May 17 Sermon
Monty Roberts’ work with horses inspired the movie called The Horse Whisperer. And during a 60 Minutes episode, Monty Roberts taught the world the secret of his horse whispering. It involves his getting into the corral with the untamed mustangs and staying as far away from the animal as possible, without leaving the enclosure. He also refuses to allow any eye contact between him and the horse. By moving slowly, but surely, away from the horse, and by keeping his eyes averted from the animal’s gaze, Monty slowly draws the horse to himself. Even though the beast is pounding the earth with his foot, and snorting and circling with great speed, Monty keeps steadily moving away from the horse. He won’t look at it. He won’t approach it. As astounding as it sounds, Monty can have a wild mustang saddled and carrying a rider quite happily. When asked about his secret, he says, “The animals need to be with others so much, they would rather befriend the enemy than be left alone.” (Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch, The Shaping of Things to Come, Hendrickson, 2003, p. 98; www.PreachingToday.com)
People will befriend even the enemy of their souls rather than be left alone. They will do things in the search for intimacy that are only self-destructive in the end. They will look for it in the bars. They will look for it in internet pornography. They will look for it in bad relationships.
But there is a better way to find intimacy. There is a better way to find the companionship we’re all looking for. There is a better way to find the fellowship and joy we all so desperately need. If you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to 1 John 1, 1-4, where the Bible shows us that way.
1 John 1:1-4 - That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. (ESV)
Find fellowship and joy through the Word of Life. Find the delight of intimacy in a relationship with Christ. Find the pleasure of companionship in Him.
That’s where John, the one who penned these words, says he and his friends found it. They were rugged fisherman, used to the hard life of the sea. They worked hard to earn a living, putting up with the unpredictable storms that often arose on the Sea of Galilee. Life was not easy for them.
In fact, John and his brother, James, were actually nicknamed “Sons of Thunder,” not because they were nice, easy-going fellows. No. They were the ones that wanted to call fire down from heaven on a town in Samaria that rejected Jesus. They were not woose in any sense of the word, and yet these rugged fishermen found challenges and joy in their companionship and walking with Jesus. I sense that they had a lot of experiences and challenges together.
So Who is this one whom John speaks so highly of in this text
I. Who is the HIM of whom JOHN is Speaking? -- "that which was from the beginning." What God is in His nature, persons, life, blessedness, glory, immortality, and eternity, is, and ever will be, incomprehensible (Job 11:7, 8, 9). The person of Christ was from the beginning. He was as God-man before the world, and had a glory with the Father before the world was (John 8:58). {Before Abraham was I am} This most glorious one, who was God-man before the world was, became incarnate {God became man} in the fulness of time. John lived in the days of Christ's Incarnation; he had the honor to see Christ, the Messiah, and was favored with a precious love relationship with Him. This was grace and glory inexpressible. How could God come to earth and love a sinful man and mold him into a disciple.
II. John has HEARD, HE has SEEN, HE has handled or touched Him. So had others also. These terms of hearing, seeing, looking, handling, are necessary to express the very real reality of our Lord's coming to earth as a man. Yes, He had a real body. It was a palpable one; it was seen; it was touched; it was heard. The truth of this is denied even today by heretics today; to refute which the John expresses himself, as he here does in this testimony. There was satisfaction, and such demonstration given to every sense of body and mind, that Christ had a body just like bodies, and no greater proof could be given. He was made in all things like unto us as body and soul. It was in His nature that He obeyed the Father and still did His will. He bore the sins of many in His own body on the tree. The person of Christ is a most wonderful and excellent person beyond all comparison. The Incarnation of Christ, a deep and most unfathomable and precious subject. For By His stipes and His blood we are healed. Can I have a witness for Jesus- Amen!
III. John says people had seen Him and knew Him— "which we have heard," etc. They were the apostles themselves. John speaks in his own name here, that is why it is a testimony or evidence of a real activity. Only other saints beside the disciples saw the Lord after His resurrection on earth; yet they were not called and appointed to be witnesses exactly the same way, as the individual apostles had. The evidence the apostles had of His Jesus and His life on this earth was more intimate and different from our own. They knew Jesus eye to eye. We receive Jesus today by faith and the witness of the Holy Spirit. But we all must call upon the name of the Lord to be saved. They had the evidence of their senses as truly as we have the evidence of faith. Those who come to believer hear the voice of Christ in His Word, and in hearing this word they come to life. They see Christ in the light of the gospel, and behold salvation and everlasting life in Him; but this is with the eyes of their mind. They touch, they taste, and handle Christ mystically and representatively in their fellowship with Him in the Lord’s Supper, yet this is different from what the apostle is here speaking. Yet it is as effectual to us for our souls' benefit as it theirs was to theirs.
Yet notwithstanding this, the different ends answered by the same are so essential, that they ought to be distinguished. The apostles were to give record of His life, His words, His miracles, His threatening’s, His promises, His prophecies, His holiness, His righteousness, His passion, His death, His burial, His resurrection, His ascension into heaven, His session at the right hand of the Majesty on high, His coronation in glory, and His sending down the Holy Ghost from heaven, to prove Him to be the Lord's Messiah, the Savior of the world.
Now the apostles who were to be witnesses of all this unto the people, saw God incarnate, and conversed with Him on this earth — a sight you and I may never behold. We shall see God incarnate, God-man, in heaven — we shall see Him in the state of ultimate glory, unless we are here post tribulation. We see Him now, in the everlasting gospel, as truly as the apostles did, in our measure and degree, though not as they did with their bodily eyes.
We see Him with the eye of faith, as certainly as those persons did with the eyes of their body, and as truly, yet not so clearly and fully, as saints in heaven do by sense and vision. See 1 Cor. 13:
IV. THE TITLE JOHN GIVES THIS MOST WONDERFUL ONE. He styles Him "The Word of life." The word is the index of the mind. By what is contained in the mind is expressed. So Christ, as one in the self-existing Essence, speaks from the mind of our heavenly Father. It was by His Almighty fiat the heavens and the earth were created, and all the host of them. It was by Him all the secrets of the Most High were spoken and proclaimed, and the invisible God brought out of His invisibility to be present with men. It is in Christ that the full revelation of Godhead is made known. It is in the essential Word all the mind of God is opened, all the love of God expressed, the whole of God declared.
Jesus is the essential Word, and the only begotten Son of God. He shines forth as the God-man, in His most glorious person, mediation, work, grace, and salvation, in the everlasting gospel, and enlightens His Church therewith, that they in Him and His light see light and life.
(S. E. Pierce.)
Go with me now to the next step the application of this text. You remember in Matt 28: 19-20 Jesus tells us to: 18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go [c]therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” [d]Amen.
Application #1 - The epistle or book of 1st John reflects the transition of this external command to go and shows us that the new life given, after we are born again, becomes internal. His life, that is Jesus Christ’s life becomes part of us and the outgrowth of that indwelling relationship is given in light and life, active and living, within us who are the believers. This is what happened at Pentecost. This was the first indwelling and not only did He immediately fill his disciples, but the upwelling flowed to all around them, the first believers who were filled with the Spirit, that group who had gathered in Jerusalem. Then as we look further in the book of the Acts of the Apostles, the Holy Spirit moved from Jerusalem, to Judea, to Samaria and to the uttermost parts of the World, Believers and disciples filled with the indwelling presence shared with others the love and witness of Christ.
Application # 2. A love and gift so amazing, that the most holy, Son of God would come and become like us, shedding the glories of heaven to bring redemption and forgiveness. Have we forgotten what it felt like when Jesus forgave us of our sins. When repentance and renewal were not words but what was happening inside us, how can we forget? Why do we not share this joy with others regardless of how they respond. If the Holy Spirit is leading why be timid, Jump and just do it – tell someone today!
Application #3 – go to these verses - that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. Where are you today right this minute with your Lord? Did you really see and hear? If you have truly seen and heard then proclaim be a witness. Have courage that what He tells us to do, He will enable. In Experiencing God – it tells us God purse you, God calls you and invites you to join Him in His work. The invitation is to be on mission with Jesus. According to this verse part of being on mission is to have fellowship and that fellowship is with brothers and sisters who have the same Father and know Jesus as Lord. Our Lord told us He would never leave us or forsake us. The testimony of John the revelator is this is true. In John’s 60+ years since the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, he has walked many miles with his Savior. He is telling you that you too can walk confidently with Jesus in all of your life. And I would bet if we could have a word with John today, he would testify that this is true event in dying.
Today in this world we need faithful disciples who have a testimony of trusting in Jesus and telling someone what He has done in your life, just like John did by writing this letter to the churches. Will we be found faithful in obedience to the command of our Lord first to fellowship and relationship, then to sharing that love with others wherever we go in this life and in the days remaining,
You are the breath of salvation to those who need to hear about His love and grace. Remember you are His letter in the flesh to others – in 2020 you as a believer are His message of love now. Be faithful to your calling Amen.
Monty Roberts’ work with horses inspired the movie called The Horse Whisperer. And during a 60 Minutes episode, Monty Roberts taught the world the secret of his horse whispering. It involves his getting into the corral with the untamed mustangs and staying as far away from the animal as possible, without leaving the enclosure. He also refuses to allow any eye contact between him and the horse. By moving slowly, but surely, away from the horse, and by keeping his eyes averted from the animal’s gaze, Monty slowly draws the horse to himself. Even though the beast is pounding the earth with his foot, and snorting and circling with great speed, Monty keeps steadily moving away from the horse. He won’t look at it. He won’t approach it. As astounding as it sounds, Monty can have a wild mustang saddled and carrying a rider quite happily. When asked about his secret, he says, “The animals need to be with others so much, they would rather befriend the enemy than be left alone.” (Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch, The Shaping of Things to Come, Hendrickson, 2003, p. 98; www.PreachingToday.com)
People will befriend even the enemy of their souls rather than be left alone. They will do things in the search for intimacy that are only self-destructive in the end. They will look for it in the bars. They will look for it in internet pornography. They will look for it in bad relationships.
But there is a better way to find intimacy. There is a better way to find the companionship we’re all looking for. There is a better way to find the fellowship and joy we all so desperately need. If you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to 1 John 1, 1-4, where the Bible shows us that way.
1 John 1:1-4 - That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. (ESV)
Find fellowship and joy through the Word of Life. Find the delight of intimacy in a relationship with Christ. Find the pleasure of companionship in Him.
That’s where John, the one who penned these words, says he and his friends found it. They were rugged fisherman, used to the hard life of the sea. They worked hard to earn a living, putting up with the unpredictable storms that often arose on the Sea of Galilee. Life was not easy for them.
In fact, John and his brother, James, were actually nicknamed “Sons of Thunder,” not because they were nice, easy-going fellows. No. They were the ones that wanted to call fire down from heaven on a town in Samaria that rejected Jesus. They were not woose in any sense of the word, and yet these rugged fishermen found challenges and joy in their companionship and walking with Jesus. I sense that they had a lot of experiences and challenges together.
So Who is this one whom John speaks so highly of in this text
I. Who is the HIM of whom JOHN is Speaking? -- "that which was from the beginning." What God is in His nature, persons, life, blessedness, glory, immortality, and eternity, is, and ever will be, incomprehensible (Job 11:7, 8, 9). The person of Christ was from the beginning. He was as God-man before the world, and had a glory with the Father before the world was (John 8:58). {Before Abraham was I am} This most glorious one, who was God-man before the world was, became incarnate {God became man} in the fulness of time. John lived in the days of Christ's Incarnation; he had the honor to see Christ, the Messiah, and was favored with a precious love relationship with Him. This was grace and glory inexpressible. How could God come to earth and love a sinful man and mold him into a disciple.
