TO WHOM SHALL WE GO?
#565 TO WHOM SHALL WE GO?
Scripture John 6:60-69 Orig. Date 6/7/1970, 11/1986
Rewr. Dates 9/6/1990
Passage: 60 On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”
61 Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit[a] and life. 64 Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. 65 He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.” 66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. 67 “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”
Purpose: Continuing a series from John’s Gospel, here using Simon’s single expression to relate to a broader perspective of his life
Keywords: Biography Simon Peter Frustration Bible Study John Dissolution Hope Vision
Timeline/Series: John
Introduction
Have you ever wondered what the world might be like if Jesus had never lived? Would we be richer, or poorer?
First and foremost, we must eliminate the New Testament. Probably, we would be advanced enough to enjoy printing. Probably, but no New Testament.
We might know about a book called the covenant of the Jews, but we doubtless would know little about it. Such writers as Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John would be unknown to us. Simon Peter would ever have been more than a fisherman, a poor one. Whatever else we know about the New Testament.
As to history, Rome would not have remained world power for as long as she did. As it was, an expanding China drove the Huns out of central Europe. Their expulsion brought confrontation with the Roman legions. When the confrontation came, Rome had an emperor, Constantine, who had become a believer. Without such a man, Rome very likely would not have stood.
In regard to academics, without the New Testament the revival of learning would have been appreciably delayed. Say what you will in regard to the efforts of Catholicism. Saint Benedict and the monastic order must be given major credit for learning.
So far as the Middle Ages are concerned, had Rome escaped the Huns, they had yet to face the Mohammedans. They captured all of Spain as it was. They were finally defeated in 732 at Tours by Charles Martel, grandfather of Charlemagne.
And a word more about America. The America we know today would not exist. Surely settlers would by now have come, but not in search of their spiritual destiny. If Jesus had not come, what would your life be like today? To whom would we go?
I. In the Actual Setting of the Question, Peter Sees the Hope of Great Promise. “Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life.”
Surely, Simon knew of other available alternatives. Truly, he was raised in Judaism. Though it meant little to him, he overlooked sham, pretense. There was a kind of pride in religion. The pride that would do in Rome; that would bring France, under Napoleon, to her knees; that would nearly destroy 20th Century Europe through German’s fuhrer.
Or, seeing Judaism for what it was, he had the choice of Hellenism (Greek culture/religion). Alexander the Great had brought the Greeks to the top of the heap. They still yielded great influence.
But the greater power, influence, was Rome. Sell out to Rome as some were doing. Join the militant movement opposed. Peter’s question is ours as well, but ask we it to the same end? We know more of Jesus than first converts knew. That what He claimed, he lived, and His call to us as disciples is for commitment.
We, also, are surrounded by alternatives. Ancient religions: Buddhism, Hinduism. Sects unknown 25 years ago: daughter, 3 children with Jim Jones. Communism is hardly a viable alternative: socialism, materialism, humanism remain.
Acts 17:22 “Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.” TEV/rlgs.
II. A Few Months Later, Peter’s Sense of Destiny is Threatened at Calvary. Luke 22:54 “They took Him, and led Him, and brought Him into the high priest’s house. And Peter followed afar off.”
The words of the question have not changed “To whom shall we go.” The meaning may now be different. What will we do now? Do we tuck tail? Do we conclude we were wrong? Fight?
In some instances what is seen as high hope fades fast. If hope is all, our diet is slim. Psalm 73: Asaph: “Verily, I had cleansed my heart in vain, . . . my hands in innocence.” I Corinthians 15:19 “If in this life only we have hope, we are a sad spectacle.”
Some of God’s choice have faltered. Joshua 7:7 “Would to God we had been content to stay where we were.” Elijah: I King 19 “O Lord, take away my life for I am no better than my fathers.”
There is a very old tradition at Princeton that revival was underway. A student, night after night, heard and rejected appeals. Went to his room and announced to God his intention to follow another course. His name: Aaron Burr.
If Peter and the others had wanted to give up, they now had reason to do so. “To whom will we go?” It doesn’t get easier. More difficult than ever. To follow Christ in the nineties is to go against wind and tide.
III. Peter Must Next Learn that Knowledge of Christ Alive Will not Drive Away His Despair. John 21:21 “Peter . . . saith . . . what shall this man do?” The call has come to him to be a man. Simon has seen about all there is to see of the Christ event: preaching, parables, miracles, crucifixion, resurrection.
