go very poorly that all the arrogant and all the evildoers will be destroyed on that day that there is a Day of Reckoning verse two says.
But for you who fear my name all right so this was not written primarily as a warning to those who don't fear the lord it was written to the people of God who do fear the lord as an encouragement but I want to point something out this idea this line that comes through between fearing the Lord and not fearing the Lord it calls for humility so do you want to know someone else who's included in the Arrogant the Pharisee the the religious person who says I'm one of the good ones I.
God owes me I've served I've worked I've read I've studied I've been there I've done the stuff I gave during the gift project I'm one of the good ones I serve in Kid City twice last month if anybody's in heaven it's me that somehow God owes you that somehow you've earned it that somehow you have the credentials or the resume that's arrogance so it's not just those who've rejected God but it's also going to be some people who've been very very good.
But in a way that declares that God owes them because they're one of the good religious people rather than someone who submitted and surrendered and asked for Mercy that's what fear looks like here we would go to the Lord and say I need Mercy I need rescue I need help if you don't do this work if Jesus didn't come and and be righteous in my place and die in my place then I don't have any hope I'm surrendering I need help I need forgiveness it's all on you that's this picture.
So Church family if that's you if you've trusted in the Lord and surrendered to him not working on your religious resume to present to him so that he owes you and not sitting here and saying I don't really need God that's good for other people but I don't need that but if you've genuinely said I trust Christ to pay for my sin to rescue me to atone for my to welcome me and he's my only hope then this is actually spoken by the prophet to you.
Because it says but for you who fear my name the son of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings you shall go out leaping like Calves from the stall and you shall tread down the wicked for they will be ashes under the soes of your feet on the day when I act says the Lord of hosts but for you who fear my name verse two the son of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings that day that comes burn burning like an oven.
For the wicked for those who belong to Christ healing Dawns the sunlight that crests The Horizon on that day does not Scorch or dry out or burn but there is restoration and healing the reason that happens the reason that the sun Su n of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings is because the Sun s o n of righteousness has already risen with healing for those who would trust in him that those who place faith in Jesus ultimately when he returns this he's bringing forth the full consummation of what he has accomplished.
For us by faith by grace through faith through his work on the cross that he's accomplished for us and so it's a day of healing everything that is physically wrong with you everything that is mentally and emotionally broken for those who are in Christ is fixed battles with depression anxiety fear doubt years of laboring in physical and mental pain working to submit to the Lord and follow him and try to overcome what's been done to us by sinful Wicked people what's been caused by our own shortcomings and failures and rebellions and what's just burned into our flesh through the Brokenness of sin there's a day.
When the Sun rises and that's gone there's a day when the king returns and everything is set right there's a day coming that will inaugurate is endless days for those who've trusted in Christ to be restored and welcomed and healed brought into a land where there is no sorrow or sadness or tears I love this next verse oh no the next part of this same verse you shall go out leaping like Calves from the stall who just got excited have you ever seen Cals leap it is the goofiest looking thing they're not designed.
For it cows aren't supposed to do a lot of jumping this is why we don't do like cow racing we do bull riding but that's how cowes jump if you've ever watched bull riding where they jump feet first then the feet have to come back down and their back feet come up like they don't quite ever really fully get off the ground it's hard for for them to do but Cales and cows you can Google this will jump when they are excited goofy.
But they'll jump when they're excited if you've kept them all pinned up for a while and you let them all out back in the grass they will one by one come out I watched the video of this these cows coming out one by one and they'd walk out into the grass and then they would jump and then the next one would walk out in the grass and then it would jump and they all just were so excited you know that humans do this to that we jump.
When we're excited we're all used to it but you know we do that I I I love football there are certain things that happen in football that will automatically make me shoot up out of my chair I can't help it I will I will just jump as soon as certain things happen I will already be I'll be out I'll be up if you watch people in their excitement there are times we get so excited adult human beings get so excited that we just take off running running have you seen this like they win a thing and they just run through the field their arms out like they're an airplane or something y'all what this is.
Saying is that the day that Christ Returns the Church loses it and we're jumping and we're running and we're singing and we're clapping and we're shouting and the celebrations we've seen on Earth the best buzzer beater we've ever seen the best showcase we've ever seen on the is right the best person who's ever been released from 40 Years of prison has nothing on what that day looks like when the Church has Christ shine on us in glory and we all start shouting and singing and running and leaping.
Because the day has come when everything is restored and our Kings come back and there is Joy Untold praise the Lord that day is coming because Christ came to rescue a people for himself and if we trust in him he will one day return and everything will be restored and it is a day of joy and rejoicing for those who belong to him and you verse three shall tread down the wicked for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day.
When I act says the Lord of hosts as the Church runs and Liv leaps and jumps they tread down the wicked caught up in Joy caught up in the in raptured Grace and Glory of Christ rescued and redeemed it's a Day of Victory so often the way the world seems to work is that the meek are trampled those who are seeking to do what is right and good are are underfoot that the wicked and the powerful and the the violent rise.
Jesus says the meek will inherit the earth and Malachi says there's a Day of Victory coming when those who have trusted in the Lord surrendered to him walked in fear of the Lord humbly before him tread down the wicked in their Joy there's a song we used to sing in the Church I I grew up in and it would say it was um when we all get to heaven and it would say when we all get to heaven what a day of rejoicing that will be.
When we all see Jesus Will Sing and Shout the Victory and that's what this is the distinction on that day could not be clearer there could not be a wider gap between being Ash and being enraptured in the light Charles Spurgeon was a pastor in England and he said when it comes to talking about judgment and Eternity in heaven and hell that we need clarity that dressing it up in fancy words doesn't help he said if he saw a house on fire and he looked and said I believe the operation of combustion is proceeding Yonder that wouldn't help he said.
But if you pointed and said fire that would help as clearly as I can say it without Christ without trust trusting in Him to pay for your sin you will pay for your sin and on that day you'll long for this one to make a different decision but Church family on that day our best day on Earth be a distant memory of Brokenness because of how good and glorious everything is to come this was written as an encouragement to those who were to belong to the.
Lord look at verse four he says remember the law of my servant Moses the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel remember means not just to think about them but to keep them here here's his encouragement they said that it's working out for the the wicked it's working out for the evil it's working out for the Arrogant they get away with it they enjoy life everything's going well for them but it's not going well for us and he says there's going to be a day.
When all of that is eternally reversed then he says so hold on so Church family hold on Walk In Hope and obedience as you follow Jesus because I know that there's somebody in here right now who's thinking I wish I could just give up Christ and pursue this other thing because I'd be so much happier everybody else I know is living this pursuing this they have this they don't worry about these things and they're happy they're fine they're free and I feel.
So much like I'm having to fight my flesh daily I'm having to fight against who I really am yeah because who we really are so often is an absolute Rebellion against the Lord that we do at times have to fight tooth and nail against our our sin but what Malachi says What God Says through Malachi is it will be worth it don't lose heart don't lose hope Don't Let Go verse five behold I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the.
Lord come so this is God speaking through Malachi I will send Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes Elijah was a prophet who had already existed prophesied spoken on behalf of God to the people of Israel he was taken up by Angels into heaven you can read about him in first and second Kings Malachi saying that he's not going to be the last prophet but Elijah is going to come one's going to come that's going to take up the same role and speak with authority from.
God now there's 400 years between Malachi and when this happens but this prophecy has already come true that before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes that Elijah will come well Elijah has already come it says this is what he's going to do he will turn the heart hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction so Elijah's role when he comes.
When this Prophet comes what he's going to do is he's going to call for a turning he's going to call for a repentance he's going to call for a restoration and this picture of hearts of fathers to children and children to fathers is that one of the most destructive things that happens in sin is that one of the relationships that's meant to be the sweetest actually meant to give a picture of what God is like and how his people are supposed to be towards him as a.
Father to children and if we're honest that relationship is one of the most Twisted broken and personally hurtful relationships that we can point to all around us either children rebelling against good Fathers or fathers that should have been being good Fathers wickedly harming their children and there's this picture of a restoration that's going to happen a turning that's going to happen when this Prophet comes he says lest mean or else lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction meaning there's going to be an opportunity.
For repentance an opportunity for turning otherwise everyone's destroyed so who is this Prophet Elijah it's a good question I'm glad you asked Matthew 11 Jesus answers that question he says this truly I say to you among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist yet the one who is least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he from the days of John the Baptist until now the Kingdom of Heaven has suffered violence and the violent take it by force.
For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John meaning the whole Old Testament rolls up to John and if you are willing to accept he is Elijah who is to come so he's fulfilled that prophecy and he's the one who was promised to come before the great and terrible day of the Lord and it's happened all the law and Prophets speak until John it rolls up to John and John is a changing some sort of something is going to happen.
Now so look at Matthew chapter 3 Let's see what John prophesied which if you're in the Book of Malachi just go like two pages you're right there Matthew 3 is right next right next door verse 11 this is John he says I baptize you with water for repentance so John came asking for a turning for a repentance for people to turn from their sin but then he says this but he who is coming after me is mightier than I whose sandals I am not worthy to carry he's talking about.
Jesus he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire his winnowing Fork is in his hand and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn meaning that the one who is to come is not just a prophet like Elijah not just a prophet like John the Baptist not just a prophet like Malachi but he's the one who owns the barn and owns the wheat and owns the threshing floor he's the king and that's Jesus his winnowing Fork is in his hand and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn.
But the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire if you believed that the idea of a day of judgment was just an Old Testament idea and that Jesus somehow undid that no Jesus is the one who does that he's the one who ultimately brings the separation and our hope is in him and him alone the distinction made on that day is do you belong to Jesus or not and there is no third category Jesus says there are sheep and there are goats there are good fish and bad fish there is wheat and chaff or wheat and weeds it's always two categories.
But the wonderful news is that Jesus came he came to rescue us he came to pay our debt he came to make us righteous through his work and it's not about what we do we're not to join the Arrogant in in declaring our good works so that God will clap for us and give us a gold star we're to join the Cavs who run free because of how good Jesus is so Church family let's celebrate today that there is a day coming and let's hold on with hope and let's tell as many people as we possibly can how good he is.
And if you have not humbled yourself before the Lord do that today ask him to forgive you to rescue you and to keep you do not Harden your heart and turn from him and fight against it do not stand boldfaced and arrogant in the midst of your sin saying I'm fine without him but surrender and ask for mercy and receive it and join all of those who've been rescued by Jesus in celebration for all of eternity let's pray oh Lord thank you that you forgive Sinners or else it would be a decree of utter destruction thank you that you came to rescue and to redeem and that we get to celebrate a hope that we.
Have secured in Christ not accomplished by us and Lord I ask for the work of your spirit to draw people to yourself that you might be glorified and that they might repent of sin they might ask for forgiveness they might ask for hope they might ask for Mercy they might ask for Grace they might ask for life because all of those things are granted freely to the glory of Christ through His Marvelous work and your wonderful love and eternal goodness to those who will ask ask.
So may we humble ourselves and ask and Lord may all of us who long for the day of joy and Delight in your glorious Kingdom when you rise in righteousness and bring about healing Lord may we hold on in the midst of trial and difficulty and may we look to the Horizon for the sun to rise we love you Lord may we celebrate well today in Jesus name amen
Malachi Week 3: Profaned Priesthood
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
Good morning my name is Chad I'm one of the pastors here uh excited to to get to study the word of the Lord this morning with y'all if you'll turn to Malachi chapter 2 we're working our way through the Book of Malachi and we are going to go verse by verse to this book and try to understand the message of this prophet and where we are in the the time of the life of the people of Israel is that they have returned from Exile they've returned from captivity uh in Babylon and they have rebuilt the temple and they have rebuilt the wall and they are under Persian Rule and the general feel of the people.
Of Israel at this time when you're studying this time period And when you're studying the prophets that are speaking to them is if you've ever been if you grew up in a town or been around a town lived in an area where they're used to be industry but there isn't anymore there used to be a textile Mill they used to build cars they used to have a coal mine but they don't anymore that's in general how Israel feels at this point they're people here and they're existing.
But that's kind of all they're doing it doesn't seem like there's a lot of life it doesn't seem like there's a lot of hope it doesn't seem like there's a lot of Joy they've returned but they're still under rule of the Persians they've rebuilt the temple but it's not like the temple they had they have a wall they have a city but it's not like the city they had in general the whole thing just feels like they're sleepwalking through existence and that's where we are and that's where Malachi takes up his prophetic message and he's the last prophet in the Old Testament to speak before we're going to.
See John the Baptist and Jesus several hundred years later and so he's correcting and speaking on behalf of God he has six disputes the first one is that God loves them but they don't feel it and they don't act like it and they don't seem to know it but he's correcting them that he loves them but they're not behaving correctly and then he starts correcting the priests and so we're picking up with that in Chapter 2 with the back half of his correction of the priests and what we're going to.
Look at this morning is we're going to take this we're going to understand it in its context we're going to try to understand what he's actually saying to the priest here but then we're going to try to see how we might apply this correction of the priesthood to us and we're going to see that when you translate the the idea of a priesthood into the New Testament it comes out in a few different ways and so we're going to take some time this morning to talk specifically to pastors and Church leadership.
So I'll be preaching to myself some this morning and boy am I going to give myself some amens I tell you and then I'll get real convicted no but preach to to pastors this morning and then to the Church in general because the Christian Church is a priesthood and then we're going to talk about Christ who is the great high priest and so we're going to walk through those three things after we try to understand understand it in its context.
If you will pray with me as we begin this morning God we're thankful for your word we're thankful for the spirit that indwells us that helps us to understand your word and leads us in obedience we ask that your Holy Spirit would move and work and convict and encourag this morning and that you would help us to understand rightly what this teaches so that we might live in fear and awe of you and that Christ might be glorified in Jesus name amen all right Malachi 2.
Verse 1 and now o priests this command is for you so he's about to give a command and we know who it's to it's to the the priest now this priesthood which is also going to be referred to as Levi in this chapter is the levitical priest it's a whole tribe of Israel that was blessed with the priesthood when they uh divvied up the land the Levites did not get a portion of the land they did not get an inheritance all the other tribes got an inheritance.
But Levi was scattered in little places all over and then they were given the care of the temple they were the ones who would stand as priests in service to the Lord and on behalf of the people and they would rotate so you would live wherever you lived kind of in one of the other tribes and then you would rotate to Temple service we see this in Luke with John the bapti his dad he rotates in and does his Temple service.
And then he goes back to where he lived and so that's how this would work and so we're talking to the priest or the Levites as he's going to call them later that's who he's correcting and what they're doing now is they had a temple they were performing their daily sacrifices and their Ministry but they were doing it halfheartedly it says this is the command if you will not listen if you will not take it to heart to give honor to my name says the.
Lord of hosts then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings indeed I have already cursed them because you do not lay it to heart so the command it's kind of buried in the middle there is take it to heart to give honor to my name that's what the priests were supposed to be doing it was supposed to be genuine true love worship and honor to the Lord and it was supposed they were to take it to heart and they were to be the.
First ones they were the ones who didn't get an allotment their their inheritance was the Lord that's what it actually says he says I'm their inheritance that the blessing was him that they would have him that they would love him that they would know him that was Chief among it God's blessing was on the whole of Israel but he has this special portion for the Levites to get to minister to him and be in the temple they're the only ones who caner enter certain places they're the ones that get to serve him in this unique way they get to part participate and take part in some of the sacrifices and they were to be the.
First ones to honor the Lord have you ever gone with somebody to their mama's house or Grandmama's house it's like a group of friends and y'all are about to go in or you're dating them you're about to go in and they just stop and say okay hold up when we go in here you going to take your shoes off you going to take your hat off you going to say yes ma'am she's going to offer you food you're going to eat it you going to tell her it tastes good and the best is.
When they start telling you things you're not allowed to bring up like just fun like it's you're always just like I have questions they're like don't talk about LeBron James and he's just like why I want to now like what do why why can't I bring him up like they just pick things or they might tell you like a whole political party you're just not allowed to mention inside this house like just don't bring it up but the reason is that's their grandmother and they're taking the.
First step in honoring and if you don't want to they don't care you're going to or you're not going to be welcome in this house that's how it works they're they primary you ought to but if you're not going to they're going to make sure you do that's the way the Levites were supposed to be with the Lord we read last week where people are bringing lame sacrifices the the their legs don't work they're bringing uh goats that don't that aren't worth anything they're bringing blind sacrifices or ones that have SC abs and problems that they couldn't sell anywhere.
And when they're bringing them up there they should have brought a good one but when they got to the door the Levites should have said what don't get this out of here how dare you profane the name of the Lord with that they should be the ones who are taking it to heart to honor the Lord but they aren't and so he says if you won't I will curse your blessings and indeed I've already cursed them because you do not lay it to heart.
Now that cursing of Their Blessings is a broad we should understand that in a broad way because they're blessed to be the people to be the Levites to be the priests and there were certain blessings that came along with that that they got to participate in the sacrifices that they got to uh take in the tithes that they were provided for by the people of Israel and so he's saying in general the blessings over Israel are going to fall apart the blessings to your tribe are going to fall apart and one of the things that the Levites did was they pronounced blessings.
So that when you came and and there was a sacrifice then they would bless you they would speak on behalf of the Lord to send you out in in a blessing and he's saying I'm doing all of that your blessings are cursed it's going to work backwards now and then he says in verse three behold I will rebuke your Offspring rebuke is a sharp correction I will rebuke your Offspring and spread dung on your faces the dung of your offerings and you shall be taken away with it.
Now just to us that sounds just rough that's you don't want you don't want the Lord to say that to you and whenever you're in an issue and you're not doing well and the rebuke goes beyond you to your children like you want to get an argument amped up just bring people's kids involved like I mean he's going to rebuke the whole line of the Levites but when he says I'm going to put dung on your faces he's talking about a specific thing it says the dung of your offerings and you shall be taken away with it this is actually worse than it hits our ears.
But the Levites would have understood exactly what he was talking about when they had a sacrifice the dung as well as certain parts of the innards and the overall carcass there were parts that they kept and ate there were parts that they applied to the sacrifice and then there was a whole bunch of it that was called awful o f f a l awful and it was carried outside and burned and he says that's where you're going you're not going to be allowed in the temple you're not going to be the chosen people who get to be here you're going to be toted outside and burned you're going to be toted outside and cast out.
You're going to be part of the awful that's what I'm about to do with the tribe of Levi and for those who practice this Temple sacrifice daily to be told you're becoming a part of awful you're carried out that that hit them way harder than it just reads to us this is a significant rebuke he's saying I'm getting rid of the tribe of Levi I'm going to you're not going to get to participate in this way and this but then there.
Then he says something else that we have to try to figure out what he means because it it drastically changes how we're supposed to understand what he's saying to them when he says I'm going to cast you out in this way verse four he says I'm doing this so shall you know that I have sent this command to you that my Covenant with Levi May May stand says the Lord of hosts okay that my Covenant with Levi May stand he says I'm going to do this.
So that I can keep my Covenant well now it's really important for us to know two things what is the Covenant to Levi and is it a conditional Covenant or an unconditional Covenant is there an if there like if your parents said I'm going to take you to the zoo and then you were acting up and they said hold on I got to keep my promise to you it's like yeah but the promise was I'm going to take you to the zoo.
But if your parents said I'm going to take you to the zoo if you get your stuff done that's a conditional you see the difference between conditional and unconditional the question is is God going to keep this promise no matter what is he promising that I'm going to overcome your sin and make this good or is he saying I'm going to hold to my end of the bargain and cast you out because you failed it's important for us to know how is he keeping this Covenant we also need to know what is the Covenant to Levi what is the Covenant to the priesthood.
So look at verse 5 my Covenant with him was one of life and peace I gave them to him so it was a blessing the promise he made to him was of life and peace I gave them to him it was a covenant of fear and he feared me he stood in awe of my name so God's giving life and peace and the people of Levi are to fear God to respect him it's to where the way that like parents and children are supposed to work where there's life and peace and appropriate fear and respect like you should fear your parents you shouldn't.
Look under your bed for them at night like that kind of fear like they're going to get you but you should have respect and honor it should have been like that that's what he's saying that was the way the Covenant worked and we've got to go back to the uh further back in the Old Testament try to understand what is he referencing because there are certain covenants like the Mosaic Covenant it's very clear and it's a conditional Covenant if you do these things you'll be blessed.
If you don't you won't then there's covenants to to Abraham which is a blessing that he's going to carry out there's a covenant to David that he's going to carry out no matter what he's just going to do that so we've got to look and try to say what's he talking about there's a few places where it's hinted at and one place it gives us a little more clarity so Exodus 32:29 we just read this as we studied through Exodus this is.
When the golden calf happens he comes down they're having debaucherous party and Moses says who's with me and the Levites are part of his tribe they say we're with you and then he says get your sword and go kill people who have run away from the Lord and then he looks at him afterwards and he says today you have been ordained for the service of the Lord each one at the cost of his son and of his brother so that he might bestow a blessing upon you this day this seems to be the.
First place where the Levites are being set apart for something specific then again a similar situation happens in numbers 25 and we're going to see a man named Phineas who the people were running from the Lord it says that he's jealous with the jealousy of the Lord which is he turns them back to them and he does this violently both of these situations are coming out of violence as people are running from the Lord but it says this November numbers 25 10-13 and the.
Lord said to Moses Phineas the son of Eleazar son of Aaron the priest has turned back my wrath from the people of Israel in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them so that I did not consume the people of Israel in my jealousy because they're supposed to love and worship and they were running after other things verse 12 therefore say behold I give to him my Covenant of peace and it shall be to him and to his descendants after him the Covenant of a Perpetual priesthood.
Because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the people of Israel and then we see this idea of this Covenant mentioned in Jeremiah 33 he says this thus says the Lord if you can break my Covenant with the day and my Covenant with the night so that day and night will not come at their appointed time then also my Covenant with David my servant may be broken so that he shall not have a son to Reign on his throne and my Covenant with the levitical priests my ministers all right Pop Quiz day and night still working all right that's what he anchors it to day and night get messed up.
Because we change the time yeah that's on us though day and night are still doing their thing just cuz your kids are waking up at 5:00 a I'm mad all right just you know they they don't anyway so what he says is it's an unconditional promise that he's going to work out in the people of Levi so when he says I'm going to cast you out that my Covenant May stand we should all say what how does that work I don't.
Okay and we're going to get to see later how he accomplishes that but that's what he's saying is that this you're going to pay but I'm going to keep my Covenant you're going to you've corrupted this you've messed this up but I'm going to keep it all right as he keeps going he's going to talk about what they should have been like and what they were like as priests and then he's going to talk about how they mess it up verse six true instruction was in his mouth.
So he already said it was a covenant of fear he feared me he stood in awe of my name meaning that they trusted the Lord they were following the Lord and then he says true instruction was in his mouth he's talking about not just Levi the person he's talking about the priests he's made this promise to these people so he's saying it like it's a singular person but he's talking about the whole tribe no wrong was found on his lips he walked with me in peace and uprightness he turned many from iniquity this is what the priesthood was supposed to.
Look like for the lips of a priest should guard knowledge and people should seek instruction from his mouth for he is the messenger of the Lord of host but you have turned aside from the way you have caused many to stumble by your instruction you have corrupted the Covenant of Levi says the Lord of hosts and so I make you despised and abased before all the people in as much as you do not keep my ways but show partiality in your instruction.
So what he says to the Levites say you were supposed to trust me love me fear me stand in all of me you were supposed to guard knowledge give instruction tell the truth function impartially you were supposed to be someone who speaks on behalf of the Lord and you've corrupted all of that and so now instead of being elevated you'll be debased and despised and that's what he's saying to the people who are currently in the time of Malachi serving as priests and running the temple without without fear of the.
Lord and without care now as we try to understand this passage and we try to pull it forward to kind of where we are we're going to take three ways to look at it there are some things from the priesthood that apply to those who are pastors teachers in the Church those who serve as Elders that that apply in that way there are some things that apply to the Church in general and there are some things that apply only to Christ we pastors.
Now do not stand in between we don't mediate between you and God that's not how it works that's how it worked then that they had to go to a priest to get but that's not how it works but there are some things that he mentions In this passage like teaching instruction that do apply as we try to understand what does it mean to be a pastor and what does that look like so our Church has four pastors myself Raz Bradley Matt Freeman Spencer KY we are all Elders as the official elder or overseers official New Testament term we just use Pastor it's one of the things you're supposed to do.
But it's never used as a title in the Bible but we have four pastors or four elders and we're all Pastor Elder we're the same thing so we don't have like a chief in charge pastor and other pastors we're just four pastors or Elders we have one Elder in training his name is Isaac Hill which means that we are working in a process to install him as an elder and we have seven men not including Isaac who's also going through Pastor development we have seven men who are in Pastor development which is we have men in our Church who said I'm interested feel like I may be called to be a pastor and we said.
Well we want to help you figure that out so they're in a thing called Pastor development we're trying to walk them through that and since it's a list of seven I wrote them all down so that I wouldn't just randomly forget one of them I know all of these people and could give you all their names but it would take me longer than it needs to Jeremy Powell Ryan Krebs Brett richer Chris Rocky Brian Petri George Garcia and Mike Goble are all in our pastor development process.
So as I speak on this part right now most of it applies directly to them but some of you will not be at this Church forever some of you will and bless your heart but you're going to serve you're going to belong here you're going to labor with us and you need to know what your pastors ought to look like in a little while we're going to say in front of our Church family uh in a little while Spencer said that was unclear and it would mean like could mean 10 minutes from.
Now uh in the next year or so we're going to say we're planning to install Isaac and if anybody has any reason why he shouldn't be installed you need to come talk to us we're going to give you time to do that but you need to understand what we're installing him to and what what he's called to and you need to know what to hold your pastors accountable to some of you are going to move you're going to get another job you're going to go to another school and you're going to have to go find another Church and bless your heart you need to know what pastors are supposed to.
Look like what that's supposed to to be so that's one of the reasons we're talking through this but we also need to try to understand this in connection to what this passage is saying so verse 5 my Covenant with him was one of life and peace I gave them to him it was a covenant of fear and he feared me he stood in awe of my name stepping into leadership in the Church should begin with fear and awe and that is usually by God's blessing and goodness where it starts you love the.
Lord you fear Him you respect the Lord you trust him you're in awe of the fact that he would redeem a sinner like you that's where it's supposed to start if you are trying to question whether or not you should be a pastor and you're trying to figure it out and it's not starting here and I'm not sure you should be a pastor if you're anchored in something other than how glorious our God is and how wonderful he is and how he redeems Sinners and is.
So good that's where it begins and he's going to this pairs well with what he says later if you look down it's not going to be on the screen but it's in your Bible if you have it I'll read it he says you've turned aside from the way you've caused many to stumble you've corrupted the Covenant he says you're showing partiality you see you're either going to passor from a position of fearing the Lord or you're going to Pastor from a position of fearing people there's a way to Pastor where it's not about him it's about you there's a way to Pastor where it's about fame or being loved or being appreciated being liked there's.
A way to Pastor where it's about y'all if I meet a per I'm a pastor if I meet someone and they say they're a pastor my immediate thought is you're either a really solid person or one of the worst people ever but that's usually I mean you can be a pastor because it's an easy Inside Job you can be a pastor because nobody really keeps up with your time I can walk out of the office and say I'm going to go work on sermon stuff and I could do whatever the heck I wanted to nobody's GPS tracking me.