II. John has HEARD, HE has SEEN, HE has handled or touched Him. So had others also. These terms of hearing, seeing, looking, handling, are necessary to express the very real reality of our Lord's coming to earth as a man. Yes, He had a real body. It was a palpable one; it was seen; it was touched; it was heard. The truth of this is denied even today by heretics today; to refute which the John expresses himself, as he here does in this testimony. There was satisfaction, and such demonstration given to every sense of body and mind, that Christ had a body just like bodies, and no greater proof could be given. He was made in all things like unto us as body and soul. It was in His nature that He obeyed the Father and still did His will. He bore the sins of many in His own body on the tree. The person of Christ is a most wonderful and excellent person beyond all comparison. The Incarnation of Christ, a deep and most unfathomable and precious subject. For By His stipes and His blood we are healed. Can I have a witness for Jesus- Amen!
III. John says people had seen Him and knew Him— "which we have heard," etc. They were the apostles themselves. John speaks in his own name here, that is why it is a testimony or evidence of a real activity. Only other saints beside the disciples saw the Lord after His resurrection on earth; yet they were not called and appointed to be witnesses exactly the same way, as the individual apostles had. The evidence the apostles had of His Jesus and His life on this earth was more intimate and different from our own. They knew Jesus eye to eye. We receive Jesus today by faith and the witness of the Holy Spirit. But we all must call upon the name of the Lord to be saved. They had the evidence of their senses as truly as we have the evidence of faith. Those who come to believer hear the voice of Christ in His Word, and in hearing this word they come to life. They see Christ in the light of the gospel, and behold salvation and everlasting life in Him; but this is with the eyes of their mind. They touch, they taste, and handle Christ mystically and representatively in their fellowship with Him in the Lord’s Supper, yet this is different from what the apostle is here speaking. Yet it is as effectual to us for our souls' benefit as it theirs was to theirs.
Yet notwithstanding this, the different ends answered by the same are so essential, that they ought to be distinguished. The apostles were to give record of His life, His words, His miracles, His threatening’s, His promises, His prophecies, His holiness, His righteousness, His passion, His death, His burial, His resurrection, His ascension into heaven, His session at the right hand of the Majesty on high, His coronation in glory, and His sending down the Holy Ghost from heaven, to prove Him to be the Lord's Messiah, the Savior of the world.
Now the apostles who were to be witnesses of all this unto the people, saw God incarnate, and conversed with Him on this earth — a sight you and I may never behold. We shall see God incarnate, God-man, in heaven — we shall see Him in the state of ultimate glory, unless we are here post tribulation. We see Him now, in the everlasting gospel, as truly as the apostles did, in our measure and degree, though not as they did with their bodily eyes.
We see Him with the eye of faith, as certainly as those persons did with the eyes of their body, and as truly, yet not so clearly and fully, as saints in heaven do by sense and vision. See 1 Cor. 13:
IV. THE TITLE JOHN GIVES THIS MOST WONDERFUL ONE. He styles Him "The Word of life." The word is the index of the mind. By what is contained in the mind is expressed. So Christ, as one in the self-existing Essence, speaks from the mind of our heavenly Father. It was by His Almighty fiat the heavens and the earth were created, and all the host of them. It was by Him all the secrets of the Most High were spoken and proclaimed, and the invisible God brought out of His invisibility to be present with men. It is in Christ that the full revelation of Godhead is made known. It is in the essential Word all the mind of God is opened, all the love of God expressed, the whole of God declared.
Jesus is the essential Word, and the only begotten Son of God. He shines forth as the God-man, in His most glorious person, mediation, work, grace, and salvation, in the everlasting gospel, and enlightens His Church therewith, that they in Him and His light see light and life.
(S. E. Pierce.)
Go with me now to the next step the application of this text. You remember in Matt 28: 19-20 Jesus tells us to: 18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go [c]therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” [d]Amen.
Application #1 - The epistle or book of 1st John reflects the transition of this external command to go and shows us that the new life given, after we are born again, becomes internal. His life, that is Jesus Christ’s life becomes part of us and the outgrowth of that indwelling relationship is given in light and life, active and living, within us who are the believers. This is what happened at Pentecost. This was the first indwelling and not only did He immediately fill his disciples, but the upwelling flowed to all around them, the first believers who were filled with the Spirit, that group who had gathered in Jerusalem. Then as we look further in the book of the Acts of the Apostles, the Holy Spirit moved from Jerusalem, to Judea, to Samaria and to the uttermost parts of the World, Believers and disciples filled with the indwelling presence shared with others the love and witness of Christ.
Application # 2. A love and gift so amazing, that the most holy, Son of God would come and become like us, shedding the glories of heaven to bring redemption and forgiveness. Have we forgotten what it felt like when Jesus forgave us of our sins. When repentance and renewal were not words but what was happening inside us, how can we forget? Why do we not share this joy with others regardless of how they respond. If the Holy Spirit is leading why be timid, Jump and just do it – tell someone today!
Application #3 – go to these verses - that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. Where are you today right this minute with your Lord? Did you really see and hear? If you have truly seen and heard then proclaim be a witness. Have courage that what He tells us to do, He will enable. In Experiencing God – it tells us God purse you, God calls you and invites you to join Him in His work. The invitation is to be on mission with Jesus. According to this verse part of being on mission is to have fellowship and that fellowship is with brothers and sisters who have the same Father and know Jesus as Lord. Our Lord told us He would never leave us or forsake us. The testimony of John the revelator is this is true. In John’s 60+ years since the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, he has walked many miles with his Savior. He is telling you that you too can walk confidently with Jesus in all of your life. And I would bet if we could have a word with John today, he would testify that this is true event in dying.
Today in this world we need faithful disciples who have a testimony of trusting in Jesus and telling someone what He has done in your life, just like John did by writing this letter to the churches. Will we be found faithful in obedience to the command of our Lord first to fellowship and relationship, then to sharing that love with others wherever we go in this life and in the days remaining,
You are the breath of salvation to those who need to hear about His love and grace. Remember you are His letter in the flesh to others – in 2020 you as a believer are His message of love now. Be faithful to your calling Amen.
May 10 Sermon
REBIRTH
“It was Jesus who first declared that spiritual rebirth was an absolute necessity for entering the kingdom of God. He declared to Nicodemus, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). The word unless in Jesus’ teaching signals a universally necessary condition for seeing and entering the kingdom of God. Rebirth, then, is an essential part of Christianity; without it, entrance into God’s kingdom is impossible.
Regeneration is the theological term used to describe rebirth. It refers to a new generating, a new genesis, a new beginning. It is more than “turning over a new leaf”; it marks the beginning of a new life in a radically renewed person. Peter speaks of believers having “been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God” (1 Pet. 1:23).
Regeneration is the work of the Holy Spirit upon those who are spiritually dead (see Eph. 2:1–10). The Spirit recreates the human heart, quickening it from spiritual death to spiritual life. Regenerate people are new creations. Where formerly they had no disposition, inclination, or desire for the things […]”
“It occurs by God’s divine initiative and is an act that is sovereign, immediate, and instantaneous. An awareness of our conversion may be gradual. Yet rebirth itself is instantaneous. No one can be partially reborn any more than a woman can be partially pregnant.
Regeneration is not the fruit or result of faith. Rather, regeneration precedes faith as the necessary condition for faith. We also do not in any way dispose ourselves toward regeneration or cooperate as coworkers with the Holy Spirit to bring it to pass. We do not decide or choose to be regenerated. God chooses to regenerate us before we will ever choose to embrace Him. To be sure, after we have been regenerated by the sovereign grace of God, we do choose, act, cooperate, and believe in Christ. God does not have faith for us. It is our own faith by which we are justified. What God does is quicken us to spiritual life, rescuing us from darkness, bondage, and spiritual death. God makes faith possible and actual for us. He quickens faith within us.”
Excerpt From: The Reformation Study Bible. “The Reformation Study Bible.” Apple Books.
Gospel of John 15:9-24
9 “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. 12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. 17 These things I command you, that you love one another.
The World’s Hatred
18 “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. 21 But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 He who hates Me hates My Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father.
Father guide me and these in the study of Your word by the power of the Holy Spirit our teacher and guide. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight Oh Lord our strength and redeemer. Amen
Key verses -verse 9 & 10 - 9 “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
One might say this is the key principle given by Jesus. These words will enable the disciples to grasp in the years to come and in the ideas that follow, how Jesus was able to abide in His Father’s love and how we will be able to abide in His love.
These words portray the wonder in the heart of Jesus - As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you. How much does God love you? As much as God loves Jesus, that is how much. Isn’t that amazing? Then Jesus adds; abide in My love. Remain in fellowship with Me, stay close to Me, continue to put your faith in Me, even when the boat is rolling and filling with water in the storm. Yes Jesus loves me for the Bible tells me so!
Now verse 10 is no less spectacular. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. Here Jesus is claiming unbroken fellowship with God in terms of His law and in His love relationship with no sin ever, since His coming to earth. This is quite a claim. And you know it’s true because why? The resurrection proved His claim was true and His ascension proved God agrees.
Now add to that- Jesus promises you can have the same relationship with Him that He had with His Father. So then why do you and I find it so hard to take time to pray, or worship Him, or work for Him, or give to Him as He asks of us? Why because we do not abide in His love as He abided in His Father’s love. Maybe you ought to try this one on for size- who has it harder to live on Earth, your or Jesus?
Now we covered these verses last week - 11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. 12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.
Remember as we read these verses keep verses 9 and 10 close to your heart. For as you look at these verses you can see a trend where first Jesus promises you joy in your relationship with Him. You thought you were going to have to sacrifice all your neat things you enjoy because you came to Christ. He says, I give you My Joy; remembering that the Lord God has a monopoly on joy, not as the world gives, give I joy unto you.
Next Jesus for the third time reminds us that His love is different. It is God’s sacrificial love which Jesus has demonstrated before coming to earth. He agreed in the time before creation that He would be the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world. He says to His men - 12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Then Jesus improves upon it by upping the value for He tells us the dimension of His love 13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life. But He doesn’t stop there but adds this amazing statement - for his friends. For His friends. Here Jesus moves the bounds of relationship to a deepening fellowship with Him as a friend. We sing “what a friend we have in Jesus” not fully understanding the depth of what that means. He calls us His friends if we love one another, keep abiding in Him, and verse 14 - 14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.
He, the master, tells us the servants what He is doing and He has called us friends. It is conditional to be the friend of Jesus. We have to keep our Lord’s commands and abide in His love. Wow what a promise and a gift.
Now verse 16 -16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. Now this verse does not mean that the disciples, including you and I, exercised no will of our own, we have to choose to follow Him. Rather Jesus is indicating, that the first initiative, the original and saving choice is His. We would not have chosen Him unless He chose us first. His sovereign will. The call-in verse 16 is election to salvation in faith alone, in Christ alone. From salvation, in faith and abiding in Jesus comes fruit and the fruit which abides.
Next phase to look at in v. 16 is appointed you – refers to eh sovereign choice of God for you personally to be selected as belonging to Him. Then, the next word is Go, meaning to complete your work as a disciple sharing the word and love of God -evangelist. Then the last part is to bear fruit. There are 2 types of fruit – personal fruit which leads to your continued growth and sanctification and second to personal witness and evangelism. Fruit which remains is fruit that spawns from the love of God and what He purposes in your lives. As a period or as some say, full stop Jesus adds one more time -17 These things I command you, that you love one another. This is the key principle in His dealings with His children.
The World Hates -18 “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.