Having seen that much, he knows Christ to be alive. He calls Him “Lord.” Literally, it means “sovereign.” It’s the same as in 6:68. Surely he knows more now than then.
Surely, we do not rule out the Holy Spirit. Jesus had already appeared to them. Simon said 21:3 “I go a fishing.” The Holy Spirit given to empower them (20:22) “Receive ye the Holy Ghost.” They are still ruled by self-interest. Jesus’ three questions of trust. Simon’s ploy: “What about this man?”
Getting hemmed in by grace, he tries to make someone else responsible.
IV. In the Final Analysis, However, the Question for Peter is One of Vision. “To whom shall we go?” becomes a lifestyle for a committed man. Not unlike that of Isaiah: 6:8 “Here am I, Lord, send me!” The Book of Acts is credence for this opinion. During first twelve chapters, Simon Peter was the recognized leader. 3:6 His was the answer to the lame man: “Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have give I thee.” 4:8 After their arrest, Peter defended their position: “there is none other name under heaven.”
Something, in the meantime, has happened in Peter’s life to make this difference. He stopped trying to reason out what was happening around him. He faithed that the power of God, where ever it was leading, was in his interest. He realized that it was not for him to prove God’s power, but to accept it. As an old man: I Peter 5:6 “Humble yourself therefore under the mighty hand of God, THAT HE may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon Him for He careth for you.”
Conclusion
Somerset Maugham (British novelist): “The great tragedy of life is not that people perish, but that they cease to love.” (1) It is God’s will that others experience his love through us.
Charlemagne directed his only surviving son, Louis, to claim his throne from off the altar with his own hands so that all would understand that he wore it on his own right and not under his authority but that of God.
(1)Maugham, W.S. (1898). The Making of a Saint. Boston: L.C. Page and Co.
ONLY ONE SALVATION
#580 ONLY ONE SALVATION
Scripture John 5:36-47, 34, NIV Orig. Date 9/6/70
Rewr. Dates 8/82; 3/15/90
Passage:
36 “I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing—testify that the Father has sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, 38 nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. 39 You study[a] the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life.41 “I do not accept glory from human beings, 42 but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. 43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44 How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God[b]? 45 “But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. 46 If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. 47 But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?”
34 Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved.
Purpose: To call attention to the mandate of scripture that declares that salvation is in Jesus only.
Keywords: Bible Study Christ as Saviour Word of God Law Liberty
Spiritual Heritage Salvation
Timeline/Series: John
Introduction
There are places I have lived where it was very much to my advantage being an “ordained person.” I spent many years pastoring in the southern region of our state. We lived in towns and cities that were predominantly Catholic. While there were disengaging circumstances as well, as often as not, being in places like New Iberia, and Lafayette, and New Orleans gave special consideration to pastors.
The first couple of years that we were in New Orleans, Ochsner Hospital and Clinic gave 50% discount to pastors and their families. When medicals started escalating in the mid-seventies, they backed away from that. It was nice for a while. In New Iberia, everything that was done to advantage the priests civically, was done for other pastors as well.
Several of us were present recently at the commissioning of our new mission director. At the end of the service, ordained persons were asked to engage in “laying on of hands.” We were called upon to “give credence to, and support for” our friend as he began a new avenue of service.
When the SBC was last in Philadelphia, some messengers learned that ordination was not always a door opener. In the “city of brotherly love,” which, by the way, houses the Liberty Bell, the first seat of American government, and the house where Betsy Ross is said to have put the first flag together. It is also the location of Stephen Girard College, a school for boys, and heavily endowed. Entrance is through the one gate in a surrounding ten-foot wall. Every visitor is asked one question, “are you an ordained person?” If you are, and admit it, you don’t get in.
Now this morning’s message is not about ordination, it is about salvation. Is it free? Is it free for all? Are there requirements that must be met? Can I be certain about my own standing in that regard? As the first Independence Day of the 21st Century nears, a major question must be “Is it politically correct to insist upon a Biblical mandate about this ‘Hoped for’ salvation.”
