Exodus 3
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
Good morning. My name is Spencer. I am one of the pastors here. We're going to be in Exodus chapter 3 today. We're going to walk through that chapter together. That's on page 27 in your blue Bibles.
So if you have a blue Bible that's around you and near you, you can grab that and follow along. If you don't have a Bible at home, please take that. That is our gift to you. We want you to have a Bible that you can read, but the passage will also be on the screen. So one of the more popular stories that we love and you hear over and over again is the kind of story where a hero comes in and he saves the day by defeating the bad guys.
That is a classic that we like over and over again. We love Mel Gibson when in Braveheart he defeats the English. We love watching Liam Neeson fight to get his daughter back from traffickers and taken. We love Bruce Willis in Die Hard and in Die Hard 2 and in Die Hard with a Vengeance and in Live Free or Die Hard and in Die Hard and in Die Hardest. We even love him in the sixth sense where he die hard at the beginning. Like we love stories where a hero comes in and saves the day.
And Exodus is that. We're going to see throughout this book that Exodus is God as our hero who comes and redeems his people. And we're going to see specifically in Exodus 3 when the hero God introduces himself. And then he introduces himself in a fairly unique way and then he invites Moses to be a part of his redemption story. And then he tells them how he's going to defeat the bad guys and how this is going to play out. This is the introduction.
And as we're going to see that Exodus has a sequel. That the Old Testament is going to be pointing to the New Testament. We're going to see how Christ fulfills this. So let me pray and then we'll jump through this together. Father, I pray that you'd help us be present this morning. That we'd hear your word and we'd respond.
We'd respond in faith and repentance and in worship and delighting in you. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Okay, so we're going to start with verse 1. Verse 1 gives some context for where we're going. Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian.
So let me stop for a moment. We have fast-forwarded here. We're going to be able to see this in a few chapters. That Moses is now 80. Which I find helpful. That Moses has lived 80 years before God calls him to this great work.
I think it's helpful for us and some of our older folks to realize that just because you get older doesn't mean that God doesn't have something for you. Doesn't mean he can't call you and continue to use you. We're going to see that throughout Exodus. That Moses is being called in his latter years. So Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro.
Now some of you are like, wait a second. I listened intently last week. And that was not his name. His father-in-law was named Reuel. Why is his name Jethro now? Glad you asked.
Jethro and Reuel are the same person that is his father-in-law. And it's not uncommon in the Bible to have someone have two names. You see that with Jacob and Israel, which is his name. You see that with Paul and Saul. That's not uncommon for someone to have two different names. It's not uncommon for a region to have two different names.
That's normal throughout the scriptures. Commentators look at this and say that Jethro is more of his formal name attached to his priesthood title. While Reuel is more of a common name. But that's just a theory. But it's not uncommon to have two different names in this.
And also to point out, he's keeping the flock. Which means he's a shepherd. Which I find incredibly helpful as a foreshadowing for where he is going. And who he is going to be as he shepherds the people of Israel. And then it says, he led the flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. This is significant as we're going to see throughout Exodus.
Horeb is the same place as Mount Sinai. Horeb is where this redemption story is going to begin in his calling. But it's coming back here. And it's going to be called Mount Sinai. This is where God is going to deliver the Ten Commandments. So again, one region can have the same name.
Some commentators will look at this and say that Horeb is more of the region. And Sinai is more of the mountain itself. We don't know for sure. But these are the same. This is the same place. And this story is coming back here.
Alright, there's the context. Then we jump in in verse 2. It says, And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked and behold, the bush was burning. Yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.
When the Lord saw that, he turned aside to see God called to him out of the bush. Alright, let me pause there for a moment. If you read that, it can be a little bit confusing. Because it's like, wait a second. Is it an angel? Is it an angel of the Lord?
Is it a God? Like, what's happening here? Because it happens pretty quickly. And there are two main options for what's happening here. Either an angel or the angel of the Lord is first in the flame and then God shows up afterwards. Or this is God the entire time and he's just called the angel of the Lord.
Now, the angel of the Lord is a figure that shows up in multiple places throughout the Old Testament. It's as debated here as it is in the other places in the Old Testament as to who this is. The text doesn't really give us enough insight. So some people will say this is God. Some people will say this is Jesus. Some people will say this is an angel that prepares the way.
We don't know for sure. But you can get lost in the details of all of this and some of the significance of the fire and everything that's happening. And you actually miss what is really cool that happens here. That Moses, at 80 years old, is keeping a flock. And they're in the wilderness. And then all of a sudden he sees a bush that is on fire.
If you've ever been camping or out in the wilderness before, seeing anything on fire is alarming. That catches his attention. And this bush doesn't burn up. One of the most redneck things that I do is after Christmas, I burn my Christmas tree. Because it's awesome. It's a lot of fun.
Mildly dangerous, but worth it. And when you burn a bush or a tree, one of the things you see is that it quickly flames up. And then it starts to die down, to smolder. And that's not happening here. It is not consumed. It continues to burn.
It continues to burn. It continues to burn. And Moses sees this and it catches his attention. This is God uniquely calling Moses in to grab hold of his attention. And then he introduces himself. Verse 4.
When the Lord saw that, he turned aside to see. God called him out of the bush. Moses. Moses. And he said, here I am. Now, if you read throughout the Bible, the voice of God is a powerful and terrifying experience.
You pair that with the burning bush and how mesmerizing that is. I mean, this is mesmerizing and terrifying all at once. In verse 5, then he said, do not come near. Take your sandals off your feet. For the place on which you are standing is holy ground. Now, the Middle Eastern or Eastern ear that hears this, they get that immediately.
I was talking to Jamie Kern, one of our members who's currently in Lebanon for the next three months, discerning whether she's going to be there long term. And one of the things that she's been learning is just seeing some of these, some of the Bible come to life in a Middle Eastern culture. Because in that culture, she said, you take off your shoes before you go into someone's house. And that's what immediately stuck out to them, of course. You don't bring the filth of the outside that's on your shoes into a holy place. God says, take off your shoes.
This is holy ground. And then in verse 6, it says, and he said, I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. So he announces who he is, that he's the God of his forefathers. He uses that covenant language, God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob, that Moses would have known. This is the God of your ancestors, Moses.
And he calls out to him, and Moses is afraid. And that happens in the scriptures. When someone is in the presence of God, they're fearful. Because of the all-glorifying, awesome power of God, that we as sinners cannot stand in the presence of a holy and perfect God without this experience happening. He is fearful. And now God has his full attention, as he calls them.
Verse 7. Then the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings. I know their sufferings. And I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. That's the promised land.
You say, I'm going to bring you into the promised land. Verse 9. And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppressed them. So, for 400 years, for 400 years, the people of God have been in slavery and oppressed and afflicted in Egypt. That is longer than America has been a country. For 400 years, the people have been suffering.
That means that a generation rose up, was longing for the day when they might be saved, and they died. And the next generation rose up, and this happened over and over and over again, as the people are longing, waiting for rescue. And with every generation, more hope died. There had to have been some doubts that set in. Some doubts that set in. Does God see us?
Does He care? And in this statement to Moses, God makes it abundantly clear. He does care. He does see. He does know. And I find that incredibly helpful for us.
Some of you have suffered greatly. Over the past five years, I've had daily chronic pain in my back. It has not gone away. I'm no closer to figuring out what's happening there. And there's doubts that come in. Like, how long?
Like, what do you have? What's going on in this? Some of you have suffered far greater, for far longer. Some of you have felt financial troubles that mount up over and over and over again. And there are doubts that come in. It's like, does God see this?
Does God care? Now, what we see here is that God absolutely cares. And we don't always know exactly why we suffer. We have some biblical reasons. We see why the people of God suffered in this story. It was preparing for a greater redemption.
And we get some other reasons. But the why behind the why behind the why, that why me, like that, the greater why, we don't get answers to that. We don't know why we suffer in that regard. But don't miss for a moment. God is not distant. He absolutely cares.
And He helps Moses see that. I've seen the affliction of my people. He does care. And then the hero begins to reveal his plan. Verse 10, He says, Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt. So He said, I'm coming down to deliver.
He says in verse 9. And then in verse 10, I will send you to Pharaoh, Moses. Excited? You're coming to redeem. Oh, wait. You're sending me.
Moses, I'm sending you that you might deliver the people out. I find this incredibly helpful. God is going to have a showdown with a false God, Pharaoh. We're going to see that as Exodus unfolds. He's going to have this showdown with this false God. But He involves Moses.
He involves His people in His redemptive work. He just does. It's how our God works. From Moses to today. God doesn't need us. But He chooses to use us.
And He involves Moses in this redemptive work. And when Moses hears that he's going to be involved in this, his response is, wait, me? Verse 11, He says, But Moses said to God, Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt? Who am I that I, you're going to use me to do this? And sometimes, because we have, some of us have the story and we've heard this story and we've seen how God works in the scriptures. It's like, Moses, you've got Him on your side.
How do you not see this? But we fail to kind of step into His shoes and realize what He's being called to do here. If God called you to go to Russia right now and have a showdown with Putin, or to North Korea, have a showdown with Kim Jong-un, that would be a terrifying calling. All right? And that doesn't really match this. It would have, I mean, Putin and his family would have had to rule over this country for 400 years, making us slaves for this to be what happened.
That's what Moses is feeling. Generations have been suffering under the hand of Pharaoh. Even more of the point, Moses knows what happened when he left there and they tried to seek Him and hunt Him down and kill Him. This is a terrifying calling. And in the midst of this, he questions, me? And I love how God answers this because He doesn't answer, He doesn't answer Moses' question.
He doesn't speak to the adequacy of Moses here. He says, verse 12, He said, but I will be with you. I'll be with you, Moses. I love this, y'all. He doesn't correct Moses for his lack of faith. He tells Moses, but I'll be with you.
God is with His people. God calls us to do bold and courageous things. But He's with His people from Moses to the Great Commission when He says, Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptize in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Then He goes on to say what? I am with you always to the end of the age. God is with His people.
That's so helpful. Like when I tell my kids, I say, y'all, go upstairs, turn off the lights, come on back down. They'll step, sometimes they'll get to the bottom step and they'll just look up. And they're scared. And they're scared of the dark. And I'll say, y'all, listen.
I try to reason with them. There are no monsters up there. There are no bad guys up there. I try to reason with them. And reasoning with them doesn't work sometimes. Why?
Because they want my presence. They don't want me to hear. They want me to walk with them. Because when I'm with them, they're not afraid. And God is with us. And He tells Moses, I am with you.
But I will be with you and this shall be the sign for you that I have sent you. When you have brought the people of Egypt, when you've brought out, when you've brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain. So He tells them, Moses, I'm going to be with you. But then He gives them a sign that's not right now. That's future looking. So He says, I'm going to be with you, Moses.
But He calls them to faith because this sign of coming back to this mountain won't happen until later when God delivers the Ten Commandments. So He says, I'll be with you, Moses. But you're going to have to take a step of faith here. And then Moses responds with another question. Verse 13. He says, Then Moses said to God, If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, the God of your fathers has sent me to you and they ask me, what is His name?
What shall I say to them? Now, it's clear from the context here and what we're going to see. The people of God knew that He was the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. They remembered the covenant promise. It wasn't like God was introducing himself as some foreign God. They knew who this God was.
But Moses is asking for something more significant than the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob. He wants to know His name. What is your personal name? Because names, they have significance. They do. We feel that a little bit today.
Right? Some of you are having children, planning families, choosing baby names. Like, names have significance. One of the things I love to do is I love to introduce my children because I love to read people's responses. And what I've realized is, is the older you are, the less of a filter you have. So I introduce my kids.
I'll say, this is my daughter, Eloise. And they'll say, oh, what a beautiful name. I'll say, this is my other daughter, Karis, Lynn. And I'll say, Karis is, you know, it's Grace in Greek and Lynn's a family name. And they'll just go, oh, how beautiful. And then I'll say, and this is my son, Bridgers.
And they'll go, oh, it's a boy. Is that a family name? Yes, it is a family name. We also want them to get picked on in high school. But, those names have significance to us. It ties into our history.
It ties into our faith. Each of their names have that built in. But it doesn't really match the Old Testament. Because the Old Testament and the New Testament, the Bible times, those names had unbelievable significance. It told who you are. It told your story.
Like, I mean, Abraham, the name changed from Abraham to Abraham was father of many. That's telling his story. He's the father of a great nation, of a multitude of people. You see, other names like Moses that we saw last week, Moses means drawn out in the Hebrew. It speaks of how he was drawn out of the water. And in the Egyptian, it sounds like sun.
Names have significance. It tells who a person is. So Moses asks, what's your name? And part of what's happening here is a little bit of the other gods have names. I mean, the Egyptians' gods, they have Ra and Osiris and Horus and all the lot of Egyptian gods. They have names.
The surrounding gods and the nations that surround the promised land had names. Baal, or Baal, as we say in the south. That God has a name. What is your name? And how God responds here is one of the most significant verses in all of the scriptures. Verse 14.
God said to Moses, I am who I am. And he said, say to the people of Israel, I am has sent you. What is your name? God responds. I am who I am. Now, that phrase is one of the more difficult phrases to translate.
Okay? And the ESV, the version that we read from, it says, I am who I am in all caps. Saying this is the personal holy name of God. I am who I am. It's translated from four Hebrew consonants. The Hebrew consonants for Y-H-W-H.
That's where we get the word Yahweh or Jehovah from. And those consonants most likely are connected to the Hebrew verb, to be. So some form of to be. So in the Hebrew, it's Ech-Ya, Ech-Ya. So, to be is built into this. But it's also translated, I am who I am.
I am that I am. The ESV also has in the footnotes, I will be what I will be. It's some form of the word being. And what you'll notice is in the next verse, they stop using I am. In the next verse, it says, the Lord, and Lord is in all caps. Because that's built on a tradition that 300 to 500 years before Jesus came, they just stopped writing, I am who I am.
And substituted, the Lord. So, there are volumes of theology that have been written on this. There are a lot of opinions for thousands of years on what this means. I am who I am. I mean, even, we use commentaries to help us in preparing sermons, which are just comments on different parts of the Bible. And the commentaries that we're using say different things.
There are a lot of different opinions, which means preparing this and trying to understand this broke my brain a little bit. And I looked at this over and over again. And it's, what I love here is that God doesn't clarify this at all. He just goes straight into verse 15 when it says, God also said to Moses, say this to the people, the Lord, which is I am, the Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob has sent me to you. This is my name forever. And thus, I am to be remembered throughout all generations.
So, he doesn't explain it at all. He just says, you tell them I am sent you. That's how I'll be remembered. There's no clarifying from Moses at all. We're moving forward. So, if names are meant to absolutely summarize the meaning of an individual, to capture their history, their story, the essence of who they are, what does I am communicate?
That's the question. That's where volumes and volumes and volumes of writings in this have come from. I read the arguments. I listened to different teachings, different approaches on this. And then some things finally started to click to me, click for me. But the mystery of what he just said, I think is part of his response.
I think that's, that's part of the point here. When he says, what is your name? That's an unbelievable question, Moses. I think I would have asked the same. But I think mystery is part of the point.
How, Moses, how could God be summarized? How could the very essence of who God is, the vast expanse of his character, of his power, of who he is, how could that be summarized in a name, in a personal name? It's not that God doesn't have qualifying titles. It's not that he has other titles that show up throughout the scriptures. He does. I mean, even to this point in the book of Genesis, you see different titles that explain who God is.
In Genesis 14, he's called El Elyon, which means God Most High. In Genesis 16, he's called El Roy, which is God who sees me. In Genesis 17, he's called El Shaddai, which means God Almighty. In Genesis 21, he's called El Olam, which means God Everlasting. In Genesis 31, he's called El Bethel, which means God of Bethel. But Moses didn't ask for your titles.
He wanted more than the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, than the God of Jacob. God, what is your name? And God's seemingly non-answer, I think, is a part of the point. He just says, Moses, I am who I am. How could the vast expanse of who God is be summarized in a name? I just am Moses, and I've always been.
I am the God who is perfectly good. I am the God who is perfect. I am the God who is holy. I am the God who is just. I am the God who is merciful. I am the God who is abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
I am the God who is omniscient, who is all-knowing. I am the God who is omnipotent, which is all-powerful. I am the God who is omnipresent, which means I'm in all places at all times. I am the God who is immutable, meaning He never changes. I am the God who is sovereign, the one who reigns supremely over all things at all times. I am the God who will right every single wrong.
I am the God who does not let the guilty go unpunished. I am the God who is perfectly wise. I am the God who is forbearing and is patient. I am the God who is kind and is gentle and who has fearsome wrath and who has unmatched wisdom. Moses, I am who I am. I just am.
You cannot summarize all of who God is in a name. And when He says I am who I am, that is sufficient for you, Moses. And that is sufficient for the people of God. I just am. And then He continues in verse 16. He says, Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, The Lord, so that's I am, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob has appeared to me saying, I have observed you and what has been done to you in Egypt.
Remind me, I have seen all of it. And I promise that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey. And I'm going to bring you to the promised land. Verse 18. And they will listen to your voice. Moses, have no doubt.
They will listen to you. They will listen to your voice. And you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, the Lord, the God of the Hebrews has met with us and now please let us go three days journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God. So, reading that last part hit me differently this time around. I've put a lot of weight on the past readings that I've done when he says let my people go because partly because I filled in the rest of the story I know what that means that they're going to be freed completely but I think also because I grew up on the movie Prince of Egypt which is a classic which, side note, I fought for that to be the branding for this series but we have a plurality of elders and that was frowned upon.
But in that movie it's like it's a big like let my people go so that just kind of became like I just hear I read this and I'm just like yeah, let my people go is kind of what I read but it's not exactly what he says. He says let us go a three days journey into the wilderness so that we can sacrifice to the Lord our God. I read that this time around and I was like why the three day request? Why not just say we're leaving deal with it. Like why the three day request? After looking at it this week I think I think God is taunting Pharaoh.
I think God's taunting him. I think he's taunting him into war. He knows the pride and the ruthless reign of Pharaoh. He knows his heart. He knows he will never oblige a three day request to worship. This is a taste of what God is getting ready to do with this nation and this leader.
Verse 19 he says but I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand. so I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all the wonders that I will do in it. After that he will let you go. Man I think Moses to be clear I have no plans to show mercy on Pharaoh at all. That is not what's going down here. He has oppressed you all as slaves for 400 years. If he was going to let you go if I wanted that to happen just like that that's how it would go down by my mighty hand that is exactly what would happen but this nation is going to feel the full force of the wrath of I am.
That's one thing that we're going to see in Exodus is that Moses is not just a shepherd who is going to lead the people of God away from their oppressors he's a prophet and he is pronouncing judgment on Egypt.
Exodus 2
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
My wife suggested that I turn my mic on and hum, but I decided not to do that. We are in the book of Exodus. We're in Exodus chapter 2. It's our second week in the book of Exodus, and we are going to walk through all of Exodus chapter 2. We will not always go through a whole chapter. Sometimes we will cover more than that, but at the beginning it kind of has made sense to do chapter 1 and chapter 2 the first two weeks.
This morning we are going to go through this whole chapter, and we're just going to read through it and talk and just try to make some observations as we go. We're going to meet Moses. Now Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible. Now he wrote them under the leadership and authority of the Holy Spirit, but they are written by Moses. So Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy are written by Moses.
They are known as the Pentateuch or often referred to just as the law, these first five books of the Bible. And Moses stands as a primary figure in the life of the people of Israel. You have Abraham, who's the father of the nation, and then you have Moses, who God uses in the Exodus, which the word Exodus just means going out. It's a leaving of the people of Israel from Egypt. So he leads in the Exodus, and he's the one through whom God gives the law to the people.
And so three figures stand kind of primary in the life of the people of Israel, and that's Abraham, Moses, and David. And so Moses is a major figure in God's history of salvation with his people, and we're going to get to meet him this morning. Now when this was written, Moses has already, this has all happened, and Moses is still around. He's the one pinning this, and so he writes, records for them the history of what happens in Genesis, and then he records this, again, under the leadership of the Spirit. It's not just like he got to sit down and write what he wanted, but he is the one who writes this.
So we're going to begin in Exodus chapter 2, verse 1. We're going to pray as we begin this morning. Lord, we ask for your wisdom and your help as we study your work. We ask for the work of your Spirit in us to believe, to trust, to see your goodness. Lord, we ask for you to reveal more of yourself to us, that we might more delight in you, that we might see our sin and repent, and we might find freedom and forgiveness in your grace. We ask all this in Jesus' name.
Amen. So what we're going to do is we're going to read through this, we're going to meet Moses, study through, just kind of talk through what's happening, and then towards the end of this chapter, we're going to see as the book of Exodus kind of pivots and sets up this major, here's what's about to happen kind of moment, and we're going to learn a little bit about the character of God, and what we're going to learn, which is what happens every time you learn something about the character of God, is that it's wonderful, that who he is is glorious, and it's wonderful, and it's exactly what we need. So we're going to learn a little bit about the character of God, and in so doing, see something wonderful about him, and something good for us. So, glorious about him, good for us, that's where we'll get to end this morning.
All right, chapter 2, verse 1. Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son. Okay. These are Moses' parents, we're going to find that out later. He knows their names.
We find out what their names are in chapter 18, but right now all that matters is that they're Levites. Levites being the people who God later in this book is going to make the priestly people, the priestly tribes. So that hasn't happened yet in the book. It's happened when Moses was writing this, and that's why it's important to say these are two Levite people. That's why it makes a difference. It says, The woman conceived and bore a son.
Now that would normally be wonderful news. But we're in the time of the Israelites being slaves in Egypt, and Pharaoh just made a decree that ended chapter 1, which is this. Every son that is born to the Hebrews, you shall cast into the Nile, but you shall let every daughter live. So there's no ultrasounds. There's probably some older ladies that looked at her and said, Oh, the baby's in the front, so it's a boy. Whatever that means.
Because I'm pretty sure you carry all babies in the front. But those are things that would be said to my wife periodically. I can tell how the way you're carrying that baby. It's a boy. So there's things like that potentially.
Oh, you're allergic to this now. That made you throw up. It's a girl. Whatever. They had those things, but they did not have any real way to know the gender of the baby until it was born. And when it's born, this moment, it would be wonderful and delightful and exciting, even though it's troubling to bring a child into a world where they're going to be a slave.
But if it's a son, the decree now is you spot a male Hebrew child, you throw it in the river. If you have a son, you throw it in the river. And if someone sees you with your son, they take it from you and they throw it in the river. This is heartbreaking. What would be a joyful moment is met with sadness. But it says this.
She had a son. And when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. That phrase, saw that he was a fine child, in the Hebrew is when she saw him that he was good. And that's the exact same phrasing that is used in Genesis in the creation accounts. That God creates something and he sees it that it is good. And I think all that this is meant to say is not that if he hadn't been fine, she would have done something different.
But that upon having this child, maybe she in her head was thinking, I'm going to have to follow through. You know, hopefully it's a daughter, but I'm going to have to follow through like we're in this situation where if it's a son. But what happens is she has a son and sees that, no, life is good. It's too wonderful to have a son. This is a good thing that God has created that is a blessing. And she just at that moment is like, I can't do it.
I'm not going to be able to go forward with what Pharaoh has decreed. And so she hid him for three months. It doesn't tell us how. It doesn't tell us what her day looked like as a slave. It doesn't tell us how often she had to try to sneak back to him. It doesn't tell us if she hid him and tried to pretend like it was a girl.
It doesn't tell us if she tried to act like she'd never had a son. It doesn't tell us any of these things. It's just that she hid him. And I'm sure there were some close calls. I'm sure there were some times where she was trying to get him to quit crying. But she hides him for three months.
But then it gets to where it's not doable anymore. And it says when she could hide him no longer. She's reached the place now. He's three months old. She's had the joy and the delight and the stress of having a child for three months. And she's coming to the conclusion, I'm not going to be able to keep this up.
There's no way to hide him forever. And if someone sees him, if someone sees him, it's over with for him. They'll take him and they'll kill him. And so she comes up with a plan. It says when she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. And she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the riverbank.
So she waterproofs a basket and then places her child in the Nile. She in some way does technically what Pharaoh said to do, but without accomplishing what Pharaoh wanted. But can you imagine crafting this basket, hoping it'll float, knowing you're going to stick your child in it, placing him in a river and then what? Waiting to see what happens. This is an awful day. She's giving him a chance.
It's different from just casting him in the Nile. And she knows that if someone comes along and finds him, she's hoping for something. We can assume that she's praying for something, but this is awful. And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him. It seems as if they're going to watch. Sister's going to watch.
It says, now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river. It seems as if they maybe knew this was a place that was frequented by people. It doesn't tell us that. It seems like maybe they had a bit of a plan, but the daughter just stays and watches this basket. We don't know if they stuck it in a remote place and this randomly happened, or if they knew this was a place where people bathed and they put him there on purpose. It doesn't tell us any of that.
We just know that his sister watched. Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman and she took it. When she opened it, she saw the child and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, this is one of the Hebrews' children. She kind of figures out, okay, this is what's happened, but it says she took pity on him.
So she sees this baby crying and at this moment he's in her hands. His life is in her hands. She has the ability to do what her dad has said to do and throw him in the Nile. But it says she takes pity on him. We can almost see her smiling at him. Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?
I don't think that they usually were allowed to just go address the Pharaoh's daughter, little slave children. But she just trots up and says, hey, I couldn't help but know she had a baby there. You want somebody to take care of it for you? And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, go. So the girl went and called the child's mother.
And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, take this child away and nurse him for me. And I will give you your wages. So the woman took the child and nursed him. This story is crazy. Can you imagine the mom's not there? The daughter runs in and says, hey, Pharaoh's daughter has your son.
I don't know if they had named him at this point. We don't know anything about that. And come. I said I would go fetch someone to nurse him. So she comes.
And I don't know. It doesn't tell us any of these details. I don't know if Pharaoh's daughter was naive. I don't know if Pharaoh's daughter saw all the way through this. I don't know how good Moses' mother's poker face was. But if you just put your child in a basket and went back to your house and then your daughter comes back.
Like the amount of sorrow and excitement. Like I don't know how you'd not have that on your face. I don't know how nonchalantly she was able to be like, yeah, it's whatever. I'll nurse him for you. I mean, I got nothing else to do, you know. Like I don't know how she was able to do that.
But she gets in a situation where she gets her own child back and she gets paid to take care of him. Now none of us wants to be in the situation that led to that. But getting paid to take care of your own children sounds nice. But the way that the Lord works in this to completely reverse the situation is amazing. That he works in a bunch of what we would say, what a random set of circumstances. How crazy is that?
It's like, yeah, the Lord's at work. And we're supposed to see that. So the woman took the child and nursed him. When the child grew older, that's when he would be weaned. There's no way to feed a baby. He didn't have formula, so you needed a wet nurse if you're going to feed a baby.
And so when he's weaned, he's two to three probably. When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter. Again, now another heartbreaking set of things that has to happen. Her son's going to live, but he won't be with her. But in this circumstance where his other option was drowning to death as an infant, this is a beautiful picture of God's grace to be at work for this mother.
To know her son will live. She brought him to Pharaoh's daughter and he became her son. And she named him Moses because she said, I drew him out of the water. Moses sounds a lot like the Hebrew word for drew out. It also sounds a lot like the Egyptian word for son. And so in his name, there's this picture of a son that's been drawn out.
And in his name, there's a picture of ultimately what God's going to do with the people of Israel. He's going to draw out his firstborn son, the people of Israel from Egypt. But she says, because, she said, I drew him out of the water. She names him Moses. And this is the moment where if we were good Israelite people, we probably would already know this story. But if we didn't, we'd go, oh, Moses.
Like, that's a big deal. And so that's what happens. We say, oh, God was at work in his birth. God was at work in the circumstances to keep Moses alive for God's purposes. I want to make one quick, I want to just point something out for us. Because it's not lost on the author of the book.
Multiple times in chapter 1, Pharaoh said, kill the boys, let the girls live. Let the daughters live. Pharaoh seems to not be that concerned about the threat that daughters would have. He's worried about males growing up and males fighting against him. He's not really concerned about the threat of daughters. But so far in chapters 1 and 2, five daughters have caused him a lot of problems.
Shiphrah and Puah, who didn't do what he said. Moses' mother. Moses' sister. And Pharaoh's own daughter. It's not lost on the Bible. It's not meant to be lost on us.
That how God works through daughters to accomplish his will. To thwart the plans of kings. And you will fail to acknowledge that to your own demise. And so we just need to see that and understand how God works beautifully through both sons and daughters. Alright. Verse 11.
One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their burdens. And he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people. Okay. Moses has grown. Stephen tells us in Acts that he's 40. And he goes out to see his people, the Hebrews.
He sees an Egyptian. Egyptian's not his people. The Hebrews his people. And suddenly, I don't know about y'all, I have 1,000 questions. He was Pharaoh's grandson. What did it look like for him to grow up?
How Egyptian is he? Did they tell Pharaoh that he was Hebrew? Did she just show up with a baby? Is that normal? Were we okay with this? Did he get to grow up in the household?
Like, was it normal for them to do this? Why does he still understand that he's Hebrew? Were they nice to him? Or did they treat him like a Hebrew? Like, I have all these questions. And we get one day when he was grown up.
The Bible does not care about these questions. They're irrelevant to the story. The Bible gives us the information that we need to have. There's one bit of clarification that we're going to see in Hebrews 11 that gives us, shines a little light on this. But we'll see it as we keep going.
So he goes out to see these people. And it says, So what we see is that what was held out for him was pleasures of sin. Treasures of Egypt. Being the son of Pharaoh's daughter. Or aligning himself with God's people. Taking on burdens.
Taking on reproach. And looking ahead. Looking ahead. Like Shifra and Pua from last week who understood that this life's short. And at some point we stand before the ultimate king. Looking ahead to a reward that's beyond earthly things.
And how many people throughout history have pursued treasure and pleasure over following the Lord. Being willing to take burdens and reproach because he's better. And because eternity is better. How much is treasure and pleasure just a rhymey way to talk about the American dream? Honestly, I think that quite often if we're honest with ourselves. When we dream about the future.
What we dream about is me. I haven't changed. When I think about me in the future. It's not like I bet I'll be more patient. Maybe every once in a while I have that. Like for a fleeting moment.
And then I'm like maybe everybody in the future will be less annoying. Like I don't really think about my own character growth. I don't really think about maybe in the future I'll have developed. What I think a lot of times if I'm just. You catch me daydreaming. It's me.
But with more pleasure. And more treasure. It's me. But I'm on a beach. It's me. But my truck is new.
And I'm driving to the beach. Like whatever. And I think that so often. If you'll pay attention to the way you're thinking. That you probably drift that way as well. Things are more enjoyable.
That most of our lives is based off of. Let me find a little bit of pleasure. Let me get a little bit of treasure. Now it specifically says this is the pleasures of sin. Not to say that there aren't things that we can delight in and enjoy. In a non-sinful way.
But there is something about the allure. Of pleasure and treasure. That certainly makes us not want to take on burdens and reproach to follow Jesus. But Moses says no I'm going to join the slaves. I'm not going to stay in the palace. And so here's what he does.
It says when he'd grown up he went out to his people and he looked on their burdens. And he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew one of his people. He looked this way and that. And seeing no one he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. Something happens in Moses. Viewing his people.
He sees one being abused and beaten. And it says he stands there for a second and he looks around. And then he kills the Egyptian. Hides him. The Bible gives no commentary. On whether or not this was a part of God's righteous war against the Egyptian oppression.
Or whether this was Moses' unrighteous anger. In a moment that led him to murder. We don't know if this was like killing in a war. Because God's people are oppressed. And that Moses is taking his first step as the real leader of the Israelite people. Or if this is Moses trying to get something drummed up on his own.
We don't know. We know he sees this. Premeditates it. He looks around. He steps in and does something on behalf of a weaker party. But he kills somebody.
And he hides them. And in that moment he's definitively chosen. I'm not going to be the son of Pharaoh's daughter. I'm joining with these people. I think we're meant to read Moses. If I was going.
If you were going to make me choose. I think I would read Moses. Given what we know about Moses as we keep going. And what we know about Moses as the Bible talks about him. I think I would read him in a more generous light. That he was trying to righteously defend the people of Israel.
But there is room for. That may not be what really just happened. And he certainly does kill someone. And bury them. It says. When he went out the next day.
So he goes home. Goes to sleep. We can assume. He goes out the next day. This is his thing now. He's going out to see his people.
He's going out to partake in their burdens. He's going to see what's going on here. It says when he went out the next day. Behold two Hebrews were struggling together. And he said to the man in the wrong. Meaning he evaluated the situation.
And knew this guy was wrong. Why do you strike your companion? That word strike. Has been used three times right in a row. An Egyptian was striking a Hebrew. Moses struck an Egyptian.
Why do you strike your companion? It's the same word. In Hebrew. So we're to see this situation just playing out again. And so he comes now. It's not an Egyptian beating a Hebrew.
It's a Hebrew beating a Hebrew. And he says why are you doing this? I'm going to make three observations about this. Two that I think we really need to see in the text. And one that I just think we ought to see. The first one I think we ought to see.
That I just want us to recognize. Is that I think. If you ask the Israelites. What is your problem? They would say. The Egyptians.
If you ask the Hebrew. What's the problem? The Egyptians are the problem. If you ask Moses. What's the problem? He would say the Egyptians are the problem.
But we've got back to back situations. Where one time it was an Egyptian. And this time it's two Hebrews. And I don't think we should miss the fact. That the Hebrews. Are part of the problem.
It's not just an external problem. There's also an internal problem. And the reason I think this is helpful for us. Is that I think. And I've pastored for ten years now. And I know myself.
I think we're most likely to notice external problems. Before we notice internal problems. I think. It's easier for you to understand. That your boss is the worst. The worst.
If your spouse. Would just get their stuff together. If your children wouldn't act like this. If your parents wouldn't act like this. We wouldn't have any problems. I don't know if y'all know this about me.
You would if you got to know me. I'm wonderful. And if I ever have problems at my house. It's the people that live at my house with me. That cause these problems. And if they would see things the way I see them.
And if they would understand that I was correct. When I said it the first time. So I didn't have to say it the second time louder. We wouldn't have any of these issues. That's in general how we approach life. That my problems are external problems.
If I had more money. If I just could get rid of. This thing for my life. If I could get rid of this person for my life. If they would change how they were acting. Then I wouldn't have any more problems.
And I just think it's helpful for us to acknowledge. For us to see. That I think the Hebrews would have said the same thing. And I don't want to give away the whole story. But I'm about to.
They get out of Egypt. And it's awesome. We're going to get to see it. Their problems don't stop. They get rid of the Egyptians. But there's a Hebrew problem as well.
And I think it's helpful for us to acknowledge. That works that way for us. One of the phrases I learned one time. Was that wherever you go. There you are. And it's just that.
Kind of tongue-in-cheek way of saying. You're going to keep having problems. Because you're part of them. So. That's the first thing. I just don't want us to miss.
The second thing. Two things that I think. That we really need to see in the text. And the text is making sure we see. Is this. It says.
Why do you strike your companion? In verse 14. It says. He answered. Who made you a prince. And a judge over us.
Do you mean to kill me. As you killed the Egyptian. So he goes and breaks up this fight. He says. What on earth. Why are you acting like this.
He looks at the guy in the wrong. And the guy in the wrong says. Who put you in charge. Are you here to murder me. Is that your thing now. You just run over to fights.
And murder people. Two things I think we need to see. The text. Shows us. They reject Moses. Authority over them.
This is actually a good example. Of what's going to continue to happen. He says. Who made you a prince. And a judge over us. Well the reality is.
He's not a prince. And a judge over them yet. But God is going to send him back. As a prince. And a judge over them. He's going to be the one who evaluates.
He's going to be the one who leads. And there's a rejection. Of his authority. That when he first shows up. And tries to do this. They reject this.
They don't want to have anything to do with him. Being the person who's in charge of things. Secondly. And this is the one that wasn't lost on Moses. Oh my goodness. People know I killed somebody.
That's the one that Moses. That was the big takeaway he took. And that's what it says. Are you going to kill me. Like you killed him. And he.
Then Moses was afraid. Made and thought. Surely the thing is known. And I read a couple commentaries. And they kept being like. I guess somebody saw.
He didn't think anybody saw. But somebody saw. And what I think is. The guy who was being beaten. By the Egyptians saw. And was like.
Hey guys. You know. The prince. Moses. The prince that's got a Hebrew name. Maybe they knew some of his story.
I was getting beaten by an Egyptian. And he killed him. I think that guy probably told people. If I had to guess. The one other person who was there. I wanted to write a letter to the guy.
Who wrote the commentary. Like I think I figured out the mystery. Surely the thing is known. When Pharaoh heard of it. So Pharaoh hears about it as well.
This news travels. He sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh. And stayed in the land of Midian. And he sat down by a well. Thlees.
Goes to Midian. Sits by a well. This is Midian. We looked at this map last week. That's Midian. See my sweet paint skills.
So up there where it says Cairo. Where it's green. That little crescent there. Goshen's just to the right. Is where most of the Hebrew people were. And somewhere over here is Egypt.
All along the Nile River there. And then into the Nile Delta. And then he would have left. And come around to Midian somehow. But he escapes to Midian.
It's a different place. It's a good bit of way. And he's there. And he sits down by a well. Which if we know anything about arid climates. And wells.
You can guess. He's probably about to meet some people. And if you know anything about the Bible. And wells. You can guess. Those people are about to be female people.
And you'd be right. Here we go. Verse 16. Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. And they came and drew water. And filled the troughs to water their father's flock.
So he's got seven daughters. That are shepherdesses. And they are taking care of his flock. The priest of Midian. We don't know. To whom he was the priest.
The Midianites are descendants of Abraham. Through a concubine. But whether or not. They're not the covenant people of God. And most peoples at this time. It was very odd to be monotheistic.
To have one God. So most likely. He is a priest. That helps you worship. The gods in Midian. Potentially.
God. God. Is one of those. But we really don't know. He overall. In the book of Exodus.
Is seen in a fairly good light. And he does later say. That I can see now. That God is the only God. And he does offer sacrifices to him. Or that he's the greatest God.
Even if he doesn't say the word only. All right. Now the priest of Midian. Had seven daughters. And they came and drew water. And they filled their troughs.
To water their flock. And Moses is just there. The shepherds came. And drove them away. But Moses stood up.
And saved them. And watered the flock. So. Moses. Escapes to Midian. Sad.
Probably. Scared. Probably. But also like. I think I've made it far enough away. Knowing that.
He's had to take flight. Because Pharaoh was trying to kill him. He sits next to a well. Which is the place you sit. You get some water. Seven.
Daughters of Midian show up. Tend into their flock. Walk them up. They start filling up the troughs. And then another. Flock comes.
With shepherds. That just. Bully them. And run them off. And start letting their. So that.
The girls have done the work. They drew the water. They filled the troughs. These guys roll up. And they're like. Move.
Like if you ever had an older brother. That when you were brushing your teeth. Would just push you out of the way. This kind of. Same kind of thing. Like they're just.
Get out of here. We're in charge now. And then it says. Moses stood up. And saved them. And again.
I want more information. We know a few things. Usually. Men. That push women around. Are cowards.
And I'm not even sure. I'm sold on the word. Usually. I think we can just go with. Men who push women around. Are cowards.
And so that. Whenever a man shows up. And stands up to them. Quite often. They don't have any more fight in them. So we don't know.
How far Moses had to take this. We do know. How far Moses is willing to take it. And I don't know. If the shepherds picked up on that. I know that if this was a movie.
He'd have said some line like. I've killed before. And that was in my hometown. I'll kill again. Because I don't care about staying in Midian. Like he'd have something like that to say.
But he stands up. And he saves them. And then. It says. He waters their flock. And I love this.
And I don't know about y'all. But the more I learned about Moses. The more I'm liking him. Now. You might argue. That he meddles.
And he seems like he does. But there's something about Moses. That can't watch somebody being oppressed. Or bullied. Or mistreated. Without stepping in.
On that TV show. What would you do? Where something sketchy happens. And they watch people watch. I know what Moses would do. He would be all up in the middle of it.
Because there's something in him. That can't let him just hang out. And watch things happen. That aren't going. Like that people be mistreated. People be oppressed.
He can't do it. He could have been Pharaoh's daughter. Pharaoh's daughter's son. And he chooses. No I'm going to align with the people who are oppressed. And he goes into this situation.
And he steps up. And he. And then he waters their flock. So can you imagine. He's run these guys off. And then he sits there.
And he pours all the water back in for him. And all these guys just have to wait. However many shepherds there were. Just waiting until they're done. And they're done. He sends them on.
And he says okay. Y'all can come now. They're done. It says that he stood up. And saved them. Verse 18.
When they came home to their father Reuel. Which means friend of God. Reuel. He said. How is it that you have come home so soon today? So he's got priestly duties.
They're overseeing his flock. They don't ever get home this early. Because this was the normal pattern. Of them getting pushed around. I think they probably knew. They were drawing water.
For the other flock. But that was just how it was going to have to work. They had to get it all set up. Get it started. Then they get pushed out of the way.
He says. Why are you home so soon? And they said. An Egyptian. Meaning that's what he looked like to them. Delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds.
And even drew water for us. And watered the flock. And he said to his daughters. Then where is he? Why have you left the man? This is the best man I've heard of in this whole place.
He should have followed you here. Now it's possible. We're Western. We're like. In our mind. It'd be fine for them to invite him to come back to their house.
It is possible. That for them. They weren't really allowed to do that. But they're playing him up. And he says. Where is he?
Why have you left him? In kind of a. They say things not as directly. And it's like. He's now giving them permission. It's also possible.
That they really should have invited him. And he's like. What are y'all doing? Either way. Dads of daughters. Take an active role.
In helping them find a good one. Then it says this. Where is he? Why have you left the man? Call him. That he may eat.
Bread. Moses was content. To dwell with the man. And he gave Moses. His daughter. Zipporah.
So. Moses comes. And then we just. Jump ahead. Moses was happy to live with this guy. And be a part of their family.
And so. He's given. His daughter over to him. And he marries into the family. And she gave birth to a son. And he called his name.
Gershom. For he said. I have been a sojourner. In a foreign land. He feels his displacement. Alright.
Quick. Biblical. Dating advice. For young men. Isaac. Met his wife at a well.
Jacob. Meets his wife at a well. Moses. Meets his wife at a well. At a well. Young men.
Go get near water. Women have to drink. They gotta stay hydrated. We don't have wells. But stand next to water fountains.
And he drew the water for him. So be like. Hey. I'll press that for you. You can go hands free. And then say some like.
Good biblical pick up line. Like. I'd like to talk to your father. About marrying you. You're welcome. See how that goes.
Alright. Alright. Be willing to stand up for people. Who cannot stand up for themselves. I think that's a better thing to learn from Moses. That Moses is willing to.
In all these situations. Take on pain. Take on fear. Take on burden. For the sake of someone else. And I think it's a godly thing.
To do. Alright. Now it turns. This is where we're going to get to see something beautiful about the Lord. During those many days. The king of Egypt died.
And the people of Israel groaned. Because of their slavery. And cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery. Came up to God. And God heard their groaning.
God remembered his covenant with Abraham. With Isaac. And with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel. And God knew. There's four things that we're told that God does.
He heard. He remembered. He saw. And he knew. And in this we see. That this is exactly.
What. If we were wise enough to hope for it. What we would hope God would be like. If we were wise enough to understand. How. How we would want God to be.
This is exactly how we would want him. To be. And I want. I want to help us. See this this morning. It says he's.
He's heard. And that he remembered his covenant. With Abraham. With Isaac and Jacob. When we see that word remembered. We're inclined to think.
Had he forgotten. It's like he heard them groaning. And was like. Oh yeah. That's not at all what that means. First of all.
That's a covenantal word. The remembered. Meaning he's going to keep to his covenant. Also the word remembered. If it helps you. We can use it as.
Oh I just remembered. Where I left my keys. Or we can also use it as. You remembered my birthday. Yes I remembered. As in.
I never forgot. Another way to read that is. God had not forgotten. His covenant. To Abraham. Isaac and Jacob.
So he hears their groaning. And then it says. But God hadn't forgotten. What he promised to do. God hadn't forgotten. What he was going to do.
God hadn't forgotten. What he committed to do. God had not forgotten. What he covenanted to do. That's what it means. God remembered.
And so we actually want. We need. A God. Who. Hears. And sees.
And knows. We need that. They need that. They need the God. Who hears. And sees.
And knows. And shows up. In personal circumstances. For individual families. But we also need a God.
Who hears. And sees. And knows. And shows up. To defend. Against an entire nation.
Where there's oppression. And we need a God. Who hears. And sees. And knows. All the way into.
Our very hearts. And our interactions. With one another. That it's not just the people of Egypt. That are a problem. But the people of Israel.
Are a problem as well. We need a God. Who hears. And sees. And knows. But then.
We need a God. Who Acts. In accordance. With his covenantal faithfulness. Because him just hearing. Seeing.
And knowing. If he then had to act. In accordance. With your faithfulness. If he then had to act. In accordance.
With your merit. We'd be in trouble. What if he sat up there. And said. Okay. I hear that this is a problem.
But let's investigate. Whether or not these Hebrews. Deserve this. What measure is he using? If he looked at you. And said.
I hear your situation. I see your situation. I know your situation. And then basically. Had an interview. Where he said.
Come in. Sit down. Let's talk. I want to find out real quick. If you've made the situation worse. With your own attitude.
And your own words. I want to find out real quick. If you've ever actually been in a situation. Where you've done similar things. To other people. I want to find out real quick.
I need to evaluate. Your merit. I need you to sit down. And let's figure out. Whether or not I'm going to help. We'd be in trouble.
We know the Hebrew people. Would be in trouble. Because as soon as he said. Well let's see. If y'all are making this worse. We already have that answer.
So we need a God. Who hears. And sees. And knows. And then responds. Out of his own covenantal faithfulness.
Out of his own promises. The way he's going to do that here. Is he's going to raise up Moses. Who's an unlikely person to use. But he raises him up.
And he uses him. To bring about his promises. And what he's done for us. Moses is just a small picture. We're actually told in Hebrews. That Jesus is a guarantor.
Of a better covenant. Than Moses is. What he's done for us. Is the same thing. Where he sent Jesus. Who like Moses.
We said it earlier. He had equality with God. Moses could have had equality. With Pharaoh's household. But he chose.
To be burdened. And to gain reproach. Jesus had equality with God. But he chose rather. To join his people. To be burdened.
To take on our reproach. And to make promises. That he does not have to make. When God covenanted with Abraham. And Isaac. And Jacob.
He made promises. That he made. Out of his own goodness. And he keeps them. Out of his own goodness. He doesn't have to make them.
But Jesus comes. Does not have to do this. But he makes promises. Out of his own goodness. And he. The night before he dies.
He takes a cup. And he says. This is a new covenant. In my blood. For the forgiveness. Of sins.
And so we get to go to God. Not based off of our own merit. Our cry gets to rise to heaven. Our groaning gets to rise to heaven. And we get to plead with him. Based off of our need.
And his covenantal faithfulness. Lord. Lord. You promised. And sealed it with the blood of Christ. That you will forgive sins.
And you will not fail to do that. You promised. And you sealed with the blood of Christ. That you would forgive my sins. And that you would give me eternal life. And that you would give me a hope.
And I can trust. That you will not fail to do that. That you have not forgotten. Your covenant. But that you remember the promise.
You made to Jesus. And that he made to us. I know you see me. All of me. I know you know me. All of me.
And I know that you will act. Not in accordance with me. But in accordance with your covenantal faithfulness. And that is exactly what we need. That is good news. The band is going to come back up.
We are going to sing together. And church family. Some of you right now. You have placed your faith in Jesus. You are trying to follow him. But there is sin.
And there is part of you that feels like. How can I sin? Even though I am trying to follow Jesus. Will he get rid of me? Will he run me off? Will I be unwelcome?
Will him? And the reality is we get to go to him in repentance. Trusting in his covenantal faithfulness. That he promised and sealed with his blood. That he will forgive sins. And we get to go.
Lord forgive me. The hope that we have is not in your behavior. The hope that we have is not in your neediness. The hope that we have is that you won't somehow merit the ability to jump to the front of the line. The hope is not in you. It's in him.
That he'd remember his covenant. That he'll keep his promises. Oh and he will. Some of you have not placed your faith in Jesus. You haven't come to him. You're groaning and your cry has not come up to him.
Where you've said I need help. I need a rescuer. I need a redeemer. Maybe you think that what he expects from you is good behavior. That he's going to say hey clean up your life a little bit. Get it together a little bit.
And then we'll talk. Show me your neediness. Show me your desire. Show me that you're putting in some effort. That I'm a God who helps those who help themselves. But the reality is he's like Moses.
But to an itth degree that he helps those who can't help themselves. That Jesus is a greater Moses who shows up and rescues the people who could not rescue themselves. And then comes and makes us home with them. That he invites us in. That you don't have to earn anything. But you get to come to him and say I have nothing to offer.
I just need a rescuer. And that he Acts in accordance with his promises. That he'll forgive sins. And I would invite you to trust in Jesus. Because he will not fail to save. Because he will not fail.
Let's pray. Father we ask that you would respond to us according to your covenantal faithfulness. That you would remember your promises that you made to Abraham. That to the whole world he would be a blessing. And that you through Jesus brought about that blessing. And that you would remember the promise that you made to Jesus.
That you would hold to your covenantal faithfulness. That you will forgive sins for all those who will trust in you. That if our groaning comes to you. If our cry comes to you. That you will rescue and save to the uttermost. That you will take our sins as far away as the east is from the west.
And that you will remember them no more. And we praise you that you are a God who does not fail. You are a God who has not forgotten your promises. And that we can come to you and be washed clean. And Lord if there's a Christian in here this morning who's walking in sin. I pray that you would help them to repent.
And to appreciate and delight in the forgiveness that was purchased for them by the blood of Christ. And if there's someone in this room who has not yet come to you and said. That I need a savior. I will not do this on my own. I need someone who goes to work inside of me. Lord we pray that you would help them right now.
Through your spirit. To trust in you fully and forever. To know that you have promised to forgive sins of all those who come to you. We praise you in Jesus name. Amen. Amen.
Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.grown
Intro to Exodus (Exodus 1)
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
Good morning. My name's Chet. I'm one of the pastors here. Grab your Bibles. Go to the book of Exodus. If you grab one of the blue Bibles down in the chair in front of you, it'll be on page 26.
It's the second book of the Bible. We are about to work our way on Sundays through the book of Exodus. There are 40 chapters in the book of Exodus. We are going to go through Exodus chapter 1 today, and we're trying to accomplish two things. Exodus. The first thing we're going to do in the first half of Exodus chapter 1 is introduce the book of Exodus.
We're going to try to understand where we are, what's going on, what's happening, and kind of set the stage for what happens in the rest of the book of Exodus. And then we are going to zoom in because the second half of the first chapter of the book of Exodus zooms in on an interaction between the Pharaoh and some Hebrew midwives. And as we zoom in on that, we're going to continue to see one of the major themes that's going to happen in the book of Exodus. And we're going to try to this morning, take a little bit of courage and a little bit of correction from these two midwives. So that's our hope.
Introduce the book of Exodus and then learn a little bit from this story that we're greeted with in the first chapter. This all takes place in 1800 to 1400 BC, and we're going to cover about 300 years today. And so we're going to go from about 1800 BC to 1500 BC. And as you're working your way BC, if you're working your way towards Christ, it counts down. So 1800 is further away than 1400.
And we keep working our way till we get to Jesus. But we won't get to Jesus today in time. We will talk about him. But we'll go 1800 to 1400 today, or 1800 to 1500. So let's pray and then let's start reading.
Lord, we ask that you would bless our study of the book of Exodus and that you would bless our time this morning. We ask that your Holy Spirit would move through the proclamation of your word to lead us to repentance and to faith. And we ask this in Jesus name. Amen. Exodus chapter one, verse one. These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each with his household, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
All the descendants of Jacob were 70 persons. Joseph was already in Egypt. Then Joseph died and all his brothers and all that generation. But the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly. They multiplied and grew exceedingly strong so that the land was filled with them. Exodus assumes that you know the book of Genesis.
And there are a few obvious clues in this opening text. One of them we can't see in the ESV, in our English translation that we have. Some of you might have a different English translation. The first Hebrew word in the book of Exodus is the word and. The reason the ESV doesn't do it is because the English, we don't do that in English. It would be bad grammar.
But that's what happens in Hebrew. So some versions of the Bible will start with and. Some will start with now. But it just says and. And then it just keeps on going. Also the first nine words in Exodus are a direct quote from Genesis chapter 46.
And it also just assumes you know things. Like it says these are the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob. Well Israel and Jacob are the same person. It assumes you know that it also says Joseph was already in Egypt while it's listing people like you know who Joseph is and you know he was already in Egypt. If this was a new story, it'd be a little weird to introduce Joseph and then immediately kill him off because it says Joseph was already in Egypt. Then Joseph died.
OK, well, sorry for Joseph. We just met him. No, you're supposed to know what's happening because you're supposed to know the book of Genesis. In 1997, the first Harry Potter book hit the shelves. I turned 10 in 1997. And so I'm 34.
So nobody has to sit and do math. I turned 10 in 1997 and Harry Potter in the first book is 10. He starts off 10. He turns 11. These books were aimed right at me like they were intentionally designed for 10 year old boys to pick up, read and like keep going. Girls could read them, too.
That wasn't like I didn't mean to make that sexist or something, but just they were aimed at my generation to read and to like grow up with. And so that having been said, I don't think I heard about Harry Potter until I was like 21, paid no attention to it whatsoever. The first Harry Potter thing I interacted with, I was married. My wife and I had never read any Harry Potter, never seen any movies, but my mom wanted to go. And we said we would go with her to see the movie that had just come out in 2009. And she said, are you sure?
It's kind of in the middle of stuff. And we said, we don't care. We are 0% invested. We will come and watch this. So we saw a movie called Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
And in that movie, the goth professor murders the Santa Claus professor. He like, he shoots him. I said, well, it's a wand. So I guess he zaps him. Said something like Havarti, Kadabra or something. And I remember watching the bearded guy like fall off this tower in slow-mo.
And you could tell that the room was upset by this. And I thought, this seems important. I probably would care if I was more invested. And the beginning of Exodus is going to feel like that to you if you don't understand Genesis. You're going to be going, that seems important. Feels like they're referencing something here, but I don't quite understand what's going on.
So what I'm going to do is we talked through the book of Genesis in 2018. It's online. You can go listen to it. Hopefully what we said was good and hopefully we've gotten better at preaching. But I think it was fine in 2018.
What we said was fine. And you can go listen to that if you want to. But I'm going to give you the five-minute version of what was, I think, 33 sermons. So, and 50 chapters. So I'm going to give you the five-minute version of that so that we can catch up.
So, Genesis. God creates the world out of nothingness. He makes the world. He makes Adam and Eve. Humanity is the pinnacle of creation. He makes it all good.
Adam and Eve exist in the Garden of Eden. So God's made people in his place, in his presence. They were meant to relate to him. They sin. They rebel against God, disobey him, run from him, choose to elevate themselves. And the fall happens.
When that happens, God curses the man, the woman, and the serpent. And in his curse to the serpent, we have what theologians call the proto-evangelion, which just means first gospel. But he tells the serpent, basically, sin won't win. You're going to be destroyed. This isn't the end of the story. The fall is not the end.
And so we turn in the opening chapters of Genesis and we turn to kind of await this promise of a son that will be born that will ultimately conquer this and we start moving forward. Then in Genesis chapter 12, 15, and 17, God takes Abram, changes him to Abraham, changes his name, and gives him covenantal promises. That he makes promises to him that he is basically choosing to beholden himself to Abraham to accomplish a thing for Abraham. And those promises are, I'm going to make you into a great people. Abraham's very old, has no heir of his own. He says, no, I'm going to make you into a great people.
He says, I'm going to give you a place. I'm going to give you this promised land where you are. It's in the land of Canaan. So I'm going to give that to you. Then he says, I'm going to be your God.
You will be my people. I'll be your God. So he's going to give them presents. So what he promises Abraham out the gate is the first three things that we already had and lost to be God's people in God's place, in God's presence was lost at the fall. And so he comes and basically is promising to undo that. My people, my place, my presence.
And then he says, and you will be a blessing to the world. And so we start looking forward to that in Genesis and we kind of get it. We've watched these promises follow from Abraham to Isaac, from Isaac to Jacob, who gets named Israel. So we already read about him in Exodus. He has 12 sons, which ultimately are going to become the 12 tribes of Israel. So we see somewhat of this building into these promises being fulfilled.
But when we end Genesis, we have some people about 70, which is a lot better than one that he started with, but it's still not a big people. It's not as numerous as the stars of the sky or as countless as the sand on the seashore. They're not in the place that he promises them. And there's some his presence with them, but it's not idealized. There is a bit of the blessing. Joseph has been a blessing, but it's hard to see exactly how this has been a blessing to the whole world, although Joseph did help stave off a famine.
And so this is kind of where we are when we pick up an Exodus. This is the world. So this is just from Google Earth. So all the names are modern names, but Egypt is still Egypt. So we're going to zoom in here.
Yeah, let's zoom in. All right. So that's top of Africa, Egypt. You can see Turkey. You can see the Middle East here. That's the Mediterranean Sea.
We're going to zoom in a little further. Yeah, zoom in. So put the arrow up over here. This is where we started in the land of Canaan, and that's the promised land. This is where he says, Abraham, I'm going to give you this land. And then Israel has four sons.
So Jacob slash Israel has 12 sons. Sorry. He has a favorite. And so the other 11 sons decide to kill the favorite, which is a really good way to, you know, bring you up in the ranking. And then they decide, well, let's not kill him. Let's sell him into slavery.
And they do. And he gets sold into slavery into Egypt. And then there's a famine. Then Joseph becomes second in command in Egypt. And everybody goes to Egypt to survive. And then they settle in the land of Goshen.
And that's where we end in Genesis. And then Exodus says, and these are the names of the sons of Israel. And it picks right up there. So here's what happens. Oh, let me say this. Sorry.
I'm getting excited. I'm going too fast here. God plans. This is, this is what he basically promises in Genesis 12, 15 and 17, that according to the purpose of his will, God will bring his people into his place and his presence to be a blessing to the world, all for his glory. I'm going to read that again. According to the purpose of his will, God will bring his people into his place and his presence to be a blessing to the world, all for his glory.
And that's what we're going to pick up and continue with in Exodus. Now to make that a little more memorable and just a skosh more Baptist, I'm going to give you five Ps. You ready? Five Ps. Purpose, people, place, presence, priests. This is, this is the promise he makes that according to God's purpose.
He's going to make a people who live in his place and his presence. And then he makes them a kingdom of priests, meaning they will be a blessing to the world and they will display to the world how to relate to God. Okay. So that's where we pick up in Exodus, hoping for, longing for, looking forward to these promises. So it says in verse six, then Joseph died and all his brothers and all that generation.
So if we know Genesis, we're going, Oh, there's a moment just for a moment where we hit that period at the end of that sentence and go, wait, did what happened? Did they, what happened to the promise of making a people? Where are we in this? And then it says, but the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong so that the land was filled with them. One of the actual ways that's written in Hebrew is that the land swarmed with them. It's crawling with Hebrews now in Goshen.
That's what it's saying. And so we're supposed to see, because we know Hebrew, we know Genesis. Oh, this is some of the fulfillment of the promise. He's starting to do the thing he said he was going to do with making a people. We're working our way towards it. Now we know they're in Egypt, so they're not in the promised land, but he's fulfilling the promise to the people.
Verse eight. Now there arose a new King over Egypt who did not know Joseph either did not know about him at all, or just did not care about him. And he said to his people, behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them lest they multiply. And if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land. So the Egyptian people have another people group living near them, multiplying.
And they say, this isn't good. And we get some, uh, old fashioned, like ethnic racism, ethnic fear that they speak a different language. They're not our people. There's too many of them. This is dangerous. And this has been a problem since the tower of Babel, that this is what humans do so often is they fear people who are different from them.