But you ought to fear God because I'm GNA have to stand before him later that's terrible all of our pastors we're trying to hold each other we're trying to serve this Church but there's a way to Pastor where you love the Lord and you love the Church and you serve the Lord and you serve the Church and there's a way to Pastor where you're serving yourself and it's about you and the Lord have mercy on that day when you stand before him.
So this is where it begins and it ought to stay there but unfortunately too often it gets twisted and turns into something else and we've seen it we usually see it in high-profile cases where it's about money or it's about fame or it's about something else but it can happen at any level and it can happen in small ways even in someone who's doing fairly good things for a local Church it can happen in your heart there's a way to preach where it's really just about the way people respond rather than being faithful to the.
Lord and the Bible he keeps going verse six true instruction was in his mouth so we're going to walk through this section look at this true instruction was in his mouth and no wrong was found on his lips it means that good pastoring good Church leadership means you know your Bible you study your Bible you love your Bible that's the way to have true instruction and no wrong come from your lips is that you're not just talking about what you think or feel.
But you're talking about what the Bible says so you want your pastors to know their Bible you want your pastors to submit to their Bible and Pastors in our Church family we need to know and love our Bibles it's unacceptable for us not to says he walked with me in peace and uprightness Character Matters immensely for leading and shepherding in the Church it matters immensely that in in the New Testament it's going to show up 1 Timothy 3 Titus 1 Peter's going to talk about it in 1 Peter 5.
But some of the things that qualify for you for being a pastor doesn't list things like be smart which is good it doesn't list things like like you have to be the most talented the best that it says that you have to be have character and the truth is a lot of the pastors that we've seen that flame out are ones that their ability outpace their character and that's dangerous this is one of the reasons why we take installing someone into eldership in our Church.
So slowly because character doesn't show up in a resume it doesn't show up in an interview it doesn't show up when someone preaches Isaac preached recently and people told me they said he did a really good job and I think he did but one of the reasons why we didn't just several years ago say hop up there and preach and we'll see if you can be a pastor because that's like way down the list of things that really matter your Character Matters immensely Your Love of the.
Lord matters immensely your knowledge of Scripture matters that you would be someone who turns away from sin personally and takes very seriously that at the end of all this you want Jesus more than you want anything else there have been some pastors and Church leaders that we found out a whole bunch of stuff after they died there was no confession there was no repentance there was no hating of their sin we found it out later which means that they traded Jesus.
For Ministry and that's a terrible tradeit you want people if you're going to be a pastor and you want your pastors to be people who would trade in Ministry who would repent of sin confess things would walk away from it so that they might have Jesus because if I get to the end of this and all ever had was this Church but I don't get Jesus because I hid things and I ran from from being walking in the openness and I and I chose sin rather than repentance like how I might get disqualified someday.
Lord help keep me from that but if that happens may I choose repentance and Jesus over somehow fighting to hang out and get keep doing this in a way that turns my soul away from him and they chose uprightness he says and turned many from iniquity good pastoring involves telling people they're wrong good pastoring involves pointing to the Bible and saying this is sin around the time that we were walking through our Theology of sex series and Spencer was up here and he was walking through and he was going to a passage where he says do not be deceived and he was talking through sin and sexual sin and he was calling it out.
He was confessing and bringing you in on his story and repenting there were churches all around the US that were saying about that same issue it's not really that big of a deal it's not really sin there's a high-profile Church recently that said yeah it's not ideal it's not God's favorite but it's okay and the Church is meant to stand in the Bible and say this is what it says and this is what we hold to and if you want to be a pastor.
Because you want people to like you you will at some point have to choose say what the Bible says or be liked y'all there are times where we know we know y'all we love y'all there are times where we know all right about to take these people off we know some of the things you want to hear and some of the things you don't want to hear sometimes we're pleasantly surprised a lot of times we handle it really well but we also we know what we could get up I mean we could write like a a a sermon that y'all would all just be like yeah.
But it might not line up with the Bible we can avoid things or we can say them it's one of the reasons why we teach straight through books of the Bible so that we don't have to deal with that tension of not wanting to go to places and just secretly not go to them we just work our way through the Bible and then we go you know spener our paper rock scissors who's going to have to say it we don't do that.
But we have walked in before and said did I really pick this passage I picked this one like yeah you were amped up about it I don't know all right I lost my train of thought y'all say he turned many away from iniquity verse 7 for the lips of a priest should guard knowledge and people should seek instruction from his mouth that's one of the hopes of pastoring is that you would know your Bible you'd walk in wisdom and humility and you'd be genuinely helpful you you should you should be in a place where you want to talk to your pastors and ask some questions and try to get some instruction and some wisdom.
Some help it's one of the joys of pastoring where we get to help people think through things and work through things but that should be a thing that you would look for and desire and that it should happen that they'd be people who knew their Bibles knew uh had some wisdom could help you instruct and keep people away from sin and moving forward well in life then it says this for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts that's really interesting.
When you're reading this you read the commentaries on it this is the only place that priests are ever called messengers of the Lord of hosts that's a phrase that's only ever used for prophets people that spoke thus sayith the Lord and it's saying well this is true of those who worked in the priesthood and the reason is is because they knew their Bibles and they stood in place and said this is what God would have you you do this is what.
God would have you respond this is the type of sacrifice that you should have in this moment that they stood and spoke on behalf of the Lord and that is a weighty honor it's a Divine honor that I get to stand here and open the Bible and say this is what it says it's a Divine honor but I I got to take it seriously our Church needs to take it seriously pastors take it seriously if you're ever if those men if we're able to send them out we'd love to we'd love to send them out we'd love to plant churches we'd love to install some of them in our Church family and we'd love to.
Be men that take all of this very seriously and speaking on behalf of the Lord would be a weighty thing that was not flippantly done so he says you've turned aside you've run off chased sin and there's a way to do that in pastoring and James says that not many should be teachers because they'll be held to a higher standard and by God's grace he'll protect our Church family he'll protect our pastors we'll get to send more pastors out we'll get to plant more churches and we'll be Men of Integrity who fear the.
Lord and may He help us do that but priests in the Old Testament is not a onetoone translation to Pastors in the Church because the whole Church is now the priesthood there's no mediator between you and God except for Christ and so 1 Peter 2 says this you the Church are a chosen race a royal priesthood a holy nation a people for his own possession that you may Proclaim that you may so we belong to him We're priesthood so that the Church that's the you there that you the Church May proclaim the Excellence of him excellencies of him who called you out of Darkness Into His Marvelous Light every Sunday we finish by saying you.
Are commissioned you're empowered by the spirit to go and do that proclaim the excellencies of him who's called you out of Darkness into His Marvelous Light that you get to do what Malachi is talking about to a a world that doesn't know him you get to know your Bible you get to hate sin and you get to tell people be reconciled to God so we all should take this call seriously and sometimes we say things like well I just don't know how to do that that doesn't exempt you learn how to do it start reading your Bible start practicing yall know we we practice I I practice this trying to articulate the Gospel in different.
Situations and not just it's something you work at and so if you're struggling with that we'd love to help you but we would love for our whole Church to be proclaiming the excellencies of him who called us out of Darkness Into His Marvelous Light and taking seriously the opportunity to be Messengers on behalf of the Lord so that we might see more people come to know him and he is excellent and he did call you out of Darkness so we should tell people.
And if we don't know how to tell people we should practice and tell people and if you tell somebody and you didn't do it right go back to them later and say I didn't say that right round two but we should take it seriously but y'all we need to consider Christ because he is the great high priest of our faith and he's the one who perfectly accomplishes this and upheld the Covenant so we read earlier and he said because I'm going to keep my Covenant it's basically what he's saying I'm going to uphold my Covenant.
Therefore I'm going to do this how well how does he do that what what happens here how does he uphold the Covenant in the middle of their corruption and rejection which is a very pertinent question for everybody because we have all corrupted and rejected our place before the Lord as humans and there's an offer of redemption but one of the questions is how does he do that how does he offer Redemption what does he do first of all I want you to.
See that Jesus perfectly fulfills this he walks in awe verse five he works in awe of the Lord and fear of the Lord that's what he does when he's here true instruction is in his mouth he is the truth he speaks the truth when you read the words of Jesus you're reading truth and veracity that you can build your life off of he walked in peace and uprightness that Jesus never sinned he turned many from iniquity he guards knowledge and people should seek instruction from his mouth and he is the capital T messenger of the.
Lord of hosts the one who comes to Proclaim good news to us so Jesus is the perfect fulfillment of what the priesthood was meant to be and then Hebrews tells us this for the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp so Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood he's the one who becomes part of the awful and is carried out and cast out and rejected he didn't deserve to be he hadn't corrupted the Covenant.
But he took the punishment of the corrupted Covenant on himself so that he might uphold the Covenant and that's the Gospel news for us I didn't check but I don't think any of y'all are Levites but what you are are sinners who need someone to take what you deserve which is to be cast out none of us have the right to walk into the temple none of us have the right if it still existed to go into the most holy place we would be struck down we're not welcome there not only are we not welcome there.
Because we're not Levites we're not welcome there in our sin and our rejection and our rebellion of God but Jesus is the one who was cast out so that we might be brought in that's what it says that he might sanctify the people through his own blood he's the one who took the punishment we deserve so that we might be ordained Sanctified brought in and welcomed 133 verse 13 therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured.
So author of Hebrews says he did that so that we could belong to him let's go join him let's go join him and if you say well it'll be weird if I if I go if I take Serious this idea that I'm going to go bring this message that I'm going to go participate it people might not like me yeah let's bear the reproach he endured it might make some of my friendships weird let's bear the reproach he endured it it might make things awkward at the office I don't know.
If I can do that I just not sure if that's the place well let's barely reproach that he endured for this is why we would do that here we have no lasting City but we seek the city that is to come we're all called to represent the Lord by God's grace some of us are going to try to say I want to give fulltime energy and effort towards that in Mission work and in the Church but we're all called to proclaim the excellencies of him who called us out of Darkness Into His Marvelous Light and all of us are going to stand before.
For the king and may we be people who live in fear and awe looking forward to that City there's a way to Pastor that's about right here and there's a way to live our lives that's about right here it's about our place in this city but this isn't our city we've got one that's coming so may we live as a group of people who look forward to that and who our lives our decisions our wallets our time and makes sense as we stand before the.
Lord on that day you're standing before people right now which means that some of the things you're doing ought not make sense to them it should only make sense when you're standing before him we don't want to live in a way that makes sense now and makes no sense there so let's go to Jesus to be covered by his blood and to be welcomed that's done by him and then let's walk with him taking what whatever reproach comes looking forward to that City let's pray.
Lord help us have mercy on us move through your spirit so that we might look forward to that City that we might walk in fear and awe and that we might Delight in the fact that you are the one who upholds the Covenant you're the one who was cast out so that we can be brought in and so may we rejoice in your name and Praise Your Name Lord I pray for myself Spencer Matt Raz help us to fear you more than we fear people help us to turn away from sin and by your grace Keep Us Faithful and cover Us in Mercy in that day we stand before you.
God may you bless this Church that we would send out more pastors and more Church planners and more missionaries that would labor for you that would run from sin and in the day when we're choosing between hiding or running to you may we not hide so that at the end of all this we have you as our inheritance and not Ministry and not praise nothing but you and may that be true for our entire Church family that at the end of all of this we get.
Jesus or it's been a waste we ask this in your name and we thank you for your blood amen.
Nothing Without You (Exodus 33:1-18)
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
The Golden Calf (Exodus 32)
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
Well good morning my name is Chet I'm one of the pastors here grab a Bible and go to Exodus chapter 32. if you don't have a Bible with you there should be a blue one in the under the seat in front of you if you don't own a Bible take this one with you we want you to own a Bible we are working our way through the book of Exodus and we have gotten through where God has had a covenant ceremony.
And then Moses goes up into the cloud on the mountain and God has been giving him instructions and we're told that he's been there for about 40 days and so what we've been looking at the past several weeks are the instructions that God gave him for the Tabernacle for the Altar for the Priestly garments and the whole point of all the things that God has been giving the people of Israel and these instructions that he's been given to Moses is that Moses would go back down the mountain they would create these things build them together.
So that God can dwell among them so that he can have a place among them and that he can be their God and they can be his people that they're going to be set apart over and against all the peoples of the world to belong to him and they're going to have a tabernacle where his presence dwells now we said a while back that he's remaking some of what was lost in the Garden of Eden it's not perfect he's not going to just dwell with them the way that.
God dwelled with Adam and Eve but he's working back to he's going to have a people in his place that he dwells among that his presence is there and it's it's not the same but he's restoring some of this and so that's where we are I'm going to pray and we're going to get into the text together Lord we pray that you would help us to see your glory in this passage we pray that you would help us to see our sin and the.
Lord through your spirit we would run to Christ and we ask this in Jesus name amen so we're going to read Exodus 32 together today and so I want you to start in Exodus 31 you're welcome Exodus 31 verse 18. this is how Exodus 31 is ending and it says and he that's God gave to Moses when he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai the two tablets of the testimony tablets of stone written with the Finger of God.
God has finished speaking with Moses and he gives him the tablets of the testimony and he's saying okay now go go do all that I've commanded you go down the mountain and let's get this thing started that's where we are chapter 32. when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain oh no no no no no he's not delayed he's coming that's that's the tension we should immediately feel when we read this no he's got the tablets and he's coming he's not he's you're wrong he's on his way it's a big mountain he's been up there he had a lot to get.
But he's coming it says but when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain the people gathered themselves together to Aaron now Aaron is Moses his brother and Aaron has been left in charge Aaron and her we don't see her in the story but we do see Aaron gathered to Aaron Aaron's going to be the high priest Aaron doesn't know that but Moses is going to come down and say hey we're about to make you some beautiful glorious garments and you're going to be high priest they gather themselves to Aaron and said to him up make us gods who shall go before us as.
For this Moses the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt we do not know what has become of him that's about as bad as it gets they're like hey Moses walked up into that cloud but he ain't come back we don't know what happened to him and so here's our suggestion now hear us out because it's going to be the dumbest suggestion you've ever heard up make us Gods who can go before us now if you'll remember back not 40 days ago.
For them or just that 40 days ago for them they had a covenant ceremony where Moses read The Ten Commandments and they practiced it they said everything you say everything you command us we will do and then the next day they had a government Covenant ceremony that is sacrifice he read it again and they say everything you command us we will do okay first commandment you will have no other gods before me second commandment do not make any Idols up make us some gods Moses has delayed we would like to aggressively break the.
First two Commandments this is a rejection of God a rejection of his Commandments is this is baffling so Aaron said to them take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives your sons and your daughters and bring them to me what we wanted Aaron to say was no shut up you're not allowed to talk for like three weeks go back into the camp but that's not what he says he says I'm gonna need some gold now these were slaves do you know how they all have gold.
God blessed them with it when he brought them out of Egypt he helped them plunder the Egyptians so they take what God has blessed them with they give it to Aaron verse 3. so all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron and he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf okay so that word calf when we hear it we think baby.
But it really means in the first one to three years so it in its prime it doesn't make it much better but it's some sort of a ox and that's what it's going to be called later in the in the Book of Psalms it's an ox and it's a healthy one the young healthy one that's what he makes and they said these are your Gods o Israel who brought you up out of the land of Egypt when Aaron saw this he built an altar before it and Aaron made a proclamation and said tomorrow shall be a feast to the.
Lord now you need to notice something interesting happen in this passage verse 4 these are your Gods o Israel now that God's there is the word Elohim and it's a plural word for God gods it is at times used to talk about God the one true God they call him Elohim which is a plural word and so it can be translated God or Gods but 90 something percent of the time and primarily in the book of Exodus in Genesis when they refer to.
God as Elohim all the verbs and sentence structure around it are singular so it's singular verbs singular singular singular and then God's plural Elohim which can be taken as God's but it's used to refer to God here they use the word Elohim which doesn't give us much Clarity but the Senate structure around it is plural so this is a pretty good Fair translation some of your Bible translations might translate it differently but this is a fair translation that what they are saying is here are your Gods this is representative of your God's plural.
And so it then Aaron though tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord capital L O R D we've already talked about this that's the Divine name for God Yahweh or Jehovah depending on how you you insert vowels and so he says you know it's the Lord so it seems as if they're saying let's break Commandments one and two and Aaron's trying to sue him down to just breaking the second one so he's calling it the Lord but he's made a calf What's Happening Here is that they've said this is who we're going to worship this is what's going to go before us Calvin says this is John Calvin who's one of the reformers he.
Says this is monstrous Madness mixed with stupidity and he points out the Cloud's still there like God's presence is still what are y'all what are y'all doing this is this is insanity this is the nation of Israel's fall if Adam and Eve fell in the garden and brought sin into the world as God's restoring this the nation of Israel collectively comes together to do the same thing that they reject the primary thing that God has taught them and so where we.
See Adam and Eve in the garden and then they fall into sin and everything falls apart we see God renewing restoring this relationship building it back fixing it rescuing them he's going to dwell among the people and they immediately undo it and if you are not a Christian and I know that even some Christians struggle with this concept but if you're not a Christian what you can often think is God has rules I'm supposed to follow the rules and he's mad at me.
For not following the rules and you can think that it seems wildly unfair and we'll say things like how could God send good people to hell how can I know somebody who they're just nice they're a good person and I just don't see how God could send them to hell but what you've got to wrap your head around is this is the primary sin is a rejection of God and a worship of something else this rejection of God and a worship of something else that.
God has designed the world that he might relate to us as creatures that we might love him and know him and and he might endear himself to us and that we might belong to him and that we might be his people and there would be joy and Delight in that that he is the greatest above all things and what we do is we pick something else to worship and love it says verse 6. and they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings this is the same thing they did in the Covenant ceremony with him 40 days ago and the people sat down to eat and drink and Rose.
Up to play that word carries um debaucherous sexual connotations and that Paul even refers to don't commit sexual immoral immorality like they did so this becomes a wild party they are off the rails this is what Psalm 106 says about this is we're to understand this idea of worshiping something else Psalm says this they made a calf in Horeb and worshiped a metal image they exchanged the glory of God for the image of an ox that eats grass but that's that's the primary sin is that we exchange the glory of.
God for some created thing some lesser thing that we swap him out for something else that's what Paul says in Romans that we exchange the glory of the Eternal God for images resembling beasts and calling things that we exchange the glory of God for a creature rather than the Creator and so this is idolatry this is the worship of something else this is the placing your hope in something else and so I want to trace out a few of the things that go into this.
First they say to him up make us Gods who will go before us if we're going to worship something else we usually we're going to pick something that we're going to base our whole life around this is going to go before us this is going to give us purpose this is going to give us Direction so that if you are worshiping something other than God you've picked a thing that wakes you up in the morning that gives you a reason to live that gives you guidance.
For how you're going to spend your days it goes before you it's the thing that helps you know Who You Are it's the thing that you look at and you say if I just have this then I'll be happy then I'll be fulfilled and then everything will be right that's idolatry that's the thing we picked that we're going to spend our time and devote ourselves to the other thing that if you'll look at this if you'll notice is that we often take something that.
God has given us so they took the gold that God had given them we have to take a good thing that God gave us and make it an ultimate thing y'all know the cake is delicious right but if you only eat cake you die I'm pretty sure it's not good for you I don't know if anybody's ever tested it it's meant to be in the spot that cake is supposed to be in a delicious good gift but not an ultimate thing and that's how everything works where.
God gives you health or he gives you physical ability or he makes you attractive or he makes you intelligent or he gives you a good job or whatever He blesses you with a thing and it's meant to stay in the spot for that in the food pyramid of your life it's meant to be there where it takes up that amount of space and it's a good gift it's a blessing but it's not meant to shift into an ultimate thing but the problem is we take good gifts that.
God gives us and we make them ultimate things most of the time when we pick an idolatrous something it's not a bad thing it's usually a blessing that we just make into an ultimate thing a God-level thing like children they become what you worship and serve and build your life around they become what makes you say I know I'm okay if or Romance becomes what you worship and serve and build your life around I know I'm okay if this goes before me this sets my day this helps me know who I am or work or attractiveness or physical health or whatever we pick something that's usually a good thing that.
God has given us and we place it in an ultimate spot and therefore it gets out of order and it's wrong the other thing I think we should notice from this passage about Idols is that they take work they don't move themselves they don't build themselves they take our effort our work to accomplish that he had to craft this into a calf and so whatever your idol is it's usually something that you're saying I'm building my life around this this helps me know who I am it's usually a good thing and it's usually something that you're putting in a lot of work.
For takes a lot of energy and time so if you want to try to discern where is that in my life look for those three things and you'll find most likely something that you have built an idol out of and this is the fundamental sin this is the sin and so they commit the sin which is a rejection of God a worship of something else they undo his whole plan which is he's they're going to belong to him and he's going to be among them and they're just like we're going to move on.
Now Christians we're in danger of doing this too we're in danger of taking a good thing and making it an ultimate thing but we're also in danger of doing what Aaron seems to be doing remaking God where he says it's the Lord we're remaking Jesus into something else I want to point something out to you about that I love about this Psalm Passage they exchange the glory of God for the image of an ox that eats grass foreign I love how much shade is thrown in those three words an ox like a like an ox like one that eats grass and you immediately go yes.
So dumb and it is but you know why they picked an ox because everyone around them picked an ox that's why they picked an ox because an ox to them represented cultivation you need an ox to get crops so represented strength it represented uh being fertile both in uh cultivation and in your Fields but also in your house and everybody had an ox and so what we're in danger of is going that's so dumb but I don't think we can say that's.
So dumb I would never do that I think what we have to say is that's so dumb I'd pick something that more suits my taste I would pick something way better than a calf and we see this you'll talk to people who have just rebranded Jesus and the more you talk to them more you understand what they're talking about it's like hi that Jesus just sounds a lot like a capitalist he doesn't have a lot to say about loving the poor he doesn't have a lot to say about how the love of money is dangerous he just he's kind of you've twisted this up like.
If you've ever seen a picture of Jesus holding an AR-15 it's like you've rebranded him to something that you like so that you'll talk to somebody and they'll have like you're like that Jesus just sounds a lot like a Republican or you talk to somebody and you'll be a part of a Church and you're just like that Jesus man he sounds a whole lot like he's bought into the idea that God just wants me to be happy and that doesn't mean the rejection of sin and the embracing of him is our ultimate Delight it means the pursuit of whatever I want or you talk to him and talk to someone and it's like ah you.
Really think Jesus won't tell you who you're allowed to love you don't think he's going to come in and say this is bad for you this is wrong for you that he's going to just co-sign anything you have to say because you sound a lot more like the sexual Revolution you sound a lot more like things I'm reading on the internet you sound a lot more like what's popular right now than you then you line up with this and this happens where he gets re-branded.
And so we've changed it we've crafted him into something that fits with us better that actually we change him so that we don't have to change and then we say it's a feast to the Lord and it's wrong that he's been reshaped and sometimes we do this intentionally and sometimes we do it unintentionally due to our sin but this is what it says here I want you to understand that it's not just the times that we're doing that but it's every time we sin that we're practicing some form of idolatry.
Because it says they forgot God their savior who had done great things in Egypt and you know that every time we sin in some small form we're practicing that we're forgetting our God is doing great things for us we're forgetting that Jesus is our ultimate Delight I'll give you an example I know I'm not trying to brag I am a pastor but I know I'm not supposed to lie I know that I learned it in seminary I didn't get an mdiv.
But I did learn this don't lie but I know I'm not supposed to lie but you all know there are times where I catch myself lying sometimes I don't even catch myself I just think about it later and in that moment I didn't want to please Jesus I wanted something else I wanted to please another person I wanted them to think highly of me I wanted them to not think lowly of me I won't even fight him for highly I was just fighting.
For neutral I wanted to not have to leave my house and help them there's a lot of things we might lie for and what you might lie about and what I might lie about might be different but the reality is in that moment we want something more than we want Jesus we forgotten how good he is and we do this with all of our sin we do this when we gossip we want something more than we want Jesus we do this.
When we should help someone we make excuses we do this when we should be generous and we aren't we do this when we commit sexual sin we just want something more than we want Jesus in that moment and that's idolatry we're telling ourselves this will make me happy this will fill me up this will give me joy this will give me the light and it'll do it better than Jesus Does I know I'm not supposed to have sex but I really want a boyfriend.
And so whatever you're willing to sin to have is ultimately something that you value more than God and so I don't think we can read this passage and go what fools without acknowledging I think I'm at the base of the mountain I'm not up there with Moses I don't think I'm the one up there doing what's right I think I'm the one down there pulling my earrings out verse 7. and the Lord said to Moses go down for your people whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves they have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them they have made.
For themselves a golden calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said these are your Gods o Israel who brought you up out of the land of Egypt this would be like on your honeymoon watching your wedding video and seeing your spouse kissing someone in the wedding party in the video I mean just as as cataclysmically awful as you can possibly imagine the the derailing heartbreaking nature of this he's got him he's rescued them they're going to be his people he's going to dwell among them and they say we don't know where Moses went it's been too long and it's an utter rejection of all of that and the.
Lord said to Moses I have seen this people and behold it is a stiff-necked people now therefore let me alone that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them in order that I may make a great nation of you he says leave me alone I'm going to destroy them and we'll restart with you 11. but Moses implored the Lord his God and said O Lord why does your wrath burn hot against your your people whom you have brought up out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand did you.
Notice that God said you were people who you brought out of Egypt and then Moses says no you're people who you brought out of Egypt God says they're not mine anymore Moses says no they are they're your people why should the Egyptians say with the evil intent did he bring them out to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the Earth turn from your burning anger and relent from This Disaster against your people remember Abraham Isaac and Israel your servants to whom you swore by your own self and said to them I will multiply your Offspring as the stars of heaven and all this land that I have promised.
I will give to your offspring and they shall inherit it forever Moses says no remember your promises remember who you are remember that they belong to you remember be you that's what he's saying and the Lord relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people now you can tie yourself in a theological knot in this passage trying to understand how does a sovereign God who's planned all of this have a moment where he relents but he relents of something he spoke about doing and in the way he spoke about this in some ways he invited Moses to be an intermediary.
But this text is written so that we would see how much the people of Israel need an intermediary they don't know it but they needed Moses on the mountain pleading on their behalf they needed someone to stand in between them and God because they they need someone to stand in between them and God because of their sin and we're supposed to see God relenting out of his own goodness and out of his own choice and will to include Moses and how this works.
But we're also meant to see Moses who whined and came up with weird excuses about why he should not have to go in the first place who now stands with God and says please remember your promises and be good to them and God relents from what he had spoken about doing verse 15 then Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand tablets that were written on both sides on the front and on the back they were written the tablets were the work of.
God and the writing was the writing of God engraved on the tablets now the text just zoomed us beautifully in on how wonderful these tablets are and it did that on purpose verse 17. when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted so Joshua was midway Moses went up been talking to God Joshua's just been hanging out in the middle because he's waiting for Moses he's been camping out above the camp but below the cloud and Moses comes down to him he sees Moses he hears the noise down there and Joshua who leads in military things says this there is a noise of war in the camp.
Verse 18 but he said it is not the sound of shouting for victory or the sound of Cry of defeat but the sound of singing that I hear how bad do you sing that it sounds like War but it also means that we're not supposed to picture them holding hands and chanting in unison but a debaucherous chaotic celebration he says no that's a party and as soon as they came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing Moses anger burned hot and he threw the tablets out of his hand and broke them at the foot of the mountain that's why I zoomed in and told us how wonderful they were and it's this.