1. This is Set in the Context of Witnesses of Christ. V32 “There is another beareth witness.”
1. The witness of the Holy Spirit v32.
2. The witness of John the Baptist v35 “he was a burning and shining light.”
3. The witness of Jesus’ works. V36 (1)His concern for God’s will and (2)His love for people.
4. The fourth witness is the Father’s own. V37
5. The fifth witness is scripture. V39 (OT)
6. Lastly, the witness of Moses. V46
II. We Must Take Note that Salvation Does not Come Through Religious Law. V39 “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life.”
There is no doubt which scriptures are meant. Jesus holds the Old Testament on a plane higher than all other writings. No doubt that the Judeo-Christian community has accepted this as without equal. The Jews saw themselves as the “chosen” people because of this confirming word. So Jesus demands of them “Search the scripture. Show me where it says you have eternal life because you have the book.”
One thing that Jesus would never do. That you or I should never do. That is to make light of scripture. It is the sourcebook about God. We discover about man’s beginnings and the changes in people and culture. There are glimmers of God’s aspiration for His creation. Here is the most accurate depiction of sin and its curse.
You see, salvation is not in a printed page but in the ONE who gives credence to the page. A surgeon’s credence is not in his diploma but in the well-being of his patient. An engineer is not established because he can read a blueprint, but because he knows how to change material into mass. You see, the word at every level is worth no more than what gives it credence. Harriet Beecher Stowe – “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” – Tom on the barge – going to Simon Legree -- Matthew 11:28 “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden” – “Them’s good words. But who sez ‘em?”
III. We Face an Inordinate Danger of Trusting Human Personality. V44 “How can you believe, which receive honor one of another, and seek not the honor that cometh from God only.”
The word honor here is doxan “glory,” from which we get our doxology. Meaning is not outward manifestation, but inward glory. We humans are clearly more interested in the outward manifestation. John 1:14 “. . .we beheld His glory; the glory as of the only begotten of the Father.”
It is a rebuke aimed at the Scribes and Pharisees who see him as an enemy. They are seeking such praise for themselves. Their praying was often “to be seen of men.” (Matthew 6:5). They took upper seats at synagogue. Their reasoning was quite contemporary. “I will be prominent among my peers. What commends me must be more than they.” The error in their judgment is also commonplace. Not: “Am I as good as my neighbor?” Must be: “Do I measure up to the expectation of God?”
The issue for us is not largely different. How many preachers took pleasure in JS/JB fall to pat ourselves on the back? How many Baptists/Methodists took delight that these were Pentecostals. We want to be judged on material issues: education, economics, faithfulness to vote.
David Yohn (C70p52) raises serious questions. “Are we about what Jesus would be about? “The religious apparently is concerned about pretentious cultic practices, the meritorious works of believers, the perpetuation of the institution. . . Religion is manipulated to meet the needs of the religious person, not the needs of the world.”
Salvation outside of Christ is simply something else.
IV. Thirdly, Salvation is not to Be Found in Spiritual Heritage. V45 “The one who is going to accuse you before the Father is none other than Moses, the one you trust.”
Little time will be spent because of similarity with prior point. The problem, you see, is that privilege for the Jew, had become his prison. Jesus’ concern for the poor is unmarred.
The ignorant, the stricken is not condemned. The word of rebuke is to those who have much and abuse it. Everytime we hear truth and sustain cultic error we are condemned. The solution of some is to secrete themselves from the spoken truth. To enter into worship means to hear with the heart about my own sins and how I only can atone for them, and that having proof of spiritual lineage going to Mayflower means nothing.
V. Before These Precious Minutes You Have Allotted Me are Gone, Jesus is Our Only Salvation. V40 “Ye will not come to me that ye might have life.” “Had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me.” (46)
Biblical salvation is the work of God. I John 5:11 “. . . God hath given us eternal life, and this life is in His son.” Galatians 4:4 “But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth His son . . . to redeem them that were under the law.”
Salvation became a personal commodity when we decide what to do about what God has done. To believe is to respond with personal volition, and we are saved. To decide not to decide is not postponement, it is prideful arrogance and a decision against Christ. The case for belief is not always open. Lack of certainty can become hardened cynicism. “The fool hath said in his heart, ‘there is no God.’” (Psalm 14:1 and Psalm 53:1).
Closing
You ask yourself two serious questions this morning. Have I trusted CHRIST as my Saviour? Do I show it in the way I live?