And so they say, Hey, they don't speak our language. They're growing too fast. There's too many of them. And there's a good chance because of where they're located in Goshen, that an army comes marching in and they just go, Hey, you know what? We're not Egyptian. So we'll just move out your way.
Hey, you go get them, leave us the land of Goshen. Or actually we're glad you're here. We've been wanting to kill them for a long time and they'll just join them. And so he stirs up fear and he says, we're going to deal with them shrewdly. And his specific plan is we're going to keep them from multiplying. We're going to stop this growth that they have.
And so it says this verse 11, therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens. They built for Pharaoh store cities, Python and Ramses. But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel. So this fear continues, but the more they're oppressed, they enslaved them.
The more they're oppressed though, the more they spread. So what we're learning is that Pharaoh does not get to work all things according to his will, because he says, I've got a plan that'll keep them from multiplying. And then it was like trying to get rid of dandelions by kicking them. It doesn't work. It actually made it worse. The more they were oppressed, there's more of them.
It's like the meaner we are to them. How, why are they all pregnant? What has happened? This plan has failed miserably. That's what's happening. So that's what he says.
The more they're oppressed, the more there are. And we're just seeing God at work here, that he's blessing them even in the midst of what is a terrible situation. It says, so they ruthlessly made the people of Israel work as slaves and made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar and brick. And in all kinds of work in the field, in all their work, they ruthlessly made them work as slaves. Now, Joseph would have come to Israel and about to Egypt in about 1800 BC. Moses is born around 1500 BC and the Exodus takes place towards 1400 BC.
And God specifically in Genesis promise that they would be there and be oppressed for 400 years. So we don't know how long, I mean, we, we don't know how long after Joseph, this Pharaoh rose up, but we know that they are oppressed for hundreds of years. The United States is only 200 and something years old. So these people would have been oppressed slaves, building these cities, working under taskmasters, having their only value come from their labor for hundreds of years. Generations would have been born into slavery, lived under slavery, died under slavery, and that would have continued on. And it's a bitter life.
We're to see traces of God's blessing as they multiply. But this is a bad, wicked situation. And that's where we are. That's, that's the intro to this situation is they've been enslaved in the land of Egypt. And now we're going to zoom in on a story where we actually get to see some people speak. We get to meet some characters.
We get to see what's happening. We're going to zoom in on this story. And the hope is that in this story, we'll see a bit of the tension continue to grow and a little bit of where this is going in the rest of the book of Exodus. And we will take some courage and some correction from two Hebrew midwives. All right.
You're ready. Exodus chapter one, sermon one, part two. Verse 15. Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, a midwife is someone who helps deliver babies. Said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shifra and the other Pua. When you serve as a midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birth stool, if it is a son, you shall kill him.
But if it is a daughter, she shall live. So he's worried about sons growing up and fighting against them. So he specifically calls these midwives in and says, I want there to start being a lot of complicated male births among the Hebrews. I want there to start being a lot of still births. I want you to, as you're delivering babies, I want the boys to not make it. So just when you're in there, when you're helping out, just have a lot of them, just boys don't get born.
That's, that's the plan. And it's a wicked, heinous plan. Verse 17. Probably my favorite verse in chapter one of Exodus. But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live.
Now I want y'all to know something about Pharaoh. People don't tell him no. That's not how being Pharaoh works. We actually, there's a quote of somebody talking about the Pharaoh of Egypt. And it, he's a, a royal like counselor to the Pharaoh to two, two different Pharaohs. And he says this, what is the King of upper and lower Egypt?
He is a God by whose dealings one lives, the father and mother of all men alone by himself without an equal. The Pharaoh was understood to be a part of the pantheon of Egypt, that he was a God alone by himself, the father and mother of all men. The Pharaoh got what he wanted. If he told you to do a thing, you did it. There are very few recordings of what we have in verse 17, where it says they did not do as he commanded. That doesn't happen.
People do what he commands. And can you imagine the fearfulness of this situation? I don't know for you that some of the scary situations you've been in. I don't know if that was standing before your parents when you had done something you shouldn't have done. I don't know if that was the long walk to the principal's office. Some of you, you never had to do that walk because they just threatened you with the long walk to the principal's office and you immediately straightened up because you just, I'm not, we're not doing that.
I don't know if that's a boss. If you've ever stood before a judge. I don't know if you've ever been in a situation where you were under someone else's power, but to be before the Pharaoh was to be under his power. Even if we stood in front of the president, the president can't give a little nod to one of his, one of the secret service and they walk over and shoot us. That won't happen. But the Pharaoh can do that.
The Pharaoh has absolute control and he commands them to do a thing. And what does it say? It doesn't say they feared him. The midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them. Oh, praise the Lord for these two ladies. I feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but they let the male children live.
They have a fear that is greater than their fear of Pharaoh. They have a Lord that they are held accountable to. They fear God and they don't do what he says. So then it says this. So the king of Egypt called the midwives and said to them, so he sends them off expecting them to accomplish what he asked.
All of a sudden it doesn't work. He brings them back. Why have you done this and let the male children live now? They're before him. And he, again, they're completely under his control. Why have you let the male children live?
And the midwife said to Pharaoh, because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them. They, uh, they use Pharaoh's racism against him. And they say, Oh, you know what Hebrew women are like? Just like, we don't even like they have a baby and then they go right back to making bricks. We showed up one time. It was like a box under the stairs, six babies in it.
Nothing we can do about it. And Pharaoh apparently believes this mess. So they just are like, Hey, this is, this is what they do. They're cunningly responding to him in the midst of this extremely difficult situation. Verse 20. So God dealt well with the midwives and the people multiplied and grew very strong.
So now it's the first mention we have of God. God's actively involved. He's blessing. He's working that he dealt well with the midwives and the people multiplied and grew very strong. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families. Not only is he at work in the nation, but he's at work in these specific ladies' lives.
Verse 22. And this will set us up for what we're going to look at next week. But it says, then Pharaoh commanded all his people, every son that is born to the Hebrews, you shall cast into the Nile, but you shall let every daughter live. He's had two plans. He's onto his third. We're going to stop this.
And he says, now we're just going to start rounding up babies and throwing them into a river. So I want us to take a moment as we'll deal with what the ramifications of that situation, what happens next, next week as we go into chapter two. But I want us to take for a moment, I want us to consider Shiphrah and Pua. I want us to consider the fear of God versus the fear of man. Proverbs 29, 25 says this, the fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe. The fear of man is a trap.
We can see clearly in this story how if Shiphrah and Pua had feared Pharaoh, they'd have walked right into a trap. They would have been snared. They would have joined in evil and wickedness. But the fear of man ultimately bends us towards honor and worship and obedience. I want you to see that. One of the ideas that comes out in scriptures is that fear is often tied to worship.
It's tied to obedience. It's tied to this idea of honoring someone. We're told to fear the Lord. Let me give you a quick example and then we'll kind of talk it through a little bit. Let's say you have a 10 o'clock curfew.
And let's say you have a group of friends who don't. And so you get the choice of going home at 10 o'clock and being a dork. I mean like a real big dork. Or staying out with your friends and being awesome. Like just so cool. Like you just can't even imagine how cool you would become.
At 10 o'clock. Like just so cool. You won't even have to buy a leather jacket. You're cool. And you have this tension. And you're actually going to choose who am I going to honor?
Who am I going to give glory to? Who am I going to obey? Who am I going to fear? And fear there can mean fear. Like the consequences will be bad. Fear can also mean honor.
It can mean who am I going to show respect to? Who is weightier? That's what glory often means is weightiness. Who is weightier in my life? My peers who get to dictate my coolness. So maybe you honored your parents.
They weren't overly fearful but they were good parents and you decided to honor them. Maybe they were fearful. Maybe you knew that your mama would snatch you up. And you didn't know what would happen at that moment but you knew you didn't want to participate. But do you see how fearfulness leads to obedience?
And how the fear of man can lead to sin? How it can be a trap? That if we base, I want to be liked. I want to have their respect. I want them to honor me. I want them to, and so that we can build our life around what do people think?
And that can lead us into a trap. You ever heard of someone and you found out they had embezzled or they had stolen from the job and you thought, how? How did they do that? How could they have gotten there? The reality is, most likely, they operated off of some fear. Fear of failure.
Fear of not being able to pay their bills. Fear of having to be people seeing what has happened to them. Fear of any number of things, however they would do it. Fear of failing themselves or failing others or failing their spouse or just being looked at poorly. And they operate under fear and so they choose sin. They obey and worship and honor money.
Fear of failure. And we could see that if this said, Shifra and Pua feared Pharaoh, how differently this story would have gone. This says, Shifra and Pua feared God. You see, Shifra and Pua understood something that Jesus teaches us later, which is this. This is Luke chapter 12. Jesus says this, I tell you my friends.
Now, that's not a joke. He means it. My friends. He's being kind when he tells us this. Do not fear those who can kill the body and after that have nothing more they can do. Okay.
Fearing someone who can kill the body seems like a thing. Like that's a thing that you should fear, right? Like, oh, what are you going to do? Just kill my body? That feels like a... Like, I mean, I'll slowly kill my own body with Mountain Dew.
But I do a lot of things to keep my body from getting killed. Like wear seatbelts and a helmet and stuff like that. I'll lock my doors at night. Like, I don't wear a helmet in the car. Somebody looked at me like... During other activities.
That would be awesome. I should start wearing a helmet in my car. I'm making a life choice right now. I'm thinking about it. All right.
But we do things to keep ourselves from getting injured. And we ought to. This feels like a big thing. But Jesus says, no, no, no, no, no. That's so short-sighted. Do not fear those who can kill the body.
And after that have nothing more they can do. But I will warn you. And this is a warning. I warn you whom to fear. Fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. You say, was Jesus trying to scare us?
Yes. I tell you, fear him. Yes, he wants to scare you. Because he's calling you his friend. He's trying to help you out. That's a reality.
This is something Shifra and Pua knew. Shifra and Pua were like, what are you going to do, Pharaoh? Kill us? To which he responded, yeah, that's my go-to. To move. That's the thing I do.
I will kill you. And they're like, hmm, weak. That's all you got? All you can do is kill my body? It's like, yeah, that's a big thing. That's a big thing.
He's looking at his guard. It's like, that's a big thing, right? Like, that's usually people are scared. And what they understand is that after I die, I will stand not before Pharaoh. I'll stand before the king of the universe. And after you die, Pharaoh, you get in the same line.
You'll stand before the king as well. So Shifra and Pua are guided. It's a tough situation, but it's not a tough decision. There's clarity here. And there's clarity for us. We live in a fearful time.
You are told consistently that you ought to be afraid. And I don't know which, this is often in our culture driven by politics. It's not just politics. It's like everything that ever talks about children tells you how afraid you should be. Like, I wish the internet didn't exist because it has saved my children from 50,000 imaginary diseases. People were fine.
Like, we were fine. We didn't need all this. But it often is driven by politics. And I don't know if you ever do this, but I would encourage you to go listen to the other side for a little while. If you're listening to only your side of the political spectrum, you get scared. If you go listen to the other side, you feel amazing because they're terrified of you.
You are winning if you listen to the other side. Did you know that? You're out to get them and you're succeeding. You have accomplished. You've taken over the world. Like, that's...
But when we listen to things, what we're told is they're coming for us. They're going to get you. They're going to get your children. They've already secretly done it. We've got to stop them. We're told we're supposed to be afraid of so much.
We live in a very anxious time. And then we operate this way in normal life. We're afraid of our coworkers. We're afraid of our peers. We're afraid of our spouses. We're afraid of what people are going to think of us.
We live in fear of man, and it is a trap. And Jesus says, I'll tell you who to fear. Fear the only one who actually has authority. Fear the one who actually does work out things according to the purpose of his will. Fear the one who has the keys to eternity. Fear the one who you can be cast into hell by.
But he says this. He says, yes, I tell you, fear him. And then the immediate next thing he says is this. Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Now, on first glance, that feels like a drastic change of subject.
He just said, yes, I tell you to fear him. Fear him who can cast into hell. And then he says, are not five sparrows. He says it, are not, are not like this should help you. This is clarifying. Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?
Not one of them is forgotten before God. What he's saying is God knows you and loves you. He's not out to get you. He's telling us this for a good purpose. There's not a sparrow that dies that God forgets about. And they're cheap, I think.
Two pennies, five sparrows sounds like a good deal. If you were needing some sparrows, two for five. Five for two. Something like that. What he's saying is that God knows you, cares about you, loves you. And then, yeah, you should have a healthy, honoring fear that he rules over the world.
This is what Isaiah 8, 12 says. Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy. And do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. There's that word. Let him be your fear.
Let him be your dread. And he will become a sanctuary. I love that. If he's your dread, he becomes a sanctuary. Sanctuary is a safe place. If we look to him as the most fearful being, if we look to him as the one to be feared above all else, then we're safe.
Then we can run to him. Then we can rest in him. Then we can hope in him. So, I want you to consider what is it you're afraid of? What are the things you worry about? Who are you afraid of?
Who are you likely to honor with your actions, with your efforts? Who are you likely to give glory to? And then I want you to, as you consider that, and as you really genuinely answer yourself as to what I'm afraid of, I want you to take that and mentally, prayerfully, bring it before the king and just see how it stacks up. I feel like there might have been, I don't know, I don't know how quickly Shifra and Pua came to this conclusion, but I think there had to have been a moment where they thought, I just can't do it. We're going to stand before him. I can't stand before him having killed babies.
I don't want to. I can't stand before him having lived my life in fear of Pharaoh and then go stand before the king who rules over eternity. I can't do it. And the beautiful hope for us is that Jesus offers forgiveness and grace for all the times we've failed and he warns us because he's our friend, because he loves us, to place our fear in the Lord, the only one who rules over all. You see, we're going to get to, as we walk through Exodus, see some of these promises start to be fulfilled and then stop and start and stop. We're going to get to see that even as you walk through the whole Old Testament.
The reality is that those things, God working all things according to his purpose, is only accomplished in Christ fully. That he's going to make a people. He does. By first Jesus being the one true Israel, the son that does not fail, and then by making a people who are brought in through faith in him, that he makes a new people. That he actually gives us the place. First the church, the people that belong to him.
Ultimately heaven through faith in Christ. That we actually get his presence. First the Holy Spirit. First Jesus on earth, then the Holy Spirit at work in his church, and then ultimately we will be brought before the presence of his glory with great joy. And that Jesus is the blessing that would come through Abraham. That he then makes a kingdom of priests to be sent out.
And that we actually have a God to fear. We have a kingdom to serve. And that we are commissioned to trust Jesus and to work to tell other people about how wonderful he is. And I will just say this. It's very short, but it's for anybody who's fearful over the state of the church. Enemies have risen up against God's people before.
And while they can make life bitter, they cannot stop the multiplication and the working of God's purposes. And we get to see that even now as the church spreads in the midst of difficulty. God still works to accomplish his will and to see people place faith in him and follow him just as he worked among the people in Exodus to continue to multiply to accomplish his purposes. The band's going to come back up. In a moment we're going to sing and take communion. And I want us to consider for a moment before we take communion, what is it we fear?
What are you worried about? What do you think is going to get you? What are you afraid is going to happen in life? What's your biggest nightmare? And then take a moment to set that in front of the Lord. Asking him to reorient your heart where you care more about him and his work and his kingdom and where you trust him as being gloriously, wonderfully, more dreadful than Pharaoh.
Gloriously, wonderfully, more dreadful than anything you would face so that you can run to him as your sanctuary. And then as you do that, I would invite you to take communion where we celebrate that Jesus came to rescue people, to die on our behalf, to pay for our sin, to make us his. If you are not a Christian, communion is not for you. It's a celebration of what Jesus has accomplished for us, that his life and his body and his blood, his body was broken for us, that his blood was poured out for us and that we've been brought into a new covenant of grace through the work of Jesus. If you're not a Christian, we invite you to trust in Jesus to become a Christian.
And then you would be free to take communion as you celebrate for the first time that he has covered you, that he is your sanctuary. But if you are not a believer, we ask you to refrain from participating because this is not for you. So I'm going to pray. Lord willing, you'll join in prayer, considering your own heart and your own fears. And when you're ready, take communion. It's gluten-free communion back there.
And then we'll sing together and praise our gloriously, wonderfully, loving, dreadful King who is our sanctuary and our hope. Let's pray. God, we thank you that you sovereignly work in the midst of difficulty. And Lord, we pray that we would take correction and courage, that we might step in faith to fear you, to honor you, to glorify you above all else. And God, we praise you for your grace and the redemption that's offered through the work of Christ.
Doxology (Jude 24-25)
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 finishing up the book of Jude. It is near the back of your Bible. If you start at the end, run through Revelation, you'll run into Jude.
If you have one of these blue Bibles, it's on page 594. If you don't own a Bible, take one of these with you. That's our gift to you, but we want you to own a Bible. I don't need that, so I'm going to just kick it over here. All right.
My parents go on vacation to the beach in September, and they always want their children and grandchildren to come, and so I just got to go to the beach for a couple of days. And one of the things that happens if you spend time around little children is that everybody, adults and children, point out everything that they think is even remotely interesting. The children are going, hey, look at this, look at this, look at this rock, look at this. I had multiple children constantly running up to me going, hey, is this a shark's tooth? It never was. It was always just some sort of black thing.
And I'd be like, no, but it's cool. I handed one back to my nephew, and he was all excited. I was like, ah. Part of me wanted to be like, yeah, it's a shark's tooth, but that was not true. So I said, no, but it's a cool rock.
And he went, ah, and threw it on the ground and ran off. That was all he wanted was a shark's tooth. But you just point out everything. Look at that cloud. Look at this shell. Well, we were at the gas station on the way up, and I'm in line at the gas station.
And my youngest son, who's four, busts the door open. His older brother's behind him, and they go, daddy, daddy, daddy, there's a leaf bug out here. And they just turn around and run back out. The door closes behind them. Everybody looks at them. I'm in line.
And then four or five seconds later, they bust back in like, did you not hear us? Why are you still in line? They bust the door back open. A leaf bug. You come with me. Like just incredulous that I would not have already dropped what I was doing or run outside.
And I'm excited this morning because we're looking at Jude verses 24 and 25, and I get to do that. I get to say, hey, look at this. Look at how wonderful this is. Take this in. Don't miss this with something infinitely more exciting than a leaf bug, which consequently turned out to be a grasshopper. This is wonderful, wonderful news.
It is joyous and hope-filled. And so for the believers in the room, I think this will be encouraging, worshipful, the way Jude ends this letter. And for anybody in the room who is not a Christian, that you're trying to figure this out. I've got people that hang out with our community group, and that's kind of where they are. It's like just trying to figure this out, trying to see what I believe, trying to see what the Bible says. If that's the zone you're in, we're excited that you're here this morning, as we would be any Sunday.
But I think this Sunday is a good morning for you to see what we believe. And so for the Christians in the room, I hope this is some encouragement. And for anyone who's not a Christian, I want you to see this as an invitation. This is an invitation for you to today decide, no, I'm going to follow Jesus because of how wonderful he is. So let's read the text and then pray together, and then we'll start walking through it.
We've already read this once this morning. Jude, verses 24 and 25. Let's pray. God, as we draw our attention to this text this morning, help us to realize it. Help us to grasp the beauty of this. Help us to take this in and to respond in faith and worship at you, our God, our Savior, our Lord, who is glorious, majestic, and rules forever.
We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. So the way this passage breaks down is that he says now, he's turning and he's saying, to him who is able, to the only God, be. To him, to the only God, be. That's kind of how this breaks up. So it's to, and he's describing.
He's just kind of pausing and saying things about Jesus, about God. And then he says to, and he's describing and pausing and saying things about God. And then he's saying be, belong, be given to. And so that's kind of how we're going to walk through it. We're going to walk through those two phrases and then the B sentence. So the first thing he says is, now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy.
The first thing we're going to look at is that him who is able to keep you from stumbling. It's the first thing we want to look at. To him who is able to keep you from stumbling. Honestly, him who is able is a good way to describe God. He's able. He's capable.
But it says to him who is able to keep you from stumbling. Praise the Lord. Isn't that good? That he keeps us from stumbling. The TV show The Office is one of my favorite TV shows. And I've probably since college just kind of watched it at all times.
It's off and off. And if there's ever anything, like we just don't have anything to watch, we'll just watch The Office and be thoroughly entertained. Even though we know it's coming. It's still hilarious. But one of the main premises of The Office is that the boss is an idiot.
And there's a scene in The Office where he's got to go negotiate something. And he's in a good position to negotiate except for there's one thing that he can't say. If he says this, it'll ruin everything. And he's got a couple people with him and they're getting on an elevator and they're looking at him. Because they know he's an idiot and they're going, just don't say it. Just don't bring it up.
Just don't. We're not going to mention this one thing. He's like, no, we're not going to mention it. We're not going to mention it. Elevator closes. They go up like two levels.
And it shows the elevator door open and he's like this. I'm just really afraid I'm going to mention it. I just, I think I'm going to say it. Like he just knows himself and he's like, there's a real good chance that it'll just come out. And I'll ruin everything. And I feel that way with following Jesus.
That there are times where I'm like, I got this. I got this. I got this. And then a month later, a week later, a moment later, I'm going, I really feel like I might mess this up. I really feel like I might just ruin this. Like there are those moments when you just see there's something wrong with me.
There's something deep inside of me that is broken. And I really just feel like there's a chance that I'm going to derail this. That if you fast forward five years from now, there's something in me that might just choose sin. And it's terrifying. Oh, praise Jesus that he's able to keep us from stumbling. That that's the hope we have in him.
Not that he saves you and he takes you and he cleans you and he says, okay, here's your life. Your sins are forgiven. You're cleaned up. Now I'll meet you at the finish line. Keep your record clean. I've cleaned everything off.
I'll meet you at the finish line, but you've got to finish it out. No, he's the one who keeps us from stumbling. Like a father holding hands with a child. That at any moment that child can just pitch forward about to lose it and immediately be brought back to safety. That he keeps us from stumbling. And that's wonderful news that our hope is in him.
Not in ourselves. I want you to see this. This is in John six. I'm going to show you two passages where Jesus is talking about this idea. John six, 37 through 39. He says, all that the father gives me will come to me.
And whoever comes to me, I will never cast out. So if you come to Jesus, if you trust in him, if you place your faith in him, he will never cast you out. This idea that maybe I'll send so much, maybe I'll fail so much. Maybe he says, no, I'm, I'm going to keep you for I've come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. The idea that I might fail at this is the idea that Jesus might lose me.
But he says he's not going to lose anything. The father's given him. That he is able to keep us from stumbling. John 10, a few chapters later, Jesus is talking again. He says, I give them eternal life and they will never perish. And no one will snatch them out of my hand.
My father who has given them to me is greater than I, and no one is able to snatch them out of the father's hand. If we have trusted in Jesus, he keeps us. The father keeps us and he is able to keep us from stumbling. So Christian, brother, sister, that right now is seeing your sin, can feel it, can know it, and is fearful. Cling to this promise that he will keep you and run back to him. Use his hand to steady yourself and trust in the fact that he is the one who is good, who keeps you, who redeems you, who brings you to the finish line.
That's wonderful news. On my sabbatical, I started listening to some audio books and it was a three book long trilogy and it was, each of these books was very long. But they were like sword fights and magic and time travel and people who could see the future. It was very nerdy stuff. I thoroughly enjoyed it. But one of the things, one of the main storyline plot things of the story was that one of the characters you meet when they're like 17, you're kind of following through and then you learn that they had traveled back in time and died.
But people know this because it already happened. So you meet them here, you're following them through time, but you know that they're going to travel back in time and die. So what happened in the story was that this character would get into a lot of really bad situations and be like, this might go poorly for me, but I don't die here. Because I know where I die. It's already happened in time, but not for me. It's kind of confusing.
But he would just know, like I'm getting in this situation, it's difficult, but I don't die here. This isn't the end for me. And so he would just lean into, he still had to fight, he still had to show courage, he still had to do everything he could to get out of the situation, but he knew this isn't how it ends. And I find that that's what we get to do with Jesus. I don't lose to this. Jesus is going to keep me.
I know how this ends for me. And so I can cling to that promise to give me hope as I trust in Jesus to see me through. So for Christians, this is wildly encouraging that our hope is that Jesus is the one who gets us to the finish line. And if you're not a Christian and you think, I can't be a Christian, I'd mess it all up. No. Because if you trust Jesus, he takes you and he keeps you and he brings you to the end.
He is able to keep you from stumbling. But then it says this, to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy. He's able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy. So we're going to walk through and just look at these different words that are here and just try to unpack them a little bit. So let's start with blameless.
Blameless means without blame. Without accusation. With nothing that anybody could say bad about you. Now, if you are self-aware at all, that is a poor description of you. And if you are not self-aware but have friends, which is difficult to do if you have no self-awareness, ask them. They will tell you.
This is a bad description of you. Have you ever been in the situation where you were the one to blame? Just give you some examples. But you had blame. A teacher starts to take up homework and you don't have it. Or something that happened to me all throughout my school career.
Someone would look at you at lunch and say, man, are you ready for that test? Or were you able to finish your project? And you would respond, what project? And they would look at you like, oh, buddy, life's going to be hard for you. That amount of fear. Or somebody's looking for the person who stole something and it's in your pocket.
You know that type of blame that you have? Your dad's coming home and you're the one who broke the thing and you understand how this is going to go? So, the idea that we would stand before the God of the universe in the presence of his glory, the glory of the one who tests hearts, who knows minds, who can see through us and be blameless, is shocking. And it's wonderful. Because the blamelessness does not come from us, but it comes from the one who is presenting us. Do you see that?
That he would present us blameless. 2 Corinthians 5.21, I want you to see this in another place where it talks about this idea. It says, for our sake, he made him to be sin who knew no sin. Okay, so, for our sake, he, that's God the Father, made him, that's Jesus, to be sin. So, Jesus became sin. Jesus, who knew no sin.
He was sinless, but he becomes sinful. He takes on our sin. He doesn't actually sin, but he takes our sin and he puts it on himself, so that in him we might become, what? The righteousness of God. That through Jesus, we are righteous because he took our sin and he gives us his righteousness, so that he might present us blameless. And that picture of him presenting us, him bringing us into the glory of the Father, that's what he says, before the presence of his glory.
In the Old Testament, you don't get to enter the presence of his glory. Everybody who even comes into, brushes into contact with the presence of his glory, he shows up just in a burning bush and he says, take your shoes off. This is holy ground. You're not welcome here as you are. If there was only, was the high priest able to go once a year into the holy of holies, into the presence of his glory, and even that with sacrifices made on his behalf before he went. That Moses, who was the closest to God, asked, can I see your glory?
And God says, no, it would kill you. But you can see the back of it. That Isaiah gets brought into the presence of the Lord and he falls down and he says, I'm sinful, I don't belong here. You ever been in a situation where you felt dirty? You felt shameful? You felt like, I should not be here.
There's something wrong with me. I'm the one who's ruining everything. Peter meets Jesus. Jesus performs a miracle and Peter falls down and says, get off my boat. I shouldn't be in your presence. You're holy and there's something wrong with me.
The idea that we get to be presented blameless is wonderful and it points to the glory of Christ who took our sin and gave us his righteousness. And he joyously presents us. Picture this. He comes into the glory of his father, into the glory of the Holy Spirit, into the glory of the Trinity. And he says, look. Look at them.
Aren't they beautiful? Look at how clean they are. Look at how blameless. Look at these sons and daughters, these brothers and sisters who belong here. And it's all to the praise of his glory. Some of you go, I'm too dirty.
I wouldn't be able to be there. But that does not degrade you. It degrades him. That he is incapable of cleaning you. Oh, to the praise of his glorious grace will we be presented blameless before the father. Will we be presented blameless in the presence of his glory.
And we will stand there awestruck to be welcomed into a place that we should have no business being. But because of the blood of Christ. Because of this exchange that took place. That he took our sinfulness. That he gave us his righteousness. That we have the righteousness of God.
That we are now able to be there. That's wonderful. And he says, present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy. Whose joy? Well, ours certainly. Can you imagine the freedom, the delight to be in the presence of God.
To be in the presence of his glory and belong. I think we can kind of wrap our head around being in the presence of his glory and not belonging. Like a moment of just this is amazing and now I'm going to die. But to be there and that to be our home. That to be where we're supposed to be. And that to be where we're supposed to enjoy being.
Because it brings glory to Jesus who's the one who redeemed us. Who's the one who presents us joyously. That we are overwhelmed. By joy. That every little bit. Every time you've laughed and laughed until your face and stomach hurt.
Every time you've been in a place where you were so at peace. That you just kind of could feel yourself just relax. That you felt safe. That you felt at home. Every time you've been around the people. Where you just have this moment of this is how life is supposed to be.
Every single one of those was just like a sniff of the meal that we're going to get to partake in. That's here and gone. Every one of those is like a drop of water on a parched tongue. Of what the joy will be like in the presence of his glory. That he cleans sinners like us. That he brings us to him.
And do you know how else's joy it is? It's his joy. That great joy is not just ours. It's his. He delights to do this. I love we were studying through Psalm and it says our God reigns in the heaven.
He does whatever he pleases. Which means that it pleases him to redeem sinners like us. That's what Jesus says in Luke 15. He says just so I tell you. There is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents. I was reading that book Gentle and Lowly.
While I was on my sabbatical. And a lot of you were like didn't we read that way earlier? Y'all did. I didn't. But it was good.
So I caught up. And if you'll remember. So those of y'all who walked through it. There's this illustration that he gives. It's written by a guy named Dane Ortlund. There's this illustration that he gives.
He says imagine if you will. A doctor. Who's independently wealthy. He's able to go on this. And he decides he's going to go. Halfway across the globe.
To reach out to some tribal people. And to offer vaccinations. Help them. You know things like polio. Help them with things. That would absolutely destroy them.
But there's a vaccination for it. They cannot have smallpox. If they'll just kind of go through this. They can get past pertussis. If they'll just take this vaccination. He's going to go and help save.
He says imagine that he goes. But they don't trust him. They don't know what he's talking about. It takes a long time to build trust. He says but imagine. The day.
That finally. One brave. Person. Steps forward. And receives the vaccination. He says.
What does that doctor feel? Joy. He said it's the whole reason he came. He feels joy. And that made so much sense to me. I remember sitting in my office.
Thinking. Yeah. Of course he does. Of course he delights to do that. Of course he's ecstatic that day. And how dare I.
Fail to see. The great delight. Of the God of the universe. Who since eternity past. Purposed. To redeem a people for himself.
And then came. To live. And to die. And to rescue. So that he might one day.
Present a people. To belong to him forever. That he might rescue a people for himself. To belong to him. And how I fail to miss. How joyous that is for him.
If you're in here. And you're not a believer. And you think. I can't come to him. I'm too broken. I'm too dirty.
I'm too messed up. Oh. Hear. Hear how happy he will be. To save you. Hear how much joy there is.
For you to walk forward. And say I'm a sinner. In need of cleansing. I need somebody to rescue. Can you see the smile crack. Across his face.
And he says. That's why I came. That's what this was all about. So that people. Who could not rescue themselves. Might be rescued.
And redeemed. Come. I sing to my boys. In the evenings. And one of my favorite songs. Is softly and tenderly.
And it says. Softly and tenderly. Jesus is calling. Calling. Oh sinner. Come home.
That's what he came to do. There's delight. That's what Hebrews 12. 2 says. Look. To Jesus.
That we ought to be looking to Jesus. The founder and perfecter. Of our faith. Who for the joy. That was set before him. Endured the cross.
Despising the shame. And is seated at the right hand. Of the throne of God. It is his delight. To redeem. Sinners.
So that one day. If you placed your faith in Jesus. He's going to keep you from stumbling. He's not going to lose you. And then there's going to be a day. When he brings you into the presence of his glory.
And we celebrate. A day of overwhelming joy. That Jesus can save sinners like us. A day where he receives so much glory. That he can redeem someone as broken and as busted as you. Someone whose thoughts.
Even when you're trying. Are so twisted and mangled. There are times where I think. I'm so messed up. And I'm trying. This is the Holy Spirit at work in me version.
That is trying. And I'm still like this. And to be able to stand. And know that he's going to keep me. And to be ushered into his glory. And that that day will be joyous.
Don't miss this. That's the first thing he says. Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling. And to present you blameless. Before the presence of his glory with great joy. To the only God.
Our Savior. Through Jesus Christ. Our Lord. That's his next statement. To the only God. Our Savior.
Through Jesus Christ. Our Lord. Okay. People argue. That all religions are the same. We all believe the same thing.
And I just want you to know. Christianity makes exclusive claims. That there's. He's the only God. There is no other God. And he's the only God.
Who saves us. Through Jesus Christ. Our Lord. That there is no other Savior. There's no other way to the Father. But through Christ.
So if you want to argue. That Christianity is wrong. Well the Bible. Logically will fit with that. You can say it's wrong. But it won't fit with.
It's kind of right. It's right. They're all right. It won't do that. Because it says no. There's only one God.
And there's only one Savior. But I want you to see this. To the only God. Our Savior. Through Jesus Christ. Our Lord.
That through Jesus Christ. We receive salvation. And it's just so encouraging. You need a Savior. And if you become a Christian. You don't cease to need a Savior.
There's not going to be a time. Where you think. I've graduated. I'm no longer a sinner. I'm no longer in need of a Savior. High five Jesus.
I don't need you anymore. That's not how it works. He delights to redeem sinners. Now. He's also our Lord. So we repent.
We obey. We follow. We follow. But we follow. Because he's our Savior. Who's rescued us out of sin.
And given us hope. And if you're not. A Christian. You need a Savior. One of the things that. That Spencer pointed out.
When we first started Jude. Is that Jude. He highlights for us. That there is great judgment. And great joy. There's judgment for sin.
There's a. He calls it the great day. There's a day of wrath. There's a day of judgment. And that everyone. Will either receive judgment.
Or they'll receive joy. But you'll get one or the other. Either Jesus will receive your judgment. For your sin. On your behalf. And then you'll be a recipient of joy.
Through Jesus. Or you will receive judgment. And if you say. I don't need Jesus. What you are saying is. I'll stand on my own.
In that day. And be held accountable. For my sin. But the invitation. Is that you would come to him. Who delights to save.
Delights to keep. And delights to rejoice with. Eternally. Through the work of Jesus. That you would trust him. To save.
You. So he's our only God. Our savior. Through Jesus Christ. Our Lord. Be.
So now he's saying. Be. This belongs to him. Give it to him. That's kind of what it means. It's his.
So we ought to respond. By giving it to him. We ought to respond. By. So he's.
Praising him. By both saying. It's his. And also. We. We acknowledge that.
We give it to him. Says. Be glory. Majesty. Dominion. And authority.
Authority. Before all time. And now. And forever. Amen. So these things belong to him.
Before all time. If we ever say the phrase. Eternity past. That's what we're talking about. That there was a time. Before time.
God invented time. There was. Something before that. It messes up. Because you have to use the word. Before.
Before. But I guess that's time. So then it was before. But then you can't use before anymore. Because there's no time. So we just say eternity past.
Before all time. He was in charge. He creates time. So now. He's in charge. And then.
Forever. Which is. We don't say. Eternity. Future. Sometimes you can say that.
You just say. Eternity. Forever works. What happens after time. Be glory. Meaning that all praise and honor.
Belongs to him. There is no boasting. For us. That when we're presented. Blameless. Before him.
We don't go. I know you're glad I'm here. Feel free to clap. If you would like. We don't do that. We're joyous.
But we're joyous. Based off of his work. Not ours. There is no boasting. There's no swagger. There's delight.
Certainly. There's tears. Certainly. There's a feeling of. Welcome. And belonging.
Certainly. But there is no boasting. The glory is his. And this. This has helped my brain so much. When I sin.
To help me know. That I turn to him. And I ask for forgiveness. And I delight in the fact. That he receives glory. From saving sinners.
Like me. I don't pursue sin. Because of that. I pursue him. Because of that. Majesty.
I looked that up. One of the definitions. Was. Regal impressiveness. He's impressive. Not us.
He has dignity. And honor. He's a king. That it belongs to him. That's his. And he's had it.
Forever. Dominion. Meaning he is. Over all things. He rules. Over all things.
That he is in charge. Over all things. That he works out. Everything. According to his. Will.
That there is not. A square. Millimeter. Of existence. In the ocean. On the earth.
In the sky. In outer space. In some sort of. Spiritual realm. We don't understand. There's not a square.
Inch. That doesn't belong to him. That isn't under his rule. That isn't under his care. That it is under his domain. When we look out.
Into the sky. And we see. Infinite stars. Like we just. We're baffled by it. That does not.
Declare to us. Our place in the universe. It declares his. Majesty. And goodness. And his.
Greatness. Authority. He's a king. And he does. As he pleases. But praise be to his name.
That it pleases him. To redeem sinners. To forgive. And to welcome. Before all time. And now.
And forever. Amen. Brothers and sisters. In the room. Cling to this. Remember this.
Believe this. That he'll keep you. That he'll guard you. That he'll. Make you reach the end. And that that day.
Will be. Joyous. And if you have not placed your faith in Jesus. Don't say no to this. But come to him and say.
Please. Save me. And he will. That all who come to him. He will not lose. One of them.
But trust in him. The band's going to come back up. We're going to join. Jude. Jude ends this by saying. Look at how wonderful.
Jesus is. Look at how wonderful. God is. To him be glory. And majesty. And dominion.
And authority. Before all time. And now. And forever. And for a moment. We're just going to let our voices.
Join an eternal chorus. Of those who understand this infinitely more than we do. We're going to join Jude in saying. Isn't he wonderful. Isn't he good. To him be the praise.
It's not about me. It's about him. And he's so good to redeem. A sinner. Like me. Let's pray.
And then let's sing. God we thank you. That it is your delight. To save sinners. We thank you. That you are able.
To keep us. From stumbling. And for those in the room. Who feel like they're stumbling. That they're going to. Fall.
That they're going to lose this. They're going to fall into sin. Lord. That you're going to. Lose them to sin. That it's going to engulf them.
Lord. May you hold them. And draw them back. In forgiveness. And redemption. That you rescue sinners.
That that does not mean. That we will never sin. It just means. That we'll never lose to it. And so Lord. May we cling tightly.
To you. Who keep us. May we hold firmly. To that promise. And Lord. May we look forward.
To the day. When we are presented. Into the presence. Of your glory. Made blameless. By the work.
Of Jesus. And may there not. Be a soul. In this room. Who enters that day. On their own account.
Lord. May there not be someone. In this room. Who stands before you. On that day. In their sin.
But may we stand. In the righteousness. Of Christ. Through the blood. Of his sacrifice. And so Lord.
I ask that through your Holy Spirit. You would help. Anyone who has not trusted in you. To believe. To run to you. And to say.
Forgive me. And to receive that forgiveness. And to receive this promise. As they might stand. With your people. On that day.
Made blameless. Through your son. To the praise. Of his glory. And his wonder. And his name.
In Jesus name. Amen.
Remember, Remain, & Rescue (Jude 17-23)
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
My name is Spencer and I am one of the pastors here. We are in Jude verses 17 through 23 today. We got this week and next week in Jude and then we will move into the book of Exodus. If you want to follow along in your blue Bible, it's in the seat or around you. It's on page 594 and the text will also be up on the screen, which is bigger now, which I'm excited about, which you can read more clearly. So in sports, one of the big moments in the offseason is when you get the schedule.
You get the schedule, you look at your opponents, and what happens with most teams is that they see one or two opponents and they circle them. Literally or in their minds like this, they get really excited about facing off against those teams and there's more energy that goes into that week of prep. There's more energy that shows up in that game. And what happens with immature teams is when they show up to play that game, well, they do immature things. They get all angsty, a little chatty, extra combative, and they lack the discipline to actually compete like they're supposed to. So I'm a Gamecock fan and for five years I watched the Will Muschamp era of Gamecock football and it was this.
You could tell a couple times a year they would get all worked up for Clemson, who's a rival, or for Kentucky, which has recently become a rivalry, which is really sad for the state of our program. And they get all worked up for these games and they would just get, I mean, there'd be late hits, be mouthing off the whole time, you know. And Kentucky and Clemson are well coached and they were well disciplined and we were not. And it was very abundantly clear and it was painful to watch because we'd be all angsty with all this extra energy, but we couldn't do the basics. We couldn't do, like we couldn't break down and make tackles.
We couldn't complete blocking assignments. We couldn't do the things it takes to actually play the game like you're supposed to. I think everyone can admit that there's a few games a year that you get really excited for and you have a little extra zeal for, but you've got to come back and do the basics. You can't forget that. And I believe that Christians are very much like this. That Christians can get overly angsty about subject matters like false teaching and the corruption of morality, which we've seen in the book of Jude.
That when Christians see this kind of opposition, some of them lose their minds. They go crazy and they start to really focus on the opposition and they get online and they become keyboard warriors and they get on YouTube channels and watch discernment ministries, which for the record is not a thing in the Bible, but there's all over YouTube. You'll see email chains or Facebook posts. It's like, you got to, the Hollywood is out to get our kids and these false teachers are out doing this and we got to, and they get all worked up, become heresy hunters, but they neglect to do the basics. They get so focused on the opposition, they don't read their Bibles, they don't pray, they don't do the things that are good for their souls.
And oftentimes they look more like undisciplined fools than they actually do look like followers of Christ. Now we are certainly called to, as Christians, and as we've clearly seen in Jude, we're called to take this seriously, take sin seriously, take false teaching seriously, but we don't act like undisciplined fools. Now we're at the point in the book of Jude where he spent a lot of time hammering hard after this type of false teaching, after the grace of God that has been perverted in essentiality as we saw in verse 3. Spent a lot of time in this, but now he's going to be real practical in coaching us.
Now what? Now what do you do with that? Now that you know that, what's up? And there's three things that we'll see in this passage today. One of them is a thing we need to know, and two of them are things that we need to do, okay? The first thing we need to know is we need to remember.
And that's what we're going to see. We're called to remember, we're going to walk through what he says. And there's two things that we need to do. We need to remain and to rescue. Now, I don't know if you just saw that, but that was ultra-Baptist, y'all. Three R's.
Three points. Yes. Real practical. Jude's going to coach us up on this. So we're going to see those three things.
All right. Let me jump into the text. We'll pray, and then we'll walk through this piece by piece. Verse 17. But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I said to you, in the last time there will be scoffers following their own ungodly passions. It is these who cause divisions, worldly people devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt. Save others by snatching them out of the fire. To others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.
So let me pray, and then we'll walk through this together. Father, I pray that you would help us be present right now. I pray that you would help us listen to the Word of God. That it would pierce our hearts. That it would expose what's beneath that needs exposing. And that you would give us the gospel as you give us really good coaching on what to do in a time where there's all types of things that are seeking to tear us apart and tear us down and tear us from you.
May we listen and respond in faith and repentance and obedience and worship. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. All right, so he starts out with the thing that you need to know, and that is you need to remember. You need to remember. So, he says, verse 17, but you must remember beloved.
So he says beloved. We were in, our group was meeting a few weeks ago, and we read all of Jude at once, and someone in our group said, hey, he says beloved like multiple times, over and over and over again. And I was like, that's a great observation. In the midst of a very, very corrective letter, he calls them beloved. It reminds them of who they are in Christ, that you are beloved. You are deeply loved by Jesus.
You are brothers and sisters. Yes, there's all kinds of things in opposition that you are facing. There's false teaching amongst you, but you still are the church of Christ. You are the beloved. But he says, remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He says, remember what the apostles said and what they predicted, and then he quotes it. He says, in the last time there will be scoffers following their own ungodly passions. So, we don't have that saying anywhere in the New Testament. That must have been something the apostles had taught over and over again. Remember, remember this, that there will be, in the last time, scoffers following their own ungodly passions. Very reminiscent of what we saw in verse 3, perverting the grace of our God into sensuality.
That you need to remember this. Now, it's not, we don't see that verbatim in the New Testament. We see that other warnings show up like this in the New Testament. You go to Acts 20, when Paul is encouraging the Ephesian elders. He says, I know that after my departure, fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. And from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things to draw away the disciples after them.
So, this is a consistent warning that shows up in the New Testament and the New Testament church. There will be people from the outside that come in to take you away from Jesus. There will be people that rise up from within the church that will seek to lead you away. And so, Jude echoes this with this known teaching. That in the last time, there will be scoffers following their own ungodly passions. And these type of false teachers will cause divisions.
Worldly people devoid of the Spirit. These people will be causing divisions. And you can picture this in these New Testament churches. These New Testament churches that he's writing to. That they come together in their homes. And they're reading the Bible.
And breaking bread together. And having fellowship. And all the good things that the people of God do together. Then all of a sudden, you've got some people who are starting to say different things. Starting to say, I think it's okay. I think God's grace covers us.
I think we actually can explore these types of things. I think we can indulge in these types of things. And all of a sudden, you've got division. You've got other Christians that are saying, no, that's not what the Scriptures teach. That's not what the apostles are teaching. No, we're called to faith and obedience to Christ.
It does not indulge the flesh. You can even see the division happening as people are starting to get influenced by some of these false teachers. And being led away from the faith. Now, that's not hard for us to picture at all 2,000 years later. Because that's very much happening now in the American church. It is very easy for us to picture this type of stuff that is happening.
And if you walk with Jesus long enough, you're going to see this. You're going to see people that claim the name of Christ. Like, I've walked with people that, man, they read their Bibles. They led Bible studies. They led people to Christ. I have people that helped lead me to Christ.
They claimed the name of Jesus. They did all these great things in His name. Then all of a sudden, they fell in love with this present world. And they started to question the Bible in different areas. And they started to push back on things. And then, eventually, they started to cause division.
And I've seen it where churches were divided. If you follow Jesus long enough, you're going to see this. You're going to see ministry leaders that do horrible things. That leave their spouses for younger women in the church. And then try to justify it with the scriptures. You'll see people in your own group that slowly start to fade away.
You press in and say, what's going on? And you realize they moved in with their boyfriend and their girlfriend. And they're sleeping with them. And you're trying to engage them with the scriptures. And they're like, no, I just, and they start justifying their actions. You're going to see this over and over again.
I see this in my former beloved denomination, the United Methodist Church. Which is, I love the UMC. It's where I came to faith. And over the next two years, that entire denomination is going to split in two. Because the power brokers that be in that denomination have very much been doing some of the things that Jude is talking about. You will see this over and over and over again.
And it is hurtful and painful every time you see it. Every time you see someone that you so deeply love walk away from Jesus, it hurts. But what I've seen and noticed is that for some people, it's not just hurt. It crushes their faith. It shakes them to the very foundations of what they believe. I mean, how many people do you know that when you talk to them, they're like, you know, no, I haven't been to church in years.
I mean, I was part of a church back in the day. And the pastor ran off with so-and-so. And there's all this division that happened. And I'm done with that. I don't need that anymore in my life. You hear that over and over and over again.
And I just want to say very clearly, please do not walk away from Jesus because people who were devoid of the Spirit did evil things. Don't ever walk away from Jesus because of that. And more than that, we shouldn't be shocked. That's why he says, remember, remember, this was always going to happen. Remember the predictions of the apostles. This was always going to take place.
There were always going to be people who stirred up division. There were always going to be people that said, false teachers that say horribly evil things that are contrary to the Scriptures. There's always going to be ministry leaders that blow up their lives and blow up their ministries. Just don't be shocked. So, church family, remember this. Remember this.
Like, I mean, listen, I think as elders, the four of us, we have earned your trust. But you don't put faith in us like you put faith in Jesus. I fight with everything in us on this elder team to make sure that we are all following Jesus, that we're all correcting one another in sin, that we're all pressing into the gospel, that we're all putting sin to death. But don't for a second put your full faith in people. We keep our full faith in Christ. Because he's the one that never fails, even though the people might.
Remember the predictions of the apostles. That's the thing you need to know. That's how he sets this up. Know this. Remember the predictions of the apostles. And then he's got two things for us to do.
The first is remain. We need to remain. And then he picks it up in verse 20. He says, So he says, If you want to, with this knowledge now, knowing there will be false teachers that come into the church, that try to steal the flame of faith from you. He says, With this knowledge now you must remain. You must keep yourselves in the love of God.
Now this part is actually really fun to look at in the Greek, in the original language. It's a lot of fun. Especially if you're a nerd. Because there's one main imperative. There's one main commanding statement in this. And that's keep yourselves in the love of God.
That's the main part of this passage. Keep yourselves in the love of God. To remain in the love of God. And the really nerdy fun part is there's three what are called instrumental participles. That's just three phrases that surround it. Okay?
And those three phrases help explain keep yourselves in the love of God. So the command is to keep yourselves in the love of God. And he's like, alright. Now here are three ways to do it. Building, praying, waiting. So let's look at that first one.
Building yourselves up in the most holy, in your most holy faith. If you want to remain in the love of God, you must build yourself up in this most holy faith. Now, that word build is a very specific word choice. It's very clearly pulled from house building, structure building. That's where that word comes from. And the picture here is that if Christ is our firm foundation, okay?
If he is our cornerstone, if he is the solid rock upon which the church of Jesus Christ is built, then we are to build up our most holy faith on that foundation. So what does he mean by build? Well, Jesus explained himself when he taught the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7. In Matthew 7, he said, Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. So that's what it means to build up your faith.
It's to hear the word of God and to do the word of God. As James says, not hears only, but doers. It means that we have to encounter Christ and his word and then be obedient to what his word calls us to. The reality is there's no substitute for them. There isn't. No substitute for regularly encountering God and his word.
Many of you, you know this. I was bivocational as a pastor for years. I did real estate and I was also pastoring here. And a couple years ago I came on full time here. And when I was doing real estate, you know, you go into these new build neighborhoods. You go to new construction.
There's an agent on site. I walk into this neighborhood. There's an agent on site. Start asking them questions about their build. This is like an entry level under $200,000 build, which almost doesn't exist anymore. But, you know, years ago it did.
Four years ago it did. So walking and he's kind of, you know, selling the product. And I said, yeah, well, how does this compare to the neighborhood right down the street? And he said, oh, that neighborhood? He said, I mean, if you want houses that are built with popsicle sticks and glue, sure. You can go check out that neighborhood.
And what was kind of funny was he's kind of right. That builder, I'm not going to mention the builder, but they're kind of known in this area for being the cheapest of the builders. But his whole point was if you want something that ain't solid, if you want something that doesn't have a lot of structure, if you want something that you're not going to really trust, then absolutely go down the road and you can find that. And what happens for Christians is that we hear that we're supposed to read the Bible and we're just like, no, I don't want to prioritize this in my life. And whatever you try to build your faith upon, I mean, build your faith with, it's popsicle sticks and glue.
We fill your days with entertainment. We'll fill our days with sports and Netflix and social media and distractions and all kinds of things. And then we wonder why we're not growing in our faith. I mean, there's good things that you could want to substitute for. I remember people say, like, I don't really, I'm not really big into reading the Bible, but I do really love listening to worship music. And that's how I really encounter God.
And it's like, listen, I love worship music as well. It is good for my soul. But that's not a substitute for the Word of God. It's not a substitute for regularly tasting and seeing that the Lord is good. No podcast, no sermons, no community group discussions. Or a substitute for regularly encountering Christ and His Word.
If we want to grow in our faith, we need to build and build with material that is structurally sound and good. I mean, we say this is kind of a broken record, but I'll keep playing that. Is that we talk to people in our church all the time who just say, listen, I'm, for years I was following Jesus. And then all of a sudden recently I started reading the Bible more regularly and it's changed everything. It's like, yes, you're building with the right tools now. You're building on this, you're building this structure.
You're being wise, not wasting the gift of faith that God has given us. So the first thing he says is building. Building yourselves up in your most holy faith. If you want to remain in the love of God, you're going to be building. And the second thing he says is praying in the Holy Spirit. He says if you want to remain in the love of God, prayer, and specifically praying in the Holy Spirit, needs to be a part of your walk with Christ.
Now what he's teaching there is regular prayer, acknowledging the third member of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. Praying in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is at live and at work within us. He empowers us to pray and to pray boldly. When we are too weak, Romans 8 teaches that the Holy Spirit prays on behalf of this. How amazing is that?
That God is praying for us. I mean, the Holy Spirit empowers us to regular prayer, the kind of unceasing, unending prayer that we're called to as Christians. Christians, prayer is vital. If you want to remain in the love of God, you need to be a man or woman who prays. I heard an anecdote years ago. Somebody was reading a bunch of biographies of missionaries and famous pastors.
He just said, look, one common thread you can see through each of their stories is that these men and women prayed. Normative, regular prayer. I mean, prayer is this humbling before the Lord. You cannot see humbling before Him and saying, I want you to handle my life. I want you to give me wisdom. I want you to hear my request.
Oh, Lord, we need that in our life. Regularly praying in the Holy Spirit. Now, real quick, let me address something before we move on. There are some people that look at that and go, wait a second. I heard that praying in the Holy Spirit is praying in tongues. Let me address that very quickly.
And if you want to have a longer conversation about that. Chet Phillips is on vacation. But when he gets back on Tuesday, he would love to talk to you more about this. Some people say, what if this isn't this praying in tongues? So listen, if you have the category in your theology for praying in tongues, then you have to admit that 1 Corinthians 12 says that not everyone has that gift.
And if right here he's saying, if all of you want to remain in the love of God, you need to pray in the Holy Spirit that He can't possibly be telling you to do something that not everyone has the gift. No, he's not talking about that. And if you have more questions about that, chat at millcitycasey.com. Listen, I'll talk to you about it. There are different things. We have a plurality of elders here.
We have multiple elders. We have different things that we're passionate about. That's just not something. He'd love to talk to you. Other things in theology you want to talk about? Let's go for it.
So, praying in the Holy Spirit. Third, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. If you want to remain in the love of God, we need to have a posture that is waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternity. Which means that the posture and the orientation of our soul is future looking. That your hope and your vision is on the mercy that awaits us into eternity. That your eye is on the prize.
Right? That's what it means to be forward looking as a Christian. Is that you're looking and awaiting for the day when one day Jesus will make all things new and judgment day will happen. And on that day when every record of wrong and every sin that we have in our lives has been read, that we as Christians point to the Lamb who was slain on our behalf. Point to Jesus who died for us on the cross. Point to the resurrection that gave us a new life in Christ.
Point to the mercy of our Lord that was poured out on us. We as Christians look forward to that day when we will point to the mercy of our God that leads into eternity. That we will be spared from the judgment that is to come because of what Christ has done. What Christ has done alone. The reason why that posture is so deeply important in the present is because if you have your, if your faith is so centered on that reality, on that day, on that eternity that awaits us, you will look at the present and the things that seek to destroy you. The sin and dwelling sin that's happening within and all of the things that seem appealing to your flesh.
You'd say, no, I don't want that. That pales in comparison to what awaits me. I will wait for the mercy of my Lord and Savior Christ. It leads me to eternity. My posture will be waiting for that. I don't want this.
No, I will wait. So he says, you want to remain in the love of God? Build. Pray. Wait. If we have that posture, those three things, that will enable us to do this last major calling that he calls us to, which is rescue.
We're called to rescue. Verse 22. And have mercy on those who doubt. Save others by snatching them out of the fire. To others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh. So Jude has been going.
If you've been here the last few weeks, it's heavy. He's been going hard after these false teachers. He's been going hard after this false teaching that will corrupt the church. But he's not doing this so that he can be the one who's right. So that he can be the one who's vindicated.
So he can be the one that wins the debate. And if you think that's the posture of Jude, and if that's the posture of your own life, that you want to be the one who is right, you've completely misunderstood Jude and the Bible. That this warning that he gives us to remember, that this calling to remain in the love of God, is so that we can be a people that rescues. So that we can be a people where he says, have mercy on those who doubt. So that we can be merciful to those who are doubting.
Listen, following Jesus is hard. It is hard. And there are people who struggle. And there are people who go through seasons of darkness. There are people who, brothers and sisters, who doubt. And if you've ever been with someone who is struggling, mercy is sitting before them and pleading with them, please don't do this.
Please don't choose this path. Please don't go down that path. Don't do it. I'm telling you, Jesus is better. Please believe this. Don't choose sin.
And the picture that he gives here is so vivid. He says the picture is snatching them out of the fire. Snatching them out of the fire. I mean, that's someone who is looking over the cliff, looking over the cliff, indulging in their sin, starting to believe things that aren't true. And they don't see clearly the flames that are underneath that. And the self-destruction that's underneath that.
And you as a Christian are grabbing them by the shirt, saying, No. Don't do it. Please don't do it. I'm telling you, that doesn't lead to life. That leads to death. And you've got one hand that's clinging to Christ as you are snatching them out of the flame, saying, Please don't do this.
That's mercy. That's what we're called to and commanded to as Christians. Is to have that type of mercy that has one hand on them and one hand on Christ, saying, I will not let you go. That's what we're called to as Christians. That's the posture that we should have towards those who are doubting. Now, I love that he gives some additional coaching attached to that.
Because it goes on to say, To others, show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh. So the coaching that he gives is you've got one hand on them and one hand on Christ. He says, Listen, do this with fear. And what he means is with reverence. Understanding that we should not think of ourselves too highly in our faith to know that we can't be pulled into. That we should actually see the garment stained by the flesh and hate that.
We should hate the sin in others in a way that actually helps us see that we actually too are capable of falling into that as well. When I became a Christian years ago, I had two close friends. I don't know if I did the right thing, but I just, I had to, we had to stop hanging out. Because all we did together is we got high together. got high and did stupid things. I became a Christian and I was like, I, I, I thoroughly enjoyed that. I, and then my flesh is, is too strong and I am too weak.
And I had to remove myself. Because I was worried, I was concerned, I was fearfully, reverently trying to examine my own soul and realize how weak I was. And I think that's a little bit of what's happening here. We're called to show mercy, but with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh, hating the sin and realizing that it's capable of pulling us into. Some of y'all are merciful people. Some of y'all are loving people.
And it's incredible to see how patient you are with people. It's incredible to see how much you love the lost and how much you build your life around being missional. But one of the things I would say is to do it wisely. Because we should not be, think so highly of our own faith. That we can be in the world, be in the world, be in the world, be in the world. That we can run with people who are engaging sin without realizing it too can pull us in.
That is why you keep one hand on them, but you keep that hand firmly on Christ. And you make sure that everything that we do flows out of obedience to Him and you understand what is at stake. So, remember, remain, rescue. After verses and verses of just absolutely pounding on the dangers that is false teaching, pounding on the dangers that is the perverting of the grace into sensuality. After hammering that over and over again, He gives us this practical coaching that I think is so helpful for us at this moment in the American church. church. Because it is so easy to forget this.
There's some of you that get bitter. Some of you are worried and angsty about what's happening. About churches that are falling apart. About culture that's affecting Christians. And we're certainly called to take this seriously. But we get to do so from a non-anxious presence realizing this was always how it was going to be.
That's how it's been for 2,000 years. There's great movements of Christ and then there's opposition. And we're not thrown off by the opposition for a moment if we understand and remember what was so clearly taught in the New Testament. Some of you get so focused on those dangers. Some of you get so focused on what's out there that you don't do the things that are good for your soul. You're not regularly encountering Christ in this world.
You're not being men and women of prayer. You're not evaluating all of this waiting for the mercy of our God that is to come. Some of you devour podcasts and YouTube channels and Facebook posts and all kinds of things that just keep you worked up and keep you worked up and keep you worked up and keep you worked up. And if you could account for the hours that you spend doing that a week versus the hours that we spend doing the things that are good for our souls, you'd realize this command that needs to be obeyed and repentance needs to happen in our own lives. I was reading an article last week.
It was an article recounting Pastor Martin Lloyd-Jones which, by the way, if you want to know more about the Welsh pastor Martin Lloyd-Jones, mid-20th century pastor in the UK, Chet spent his whole sabbatical reading it, like reading his biography. He's like, I mean, I've heard about Martin Lloyd-Jones 15 times in the last 10 days. He's so excited. And Martin Lloyd-Jones, he's awesome. So I think if you want to learn more about him, go talk to Chet.