Picture of how wonderful everything was about to be and how shattered everything is now he was about to be exactly his God wants with them he's restoring it he's building them back into his people he's going to dwell among them and it's ruined I know a story of a lady who's felt like her husband was not holding up his marriage covenant and when he came home she had her China out and she was just breaking their wedding China while she was talking to him he said what are you doing she said I'm caring about our covenant as much as you do that's what this is he took the calf they had made.
So he just marches in 80 something year old Moses he's hot took the calf they have made and burned it with fire grounded to powder scattered it on the water and made the people of Israel drink it all this stuff's still going on snatches it down Burns it I don't know how long he has the weight before burning it to grind it but he turns it not into a calf but he's not done it's not like he melted it was like next step no he grinds that into powder.
And then he stands there throwing it in the water it's like here you go y'all gonna drink that gold lip fools it doesn't say that part but I'll just he made the people of Israel drink it verse 21 Moses said to Aaron what did this people do to you that you have brought such a great sin upon them and Aaron said let not the anger of my Lord burn hot you know the people that they are set on evil which to be fair they haven't been the greatest they followed them around complaining and whining and surrounding them multiple times and tried to fight like they haven't been this isn't been the easiest group of people.
To lead but it's not because these people are worse than other people it's because these people are people and if we wandered around the desert together we'd also do some of this mess he says you know the people that they're set on evil in verse 23 4 they said to me make us Gods who shall go before us as for this Moses the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt we do not know what has become of him.
So I said to them let any who have gold take it off so they gave it to me and I threw it into the fire and out came this calf I feel like that's kind of how his story had to go it had to start breaking down to the end y'all know he was quoting word for word what they said to him like he Nails it they said to me make us Gods who shall go before us ask for this Moses though they brought you up they said the man who brought us out of Egypt we don't know what happened to him.
So I said to them let me have your gold and then I took the gold and then there was I know remember there was a fire through I threw the gold in the fire I don't think I did anything else I think then it was a magic calf you ever talked to a kid in the middle of them being called in something that's what this sounds like to me what happened well he pushed me and then I don't like what comes after end.
Then give me a second how do I say I punched him in the face that's that's what that's where we're at this is pitiful out came this calf no response from Moses I think we're to assume he stares at Aaron like you've got to be kidding me 25 and when Moses saw that the people had broken loose for Aaron had let them break loose the division of their enemies if you were tempted to think Aaron didn't have a choice this passage says no Aaron could have led no Aaron could have had a backbone and I want to take just a.
Second there are a lot of people in this this room that lead things but I want to take just a second to speak to men culturally right now you're told a lot that you're the problem and that men are bad that's not true bad men are bad passive men are bad and you need to be real careful the times that you say it's them when it was really ah you should have led verse 26 then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said who is on the Lord's Side come to me and I think he has to say this a bunch he's calling people to himself all the sons of Levi gathered around.
Him that's his tribe Moses and Aaron of the Trap of Levi Levi shows up he said to them thus says the Lord God of Israel put your sword on your side each of you and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp and each of you kill his brother and his companion and his neighbor stop this find the people who are doing it and stop it and so they do verse 28 the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses and that day about 3 000 men of the people fell and Moses said.
Today you have been ordained for the service of the Lord each one at the cost of his son and of his brother so that he might bestow a blessing upon you this day faithfulness to God is often costly but it's worth it prior to this it does seem like it was in God's intent that the tribe of Levi would be as a tribe levitical priests but it's not mentioned and it seems like in this moment is where God seals it that it's not just going to be the sons of Aaron.
But it's going to be the whole tribe of Levi that's going to get to carry the being ordained set apart for his service seems like it we're slurdy so it settles down it goes from off the rails to a lot of death the amount of excitement this is a quiet and awkward and sad and the next day Moses said to the people you have sinned a great sin and now I will go up to the Lord perhaps I can make atonement.
For your sin so Moses returned to the Lord he walks up this mountain takes a while and he said alas this people has sinned a great sin they have made for themselves gods of gold but now if you will forgive them but if not Please block me out of your book that you have written and if you don't love Moses yet you should love him now because when he said maybe I can make atonement he meant maybe he'll take me instead maybe I can swap places with y'all you have sinned a great sin it's not that they've killed all the Sinners it's no collectively we've still.
So catechism cataclysmically failed and broken this Covenant judgment is on us but maybe maybe he'll let me swap out so he says if you'll forgive them forgive him but if you won't that can't happen can you take me instead 33. but the Lord said to Moses Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book God says no but now go lead the people to the place about which I have spoken to you behold my angel shall go before you nevertheless in the day.
When I visit I will visit their sin upon them we're going to come back to 33 and 34. I want to finish the chapter 3 35. then the Lord sent a plague on the people because they made the calf the one that Aaron made because they made the calf the one that Aaron made so if we were unsure earlier as to whether or not Moses believed Aaron's story he does not but look at 33 and 34. the Lord said to Moses whoever sinned against me I will blot out of my book.
So who's that that's all of them but now go lead the people to the place about which I have spoken to you behold my angel shall go before you nevertheless and the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them now 32-34 are meant to be read together and this gets clearer because at first you read this and go oh okay good good right like crisis averted but no this isn't good at all because what he says is go I'll send my angel the day I show up everyone pays.
For their sin and in 33 he's going to say I'm not coming because there's no way for me to come and not kill everybody safest thing not the best thing but the safest thing for them is that I'm not a part of this anymore I'll get you to the promised land but the whole plan of me belonging to you and you belonging to me is done and this is where I think we've got a wrap our head around idolatry and sin sometimes we say things like.
Well it's just not that big a deal I don't know why he cares that much I don't know why he can't just get over it and I want you to know that the Covenant he made with them and the Covenant that he desires for us is that we would belong to him and he would belong to us this is why the Bible talks about it as adultery and it's like you saying I don't know what she's so been out of shape about I know that they're married.
But why can't he just have a girlfriend it's like that it's because that's the whole point of marriage is that you won't have a girlfriend that was what you committed to and that's the whole design here is that we would belong solely to him and they would belong solely to him and he would belong to them and there would be delight and joy in this and he says I can't come because your sin stands in the way and I want you to know this the thing you want most in the world is that.
God would visit you and that you would belong to him the thing you crave and desire is that you would be able to Delight in him because he is wonderful that's the thing you want most but the thing you can't have and that you should fear is that God would show up and you would be in your sin what he's wanting is for him to belong to them but if he was up and their sin is there so the thing I most want is to get to belong to.
God and the thing I most fear is that he'd show up and I'd be in my sin and what we needed and what they needed was for God to say yes to Moses can you take me and forgive their sin and God says no because Moses is a sinner he doesn't even get to go into the Promised Land but what we needed was God to say yes so that we can have him visit us we can belong to him but not be in our sin we need somebody to go up the mountain.
God to say yes you can atone for their sin and that's what Jesus Does Jesus does what Moses can't do because Jesus is God who becomes a man and he's a man so he can stand on our side and he can stand in our place and he can live a perfect life but he's God so that he can live sinlessly and he can actually atone and so where Moses fails Jesus succeeds Moses walks up the mountain and says can you take me instead.
God says no and mo Jesus walks up the mountain and says can you take me and said instead and God says yes and that's what Peter comes and he proclaims in Acts 3 says this repent therefore and turn back that your sins may be blotted out that if we run to Jesus and ask for forgiveness he forgives because he's able to and those are your options be in your sin and be blotted out or have Jesus blot your sin out because there is a day.
When God visits and when he does he will visit the sin upon the people they'll pay for it but if you've trusted in Jesus your sin has been paid for there is no sin to visit upon you y'all this is the tension throughout the whole Bible that's what's going to be carried out throughout the rest of Exodus and moving forward is how is God going to have a people that belong to him how is he going to fix this problem because they're all sinful how will he ever bridge this Gap and the answer is.
Jesus Jesus is the one who unties this so that we can have God and not have our sin because Jesus can blot our sin out and if you don't love Jesus you should love him now you should see that he walks up the mountain and says can you take me instead and God says yes and Jesus dies so that you won't be in your sin so that you can have what you ultimately desire which is God and all the delight and all the life that comes with them let's pray.
Lord we're we're sinners and we're so thankful for Jesus that he blots out our sin that we have hope in you and you alone and so Lord may we trust in you may we worship you may we Delight in you may we run from our idolatry to you in Jesus name amen the band's going to come back up and I want you to know your hope is not that you will not be an idolater your hope is that Jesus walks up the mountain and pays.
For idolaters that's what Moses walked up there to do can I pay the debt of their idolatry and Jesus walks up and doesn't say they're all perfectly worshiping they're all perfectly loving they're all perfectly their hearts set on me he he goes up and says can I pay the debt of idolaters that's our hope and that's what we're going to sing about and rejoicing right now is that our hope is Jesus and only Jesus and nothing else.
Good Work and Good Rest (Exodus 31)
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
Good morning my name is Chet I'm one of the pastors here we are working our way through the book of Exodus if you will turn to Exodus chapter 31. we looked at Exodus chapter 28 and 29 last week the week prior we looked at 26 and on up and we looked at some of the sections in chapter 31. in chapter 31 there is a section on a census that is to be taken and we won't spend time studying that together but we are moving to chapter 31.
Today and we're going to study through this entire chapter together I um a couple years ago was on vacation and I ran into a store to buy some milk I think that's pretty much all I needed I might have needed one other thing but mostly milk and if you had stopped me on my way into the store and said hey how much should milk cost I would have said I don't know and I don't have any opinions about milk I just need some and I would have been thinking I told you the truth I walked to the back of the store and I get to the gallons of milk and milk was six dollars in.
Something and I said to myself six dollars what on Earth like I'm just standing there staring at this like if his milk lost its mind did this come from a magical cow what what on and apparently I had a lot of opinions about milk that were very deep inside of me that I cared deeply about because I was enraged in this grocery store and I wouldn't have been able to tell you that um two minutes ago and the reason I tell you that story is that this morning we are going to.
Look at a passage that is going to I think shine some light on how we view work how we view work and how we View Rest and how we view our labor and I think it's possible that you might think I don't really have like a philosophy of work I don't have a Theology of work I don't have something that I've I haven't given this much thought I don't really have opinions on it and what I'd like to say is you do actually have some opinions on work maybe you have thought it through.
But if you haven't I'd like to offer that you actually do have some sort of a viewpoint on work you're like me with milk you might not realize it but you have some thought process and I want to tell you the two primary ones that our culture gives us these are the ones that you're handed as like hey pick an option these are the two ways to think about work and I would argue that you probably have you lean in one of these directions option number one work gives you your identity it helps you know who you are and it helps everybody else know who you are and by having good work you are better.
And by having worse work you are worse this is identity this is one of the reasons not the only reason but one of the reasons why we ask people pretty quickly what do you do what kind of work do you do it's not just a good topic of conversation when you first meet somebody it also helps you know what kind of person are you who are you but people don't know how to answer that question so you say what kind of work do you do and it helps us to find that.
So work as identity is one of the cultural options we're given the other one is that work is a necessary evil that is useful for providing the type of life that you want work is a necessary evil that is useful for providing the type of life that you want so if you want a lavish life you need work that will provide that if you want to live in the woods and eat Roots you don't have to work at all you did it.
But whatever lifestyle you want the amount of rest that you want the amount of pleasantness that you want the amount of stability that you want work is there to provide that and you need to work the exact amount that gives that to you and one of the reasons I think I can help you see that this is how we think about this is we ask little kids what do you want to be when you grow up and B is a is an identity word what do you want to be.
When you grow up and we're interested in this answer and I my wife showed me one where this little kid was like going first day of kindergarten and said how they were and it said What class they were going into and then it said I want to be when I grow up and they put chicken nugget and I guess they thought what's the most amazing thing ever I want to set up my sights High I'm going to be a chicken nugget.
But we don't want chicken nugget as an answer you want to hear Dr lawyer scientist astronaut Batman like we want something good to pour yourself into and usually if you're talking to a kid and you say they say they want to be a doctor and you say that's great you are saying that's great either because what a good identity what a good person to be what a good honorable thing to make yourself into or that's great Doctors live at the lake.
And if a kid says something and you say you don't want to do that usually it's because it won't provide the type of life I want for you or it's not the type of person I want you to be because those are our primary things that we're given culturally now as a Christian we add a third thing into this because I talk to people they'll say things like I'm really trying to follow Jesus I want my life to matter is it.
Okay for me to just repair HVAC units my entire life is that okay is it okay if all I ever do is teach kindergarten is that okay like am I okay to do that or have I missed something have I rejected the mission of God somehow and so this passage I think shines some light and gives us some clarity on all of that and will help us have a better approach to how we ought to view work and how we ought to view living lives of a lot of normal work under the leadership of.
God and in worship and glory to him so let's pray and we're going to read Exodus chapter 31 together God we ask for your grace we ask for your help we pray that you would give us clarity as we study your word today that we might be Spirit-filled laborers that we might love you and love our neighbors well through them in Jesus name amen now I do not think that this passage is primarily here to teach us the things that we're going to talk about this morning.
So we're going to read through it and I'm going to try to help you see it in context with Exodus before we're going to walk through and point out some of the things that help kind of say hey this this gives us some handles here on how we ought to think about work so Exodus chapter 31 the Lord said to Moses Moses up on the mountain God's been telling him over and over again all the things he's going to have to do the.
Lord said to Moses see I have called by name bezalel the son of Yuri son of her of the tribe of Judah and I have filled him with the spirit of God with ability and intelligence with knowledge and all craftsmanship to devise artistic designs to work in gold silver and bronze in cutting stones for setting and in carving wood to work in every craft and behold I have appointed with him a holy AB the son of ahissamak of the tribe of Dan and I have given to all able men ability that they may make all that I have commanded you and this is a recap of what we've been studying the past few weeks starting.
In verse 7. the tent of meeting and the Ark of the testimony and The Mercy Seat that is on it and all the Furnishings of the tent the table and its utensils and the pure lamp stand with all its utensils and the altar of incense and the altar of burnt offerings with all its utensils and the Basin and its stand and the finely worked garments the holy garments for Aaron the priests and the garments of his sons for their service as priests and the anointing oil and The Fragrant incense.
For the holy Place according to all that I have commanded you they shall do so God's been telling him you're going to do this you're going to build this you're going to build this this is how you're going to build it this is how long it's going to be this is how wide this is what a span is all those things and then he says and I've set aside specifically these men to help they're going to build it and then he says this in.
Verse 12. and the Lord said to Moses you are to speak to the people of Israel and say above all you shall keep my sabbaths the Sabbath is the day of rest that one day in seven they would work six days and then they would rest and worship in the rest of the Lord and do no work you shall keep my sabbaths for this is a sign between me and you throughout your Generations that you may know that I the Lord sanctify you.
So he says the Sabbath stands here to show you that I'm the one who sets you apart who makes you holy who makes you good I'm the one who rescues you I'm the one who gives you your worth that's what's built into that word sanctify and it's important because of what he's about to say verse 14 you shall keep the Sabbath because it is Holy for you everyone who profanes it shall be put to death whoever does any work on it that Soul shall be cut off from among his people.
Now as we study the Ten Commandments one of the things we talked about is that we don't have a good radar As Americans for the sanctity of God the Holiness of God and so when he says things like you're going to keep the Sabbath and if you don't you're going to be put to death we immediately think that's an overreaction but it's because we have an under reaction to the Holiness of God to the weight of obedience and do you see what a rejection of the Sabbath is it's a rejection of knowing.
God is the one who sets them apart God has invited them into this sanctifying relationship and a rejection of the Sabbath is a rejection of God being the one who makes them holy who does the work and so they're in this in some ways a rejection of Sabbath for them is like a rejection of salvation for us to say that we don't want Jesus I'll be the one who makes myself good I'll be the one who makes myself holy and it does what to us what it does to them which it cuts them off from the people.
Because he said they if if they're to remember consistently that he's the one who redeems and then to to work on that day is to reject that it's a problem and he will not put up with that being rampant in them in among his people and you will be put to death verse 15. six days shall work be done but the seventh day is the Sabbath of solemn rest holy to the Lord whoever does any work on the Sabbath today shall be put to death.
Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath observing the Sabbath throughout all their Generations as a covenant forever it is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the Lord made Heaven and Earth and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed if you have more questions about the Sabbath we taught about it when we looked at the fourth Commandment in the Ten Commandments we won't spend as much time on it today Verse 18 and he gave to Moses.
When he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai the two tablets of the testimony tablets of stone written with the Finger of God so he's handing off to him all that they've talked about Moses is about to go down the mountain and get to work all we've read so far is stuff that he's supposed to do he's leaving with a to-do list in so many ways he's got a bunch of things he's got to do God's given it to him and sitting down the mountain.
Okay so one of the first things though that I think is helpful for us as we try to understand how we ought to approach work because what's happening in this moment is God is giving Moses all these instructions and he's telling him who's going to accomplish it and he's reminding him of the Sabbath and sending him down and that's kind of where this fits in the context of Exodus but I think for us it's helpful for us to notice a few things that clarify how we ought to view work the.
First one is this look at verse two see I have called by name bezalel and then in verse 3 it says and I have filled him with the spirit of God now Moses is hearing this what for he's calling this guy specifically and he's filled him with the spirit of God what for and when we think of being filled with the spirit of God we think prophecy he's gonna he's gonna be like in the Priestly service there's something going to be something something really spiritual is going to happen.
And then he says filled him with the spirit of God he's filled him with ability and intelligence with knowledge and all craftsmanship to devise artistic designs to work in gold silver and bronze in cutting stones for setting and in carving wood to make every craft I filled him with my spirit for work for craftsmanship for competency that he's poured in him ability and intelligence knowledge and all craftsmanship that this is a gift from God and this is really interesting to me it's really encouraging and I also think that.
If we're to consider bezalel I don't think that he was sitting in his tent and had spent his entire life being incompetent and God Zapped him and suddenly he was like I must make artistic designs I don't think that's what happened I think that what happened is what happens in all of life for us where God is at work in this man and he grows in competency I don't think when he made artistic designs for the Tabernacle it was the first time he had ever done it one of the things he had to do was filigree that they were going to do this I want to show you all filigree this is filigree he had.
To engrave precious stones wrap them in that and put them on the shoulders of the Priestly garments I don't think it was the first time he'd ever made filigree I think this was something that he had been good at been competent been growing in that God had poured this ability in him and then God says I've specifically designed him for this purpose so go back look what he gives him his ability and intelligence so and then knowledge and all craftsmanship and these are gifts from.
God which if you think about this if God's the one who gives these things then it glorifies God for bezalel to be good at them that if Moses comes down and he says I'm looking for bezalel a son of Yuri son of her tribe of Judah like he goes to the tribe of Judah y'all got a bezel yeah we got seven okay son of Yuri son of her oh okay we got two that are under her but only one under Yuri that's the one I'm looking.
For and when he says okay show me what you can do how does bezelo glorify God by being excellent and Moses would be watching him and go and then look at God like wow you poured intelligence and ability and knowledge and craftsmanship into him this is amazing to bezel would glorify God well by being good at this and have y'all ever in life seen someone who had ability and it just you kind of marveled at it physical ability they could dance or play a sport they they could play an instrument.
For a moment you just kind of swept up in the actual beauty of it the glory of it because there's God-given ability that's in the world that points us to him it doesn't terminate on itself but it rolls us up y'all ever seen intelligence and just been blown away by it like someone who figured something out came out with something new fixed the problem designed something you ever just your car's not working so you pop the hood and you're sad but impressed.
Because it's like this thing is magical I don't know how to work it but somebody made up something really good here there's intelligence that's done these things but it also says intelligence and knowledge and I love that that's separated because intelligence and knowledge are not exactly the same thing we put them together a lot but someone can have knowledge without being the most intelligent person there have been times where you've interacted with somebody and they just know they know what they're doing they know how to fix the problem they know how to sort a thing out there are people.
If you ever watch anybody who works in food service or fast food that loves their job and does a good job and knows what they're doing have you ever seen like I'll get stuck watching videos sometimes of people who just know what they're doing and some kind of building a craft or working on a thing or who can just flip Burgers real quick or the people who do that little ice cream thing where they take the ice cream from you and they give it back to you or whatever have you ever seen this like you can go to Marble Slab and be blessed by someone being really good at doing what they're doing and enjoying.
It they have the knowledge the competence to do this and craftsmanship He blesses them with these things and he specifically calls him to these things that it's a God-given ability and a God-given calling for this but then he says this verse 6. and behold I have appointed with him a holy AB the son of a hissim a hyssamek of the tribe of Dan and I have given to all able men ability that they may make all that I have commanded you I have given to all able men ability I want you to.
Look at that for a second ability is a blessing can you highlight that for us that ability is a blessing y'all work is not a curse it's cursed by sin so there's aspects of it that are more difficult but work was in the garden God designed us to be competent and to work and that we bring him glory in good work so if God's the one who gives ability if God's the one who gives skill and craftsmanship and knowledge then we can glorify.
God by doing that well therefore all good work can be worship if there's a way in work to glorify God through ability and skill and knowledge and craftsmanship which I would argue that all jobs take something of one of those four take ability or they take intelligence or they take knowledge or they take some craftsmanship that all work takes some sort of then if that's a way to glorify God by doing it well therefore work can be worshipful now there are some occupations that you're not allowed to do like.
If you said God's gifted me with the ability and one of the things that I'm great at is hurting people who owe the mafia money we would just say he's given you other abilities find one of those you might excel at this but this is not an okay thing for you to do but most occupations most work is going to be something that you get to do in a way that glorifies God that's worshipful so there's a way for bezalel to be tied up where he thinks that work is just about himself.
Therefore the only way he could be humble in work is to be bad at it because if he's good at it it terminates on himself it makes him prideful there's a way for him to try to steal the glory from God and make it about himself wrap his identity up and that wrap his worth up and make it about himself but if good work is meant to glorify God then the way to be humble in work is not to be bad at it.
But to worshipfully be very very good at it the way to be humble in work is not to be bad at it but to worshipfully be very very good at it and do y'all see how if work can be worshiped that that undermines our two primary cultural options given to us that in this option work is about you it's about your identity it's about your worth and so that all of your work ultimately just turns around and is about you you don't become a doctor.
Because you want to care for sick people and it's a blessing to the world you don't become a lawyer because we need Justice you become that because those are good things to be and ultimately your work is about you but if my work is worshipful and it rolls up and prays to God then that kills that approach it undermines it you think that work is just unnecessary evil so that you can enjoy the actual good stuff of life when you understand that God's blessed you to be worshipful in your work it can't be evil it's part of the good stuff of life it has purpose in it.
And so this approach this understanding undercuts our approaches to work but I want you to see something else it's not just that work can be worshipful but work the use of skills the exercise of these abilities that God has given us can be done in worship but it's also one of the primary ways that we love our neighbors look at verse six behold I have appointed with him a holy AB the son of a hissamak of the tribe of Dan and I have given to all able men ability that they may make all that I have commanded you Moses has been up on a mountain.
God has been repeatedly telling him he's been repeatedly telling him that he's going to have to do this he's going to have to make this you're going to make this you're going to make this you're going to make this you're going to make this you're going to make this you're going to make a table you're going to make a tent you're going to make a an effort you're going to make a breast piece you're going to have bells and pomegranates it's all going to be.
Finally done it's going to be done really well it's going to be engraved really well you're going to make filigree you're going to make all these things I don't think that Moses was thinking oh no I can't do that I'm a shepherd Moses was a Shepherd he's not about to walk down the mountain and weave a tent I think Moses was thinking what we would think which is we're going to make this because that's how it works and then God specifically says I've blessed all of them with ability to accomplish all these things and all that they're going to accomplish isn't just about worship it's not just about themselves.
But it also blesses everybody around them that it's a blessing to have this kind of ability that I want to I missed a quote that I want to read to y'all and we'll point out to y'all as we understand that work is an act of worship and then work as a way to love our neighbors this is a quote from Dorothy Sayers she's an author and she says this the Church's approach to an intelligent Carpenter is usually confined to exhorting him to not be drunk and disorderly in his leisure hours and to come to Church on Sundays.
For the record It's a Good Counsel but then she says this what the Church should be telling him is this the very first demand that his religion makes upon his time is that he should make good tables and in doing that who worship and he'll love God and he'll love his neighbor there's a in his book Tim Keller wrote a book called every good Endeavor and in that book he quotes another book work the meaning of Life by Lester decoster and I want to read this quote to you it's a longer quote.
But I think it's a helpful thing to Think Through he says this work is the form in which we make ourselves useful to others and which others make themselves useful to us we plant with our work and God gives the increase to unify the human race so he says that in work I make myself useful to others others make themselves useful to us and God blesses this this is the concept that Martin Luther has of The Masks of God that God works through work we're told in the Bible that.
God strengthens strengthens the bars of the city we're told that God watches over the city we're told that God feeds everybody we all he does but one of the ways he does that is that someone builds the walls in the bars of the city and someone watches there's night Watchmen that watch over the city and there's someone who milks the cow and someone who delivers the milk like God feeds me but one of the ways he does that is there's a Food Lion a mile from my house and every day someone goes over there and unlocks the doors.
For me and puts the lion back in the back where he's been doing night Watchman stuff at night so that he won't attack me like there's there's things that someone does so that I can enter in there and be able to get the food out and it's a blessing and so this is what Lester decoster says he says look at the chair you are lounging in could you have made it for yourself how would you get say the wood would you go and fell a tree I said sure.
But only after first making the tools for that and putting together some kind of vehicle to haul the wood and constructing a mill to do the lumber and making roads to drive on from place to place in short a lifetime or two to make one chair you're gonna go cut down a tree okay make the tools to cut the tree down all right you did it you got your tree down now what you're going to do and it's just a helpful thought process of being like.
Okay another take forever he says if we worked not 40 but 140 hours per week we couldn't make for ourselves from scratch even a fraction of all the goods and services that we call our own our paycheck turns out to buy us the use of far more than we could possibly make for ourselves in the time it takes for us to earn the check work yields far more in return upon our efforts than our particular jobs put in why because of everybody else that we could not in the amount of time have the things that we have live the lives that we live.
But we can together because of everybody else Tim Keller then says in response to this quote the guy ends this quote by saying the difference between a Wilderness and a culture is simply work without if everybody quit work we would just be in a wilderness and Tim Keller says there may be no better way to love your neighbor whether you are riding parking tickets software or books than to Simply do your work and he calls this the ministry of competency you get to work in the ministry of Competency which means being competent being good at the work that you've been given is a way to love your neighbor my granddad grew up in the Swansea.
Area and he said he he joined the Marines he went and signed up he said he walked out of the office got on the bus with a bunch of other guys and they rode to Paris Island he said they get off the bus when they get off this man comes out in a uniform and yells I'm your mama now boys my granddad said he thought I may have made a mistake one of the first things they did was they issued him a uniform and they issued him boots.
And so they went in and they all got measured for all of these things and they you know measure you can give you your stuff he said they measured somebody's foot gave him a boot gave him a pair of boots sent them out measure their gas foot and gave him a pair of boots send them out eventually they measured his foot and apparently he has more of like a Clydesdale hoof than a foot he said his foot is almost as wide as it is long it just is like.