THE MAN WITHOUT A FRIEND
#528 THE MAN WITHOUT A FRIEND
Scripture John 5:1-18 NIV Orig. Date unknown
Rewr. Dates unknown
Passage: Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda[a] and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3 Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. [4] [b] 5 One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” 7 “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” 8 Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” 9 At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, 10 and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.” 11 But he replied, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ ” 12 So they asked him, “Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?” 13 The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.14 Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” 15 The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well.16 So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him. 17 In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” 18 For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
Purpose: n/a
Keywords: n/a
Introduction
How easy to get sidetracked! What a magnificent text, especially in extension.
1-Jesus heals on the Sabbath (v10); not the first time in Jerusalem—Mark 1.
2-The open hostility moves to Jerusalem, v18. Mark 2:6, Luke 5:21; the men thought He had friends. (See Wells.) 3-The possibility of allegorical meaning, 2-7
a) Man—people of Israel
b) The five porches—Books of Law
c) Uncured—inability of the Law to heal
d) 38 years—wilderness
e) Stirring of water—baptism of grace
4-The absent fourth verse—not in RSV, NEB, Nestle’s translation, NKJ footnotes
5-Text from 19 on—the strong declaration of identity; not equality but obedience
- (Son) of man 7 times through v23 (27)
- Messiah (implicitly), His healing power
- Empowered to raise the dead v25
- Judge, v27
- Humanity, v47
I. The Basics are Simple. Jesus gone from Galilee to Jerusalem—apparently alone. He has gone up for a feast. Many think Passover. Barclay reverses 5 and 6 and says Pentecost. See 5:1
Bethesda—House of Mercy; Bethzatha—House of Olives
II. Jesus Addresses the Major Factor. The man himself—38 years helpless, age not known. Life is precious at any age. Disease—helpless; family—none/none that could wait. Were there those who waited for the entire time?
Jesus forces this man to search. V7 Wouldst thou be mad whole? To some a foolish act; but how much good do we miss because we will not allow it? Barclay—If in our inmost heart we are well content to stay as we are, there can be no change for us. P175. If there can be excuse for failure to will, this man has it.
Like so many in this sad world this afflicted man had no knowledge of Jesus. The pool was there. Occasionally one would walk away. Hope—but at what point does hope become listless despair? When he encounters Jesus he is awake in a wide, new world—healed; walking home of Sabbath, confused—Exodus 20:10; Jeremiah 17:21-22. He encounters Jesus again in temple—Jesus gets him off the hook; don’t think you can live without regard to right conduct.
A final message radiates through this passage and all scripture. How easy to ignore pleas for help. We see people as objects—Jesus saw need (Isaiah 61:1). First occasion of preaching to Samaritan woman. Matthew taught us of publicans; he eateth with them. Our indignation arises more for [illegible]. Quote 20th Century 7, p. 78, maybe 84.
THE INCARNATION OF CHRIST (June 1985)
#828H/see #574 THE INCARNATION OF CHRIST
Scripture John 1:1-14 Orig. Date 3/11/79 (739)
Rewr. Dates 6/1/85
Passage: 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome[a] it. 6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Purpose: Continue the series on the doctrine of Christ calling attention to His incarnation.
Keywords: Incarnation of Christ Incarnation Word of God
Introduction
A little six year old girl was going to her first Sunday School Christmas Party. Her mother wanted it to be a very special time, so she went overboard helping her little daughter to anticipate and get ready for it. She explained in detail about Christmas, and Jesus, and that this was Jesus’ birthday party and she and the other children would be helping to celebrate that happy day.
Well, the little girl was understandably impressed and excited about what lay ahead. Her ride picked her up and off she went. When she returned home a few hours later, her mother asked her about the party. She replied, “It was a nice party, but Jesus never showed up.”
The essence of the incarnation is that God threw a party and Jesus did show up. There are folks aplenty who don’t recognize Him, but make no doubt about it: He did appear. God’s own Son came to live in our midst, and, more important, to do for us what we could not do for ourselves.
I. Incarnate in Preparation. 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
The scripture opens with creation, and the attendant revelation of the Word. 1) Ten times in Genesis 1 we read “and God said” (3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26, 28, 29).