But I was reading, apart from that, I stumbled upon this article and I was like, okay, I was reading it and Martin Lloyd-Jones is recounting this time where he was getting coffee with another pastor. And this other pastor was the kind of pastor that, I mean, if he was here today, he would be the kind of guy who had like a YouTube channel that was calling out all the false teachers all the time and was talking about how the government's coming for us and Hollywood's coming for us. They'd be that kind of guy. So he's talking to this other pastor and they're getting coffee and this pastor says, hey, are you a great reader of Joseph Parker who was a 19th century pastor who also today would have a YouTube channel?
Are you a great reader of Joseph Parker? And Martin Lloyd-Jones said, no, I'm not. And the other pastor was like, why? Why are you not reading Joseph Parker? And Jones says, I don't get anything from him. Well, that other pastor was incredulous.
He's like, why? Why don't you get anything from him? And Jones just said, well, I mean, it's all very well to make these criticisms of the liberals. Now, pause for a second. When he says liberals, don't think our context liberals. He's talking about in the mid-20th century, this is, and the Anglican and the British churches, this would be the people that denied the word of God, said it wasn't true, and now those churches don't even exist.
So he just said, it's all very well to make these criticisms of the liberals, which is a big hundred-year fight in the British churches, but he doesn't help me spiritually. Jones says, he doesn't help me spiritually. And then that guy fired back and said, surely you are helped by the way he makes mince meat of the liberals. And I love how Jones responds. He says, no, I am not. You can make mince meat of the liberals and still be in trouble in your own soul.
You can be so focused on being the right one. You can have all the fights on Facebook. You can do all the things that make you more angsty, make you more worried, or you can obey what Jude commands here. You can remember that this is always going to happen and we will not be shocked. We will not be shocked. You can remain in the love of God by doing the things that are good for our souls, like regularly encountering him in his word and praying and being so fixated on the glory that awaits us that everything we do is in light of that reality.
And we can be merciful. Merciful Christians that engage, that plead, that snatch people out of the path that leads to destruction. And here's the thing. I don't know if the American church can grow in this. I have my doubts for a lot of different reasons, but I think we can. I've been so deeply encouraged the last few years of pastoring and seeing the people of this church who encounter God and his word that are growing and that are hungry and I just want to keep fan the flames of that.
Keep reading your Bibles and keep staying off the internet. I want to see us grow in praying. As an elder team, we're trying to work on this and being men who pray. I want to be a church that is regularly praying. I see a people that have perspective that do believe that Jesus is better than everything else and that's grounded in an eternal reality. And I see some believers who are merciful, who do plead with those who are struggling, who do care about the lost and I just want to keep fan of those flames.
Jude gives the playbook. We just got to be obedient to it.
Symptoms of Ungodliness (Jude 6-18)
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
Good morning. My name is Chet. I am one of the pastors here. We are in the book of Jude. It's a very short letter written by Jude, the brother, and he says servant of Jesus. It is on page 594 in one of the blue Bibles that's in the row in front of you.
I would encourage you to grab a Bible, have it open with you this morning. The scriptures will be on the screen, but there's a lot to this passage we're looking at this morning. We're going to jump right in and then I'm going to kind of set the tone for what we're going to do, but we need to start off in verse 8. We're going to look in verse 8 through 16 today. We're going to jump right into 8, explain kind of what we're going to do this morning as we walk through this, and then get to work. So verse 8 starts like this.
Yet in like manner manner, these people also. Yet in like manner, these people also. Every single word in that phrase means that you need some context. Yet means that he's referring to something he just talked about. In like manner means that he's referring to something he just talked about. These people means that he's talking about some people that he just talked about.
And also, so let's just set the context and then we'll see what we're going to do this morning. What he, what has happened so far in this letter is he has said that there are people who have crept in unnoticed. So he's writing to the church, but he says there's some people who've crept in unnoticed and they are perverting the grace of God into sensuality. So they're saying God's so loving, God's so kind, God's so gracious that we can have license to sin, that we can pursue these things because of his grace, because of his kindness, because of his forgiveness. And then he says denying our only master and Lord Jesus Christ.
Those are the two things that they're doing. And then we looked at verses five through seven. He gives historical examples of the ways that we've tried this before. So he talks through the rebellious Israelites after they were brought through the Exodus of Egypt, they rebelled against Jesus and Jesus destroyed them. Then he talks about angels who left their proper place.
Is he, is that he's going to give us some clarifying information as we go through this? There's a, there's a phrase that has become a part of my life, a question that, um, if a couple of years ago you had told me you will both ask this question and answer this question on a semi regular basis, I would have had no clue as to why that would happen. I'd have been very confused. If you said, here's a question that's going to become a part of your life. I would have just been like, why? I think it's actually a part of your life too.
Here's the question. Can you still taste food or could you still taste food? Now, under what circumstances prior to 2020, would you have needed that phrase, that question? Head injury, severe hot sauce, tongue burn, like what? But in 2020, we all became infectious disease experts and we learned a series of symptoms that we needed to know about in order for us to continue in life.
And I don't know about y'all, but I learned that the one that seems to only go along with COVID was the inability to taste food. Everything else was like, well, I don't know. That could be allergies. That could be something that you ate other than like completely having no energy. But if like someone's trying to hang out with you and they're like, hey, I will come, but I got to run down my symptoms with you real quick.
My throat's hurting. Okay. Have you been coughing? Not really. But we all learned how not to cough in 2020.
That's not the best test. But then you finally say, can you still taste food? Yeah, you can come hang out. If they're like, not really. It's like, stay home. That was actually how I learned when I was hanging.
I was with my family on vacation. It was like our extended family, my brothers, their families. And I realized I could not tell the difference between peanut butter and sour cream other than texture. I was like, oh no. But what we learned was a series of symptoms that helped us understand what illness we had.
If you, if you call up, you go to the doctor or whatever, they're going to ask for symptoms. Now the symptoms aren't the disease. They're how it shows up. And what we're going to see in Jude is he's giving us symptoms of ungodliness. Symptoms of someone who does not have the spirit. He calls them devoid of the spirit.
So these are symptoms that show up in our lives and in the lives of others that indicate ungodliness or a lack of the work of the spirit. And I think this will be primarily helpful in two ways for us this morning. One, so that we can diagnose ourselves. So that you can look at Jude's version of ungodliness, WebMD, and run down the list and go, oh, okay. That's actually an area where there's some lack of work of spirit in me. That's an area where there's some lack of the work of the spirit in me.
That's an area where I'm not following the Lord. If you go through the whole list and you're like, ah, this just is characterizing my life. Well, we have good news that Jesus Christ dies for sinners, but you're not a Christian, so you need to place faith in him. It's a diagnosis for ourselves that we might repent. Secondarily, it's a diagnosis for Christian leadership. Some of y'all have just moved to the area.
Some of y'all at some point will move to a different place and you will be tasked as a Christian with trying to find a church. Good luck. It's one of the most unfun things to ever try to do. It's really hard to do because you want to try to figure out what's best, but then you get in this weird consumer situation and it really messes you up. And this, I think, gives us a healthy diagnosis for trying to figure out where there's godly Christian leadership because he's talking about these leaders and how it shows up in their lives that they have ungodliness. It also helps us for, Lord willing, we stay, we grow together, we multiply groups, we continue to pursue this area with the gospel.
But also, some of you are reading books, you're listening to podcasts, you're listening to sermons, and this is a helpful framework to understand, are these people that I'm listening to, learning from, are they actually believers or do they have symptoms of ungodliness? So, that's it. We're trying to diagnose our own hearts, which is most important. Secondarily, trying to build a bit of a radar framework for understanding Christian leadership. And he says a lot of things. You ever had someone that, hold stuff in and then finally they like let one thing out, so then they say everything?
That's what this feels like. We got a lot of work to go through to just like, after he says it all, you're like, okay, let's start sorting this out. So, we're going to try to work our way through quickly as we can, but he says a lot of stuff. Let's pray for the Lord's help and the active work of the Spirit. Lord, we ask for wisdom. We ask for your help.
We ask for the Spirit to be at work in us so that we might understand your Word here. In Jesus' name, amen. All right, verse 8. Yet in like manner, these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones. Okay. Relying on their dreams kind of works as like the gear that turns these other ones, or it's the fulcrum that moves these other ones.
So, we're going to talk about it first and a little bit longer, then we're going to work on the other three. But he says relying on their dreams, meaning these leaders, we're announcing, I've had a dream. I've had a vision. God has spoken to me. Now, that kind of thing does happen in the Scriptures, but what they do is they say, God's spoken to me, and then it leads them away from what we know from the Scriptures is God's will. They start defiling the flesh.
They start running into sin, running into sensuality. They start rejecting authority, and so they're using this as somehow, I've had a dream, and therefore, I'm an authority. Some of you might come out of a church background where that's a thing, where somebody speaks prophetically into your life, or declares they've had a dream. I know I've been in sermons before where someone said, I was reading this passage, and I was praying about it, and I felt like the Lord just told me something. And then they just leave the Bible. At that point, it's almost like they could have just folded it up and set it down, and they just start talking about things.
And after a while, I'm like, no, that's not what, that's not, we're untethered to the Scriptures, but that's what's happening. And that's a thing that happens in Christian leadership. But here's how it might show up in your life. Maybe you actually had a dream or a vision or something, and the way that you ought to weigh that out is to understand what the text says, have church family help weigh in that, try to walk in the Spirit with people under the authority of Scriptures. But here's how it usually seems to show up.
I just don't feel like this is wrong. I've prayed about it, and this just doesn't seem wrong to me. Or, studying the Scriptures, and you're going, I just, I don't know how God could say that's bad, so I just, it doesn't feel right. And what you're doing is the same thing they're doing, which is this sort of mysticism that says, my experience trumps God's Word. My experience trumps God's Word. I understand it says I probably shouldn't be, like, sleeping with my boyfriend.
I understand it says that I shouldn't necessarily be smoking weed. I get that. But also, I prayed about it, and I just, I don't feel like the Lord's telling me that personally. Which is a real misunderstanding of how this is meant to work. Your assumption in that is that your experience trumps the Word of God, or that everything that you disagree with the Bible on is an indication of the Bible being wrong rather than you being wrong. But if we actually believe that there is a God who came to save sinners, we should assume, we should expect to come to the Bible and it say some things we don't like.
You should expect that. You should read the Bible and go, ooh, don't like that. And it doesn't mean he's wrong, it means you're wrong. And if you pray about it and still don't feel wrong, it just means you're double extra wrong. When anybody ever says, I prayed about it and I don't feel bad, it's like, yeah, because you don't know how to listen to the voice of the Spirit right now. You're so far away from the Lord.
Like, repent, obey. Stuff that we would not let our children say. My seven-year-old can't go, I know that you said I shouldn't do that, but I've thought about it, and it just feels like something I should do. I'd say, you're very confused about how this house works. But that's what's happening here, and that's what can happen to us, and it's a symptom of ungodliness.
It's an area where it indicates that the Holy Spirit is not at work. It says they defile the flesh, meaning they pursue indulgence in sins that work for the flesh. They pursue sexual sins specifically, but it also would be pursuing any kind of indulgence of the flesh. We're going to see later that it's like they're driven by their bellies, that their passions and desires is what leads them in life. That's an indication of a lack of the work of the Spirit, because the Spirit gives us self-control. The Spirit works in us towards obedience, not just pursuing every desire we have.
It's a symptom of ungodliness. It says they reject authority. Boy, Americans love rejecting authority. It's our favorite. It's how we got started. I get to run a firework store twice a year.
If you were wondering how classy I am, super classy. I get to run a firework store twice a year, and I tell people sometimes, we became a country by blowing stuff up, so we celebrate by blowing stuff up. But there's this idea in us that it's like we're all cowboys, and ain't nobody going to tell us what to do. Those are the movies we watch. The authority tells you to turn in your gun and your badge. Well, guess what?
You got a gun at home because you're an American, and you're still going to solve this crime. That's what we celebrate. That's what we live in, but actually, the Bible is not anti-authority. God is not anti-authority. He's just pro-good authority. He's anti-biscuitary.
Bad authority. But if your life is marked by a rejection of all authority that you never got along with your parents, never got along with your teachers, hadn't met a cop you like, don't really, you know, be in a part of a church as long as they don't tell you stuff you got to do. We're like, you should join a group. And you're like, maybe. You ain't the boss of me. It's like, okay.
But if that's your whole life is marked by a rejection of any kind of leadership, any kind of authority, that's an indication of ungodliness. The Bible teaches a king who's good that we submit to. It teaches headship and leadership that are good that we submit to. An anti-authority, a rejection of all authority is a symptom of ungodliness. All right.
And blaspheme the glorious ones. That phrase, glorious ones, is just the word doxas in Greek, but glorious ones is a good, it'd be glories would be another way to say it, but it seems like since it's on its own, it's a glorious ones. And honestly, if that was all we had, we really would not know what he was talking about. He clarifies for us some. And so let's look at verse 9. Also, 2 Peter chapter 2 says a very similar thing that helps us understand this as well to give us some context.
But let's look at verse 9. So he says, they blaspheme the glorious ones. And then verse 9, he's going to give us something that fills that in a little bit for us. But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, the Lord rebuke you. Verse 10, then we'll come back to verse 9. But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand.
And they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively. All right. Look back at verse 9. They blaspheme the glorious ones. Now, blaspheme means to denigrate something holy, something glorious, so that we can blaspheme God. We speak about his name in an unholy way.
That's actually why they killed Jesus, because he was saying he was God, and they charged him with blasphemy, meaning he's not God, but he says he's God, and we've got to kill him. He was God, so he wasn't actually blaspheming. But it's interesting for him to give an explanation of blasphemy, but show us the archangel Michael and the devil. If there was one creature that I thought you kind of couldn't blaspheme, the devil seemed like a good guess, that you could say whatever mean thing you wanted to about the devil, and it would be true and fine to say. But he's saying that that's actually, they're ignorant in their approach to this.
And he gives us the example of the archangel Michael. Now, Michael is one of the only named angels. It's Gabriel and Michael. Michael shows up in Daniel, Jude, and the book of Revelation. A very powerful angel. And Jude is referencing a story that the only place we know anything about this story is in Jude.
It's not in any other historical writing. It's not in any of the other histories of the Jewish people outside of this. In a minute, he's going to reference 1 Enoch, but that's not in the Bible, but it's in their histories. We don't know where this came from at all. But it seems like he believed his readers or his hearers did.
And it's probably some sort of oral tradition that was passed along, but he's just giving them an example. So what he says is, the archangel Michael is disputing with the devil, and the archangel Michael does not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment. Meaning that it would be presumptive for the archangel Michael to speak in a certain way to Satan. But the archangel Michael doesn't do that. He says, let the Lord rebuke you. The Lord rebuke you.
He defers the rebuke to the Lord. Meaning that Michael shows humility. Michael does not exalt himself, but he leaves the rebuke to the Lord. He says, may the Lord rebuke you. So in some ways, what Jude is saying, it'd be like if I looked at my son and said, boy, I don't even talk to your mama like that.
Meaning I don't have to call her ma'am. We're on the same level. Like we discuss things differently. There's a different level of respect in the way we show each other, but you've lost your mind. That's kind of what Jude's saying. He's saying these people speak about evil angels in a way that angels don't even do this.
That's an odd concept for us to understand, but I think that word presume helps. The leaders that he's talking about have over-exalted themselves so that they are speaking in a way that indicates their ignorance about the actual power of the enemy and over-exalts their own understanding of their authority. So I'm going to give you a leadership example. I'm going to give you a personal life example, and then hopefully we'll wrap our heads around this a little bit. This is a bit confusing as to what he's talking about, and there's only a few places that reference it, this and 2 Peter. But 2 Peter basically says the same thing.
He says, bold and willful do they not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious one, whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them. So I've heard preachers preach and say things like, and we're going to storm the gates of hell and we're going to punch Satan in the mouth and we're going to bind that rat up and we're going to throw him in a hole. And it's like, uh, the problem with that, I think, in understanding what Jude is saying, is that we don't punch Satan in the mouth. We don't bind him up. We don't throw him in a hole. Jesus does.
And we, in humility, walk behind Jesus. We don't stand running our mouth behind Jesus. We defer to Jesus's glory and we, we walk behind him in humility. We don't presume to speak in such a way about things that we're ignorant about. The only, the personal example that I think is that you just need to watch how you think about, speak about Satan and demons, potentially some of the shows we watch, uh, lighten it, lighten that idea, lighten demonic things, lighten it as if it's somehow not something to take seriously. Uh, I saw this recently had never thought, never thought about it until I was reading Jude, but I know I've seen it in our church family and it's, I'm not saying it's wrong, but I'm saying this is the type of thing I think we need to consider, but there I've seen mugs and t-shirts and stuff that say not today, Satan.
When I first saw that, I thought, okay, but after reading this, I thought, maybe that's not, maybe, maybe that's a step too far and we just need to step back in a little more humility and, and actually let Jesus go before us in that, trusting in his rebuke, trusting in his leadership, trusting in his kingship and not in fearfulness of the enemy, but in fearfulness of the Lord, which is what Archangel Michael has. May the Lord rebuke you. And so that we get to walk in some authority that's in Christ, but it's in Christ. And we, I'll give you an example where this shows up in the book of Luke. Jesus sends out the 72.
It says the 72 returned. This is Luke 10 verses 17 through 20. The 72 returned with joy saying, Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name. So they're subject to us, but it's in Jesus's name. And he said to them, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall hurt you.
Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven. He says, that's not the point. They are subject. There is some amount of authority in Christ, but that's not the thing to be excited about. That's not the thing to walk around being bold in. That's not the thing to be excited about the salvation and the wonder of the Lord, giving him credit, not yourself.
If you want to talk more about that, we can. I think some of what we would be caught on is just some humility and some understanding. Are we pointing to Jesus? Are we pointing to ourselves? Verse 10, but these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, meaning speaking about spiritual things in a way that, that their ignorance shows their ignorance and they are destroyed by all that they like unreasoning animals understand instinctively. So like unreasoning animals, meaning they're driven by their passions, their desires, their instincts, that that's, that's ultimately what's destroying them.
They're not led by the spirit. They're led by the flesh. They're like an animal. And he's going to give three examples. Now he's going to give three old Testament pictures, and then he's going to give six pictures from, uh, just kind of creation.
And y'all, it's artful. I played football in high school and college, and there were just some guys who knew how to say mean things to somebody and they were friends, but they would get into it and they would just know exactly where to like, like you're just wordsmiths. And there's a bunch of stuff that as I was trying to think about examples, I thought of some, I'm not allowed to say them here. Um, and some of them are way worse because I'm white, but I've remembered some of the things that have been said that when I was growing through high school and college. And honestly, when I read Jude, I kind of feel that it's like he masterful pictures to try to help wrap around this idea of what these people are like and what's going to happen.
And so we're going to walk through those. He gives three from the old Testament. He says, woe to them for they have walked in the way of Cain, abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam's error and perished in Korah's rebellion. They've walked in the way of Cain, meaning that it's this symptom of ungodliness that he's saying this, this identifying marker of them is that, uh, Adam and Eve had two sons, Cain and Abel, and they presented the sacrifice to God. And, uh, Cain's sacrifice was not accepted. And God tells him sin is coming for you.
You need to have dominion over it. And Cain chooses sin led by his, uh, uh, his jealousy over his brother. And he kills his brother. He just heads in that direction. And what he's saying is they've chosen that path led by their passions, led by their desires, led by their anger, led by their jealousies. They followed Cain.
And then he says they have, uh, and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam's error. Balaam was a prophet who God spoke to, but who was not a part of the people of Israel. And in Numbers, when the people of Israel are coming through, a king goes to Balaam and says, I'll pay you money. Come curse the people of Israel. And Balaam says, I'll only say what God wants me to say. He says, all right, cool.
Come sit over here and see if he'll let you curse them. Balaam shows up and he blesses them because that's what God wants to do. Balaam does this three times. The king keeps being like, well, maybe come over to this side, see if you can curse this half of their army. Come over here and see him from here. Maybe you can curse him here.
And Balaam just keeps being like, okay. And it's almost as if Balaam's like, I really want this money. So I'm hoping God will change his mind. That's kind of what he's abandoning himself for the sake of gain. He's giving up this relationship he had with the Lord where he was the Lord's prophet. He's just trying to get gain out of it.
And we eventually see that he helps the Midianites trick the Israelites into sin. That ultimately he does turn. That he was, they'd be like somebody offered you a job and you were like, no, I'm supposed to stay here. I'm supposed to whatever. And they say, okay. They call you back up and they go, we've raised the, the offering amount.
You know, like, no, I've prayed about it. I feel like the Lord really wants me here. And they call you back up and say, we've raised the offering amount. Like we will pay you this. And you go, I think maybe the Lord's telling me I'm supposed to go to Memphis. I just feel like now that, you know, you said that much, it feels like, and it's, that's kind of what he's saying.
He's like, they sold themselves out for money. He sold, and that's what they've done. They're driven along by their passions. And one of the things they understand is money. It says they perished in Korah's rebellion. Korah was a priest who said in the, with Abraham, with Moses and his brother Aaron, he said, we're priests, but how do y'all get to be the ones who talk to God?
How are y'all in this special spot? How did only the sons of Aaron get to be high priests? And they rebelled against them and Korah was swallowed up by the earth. So he had a position of authority, but he didn't want to stay in it. He wanted a higher one. He wanted to rebel against God's authority.
And so what he says is they're driven along like animals and they understand three things. They understand their own desires, their own passions. They understand their pocketbooks and they understand power. Now what's scary is, if you looked at many of our lives, we've charted them out along our desires, our wallets, and power. And when you picture future you, it's future me, but I get to sit on a beach and drink mojitos. It's future me, but I'm getting to, my house is bigger, more comfortable.
It's nicer. It's future me, but I have more money. It's, it's future me, but I'm, I'm, I've moved up in my office. I've moved up in authority. I've moved up and I'm more well-respected. And all you've got is this.
And he says, that's, that's instinct. That's what animals do. And if that's all you've got, that's an indication of a lack of the work of the spirit. All right. Now he gives six, starting at verse 12, six, um, pictures from, from creation.
I'm going to read them all at once and then we'll walk back through them. But he says, these are hidden reefs at your love feasts as they feast with you without fear. Now the picture is hidden reefs. We'll explain that in a second. First, we've got to talk about love feasts. Spencer was supposed to preach today, but we rearranged the schedule.
Um, if you're new, Spencer and I preach rotating around. Um, and, uh, he was going to acknowledge that when he mentioned love feasts kind of offhandedly in his first sermon in Jude, he mentioned it in a purely negative context, but love, love feasts are not by design negative. They're mentioned kind of negatively here, but love feasts are like a fellowship dinner. So in biblical terms, we have love feasts in our fellowship hall or in our gym where we eat a meal together because we're church family. They would often do that. And then they would have communion.
Love feast sounds negative to us. Like if you came to me and said, Hey, you want to come to my house on Saturday? We're going to have a love feast. I would say, no, I'm a, I can't, I don't, I don't, I don't want to. And also I don't want, I don't want to know what that is, but I feel like I'm not into it. So it sounds negative.
It's just a fellowship dinner. And that's why we call them fellowship dinners. Because if we put on here, Hey, love feasts coming up. Some of y'all be like, not the church for me. I was just swinging by, but that's what it was. But he says they're hidden reefs.
Now a hidden reef is the water looks good. There's something underneath it. That's going to shipwreck you. So if these other things have been symptoms, he's now giving us a prognosis. He's telling us where this disease goes. He's saying, if you follow this leadership, if you follow this path, here's what will happen to you.
Here's what this type of leadership does. Seems good, destroys you from under the surface. Shepherds feeding themselves. Shepherds exist for the sake of the flock. The flock does not exist for the sake of the shepherd. The shepherd is there to defend, to guide, to protect, to care.
And he says, that's not what these, that's not what they're doing. You exist for their good. They're shepherds who feed themselves. Waterless clouds swept along by winds. In a agricultural society, clouds are a beautiful, beautiful thing. Even here sometimes it rains and you're just like, oh, we need, this is great.
We needed some rain. He's saying these clouds, they come along and they promise life and they just keep on going. Looks like it's going to do something. Doesn't do anything. Brings no life, no health. They're waterless clouds.
Fruitless trees in late autumn. Meaning it's already past the season for fruit. They should have already borne fruit. They haven't borne fruit. They're fruitless. And then he doubles down and says, not only were they fruitless, now they've been uprooted.
They're twice dead, uprooted. Dead on their own, dug up dead, twice dead. I mean, he's straight up, he's, you know, he's getting after them. He calls them double dead here. 13. Wild waves of the sea casting up the foam of their own shame.
Meaning that all their activity, all their, when they get stirred up, all it ends up doing is showing their wickedness. Cast up their shame. Wandering stars for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever. Use the stars to guide you. Use stars to help you navigate. And some of, and I only recently learned this.
I probably should have learned it a long time ago. Some of the brightest stars aren't stars, they're planets. And they move. And I'm always like, hey look, you can see that star. Where are the other stars? And it's not a star, it's a planet.
But the problem is they don't track with the rest of the sky. And so if you set your course by them, they get you off course. That's what he's saying. That they're a star that doesn't stay in its place, so it'll get you off course. They will lead you astray. Now I know, for many in our church family, and for some of you who I don't know, I know that some of the greatest harm that has happened to you is by following Christian leaders like this.
Christian leaders that were devoid of the Spirit, led you astray, harmed you, seemed like things were going to be good, but it was lurking under the surface. They were shepherds who were feeding themselves. And they caused great destruction. That's why Jude is saying what he says. Verse 14. It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, so Adam was one, Enoch was seven.
It's just in his genealogy, in the genealogy of Adam. The seventh from Adam prophesied saying, so he's about to quote a prophecy from Enoch. He's going to quote it from first Enoch, which is not in the Bible, which immediately causes us a bunch of problems. So we want to time out and say, wait a second, should Enoch be in the Bible? Does he, does Jude say that Enoch should be in the Bible? And the answer is no.
And then we go, oh, well then should Jude be out of the Bible? These are all discussions that have been had a long time ago. First Enoch was never a part of the Hebrew scriptures. They understood some to be divinely authored, other ones not. What, what Jude is doing here is he is saying, hey, when Enoch said this, he was talking about these people. Paul does that with, um, epimenides.
And that's how you pronounce it. Don't question that. Epimenides. Um, he does this in Titus. He says, one of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gullettins. This testimony is true.
Which is a mean thing to say about the Cretans. Maybe that's why he quotes somebody else. I'm not saying it, but he said it and he was right. That's what he does. But what he's not saying is go find everything epimenides said and put that in the scriptures.
He's just saying he said this and that's accurate. And that's what he's doing. He's saying first Enoch, Enoch said this and this is who he's talking about. This comes true in them. They fulfilled this prophecy. That's what he's saying.
So here's what he says. Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way. And of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against. He says ungodly four times. That's why I said these are symptoms of ungodliness. He's saying that's about them.
This is ungodly. It's anti-godly. They're devoid of the spirit. In verse 16, we're going to look at a few more and then I want to point out two things about Jesus. He says these are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires. They are loud mouth boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage.
Some of us are very skillful in grumbling. Grumbling. You know, you know all the things you don't like. You can point them out. You can show up anywhere. It's like if there was a super team.
You'd be like, and everybody was yelling out their powers. You'd be like, grumbling! And put your ring in the middle. Like that's what you're good at. You can tell everything you don't like. You always know why everybody around you is an idiot.
And you don't mind telling other people. That's grumbling. Grumbling. And he says it's an indication that the spirit's not at work here. Malcontent. This constant discontent specifically with authority.
Every boss you've ever had, an idiot, all of your teachers, morons. Is life only always better in the future? Are you constantly discontent? If I can just get here. If I can just get this done. If I just get to this stage.
If we can finally fix this problem. Then I'll be happy. And if you actually trace your life back. That's never actually happened. Some of those things have happened. But you've never reached contentment.
Following their own sinful desires. We've talked about that a good bit. Led along by their stomachs. They are loud mouthed boasters. They tell you how wonderful they are. How smart they are.
How capable they are. Showing favoritism to gain advantage. That's a sneaky one. And it's more malicious than some of these other ones. I mean it can be malicious. But this idea of treating someone well.
For the sake of just using them. Coming to someone and saying. Hey I would tell our group this. But they don't understand. But you do.
Hey I would. You know you're the only person I can talk to about this. Giving gifts. Those kind of things. Just to kind of turn someone into your advantage. And some of you know that.
If you've been in a situation with really unhealthy leadership. They treated you really really well. And then hurt you very very badly. Because it was just to gain advantage. Alright I got.
Two pieces. Of good news. Look back at verse 14. The band's going to come back up here. And I want to highlight for us two things. As we close out our time.
Verse 14. He says this. Behold. Behold. The Lord. Comes.
With ten thousands of his holy ones. There is judgment coming. For those who lead in the name of the Lord. To the destruction of others. There is judgment coming. Some of you have deep wounds.
Because of what people have done in the name of Christ. And I want you to know. There is judgment coming. They will not get away with it. That he comes to bring judgment. On ungodliness.
That's wonderful news. Because every time something is ungodly or unfair. We say. Isn't somebody going to fix this? Isn't somebody going to show up? It's in us.
To see something unfair. And to want justice. We learned that with my. My. When my. Young.
My youngest son was like two. If he came running down the hall. Crying. And he ran to his mom. If we were both sitting in the room. If he ran to his mom.
He had hurt himself. He needed comfort. If he ran to me. His brother had hurt him. He needed justice. There's something in us.
That when these things happen. We go. I need someone to show up. And judge. And there's good news. A judge comes.
With ten thousand of his holy ones. But this is also fearful news. Because if we are ungodly. Unrepentant. Not redeemed in Christ. Judgment comes.
We will stand accountable for our sin. But here's the. Thing I want you to see. He says this is ungodly. Meaning that godliness is the opposite. Meaning that Jesus is the opposite.
Jesus didn't choose the way of Cain. He chose righteousness. On our behalf. Jesus didn't sell himself out for gain. He actually gave up riches. So that he could become poor.
So that he could humble himself to a cross. Jesus didn't reject authority. He actually submitted himself to the will of the father. To rescue and redeem a people for himself. Jesus is not a hidden reef. That will destroy us.
He is actually good. Calm. Glorious waters. That we can sail along. To a future. And a hope.
He's not a shepherd who feeds himself. He's the good shepherd who lays down his life. For the sheep. To rescue and redeem a people. That have hope in his name. He's not a cloud that promises water.
But doesn't bring life. He is the giver of life to all who will call on him. He's not a tree without fruit. But he brings substance. Joy. Filling.
Fills us with goodness. Patience. Kindness. Self-control. He's at work in us. That Jesus is good.
And he's a star that you can set your life on. That will guide you home. That will guide you forever. Forever. So the hope is that there is judgment against the ungodly.
And the hope is that there is forgiveness for the ungodly who will call out to Jesus. And we need both. So I'd ask you to diagnose yourself a little bit this morning. And to walk to Jesus in repentance. And hope for a future where he sets all things right. Including us.
Let's pray. Lord we thank you that you come with 10,000 of your holy ones. To bring about judgment on all of those who have sullied your name. All those who have rebelled against you and pursued ungodliness. And we thank you Lord that you already came. To pay for the sin of those who will call on you.
For forgiveness in life. And we ask Lord that on that day of judgment. That there would not be a soul in this room. Who stands before you in condemnation. But that we would stand in Christ.
In salvation. As we ask Lord that you would through your spirit lead us into repentance and faith. In Jesus name. Amen.
Examples of Judgment (Jude 5-7)
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
Grab your Bibles, go to the book of Jude. It is second to last book in the Bible. So if you go to the back of your Bible, run past Revelation, you'll find Jude. It's a very short book. It's on page 594. If you have one of the blue Bibles that's tucked down in front of you.
If you don't own a Bible, take that Bible home with you. It's our gift to you. My name is Chet. I'm one of the pastors here. I have been on a seven-week sabbatical. I'm very grateful for the opportunity to have been able to go on a sabbatical.
We started this church about 10 years ago, and it was nice to get to take a break this summer and rest and read and hang out with my family and travel a little bit. And I am thankful to be back. And so we are in the book of Jude. Excited to be back this morning. So it's that person over there.
And we're looking at Jude. Jude is one of the brothers of Jesus, and he is Jewish. And that's not surprising because all the authors of the Bible are Jewish except for maybe Luke. And we still think he probably was Jewish. But Jude is very Jewish in the way he writes.
And he seems to be writing to a Jewish audience, but it's a very Jewish book. Kind of like eating matzo ball soup at a bar mitzvah. It's just very Jewish. Which is fine. It just throws us a little bit. We have to do a little more work to understand what he's doing because he makes some references.
We're actually going to look at three stories he references today in verses 5 through 7 that, for his Jewish audience, auto-populated a lot of information. Brought, carried with it a lot of stories that they had told over and over again. They're in our Old Testament, but they're also, these stories are referenced often in other Jewish literature, in other Jewish historical books. So the three he brings together are often paired together either in two or three in the Midrash of the Sanhedrin. It's in Jubilees. It's in Maccabees.
It's in the Sirach. Like, it's all over their other historical books, and he brings them together. And so for his hearers, these examples he gives would have just been boom, boom, boom, and brought in all this information. But for us, it kind of makes us pause a little bit to make sure we understand what the illustration is doing, what the example is doing, so that we can move forward. I was talking to Raz Bradley, one of our other pastors, about a week ago, and I made the comment that we'd leave his John Hancock on something. And then I paused, because he's Australian.
I said, do you know what that is? Do you know what John Hancock is? He said, it's a financial institution. And I was like, maybe. I don't know that, but that's not what I was talking about. John Hancock is one of our founding fathers.
He signed his name as big as he possibly could on the Declaration of Independence so that the king could see it from far off. So we refer to your signature as your John Hancock. Australians have a queen. We have a Declaration of Independence, so they don't know about John Hancock. And so what meant to add information and move the conversation along completely stalled the conversation out. So I was even asking him, is there like an Australian equivalent?
Did they say, like, put your Billy Beru on this or something? He was like, no. And I was like, oh, it's sad. So there's an opening, though, for him to make some Australian slang if he wants to. They have slang words for everything. But it was meant to help.
It slowed us down, and that's kind of what's going to happen this morning. These three examples, let's read them real quick, verses 5 through 7. Jude says, Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. That's his first quick example. And the angels, who did not stay within their own position of authority but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day. Second example.
Third one. Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued a natural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire. Third one. Now, for his Jewish hearers, that brings so much information, they understand exactly what he's talking about. And for some of us, maybe we do, but maybe not. So we're going to walk through this a little bit slower than I think Jude intended.
We're going to study each one of these to make sure we understand what this information should have brought to mind. But then we're going to have to zoom out so that we don't miss what he meant. Because each one of these was supposed to carry information and be helpful. Like if, I remember one time describing to somebody they asked what Moe's was, and I said it's like Subway for burritos. Which is true. Most people have been to a Subway that maybe hadn't been to a Moe's.
So if I asked you what Blaze was, you might say it's a Moe's for pizza. Or like Chipotle, it's like a Moe's for people who hate chips. Or Chipotle's a Moe's for people who have too much money. Chipotle's a Moe's for people who think they're better than me. Stuff like that. Just something that, you know, helps them quickly wrap their head around what you're talking about.
But that doesn't work for us. So we're going to pause. We're going to walk through it. And then we're going to have to zoom out. So let's pray for our time.
And let's get in. Lord, we ask that you would help us to understand the point that Jude is making. And Lord, we pray that you would help us to, as we study this, to see you more clearly. To see your greatness. Your exaltation. Your sovereign kingship over all creation.
Help us to see our sin in light of your holiness. So that we might respond accordingly. We ask for the help of your spirit. As we study your word. In Jesus' name. Amen.
We're going to start in verse 3 so that we have some context. This is what we looked at last week. Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation. So that means he's writing to those who he sees as believers. These are other Christians. They have salvation as well as he does.
I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. So he says, I'm writing to Christians, but there's some contention over the faith. Meaning that there's some people pulling in a wrong direction. So I need y'all to hold fast. I need you to hold to what is true. That's the point of this letter.
And he's going to tell us why. For certain people have crept in unnoticed. Okay. So what he's saying now is, I'm writing this to all of you. Like I'm writing into a group of people. I specifically want the genuine Christians to hear what I'm talking about.
And I want you to be aware that there are those among you who are not genuine Christians. So this just got way more suspicious group of people. For all those who truly love our nation, let it be known there are spies in this room. That's kind of what he's doing. So immediately you go, start cutting your eyes at people.
And if you're a spy, you do it enough to look like their face. Anyway, that's what he's doing. So he says they've crept in unnoticed. And now I want you to see three things that he's going to say about them. Because they pertain to the illustrations, the examples he's about to give us. Who long ago, this is the first one, were designated for this condemnation.
So he says they were designated for this condemnation. Then he tells what they've been doing. Ungodly people who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality. It's the first thing they're doing. And deny our only master and Lord Jesus Christ. So, pervert the grace of our God into sensuality.
Grace is that Jesus Christ has paid the debt of all those who believe in him. And he offers forgiveness for sin. Meaning that the sin is real, heinous, has to be paid for. But he willingly, graciously pays our debt so that if we trust in him, we can be saved. That's the grace. That's the gospel.
What he's saying is they're taking that grace and they're twisting it. They're perverting it to somehow say, well, that means sin must not be that big a deal. If he's so forgiving, if he's so kind, they're either saying that sin's not that big a deal. Like if someone gave you a Rolls Royce and I said they gave it to you for free and you said yes. I said, well, that must mean Rolls Royce are cheap. That's what they're doing.
They're twisting this. Say it must not be that big a deal. Or they're saying, don't we just highlight how good he is by getting to, if we pursue these things, if we go this direction. It just shows how wonderful and how gracious he is. They're somehow perverting his grace into sensuality. Sensuality is a devotion to their senses.
It's an indulgence in fleshly desires. Take what you want and get it. Which I think you need to see that's applicable to us. Because if there's one thing we're told as Americans is figure out what you want and go get it. Don't hold back. Indulge.
We celebrate words like decadence. We put it on our chocolate. We pursue these things that it's going to be an experience. It's going to be something to delight in, something to enjoy. And sensuality specifically often, because of how humanity works and how sin works, works its way towards sexual sin or shows up a lot in sexual sin. And we're going to see that as we go through these examples.
So that's the first thing is that they receive condemnation. The first thing that they're doing is they're perverting grace into sensuality. And second thing they're doing is denying our only master and Lord Jesus Christ. So they're rejecting the authority of Christ. Being their own authority. Making their own decisions.
Choosing what's right and wrong on their own. It goes right back to the garden. That's what Adam and Eve did. They're going to be the ones who are the arbiters over right and wrong. They're going to be their own authority. They're going to choose.
She says that's what they're doing. The reason that's applicable to the verses we're looking at today is that each one of these examples is going to touch on those three things. It's going to highlight those three things. It's an example of those three things. It's an example of a rejection of the authority of God. Pursuit of sensuality, specifically sexual sin.
And condemnation or clear examples of judgment. Each one of the examples he gives that he says, I want to remind you those three things. Rejection of the authority of God. Pursuit of sexual sin. Condemnation. So what he's saying is, we've done this before.
This isn't our first time that this has been what we were supposed to pursue. What people have come in and said is okay. It's not the first time we've headed this track. So, we're going to walk through the examples. We're going to highlight those things to make sure we understand them. And then we're going to try to catch his main point here.
So, wilderness generation. He says, now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. Now, for us, we might stumble over the fact that he says, Jesus did that. Because if you were in Sunday school, as a little kid, or in Kid City, and they said, who led the Israelites out of Egypt? And you raised your sticky little hand. Because you're a child and they're always sticky for some reason.
The two answers that would be most acceptable would be Moses, God. You can get away with Jesus. Maybe. Your teacher would go, well, I mean, kind of. And you would say, have you not read Jude? You see, the New Testament understanding, as it looks at the Old Testament, is not that the God in the Old Testament is somehow different.
That somehow the God of the Old Testament is different from the New Testament God. That's not how this works. So we're told that Jesus is the image of the invisible God. And so we often can say things like, this shows us, in the person of Christ, what God the Father is like. How kind He is. How merciful He is.
How He would respond to you in your sin. But the New Testament authors go, yes. And it also shows us what Jesus was like as He dealt with the people in Exodus. That they are not somehow different. That this is the same God who's ruled since eternity past. So, He says, I want to remind you that Jesus, after the Exodus, destroyed a generation.
And for the Jewish people, they know exactly what He's talking about. So we're going to show another place in the New Testament, where Paul refers to this generation, but he gives a little more detail. So it's in 1 Corinthians 10. You can turn there, or it'll be on the screens. Paul's doing the same thing. He says, now, these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did.
So one of the things that both Paul and Jude agree on, is you should look at this example, and see how it worked out for them. I'm the middle of three brothers. My oldest brother was a senior in high school when I was a freshman in high school. So through middle school and high school, I watched him as an example of how to interact with my parents. More accurately, as an example of how not to interact with my parents. So there were often times where I watched him, and I thought, oh, don't say that in a conversation.
That's not the way to argue. You actually learned there was no arguing with my father. It just wasted everybody's time. So this is my role in arguments with my father going through high school. Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
Yes, sir. To the point that at one point he said, are you just saying, yes, sir, sir, I'll quit talking and you can leave? No, sir. He stared me down after that. It's hard to fuss at somebody who's being respectful. That's what Paul is saying.
That's what Jude is saying. It's, hey, look at this generation. They've lived this out in front of us. See how it worked out for them. That's what he's saying. So he says, verse 7, 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. Now that's a quote from Exodus 32. We're going to study through the book of Exodus later this year. But the Israelite people were captives. They were slaves in the land of Egypt. Moses goes.
He sings a really catchy song. God, that's not true, but anyway. God, through plagues, drives the Israelites out. He puts condemnation on the Egyptians. He brings the Israelites out. And he's going to take them to the promised land.
They hit the wilderness. And they're supposed to go from Egypt. And they cross the Red Sea. They're going to go to the wilderness. And they're going to go to the promised land. The problem is, they march over there.
It doesn't take that long. And they get to the edge of the promised land. And they say, nope, not going to work. God brought us here to die. So then they just do circles in the wilderness until an entire generation is gone.
And then just a handful that saw Egypt get to go into the promised land. An entire generation rejects God. But there's little story after little story of how they do that as they wander the wilderness. This first one is Moses has just gone to go get the Ten Commandments. While he's gone, the elders go to his brother and say, we don't know what happened to Moses. So let's make an idol.
They make a golden calf. Make it with their hands. And then Aaron says, this is the God who brought you out of the land of Egypt. And nobody goes, didn't we just make this one? Moses comes down. They're having, I mean, it's become a debaucherous party at this point.
And he says, whoever's with me, let's go. The Levites get swords, kill 3,000 people. They regain order. Moses grinds the golden calf up, pours it in the water and makes him drink it. 3,000 died that day because of idolatry. Verse 8, we must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did.
And 23,000 fell in a single day. This is the most that die at one time. Because they got close to the land of Midian. They start worshiping Baal. They start bringing Midianite women into now a big debaucherous party again, sleeping with them. The way that this plague is staved off is Phineas, who's the son of one of the high priests, goes into a tent, throws a spear through a man and a woman.
One throw gets both of them because they were indulging in sexual sin. And that stops the plague. But 23,000 already fell as they're rebelling against God. He keeps going. He says, we must not put Christ to the test again. Paul knows the same thing Jude knows, which is that's Jesus partaking in all of this, overseeing all of this, even in the Old Testament.
We must put Christ to the test as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents. They began to grumble and argue against God and venomous snakes come into the camp. Nor grumble as some of them did and were destroyed by the destroyer. I think that is referring to Korah's rebellion, where actually the ground opens up. He lines them up. Moses says, if y'all are right, we'll go with you.
But if I'm right, let something different happen that nobody's ever seen before. May the ground swallow you. And it splits open and swallows them. Verse 11. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction on whom the end of the ages has come.
That's what Jude's saying. Jude's talking to a Jewish group of believers. He says, you know the wilderness generation, right? They thought they could reject the authority of Jesus. They thought they could pursue sexual sin. And they were wrong.
That's his first example. Second example. If you were like, well, that was a lot to take in. Welcome to the second example. And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling. He has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day.
Now, it's understood in Christian theology, as we understand our Bibles, that there were angels that rejected the authority of God. And that is where we have demonic spiritual forces. It does not seem that here he would be talking about all of the angels that rejected the authority of God, but a specific group. And the reason why it would be a specific group, the evidence is really threefold in the text before I explain the story. One is he specifically is talking about sexual sin, even to the point that his next thing he says, they likewise indulged in sexual sin. So it seems like this is involving sexual sin as well.
Well, not all demonic forces are under chains of gloomy darkness awaiting the punishment of the great day. Jesus interacts with demonic forces in the New Testament, so they can't all be bound waiting for punishment. So it seems like it's a specific thing that it's referring to. He also, in this letter, refers to First Enoch. First Enoch is a historical Jewish book. He refers to some prophecy out of it.
It was not held as being divinely authored the way the Old Testament was. They had separate books that they understood to be divinely authored. Then they had ones that were like history books that they respected, but they did not treat at the same authority level. Enoch's over there. But Enoch specifically focuses on this story that's in Genesis chapter 6 in our Bibles.
So let's read it. Genesis 6, verses 1 through 4. Now, when man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. Okay. Sons of God here would be referring to angelic beings, spiritual beings. It's used this way in the book of Job several times, and it's specifically compared to daughters of men, sons of God.
So it's a separate thing. Also, you'll see that they have children, and it's not normal children. So it says, They saw they were attractive, and they took as their wives any they chose. Then the Lord said, My spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh. His days shall be 120 years. Meaning that the sons of God would be living forever, but their children can't because they're paired with flesh.
Then it says, The Nephilim, which is a word that was written in Hebrew, translated to Latin, and then just brought over to English, but it just means the giants. The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man, and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown. It immediately goes into the story of Noah and the judgment of the earth and the wickedness. Enoch, first Enoch, takes that section of Genesis, expounds on it. Again, it's not scriptural, so if you want to go read it, read it as not scripture.
It's not authoritative the same way the scriptures are, and the Jewish people understand that, but it's a historical book. And it highlights more the spiritual aspect of the judgment that the angels received. So, angels reject their position of authority. If you go back to verse 6 on the slides, the angels who do not stay in their own position of authority, they had a position, they had a place, they had a right spot, they were supposed to relate to the Lord. They reject it. They jump out of it, and then they pursue sexual sin, and they're judged.
It says they're bound in chains, kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day. 2 Peter refers to this as well, the same thing that took place. So, he's highlighting the same things. Angelic beings. First, it was the people of Israel, the people who were supposed to be the ones God saved, then it's angelic beings that are smarter, more powerful, more capable than us. They tried the same thing.
It also did not work out for them. Now, quick pause. For some of us, you're like, oh yeah, I kind of remember that story. For others, you're saying, do what now? We do believe this is true. We believe this is reality.
I'll give you a couple of things to help you if you're trying to think through this, and I'm also willing to have more conversations, follow-up conversations. I also know, without even talking to him, that Spencer would love to talk to you about this also. We have a spiritual faith. So sometimes, we wrap our head around things like, Jesus is the Son of God. He was born of a virgin. He died in the place for our sins.
He died at substituciary sacrificial atonement for us. He swapped places with us. That he rose from the dead. That he ascended into heaven. That he'll return. We wrap our head around that, and then we go, wait, angels made children with women?
Nah. And it's like, well, actually, we have a whole spiritual faith. We believe in things that we can't see. Also, it's not a major point of doctrine. It's not like everything's built off of this one thing. That's the amount of, everything I read is everything that Genesis really says about it.
There's some mention of the Nephilim later, in some of the, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, we're in there, but there's not, it's not a main thing. Also, those stories are all over the place. The idea that some sort of gods slept with women, and had super children. And so, some people will look at that and say, see, the Bible's just saying the same thing, as if that means the Bible's made up. But I would argue, that it actually means, the reason why there's rumors of that kind of a story all over the place, is because that actually happened.
That's why it shows up in history, and other mythologies, and those sort of things, is because that idea actually did take place. The vast majority of humans on earth, and throughout history, believe in a spiritual world. It's really just a brand new, Western idea, that only the things we can see and touch are real. So if that helps, it's just an argument from the majority. But if that helps you know, that if you think, the only things that are real, is what you can see and touch and feel, you're the vast majority, minority of all humans.
So, I don't know if that helps or not, but those are a few things, to help you wrap your head around it. But the reason Jude brought it up, was because his hearers knew the story, and they understood what he was talking about. They had rejected authority, they had pursued sexual sin, and they had met condemnation. Third story. Third example. Just as Sodom and Gomorrah, this is verse 7, and the surrounding cities, it was five cities in total, it was in kind of a lower area, and it would have been cities.
So there would have been a whole city, and then some space, and some farmland, and then another city, and then some space, and some farmland. It was a lot of people. Just as Sodom, Gomorrah, and the surrounding cities, which likewise, meaning that's one of the points he's making in all of these, is indulged in sexual immorality, and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example, by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire. So the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, is that God comes to Abraham, this is in Genesis 19, comes to Abraham with two angels, he says, we're going to go check out the city, of Sodom and Gomorrah, we're going to go walk around, because the cry of their wickedness, has risen up to us.
Their harm that they're doing to people, has come to heaven. So we're going to go investigate. These angels go down to the city, Lot sees them, Lot is Abraham's nephew, and Lot says, come stay with me, don't spend the night in the square. Lot thinks, that these angels are in danger. He doesn't know that they're angels, otherwise he would know, that everyone else is in danger, not them. But he says, don't stay out here, come in with me.
He talks them into it, they come into his home. It says, the men of the city surround his house, and say, we want the two men that showed up, we want you to give them to us, so that we may lie with them. And what is the, one of the craziest parts of the story to me, is Lot says, do not do this wickedness, I have two daughters, take them. These men have come under the protection of my household, take my daughters. And they say, no. The angels, strike these men with blindness, and they don't go home.
They stay, still trying to get into the house. And so God says, Sodom and Gomorrah are going to be destroyed. And Sodom and Gomorrah is held up as an example, throughout Jewish history, and the Old Testament, as an example, Ezekiel mentions, they have pride, they have a lack of concern for the poor. Sirach and Maccabees mention arrogance, Maccabees mentions injustice, but the primary example is of sexual sin, specifically homosexuality. So where we saw heterosexual sexual sin, in the wilderness generation, we see in Sodom and Gomorrah, pursuit of homosexuality.
That's actually why he highlights it here. He says, verse 7, indulged in sexual immorality, and pursued unnatural desire. Not just rejecting God's authority, and pursuing sexual sin, but they actually, contrary to nature, that unnatural desire means like strange flesh, that they pursue same-sex pursuits. Now, we believe, that the Bible says, that homosexuality is a sin. And that's good news, because Jesus died for sin. He died to save sinners.
There's actually a reference, in the New Testament, to New Testament believers, who had been practicing homosexuality, but had repented, and are now Christians. It's in 1 Corinthians 6. That this was a thing, that we repent of, just like you would repent of anything else. So, don't hear, this is somehow, the only sin you can't be saved from. We're going to spend some time, talking about this later next year, talking about this idea, but do hear, that it is sin, that we need to be saved from. And so he holds up another example.
God rains down fire, on this entire area. It says that Abraham, walked up and saw, the smoke rising like a furnace, over that whole area of the world. Sodom and Gomorrah, and the surrounding cities, were destroyed. Lot and his two daughters escaped. They rejected God's authority, pursued sexual sin, and were met with condemnation. Now, let's not, because we had to slow down a bit, and our brains didn't automatically give us that information, miss what he's saying.
This is what he says. They serve as an example, by undergoing a punishment, of eternal fire. Jude wants you to see, that they serve as an example, by undergoing a punishment, of eternal fire. That Sodom and Gomorrah, are a picture, of eternally, being destroyed. And that actually, is the reality, for unrepentant sin. Eternal fire. what Jude is saying, he's writing, and he's saying, church family, some people have showed up, who are starting, to deny Jesus, indulge their flesh, and we've, done this, before.
We've, seen this, before. We saw it, in the people of Israel, the ones that God, had just rescued. They rebelled against Jesus, and he destroyed them. We saw this in angels, who, rejected the position, that they had, and God has bound them, in chains of gloomy darkness, until their destruction. We saw this, in pagan cities. It's not like, you can be a part, of a certain group, and this works out for you.
It's not for unbelievers, or it's for believers, or even for angelic beings. This, does not, work. And church family. We live at a time, where these same things, are being promoted, and celebrated. The Bible, where it's not a joke, where it's not derided, is still not held, in esteem, or authority. Not held up, as we should honor God, or submit to him.
The idea, that there's a, a creator, that you are beholden to, is at, minimum backwards, or at most abhorrent. There are people, who are standing, in a similar spot, to where I'm standing, with this open, in front of them, this very morning, who are teaching, that we can only, kind of believe this. I watched, eight minutes, of a 16 minute sermon, and sermon, I'm being fast and loose, with that word, from Greenville, First Baptist Church, that used to be, Southern Baptist, they're not, anymore. And his, his sermon was, the dark side of doctrine. And he said, that people had, religious experiences, spiritual experiences, and that was great.
But then unfortunately, people started writing things down. And as soon as people, wrote stuff down, we had problems, because then some people, thought they were right, and other people were wrong. So there are people, people, who are saying, we don't really have, the authority of God, in any sort of, authoritative way, that we have to, submit to, or beholden to. Right now, culturally, you are told, find your desire, pursue it. To the point, that we are told, find your desire, and if it's your sexual desire, it actually gives you, your identity. humanity. That's who you are.
And for anyone to tell you, not to pursue that, is harmful for you. And there are people, who have snuck in unnoticed, who hold a Bible, and say the same thing. And Jude says, it's not the first time, that's happened. We've played this song before. We've walked this road before. And it leads to condemnation.
Now, part of us, hears the echo of the world around us, and says, it's so unkind, to say this. It's so hurtful to say this. It's so mean to say this, that this is somehow, akin to assault on somebody. How dare we, say this. And I'll agree, this is unkind, and harmful, if, and only if, Jude is wrong. But if there is condemnation, if there is judgment for sin, if Jesus really isn't, to be trifled with, like the wilderness generation, thought he might be, then how dare we not, talk about this.
It is a great kindness, to tell someone, that they are headed, towards destruction. Some of you in this room, because of the onslaught, of the cultural pressure, because of the onslaught, of the clapping chorus, around us. Tim Keller says, that sometimes like, if, if it's raining hard enough, even if you put on a rain jacket, and you have an umbrella, even when you take all that off, you're somehow still wet. And right now, our culture is pouring down, rain in these two categories. Some of you, have started to question, whether or not, you really have to, submit to God everywhere. Some of you have even, started to, twist, and pervert, his grace, to somehow say, well it's good that he's, I'm so thankful he's forgiving, he's gracious, it's okay.
Rather than to hate sin, some of you are, sleeping with your boyfriend, or your girlfriend, you are confessing to your group, that you struggle with pornography, but struggle is not the right word, indulge us. Because there is no fight. You're saying, yeah, my girlfriend and I, we keep, you know, we fall into sin, and it's like, yeah, but you haven't done any of the things, to actually take it seriously, like it might lead you to destruction. Some of you are, pursuing, same sex attraction, or, supporting those that do. Some of us are, acting as if, the authority of God, isn't to be worried about.
And Jude says, I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, we've tried this before. Romans 2, Paul says this, do you suppose, oh man, that you will escape, the judgment of God? He looks at those, he's writing to, and he says, do you think, that you are exempt, from the judgment of God? That you will escape it? And he says, or, do you presume, on the riches, of his kindness, and forbearance, and patience, not knowing, that God's kindness, is meant to lead you, to repentance. Don't miss that.
He's kind. He's patient. He's loving. So much so, that Jesus went to the cross, to pay for our sin, to absorb wrath, not, to tell us, that there was no wrath. Not to declare, that there was no judgment. We needed shed blood, on our behalf, so that we could withstand, in the great day, hiding behind Christ.
That in the great day, we might proclaim, his glory, and his name, and his grace, not our own. But do not presume, upon that kindness, as if you will somehow, escape judgment. And do not think, for a moment, that because he was willing, to pay for sin, that there was nothing, to be paid for. We do not empty the cross, by indulging in sin. As if it cost nothing, of the son of God, to die on our behalf. But we worship, and we praise.
His kindness, has meant that we would run to him, not away from him. He says, but, because of your hard, and impenitent heart, meaning you don't see your sin, you do not repent, you do not run towards him, in his kindness, you are storing up, wrath for yourself, on the day, of wrath, when God's, righteous judgment, will be revealed. You are storing up, wrath for yourself, on the day of wrath, when God's righteous judgment, will be revealed. There is a day of wrath, there is a day of righteous judgment, and that is why, the gospel is good news. Because you do not have to, stand in your sin, and be condemned, but you can stand, in the cross, of Christ, covered by his blood, paid for, blameless.
And what Jude says, at the end of this, that he's able to keep you, from stumbling, and to present you, blameless, before the presence of his glory, with great joy. That that's able to happen, because of the work, of the cross. That is our hope. But some of us, need to see what Jude just said, you need to see this. People have tried, to belittle, and trifle with Jesus, before. There was a whole generation, that were destroyed.
You need to see, venomous snakes, entering a camp. You need to see, the ground opening up. You need to wrap your head, around that. You need to see, plague pouring through, and killing 23,000 people, in one day, as God's righteous judgment. Some of us need to see, that angels, who are, have longer lives, more power, more intelligence. They tried this, and they are at, this moment, bound in chains, of gloomy darkness, awaiting that day.
They have not been released, their sentence, has not changed, and they will, face wrath. And we stand, in between that moment, and the great day, with a hope, that's held out for us, in Christ. Some of us need to see, the smoke rising like a furnace, from Sodom and Gomorrah. Because it stands, as an example, of eternal punishment. And some of us, need to see that, so we never see, eternal punishment. Do not, undo the cross, or pervert the grace of God, to act as if God, does not have wrath, and judgment.
He does. But he is kind, and merciful, and patient, so that, we might have life, in him, to his praise, and to his glory. Let's pray. God, we ask, that right now, through the power of your spirit, that you would bring conviction, that you would help us, to see, sin, and all of its heinousness, that for those of us, who are, rejecting your authority, or pursuing sexual sin, or have not, repent, we have a hard, and unrepentant heart, that Lord, you'd help us, to see your riches, of kindness, and you'd help us, to see your wrath, and judgment. Lord, we ask for your Holy Spirit, to work, and to have people, to call out, to you for salvation, and to celebrate, the goodness of the gospel.
We ask this, in Jesus name. Amen. The band's, going to come back up, and in a moment, as a church family, we're going to celebrate, that Jesus Christ, died to save sinners. That there is hope, for us in our sin. We're going to, partake in communion, which Jesus, on his, night before he died, he took bread, and he broke it, and he said, this is my body, broken for you. He says, this is my blood, of a new covenant, poured out for you, for the forgiveness, of sins, and so we, when we gather, we remind ourselves, that we need a savior, we need someone, to stand in our place, we need someone, to rescue us, from a coming wrath, and judgment, and we have, someone who has done so, who has gone before us.
We have those, who have gone before us, to destruction, and we have Jesus, who leads the way, he's gone before us, to life. And so as a church, take a moment, to see judgment, to see the cross, to confess your sin, and then, partake, reminding yourself, that you need the gospel, you need Jesus' work, on your behalf, but you have Jesus' work, on your behalf. If you are not a Christian, this is not for you, but Jesus is. But we don't ask you, to partake in communion, until you are really celebrating, that he has rescued you, out of sin, but you can right now, tell him, Jesus I need you, to save me from my sin, and all that call on his name, will be saved.
There will not be one, who is put to shame, there will not be one, who stands before the king, on that great day, and says, I have trusted in Jesus, and he says, it didn't work. There will not be one, that will, that will, bring disgrace, to the name of Christ, by somehow escaping his salvation, if we call on him. And I would tell you, to call on him this morning.