And so they measured his foot and then when looked for boots and the guy who's in charge of this is just looking they're trying on boots looking trying on boots looking trying on boots it's like his first day in the Marines and he's just sitting there trying on chew after two after shoe he said his drill sergeant comes back in and starts yelling at him while the the guy was in the back looking for shoes and then he said one of the most magical things that's ever happened in the Marines happen.
For his his time in the Marines the guy who fits you for Boots outranked the guy who was yelling at him so he said he walked back in and said let me tell you something this Marine's gonna have shoes that fit his feet he's got to be on his feet all the time and he said he just chewed him out he said he just sat there after being chewed out watch this guy get chewed out and then got to sit there until he had boots and he looked at me and said that man found me boots that fit my feet and it was the.
First pair of comfortable shoes I've owned in my entire life that's the ministry of competence that man loved my granddad well do you know how easy it would have been to say I don't think we have the size put these on and how much more difficult life would have been for my granddad as a marine with shoes that didn't fit that's what had happened to him his entire life he had shoes that didn't fit but this man did his job well in this room we have people who work in construction we have people who work in the medical field we have teachers we have people who sell things people who prepare food people who prepare.
Taxes people who help with people's books and finances we have people who sell products fix products cut hair which of those are we willing to give up competency on I know you don't want an incompetent mechanic or an incompetent doctor you don't want them quickly Googling things while you're talking to them you'd like for them to kind of know what they're doing and if they're going to Google at least know where to go but I can WebMD at the house I want you to know what you're doing.
But y'all do we want an incompetent person to cut our hair no have you ever had a really good haircut I really good one and you just walk around like because you just know this person knew what they were doing and they figured out my my head shape and they were able to dodge all the bumps or whatever have you ever had a really bad haircut like a bad haircut that that messes your life up for a short period of time.
But everybody's got to get haircuts yeah you go into a place like when I go into the Verizon store I've gone in before and I felt like I know more about my phone than this person which is bad I've also gone in and after about five minutes of talking I've just relaxed I'm like this person's like my wizard they know what they're talking about the ministry of competence blesses your life and you work one of the primary ways that we love our neighbors is that we're good at our jobs there may be a way.
For you to get another certification there might be some YouTube videos that you can watch there might be some ways that you can grow in knowledge or craftsmanship there might be ways that you can get better at your job that you can learn how to use this type of equipment there's something that you can do that you can be competent that you can help and love and serve people well so that when you go to work you are worshiping the Lord and loving your neighbor and you get to do that day in and day out that completely changes that's counter-cultural to our cultural approaches to work that.
If work is worship and it's not about me and it's not about giving me the good life but it's about me honoring God with the abilities the skills the knowledge the intelligence the talents he's given me and if work is a way for me to love my neighbor then I get to go to work every day just knowing that if I competently prepare this food I've blessed people if I get their order right I've blessed them if I have a good attitude.
If I'm honest when they ask me questions I've blessed people the ministry of confidence is competence is a way to love your neighbor go to Lowe's when you have a problem your day will then be decided by how competent the help at Lowe's is and it makes a difference so what kind of work do you do and how can you get better at it so I believe that begins to answer our question the third question that we have which is is it.
Okay for me to just fix hvacs my whole life can I do pool repair is that okay I think one of the things we've done well as a Church if we told you that one of the ways you can have purpose in your work is by being a missionary that God has already placed you somewhere and that you have co-workers and you have an overseer and you have all these people that God intentionally puts you there that you might reach them with the Gospel and that nobody else is there you've already been commissioned and as a missionary and that's true and I don't want you to lose that.
But I think we've also failed to tell you that one of the ways that you can live a good life is to make really good tables one of the ways do you know how much of life is meant to be normal how much of your life is meant to be go to work eat some food go to sleep it's a continual thing and that one of the blessings we're told is for us to be able to find joy and enjoyment and purpose in our labor our toil that this is a blessing from.
God that's one of the things Ecclesiastes tells us and you actually get to go to work and worship and love your neighbors day in and day out doing whatever good work you find to do and so can you do HVAC repair your whole life yeah if you Worship in it and you love your neighbors well in it I'll tell you one thing when somebody when I need my HVAC repaired I want a competent honest person to show up at my house you ever just like I'm not a hugger.
But sometimes if somebody does something I think I want to hug you I'm not going to but like it's weird for me to hug the plumber but like I want to hug this plumber because they have just they've blessed me and there's a way for you to do that in whatever work you find yourself doing and for someone who says I just stare at a computer I don't have co-workers I don't have anybody that I get to to try to be a missionary with.
Okay well do you know that some people in our Church would die if they had to stay at a computer every day they would physically wither up and fall over dead they do not they have not been blessed with the ability or the skill or the craftsmanship to handle what you are handling and you get to bless people well by doing your job well and you get to love people and you get to Worship the Lord in the skill that he gave you that other people don't have.
So yes you can do that but one of the things that I think is very interesting In this passage that I don't want us to miss because it's a part of this whole thing for us it's part of this whole cultural thing for us is that good God glorifying Rest is an appropriate counterpart to good God glorifying work because go to verse 12. and the Lord said to Moses you are to speak to the people of Israel and say above all you shall keep my sabbaths.
For this is a sign between me and you throughout your Generations that you may know that I the Lord sanctify you why does he say this right here before he sends them down the mountain because he's about to put a tablet of a to-do list in his hands y'all Moses's to-do list is longer than yours do you know how many things he's got to go skillfully make do you know how many animals he's about to have to kill so that they can have priests like do you know this list is long and guess what not going to be done in six days.
And so there'd be a real Temptation for them to go we got work to do this is what we have to do to be the people of God but what's he say above all you're going to keep my Sabbath because I the Lord and the one who sanctifies you that's not what you have to do to be the people of God that's what you get to do because you're part of the people of God but it's not what you have to do to be the people of.
God because I'm the one who sets you apart good rest real rest do y'all realize that in either one of our cultural options you don't rest well this option you don't rest can't rest I'll rest when I'm dead okay because I my worth is here and if I stop working who am I I've got to achieve I've got to make a name for myself I got to get enough money I've got to do it I've got to prove I've got to show back up to my high school reunion and be like whatever and over here rest is the point of life Recreation and pleasure.
And so it gets over inflated here it Withers and dies and here it becomes some monstrosity that it was never meant to be and it's not enjoyable it doesn't work that way it's never enough but if we have worshipful work we get to have worshipful rest and they're a beautiful counterbalance to one another that the people who were worshiping in their work are also the people who can just stop because work isn't about them and it's not about providing the good life they just get to stop and say the Lord's good they get to rest genuinely rest be free I think I think we need to know that rest is a gift and it's a.
Necessary practice to remind us of the place of work rest isn't the goal and it isn't the achievement but it's also not a punishment or a hindrance to finding our significance but it's a blessing and I think that this information is good and helpful but I think it's insufficient I don't think this information will help you actually straighten out your problem not on its own I just don't think it can I think you can leave going I'm supposed to worship and work I'm supposed to.
But here's the problem all of this hinges on God being the one who sanctifies them and so for us all of this hinges on Jesus if Jesus isn't at work in this it doesn't work if Jesus doesn't come in and rescue you because I want you to see something if we say things like my job just isn't good enough usually what we mean if someone said why why why if you had if you were trying to you know if your counselor was like a four-year-old and you just said a statement.
And then they said why why why why you would eventually get to I think it doesn't make me into enough I don't feel like something with this job or it doesn't give me the good life do you have y'all know that wanting identity and value and worth and wanting pleasantness and rest and stability is a longing for Jesus that I want someone to show up and tell me I'm okay I want something that fixes me and lets me sleep at night I want delight and rest and satisfaction I want to be stable I want to know that I'm all right I want to know that I'm loved I want to know that I'm enough do.
You know that's a cry for Jesus so unless Jesus shows up we won't ever be free to approach these the way we're meant to approach them because it's Jesus who comes and rescues and forgives Sinners and gives them an identity it's Jesus who gives us a purpose who gives us a reality who sets us free it's Jesus who gives us freedom and stability and delight and if that's true for you if Jesus has shown up and you've surrendered to him trusted in him and he's at work in you through his Spirit.
Then guess what you can worship and work because you don't need it you don't need it to satisfy you don't need it to fix you you don't need it to make you into something you have that in Christ and therefore you get to just return it back to the Lord and you get to genuinely enjoy your work and if Jesus is the good life then you just you can rest if he's where your Delight comes from and your fulfillment comes from do y'all realize that it's never enough that.
If you're over here in this Camp you've had moments where you're like I did it how long did that last if you're lucky six months before you had to keep achieving you had to keep earning and you had to keep proving and you had to get more and it just you ever had that moment where you think finally and then a mosquito bites your neck I guess it's not enough there's never enough rest there's never enough relaxation there's never it never satisfies you always want more there was never a good enough party or a good enough celebration or a good enough stability It's never enough.
Because they were only meant to point us to our ultimate rest and our ultimate Worth to be found in Christ but if we have Jesus then we get to people who work who worship and work and love our neighbors well who work hard and rest well in the freedom that he's the one who sanctifies us that he's the one who's accomplished all of this for us so that we're free to operate in this way let's pray oh Lord so much of our life is going to be taken up with work and I think it's easy.
For us to to think it's meaningless I think it's easy for us to only care about what it provides for us I think it's easy for us to wrap our entire identity in it and so Lord we ask that by your spirit you would begin to untangle our hearts that you begin to see that we're Sanctified by you that our hope is in you our stability our freedom our rest our Delight is in you Lord for the person in the room who doesn't have you who hasn't trusted in your salvation.
Lord we pray that you would help them to see the emptiness the exhaustion found in placing their worth and value in their work we pray that you would help them to see The Emptiness found in thinking that life is just about what Pleasures they can hoard here we ask that by your spirit you withdraw them to yourself so that they might find what they're actually looking for and for all of us who have found you Lord may you continue to work in us to sanctify us to set us apart to draw Us near to you.
So that we might worship you in our work and we might love our neighbor as well in Jesus name amen Matt and Natalie are going to come back up and and then the minute the band will join them and we'll sing together and we're going to take communion and communion is a rather a regularly practiced reminder that we need Jesus that we needed his body broken for us and his blood shed for us that without him we have no hope and that with him he is the one who sanctifies us who sets us apart.
And so that when you come in to communion that you were proclaiming his death until he returns that we are blood-bought people of God rescued by his work and that our hope is that one day he sets everything right that in the midst of this labor and this desire this Pursuit what we're saying is we want salvation and we want heaven and we stand between those moments as Christians where we have been made right with God by Jesus and we look forward to the moment.
When he rescues and redeems us and that's what communion is if you are not a Christian do not partake in communion it is not for you if you have not yet placed your faith in Jesus we would invite you to do that and Christians in the room take a moment to consider yourselves to consider your approach to work to consider whatever the Holy Spirit's putting on your heart that you might need to repent of that you might need to change in your attitude before you come and celebrate that.
Jesus Christ died to save Sinners and that your hope is in him and that is he that sanctifies so take a moment when you're ready.
Priests (Exodus 28-29)
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
Good morning grab your Baubles and head to Exodus chapter 28. we're going to be looking at Exodus 28 and 29 together today so we're going to go through two chapters we're going to be looking at God as he's giving the instructions to Moses about the garments for the priests and the consecration ceremony for the priest so they're going to do this later but they're going to give the instructions now we're going to study this now as we look at this and I know that as we start going through Exodus and we say hey we're going to work through a book of the Bible that some of y'all were like I'm really looking forward to kind.
Of hearing the the ten plagues and some of you were like I I'm kind of interested to see how we talk through what happens with the golden calf and I know that some of y'all are like I want to talk about those Priestly garments well today is your day we're talking about Priestly garments today so I hope that you are ready as we go through this one of the things that we see in the Bible is that God is preparing since eternity passed.
For what he's going to accomplish in Christ and he's working this out in the story of human history and he's got all of these things that he's putting in place that ultimately get fulfilled in Jesus and there are some movies that have been very popular where there's this kind of twist ending this surprise ending so um Planet of the Apes the original Planet of the Apes was like this it had a surprise ending that was startling for people or maybe the The Usual Suspects to the to the best ones that I've seen that I really appreciated were the sixth sense and Shutter Island had this twist ending and the twist in those what made it.
Particularly good was that you were like oh it made a lot of things make sense some things you were like I should I should have seen that coming I should have kind of known that was and when they went back and showed it and so if you watch the movie the second time it's a completely different movie you're seeing all this stuff that you didn't see the first time and that is a lot of how the New Testament treats the Old Testament the Old Testament informs the New Testament.
But the New Testament looks back at the Old Testament and says see it's like you're watching a friend who's just super geeked out about the sixth sense and they pause it every 30 seconds and go see did you see the way his eyes went that's because that's what the the New Testament does with the Old Testament they're constantly going do you see how God was doing this you see how he's accomplishing this and one of the main things that they point out is that.
Jesus is the Fulfillment of the priesthood that he is the high priest that's what Hebrews goes out of its way to clearly articulate repeatedly Jesus is our high priest he fulfills this so as we read this this morning we're going to pause it and we're going to stop and we're going to say do you see Jesus here do you see how this is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus because there's some interesting things that go into the Garment the clothing that the priests are going to wear.
So as we start this morning I want to read from Hebrews 3 before we get into Exodus 28 here's Hebrews 3 verse 1. therefore holy brothers that's Church family you who share in a Heavenly calling consider Jesus the Apostle and high priest of our confession and so we're going to do that this morning we're going to consider Jesus the high priest of our confession that as Christians he's our high priest so as we learn about the inauguration of the priesthood we're going to consider.
Jesus so let's pray and then we'll do that together father we thank you for your fulfillment of your promises and that what we have in Christ is infinitely eternally better than what you gifted to your people of Israel that you have accomplished what we're going to read today you've accomplished in Christ for us so may we Delight in the Fulfillment of these things and may we worship you as we study them together in Jesus name amen Exodus chapter 28. God's talking to Moses and he says.
Then bring near to you air in your brother and his sons with him from among the people of Israel to serve me as priests Aaron and Aaron's sons naidab by who eliasar and ithamar a priest is someone who stands in God and the people so to be a priest in this role at times the priests would stand representing God to the people and then at times the priest would stand representing the people to God but as a mediator is an intermediary.
And so that's what this role of a priest is is someone who's in between God and the people and so he says this is going to be given to Aaron and his sons ultimately it's going to be given to the whole tribe of Levi to be levitical priesthood which is where they're the tribe they're from but Aaron and his sons are going to be the line of high priests and it's given to them so we're going to talk first about as we.
Look at these garments we're going to see the representation of the priest representing God to the people as he stands in the middle and faces the people on behalf of God we're going to look at some of the indications of that in the way that the garments are made so verse 2. and you shall make holy garments for you air in your brother for Glory and for beauty now this is interesting because that word glory is used throughout the Book of Exodus and it is used to describe.
God and His glory and the glory that he's going to get from what he does and the glory that he has in his person and himself the glory that's displayed on the mountain and then it's used in two places to describe the clothing that will be given to the priests and so in a way God is sharing some of his glory with the priesthood that there to have a bit of Glory as they represent God to the people that the priesthood is going to stand in in a way to represent him and he's going to make them garments specifically.
For their Glory now if they had done this on their own it would have been bad if they were like you know what I want some glorious garments I'm going to elevate myself I'm going to be the fanciest person that would be bad that would be frowned upon but when God says no I'm intentionally doing this they're going to have special garments for Glory and for beauty as they stand in to represent him and it says this you shall verse 3 you shall speak to all the skillful whom I have filled with a spirit of skill that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him.
For my priesthood consecrate means to set aside to place him in this role these are the garments that they shall make a breast piece an ephed a robe a coat of Checker work a turban and a sash they shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons to serve me as priests now an effort is translating the word ephed much like our word taco means Taco ifad means if it it's this special garment given to the priesthood so if you were like I kind of understand some of these things I got an idea of what a turbine is what's an aphid an iFit is going to be explained to us.
Because it's a special garment that goes here with the high priest so it says verse five they shall receive gold blue and purple and Scarlet Yarns and fine-twined linens here are the Glorious garments they're going to make it's going to look something like that huh that thing in the middle there is the breast piece the iFit is the thing that is uh woven multi-colored around it um or that hangs underneath it but they're going to make this and it's intentionally designed with a bunch of imagery that I think.
Because because God knows what he's doing and ultimately Jesus is going to fulfill this there's a bunch of images that go into this that ultimately point to the finished work of Christ now he is dressed like a walking Tabernacle that phrase that we just read received gold blue and purple and Scarlet Yarns and find twindling and we're going to read that over and over again but we already read it over and over again when they were making the Tabernacle that this is how they made the covering of the Tabernacle and the inside veil in between the holy place and the most holy place.
And so he's dressed up to look like the Tabernacle and I don't think that's on accident that if the Tabernacle is the place where God meets Earth where he's going to put his footstool where he's going to be present in his particular specific way then the priesthood is also going to represent him so if the Tabernacle is the representation of him meeting with the Earth then the priesthood the high priest is a walking representation of that and those are some of the things that help us understand that he's intentionally set up to be leading and standing in between.
God and the people that's it's used in Exodus 21 verse 6 Exodus 26 verse 31 so he's dressed for Glory and for beauty in a way that looks like the Tabernacle but he's also giving a breast piece of judgment and so we're going to read about that look at verse 6. and they shall make the ephot of gold of blue and purple and Scarlet Yarns and find twine Linens skillfully worked and she'll have two shoulder pieces attached to its two edges.
So that it may be joined together and the skillfully woven band on it shall be made like it and be of one piece with it of gold and blue and purple and Scarlet Yarns and fine twined Linens you shall take two Onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel six of their names on the one stone and the names of the remaining six on the other Stone in order of their birth as a jeweler engraves Signet.
So you shall engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel you shall enclose them in settings of gold filigree and this is gold filigree well yeah there it is so they're going to have two stones with the names of the sons of Israel encased in that on his shoulders pretty verse 12 and you shall set the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel and Aaron shall bear their names before the.
Lord on his two shoulders for remembrance verse 13 and 14 will talk about how to attach it let's move to verse 15. you shall make a breast piece of judgment so he's going to have this breast piece of judgment that's that square thing you saw in skilled work in the style of the ephid you shall make it of gold and blue and purple and Scarlet Yarns and fine twine linen shall you make it it shall be square and doubled a span its length and a span its breath this is a span tip your thumb pinky a span cubits tip your fingy thingy finger that's a thingy twice that's awesome this is a finger elbow nailed.
It all right I didn't hear it till the second time I might have just moved on with my life and not knowing I did that all right all right shouldn't have told you what a span is okay verse 17 you shall set it in four rows of stones then it's going to talk about how the stones are what stones to use in verse 21 it says there shall be 12 Stones with their names according to the names of the sons of Israel they shall be like signets each engraved with its name.
For the Twelve Tribes so there's two stones six names on each shoulder and then there's a breast piece that has 12 Stones with engraved names of each tribe then it's going to take some time to tell you how to attach it so it doesn't fall off and then go down to verse 29. so Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breast piece of judgment on his heart when he goes into the holy place to bring them to regular remembrance before the.
Lord and we're going to talk about this bringing them to Remembrance in a minute and in the breast piece of judgment you shall put the urum and the thumbem and they shall be on Aaron's heart when he goes in before the Lord thus Aaron shall bear the Judgment of the people of Israel on his heart before the Lord regularly and we'll talk about that again in a second that he's bearing their judgment but the urum and the thumbum are specifically given to the high priest to discern the will of.
God they consult urum and thumbem to understand God's will so this breast piece of judgment is not just bearing judgment but it's also making judgment that you would bring someone to the high priest so in Exodus 22 it says that if someone borrows some property and then it ends up gone that you then would bring them before God bring them near to God and whatever God decided would tell you whether or not they had stolen and there's just some questions there as to like how did they do that.
Well most likely they did that with yerman where the high priest would use yerman to understand God's will now we don't know worked we can outline we can trace out a few things and we'll walk through that but anything that tells you this is exactly how they worked is some speculation because we really don't know but what we do know is enough to know how they worked and we have enough to know what we need to know so they would use this to make judgments Ezra 2 we.
See this says the governor told them that they were not to partake of the most holy food until they should be a priest to consult urem and thumbem that they would go before God and ask questions and the yerman thumb and would help them know a judgment from God as Moses is handing over the Reigns of leadership to Joshua in numbers 27 it says and he that's Joshua shall stand before Elias are the priest who shall inquire for him by the Judgment of urum before the.
Lord so even though Joshua is going to lead the nation he would still go to the priest to understand what they were supposed to do to answer questions about God's Will and God's desire for them this is still going when Saul's King in first Samuel 14. says therefore Saul said there's a dispute between him and his army and he says oh Lord God of Israel why have you not answered your servant this day if this guilt is in me that was answered in they lost the battle as.
If this guilt is in me or in Jonathan my son O Lord God of Israel give urum but if this guilt is in your People Israel give thumbem and Jonathan and Saul were taken but the people escaped so it's some way of casting lots of discerning truth of finding reality empowered by God it's not as simple as like flipping a coin because in first Samuel 26 it says when Saul inquired of the Lord the Lord did not answer him either by dreams or by urum or by prophets which means there's a way.
For you to use urum and thumbem and get no answer for God to not respond so it can't be flipping a coin just right or left yes or no because that always would give an answer so that's about all we have we know they used it we know that God specified it and that God empowered this for judgment now some of you as we were talking through that might have thought that's crazy they made decisions by like rolling some dice and some of you might have thought that sounds wonderful can we do that can I just get some dice and be like all right.
If it's a seven I take the job and the answer to the first person is that's not crazy because it was God's specific given way to discern his will that he empowered so he gave this as a gift to his people of Israel and specifically to the priesthood to make judgments on behalf of the People by God that God would make these judgments for them so it was an empowered gift given to them for them to be able to discern God's will and to the.
Second person no we can't make decisions like that first of all because this was only given to the high priest not as just the way that everybody got too many decisions and secondly that's not the means by which we are given to make decisions we are we have something so much better we have been empowered by the Holy Spirit and been given the Church that the Church collectively for Jesus says where two or more of you are gathered in my name there I am in the midst of you and whatever you bind on Earth is bound and whatever you lose is loose this this gift given to the Church that we might collectively make decisions.
So that you're empowered by the spirit and that you can walk under the guidance of the spirit but you also get your Church family to help make decisions to help discern the will of God and so that is how we are designed to make these decisions but we see in him having this judgment that God was empowering the high priest to stand in his stead and to render judgments based off of God's will and so the high priest stood representing God to the people.
Now pause Jesus fulfills this beautifully infinitely more because it's not a walking representation of the Tabernacle he's not just a representation of God he is God himself this is what Hebrews 1 says he is the radiance of the glory of God he's not just shared a little bit in the clothing he wears he's the display of God's glory is seen in Christ he's the radiance of the glory of God the exact imprint of his nature so that where he the uh the high priest would wear clothes made of the same stuff as the Tabernacle that.
Jesus is made of the same stuff he's the same exact imprint he is God not just a representation of God he is God who has come to redeem and to work on our behalf and so that our high priest is not a person who's a stand-in and we hope he does his best but he is God who has come to redeem and to work on our behalf it says he upholds the universe by the word of his power and so our high priest Christ is.
God he's not some sort of representation but he is fully and completely accomplished this but the high priest didn't just represent God to the people but he also represented the people to God and you'll see this we already read some of this but look back at verse 12. it says you shall set the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the epha the stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel and Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord on his two shoulders.
For remembrance and then in verse 29 it says so Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breast piece of judgment on his heart when he goes into the holy place to bring them to regular remembrance before the Lord so the high priest wears the names of the tribes of Israel before God to bring them to remembrance and to Bear their judgment so that if you were in the tribe of Reuben or if you were in the tribe of Simeon or.
If you were in The Tribe of Benjamin that you knew that knew the high priest when he went in before God took you with him that he represented you before God in his sacrifices and in his offerings that you were covered too and it doesn't tell us why the names are on him twice says he's going to have their names on their shoulders for remembrance and he's going to have the names on his heart for remembrance and for judgment but when I consider.
Jesus I think it's beautiful that he carries Us in the same way he carries Us in his heart that he loves us that he cares for us that he carries judgment for us but he also carries our weight he Bears our guilt that he carries the cross on his shoulders to Calvary that he takes with us takes our sin with him and takes us with him when he represents us before God so that we have a high priest who carries you.
If you belong to Jesus your name is written and it is carried before the Lord and you are atoned for and cared for as John says in first John that he wrote these things that we might not sin but if anyone does sin we have an advocate with a father we have someone who's standing before the father right now that bears our names before him to forgive us to be our propitiation for our sins so that our high priest does this as.
Well verse 31 you shall make the robe of the ephid olive blue it shall have an opening for the head in the middle of it with a woven binding around the opening like the opening in a garment so that it may not tear on its hymn you shall make pomegranates of blue and purple and Scarlet Yarns around a Tim with bells of gold between them a golden Bell and a pomegranate a golden Bell and a pomegranate around the Hem of the robe and it shall be on Aaron.
When he ministers and its sound shall be heard when he goes into the holy place before the Lord and when he comes out so that he does not die now I think if I was Aaron and Moses was walking me through this and he was like Oh and around to him was going to be a pomegranate and then a bell and then a pomegranate and then a bell I'd be like all right cool and then he'd say and the bells are going to make noise.
When you walk right yeah yeah so that you don't die and now let me tell you about the turban I think I'd have been like wait go back to the bells part but you see Aaron and Moses understood that Aaron and all the high priests are doing dangerous holy work because they're sinners and sinners don't just get to be in the presence of God this would be a very real thing to consider that that you don't get to just uh presume to be in the presence of.
God but I think it's really interesting that woven into him of this garment is pomegranates and bells I want to show you all this is a pomegranate I had to look it up I didn't know what pomegranates look like that's the pomegranate it's red I think it's about the size of like an orange it's uh that's not to scale that's way bigger than they are in real life it is full of seeds just full of them and so a pomegranate is a promise of life and blessing and fruitfulness that it holds This Promise of.
God fulfilling his promises that he's going to bless them he's going to multiply them he's going to provide for them that there's something good to come it's got seeds it's all these promises that are held inside of it and so in His Garment he has promise of blessing and life and fruitfulness right next to a bell that clings reminding him of his sinfulness and the danger that he has when he approaches God and I think that's beautiful he walks around with the Garden of Eden a place of promise and beauty and God's desire to love humans and to bless them and also the place of our greatest failure where sin enters the world and we're.
Up for Destruction and y'all Jesus has that woven into his person blessing and life and fruitfulness and the Fulfillment of promises and he carries our sin and our guilt and our death in him when we get into eternity we will be unmarked by sin but Jesus won't Jesus carries in his resurrected body the scars on his hands and on his side that when John sees him in the Book of Revelation and they declare look it's the line of the tribe of Judah and John says I looked.
But what I saw was a lamb that looked like he'd been slain that our high priest carries life and death in himself as well blessing and fruitfulness and promise and Hope but also a reminder of the sinfulness that would separate us from God verse 36 you shall make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it like the engraving of a Signet holy to the Lord and you shall fasten it on the turban by a cord of blue it shall be on the front of the turban it should be on Aaron's forehead and Aaron shall bear any guilt from the holy things that the people of Israel consecrate as their holy gifts it shall regularly.