2) A concluding message to His creation: I have given all this to you. I have blessed it; you must sustain that blessing. I give you a wife to accompany you; you must satisfy that accompaniment. (See A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken.)
At the cafeteria, I could not help but over hear the conversation. A foursome; one recent widower. Told of invitations from friends to date. “Did you know there are 11 widows for every widower?” One said, “Whoo, I can’t wait!” To which he replied, “Nothing compares with having a good wife by your side.”
To say that Jesus is the “Word” is to say that He is the creative force of God in action. Perhaps no passage defines that creative force like Psalm 119. Of 176 verses, only five do not refer to God’s word, law, commandments, etc. (84, 90, 120, 121, 132). 119:105 “Thy Word is a lamp to my feet, and a light/path. Jeremiah 23:29 “Is not my word like a fire?” saith the Lord; “and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces.”
Listen to the words of an unknown poet:
“Last eve I passed beside the blacksmith’s door, and heard the anvil ring the vesper chime;
Then, looking in I saw upon the floor, old hammers worn with beating years of time.
‘How many anvils have you had,’ said I, ‘to wear and batter all these hammers so?’
‘Just one,’ said he, and then with twinkling eye, ‘The anvil wears the hammers out, you know.’
And so, thought I, the anvil of God’s Word, for ages skeptic blows have beat upon.
Yet though the noise of falling blows was heard, the anvil is unharmed, the hammers gone.”
II. The Incarnation in Potential. 1:4-5 “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot comprehend it.”
The first concept to emerge was probably “adoption.” They borrowed from Peter in Acts 2:36 “Let all the House of Israel know that God hath made . . . this Jesus, . . . both Lord and Christ.” They borrowed from Luke borrowing from Psalms/Acts 13:33: “You are My Son. Today I have begotten You.” But adoption wasn’t the answer.
Then came a concept called “kenosis.” A word meaning “emptying.” New Testament usage in verb form in Philippians 2:7. “Made Himself of no reputation” KJV “but Himself emptied, the form of a slave taking.” So, deity surrendered His divinity as if He could not be both. “Kenosis” begins above—God to man; “Adoption” begins below—man to God.
A third concept, hardly worth our time, called “docetism”—“to seem.” He only seemed to be human. They claimed His deity, but explained away His humanity. Part of the gnostic error.
If potential becomes what it must, then all three be set aside. He was not “adopted,” He is the Son. He did not “surrender” His deity, we have been visited by God. 1:10-11 “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.” Much, much more than just a “seeming” humanity. I John 1:1, “That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes and that which our hands have handled of the word of life.”
The Incarnate One, God come in the flesh.
III. Finally, the Incarnation in Performance. 1:14 “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
By what are people most commended?: by their station in life; by their professional rank; by honors, titles, wealth. Is it not, rather, that they keep their word?
So also, that which communicates most directly to us of God is His integrity. The One born to a maiden named Mary was the eternal Word of God. That Word became flesh. He came to communicate God, to make Him known. He came as a light in man’s darkness that we become God’s children. Man was created in God’s image; God came in man’s image.
Conclusion
Donald Miller, in his book, The People of God, delivers a searing indictment of far too many Christians today. He wrote, “The sentimentalized Jesus of our time is not one before whom men would fall on their faces and certainly, He would frighten away no devils! He is one whom nobody would crucify, and for whom few, if any, would be willing to die. He could not have brought the church into being, nor could He have sustained it through all the tortuous course of the long centuries.”
In other words, if you do not serve a Christ who claims, and is worthy of, your fullest devotion, then you have opted for one who is less that the Incarnate One. His word of Himself is still “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father except by me.”
________________________
1 Vanauken, S. (1977). A Severe Mercy. NY: Harper and Row.
2 Miller, D.G. (1958) The People of God. London: Religious Book Club
THE INCARNATION OF CHRIST (December 1990)
#574 w 878 THE INCARNATION OF CHRIST
Scripture John 1:1-14 NIV Orig. Date 3/11/1979
Rewr. Dates 6/1985, 12/9/1990
Passage: 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome[a] it. 6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Purpose: To share a message on the incarnation at Christmas-time, reminding my people of the importance of this Christly intervention.