Judgment and Joy (Jude 1-4)
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
Good morning. My name is Spencer and I am one of the pastors here. We are starting a new brief book this morning. We're in the book of Jude. So if you have a Bible, you can go ahead and turn there now.
It will be near the back, just before Revelation. So one of the final books of the Bible. It's on page 594 in the blue Bibles that are around you. You can follow along in one of those Bibles. You can also follow on the screen. If you don't have a Bible at home and you see a blue Bible, take that.
We want you to have a Bible that you can read. That is our gift to you. But we're going to be in Jude the next few weeks. So Jude is one of the smaller letters in the New Testament. It is small, but it packs a punch. It is an aggressive, corrective letter written to Christians who were being led astray.
So one of the things we're going to see in this letter is that it upholds both judgment and joy. It's going to be very blunt about the judgment that is for those that do not trust God and His word. Do not abide by His word. While also upholding joy that is set before us. The joy that we have in Christ. The joy that resounds into eternity.
It's going to uphold both of those together. But with the gospel comes both of those. And He's going to be delivering that in this letter. That's something that I did not understand until I became a believer. I became a believer when I was 17. And in the years leading up to that, I didn't understand the idea of God's judgment.
Nor that the joy that He offered was better. Like I grew up in and around the church. And, you know, it has a general understanding. I think I would have at the time said, yes, I do believe that the Bible teaches about hell. And I do think that's real. But I think I basically understood that that was reserved for the worst.
That was for the worst of people. And that basically I could live my life on my terms. And that God would just kind of wink and nod at my life. So much of my high school years was doing what a lot of high schooler kids fall into. Which is partying and drugs and all the things that I thought was going to bring me joy. I didn't think that it was a big deal that I could pursue those things.
That God was just going to wink at it. And that would be fine. As long as I called myself a Christian, that would be okay. But I also missed out on the fact that God offers something that is better. And by his grace, at the height of getting drunk, at the height of drug use, realizing at 17 that, oh, no, this doesn't satisfy. That what I'm pursuing, the pleasures of this world, doesn't actually bring joy.
And I finally stumbled upon a church where I finally heard the gospel and then believed. And then started to believe this message and see it as beautiful and good. And Jude is going to a very brief, you know, 25 verses uphold both of those. Understanding that there is judgment. But there also is great joy that is offered in Christ.
That's what we're going to see as we walk through this the next few weeks. So what we're going to do today is we're going to walk through the first four verses. And then we're just going to introduce the book as a whole. And then we're going to have the next few weeks to see this theme play out. So let me pray for us and then we'll jump in.
Heavenly Father, I pray that you would help us. Jude is a book that is difficult to hear, but you can prepare our hearts for it. God, there's undoubtedly a lot of thoughts, a lot of goodness. There's just sometimes the weeks are hard. And coming into a Sunday morning where we're going to hear your word, it's hard to hear. But I pray that you would help us receive it.
And that we walk this out in faith and repentance and belief and in worship. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. All right, starting off in verse 1.
It starts off, Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James. Okay, so let me pause there. There's a long time historical consensus that Jude is the brother of James. The James who wrote the book of James. The James who was a leader in the early New Testament church. James who was the literal brother of Christ.
Which means that Jude is also the literal brother of Christ. Now, if you have any Catholic background, you might say, wait, no, that didn't happen because Mary was always a virgin. That's the doctrine of perpetual virginity of Mary. Now, that doctrine goes back to the 5th century. But it's actually not rooted in its world.
When you look at the New Testament, it's very clear that Mary and Joseph went on to have other children. These are the siblings of Jesus. In Matthew 13 is one of the places where we see this. In Matthew 13, 55, it says, Is not this the carpenter's son? They're questioning Jesus. Is not his mother called Mary?
And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? Which is the author of this letter. But you might go, wait a second. That's not Jude. And yes, you accurately figured that out. He had a name change.
And I think for very obvious reasons, he had a name change. Right? Right? If Judas Iscariot, one of the disciples, betrays Jesus, you change your name. Like if you're a kid, you're born in 1930, and your mother says, You know what? I'm going to name you Adolf.
By the time 442 comes around, you're like, I don't know. I think I'm going to go by Aaron. I think I'm taking one for the team here. I'm going to change my name. That's what's happening here. They refer to these verses as Jude historically, and this is what we know him as.
So, we don't know much about Jude. Okay? We don't know much about him from church history. We know generally, we don't know a lot from the scriptures. We know generally that he was a leader in the church. He had authority.
We knew he wrote this letter. We don't know if this letter was written to a specific church or multiple churches. We don't know if it was written to a specific region like Galatia, which was the letter of Galatians, or Corinth, like the letter that was written to the Corinthians. We don't know that either. The one thing we can tell from the letter is that, and most scholars agree, that the audience that he's writing to is predominantly Jewish Christian. Okay?
Because there is a ton of very specific Jewish references, more so than many other books in the New Testament. There's references to the Old Testament in this, but there's also references to Jewish historical books that aren't in the Old Testament, like the book of Enoch that we're going to see later on. So it's abundantly, or I should say it's evidently clear that the audience is probably Jewish Christian. So we at least can tell that from it. It's a brief letter. It's only 25 verses, which means when we say go to Jude, we don't say go to Jude chapter 1, verses 1 through 4.
We just say go to Jude, verses 1 through 4. Also, and this is anecdotal evidence, but I don't think it's preached very often. There's not a lot out there on Jude. In fact, I was talking to a friend of mine a few weeks ago, and he's not a part of our church, and I'm just talking. I said, yeah, we're going to be in the book of Jude, then we're going to be in Exodus. And he said, Jude?
Nobody preaches Jude. I said, well, not anymore. Here we stand. We will take them. But it's true.
There's not a lot of people that preach Jude. So why are we walking through Jude? Three reasons. First, all of Scripture is profitable for teaching, for training in righteousness. Okay? So we can pull up any book of the Bible, and it is going to be profitable for us to grow into the likeness of Christ and seeing the gospel displayed.
Second, I think this letter is very helpful for our moment in the American church. As we're going to see, I think it's very helpful for this moment. A failure to not heed the warnings, to not heed the judgment and the joy that is displayed in this letter is to our detriment in the American church. And the third reason, and it's very practical, we just came out of the book of Psalms. Okay? We're going to be in the book of Exodus.
All right? And Exodus, I don't know if you know this, is long. So those of you that love long books, boy, oh, boy, it's coming. And as Chet and I were talking, we said, no, let's do something in the New Testament. Let's do something that's brief.
We were looking through this and said, oh, no, we think Jude is appropriate. We think this is a good, got a New Testament break before we jump back into the Old Testament. So we are going to spend the next few weeks learning from the brother of Jesus. So let's continue to walk through these verses. Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James. I'll pause.
I'll also note he doesn't say, he doesn't flex and say the brother of Christ. He could have. That would have been accurate. That's not what he says. The humility of saying, and they knew this, they knew who Jude was. But the humility of introducing himself as, I'm a servant of Jesus.
He's going, he's going to, in a few verses, he's going to say his master. To have that type of humility to say, I'm a servant of Christ, I think is telling. He says, to those who were called beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ. Those phrases who were called beloved in God the Father, kept for Jesus Christ. Each one of those, you could write a theological work on those phrases alone. Like the drop down menu on just those phrases is powerful.
And that's what you see in a lot of New Testament letters. They don't write letters like we do. Where it's like, dear John, body. It's like, no, we're going to pack in as much theological encouragement as possible. So when he says, to those who were called.
What's packed into that is the doctrine of election. That God has chosen us in faith. When he goes on to say, beloved in God. That's an incredible encouragement that you are, that beloved is deeply affectionate, sacrificial love. That's the kind of love that God the Father has for his adopted children. That we get to be called sons and daughters of God the Father.
That's the language of Jesus Christ and his bride, the church, the beloved, whom he loves deeply. So much so that he left heaven and came and sought us by his blood. This deeply sacrificial, joyous language being called his beloved. He says, kept for Jesus Christ. That's Philippians. He who began a good work in us will carry it through to completion.
That's 1 Peter, who by God's power being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. That is the idea that when God regenerates us, when he brings us to faith in Christ, the secure promise is that he absolutely will carry us to completion. He will carry us home. We are kept for Jesus Christ. If you have a study Bible, and I would encourage you to absolutely study this. In the next few weeks, spend some time.
It's only 25 verses. Reading this over and over again. Get a study Bible. If you don't have one, come talk to us. If you don't know how to use a study Bible, definitely come talk to us. We'd love to be able to sit down and show you how to use one.
But if you look at a study Bible, you're going to see each one of those phrases. There's a tiny little letter called a footnote that's at the front of it. And it corresponds to some cross-references, which is probably in the middle. And those cross-references are just Bible verses that show. I mean, this is connected to this in Ephesians and this in Philippians. It's incredible how much is packed in just this introduction.
He gives this encouragement. And then he goes on to verse 2. May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you. May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you. This is a phrasing that shows up in other New Testament letters. May the mercy of God that we don't deserve, but He graciously bestows upon us.
May the peace of God, the peace that surpasses all understanding. The peace that calms and quiets our soul. And the love of God, the love that was perfectly displayed in Christ on our behalf. May all of this be multiplied to you. Very clear that the audience that He's writing to, He's writing to genuine Christians. He wants these blessings, these beautiful truths to be multiplied to them.
So if you are a Christian, you get to receive this letter also to you to hear its beautiful truths that He's going to walk us through. So, that's the introduction. Now we're into the body. Verse 3. Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. He said, And they're starting to lead people astray.
And the tone is going to be completely different because of this. It'd be like if you, if your boss said, listen, we're going to celebrate. Y'all have crushed this quota with your sales. And everyone's excited. It's like, is it going to be, you know, ice cream cake? Is it going to be lunch?
Is it going to be an open tab at Chili's? What is he doing? And then all of a sudden, Gary from accounting sends an inappropriate meme to the office. And now, there is no celebration. The mood has changed. You have to sit through a training now about how that's inappropriate humor.
That makes people uncomfortable. Tina from accounting went home and she's not coming back. Now we've got to talk about this. The mood has completely changed. And now he's got to talk about something different. So, it's becoming increasingly clear that the common salvation that he wanted to celebrate is not so common for everyone who's a part of the church or churches that he is writing to.
And that he's going to have to address what is happening in this. He's going to have to make a different appeal. And the appeal is this. Contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. Contend. If you came to our spring training weekend, that word should sound familiar.
You might even have a coffee mug that says Mill City Church. On the back it says, contend. And if you're like, word, y'all got coffee mugs? Yes. That's why you should come to training weekends. We've got a fall one coming up.
Sign up. Because there's all kinds of cool swag we give out. Listen, we talked about this word at training weekend. This idea of contending. The word for contending, the Greek, it has the idea of athletic or military aggressive language in it. It's that type of contending.
Contending. It is intense exertion. That type of contending. Contending with everything that you have within you to fight for something. And not just to contend. Contend for the faith that was once in all delivered for the saints.
He says, the faith that Jesus commissioned to us, go therefore and make disciples of all nations. When the church began and started planting churches in North Africa and in the Middle East and in Asia Minor and across Europe. The faith that was delivered to you. Contend for this. Fight for this. With everything in you.
The hope that you have before you fight for this. There's a movie called Children of Men. It's a good movie. And the story is that in the future, there's no more, no one's able to have children anymore. There's 20 years. There's no babies that are born.
And the idea that they're playing on is, is in that type of world, there's no hope. And that civilizations are falling apart. That countries are destroying one another because there's no hope. And then finally, the main character stumbles upon a pregnant woman. And he gives up everything. Because what's inside her is hope.
And there's multiple factions trying to get a hold of her because she represents power. But with everything that he has within him, he lays down his life to fight for that child. Because that child represents hope. And the hope that we have in Christ is eternal. We're called to fight with everything within us to contend for that faith that was delivered to us. So we're called to contend is what he's calling us to.
Contending for faith in the midst of what we have against us is what he's going to highlight in verse 4. 4. Let's break that down phrase by phrase. He says, certain people have crept in unnoticed. There are people who have infiltrated the church of the churches that he is writing to. Now, we don't know if this is false teachers.
Which that would fit the rest of the New Testament. There are multiple letters that are talking about these false teachers who have crept in. And they're promoting a false gospel. We don't know if it's that or if it's just some people who are in love with this present world that are amongst them. That are leading people astray. We don't know exactly what is happening.
But these people have crept in unnoticed. This is deceptively. They have come in. They are leading people astray. We need to receive that. Because there is deception that creeps in and tries to lead us away.
I don't argue. I don't see this as prevalent in our own church family. So you might get comfortable and think, oh, we're okay. But listen, it's not very hard to go very far in your Facebook feed or Instagram feed before you find someone who's promoting a false gospel. Find someone who's rocking $1,000 sneakers and gripping the mic like it's a rap battle. Spitting out all kinds of just ridiculous nonsense that will lead you astray.
They've crept in unnoticed, he says, who long ago were designated for this condemnation. He says they're not of us. They're not Christians. You don't understand. They're designated for condemnation. They aren't Christians.
You need to understand this very clearly. And he goes on to say ungodly people. He says ungodly people that they don't resemble the character of Christ, the values of Christ, the love of Christ. They don't resemble or reflect the character of the goodness of God. They're un, they're not godly. And then he uses a phrase that is used nowhere else in the Bible.
He says, who pervert the grace of our God. That is a strong statement. Now we don't know if what he means there is he's saying that there are people that are abusing the free grace that God has given us. We see that in the New Testament. We see that in the letter to Romans. They are presuming upon the grace of God to sin all the more.
That grace may abound. They don't understand that grace. We see that in the book of James. Where James is writing to Christians who are presuming upon the grace of God to sin all the more. We don't know if it's people that are abusing grace or just living a hedonistic life where they're indulging in the senses and fleshly desires without any fear of God at all. But the picture here is just very generally.
It is people who presume upon the kindness of God who completely ignore that he has wrath towards sin. And do not care what the word of God says. Do not care how the word of God, how the counsel of God, how the scriptures instruct us towards joy. And that is evident. There's a lot of folks in our own culture that embody that type of sentiment. They presume upon the kindness of God, presume upon the grace of God.
Maybe claim to call themselves Christians but are going to live their life on their terms and how they want to. And Jude says that is perverting the grace of our God. Very strong language. And then he goes on to say into sensuality. Into sensuality. Sensuality is self-abandonment to follow the fleshly senses wherever they desire to indulge without constraint.
Let me say that again. Sensuality is self-abandonment to follow the fleshly senses wherever they desire and to indulge without constraint. Sensuality is self-abandonment to follow the fleshly senses wherever they desire to follow the fleshly senses. He says, and deny, that's the next phrase, our only master and Lord Jesus Christ. Meaning, they reject Jesus as Lord. There's a lordship of their lives.
They don't care what he has to say. They don't see him as master. They don't see him as Lord. They don't see him as king. They have rejected him. Peter, when you look at 2 Peter, 2 Peter has very common language to Jude.
It seems like they're maybe writing to a very similar context. But Peter in 2 Peter says, chapter 2, verse 1. Verse 1. Not asleep. I think it's the same, similar things. False teachers or people who have rejected the word of God outright will come in and lead you astray.
Why? Because they are not tethered to the authority of God. They're not bound by it. They do not fear the judgment of God. They do not fear the correction. They don't desire the correction of God.
And some of them just use the word of God to justify whatever they would like. Appealing to the basest, most fleshly desires within humanity. So, spending some time on this subject and this letter, okay? Against the backdrop of our current cultural moment. A culture that indulges in anything from exploring sexuality to gender exploration. To a culture that celebrates a wide spectrum of substance use and abuse.
To a widely celebrated freedom to satisfy the senses. Well, reading Jude in the face of that is widely unpopular. But it is unbelievably necessary. It's unbelievably necessary. Because the burning question of Jude. And the burning question of the scriptures.
Is what if Jude is right? What if the scriptures and what they teach are correct? And that satisfying the senses wherever it takes you is not good. And does bring judgment. That is where Jude is going. As he calls Christians to contend for the faith.
In the midst of a false gospel. That plays upon satisfying the senses. And when you hear that. I understand it is nearly impossible to divorce your thought process. From this current cultural counter argument. That the cultural push to enjoy as much sex.
As your senses desire to experiment with who you want to love. To drink as much as you would deem necessary. To dabble in edibles and hallucinogenics. And all the things that our flesh might desire. The cultural push for that is very much against the message of Jude. And reading that with the backdrop of our culture.
It is difficult. And in the coming weeks. We're going to wade more into the arguments that Jude and the rest of the scriptures are making. Before we do that. I just want to plead with you. Don't be too quick to dismiss this.
Don't be too quick to reject the ideas without weighing them. Without investigating them. Without questioning them. Without testing them. Without asking the question. What if Jude is right?
What if the Bible is right on this? An author that I appreciate very deeply. Her name is Vizaria Butterfield. She was a professor at Syracuse. She taught English with a focus on queer studies. As we're going to read in this quote in a moment.
And she lived a life that she thought she was happy. She had a partner. She had a great tenureship at Syracuse. And then all of a sudden some things changed. Let me just give some background. Just in her own words.
Who she was. She said, My historical field in English studies was 19th century literature and culture. My historical interest in 19th century literature were grounded in the philosophical and political worldviews of Freud, Marx, and Darwin. My primary field was critical theory, also known as postmodernism. My specialty was queer theory, a postmodern form of gay and lesbian studies. She goes on to say, As a lesbian activist, I was involved in my gay community.
I had drafted and lobbied for the university's first successful domestic partnership policy, which gives spousal benefits to gay couples. I had to put up with a lot of flack from the conservative Christian community for this. My life was busy and full. And I thought, moral. So, she published this article. I think it was defending, this is in her memoir, which is Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert.
She posted this article in the local newspaper defending the policy that she fought for and got established at Syracuse in the late 90s. And then, she got a letter. It was from a Presbyterian pastor. And it was of a small Presbyterian church in the area. And he just said, I'd love to meet you. And I'd love to just hear you out.
I'd love to hear your background, your story. And she was very nervous and didn't like the idea of this at all. But she just felt compelled to hear him out. And what happened was, over the next two years, that family invited her into their home over and over again. They had weekly dinners. And they would talk, and they would get to know each other, but they also would debate.
And she was skilled in the arguments of postmodernism. And they'd go back and forth, and he would read the scriptures. And they would go back and forth and back and forth for over two years. Until finally, she's like, okay, I'm going to read the Bible. And I'm going to see what you're talking about. And as she kept talking and walking with this couple, and as she kept reading the Bible, well, she started to change.
And her partner noticed it. Her friends noticed it. Until finally one night at a house party, one of her friends got in front of her and confronted her on this. She said, she told me point blank that all this Bible reading was changing me. And she wanted to know, before any more pasta could be served or wine glasses filled, what was going on in my life? At first I denied it, but she pressed.
Finally I said, what would you say if I told you that I'm beginning to believe that Jesus is real, is a real and risen and loving and judging Lord and that I am in big trouble? And what eventually happened is she placed her faith in Jesus. It cost her her relationship, eventually cost her her tenureship and her position at Syracuse. She left that all behind. But as you read her memoir, and I encourage you to read it, first of all, she's a great writer and it's a powerful story.
But the thing that she posts up in is not necessarily that her life was miserable. It wasn't. She liked her life. She enjoyed her life. She enjoyed being a professor. She enjoyed being a partner.
She enjoyed being an activist. It was that what if this is true? And if this is true, well then everything has to change. And when she finally submitted to the scriptures and said this is true, this is real, Jesus is real, well then everything has to change. And she gave up her life and she's been following Christ ever since. What if the wisdom of the scriptures that has endured for thousands of years is better than the moral whiplash of the last few decades?
What if Jesus is real and he is a risen and loving and judging God? If that is true, it changes everything. It means that falling in line with the current majority position of the culture, the postmodern pursuit of fulfillment through the senses, well it not only leads to less joy, it ultimately leads to self-destruction. And the next few weeks we're going to wade into this difficult truth to absorb all of this in light of the cultural moment that we are in. But this was also true at their time.
You can look at history, and there definitely has been hundreds and hundreds of years where this wasn't happening. But if you go back to the first century, there's actually a lot of parallels between the first century context of who this is being written to and our moment right now. In fact, Greco-Roman culture, that many of the sensual pursuits that we have in our cultural moment were very true in that time as well. Almost everything you can point to now was happening then. It was a cultural norm in Greco-Roman culture. There is nothing new under the sun.
And my plea is this. As we walk through difficult truths, stick around. Please, engage. Hear the wisdom and the warning in this. The judgment and the joy that you will be reminding us of that is unbelievably important for this moment. And that is difficult.
It is difficult because we're still in a moment where the majority cultural position rages at what the Scriptures teach as backward, archaic, not progressing in the direction it needs to go. You have this while also a very small minority of loud Christians that actually just harp on judgment and never look at actual joy. They just lob grenades but actually don't ever point to the joy that is found in following Christ. That's how Jude ends his letter with this beautiful doxology. He's pleading with them, don't go down this road. Don't pursue the sensual desires.
You've got to see where this is heading but he ends with, now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy. There's unbelievable joy in pursuing Christ. There's unbelievable joy that resounds into eternity. He says, with great joy to the only God our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority before all time and now and forever. Amen. There is a God who can present us blameless.
Who does if you're in Christ present you blameless. No matter what is swirling in your soul, no matter what are fleshly pursuits that your sensual desires won't, he says, I will present you blameless before his glory with great joy. There's a God who can keep us from stumbling that if we continuously look to him no matter what is raging in our flesh that he will continue to grow us and keep us from stumbling. There is a God who we can enjoy in all of his glory and his majesty and his dominion and his authority from this time into eternity that is offered to us in Christ but we have to contend for it and that is not easy and it especially is not easy in this moment.
So that is the call as we walk through Jude stick around hear the call to contend no matter how hard it is no matter how much is swirling around us we must contend with everything within us because hope is on the line a hope that is real that resounds into eternity there is far too much at stake not to take this seriously.
Psalm 100: Make a Joyful Noise
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
Good morning. My name is Spencer and I am one of the pastors here. We are in Psalm 100 today, which is on page 287, your blue Bibles that are under you, around you. You can follow along there. You can also follow along on the screen. The text will be on the screen this morning.
So, we've been in the Psalms this summer. This is our final week in the Psalms. And then a couple of years ago we were in the Psalms. And we'll continue to come back to them because they are good for our souls to sit in. But there's a lot of similarities in the Psalms and all 150 of them.
But there's also some differences. They do different things. You look at Psalms like Psalm 19 and 139 that we looked at this summer. And those Psalms had immense depth and truth in them and doctrine that helps shape us and guide us as the people of God. You look at Psalms like Psalm 23 and Psalm 42. And those are Psalms that help us in the midst of loss and suffering and grieving.
And they help us worship God through lament. You look at Psalms like Psalm 51 that help us in repentance. Psalm 67 that gives us a taste of Jesus reaching the nations. Like there's Psalms that do all kinds of different things. Some of them are very long and some of them are very short. And then you get a few Psalms like we're going to be in today.
Psalm 100 is five verses. It is a short, succinct look at how we are called to worship God. And there's a few Psalms like this that are real short, real compact. But they just help us praise God because He's worthy of it. And that's how we're closing up our summer in the Psalms. It's looking at Psalm 100, receiving its commands to help guide us in worshiping God and then helping see why we're called to do it.
So I'm going to read through it all at once and then we'll walk through it together. Psalm 100. Make a joyful noise to the Lord all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness. Come into His presence with singing. Know that the Lord, He is God.
It is He who made us and we are His. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him. Bless His name. For the Lord is good.
His steadfast love endures forever and His faithfulness to all generations. Let me pray for us and then we'll walk through this together. Father, I thank You for the Word of God. I thank You for the Psalms. This beautiful Psalm book that we get to come back to over and over again that helps us worship You. These songs and prayers that guide us towards the heavens, towards You.
God, I pray that You would help us be present this morning. That You would speak to us and that we'd respond in faith and repentance and obedience and worship. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Okay, so there's a subtitle in Psalm 100 that kind of frames up the Psalm.
It says a Psalm for giving thanks. So this Psalm comes at the end of a five-Psalm set called the kingship Psalms. Okay? It's all about God is our king. And this one is saying, no, we're going to be thankful to our kings. That frames it up.
And then verse 1, the first of many commands that we're going to see here. Make a joyful noise to the Lord all the earth. All right. So, make a joyful noise. So, it may not be something we're as familiar with here because we're not Pentecostal. But we're better than most Baptists, you guys.
We get a little animated. But let's just make a joyful noise. Maybe the most familiar setting where you would hear this is coming up Saturdays in the fall in the south. Yep. Preach. It's college football.
That's what we're probably most familiar with. That's where you hear a joyful noise. Where you hear 80,000 plus fans. Not too far away from here. Directionally, wherever that is. At Williams-Brice Stadium.
Who may or may not. Depends to be. Or remains to be seen. Have a joyful thing to celebrate this fall. We always hope for the bestest Gamecock fans. And they never always let us down.
But, that's it. Right? That's the most joyful noise that you're going to hear in our area. Is a bunch of people. Mostly adults. Cheering on 20 year old young men playing a child's game.
It is. Silly. Can't be idolatrous. But that's where you most are familiar with this type of joyful noise. That's being commanded here in Psalm 100. And the psalmist.
In some Psalms. They're concerned with the congregation worshiping God. In some Psalms. They're focusing on the individual. Interacting with God. This Psalm is bigger.
It says. No. Make a joyful noise to the Lord. All the earth. This isn't just all the peoples. This isn't every body.
This is all of creation. That's what earth is getting at. Make a joyful noise to the Lord. All the earth. This is similar to when Jesus. Is doing the triumphant entry into the city on Palm Sunday.
And the people start praising him. And the Pharisees get upset at this. And say. You need to stop this. And he says. I tell you.
If these were silent. The very stones would cry out. He's saying. You don't understand. The whole earth. Praises.
Me. Because we're. I'm worthy. Of. This. As we're getting at Psalm 19.
We looked at this summer. The whole earth is testifying. The whole creation is testifying. To the glory. Of God. And Psalm 100 says.
Let's join in that. Let's join in the whole chorus. That's. Joyfully. Praising. God.
Don't miss this. We're called to do this. Joyfully. We're commanded to do this with. Joy. And listen.
This isn't something that we just manufacture. Okay. That's not the kind of joy that's happening here. This is what it means to behold God for who he is. And his glory. And his goodness.
And his beauty. And the. When you behold him. What flows out of you. Is. Joy.
Like if you've ever seen a. Set of new parents. Holding. Their newborn. Child. They are.
Beaming. With joy. They are. Grinning. They are. Excited.
They are. Terrified. There is an. All. In them. You see that.
Now listen. They don't have to. Manufacture that. They're not faking that. That's real. Because they're holding the most.
Beautiful creature. That they've ever seen. In their entire. Lives. And listen. Children are.
Beautiful gifts of God. Okay. They make jokes. But they're wicked sinners. And they are. But don't miss it.
They are beautiful. Amazing. Gifts of God. That reaction. Is how it should be. But our children.
Pale in comparison. To the glory of God. Our God is. More. Beautiful. More.
Glorious. More. Worthy of all. And. Joy. And when you behold him.
For who he is. You get to. See an overflow. Out of you. That is. Joy.
Because you are. Worshipping. The Lord. Okay. So. He says.
Make a joyful noise. To the Lord. All the earth. And then he gives a. Second command. Serve the Lord.
With. Gladness. Serve the Lord. With gladness. Now. Serving with gladness.
May be a category. That we're not familiar with. That's not. Like if you're. If your boss says. All right.
I need you to stay late. Okay. I need you to finish out. The reports. So we close out the quarter.
I need you to. Finish up these cars. So we can get them off the lot. Back to the customers. I need you to stay late. A few hours after.
Five. Most of you aren't like. Yes boss. I'm in. With gladness. I will serve you.
That's just typically. That's not a natural response. For us. Is this joyful. It's almost childlike. Giddy.
Glad. Service. My son. Bridgers. Is at. Like the perfect age.
He's at five. And it's awesome. Because I am like. The greatest to him. He. He thinks I'm the coolest.
He thinks I'm the smartest. He thinks I'm the strongest. Like I. He is. Very excited. When I ask him to come serve me.
I say. Hold this tool. While I'm doing this. He is. Glad. Because his dad is the greatest.
Now. He's in for a huge let down. When he realizes. Like I have the back. Of like a 60 year old man. That like I just.
I'm rarely the smartest person in the room. That includes. In my own home. So like. He's due for a let down. But hear this.
There's no let down with God. There ain't no let down with God. When you serve the Lord. And you realize how good he is. There's a lot of joy. In it.
Because his perfection. Is untainted by any. Perfection. That his power is unhindered. By any weakness. He is.
Inexhaustible. That his love. Is uncorrupted. His grace is unfathomable. His wisdom. Is unsearchable.
You see. All the attributes. Of God. Lined up. And there's. No one in this world.
That comes. Close. So as you follow God. And you're obedient. To his word. And you're obedient.
To where he calls you to. In life. We get to. Serve him. With. This.
Gladness. Because our God. Is truly amazing. Then he issues. Another command. He goes on to say.
Come. Into his presence. With. Singing. Come into his presence. With singing.
He commands. His people. To sing. He commands us. To sing. Now some of you.
Just got really excited. Because like. You're like Matt Freeman. Who just sings. All the time. He does.
He sings. All the time. Y'all. And. And singing. Singing to the Lord.
Is something. That you're all in on. Say yes. Amen. I'm going for it. I will sing to the Lord.
All the time. And some of you are like. Please no. I'd rather not. I'll go do the service stuff. But I don't.
I don't want to sing. And I want to take a few minutes. Just to. Help you see. Why this command is good. For those of you.
That don't really enjoy. Singing. Maybe you don't really sing here. On a Sunday. I want to help you see. Why this is actually.
Really really good. About working through. Some of the reasons. Why you might not sing. And the first is. Is that it's humbling.
It's humbling. Some of you may find it humbling. Because. The when you sing. It sounds more like verse one. Sounds more like a joyful noise.
Coming out. That's. Listen. I'm on your team. All right.
When I sing. It's not the most pleasant sound. In the world. So maybe that's you. You don't like to sing. Because you're just not very.
Good at it. We would never set you up here. On a Sunday. And leave others. In worship. Maybe you don't sing.
Because you think it's silly. That it's. It's a little silly. It's a little childlike. It's a little beneath you. It's just a little like.
Ah. Just I don't. I don't. I'm not all about that. Listen. It's humbling.
Okay. Whether you struggle to sing well. Or whether you. It's a humbling experience. If I sing to my wife. Which I don't do.
Because that doesn't show her love. She wouldn't appreciate that. Okay. But if I sing to her. I position myself beneath her. Right.
I'm humbling myself before her. In singing. So yes. Singing. It is. Humbling.
Okay. It absolutely is childlike. And some of you. And to be honest. And this is anecdotal. I don't have stats to back this up.
But the majority of people that don't sing. In worship. Are men. That's been here. That's been. All the churches that have been a part of.
Is that men are less likely to sing than women. You may have a lot of reasons that you don't sing. But let me tell you why you should. Because if you are willing to. Joyfully praise. 20 year old.
Young men. Throwing a football around on a Saturday. If you are willing to. Joyfully sing at a concert. While the lead singer is singing about ants marching. Or thunder.
Or a pickup truck. And a girl. Which is like a thousand different country songs. Whatever your speed is. If you are willing to join the chorus. At a concert.
If you are willing to. Cheer people online. Who are playing with a fake digital character. Playing another nerd. Halfway across the world. Who has their own digital fake character.
Listen. I don't understand it. I don't have to. You do you. But if you are willing to do that.
And joyfully cheer someone else on. But you are unwilling to sing here. On a Sunday. You have misunderstood reality. No. We need to sing to our Lord.
He is worthy of our worship. We need to joyfully celebrate him. It is humbling. If you are willing to humble yourself. Before anything else. And not the Lord.
We need a reality check. We need to change here. Repent here. And actually sing. And obey this command. The second reason.
It is about your heart. Not your ability. Okay. It is about your heart. Not your ability. You might have a very pleasant voice.
For a church our size. I am unbelievably blown away. At the amount of people. That God has gifted. To lead us. In worship.
It is such an immense. Blessing. But you might have a great voice. But guess what? If your heart is not in the right place. Right?
If it is about self. If it is about how good you sound. Or look before others. The Bible says very bluntly. God hates that. God.
The book of Amos. Says that very bluntly. In Amos 5. It says in verse 21. I hate. I despise your feasts.
I take no delight. In your solemn assemblies. Because the people of God. Were still having assemblies. And still praising God. And bowing down to idols.
And not doing justice. That God had called them to do. They were still living in sin. And acting. Doing the part. Their heart was in the wrong place.
And still doing the actions. Then it goes on in verse 23. To say take away from me. The noise of your songs. To the melody of your hearts. To the melody of your hearts.
I will not listen. That corrects the heart. That sings about themselves. But that also gives us the picture of. That it's truly about the heart. Which means.
If you sound like a bad American Idol audition. Right? That's okay. Because it's not about your ability to sing. It's about your heart's position before the Lord. Third.
It's not about you. The third reason why you should sing. It's not about you. That's one of the things I appreciate about congregational worship. It's not about the individual. It's about the corporate.
I personally. Love the cover. Of all the saints in the room singing. It's great. It means I can sing louder. Right?
The only people who have to endure my singing. Are the ones who sit directly in front of me. So. Sorry. Sing louder. You won't hear me.
But I love that. Because that's how. Listen. I would argue. That's by design. Okay?
When you zoom in on the individual. You're going to hear all the imperfections. But when you zoom out. And you hear the collective. You hear a beautiful chorus. Right?
Like we went to a pastor's conference called. Together for the Gospel. This. In April. And Together for the Gospel has these. The worship at those conferences.
Is a guy on a piano. With a microphone. And 10 to 12 thousand. Pastors and ministry leaders singing. And their albums are on. On Spotify.
And you listen to them. And it's amazing. Dear 10,000. Voices. Praising God. It's poetic.
It's. It's. It's. It's brilliant. It's so. Pleasant to hear.
And I think that's by. Design. I think that's the God view. Of worship. That's what he gets to hear. As the saints come together.
For corporate worship. Which tells you. It's not about you. You get to join in the chorus. Of all the saints. Praising our God.
For who he is. So. Listen. Obey the command. Obey the command. Come into his presence.
With. Singing. Third. Or verse three. Know. The Lord.
He is. God. That's the next command. It says. Know that he is God. Which is one of the ways.
That we do this. Is through word. And prayer. That we want to know. That he is God. And be reminded of this.
On a daily basis. To know. Him. And then he goes on to say. It is he. Who made us.
That's creator. Language. It is he who made us. And we are. His. Now we're switching into more covenantal.
Language. This is the covenant relationship between. God. And Israel. And the Old Testament. And it.
Furthers the idea. When he says. We are his people. And the sheep of his. Pasture. That's God in Israel.
That's the shepherd in his. Sheep. And the truth that's being taught there. Is that we belong. To God. We belong to him.
And that's powerful. For two reasons. First. It means that we are his possession. It means that. If you believe in.
Christ. You belong to him. He possesses. You. The Old Testament. The Old Testament taught us.
In Deuteronomy 7. When it says. For you. Are a people. Holy. To the Lord.
Your God. The Lord. Your God. Has chosen you. To be a people. For his treasured.
Possession. Out of all the peoples. Who are on the face of the earth. That's true. In the new covenant. In the new testament.
In first Peter. When he says. But you are a chosen race. A royal priest. A holy nation. A people.
For his own. Possession. That you may proclaim. The excellencies of him. Who called you out of darkness. Into marvelous.
Light. He. Possesses us. We belong to him. In that way. In the same way.
That my children. Belong to. Me. Like I helped. Make. Them.
And I have to remind them. Sometimes. That my wife and I. We bought everything. In this house. Because they'll fight over toys.
And they'll fight over territory. And it's like. Listen. Stop. We own everything. In this house.
It is on loan to you. To be able to use. For your enjoyment. But we. Bought all of this. You belong to us.
And there's a lot of benefits. That come with them. Belonging to us. We love them. More than anyone else. In this world.
Does. We. We would protect them. More than anyone else. Would want to. Like we.
If someone touches my child. It's on. Right. That's built into parenthood. I'm their biggest fan. Like I get to coach my.
I got to coach my son's. T-ball team. This last spring. And I did my best. And I think I did a decent Job. Of being the coach.
Who's objective. Okay. Who you know. Didn't. Try to favor his son. Over the other kids.
But there were moments. When I watched him hit a ball. And run. Awkwardly. To first base. As fast as he could.
That I was beaming. I was like. Yes. That's my boy. Woo. Like I was going for it.
Because. I'm his biggest fan. I'm my children's. Biggest fan. Because they belong to me. That's built into the relationship.
And it's built into the relationship. Of God and his people. That there's immense. Benefit. And belonging to him. That he possesses us.
That he's in our corner. More than anyone else. That he's for our. Good. And our ultimate good. More than anyone.
Else. That's the first picture. That I think is really powerful. For belonging to him. To being the sheep. And his.
Pasture. The second. Is that we have a place with him. I love that picture of. We are his people. The sheep of his pasture.
That we. We have a place. With the Lord. That we. Belong with him. In that way.
Because many of us. Have been searching for belonging. For a very long time. You felt it in middle school. Where you. Were searching.
For a place to belong. And you kept searching. And. You know. It might change. Middle school.
You know. Is one thing. But. That. Search. Continues.
Throughout life. Looking for a place to belong. Looking for a people to belong to. And I want to tell you. And very. Be very.
Candid. I. I think the church. Is an. Is an. Unbelievable place to belong.
I think our church. Is an unbelievable place to belong. The church. Of Jesus. The local church. Is a beautiful.
Messy. Wonderful. Place. It's a bunch of misfit sheep. That got us called together. As his people.
People. And our shepherd. Is really. Really good. So. You've been searching.
For a place to belong. The people of God. Is a wonderful place. To be. That's how it always has been. All the way back to Psalm 100.
When this was written. That the pasture of the Lord. Is a wonderful place. To belong. If you've ever. If you've ever wandered.
A long distance in life. Trying to find belonging. Hear the encouragement. That Jesus offers here. Then he gives the next commandment.
Verse. Four. He says. Enter his gates with thanksgiving. And his courts with praise. Give.
Thanks to him. Bless. His name. Now. This picture. Is the Old Testament picture of worship.
When they would travel to Jerusalem. To the temple. And the temple courts. Where they'd offer sacrifices. Where they would sing. Praises.
And offer thanks. To God. But the command to give thanks. Is something that. I think is lacking. For many of us.
I think many of us. Forget all the things. That God does for us. And all. I think we forget. How great he really is.
And we. We don't give thanks enough for that. And being as children. That. That happens. Children can be entitled.
Like I. When I was. At the end of the day. End of my junior year of high school. My mom sold her family business. And became a stay at home mom.
And she actually was. She's already. Was a good cook. She was actually going. At some point. For culinary classes.
To further just her skills. Because she wanted to. So my senior year. I had the distinct privilege. Of being able to eat. Some wonderful meals.
It was great. And what would happen. Is I would finish football practice. I would finish baseball practice. And I would call home. And my.
My school was about 30 minutes. From my house. I call home. And she said. What do you want for dinner? And I said.
I don't know. Steak. Your brown rice. That you make. Our secret family recipe. For mac and cheese.
Which was Stouffer's. Which. Is a very underrated mac and cheese. In fact. I would argue. That the Chick-fil-A mac and cheese.
Is just Stouffer's. They sprinkle some cheese on. Okay. For those of you. Love it. I can't back that up.
But. That's my theory. I was like. Can you make it? And she'd say. Yes.
She would. That whole senior year. I got to eat all these great meals. Got to come home. And I'm sure. Every now and then.
I said. Thank you. But at the same time. You just got. I got accustomed to it. For the whole year.
It was very. Great. And that happens with kids. You just. They just get. Like I realized.
As I became an adult. When I finally realized. That I didn't give enough thanks. To my parents. Is when I started having my own kids. And I started watching them.
Do the same things. That I used to do. To go through life. Expecting this. Expecting that. Expecting this.
Getting mad when you don't get this. Getting mad when you don't get that. Rarely saying thanks. And I'm trying to. I'm working. We're discipling our kids.
I'm trying to coach them. Trying to say. Hey listen. Your mama just did that. Thank her. Say.
Look at her eye contact. Thank you. Thank you. But that doesn't naturally flow out of them. But here's what I've realized.
As a parent. I don't do it for the thanks. My wife doesn't do it for the thanks. We do it because we love them. We love our kids. And we sacrifice for them.
And we do all these things for them. Not to get applause. But because we immensely love them. And that is how our God is with us. And then some. God loves us.
Deeply. It is all the things for us. And all the ways that are seen and unseen. Because he loves us. And we're missing out. If we don't thank him.
Thank the God who gave us life. Who gave us existence. Thank the God who gives us daily bread. That we take for granted. Thank the God who gives us different abilities and talents. And if you're a Christian.
Thank the God who gave himself up for you. Thank the God who in Christ gives us immense spiritual blessings. Thank the God who gives us an unbelievable unending eternity of joyous praise before him. And we have unbelievable benefits. Endless benefits. That he's worthy of thanks for.
It is good for our souls. The people of God. They had to come to Jerusalem. To be in the presence of God. To offer thanks to him. And in Christ.
We don't have to do that anymore. If you believe in Jesus. You can wake up each day. And you can thank the Lord. You can go to sleep each night. And you can thank the Lord.
One of the things. I quote Philippians 4.6 quite often. Do not be anxious in anything but through prayer. And supplication. With thanksgiving. Make your requests to be known to God.
I focus on a lot of times. Do not be anxious. Which is a powerful part of that. And make your requests. Which is a powerful part of that. But with thanksgiving.
Often gets missed. Our prayers should be lined. With thankfulness. I want you to do something this week. I want you to set a timer for ten minutes. Grab a pen and a pad.
And for the first five minutes. I want you to write out. Thanking God for who he is. Just who he is. God you're merciful. God you're loving.
God you are the creator of all things. God you are gracious. God you are a God of justice. I want you to just take five minutes. And write out. Thanking God for who he is.
And in the last five minutes. I want you to thank God for what he has done for you. Specifically. Thank God for the things he does for you. On a regular basis. The big things he's done for you in life.
The small things. Just take ten minutes. And you will start to line that paper. With all kinds of reasons. And you're not even scratching the surface. We're called to give.
We're commanded to give thanks to our God. Alright. He gives command after command. After command. After command. To help us worship God.
And the way that we were designed to. And then he says what? Verse five. For. That's purpose. For.
The Lord is. Good. Good. His steadfast love. Endures. Forever.
And his faithfulness to all. Generations. The Lord. Is. Good. Now that's hard for us.
In the English language. Because goodness. Is kind of a very generic. Vague. Category. Just is.
Try to define it. Try to use it. I can say. That the. Pork chop. Dinner.
At. Bodhi Thai. In Lexington. Or. Five Points. At Saludas.
Either one of those places. You want a fancy dinner. You get to the seared pork chop. With the sides. They're different. Different places.
But that is good. That is a good. Meal right there. I can say that the drum solo. And in the air tonight. By Phil Collins.
Do do. Do do. Do do. Do do. Do do. Do.
That is. Good. And it is. And then I can say. The Lord is good. And go.
Oh. What? Those aren't on the same level. Right? Now. A few of you.
Are going to want to fight the good fight. And say. I will never say anything is good. Somebody is going to ask me. Are you good? You don't even know what good is.
Listen. It is a losing. It is a losing battle. Okay? The English language. It is just not.
It is kind of a mutt language. It is not very good with words. Or. When you hear. The Lord is good. You elevate that.
To a category. Of spiritual. Goodness. That has. That is completely untainted. With evil.
There is no sin. In that. Goodness. There is no failure. In that. Goodness.
There is only purity. And perfection. In that. Goodness. When you are. When you are thinking of the attributes of God.
And you are just saying. God. You are so. Faithful. You are so. Gracious.
Like. One of the things that just fall back on us. I don't. You are just so. Good. And it is just almost a catch all.
For everything that he is. He is just. Good. And then he goes on to say. His steadfast love endures forever. And his faithfulness.
To all generations. Now. Those phrasings. Are some of the more. Repeated phrasings. Throughout the scriptures.
You hear all the time. His steadfast love endures forever. His faithfulness to all generations. And what is powerful here. Is the psalmist. Wasn't even able to fully.
Realize. What that meant. He wasn't even fully. Able to realize. How that was going to be fulfilled. When God inspired this in him.
Because. But this side of the cross. And this side of the empty tomb. We know what it means. That his steadfast love endures forever. And his faithfulness.
To all generations. Because the goodness of God. And his steadfast love. And his faithfulness. Was perfectly displayed in Christ. That Christ left the heavens.
And took on flesh. And dwelt among us. That he fulfilled the law perfectly. That he went to the cross. To be crushed for our rebellion. That he walked out of the empty tomb.
To make. To give us a way. To be partakers. Of this beautiful promise. Of this beautiful. Steadfast love.
He was faithful to us. Who were faithless. We understand. What this means. And we get to. Anchor this deep.
Into our soul. Over and over again. When we come across Psalms. Like this. When you look at this Psalm. And it's brief.
Five verses. It's so basic. In fact. The phrases in this Psalm. Are repeated. All over the Psalms.
You can flip and flip. And see back and forth. You're going to see this. All over the Psalms. So why at the century Mark.
Of the Psalm book. Did God. Inspire such a succinct. Five verse picture. Like this. I'd argue.
It is because these truths. Need to be. Anchored deeper. Into our soul. They need to be sung. Into our soul.
The Psalms were songs. They were prayers. They were meant to be repeated. Over and over again. So they could be.
Anchored deeper. Into our souls. That's what singing does. Y'all. Singing. Anchors.
Truths. Into our soul. There's a reason why. A whole generation. Of baby boomers. Have the philosophy.
You know. You can't always get. What you want. But if you try sometimes. You know. You might find.
You get what you need. You know why. Because the philosopher. Mick Jagger. Wrote that. And they sang it.
A thousand times. They sang that truth. Deep into their soul. That's what singing does. It sings. Truth.
Deep into your soul. And we need Psalms. Like Psalms. 100. To be sung. To be recited.
Deep into our soul. That's good for us. Y'all. When you can't remember scripture. Sometimes. You can't remember a song.
I got. When I'm struggling. With sin. And suffering. I might not be able to remember Romans 8. My mind might be all over the place.
But I can remember rock of ages. Cleft for me. Let me hide myself in thee. Let the water and the blood. From my wounded side. Which flowed.
Be of sin. The double cure. Saved from wrath. And made me pure. I can remember that. And that reminds me.
Of how good our savior is. We need this y'all. We need truth. Sung deeper into our soul. We need these Psalms recited. Deeper into our soul.
Like Matt Freeman. Our pastor of worship. Who's over here in the keys. Like he spends time y'all. And he has help sometimes. With some different volunteers.
From our worship ministry. But he writes the liturgy. And he's thoughtful about it. And y'all. This liturgy that we recite. Every Sunday.
It gets repeated. Like Psalm 100 gets repeated. Once every two or three months. Which is going to blow. Some of your minds. Because some of you.
Miss that every week. Because you roll in late. But if you came in on time. You'd hear Psalm 100. Once every two to three months. And you hear it over.
And over. And over again. And that truth. Would get sung deeper. And deeper into your soul. And listen.
We need that. We need to know the command. To make a joyful noise. The Lord. We need to know the command. To serve the Lord.
With gladness. We need to know the command. That we're called to come. Into his presence. With singing. We need to know.
That he is God. We need to realize. And let it sink into our hearts. That we belong to him. And all the benefits. That come along with that.
Because he's good. Because his steadfast love. Endures forever. And his faithfulness. For all generations. We need that.
And we're going to do that. As the band comes up. We're just going to sing. Two more songs. And I want us. To sing.
I want us to sing. And grow in this. To sing these truths. Deep into our soul. Listen. You may not know the songs.
I would encourage you. If you want to know the songs. Go talk to Matt. After worship. It gets in your playlist. It can send you some songs.
That you can sing regularly. To be familiar with them. But we need this. We need to grow. In actually. Worshiping.
The Lord. We need to grow. In singing. Praises. To our God. And actually.
Singing. We need to grow. In thankfulness. Thanking the Lord. On a regular basis. For all.
Who he is. And everything. That he does. For us. We need to grow. In worshiping.
Our God. Because he's. Worthy. Of it. Now some of you.
May be checking. This out. Maybe checking out. Jesus. Maybe. Feel like an outsider.
Listening into an insider. Conversation. And I just want to say. Very clearly to you. If you are exploring. Our faith.
You don't know where you stand. Before the Lord. I want you to hear. What he says. Very clearly. There's an invitation.
Here to be a sheep. At his pasture. There's a place. For you to belong. Amongst the people. Of God.
Our shepherd. Is unbelievably good. He's unbelievably loving. And he loves you. So much.
That the shepherd. Came and laid down. His life. For you. So that you could experience.
This endless joy. This endless love. This unbelievable faithfulness. There's a place for you. In the people of God. And the invitation is there.
And my hope is. Is that as we sing this morning. You'd so clearly hear. The invitation of our shepherd. And that you would place. Your faith.
In him. Because he's worthy of it. Let's pray. Heavenly Father. Thank you so much. For the Psalms.
Thank you. For a couple of months. Just to gaze upon. In your beauty. In your glory. In your faithfulness.
God help us worship. Help us be a people. That are so blown away. That are so enamored. With who you are. That the overflow of that.
Is this obedience. In Psalm 100. God I pray. If there's anyone here. That does not know you. That doesn't know.
How good of a shepherd you are. That this morning. They would. That you would break down. The doors of their heart. And they would believe.
We ask this in Jesus name. Amen.
Psalm 115: God > Idols
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
Good morning. See, I clean up well, you guys. All right, so before we get started, it's an exciting day when we get to baptize anyone, and especially our kids. I just want to plug two resources. Some of the things we do in family discipleship, in our road mapping curriculum, which you can find online, is we plug books that we think are helpful. I have one right here.
This is the whole story for the whole family. It's a year of Jesus-centered devotions. This one's really helpful because it has really easy-to-do devotions, actually has some fun activities to go along with it. So if you've got kids from three to about nine, ten years old, this is a great book. I actually have two free copies of this, so if you want one, come talk to me, and I'll give it to you. And then we also have, out there at our spiritual formation bookshelf, the New City Catechism.
This is 52 questions and answers that help guide the process of just helping our kids know who Jesus is and what the gospel is. So I would encourage you, if you would like to go grab those, those are free. We've got plenty of those. So we have been in the Psalms this summer. We have one more Psalm next week, and then we're going to be in the book of Jude, which is four weeks, and then we'll be in the book of Exodus. So we're in Psalm 115 today, which is on page 293, and your blue Bibles that are around you.
If you don't have a Bible at home, please take that. That is our gift to you. We want you to have a Bible that you can read. But we'll be in Psalm 115 today. So my wife and I both like disaster movies, okay?
So day after tomorrow type stuff, it gets even better, the cheesier it gets. So like, you know, geostorm, computer, controlling the weather, that kind of stuff is really fun for us. I also personally like satire. When satire is done well, I like it. And finally, the two genres melded together last year for a movie that came out on Netflix called Don't Look Up. So caveats, it's got some language in it, and I always do my research when it's rated or ahead of time, because it's got some sketch stuff at the end, which I just cut off and never watched.
But I wanted to see how they took satire and combined this with one of my wife's and I's favorite genres. And the whole premise is, is that an asteroid is barreling down towards the earth. And in typical asteroid style movies, you would expect they'd come together, they'd figure it out, and they'd save the day. Bruce Willis would go up there, and they'd blow this thing up. But this movie asked the question, what if that didn't happen?
What if we weren't good at this? What if our dysfunctional society right now just couldn't handle this? And it plays on a bunch of different themes. But one of the things that I found to be incredibly telling is it asked the question, what if we're too disinterested? What if we don't care? What if we're willing to ignore reality, and just because we like, you know, social media and the movie, they're too busy, you know, scrolling on their phones to care?
What if there's too many things to entertain ourselves with, too many things to focus on? And that aspect of satire, I truly appreciate it. Because you could easily apply that to our faith. Like a few weeks ago, we were in Psalm 19, and Psalm 19 has two big ideas, that creation declares the glory of God. That it points to a creator, and it declares his glory. And then later on in the Psalm, it talks about the scriptures.
How the scriptures give us this specific picture of who God is. That it tells us beautiful truths. And when you combine the two, you see we have a God who definitely made this universe. And the scriptures tell us who this God is. And we, as especially Southern Christians, can listen to that sermon, can read that text and go, yes, amen. We can say we believe in God.
The majority of Southerners would even say they believe in Jesus. But the reality is, is we live like that's not true. We're going to see in the Psalm, it says, our God is in the heavens. And we live like that's not a reality. Because we're so easily enamored. So easily in love with created things.
That our attention and our focus and our affection, and ultimately our worship, is on lesser created things. Ignoring the reality of our creator God. To our own demise. That is what this Psalm is going to look at today. It's going to speak directly to us. Calling us out for falling in love with lesser created things.
And not beholding our creator God for who he is. So we're going to see that picture and how that applies to us. So let me pray for us and then we'll jump in. Heavenly Father, I pray that you would open our hearts to receive your word. That we would be challenged. That we would see you as glorious.
And you'd help us walk this out in faith and belief and repentance and obedience. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Alright, so. Psalm 115 is in a series of Psalms. A series of five Psalms called the Hallelujah Psalms.
Okay? So thematically they all have the same kind of Hallelujah is in its most base form is praise Yahweh. So it's praise the Lord. So that's what's showing up in these Psalms. And at the very last one in this section, Psalm 115, is a Psalm that they would have actually sang together at Passover meal. So at the Passover meal, they would have sat down and had good food and good wine.
And they'd come together and then they'd sing this joyous, challenging Psalm. Starting in verse 1. Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory. For the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness. So it's this joyous beginning.
Not to us, O Lord. No, no, no. Not to us, but to your name give glory. Why? Because of, for the sake of, your steadfast love and your faithfulness. Because you are steadfast in your love towards us, O God, when we don't deserve it.
Because you are faithful towards us, O God, when we are faithless. Not to us, O Lord, but to you be the glory. And that is joyously sung against the backdrop of those who taught them. So we pick up in verse 2. Why should the nations say, where is their God? So, that is, the nations is the Gentiles.
So at this point in redemption history, the Gentiles are outside the covenant of God. This is non-Jewish people. These are the surrounding nations around the Jewish people. They don't worship the God of Israel. They don't believe and they're taunting and they're saying, where is your God? And this is where the psalmist starts to get a little snarky.
See, this Psalm has some don't look up type of vibes to it. It's very satirical. It's very snarky. It's very sarcastic. And this is when the psalmist begins to answer that taunt and fire back in verse 3. Our God is in the heavens.
He does all that He pleases. Our God is in the heavens. He does all that He pleases. He is not like your false gods, O nations. He's not a God that is tangible and created so that you can see. No, no, no.
Our God is in the heavens. He does all that He pleases. We don't have to do a song and dance to get His attention. And He doesn't step to our desires. That's not how our God works. He will not be coerced.
He will not be cornered. He will not be convinced. Our God is in the heavens. He does all that He pleases. He is not like your gods. And then He goes on to dial up the snark even more.
And He starts to criticize and belittle and make fun of their false idols. Verse 4 and following. Their idols are silver and gold. The work of human hands. They have mouths but do not speak. Eyes but do not see.
Ears but do not hear. Noses but do not smell. They have hands but do not feel. Feet but do not walk. And they do not make a sound in their throat. He is belittling them.
He is comedically belittling their false gods. He says your gods are precious. They are adorable. Look at His little mouth and His little nose. It has got little hands and little feet. I bet you put that beside your bed table at night.
That is adorable. He is absolutely stomping on false idols. He says no, no, no. Your God is not like our God. Our God is in the heavens. You have these false gods.
And it is an absurd picture. This is what Elijah picks up in 1 Kings 18. Belittling the false gods. In 1 Kings 18, he has a showdown with the prophets of Baal. Baal is one of the most prominent false gods in the Old Testament. And at this point, the prophets of Baal have pretty much taken over Israel.
And Elijah goes, all right, let's go. Let's go to Mount Carmel. Let's have a little showdown. We are going to set up an altar. Put a sacrifice on there. We are going to see which God is real.
We are going to figure out which God is going to come. Come and light this sacrifice on fire. And then in 1 Kings 18, it says in verse 26 and following, And they took the bull that was given them, and they prepared it, and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, O Baal, answer us. So the prophets of Baal are calling out, Baal, answer us, answer us. But there was no voice.
No one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made. They started doing their little dance, going around the altar, limping around. And one of my favorite verses in the Bible. Verse 27, And at noon, Elijah mocked them, saying, Cry aloud, for he is a God. Maybe he can't hear you.
You should cry louder. Got to get his attention. He says, Cry aloud, for he is a God. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, which is a cleaned up way of saying, using the bathroom. Is your God, is he going to the bathroom? Where is he?
The mocking is on point. He says, Or is he on a journey? Or perhaps he is asleep, and must be awakened. Is he taking a nap? Go get him. Surely, and this, this does not sit well with them, and they get angrier.
And verse 28, it says, And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after the custom, after their custom was swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them. And as midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation. But there was no voice. No one answered. No one paid attention. Why?
Because Baal isn't real. He's not the one true God. And then Elijah goes on to, say, step aside. They put water all over the altar. Calls down fire from heaven, and boom, lights it up. And that's usually where the children's stories, book Bible version, kind of just stops.
If you want to take it further, and even do some dramatic reenacting, he goes and slaughters all the prophets of Baals. So, fun stuff to do in your household. More family discipleship advice for you. It's an absurd picture. That's the way Elijah's getting at. Your gods aren't real.
Bowing down to this is an absurdity. When I was in, years ago, I was in India, and I was studying Hinduism as a part of the study of God program. And I went and traveled and looked at Hindu temples. Went to Hindu temples and watched. I watched people bow down to false idols. This made, decorated idol with incense burning.
I watched them and studied how they worshipped false idols. And when you see that picture, you see, man, how ridiculous is this? That you're bowing down, seeking for this to provide, for this to take care of you. what he's hitting at over and over again here is that idols are lifeless and they are dumb. No. Our God is in the heavens. So he gives this heavy, intense critique, and then in verse 8, he gives an absolutely helpful warning. those who make them become like them.
So do all who trust in them. What he highlights is an unbelievable truth. What you worship, you will become. What you worship, you will ultimately become. And if you worship these dead, lifeless objects, then you will receive spiritual death that comes along with it. You'll be spiritually deadened by it.
Now, reading this through the lens of a 21st century Westerner, you might think, good, glad we don't have little carved idols in our bedrooms. Am I right? Might want to distance ourselves from this. Might look at the Hindu practices of bowing down to false idols that still happen today and think, good thing that's not us. But the reality is, is that we do this, we just do it in a far more sophisticated manner.
This is what Ezekiel, and the prophet Ezekiel is picking up in Ezekiel 41, and it's going to be developed throughout the rest of the scriptures. In Ezekiel 41, he says, it says, Son of man, these men have taken idols into their hearts. Taken idols into their hearts and set the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces. Should I indeed let myself be consulted by them? And then in verse 6, he says, Therefore, save the house of Israel. Thus says the Lord God, repent and turn away from your idols and turn away your faces from all abominations.
It is here that we see a theme that gets picked up and developed throughout the rest of the scriptures that idolatry is worshiping anything in the place of God. God. It's heart idolatry. It's choosing anything and beholding that, loving that, worshiping that in the place of God. This is why John Calvin says that our hearts are idol-making factories. That we easily, because of our fallenness and our flesh, can make idols out of anything.
That we would worship anything in the place of God. We are designed to worship. That's how humanity is designed. And ultimately, we're designed to worship the Lord. But we reject that for the tangible things that are right in front of us.