Here is the great contrast between the world in verse 18 and the love of God in verse 17. Was Jesus hated because He did something wrong or evil? No. They hated Him and because the hated who He was and, they hated Him who sent Him. The love of this people was not toward God from the rulers or many of the people as it is today. Jesus was warning us that the world hates what is not just like itself. If you are in God or like Him, just like they did with the Prophets in the OT, when they spoke the word of God the citizens hated it and they in many cases killed the prophets. Read these verses again. Jesus was warning His friends now of what was to come- Judas having departed. He is telling it like it is, if they hated Me they will hate you. If they persecuted Me they will persecute you. You are not of the world, you’re different. Why do they hate you and this is a wonderful verse - but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Why, God chose you Himself and they sense it and don’t like it one bit.
Finally to verses 21 & 22 - 21 But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. The particular sin here is the unforgivable sin of hating Jesus and hating the Father. It is quenching the Holy Spirits regenerative prompting to believe and trust in Jesus and by rejecting Jesus they have also rejected the Father.
REBIRTH
“It was Jesus who first declared that spiritual rebirth was an absolute necessity for entering the kingdom of God. He declared to Nicodemus, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). The word unless in Jesus’ teaching signals a universally necessary condition for seeing and entering the kingdom of God. Rebirth, then, is an essential part of Christianity; without it, entrance into God’s kingdom is impossible.
Regeneration is the theological term used to describe rebirth. It refers to a new generating, a new genesis, a new beginning. It is more than “turning over a new leaf”; it marks the beginning of a new life in a radically renewed person. Peter speaks of believers having “been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God” (1 Pet. 1:23).
Regeneration is the work of the Holy Spirit upon those who are spiritually dead (see Eph. 2:1–10). The Spirit recreates the human heart, quickening it from spiritual death to spiritual life. Regenerate people are new creations. Where formerly they had no disposition, inclination, or desire for the things […]”
“It occurs by God’s divine initiative and is an act that is sovereign, immediate, and instantaneous. An awareness of our conversion may be gradual. Yet rebirth itself is instantaneous. No one can be partially reborn any more than a woman can be partially pregnant.
Regeneration is not the fruit or result of faith. Rather, regeneration precedes faith as the necessary condition for faith. We also do not in any way dispose ourselves toward regeneration or cooperate as coworkers with the Holy Spirit to bring it to pass. We do not decide or choose to be regenerated. God chooses to regenerate us before we will ever choose to embrace Him. To be sure, after we have been regenerated by the sovereign grace of God, we do choose, act, cooperate, and believe in Christ. God does not have faith for us. It is our own faith by which we are justified. What God does is quicken us to spiritual life, rescuing us from darkness, bondage, and spiritual death. God makes faith possible and actual for us. He quickens faith within us.”
Excerpt From: The Reformation Study Bible. “The Reformation Study Bible.” Apple Books.
Gospel of John 15:9-24
9 “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. 12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. 17 These things I command you, that you love one another.
The World’s Hatred
18 “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. 21 But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 He who hates Me hates My Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father.
Father guide me and these in the study of Your word by the power of the Holy Spirit our teacher and guide. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight Oh Lord our strength and redeemer. Amen
Key verses -verse 9 & 10 - 9 “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
One might say this is the key principle given by Jesus. These words will enable the disciples to grasp in the years to come and in the ideas that follow, how Jesus was able to abide in His Father’s love and how we will be able to abide in His love.
These words portray the wonder in the heart of Jesus - As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you. How much does God love you? As much as God loves Jesus, that is how much. Isn’t that amazing? Then Jesus adds; abide in My love. Remain in fellowship with Me, stay close to Me, continue to put your faith in Me, even when the boat is rolling and filling with water in the storm. Yes Jesus loves me for the Bible tells me so!
Now verse 10 is no less spectacular. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. Here Jesus is claiming unbroken fellowship with God in terms of His law and in His love relationship with no sin ever, since His coming to earth. This is quite a claim. And you know it’s true because why? The resurrection proved His claim was true and His ascension proved God agrees.
Now add to that- Jesus promises you can have the same relationship with Him that He had with His Father. So then why do you and I find it so hard to take time to pray, or worship Him, or work for Him, or give to Him as He asks of us? Why because we do not abide in His love as He abided in His Father’s love. Maybe you ought to try this one on for size- who has it harder to live on Earth, your or Jesus?
Now we covered these verses last week - 11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. 12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.
Remember as we read these verses keep verses 9 and 10 close to your heart. For as you look at these verses you can see a trend where first Jesus promises you joy in your relationship with Him. You thought you were going to have to sacrifice all your neat things you enjoy because you came to Christ. He says, I give you My Joy; remembering that the Lord God has a monopoly on joy, not as the world gives, give I joy unto you.
Next Jesus for the third time reminds us that His love is different. It is God’s sacrificial love which Jesus has demonstrated before coming to earth. He agreed in the time before creation that He would be the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world. He says to His men - 12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Then Jesus improves upon it by upping the value for He tells us the dimension of His love 13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life. But He doesn’t stop there but adds this amazing statement - for his friends. For His friends. Here Jesus moves the bounds of relationship to a deepening fellowship with Him as a friend. We sing “what a friend we have in Jesus” not fully understanding the depth of what that means. He calls us His friends if we love one another, keep abiding in Him, and verse 14 - 14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.
He, the master, tells us the servants what He is doing and He has called us friends. It is conditional to be the friend of Jesus. We have to keep our Lord’s commands and abide in His love. Wow what a promise and a gift.
Now verse 16 -16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. Now this verse does not mean that the disciples, including you and I, exercised no will of our own, we have to choose to follow Him. Rather Jesus is indicating, that the first initiative, the original and saving choice is His. We would not have chosen Him unless He chose us first. His sovereign will. The call-in verse 16 is election to salvation in faith alone, in Christ alone. From salvation, in faith and abiding in Jesus comes fruit and the fruit which abides.
Next phase to look at in v. 16 is appointed you – refers to eh sovereign choice of God for you personally to be selected as belonging to Him. Then, the next word is Go, meaning to complete your work as a disciple sharing the word and love of God -evangelist. Then the last part is to bear fruit. There are 2 types of fruit – personal fruit which leads to your continued growth and sanctification and second to personal witness and evangelism. Fruit which remains is fruit that spawns from the love of God and what He purposes in your lives. As a period or as some say, full stop Jesus adds one more time -17 These things I command you, that you love one another. This is the key principle in His dealings with His children.
The World Hates -18 “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.
Here is the great contrast between the world in verse 18 and the love of God in verse 17. Was Jesus hated because He did something wrong or evil? No. They hated Him and because the hated who He was and, they hated Him who sent Him. The love of this people was not toward God from the rulers or many of the people as it is today. Jesus was warning us that the world hates what is not just like itself. If you are in God or like Him, just like they did with the Prophets in the OT, when they spoke the word of God the citizens hated it and they in many cases killed the prophets. Read these verses again. Jesus was warning His friends now of what was to come- Judas having departed. He is telling it like it is, if they hated Me they will hate you. If they persecuted Me they will persecute you. You are not of the world, you’re different. Why do they hate you and this is a wonderful verse - but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Why, God chose you Himself and they sense it and don’t like it one bit.
Finally to verses 21 & 22 - 21 But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. The particular sin here is the unforgivable sin of hating Jesus and hating the Father. It is quenching the Holy Spirits regenerative prompting to believe and trust in Jesus and by rejecting Jesus they have also rejected the Father.
April 26 Sermon
In 2020 we should be striving to establish new goals for ourselves compared to how we lived in 2019. Some of our goals or aspirations could be financial, maybe they are improving our work performance; could be improving sales if that is our line of work. But as believers we should take a spiritual inventory and challenge ourselves to improve spiritually. What that may mean to you could be significantly different than what it means to me. For our improving should be led by our relationship with God. Is it hot, medium to lukewarm or is it cold. The question should be for each of us as we read the Bible, pray and seek fellowship with our Lord and one another is how is God speaking to us? Are we seeking Him and His voice or are we a lot like the Church in Revelation where Jesus tells them “you have lost your first love.”Should we not look at ourselves as believers and ask is my relationship and my fellowship today lukewarm to cold, has God changed, or have I? If we remember our scripture God is immutable, meaning He never changes, and the promises in the Bible is that He is the same yesterday, today and forever.Remember the disciples when did they enjoy the fellowship of Jesus? When they walked with Him day by day in the way. Even after the crucifixion when unknowingly Jesus walked with the brothers on the road to Emmaus, they related later – “didn’t our heart burn within us as He opened the scriptures to us? Does your heart burn or did it burn in the past for your relationship with Jesus when it was fresh and challenging? Have you lost the edge and you no longer have that eagerness to meet with Him?Folks, all the promises of God are fulfilled in Him, Amen! This means that everything you and I need to know and believe is wrapped up in the person of Jesus. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.Our relationship with Him is the key to our faith an ultimately in the quality of our fellowship. You see that is what the term abiding means. Learning to walk daily in the presence of God. Brother Lawrence not a scholar but a servant wrote to others about being called to learn how to live by Practicing the Presence of God.This is what abiding is, living in the presence of God. This is not easy nor is it simple. It requires concentration, dedication and a desire from your heart which comes from the heart of God. That what scripture says. The Holy Spirit is the one who enables and sustains this.Let’s review Jesus’ words to His disciples the night in which He would be betrayed. Here Jesus wishes to grant insight as to how important our relationship is with Him. Turn to John 15 begin in verse 1. Thanks you. Let’s pray – Oh Father lead us into the richness and a deep understanding of the words of this text. One word from You Lord can change our lives. Speak Lord, allow us to hear and obey in Jesus name. Amen Read with me!
Jesus is the True Vine15 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for {apart from} without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
Love and Joy is Perfected in Abiding9 “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.
Let’s go through the verses and mine some gold for our understanding and more importantly our use. Verse 1- sets the stage of who is involved and uses references which are easily understandable about who is what. Jesus is the vine. The vinedresser is the Heavenly Father.
Verse 2 Every branch in Christ that does not bear fruit He takes away; if you are a believer and you hear this verse and there is no fruit in your life according to Christ you should be wary, even afraid. Remember what Jesus did to the fig tree which promised fruit but had none. He cursed it and it died. Out of the wonder and love which God has poured out on us there should be fruit. Fruit in your life for change; fruit in your life for witnessing and telling others about Jesus. There should be new life in Christ, new ways of thinking, new ways of problem solving. There should be a conscious change in your heart to seek and know God more completely?
Question is, is there a new heart? Even if you are half hearted the rest of the verse says if you bear some fruit even weakly or imperfectly it says He prunes you so you bear more fruit. Remember sometimes pruning hurts because it cuts away and that can be difficult.
Verse 3- If you wondered about your condition as a believer maybe this verse will put your heart to rest. An infidel who has been saved by grace and prepared for entry by His activity in washing you by the Word of God -r3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you
Verse 4 – Because He has made you clean or whole now He provides direction for abiding in Him. None of us are worthy but He has given us favor and He says 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
None of us can remain in Christ unless we devote ourselves to this pattern, there is no other way to have a relationship with Jesus than to search for Him with all your heart and soul and mind and strength. This has been true since day one and remains true today.
Here is more of the story – Verse 5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for {apart from} without Me you can do nothing.
This is your position in Christ. Paul gives us more depth in his discussions in the book of Corinthians about being ingrafted into Israel because of Christ’s actions. He is the vine. And the key is apart from Him nothing survives.
Verse 6 is a true verse of caution for believers - 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
What happens to a branch that fails to abide in Jesus is serious. Are you aware of others who have fallen away from Christ? Sometimes we see their lives turn bad and are consumed or just fail. Here is the reason why. Remember the Kings of Israel in the book of Kings and Chronicles where a King turns from God. What was the outcome? Do you suppose God is pleased with them?