Keywords: Incarnation of Christ Incarnation Doctrine Word of God
Timeline/Series: Christmas/Sequential
Introduction
A little six-year-old girl was going to her first Sunday School Christmas party. Her mother, remembering some of the joys of her own childhood, wanted the little girl to have similar experiences. She did everything she could to prepare the child for the party. She explained more in detail about Christmas as the time of the birth of Christ. “It is Jesus’ birthday,” she told the little girl, “and you and your friends will be helping Him to celebrate that happy day.”
By party day the expectation and excitement were all she could talk about. Finally, the little neighbor, with whom she was going, came to pick her up, and off she went to the party.
She returned home a few hours later. Her mother asked her about the party. She replied, “Well, it was a very nice party, mother. There were lots of children there, and we had fun. But, mother, Jesus never showed up.”
The essence of the incarnation is that God threw a party, and Jesus was the guest of honor, and, believe it or not, He was there. He did appear! Some may disclaim it, and doubt it, but it did happen. God’s own Son came to live amongst us, and, more important, to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.
I. The Incarnation Unfolded. V1 “In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God.” The scripture gives us a clear definition. The essence of God became man. Words are used to communicate reality. That which was not earthly became earthly.
Jesus’ name gives us insight also. Jesus/Joshua: “God is my salvation.” Incarnation means that God intervened to do for me what I could not do for myself.
Scripture open with creation, and its attendant revelation. Ten times (Genesis 1) is the phrase “and God said.” (3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26, 28, 29). It is a threefold message. It comes from God’s hand. It is intended to bless. Man’s will is the one thing out of God’s control.
We came to the 20th Century to discover the impact of genes on the life of man. Loss of life forms is the loss of genes. New evidence of genetic impact on disease. But it is not genetic mutation that is a threat, it is man’s will.
But in Christ, what had been essence now takes bodily form. To say He is the “word” is to say that He is the creative force of God exposed. Keep in mind that Jesus was the Son of God before He became Jesus of Nazareth. He gave specific personality to word patterns describing God. Active: “My word is like a fire . . . like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces.” Jeremiah 23:29. Passive: “Thy word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.” Psalm 119. Of 176 verses, only five do not refer to God’s law, word, commandment.
“Last eve I passed beside the blacksmith’s door, and heard the anvil ring the vesper chime;
Then, looking in I saw upon the floor, old hammers worn with beating years of time.
‘How many hammers have you had,’ said I, ‘to wear and batter all these hammers so?’
‘Just one,’ said he, and then with twinkling eye, ‘The anvil wears the hammers out, you know.’
And so, thought I, the anvil of God’s Word, for ages skeptic blows have beat upon.
Yet though the noise of falling blows was heard, the anvil is unharmed, the hammers gone.”
II. The Incarnation Understood. V4f “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not.” Early, of course, there was a lack of understanding. There was a theory of incarnation called adoption.
Acts 2:36 “Let all the House of Israel know that God hath made . . . this Jesus, . . . both Lord and Christ.” (Peter).
Romans 1:3f “declared to be the Son of God with power.”
Acts 13:33 (also in the Psalms) “You are my Son, Today I have begotten you.”
Then emerged a theory called kenosis. The word means “emptying.” Philippians 2:7 (verb) “Made himself of no reputation, but himself emptied, the form of a slave taking.” Deity surrendered His divinity as if He could not be both.
Kenosis begins above (God to man).
Adoption begins below (man to God)
A third theory was called docetism. Means “to seem.” Jesus only appeared to be human. It was the gnostic error, explaining away His humanity.
Understanding dismisses all here for what they are--“misguided theories.”
Jesus was not adopted, He is the Son.
He did not surrender His deity, we have been visited by God. Light and darkness exist together. The light is so pure, the darkness so remote, that they do not mingle. The darkness cannot fathom light. V5 “the darkness comprehended it not.”
Thus, God came in the flesh of DARKNESS. V14 “The word was made flesh and dwelt among us (“and we beheld His glory”). Jesus came to enable the creatures of darkness to comprehend the light. V12 “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the children of God.”
III. Finally, the Incarnation Unfettered. V14 “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Ultimately, only one thing commends us. There are things that earn prominence: professional status, intellectual accomplishments, social consciousness, wealth. These things can all be disavowed by one character flaw: Many sins of the flesh can be overcome. A person who does not keep their word cannot be trusted.