And the psalmist is warning us. If you worship idols, you will become like them. For the one who worships money through greed, you ultimately, if you worship this, you will become like that dead object. Your heart will be hardened towards generosity. You will sacrifice and sever relationships with friends and church family and family. You'll sacrifice all of that because the goal is to make money, make money, make money, stacks on stacks on stacks.
If I can get that, then I will be happy. And ultimately, if you pursue this and you worship this, you will become Ebenezer Scrooge or Walter White. And it will ultimately end up to your own demise, hardening your own heart, deadened to what is ultimately good. If you bow down before the altar of pleasure, you will follow the road of sensuality until ultimately you don't have a taste, you have a distaste for God. and you fill that in with drugs or porn or explanation or whatever. But you follow that road and what happens is you eventually just, you don't want God.
I've watched people who went down that road and then ultimately they're just like, I don't care anymore. And it deadens you spiritually until you're numb and you don't want God. I stumbled upon a quote from a Sri Lankan theologian that I have never seen before until this week. His name is Vinath Ramachandra. And I thought he nailed it. He said, It is not surprising that those who worship technology eventually develop machine-like personalities.
Mark Zuckerberg. Right? I mean, develop machine-like personalities, emotionally underdeveloped, shallow and the relationships driven by a desire to control and quantify every human situation, unable to appreciate beauty and value in anything outside the artificial. What a unbelievable critique on this cultural moment. We bow down to social media, we spend all of our time and our energy in the artificial. this is going to get worse as the meta comes on board and everything else that comes with that. He says, No wonder.
No wonder we have shallow relationships. We're driven to control and quantify every human situation. You see that in kids that are on devices all the time. You see that in adults who have lost the ability to have a nuanced discussion with anyone or just lobbing grenades like crazy. Because you've bowed down before this idol over and over and over again and it's starting to make you in its image. He goes on to say, Those who worship sex, on the other hand, are incapable of trust and commitment in their human relationships and hide a lonely existence behind a mask of superficial adulthood.
Benoth is throwing bows. Man, he is going for it. I mean, he is absolutely, he can go on and on with this. He is absolutely showing us what the psalmist is teaching us that idols will ultimately create you in their image. You no longer will be conforming to the image of our creator. When you bow down to idols, it makes you in their image, ultimately to our own spiritual destruction.
You see why the psalmist has this aggressive, polemic, sarcastic defense, this aggressive nature against idolatry? There's so much at stake in the human soul. There was so much at stake for Israel as ultimately it was their own destruction because they worshipped idols. There's so much at stake for us because our flesh loves it. Our flesh loves idols. A couple months ago, I was talking with one of our pastors, I was talking with Chet, and I was just, I was confessing some sin.
I just was like, man, I'm just, I am, my flesh loves sin. Like I just, like I'm struggling right now. And he had a very helpful picture that will stick with me for probably ever. He said, you gotta see it for what it is. He said, it's, it's meth. And I was like, yes, it is meth.
Absolutely is. Have you ever seen before and after pictures of what meth does to people? They're a normal, functioning human being and then a few years, the before and after, they, it's conformed them into this horrible image as they bow down to this drug over and over and over again and it's stolen the life out of them. Yes! He knew how to get to me. I was like, that's absolutely it.
It is like that. It spiritually decays and destroys. That's what sin does. That's what idolatry does. So he gives that aggressive warning and then he pivots to beholding who our God is.
In verse 9 and following, he says, O Israel, trust in the Lord. He is their help and their shield. He's gonna repeat that three times. Their help and their shield. That is kingship defense language. Okay?
He's saying, our God is our help and our shield. He's the one that defends us. He's the one that provides for us. He's the one that takes care of us. O Israel, trust in the Lord. He is their help and their shield.
O house of Aaron, verse 10, trust in the Lord. He is their help and their shield. The house of Aaron was a part of the tribe of Levi. This is where the priesthood came from, was the house of Aaron. So what he's highlighting there is the priesthood is bowing down to foreign idols.
They're falling prey to this. Which absolutely fits pretty one-to-one with our current culture. Because the priesthood throughout America and those who plan to be pastors literally are leading people into worshipping idols, worshipping success, worshipping money for the sake of lining their own pockets and getting a G4 and all that mess. we're not much different. Verse 11, you who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord. He is their help and their shield. He's saying, you who fear the Lord, everyone who fears God, trust in the Lord.
He is their help and their shield. He's like, believe this. Believe this. He will protect you. He is better. He will protect you in the way that idols cannot.
And then he moves from this repeated promise to a repeated blessing. He says in verse 12 and following, the Lord has remembered us. He will bless us. He will bless the house of Israel. He will bless the house of Aaron. He will bless those who fear the Lord, both small and great.
He's saying, this Lord, this God will bless us. Listen, Israel, Aaron, everyone who fears the Lord. And this is a deep, spiritual blessing. This is not a shallow, material one. Believing that ultimate hope is found in material blessings that will ultimately end up in a landfill one day. No, this is deeper than that.
This is the kind of blessing that resounds into generational blessings. Verse 14, he says, may the Lord give you children, or give you increase, you and your children. May this blessing resound through you, to your children, to your children's children. What a powerful legacy of faith that we might uphold when we behold who our God is. This is in verse 15, may you be blessed by the Lord who made heaven and earth. The heavens are the Lord's heavens, but the earth he has given to the children of man.
It's highlighting a truth that God is in the heavens. He rules and reigns. But as we see in Genesis 1, he entrusts earth. He gives us the ability to have dominion over the earth. That's why it says, be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over it.
That's the truth that he's highlighting there. And then in verse 17 and 18, the final two verses, he says, the dead do not praise the Lord, nor do any who go down into silence. But we will bless the Lord from this time forth and forevermore. Praise the Lord. He says, those who ultimately worship idols, those who find their hope and satisfaction and fulfillment and idols, well, they ultimately will receive what is coming, death. And the picture we see of that is judgment.
He says, but we, we will trust the Lord. We will praise him. We won't go down in silence. No. We will bless the Lord from this time forth and forevermore. Praise the Lord.
All right. So this Psalm is noticeably different than many of the Psalms we've tackled before. Sarcasm shows up a little bit in the scriptures. Aggressive defenses like this show up a little bit. This is different than some of the Psalms we have covered. And he is hammering one central truth over and over again.
Idols are dumb. Idols are ridiculous. Idols are not worthy of worship. Our God is in the heavens. Behold him. Worship him.
He is greater than idols. But the problem for Israel and the problem really for us is that idols are very tangible. Idols are, you can see them, you can touch them. It's the reason why they bow down to golden calves and Asherah poles. They could grab a hold of it. The psalmist says that's foolishness.
That's foolishness. Our God is so much bigger than that. Can't you see? Our God is in the heavens. Don't bow down to these objects. Don't worship anything in the place of God.
And we may be more sophisticated. We may be more sophisticated than this time period. But we are not smarter. Not at all. We're very much like them. We may, listen, Southern Christians, we may know the Bible.
We may know stories about Jesus. We may know the right things to say. You know, all kinds of things about who our God is. But to us, He's not as tangible. Not saying that Jesus is embodied. He certainly is.
But He reigns at the right hand of God the Father. But idols are tangible. They're right in front of us. And our flesh says, I want it. Money is tangible. Put your hands on it.
Pull up your app and watch your bank account. Your crypto wallet. Whatever it is that you do. You can see that. It's material. You can purchase things that your heart desires with that.
Amazon packages are concrete and tangible. Right? I thought about this this week. I was like, you know what? I'm going to see if I can total up how much we spent at Amazon this year. So I thought I could go on Amazon and look at the order details and stuff in that section and see.
But shocker, they don't let you know that. Because I don't want you to know how much you've spent there. Because it's a lot. That's tangible. It's something you can get in two days or less. That's tangible.
You can put your hands on that. Social media is tangible. You can spend hours and hours and hours and hours and hours and hours obsessing, worrying, getting stirred up, getting angry, getting jealous. That's tangible. Children, spouses, relationships, friendships, success, comforts, you name it, our heart can make it and we can bow down to it. It's tangible.
It's right in front of us. And our hearts will go after it until little by little our affections, our desire and our worship towards God is slowly turned towards created objects and we're more deadened and more deadened and more deadened until spiritually it's like, I don't want God. and then we reject Him just as the nation of Israel did. One of the things we talk about in our church is the concept of deep idols. The concept of deep idols and if you want to, we have sermons that expound on this more, you can go on our website and you can go into our sermons and do it in the search bar and you can type in deep idols and hear some more teaching on this but the premise is is that we try to look at the sin beneath the sin, the motivation beneath the motivation, the idol beneath the idol and there are four main deep idols, four main categories that you can funnel most of our sin into.
That's comfort, control, power, and approval. And you can literally take any concrete idol that you'd bow down to and you can run it through those categories and see, like if it's money, not something you obsess over, you think about, you live your life for, you can try to determine which deep idols is this rooted in? Is it approval? Do I make lots of money so that I can be liked? So that people will accept me?
So that I will get claps in adoration? Or it's control. Maybe you grew up with less money and you said, I ain't doing this anymore. I will absolutely control my future and every dollar, every paycheck is another opportunity to control your destiny because you've rejected ultimately that God is sovereign over your future but you can control it with your hands. Maybe it's, maybe it's power. You make money because that gives you influence.
That gives you the ability to peddle and to meddle and to manipulate because it puts you the one in power. Maybe it's comfort. That you worship money because it brings the comforts in this life. You can buy the next car or the next house or the next vacation until you fill your life with comforts that never truly satisfy you. Listen, we're not much different. We're not.
The Psalm is for us and we we have to see idols for what they are. We have to see it for what it is. They're as healthy as meth. They're as life-giving as the wood from your kitchen table. They're as secure as a house that is built right on the top of beach sand. They are not better.
Idols are dumb. They're not worth pursuing. They're not worth worshipping. Trust in the Lord. He is ultimately worthy of our worship. With Him comes blessing and promises.
Our God is in the heavens. He does whatever He pleases. The psalmist is pleading with us. See God as better than idols. And when you start to believe this. Listen, when you start to when God starts to unlock this truth in your soul.
When you start to realize that what you've worshipped doesn't satisfy. That it never truly brings fulfillment. Whatever that is for you. And when you've examined your soul and you realize that God by His grace shows how infected we are with idol worship. How we bow down to so many other things through our attention and our affections and our desire and our worship. when you see that for what it is your one logical response should be how can the God who created everything who is the only one worthy of my worship how could He possibly love me in spite of all of my rejection in spite of all of the worship that I've given towards lesser created things.
And it is in that moment that you can discover the goodness of the gospel. And the goodness of the gospel is that God knew that. God knows all of that. He knows all the idols that you bow down to. He sees all of it. And still He sent His Son to die for you.
And still He sent His Son to rise for us. And still He came to His Colossians 2 teaches cancel the record of debt the record of sin that's done against us with its legal demand. And His kindness as Romans 2 teaches leads us to repentance. Away from lesser created things back to our Creator. Our God does all that He pleases. And the good news of the gospel is that it pleases Him for you to worship Him.
And it pleases Him for you to desire Him. And it pleases Him to see you repent of idols because they are not worthy of your worship. He is.
Psalm 139: Search My Heart
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
It's good to see you guys this morning. My name is Matt. I'm one of the pastors here. If you would, go ahead and grab a Bible. We are going to hop right in this morning, and I want you to go ahead and turn to Psalm 139. Psalm 139.
If you don't have a Bible, go ahead and grab one of the blue Bibles that we have that are tucked under some of the seats. It's going to be on page 300 in those. We're going to be looking at Psalm 139. As a worship leader, I love the Psalms. It's the Psalm book of the Bible, you guys. I'm obligated to actually love the book of Psalms.
But I do. I love the book of Psalms, and specifically Psalm 139. What we get in the Psalms is the entire range of human emotion. John Piper says that you can always find yourself in the Psalms, and I believe that. I believe that's true. Regardless of whatever you're going through in your life, whatever circumstance, you can always find yourself in the Psalms.
And so I'm excited to be teaching from one of my favorite passages today. So if you'll look, go ahead and look in your Bible. We don't always point this out. But if you look at the top, right underneath Psalm 139, it says, to the choir master, a Psalm of David. Okay, so it tells us that this is one of the Psalms of David. In fact, nearly half of the Psalms in the book of Psalms are David's.
And it's important for us to know that David wrote this and to think about his life because it colors how we're going to understand this Psalm, how we study it. But as we're getting started, I want you to go ahead and look. We're going to look at the first verse and the final two verses before we even start because they actually frame in what David is talking about in the Psalms. So you can look in your Bible or you can look up here on the screen. It says, Oh Lord, you have searched me and known me. Oh Lord, you have searched me and known me.
And then at the very end, David's praying and he says, Search me, oh God, and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts and see if there be any grievous way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. So David starts with saying to God, God, you have searched me and known me. You know everything about me. Nothing is hidden from you. And then he concludes by asking God to continue to search him, to know his heart, to know his thoughts, to show him his sins and to lead him on the right path.
Now there's a lot of things that we're going to look at in between this frame, but I think it's important to just highlight part of David's life before we hop in because of what he's talking about here. So this is the David that the Bible presents to us. He's the youngest of seven sons of his father. He's kind of the runt of the litter. He's the shepherd boy out tending the sheep, but God saw fit to anoint him to be the next king of Israel. This is the David that the Bible talks about who goes up against the giant Goliath with a sling and a stone and takes him down.
This is the David that wins the hearts of the people of Israel. In fact, the Bible describes David as a man after God's own heart. And while there's a lot of great things we can point out about David, sometimes we forget to talk about the darker side, that David wasn't perfect. And maybe you're not as familiar with this story, but there was a time when the Israelite army went out to war and David didn't go with them. He stayed back. And he's walking on the rooftop of the palace and he sees a beautiful woman bathing.
And he desires her. And so he brings her to his palace and he sleeps with her. Her name is Bathsheba and she becomes pregnant. And David's trying to figure out how to cover this thing up. So he sends for her husband, Uriah, who's one of his best soldiers, sends for him to bring him home so that maybe he'll go back to his house and sleep with Bathsheba and this thing will be all covered up and they'll never know it was his child.
But Uriah was so faithful, he wouldn't do it. He wouldn't leave the king's house. And so David sends Uriah back out into battle and tells the commander to pull back from him. And Uriah's killed. David was responsible for the murder of somebody else. And so it makes you wonder, as we look at this Psalm, as we looked at this framework we just created, that how can he pray this at the end?
How can he pray, continue to search me, continue to examine me and see my grievous ways in light of everything that he has done? And if I'm David, I don't want that. I don't. In fact, I don't want that. And I would bet for most of us, we don't want that either. The things that we've hidden, the skeletons in our closet, the things that we wish and hope that nobody ever finds out about us.
But it seems that David has discovered something better. What we're going to see is that in spite of everything that David has done, God still desires relationship with him. He gets the offer of redemption and forgiveness. And so that's what we're looking at this morning, how David can have such confidence in his relationship with God that no matter what he had done, he still saw it better that the Lord would know him deeply and intimately rather than keeping things hidden from the Lord. And that hopefully we'll actually leave here with that same kind of confidence, that same kind of confidence and vulnerability and freedom that we can have in our relationship with God.
Okay? So that's what we're looking at this morning. Why don't we pause and pray as we go further? God, what a bold prayer that you would search us and know us. And it's difficult for us to even comprehend how we could do that. And so we pray that you would speak from your word, that you would help us understand what David had come to know, what David had come to know, and that you would lead us in the way everlasting.
It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. All right, so look at your Bibles. Let's hop into the text. Okay, verse 1. Oh, Lord, you have searched me and known me.
You know when I sit down and when I rise up. You discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, oh, Lord, you know it altogether. You hem me in behind and before and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me.
It is high. I cannot attain it. So he's talking about this God, this God who searches and knows, and he's trying to color that in and describe it. Verses 2 and 3, David says, when I sit down and when I rise up, he says, you know my path and my lying down, and you're acquainted with all my ways. He says, God sees you when you're sleeping. He knows when you're awake.
He knows if you've been bad or good. But seriously, he knows everything about you. He knows when you're sleeping. He knows when your feet hit the floor. He knows what I do throughout the day. David crafts this song to show that there is no activity, no action that escapes what God sees.
He knows. He knows. Not only that, look at verse 3. It says here, you discern my thoughts. I'm sorry, verse 2. You discern my thoughts from afar.
Come on. Like, not only does he know our activities, he discerns our thoughts. He knows what you're thinking. Right now. And right now. And right now.
So the thing I thought when that person cut me off in traffic, God knows. The thing I was thinking when my co-worker asked me how I was doing, he knows. The thing I'm daydreaming about right now while Matt's talking, he knows. He knows. Not only that, look at verse 4. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, oh Lord, you know it all together.
So that's a crazy progression. He knows our actions. He knows our thoughts. And even before we formulate words, he knows it. I have two daughters, a 7-year-old and a 5-year-old. My 7-year-old is named Emmy.
And if you know Emmy, this story will make perfect sense to you. We like to cook. Like specifically, my girls love to cook pancakes. And so that's usually a group effort for us. When Emmy was really young, we had the griddle out. We had the bowl of pancake mix.
And we were doing the whole thing. And I walked across the kitchen to grab something. And I got to the other side of the kitchen with my back turned to her and said, don't touch that. And I turn. And her hand is over the griddle. And she's just looking at me like, are you a wizard?
Like, child, I know you. And I'm way smarter than you. Like, I knew what you were going to do. I know what you were going for. And that multiplied times infinity is God towards us. He knows you.
He created you. Verse 5 says, You hem me in behind and before and lay your hand upon me. You hem me in. Now, he's drawing from shepherding terms here. Okay, so it's a little bit lost on us. But this is, he's drawing from his experience.
Shepherds would be out in the fields with the sheep. And they would be tending them and keeping them together and making sure that they went on the right path, that they didn't fall off of a cliff, that they were able to find fresh water and fresh food. And then at night, they would try to kind of hem them into an area for protection. And then oftentimes, the shepherds would just lay in harm's way so that if a wolf or a predator was coming, they would know it. They would be first in line. It's a beautiful picture here.
You hem me in behind and before. And then you get to verse 6. And he just exclaims it. He says, Such knowledge is too wonderful and high for me. I can't grasp it. And I feel that.
I bet you do too. That's David's point. He's giving glory to God for his all-knowing power. We use big words for this sometimes like God's omniscience, which just means that he is all-knowing or his omnipotence, which means that he is all-powerful. God knows everything and he is all-powerful. And even though David can't fully comprehend it, and neither can we, he's still able to glory in it.
And there are two things I want to point out from these six verses and then we'll move on. The first one is this. This is terrifying, right? Like God knows your actions, your words, and your thoughts. For those of you who are into stranger things, this isn't like a Vecna scenario where God's going to use your thoughts and stuff to torture you. Like we're not all headed for a Chrissy wake up situation.
Okay? But it is terrifying that God knows everything about you. Hear that clearly. What David is saying here is that God knows everything about every person in this room without exception. And for most of us, even those of us who are Christians, that's terrifying. We don't want God to know everything.
If he did, we think things like, how could God love me? How could God accept me? There's no way he could use me. There's no way I could belong to his people and be loved. And as Christians, we know these things aren't true. Yet we convince ourselves all too often that they are.
We give in to the lies and the false beliefs instead of glorying in who God is and knowing that he's all powerful and all knowing. And I will say this. I think part of the reason we do this is because in our lives we've experienced people who have used knowledge of us to hurt us. Okay? You've been there before. You've told something to someone and they told everyone else.
You shared a struggle with someone and then they used that in your relationship to manipulate you. We've all been there. But that's not God. The God who sees you and knows everything about you is wholly other than that. And because that's true, the other part of this passage is that this ought to be incredibly comforting to us. That even though he knows all of our thoughts and words and actions, his posture towards us is that of a shepherd.
With his sheep, he wants, even though we would rebel and try to run, God, his posture towards us is that of a shepherd. That's what verse 5 is talking about. It says, you hem me in behind and before. You keep me. God keeps us. And I'll be honest with you guys.
This is something that I pray on a regular basis. I pray this on a regular basis underneath my breath. God, you hem me in behind and before. You hem me in behind and before. I have a tough day parenting with the kids. You hem me in behind and before.
When I want to run to the fridge at 10 o'clock at night for some comfort, you hem me in behind and before. When we've got a difficult situation going on in our church, when we need wisdom and we don't know it, you hem me in behind and before. God's knowledge of us is both terrifying and comforting. So what do we do with that? What do we do with that? Look at verse 7.
It says, where shall I go from your spirit or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there. If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, surely the darkness shall cover me and the light about me be night. Even the darkness is not dark to you.
The night is bright as the day for darkness is as light with you. It's as if David tries to illustrate what all of us are prone to, right? Run. Like, run. He says, but where would I go? Where would I flee from your presence?
He says, if I go up to heaven, you're there. Which, obvious David, but I understand it's a progression. You've got to start somewhere. You're there. If I go down to Sheol, you are there. When we have Sheol in Scripture, it's just a poetic way of saying, it's a poetic name for the place of the dead.
He says, if I go up to heaven, you're there. If I go down to the place of the dead, you are there. He says, if I take the wings of the morning or dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, you're there. He says, if I take flight in the morning, okay, the morning sun rises in the east. If I head towards the east or if I dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, the uttermost parts of the sea for them was the Mediterranean. If I go up, down, north, south, east, west, you're there.
Where can I flee from your presence? So where do I go? The dark. I'll hide in the dark. You guys, you guys ever play hide and go seek with some kids? All right?
Come around the corner. You know the kids behind the couch. So you go and look behind the couch and as soon as you make eye contact that with the kid, they go, I can see you. No, you can't. Well, now I can hear you too. Like I, but that's us.
That's us when it comes to the fact that we think that we can hide in the dark from God or that even in the midst of our darkness, God somehow is not there. So I love what verse 11 and 12 say. If I say, surely the darkness shall cover me and the light about me be night, even the darkness is not dark to you. The night is bright as the day for darkness is as light with you. Guys, are you seeing what David's saying in these first 12 verses? That God is all-knowing.
He knows everything. Your words, thoughts, actions. He's all-powerful and He's all-present. There's no place that you can flee from His presence. And I do just want to take a second and highlight this here. If you've run to the dark or you feel like right now you are in the dark, God's there and it is not dark to Him.
It is not dark to Him. He's with you and He sees you. And we're going to talk more about that in a minute, but I just want you to know that. He sees you and He's with you. And as David continues on from here, what he's going to do now is give us an example of God seeing us, knowing us, and being with us in the darkness. That's why verse 13 begins with 4.
It's an illustration. It's an example of God being with us in the dark. Here's what it says. For you formed my inward parts. You knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works. My soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was being made in secret. Intricately woven in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed substance. In your book were written every one of them the days that were formed for me when as yet there was none of them. David gives us this beautiful picture of God being with us in the midst of darkness by describing a baby in its mother's womb.
And specifically he tells it from his perspective. He says, you formed my inward parts. You knit me together. I am wonderfully made. Extravagantly, miraculously, uniquely made. My frame wasn't hidden from you.
You wove every detail together. You formed my substance. And not only that, my days were written in your book even before I was born. Not only does David say that God was active in forming him in the womb, he says, even at that time God had established purpose for his steps and his life. David's saying that God was with him, forming him and shaping him in the womb. And that's the big picture of what David's driving at in this Psalm is that the God who knows and sees us is with us.
And that's amazing. Y'all, how good is this picture? The God of the universe fashions and forms each one of us. It's just beautiful. And in fact, it's not the only place in scripture that says this. I actually want to highlight a couple of others.
They're not going to be on the screen. I'm going to read them for us. It says, in Job 10, this is Job talking, he says, your hands fashioned and made me and now you have destroyed me altogether. Remember that you have made me like clay and will you return me to the dust? Did you not pour me out like milk and curdle me like cheese? You clothed me with skin and flesh and knit me together with bones and sinews.
You have granted me life and steadfast love and your care has preserved my spirit. It's beautiful. He's picking up on the same kind of language that is used later by David. He says later in Job. Job says this. He says, if I have rejected the cause of my manservant or my maidservant when they brought a complaint against me, what then shall I do when God rises up?
When he makes inquiry, what shall I answer him? Did not he who made me in the womb make him? And did not one fashion us in the womb? He's saying, if God as creator comes to question me, what am I to say? He made me. He formed me.
And not only that, if I'm in a dispute with someone else, he made them too. In Jeremiah, beginning of Jeremiah, this is directly, this is the words of the Lord. 1 verses 4 and 5 says, now the word of the Lord came to me saying, before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. And before you were born, I consecrated you. I appointed you a prophet to the nations. It's that same idea that David was talking about, that God knew him before he was in the womb.
He had predestined his steps. He had purpose for his life. He had been consecrated. And one of my favorites is once we get to the New Testament, the angel comes to Mary, says she's going to give birth to the Son of God. But Mary's aunt is pregnant at the same time.
And she goes to visit Elizabeth. And here's what Elizabeth says. She says, for behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. This child has personhood and is able to express joy. And the point that the Bible is trying to make clear in multiple places across multiple time periods is that life begins in the womb. And while David is using this as an illustration of God seeing and knowing and being with us in the dark, it's not just an illustration.
It's truth. It's a reality. And it's one that has taken center stage in our country over the last month or so. And so what we're going to do is we're going to press pause for a second. And we're going to take the next 10 to 12 minutes and talk about what is a current topic in our culture right now, which is life beginning at conception and the topic of abortion. And now, that's not the main point of this passage.
But it is most certainly a direct application and an ethic that is derived from this idea of a God who knows us and sees us and forms us. Okay? So we're going to press pause and talk about this as an application and then jump back into the text. Now, I realize that I have just polarized the room. I'm aware of that. Some of you just thought, yes, get them.
Roe fell a couple of weeks ago and it's time for us to plant our flag in the ground. Some of you just thought, if you say what I think you were about to say, I'm walking out of this building and I'm never coming back again. And some of us are just too disengaged from the conversation because you don't feel like it impacts you. And so I want to make a suggestion and a request this morning. Okay? Here's my suggestion.
Can we just press pause on all of our political arguments for a moment and realize that whatever you think about this, that this is an incredibly difficult and painful situation for a prospective mother and father to walk through. Can we be a people of compassion? Can we do that? Can you set your political leanings to the side for a second and just own that? This is incredibly painful and difficult. And out of that suggestion, I want to make a request.
Okay? If we set that aside, I want to make a request. Can we just take an honest look at what God says to us in His Word out of this passage? Can we just be honest about what it says? Because here's the deal. If we are, if we'll be honest, we can't read this passage and the others that I mentioned without agreeing what it says, that life begins in the womb.
That God is working, He's knitting us together and forming us in our mother's womb. That God predestines our steps from the womb. And to reject this is to reject the authority of Scripture. We must trust God and His Word here, which means that the overall thrust of the Bible is for life, which means that a rejection of life through abortion is sin. Period. In the majority of conversations that I have had with both believers and unbelievers on this topic, pretty much everyone, not everyone, but most of the people I have talked to show some level of discomfort with someone having an abortion just because they don't want the baby for elective reasons, just for no reason.
There's varying levels of discomfort with that, but often the conversation shifts towards the most painful and difficult kinds of situations for why someone might get an abortion. And I feel this tension. What about the 10-year-old who was raped by her father and is now pregnant? What about the 35-year-old mother who has health complications and might die giving birth? What if there's a serious fetal abnormality and the child might have incredible life complications? Guys, I can't imagine.
I cannot imagine having to wrestle with those deep questions. Those are incredibly difficult and painful circumstances. And I can tell you this, the initial response as the church, as the church comes in contact with these situations has got to be to love, to be present, to sit and to weep, to hear their story, to pray with them, to be someone who can listen. That's got to be the initial response. Got to be. But the reality of this conversation is that those exceptional types of abortions are just that.
They are exceptional. That the vast, they're in the vast minority of reasons why someone might would get an abortion. Now, I'm not a chart guy. I don't love statistics. Okay? But in my research on this topic, I care about it.
And so I wanted to read widely and soak things in. I came across some statistics that I thought were helpful for showing this. Okay? So in the state of Florida in 2020, in the state of Florida, they have to record a reason for every abortion. If someone goes to get an abortion, they record the reason. In the state of Florida in 2020, there were 74,868 abortions in one state in one year.
And so what we're going to do is I want to show you a chart that shows the reasons for those abortions and then it also gives you kind of a percentage of why the reason, okay, the percentage of the whole. Okay? So I just want to walk through this. Let's show the first one..01% were some kind of family incest situation. I, goodness, I can't, I can't even like fathom the difficulty of a situation like that. But you see the percentage.
The next one, rape. Not only had they dealt with that such a difficult circumstance, but now they're pregnant. The next one, okay,.20% is that the mother's life is in danger. Okay? The mother's life is, this could be fatal for the mother. But even if you, as you look at this, we're at, we're at.36% and then you add in fetal abnormality.
Now it doesn't say that this is a life-threatening fetal abnormality, but there's some type of abnormality in the baby. And you can see these are, these are small Numbers and if you look at the, just the total here, 1.34%. And guys, these are exceptionally difficult. Reasons, they are. They're hard to wrestle with. Kind of going on in the statistics, we kind of jump out of that into, you know, we're moving away from these exceptions.
1.48% Were for physical health. Non-life-threatening physical health. And it doesn't even tell us like how, how much physical health was at play here. And then the next one is psychological health, mental health. 1.88%. If you add that up, you get to 3.36%.
And again, we can just kind of agree that these are outside of those first exceptions that we kind of looked at that are really, really exceptional situations. We've got two more categories. 20.4% for social reasons or for economic reasons. And if you're good at math, you know that the final category is 74.9% for no reason. they were elective, which brings the total to 95.3%. If you add in the physical health reasons or the psychological health reasons and broaden that category, it gets you to over 97% of those abortions. That means that 72,500 of those over that number were done for those reasons, for reasons outside of those.
How did we get here? How did we get to a place in our country where we can terminate life for elective reasons? And we can all agree that this is a complex issue, but one thing is crystal clear is that our culture has separated sex from its original God ordained design. God designed sex to be enjoyed within a marriage for the purpose of enjoyment and procreation. And our culture has hijacked this definition and said that sex is for your enjoyment and that conception of life is a consequence rather than a gift. But that's not the ethic of the Bible.
God is for life. That's what scripture says over and over again. In my preparation for this message, I felt led to reach out to my Old Testament professor from seminary. Her name is Dr. Ingrid Pharaoh and she is a brilliant woman. She's a Greek scholar and a Hebrew scholar and I just reached out to her and I said, here's what I'm teaching, here's the Psalm I'm looking at, can we talk about it?
And she gave me an hour of her time. And we just had a Zoom call where we wrestled with what this says and she agrees. She agrees with what we're talking about here. In fact, she's an expert on the book of Genesis and she pointed this out and I thought it was helpful for us. That God is the giver of life. He's the creator of life and he gives the gift of life to his creation.
To Adam and Eve and he looks at Adam and Eve and he says, be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and have dominion over life. And he tells them, don't eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because in the day that you do it, you will die. He says, choose life. And Adam and Eve eat of the fruit and sin enters the world and death enters the world. And you know what the first thing that happens is in Genesis 4 after sin has entered the world? Murder.
Cain kills his brother and God has judgment on it. Incredibly painful and the difficult truth that we've got to face this morning is that a rejection of life in favor of death is sin. It is the taking of life. It breaks one of the original Ten Commandments. And regardless of the situation or circumstance, however tragic and difficult, it is outside of God's design. And I know that it's devastating.
Our church family is not untouched by this pain. sin. We have walked with mothers who have had an abortion. We have walked with fathers who have encouraged their significant other to go get an abortion. Maybe you've encouraged someone to have an abortion or you helped fund it or you took them to the clinic. But God's answer from his word is that it's sin and God has judgment for us.
He has judgment for it. But we've got to remember who's writing this Psalm. David. The same David who says that God sees us and knows us. The same David who said that God formed him and knitted him in the womb is also the same David who slept with Bathsheba and then had her husband murdered. David was a murderer.
And David's response is where hope can be offered to everyone in this room. What David had done was deceitful and heinous and wicked. But remember David serves the God who knows and sees. And God sends Nathan to confront David and David responds in complete humility and brokenness and confesses his sin. He owns it. He doesn't hide it in the dark anymore.
He doesn't justify his actions. He just says I have sinned against the Lord. And you know what happens next in the very next verse? Nathan says the Lord has put away your sin. Like how beautiful is that? David was a murderer.
We should expect judgment and condemnation and maybe even God to strike David dead but he doesn't. The God who knows and sees offers David grace and forgiveness when he confesses his sin and seeks him for mercy. And that's the reality for every person in this room. That's one of the things you've got to walk away with. If you've had an abortion, if you were pressured into it or supported someone, if you're considered, God sees you. He knows you and God is with you.
You are not outside of his grasp or his love. Even after what David had done, God didn't leave him or forsake him. When David was confronted with his sin, he went running into the arms of God for forgiveness and that's what's offered to you. Go read Psalm 51. It is David's confession specifically over this. And it's forever memorialized in Scripture to help lead us back to God.
Brother, sister, you are not outside of the reach and the love of God. Just run to God and confess and accept his forgiveness. Receive his love. And lastly, God, listen, I know this has been long, but I wanted to cover it well. One last thing before we jump back into the text. We desperately need this last thing.
Christians have to recover and embody what it means to be pro-life in all of its forms. The church in America as a whole, on the whole, has been overwhelmingly unhelpful and unkind to people who are in this situation. And the reality is, when you close your heart to someone in judgment, you no longer have capacity for grace and mercy in the mission of God to offer people hope. And that's what we're called to do. That means, first of all, for mothers and fathers who would choose to say no to abortion, we have to be willing to step in. They don't know how to raise their children.
Christians have to say yes to adoption. Christians have to say yes to fostering and helping the support system for abandoned children. Yes to supporting people financially who are pursuing adoptions. Yes to volunteering and supporting organizations that work with mothers and fathers who need to know what their other options are besides abortion. Yes to being the people that walk with single moms and single dads as they deal with mental and emotional and the socioeconomic toll of raising children. Yes to walking alongside families that have children with special needs and the difficulty of that venture.
Yes to being a place of refuge and help for those that have been abused and neglected and left. What we just saw in this Psalm is that God is the God who is with people in the darkness. That God's presence is with those in the pit of hell and if God is there, that's where his people are supposed to be. Supposed to go into the darkness to love and to help people. Let's not be a people who are just against abortion.
Let's be a people who are for life and all of what that means. Now there's, listen, there's more that could be said about this and if you want to talk about it, we're here. Your pastors are here to talk about it. But again, this application comes directly out of what David is saying. It's exactly about a God who knows and sees us. So we're going to shift back into the text because it sits within that framework.
God knows everything about you. Your actions, your thoughts, your words, you can't flee from his presence. And once again, David just has a praise break here. He just erupts in praise again of this God. He says, verse 17, how precious to me are your thoughts, O God, how vast is the sum of them. If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
I awake and I am still with you. It's just too much for David at this point. He just erupts in praise. It's like he gets praising and like he passes out. And then he's like, oh, I woke up and I'm still with you. Sweet, it wasn't a dream.
Like he's just overwhelmed with who God is. And then continuing on in verse 19, it takes an interesting twist here. Oh, that you would slay the wicked, O God. What on earth? Like we were, I thought we were in a praise break. I thought we were taking a praise lap, David.
Why? Why are we? Oh, men of blood, depart from me. They speak against you with malicious intent. Your enemies take your name in vain. Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?
Do I not loathe those who rise up against you? I hate them with complete hatred. I count them my enemies. Like what on earth, David? All right.
A couple of things I want to point out here. First of all, this is raw emotion. And the Psalms give us raw emotion, which is actually really, really good news for us. Okay? Because the Psalms give us permission to take all of who we are and all of what we're feeling and thinking to the Lord and letting him sort it out. Okay?
God doesn't want the canned version of you. He wants it all. So you can take it to him. Just take it to him. And the truth is, the other thing is, if you actually see God the way David does, that he's all-knowing and all- powerful and always present, he's holy and good, then it's not a far step to want that God to exercise justice. Right?
That we actually want God to do something about wickedness. And specifically David. David was the king of the people of God. And God at times would use his people to be the instrument of his justice in the world. But we, like we actually want this.
We want God to be just. Right? We want him to deal with wickedness and sin. Just as long as it doesn't, it's not us. You know? But we want, we want someone to hold Russia responsible for what they're doing in the Ukraine.
We wanted someone to be held responsible at 9-11. Okay? We want someone to be held responsible for sex trafficking. Right? And so as David has this big picture of who God is, he just, he lays his petition before this God who is all-powerful and all-knowing and can do anything. It makes sense.
Even if it catches us off guard. And then we're right back where we started. Verses 23 and 24. Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts and see if there be any grievous way in me. And lead me in the way everlasting.
The reason that David can actually pray this is because he found refuge in the God he described in this Psalm. As painful as it was for him, David recognized that God knows everything about him. The good, the bad, and the ugly. And David knows there's no place he can flee from God's presence. And in spite of everything David has done, God still wants to be in relationship with him. That's because the relationship that David had with God was not based primarily on who David was or what David had done.
But it was based off of who God was and what God had done. You see, God had promised David that there would never cease to be one of his sons on the throne of Israel forever. And that's exactly what happened. That from his line would come the Messiah. David had Solomon by way of Bathsheba. And then hundreds of years later, Jesus was born.
Son of Adam. Son of David. Jesus came so that we might have life. He lived the perfect sinless life on our behalf. Jesus died on the cross to pay for anything and everything we've ever done. And then he rose from the grave so that we might have life everlasting with him forever.
And that's the good news that's offered to you today. Just like David was offered forgiveness in light of everything that he had done, the same offer is given to you. Our relationship with God, hear me, is not based off of what we have done or who we are. It's based off of who God is and what Jesus has done for you. So it doesn't matter what you've done.
David was a liar, an adulterer, and a murderer. What about you? What about you? What are the things that you've done, the things that you've thought, and the things that you've said that you think keep you from God? What are the things that you have hidden in the dark that think disqualify you from a relationship with God? There's no thing that could have just come to your mind that can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
The offer of mercy and forgiveness is for you today no matter what you've done. God sees you and knows you and you can't hide it from him. David tried. He tried to hide it, but God loved him so much that he sent Nathan to confront him so that the relationship could be restored. God was pursuing for the relationship to be restored. And that same offer is given to you in Jesus today.
So there's a couple just little points of application as we close up here. How do we apply this? First, we do exactly what this Psalm does at the end. We pray and ask God to search us and to examine us. We actually want that. We want God to point out our mess.
And the truth is, guys, we can't see it sometimes. I challenge you, sit down with a piece of paper and a pen and just pray, God, reveal anything to me that is hidden from you or hidden from me. Anything that I'm trying to hide from you, point out any sin and just write down whatever God brings to your mind. And then pray and ask God for forgiveness and receive it. Maybe you go to people in your group and you ask them, we've got blind spots. Ask the people in your group, they'll point out your sin.
They may have a better grasp on it than you do. But we can do that. And when they point it out, don't be defensive, confess it, ask for forgiveness. Second point is that we ask the Lord to lead us in the way everlasting. Just like David does. To lead you on the right path, to hem you in, behind and before, to lead you on the path of everlasting life, to keep you.
In fact, it may be that you have to put feet to the prayers that you just prayed asking for the Lord to reveal it, that He might help you to be obedient. And if you're in the room this morning and you're not a Christian, I want you to understand something. God knows and sees everything and there actually is judgment for sin. But His desire is that you might run to Him and accept His love and His grace and His forgiveness. Your steps are exactly the same as what I said above. Ask God to show you your sin and confess it and accept His love and forgiveness and then walk in it.
You don't leave terrified. You've been offered something better. We all have. Kelly and Isaac are going to come back up and we're going to take communion. Communion is the tangible reminder of what Jesus did so that we can actually receive the grace and forgiveness that I'm talking about. That Jesus' body was broken and His blood was shed so that no matter what we've done, we can receive forgiveness.
And so if you aren't a Christian, I beg you to see God for who He is. He knows you. He knows your words and your thoughts and your actions and you can't hide it from Him. He chose. He chose to make a way for you to be in relationship with Him. So that's what we're asking you to do is to consider.
Consider that. Confess it before the Lord. And the truth is if you do that, then come. Come take communion for the first time and celebrate what Jesus has done for you. But if you're not ready to do that, we want you to sit and consider the weight of what we've talked about this morning.
And if you're a Christian, I want you to sit and ask the Lord to expose any grievous ways in us to lead us in the way everlasting, to quit hiding, to bring it into the light. Maybe there's something in your past that is haunting you. It doesn't have to. It doesn't have to. He offers you grace and forgiveness. Accept it.
And then when you're ready, come and take communion. Come and celebrate what Jesus has done for you. Let's pray. God, you know us and you see us and you're with us. And in spite of everything that we've done, you desire for us to be in relationship with you. And you have made a way for that to be possible.
So all across the room right now, Lord, I pray that you would go to work on our hearts, that we would confess our sins before you, we would confess our fears before you and bring it into the light so that you might forgive us. And we can walk in freedom, Lord. We're not chained by our past. We're not chained by the things that we've done. Lord, we can be free in Jesus. And it's in his name we pray.
Amen. I'm just going to play for a minute. I want to ask you to just pray and to consider all around the room.
Psalm 19: The General, Specific Knowledge of God
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
Today. So you can go to page 259 in your blue Bibles. The text will also be on the screen. Sometimes with people, you get a very general picture of who they are, but it takes time to get to know them specifically. You listen to their stories, get to hear more about them, and then the picture of who they are gets more colored in. That was true for me with my grandfather.
My grandfather passed when I was 10, and as a child, I had a very general picture of who he was. I knew he was kind of this Titan-esque type figure in our family. I knew that he was a good man, a respected businessman, but as a child, there's only so much you can know about the depths of your grandfather. He passed away, and then in the years that followed, I got stories passed down to me. I got to learn more about him. I got to hear from my grandmother while she was still alive, stories about who he was.
I got to hear from my mom, from different people who knew him, from people that worked for him. I mean, even he's been gone for almost 20 plus years, and about a month ago, I went to a place to get my hair cut that I don't normally go to, and I sat in the chair, and this woman in her 70s started cutting my hair, and we started chatting it up, and sure enough, she cut my grandfather's hair all those years ago and gave me more stories of who he was. And it helps complete the picture for me of who my grandfather was. It happens with people, because you can know them generally, but you get to know more about them.
You hear their stories. You get to know them more specifically, and the same is with our God, as what we're going to see in Psalm 19 this morning. The Psalm is going to start with this general picture of God as revealed in creation. Creation gives us a general picture of God, and that is known as the doctrine of general Revelation. And then the next section, we're going to see that the word of God gives us a more specific picture, that the stories that have been passed down to us in the scriptures help give us a different picture that helps fill in who God is, and that's known as the doctrine of special Revelation that we're going to see.
And then the Psalm is going to close out with what our response should be to this God. So let me pray for us, and then we'll jump into the text. Father, I thank you that we get to worship you, that we get to sing praises to you, and we get to sit under the authority of your word. God, I pray this morning that you would help us be present, that you'd help us listen, that you'd help us respond in faith and repentance and in praise. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.
All right, so we're going to be starting off in verse 1. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. So the psalmist starts by saying, look up, see the heavens, see how it proclaims the glory of God. Now, glory is a hard word for us to conceptualize. It's a hard word for us to really understand. Like, I can tell you that it means his splendor, his majesty, the honor and deference that is due to him, but that's still abstract and hard to picture.
But what we see here is that creation helps us picture glory, that God's creation helps us understand it further, that when you look at the heavens, you can see that. When you look at a sunrise or a sunset, you can visualize the glory of God. Like, when I was in college, I did a study abroad program called Semester at Sea, and got to travel around the world on a ship, and a lot of days on the ship, I'd sit out and look at the sunset that would drop into the ocean, and then I woke up for one sunrise, because all I could muster in college is to get up for one sunrise. I had one sunrise and a bunch of sunsets.
But man, when you see the sunrise and the sunset over the open ocean, it's beautiful. It's unbelievable. There's something transcendent, like surpassing about a sunrise and a sunset that everyone feels when you see it. That's why the author of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, when he is describing a sunrise, he says, how small we feel with our petty ambitions and strivings and the presence of great elemental forces of nature. Now, he's not a Christian. He was a philosophical rationalist.
But he even says, in the face of a sunrise, how small and petty are our ambitions and our strivings. And he says, in the face of great elemental forces of nature, but someone who doesn't believe in God says, I feel small in the presence of something so big. And he's tapping into something that we just understand. There's a reason that we don't look at the sky and immediately think, oh, what a beautiful array of colors as the light is bending along the horizon. Like, we don't go technical. Even the most hardened atheists would look up at the sky and have to suppress this impressive feeling of transcendence.
When you look at a sunrise and sunset, that is glory. That's what that feeling is. It's we're tapping into the glory because creation declares the glory of God. The sunrise and sunset, the heavens shows his handiwork, reveals who the artist is. So when I'm with my kids and we're driving and we see a sunset, I say, kids, guys, look, look at what God has painted for us this evening.
How beautiful is that? How wonderful is that? To help us see and feel like this is the work of God on display. And it isn't just the day that reveals his glory. It's the night. In verse two, it says day to day pours out speech and night to night reveals knowledge.
The creation isn't just speaking. It's isn't just declaring. It's speaking. It's pouring forth knowledge. And night to night, it's giving us more knowledge of who God is. A few months back, I think I mentioned this in a sermon a while back, that I was reading my Garden and Gun magazine, which is what I do these days.
But I was reading it. And I learned that you could look at the, that you could see the Milky Way with the naked eye in certain parts of the world that don't have light pollution. I was like, you can actually see this thing? I was like, that, goals, I'm in. Like, I want to do that. Like, you can, you can look at, in certain parts of the world, just look up at the sky and see that.
I mean, how unbelievable is that? That's a, that's a, just a camera, you guys. Took that picture. The next one that you can stare up at the heavens in a way that the psalmist probably would have. This psalmist, they don't have light pollution back then. They're not dealing with what we got right now.
Hey, look at that in the sky when it's clear in certain parts of the year and see how powerful that picture is and feels so small. When you see something so beautiful, when you encounter this type of glory, you feel smaller and smaller, like you're part of something that is much bigger. Scientists will say that, they say that the, it's debated, but the universe is somewhere around 93 billion light years in diameter. Okay, so a light year is 6 trillion miles. So 93 billion times 6 trillion equals a lot of math.
And, and that's, and they said that's the observable universe. Some theorize that it's, it's even bigger than that. Like there's a new telescope that's out. This is kind of a new thing that's went online this week. The James Webb telescope took a picture that the Hubble telescope couldn't take as clear as this. That's an actual galaxy.
That's, that's a, that's a picture of God's grand creation. Like God made this. He, he, he is bigger than this. When you catch a glimpse of that and his greatness and his vastness, you're tapping into his glory, you're witnessing the glory of his creation. The, the fact that our God thought this into existence, made this out of nothing. It's incredible.
And that glory echoes across the world in verse three. It says, there is no speech, nor are there words whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth and their words to the ends of the earth, to the end of the earth. One commentator said it this way, that creation resounds with a speech that human beings can neither hear nor understand. We just, we can't wrap our minds around how big this is. The psalmist continues, and then he has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber and like a strong man runs its course with joy.
But the imagery being here, that it got to set a wedding tent. The sun comes out like a bridegroom who after consummating his marriage is joyfully bursting forth every morn. And in verse six, it says, its rising is from the end of the heavens and its circuit to the end of them. And there's nothing hidden from its heat. In Akkadian and Sumerian mythology, which I'm sure is what many of you dabble in in your spare time. But this is a dead, dead language, a dead religion, people group from, you know, 3,000 years ago.
But in their mythology, they have, they would worship a sun God, and they would use very similar language like this. It would burst forth from the wedding chambers every morning. And commentators theorize that maybe the language being so similar here is a bit of a shot that God is bigger than that. Not an object that we worship as it comes forth every morning, that he stretched the tent out for it. He created all of it and stands over all creation. So this first section of the Psalm poetically paints the picture known as general Revelation, a doctrine of general Revelation.
That when you look at the heavens, you gain knowledge of his power, of his wisdom, of his beauty, of his majesty, just by witnessing creation. That's why in verse 2 it says, day to day pours out speech and night to night reveals knowledge. That creation gives us a general picture of who God is. That's what Paul is getting at in Romans 1. In Romans 1 verses 19-20 he says, for what can be known about God is plain to them because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world and the things that have been made so that they are without excuse.
What he's trying to help us see is, is that when you look at creation, when you witness this, that you're getting a general glimpse of the invisible attributes of God, namely his eternal power and his divine nature, is evident in creation. It is why even the most hardened atheists can look at a sunrise and feel something and feel like they're a part of something bigger than themselves. Feel like that what they're seeing and what they're witnessing is transcendent, which shouldn't even exist for their understanding and their worldview. It is because creation points to its creator. That's why he goes on to say, they're without excuse.
That when you experience creation, you have a general understanding and a knowledge of who God is. No matter how hard we try to explain the beauty of that, of a sunrise and a sunset, as some subjective experience, no, this points to our God. Now, let me say one last thing on this. For the Christian that is witnessing this, this helps us picture glory better. This helps us understand glory better. C.S.
Lewis in The Four Loves said, But nature gave the word glory a meaning for me. Meaning that looking at nature helped him understand glory better. I still do not know where else I could have found one. I do not see how the fear of God could ever, could have ever meant to me anything but the lowest prudential efforts to be safe if I had never seen certain ominous ravines and unapproachable crags. Which is really thick C.S. Lewis philosophical language.
But what he's saying there is, is I wouldn't have understood glory, I wouldn't have understood the fear of God had I not looked at some of the scariest aspects of creation. The ominous ravines, the unapproachable crags. What he's saying is, is that creation, that nature helps us understand this. That the sunrise and the sunset helps us see the divine beauty of God. That when you witness a very powerful storm and a fearfulness. I remember years ago I was camping on Lake Murray and we were on a tiny little island and a storm blew through.
And it blew our campsite into the water and we'd get pounded by wind and rain and thunder and lightning all around. And I felt so small and helpless. And that was just a small, tiny taste of the power of God. And that helps us picture, helps us feel, helps us understand what the fear of God and the glory of God is. So as Christians, listen, this means you should get outside a little bit.
Alright? Seriously, get off the phone. Put down the game controller. Get out of the meta. Whatever it is. Whatever your speed is.
And go experience God's creation. Like see it and witness it. So that we can have a better feeling, understanding for glory. So he walks through that. Gives us this general picture of God. And then he gets to the next section which is going to be a more specific picture.
Starting in verse 7. The law of the Lord is perfect. Reviving the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure. Making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right.
Rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure. Enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean. Enduring forever. The rules of the Lord are true and righteous all together.
So, while creation gives us this general picture, the scriptures are going to color that in. It's going to give God definition. It's going to help us see the hows and the whys in understanding who our God is. Which I appreciate. That helps. The scriptures helps us really enjoy God better.
Like years ago, growing up, there was a big song when I was a kid called Closing Time. Right? Love that song. Right? And as a kid, really enjoying it. Good song.
But later, years later, the songwriter, the lead singer said, Listen, I wrote that song about becoming a father. It's not about closing time at a bar. It's about becoming a father where the next chapter of your life is about to start. And it's going to be very different. That's why he ends the song saying, Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end. And I was like, man, when you understand the depth and the commentary behind that, that's powerful.
It helps us appreciate it better. That's what the scriptures help us do. It helps us see and savor God in new and better ways. And in this poetic section we just walked through, there are six synonyms for the scriptures. It says the law, the testimony, the precepts, the commandment, the fear, and rules. So we're going to work through each of these.
He says in verse 7, The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. So the law there is the first five books of the Old Testament. The Torah. So that would be Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. That was, at the time, that was their scriptures. Later on, more Old Testament scriptures are starting to be added.
But for them, in this time period, they're looking at the law, which is their scriptures. And the psalmist says the law of the Lord is perfect. It is perfect. It is blameless. And we look, as Christians, at the scriptures, the very Bibles that are in this room. We say it's perfect.
When we say that, there is skepticism that creeps in. Some people will say, yeah, how do you know it's perfect? You don't even have the original manuscripts. And the reality is, is that the longer I study this, the longer I study the scriptures, the more unbelievably compelling this case is. How trustworthy and perfect and true they are. That's why we use words like inerrancy and infallible.
Because even though we don't have the original manuscripts, there are more manuscripts, more copies of the scriptures than any ancient text. And it's not even remotely close. There are thousands and thousands and thousands of those manuscripts all around the world. And now digitized on the internet. And when you overlap each of them, okay, over 99% of it lines up perfectly. I mean, think about 2,000 years or 1,500 years of a copying tradition.
And that lines up perfectly. And the less than 1% where this word is used here and this word is used here. There's an unbelievable tradition of scholars who are way, way, way smarter than me. That have studied the original languages their whole life. And they come up with really helpful explanations for why there's some differences there. It's unbelievably trustworthy and true.
And then other skeptics will come in and say, well, what about the contradictions in the Bible? And I just say, well, where? Show me. Point them out. And a lot of times, look at Google. Find them.
But you can work through each of those. Work through each of the things. You get the commentaries out and some closer study and basic logic. You can work through a lot of them. I remember in college, I studied religion at a school that did not believe the scriptures were true at all. And they knew I was, I did.
And one of my professors, she came at me real hard one time. She's like, oh, you believe the Bible's in error, right? All right, well, tell me the story of Noah. Did they load up two by two or was it seven? And as a new Christian, I was like, oh, no. I'll get back to you.
And I said, no. But a little closer study realizes, oh, wait, no. They did load up two by two and they added seven of clean animals. Why? Because those were for sacrifices they were going to offer later when they got off the boat. God didn't want to have these species go extinct.
Just basic stuff like that. That's a closer study of the text. Over and over and over again, the longer I studied the scriptures, the more I realized the law of the Lord is perfect. It is perfect. It revives the soul. Like someone wandering in the desert with cracked lips, thirsty.
And they stumble upon an oasis and they drink of the water. So the scriptures revive the broken soul. The law of the Lord is perfect. He goes on to say, the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The testimony of the Lord is sure. It's trustworthy.
It's a trustworthy thing. It is secure. It means you can bank your life on it. We as Christians believe that. We believe that our life, our authority is God in the scriptures. It's God's word that shapes us.
It's our foundation for how we live our life. And some people would say, well, why would you choose something so old, so ancient, so archaic? Why can't you get with the times? Why can't you have a more updated understanding? And when that happens, a good thing to do is, okay, well, what is your foundation for belief? What is your foundation for how you live your life, for how you understand the bigger things in life?
And if you can ask some questions like, why, well, where do you get that from? Well, why? And press in a little further. There's typically two main places where the skeptic will land. It will land that they are their own authority, which is what I believe. Well, they are their own authority, or they place their authority in a handful, just a few different, mostly dead, older white guys, Darwin, Nietzsche, Freud.
But it's like, no, I believe that our foundation is more secure than that. I believe wholeheartedly that the scriptures that have guided the people of God for thousands of years still holds immense value. Like, last summer, we spent a summer in the Proverbs. And we looked at the Proverbs, which are, they're not promises. They're proverbial advice, guidelines for how to live your life so that you can stay out of poverty, so that, like, a passionate lover doesn't try to kill you. You know, basic advice for life.
We looked at that, and it's like, no, this is wisdom that is worth building your life upon. And if you do that, it generally goes well for you. There are a lot of young guys who just lost all of their life savings on NFTs. And if you want to know, if you don't know what NFTs are, it's okay. You never need to know what NFTs are. Just, it's basically a Ponzi scheme for people under the age of 40 that like really bad digital art.
Okay? Gambling on that kind of stuff. But they lost everything on that. And it's like if you just paid attention to the wisdom of the scriptures, which Proverbs 13, 11 says, wisdom or wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it. Man, if you built your life upon that, it generally will go better for you. That's worked well for the people of God for the last 3,000 years.
So when I was researching NFTs, I was like, oh, this feels kind of schemey. This feels a little bit better. If you build your life upon it, it is trustworthy and true. Verse 8, it says, The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The precepts, these are the rules. They are right.
That if you live your life in line with the will of God, you'll get more than happiness as the American dream defines it. You'll tap into some eternal joy that rejoices the heart. He goes on to say, the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The commandments of the scriptures, the teachings, where God commands us to do a thing, that's actually pure and good for us. And it opens our eyes to what is ultimately good. One of my friends from study abroad, her husband, he got an acting role on a TV show that just got released.
And I've been watching, we're Facebook friends, I've been watching him post about it all the last year. He's like, I'm going to be on a show with Chris Pratt. I was like, sweet. So I turned it on, I watched the, it just dropped on Amazon, the terminal list. I watched the first couple episodes. I saw him in the first episode.
I was like, man, this is awesome. And then I was like, oh, this, this is just going to be a super violent show where he just brutally murders everyone who wronged him. I got to look at it ahead of time. I knew there wasn't like sex or nudity and stuff that wouldn't be good for my soul, but I didn't fully realize it was just going to be completely vengeance. He's going to brutally murder everyone. I was like, no, I'm good.
I don't need this. Because if you have a framework for your life that says, if you basically, if you, the prism for how you live your life was basically two basic commands. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul, with all your strength, and love other people, your neighbor, enemies, etc. If you love God and love other people, and that was how you made decisions, you'd realize there's certain things like, no, this doesn't actually help me love God. Does this actually inspire anything that is good for my soul? I'll pass.
It's because the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. Now, we don't normally see fear as a synonym for Scripture, but here it fits and it's like, oh, this is what he's getting at. The fear of the Lord is clean. And what this is tapping into is that the Scriptures help us fear God. Now, over the last 20-ish years in the American church, there's been like an attempt to say, well, fear of God, when the command says fear God, that actually what it's getting at is it's just saying worship Him.
Just revere Him. Reverence and awe and worship. And it's like, no, not quite. Yes, it does imply that. Fear is worship and awe and reverence. But it also means what it literally says, fear.
There's a command here to fear God. It is good for us to fear the Lord. Yes, He is gracious and good and kind and merciful. And all of those attributes. And also, He is the scariest object in the universe. He should be feared above all things.
We should absolutely see that. Because it is clean and endures forever. The roles of the Lord are true and righteous all together. That's highlighting more of the same things that we just walked through. That's how He paints the Scriptures. With these pictures.
They help us understand God. They help us build our life on something bigger. And then in verse 10, He summarizes. More to be desired are they than gold. Even much fine gold. Sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover, by them is your servant warned. In keeping them there is great reward. He says they're more desirable than gold. Gold was the most valuable and the most valuable objects of their time. Honey, honey. They didn't have sugar.
Cane, like us. That was the sweetest thing of their time. So He says, the Scriptures are more valuable than the most valuable object you could lay hold of. It's sweeter than the most sweetest thing you can taste. That's what George was tapping into last week when he said delight in the law of the Lord. There is, listen, there is immense value.
There's immense value in experiencing our Creator and His Word. By enjoying our God. By reading the message of the Gospel from Genesis to Revelation. By these Scriptures we are warned and we are rewarded. The Scriptures color in this picture wonderfully. We get this general, big picture of who God is.
We look at creation. And then it gets further colored in. And we get to see more of who our God is. And why He made us. And why He would redeem us. And how He redeems us.
As we look at the Scriptures more and more. And if we do that. If you look at creation. And see how big our God is. And then look at the stories that are passed down. It will help you understand our God better.
In the same way that a 10 year old can't understand their grandfather. I have a general picture. It takes stories being passed down. And we have the Scriptures that are passed down to us. That help us picture who this God is. Just look at the Gospels, y'all.
Look at the stories of Jesus. Over and over again. There's so many stories about our God in the flesh. That are just wonderful. Like I think about Jesus when He heals the leper. In Matthew 8.
When this man that has leprosy comes to Him. And it wasn't just that he had a disease. That he had to be healed. That he was seen by his culture as disgusting. And dirty. And had to live outside the people of God.