Be on his forehead that he may be accepted before the Lord so the high priest is going to carry the people on his shoulders and on his heart he's going to carry the Judgment of God on his heart he's going to carry their guilt on his forehead and he's going to have pomegranates and bells around the Hem of His clothing and so when the author of Hebrews says he's our high priest we get to look and go yeah he's done that he Bears our guilt before the.
Lord that he carries Us in remembrance before the Lord that he carries in himself life and our death as he has conquered death so that we might be able to conquer death in him that he carries promise and hope and fulfillment and resurrection and that he brings us before the Lord in Hope just as the people of Israel would be able to look to their high priest and see the work that he was doing and trust that God was allowing it to work we get to.
Look to our heart our high priest and know that God has blessed and worked as well in verses 39 through 43 is going to talk about the clothes that will be made for Aaron's sons and the undergarments that they will have to wear all taking into consideration the unholiness of the priests which leads us to okay but how does this priest get to go be in the presence of God and that's where chapter 29 comes in he's going to be consecrated he's going to be set apart.
For it there's going to be sacrifices made on behalf of the priests and so God's going to tell Moses how to go about that so we're going to read the first part of Exodus 29 we're going to read the first part in the last part and I'll explain the middle chapter chapter 29 verse 1. now this is what you shall do to them to consecrate them that they may serve me as priests take one Bull of the herd and two Rams without blemish.
If you're reading the Old Testament and animals are introduced do not get emotionally attached to them this is a pro tip and unleavened bread unleavened cakes mixed with oil and unleavened Wafers smeared with oil and you shall make them a fine wheat flour you shall put them in one basket and bring them in the basket and bring the bull and the two Rams you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and wash them with water.
So the first thing they're going to do is be washed with water then you shall take the garments and put on air in the coat and the robe of the effort and the e-fit and the breast paste breast peace and gird him with the holy crown on the turban you shall take the anointing oil and pour it on his head and anoint him and then they're going to bring the sons and do the same thing and it says the priesthood shall be theirs by a statute forever sorry they're going to dress them in their clothes they're not going to point anointing poor anointing oil on the on the sons.
So they don't do exactly the same thing but it says there the priesthood should be there is by a statute forever thus you shall ordain Aaron and his sons they're going to set them apart and then they're going to lay their hands on the head of the bull and sacrifice the bull and they're going to place the blood of the bull on the corners of the altar the horns of the Altar and then they're going to put the blood against the altar to atone.
For the altar then they're going to burn up parts of the bull and burn up the rest of the bull outside the camp as a sin offering they're going to take the sin out and they're going to burn it up to help a tone for them and to Mark the altar is Holy then they're going to take the first Ram lay their hands on its head which is signifying that they're passing their sin over to it that this land is lamb this Ram is representing them.
And then that Ram will be sacrificed and burned as a burnt offering to the Lord and they'll see the smoke Ascend up to the Lord just as Jesus ascends up to the Lord the smoker sends up to the Lord in a pleasing fashion to him and then they're going to take the third Ram Place their hands on its head and it will atone for their sin as well some parts of it they will burn some parts of it they will cook and they will partake in a meal and it says they will eat of the ram that atoned from them and I'm reminded of something that we do quite often as we read through that.
That Jesus Christ dies for our sins and then he says if you don't partake in me then you have no part with me and he says that you will this is my body broken for you this is my bloodshed for you and one of the things that we do is we partake in Jesus our sacrificial lamb who atoned for us and we remind ourselves that we are welcome in by what he has done and that's what they do they kill this Ram.
Then they partake they eat a meal before the Lord then they go through a ceremony the last seven days with evening and morning sacrifices and then God says that these evening and morning sacrifices are going to continue forever that that's what they're going to do they're going to have an evening and morning sacrifice the evening and morning sacrifice go to verse 42. oh sorry the ram that they eat they put blood on their ears blood on their thumbs and blood on their uh big toe on their right side and they sprinkle blood all over them.
So they are covered in the blood of this Ram that has atoned for their sin and this is a picture of the fact that their sin deserves death they are covered in the blood this is why we sing songs about blood that were washed in the blood we're covered in the blood because this is what Jesus has done for us that he has washed us clean set us apart and paid for and atone for our sins by his blood and they did this with a ramp.
So they're covered in blood and then they eat a meal um together verse 42. it shall be a regular burnt offering throughout your Generations at the entrance of the tent of meeting before the Lord where I will meet with you to speak to you there there I will meet with the people of Israel and it shall be Sanctified by my glory I will consecrate the tent of meeting in the altar Arrow Aaron also and his sons I will consecrate to serve me as priests I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their.
God and they shall know that I am the Lord their God who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them I am the Lord their God if you were an Israelite at this time you could look to the Tabernacle you could look to the Smoke rising in the morning and the smoke rising in the evening and you could trust that there was a high priest there representing you before God and that your sins were being atoned.
For that you could see this and Trust but the sacrifice had to happen again the next day it had to continue to happen that he had to continue to to go before the Lord and receive this sacrifice and this hope that had to happen over and over and over again through all their Generations this had to happen but you could trust that the high priest was placed there by God that God was accepting the sacrifice that he was representing you before.
God bearing your guilt carrying your judgment bringing your name in remembrance and you could watch as this happened over and over and over and over again and Christians we get to look to Christ the Fulfillment of all these things who has perfectly accomplished our forgiveness I want you to see this this is Hebrews 10 and this is where we're going to end we're going to end in Hebrews 10 and we're going to take some of the conclusions that the author of the Hebrews draws from us having.
Jesus as our high priest and we're going to consider them as we finish up this morning Hebrews 10. 11 verse 11. and every priest stands daily at his service offering repeatedly the same sacrifices which can never take away sins so they can help pay for sin short term but they have to happen against tomorrow again tomorrow and they can never take it away they can't fix the problem so while this was a blessing to the people of Israel and a reminder of God's love and presence that he was doing all this.
So that he might dwell with them they never fix the problem when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins he sat down at the right hand of God waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet for buy a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified this is we talked about this earlier this year when we talked about the Ascension but that Jesus Christ dies on the cross he's buried on the.
Third day he rises and then he ascends into heaven and he takes a seat because he has perfected once for all time those who are being Sanctified he has fixed the problem of sin he has does not have a need to do this repeatedly and this is wonderful this is why Protestants when you look at a cross Jesus isn't on it because he's not there he's seated at the right hand of God the work is finished when you see an empty cross you get to be reminded that this isn't a work that has to be renewed.
For you but that it has been accomplished there is no smoke rising up daily it's been accomplished that we get to trust in the finished work of Jesus who has seated at the right hand of God who has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified we have a wonderful glorious high priest move down to verse 18. it says where there is forgiveness of these there is no longer any offering for sin verse 19 therefore brothers so because of this since we have a since we have.
First thing confidence to enter into the holy places by the blood of Jesus now the only person in the Old Testament who had confidence to enter into the holy places was the high priest the priest could go with him into the holy place but never could go into the most holy Place only the priest could do that but he says in the book of Hebrews the author of Hebrews says that we now because of the work of Jesus are welcomed in it's the.
First thing it says since we have confidence to enter into the holy places by the blood of Jesus by the New and Living Way that he opened for us through the curtain that is through his flesh and since we have a great high priest over the house of God then he's going to tell us because of those two things because we get to walk in like a high priest and since we have a great high priest then he's going to give us some conclusions.
So I want to to try to help us what do we do with this other than see how glorious Jesus is and how much better he is as a high priest what do we do with this how do we respond and since the author of Hebrews says since we have a great high priest let's do these things I thought hey let's do those things so you're welcome we're going to read those three things quickly to see what we're supposed to do with the fact that.
Jesus is our high priest and that he's made a way for us to enter verse 22 let us draw near with a True Heart in full Assurance of faith with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water the consecration ceremony of the priests was that they would be washed and then they would be sprinkled with blood in our faith in Christ we've been covered by his blood and we walk that out in baptism and what he says is you've been consecrated to enter into the presence of.
God you've been set apart so that you might enter into the presence of God and so he says with confidence and full Assurance do that pray with confidence and full assurance not Pride because it's not based in you it's confidence because it's based in Christ so with confidence and full Assurance go walk in speak to the Lord relate to him love him that's the first thing that we should do we should have full Assurance because it's worked out in Christ and that we've been consecrated and set apart by the Gospel the.
Second thing he says is let us hold fast the confession of Our Hope without wavering for he who promised is faithful let us hold fast the confession of Our Hope what's the confession of Our Hope it's that Jesus has accomplished this Jesus has worked this out on our behalf our hope is in him and it says the reason we can hold fast to this is that he who promised is faithful I grew up in the Aitkin North Augusta Edgefield area of South Carolina and there's a drag strip in Jackson where buddies of mine would go drag race.
And if you went to the drag race and sat in the car and let's say I don't know if they let you have passengers but this is imaginary so imagine that you could be a passenger let's say I'm the passenger in one of my buddies cars and we're about to race somebody and the guy next to us is Rev in his car because he's cool and you're supposed to do that so he's doing that and I look at my friend he's about to drive and I say I just don't know I just don't know.
If I can do this he says we got this and I said I just don't know if I'm fast enough my friend would look at me like I was stupid because that has nothing to do with what we're doing I don't have to run I'm pretty sure we're disqualified if I get out of the car I don't even know if I'm allowed to be in the passenger seat we've already established that this isn't a foot race and I'm not driving it's based off the car and this person driving.
And when we as Christians at times say things like I just don't know as I'm in sin I just don't know because I'm struggling I just don't know I have these doubts what does that have to do with it he who promised is faithful we just get to sit in the passenger seat it's based off of our confession of Hope which is Christ and what he has accomplished if we were in the tribe of Reuben and I looked at you and just said I just don't know.
If I'm going to be a good high priest you'd say bro I don't think you have to worry about that you're you're not you're not gonna so we're good and so when we at times go I just don't know I just yo we have a great high priest who has opened the way we get to hold fast to our confession and we get to do this with full Assurance because it's not based off of us and when we walk with confidence.
And when we hold fast Our Hope and when we do it with full Assurance we give great glory to Christ because we magnify his work not ours and our trust and our hope is in him not us so because we have a great high priest sleep well at night repent of sin with delight that he forgives and walk in confidence that you're okay not because you're great that's not the point you don't walk in confidence because you're well behaved you're welcome confidence.
Because Jesus forgives Sinners and you have a great high priest who has perfected once for all those who are being sanctified the third thing he says and let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works I find it so interesting he says because we have a great high priest and because we get to enter in let us consider how to stir one another out to love and good works it's not about our love and good works it's not accomplished by us.
But let us consider this and y'all do we do that do you give intentional thought and effort to how to stir up your brothers and sisters in Christ towards love and good works with your community group before you're going over there to spend time with them before your group meeting time before y'all going to go get dinner together do you think how can I stir them up to love Jesus more to to go about accomplishing good works If we're honest I think more often we give consideration not about what they're getting from us.
But what we're getting from them that we might more often think I just don't I mean I just don't know what I'm getting out of that I know we're to consider what they're getting from us we're to consider how we might encourage and build up and drive them on it says this not neglecting to meet together as is the habit of some but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the day Drawing Near not neglecting to be together.
If we're going to consider and be give effort towards stirring one another up to love and good works you know what you have to do to stir one another up be around one another and so if you've gotten in the habit of being around on Sundays once a month or hanging out with your group every third time or every other time or when it's you've had a long day and it's tiring and you're frustrated you're just thinking I just don't know.
If I want to do that right now I don't think you're considering how to stir them up I think you're considering how it applies to you and I think we're forgetting and neglecting to make this a regular habit that we're around God's people because we have a great high priest who works on our behalf so that we might walk in love and good works behind him and he says all the more as you see the day Drawing Near we ought to outpace the New Testament Believers in stirring one another up and an encouragement.
Because the day is nearer to us than it was to them and there is a day there is a day when we stand before the king washed of our sins covered by his blood and welcomed eternally because we have a great high priest who's entered in before us and may we praise His name let's pray Lord Jesus thank you thank you for surprisingly shockingly fulfilling what you had intended to do since eternity passed to wreck to Res to rescue and to redeem sinners.
Lord may we walk with confidence because of your sacrifice and your glory and may we draw near in hope to the praise of your name amen
Feasts! (Exodus 23:14-17)
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
Good morning my name is Chet I'm one of the pastors here grab your Bibles go to Exodus chapter 23. we're working our way through the book of Exodus and we're studying Exodus and we're trying to as we go through ask what does this mean for Christians how do we learn from this how does this point us to Jesus what how can we grow as God's people as we study this and we're going to look at a section in Exodus today that I think would be pretty easy to read.
If you were reading through the book of Exodus on your own I think it'd be pretty easy to read and not give it much thought and just keep right on moving but I think that it's very interesting that while God is giving the law and training this nation is what it looks like to follow him that he gives them what we're going to look at today this past week I was assaulted there's a person in my community group named Parker Bramlett and after our group met he was talking to us a handful of people had left and there's only a few of us left and he was talking to us about he's got a fight.
Coming up he's been practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and so I said you want to show me what you got which he he agreed to so quickly uh it seemed as if he had been wanting to beat me up for some time and so he went into my backyard and uh you know scoped out the spot and then he told me a few things about how we were supposed to start and then we rolled which is what it's called it's not called wrestling it's Brazilian Jiu Jitsu you roll.
And so we rolled and there were a couple of times where it was very evident if you were watching us that one of us had been practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and one of us had been watching TV on his couch at one point I did something I kind of shot in to grab him and he he leapt on to me and I had two thoughts pretty quickly one was oh no he was very prepared for me to do that the second thought was I cannot breathe.
And so uh it was it was over pretty quickly that evening I was sitting on the couch holding my neck going back and forth like this after he had left I was like I hope I'm gonna be able to move my head tomorrow and my sweet wife I was sitting you know over there and she's looking at me and she said something and this is a paraphrase I don't remember exact words but it was something along the lines of you're dumb and this was your fault um the things that we practice the things that we rehearse the things that we repeat become the things that are ingrained in us that become the things that are.
A part of us become the things that stick with us the things in your life that you're best at are the things that you've rehearsed they're the things that you've practiced they're the things that you've repeated the things that you've done over and over again and some things are mundane tasks that you've repeated over and over again some of these are bigger things but I mean I I'm willing to bet there are some of you that still remember a poem that you learned in middle school.
But it was because you had to say it in front of everybody some of you still know lines from plays that you were in in high school some of you still know plays from sports that you were in that you practice you repeated them over and over and over again and we're going to see that God on a very zoomed out level for the nation of Israel gives them things that they're going to repeat he gives them things that they're going to rehearse.
So that they'll remember and so that they'll become a part of who they are he builds in practices for them commands practices of them to build into them who they are as a people and that's we're going to look at this morning so let's pray and then we'll we'll jump into the text together God we're thankful that you rescued a people out of slavery or that you taught them what it meant to belong to you and we're thankful that as we study that we get to.
See that you've done that all over again gloriously through Christ that you've rescued a people for yourself out of slavery and that you're at work and teaching us what it means to belong to you so may we grow in that together this morning in humility and worship to your glory amen Exodus chapter 23 we're going to start in verse 14. now we're going to look at verse 14 it's starting at about verse 10 as he's finishing up some of the regulations of the law where he's telling them this is how you'll act this is how you'll handle things this is what you do.
If someone steals this is what you do someone murders he reiterates the Sabbath which is a weekly practice of rest and in it he talks about you're going to rest so you might be refreshed and so he builds in this pattern of rest for them every week which is significant when you consider that these were slaves that God is adopting them and teaching them what life is going to look like as they belong to him and as slaves they used to belong to Pharaoh they used to belong to the Egyptians and their value came from their productivity.
But God says no you belong to me now and you're going to rest you're going to have normal patterns of healthiness it's almost as if you considered someone who was adopted out of a very difficult situation into a home where there was peace where there was Joy where there was going to be food today and food tomorrow and the parents are teaching them no that's you don't have to stick that in your pocket you don't have to hide these things from us you don't have to act this way anymore this situation is different and that's some of what God's doing with the people of Israel he's saying no no this is how we're going to.
Act because you're in a better situation because you belong to me now and so as he's doing that he says this verse 14. three times in the year you shall keep a feast to me now in the Old Testament there's two Hebrew words that are translated feast and the best way I could think to think of it is is there's like a lowercase f feast and a capital letter F Feast so there's Feast which means eat a lot have a feast.
So this is the Book of Esther uh aha Suarez has a feast then Esther holds a feast it just means we're going to eat a lot then there's the capital F Feast which is these the man did holidays and so these include the idea lowercase f feasting but they're bigger in this word here when it's used as always referring to these specific ones that God has commanded so three times in the year you shall keep a feast to me you shall keep the Feast of unleavened bread as I commanded you you shall eat unleavened bread.
For seven days at the appointed time in the month of a bib for in it in that month you came out of Egypt None Shall appear before me empty-handed you shall keep the Feast of harvest of the first fruits of your labor of what you sow in the field you shall keep the Feast of in gathering at the end of the year when you gather in from the field the fruit of your labor three times in the year shall all your males appear before the.
Lord God okay a couple of things on this as a whole and then we're going to walk back through what each one of these was about three times the entire nation of Israel stops and holds feasts but these were feasts where they had to gather these are the pilgrim feasts they had to go from wherever they were to where the Tabernacle was or eventually where the temple was so all productivity stopped and all the males had to show up now there's a couple reasons why it's all the males one is the males LED In Worship in their civil society and in the household.
So he's saying y'all are going to lead in this as well which is a part of all of those things you're going to lead your family well you're going to lead the nation well you're going to lead in worship well you're going to lead well in all of you are going to present yourselves before me this did not exclude females they were invited but there was an invitation for females and an obligation for males just some practical things men don't get pregnant or nurse children.
And so there would have been times where it would have been very difficult for women to be able to travel and do this but we do see that all families at times would Worship in this way we see that throughout the Old Testament we see it with Jesus's family his family was there so it's an invitation to females but an obligation for males the other thing that goes along with this all males will appear is that they will have no defense of their Nation.
If you read through the Old Testament they were consistently losing land losing cities reclaiming land reclaiming cities and there's a promise in Exodus 34 where he says you're going to appear before me and no Nation will covet your land during this time because it would make a lot of sense if you were someone who hated the Israelites and you knew three times out of the Year all the men are going to be gone for about three weeks they've all got to travel into Jerusalem they've got to hold a feast.
For a week they're going to be there then they're going to have to come on back that would be the time to attack them and God says I want you to trust me that I'll protect you that ultimately you're going to live out you're going to embody that your protection comes from me anyway I need you to trust me that your protection comes from me not from you you're all going to appear and so three times they had week-long Feasts now most of us have jobs where we might get two weeks of vacation three weeks of vacation maybe over time you build it up this was built into the nation of Israel that they were.
Not just going to have vacation they were going to have Feasts worshipful celebrations for weeks at a time and this is just the three Pilgrim ones they had other ones that they would have to celebrate throughout the year these are the ones that had to all show up together that God built into them this pattern of worship and celebration so let's look at what each one of these was doing as they were rehearsing and remembering what God had done for them and who he was.
So go back to verse 15. you shall keep the Feast of unleavened bread as I commanded you you shall eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the months of abib for in it you came out of Egypt None Shall appear before me empty-handed okay so this is the Feast of unleavened bread or it's also called Passover and this is a remembrance Feast the reason that's their first month of the year is because it's the month that he rescued them out of Egypt.
So they're going to hold a feast that's going to celebrate what God has done for them at the Passover judgment was coming on Egypt and the people of Israel were told you're going to take a lamb had to meet certain specifications had to be without blemish had to be a certain age and you're going to sacrifice this lamb and you're going to paint your door with the blood of the Lamb and you're going to stay in your house and when judgment comes by it's going to pass over you.
Because the blood will stand between you and judgment and it'll keep you safe but if you don't do this if there's no blood between you and judgment you will receive judgment and it was at this time that very night that when this happened that God rescued them out of slavery and he says you're going to gather as a nation forever and celebrate you've been rescued out of slavery and that judgment passed over you and they had certain parts that went along with that they ate unleavened bread.
Because they didn't have time for it to rise they made the bread but they didn't have time for it to rise so they had to go ahead and cook it they had to eat it quickly so when they would eat this some of the practices they had meant that if anyone asked why are we doing this which if you have children they ask why are we doing this why are we sacrificing a lamb why are we eating unleavened bread why are we having to go how long are we going to be there are we there yet all of these kind of questions and they had answers the reason we eat unleavened bread the reason we.
Sacrifice a lamb which might be different from some of our holidays why are we bringing a tree inside of our house because it's Christmas okay but why are we putting lights on it I already told you it's Christmas yeah but why hey eat some candy and shut up like we might need to grow a little bit and some of the practices we have but they had reasons behind all of the things they were reenacting and that was that feast and we're told that they celebrated it in.
Second chronicles and a couple of the things that they said was that they celebrated it with great gladness and that the priests and the Levites were daily singing with all their might which I don't know if you've ever done that sung with all your might but it's actually one of the most wonderful things about being a human and if you're ever singing with all your might in the light of the Lord it's excellent and that's what they were doing verse 16 the.
Second one they had you shall keep the Feast of harvest of the first fruits of your labor of what you sow in the field all right so this Feast of harvest is kind of a two-part Feast they had the Feast of first fruits that would actually take place during the Passover feast and what they did was with their barley and grain Harvest you were not allowed to to eat any of the barley or grain Harvest any of the new barley or grain until you had.
First brought together as a nation the first bit of barley and grain and presented it to the Lord they actually would take the first Sheaf of grain and wave it to the Lord and then they would sacrifice his food offerings to the Lord before they were able to eat any of it now if you've been waiting a long time for your barley and your grain to show up and the first bit of it shows up you're going to be tempted to eat that or to save that you're probably not going to be super tempted to devote all of that to the.
Lord but the reason they did was because they were saying this is a down payment this is a promise that God's the one who provides for us that he's the one who's in charge of the Harvest that the rest of this stuff will grow won't get blighted won't get eaten won't get locusts won't get stormed won't get knocked down that the rest of this will actually will have a harvest and so they would bring this and it was a down payment in faith that.
God was going to provide for them and so they did that and then seven weeks or 50 days later they had what was called the Feast of Weeks because it was seven weeks or Pentecost because it was 50 days same thing so the Feast of Weeks the Feast of the first fruit and the Feast of Pentecost is all the same thing then they would get together and celebrate and eat and worship together for a week and they would have all these sacrifices that were going on that were sin sacrifices and sin offerings and food offerings and they would celebrate that the wheat and the barley that they.
First waived that God had fulfilled his promise and they would celebrate together at Pentecost it's actually also Pentecost is the same time when the law is given that was actually seven weeks after the first Passover God gives the law and then every year they're going to celebrate that God provides for them both at the Feast of the Harvest which would be Feast of first fruits to Feast of Weeks or Pentecost in Deuteronomy for the Feast of Weeks and for the Feast of the end Gathering they're commanded to Rejoice which I think is very helpful.
Because if you're reading some of these you might would ask what's the tone how are we supposed to approach God and he says Hey in this house that you've been adopted into we're going to celebrate and the things that you would celebrate anyway like our Harvest has come in I'm going to celebrate with you we're going to celebrate together and Delight together in provision and protection and guidance back half of verse 16 you shall keep the Feast of in gathering at the end of the year you shall keep the Feast of in-gathering at the end of the year.
When you gather in from the field the fruit of your labor so this was olives and grapes and it was the end of the harvest season so it's not the end of their calendar year but it's the end of the Harvest year and so at the very end of the Harvest year they're going to have another week-long feast and this became it's the Feast of end Gathering but also because they rebel against God I don't want to ruin the rest of Exodus.
For you but they rebel against God and then they have to wander in the wilderness for 40 years it also becomes the Feast of booths or Tabernacles which would be like the Feast of tents they they go stay in tents they camp out for a week together to remember that in the in gathering and in their wandering in the wilderness that God provides for them so they rehearse and reenact as a nation for a week that God is the one who provides.
God is the one who protects and so they as a whole people yearly weeks at a time had to rehearse over and over again had to remember over and over again our God rescued Us From Slavery Our God pays for our sin our God is the one who provides for us so we can trust him that he'll take care of us our God is the one who protects us and gives us all good things we celebrate and rejoice with our God and they did this over and over and over and over again.
God specifically commands to them this is what it's going to look like as you all belong to me now we're Christians so what do we do with that first we don't have to practice the Feast of Passover or in gathering or first fruits or booths we don't practice those things we don't have to do that as a people who belong to Jesus there's specifically that kind of question what do Christians do with the law is asked repeatedly in the New Testament.
Because it was a bunch of Jewish people who the Christ came out of the Jewish people and it was a bunch of Jewish people who were then seeing that Gentiles to non-jewish peoples were becoming Christians and so they were asking hey what do we do with the law because the Holy Spirit's rescuing people they're believing in Jesus what do we do with the law in Acts 15 they get together and they have a whole big meeting that says what do we do with the law do these people have to submit to circumcision do they have to submit to the law of Moses Peter at one point stands up and says why would we put on.
Them first of all the Holy Spirit has already redeemed them and already given them Faith why would we put on them something that we and our fathers could not stand under the weight of we believe that they'll be saved by the grace of Christ just as we are and so the law is fulfilled by Christ but does not come to us in full force and we talked about that two weeks ago we talked about it some in part last week we'll probably keep saying it as we go through the book of Exodus.
So it's fulfilled for us so what do we do with this Paul actually says this in Colossians is he's talking to people he's talking to a Church that had Gentile Believers and Jewish Believers and they're dealing with some of how do we work this out what does it mean to follow Christ who is the Messiah he's the Jewish Messiah but are we supposed to still follow the law Paul says this in verse 16. therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath.
Now that therefore is coming after it's coming in conclusion you can go read Colossians 2 it's coming in conclusion to a big argument he's making which is the mystery has been revealed the mystery is Christ that all of it is in Christ and so as we try to follow him he's what it's about and so he says with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath basically with regard to the Jewish calendar no one passes judgment on you with regard to this these these practices that.
God put in place are a shadow of the things to come but the substance belongs to Christ they were ultimately meant to be markers that prepared and pointed to Jesus that's what they are so let's talk for a second about the substance of these belonging to Christ and then we'll just talk about how do we get to as Christians respond to what it looks like for us to remember and to rehearse what it looks like for us to belong to Jesus.
So Jesus is crucified on the Passover Corinthians tells us he is our Passover Lamb he's the blood that covers Us covers our household stands in between us and death stands in between us in judgment he is the sacrifice for the people of God there is no other one to come it is Christ he's the high priest he's the sacrifice he's the one who has rescued us he is our Passover we're also told that he is the first fruits that this idea of.
First fruits is used three times in the New Testament where they're just taking you know that concept of first fruits here's how this applies to us we're told that Jesus is the first fruits of the Resurrection meaning that we can look at him and know because he rose will rise we're also told that the Holy Spirit at work in you now as a Christian is the first fruits of what's going to ultimately happen that he's going to rescue and redeem and make you whole completely we're also told that the new Believers in the Church at the.
First century were the first fruits of us that they were a promise of what was to come that more people were going to be rescued by Jesus so they just take this idea of first fruits and keep saying that's fulfilled that's applied that's at work and Spirit comes at Pentecost 50 days after Passover so where the law came and was written on tablets of stone and ultimately I don't want to give too much away three thousand people are going to die in Rebellion the spirit Falls written on hearts and three thousand people are Made Alive.