Verses 7 and 8 go together - read with me -7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. Jesus is relating to His followers that they need to become devoted followers and there will be a cost to becoming a disciple. But there are rewards as well. Because you walk closely with Jesus and have intimate fellowship and are seeking Him with all you have – He will hear and answer your prayers and you will know what is on His heart. This is the neat thing His will becomes your will because of your love and obedience to Jesus. With this relationship in place and precious then will My Father be glorified. What is the chief end of man - The chief end of man is to glorify God, [a] and to enjoy him for ever. [b]
[a]. Ps. 86:9; Isa. 60:21; Rom. 11:36; 1 Cor. 6:20; 10:31; Rev.4:11
[b]. Ps. 16:5-11; 144:15; Isa. 12:2; Luke 2:10; Phil. 4:4; Rev. 21:3-4
When you do this you will bear much fruit and so you will be His disciples. Isn’t this interesting the key to fruit bearing is in the quality of our relationship with God. Perhaps each of us now needs to take a spiritual inventory and be honest before God to repentance?
Why should we do this look at verses 9-11-9 “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. He offers love and Joy. Do you have joy in you life today with Christ. Jn. 10:10
In 2020 we should be striving to establish new goals for ourselves compared to how we lived in 2019. Some of our goals or aspirations could be financial, maybe they are improving our work performance; could be improving sales if that is our line of work. But as believers we should take a spiritual inventory and challenge ourselves to improve spiritually. What that may mean to you could be significantly different than what it means to me. For our improving should be led by our relationship with God. Is it hot, medium to lukewarm or is it cold. The question should be for each of us as we read the Bible, pray and seek fellowship with our Lord and one another is how is God speaking to us? Are we seeking Him and His voice or are we a lot like the Church in Revelation where Jesus tells them “you have lost your first love.”Should we not look at ourselves as believers and ask is my relationship and my fellowship today lukewarm to cold, has God changed, or have I? If we remember our scripture God is immutable, meaning He never changes, and the promises in the Bible is that He is the same yesterday, today and forever.Remember the disciples when did they enjoy the fellowship of Jesus? When they walked with Him day by day in the way. Even after the crucifixion when unknowingly Jesus walked with the brothers on the road to Emmaus, they related later – “didn’t our heart burn within us as He opened the scriptures to us? Does your heart burn or did it burn in the past for your relationship with Jesus when it was fresh and challenging? Have you lost the edge and you no longer have that eagerness to meet with Him?Folks, all the promises of God are fulfilled in Him, Amen! This means that everything you and I need to know and believe is wrapped up in the person of Jesus. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.Our relationship with Him is the key to our faith an ultimately in the quality of our fellowship. You see that is what the term abiding means. Learning to walk daily in the presence of God. Brother Lawrence not a scholar but a servant wrote to others about being called to learn how to live by Practicing the Presence of God.This is what abiding is, living in the presence of God. This is not easy nor is it simple. It requires concentration, dedication and a desire from your heart which comes from the heart of God. That what scripture says. The Holy Spirit is the one who enables and sustains this.Let’s review Jesus’ words to His disciples the night in which He would be betrayed. Here Jesus wishes to grant insight as to how important our relationship is with Him. Turn to John 15 begin in verse 1. Thanks you. Let’s pray – Oh Father lead us into the richness and a deep understanding of the words of this text. One word from You Lord can change our lives. Speak Lord, allow us to hear and obey in Jesus name. Amen Read with me!
Jesus is the True Vine15 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for {apart from} without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
Love and Joy is Perfected in Abiding9 “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.
Let’s go through the verses and mine some gold for our understanding and more importantly our use. Verse 1- sets the stage of who is involved and uses references which are easily understandable about who is what. Jesus is the vine. The vinedresser is the Heavenly Father.
Verse 2 Every branch in Christ that does not bear fruit He takes away; if you are a believer and you hear this verse and there is no fruit in your life according to Christ you should be wary, even afraid. Remember what Jesus did to the fig tree which promised fruit but had none. He cursed it and it died. Out of the wonder and love which God has poured out on us there should be fruit. Fruit in your life for change; fruit in your life for witnessing and telling others about Jesus. There should be new life in Christ, new ways of thinking, new ways of problem solving. There should be a conscious change in your heart to seek and know God more completely?
Question is, is there a new heart? Even if you are half hearted the rest of the verse says if you bear some fruit even weakly or imperfectly it says He prunes you so you bear more fruit. Remember sometimes pruning hurts because it cuts away and that can be difficult.
Verse 3- If you wondered about your condition as a believer maybe this verse will put your heart to rest. An infidel who has been saved by grace and prepared for entry by His activity in washing you by the Word of God -r3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you
Verse 4 – Because He has made you clean or whole now He provides direction for abiding in Him. None of us are worthy but He has given us favor and He says 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
None of us can remain in Christ unless we devote ourselves to this pattern, there is no other way to have a relationship with Jesus than to search for Him with all your heart and soul and mind and strength. This has been true since day one and remains true today.
Here is more of the story – Verse 5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for {apart from} without Me you can do nothing.
This is your position in Christ. Paul gives us more depth in his discussions in the book of Corinthians about being ingrafted into Israel because of Christ’s actions. He is the vine. And the key is apart from Him nothing survives.
Verse 6 is a true verse of caution for believers - 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
What happens to a branch that fails to abide in Jesus is serious. Are you aware of others who have fallen away from Christ? Sometimes we see their lives turn bad and are consumed or just fail. Here is the reason why. Remember the Kings of Israel in the book of Kings and Chronicles where a King turns from God. What was the outcome? Do you suppose God is pleased with them?
Verses 7 and 8 go together - read with me -7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. Jesus is relating to His followers that they need to become devoted followers and there will be a cost to becoming a disciple. But there are rewards as well. Because you walk closely with Jesus and have intimate fellowship and are seeking Him with all you have – He will hear and answer your prayers and you will know what is on His heart. This is the neat thing His will becomes your will because of your love and obedience to Jesus. With this relationship in place and precious then will My Father be glorified. What is the chief end of man - The chief end of man is to glorify God, [a] and to enjoy him for ever. [b]
[a]. Ps. 86:9; Isa. 60:21; Rom. 11:36; 1 Cor. 6:20; 10:31; Rev.4:11
[b]. Ps. 16:5-11; 144:15; Isa. 12:2; Luke 2:10; Phil. 4:4; Rev. 21:3-4
When you do this you will bear much fruit and so you will be His disciples. Isn’t this interesting the key to fruit bearing is in the quality of our relationship with God. Perhaps each of us now needs to take a spiritual inventory and be honest before God to repentance?
Why should we do this look at verses 9-11-9 “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. He offers love and Joy. Do you have joy in you life today with Christ. Jn. 10:10
April 19 Sermon
Focus verse is - Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. Colossians 2:8
There is a subtle temptation in today’s world that encourages Christians to be “practical.” That is, they try to do God’s work in man’s way. “Getting results” becomes the primary focus. It almost seems that we believe that the end justifies the means. Don’t be led away by the world’s reasoning. An examination of God’s Word shows that the means God uses are sometimes even more important than the results. The world tries to convince you that as long as you can accomplish something for the kingdom of God, that’s all that matters. For example, Ananias and Sapphira gave an offering to their church, which was a good thing, but they did it deceitfully. God judged them immediately, not for what they did, but for how they did it (Acts 5:1-11).
Satan tried to trap Jesus with this same temptation. Satan did not question the worthiness of Jesus’ task, but simply offered “practical” solutions to accomplish Jesus’ goal more quickly and at lesser cost. God’s ways are not like man’s ways.
“Efficiency” from man’s perspective is not prized by God.
Colossians 2:8 - Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ
In the Old Testament in Isaiah 5, beginning in verse 8 God records these thoughts –
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.
10 “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,
And do not return there,
But water the earth,
And make it bring forth and bud,
That it may give seed to the sower
And bread to the eater,
11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
What a challenging concept to have exclusive confidence in God and His Son and in the words which they have given to us in His Book – the Bible. It amazes me that to think every time you open The Bible you have direct access to the author.
This opportunity of course this assumes that you are in the right spiritual condition of clean hands and a pure heart. Sometimes in my life this preparation requires an intense adjustment performed by the person of the Holy Spirit using the washing of the water by the word of God. In other words God first uses scripture to change my heart as He speaks through the Word.
New living in Christ demands we understand and apply His words correctly. With verse8 begin with me. The verse says, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
Can you understand creation, or the galaxies, or your body; life, death or why one person lives and another does not? Why there is a Satan? How much did Christ suffer to save me? Or the mystery of heaven and what lies in the future. Why is there all this hell on earth now and how it is going to become worse over time? I thought we teach in schools that man is basically good? Here is the difference and we continue to need to grasp this basic idea. God while He created you in His image is in no way like you? He is all knowing? Can you grasp that idea? He know everything. There is no math, physics, or time question that He cannot answers.
Verse 9 - 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.
God is nothing like us. He knows our every way and our every need. That was one of the reasons He sent Jesus. He made Him who knew no sin to be just like us but without sin. The disease of sin was external to Jesus but He needed to be sent as a servant not as a king. He was mean to suffer and die so that no man could stand before God and shake his tiny fist at God and say, you don’t know what it is like to be human. Yes, He does. But you understand now why His ways of doing things are as important and in some cases more important that the what He is doing.
Why is the Bible so important to us because in that book God has recorded the thoughts He has given to men? And in doing so He has shown why His way of reasoning and His thoughts are higher than our own. When a believer opens the Bible the author is present to guide and direct. The author is God but His Holy Spirit is the teacher, counselor, guide the paraclete who goes with us. He is omnipresent, meaning He is everywhere and this is not a new testament concept. Psalm 139 and other verses in the New Testament, book of Romans say neither height nor depth, nor any created thing can separate us from the love {and therefore the person of God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit.}
Verses 10 and 11 finish these thoughts by giving us the understanding of:
So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
Nothing is able to stand against the will of God. He is all powerful. The fancy word we use is omnipotent. This means all powerful. But God is all powerful and able to accomplish all that He desires. But despite this power you have your will. You are given free will to resist Him. God respects that. So, God will not overpower your will. If you choose to join Him by faith in Him you have the option, because He is a loving God who is not willing that any should perish. But nothing in creation is able to stand against His will. Look at the Kings who rejected Him in the OT, they each came to ruin. Yes you can reject Him but you cannot overcome Him. Do not go against God or flaunt His laws there is an absolute punishment, called judgement that comes to the one who rejects God and tries to overcome Him. Satan paid this price when He rebelled against God
Verse 7 of Isaiah 55, speaks to this
Let the wicked forsake his way,
And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
Let him return to the Lord,
And He will have mercy on him;
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon.
God’s answer is always return and be forgiven before it is too late. You only have as long as you breath to make this decision. But the heart of men as it is apparent today can become so perverted and rejecting of God and His will that He wants nothing to do with God. That is the force of Anti-Christ present in America today. Only revival and returning to God will work read verse 7 and our God will have mercy and only our God will abundantly pardon.
So I ask you if you are in sin return to God and be pardoned by the blood of Jesus Christ - Amen
And Amen. If you don’t know Jesus and want to know more about Him, contact us today.
Focus verse is - Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. Colossians 2:8
There is a subtle temptation in today’s world that encourages Christians to be “practical.” That is, they try to do God’s work in man’s way. “Getting results” becomes the primary focus. It almost seems that we believe that the end justifies the means. Don’t be led away by the world’s reasoning. An examination of God’s Word shows that the means God uses are sometimes even more important than the results. The world tries to convince you that as long as you can accomplish something for the kingdom of God, that’s all that matters. For example, Ananias and Sapphira gave an offering to their church, which was a good thing, but they did it deceitfully. God judged them immediately, not for what they did, but for how they did it (Acts 5:1-11).
Satan tried to trap Jesus with this same temptation. Satan did not question the worthiness of Jesus’ task, but simply offered “practical” solutions to accomplish Jesus’ goal more quickly and at lesser cost. God’s ways are not like man’s ways.
“Efficiency” from man’s perspective is not prized by God.