He couldn't be in community with other people. That he comes to Jesus. And Jesus puts His hand on him. And says be clean. And He heals him. And changes that man's life.
And that story happens over and over and over again. Even in a more spiritual reality now. For those of us who feel dirty. And broken. In a need of redemption. He cleanses us through His righteousness.
And His blood. When I think about Jesus on the cross. And He is dying. And He says, Father forgive them. They know not what they do. I look at that and say, how could you say that?
Jesus, they're murdering you. You're talking about people who are murdering you. And you're concerned about their forgiveness. How beautiful is that? How glorious is that? I think about even smaller stories.
Where Jesus, even after His resurrection. He's at the end of the Gospel of John. He has this moment with Peter and James and John. Where he's about to teach Peter about the need for shepherding. But they're on the boat.
And they're fishing. And they see Jesus on the shore. This is before He ascends into heaven. They see Him on the shore. And they come ashore. And it's just a simple picture of Jesus making breakfast for them.
He's cooking fish for them. Which is not my kind of breakfast. But if Jesus was doing it, I'm in. And He, just a simple, He's the God of the universe. He could have done it anyway. But He's simply, humbly making them food.
I mean, guys, there is story after story after story after story after story. That helps us see how good our God is. How much He loves us. How much He cares for us. How glorious He is. And how better it is to live with Him into eternity.
And when you finally understand that. When you see the general picture of God in creation. And are overwhelmed by His glory. And you mind the scriptures to see who our God is. Your only response should be how this psalmist finishes. 12 through 14.
Here's how He responds. Who can discern His errors? That's rhetorical. Nobody. Who can discern His errors? Who can call out God?
He says, declare me innocent from head and faults. He says, God, declare me innocent of a sin that I cannot see. And then He goes on to say, Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins. Let them not have dominion over me. So He says, keep me from the hidden sins that I cannot see.
And keep me from the willful sins. I don't want any of it. The stuff that I can't see. The willful ones that I do. God, keep me from all of my rebellion. Don't let that have dominion over me.
He says, then I shall be blameless and innocent of great transgression. And then He goes on to finish this off with this unbelievably poetic and powerful request. He says, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight. Oh Lord, my rock and my redeemer. He says, God, let everything. Let everything.
My thoughts. The meditations of my heart. Let the words that come out of my mouth. Let everything. Let all of it be acceptable in your sight. Oh Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
The God who created the universe and created me and has every fiber of my being. Oh Lord, my rock and my redeemer. What a powerful prayer. And as Christians, we read this Psalm. This side of the cross and empty tomb. We know how to do this.
And it's as simple as Romans 10, 9. Because you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead. You will be saved. That is how we are blameless before the Lord. When you encounter how big God is and how glorious God is. And you realize how much we've sinned against Him.
How unacceptable on our own we are before Him. When you realize how our sin earns death and hell. When you realize that part of the gospel. And then you encounter how much He loves us because of His great love. The only reasonable response to the gospel is this. It is throwing our lot in with this God.
And saying, I believe in you, my rock, my redeemer. Y'all, we as Americans are so unbelievably blessed to have access to God. Where we can look up at the heavens and see the glory of God. And have a Bible on our phone. We have unbelievable access to our God. And if you're figuring this out.
If you're feeling out Christianity. You're not sure about this yet. I invite you. Look up at the stars. See the unbelievable design. Of this universe.
I mean, look at the earth. And how it's perfectly positioned from the sun. At the right distance. With the right tilt. All the way down to how the cells in our body are designed. And how the, like our eye and the complexities.
Look at all of it. And see. This points to our Creator. And then I invite you. From that position. Come to the Scriptures.
And see who He is. And if you are a Christian. Witness creation. And worship Him. Search the Scriptures. And delight in Him.
Don't miss that. Life is busy. Okay. It is boom, boom, boom, boom. Death. That's it.
It moves very, very quickly. And we as Americans are very, very busy. And fill our days with all kinds of things. Don't miss this. That when you're driving into work. And you're concerned.
And worried about the things you've got to do at work. And you see the sunrise coming up over. Don't miss that. Look at that sunrise. And be reminded of how big. And how glorious.
And how majestic. And how amazing our God is. And respond like this psalmist. When he says, Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. See the sunrise.
And go, God, you're so big. And you're so glorious. God, thank you for redeeming me. Thank you for loving me with a fierce, unbelievable love that I don't deserve. That when you look out in your yard. And you see the birds.
Mining the grass for food. Every morn. Remember. That God provides for His creation. Look at the Scripture. Remember what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount.
In Matthew 6. That's a picture of how God provides. That He provides. He takes care of His creation. That when you are in a storm. And your house is shaking.
Or an earthquake. Because that's a thing here nowadays. When you feel that. And you feel scared. Let that roll up into what the psalmist says. Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins.
Let them not have dominion over me. Let that fear roll up into God. You're so big. You're so powerful. Don't let the hidden faults. Or my willful sin against you.
Don't let that roll over me. Let that roll up into worship. And praise. And obedience. That comes from a position of deep love for God. Tonight.
As the moon rises. I think it's a full moon. Maybe. As it rises up over. The horizon. You see it against the backdrop of the stars.
And you see how big and vast. This universe is. And you think about that. The God who made all of that. Who stands over all of it. Knows every part of who you are.
Knows your past. Your present. Your future. And holds it all in his hands. Respond like the psalmist. Let the words of my mouth.
And the meditation of my heart. Be acceptable in your sight. Oh Lord. My rock. And my redeemer. Let creation.
And the beautiful. Word of God. Help us. Worship. Our glorious. God.
Psalm 1: Delight in His Word
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
Good morning my name is George Garcia and as Spencer said I am one of the community group leaders here at Mill City Church Casey we are going to be in Psalm 1 today that will be on page 254 of the blue Bibles if you do not own a Bible or do not have one currently please take that one today not only is today's sermon from the Word of God it is about the Word of God so today would be. A wonderful day for you to take home a Bible and since it is about the Bible we're going to be talking about reading the Bible now reading the Bible is something that I struggled to do a lot growing up and even to this day whether it was because I was lazy or I just simply forgot or because even when I was reading the Bible I did not know what I was doing growing up I didn't. Really grow with a lot of direction and a lot of explanation as to why reading the Bible is so important all I was told that it was just something that a Christian should do when I actually began implementing Bible reading as I grew as I grew and as I mature it's just I just added it to the list of something to do I just added it to my routine which I was fine with reality is for me I'm someone who. Can do the exact same thing every single day I can wake up I can shower read my Bible go to work come home play guitar if I have some time catch up with my wife eat dinner and go to sleep I could do that every single day for the rest of my life and I would have no problem with that now to some of you that sounds like a prison routine to me your prison is my dream regardless even if you grew up Bible.
Reading all the time or you've tried to implement Bible reading your life or even if you've never even opened up the Word of God Psalm 1 serves as a reminder and an explanation as to why we should not only just read the Bible but we delight in the Bible so we're going to read Psalm 1 it's only six verses then I'm going to pray for us and then we're going to tackle each verse one at a time Psalm 1. Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked nor stands in the way of sinners nor sits in the seat of scoffers but his delight is in the law of the Lord and on his law he meditates day and night verse 3 he is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither and all that he does he prospers the wicked are not so but are like. Chaff that the wind drives away therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous for the Lord knows the way of the righteous but the way of the wicked will perish let me pray Lord we are humbled and undeserving of this opportunity to open up your Word and I ask as we read through Psalm 1 may it serve to remind us and explain to us why we get to. Meditate and delight in your finished work Lord I ask that if there's any area any anywhere in our hearts that are distracting us from this morning I ask that you take that away and we focus and we pay attention and pay their respect to your Word that we are supposed to I pray this in your name amen verse 1 blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked nor stands in the way of the.
Sinner nor sits in the seat of scoffers now we're not starting off with the positives clearly we go from walking in the counsel of the wicked to then standing to then taking a seat among the scoffers this is a natural flow of sin sin is a very progressive thing and since we are naturally inclined to be comforted by sin this is sin this is the process of sin in our life an example of this. Is actually myself in the workplace I work in my free time not in my free time the summer is my free time I work at a school I am a PE teacher which is awesome but as if there's any teachers in the room you know that during the school year teaching can be draining and because it's so draining and sometimes it feels unrewarding it leaves room for gossip and for slandering so usually when I'm walking. The halls before or after school because we don't ever get an opportunity to talk to each other during school I'll listen I'll hear some gossip in the classroom or just wherever the break room is and I'll stand there I'll be walking then I'll stand I'll listen to it and I'll think to myself it's not worth it I shouldn't do it but that person's pretty terrible let me just see what they have to. Say let's just let me just let me just walk in we'll see and then before I know it I've taken a seat among the scoffers and I am either condoning what is being said or I'm contributing to it and it just happens just like that and so the reality is what verse one is getting at is what how sin progresses in our lives we also see this in social media where you can see someone asking for.
Help or advice and with the situation they're going through and all you you read through the comments you read through whatever is being responded to them and it's just terrible it's strictly worldly advice there's nothing it's rooted on but the problem is we go from mindlessly scrolling then all of a sudden we're also contributing that same type of advice we see this in movies and videos and shows we watch. We get so hooked they're very clever with how they bring us in and before we know it or being more influenced by the show we watch than by the word of God we see this with political commentary a show that I used to watch or listen to was the Ben Shapiro show I know Spencer has mentioned that a couple of times it's a political commentary show it's a conservative political commentary show which essentially. It's just an excuse to lash out on anything that isn't conservative and you know what I love it I love it because in my sinful nature for some reason is drawn to that is drawn not necessarily to the political idea but to the idea of someone lashing out on someone else and so I've had to stop watching it and listening to it because I get hooked. And I get influenced by it all of a sudden I'm I'm thinking these things that uh the show talks about we also see this with lust and the over sexualization of pretty much everything you can just be watching a movie with friends or your spouse and then some triggering or provocative scene comes up and now you can't get that out of your head and before you know it you're indulging.
And acting upon those thoughts and feelings now when you take a seat somewhere you normally take a seat when you're comfortable right you don't take a seat somewhere and stay there for a long time if you're not comfortable and so we see that in verse one that the last step is to take a seat among the scoffers because that's when you get comfortable and so we need to take a look a closer look at what. Gives us comfort where are areas in which we have taken a seat among the scoffers or even what we're playing with fire what catches our attention what makes you stop in that hallway and what makes you finally eventually join the psalmist goes on to give a direct count to this in verse two verse two but his delight is in the law of the Lord and on his law he meditates day and night. Now there's a very it's a big u-turn here we go from what the blessed man does not do to what he does do and what he does is he delights in the law of the Lord the hebrew meaning of delight being pleasure so what he is doing is he's taking pleasure in the law of the Lord now side note but also very important to the rest of this is that when the psalmist wrote this they were referencing the. Ten commandments when they said law of the Lord they were referencing the ten commandments which was the written word of God in the new testament we see the writers and the authors reference Psalms Proverbs as well as the ten commandments for the same exact reason it's the word of God so we fast forward to today and we have this right here so when we read that in Psalm when he meditates.
In the law of the Lord we are referring to the written word of God he is meditating on the written word of God now with knowing that we can go back to verse two the psalmist goes from listing what not to do to an all-encompassing encompassing word in delight the word delight is used several times in the Psalms all pointing to ultimate joy and satisfaction it's not just don't do this or don't do that. It's take pleasure in and delight in the law of the Lord this is why this is a the way verse one and verse two kind of go together is verse two is a complete uh opposite reaction it is it is a it is a counter to walking in the counsel of the wicked standing in the way of sinners and sitting in the seat of scoffers and it uh what that means is what the psalmist is trying to get at is that delighting. In the law of the Lord is the fundamental alternative to walking and sitting and standing in sin I'll say that again delighting in the law of the Lord is the fundamental alternative to walking and sitting and standing in sin now why is that the case well because the word of God is a story from front to back that all points to Jesus alistair beg who is a pastor in cleveland ohio put it like this. We find christ in all the scriptures in the old testament he has predicted and the gospels he has revealed in Acts he has preached in the epistles he has explained and a Revelation he has expected in Genesis God tells us that the serpent he will he tells the serpent he will bruise his head with the offspring of that woman and that eventual offspring being Jesus Jesus arrives in the new testament and we.
See miracles and his teachings all throughout Matthew Mark Luke and John such as bringing lazarus back to life turning water into wine and revealing that he knew the woman at the well these are just all of the countless examples of Jesus's miracles and his work that in Acts we see people like paul and barnabas preach the finished work of christ to the nations and then some areas and people need. Correcting or refining so they need Jesus explained to them they need that finished work explained to them so that's why we have the letters to the people in corinth and galatia and colossus and then in Revelation the bible ends on the expected return of Jesus and it's not just like oh he's coming back now it's if you take a look at revelations it is a triumphant return he will come back and collect his. People so all throughout the bible from front to back it's all about Jesus it's all about the wonderful story of Jesus coming to the earth and reconciling his people we get to delight in that story that's why it's the fundamental alternative now we can focus on the word delight a little bit it's used here purposefully delighting in something is an external and an internal reaction to something take for. Example you have a friend and by God's grace I do have a friend in our group by joe benton who uh he has a smoker so just picture that you have a friend who has a smoker and they text you like five in the morning because that's usually when these things happen and they say hey I'm gonna smoke a brisket today come on down later tonight first of all wonderful friend and second of all I'm there.
And once you get there you know you wait all day they pull that brisket out and I've just been smoking for several hours and it's being pulled ever so easily because it's been there for like 10 11 hours and it's on your plate mac and cheese and baked beans are there but they're not important right now you take that first bite and you just take in that moment I know some of you are already thinking. Of it and I know lunch is later but there you take in that moment and in that moment I am delighting in what's in front of me I'm delighting in the food in the brisket I am delighted it's not only internal it's external right I'm saying but I'm also like oh this is this is amazing but the crazy thing is ever since I found ever since I got that text ever since I was told that. My whole day got better I've been delighting the entire day my day was that much more enjoyable because I was looking forward to what was to come and then when I partook in it forget about it that's when the song that's what the psalmist is trying to get at here delighting in the law of the Lord day and night to the light in the law of the Lord day and night is. To constantly be influenced and affected by the word of God so much so that you are so eager to return to it after you're done reading it and you're eager to return to it because all you're thinking about or at least what some of the things you're thinking about are the word of God it's keeping you in check it's helping you respond to your co-workers it's helping you be loving and patient to people that.
Don't deserve it and the only way you can do that is by delighting in the law of the Lord we move on to verse three he is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither and all that he does he prospers now we're going now we're seeing what the blessed man is what what the word blessed is the streams of water that plant the tree is the. Word of God the tree mentioned has a firm foundation it has one that is everlasting and solid and that's where we need to be right where we are where we're naturally inclined to be is we like to walk and listen to the counsel of the wicked we like to stand in the way of sinners and we like to sit down because it's comfortable because it's easy it doesn't take that much effort. What we want to be is like the tree that's planted by streams of water that lasts forever even in seasons of difficulty even in seasons of suffering Jeremiah goes on to say it like this from Jeremiah 17 verses 7 through 8 blessed is the man who trusts whose trusts blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord whose trust is the Lord verse 8 he is like a tree planted by water that sends out its roots by the stream. And does not fear when heat comes for its leaves remain green and is not anxious in the year of drought for it does not cease to bear fruit what a wonderful picture that is of a tree that is planted by streams of ever flowing water and that is what is true for the christian who is delighting in the law of the Lord that seasons of suffering seasons of anxiousness don't feel that anxious they don't.
They don't you can bear it because you have the word of God you have the truth and the delight in that story that can bring you comfort peace and joy that actually lasts now if you look at me you can clearly tell that I've planted plenty of trees in my time regardless what I do know about planting a tree specifically trees that bear fruit or specifically fruit trees is that they bear fruit. And it bears fruit for the benefit of the planter and for those around it if you ever had a friend who gardens normally whenever their vegetables or fruits come in they come in a surplus and in almost and almost always because they come in a surplus they share it with those around them that's what it's like to be planted by streams of water the Lord delivers in a surplus. You prosper and you get to share that fruit with others you get to show love joy peace patience kindness goodness faithfulness gentleness and self-control to those around you and it does not wither so you get to bear that fruit into eternity about been leading group for about four years now four and a half years and not that the first two years were bad by any means but something changed about two years ago. And you can chalk it up to people you know maybe we had some new people come in and they were great but something radically changed in our group and what that was was by God's grace we began to fall more in love with his word as a group and it came at a great time because then we multiplied we were a group that was in love with the word that was being taught the word that was talking constantly about the word.
And then we multiplied and now we have another group that meets in congress in the casey area and I know that they are being infatuated and in love with the word week in and week out and that changes that's what actually changes people it convicts it convicts us is the word of God and so and none of that has to do with the group leaders by the way it all has to do with his word. It's all because we decided that we we pressed on we kept reading his word that eventually it will it will change someone moving on to verse four the wicked are not so but are like chaff that the wind it drives away now this is a very contrasting image in that the chaff is being driven away by the wind we talked a little bit about this when we went uh when we were in Ruth but an example I can. Think of to kind of better picture it in your head is and and the reason I chose this example because I am a coffee snob but when you roast coffee beans uh it's a very tedious process you got to put it on the the roaster but on and off on and off it takes forever but after you actually do the roasting and the beans look like what we would all uh picture uh coffee beans to look like you have to put it into. A colander which I recently learned what I when I got married I learned what a colander was and you put it in the colander and you kind of shake it back and forth because you're trying to get rid of the skin of the bean or the chaff because it's no good you don't want that on your coffee bean the chaff brings no benefit to anyone and they have no foundation therefore it makes complete sense.
That the wind would drive it away charles spurgeon who was a preacher in the 1800s describes the chaff as intrinsically worthless dead unserviceable without substance and easily carried away it is very clear that the wicked have no foundation unlike the blessed one is planted by streams of ever-flowing water and the other one has nothing to stand on. It is driven away by the wind Psalm 1 is very very clear on this that's why I'm thankful for verses like 5 and 6 verse 5 therefore the wicked will not stand in judgment nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous for the Lord knows the way of the righteous but the way of the wicked will perish the one that walks in the counsel of the wicked the one that stands in the way of sinners and the one. That takes a seat with the scoffers will not stand with the congregation of the righteous it will be very clear to the Lord who is who we see this in Matthew John the baptist is making a reference to what Jesus will do Matthew 3 12 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. Jesus will return for what is his the rest will not make it which is why I'm thankful and completely humbled by a verse like verse 6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous now this is more than just knows about okay so when you when you read that uh it's like a spouse knowing you or like a best friend who knows you they know a lot about you you know that they know.
Your tendencies they know maybe they know some of your thoughts because maybe you you know you talk to them you confide in them but there is only one person one being who knows everything about you all the good and all the ugly and when you think about it it's kind of terrifying imagine if your best friend knew every single thing about you and you think they know a lot about you but imagine if they. Knew everything about you it would be quite terrifying but the one that knows you completely is God the righteous can have peace because a loving God in heaven knows their way and will protect and he will preserve them if there's anybody I would want to know me like that it would be him and one of the main reasons I can think of is because a lot of times people will use. Knowledge of you to hurt you right when people find things about you one of the reasons we get a little scared to confess sin scared to talk in group is because we're scared that people knowing this about me what are they going to think of me what are they going to say about me what are they going to talk to other people about when it comes to me a lot of times that is a very very terrifying thought. But we can have peace knowing that there is an omnipotent loving gracious God who knows us and he will not use that knowledge against you that is the that is the grace aspect of the Lord now you may be asking or telling yourself what if I'm not good at this what if I'm not good at reading the bible what if I've tried and I've tried and it came to nothing what if I just can't.
Here's my encouragement to you last summer I was part of the summer internship here and just to give you a little insight on the summer internship there's a lot of meetings a lot of classes you go it's it's it's pretty rigorous honestly and one of the biggest things about the internship is showing up on time and I love punctuality um I do so when I discovered that punctuality was a major. Component of this internship I was really excited to show off my arriving on time skills but second week in I forgot that I had a meeting with isaac so not only was I late I was non-existent for the meeting third week I was very late or arriving just on time to the things between monday and thursday my pride was being tested the final straw for me was on sunday as it was on a on a sunday. And I forgot that we were supposed to show up at 8 a.m here we're supposed to show up at the church at 8 a.m and at the time chat was my track leader I was on the pastoral and like teacher development track and chat was my track leader and I remember that I I had to I was like I have to apologize this is like the fifth time and I remember the walk of me going to apologize to him and even as I was apologizing. Him the shame that I felt of my failure was honestly unbearable I had my head down I was I was talking to him and I was like this because of all the shame that I felt and after I apologized I kind of just stood there and chat looked at me and he said hey chin up I thought okay but then he said you're fully known you're fully forgiven and you're fully loved by a.
Savior who would gladly do it again feel that remember that and continue your your day like you believe that notice he didn't just say hey chin up show up on time next time hey chin up maybe what you can do is this this this this and this to show up on time now he reminded me of the gospel the work is finished and even in our shortcomings such as reading the bible we get to be forgiven. And out of that out of that forgiveness and grace we are empowered to be more like him and part of that is delighting in his word so then how do we set ourselves up for success in reading the bible I have a couple of practical ways that can work first and foremost pray pray pray for the desire to read his word the reason praying is the first thing I could think of is because praying sets. Us up for success and because it is the acknowledgement and the remembering of why we are able to delight in his word if we skip this step if we don't pray if we don't ask the Lord to make us more like him and to desire his word then we're just doing good works that we're just we're just it's just something else to do and we'll be missing the entire point of delighting in his word second recognize it's a battle. If you struggle to meditate or even just read through the bible like any goal you start with pure discipline now uh I started uh working out for the first time in my life about two years ago and when we started this was me and two other guys we we were we were on it like three or four times a week that was crazy but then the second I let go of that discipline the second one of us.
Was like it went from four three to four times a week to two to three times a week to once or twice a week to maybe once every two months so my point in that is that stay disciplined to reading the word read it in the morning great time to read the word of God now I know some of you are saying I'm not a morning person my question to you is what time do you go to sleep the night before. Now my point don't get me wrong my point is not that reading in the morning is the way but my point in that question is what are you doing to set yourself up for an opportunity to read the word of God third set a specific goal so if I'm up here and I tell you that I want to learn a new language and add it to my arsenal of languages and I just say hey I just want to learn a new language. It's really easy if I just keep it at that broad vague goal it's really easy for me not to be held accountable to it and you really don't know what to ask me really all you can ask me is hey how's that new language going and I can just say it's all right it could be better but if I told you I want to learn 45 new words write three new sentences and be able to have. A one-minute conversation with someone in that new language and the new language being portuguese let's say then you would know exactly what to ask me when you come up to me hey how's portuguese going hey how many words have you learned what's your favorite word what's the sentence you wrote it'd be a lot more difficult for me to kind of make something up there so set a specific goal fourth ask people.
In your community group to hold you accountable more specifically we all have that one person ask that one person that you know will hold you accountable sometimes we selectively choose who to hold us accountable because we know maybe they're not going to ask us also I learned this term recently it's called the bystander effect. Don't just tell your entire group I struggle with reading with the bible gather in two or three people because the temptation if you tell 10 to 12 people is that they'll probably be like oh I'm sure he'll ask him about his bible reading I'm sure they'll ask right and the problem is if everyone does that no one's going to ask you about your bible reading to get about two or three people and that. Just decreases the chances of oh I'm sure I'll ask him lastly don't forget why we get to do this we get to do this because of Jesus's finished work on the cross that is what empowers us and changes us to be more like him and follow him there is no one like him the band is going to come up we're going to sing a song that is based on Psalm one and I want this to be our prayer and our. Encouragement for this week there's a line in the song that I really love and it's in the chorus so we're going to hear it and we're going to sing it over and over again form us more and more into a people who love your word I love that because it implies and it's it's humbling because it's us admitting that we need the Lord to be able to love his word on our own.
We will we will easily and so fast we will so quickly we will take a seat among the scoffers but we love his word we love him we love people because he loved us first because he finished the work on the cross that is why I love this line because it is just it is that we are admitting that we need him first also I love the word form because you're not it's not going to be something you. You all of a sudden fall in love with tonight and then you're reading the bible every day starting tomorrow when you form something it has stages it takes time it takes steps so don't lose heart don't be discouraged because you lost you didn't read it one day but in those days of our shortcomings remind yourself of the finished work on the cross remind we need to remember that we are forgiven. We are fully known and that knowledge will not be used against us that knowledge is actually what is what brings us to him and because of that we get to delight in the whole we get to delight in that the whole time we delight in the story of salvation and the truth of grace and the truth of reconciliation we get to delight in that and that will give us joy peace and comfort that is everlasting let's pray. God I pray that as we are singing this last song as we are just thinking of what Psalm one has to say about your word Lord I ask that you through your grace and your forgiveness and in our shortcomings Lord may we not use your grace to paralyze us but may we use your grace to motivate us to push us to empower us to delight in your law.
Oh remind us as we are reading and as we delight in your word or as we fight to delight in your word Lord remind us that even if we even if we don't understand even if it takes time Lord you're not going anywhere you will sustain us you will preserve us you will maintain us the whole way we are so appreciative of that we are so humbled by that Lord we pray all of this in your name amen.
Psalm 42: Why Are You Cast Down?
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
Alright, so, if you've been around long enough, you know this. We don't line up sermon series and individual sermons with holidays that aren't Christmas and Easter. It's just not a thing that we do. We did last year do Psalm 31 on Mother's Day, but that was very much the exception, not the rule. So, it's not intentional to put a Psalm of lament right before July 4th, but it is where it landed on the calendar. And that's what we're looking at today is Psalm 42.
It'll be on page 268 in the blue Bibles that are right around you. You can grab one of those. You can also follow along on the screen as we walk through this. So, culturally, in America, we don't handle suffering and sadness very well. That's just a cultural thing we don't handle very well. And in the American church, we're not much different.
We don't handle that subject well either. I could give you lots of examples of how that proves to be true. I really just want to give you one this morning, and that is K-Love. That is Christian Radio. So, this might step on some toes. I'm mildly apologetic about it.
But, Christian Radio in this department is very painful. It's painful in general for many reasons. First off, there's a lot of stuff that ends up on the radio that just is bad. It's bad theologically, songs you should not sing, bad quality, songs that should be done differently. You know, there's lots of reasons. You know, the songs that come from churches that I would never recommend you ever visit personally, ever, ever, ever.
There's a variety of reasons why Christian Radio can be a landmine. But one of the ones that is more pertinent that K-Love really misses the Mark on is that they're literally branded as positive and encouraging. That's it. Positive and encouraging. And what that really means and how they define encouragement is very narrowly what they mostly mean. It's positive.
It's positivity. And, you know, that's kind of been a thing for years in Christian Radio. It's just like it's all, it's a lot, it's very, very happy, positive, positive, positive. And, listen, I'm not against encouragement. I think encouragement is a very biblical thing. But you've got to have a broader category for that.
And, you know, that's been a thing. But I didn't want to. I was like, you know, I haven't listened to Christian Radio in some time. So let me get on K-Love and listen. And as soon as I turned it on, this song got off. And this guy got on and was like, it's National Selfie Day.
He's like, and just got really excited about National Selfie Day. And then he had this little jingle that went with it that was, you know, turn that frown upside down. I was like, you've got to be kidding me. It took two minutes for me to hear this. And I was like, all right, no, I think they're on brand. I think they're sticking to what they do.
Okay. Here's why that's problematic. When life curb stomps your happiness, okay, when it destroys the good things that are happening in your life, you need more than just positivity. That's not going to cut it. But, I mean, listen, you need more than even solid, cheerful theological songs. All right.
Psalm 100 is glorious. I mean, that's a beautiful Psalm. Some of the songs we sing are very joyful. Great things he has done. But there's got to be more than that.
The Psalm book gives us more than just joyful songs. When life is hard, you need more than celebration. You need a dirge. You need lament. And the Psalm book gives us that as a holistic part of worship. That there are Psalms throughout the whole 150th Psalm book that give us this, and we're in one of them today.
And my hope is that this would expand a category of worship for us. But what we're going to see as we follow through this today is that godly lament does not seek to fix our pain and suffering and loss, but it will help us endure. And that is what Psalms do for us. They help us endure through it all. So we're going to see that this morning as we walk through this.
Let me pray for us, then we will jump in. God, I pray that you'd help us be present this morning as we walk through a Psalm that is heavier. There are folks that are in a joyous season right now. And I pray that this would speak to them, preparing their hearts for the day of suffering when it comes. There are folks in our church family that are suffering. That right now this is very apparent in their life.
And I pray, God, that you would use this Psalm to provide unbelievable comfort that is found in you. We ask this in Christ's name. Amen. Okay, so the Psalm book, the Psalms have subscripts underneath them that I'd argue probably go back to the original when it was recorded. And this Psalm 42 has that. It has a subscript that gives us some context.
And it says, To the choir master, a mascal of the sons of Korah. Now, we don't know what mascal means. It happens in the Psalms. There are certain words we don't know. It could be an artistic teaching type Psalm. But we do know who the sons of Korah are.
If you know the story of the sons of Korah, their descendant, their ancestor, is Korah. So Korah was a part of a rebellion that happened against Moses in the wilderness. And that rebellion did not go well for the people who rebelled. The earth literally gave way in judgment and swallowed them whole. So some of the sons of Korah survived this, and they bear the history of their ancestor's rebellion, of his unfaithfulness.
But they go on to do... This is a really cool redemption story. They go on to do great things. They become worship leaders. They become Psalm writers. Some of them are in the party of David, when David is on the run for his life.
And it's just a really cool backdrop to see the suffering that they come from, and the redemption that they have, that sets up Psalms like Psalm 42. So that's the subscript. Then you get into verse 1. It says, As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. So, as a deer pants for flowing streams, I like to deer hunt. That is a hobby of mine.
I actually got to join a hunting club this year. I'm very excited about it. Been working on the land, getting it ready for the fall. One of the things that you, when you're choosing land to hunt on, you want to choose land that has a water source of some type. Because if it doesn't have a stream, or a creek, or something nearby, you will not have a lot of luck. Deer need water.
That's the point. As a deer pants for flowing streams, as an animal who is in need, who's dehydrated, who needs water to survive. So my soul pants for you, O God. We're going to see this next week in Psalm 1, when Psalm 1 says, He is like a tree planted by streams of water. That God is this vibrant life source, this well of worship, and joy, and goodness. He says, As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you.
He's desperate, in need of the Lord. And what it's setting up is that, that this man, is a man who loves the Lord. That this lament, is not disconnected from the fact, that he is a godly man. He loves the Lord. He longs for the Lord. And that, that's a part of building this category of lament.
That it needs to come from a desperate, love, and desire, and pursuit of God. Because often times, culturally, mourning, and sadness, and lamenting of our culture, isn't that. When we're sad, we'll escape. Or we'll distract ourselves. Or we'll comfort ourselves. Which in the south means, a lot of unhealthy food.
And I'm not saying, like, bringing food isn't, I'm not, I'm not down on that. But you've got to have a broader category, that says no. Godly lament, is coming before the Lord, desperately needing Him, longing for Him. That type of godly, lament, does not seek to fix, our suffering and sadness. But it, it helps us endure.
It helps us withstand. And that's what He's doing here, when He gets into verse 2. My soul thirsts, for God, for the living God. When shall I come, and appear before, God. So, we're going to see this, throughout the rest of this Psalm. But that statement there, when shall I, when shall I, come and appear before God, we're going to see it fleshed out, that He can't be, in the presence of God, right now.
That He's far away, from the presence of God. So, in this period, the presence of God, ruled and reigned from, this is either written, during the period, when the tabernacle, was in existence, or the temple. But both of those, have the same thing. This is where God, ruled and reigned, amongst the people of God. This is where, He ruled and reigned from, and this is where, worship happened, before the Lord. So, when He's separated, from the Lord here, He can't be, worshiping, before the Lord.
And that's a very, joyous event, as the sacrifices, were being offered, there was all types, of joyful singing, before the Lord. There were instruments, like trumpets, and harps, and lyres, and tambourines, and strings, and pipes, and cymbals, and dancing. Yes, dancing. Baptists. There's this joyful, worship before the Lord, and He can't be there. We don't know, if it's because, He's on the run with David, if He's one of those, Corites, or if He's been banished, from the temple.
We don't really know, why He can't be there. But He longs, to be there, like in a barren, desert, needing, thirst, He needs, God. Which, just pause for a moment. That just gives us, that elevates the importance, of corporate worship, of what we do here, every Sunday. It is good for our souls, to be here. And we just, a lot of times, we take that for granted.
Like the inside joke, for us as pastors, is if we want to make, an announcement, it's got to be not just done, on one week. You have to do it, like multiple weeks in a row. Because we're, this is something, we're not alone in this. A lot of southern churches, struggle with this. That if you're, had a long week, or retired, or you know, coming off vacation, or whatever, it's just easy, to miss out on this. And even in our church, it's a lot easier, actually to be in a community group, and show up on, in the week, than it is on a Sunday morning.
And I want to push on that, a little bit, to say no value this time. It's good. It's good for your soul, to be amongst the people of God, worshiping Him together. So he goes on in verse 3, he says, my tears have been my food, day and night. What a vivid picture of suffering. That he's, in such mourning, he can't drink from the streams, of worship, that is before the Lord, that he's, day and night, crying.
So much so, that tears are flowing down his face, they're flowing, blubbering into his mouth. And that should expand, the category for us, and especially, men more struggle with this, generally speaking, that emotions are okay. You don't have to put your emotions, in a box, and put it up on a shelf, and never talk about it again. No, like, tears are fine, it's a healthy part of worship. Jesus, the God man, wept, when he saw Mary and Martha, mourning, when Lazarus died. We should have that, as a category of response.
I'm trying to build this, in my own son, who's four. I'm trying to help him see, listen, there are things, that we don't cry about. Alright? Not getting the right ice cream, not getting the right toilet, like, that's not, you know, yesterday was his sister's birthday, and his time's frustrated, he's not, no, no, no, it's alright. We're not gonna cry about that. There are things, you do cry about.
There are things, that you should grieve, there are things, that you should have tears for. I'm trying to build that, in himself, or build that in him. We need that, we need to grow in that. He's weeping, before the Lord. My tears have been my food, day and night, while they say to me, all the day long, where is your God? So, in the midst of, weeping, he's being taunted, with where is your God?
And I would argue, that that's more than just, the skeptical taunting, of where is your God? Because we hear that, culturally, you hear that a lot. Where is your God, when the shooting in Uvalde happened? Where is your God, when children were dying? I don't think that's what's, happening here. I think it's more personal to him.
He can't be, in the presence of God. So they're, they're poking on something, that's deeply hurtful for him. Where is your God? Oh, you can't be there, amongst your people, in the presence of God. Verse four, these things, I remember, as I pour out my soul, and then he starts to, recollect, how I would go, with a throng, throng is just, a crowd, the crowd worshiping together. I would go, with the throng, and lead them in procession, to the house, of God.
With glad shouts, and songs of praise, a multitude keeping festival. Oh, I remember, how I used to lead, and worship, amongst the people, with, glad shouts, and songs of praise, a multitude keeping festival. That's such a human, response, in the midst of suffering, to long for the good old days. Maybe that's, maybe that's for you, that's long for the days, when you were a kid, in high school, the days of college, longing for the days, when you're in this community group, with this group of people, and this time of life, this friend group. That's very natural. That's what he's doing, he's longing, for the days, when he could joyfully, worship in the presence of God.
And in verse 5, we get this refrain. So the way that this Psalm, is structured, is you've got, verses, refrain, verses, refrain. So think like, verses, chorus, verses, chorus, that's kind of how this works. Here it is, verse 5, Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you in turmoil, within me? Why am I so sad?
Why is there so much turmoil, in my soul? That is a question, that many of us will ask, in life. Why am I so sad? Why am I depressed? What's wrong with me? Why can't I feel, better?
And a lot of times, those answers, are not readily available. Last week, we looked at Psalm 55, which was, cast your cares, your burdens, your anxieties, upon the Lord, he will sustain you. And as I walked through that, can I help us, see a little bit, that anxiety is complicated. And we've taught that in the past, it's complicated. There's, there's physical things, that contribute to that. There's spiritual things, that contribute to that.
There's behavioral patterns, there's all kinds of things, that makes anxiety, a very complex subject matter. But the scriptures, say in the midst of that, it has a word for it. It has a word for us, when it says, to cast your cares, upon the Lord. The prescription is, coming to the Lord, with our anxieties. And depression, well depression is a close cousin, of anxiety. In fact, a lot of times, they come together, for some folks.
Depression and anxiety, come together. And depression is complex. It just is. There are physical things, that add to it. All the way down, to where you live, geography matters. Right?
You live in more northern parts, of the hemisphere. It's a little bit harder, when you have less sunlight. Sunlight matters. The vitamin D is, it matters. Seasonal affect, depression matters. That sometimes winter, is very hard.
There are physical things, there's chemical things, that are happening, that contribute to depression. There's behavioral patterns, that contribute to depression, and deep sadness. It's a strong correlation, between social media usage, and depression. Especially, the younger you are. There's contributing factors, that make it a very complicated, thing. It is definitely, multifactorial.
The part of the treatment, is very similar. It's coming before the Lord, with our depression. Coming before the Lord, with our sadness. That's what the psalmist, is doing here. He's deeply depressed. He's lamenting, before the Lord.
And he's asking, before the Lord, his own soul, why are you cast down? Why is the innermost part, of my being, so deeply sad, and distressed? Why is there so much, turmoil within me? Or as one songwriter, paraphrases this. He says, why so disturbed, within me? He's asking this.
These are difficult questions, to ask before the Lord. You have to, that's the question, why is he asking this, of himself, before the Lord? And it's very simply, he is acknowledging reality. He is acknowledging, his reality, before the Lord. That he, is in a desperate, depressed, sad, state. You can try to act, like you're not depressed.
Try to act, like you're not sad. You can try to grit your teeth, and get through it. Or, you can acknowledge, reality, before the Lord. Charles Haddon Spurgeon, one of the most famous, preachers, in western, history, the last 500 years. Charles Haddon Spurgeon, was, I mean, had an early ministry, from 20 all the way, until he passed away, in his mid-50s. And what some people, don't realize is, that Spurgeon, if you read about his life, was depressed, on and off, most of his life.
Most of his adult life. He struggled with depression. I mean, there are times, where he literally, he could not, muster the strength, to stand up, and proclaim the word of God. He's nicknamed, the prince of preachers. That's his nickname. That's a dope nickname, that you want, if you're a preacher.
But he, could not muster, the strength sometimes, to actually come, before the Lord, and proclaim the word of God. That there were times, that he was deeply, deeply sad. And part of it, there's multiple things, there's multiple things, that contributed to that. One of the things, that he had, was he had chronic pain. That he had, chronic gout, and kidney disease. And he had to leave London.
The doctor said, you need to leave London. So he had a place, in the south of France, where he would go, to get better weather, less harsh climate, more sunlight. That's actually where he died. Because he got away, out of London. And he just never came back, because he died there. Spurgeon, once said this, I could say with Job, and Job is an Old Testament story, where a man suffered immensely.
I could say with Job, my soul chooseth strangling, rather than life. And then he says, I could readily enough, have laid, violent hands upon myself, to escape, from my misery, of spirit. That is Spurgeon saying, that, I could have readily, harmed myself, than endure this, miserable, spiritual state. And Spurgeon, was a great man of faith. He understood, this song well. He's a great man of faith, and some people will try to reduce, depression down to, well, if you just have enough faith, you'd be joyful.
Don't you, don't you know the gospel? Don't you know how good, the news is? Just believe the gospel. And it's just not, that simple, sometimes. To muster up enough faith, to lift you out of this. Faith does not guarantee, hear this, faith does not guarantee, a permanent state of joy.
It just doesn't, not this side of the fall. It does not guarantee, a permanent state of joy. But in faith, we get to endure, through suffering, through lament. And through, hear this, a right understanding, of who God is. So when he says, why are you cast down, oh my soul, and why are you in turmoil, within me, in his next breath, he says, hope in God.
For I shall again, praise him, my salvation, and my God. In the midst of depression, he knows where his ultimate hope, is found. His hope is in the Lord. He's not able to praise God, joyfully now. That day is coming for him. He will joyfully praise God again, but it is not yet.
So that's the refrain, that's going to be repeated at the end. And then, from that position of faith, knowing who God is, he continues, my soul is cast down, within me. Therefore, I remember you, from the land of Jordan, and of Hermon, from Mount Mazar. So this is where we see, how separated he is. Okay? But he is in the land of Jordan.
He's, that's far away from Jerusalem. That's how far he is, as he's, suffering, longing to be back in Jerusalem. Longing to be, before the Lord, in his presence. And then verse 7, he says, deep calls, to deep, at the roar, of your waterfalls. All your breakers, and your waves, have gone, over me. Water is very metaphorical, throughout the scriptures, and how it's being used.
You just saw, in verse 1, like God is a stream of water, that he longs for. But the picture here changes. It's replaced with, a violent picture of water. The roar of a waterfall. Waves crashing, over him. Like the judgment waters, that crashed over, Jonah.
This is the picture, that's happening here. And I want you to hear, what he says. I want you to, he feels the pain, but I want you to acknowledge, I want you to see, what he acknowledges here. He says, your breakers, your waves, have gone over me. He's talking to God. Your breakers, your waves, have gone over me.
And that highlights, and taps into, a difficult truth, that is mysterious, and hard, to wrap our minds around, that God is sovereign, over suffering. He's sovereign, over our suffering, and our pain. People try to get around that, try to explain that away, and they'll say, no, it's actually, this is the work of the devil, that increases suffering, in our lives, or this is our own flesh, you know, our own sin, you know, results in suffering, or the world, is a fallen place, and in a fallen place, there is suffering, and all of that is true. Okay? The enemy absolutely does, increase suffering. Our sinful mistakes, absolutely do, increase suffering.
We do live in a world, that is fallen, and broken, and because of that, suffering exists, but, God is sovereign, over all of that. Which is why he says, your breakers, your waves, God has ordained for him, to suffer in that purpose. God ordained suffering, in our lives. We don't always understand why, we don't understand the purposes, the mysteries, all behind it. But don't miss that, when he says, your breakers, and your waves, are crashing over me.
And as he says, that, right, in the next breath, he says in verse 8, by day, the Lord commands, his steadfast love. And at night, his song is with me, a prayer to, the God, of my life. As he's acknowledging, the suffering, the God is sovereign, over the waves, and your breakers, are crashing, over me. You are the God, of steadfast love. And look at this, at night, his song is with me, that at night, he's worshipping God. This man loves the Lord.
He is worshipping, in the midst of his suffering. And he's pouring out, songs, and prayers. And we get a glimpse, of his prayers, in verse 9, when he says, I say, to my God, my rock, why have you forgotten me? Why do I go mourning, because of the oppression, of the enemy? As with a deadly wound, in my bones, my adversaries, my adversaries, taught me, while they say to me, all the day long, where is your God? He says, I say to my God, why have you forgotten me?
What a bold prayer. Why have you forgotten me? Why do you, why do you allow my enemies, to taunt me like this, in the midst of my, suffering? That almost feels dangerous, to question God like that. And it would be dangerous, if it was done from a place of arrogance, or a place of pride, if he was questioning, the character of God. But he's not doing that.
He says, you're the God of steadfast love, you are my rock. The breakers, your breakers, he understands, who God is, and the character of God. So he's not doing this, from a place of arrogance, or pride, or self-righteousness. He's doing it, from a place of deep humility. It's a legitimate plea. Spurgeon, once said that, faith is allowed, to inquire of her God, the causes, of his displeasure.
They're done from a place, of faith. faith. You can ask, God, why have you forgotten me? Why have you forgotten me? Why am I so sad? Why do I suffer, O Lord? And then he ends it in verse 5, or the repeated refrain of verse 5, shows it in verse 11.
This is the final verse. He says, why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you in turmoil, within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise him, my salvation, and my God. And that's it. There's a promise, a future joy, but it's not now.
And it is an end joyfully. It acknowledges the reality of it. There's no verse 12 that says, and everything gets awesome. This is not, it's not what happens here. It just ends. And I could expand on this Psalm, in a lot of different ways.
There's a lot of different directions, you can run with this, to deal with sadness, and loss, and depression, and suffering. I just want to, I just want to end, on one idea. You need, good theology, to help you endure, a downcast soul, in turmoil. You need, a right understanding, of who God is, and a right worship of who, of God, to endure, depression, suffering, and loss. Jerry Bridges, a pastor once said, trust is not a passive state, of mind. Faith, is not a passive state, of mind.
It is a vigorous act, of the soul, by which we choose, to lay hold, on the promises of God, and cling to them, despite the adversity, that at times, seeks to overwhelm us. He says, faith, is not a passive state, where you're passively, just believing, the promises of God, is a active, vigorous, clinging to, claiming, holding, the promises, of God, laying hold, of who he, is, and that happens, throughout this entire Psalm. Verse 2, God is the living God, verse 5, God is my salvation, verse 8, God is the God, of steadfast love, verse 9, God is my rock, verse 11, God is the God, of my salvation. This psalmist, has a healthy, understanding, of who God is.
And there is a great danger, as a Christian, being unprepared, for, suffering. There's a danger, and an over emphasis, on positivity, on faking it, until you make it. On saying, I'm fine, I'm good, I'm good, I'm good, I'm fine. And never, actually, preparing your soul, for what awaits you. If your understanding, of God, and believing in Him, is that He is going to, faith, equals, blessing, in this life. If that's the equation, of your heart, that you are setting yourself up, for failure.
You're setting yourself up, for, when that happens, the questions of God, that are not done, from a position of faith, but are done, from a position of arrogance. It says, I would not believe, in a God, who lets, this happen. I can't believe, in a God, who would let, this person die. My brother, my sister, my father, my child. I can't believe, in a God, who would allow, this type of suffering, in my life.
Psalm 55: Cast Your Anxieties
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
Good morning. My name is Spencer. I am one of the pastors here. So before we get into the text for today in Psalm 55, which is on page 272, if you want to go ahead and flip there, just have a church family quick announcement to address really the elephant in the room. So Friday was a big emotional day in our country with the fall of Roe v.
Wade. If you've not been around our church the last few years, we are not a political church in the slightest. We do approach things biblically as they arise in the scriptures. When it talks about life in the womb, when it talks about justice, we will address the issue. We do believe as a church that life begins at conception. We believe that God is knitting and forming a child in the womb.
And where biblical ethics overlap with political things, we will actually address that from the scriptures. Now, I'm not going to get into all of that today. What I will say is if you have not been here long enough, and that was a lot to hear, I would invite you, please have a conversation with me or one of the pastors. We would love to have that conversation with you. I understand it is a very, very hot button issue right now, and there are a ton of emotions that are stirring in the midst of all of that. But the reason I say that is because that ruling will directly affect this state.
And there will be an opportunity for Christians to do what we are called to do in the coming years in this state. There will be unplanned pregnancies that happen in this state. And we as Christians are called to care for orphans. That's biblically, James 1, 27, the pure undefiled religion before the father is this, to visit the orphans and the widows. That is historically, the church has stood up for orphans all the way back to the first, second, and third century when children who had birth defects were being abandoned by Roman families and Christians were swooping in and adopting children. We get the opportunity to live out our faith and the calling of Christians when it comes to orphan care.
That we'll have an opportunity to step into that through the foster system, which some of you should be praying about. Domestic adoption. We have families that do domestic and international adoption in our church. I say all that to say that we have a benevolence fund in our church. It's $15,000 this year. That benevolence fund is for a lot of different things, from paying for families in our church that are behind on payments, to supplementing counseling costs, to engaging community needs that we do from time to time.
We have $15,000 that we set aside in our budget for that. We will be, in the future, giving adoption grants out of that because we want to incentivize and come alongside some of the financial costs of adoption because we deeply care about orphans. And my hope, my prayer is in the response to all of this, that we would first walk in wisdom, be salt and light, but that we would get behind the biblical ethic of orphan care and actually step into a need that is going to happen. So I want to start this conversation. If you have questions about any of that, please don't leave today frustrated or angry.
Please come and talk and we can start a conversation. But we are going to be moving this direction with orphan care and we want to encourage this as a church family. So we're going to be in Psalm 55 today, which is on page 272 in your blue Bibles. You can turn there and follow along. The text will be on the screen. These first three Psalms and this summer in the Psalms that we have deal with.
Last week, Chad introduced the idea in Psalm 37, a fret not. Be still before the Lord. Don't worry. This week, we get to walk into that a little more from Psalm 55. The next week is a Psalm of lament. It's kind of all three go together on this broader subject matter of what do you do in the midst of suffering.
So we're in Psalm 55. We'll follow along with that in a moment. About a month ago, if you know me, I love music. I listen to lots of different types of music, different genres of music, different time periods of music. And I have Spotify, different playlists and shuffles that happen. And I had a shuffle.
I was in a late 90s, early 2000s music, alternative music kind of mood. So I was letting the Spotify shuffle. And that's, you know, that was my childhood, late 90s, early 2000s. So these are songs that I grew up listening to. And then all of a sudden, one came on and it hit differently because when you're listening to a song, when you are a kid, it doesn't hit the same when you're in your 30s. So it was a song called Breathe by Anna Nolik.
That, you know, 2 a.m. and she calls me because I'm still awake. All right. So that song. Listening to it, I'm like, oh man, I remember this. And then all of a sudden, the chorus hit. And I went, oh man.
The chorus says this, because you can't jump the track. We're like cars on a cable. And life's like an hourglass glued to the table. No one can find the rewind button now. So cradle your head and your hands and breathe.
Just breathe. And I heard that and I went, oh man, I did not know songs from Grey's Anatomy could do that to me. Like I just, I was like, man, she has a point. Life is like an hourglass glued to the table. Like there is no rewind button. She's talking about all like difficult situations and life is hard and suffering happens.
And her advice is cradle your head and your hands and breathe. Just breathe. And I was like, yes, man, that is so good. It's so close. Like you almost got it. You got part of the picture.
The gospel gives us a more complete picture. And this Psalm 55 today helps paint that in more completely. It helps give us a picture of what to do in the midst of suffering when life hits us in the face and how we are called to respond. We're going to look at this, the Psalmist David, in the midst of deep trials and suffering. And we're going to see his response and how that is key for us and important for us in understanding how we are to respond in the moments of trial. So if you feel overwhelmed right now, if you feel ridden with worry or anxiety, if you feel like you are struggling, this Psalm is for you.
Okay? Let me pray for us and then we will get going. Father, I pray that you would help us be present this morning. You help us hear the words of the Psalm, the wisdom that is bound up in it, that it would be balm for the soul. That it would help us see how we would respond in the midst of trials and suffering. And that you would help us walk this out in faith, in repentance, in glorious worship.
We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. All right. Verse 1. He says, Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy. Attend to me and answer me.
I am restless in my complaint and I moan. There are four urgent pleas right out the gate. He says, Give ear. Don't hide yourself from me, O God. Pay attention. Answer me.
This is a desperate, needy posture. Lord, listen to me. Give ear to my prayer. And then he says, I am restless in my complaint and I moan. You ever heard someone moan before? And by someone, I mean not a child.
In our household, we have, in the summertime, we have ice cream. Because we're a fun family. And I'm a cool dad. And we have, my wife bought the variety pack of, box of drumsticks. Which back in the day, they just had like the vanilla centered ones. Not anymore, you guys.
They have ones that are filled with chocolate in the inside. And caramel in the inside. And about every day, our kids are like, Can we have ice cream? And most days, we're like, Yes. Now, they love the ones that have the chocolate and the caramel in the center. Right?
Because that's awesome. And, you know, they get the chocolate ones. I may or may not clear out the caramel ones. But by the end of the week, or however long we have them, what's left is just the original ones, the OG drumstick. And there is weeping and lamenting in our house sometimes. But there's moaning and deep complaint.
And it's like, Oh man, y'all have not experienced suffering yet. If this is the type of lamenting that happens. Like, it's not a child. But if you ever heard, you ever heard an adult moan? And deep pain. It hurts the soul.
It is heavy. It is a deep hurt. Deep complaint. That's what's happening here. And then in verse 3, he says, Because of the noise of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked, for they drop trouble upon me, and in anger they bear a grudge against me. So, context.
David is the Lord's anointed. He is a man after God's own heart. God fiercely loves David. David fiercely loves David. And yet, he ordains that David suffers. In fact, when you follow his life in 1 and 2 Samuel, you see he suffers over and over again.
He has enemies that seek to destroy him, to kill him. Some of these Psalms are written in the midst of those times. And that's what's happening here. So, God loves his people deeply. That does not mean he will spare us from suffering in the slightest. Verse 4, it says, My heart is in anguish within me.
The terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fear and trembling come upon me. And horror overwhelms me. David is in emotional and physical torment. He's restless. He cannot sleep.
Moaning. It says, His heart is in anguish. Fear of death. Fear and trembling are upon him. Horror overwhelms him. And some of you have felt that.
You felt that with the death of a loved one. You felt that with abandonment that has happened in your life. That type of deep anguish of the heart. You felt that with rejection that happens in a way that makes you question reality itself and what's happening in your life. We feel this. And at some point, if you have not felt this, you will feel this.
Suffering is guaranteed this side of the fall. You will feel this type of pain, the kind of pain deep in your soul when you have no more tears to cry. And when this happens, you may feel tempted to run. And that's what David feels here in verse 6. And I say, Oh, that I had wings like a dove. I would fly away and be at rest.
Yes, I would wander far away. I would lodge in the wilderness. Selah. Which, by the way, we don't know what Selah means. Okay? In the Hebrew, we just don't know.
It could be a pause. It could be a musical note. Not even Kanye knows what Selah means. We don't know what that means. But before that, he's like, if I had wings, if I could just spread and get away, if I could fly away, if I could wander and get in the wilderness.
Who hasn't wanted that to run from your problems? Who hasn't wanted to flee and get away from it all? Maybe you're someone in a marriage that is filled with suffering and you want out. Maybe you're a teenager that's in a home that you maybe feel misunderstood. Or maybe it just feels toxic. Or maybe you're the parent of a teenager where you feel misunderstood and things are tumultuous and you just want to get away.
Listen, most of us, we're not going to physically escape. It's not going to happen. But we will do it mentally. Right? That's our go-to. We'll mentally escape.
We'll go to Netflix. We'll go to social media. We'll go to pornography. Because that's easy and controllable. To get away from it. Fly away to it.
What feels like a safer place but ultimately isn't safe for the soul. David feels that. He wants to get away from it all. He's acknowledging that before the Lord. I want to get away. Verse 8, I would hurry, verse 8, to find a shelter from the raging wind and tempest.
A tempest is a storm. I could just find shelter in the midst of all of this from this storm. From this raging storm of suffering that he's enduring. Maybe you've wanted that. Maybe you've wanted that. You've been in a group and a community group that feels like there's a lot of suffering, a lot of trials, a lot of people that are hurting.
Maybe there's some relational drama that's happening. You just want to get away from it all. Maybe you're a group leader and you feel that as a group leader. I just want to stop leading this group. Maybe you feel this as it pertains to the whole church family. It's like, I just want to leave this church.
I want to find somewhere else. I want to find shelter from what I'm facing. Listen, you have felt this or you will feel this. This side of the fall in a world that's filled with suffering. David feels this. He feels this and he continues in verse 9 to describe what he's facing.
Destroy, verse 9, O Lord, divide their tongues for I see violence and strife in the city. Day and night they go around it on its walls and iniquity and trouble are within it. Ruin is in its midst. Oppression and fraud do not depart from its marketplace. So he has enemies that seek to destroy him but he's also in a city that's filled with oppression and fraud and violence and sin.
He wants to get away from it all to the wilderness. He wants to leave it all behind. That's a familiar feeling for our country. And that was 2020. Cities falling apart. People trying to leave and get away from all of it.
My sister recently moved to Bozeman, Montana with her husband. And when they moved out there and they were, before they moved out there they were on a job interview out there and the Uber driver that was driving around said, hey, where are you from? They said, we're from South Carolina. He said, oh good. He said, as long as you're not from California. Because Montana and some of the states have been overwhelmed.
People trying to get away from the cities, get away from the violence, get away from everything that's happening. The reality is it's not just the cities that have sin all over it. It's the suburbs. It's your phone. It's the internet. It's all around us.
David feels this. Iniquity, sin is all around him but the situation is much worse. In verse 12 it says, for it is not an enemy who taunts me, then I could bear it. It is not an adversary who deals insolently with me, then I could hide from it. The enemies are not the worst part of what I'm facing here. Verse 13, but it is you, a man, my equal, my companion, my familiar friend.
We used to take sweet counsel together. Within God's house we walked in the throng. David has been stabbed in the back and betrayed by a close friend. By a familiar friend. That's an intimate, close friend. A friend he used to go to advice for.
The end of throng is worship. So he used to worship together with him in the house of the Lord. This friend has betrayed him and it is crushing. If you've ever been betrayed, it hurts. My first big dose of that was when I was 17 and naive, 17, dating a girl, thinking, things are, things are great. All of a sudden, boom, find out she's cheating on me with not one, not two, but most likely three.
Couldn't confirm the third one, but I'm almost positive. Third. Three of my friends and football teammates crushed me. I was like so naive. Like how could this happen? You were my friends.
You were my girlfriend. What in the world? And it taught me one valuable lesson. You really cannot trust anyone fully in this life like you can, God. No one is 100% dependable like the Lord. But what came out of that is a lot of cynicism and a lot of deep anger.
I worked through it, you guys. It took some years to be able to get in to trust some people. But if you felt that kind of betrayal, it hurts if you've been betrayed by a family member or a friend or a church family member, a mentor or a child or a parent or a significant other. It hurts. When you've had your trust violated seemingly beyond repair, it hurts. One of the most famous lines in all of Western literature is from Julius Caesar, Shakespeare's Julius Caesar.
And Caesar, in the midst of the conspirators, in the midst of the senators who are killing him or stabbing him is fearless. He's fearless. But the moment he sees Brutus, his friend, he's no longer fearless. One of those famous lines, et tu, Brute. And you, Brutus. And this is a picture of, oh, man, you would betray me as well.
A dear, close friend. That's what David feels. A king betrayed by a close friend. And when that happens for us, you will, there's a part of you that longs for retribution. Longs for, maybe it's not retribution, but it's justice. But you feel that in you.
That's what David feels in verse 15. He says, let death steal over them. Which is a poetic way of saying, let death come upon them by surprise. Let them go down to Sheol alive. Sheol's the place of death. The best I can tell what he's saying there is let them be buried alive.
For evil is in their dwelling place and in their heart. David has put his enemies, the evil in the city, his close friend, all in the same category as he's lamenting before the Lord all of this. this shows the real thoughts and sorrow that David feels. Many of us have felt that. Maybe a co-worker that has hurt you. Maybe a family member that has hurt you. We can't relate to what David is saying here.
And then a shift happens in verse 16. After 15 verses of David before the Lord lamenting all the pain and suffering that he has endured and is facing, he shifts to the one whom he's crying out to in verse 16 and says this, but I call to God and the Lord will save me. He cries out to God because God is his help. Throughout the Psalms you see this one of the ones that David writes and throughout the Psalms the Lord is our help. The Lord is our salvation. This cry here in this Psalm is personally humbling for me to read this, to see this on display because what happens for me and I'm probably not alone is that when I face problems right, every now and then it's like clockwork in our family.
Every three years we're due for like a major medical bill that just comes out of nowhere and when it comes like we're feeling with right now it's like alright I'm going to hustle who I got to call alright, insurance company, doctors, how are we going to negotiate this? I get into I'm going to fix this.
Psalm 37: Fret Not
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
I turned my mic off before walking up here, which means it was on forever. So if the music sounded particularly good, you're welcome. Singing along. Go to Psalm 37. We're starting a series. During the summer, we're going to walk through some of the Psalms together.