God is fulfilling his work through the cross through the calendar through Pentecost and he is fulfilling and being the substance of these in Christ and then in the Feast of booths we get to trust God where we are right now that he's going to get us home that he's going to provide for us that he's going to make it we're going to make it to the promised land and then the in gathering we we believe that he's the one who ultimately provides all good things.
For us that the substance belongs to Jesus that our story is a bigger story a better story and that we belong under that so what are you rehearsing Christians aren't given a calendar we're not even given in the Old Testament a full Jewish calendar so we're not meant to follow this we're not told we have to follow these festivals we aren't given any holidays whenever anybody's like people have before said to me you know Jesus probably wasn't even born on the 25th it's like good you have just proven nothing according to the Bible.
Because it doesn't tell us so the odds are if you I mean probably good there's 364 other days you know so good you did it like we don't we're not told that we have to practice any of these we're not told that we we can we're not commanded to we're commanded to practice what we practice in faith we're commanded to practice what we practice and joy and Delight we're commanded to be people who are under this story and rehearse this story.
So let's just take a second and consider what are you practicing what are you rehearsing let's think about your day I want to tell y'all something about my day every single day I'm a full-grown man yes sometimes I get beat up in my backyard but I'm a full-grown man and every day I get all tuckered out and I need to eat and I need to sleep or I'm going to be pretty grumpy every day I stayed up one time for 24 hours straight and I hated it is the worst we had a son at the end of the day and that was fine.
But it was a long day every time in college people are like we're going to pull an all-nighter I'm like I'm not if I'm dumb at 10 o'clock at night I'm just going to be dumb at nine in the morning I'm not staying up for this you have to sleep you have to eat and you rehearse this over and over again and in those moments do you remember your strength isn't found in you your hope isn't found in you your provision is brought to you by.
God your protection is brought to you by God and that you get to live under a bigger story and a better family every day you think things every day and all of us are mentally rehearsing things and some of you are mentally rehearsing things that are contrary to the Gospel you are over and over again in your head you would tell me if I asked you do you belong to Jesus you would say yes and I would say are you sure and you would say yes.
And then you would leave and in your head you would say things to yourself like I'm a failure I'm the worst no one loves me I'm going to ruin everything I mess everything up I'm unloved I shouldn't show up they don't want me there that's not the Gospel what are you rehearsing are you speaking and acting as if you belong to Jesus as if you have a better story as if you've been brought into a better family let's think about week to week what's your life.
Look like what are the things that you're practicing over a given month do you have rhythms of rest or you remind yourself I'm not a slave and my value doesn't come from my production and in that some of you really need to be challenged in that you need to realize I'm supposed to stop I'm supposed to sit and be refreshed before the Lord in worship also he says six days shall you labor and on the seventh you will rest so in a given week do you work are you productive do you spend most of your time just trying to rest trying to be lazy or do you use the talents and the abilities that.
God has given you to bless and to care for those around you in honor to God and then worshiped him are you consistently daily or weekly praying reading your Bible rehearsing those things in how you follow the Lord You've gathered here for worship is this a part of you delighting in Jesus and him rescuing you so that we stand up and say Jesus is better than everything else you actually are participating in that do you sing with all your might do you get swept up in Delight of the.
Lord do you come here to rejoice in him to be refreshed among your Church family are you a part of a community group is that a weekly thing for you do you participate walk in life with them this is one of the reasons why we talk about we believe that we want to give good news before we give good advice it's easy for Christians to hang out with each other for you to say you have something going on and then we all become like blog posts or Tick Tock videos about five steps to being a better whatever here's here's 10 steps to dealing with a with a dumb boss and we just give each other.
A bunch of information but what can happen while that may be helpful and while your Tick Tock video might have been excellent we can inadvertently communicate to someone that their hope is them but that's not the story that's not the hope that's not what we've gotten swept up in because of the glory of Christ so we want to give good news not we give good news not good advice we give good news before good advice so that we can Frame Up why we would walk in wisdom why we would do these things and how we actually get to live in in relationship to Christ.
But do you contribute do you participate do you love your community group is your community group just there for you or are you actually walking in life with them what's your weekly stuff look like what's your look we don't have most of us don't have a harvest maybe of tomatoes but most of us don't live Harvest to harvest we live paycheck to paycheck do you practice first fruits do you remind yourself that God is the one who provides ultimately for you do you take the time to surrender things to him in delight and in worship and in promise that he's going to keep this coming that he's going to ultimately provide everything you need that's.
One of the things that he means when he says let nobody appear before me empty-handed we're told later that people are supposed to do it based off of their means but everybody's supposed to show up with something so do you walk in generosity and submission to the Lord rehearsing for yourself that he's ultimately who provides for you not the job you have not the health you have but your king who's good what is your week to week month to month look like one of the week to week month to month things that we practice as a Church family and these are two of the practices given to the Church.
For us to rehearse baptism and communion where we remind ourselves of our real story that Jesus Christ rescues us we got to celebrate baptism a couple of times over the past few weeks and one of my favorite things is to get to talk to them and say there's a reason why you don't baptize yourself there's a reason why you go backwards you're being buried in death and then you get to rise again with Christ and we're standing for that as a Church to help represent that you didn't do this.
But that Jesus does this we practice this together and celebrate this together and delight and rejoice in this together when we take communion it's a tangible reminder that Jesus was real and he really died for you and you really needed him to there are times when you're taking communion and we we dip it quite often it's running on your fingers I want you to remember his blood really ran his body was really broken and it was really what was needed for you and it really happened and you are covered by the work of Christ one of the reasons we practice that regularly is.
Because you will not outgrow your need for the Gospel you will not level up so that you can Delight in not needing Jesus but we will walk as people humbly consistently reminding ourselves Christ paid for me I needed him to and he did I'm covered by him just as they practice at Passover that we remember our Passover Lamb what are the things you do yearly what are the rhythms built into your calendar and what are they celebrating I think we need to think about what holidays do we celebrate how do I approach vacation how do we celebrate them how do we reenact.
For ourselves and for our co-workers and our neighbors and our children what this is really about what does this look like I I got a couple ideas for you when you look forward to vacation is there a way for you to remember that this is a worshipful Delight that you have that your value doesn't come from your production and your provision doesn't come from your job but that you get to stop and rest and Delight in the Lord when we celebrate Good Friday and Easter do you actually worship in that do you actually consider in that what that is do you pause during that to think and to Rejoice.
Well and to celebrate well and to be solemn well as we Delight in the Lord we celebrate things like Thanksgiving which Christians ought to be the best at if we're going to celebrate it because we have way more to be thankful for we have a way better story than the edited one that we've learned in elementary school we got a way better one we have a better country I love this country but I've got a better one the most excited our Church should be shouldn't be Fourth of July yes we should all buy fireworks yeah.
But that shouldn't be all the things about we should get to worship and Delight in the Lord in ways that we get to celebrate if you're going to celebrate a thing celebrate as a Christian and remind yourself and remind your family this is what this gets to look like and this is why this matters so I've tried to think through that some for Christmas um one of the things I do with my boys is which I tried to Think Through how can I help them.
Remember this how can we reenact some things and so one of the things we do on Christmas Eve is I'll tell them that God made the world and they made it wonderful and he made Adam and Eve and we sinned and when we send death and destruction entered the world and I cut off all the lights and I say it was terrible it was dark it was scary and for a moment everything was lost but God made a promise and all light a match or a grill lighter or whatever and I'll light a candle and I'll say.
For the longest time there was just a promise a promise the death won't win that sin won't win that one day there's going to be a son who crushes the enemy's head but that's all they have it's a promise and there were prophets who reminded them of the promise and then Jesus was born and light into the world and I'll tell a little bit of the story I have a really bright light that I'll shine and I'll say the glory of the angels are there and everybody freaked out and they said hosanna in the highest we'll talk through some of that.
Jesus was born and then I'll say and because of Jesus he have that bright flashlight I say he brought light into the world and then ultimately everything gets undone and we turn all the lights on and then I say because he did this life is sweet so we're about to eat some candy he his coming was a down payment on the better things to come the ultimate fulfillment of all God's promises so we're going to open one gift and we're going to celebrate.
So we dance usually to The Strife is over by citizens I'm sure it'll change at some point but that's a really good worshipful song it's got some good dancing Vibes to it but that's to help my sons remember what this is about we try to rehearse this and so all I would say is what are you celebrating and how are you celebrating what are you rehearsing how are you practicing we don't have an in gathering we do have tax season are you just annoyed do you ever take the time to.
Look and see how much God's provided for you that year what if Christians started taking some of their tax return to have a big meal and celebrate and Delight in the Lord and provided for them all year long and to worship that he's going to do it again what if we took some of our tax return and walked it out in generosity to those around us so that we could remember what this ultimately mattered why we're here what God's doing what.
If we were the best at celebrating because we have the most to celebrate what if we consistently rehearsed for ourselves the Gospel so that it was what was in our mind and how we acted and how we lived so that we would be people who delighted in the Lord there aren't a bunch of rules on how we're supposed to practice baptism we're supposed to practice communion you can celebrate Christmas or not with or without a tree or not I think you should we should Delight in the fact that.
Jesus came you should celebrate the Incarnation but I you can have gifts no gifts you can be Holly Jolly or not there's no rules on that but this is the command that I think should govern for all of us how this works first Corinthians 10 31. so Paul's talking about this practices what do we do and how do we live out this together whether you eat or drink or whatever you do do all to the glory of God so may we be people who sing loud who celebrate and rejoice.
Well who rehearse and remember the glory of God in Christ all the days of our lives let's pray oh God we thank you that we have something to celebrate that you redeem Sinners that you are our Passover Lamb that you are the first fruit of the Resurrection that we have a hope that lasts Beyond this life and as we follow you in our daily normal simple grind may we remember that you're the one who provides you're the one who protects you're the one who redeems you're the one who's given us a Promised Land you're the one who gives us hope.
For a future you're the one who's washed us clean that we are not covered by our sin or our shame or what has been done to us but we are marked by what has been done for us in Jesus and may we worship and may we celebrate and may we sing and may we delight and may we when we mourn may we mourn as those who have hope to the glory of God in Christ for your blessed name and your glory amen the band's going to come back up we're going to sing we have a few more songs than normal.
So that we might sing and celebrate we're going to take communion together and in that we're going to rehearse and remember that I am a sinner in need of a sacrifice but praise be to God that Christ came and covered me and this isn't about my work or my labor or my Worth or my value or my morals but it's about what Jesus has done so I want you to take a moment I want you to consider what are you rehearsing some of us maybe need to repent.
Because we've been living and practicing in so many ways like Jesus isn't King and our story isn't good I want you to take a moment and then when you're ready I want you to take communion and rehearse and reenact what has happened for you in Christ if you are not a Christian communion is not for you we're delighted that you're here and we want you to know Jesus we don't want you to rehearse and practice something that isn't true for you yet.
But you are welcome to come to him and say I need salvation I need hope I need forgiveness and he freely gives it because he came to rescue a broken people to himself so we would invite you to come to Christ and to trust him with your life so in a moment when you're ready we'll take communion there's a gluten-free communion back there and then we're going to sing together as a people who have something to celebrate.
The Law (Exodus 21-23)
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
The Tenth Commandment (Exodus 20:17)
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
Good morning my name is Chet I'm one of the pastors excited to get to study the word with y'all this morning go to grab a Bible and go to Exodus chapter 20. if you don't have a Bible with you there should be one stuck under the chair in front of you if you don't own a Bible take one of these blue ones home with you that's our gift to you we want you to own a Bible but we are working our way as a Church through the book of Exodus and we have slowed down over the past 10 weeks to walk through the Ten Commandments and we are on the 10th commandment.
And so we are studying the Ten Commandments together and learning one of the things that we've discussed throughout is that we are predisposed As Americans to have a certain type of morality that makes sense to us primarily we think of things as being wrong or right based off of does it hurt someone so even say things like do whatever you want as long as it doesn't hurt someone we also consider things right or wrong based off of fairness but there are other categories that we disregard.
But we need to God's approach to morality is broader than ours it's greater than ours and that we need to adjust and learn and one of the things we've seen is we've studied the Ten Commandments is that God uh promotes human flourishing through these Ten Commandments that if we learned to practice these and follow these life would be better our culture would be better society would be better and that in the Ten Commandments we see God's General design and we'll see the rest of the law kind of grows out of these.
First ten but we're on the tenth one and it's Exodus chapters 20 verse 17. and so it says this you shall not covet your neighbor's house you shall not covet your neighbor's wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that is your neighbors now in order for this to be understandable at all we need to know what the word covet means because if you have no definition for that it's like what what did I do to my neighbor's donkey what is coveting coveting is desire wanting.
But it's a specific type of desire a specific type of want craving that is by its very nature sinful there are some desires that are not sinful and so we're going to take our time this morning to try to understand where does desire where does this want become sinful so we're going to pray for our time and then we'll pick right back up there Louie asks that as we study your word together that your Holy Spirit would be at work as we study covetousness which is primarily something that happens inside of us that your Holy Spirit would help us to.
See it so that we might turn from it and turn to you and we ask for your grace and your presence and we ask that all this will be done for your glory in Jesus name amen so there are some desires that are not by their very nature sinful Jesus got hungry Jesus in the garden prays that this cup would pass from him that he wouldn't have to go through with what was about to go through but he submits himself to the Lord's will.
So just wanting a thing isn't necessarily bad there are certain things that we're told in the Bible that are good to want like it's good to want to be a pastor it's good to want a spouse it's fine to want children like there's things that are good things that we should work towards but coveting is a desire that is in its own on its own sinful and and we're going to give a definition to it but let's read this you shall not desire your neighbor's house you shall not want your neighbor's wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that is your neighbors it's this desire.
Of this wanting that is sinful and I think there's two ways that we'll see that it's sinful one is is a desire for something or someone that is not yours to desire your neighbor's spouse is not yours to desire so by having any desire for your neighbor's spouse you are Desiring something that is not yours to desire and therefore it's out of bounds but I think also as we study this together see that it is Desiring something that is good or.
Okay to desire but Desiring it inordinately Desiring it too much and that is where we suddenly have a lot of questions because this commandment is distinct from the other ten the other or the other nine this is the tenth one there's not another ten you can watch someone commit the other ones you can testify to it you can see it happen you can if you practice one of the other ones no yes I stole that you might have some questions about whether or not this was slander or gossip or whatever.
But you you there's something that's physically taking place you're speaking you're there's words being exchanged when you lie about somebody when you steal something when there's a murder the tenth commandment happens inside of you and it changes our understanding of the Ten Commandments drastically God is giving the law to the people of Israel and he's telling them things like You're Going To Worship me you're not going to have Idols there's going to be a day of worship set aside you're going to be you're going to honor your mother.
Father just helping you all out since the kids are in here this morning they're going to honor your mother and father you don't murder don't steal don't commit adultery he's given all these commands we're going right right right and then he says and don't covet and suddenly it's like wait that hmm that happens just in here that's something I do here and here like if we were talking about laws for South Carolina and we were like and this is a law about property and this is all about driving oh and you're not allowed to sink this you'd immediately be like not allowed to think a thing.
First thought might be how they going to catch me I think whatever I want problem when God gives a law like this is that he knows what's going on inside of you this is some ways terrifying he's talking about what's happening in your heart what's happening in your mind and he cares about it and he's prohibiting things that can't take place inside of us not just things that happen outside of us and so this one's different and suddenly I think rightfully we should have a lot of questions how do I know.
If I've done this how do I see this in myself one of the things I said when we were introducing the Ten Commandments was that much of American consumerism is based off of covetousness we see something we want it we go get it and immediately we had a lot of questions and I think good questions I'm going to give you some examples of the type of questions that I was Fielding after that week and I know some of you all have been looking forward to this week to try to.
See how do I discern this someone said Okay I want shoes I need shoes and I just want them I need them mine have worn out I have a certain type of shoe that I want so I do a little research I then see a person I know wearing the kind of shoe I'm looking for I asked them where they got that shoe I go buy that shoe was that covetousness I think that's a good question I'm at my friend's house and he has an air fryer and I learned new information to me that air fryers can reheat fried chicken which is a problem I've had my entire life on the off chance that Fried.
Chicken escapes the first plate I'd like for it to show up on a second but for anyone who's ever microwaved Fried Chicken you know how utterly disappointing that is so I go buy an air fryer I don't wait till my friend's not looking hit him over the head with a vase and take his air fryer I just go get my own have I coveted I think we have questions like nobody asked me this one I've added this one just to try to help us continue to think.
But I think we have questions like okay leaving consumerism leaving how we approach that and how we know about things if I see an advertisement or whatever we're going to talk more about that but I don't want my neighbor's wife I don't want my neighbor's husband I just want my husband to be more like that is that covetousness so what we're going to do is I have eight tests eight questions for us to ask ourselves to try to identify covetousness in our hearts some of them are similar to other ones some of them are different it's just trying to come at this from different angles to try to say hey.
If this matters to God and if it's something that happens internally and I won't always have external evidence of it how do I know if I'm coveting first test are you Desiring something that is not yours to desire this one's pretty straightforward but wherever there is scarcity meaning some limited resources you could actually say no I don't just want my husband to be like that I want Carl I want Tina that's coveting it's clear straightforward I actually don't just want a house like that I want that house and I'm longing.
For that house and I'm trying to work my situation such that I could eventually have that house I want that job so I want to get this person out of the job so I can have that job that's coveting that's specifically what he is talking about very clearly here this happens when on a small scale when one of my children is holding a popsicle and the other kid immediately wants a popsicle as you do and then the one with the popsicle says oh this is the last popsicle.
And so now I I went from new watch a child go from wanting a popsicle to wanting that popsicle and so when that is happening that's covetousness and so it's one of the first questions to ask do I want that specific one that I would take it that I would get it from that person that I'm going to Crave it desire it second test are you willing to sin to obtain your desire I think if you would consider this for a moment you'll.
See that covetousness is actually behind much of the Ten Commandments then it happens first when you commit adultery you have first desired your neighbor's spouse we see in Joshua 7 21 and Micah 2 2 and in the story of Adam and Eve that they first desired a thing and then took it so they coveted something that was not theirs to covet they belonged to someone else and then they took it so that covetousness is behind theft and other types of Disobedience to.
God James 4 2 says you desire and do not have so you murder you covet and cannot obtain so you fight and quarrel so that covetousness shows up in our actions so let's say if we spent this past week realizing that there are things that you lie about you slander people and you need to work on this one of the things you need to do is not just go I shouldn't lie I shouldn't lie about people but actually go why am I doing that in the.
First place and go a level deeper and begin to repent of your covetousness that you wanted this thing so bad you were willing to sin to have it one of the things they look for in a lot of crimes is motive and I honestly think if you're watching those kind of shows one of the things you could replace that with is just what type of covetousness was present prior to this crime being committed was it Financial was it relational was there adultery.
And then murder that sort of thing so are you willing to sin to obtain it and I think it's worth understanding that even in the small ways that we sin maybe you haven't committed murder but in the ways that you walk around angry at your neighbor that you might understand there's something underneath that third do you believe stuff equals The Good Life if you don't welcome to the United States we'll catch you up Luke 12 15. Jesus teaching and someone in Middle from the crowd says.
Jesus tell my brother to share the inheritance with me Jesus responds to the whole crowd he responds to that guy but then he responds to the whole crowd and he said to them take care and be on your guard against all covetousness four which when you're studying your Bible pay attention to words like four and therefore or because it helps you understand four lot one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions I think this one is very helpful.
For our air fryer question is it wrong to own an air fryer I hope not I own one is it wrong for me to buy into the LIE that life is made better by stuff and that life is made up of stuff yes and I should be on guard against that but if we're honest that's what we're trained in if you could just have this new Gadget if you could just have this type of clothes if you could just have this thing life would be better life would be more full.
If you consider how we think about things when we hear that someone wins the lottery we're like ah take it to the good life you hear that someone got a a big promotion they're going to make a lot more money that's the life when you dream about your future is it just you with more stuff what are you what are you working towards it's like well in 10 years I'm on a boat well there's a good chance that you've believed a lie that stuff equals The Good Life that life consists in the abundance of possessions this is what advertising does what it tries to convince you of a lot of products.
If you'll pay attention to the advertising it's not just saying some some of it does some of them says here's the problem and here's how our product fixes that problem but a lot of times the product just sells you on being a type of person or living a type of life this type of man wears this watch if you like skateboards you'll like Mountain Dew or whatever or if you like Mountain Dew you'll be cool enough to like skateboards their professionals are kind of confusing.
But they're selling you on some sort of like car commercials where it's just cool people riding around in the car I don't tell you anything about the car you just know cool people drive that car one of my favorite examples of this that has stuck with me forever I used to work at Sears selling appliances and so I'd be in the mall a good bed and I would take my lunch breaks he had like 20 minutes to walk down get some food go back and I would.
See people carrying Abercrombie and Fitch shopping bags like they went there and they bought stuff now I don't know if Abercrombie and Fitch is still cool but it was when I worked at Sears it's a clothing company that sold expensive cool clothing on their bag was a guy with no clothes on the top half of a naked guy and this is a clothing company if you buy their clothes you will be cool enough to not wear clothes I don't but it proves the point that what we're being sold on is this is a piece of the good life this is a piece of identity this is a piece of who you want to be this.
Is a piece of fulfillment and Jesus says be on guard against that and for us that means 24 7 being on guard against that because we are bombarded with that message so Maybe when you buy an air fryer it was absolutely covetousness maybe when you buy those shoes it was absolutely Covetous maybe when you hear the words come out of your mouth hey where'd you get that shirt it's a hundred percent covetousness and it's worth investigating and trying to figure out what's going on in your heart and what's happening in your belief system as far as where is life found four the next three come from Kevin Dion's book on the Ten Commandments I thought.
He worded them well I thought they were helpful tests and so the next three are from from Kevin to Young and the way he approached us in his book on the Ten Commandments number four are you preoccupied with accumulating more how do you spend your time how do you spend your downtime how do you spend the majority of your time what do you daydream about I think we'll find that there are times when we say I'd love to help I'd love to be able to hang out with our community group I'd love to be there on Sundays.
But too busy I think it's always worth asking too busy with what what does your life look like what are you preoccupied with in the parable of the sower Jesus says there's a sower that goes out and sows the word and there's one where it believes the word and it begins to grow and then it says the cares of this life and the deceitfulness of richers choke the word out so that it is unfruitful and some of you maybe are Christians and you've believed in.
Jesus but you've bought into the lie you're preoccupied with accumulating more and that's what your time goes to it's what your energy goes to what do you what do you spend your time doing what gets the bulk of your energy I understand Bible says that work is good and that we're to pay our own way and that we're to be busy all those things are fine but is that all you care about is that all you work on I think asking the question what do you daydream about is a good question is it just you and the future with more stuff sometimes it gets real specific you just daydream about how cool it would be.
To own a motorcycle and yeah we daydream about some stupid stuff sometimes I have sat around thinking about how great it would be to own a shed and you're like that's a sad little wife yeah that sounds pretty sad just to be like pumped about owning a shed but there are certain things that we'll sit and think man it wouldn't be great if I had this one if I did this if I could and so are we preoccupied with um accumulating more can you not rest can't Sabbath can't take a day off you got.
So much to do because your whole life is built around getting more fifth test do you lack generosity are you unwilling to give up what you already have this is an indication that you may be struggling with covetousness that you believe that life is made up in the abundance of possessions and so therefore anything that takes anything away from you robs you of the point of life robs you of life and therefore any amount of generosity is hard hurtful frustrating you guard your money.
Because your money equates to fullness life Delight Joy I think sometimes we say things like I would I would I'd love to give to that I'd love to get in a place where I could be generous but my budget's just too tight and so I think if that's you take a look at your budget because it'll tell you what you care about we make room for stuff I in general we're taught to make this much money and make your budget here often we make our budget here.
Therefore we actually spend up here but as Christians we should make this much money and make our budget here and if we start making more money our budget can go up some maybe but maybe what we give also grows exponentially that we get to be generous and so if you can't be generous there's a good chance that you believe and I'm not saying if you make very little money and you're fine but I everybody can find ways to be generous in some form or fashion.
And so if that doesn't ever happen for you and you've said this for years if I could just get to there but you've actually gotten a promotion you've actually begun to make a little more money you've actually both of y'all are working now or whatever and it still hasn't happened there's a good chance you struggle with covetousness number six do you Grumble and complain about life do you say must be nice a lot I must be nice this is where I think I don't actually want to marry that guy I just want my guy to be more like that guy I think that shows up here I just wish that my wife cooked like that.
Or would go get a job like that I wish that my husband would treat the kids like that or would fix things instead of breaking things or whatever what we often do when we're doing that is we compare somebody else's best qualities with somebody else's worst qualities but do you find that you complain a lot you Grumble a lot I wish I had that car everybody else gets to have this kind of thing everybody else gets to do one of these like you spend time on Facebook.
And then you're just frustrated everybody else gets to go on vacation everybody else gets to smile in pictures everybody else smile looks good in pictures I wish I had those parents I wish I had that hair as if life not lamenting sin not lamenting the Brokenness in the world but lamenting your lot in life as if you're owed more and that everybody else is succeeding around you and you're the only one as if if you had those things that would fix what what's going on in your heart.
So do you Grumble and complain I think this is where the TV show HGTV comes in or the channel I think you can watch that you can learn things it can be just whatever so I'm but I also think that you can watch HGTV and then hate your own house go to someone else's house ever been to someone else's house and it's nice and you walk around and go this is nice wow and then you go back to your house and you go what a dump have you ever been mad at the amount of bathrooms your house had like more people need to go to the bathroom in my house at one time or your.
Functional perfectly functional bathroom now doesn't have the things that it should have to make it feel like a special fancy like this that's this is this I I now have created a desire a want a frustration and I'm grumbling and complaining and no longer content this next one goes with it number seven does the joy of others make you discontent you ever been just having like a normal day and then someone else comes and has a happy day next to you.
So your day is now worse you ever been enjoying a meal eating with some people but there's that table that won't stop laughing and having more fun than you and so now your meal is worse I my sons showed me this stuff periodically and I can see it clearly in them but it helps me see it more in myself but I know there have been times where one of my sons has to go to school wakes up normal day rocking along going to school.
Then suddenly discovers that his brother does not have to go to school whoa whoa his day is now worse he's going to do the exact same stuff but somewhere out there his brother is not suffering also and now things are worse but we do that something that actually has no effect on our life whatsoever but they have a new car they got to go on a vacation they got a promotion you're hanging out with your community group someone announces something you're like oh that's.
So good you but then you get in your car and you're like why God why is it always them never me and so someone else's Joy rather than you getting to be included in the joy makes life worse that's covetousness that someone else is getting married someone else is having kids someone else got a job someone else gets a vacation and therefore your life is worse but that's not actually how it works and the truth is if we can learn to do what Paul says which is to Rejoice with those who Rejoice you can actually increase your joy by getting to share in the joy of others.
So to tell my sons if you'll learn how to have all your own victories and then share in your brothers you'll get double the victories if you learn how to rejoice when he rejoices in your community group if you learn how to genuinely rejoice when other people rejoice but so often it happens the other way because of covetousness number eight test does what you desire make God-sized promises to you okay there are certain claims promises that only God can deliver on hope true Delight satisfaction salvation fixing what's wrong with you.