- It did not seem efficient to have the children of Israel march around Jericho thirteen times and then blow their trumpets, but it brought the walls down (Josh. 6). Do you think God knew something that men didn’t?
- It did not appear wise to select the youngest of Jesse’s sons to become the next king, but God saw a man after His own heart (1 Sam. 16:11). Do you think God knew something that men didn’t?
- At first glance, it does not seem logical for Jesus to have picked the twelve disciples He did, yet through them God dramatically affected their world. {Matt, Mk, Luke, John} Do you think Jesus knew something more?
- It never appeared efficient to have important people in the life of the nation’s integrity to arrive as a “baby.”
- Moses – to be the deliverer used to lead His people to God
- Samuel – to become the priest of Judah in which a King was crowned
- John the Baptist - to prepare the way of the Lord, set paths straight
- Jesus – as a baby who in Himself is Savior, Immanuel, and a Holy Sacrifice
Colossians 2:8 - Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ
In the Old Testament in Isaiah 5, beginning in verse 8 God records these thoughts –
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.
10 “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,
And do not return there,
But water the earth,
And make it bring forth and bud,
That it may give seed to the sower
And bread to the eater,
11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
What a challenging concept to have exclusive confidence in God and His Son and in the words which they have given to us in His Book – the Bible. It amazes me that to think every time you open The Bible you have direct access to the author.
This opportunity of course this assumes that you are in the right spiritual condition of clean hands and a pure heart. Sometimes in my life this preparation requires an intense adjustment performed by the person of the Holy Spirit using the washing of the water by the word of God. In other words God first uses scripture to change my heart as He speaks through the Word.
New living in Christ demands we understand and apply His words correctly. With verse8 begin with me. The verse says, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
Can you understand creation, or the galaxies, or your body; life, death or why one person lives and another does not? Why there is a Satan? How much did Christ suffer to save me? Or the mystery of heaven and what lies in the future. Why is there all this hell on earth now and how it is going to become worse over time? I thought we teach in schools that man is basically good? Here is the difference and we continue to need to grasp this basic idea. God while He created you in His image is in no way like you? He is all knowing? Can you grasp that idea? He know everything. There is no math, physics, or time question that He cannot answers.
Verse 9 - 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.
God is nothing like us. He knows our every way and our every need. That was one of the reasons He sent Jesus. He made Him who knew no sin to be just like us but without sin. The disease of sin was external to Jesus but He needed to be sent as a servant not as a king. He was mean to suffer and die so that no man could stand before God and shake his tiny fist at God and say, you don’t know what it is like to be human. Yes, He does. But you understand now why His ways of doing things are as important and in some cases more important that the what He is doing.
Why is the Bible so important to us because in that book God has recorded the thoughts He has given to men? And in doing so He has shown why His way of reasoning and His thoughts are higher than our own. When a believer opens the Bible the author is present to guide and direct. The author is God but His Holy Spirit is the teacher, counselor, guide the paraclete who goes with us. He is omnipresent, meaning He is everywhere and this is not a new testament concept. Psalm 139 and other verses in the New Testament, book of Romans say neither height nor depth, nor any created thing can separate us from the love {and therefore the person of God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit.}
Verses 10 and 11 finish these thoughts by giving us the understanding of:
So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
Nothing is able to stand against the will of God. He is all powerful. The fancy word we use is omnipotent. This means all powerful. But God is all powerful and able to accomplish all that He desires. But despite this power you have your will. You are given free will to resist Him. God respects that. So, God will not overpower your will. If you choose to join Him by faith in Him you have the option, because He is a loving God who is not willing that any should perish. But nothing in creation is able to stand against His will. Look at the Kings who rejected Him in the OT, they each came to ruin. Yes you can reject Him but you cannot overcome Him. Do not go against God or flaunt His laws there is an absolute punishment, called judgement that comes to the one who rejects God and tries to overcome Him. Satan paid this price when He rebelled against God
Verse 7 of Isaiah 55, speaks to this
Let the wicked forsake his way,
And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
Let him return to the Lord,
And He will have mercy on him;
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon.
God’s answer is always return and be forgiven before it is too late. You only have as long as you breath to make this decision. But the heart of men as it is apparent today can become so perverted and rejecting of God and His will that He wants nothing to do with God. That is the force of Anti-Christ present in America today. Only revival and returning to God will work read verse 7 and our God will have mercy and only our God will abundantly pardon.
So I ask you if you are in sin return to God and be pardoned by the blood of Jesus Christ - Amen
And Amen. If you don’t know Jesus and want to know more about Him, contact us today.
Sermon Easter Sunday
The Miracle of Easter is the deliberate passion of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, to die for you and me. Is there a greater gift than a man would lay His life down for His friends? Not only was He obedient to the will of the Father but He freely gave us all things.
1 Corinthians 5:21 - For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
1 Peter 2:24 _ who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose [g]stripes you were healed. {Isaiah 53:5}
The first verse1 Cor. 5:21 expresses the Father’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Again the verse says- For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. God made Jesus accept all our sin and the disease to cure it. The righteous Son of God pure and Holy became your sin and my sin to pay the righteous penalty for sin which is death. God’s will was done to make you and I acceptable to God by paying our sin debt for now through eternity. You are a blood bought child of the King in Jesus and because of this you now have Peace and not enmity with God. Sin no longer separates you from God if you have truly asked and become one of the whosoever would call upon the name of the Lord.
The second verse we read is that Jesus willingly died and accomplished for us what we are not able to do. Listen again to 1 Peter 2:24 -_ who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose [g]stripes you were healed. {Isaiah 53:5} There was and is healing only in the wings of Jesus. And In Jesus only and exclusively have you been healed by His stripes. One and only one sacrifice is and remains sufficient for paying the penalty of my sin and that is by the blood of Jesus. There is no other name given among men whereby you can be saved, no matter what man may say. God has not and will not accept any other means of salvation for you and I, now is He likely to change His mind ever. This is why there is no other way but the one way to heaven. No other has paid this incredible price for your salvation and deliverance. So how can there be many ways to heaven. There can’t be and there are none. The One and only one who loves you is Jesus the Christ.
Having set your minds on this, just think if you had just completed some taxing and strenuous ordeal for family and friends what would you expect when you returned – accolades, a band, cheering? What did Jesus receive upon HIs return from the dead? Do you suppose the disciples finally got it? No they didn’t get it. Jesus did not have such good fortune or understanding.
Jesus comes back fully knowing He must encourage His young believers to have faith in Himself for He has proven by His return that He is God. That may be where you are today on this Resurrection Sunday. Perhaps you may need encouragement in your faith, maybe you need to be renewed or strengthened your faith in God! Or maybe you are maturing as a person of faith by understanding God’s gift to you in Jesus.
But before you can have faith you must have received Jesus to have peace with God. Sinners and those apart from the savior who really have no personal relationship with Him and have not called upon the name of the Lord, can’t be and aren’t saved. You know in your heart if Jesus is speaking to you now have peace with God.
II. Let’s examine how Jesus greets His disciples after the resurrection. Let us go to the Gospel of John, Chapter 19 vs.19 - Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
The disciples had spent the last three days in absolute terror and disappointment.
There was no release for some almost all had deserted Jesus. Judas had betrayed Jesus and Peter who swore he would defend Jesus to the death had denied Him. They were frazzled in their understanding and the Holy Spirit had not yet come to give them clear understanding of Scriptures which Jesus spoke to them. So how does Jesus enter? “Peace be with you. This is what is missing for you and I today in the midst of all that is happening in CV-19, all the political unrest and hate. Jesus says that same to you as He said to them “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Why would there be any difference? This is why we remember Easter
III. So how should Easter orient us toward our lives as Christians. Check out Philippians 3: 7 -14. To many these are words we have heard before but perhaps never understood they are for us personally. Paul writes to the church, the body of believers at Philippi- {everything I did for self.} 7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ {faith, hope and love but the greatest of these is love}, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain[b] to the resurrection from the dead. There are what Paul values at the end. But He is not finished with life or with the purposes of God. So he says next that he is Pressing Toward the Goal. What goal read with me beginning in verse 12 -
12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
The Miracle of Easter is the deliberate passion of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, to die for you and me. Is there a greater gift than a man would lay His life down for His friends? Not only was He obedient to the will of the Father but He freely gave us all things.
1 Corinthians 5:21 - For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
1 Peter 2:24 _ who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose [g]stripes you were healed. {Isaiah 53:5}
The first verse1 Cor. 5:21 expresses the Father’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Again the verse says- For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. God made Jesus accept all our sin and the disease to cure it. The righteous Son of God pure and Holy became your sin and my sin to pay the righteous penalty for sin which is death. God’s will was done to make you and I acceptable to God by paying our sin debt for now through eternity. You are a blood bought child of the King in Jesus and because of this you now have Peace and not enmity with God. Sin no longer separates you from God if you have truly asked and become one of the whosoever would call upon the name of the Lord.
The second verse we read is that Jesus willingly died and accomplished for us what we are not able to do. Listen again to 1 Peter 2:24 -_ who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose [g]stripes you were healed. {Isaiah 53:5} There was and is healing only in the wings of Jesus. And In Jesus only and exclusively have you been healed by His stripes. One and only one sacrifice is and remains sufficient for paying the penalty of my sin and that is by the blood of Jesus. There is no other name given among men whereby you can be saved, no matter what man may say. God has not and will not accept any other means of salvation for you and I, now is He likely to change His mind ever. This is why there is no other way but the one way to heaven. No other has paid this incredible price for your salvation and deliverance. So how can there be many ways to heaven. There can’t be and there are none. The One and only one who loves you is Jesus the Christ.
Having set your minds on this, just think if you had just completed some taxing and strenuous ordeal for family and friends what would you expect when you returned – accolades, a band, cheering? What did Jesus receive upon HIs return from the dead? Do you suppose the disciples finally got it? No they didn’t get it. Jesus did not have such good fortune or understanding.
Jesus comes back fully knowing He must encourage His young believers to have faith in Himself for He has proven by His return that He is God. That may be where you are today on this Resurrection Sunday. Perhaps you may need encouragement in your faith, maybe you need to be renewed or strengthened your faith in God! Or maybe you are maturing as a person of faith by understanding God’s gift to you in Jesus.
But before you can have faith you must have received Jesus to have peace with God. Sinners and those apart from the savior who really have no personal relationship with Him and have not called upon the name of the Lord, can’t be and aren’t saved. You know in your heart if Jesus is speaking to you now have peace with God.
II. Let’s examine how Jesus greets His disciples after the resurrection. Let us go to the Gospel of John, Chapter 19 vs.19 - Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
The disciples had spent the last three days in absolute terror and disappointment.
There was no release for some almost all had deserted Jesus. Judas had betrayed Jesus and Peter who swore he would defend Jesus to the death had denied Him. They were frazzled in their understanding and the Holy Spirit had not yet come to give them clear understanding of Scriptures which Jesus spoke to them. So how does Jesus enter? “Peace be with you. This is what is missing for you and I today in the midst of all that is happening in CV-19, all the political unrest and hate. Jesus says that same to you as He said to them “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Why would there be any difference? This is why we remember Easter
III. So how should Easter orient us toward our lives as Christians. Check out Philippians 3: 7 -14. To many these are words we have heard before but perhaps never understood they are for us personally. Paul writes to the church, the body of believers at Philippi- {everything I did for self.} 7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ {faith, hope and love but the greatest of these is love}, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain[b] to the resurrection from the dead. There are what Paul values at the end. But He is not finished with life or with the purposes of God. So he says next that he is Pressing Toward the Goal. What goal read with me beginning in verse 12 -
12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Sermon April 5
From Experiencing God Day by Day Devotional.