So we're going to be about eight weeks in the Psalms over the course of the summer. The Psalms is the Bible's songbook. It's the Bible's hymnal where God gave us, through the psalmist, ways to pray and to praise. He gave us songs of worship and songs of lament. There are poems and wisdom in the Psalms. And so they are helpful for us to periodically take some time to just spend some time here to grow in prayer, to grow in worship, and to grow in understanding how to deal with a lot of what's going on inside of us in relation to God.
Because that's what the Psalms deal with quite often, is how we feel, and then turning over to what's theologically true in worship and what's true about God. So the Psalm we're looking at today is Psalm 37. It's a poem written by King David. And he wrote it when he was older. The way we know that is in this Psalm he says, I'm old. And so that helped us.
That was the clue. Tipped us off. And so we see that he wrote this when he's older. And what he's doing is he's looking at the world. And it's as if he's surveying everything. And he's going, okay, I see evil.
I see wickedness. And so often it seems like evil works. Wickedness helps you prosper. It's kind of what he's seeing in the world. That being violent, being aggressive, being greedy. So often seems like it helped them.
That they've prospered. That that was the way to go. To be aggressive, to be violent, to be harmful to the poor and the needy. Somehow helps people win. That's kind of what he's looking at. And you can see, you almost feel him as he's looking at this going, and that tension of, is this how this is always going to be?
Is this how this always works? And so he gives this encouragement in the midst of surveying this. That Psalm 37 is an encouragement to us. And here's what he says. Let's look at verse one.
Fret not. Fret not. That's the theme of this Psalm. Fret not. To fret is to be anxious. To be worried.
To wring our hands. To have something roll in our mind over and over again. It's this feeling of turmoil and fearfulness. It's this feeling of frustration and anxiety. And if you've lived recently, you'll know that we live in an anxious time. We live in a tumultuous, frustrated time.
And that we're told to be anxious and frustrated. That much of the message today is, aren't you mad about this? Aren't you upset by this? Don't you see what they're doing? And it really doesn't matter which side of any of these arguments or these issues that you fall on. Don't you know they're coming for you?
Don't you know they're coming for your children? Or don't you know that the children are coming for you? Don't you know they're coming for your guns? Or they have guns and they're coming? That these, whatever, which way ever it is. And all these things.
There's this general fearfulness. Anxiety and fretting. Because of the wickedness that's out there. The oppression that's out there. And how troublesome it is. And so, David says, The most helpful thing that I would just encourage you to use this in any kind of discussion you get into when someone's upset.
Calm down. That's what David says. Shh. Try that next time you get in an argument. It's nice. Works well.
I found that that works really effectively with babies. But not so much with my wife. But that's what he's saying. Fret not. And immediately your response is, Sounds great. Would love to do that.
How? I'm so glad you asked. Because that's what David's going to spend this whole Psalm explaining to us. That he proves his point. That you can fret not. So let's pray.
And let's walk through this together. Lord, if we're honest, we have so much to fret over. We have so much that if you just talk to us for a little while, if we just remain undistracted for a little while, we're afraid. Lord, we're anxious. We look into the future so often and we feel vulnerable. And so, Lord, we take a Psalm like this and we look at it and we're told to fret not.
And we pray that by the empowerment of your spirit and by the goodness of your word, that you would help us to see how that can be true practically and fundamentally in our hearts. We ask that you would apply this to us today. Help us to learn. Help us to grow. And help us to walk this out by the power of your spirit. In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen. So what we're going to do is we're going to walk very slowly through the first 11 verses. If you peek ahead, you'll see this is a long Psalm. And so after a few minutes, as we've walked through the first few verses, you're going to think, oh, we're going to be here for four and a half hours. And as much as I would enjoy that, we're not going to do that. We're going to go very slowly for the first 11 verses because in the first 11 verses we're given about 12 commands.
So in some ways, at the very beginning of this Psalm, David's taking us and grabbing us by the ears and looking us in the eye and he's talking directly to us. But at about verse 12, he releases our ears and he turns us and he says, see? So he's going to give us these commands and then he's going to go, look, I'm going to show you how this plays out. And then when we hit verse 12, we're going to move at a bigger, more landscape kind of pace. We're going to move a little faster to try to see how we can take what he told us in the first 11 verses and how he can press it in a little more in the back part.
So I'll tell you when we're making the turn. But at first, we're going to move a little bit slowly. OK. Fret. Fret not yourself because of evildoers. Be not envious of wrongdoers.
First thing I want you to notice is that the evildoers and the wrongdoers exist. He's not saying it's not as bad as you think it is. He said, no, no, no, they're out there. And I know that evildoers sounds like who Batman fights at night. Ne'er do well. But what he's saying is people who do evil, that there are wicked people.
There are people who actively seek to lie and oppress and use their power to harm. There are people who go out of their way to to take and to defend their position. They don't care about others. There are people who lie, that steal, that cheat, that murder. And he says, yes, we acknowledge that. But then he's going to tell us to fret not and be not envious.
And it feels like those are often the two paths that we kind of have when we're looking at evildoers and wrongdoers. Fretting is this general sense of anxiety, this, oh, my goodness, how is this going to work out? Oh, they're winning. It's working out for them. They're coming for us. That general feel.
And we just roll it over in our head over and over and over again. It's almost like we're churning butter. You take something that exists, take some milk, and you just keep messing with it. You keep churning it. And eventually it turns into cream and then it turns into heavy cream and then it turns into butter. And you take something that's real and you make it worse and thicker and more problematic.
That's what fretting does. Take something that's real and you just keep rolling it over and over and over again. So it's the only thing that exists. It's the only thing that you can think of. That's one of the options for us. The other one is to be envious.
And we take that route sometimes. Which is if that's how they're going to act, that's how I'm going to act. If that's how they're going to do politics, that's how we'll do politics. If that's how they're going to talk, that's how we'll talk. And it can be real simple things. Like I used to work sales.
And there's a thing I learned. Is that you sell things if you lie. I worked with a salesman. He was a great salesman. And he was a liar. People would ask him questions.
And he would just... I knew he didn't know the answer and he would just answer. And at first I was like, is that real? And he was like, I don't know. So then I just learned.
He's just making stuff up. I learned after a while that I knew more than he did. But he just would give better answers than I could. Because his were fictional. Sometimes it was just he made up an answer so that he could keep the sale going. Sometimes you asked him a question and he actually had a bad answer.
And he would just go, oh no, no, that's not these. That's those. And it's like, no, it's those too. Those also have that problem. They know their stuff. They're just...
And so you can be envious. You can go, you know what? I think I'm just going to have to lie. I think I'm just going to have to join that. I've worked with people in our... As I've been being pastor.
And trying to help them get out of situations. And they're fighting. And they're working. And they're laboring. And I've had the conversations with them. And they go, this isn't worth it.
I'm going to go back to selling weed. Because I can make so much more money so much quicker. I know it's wrong. But I'm just going to do that. Because the guys around me that are doing that, everything works out easier for them. And so there's this fretfulness or this being envious.
And he says, don't do that. And that's what he says. Don't. Stop. Stop. And I'll tell you, that's how I...
If you ever get to do counseling with me, that's how I do it. I ask you what you're doing. And I say, stop it. And then I say, let's pray. Okay. So it's not super helpful, but the meetings are short.
So you can get back on your merry way. That's what he says. He just says, stop. But he's going to tell us why. He's going to give us some reasons. We're going to move on.
So he says, for. That's how he starts this next sentence. So when he says, for, that means, here's why. Here's why not to fret. For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. He says, the reason you don't have to fret, the reason you shouldn't be envious of them is it will not work out for them ultimately.
Watch them for a little while. It doesn't work. They'll fade like the green grass. They'll wither like the green herb. They'll look about like your front yard looks right now. Unless you've been running your water constantly.
Spring came. The grass was like, ah, the sunshine. Okay, that's enough. Okay, all right. Too much. Too much.
Stop. Please stop. It's just been cooked. That's what he says. It's going to look like that. It's going to wither.
It's going to fade. It's going to fail. I don't get green herbs a lot, but I do sometimes buy bananas. If you have children, they'll have a week where they each eat three bananas a day. And you're like, oh, we eat bananas here. And then you buy a bunch of bananas.
And they're like, I don't like bananas. I don't get that away from me. And so then you watch like seven bananas that you bought just so you could murder on your counter. And you watch them wither. That's what he's saying is that if you watch it for a little while, it's going to fail. It's going to fade.
And I love how this is written because he says they. Now, he's referring to the evildoers and the wrongdoers. But I love that he says they because isn't that who's after us? They. You ever have someone go, you hear what they're doing? Do you hear what they just did?
It's never anything good. They is not out to help us. It's never like, you know what I heard they're doing? They take our military and they train them so that if something bad happens, they can show up and help. Can you believe that? I heard they're taking our teachers and they're teaching them so that later they can teach our children how to read.
Can you believe that? It's never what they're doing. They're coming for you. They're coming for your wallet. They're coming for your children. They're coming for your house.
They're killing all your cattle. They're invading all these things. They did covid so they could put the batteries back in the birds. All the crazy things they are doing. They are never up to anything good. And it just depends on who you're talking to as to what they are doing.
And I will encourage you every once in a while, go to the other side of the Internet so you can hear that your team wins, too. They're scared of you also. But they are never up to anything good. And so I think what you can do is say, you know what I heard? I heard they will soon wither like the grass. And fade like the herb.
We're going to be OK. They won't win. The wickedness that they're up to, the evil that they're up to, they won't win. That's the promise. That's why you don't have to fear is because they. Will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.
So he keeps going. Trust in the Lord and do good. Trust in the Lord and do good. Dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. What he's not saying is don't do anything. He says do good.
Do what's in front of you to do. When he defines this later, he's going to talk a good bit about generosity. He brings that up a couple of times. You do good. You do what's in front of you to do. But you do that out of a position of trust, not fear.
We do that out of a position of faithfulness, not fretfulness. We do that out of a position of understanding who he is and how good he is and that we're supposed to follow him. Not if we don't do this, everything will fall apart and they'll get us. We get to trust and do. But you got to be in the position of trust that ultimately.
We have a Lord. That's what he says. We don't have to be fearful. We have a Lord. He's king. He's in charge.
He rules with a scepter. He's the king of kings and the Lord of lords. He's overseeing this. Trust him and then do. And I love the back half of that verse where he says, dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. I stared at that for a long time.
I was just trying to wrap my head around what does dwell in the land mean? And I think in this context, what he's getting at is. Live a life. Trust the Lord enough to live a life. To plant, to harvest, to build. To live.
Don't always have your bags packed. Don't always have one foot out the door. Don't live in such a way that you can't ever think that anything good will happen in the future so that you're terrified. Dwell in the land. And then he says, befriend faithfulness. Make faithfulness your friend.
That's your new friend. I appreciate that. Because so often we've befriended anxiety. Fearfulness is our best friend. You're about to go to bed at night. And anxiety just busts up in the door.
Opens your refrigerator. Sits down on the couch next to you. It was like, hey. I was thinking. What if first we'll just start running through some memories from middle school for the heck of it. Then I'm going to tell you how all your friends currently think about you.
I can read their thoughts. And guess what? It's not looking too good for you. Then I'm going to tell you how the future is going to go. Awful. Spoiler alert.
And then after we've done this for a couple of hours. So it's like, I don't know, one or two in the morning. Then we're just going to talk about how you haven't fallen asleep yet. And tomorrow is going to be awful. And we'll just discuss how you should fall asleep. But because I won't shut up.
You're not going to. That's our friend. Faithfulness. Fearfulness. Anger. He says, no, no, no.
I mean, did I say faithfulness? Yeah. He's not our friend yet. But we should have him as our friend. Y'all got it. Pay attention.
All right. Faithfulness is who your friend needs to be. That you're trusting in the Lord. You're walking steadily in faithfulness. And so often we've made anxiety, anger, and fear. That's who we dwell with.
And he says, no, no, no. Trust in the Lord. He's good. You have a Lord who oversees all of this. Let's keep going.
Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. If we can learn to find what is good and fulfilling from the Lord. That if our hope is in him, two things happen. First, if your delight is in the Lord and then someone comes and says, don't you know they're going to take everything from you? Not my delight.
They can't take him. They can take everything. But where my hope is, where my fulfillment is, they can't take. See, if our delight is in the Lord, then everything else gets to be everything else. That if he's really where our joy is, if he's really where our foundation is, then guess what? Money gets to just be money.
It's nice. It's helpful. It can be a gift. But it's not our hope. It's not our future. If our delight is in the Lord, then our kids just get to be our kids.
Little sinners that live in our house. They don't get to be what makes us okay. They don't get to be what saves us. They don't have to be our hope and our future. If our delight is in the Lord, then our relationships, our romance just gets to be that. A gift.
It's nice. But it doesn't have to fix our souls or save us or make us lovable. And then, as our delight is in the Lord, he says, he'll give you the desires of your heart. Now, this isn't like a wink your delight is in the Lord and then you get whatever you want. Like, okay, how do I make him think my delight is there so that then I can have what I really like? That's not how that works.
What he's saying is if you genuinely have your heart set in the Lord where your joy comes from him, then he blesses and works in a way that you get what your delight is. You get him and you get the other stuff, but the other stuff just falls in its right spot. And it doesn't have to be there for you to be okay. That's what Jesus says when he says to seek first the kingdom of God and the rest of this will be added to you. That if you've got this in place, everything else falls into place. And if it doesn't fall into place the way you want it to, you're still okay because your delight's in him.
Verse 5. Commit your way to the Lord. Trust in him and he will act. So this is the same thing he's been saying to us the whole time. He's telling us, trust him. Commit your way to him.
What's just a saying? Don't be envious of wrongdoers. Just say, Lord, I'm going to do the thing that you tell me to do. I'm going to walk the path that you lay out for me. And we trust him and he Acts. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light and your justice as the noon day.
That justice and righteousness are carried out by him. That he Acts on our behalf so that we can trust him knowing that he's going to accomplish these things. Verse 8. Oh, verse 7. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him. Fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way over the man who carries out evil devices.
I want you to see what it doesn't say is that evil never works. What it's saying is that evil never ultimately works. That you watch them and they prosper in their way. That it's a good way to get ahead. And he just says, yeah, but it's temporary. They're carrying out evil devices.
They're winning. Have you noticed how much culture, your social media, your radio, your YouTube videos, and your friends who are on social media, listen to their radio or watch YouTube videos, are telling you they're winning. We're losing. They're prospering. And if you said, yes, I've got a plan. I'm going to be still and wait.
What? When something happens, people will post, you know, our thoughts and prayers. And people have started just saying, we don't need your thoughts and prayers. We need your action. We don't need being still and waiting. We need you to move and do.
I will say, the world actually doesn't need our prayers. It doesn't need us to post on Facebook that we're praying. Just throwing that out there. It does need our prayers. But there's this general sense of you're going to wait.
You're going to be still. That's crazy. You've got stuff to do. Aren't you enraged? Aren't you frustrated? Aren't you scared?
Don't you see what's going on? Verse 8. Refrain from anger and forsake wrath. Fret not yourself. It tends only to evil. I've said this before, but one of my favorite types of movie is the you've ticked off the wrong guy movie.
I love that movie. Like, he was minding his own business. You started it. Now you and all your friends are going to die. It's one of my favorite westerns is that. Look at this farmer.
Uh-oh. Now he's going to have to kill everyone. But what verse 8 says is that Denzel Washington is lying to you. That this tends towards evil. And that we're to forsake wrath. We're to refrain from anger.
There's some amount of, I should be mad. I should be angry. And this is going to fuel my work. This is going to fuel what we're going to do. I'm going to use this anger as a furnace. I'm going to fret.
I'm going to wrap my head around this. And we're going to be able to accomplish this. And he says, yeah, that actually just leads to more evil. Calm down. Fret not. Verse 9.
For, again, he's telling us why. He's reminding us over and over again why. For the evildoers shall be cut off. But those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land. Who cut the evildoers off? The Lord.
And those who waited. Inherit the land. That God goes to work. That's what he's saying. Take a deep breath. Calm down.
God works. Now there are times where God works through people. And that's where it's trust in the Lord and do good. There are things to do. But to be done from a position of faithfulness and trust.
Not from fearfulness. In just a little while, the wicked will be no more. Though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there. But the meek shall inherit the land. And delight themselves in abundant peace. This is where, that the meek shall inherit the land is what Jesus is saying when he says, Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
This is a direct quote of this. So here's what we've been told so far. Trust. Trust. Be still. Wait.
Wait. Wait. Refrain. Forsake. Fret not. Fret not.
Can you hear David's tone? Come have a seat. Look at me. It's going to be okay. Wait. Be still for a second.
Well, I've got to, I've got to, we've got to. Be still for a second. Wait. Trust. Trust. Don't worry.
Don't worry. See, our culture looks at us. And if we say, that's what we're doing. I'm trusting. Don't you care? Yeah, I care.
But I'm trusting. Aren't you going to do something? Yeah, I'm going to wait. I'm going to be still for a moment. I'm going to wait on the Lord. Our culture tells us, oh, you're just putting your head in the sand.
You're just looking down. And David says, no, no, no, we're not looking down. We're looking up. I cast my eyes to the hills. That's where my help comes from. It's not up to me.
I'm not the hero of this story. But there is a hero. There is a Lord. And I'm going to sit and watch. Because he's coming. And he's going to sort this out.
And he's going to help us. And I'm going to trust that his timing is good. Because I trust that he is good. Okay. We've made it to verse 12. Now David's going to turn with us.
He's just going to start telling us how things work. We're going to move a little faster. You're going to have to do a little more work to pay attention. But I believe in you. It says, The wicked plots against the righteous. And gnashes his teeth at him.
But the Lord laughs at the wicked. For he sees that his day is coming. The wicked draw the sword. And bend their bows. To bring down the poor and needy. To slay those whose way is upright.
Their sword shall enter their own heart. And their bows shall be broken. Better is the little that the righteous has. Than the abundance of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken. But the Lord upholds the righteous.
The Lord knows the days of the blameless. And their heritage will remain forever. They are not put to shame in evil times. You ever feel like we're in evil times? They are not put to shame in evil times. In the days of famine they have abundance.
But the wicked will perish. The enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures. They vanish like smoke. They vanish away. Why can we sit and wait and trust on the Lord? Because he watches the wicked and he knows their day is coming.
Because he breaks their bows. He breaks their arms. He takes their sword from them and sticks it back in their own heart. He breaks their bows. He breaks their arms. And he takes their sword and sticks it back in their own heart.
Now, that means we can wait. That means you can sit. That means you can be still. That means you can trust. Now our culture tells us this is backwards.
Our culture says, how dare God judge? Did you hear that? Who is he to sit and say what's right and what's wrong? Who is he to say this is good, this is bad? Who is he to... I can't believe in a God that would judge, that would have wrath.
I can't believe in a God that would send people to hell. And then, at the same time... Which the answer to who is he is. The answer is he's God. But at the same time, they'll say to us, aren't you mad?
Aren't you frustrated? Don't you see how wrong this is? Aren't you going to fight to fix this? Aren't you going to stand up for injustice? So they want us to be excellent Judges, but they don't think that God is.
And the Bible says, no, that's backwards. Humble yourself, trust in the Lord, and know that he's a good judge. There's an idea that the thing that makes us peaceful is that we believe that God is kind and peaceful. That if we believe in a God of anger and wrath, then we'll be angry, wrathful people. But if we believe a God who's loved, then we'll be loving.
But there's a theologian, he's a Yale theologian. His name is Miroslav Volf. He's a Croatian, and he saw all the violence in the Balkans. And in his work, The Exclusion and Embrace, he says this is the exact opposite. What he says is, my thesis that the practice of nonviolence requires a belief in divine vengeance will be unpopular with many Christians, especially theologians in the West. What he says is, if you're going to be calm, if you're going to sit, if you're going to wait, you have to believe that there's a God who breaks bows, breaks arms, and kills the wicked.
That if you're going to be calm, if you're going to wait, you have to trust that there is a God who does not let evildoers escape. That's his thesis. And he says that this idea, he said, soon you will discover that it takes the quiet of a suburban home for the birth of the thesis that human nonviolence corresponds to God's refusal to judge. So he's saying, if you believe, no, no, no, the only way we can be nonviolent is if he refuses to judge. He says, that takes the quiet of a suburban home. In a scorched land, soaked in the blood of the innocent, it will invariably die.
In his work, he says, when you, when you, your village has first been pillaged, then knocked to the ground, when your wives and sisters have been assaulted and your brothers and fathers have had their throats slit, you have to believe that there's a God who takes up the sword. Otherwise, you have to. And so, if we're going to not fret in the midst of evil, we have to believe in this God that Psalm 37 just told us about. that he breaks bows and he breaks arms and that evil doesn't win. And if that's true, then you can take a deep breath and trust his timing and his justice and his judgment. Otherwise, we have to fret.
Verse 21, the wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives. I want you to just look at that for a second because it's likely that you don't put money in the category of wickedness and righteousness, but the Bible does. The wicked borrows and does not pay back. Some of you might need to consider how you're operating in some low-level wickedness in your tool shed. You might need to consider how your bookshelf operates and operates in some low-level wickedness. The wicked borrows and doesn't pay back, but the righteous is generous and give.
Twice when he gives examples of what the righteous does, he talks about they're generous. For those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the land, but those cursed by him shall be cut off. The steps of a man are established by the Lord when he delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand. So those who delight in the Lord are walking around holding hands with him.
I don't know if you've had the opportunity to walk and hold hands with a child that wants to hold your hand. It is a blessed thing. Often I hold hands with unwilling participants. My four-year-old says, you're hurting my hand. And I say, well, quit trying to snatch it out of my hand and I won't hold it so tight. But we're in a parking lot, homie.
You're this tall and you don't have any sense. People can't see you and you're dumb. That's a recipe for disaster. But there are times when he willingly chooses to hold my hand and it's wonderful. And I don't know if you can think back to the times that you got to hold onto a hand that was much bigger than yours and that was keeping you safe and that ability to hold the hand helped you know you were going to be okay. And that's what he says that when we delight in the Lord we just get to walk along holding a hand.
It's so much bigger than ours. And when we fall, because we will, we aren't cast headlong. We trip. We fall. But our head doesn't smash into something because he's holding our hand.
You might say, well, I've fallen. It's like, yeah. He's got you. And he picks you back up. And we get to keep going. That's the promise there.
I have been young and now am old. Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. He is ever lending generously and his children become a blessing. Turn away from evil and do good. So shall you dwell forever for the Lord loves justice.
He will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever. Some of you need to wrap your soul up in that. In the midst of your sin, in the midst of your doubt, he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever. The children of the wicked shall be cut off.
The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever. The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom and his tongue speaks justice. The law of his God is in his heart. His steps do not slip. The wicked watches for the righteous and seeks to put him to death. The Lord will not abandon him to his power or let him be condemned when he is brought to trial.
Now wait for the Lord and keep his way and he will exalt you to inherit the land and you will look on when the wicked are cut off. I have seen a wicked, ruthless man spreading himself like a green laurel tree. But he passed away and behold, he was no more. Though I sought him, he could not be found. You see, death is the end of the wicked but the righteous are held forever. Mark the blameless and behold the upright for there is a future for the man of peace but transgressors shall be altogether destroyed.
The future of the wicked shall be cut off. We're going to finish where he finishes which is verse 39 and 40. We're going to look at this for just a moment. The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord. He is their stronghold in the time of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them.
He delivers them from the wicked and saves them because they take refuge in him. Fret not. How? Fret not. Calm down. Don't be anxious.
How? The answer is theological and outside of you. He says, trust the Lord. Look at who he is. Look at what he does. The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord.
He is their stronghold in the time of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them. He delivers them from the wicked and saves them because they take refuge in him. The only thing that you do is run to him to take refuge. He does everything else. Fretting not is anti-work.
It's not something you accomplish. It's something you run to him and then he does everything else. It's trusting. It's placing faith in him. And he does everything else. My little boy that I was just talking about came back from preschool and he had gotten to go to the library.
And the preschool library has a lot of just books that people have turned over. Kind of a lot of used books. Their teacher teaches them in the library that you get what you get and you don't pitch a fit. Which is fun to then quote at them now. It's like, you get what you get and you don't pitch a fit. He brought home a book that was Batman's secret code book and he was pumped.
And so it was this Batman's secret code book and you open it up and it's got little pictures of Batman and it's got these huge giant blobs of red. And on the front of the book it says, use your secret decoder glasses. Well the person who generously gave this to the school didn't seem to give those or they stayed at the first house they went home with or whatever. But we didn't have Batman's secret code book. We had Batman's giant red blobby mess. So he was excited and I was like, yeah we'll read that later.
And I got on Amazon and I ordered some old school 3D glasses with the blue side and the red side. And so when that came in we had secret decoder one-eyed things that you could look through. And so then, I hate bragging up here. But I know all Batman's secrets. I know a lot of things about Batman that y'all don't know. Because we decoded Batman's secret decoder book.
Often, when we're looking at the Old Testament, what we get to do as Christians is see the whole picture. When they were promised that they could trust in the Lord, they didn't know how far the Lord would go to prove His trustworthiness. When they promised life for the righteous that was eternal, they didn't know how God was going to accomplish that. But we do. That we get to look at this through the cross, through the resurrection, through, when we talk about the Lord, we know of a risen king who's one day going to return and set everything right. And we get to look at this and know that if He wouldn't withhold Himself from us, that if God wouldn't withhold His Son from us, how can we not trust Him in all things?
If He's for us, who can be against us? This is Psalm 37 parallels so well with Romans chapter 8 where it says all of this is going on but we have hope in something bigger and better and we have an assurance in Christ that's been accomplished for us forever so that we can trust knowing that He rules, that He reigns, that He's good and that He's trustworthy. The band's going to come back up and we're going to try to be people who fret not. The next time someone comes to you and tells you what they are doing, I want you to say yes, but they will wither and my King will not. They will fall but the Word of the Lord lasts forever and though they take everything from me, I'll still have what I delight in which is my King and the righteous are preserved forever and I am not made righteous through my own works but I'm made righteous through Christ and I get to walk in faithfulness not fear.
That's our hope that we can be people who are not wrapped up in anxiety and frustration because we have a King in whom we trust. Let's pray. Lord, may we be people who have joy and delight because we have you and may we be people who can be still, who can forsake wrath, who can trust because you are trustworthy. We praise you that you save sinners and that you judge righteously and that our hope is in you both to rescue us from our sin and to rescue us from evil. we leave it up to you in your wisdom and your timing and your grace. Amen.
All Send, Some Go
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
That. You know, it's a good set when chunks of drumsticks are flying around. I don't know if any of y'all caught that or not. I think there's a small piece of drumstick in the baptismal back there. I know what you're thinking. Who is this guy?
My name is Raz. If you've been around here for a while, I'm the hidden pastor who doesn't come up and speak here very often. Despite the fact that I spend the least amount of time speaking from this stage this morning, I am easily, easily, like worlds apart, the most qualified of our four pastors to speak. The topic is missions, particularly overseas mission, and I am an overseas missionary. I was sent as a missionary to the long lost nation across the Pacific, the United States of America, a decade ago. And for the last 10 painstaking blood, sweat, and tearsy years, I have labored for the kingdom.
History books have not yet been written that will include the name of Raz Bradley and his missionary conquest of the United States of America. If you haven't heard me speak before, yeah, it's always like this. When I first moved to the States, I moved straight here. I moved to Columbia. I went to CIU for grad school. And one of the first things that struck me as I was touring, I guess, the city, one of my friends took me for a tour downtown, was the overwhelming number of churches, church buildings specifically.
And I remember standing in downtown Columbia, and I was on the corner of, I don't know which streets they are, and I could see eight different churches from one corner. And some of them I'm giving myself credit for with like a steeple over there. But I could see the existence, the presence of eight churches from one corner. In downtown Columbia, there is two Lutheran churches that are separated by one block. They had enough people in that Lutheran church to start a second one a block away at some point. But the fact is, there is more churches than houses in downtown Columbia.
The very building that we're in was formerly known as First Baptist Church of Casey. If you go this way for about a mile, you'll hit a church called First Baptist Church of West Columbia. And in order to get there, you have to get on State Street. But while you're driving from First Baptist Church Casey to First Baptist Church West Columbia, you will pass on State Street, State Street Baptist Church. That's three churches, three Baptist churches on a one mile strip of State Street. Well, I'm giving us credit.
We're a block off. If you go out these back doors, you'll be on a street that goes this way called Holland Avenue. If you take Holland Avenue that direction for about a mile, or you'll take Holland Avenue for about half a mile, and you'll take 12th Street for about half a mile, you'll come to another Baptist Church. This Baptist Church is called Holland Avenue Baptist Church, which is curious, seeing as we're on Holland Avenue and they're on 12th Street. Go figure. The point is, on a world scale, the saturation of churches in this area is kind of crazy.
Which is why when I say I am a brave missionary to the United States, we all kind of know that that's a joke. And it's not that we don't think that America needs the gospel. I think we would all probably claim that. But it is amusing to think of America, this area, as needing missionaries. But why?
Why is that? If I'm a Christian and I want to tell others about Jesus and I leave my motherland and I travel 15 hours on a flight to go somewhere else to tell people about Jesus, why shouldn't that count? And whether or not we like to admit it, I think we all intrinsically have an answer. Whether or not it's the correct answer, I don't know. We have an answer. And the answer is, bro, there's already churches here, right?
Access to the gospel here already exists. If you meet someone around here who's never heard the name of Jesus, it's because they just arrived here from somewhere else. If you're from here, you've heard of Jesus and you know where to go looking for him if you want him. And so a great irony exists here. The American church sends the vast majority of its money and missionaries overseas to places that already have access to the gospel. And we don't realize that we're engaged in exactly the same logical fallacy that makes the idea of Raz Bradley being a missionary to the United States amusing.
I'm supposed to be wrapping up this series today, but the truth is we are just getting started. So at risk of being slightly repetitive, I'm going to be restating a lot of the stuff that we've already talked about throughout this series. Uh, this is the conclusion to the introduction. And I know that y'all don't speak the Queen's English, but in real English, when we conclude an introduction, the entire point of that is to set the stage for what's about to come for the rest of the story. And that's the point of today is to conclude the introduction, but set us up for what comes for the rest of the story.
Uh, let's pray as we, we kick off this morning and turn to God's word. Father, we thank you for the privilege of living in an area where there is easy access to the gospel. Please give us a desire to see the good news of Jesus reach into the darkest places in the world, that those who are far from you could come to know Jesus. Amen. Let's take a quick look at the guiding verse on missions.
It's called the Great Commission. This is when Jesus sends out his apostles at the end of the book of Matthew. This is going to be up on the screen, uh, Matthew 28, and I'm going to start in verse 18. It says, and Jesus came and said to them, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you and behold, I am with you always to the end of the age. The word, the, the section we're really focusing on today is, is that middle section in verse 19 and specifically the words that Jesus spoke that are translated to all nations.
Uh, in previous weeks, Chet has talked about how the, the original word in Greek is S. N. And so most of y'all, I'm assuming don't speak Greek. That says Panta, T. S. N.
That means all of the nations, or at least S. N. A. is translated in that section as nations. And what we talked about is that a better translation than nations, because when we hear the word nation, we think of countries with borders and governments and that kind of thing. A better translation would be people group or ethnicities. And that what Jesus is actually commanding is for us to take the good news to every people group.
Now it wasn't always this way. The evangelical church has erred on the translation for some time. Uh, we even called, if we go to the next slide, we even called our sermon series, all nations. And we did that knowing full well that in that section of scripture, we don't prefer the translation nations. We prefer a different translation, but guys, if you didn't know yet, I'm a little bit of a wizard with computers and things like this are easily fixed. And so you can just get a little bit of Photoshop in there and change it.
I was on my work computer. I didn't have Photoshop. That was paint, but you get the point. All nations is, is not the preferred translation. All ethnic, all people groups is how we should think about it. In my brief semesters as a missiological historian in seminary, I wrote papers on what is now commonly known of as the Lausanne movement.
Lausanne is the name of a city in Switzerland where a number of, uh, mission, uh, conferences were held in the 1970s. Uh, the first one was in July of 1974, 2,300 evangelical leaders from across the world, about 150 countries were represented. They all came to Lausanne in Switzerland to discuss the status of God's mission. Uh, essentially it was a state of the union for global evangelism. This is a big oversimplification, but one of the main questions that was being asked at the conference addresses the very nature of this all nations idea, this, what do we do with the all nations phrase? Because in general, in throughout evangelical, uh, history up to that point, the rallying cry of evangelical Christianity was that we should have a Christian church in every nation that is in every country and that God's mission would somehow become accomplished if we could just get a church in every country.
In fact, uh, there's an Anglican archbishop. His name is William temple. This is 30 years before Lausanne in 1942. He wrote that the great new fact of our time is the existence of the Christian church in nearly every nation on earth. So, uh, if God's mission was almost accomplished in 1942, how come in 1974, they were having these massive conferences in Switzerland to discuss whether or not the mission was done yet. And why are we still talking about it today?
Uh, at Lausanne in 1974, there was this bloke, his name was Ralph winter. Ralph winter, uh, was a relatively unknown person at the time, but he, he made his, he made his name at Lausanne. Uh, and he died. What he diagnosed was that in the church was what he called people blindness. And so I'm going to read a chunk of what he said at Lausanne in 1974. He said, I think this is up on the screen.
He said, I'm afraid that all our exaltation about the fact that every country of the world has been penetrated has allowed us to suppose that every culture has by now also been penetrated. This misunderstanding is a malady so widespread that it deserves a special name. Let us call it people blindness. That is blindness to the existence of separate peoples within countries. The nations to which Jesus often referred were mainly ethnic groups. The phrase make disciple of all ethnic does not let us off the hook.
Once we have a church in every country, God wants a strong church within every people. Uh, he went on in that same speech at Lausanne to estimate that, uh, over 95% of all missionaries deployed outside of the West, uh, were sent to be among other Christians or to countries that had established churches. He confronted at Lausanne, the global church for sending only a tiny fraction of all missionaries to what he described as the largest proportions of non-believing people groups, primarily the people groups among hidden Hindus, Muslims, and the Chinese. That was all in 1974. So fast forward to today, 2022, it's 48 years.
Let's call it 50. Uh, you've seen this map. This map has come up in previous weeks, uh, in green are areas, not countries because it's kind of split up all over the place, but areas in which access to the gospel is easy. In yellow is areas that have limited access to the gospel. And in red are areas with almost no gospel presence. In week one of this series, Chet, uh, quoted from David Platt, who spoke at this year's Together for the Gospel Conference.
Uh, it's a huge conference that happened in Kentucky. All of our pastors and Isaac went to the conference. Uh, there was 10,000 people there and, and he diagnosed three problems. And I don't want to talk about the second problem. Uh, but instead of quoting him again, I actually want to, uh, do something pretty cringeworthy, which is play a clip from another sermon inside of my own sermon. It's not really kosher.
You're not supposed to do that, but I'm going to do it today because I think Platt's demeanor and the visual that he draws attention to, uh, something that would be missed if I just kind of read what he said. And so, uh, we're going to play about a minute and a half of what Platt said at Together for the Gospel. Now, before we do that, uh, it's going to sound a little echoey. He was in a massive hall with 10,000 people in it. So that's not an effect that we're putting on there.
It's just the nature of the recording. So let's watch that. The church, our churches are practically ignoring the 3 billion people who need the gospel most. And this statement is not just anecdotal. I could show you the research, give you the Numbers. I'll let just one summarize the picture.
We as Christians in our country spend most of our money on ourselves, but we do give, we give collective billions of dollars to our churches, most of which we spend on making our churches more comfortable for ourselves. And then out of that money we give to churches and ministries, we give billions of dollars to missions, to gospel and church work and other places in the world, what we would call missions giving. But did you know, we've done the research that approximately 99% of our missions giving, so not talking about all of our resources or not even all of our giving in the church, like specifically that which we're giving to missions, approximately 99% of missions giving goes to people and places in the world that already have access to the gospel. to green and yellow places on this map. So the problem that he diagnoses is that the church is practically ignoring the people and places most unreached by the gospel.
50 Years later, after Ralph Winter diagnosed a problem of people blindness, Ralph Winter diagnosed that we're sending missionaries to places that already have the gospel. 50 years later, what's the update? I know it's a different statistic, but it's very closely related. Platt said that 99% of church giving, church giving specifically to missions, goes to countries and places that already have access to the gospel. So have we got better?
Or have we got worse? About the same. In no unclear terms, a problem has been diagnosed. And this is the problem that Platt said. The church is practically ignoring the people and places most unreached by the gospel. So what next?
Let's turn back to God's word and think through some practical steps for the global church, for Mill City Church, and for each of us as believers. I will go back to Matthew 28. This is the Great Commission again, just verse 19 this time. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. If you're relatively new at this church, we have four pastors. They all have different personalities, different types.
I am typically known in our church as the nicest of all the pastors. I'm the one who's always kind and polite, never sarcastic or abrasive. I don't know why y'all are laughing. But for the purpose of reinforcing the way that people view me, I'm going to be very dramatic in the way that I read exactly the same chunk again to almost condescendingly draw really obvious attention to the really obvious command here. All right, y'all ready for this?
Go and make disciples of all people groups, all ethnic. Go and make disciples of all people. This is something we are missing regularly. All people, all people groups, all ethnicities. Go and make disciples of all people. And in order for this to happen, somebody has to go.
That's the point there. The call here is urgent. The mission is critical. And yet, those willing to do it are few. Now, it can't be everybody, obviously. But it has to be somebody.
In fact, it's going to be somebody. It can't be everybody. But it has to be somebody. So here's how I want us to start thinking about this, how we should be shaping our conversation in a healthy way so as not to overburden or guilt trip ourselves, but at the same time to actively contribute to God's mission amongst the nations, amongst all people groups in tangible ways. And here's what I want us to remember. Remember, everyone sends and some go.
Everyone sends and some go. Now, to be clear, this is the most all-encompassing version of the word everyone. This is not one of those ones with exceptions where you say, I told a joke and everyone laughed. That could be true. That might not be true. This is everyone, unequivocally everyone.
All Christians are senders. They are supporters. They are cheerleaders. They are funders. They are ralliers. They are burden carriers.
They are sustainers. They are boosters. They are advocates. They are prayer warriors. There are missionaries on the front line working to get into the darkest places to bring the good news that Jesus rescues us from sin and gives us a path to salvation. If we put faith in him.
There are people in the darkest places in the world trying to get that message through. And if we're not there holding their hand, we ought to be supporters who are sending. I think we get this idea. It may come easier with an example. During World War II, the U.S. came together as a nation to fight the evil Axis powers. There was a bunch of soldiers who went.
They all went overseas to go off and fight the war. But there was a lot that happened on the home front as well. Folks rationed. Entire factories were transformed to stop producing things for household goods and cars. And instead, they produced munitions and tanks. Everyone sacrificed together because they knew the stakes.
And they believed in the cause. That is what the church does when they support those who go. We give financially. We pray daily. We correspond when we can. And we engage with those on the front lines.
Christians are senders. Everyone sends and some go. Now, we don't know who among us will go yet. I pray that that number increases. I pray that as we have a burden for global evangelism, that the number of us who would go would increase. In the past few weeks, we've had David Taylor from Empower One and Ben Johnson from 1040 Hope, both encouraging our church family to pray and consider the possibility that you might be called to go.
And specifically, to the red places. It's my hope that each one of us can see enough of the beauty of Jesus, enough of that to take that missionary call seriously. Seriously enough that we would consider it. Seriously enough that we would pray about it. Am I called? Should I go?
And if you feel that there's a part of you tugging you, urging you forward to answer some part of that call, then your response is to take next steps, to learn more, to talk to Ben, and begin a conversation about what it looks like not just to go, but to be prepared to go and reach people in the red zone. Everyone sends, some go. Now, it would be negligent to spend a whole mission series and not circle back to look at what beauty is accomplished when the mission is complete. We looked here in week one. This is going to be Revelation 7. It'll be up on the screen.
This is the Apostle John writing about the vision that he has at the end of time. He says this, You want to know what that means? Guys, someday, and it may not be today, but someday, the gospel will infiltrate the ethne. The people groups in the red zones in Afghanistan, in Yemen, in Somalia, in Sudan, Pakistan, Syria, Iraq, Mali, Libya. Those are countries. We've talked about the fact that we're not talking about countries.
We're talking about people groups. The Tajik, the Pashtun, the Uzbek, the Hazara, the Emak. All of these people groups have less than 0.02% evangelical Christians as part of their population. All of these people groups speak different primary languages. All of these people groups reside inside of the nation of Afghanistan. And there's about 35 million of them in just those people groups that I named, along with another 70 individually identified unreached people groups that also reside inside of Afghanistan.
Now, to our Western ears, that is a pretty scary list full of hostile-sounding countries, potentially hostile-sounding people groups. It is no wonder that there is not a line of people who want to go serve there. We're not talking about mission trips to the Bahamas. We're talking about mission trips to the hardest places in the world. It's dangerous. It's hard work.
But someone is going to go. And when they do, when the gospel takes root, a glorious and beautiful picture will come to fruition, like the final pieces of a 10, no, 100,000-piece puzzle, finally coming together so that we can see it in its true glory. At the end of time, in the throne room of the king, a great multitude that no one could number from every nation, every tribe, every people, every language, stand before God in awe and worship. You may be thinking similar thoughts that I think the first time, or that I thought the first time I heard a lot of this. In the grand scheme of things, I'm one little person in a country of 330 million on a planet with some 7.5 billion.
Multiply that by the generations that have existed in the couple thousand years since Jesus and multiply again by the generations before that. What good, how big a part am I actually going to play? Admittedly, and we have to admit it, it's a pretty bleak mindset. It's a pretty defeated mindset. If everyone had this mindset, no one would go. But if every church, every believer shifted that mindset, baby steps shifted that mindset towards obedience to God's call, to Jesus' commission, then we would see the kind of global changes that it would take to reach all of those people in the red areas.
If God's mission is that the church would go and make disciples of all people, what's my role? Well, we beat the drum of local missions for years at Mill City. That is the idea that we would talk about Jesus to our colleagues, our friends, our neighbors, our family. That's part of it. That's day-to-day life. That is easy-ish, but it's low-hanging fruit.
It's right in front of us. We should be engaging in that as commonplace. But there's also the part that includes reaching those people groups that no one else is going to. Everybody sends some go. Now, maybe you should go. Maybe that's something that you should be having conversations about.
But you should definitely send. In the past month, again, David Taylor and Ben Johnson, both of whom work for organizations reaching red countries, both of whom have offices in our building right there, they've been platformed to talk about different ways that we can send. You should also know that we, as a church, have increased our missions giving this year. And since the Rockies returned from the field, we've taken everything on that budget line item and allocated that directly to support 1040 Hope. We now give 1040 Hope $575 a month. That may seem like a lot.
That may seem like it's insignificant. I don't really know how you interpret 575 bucks a month to the red areas. But what it represents in our church is a down payment on where we're going long term. It is a down payment that we are committed to reaching unreached areas. And one of the difficulties in my life is picking and choosing the kinds of things that I want to support. I think, to a degree, everyone has to make those decisions.
It's not just how much money should I be giving. It's also who should I be giving that money to. And I have to admit, sinfully in my own heart, that some pretty awful stuff happens when I start to consider something like missions in Afghanistan. I have trust issues. Is that organization going to waste the money? Is it going to get stolen?
Is it going to impact anything? Will there be a return on investment? Is it going to be a return on investment? Worse, there's downright racism. Afghanistan? Aren't they the guys who are trying to kill everyone in the West?
Why should I care what happens to them? Why should I care if they meet Jesus or not? Aren't they the enemy? There's lack of faith. That country is too far gone. I don't think God could perform a miracle and save them.
There's pride. You get very little recognition when you give to something that happens on the other side of the planet. It's much easier to give to something right here where you can take a photo of yourself, handing over a big check, and put it on Facebook and look really good. Sometimes they slap your name on a building. And of course, there's comfort. Why give my money away to something that seems hopeless when I can just spend it on me on Amazon?
In general, I am likely to have a lot of reasons that I don't give to something like this. But ultimately, what that does, what all of my reasons, what all of my excuses do, is highlight the different areas that I don't believe in God's plan to reach all people. That I am out of sync ultimately and not lined up with God and his desire to reach all people. And that needs to be fixed in myself. So what is the correct response to this?
God calls us to take the gospel to all people. And we've been ignoring those who need it most. Some should go. But all of us, Mill City Church, should and will send. The hardest hitting part of David Platt's message, the message that we played a clip from, the hardest hitting part for me in that sermon, the part that kind of hurt, that was a gut punch, you have to understand, he was addressing church leaders from across the country and across the world. There was 10,000 of us there.
The room was massive. And he said to all of us, at some point, collectively, we've got to decide to rectify this great imbalance and obey this great commission. We've got to mobilize billions of dollars and tens of thousands of missionaries to get the gospel to the red zone. This all-nation series, this all-ethne series, it's intended to serve as something of a pivot point for us as a church. These conversations about the red countries, we've referred to it sometimes as the 1040 window. We want all of this language, all of this idea of the unreached or the red areas, we want this to be commonplace for us as we talk consistently about missions and reaching every tribe, tongue, and nation.
Some of us will go. All of us at Mill City are going to send. Matt Freeman's going to make his way back up. I'm going to close out with three thoughts of things we get to do in response, not just to this today, but the whole series. Y'all should be able to predict all three of these. They're very straightforward and very simple.
The first one is pray. Pray for those who are already on the field. Pray for the organizations trying to reach the unreached. Pray for those who are going to be called. And pray for those who live in the red zones. The second one, also very obvious, is give.
Look at your budget. What does it show about what you care most? What changes can you make in order to reorient yourself towards God's mission? Some of y'all should start giving directly to organizations that send people to the red zones on top of what you're already giving to Mill City and other causes. The third one, also obvious, is go. I realize that this one is not going to be for everyone, but it will be for some.
Some of y'all need to stop ignoring the call to missions. You need to take steps to see what it would mean to begin training and eventually be launched specifically to the red areas on the map. Like I said at the beginning this morning, today is the conclusion of a series, but it is the beginning of a new way of thinking for us in Mill City about global missions and for our church. And in obedience to him, all of us will send. And I pray that some of us will go. Let's pray.
Father, we recognize this morning that the message of the gospel, the good news that Jesus came for us is for all people. And that there are billions of people who don't even know who Jesus is and don't even have a way to find out more about him. We pray for those in the red zone, that they would meet a Christian. We pray that organizations sending to the red will be able to penetrate into countries that are very hard to gain access to. We pray that we would give generously to organizations that are working on this. We pray that for those of us who will go, that you will be opening doors and guiding that path.
In Jesus' name, amen. This morning we're going to take communion. If you are not a believer, this is just kind of one of those rituals that Christians do. You're invited to stay seated. Matt's going to sing a song. There's going to be words on the screen.
If you're not a Christian, just stay there and consider some of the things you've heard this morning and whether or not you want to learn more about Jesus. If you are a Christian, come and receive Christ's body and his blood was shed for you. Do this in remembrance of him. There is gluten-free options for those of us with sensitive tummies in the back. But for everyone else, anytime during this song, feel free to just move and take communion.
Here's what the doctors said. Thank you. I'm so sorry to see you. Take communion. There is a place like this happening there. Like this for me.
Let's go to Ephra топ.
Plant Churches
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
Good morning. My name is Spencer and I am one of the pastors here. We are in a four-week series called All Nations. In week one, Chet introduced us to the Great Commission again that we center our hope on as Christians, that we are called to go and make disciples of all nations. And one of the things that we're emphasizing in this series is that fulfilling the Great Commission means making disciples of all nations. The Greek word for nations there is ethnos, which is where we get the word ethnicity.
This is all people groups everywhere. And in week one, he introduced this map from the Joshua Project that emphasizes where the greatest amount of lostness is amongst people groups in the world. That red area in the center is typically referred to as the 1040 window. This is the latitude, longitude window on that map that has Christians that not only don't, or has unbelievers that not only don't know Christ, some of them don't have a Bible in their language. Some of them don't have a Christian that speaks their language for hundreds of miles. There aren't churches in these areas.
And if we're called to go and make disciples of all nations, that involves going to those places, the hardest to reach places in the world to deliver the gospel. So Chet introduced that week one, week two. He walked us through a little bit of one of the two kind of big questions that come out of that as we biblically approach this. I would encourage you to go back and listen to that if you missed last week. Today, we're going to take a look at the first missionary journey that went to actually tackle unreached people groups. That went to specifically make disciples and plant churches amongst places that had none.
The first big step in fulfilling the Great Commission, and that is found in Acts 13 and 14 in Paul's and Barnabas, their first missionary journey. So, that means it's Acts 13 and 14. We have two chapters of material that we're working through today. So, typically, we say you can grab a Bible, but we also have the Bible on the screen that you can follow along with us. That is not the case today. We're actually going to have a map on the screen of the missionary journey so that you can follow along.
That will help kind of us see where all this is happening, which means you really do need to grab a Bible. If you don't have a Bible, there are Bibles around you, and the blue Bibles, it's on page 537. But we'd encourage you to have a Bible. You can also pull it up on your phone. Just don't check your email. Don't go to Facebook.
Don't do the things that... It's a lot of material anyways to get through all at once. You don't need anything to distract you beyond that. So, we've got two chapters to work through, and there are three main encouragements that come out of these two chapters that I want us to see. The first is the mission of God begins with prayer. Second, the mission of God invites suffering.
And third, the mission of God plants churches. Okay? We're going to see that in order as we walk through the text. So, let me pray, and then we'll jump in. God, I pray that you would open our hearts to this bold call, this beautiful opportunity to make disciples in places that have none. God, I pray you'd help us see that today in the Scriptures, and that we respond in faith and repentance and worship and obedience.
We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Okay. Verse 1, chapter 13. Now, there were in the church at Antioch.
Okay. So, this is an overview of the first missionary journey that Paul and Barnabas went on. Each of these missionary journeys start in the city of Antioch, which is in modern-day Syria, also known as ancient-day Syria. It has not changed its name for 2,000-plus years. So, they're in the city of Antioch. In the previous chapters in Acts, you see God is doing a great work.
They're in that city. And then, it says, they were at the church at Antioch, which, by the way, the next slide, just to help us a little bit. It's going to be hard to see, I know. The gold star. That's going to be Paul and Barnabas trucking along the way. So, you see the gold star.
Follow the gold star. You know where we're at. Okay. So, now, there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon, who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manion, a lifelong friend of Herod the Tetrarch, and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, set apart for me Barnabas and Saul. Okay.
So, the book of Acts is going to shift from calling him Saul, which is his more Jewish name, to Paul, his more Gentile, Greco-Roman name. But this is Saul, Paul, the apostle Paul. Set apart them for the work to which I have called them. Then, after fasting and praying, they laid their hands on them and sent them off. So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia and from there sailed to Cyprus. Okay.
The first thing I want us to see is that the mission of God begins with prayer. The mission of God begins with prayer. The early church believed this. They believed this. They lived this out. In verse 2, it says, while they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, that doesn't seem to be something that they did especially for this.
This wasn't like a prayer meeting that they came together for, which those are good. But that doesn't seem to be what's happening. This seems to be a regular rhythm of what the church did at the time. They were praying and they were fasting and they were worshiping. In the midst of that, God speaks to them in a powerful way and says, set apart for me, Paul and Barnabas, for the work to which I have called them. And this is to make disciples amongst unreached people groups.
To go to the Gentiles. To go to those who don't have the gospel. To go into the darkest places of the world. Brothers and sisters, if we want to reach Casey, which we do. If we want to reach Columbia, which we do. If we want to obey the Great Commission and make disciples of all nations to go into the darkest, most remote parts of the world that desperately need Christ.
It begins with this rhythm of normative, dependent prayer. That we do over and over and over again. But we overcomplicate this sometimes. We will, listen, we will strategize the heck out of anything. Like that's something that we as Western American Christians will do. We will find a strategy or a program or, you know, a series, right?
To tackle this. But it begins with normative, dependent prayer. John Piper says, a prayerless Christian is like a bus driver. A bus driver who's in a ditch trying to get out of it. But he fails to see that he has Clark Kent on board.
And he's pushing the bus to get it out. But he fails to see that Clark Kent Superman is on board. That's us as prayerless Christians. We fail to see that if we want to be obedient to this calling, we have the Holy Spirit at work in us. We have the God, the universe behind us. And it begins with normative, normal, dependent, regular prayer.
Praying for the nations. Praying that God would do a work in the city. Praying over and over and over again. And in the midst of this type of prayer in this church in Antioch, the Holy Spirit says, Set apart for me Paul and Barnabas to be sent out. So they lay hands on them.
The Holy Spirit sends them through his people out. And they're off. And they travel down to, say, Lucia, port city. And then they're off to Cyprus. Verse 5. When they arrived at Salamis, which is the port city, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews.
Now, you can notice that's a normative pattern that happens in the book of Acts. They go to the Jewish synagogues first, proclaim Christ, and then it expands out from there. And they had John to assist them. This is John Mark, the writer of the Gospel of Mark. He's along with them for this part of the journey. Verse 6.
When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos. So, all across the island, sharing the Gospel, they get to the other side of it at Paphos. They came upon a certain magician. Verse 6. A Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. Now, Bar is Aramaic for son of.
Son of Jesus. This is not our Jesus. Jesus was a common name at the time. So his father was named Jesus. We're going to learn in a moment. His name is Elimus, the magician.
This is Elimus, son of Jesus. So, he was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. He was to be the Roman leader of that area. A man of intelligence who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. So he hears about the Gospel.
He wants to hear about this. But there's this Elimus, the magician, who's in his ear. Think less Harry Potter, more Jafar in Aladdin. Kind of working behind the scenes, whispering evil into the ruler. Verse 8. But Elimus, or Elimus, sorry.
The magician, that is the meaning of his name. Opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. So, this is the classic evil magician in your ear. This is Lord Voldemort in the ear of King Theodon using the force to keep Thanos on the iron throne type of magical story. Not really. That's just a troll.
A lot of the nerds that we have here. Quite literally, this is what's happening. This is satanic forces of evil at work to oppose the Gospel. So, when tapping into those forces to oppose the work of Christ with false teaching. And Paul, don't play. Like, he's not having that.
He aggressively combats that in verse 9. But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy. Will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? Will you not stop getting in the way of the Gospel going forward? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time. So, he strikes them blind, which I wish was a spiritual gift that still existed.
Then I could just, like, turn on TBN or get on a YouTube channel and just strike false prophets blind. Because, you know, good hobby. But, because they're the worst. Okay. Immediately, mist and darkness fell upon him. So, they strike him blind.
He went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. Then the proconsul believed when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord. So, this sways the proconsul. It's the miraculous work that they just did combined with the Gospel, the teaching of Christ. He believes. It's almost as if, if you remove a false teacher from somebody's ear, they can clearly hear the Gospel and respond in faith and repentance.
That's what happens. So, this happens, and then they're off. They leave Cyprus. Verse 13. Now, Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. Okay.
So, now they're in Perga. That is modern-day Turkey. That's where the majority of the rest of this mission is going to be. It's in modern-day Turkey. So, this is the pattern of Paul. They were in Cyprus.
They made disciples, establishing the church, and they're out. That's part of what he does, is what Chet introduced us to in week one. They make converts. They plant churches. They're on to the next unreached area. And then it quickly says, and John left them and returned to Jerusalem.
So, John Mark leaves them. We found out a couple chapters later that this was not a good leaving, because when they go, gear up to go on a second missionary journey, John Mark wants to join them. Barnabas says yes. Paul says no. They actually have a sharp disagreement and divide, and don't do mission work together again. We know from the rest of the scriptures that reconciliation happens, that Paul, in his final letters, is writing, asking John Mark to come and see him.
But this is a painful experience, nevertheless. Now it's just Paul and Barnabas as they continue. And now they're going to go to Antioch in Pisidia. This is a different Antioch. Same name, different city. Now this group of cities up here is in a region called Galatia, which should sound familiar if you know the New Testament.
That is the letter that was written to the Galatians. So the letter to the Galatians, the book of Galatians, was circulated amongst these next four cities that we're going to see. Verse 14. But they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. After the reading from the law and the prophets, which that's a normal thing that happens in synagogues, have a reading from the law, have a reading from the prophets, the rulers of the synagogue, were in verse 15, sent a message to them saying, Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it.
Which I'm sure Paul was delighted to be asked. I know as a Christian when someone says, Hey, tell me about what you believe. Tell me about what it means to be a Christian. Like my little heart just flutters. Because I'm like, yes, this is my moment. I will.
You've teed it up. I grabbed the driver. I'm going for this. And that's exactly what Paul does. He launches into a sermon. So verse 16.
So Paul stood up and motioning with his hands said, Now, for the sake of time, we're not going to go through what he said. It's a great sermon. Traces from the Old Testament. Christ from the Old Testament all the way to the New Testament. Where you have the death and resurrection. And he preaches the gospel.
And then people start to place their faith in Jesus. Skip down to verse 42. Verse 42. As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath. And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas. Who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.
How good is that? They preach this gospel and people start placing their faith in Christ. So much so that they begged them to come back next week. We want to hear more of this. And when you talk to people who do mission work in areas where God is going to do work in. This is a little bit of what Chet was getting at last week.
That when God has elected believers. When there are believers that are there to be, the harvest is plentiful. And they're called to go in there and see this happen. When this happens, the response is profound. That they are so hungry. They've been so deprived of the gospel, of the word of God.
They hear it and they believe. Verse 44. The next Sabbath, almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. The whole city is beating down the door to hear more of this. But, verse 45. When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy.
And began to contradict what was spoken by Paul. Reviling him. This is going to be a common theme that continues throughout the rest of the book of Acts. That Paul over and over again, a Pharisee, a teacher of the law formerly. Is going to be heavily persecuted and reviled by the Jewish people. They do not believe.
Over and over and over again. 46. And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly saying, It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life. Behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. So because you've rejected it, it's now going to the Gentiles.
For, so the Lord has commanded us saying, I have made you a light for the Gentiles. That you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth. Paul says, because you have rejected it. Just as the Jewish people have done for hundreds of years at that time. They rejected living in the covenant of God. They were supposed to be a kingdom of priests.
A royal priesthood. They were supposed to be a light to the nations. Where the Jewish people fell, Jesus steps in and succeeds. And now becomes a light to the nations with his people. Not just Jews, but non-Jews, Gentiles. God is coming for everyone.
Everyone's getting the gospel. That's the point that's being made here. Verse 48. And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord. And as many as were appointed to eternal life, believed. How good is that?
That is what you want. As many as were appointed to eternal life, believed the gospel. They are rejoicing that they now take part in the covenant faith. They are a part of this new family of God. Verse 49. And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region.
It is spreading like wildfire throughout Galatia. So, verse 50. But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city. So in Antioch, you've got the movers and shakers. You've got the devout women of high standing. You've got the leading men of the city.
They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas with these people. And drove them out of their district. But they, this is Paul and Barnabas, shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium. So, that's something that Jesus actually taught in the gospels. He says that they reject the message, take off your shoes, dust it out, get the sand out, and move on to the next city. That is partly judgment against those who have rejected it.
But also, quite literally, that's moving on. Like the Holy Spirit leads. You don't have to, you have to go with his leading. He doesn't call you to stay in the same place. Sometimes he calls you to go to the next place. That happens with Jesus.
That happens with his apostles. They're going to the next city, which is Iconium. So, now they've traveled. They're now in Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit in the midst of this. The second encouragement I want us to see from this missionary journey is that the mission of God invites suffering.
The mission of God invites suffering. Paul understood this, what Jesus taught when he said, If the world hates you, you know it has hated me before it has hated you. That what you stand for in Christ, the world stands against. The very nature of the world is opposed to the very nature of Christ. It's very clearly taught in the scriptures. So, it should come as no shock that the Jews are raging against them.
When you preach the gospel, opposition comes. And when you do it in cultures, you don't have the gospel, the opposition can be heavy. Ben Johnson, one of our church members, director of missions organization 1040 Hope. He was in Sudan a few weeks back and he was talking with a Sudanese pastor. And this pastor was in prison for three years for sharing the gospel. He was in prison for three years.