But then there are things that promise to do that for us this is idolatry this is this is Paul talking about this he does it in Ephesians 5 and Colossians 3 Ephesians 5 for you may be sure of this that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure or who is Covetous that is an idolater has no inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God for Colossians 3 5 put to death therefore what is Earthly in you sexual immorality impurity passion evil desire and covetousness which is idolatry.
So in the Ten Commandments the first one was you will have no other gods before me and the second was you will make no Idols you have no graven images you'll have nothing that you look to and worship and long for and then Paul is saying that's exactly what covetousness is and that makes a lot of sense that's why we'd sin to get it if I if you're willing to sin to get something it's actually because you believe that it will satisfy you in a way that Christ can't.
So it's worth disobeying him it's worth running from him it's worth doing something that you know he says is out of bounds because you really want this thing that's idolatry it'll bring me more joy it'll bring me more hope it will fill me up I'll be satisfied so what in your life do you say if I could just have blank everything would be fixed if I could just get this job I could just make this much money one of the scariest ones.
If I could just get married oh Lord help your future spouse because you need them to be Jesus and they are not if I could just have kids oh Lord help your kids you need them to fix what's wrong with you you need them to satisfy bring you hope and this isn't just struggling in life and saying Lord help provide I'd love to get another job and trusting in Him in the midst of it that's what Jesus prays in the garden he says.
If if this can happen but I trust you but idolatry is I just need this I don't need you and if you won't let me have this then I'll get rid of you so I can have it I'll sin to get it I'll chase after it no matter what you're you're the one who's disposable if you'll serve my real God I'll follow you but if you won't serve my real God I'm out this is why you'll sleep with your boyfriend it's where your real.
God is this is why you'll embezzle or steal or lie or whatever is because this is the real thing I want and as long as God's lined up and helping me have the kids I want to have then great but if God won't give them to me then I'm over here this is why often when we get the thing we don't need God anymore we've got the thing we wanted it's idolatry and it can be seen easily at times sometimes we have little ones actually I love this tweet.
Because it just resonates with me so well this is a tweet in 1998 I begged my mom to buy Me jinko jeans she agreed but only on the condition we do a photo shoot to prove to My Future Self how stupid I looked Look Who's laughing now Mom I love this I'm gonna move out of y'all's way so y'all can appreciate jinkos now some of you are like what on Earth is a jinko gene it could be bell bottoms it could be a perm it could be a type of car it could be a type of jacket we've all done this.
If I could have this thing y'all when I was in Middle School I died just the top of my head White why not your whole head you ask I don't know I was in Middle School and it was awesome for like a week I was like nailed it and then I had to keep looking at myself and I was like this is stupid but your hair doesn't grow that fast you just have to deal with it you know eventually I had those little frosted tips you know this is a clear example of.
If I could have this thing be all we hadn't stopped since middle school some of us have just picked a bigger one if you'd actually think back through your life there's 10 things you've already gotten and they just didn't do it so you quit daydreaming about them you quit putting your hope in them and you just picked a new thing to put your hope in and that's covetousness and that's idolatry those are our eight tests and I think if you take the time to consider them they will help you figure out what is going on what it is that you truly are chasing after and whether or not you were walking in covetousness.
But here's the wonderful thing this commandment I said at the beginning it's kind of terrifying because God's looking inside of you and saying this is a problem too but y'all that's wonderful if the Ten Commandments were all only things that we did rules about things that you're not supposed to do that mess up society that would be good and helpful but when he puts this one in here he does something in the tenth and in the first that tie together and the.
First he says you'll have no other gods before me and when he talks about idolatry in the second one he says he's a jealous God meaning that he desires our affection and when he gets to this one he says I care about your heart you should look at the Ten Commandments tenth commandment and no that Jesus loves you that God loves you you that he cares about what is happening inside of you you know I care about my children's Behavior that they don't make my house a terrible place to live.
But yeah I care about what's going on inside of them I care about their heart I care about their relating to me to their mom to each other and when God puts this in here the Ten Commandments go from don't mess up the nation I'm building to oh no no no no no it's so much more than that because we would look at this as Americans and go okay I understand why covetousness is bad down the line I understand how it can tear things up later.
If I steal or I murder or whatever but just what's going on inside of me is my own business this is a victimless crime and God says no you're the victim of your own sin and your own Brokenness and you're robbing yourself of joy and delight and you're robbing yourself of me and I won't have it and we know he won't have it we know he cares this much about our hearts not just because he gives us the tenth commandment.
Because Jesus comes to Earth to die to claim us pay for our sins certainly but because he loves us and wants us to belong to him forever he doesn't just come and say I'm going to pay for your sin so that you won't be sinful and you'll quit annoying me and you'll quit messing things up he comes and says I'm going to pay for your sins so that you can belong to me forever so you can be adopted in so you can be my cherished possession.
So that as Paul says who loved me and gave himself up for me this is wonderful and in Christ we have hope that he redeems sinful broken Wicked Ten Commandment breaking Rebels and he does it because he loves us and cherishes us and is unwilling that we would love something else but that we would know fully who he is and how wonderful he is so the hope of finding out are we Covetous is not so that we'll quit being bad.
So that we might Delight in Jesus who is the only one in whom we will ever find satisfaction salvation and Delight that we might clear out the Clutter so we can have more of Christ it's worth it because he's worth it and because he loves us enough to take our hearts and claim them let's pray Lord we pray that we would not covet they would help us to see it in ourselves that we would repent of it that we would cherish you above all else that you would be our highest affection.
Because only in you what we find satisfaction and Delight we ask that your Holy Spirit would be at work in us right now to help us to begin to see this that you'd help us to grow and fight against be on guard against all covetousness so that we might know that life is found in you in Jesus name amen the band's going to come back up in a moment we're going to sing and we're going to take communion communion is a celebration a practice of the Church to.
Remember physically remind ourselves and physically Proclaim that Jesus died to save Sinners to Proclaim his death until he comes and so if you are a Christian communion is for you to partake in in Repentance and faith so that you would take a moment to consider what Christ has done for you the cost of your faith and that you might repent that you might come to him once again saying I need you I need you to work in my heart I need you to claim my heart I need you to keep me you.
But I have you but I get to par take in your salvation so we partake and it's a physical thing that reminds you that you feel the reality of what he's accomplished for us if you are not a Christian communion is not for you but Christ is Christians to celebrate what Christ has done just as baptism is and we would invite you to come to him and say I need you to save me I need you to change my heart because I'm on I want you could follow all the Ten Commandments to the best of your ability you would still fall short and you would still not fix what is going on in you.
You would still miss the point which is that Christ is good and he redeems sinners so may you come to him and ask for forgiveness and ask for Grace and trust in him today so take a moment where you are to consider ask the Lord to help you see where you are Covetous repent and then Delight in the sacrifice made on your behalf.
The Ninth Commandment (Exodus 20:16)
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Easter (1 Peter 1:3-5)
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
The Ten Commandments Intro (Exodus 20:1-17)
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Transcript
Grab a bomb and go to Exodus chapter 20. that'll be on page 35 if you grab one of the blue baubles that's in the chair on the seat in front of you in that little rack we have been working our way through the book of Exodus and we've made it to the giving of the law at Mount Sinai and the Ten Commandments and we're going to spend the next several weeks in the Ten Commandments um some years ago there was a an Indian food buffet over in West Columbia in the shopping center where Hobby Lobby is and I had never really had Indian food and I thought Buffet is a good place to start.
Because you can see it you can try different things you're not just locked into um and so we went this is the type of stuff this is like street food you get this you dip this and that she'd be like for for you know probably what this is she's like all right don't eat that and she'd be like the filled up plate went and sat down and she's excitedly like watching us about to eat and then I had one of the weirdest experiences of my life I took a bite of the food stuck it in my mouth and my brain knew that it was food.
But my body did not recognize flavor a texture a smell the weird I put it in my mouth and might have ever come to just sticking to my mouth immediately just spitting it back out on the table but she's excitedly like watching so I was like but it was weird because I did not recognize any of it it was so foreign to me that I just wanted to immediately reject it I ended up enjoying my meal we went back a couple of times I did grow my palate a little bit and trying to eat some Indian food um still not my favorite though.
But the reason I tell that illustration the reason I'm telling that story is that we're looking at the law that God gives the people of Israel and what happens to us when we receive the law so often there are parts of this that taste good to us that you read this and you go yes amen thank you Lord praise God you're so wise you're so wonderful and there's other parts of it that are foreign to us odd to us confusing to us as you work through Not Just the Ten Commandments you.
If you will consider them today and you're probably used to them so I'm going to have to press on a little bit of how we kind of Nod along but then disagree but as you read through the books of the Bible as you read the rest of the laws you read how God interacts with man there are times where you're reading stuff and you're just confused as to why he cares about that why does that matter and there are other times where you're probably reading the Bible and it's not just confusion it's disdain being.
For several weeks and we're going to zoom in each one and kind of walk through and take them in turn today we're doing a bigger picture overview and we're really proculture what are the ones that we kind of shy away from or dislike and then what do we do with that that's where we're going to start as we study the Ten Commandments because if we think if we don't do this there's a chance that we'll all nod along boldly important to.
God and and therefore to us through the Ten Commandments this morning God we ask for your help we ask for the work of the Holy Spirit to help us see ourselves one so helpful and so much for our good and Jesus and God spoke all these it calls them the words a lot and it'll even say at times that they're we're to follow his words and his statutes and these are the work and if you haven't sometimes they're called the decalogue God's ten commandments and in some ways.
If you want to try to think about it it's the 10 most important things if God is giving you these are the 10 most important foundational things for following him it's these and the rest of the law is extrapolation from this it's further explanation of these when he says you will have no other God before me the rest of the law is explaining what that looks like when it says you won't steal it's not just how you define stealing he explains it he explains what you're like all right.
Well I didn't really steal but I borrowed something and I broke it does that count it's like yeah he's going to explain some of those things and try to help us understand I didn't steal an item I stole a person yeah that's a problem he's going to explain those things further on but this is where we get kind of the 10 foundational items God's top ten these are wildly important and I think it's helpful for us to understand that because there are things in this list that would not make your top ten there are things in this list that we may be used to hearing.
But they wouldn't if you were setting a code of laws I'm guessing there's some things here that you would think well okay maybe but probably not in your top ten so that's where we need to grow in understanding what is God saying and why does this matter and why are we wrong not him verse 2. I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt out of the house of slavery y'all verse 2 is so wonderful.
Because I think sometimes we think that our approach to God is okay what does he want from me all right God what are your rules what are the things I need to do to be one of the good ones what are the things I need to do to make you love me to make you uh you know to to be saved what are the things I need to do to be a good Christian some of you might even be here this morning and that's why you're here you're you you realize that you got your life sideways and you're like I just got to get back in Church I'm gonna get straightened back out I'm gonna.
Go get it together and no you're not but we're glad you're here that's not how it works the the hope for the Israelites is not he didn't come to them in their slavery and say hey I got 10 rules and if y'all can start following these I'm gonna Circle back around and rescue you what happens first is redemption then Commandments and it's the same way for us in in the cross we need forgiveness then we follow in obedience we follow in obedience.
Because he is gracious and good and he redeems and he rescues we read that together a moment ago that we're by Grace we are saved and then later it says it's nothing that we've done it's not by works but he's prepared good works for us so that we are redeemed and rescued by his good work on our behalf and then we follow in obedience but it's we've got to get that in the right order because if you think I'm going to get it together I'm going to work really hard.
Then God will save me that's not how it works Redemption comes first and that's really good news so that we get to come to Jesus and ask for forgiveness and Rescue and he does through his work not ours and then calls us to follow him in obedience and humility okay rescue before command salvation before obedience but now let's look at the Ten Commandments we're gonna like I said we're gonna move through these fairly quickly and then we're going to discuss some stuff we're going to come back through.
But we're taking all of them together today and we'll spend more time on in the coming weeks you shall have no other gods before me God says I'm it it's not a Pantheon it's not like I'm the top one and you can have some other ones it's me and you worship me and me alone you shall not make for yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above or that is in the earth beneath or that is in the water under the Earth you shall not bow down to them or serve them.
For I the Lord your God am a jealous God visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me but showing steadfast love to the thousands of those who love me and keep my Commandments first ones you'll have no other gods before me the second one is you will not make a Graven image you won't make an idol you won't have other things that you worship and bow down to you won't approach me that way or worship other gods in that way.
Third one you shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain for the Lord will not hold him Guiltless who takes his name in vain we will not speak blasphemously or flippantly about the name of God and we will not use his name to co-sign our lies that he will be treated with respect and honor verse 8. remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy six days you shall labor and do all your work but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the.
Lord your God on it you shall not do any work you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant or your livestock or the Sojourner who is within your gates for in six days the Lord made Heaven and Earth the sea and all that is in them and rested on the seventh day therefore the Lord blessed this sabbath day and made it holy so he sets us out a day and says this is a holy day and you will rest and worship and no one will work on this day.
Verse 12 honor your father and your mother that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God has given you and some of y'all didn't realize that your parents quoted that to you in shorthand periodically you better do what I say or I'm going to snatch you up I brought you in I can take you out you will not live long in the land that God gave you but we will honor and show respect to our parents and our elders 13 you shall not murder you shall not commit adultery you shall not steal you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor you're not lie to harm others you will not.
Lie at all and the last one you shall not covet your neighbor's house you shall not covet your neighbor's wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that is your neighbors that we are not to sit and look at those around us and desire what they have to long for it to daydream about it to think must be nice not to do that that's God's Ten Commandments that's the ten words that he gives to the people of Israel and everything else like I said is going to fall out of that is going to be explaining that it's going to help us understand it's almost like these.
Are the laws and the rest of it is like case law it's saying in this situation this in this situation this two of those are positive commands things that you will do eight of them are prohibitions negative commands you will not the word shall is a mixture of Will and should not only will you but you should not only should you but you will shall that's kind of a way to understand we don't use that word that much anymore you're not like actually I'll go to the bank.
Today but that's what he's saying is this is what you will do and it's what you should do and this is what you will not do and what you should not do now some of those we read and they make sense to us we think they're good some of them it's like okay I don't know I I don't I know as Christians if you're in here and you're a Christian you're you're trying to bend your will to the will of God I understand that like I read these and I go I want to obey all of these I understand these I want to follow them as the Holy Spirit is at work in me I.
Want to be submissive to this but I'm just saying that culturally some of them track with us very clearly in other ones we have a little bit harder time with so I want to take a moment to try to help us understand that get a better vantage point on that as we walk through there are two books that I have found helpful one of them is the Righteous Mind by Jonathan height and I said I was going to look up how to pronounce his name and I didn't.
So height is how you pronounce it and uh the other one is for our good Always by Brandon Clements Jonathan height is a PhD and he does studies in moral psychology he is not a Christian but he was looking into how do people make decisions and how specifically do people make moral decisions and decisions where they're saying this is a moral issue meaning that it is right and wrong whether you think so or not that's morality this is right or wrong whether you think.
So or not but he's approaching it from a psychological standpoint he does a lot of research and it's interesting research that he does Brandon Clements is a Christian he's a pastor at Midtown Lexington I when I did my residency at Midtown um I worked with him a lot he's he's a very wise helpful guy and this is a very good book but he takes a lot of what Jonathan height says and says yeah the Bible talks about that and he pairs it up with the Ten Commandments and helps us.
See kind of how that applies but Jonathan height outlines as he's done studies around the world he realized that uh most of the studies done on how people make moral decisions are done with middle class Americans so he was like well let's go do some studies in other parts of the world and see how they think about things and he outlined what he calls five moral foundations places where you anchor morality he also calls them moral taste buds I was on a plane one time we were headed to New York and I heard someone loudly saying from across the plane and she was.
So excited to go back to New York because biscuits are awful and she missed Bagels and I thought well no wonder she's loud she's from New York and she's wildly wrong she complained that biscuits are crumbly that's wonderful that's part of what makes him good you have to gnaw on a bagel could you imagine eating a bacon egg and cheese bagel that sounds awful it's like if you gave me one of those I'd be like I'm just gonna fast and pray this morning.
For the people for the people in the northern U.S who have to eat this all the time that's a matter of taste there may be some of you in here who are like bagels are awesome and good for you you're wrong but that's okay it's a matter of taste and when Jonathan height talks about morality he's talking about it like it's a matter of taste but it's not a matter of taste it's a matter of divine decree but this is the way he's talking about it what he says is that culturally we have some that we like we have certain moral foundations that make sense to us culture that have been infused into our culture.
And so he lists out five and this is what he says care and harm as a moral Foundation fairness and cheating is a moral Foundation loyalty and betrayal is a moral Foundation Authority and subversion is a moral foundation and sanctity and degradation is a moral Foundation so I'm gonna try to explain these and I'm gonna try to help us understand why this is integral to our approach and understanding of the Ten Commandments Karen harm it's bad to hurt people it's good to care.
For people virtues or gentleness and kindness sins it's anything that hurts somebody this will make sense to us fairness and cheating the virtues are honesty Equity Justice that oppression is sinful and bad that lying and cheating are bad that we ought to be fair and equal and that this is a moral foundation for whether or not you can judge if something is right or wrong loyalty and betrayal it is good for people to be able to join groups and trust one another it's good.
For you to enter into relationships and be able to trust others that together we can make things better so from this we get things like the way you care for your family or your friends or patriotism this is where I can tell one of my brothers he's being an idiot but you better keep that to yourself I'll handle my own Idiot Brother you shut your mouth that's where that comes from this idea that it's wrong to be disloyal it's wrong to betray the trust of others or to commit treason whether you think.
So or not Authority and subversion that we need as humans to flourish to form beneficial relationships inside of hierarchies and that sentence hurts Americans feelings but it's true how much do y'all like the idea of authority and submission you're a big fan of it think about it a lot this insists that not all hierarchies are evil or exploitive we should have respect for legitimate Authority whether that's God the government a parent a teacher a boss if these things are actually integral to human flourishing and that it is good to exist with some respect deference and submission in these hierarchies.
Therefore disrespect disobedience is wrong the fifth one that he outlines is sanctity and degradation that some things are right and wrong simply because God says they are he says there's this understanding that there's a vertical axis and at the top there are things that are holy Sanctified and at the bottom there are things that are degraded defiling and profane so if you think about the idea that humans are made in the image of God and then how can we treat dead bodies.
And if you just base things off of harm it's like well you can't hurt them but no there's there's definitely a way to defile and degrade and to be profane and it's wrong just because it's wrong and because God says it's wrong versus things that are holy and set apart now culturally and Brandon Clements helps outline this we uh we have differing viewpoints depending on where you come from culturally so Asian cultures values loyalty and Authority followed by sanctity and then care harm fairness all that care and harm and fairness show up in every culture in some ways.
But loyalty and Authority matter more this is why Disney can't make good movies about Asian cultures this is why in Moana and Mulan they start off by singing a song about how you're supposed to fit into your role in society and you're supposed to be submissive to your elders and that it ends with the Disney character going but not really do what you want listen to your parents unless you hear a voice inside tell you something else and then do that mulan's like I should submit and figure out how to be a wife and fit into culture and that's a very Asian thought process.
And then she turns American is like but not really give me a sword I'm about to stick it to the Huns and that's the stuff we celebrate but culturally loyalty to your parents to your ancestors submission to Authority this is why when there was a giant I believe it was an earthquake in Japan I just remember seeing the picture of the lines for people to get water it was like a two mile long single foul line and I thought you're not getting Americans to line up like that.
For water but the order and authority and submission to Authority that's how they handled it Middle Eastern cultures sanctity is the highest God says some things are wrong so they're wrong then you have authority and loyalty and then care harm and fairness are lower down this is why a lot of Middle Eastern cultures hate Western cultures because they think that we're promoting a free sexuality a rejection of authority an inverted sense of autonomy and that the world would be better off.
If we weren't running around defiling it and they say that some things are wrong because God says they're wrong and we disagree with some of those things as Christians but they're not wrong about all of that all right let's talk about us Western cultures we have a very inflamed sense of care and harm and fairness this is how we think about it this is why we'll say things like do whatever you want as long as it doesn't hurt somebody that's care Harmony this is why.
When they were trying to convince people to quit illegally downloading music and movies you remember back in the day some of y'all when you would use Napster or LimeWire like you had like let's say you had an older brother and his name was hypothetically like Logan and he was like hey I was downloading this song but our dad took a phone call so now it's not going to download even though we were seven hours in so we're gonna get it downloading tonight before we go to bed.
And when we wake up we'll probably have this song by Incubus or Third Eye Blind or whatever y'all remember that but when they were trying to convince people not to do that they ran in ad campaigns and what did they say piracy is not a victimless crime because in order to talk to us they needed to convince us that you were hurting somebody what they didn't say is piracy is stealing and stealing is a sin piracy is disloyal to your fellow citizens who have copyrights on this music how much would we care.
But what they said is you have a secret victim and every time you piracy something you've stabbed them and robbed them of a meal and it's like oh wow that matters a little more that we have a victim here this is how we have to communicate to us because that's all we care about now this matters because when we approach The Ten Commandments or we approach the law of God when we're reading how God deals with humans what happens is so often we go why would.
God act like that or we approach in some sort of hubris some sort of Pride that we have a beautiful view on what morality ought to be when actually we have a stunted and disfigured view of morality that has things out of place Karen harm matter fairness matters but they're not the only things that matter and when we read The Ten Commandments there are things that are wildly massively important to God that don't register with our culture at all and there are times that you're reading your Bible and you might be thinking.
Well that's a bit of an overreaction wow God's being really harsh there why would that be such a big thing I don't understand why he would treat those people that way most often it's in a sense it's in a case where someone seems to be harmed by God for a thing that we deem not that important so let's look at our Ten Commandments you see for us to say that we have the best view on morality is like me asking you to paint a sunset or a rainbow.
And then giving you two green crayons you're going to immediately respond with I'm gonna need some more things here to fill this out and that's actually what we need when it comes to morality we need a little bit more of God's understanding of how to approach right and wrong because there's things that we are missing and therefore rather than disagreeing with God and thinking we're right we ought to see every disagreement with God a place that we need to grow be submissive walk in obedience and Trust his wisdom over ours I have a I know how to build some things I've built built some things I'm not the best at it.
But I'm not terrible but there have been times where I've gotten to do a construction project with Brad arneson and Chris Rocky um Brad arneson oversees a steel plant and Chris Rocky's finishing building his own house with his own bare hands and so when I'm in construction projects with them what I don't do is walk over and gosh yeah I got this I don't know if you know this I've built a porch before like I don't do that what I do is I come over like this and I go what do you want me to do boss.
And then I say things like and when they tell me to stop doing a thing I say okay and I stop and then I sometimes I'll ask why was what was I doing that was dumb and they'll explain it to me and if you hung out with us on a job site you would think that was the right way to behave how dare we approach our Bibles with with less respect and deference than we would give to a human who knows some more than us how how dare we approach our Bibles.
Look and go well I don't really like that or I don't know you're going to need to explain yourself a little more to me God foolishness so let's look at our Ten Commandments let's try to grow a little bit I want to show you the ones you like care and fairness ones these are the ones if I said hey pick your favorite Ten Commandments pick the ones that if you were going to choose for your neighbors to follow if I said hey you're going to live in a neighborhood and you get to pick four Commandments that everyone in that City or that neighborhood is going to follow I can guess with great accuracy which ones.
We'd be picking you shall not murder you should not commit adultery you shall not steal you should not bear false witness I want to live in a place like that those are the ones that were like yeah I mean it's a big deal like if you had a child and they started showing homicidal Tendencies you would care you'd be like I don't know he keeps just hurting things this is terrible he's going to grow up to be a murderer but some of us have wildly disrespectful children and we're like.
Well maybe he'll be a cowboy and it's like that's not good for him he shouldn't be acting like that some of us continually teach our children that treating the name the name of the Lord in vain doesn't matter as much these are the ones that we care about these are the ones that make sense to us there are some that are kind of in the middle we understand a little bit we're we're tracking somewhat with you shall have no other gods before me that's primarily loyalty and Authority you should have no other guys before me go to the the here we go that's primarily loyalty and Authority we at least understand this logically that.
If God's going to be the one who rescues then God can tell you he's the only God and you're going to submit to him the problem is culturally and for a lot of us it just is like well okay I mean it makes sense it's like a house rule for God but it's not that important but it's actually massively important for Humanity to know the one true God submit to the one true God and not follow any other God and this command carries the death penalty with it in the law.
So God takes it seriously the next one that we take halfway honor your father and mother that your days may be long in the land the Lord your God is giving you we yeah that makes sense to be respectful to your parents that's something in general is a good thing like I came in the other day and I asked my younger son he's five I said something about dinner and I was asking him basically what type of bean did he want do you want green beans you want something like that I said you want green beans and he stood up and went nowhere do what he said that's how I say no.
Now and I said not to me it didn't not to your mama not to your teachers you can say it to your brother which is very funny to watch him say that to his older brother you want to play this game but we understand in some sense that respecting your parents is this is important that this matters but again we can only go so far the beginning of the new one of the new Disney movies called turning red starts off like this it's like you know somebody doing narration over the top of some stuff and it says this the number one oh it's about an Asian family.
So you're going to get watch again how how we treat this the number one rule in my family honor your parents they're the Supreme Beings who gave you life who sweated and sacrificed so much to put a roof over your head food on your plate an epic amount of food the least you can do in return is every single thing they ask of course some people are like be careful honoring your parents sounds great but if you take it too far.
Well you might forget to honor yourself the opening of a Disney movie quotes The Ten Commandments and says follow me children and part of us as good Americans thinks she's not wrong can't have your parents telling you what to do all the time but this also carries a capital punishment in Exodus 21 and in Deuteronomy disregard for your parents striking your father or mother or living wildly licentious rebellious lives ends in execution but we have an inflamed sense of harm and we say.
Well that sounds ridiculous that God would act like that but maybe we're wrong and not him there are several that don't make much sense to us at all you shall not make yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything that is heaven above or Earth beneath okay so no idols I guess God can set that rule I guess God can make that but as far as like I mean shouldn't we just let cultures kind of do what they want should we let people do what they want does it really matter that much what we worship or how we worship I mean I don't really want to live in a society that dictates that.
But again as far as the people of Israel goes and how God relates to them this also in Deuteronomy 13 and 17 carries the death penalty to reject God as your one true God and to pursue and worship idols is something that he takes wildly aggressively seriously because it is against human flourishing that it harms us ultimately and eternally when we reject the authority and Leadership and worship of God you shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
For the Lord will not hold him Guiltless who takes his name in vain there's a man who blasphemes and curses the Lord in Leviticus 24 and he is put to death now we might be understanding that if someone commits murder they received the death penalty but not that we would have to treat God's name this way but that's because we don't have any understanding of Holiness and sanctity the way that we ought to it's not because our vantage point on morality is better it's.
Because it is stunted and disfigured and that we ought to take the things that God says to take seriously seriously and some of us need to begin to pay attention to how we speak about God and his name remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy six days you shall labor and do all of your work but the seventh day is the Sabbath to the Lord your God that certain days will be set apart as holy for worship and rest and that that wasn't just something that was nice that.
God blessed us with rest but that it was something that was commanded as a thing that needed to be practiced in order to love and Worship the Lord is foreign to us we're likely to want to just spit it out of our mouth because it doesn't taste right now Jesus comes in and Spencer's going to talk us through some of this but Jesus comes in and he adjusts how they were viewing this sabbath and how we get to view this sabbath as a blessing.