That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full. 1 John 1:3-4
John the apostle never ceased to marvel at the life-changing relationship he enjoyed with his Lord. It overwhelmed him to know that, at a particular time in history, the God of the universe chose to have fellowship with him, a simple fisherman. John was so overjoyed that he earnestly wanted to share his joy with others so they, too, might experience the same joy. A special fellowship or “bonding” developed between those who had personally encountered Christ as they rejoiced together at God’s goodness to them.
Those around you desperately need to be encouraged by your latest encounter with Christ. Some have lost hope that they can experience the reality of God’s presence in their lives. They don’t need your philosophies or theological speculations. They don’t need to hear your opinions on what they should do. They need to hear from someone who has just come from a personal, life-changing encounter with the living Christ.
When you have had such an experience you will be like the apostle John, unable to contain yourself as you rush out to tell others of your amazing encounter with God. Your responsibility will not be to convince others of the reality of God, but simply to bear witness to what your Lord has said and done for you. The change in your life will be your greatest testimony of your relationship to Christ. There is nothing more appealing or convincing to a watching world than to hear the testimony of someone who has just been with Jesus.
Today’s Lesson - Palm Sunday.
I can hardly contain myself I have a word for you from our Lord “Be encouraged, be inspired and be giving praise in the middle of the battle. For God is at work, He is here and He is present to defend you, love you and care for you. Follow this narration of the events of Palm Sunday:
In the accounts of the four gospels Jesus's triumphal entry into Jerusalem takes place in the days before the Last Supper, marking the beginning of His Passion, his time of suffering, death, and resurrection celebrated during Holy Week. We celebrate Jesus's entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, which begins a week of celebrations known as Holy Week ending on Easter Sunday.
In John 12:9–11 the crowds gather around Jesus and believe in him after he raised Lazarus from the dead, and the next day the multitudes that had gathered for the feast in Jerusalem welcome Jesus as he enters the city. In Matthew 21:1–11, Mark 11:1–11, Luke 19:28–44, and John 12:12–19, Jesus descends from the Mount of Olives towards Jerusalem, and the crowds lay their clothes on the ground to welcome him as he triumphantly enters Jerusalem.
The historical context of these events:
In the accounts of the four Gospels, Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem takes place a week before his resurrection. The Gospel of John presents a timeline of these events, dated six days before the Passover (John 12:1).
Before this, Jesus talked to two of his disciples, taking to Himself using the Greek word of Lord (Κύριος, trasl. Kýrios), written with a capital letter in the original text, as a proper noun.
The raising of Lazarus is mentioned only by the Gospel of John, in the previous chapter. The Jewish calendar dates begin at sundown of the night beforehand, and conclude at nightfall.
Christians believe that the passion of Christ is captured graphically in the Old Testament: Zechariah 9:9"The Coming of Zion's King – See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey", which is quoted in the Gospels. It suggests that Jesus was declaring he was the King of Israel, to the anger of the Jewish ruling body of Pharisees and Sadducees called the Sanhedrin.
In the Gospels, Jesus Christ rode on a donkey into Jerusalem, and the celebrating people there laid down their cloaks and small branches of trees in front of him, singing part of Psalm 118: 25–26 – Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord.
The symbolism of the donkey generally refers to the Eastern tradition that it is an animal of peace, unlike the horse which is the animal of war. A king would have ridden a white horse where he was bent on war and ridden a donkey to symbolize his arrival in peace. Jesus' entry to Jerusalem symbolizes his entry as Prince of Peace, not as a war-waging king.
"Flevit super illam" (He wept over it); by Enrique Simonet, 1892
The triumphant entry begins in Luke 19:41 as Jesus approaches Jerusalem, he looks at the city and weeps over it (an event known as Flevit super illam in Latin), foretelling his coming Passion and the suffering that awaits the city in the events of the destruction of the Second Temple. 41 Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, 42 saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, 44 and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”
The Lord Jesus being fully God and simultaneously fully man at this time knew the events which were to occur at this Passover celebration. He had already warned His disciples three times that the Pharisee’s were about to kill Him on a cross. He had to chastise Peter for coming against the will of God, versus the will of Satan for Him to pay the price of the cruel cross.
But Jesus is reflecting upon the nation of Israel and all those who would eventually reject Him. He begins -“If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. Jesus had come to bring salvation from sins and to give the Kingdom of Heaven to the nation of Israel. But Jesus knew the heart of man and it was far from Him. Note His appeal is personal If you, even you; and when was the appeal relevant? It was made especially in this your day. A great judgement was coming - sin was soon to be condemned and Jesus was the one to accomplish this. But Jesus had been rejected by the nation of Israel then and down through the ages it would be the same. He would come but He would be rejected.
Jesus’ great condemnation is “because you did not know the time of your visitation.” The King in the form of a man had come but because of sin in the world, the desire to do our own will over the will of God; and to be willfully obedient to the Prince of the Power of the air – Satan, we reject God even in the time of our visitation by the Son of God. But there is a great wonder. And this wonder is despite the condemnation and destruction which is to visited upon the nation of Israel in 70 AD., and upon all those who reject Jesus and die in their sin.
The wonder is this, that the purpose of the triumphant entry is the success of God’s plan from eternity past and for eternity future to defeat sin and death and set the captives free. It is and was assured by the obedience of Christ in going to the cross. You see the passion of the Christ is to complete the will of the Father. Jesus had not come to do His own will but the will of Him who sent me. The Passion of Christ was to set you, the captive, free from the law of sin and death and to provide you a future and a hope.
The world sees Jesus death as a tragedy, but God foresaw the death as the necessary payment to allow you and I to have free access and be delivered from our sins. Jesus has made available to us ever spirit in the heavenlies, all that was needed for release from the bonds of sin. The presence of the Holy Spirit was given to all who would believe in Him by faith. What an awesome and wonderful gift is the Spirit of God who takes up residence in the human heart. He gives us new life and a new Spirit dwells within us to give us a future and a hope. God’s future is to be our future and our hope becomes not what we can do but what Christ can do in us.
So despite what is happening in today’s world, so despite what appearances faith in God transcends all for the Prince of Peace, the Son of God and the Son of Man, the Lord has command of all events and He is working all things to conform to His will. While world events and the power of evil seem so strong He is the ruler yet. He will prevail. e wil He is overall. So let us praise God despite what we see and hear. Let us have faith if the God who sees me and knows me.
I pray that the LORD GOD would bless you and keep you and the power of Christ would rest upon you on this glorious day of God’s creation – Palm Sunday where God is triumphant and Son of God enters the completion of His work triumphantly. God bless you all in the coming days Amen
From Experiencing God Day by Day Devotional.
That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full. 1 John 1:3-4
John the apostle never ceased to marvel at the life-changing relationship he enjoyed with his Lord. It overwhelmed him to know that, at a particular time in history, the God of the universe chose to have fellowship with him, a simple fisherman. John was so overjoyed that he earnestly wanted to share his joy with others so they, too, might experience the same joy. A special fellowship or “bonding” developed between those who had personally encountered Christ as they rejoiced together at God’s goodness to them.
Those around you desperately need to be encouraged by your latest encounter with Christ. Some have lost hope that they can experience the reality of God’s presence in their lives. They don’t need your philosophies or theological speculations. They don’t need to hear your opinions on what they should do. They need to hear from someone who has just come from a personal, life-changing encounter with the living Christ.
When you have had such an experience you will be like the apostle John, unable to contain yourself as you rush out to tell others of your amazing encounter with God. Your responsibility will not be to convince others of the reality of God, but simply to bear witness to what your Lord has said and done for you. The change in your life will be your greatest testimony of your relationship to Christ. There is nothing more appealing or convincing to a watching world than to hear the testimony of someone who has just been with Jesus.
Today’s Lesson - Palm Sunday.
I can hardly contain myself I have a word for you from our Lord “Be encouraged, be inspired and be giving praise in the middle of the battle. For God is at work, He is here and He is present to defend you, love you and care for you. Follow this narration of the events of Palm Sunday:
In the accounts of the four gospels Jesus's triumphal entry into Jerusalem takes place in the days before the Last Supper, marking the beginning of His Passion, his time of suffering, death, and resurrection celebrated during Holy Week. We celebrate Jesus's entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, which begins a week of celebrations known as Holy Week ending on Easter Sunday.
In John 12:9–11 the crowds gather around Jesus and believe in him after he raised Lazarus from the dead, and the next day the multitudes that had gathered for the feast in Jerusalem welcome Jesus as he enters the city. In Matthew 21:1–11, Mark 11:1–11, Luke 19:28–44, and John 12:12–19, Jesus descends from the Mount of Olives towards Jerusalem, and the crowds lay their clothes on the ground to welcome him as he triumphantly enters Jerusalem.
The historical context of these events:
In the accounts of the four Gospels, Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem takes place a week before his resurrection. The Gospel of John presents a timeline of these events, dated six days before the Passover (John 12:1).
Before this, Jesus talked to two of his disciples, taking to Himself using the Greek word of Lord (Κύριος, trasl. Kýrios), written with a capital letter in the original text, as a proper noun.
The raising of Lazarus is mentioned only by the Gospel of John, in the previous chapter. The Jewish calendar dates begin at sundown of the night beforehand, and conclude at nightfall.
Christians believe that the passion of Christ is captured graphically in the Old Testament: Zechariah 9:9"The Coming of Zion's King – See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey", which is quoted in the Gospels. It suggests that Jesus was declaring he was the King of Israel, to the anger of the Jewish ruling body of Pharisees and Sadducees called the Sanhedrin.
In the Gospels, Jesus Christ rode on a donkey into Jerusalem, and the celebrating people there laid down their cloaks and small branches of trees in front of him, singing part of Psalm 118: 25–26 – Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord.
The symbolism of the donkey generally refers to the Eastern tradition that it is an animal of peace, unlike the horse which is the animal of war. A king would have ridden a white horse where he was bent on war and ridden a donkey to symbolize his arrival in peace. Jesus' entry to Jerusalem symbolizes his entry as Prince of Peace, not as a war-waging king.
"Flevit super illam" (He wept over it); by Enrique Simonet, 1892
The triumphant entry begins in Luke 19:41 as Jesus approaches Jerusalem, he looks at the city and weeps over it (an event known as Flevit super illam in Latin), foretelling his coming Passion and the suffering that awaits the city in the events of the destruction of the Second Temple. 41 Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, 42 saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, 44 and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”
The Lord Jesus being fully God and simultaneously fully man at this time knew the events which were to occur at this Passover celebration. He had already warned His disciples three times that the Pharisee’s were about to kill Him on a cross. He had to chastise Peter for coming against the will of God, versus the will of Satan for Him to pay the price of the cruel cross.
But Jesus is reflecting upon the nation of Israel and all those who would eventually reject Him. He begins -“If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. Jesus had come to bring salvation from sins and to give the Kingdom of Heaven to the nation of Israel. But Jesus knew the heart of man and it was far from Him. Note His appeal is personal If you, even you; and when was the appeal relevant? It was made especially in this your day. A great judgement was coming - sin was soon to be condemned and Jesus was the one to accomplish this. But Jesus had been rejected by the nation of Israel then and down through the ages it would be the same. He would come but He would be rejected.
Jesus’ great condemnation is “because you did not know the time of your visitation.” The King in the form of a man had come but because of sin in the world, the desire to do our own will over the will of God; and to be willfully obedient to the Prince of the Power of the air – Satan, we reject God even in the time of our visitation by the Son of God. But there is a great wonder. And this wonder is despite the condemnation and destruction which is to visited upon the nation of Israel in 70 AD., and upon all those who reject Jesus and die in their sin.
The wonder is this, that the purpose of the triumphant entry is the success of God’s plan from eternity past and for eternity future to defeat sin and death and set the captives free. It is and was assured by the obedience of Christ in going to the cross. You see the passion of the Christ is to complete the will of the Father. Jesus had not come to do His own will but the will of Him who sent me. The Passion of Christ was to set you, the captive, free from the law of sin and death and to provide you a future and a hope.