And when he got out, actually America offered him asylum. That he could come here and not get killed. And he said, no. He stayed. He stayed because in Sudan they need the gospel. And those are his people.
And he ain't leaving. And out of that, he got some street cred. And he's planted five churches since then. And the work is continuing. And Ben got to go see that firsthand. That oftentimes when persecution begins and opposition to the gospel begins, God starts to work boldly through it.
When Christians are imprisoned overseas, those are opportunities. That's what we should pray for those disciples. Not just for their safety. But so that the gospel might spread. Because often historically, God uses moments of persecution and suffering to advance the gospel. Those are the moments where we should be sending money and resources.
And everything we can to see those churches advance. That's part of what's happening here. That's part of why the disciples in this city are filled with joy. God uses temporary suffering to bring about eternal glory through belief in Christ. Over and over and over again. And if we American Christians could see suffering as a weapon.
If we could see it as a weapon that spreads the gospel more as these early Christians did. Goodness. The dent and lostness that we could make here and abroad. If we just owned that as an opportunity. So, they convert new believers. They're kicked out of the city.
They're filled with joy. They move on to Iconium to preach Christ again. Verse 1, chapter 14. New chapter. Now at Iconium, they enter together into the Jewish synagogue.
And spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believe. Again, this is the pattern. They go into a city. Go to the Jewish synagogue. Preach the gospel. God starts moving from there.
But, the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. The unbelieving Jews poisoned the well. Opposition. Verse 3. So, they remained for a long time. Speaking boldly for the Lord who bore witness to the word of his grace.
Granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands. So, they stay longer. They stay longer. They continue to preach Christ in this city. Verse 4. But the people of the city were divided.
Some sided with the Jews and some with the apostles. Which happens if you preach Christ. You make enemies. You make converts. That is what happens. Verse 5.
When an attempt was made by both Gentiles and Jews with their rulers to mistreat them and to stone them. They learned of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe. Cities of Lyconium and to the surrounding country. And there they continue to preach the gospel. So, when they're about to be murdered for preaching Christ. They move on.
It's not their time to die yet. That's coming. Paul will be eventually executed for preaching the gospel. It's not yet. So, they're going on to the next city. Which is Lystra.
Where they're going to preach Christ. Listen. I have been belittled for sharing Christ in the past. That people make fun of me behind my back. I'm not saying that's not fun. It's not fun.
But, compared to this. Compared. Sometimes American Christians, we get this complex. Like, oh, we're suffering. It's like, yeah, but comparatively. Like, keep things in perspective.
No one's grabbing a stone to just absolutely pummel you to death. That's not. A mob of people is not about to execute you. But that does. That happens all across the world with our brothers and sisters in Christ. All over the 1040 window.
Now, verse 8. Now, at Lystra. So, they're in this new city. There was a man sitting who could not use his feet. He was crippled from birth and had never walked. He listened to Paul speaking.
And Paul looked intently at him. And seeing that he had faith to be made well. Said in a loud voice, stand upright on your feet. And he sprang up and began walking. So, they enter Lystra with a bang. With a miraculous healing.
And it sets the city on fire. Verse 11. And when the crowd saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in Lyconian, The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men. Which is not the response I think they expected. It says, verse 12. Barnabas, they called Zeus and Paul Hermes because he was the chief speaker.
So, if Chet and I went to a foreign culture and we went and preached the gospel and this happened, I guarantee you there would be an inside joke. Going forward. Because Zeus is the chief Greek God. He's like the king Greek God. And Hermes is lesser than. The inside joke would be, hey, you know, I got called Zeus and he got called Hermes.
How's that? You can speak on my behalf from now on. I'm better than you. That would be our inside joke. They were more mature than us. That is not how they responded.
In verse 13 it says, And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates and wanted to offer sacrifices with the peoples. So they are Greek pagans. They interpret this through their Greek pagan lens and say, The gods have come down before us. And Paul and Barnabas' response was aggressive. Verse 14. When the apostle Barnabas and Paul, when the apostles heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed into the crowd.
So there was no inside joke yet. I like to think maybe later, but not yet. They tear their garments and run into the crowd. Okay? Tearing your garments was a deep sign of lament and grief. Okay?
It doesn't really convey for us anymore. Only people that tear their garments now are in the WWE. That's for different reasons. But they tear their garments. They rush into the crowd, crying out. Verse 15.
Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men of like nature with you. And we bring you good news. That you should turn from these vain things to a living God. So they preach the gospel.
Who made the heaven and earth and the sea and all that is in them. In the past generations he allowed all nations to walk in their own ways. Verse 17. Yet he did not leave himself without witness. For he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons. Satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.
So this is a little bit tied to some of the things that were said last week. We don't have time to get into this. But he's just giving them a bigger picture of God's redemption and what he's doing here. And then in verse 18 it says, Even with these things they could scarcely restrain the people from offering sacrifice to them. They could barely keep them from offering sacrifice and being treated like gods. Now, in comes the curveball in verse 19.
But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium. Now we're starting to get a picture of what happens in this region. There's a Jewish network of angry Jewish persecutors that do not like the work that is happening. They're traveling from city to city following Paul and Barnabas. Trying to stir up opposition against them. And in this city they are very successful.
And having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city supposing that he was dead. So that's mob rule right there. Mob violence. In one moment, they're about to worship them as gods. Then all of a sudden these Jews come in and they start stirring the crowd against them.
When I went to India years ago, they said, Stay away from the large crowds because they quickly can turn on a dime. And that's what happens. They stir the crowds against them and they stone him to death. They stone him, y'all. They took heavy objects and beat him and broke his... Like this weekend I was trimming a tree limb and foolishly didn't think about how angles work in geometry.
And it came back and it swung and it hit me in the shoulder. Like I just... That's painful. My brother did the same thing when I was 15 or 14. I was on an ATV and he took a large tree limb and he broke it over me. Not a stick.
A tree limb. Which for context... Okay. Not the brother you know that's part of this church. Because he's like 15 years older than me. And that image, if you just had that, was super weird.
That was a grown man striking a child with a tree limb. Not that brother. My older brother who's a few months, 18 months older than me. That hurts. That's painful. That's one object.
They took stones and they pummeled his body until he was bleeding internally to the point of death. They drag him out of the city and leave him for dead. His body is lifeless. Verse 20. But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city.
And on the next day he went with Barnabas to Derbe. So presumably the disciples gather around him, pray over him. Now the text doesn't tell us if he was completely 100% dead and was raised or was at the point of death. Nevertheless, this is a miraculous event. You don't just spring up and walk into a city after your bones have been broken by stones. They were very good at stoning.
Okay? You don't just pop up and walk in. This is miraculous. He raises up. And listen, I feel like he could have just said, you know what? It's been a long day.
I'll go ahead and grab my stuff. I'm going to camp out here. We're going to Derbe anyways. I'll see you all tomorrow. No. He walks straight into the city where the people just stoned him.
What a G. That is Paul. He is just fierce. He walks right back into the city. Grabs his stuff. They're off to Derbe.
On to the next city. So, continuing to preach Christ. Verse 21. When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples. That's it. That's all we get in Derbe.
It's like Luke. It's like you get the picture, right? This is what they do. They come in. They preach the gospel. There's opposition.
Scores and hundreds of people come to Christ. Like, it's just like that's all you get. This is what happens in Derbe. We're moving on. They returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch. Strengthening the souls of the disciples.
Encouraging them to continue in the faith. And saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. And when they had appointed elders for them in every church with prayer and fasting, they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed. This is the third encouragement I want us to take away from this. The mission of God plants churches. The mission of God plants churches.
Listen, they doubled back and went through the cities that they did work in. They went through all these cities. Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, Antioch. And they ministered to these churches. If the mission of God is the great commission to make disciples of all nations. Okay?
Part one. And Paul's missionary journeys give us a template of what that looks like. Part two. It is clear that the ultimate mission of God is to plant churches amongst all peoples. Paul proclaimed Christ. He got beat around.
He made converts with Barnabas all over the region of Galatia. They preached Christ. Moved to the next city. Preached Christ. Moved to the next city. And they planted churches.
And they go back through. Let me show you this next slide. Actually, no. Don't go there yet. They plant churches in these areas. Galatians.
And one of the things that we see very clearly in the first two verses of the letter of Galatians is that these were established churches. Galatians 1 verses 1 and 2 says, Paul, Paul, Paul, Paul, Paul, Paul, Paul, an apostle, Paul, Paul, an apostle, not from men, not from men, nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead and all the brothers who are with me. Hear this. To the churches of Galatia. That is, next slide, all of these cities in the north and the churches they planted before. But the writing, the letter of Galatians is written to these established churches in these cities that they planted.
And they go back through and they start to give these churches structure. They appoint elders, which is what we're called to do. That's why we're elder led as a church. There are four elders in this church. They appointed elders in these cities, in these churches in these cities. They give structure to them.
They minister to them. But that was Paul's mission, was to plant churches where there were none. That's why in week one, when Chet mentioned Romans 15, when Paul says, but now since I no longer have any room for work in these regions, you look at that and it's like, no, that doesn't make sense. There's plenty of work to do in these regions. There's lots of lost people in these regions. But that wasn't his primary aim.
His primary aim was to fill the Great Commission, making disciples of all nations. Certainly, the rest of the New Testament bears that we're absolutely called to continue to minister to Christians. That's what we do here. Make converts, we minister. That's what Paul did. Part of establishing these elders was to minister to these churches.
But the Great Commission aim was to plant churches where there were none. That doesn't mean that we don't do the normal things that we're called to do as Christians. That doesn't mean we don't care for one another. That doesn't mean that we don't do things like combating sex trafficking, which is great work, or orphan care, or adoption, or all the good endeavors that God calls us to, the good ministries that we can take part in, that the church should be leading the way on. But I want to be very clear that fulfilling the Great Commission is not primarily that.
That is the overflow of doing it. The primary aim of the Great Commission is to plant churches amongst every people group where they don't have the gospel. And that's what Paul and Barnabas do. They retrace their steps and they continue all the way back. It says in verse 24, Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. When they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Atilia.
And from there they sailed to Antioch where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled. Verse 27, And when they had arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them and how he opened a door of faith to the Gentiles and they remained no little time with the disciples, which is a convoluted way of saying they stayed there a long time. So, we did it. We just walked through the entire missionary journey. Two chapters in 30-ish minutes. Okay?
They get back to Antioch and I can imagine sailing back to Antioch in Syria. They had stories. That when they finally showed up two-ish years later, the people were like, Tell us what happened. And they said, It was amazing. We planted churches. We saw thousands of people come to Christ.
I got murdered. It was amazing. This was incredible. And here's the deal. It's like the end of a superhero movie. They're celebrating.
They beat the bad guy. And then all of a sudden, the post-credits. You see, Oh, wait. This is a sequel. This keeps going. There's going to be more of these.
And that's what happens. There's a second missionary journey. They go further. There's a third missionary journey. Historically, it's debated, though I agree, there's a fourth missionary journey, just not in the scriptures. Okay?
And then the book of Acts, after the third missionary journey, it just ends. It just stops. There's no conclusion. It just stops. Luke just stops writing. And that's because the story keeps going.
It keeps going. The work continues. We are part of two church planning networks. We're part of the SEND church planning network with the North American Mission Board. That's our Southern Baptist network. We're part of Grassroots Church Planning Network.
That's a local network. It's Midtown Church. Some other churches are in that network. Smaller. We're part of those two networks. We have no plans to add anymore.
Okay? There is a network out there that has the best church planning network name, period, end of discussion. And they're called Acts 29. That is an amazing smaller church name. Okay? You know why it's 29?
Because there is no 29th chapter of the book of Acts. They're continuing the work of planting churches. That's what we're called to do. Listen. If we want to be obedient to the Great Commission, we're either Paul and Barnabas going into the frontier seeing churches planted where there are none. Or we're Antioch.
And we're sending. And we're praying on our face. And we're funding. And we're sending missionaries. And we're taking trips with them. And we're praying as they suffer that the gospel go forward.
We would need to do all of the above if we want to be obedient to the Great Commission.
10/40 Hope Interview with Ben Johnson
Proclaim the Gospel
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
Good morning. My name's Chet. I'm one of the pastors here. Grab your Bibles and go to Romans 1. That's where we'll start this morning, although we are going to look at a lot of different passages. We're in the second week of our All Nations series.
Last week, we looked at this map. Not that one. Not that map. And what we said was, that's a map. It's from Joshua Project. I would encourage you, you can go to their website and check it out.
You can also go to the IMB's website. They have similar maps. But that is showing unreached people groups. It's a map of unreached people groups. And as we talked about this, we stated three problems that David Platt listed, and we read through them. And it's over three billion people are currently unreached by the gospel.
That was problem number one. Now, unreached does not mean that over three billion people are not Christians or not believers. Unreached means that they don't have access to the gospel. As we said last week, it's unreached does not communicate to you someone standing before God, but their access to the gospel. And so these unreached people groups don't have churches around them, don't have the Bible in their language, don't have any sort of evangelical presence where people are trying to proclaim the gospel to them. Now, this is a map.
Yeah, you don't have to go back. I just forgot that it wasn't going to be there for a second. This is a map done by evangelicals. So there are places on the map that maybe have some Catholicism or some of the Orthodox Church or whatever. But this is just saying these are places where we don't know of anybody proclaiming salvation by faith, by grace in Christ.
We just don't we don't have that at this point. We said the second problem is that the church is practically ignoring the people in places most unreached by the gospel. That ninety nine percent of funds that go to missionaries goes to areas in the green and yellow and three percent and ninety seven percent of missionaries go to the green and yellow, which means that only one percent of money and three percent of missionaries are making it to the most unreached peoples. And we said the third problem was that the number of unreached people is higher today than ever before and will continue to increase until the church decides to change.
The number of unreached people is higher today than ever before and will continue to increase until the church decides to change. This is what we looked at last week. So look at the map again. We said we've got to go. The church has to get to the red area and the red area is difficult to get to. Unreached peoples are unreached for a reason.
They don't want to be reached. They're hostile to the gospel. Their governments don't want Christians there or they're just in really difficult locations. They're hard to get to. And so as we talked about this last week and we said that there's something needs to change. And the church, when I say we, I mean the church, but we're a part of the church.
But the global church has to begin to pursue these areas. We have to change where our money goes. We have to change where our missionaries go. But one of the things that that gets is kind of a natural response. I find that there's there's two. One of the first natural responses is this general.
That's awful. And I don't want to think about that too much. Because I don't really want to have to change what I'm doing. I don't. Oh, man, that's that's terrible. Please let us leave so I can go to lunch and try to think about something else.
I mean, that really is kind of it's a natural that if I think about it too much, the Lord might tell me to do something. If I pray about that, that he would call people, he might call me. So I don't know how like it there's that's part of it. And we've got to overcome that. But one of the other responses is just kind of a is that really how it works?
Like we said last week. That there are three point one eight billion people in unreached people groups. in the 1040 window and that many of them will be born. We'll live and we'll die and we'll have never heard the gospel, never heard the name of Jesus. But they'll live many of them in really hard places, that they'll live in a functional earthly hell, and then they will enter into an eternal reality without Christ. that they'll live in an earthly hell and go to an eternal hell. And one of the responses that is that really how is that really how it works? Is that is that fair?
So I want to address two questions that I think are genuine, come from genuine places as people consider the vast amount of lostness in the church's need to address it. The first one that we're going to look at is doesn't God have a plan for those who never hear? Another way of putting that is how is it fair for people to go to hell for not hearing about Jesus? Maybe a way you've heard it put is does the innocent person in India really go to hell because they never had a chance to hear about Jesus? Is that really how it works? How is that fair?
That's the first we're going to look at. We're going to try to walk through that idea. And the second one is this. If we believe in election, if we believe in the doctrine of election, if we believe, like Ephesians says, that God chose us in him before the foundation of the world, or as we looked in Revelation, that he's already purchased people. We said last week he's purchased people out of every tribe, tongue, language, nation, people group that we that they belong to him and that we can go. If we really believe that.
Isn't God just going to do what he's going to do? I mean, I got a lot going on. Can I just be trying to follow him here and just trust that God's going to do what he's going to do? If we really believe that, do we really have to hustle? I think those are two questions. I think those are two big questions.
I think those are two genuine questions. And we are going to try to trace out an answer to both of those this morning. And that's, we've got all of our work cut out for us to try to talk through both of those this morning. Both of them could have their own Sunday. They could have their own series. They could get their own books.
They're worth looking at and considering. We're going to try to give brief responses, almost the beginning of a response, to try to help us start in the direction of this is how the Bible responds to that. And we can talk more as we go if these are genuine things you struggle with. But we're going to try to trace out an answer to both of those. So we all got to put our adult pants on and get to moving this morning.
So let's pray for the Lord to help us. And we're going to read through this this morning. So, Lord, we ask for your grace. We pray that you would give us ears to hear and hearts to hear. That we might trust your word and trust your goodness. And that you might help us to respond in faith and faithfulness.
In Jesus' name, amen. First question. Doesn't God have a plan for those who never hear? Or how is it fair for people to go to hell for not hearing about Jesus? Or does the innocent person in India really go to hell because they never had a chance to hear about Jesus? The first thing that we need to see from the scriptures, I believe, is that no, the innocent person in India does not go to hell.
The problem is there is no innocent person in India. The Bible tells us that there are no innocent people. There's no innocent people in Yemen. There's no innocent people in Casey. Romans 1. We'll look at verse 18.
We're going to look at Romans 1, Romans 2, Romans 3, and then we'll look in Ephesians 1 at the passage we just read together a second ago. Romans 1. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. Meaning that in our sin, we fight against what is real. We fight against what is true. For what can be known about God is plain to them because God has shown it to them.
For his invisible attributes, namely his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world in the things that have been made. And this next part is key. So they are without excuse. That God has displayed his godness, his divinity, his greatness in creation. And that in creation what we do is we see that and reject it wholesale. Humanity rejects God's glory in creation.
That in our sin and our unrighteousness we suppress this. He goes on to say that we then elevate other things. But he says this. We'll read verse 21. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking and their foolish hearts were darkened. That we choose darkness.
That we can see and perceive the glory of God in creation and that humanity rejects that. And so therefore, God's glory displayed in creation is effective only to help us reject him and to make a conscious choice to elevate something else or ourselves and to be darkened. And we are without excuse. Romans 2 verse 12. He says it this way. As he's talking to both Jewish people about Jewish people and Gentiles and he's trying to show them that even the law, understanding the law doesn't help and not having the law doesn't help.
He says, for all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law. And all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. So he's talking to Jewish people and saying, y'all have the law and all that's going to do is condemn you and they don't have the law and all that's going to do is condemn them. That it's effective for them to perish without it because sin is sin and we've all sinned. Romans 3 verses 10 through 12. As it is written, none is righteous, no not one.
No one understands. No one seeks for God. All have turned aside. Together they have become worthless. No one does good. Not even one.
That our position before God is a position of rebellion and rejection and there is no innocence globally. Or as Ephesians 1 says, as Paul's talking to the church, we read this just a second ago and it gets really encouraging, but it starts very discouraging as it's talking to Christians. But this is the state of humanity without Christ. It says, you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience, among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath like the rest of mankind.
That is humanity before God, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, desires of the body and the mind, children of wrath. That's mankind without Christ. As you begin to wrap your head around this, one of the first things that we want to say, that I want to say, that I used to say, was that seems very unfair. It goes against my general sense of fairness, which we've developed very, very young. Nobody really had to teach you fairness. You would yell, that's not fair.
We were doing something yesterday, and my younger son yelled at his older brother, he's cheating, he's breaking the rules. And we were participating in something that was not a competition, and had no rules. He just suddenly decided, what you have done is wrong. You've broken a rule. He was asked, what rule? And he said, I don't know.
I could just, I could sense it. But we have this sense of fairness, and our two kind of understandings of fairness are fairness of outcome. Everyone gets a treat. Everyone gets a trophy. And we feel this. If you sit a bunch of children down, and you hand out marshmallows, and then you just skip two of them, there's this sense of, oh, you forgot my mom.
I need a marshmallow. And you say, no, you just don't get them. It's like, this is very unfair. There's fairness of outcome, and fairness of opportunity. Everyone who works gets a marshmallow. Well, you didn't do your chores.
You don't get a marshmallow. That feels fair to us. So we have fairness of outcome, and fairness of opportunity. And when we look at the scriptures on this, we say, well, this doesn't feel like it fits either. It doesn't feel like this fits. Either sense of fairness.
Fairness of outcome, we all get the same thing. Or fairness of opportunity, we all get the opportunity to hear the gospel, and reject the gospel. If I knew that everybody would hear the gospel, and reject the gospel, that would feel more fair to me. If everybody would be told that Jesus will save them from their sins, and they would actively choose to reject Christ, that feels fair. Or if we all end up with the same outcome, that feels fair. And the response to this is, I don't think it is either one of those versions of fair.
And Paul, in addressing this in Romans 9, says, is there any injustice in God? So he moves it out of fairness to injustice. He says, no. And the reason he gives in Romans 9, is that God chooses to have mercy. That's very helpful for us to see. He says, there's no injustice.
There's mercy. Because the problem is, we're standing looking at this backwards. The question of the scriptures, is not, why does God not save some? It's, why does God save any? And the answer is, mercy. So it isn't fair, because fairness, is that we are all destroyed, dead in our sins.
What we receive from God, is grace, and mercy. And there is no injustice, because he pays the debt, of those whom he redeems, and pours out grace, and mercy. So the response to this, is to say, thank you Jesus, that I know this, that you in your grace, have redeemed me, that you have offered me mercy. Even if you aren't, a Christian, and you're just checking this out, or you've been around for a while, and you're not sure, how you feel about this, I want you to understand, the grace, and the mercy of God, that you have even been able to hear, that Jesus Christ, offers you salvation, if you will follow him.
Because, there's people all around the globe, that don't even get that, news. So, there's a logical argument, that helped me, because I used to feel this, I'd say, well it feels like, and I would just say, well maybe God does something, maybe God has some kind of plan, for those who don't hear, maybe God, you know, and it's this idea, it's what's called inclusivism, which is this idea that, you know, Jesus has died to save us, from our sins, and there's no salvation, outside of Christ, but maybe God works, in some way, for those who've never heard him, and he just includes them. As long as they've never heard, he just brings them along. But I heard a logical argument, I read it in a book, and it helped me, because it pokes a hole right in that, and what he said was this, if you never hear about the gospel, and by never hearing, you're automatically included, if we believe those are true, then the absolute worst thing, we can ever do to someone, who has never heard about Jesus, is tell them about Jesus.
If we were standing somewhere, and there were people, refugees, pouring off of an airplane, and we saw someone, going to tell them about Jesus, and we knew they'd come from some place, that had never heard the name of Christ, what we should do, if it's true, that they're automatically in, for never hearing the name of Christ, we should not run over, and tell them about Jesus, we should run over, and punch the people, who were trying to. Because all they're going to do, is increase the odds, that this person will reject Jesus, they're fine without him, but if they hear about him, they might reject him. If that's true, then 1040 Hope, is a despicable organization, and Empower One, who we're going to get to talk with, later today, should be removed from our building. We should not call ourselves, send, in the Baptist church, we should refer to it as stay, it should be like three S's, stay, shut up, the reality is, it's insane to think, that you would come to the scriptures, and come to the conclusion, that the worst thing I could do, is share the gospel with somebody, when we are told, explicitly, consistently, that they need to hear.
In the Baptist church, we should refer to it as stay, it should be like three S's, stay, shut up, the reality is, it's insane to think, that you would come to the scriptures, and come to the conclusion, that the worst thing I could do, is share the gospel with somebody, when we are told, explicitly, consistently, that they need to hear. What is, what happens to those, who never hear? The answer is, they are not held accountable, for not hearing, they are held accountable, for their sin. We are not condemned,
For our lack, of hearing the gospel, we are condemned, for our choosing, to reject God, rebel, against him, and the Bible is clear, that it is the gospel, proclaimed, that people need, if you look at Romans 10, love this passage, after Paul, in Romans 9, and if you have concerns, about this, questions about this, read Romans 9, spend some time there, but after Paul, discusses this idea, that God has mercy, and there is no injustice,
In him, he then says this, how then, oh verse 13, for everyone, who calls on the name, of the Lord, will be saved, and I want you to see that, if you have not placed, your hope in Jesus, I want you to know, that everyone, who calls on the name, of the Lord, will be saved, he will not fail, to save anyone, who comes to him, and asks for salvation, and forgiveness, you aren't too far gone, you aren't too sinful, you aren't too broken,
You aren't too anxious, you aren't too messed up, everyone, who calls on the name, of the Lord, will be saved, but then he says this, how then, will they call, on him, in whom they have not believed, so you have to believe, in him, to call on him, how are they to believe, in him, of whom they have never, heard, so he's addressing, this question right now, how will they, believe if they've never heard, he says, how are they to hear,
Without someone preaching, and how are they to preach, unless they are sent, as it is written, how beautiful, are the feet of those, who preach the good news, there are people, who have not heard, there are people, who do not, have not called on him, because they have not believed, and they need to believe, and in order to believe, they need to hear, and in order to hear, somebody's got to go, tell them, in order for them to go, God sends them, and the church, sends them, Paul when he's writing this,
He's going to end by saying, I'm going to come visit y'all, and y'all are going to send me to Spain, I hope to be helped, and sent along by you, to Spain, meaning that the church, sends and goes, and that somebody's got to proclaim, this message, because John 14 6 says, I am the way, and the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the father, except through me, that there is hope of salvation, but it's in the name of Christ, it's in the work of Christ, and it's in those sent by Christ, to proclaim the name, and the work of Christ, we've got to go, second question,
Again that is not, a full answer, but I think it is a helpful answer, second question, is if we believe in election, isn't God just going to save, who he's going to save, isn't God just do, what he's going to do, when we talk about election, I know for some of us, we immediately freak out a little bit, but that's just because, you're an American, and elections are stressful, but when the Bible talks about election, here's the idea, that it's coming with, just try to define, what I'm talking about, Ephesians 1 said, even as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, meaning that God did choosing,
He chose, his prerogative, before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy, and blameless before him, in love he predestined, predestined means destined, is the end, pre is the beginning, so he predestined, us for adoption to himself, as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, not ours, to the praise of his glorious grace, meaning that he offers grace, 1 Corinthians 1 26 29, says it this way, for consider your calling brothers, not many of you were wise, according to worldly standings, again it's a calling, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth,
But God chose, what is foolish in the world, to shame the wise, God chose, what is weak in the world, to shame the strong, God chose, what is low and despised in the world, even the things that are not, to bring to nothing, the things that are, so that, no human being, might boast in the presence of God, this idea that we would not, stand in front of him and go, I'm the one who chose, I'm the one who figured it out, I'm the one who sought, I'm the one who, that's not how it works, we don't boast in his presence, Romans 9, though they were not yet born,
And had done nothing, either good or bad, in order that God's purpose of election, might continue, not because of works, but because of him who calls, or as Jesus says in John 6, no one can come to me, unless it is granted him by the father, so the question is, if that's true, why the hurry, what's all the fuss about, I got personal things, I got to work on, can't we just do, what we're supposed to here, well the Bible, turns that attitude on its head, in an extremely encouraging way, the Bible doesn't say, that election slows down, our drive for mission, it says election,
God's redeeming of those, whom he will redeem, by his grace, drives our mission, Acts 18, I love this passage, Paul's in Corinth, facing opposition, and Jesus says, the Lord said to Paul, one night in a vision, do not be afraid, but go on speaking, and do not be silent, keep proclaiming this message, for I am with you, no one will attack you, to harm you, that's good, because sometimes that's not true, for Paul where he's in places, so if he says that, it's like sweet, for I have many in this city,
Who are my people, you keep proclaiming this message, there are people, who are going to be saved, they belong to me, do not stop talking, you continue, you press on, you don't be afraid, you stand strong here, because we're about to do something, in Corinth, and there are people here, who are mine, I want to read, two quotes, about this idea, from two people to us, who are well known, helpful theologians, one's an African pastor, his name's Christian Lawanda, maybe we don't know him that well, I heard a sermon,
We preach, and he said this, and I felt, it was helpful, he says, preaching is not just a command, this idea that we're to go, proclaim this message, that we're to teach the word, that we're to call people, he says, it's not just a command, it is a divine honor, that we get to participate, in what God is doing, it's not just a command, it's a divine honor, and the well known theologian, George Garcia, who's one of our community group leaders, he said it this way, God's people are out there, we know that, via scripture,
And he has strictly, and graciously, commanded us to go and speak for him, what a wonderful, undeserving opportunity, that is, strictly, and graciously, commanded us to go, and speak for him, what a wonderful, undeserving opportunity, that is, they're there, they belong to him, we get to, go, we have to go, and we get to go, by God's grace, that's the way, the Bible treats it, Acts 13, 48,
Says when the Gentiles, heard this, they began rejoicing, and glorifying, the word of the Lord, and as many, were as appointed, to eternal life, believed, they went, and proclaimed this message, and as many, who were supposed to believe, believed, as many, who were as appointed, to this, believed, which means that, we have the freedom, to proclaim, trusting God, and his sovereignty, to work out,
His gracious work, to redeem, that we get to proclaim, this message, and people will respond, why should you be aggressive, in sharing the gospel, with the people at your gym, because those who are going to believe, are going to believe, and you need to, you need to talk to them, why can you pray, and plead for the people, in your office, and why can you talk to them, and why can you go out on a limb, to share the gospel with them, because some of them, are going to believe, why can you knock on doors, in your neighborhood, people don't do that anymore, well,
People don't have a wonderful message, to share with people, get to know your neighbors, invite them to your home, have a cookout, offer them breakfast, give them coffee, and tell them about Jesus, and why can we do this, why do we go out of our way, to do this, because there are going to be people, who believe, because God has chosen, in his grace, to redeem, and we get to participate, that's what Paul says, in 2 Timothy 2 10, therefore, I endure everything, for the sake, of the elect, that they also,
May obtain the salvation, that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory, I love that, he says, I endure everything, for the sake of the elect, so that they might, obtain, salvation that is in Christ Jesus, why would we go, why would we spend our money, why would we spend our time, why would we spend our energy, here and there, why would you, who don't want to talk to anybody, talk to somebody, who you've never met, why would you endure that, so that the elect, might obtain the salvation, that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory,
Why would you change your budget, to support missionaries, why would you endure that, so that the elect, might obtain the salvation, that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory, why would we learn a new language, why would we translate the Bible, in that language, why would we spend the money, and the effort, and the lives, to get to a place, where people don't want us, why would we endure that, so that those who belong to Jesus, will obtain, salvation, and joy, and hope, and glory, in Christ, if you believe,
In the doctrine of election, that does not slow you down, that spurs you on, if we believe, that God is going to redeem, then we go with confidence, not trepidation, if we believe, that there is hope, of salvation, for those, in every tribe, in every language, in every nation, in every people, that they will all be gathered, around the throne, then we go, to every tribe, and to every language, and to every people, and every nation, why, so that they also,
Might obtain, the salvation, that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory, why will we endure it, because we have brothers, and sisters, who are going to belong to us, and to the king forever, and how will they hear, if no one preaches, and how will they preach, if they aren't sent, so we go, with joy, and delight, and confidence, in the glory of a good God, who redeems, what, doesn't God have a plan, for those who have never heard, yes, it's his church,
That we would be obedient, and go, trusting in his sovereignty, to redeem, and to save, because he's good, it's John 10, 27, where Jesus is speaking, he says, my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, so we go, and we proclaim, here, and there, knowing that Jesus, is going to work, and bring about, redemption, the band's going to come back up, and this morning, together,
As a church, we're going to take, communion, we're going to celebrate, that Jesus Christ, died to save, sinners, that we were, like the rest of mankind, children of wrath, that we were, guilty before God, that we were, undeserving of grace, that's the reality, not that God is unfair, in condemning sinners, but that God is unfair, in saving us, that he's merciful, he's not unjust, he's good, and that if we can sit, for a moment,
And know the level, of our sin, and wickedness, and sit for a moment, and clearly see, into our own hearts, how despicable we are, and be overwhelmed, that God would look upon us, to tell us of his son, to pour his love, and his grace on us, and that we might celebrate, one more time together, that Jesus Christ, died to save sinners, and that one day, he's coming back to claim us, that's what communion is, that his body was broken for us, that his blood was shed for us, that our sins are covered, by his work, not ours,
And that we stand, in the middle of two points, two points in eternity, that Jesus Christ came, and he died, and that one day, he returns, to rescue, and reclaim his people, and we have just a little bit, of time here, where we proclaim, his death until he comes, and that's a reality, that we're doing, when we take communion, and that's what our lives, are supposed to look like, that we proclaim his death, until he comes, that Jesus Christ, died to save sinners, so we participate, in his goodness,
In his grace, knowing that he works, to redeem, and to save, so I would, have you take a moment, to consider your sin, to consider, the grace, of your savior, and then to consider, all those in the world, who have not heard, this news, and to ask the Lord, that we might be people, who care, that we might be people, who see that, and that are willing, to change our lives, that we would not, one day stand before him, and have our money,
And our time, declare to us, and declare to him, that we were good Americans, who lived lives, of luxury and comfort, and failed to see, the glory of joining him, in his gracious, eternal mission, but that we would be people, who look like we believe this, so by God's grace, we're going to celebrate, that he saved sinners, both us, with hope, to proclaim his death, until he comes, if you are not a Christian, communion is not for you, this is something, that Christians partake in, taking very seriously,
The work of Christ, on our behalf, if you are not a Christian, I would invite you, to call on his name, and to be forgiven, and redeemed eternally, now, because all who call, in the name of Jesus, will be saved, let's pray, God I pray, that it would be true, for us, that when somebody, asked us, to give an account, for our lives, to give receipts, to explain, why we live, and work the way we do, that we would be able,
To answer in chorus, with Paul, I endure everything, for the sake of the elect, that they may, obtain salvation, in Christ, that by your grace, and the empowerment, of your spirit, that that would make sense, of our lives, God we thank you, that you have, mercy, that you do not leave us, in our sin, and our wickedness, and our rebellion, that you do not leave us, in a place, where we hated you, and love to everything else, so Lord,
As we take communion, this morning, we praise your name, that you are good, and merciful, you, to help us, and we should steadfasten, and both of us, and remaining, as we may as well, and for the sake of the most, as we may as well, as we may as well, as we may as well, as we may as well, as we may as well, and ouraaloo account, and the sign, as we may as well, as we may as well, and almost as we may be,
Empower One Interview with David Taylor
Exalted and Enjoyed
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 your Bibles and go to Psalm 67. We'll look at a few other passages before we get there, but we'll be in Psalm 67 and we'll be in Romans 15 this morning and we'll also have some other things we jump around to. Right after Easter, on the Monday after Easter, the pastors met over here and Isaac, who's an elder in training.
We met over here early on Monday morning, loaded up in a rental van and drove to Louisville, Kentucky to go to T4G, which is a pastor's conference in Louisville. And this was the last time they were having it. So Spencer loved that conference. He kept telling us we should go. We kept telling him, neat. And then when it was the last one, he was like, you're all going or I'm fighting all of you and then we're all going.
So we just said, okay, we'll go. So we went and it was encouraging. There was about 10,000 people there and it was a pretty intense conference. The first session we went to was four hours long and they had a lot of sessions that were from seven o'clock to 10 o'clock at night. And so you would show up early in the morning, go to a session, you go to lunch, you go to a session, you go to dinner, you come back, go to a session, you'd go home and try to sleep at an Airbnb where elephants had rented the room above us. So, and we, but it was, it was great.
We ate really well and then went to hear a lot of preaching. And then we sang hymns to a piano with 10,000 people. It was, it was very encouraging. I was well fed both at restaurants and in the conference. And I think all of us thoroughly enjoyed it except for maybe Isaac who doesn't like to eat as much as we do and wants to move around a lot more than we did. So he, he, he struggled through a little bit, but the rest of us, I think, ate it up.
And we, there was a session there where David Platt spoke. And David Platt is a pastor of McLean Bible Church in, around DC. And he was the, he wrote the book Radical. And if you're familiar with that, and he was the president of the International Mission Board for about four years. So from about 2014 to 2018, he was the president of the International Mission Board for the Southern Baptist, which is the foreign, it used to be called the Foreign Mission Board, but it's sending missionaries from the U.S. overseas.
And he spoke about the need and the call for global missions. And as he spoke, we just, we sat there. When he was done, everybody, you know, dismissed, people got up, moved. We didn't. The, the five of us just sat and didn't have much to say and then started looking at each other and going, okay, we need to, we need to address this. We need to talk about this with our church family.
We need to acknowledge some of what he walked through. And so that's what this is. We're going to walk through much of what he went through. I'm going to quote some of his stats. He actually listed three problems. I'm going to read word for word those three problems as we go through this morning.
And then the next couple of weeks, we'll continue to look at this idea and kind of how we get to respond as a church. So that's what we're doing today. I would encourage you to go watch it. After you listen to this, you can get online, go to T4G, watch David Platt's most recent sermon there. You'll say, hey, that sounded a lot like what you said. Yes, because a lot of this is stuff that he walked right through.
So we're going to walk through that this morning. Let's pray and we'll jump in. God, we thank you for your grace. We thank you for your glorious, joy-filled, eternal plan to rescue the nations. We pray, Lord, that we'd get to participate as those who are going to live eternally with you, that we would be about your business while we're here. We ask for your grace and your help and your empowerment in Jesus' name.
Amen. So this is a direct quote. It's a helpful way to word this. Anybody could kind of come to this conclusion from the scriptures. It's just well-worded. It's the ultimate goal of God is his glory enjoyed and exalted among the nations.
If you've read much of John Piper, you'll hear phrasing like that. But it's looking at the scriptures and saying this is God's plan. The ultimate goal of God is his glory enjoyed and exalted among the nations. And we're going to walk through and help show that through the scriptures, that this is his plan. This is what he wants. And it's wonderful that the word enjoyed is in there.
That's part of his plan, that he will be enjoyed and exalted among the nations. So we're going to walk through and see those three things, enjoyed, exalted, and among the nations. The first place we'll look is Genesis 12. It'll be on the screen. We won't spend much time here and we'll get to Psalm 67 in a second. Genesis 12.
This is God calling Abraham. It's before he's even renamed him to Abraham. But this is in the book of Genesis. We fall into sin and there's a promise that God's going to fix this. And then this is the first bit of God fixing this where he's coming to begin his rescue plan. And here's the promise he makes to Abraham.
It says, Now the Lord said to Abraham, Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation and I will bless you and make your name great so that you will be a blessing. And I will bless those who bless you and him who dishonors you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. So the very first time God says to Abraham as he begins to call him and begins to work out this plan, He says, In you all the families of the earth will be blessed.
It's in God's mind at that moment that this will not just be for the nation of Israel. This will not just be for Abraham and his bloodline. But that his plan is all the families, all the peoples, all the people groups of the earth to receive this blessing that's going to come through Abraham. And ultimately the blessing that comes through Abraham is Jesus. So at Galatians 3.8, Paul picking up on this says this, Says the scripture foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles, that's all the peoples who aren't Jewish.
So if he's going to justify the Jewish peoples and all the people who aren't Jewish, I don't know if you have a Venn diagram of people, but that's all of them. Okay? He's going to rescue all peoples, all nations, all families. He says, Preach the gospel beforehand to Abraham saying, In you shall all the nations be blessed. So this justifying the Gentiles is the preaching of the gospel.
He's going to justify the Gentiles by faith, meaning that's the stuff we talked about. There's justification by faith that if you trust in Jesus, he forgives us and makes us right. That's the gospel. And he's saying that gospel was preached the very first time he mentioned it to Abraham. This is how this is going to work. That I'm going to rescue through you the nations, and that ultimately comes through Jesus.
That Christianity is not tethered to a language. It's not tethered to a location. It's not tethered to a people group. That Christianity, that the center of Christianity has actually moved around the globe throughout history because it is for the nations. Psalm 67. We read this together just a few moments ago.
But this is a blessing in the Psalm. And the Psalms are songs and poems that God gifted his people in order for us to understand who he is, in order for us to worship. And it says, may God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among the nations. So this is a Jewish blessing that the Jewish people would be blessed so that the nations will see God's glory, so that the nations will be able to participate. Let the peoples praise you, O God. Let all the peoples praise you.
Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity, and you guide the nations upon the earth. Let the peoples praise you, O God. Let all the peoples praise you. So I want to show you a few things here. This is God's plan. This is the plan that God has for the nations, is that we would praise, and that in our praise, our gladness and joy would be tied up.
Did you all know that about genuine praise? I've given this some thought, and you might come up with some other categories, but I think we have flattery, begrudging acknowledgement, and genuine praise. Flattery is where I say something nice to you that I don't believe for my own good. I'm just saying things, but usually that's just for my purposes. And if you've been around someone, and you can pick up on it when they're not good at it, and they're constantly flattering, there's something kind of gross about it. But that's, the Proverbs talk about this, this flattery, this buttering somebody up.
That's not what God wants. He doesn't want us to flatter him. Then there's begrudging acknowledgement. This is when they interview the fighter who lost, or the coach who lost. They will say, well, you've got to give them a lot of credit. They don't want to have to give them a lot of credit, but you've got to give them a lot of credit.
They played really well. He's the best there is. They say these kind of things. Maybe there's enjoyment there, but usually it's just begrudging acknowledgement. He hit me harder than I hit him, and that is why I passed out. Begrudging acknowledgement.
And then there's genuine praise. And whenever we're in genuine praise, there's genuine delight. They go together. Whenever you're just overwhelmed by something so that you begin to talk about how great it is, your enjoyment is tied up in that. If you've ever been eating a meal and just went, oh my goodness. People are like, what?
And you had stuck food back in your mouth already. It's like, I'll tell you in a second. And you finish chewing, you go, these biscuits. Like that idea that we're just caught up. If you've ever been in love, or you've been around someone in love, and they won't shut up about the person they love, there's genuine delight and enjoyment that rolls up into praise. And God is glorious and delightful.
There's pleasures at his right hand forevermore. He's wonderful. And so when he calls us to praise, I remember my cousin arguing this out with my grandmother at one point, that God calling people to praise him, God saying you will glorify me was narcissistic. Not if God is the most glorious thing, then it's gracious. God who made all things, if he said I've made everything and what y'all should really, really like is money, what does that say about him? If he said, y'all, I'm telling you, roller coasters.
He just needs some adrenaline. That's where it's at. No, he says I'm where it's at. And he's graciously having us participate in his goodness. And us singing his praise is enjoyment and delight and gladness. That's what it's saying.
Let the nations be glad. Let them praise you. Let them see how wonderful you are so that they are swept up in it. That's the hope. That we would get to know him so well that we get swept up in all of the joy and all of the delight and all of his glory, that he would be enjoyed and exalted among the nations. Revelation 5.
Let me say this about God having us participate in his enjoyment, in his glory for our enjoyment. His exaltation is our enjoyment. I remember in elementary school, my dad picked me up early from school one day because it was my birthday. And his plan was come hang out with me. That was it. He came and picked me up and we just went and did stuff.
And I just got to hang out with my dad for a day without my brothers there ruining it. And it was great. And he understood that the right relationship between us is enjoyment and that it would be enjoyable to just get to spend time with him because he's my father. And that's what God's doing when he invites us in. He's saying this is actually the right relationship is enjoyment and mutual love and delight in one another. He's inviting us into that.
Okay, Revelation 5. Verse 9. It says, They sang a new song saying, Worthy are you to take the scroll. These are the angels in front of God. Sing a new song. It says, to sing it to Christ.
It says, Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals for you were slain and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation that when Jesus died he purchased with his blood people that now belong to him through his sacrifice and where do they come from? every tribe every people every language every nation and it says all that so that we won't get confused. well is it does it have to do with like national borders? Does it have to do with heritage? Does it have to do with the way you talk? Yes. He's gotten all of them. He's ransomed from all of those places.
Well is it does it have to do with like national borders? Does it have to do with heritage? Does it have to do with the way you talk? Yes. He's gotten all of them. He's ransomed from all of those places. Somebody belongs to Jesus. And then as John gets to look forward he gets to actually see in a vision what this looks like at the end of all time in Revelation 7 two chapters later it said
After this I looked and behold a great multitude that no one could number from every nation from all tribes and peoples and languages standing before the throne and before the Lamb clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands and crying out with a loud voice salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb. Look back at verse 9 from every nation from all tribes and peoples
And languages standing before the throne the first time God says this he says you're going to be a blessing to all peoples and then in Genesis and then in the book of Revelation it says he did it. it will be accomplished all of them will be present everyone will be represented God did not make a language that will not sing his praise God does not have a people group that will not get
To participate in his glory no one is excluded that is his plan that God's glory the ultimate goal of God is his glory enjoyed and exalted among the nations and we could we could say that because that is true then we could say that the ultimate goal goal of his church is his glory enjoyed and exalted among the nations if it's his goal
Then it's our goal if that's where he's moving history then that's what we're participating in so I want to talk a little bit about our church before we look at this idea of the mission of the church from the scriptures when we first felt called to plant a church and felt called specifically to the south we had a lot of people say like there's a lot of churches in the south
Yes there are a lot of churches in the south and my general response to that usually was there's also a lot of people who don't know Jesus in the south and there's also a lot of people who think they know enough about Jesus they've been inoculated to the gospel they know enough things about Jesus to think that they don't need him and so we set out to reach people who weren't going
To go to a church if you wanted to show up to a church there was a church to show up to so we said we need to get out in places where these people have no desire to go to the church we need the church to go to them we need to join their jobs we need to join their gyms we need to live in their neighborhoods and we need to harass them until they love Jesus and some of you are a testimony
To that that was your baptism video they would not shut up and now I love Jesus and he's great but that's it we said we needed to do those things we needed to participate in that and that we needed to set about the work of convincing some people that they were not Christians so that they could become one and when I grew up I had this understanding of missionaries
Were people who left the country and then everybody else just was here and basically what God wanted from you was like some general good behaviorousness like just show up do what you're supposed to and I kind of missed that there were people who needed Christ here and that we're supposed to be missionaries here so when that clicked and we went to plant a church
And felt like we were supposed to be here that was the song we played that's what we've said over and over again if you've been around enough you've heard everyday missionary you've heard groups on mission you've heard that you're supposed to be a missionary you're supposed to look at your schedule we don't want to fill up your schedule with a bunch
Of things we want you to look at your schedule and already see where are you where do you spend 40 hours a week where do you spend 50 hours a week and then you need to use that as an opportunity for mission and we've said if you look at your schedule and realize I'm not around anybody
Then you have to add some things to your schedule to be around some people who don't know Jesus you've got to start walking around your neighborhood you've got to start prayer walking in your cubicles you've got to start making a friend if you're bad at that you need to go with someone in
Your group who's good at it and make a friend with their friend so that you can participate this is what we've said and we've said it over and over again but there's a danger that we miss the grand picture of God there's a danger that we get a little tunnel
Vision and we miss that his desire is his glory enjoyed and exalted among the nations if you get to spend enough time with me you'll learn that I have great ideas and I don't understand the laughter and because I care about you if I'm
Around you enough I will share my great ideas with you I'll watch your life and then I will give you good helpful suggestions for your life because I care about you and I want your life to be good so I'm going to share one such idea that
I had that I have shared with some people who have just failed to see how good of an idea it is Chris and Danielle Rocky are in my community group for a couple years and then we helped send them to Honduras
And then they have come back they were overseas missionaries for a little over a year and came back and they were up here this morning that's Danielle's bass guitar and this is where Chris is playing drums and so here's my
Suggestion that I've made to them and I'll help them do it I've even offered to help execute this we help make some photos of a band that they're in and we book them some gigs but when they show up it's just the two
Of them and they act like they're all aggravated that the rest of their band quit right before the gig and they see how many songs they can play just from the bass and the drums before they make them stop that's my plan
Like I want Chris to go free bird one two three and then just play the drums and her just be on the bass going and I want them to pick really where like the bass doesn't do much and the drums don't do
Much and maybe even at times go this next song's acoustic guitar and just sit periodically Daniel can lean into the mic and go ooh cover as many hits as they can but just from the
Bass and the drums and just see if they can get away with it and we'll book them as many gigs as we can around town they have not taken me up on that and you can tell foolishness I know y'all can talk to
Them about it afterwards here's the danger and the way we've talked about mission is that while the idea of what we're talking about is important and important for you as you live here and important for us as a church is we are sent to
This area very specifically if that's all we ever talk about then we're just a bass line and you're missing the whole beautiful song we're just the drums and that's our part that's where we are we get to participate in that but we miss the rest of it
If that's all we ever talk about so I want you to see that this goal of God is also the specific mission given to the church let's look at this so Genesis 12 he always chooses people to participate in his plan God wants
This to work out through human actors he wants to not just rip open the sky and announce it but he wants humans to participate in what he's doing he's always inviting us into relationship with him and participation with him and so that's what happens in Genesis 12 in
Matthew 28 it says this this is the great commission go therefore and make disciples of all nations that that word there is ethne or ethnos it's all ethnicities all people groups baptizing them in the name
Of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you and behold I'm with you always
To the end of the age one of the things that David Platt said that I thought was extremely helpful was the great commission
Is not to go make as many disciples as possible but it is to make disciples of all nations that God's plan is not
Just a lot of believers but believers from all the peoples Matthew 24 14 this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the
Whole world as a testimony to all nations and then the end will come Luke 24 47 repentance for the forgiveness of sin should
Be proclaimed in his name to all nations beginning from Jerusalem this is what it says in Acts chapter one that they would begin in
Jerusalem and they would work their way out to the ends of the earth or Romans 1 5 Paul Paul Paul's writing he says through
Whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all nations if
We belong to the church we care about the nations if we belong to Christ we care about the nations Romans 15 this is
Paul writing in the book of Romans he's walked through all of the theology he's finishing his letter and he says this we're starting
Verse 18 for I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience
By word and deed that links back to what he just said in Romans 1 that it's this obedience of all nations and by
Power and signs and wonders by the power of the spirit of God so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum
I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ and thus I make told of him will see and those who have never heard
Will understand this is the reason why I have so often been hindered from coming to you but now since I no longer have
Any room for work in these regions and since I have longed for many years to come to you I hope to see you
In passing as I go to Spain and be helped on my journey there by you once I have enjoyed your company for a
While at present however I am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints this is the apostle Paul he's gone on three missionary
Journeys at this point this this is his first one they're in Antioch the Holy Spirit says to set Paul and Barnabas aside for
The mission so they leave the church at Antioch they go down to Cyprus they loop around in the area of Galatia and they
Come back that's missionary trip one missionary trip two they leave from Judea they go up to Antioch they go through the places they
Had already been and then they work their way across through Asia then they feel like they're supposed to go to Macedonia so they
Go up that way that's where they hit Philippi Thessalonica Corinth and Ephesus and they work their way back down that's missionary trip two
Missionary trip three they leave Antioch you notice they go back to Antioch a lot they leave Antioch they go through the areas of Galatia
They cut through Colossae they go through Ephesus back around Philippi Thessalonica Corinth back up another loop come back down back over Caesarea Judea and
Then he says I have no more room for work I did it nothing else to be done around here so he says I'm coming
To Rome and then y'all are going to send me to Spain that's the plan now look back at that verse verse 23 since
I no longer have any room for work in these regions what you read the New Testament there's no room for work in Corinth nothing to do there Galatia
Maybe doesn't need you to swing back by everybody here knows Jesus you did it mission accomplished banner we've done it that sounds crazy
Yeah I made three laps nailed it I'm out of here no more room to work what he doesn't mean is that there's nothing
Else for the gospel to do here there's nobody else to be reached the reality is when he sent out of Antioch everybody is supposed to
Stay except for two of what Paul is saying is I'm supposed to preach where they haven't yet heard that's verse 20 I make it
My ambition to preach the gospel not where Christ has already been named lest I build on someone else's foundation and then he says
In 21 those who have never been told of him will see and those who have never heard will understand we have to have
A special place in our to Spain I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain and be helped on my journey
There by you he just says I know that nobody's been telling anybody about Jesus in Spain so I'm going so David Platt who
Was over the international mission board for several years who's now a part of joining with his radical organization with Joshua Project he listed
Off three problems that we are currently facing the first one is this over three billion people are currently unreached by the gospel it's 3.29
Billion people are currently unreached by the gospel there are 7.9 billion people on the planet so that's around 41% of the people on the planet now we
Have to define the word unreached unreached does not mean they do not know Jesus unreached means no one around them is going to
Tell them about Jesus the way he put it is he said it does not define one's status before God but one's access to
The gospel the word unreached does not define one's status before God but one's access to the gospel meaning that there are people who
Do not know Jesus in your neighborhood where you work out or at your work but they are not unreached because you are there
God has commissioned someone namely you to be there to pray for them to plead with them to tell them about Christ but there
Are 3.29 billion people without anybody that knows them that loves them that's going to share the gospel with them there are plenty of
People in this area who don't know Jesus but there are people here proclaiming Christ but there are 3.29 billion people around the globe
In areas where no one is proclaiming Christ this is a map from the Joshua project green is areas that are reached that there's
Gospel work there there's access to the gospel there yellow is areas where it's in the middle and it's either in the middle because
It's growing or because it's declining it used to be an area of strong faith and now it's less and less Christian or it's
An area where it used to be red and now it's becoming more Christian and red is and nations and nobody's telling them about
Jesus and there's 3.29 billion people in the red and in that section of red right there where it's all clumped together it's the
1040 Window and 3.18 billion of those people are there so there's little spots of red if you look around and the reason that
Place is red is because they are hostile to the gospel they are hard places to go they are hard languages to learn they
Don't want you there telling people about Jesus but Jesus does the second what that means for places that are unreached like Algeria like
Sudan Yemen like Yemen Yemen right now is in the middle of a crisis and war there are people who will be born who
Will live their entire life and who will die and they will never heard the hope of the gospel they will never heard the
Name of Jesus there are billions of people now who will live who will die and will never hear about Jesus and in many
Of those places they will have lived in an earthly hell fighting to survive fighting to eat fighting just to just to straggle along
And then they will go to an eternal hell never having anybody tell them about Christ so the second problem he listed is this
The church is practically ignoring the people and places most unreached by the gospel the church is practically ignoring the people and places most
Unreached by the gospel so look at this map again this is a stat I came across as I was looking at this in the US people who
Are Christians 98% of their income goes back to them so that 98% of the money that comes in is spent on them their household
2% Leaves for charitable purposes I would encourage all of you to actually look at your spending and see where you fall in that
Of that money that goes out billions are given to churches most of the money is spent locally so a lot of that makes sense
But that's how it works most of the money is spent locally most of our we pay for plumbers to come by here twice
A week spend most of our money locally then billions of dollars are still given to global missions 99% of the money given goes to
The green 97% of the missionaries go to the green green or yellow 99% of the money goes to green or yellow 97% of the missionaries goes to
Green or yellow which means that 1% of the money and 3% of the people are going to the red now again some of
That makes sense we have access we have inroads in the green people take mission trips to the green they have their heart touched
They want to go back and serve they see needs we don't take many mission trips to the red it's hard to take people
You don't pile people don't go to the red there's a lot of languages that are hard to learn there's a lot of small people groups
In those red some of them belong to Jesus he's already purchased them but there are a lot of people groups in the red that
It's hard to learn their language it's hard to get there we don't have direct connections with them and the people in the red
Don't want you there so there's a lot of avenues for us to send money to the green and a lot of avenues for people to
Get their heart to where they fall in love with an area of the green and go back and there's needed work there we're
Here this place is green and you know there's people who need to meet Jesus and some of you are thankful that we came
Here if 97% of our missionaries keep going elsewhere and if 99% of our money keeps going there I mentioned the Rockies earlier they
Won't do my band idea but they did do God's idea of going overseas to share the gospel with people and we got to
Get behind them and participate and we got to help send them to Honduras and I'm not saying that kind of work is needed
I'm here I think this kind of work is needed but the church has to get really serious about the red or it'll stay
Red third problem he listed is this the number of unreached people is higher today than ever before and will continue to increase until
The church decides to change the number of unreached people today is higher than ever before and will continue to increase until the church
Decides to change unreached meaning having no access to the gospel that number is growing not shrinking so the church has to do something
Has to participate in God's plan I'm going to read one more quote from him he said if we are not living and dying to make
Disciples of unreached nations then we are disobeying the great commission and disregarding the goal of God that if we don't care about that
If the church is not living and dying for that if we are not sending some money towards that if we are not giving
Effort towards that if some of us are not going towards that then it is a practical rejection of the great commission which calls
Us to go to all nations now the United States is among the nations but we currently sit in a place of affluence we
Currently sit in a place where we spend money on things we do not need and we currently sit in a time when there
Are more unreached peoples than ever before and something has to change those are the three problems I have three encouragements for us as we finish
Up our time first one God's plan is wonderful that his desire is to rescue people from all nations from all tongues from all
Tribes to bring them to himself for an eternity of delight that's wonderful and if you belong to Jesus that is your future that
I actually have an eternity before me where I have all my good things there which means that all my good things aren't here
If you belong to Jesus all your good things are there they're not here so we ought to live as if we know that
And we ought to be willing to sacrifice here so that more people can get there because there's 3.29 billion people in unreached people
Groups that currently have no hope of getting there but his plan is wonderful secondly God's plan will be fulfilled Revelation 5.9 says worthy are you to
Take the scroll and to open its seals for you were slain and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe
And language and people and nation the church can send people to the red we can send people to the most hostile areas on
The globe some of them will die and step into a glorious eternity and we can send over and over and over again with
The knowledge and the certainty that somebody is coming out somebody there is going to praise the name of Jesus for eternity so we
Can go you can send money and you can go personally and we can send missionaries and we can go not knowing how it
Will turn out ultimately with our lives but knowing ultimately how it will turn out with somebody that tribe is going to be there
God will not fail to have a tribe or a language or a nation or people gathered around his throne we don't know how
Many but we know somebody is coming out we know that God will fulfill his mission and by his grace we get to participate
By his grace you get to join in the delight of God to rescue the nations that's my third encouragement is that we as
A church are uniquely positioned we are uniquely positioned as a church to join God's global plan and not because KC South Carolina is the epicenter
Of travel or something there are three missions organizations that do their work in the red that we give free office space to they help pay
Some utilities three one of them is in power one they're doing work in Sudan and a few other places and they're right over
Here another one is Novo a member of our church family Patricia is married to Ben Johnson she works for them she's there United
States eastern office I don't know if she has that kind of title but she's here working out of here for Novo who's doing work in Lebanon in the Middle East
And Ben Johnson his organization 1040 Hope who we've gotten to go on a trip to Egypt with is here our church that has 10 community groups 130 members
Has three missions organizations in our building that are going to the 1040 window praise Jesus and how dare we not join in what he set up for us praise Jesus and how dare we not
Participate in his goal to be exalted and enjoyed among the nations for eternity and if we belong to him this is our heart because it's his and we get the hope of enjoying
And exalting in him forever and may we live as if that is true and may we participate in his mission to see some of those people come out to praise his name in a tongue we don't
Understand the band is going to come back up we're going to get to sing together over the next few weeks we're going to get to talk about this we're going to get to have some of those organizations come talk to us
Answer some questions tell us about what they're doing so that we might continue to pray and see how we might participate in what God's doing my hope from today is that we would begin to wrap our mind around this and begin to ask the Lord
How can I participate where would you have me let's pray by the way thank you for your grace we thank you that by your blood you have ransomed from every tribe and every language and every people and every nation someone out
Of their sin someone out of darkness someone out of hopelessness into your glory and we thank you that for all of those who have trusted in Jesus who have been justified by faith who have been justified by your grace who have
Been justified by the work on the cross through Christ that we have an eternity filled with delight Lord we don't know why you've placed us where you've placed us we pray that we'd be mindful of the people who don't know you around us we pray that we'd
Be active in being missionaries here but Lord we know that you've given us an opportunity to go to the nations to participate in what you are doing to send and to serve and Lord may we by your empowerment
Through your Holy Spirit fulfill the good work that you've laid out for us and we ask this in Jesus name Amen