But I want us to see that it's one of the ones that we read and just think optional this last one I think is a very good example you shall not covet your neighbor's house you shall not covet your neighbor's wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that is your neighbors if I pressed you on this I think you might would be able to say that you could see how coveting a lot could make you unhappy like.
If I spend all my time on Instagram and Facebook I could see how that would like lead to depression if I was just looking at everything that everybody was happy about and always wishing that my life was better and all you'd really be able to articulate is that if you did this to the point of harming yourself then it might be bad but the idea that I'm not supposed to look at something someone else has and want it just doesn't make a whole lot of sense to us you ever seen someone's shoes and thought those are nice shoes and asked them a question like where'd you get those ever seen someone's jacket and thought that's.
A nice jacket where'd you get that jacket ever seen someone's truck and thought wow what a nice truck where'd you get that bullet antenna you ever seen you ever seen some bodies things and just thought like I like to get that I'd like to figure out where you have that I'd like to be able to to be able to have something like that that's our whole system that's not covetousness that's marketing that's capitalism this is what we operate off of you ever been watching a show and thought oh wow I need to check into seeing about that you've been scrolling through Facebook and thought I'd like to vacation there where is that and you've desired.
Something that someone else had and then you needed it in order for you to be happy that's covetousness you ever had something you were enjoying seeing someone else enjoying something else more and now you weren't enjoying what you were enjoying anymore you ever had a house you liked until you visited someone else's house and now your house is stupid I only have two bathrooms I want to let three or four people go to the bathroom at once this is normal for us we have whole TV shows dedicated to this we don't care and we read this and we nod and we go you're right.
But we walk off and we don't care because he hasn't convinced us that it harms someone he hasn't convinced us that it fits into our approach to morality and we are wrong and we don't need God to convince us we need to repent and submit and see that we have fallen wildly short of God's ideal for what we ought to be and rather than in Pride judging him we need to in submission and humility fall on our face and ask for help this is why Americans have no ability to articulate why you cannot participate in all the sexual activity you want to as long as it doesn't hurt someone this is why we have no.
Words to articulate to someone that you can't do that even though it's your own personal autonomy and even though you aren't actively hurting someone you're not allowed to do that because we don't have any words for sanctity we don't have any words for being able to say to someone that's wrong just because God says it's wrong that's degrading to being a human but that doesn't mean that God's wrong it means that we are I want to read a quote from Brandon Clement's book he says many Americans tend to think God's Wrath isn't fair showing our heightened moral category.
For that concern but part of that reasoning is because we don't think sin is that big of a deal and certainly not sins that don't seem to harm someone we don't care as much that people violently rebel against God's Authority betray his loyalty or degrade and debase the holy so we don't think of those things as deserving of Wrath and God's Vision all those things are serious offenses and sometimes deserving of Swift wrath death and even Eternal separation from him all of which makes the sacrifice of.
Jesus that enables us to approach God's throne with confidence all the more astounding do you know why so often we'll say things like I just don't understand how God could judge people who are good I don't understand why God would send good people to hell it's because we've trimmed the Ten Commandments down to about three or four things and we say it's not because they're murdering people they don't really steal maybe once when they were little they're pretty honest they seem to you know they might have had some sexual sin.
But they're pretty faithful to their spouse seems like they've had a good relationship he's a nice man he's a gentle man she's a good woman and all we mean is by our stunted reduced view of what God would want from us in an Americanized sense and we have cut out all the ways that we have heinously offended God by rejecting his authority by rejecting worship of him by honoring and loving and serving other things by treating his name like dirt and by walking around wildly coveting.
And then even the ones that we agree with still failing at and then excusing because Rebellion against God just isn't that big a deal and it's not that God's wrong it's that we are and what we need is forgiveness and obedience what we need is repentance we need Jesus to save us it makes his sacrifice all the more astounding that he would rescue people who have utterly rejected the authority of God and then walked around strutting in their pride I read a quote the other day that says whenever you feel like you've sinned just.
Remember that God sins far outweigh yours and then a bunch of people saying what a great quote and it's just because we've redone what we think morality is and then we can sit and judge God based off of it rather than in humility submitting to him and saying thank you Lord for correcting me where I am so wildly wrong every place that you disagree with him is not a place where he is wrong it's a place where you are and it's an opportunity.
For trust and obedience Romans 3 23 24 and 24 says for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified by his grace as a gift through the Redemption that is in Christ Jesus we need to turn to Jesus and ask for forgiveness because we have failed and we are deserving of Wrath but he offers forgiveness and grace through taking the penalty of our sin on the cross and then after rescue and Redemption comes obedience this is why.
Jesus says things like uh whoever believes in the son has eternal life whoever does not obey the son shall not see life but the wrath of God remains on him this is why first John says by this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and obey his Commandments for this is love of God that we keep his Commandments and his Commandments are not burdensome that we are rescued first but then we walk in humility and obedience grow our understanding of what.
God will have from us as the band comes back up this morning foreign seriously I want you to look at your Bible at Exodus 20 and I want you to consider the places where you run afoul of God's law or the places where you just kind of think that one doesn't matter I want us to consider before the Lord where we need his grace and then we get to ask him for it we get to say Lord I'm sorry help me change me forgive me.
Because of the work of Christ he will and then we get to say through your Holy Spirit Empower me to walk forward in obedience that I would not walk forward in Pride judging your law but that I would sit under the authority of your law knowing that I am judged by you but that ultimately because of Christ I get to escape that judgment because he was judged in my place for my sin but help me to obey let's bow our heads.
Lord I ask that by your grace that you would help us to see goodness and the wisdom of your law but I pray that by your grace and by your spirit that you would help us to see our sin so that we would not stand condemned or that we would not judge you in our arrogance the Lord May there be repentance this morning in the days to come we thank you for the rescue provided by the work of Christ for without it we are lost.
God's Holiness (Exodus 19 & 20)
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Battle with Amalek (Exodus 17:8-16)
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Water from the Rock (Exodus 17:1-7)
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
Good morning my name is Chet I'm one of the pastors here grab a Bible and turn to Exodus chapter 17 with me we are working our way through the book of Exodus it's on page 34 if you grab one of the blue Bibles that stuck down in the seat in front of you if you don't own a Bible then this is our gift to you we'd love for you to take this home with you we'd love for you to read it and follow along with us as we continue to walk through Exodus um we are picking up a story where we left off last week we're about six weeks from not in our time.
But in their time from when the crossing of the Red Sea happens when God I mean definitively shows miraculous victory over the Egyptians and the rescue of the people of Israel after the the ten plagues there's the crossing of the Red Sea the Egyptians are defeated that was about six weeks ago so for us that would be like December 11th somewhere around in there so if you think back about that far if we were the Israelites that's about how far back the crossing of the Red Sea is and what we've seen is the Israelites have been uh traveling in the wilderness and grumbling being kind of hard to get along with complaining kind of wondering.
Where is God going to provide how was this last week they said I wish God had just killed us in Egypt because at least I'd have died sitting next to a meat pot so that's the way you want to go you know just a pot of meat and then boom full belly death that's what they said I wish that had happened because this wandering around in the wilderness with no food is the worst and that's kind of where we were.
God begins to miraculously provide Manna and so we're going to pick up they're following the pillar of cloud during the day the pillar of fire at night and moving around the Wilderness Exodus 17. let's pray and then we'll start reading this together Lord ask for your help we ask for your wisdom as we study your word we pray that you would bless us um with the ability to hear this morning we ask for your Holy Spirit to work in our hearts.
For us to be soft and willing to listen to you this morning in Jesus name amen Exodus chapter 17 it says all the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the Wilderness of sin and we said last week that that's not like a title that's just they've transliterated the word into English so some translations will put a z there Zen it's just a name Wilderness of sin by stages according to the Commandment of the Lord encamped at rephidim but there was no water.
For the people to drink so there's two things we need to see in this first verse that are important for us and important for us to understand this story the first one is this they moved at the Commandment of the Lord as I just said they're following the pillar of cloud so if the pillar of cloud moves they move when the pillar Cloud stops they get there they stop so it's at the Commandment of the Lord that they move from one place to the next.
And so they move at the Commandment of the Lord and they move to a place with no water now if you're leading people through the wilderness the way you choose where to stop is where is water you might rest on the way to water you might stop for a night if you have enough water but you don't go I think this is good let's set up camp here in a place with no water this is done by every human standard incorrectly this the cloud stops.
God stops by his commandity stops and it's like no no like keep going we can't stop here it it would be like if you found out about a a commander in the Army who sent everyone out and then was like it was like why did the battle go so poorly we forgot guns as we got out there and we kept thinking there was something missing and when they shot at us we were all like guns that was what we were supposed to have it's I mean it's gross incompetence you.
If they on one of those uh shows where they're fixing a house and they're like move that bus move that bus and the bus moves and the house doesn't have a roof it's like move the bus back finish it up so they stop in the wilderness in a place with no water and that's very important for us to understand in this story but it's also important for us to see as we try to learn about the nature and character of God.
Because some of us right now feel like in life we're in a place where there's no water but they moved here by the command of God now I don't know what you're missing in life but I know it's not water it may hurt it may be painful it may be wildly something that you think is essential to life but I just want you to be able to understand that that you can connect to this story because water is up there in the things we need.
And so to move there with no water it shows that God sometimes puts us in a place that doesn't seem right and by all of our standards we could say this is this is incorrect this should not be the way this is we all know this is wrong that's the way this would feel it's obvious and so God moves into a place where there's no water verse two therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said give us water to drink and Moses said to them why do you core with me why do you test the.
Lord okay so last week they were grumbling and we're going to hear they Grumble again here but they've ratcheted it up it's not just grumbling grumbling is like side sideways complaining um grumbling is is I'm complaining a little bit I'm complaining a little bit maybe to Moses but it's it's in general it's like a murmur when Moses walks by everybody gets quiet maybe they give him dirty looks but it's it's not as aggressive as coral and quarreling is now they've come to him they're arguing with him they're fighting with him the aggression level has gone from from some grumbling to.
Now we're getting close to like a mutiny we're going to say that's what Moses says in a second so they're bringing this complaint to Moses and they've ratcheted up the aggression and he says why do you quarrel with me why do you test the Lord and you got to feel Moses here for a second because Moses is a little bit of like hey y'all see the cloud too right you see the presence of God I didn't pick this place we've moved here by his command we've moved here in obedience.
So why are you arguing with me why are you testing the Lord he's the one who's put us here why are you putting him on trial and why are you with your attitude trying to see what he's going to do that's that's like when your parents said don't test me that's what he's saying why are we testing the Lord y'all were in Egypt right it doesn't go well he can do stuff so he says verse three but the people thirsted there.
For water and the people grumbled against Moses and said why did you bring us out of up out of Egypt to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst now this question feels a little ridiculous but it's understandable so let's think about this for a second I I think you could ask in your right mind like I can ask we can ask why would God bring you out of Egypt to kill you with thirst as a rhetorical question which means he wouldn't that's a dumb.
But he's bringing us to the promised land he's rescued us out of Egypt why would why would he do that like I have to ask those questions of my my older son every once in a while will have this moment where he thinks that I'm not going to take care of him and I'm out to get him I've had times where I'm like hey let's let's get ready I need to get your shoes on we're going to leave the house and he'll he'll be like we hadn't eaten supper I gotta eat supper and it's like.
First of all when have I failed to feed you your mom might but I like eating she might forget about a meal I don't forget about meals buddy I like eating your mom will remember eventually she just is okay without eating I'm thinking about food right now it's like I'm gonna feed you we're gonna take care of you also we're going to supper so put your shoes on you've made us all hungrier like when have I ever failed like that could be the question is why would he do this and the answer being he wouldn't we can trust him.
But that's easy for me to say because I'm not thirsty in this moment my lips aren't chapped I'm not looking at my kids and saying I don't know how to to I don't I'm not looking at a one of our like cattle that's that's slobbering and drooling because it can't it's panting and I have nothing to give it I'm looking at a child and I have nothing like I'm not in that spot but they are and in that moment of thirst everything they know about.
God is gone everything they know about his power everything they know about his provision this very morning that they're asking this question God miraculously provided food that appears for them to harvest bread do miraculous bread that shows up you go get it it tastes like Wafers baked with honey like not even just like like good bread and that that why is he going to kill us why is he out to get us and I want you to feel that too because it's possible.
For us to be there I became a Christian I thought this was supposed to be better I'm following Jesus now and everything's gotten worse why would God why would I suddenly believe in Jesus start showing up to Church and then he punches me in the face I don't understand like why why would he do that I don't know if I'm going to believe this I don't know if I'm going to follow this I don't like I signed up for something different why is this working out this way and everything you would know about God's just gone.
Because of the way life is going that's where they are and on one hand it seems ridiculous and on the other hand there's part of me that goes I feel that so Moses cried to the Lord verse 4. what shall I do with this people they are almost ready to Stone me so this has gotten this is not it wasn't like a nice question that they asked this is aggressive they're coming at him it's a mob like it's it's getting dangerous down here Moses is like I think that like I think I'm grossly incompetent they're about to get rid of both of us they're going to get rid of me they're going to get rid.
Of you they're gonna do their own thing that we have failed so miserably in their eyes they're about to kill me it's like they got together and said hey we don't know who's the last person to die because of the thirst but we voted and we know who the first person to die is going to be that's what Moses is saying like they're they're about to Stone me this is about to be an execution because of their anger because of their frustration.
Because of their doubt and mistrust five and the Lord said to Moses pass on before the people so do this publicly taking with you some of the Elders of Israel so Elders are brought together for counsel for judgment for Witnesses they're the leaders of the people said get some of the leaders of the people I'm sure some of the elders are some of the people who were having these conversations with him bringing their complaints pass on before the people taking with you some of the Elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile.
Okay so this staff struck the Nile the Nile turned from water into blood just take that staff and go behold I will stand before you there on the rocket Horeb and you shall strike The Rock and water shall come out of it and the people will drink so God says take the staff get some of the elders go I'll Stand before you know when he stands before him I believe my best understanding is that he is standing in the cloud that the cloud stands before the rocket horror this is the way it's worded in other places Exodus 33 9 says.
When Moses entered the tent the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent and the Lord would speak with Moses or Exodus 34 5 the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there and proclaimed the name of the Lord so I think that God's presence goes and stands over the rock now it's possible he does this a different way but in the context of Exodus this makes the most sense it's the cloud that stands there.
And so Moses is going to go he's told to go and strike the Rock and water is going to come forth and the people are going to drink now just for us keep keeping up with this keeping score at home here do you think God brought them to this place had forgotten humans needed water had no real plan and because of their bad attitudes was like oh yeah if they're going to kill you Moses I'll provide some water here's a miraculous way I just made up to do this I would think.
God knew what he was doing the whole time even though they couldn't see it I would think that God had intended to again show his miraculous ability to provide to rule over all things even in the midst of them not seeing how that would work and I want I want that to encourage you because there are times where it's like there's no water here I'm going to die and in those moments we get to go but Lord you can snatch water out of a rock you can make food miraculous appear Out of Heaven like you you've got this I trust you it's not what happens.
So Moses is going to bring the elders the the Lord is going to stand before the Rock and he's going to strike the rock with with the staff now uh if if you just are you know if you're having to choose between what's harder than what rocks are harder than sticks just letting y'all know so in general when you strike a rock with a stick it's bad for the stick it's not bad for The Rock but the Rock's gonna break and water is going to pour forth and there's going to be life in a place where there was a death.
But something very interesting happens in the way this is written the last part of this verse is and Moses did so in the sight of the Elders of Israel that's it it doesn't tell us anything else God tells him to do this and then it just says and Moses did so now we've read enough of Exodus to know this just broke the formula because there's a bit of a formula that's been running through Exodus which is number one God tells them to do a thing tells Moses to do a thing and the.
Lord said go do this thing second Moses does the thing it'll say and Moses did the thing there's one verse that says and the Lord did the thing he said I'm going to do this thing tomorrow and the next day he did the thing like that's this is we're fine we're on step two but step three is telling us about the thing that was done now sometimes it's longer and sometimes it's shorter sometimes the explanation of what's going to happen is longer.
But then they'll say he does it and it'll give a little short thing sometimes it so like what we would expect next is for it to say so on the next day or that afternoon or Moses went straight away and he gathered elders and sometimes it could list the elders and we'd make some kind of joke about if you're naming babies here you go alipa has or whatever like we would pick you know but we would read through these names or maybe it would just say shortened version and it would say.
And so Moses did this and The Rock broke and the people drank yeah we don't get to hear anything about the people's reaction about how much water that's not what marks this moment look at the next verse and he called the name of the place Masa which means the testing and meribah which means quarreling because of the quarreling of the people of Israel and because they tested the Lord by saying is the Lord among us or not that's the conclusion we didn't even hear that they said that earlier.
But that's what we're going to end with that's the taste that's left in our mouth is the Lord among us or not that's what marks this place now you would think that this could have been called holy spring flowing Rock Fountain of delight like they could have named this place water in the desert the place of provision God is good like what's his name quarreling and testing because it wasn't marked by the miracle it wasn't marked by what God did it wasn't remembered.
For that it was remembered and marked by and the thing that we're supposed to see is there heart towards the Lord is the Lord among us or not now I used to when I was little I would watch uh little Bible cartoons if you grew up in Christian home you might you might have watched little Bible cartoons if you didn't you were able to allowed to watch you know the Simpsons and the Smurfs I was not they were going to turn me evil.
And so I didn't watch them and if you watch The Simpsons and the Smurfs and you're here well done overcoming all that evil that would have led you astray but I wasn't allowed to watch that and I watched little Bible cartoons and uh in the little Bible cartoons there was one where they would open the Bible and then like four kids would get sucked into it and they would have to go on adventures and so if they had done this one though it feels like the adventure would be short.
Because when they showed up and they're like what's going on and they're like we don't know if the Lord is among us or not you'd feel like the kids would be like oh do you see that big Pillar of Fire there he is all right let's head on back it wouldn't even be a 15-minute show it would just be over the credits would roll but they're not basing it off of his actual presence what are they basing it off of his provision.
When they say is the Lord here or not they mean has he provided for me in the way that I expect him to and if he hasn't I don't know if he's trustworthy if he hadn't done what I think he's supposed to do by now I don't know if I'm going to follow him I might just be out if he's going to act in a way that's outside of my controller if he's going to act in a way that some way that I don't understand or.
If he's going to tell me that this is where we're supposed to be when I don't want to be here then I might just be done so the New Testament talks about this I want you to to turn to First Corinthians 10. this is Paul he's writing to the Church in Corinth so he's writing to People Like Us Christians a Church people who have gathered saying they're Christians people who are gathered because they believe in the Lord they've heard about Jesus.
First Corinthians 10 if you have one of these Bibles on page 557. it's also on the screen Paul writing says for I do not want you to be unaware Brothers Church This Is Us I do not want you to be unaware of Brothers that our fathers were all under the cloud okay Cloud we've been talking about all passed through the sea that's the Red Sea that's the part of the Red Sea we talked about and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea that he used the word baptized there on purpose.
But what he's saying is that that was a thing that marked them all as belonging to this community those who had gone under the cloud and through the sea it's like a baptism says I'm a part I belong all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and the Sea and all ate the same spiritual food that's manna and I'll drink the same spiritual drink for they drink from the spiritual rock that followed them and The Rock was Christ so that's referring to the story we just read.
And so far what he's saying is all good stuff these people all belong they were all participating they were all there and he tells them I don't want you to be unaware I want you to know this he's looking at the Church and saying I need you to know this but then here's why nevertheless with with most of them God was not pleased for they were overthrown in the wilderness now these things took place as examples for us so he says Church read Exodus and learn that we might not desire evil as they did I don't want to ruin a whole bunch of the rest of the Exodus some of this is in numbers in.
Deuteronomy but we're going to run through quickly it doesn't get better from here he says do not be idolaters as some of them were as it is written the people sat down to eat and drink and Rose up to play we must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did and 23 000 fell in a single day we must not put Christ to the test as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents nor Grumble as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer.
Now these things happen to them as an example but they were written down for our instruction on whom the end of the ages has come what's the end of the ages Jesus Christ coming to rescue a people for himself so he says the end of the ages have come Jesus has come the Gospel is proclaimed will listen it's possible for you to be here and miss it it's possible for you to show up sing songs read the underlying portions pray listen to the Bible it's possible.
For you to be in a community group it's possible for you to lead a community group it's possible for you to be baptized it's possible for you to partake in communion and it's possible for none of that to have any effect on your heart and for you to not belong to Jesus you can grow up in the Church watching Bible cartoons as an eight-year-old and not know Jesus so Paul says this was written down so that we wouldn't think that just.
Because they were there just because they were around it that it changed to them this is the way this passage is treated this is Masa and mariba are reused like if someone says that this situation was someone's Waterloo they're referring to to the downfall of Napoleon they're saying that that's marked his whole story that's what when they talk about Masa and Mary but I want to show you this this will be on the screen because we're going to stay in First Corinthians as we finish up Psalm 95.
Today if you hear his voice do not Harden your hearts as at meribah as on the day at Masa in the wilderness when your father's put me to the test and put me to the proof though they had seen my work if anybody should have known how good he was and how he could provide Israelites should have walked into a place and said there's no water everybody buckle up take a seat watch what God can do watch what he can do.
Because I've seen him do so much this one's about to be good this story could have been the valley of provision but just seeing the stuff and just being around the stuff hadn't affected their heart it doesn't tell us how they drank it doesn't tell us how they responded it almost feels as if when this happens you can almost feel the people of Israel being like that's what I thought yeah you should provide for me there's no it doesn't seem like there's any amount of thankfulness it seems like this whole place is marked by the wickedness of their hearts Hebrews 3 picks up quotes psalm 95.
Therefore as the Holy Spirit says today if you hear his voice do not Harden your hearts as in the Rebellion on the day of testing in the wilderness and then it keeps going down It quotes more of that Psalm and then it goes to verse 12 it says take care Brothers lest there be in any of you an evil unbelieving heart leading you to fall away from the Living God but exhort one another every day as long as it is called.
Today that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin that is possible for you to be around the Church but not be in the Church for you to not belong to Jesus for you to have an unbelieving heart and for you to be deceived by the deceitfulness of sin let astray by it it's possible that right now there's something in your life that you're saying it's not that big a deal I'm not really doing anything bad I haven't really acted on I'm just thinking about it it's not it's not that bad I don't need to talk to my group about this I don't need to talk to my spouse about this I.
Don't need to uh if people knew my circumstances if God had really provided the way he was supposed to I wouldn't have to do this maybe you're saying all right that was the last time I'm not ever going to do it again I'm I'm going to change this time and that's the hundredth time you've said that there's no real confession and no real repentance maybe you're justifying your actions maybe you're saying it's not really hurting anybody maybe you're telling yourself I'm too I'm In Too Deep.
But it's possible for us to be slowly step by step being led astray by a deceitful sin and the deceitfulness of our own hearts and this can happen to Christians this can happen to anybody this can happen to anybody who belongs to Jesus that would be around it this is this happens to people who would say I'm in I believe it but they're slowly taking step and step this could be someone who leads a group this can be someone who leads a Church this can be anybody can sit and slowly make compromises and be led astray by the deceitfulness of sin and what he's saying is that there's a possibility that there's an unbelieving heart.
In you and it's hardened to the things of God and I want you to hear what he says today if you hear his voice don't Harden your heart don't be like the people at Masa and Maribel that the Holy Spirit speaking right now and he's bringing something to mind and he's saying you're going to need to talk about this you're going to need to turn from this whatever he's bringing to you and you're thinking in that moment and I've been there I've been in that moment where the Holy Spirit Whispers something to you and you have that moment where you just immediately react and you say I can't I can't I can't confess that I.
Can't tell anybody that I can't turn from that and you have the opportunity at this moment to harden your heart to press the Lord away and to look at the Holy Spirit and say I don't want to hear from you I don't want to be led to Jesus I don't want forgiveness I don't want Redemption you have the opportunity also to not Harden your heart to hear his voice and to turn to him y'all they were around it but they missed.
Jesus that's what First Corinthians 10 says Paul says something that's very odd in First Corinthians 10. all were baptized into Moses and the cloud and in the sea all ate the same spiritual food and all drank the same spiritual drink for they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them and The Rock was Christ this moment at Horeb was going to be a picture of this provision of God and Paul looks at this story and he says that's Jesus in the midst of their quarreling in the midst of their sin in the midst of their Rebellion what does.
God do does he strike them no he strikes The Rock and The Rock brings life he gathers the elders together and they stand in God In God's Presence they stand and they stand before the Rock and instead of them being punished for their Rebellion instead of that being the final part of the story they cry they strike the Rock and the life pours forth miraculously Paul says that's Jesus then in the midst of our rebellion in the midst of our failure that.
God brought him forward before the elders that he was presented and that he was struck and from him comes life and you can be covered by Jesus that can be the end of your story that there's a fountain filled with blood where there's forgiveness of sins and Redemption and life or the story can be quarreling hard heart Romans says do you presume upon the riches of God's kindness and patience and forbearance not knowing that his kindness is meant to lead you to repentance that.
God is kind he's patient he forbears so that we would repent so that you would see and turn to him with your sin not run away from him in your sin but turn to him with your sin and ask for forgiveness but then it says because of your hard and penitent Hearts you're storing up a wrath for yourself on the day of God's Wrath when God's righteous judgment is revealed and those are the options and if you hear his voice today don't Harden your heart in Rebellion.
If the Holy Spirit the spirit of the Lord God Almighty Whispers to you I want to take the sin from you don't Harden your heart don't run from that Praise Jesus that there's forgiveness Praise Jesus that he was struck so that we can be forgiven Praise Jesus that in the midst of our Rebellion there is life the band's going to come back up Paul says that this happened to them but it was written for our instruction that we might not be like them you have the ability to harden your heart against the.
Lord Harden your heart against his voice to press back on him as he calls you don't do that repent ask for grace and forgiveness there's something potentially right now that you're saying I can't tell anybody that it'll ruin everything can I explain to you that not confessing and not repenting is what ruins everything hardening your heart is what ruins everything but breaking before the Lord and saying I Surrender and I need help and I need forgiveness and I need life rewrites the story in Grace.
So I don't know what the Holy Spirit's telling you this morning I just know you should listen I know you should surrender so we're going to take a second let's bow our heads and let's pray and let's listen and Lord we pray that if in your grace you are speaking this morning we would not Harden our hearts as in the day of rebellion that there would not be a single person in this room that pushes you back today it's by your wounds it's by your stripes it's by your suffering that we are healed and forgiven foreign.
Lord for those who are struggling right now in a place it's like a desert rather than wrestling with you may they sit and say I know that you provide and I know that you're good and I know that you will not keep one good thing from me and that if I don't need this I don't need this I just need you thank you listen to the Lord right now he's calling you to confession if he's calling you to repentance if there's someone you need to talk to you need to talk to them the band's going to play.
For a minute and give us a moment to listen don't Harden your heart against the Lord surrender to him he's good his kindness his forbearance his patient our meant patients are meant to lead you to repentance bring you to him but there's a day when that opportunity is over when the story is pinned there's a day of Wrath and may we all meet it covered by the blood and the grace of Christ not standing in our sin Holy Spirit we ask you to speak.