The world sees Jesus death as a tragedy, but God foresaw the death as the necessary payment to allow you and I to have free access and be delivered from our sins. Jesus has made available to us ever spirit in the heavenlies, all that was needed for release from the bonds of sin. The presence of the Holy Spirit was given to all who would believe in Him by faith. What an awesome and wonderful gift is the Spirit of God who takes up residence in the human heart. He gives us new life and a new Spirit dwells within us to give us a future and a hope. God’s future is to be our future and our hope becomes not what we can do but what Christ can do in us.
So despite what is happening in today’s world, so despite what appearances faith in God transcends all for the Prince of Peace, the Son of God and the Son of Man, the Lord has command of all events and He is working all things to conform to His will. While world events and the power of evil seem so strong He is the ruler yet. He will prevail. e wil He is overall. So let us praise God despite what we see and hear. Let us have faith if the God who sees me and knows me.
I pray that the LORD GOD would bless you and keep you and the power of Christ would rest upon you on this glorious day of God’s creation – Palm Sunday where God is triumphant and Son of God enters the completion of His work triumphantly. God bless you all in the coming days Amen
Sermon March 22
Psalm 27:1-6
HOPE for the believer in the Battle
Intro: As we read the words of this psalm, we see the imagery of battle being portrayed in these verses. Words like “enemies” and “foes” in verse 2; “host” in verse 3; “war” in verse 3; and “enemies” in verse 6 all speak of warfare. Phrase like “though an host encamp against me”, verse 3; and “though war should rise against me”, verse 3 speak of a battle being waged against David. It appears that he is in a difficult situation. Yet, it is also very clear from reading these verses that even in the battles he is fighting, David has hope.
Hope is a powerful thing. G. K. Chesterton said, “There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great, and no tonic so powerful as expectation of something better tomorrow.” Emily Dickinson, in one of her poems said, “Hope is a thing with feathers, / That perches in the soul.” O. S. Marden said, “There is no medicine like hope . . .” Pliny the Elder wrote, “Hope is the dream of a waking man.” Martin Luther said, “Everything that is done in the world is done by hope.”[1]
The dictionary describes hope- “to have a wish to get or do something or for something to happen or be true, especially something that seems possible or likely.”[2] Hope, from the world’s viewpoint is just what that definition describes. The world sees hope as a wish or a desire. Hope, for the world, is a longing for something that may or may not take place.
The Bible teaches us a completely different definition of hope. Listen to the words of Jeremiah, “Blessed is the man that trusts in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is,” Jer. 17:7. Hear also Paul, “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity,” 1 Cor.13:13. The world says that hope is merely a fond wish or desire. But, the words used for hope in the Bible tell a different story. They teach us that hope is “A deep settled confidence that God keeps His promises!”
Now, I know you have battles; but do you have hope? Are you resting in the sure confidence that God will do just as He has promised He would? That is the essence of hope and hope is a possession we all need to be sure we own in large quantities. I want to look into these verses today and I want to teach about Hope In The Midst of our Battles. I want to show you, from the words of Scripture, why you and I have a reason to hope in the Lord. Let us begin with prayer.
I. v. 1-3 Our confidence in the Lord provides HOPE
(Ill. David begins his psalm of hope by declaring his personal faith in the Lord. Notice the three-fold use of the word “my” in verse 1. David has a personal relationship with God. This is the basic foundation for hope.)
A. v. 1 Confidence In The Person Of The Lord – David tells us that God is his “light”, his “salvation” and his “strength.” There is a tremendous blessing in these three titles attributed to our God.
1. As Light, God delivers His people from Darkness – “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:,”Colossians 1:13. As Light God guides our Steps – (Psa. 37:23; John 16:13; Psa. 119:105)
2. As Salvation God delivers His people from Damnation – “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that hears my word, and believes on him that sent me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life,” John 5:24. As Salvation God secures our Souls – (John 10:28; 1 Pet. 1:5; John 6:37)
3. As Strength God delivers His people from Defeat – “thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ,” 1Cor.15:57. As Strength God guarantees our Success – (Rom. 8:37; 2 Cor. 2:14; Isa. 54:17)
These three great characteristics of God serve to give us hope even in the midst of battle! Because of Who our God is, we need not fear any enemy that should arise against us. Satan himself is no match for our sovereign God!
B. v. 2-3 Confidence In The Performance Of The Lord – David declares that his present hope in the Lord rests upon that which the Lord has done for him in the past. God did not fail him then, and He will not fail His child today.
This confidence is ours today! The God we serve is unchangeable, Mal.3:6;Heb.13:8. He has never, and He will never change. Because He has been faithful in the past, we can count on His present faithfulness.
(Ill. Think of all God in Christ has done; victories He has won; enemies vanquished; the mountains He has moved; the victories. Think on these things and remember that the God who performed wonders in the past is still that same God today! He gives His people hope!)
II. v. 4 OUR commitment to the LORD provides HOPE (what should we do)
(Ill. Not only does living with our faith give us hope; but also living faithful to the Lord provides a measure of hope that cannot otherwise exist. David mentions three goals in this verse. These three goals all arise from a single commitment to serve the Lord faithfully from a heart of love. Notice how David’s commitment to the Lord shows itself.)
A. David is committed to lingering near the Lord – David wants to spend his entire life in the house of the Lord. He wants to be in that place where the Lord dwells and where the Lord’s presence is real. This is a theme David repeated in Psalm 84:1-4. There, David envies the little birds that make their nests around the tabernacle. They can be near the house of God all the time, while David cannot. He has a desire to be where God is; to be in that place where God is worshiped and honored. That is his heartbeat.
That ought to be our desire as well. We need that same passion to be where the Lord is honored and where He is worshiped. Of course, we have the church and we are commanded to be in attendance, Heb. 10:25. But, I think there ought to be a desire to find that place of closeness and intimacy within us for the Lord.
If there is a genuine desire to be near Him, it will become clear by actions. There will be a commitment to prayer and to the study of the Word of God. There will be a commitment to public and private worship. Those who want to linger near the Lord will find a way. And, when we make a move toward Him, He will make a move toward us, James 4:8. (draw near to ME)
B. David is committed to loving the Lord – David wants to “behold the beauty of the Lord.” That is to “seek Him.” You see, not only is David committed to being where the Lord is; but he is also committed to worshiping the Lord. That is a goal for our lives!
This should be the goal of every believer. If we are going to worship the Lord, we are going to have to do it His way. Jesus told us how to worship in John 4:24. As we yield to the Spirit of God and worship God for Who He is as He is revealed in the Word of God, we will be engaged in the business of loving Him. How long has it been since you just loved on the Lord?
C. David is committed to leaning on the Lord – David also expresses his desire to call upon the Lord; to commune with God; and to make requests of God. This is another image of worship. David here declares his total dependence upon the Lord for all the necessities of life. David looks beyond his own abilities and sees the limitless provisions of the Lord. Therefore, he wants nothing more than to be able to call upon the Lord
My, what a limitless resource we have been given in prayer! We are invited to pray, Jer. 33:3; Matt. 11:28. We are promised that God will hear and answer our prayers, Isa. 65:24; John 14:13-14; John 16:23-24. Therefore, let us also learn to lean upon Him! Instead of worry and fear, let us learn to turn to the Lord. He will meet our needs, Phil. 4:6-7; 19.
Our commitment to Him provides hope in the day of our battles. As we Linger near Him; Love on Him and Lean on Him, we can have the absolute confidence that He will see to our needs and to the things that would cause us to worry.)
III. v. 5-6 Our comfort in the LORD provides HOPE
A. v. 5 God has A sheltered place for us – David tells us that the Lord will hide him in His pavilion. A king’s pavilion was a tent that erected in the middle of the army’s encampment. The tent was then surrounded by an army of brave soldiers. With all the host of the army camped about, the king’s pavilion was the safest place on the battlefield. Those who were fortunate enough to be allowed to enter the king’s pavilion were protected by the soldiers and entertained by the king during the battle! (Note: The word “hide” here means “to treasure away.”)
As the battles of life rage about us, we are safely tucked away in the King’s pavilion. The Bible tells us that “your life is hid with Christ in God”, Col. 3:3! Could there be a safer place in all the universe? Of course not! Those who have entered His pavilion are protected by Him and, even while the battles rage around them, they are entertained with the peace and joy of the King Himself. This is promise to those who will abide in that close place! No enemy can penetrate the defenses and enter this private place. It is protected from the enemy!
This assurance of His sheltering place allows us to weather the storms and have hope. This was what allowed David to face Goliath. This was the confidence that kept Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. This was the assurance that gripped the heart of Daniel! This was the knowledge that allowed Paul to continue, even when he suffered greatly, 2 Cor. 12:7-11.
B. v. 5 God has a secret place for us – The word “tabernacle” brings to mind the place of worship. The “secret” refers to the “holy of holies”. That place which was off limits to all but the High Priest, and he could only enter there one day per year, and the only with the blood of an innocent sacrifice. It was a place that other men entered under the penalty of death.
Yet, it is that secret place, to which God takes His friends. The Holy of Holies was a place where the very presence of God dwelt and the glory of God could be seen. It was there that God took David during the battles of his life. It was there David found himself shut up with God and shut off from the world around him.
In a king’s home, this place referred to the private apartment of the king. It was a place no one could enter unless they did so at his bidding. To do otherwise invited instant death. (Note: The word “hide” means “to conceal”.)
It is amazing that there is a place of solitude in a world filled with people. There is a place that you and I can flee to during the crushing battles that rage about us. A place that affords us quiet, peace and the profound presence of God. Those who have learned to abide in Him have been to that place and know the glory of it. It is a place where the enemy dares not follow. It is a place reserved for those who love the Lord their God. Have you ever been to that place? That place where God meets with you and you alone. That place where all else falls away and you are left with Him and Him alone? That is the place He invites those who abide to enter!
Stephen was in that place at the moment of his death, Acts 7:55-56! Paul was in that place during his life, 2 Cor. 12:1-4; Acts 27:23. It is possible for us to enter that sacred, secret place where the world dims away and God becomes larger than everything else!
C. v. 5-6a God has a secure place for us – David has the assurance that even when life threatens to overflow him, the Lord will set him on a rock, a place that is unchangeable, powerful and immovable. Of course, this Rock he refers to is none other than the Lord Himself, Psa. 40:1-2. The rock referred to in these verses is a “great craggy rock”. It is a rock that juts far above the battles below. It allows us to rise far above the storms below!
This is the gift to all those who know Him! We are promised that we have a place of refuge that will lift us far above the stormy seas that would threaten to drown us. Like the eagle, who takes refuge above the storm until it has passed; those who abide in Him are given grace that bears them higher than the storms and keeps them safe until danger has passed, Isa. 40:31. Those who wait upon the Lord and wish to rise above circumstances are given wings to do so!
(Note: Notice the passive nature of all the things mentioned in verse 5. All of these things David mentions are not things he does to himself; but they are things done to him by the Lord. The believer is required to do nothing but be in a close relationship to the Lord. These things are done by the Lord for His child.)
D. v. 6b God has a special place for us – David says that he will worship the Lord; he will praise the Lord because of the things the Lord has done for him. Because the Lord has lifted him above the battles; because the Lord has hidden him away in the secret place; because the Lord sheltered him away from the terrors of the battles; he will praise His name
What a lesson to us! When hope has turned to reality in our lives; when the Lord has come through for us again and delivered us from the enemy; we should be quick to praise Him and offer to Him the worship and adoration He deserves. When He brings us through our battles, He will put us in a special place from which we can exalt His lovely Name, Heb. 13:15!
Conc: Are you fighting some battles today? But, in the midst of these battles, do you have hope? Do you have the spiritual confidence in your soul that everything is going to be alright? If so praise the Lord, for He has already brought to that special place of blessing where you can offer praise to Him.
But, if you lack that hope today, it can be obtained. How? You can do this by Reaffirming your Confidence in the Lord; by Renewing your Commitment to the Lord; and by Resting in your Comfort in the Lord. Do you need to talk to Him about your battles and about your hope? If you do, this. altar is a good place to take care of that business!
[1] All quotes from “An Encyclopedia of Compelling Quotations.”
[2] Microsoft® Encarta® Reference Library 2004. © 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Psalm 27:1-6
HOPE for the believer in the Battle
Intro: As we read the words of this psalm, we see the imagery of battle being portrayed in these verses. Words like “enemies” and “foes” in verse 2; “host” in verse 3; “war” in verse 3; and “enemies” in verse 6 all speak of warfare. Phrase like “though an host encamp against me”, verse 3; and “though war should rise against me”, verse 3 speak of a battle being waged against David. It appears that he is in a difficult situation. Yet, it is also very clear from reading these verses that even in the battles he is fighting, David has hope.
Hope is a powerful thing. G. K. Chesterton said, “There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great, and no tonic so powerful as expectation of something better tomorrow.” Emily Dickinson, in one of her poems said, “Hope is a thing with feathers, / That perches in the soul.” O. S. Marden said, “There is no medicine like hope . . .” Pliny the Elder wrote, “Hope is the dream of a waking man.” Martin Luther said, “Everything that is done in the world is done by hope.”[1]
The dictionary describes hope- “to have a wish to get or do something or for something to happen or be true, especially something that seems possible or likely.”[2] Hope, from the world’s viewpoint is just what that definition describes. The world sees hope as a wish or a desire. Hope, for the world, is a longing for something that may or may not take place.
The Bible teaches us a completely different definition of hope. Listen to the words of Jeremiah, “Blessed is the man that trusts in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is,” Jer. 17:7. Hear also Paul, “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity,” 1 Cor.13:13. The world says that hope is merely a fond wish or desire. But, the words used for hope in the Bible tell a different story. They teach us that hope is “A deep settled confidence that God keeps His promises!”
Now, I know you have battles; but do you have hope? Are you resting in the sure confidence that God will do just as He has promised He would? That is the essence of hope and hope is a possession we all need to be sure we own in large quantities. I want to look into these verses today and I want to teach about Hope In The Midst of our Battles. I want to show you, from the words of Scripture, why you and I have a reason to hope in the Lord. Let us begin with prayer.
I. v. 1-3 Our confidence in the Lord provides HOPE
(Ill. David begins his psalm of hope by declaring his personal faith in the Lord. Notice the three-fold use of the word “my” in verse 1. David has a personal relationship with God. This is the basic foundation for hope.)
A. v. 1 Confidence In The Person Of The Lord – David tells us that God is his “light”, his “salvation” and his “strength.” There is a tremendous blessing in these three titles attributed to our God.
1. As Light, God delivers His people from Darkness – “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:,”Colossians 1:13. As Light God guides our Steps – (Psa. 37:23; John 16:13; Psa. 119:105)
2. As Salvation God delivers His people from Damnation – “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that hears my word, and believes on him that sent me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life,” John 5:24. As Salvation God secures our Souls – (John 10:28; 1 Pet. 1:5; John 6:37)
3. As Strength God delivers His people from Defeat – “thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ,” 1Cor.15:57. As Strength God guarantees our Success – (Rom. 8:37; 2 Cor. 2:14; Isa. 54:17)
These three great characteristics of God serve to give us hope even in the midst of battle! Because of Who our God is, we need not fear any enemy that should arise against us. Satan himself is no match for our sovereign God!
B. v. 2-3 Confidence In The Performance Of The Lord – David declares that his present hope in the Lord rests upon that which the Lord has done for him in the past. God did not fail him then, and He will not fail His child today.
This confidence is ours today! The God we serve is unchangeable, Mal.3:6;Heb.13:8. He has never, and He will never change. Because He has been faithful in the past, we can count on His present faithfulness.
(Ill. Think of all God in Christ has done; victories He has won; enemies vanquished; the mountains He has moved; the victories. Think on these things and remember that the God who performed wonders in the past is still that same God today! He gives His people hope!)
II. v. 4 OUR commitment to the LORD provides HOPE (what should we do)
(Ill. Not only does living with our faith give us hope; but also living faithful to the Lord provides a measure of hope that cannot otherwise exist. David mentions three goals in this verse. These three goals all arise from a single commitment to serve the Lord faithfully from a heart of love. Notice how David’s commitment to the Lord shows itself.)
A. David is committed to lingering near the Lord – David wants to spend his entire life in the house of the Lord. He wants to be in that place where the Lord dwells and where the Lord’s presence is real. This is a theme David repeated in Psalm 84:1-4. There, David envies the little birds that make their nests around the tabernacle. They can be near the house of God all the time, while David cannot. He has a desire to be where God is; to be in that place where God is worshiped and honored. That is his heartbeat.
That ought to be our desire as well. We need that same passion to be where the Lord is honored and where He is worshiped. Of course, we have the church and we are commanded to be in attendance, Heb. 10:25. But, I think there ought to be a desire to find that place of closeness and intimacy within us for the Lord.
If there is a genuine desire to be near Him, it will become clear by actions. There will be a commitment to prayer and to the study of the Word of God. There will be a commitment to public and private worship. Those who want to linger near the Lord will find a way. And, when we make a move toward Him, He will make a move toward us, James 4:8. (draw near to ME)
B. David is committed to loving the Lord – David wants to “behold the beauty of the Lord.” That is to “seek Him.” You see, not only is David committed to being where the Lord is; but he is also committed to worshiping the Lord. That is a goal for our lives!
This should be the goal of every believer. If we are going to worship the Lord, we are going to have to do it His way. Jesus told us how to worship in John 4:24. As we yield to the Spirit of God and worship God for Who He is as He is revealed in the Word of God, we will be engaged in the business of loving Him. How long has it been since you just loved on the Lord?
C. David is committed to leaning on the Lord – David also expresses his desire to call upon the Lord; to commune with God; and to make requests of God. This is another image of worship. David here declares his total dependence upon the Lord for all the necessities of life. David looks beyond his own abilities and sees the limitless provisions of the Lord. Therefore, he wants nothing more than to be able to call upon the Lord
My, what a limitless resource we have been given in prayer! We are invited to pray, Jer. 33:3; Matt. 11:28. We are promised that God will hear and answer our prayers, Isa. 65:24; John 14:13-14; John 16:23-24. Therefore, let us also learn to lean upon Him! Instead of worry and fear, let us learn to turn to the Lord. He will meet our needs, Phil. 4:6-7; 19.
Our commitment to Him provides hope in the day of our battles. As we Linger near Him; Love on Him and Lean on Him, we can have the absolute confidence that He will see to our needs and to the things that would cause us to worry.)
III. v. 5-6 Our comfort in the LORD provides HOPE
A. v. 5 God has A sheltered place for us – David tells us that the Lord will hide him in His pavilion. A king’s pavilion was a tent that erected in the middle of the army’s encampment. The tent was then surrounded by an army of brave soldiers. With all the host of the army camped about, the king’s pavilion was the safest place on the battlefield. Those who were fortunate enough to be allowed to enter the king’s pavilion were protected by the soldiers and entertained by the king during the battle! (Note: The word “hide” here means “to treasure away.”)
As the battles of life rage about us, we are safely tucked away in the King’s pavilion. The Bible tells us that “your life is hid with Christ in God”, Col. 3:3! Could there be a safer place in all the universe? Of course not! Those who have entered His pavilion are protected by Him and, even while the battles rage around them, they are entertained with the peace and joy of the King Himself. This is promise to those who will abide in that close place! No enemy can penetrate the defenses and enter this private place. It is protected from the enemy!
This assurance of His sheltering place allows us to weather the storms and have hope. This was what allowed David to face Goliath. This was the confidence that kept Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. This was the assurance that gripped the heart of Daniel! This was the knowledge that allowed Paul to continue, even when he suffered greatly, 2 Cor. 12:7-11.
B. v. 5 God has a secret place for us – The word “tabernacle” brings to mind the place of worship. The “secret” refers to the “holy of holies”. That place which was off limits to all but the High Priest, and he could only enter there one day per year, and the only with the blood of an innocent sacrifice. It was a place that other men entered under the penalty of death.
Yet, it is that secret place, to which God takes His friends. The Holy of Holies was a place where the very presence of God dwelt and the glory of God could be seen. It was there that God took David during the battles of his life. It was there David found himself shut up with God and shut off from the world around him.
In a king’s home, this place referred to the private apartment of the king. It was a place no one could enter unless they did so at his bidding. To do otherwise invited instant death. (Note: The word “hide” means “to conceal”.)
It is amazing that there is a place of solitude in a world filled with people. There is a place that you and I can flee to during the crushing battles that rage about us. A place that affords us quiet, peace and the profound presence of God. Those who have learned to abide in Him have been to that place and know the glory of it. It is a place where the enemy dares not follow. It is a place reserved for those who love the Lord their God. Have you ever been to that place? That place where God meets with you and you alone. That place where all else falls away and you are left with Him and Him alone? That is the place He invites those who abide to enter!
Stephen was in that place at the moment of his death, Acts 7:55-56! Paul was in that place during his life, 2 Cor. 12:1-4; Acts 27:23. It is possible for us to enter that sacred, secret place where the world dims away and God becomes larger than everything else!
C. v. 5-6a God has a secure place for us – David has the assurance that even when life threatens to overflow him, the Lord will set him on a rock, a place that is unchangeable, powerful and immovable. Of course, this Rock he refers to is none other than the Lord Himself, Psa. 40:1-2. The rock referred to in these verses is a “great craggy rock”. It is a rock that juts far above the battles below. It allows us to rise far above the storms below!
This is the gift to all those who know Him! We are promised that we have a place of refuge that will lift us far above the stormy seas that would threaten to drown us. Like the eagle, who takes refuge above the storm until it has passed; those who abide in Him are given grace that bears them higher than the storms and keeps them safe until danger has passed, Isa. 40:31. Those who wait upon the Lord and wish to rise above circumstances are given wings to do so!
(Note: Notice the passive nature of all the things mentioned in verse 5. All of these things David mentions are not things he does to himself; but they are things done to him by the Lord. The believer is required to do nothing but be in a close relationship to the Lord. These things are done by the Lord for His child.)
D. v. 6b God has a special place for us – David says that he will worship the Lord; he will praise the Lord because of the things the Lord has done for him. Because the Lord has lifted him above the battles; because the Lord has hidden him away in the secret place; because the Lord sheltered him away from the terrors of the battles; he will praise His name
What a lesson to us! When hope has turned to reality in our lives; when the Lord has come through for us again and delivered us from the enemy; we should be quick to praise Him and offer to Him the worship and adoration He deserves. When He brings us through our battles, He will put us in a special place from which we can exalt His lovely Name, Heb. 13:15!
Conc: Are you fighting some battles today? But, in the midst of these battles, do you have hope? Do you have the spiritual confidence in your soul that everything is going to be alright? If so praise the Lord, for He has already brought to that special place of blessing where you can offer praise to Him.
But, if you lack that hope today, it can be obtained. How? You can do this by Reaffirming your Confidence in the Lord; by Renewing your Commitment to the Lord; and by Resting in your Comfort in the Lord. Do you need to talk to Him about your battles and about your hope? If you do, this. altar is a good place to take care of that business!
[1] All quotes from “An Encyclopedia of Compelling Quotations.”
[2] Microsoft® Encarta® Reference Library 2004. © 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