It is in that sense that Jesus is called the Word. He is the ultimate description of all that God is. His coming to flesh is for man’s benefit. His spoken message is eminently important. His bearing, equally so.
He came as the light in man’s darkness. Think of the inkiest blackness, a cave where lights were briefly turned off. James Weldon Johnson1: “Blacker than a thousand midnights down in a cypress swamp.”
Conclusion
Donald Miller, in his book, The People of God2, delivers a searing indictment of far-too-many religious people today. “The sentimentalized Jesus of our time is not one before whom men would fall on their faces, and certainly, He would frighten away no devils! He is one whom nobody would crucify, and for whom few, if any, would be willing to die. He could not have brought the church into being, nor could He have sustained it through all the tortuous course of the long centuries.”
The Christ of the New Testament gospel claims our fullest devotion. He is the incarnate One, God in human flesh. He is still in charge. “I am the way, the truth, the life. No man cometh to the Father but by me.”
1 Johnson, J.W. (2018). The Creation: 25th Anniversary Edition. Holiday House.
2 Miller, D.G. (1958) The People of God. London: Religious Book Club.
JESUS, SON OF MAN
#857 JESUS, SON OF MAN
Scripture John 1:35-51 Orig. 10/13/89
Passage: The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” 37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” 39 “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon. 40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter[a]). 43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip. 47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” 48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” 49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.” 50 Jesus said, “You believe[b] because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you,[c] you[d] will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’[e] the Son of Man.”
Purpose: Continuing a study from the gospel, here emphasizing the enormity of meaning in Jesus’ reference to himself as “son of man.”
Keywords: Bible Study Parable Christ Identity
Series: John
Introduction
It is interesting, and somewhat surprising, that as quickly as we turn from the Synoptic Gospel, and to John, we turn from the regular teaching of truth in parable form. John never uses the word “miracle,” and he never uses the word “parable.” These were major elements in the teaching ministry of Jesus, yet, John does not incorporate either in his presentation of the life of Jesus. You will find “parable” in the King James (10:6), however, the same word found twice more (16:25, 29) is “proverb.”
While parables are conspicuously absent from this fourth gospel, the use of rich symbolism, and use of “signs,” are conspicuously present.
Herbert Lockyer says that John “describes . . . some twenty days out of the Lord’s public ministry of three years. . . . John lived nearer to his Lord than the other Apostles and seemed to understand the inner significance of His messages more than the others, and supplies us with the suggestive imagery He used in His discourses.”
We are not yet through chapter one, and we have viewed this imagery first hand. There has been the use of the concept “Word” for Jesus. He calls Jesus “Light.” He has John the Baptist identifying himself as “a voice.” Last week, reference was made to the eleven, twelve if we count “son of Joseph,” marks, or signs of Jesus’ identity.
Keep in mind what John himself says toward the end of this powerful rendering of the life of Jesus. 20:30 “And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.”
I. We Learn of Jesus’ Intent to Share the Richness of His Life with His Disciples. V39 Jesus “sayeth unto them, come and see. . . . They . . . abode with Him.” Our purpose this morning is to reach where this first chapter concludes. We will pass by nine of the concepts of identity found in this chapter. There is a message in every one. Jesus, Lamb of God, Master, Rabbi, Messiah, Christ, of Nazareth, son of Joseph.
Before leaving this chapter, however, we must find His meaning, “Son of Man.” William Barclay isolates 82 uses of this term in the New Testament. All but one are in the gospels. In Acts 7:56, Stephen said “I see . . . the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” Of the 81 remaining uses, all but one (John 12:34, about the crucifixion of the anointed) are on the lips of Jesus.
Revelation 1:13—“And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man. . .”
Revelation 14:14—“. . . seated on the cloud was one ‘like a son of man.’”
Hebrews 2:6—“What is man . . . or the son of man that thou visitest him.”
There are other teachings in these verses. Perhaps as many as six of the disciples come to light here. First, there are the two disciples of John the Baptist. V35 tells plainly. John, himself, directs them. You don’t know how tough this is. Or, watch your children go overseas. One of these two was Andrew, V40. Examine the level of discipleship. He went to find Simon Peter, to introduce him to the Master. We honor him still in every reference to “Andrew” clubs. He was big enough to let his convert have the larger place.
An additional word must be said on Simon Peter. He was won by the direct outreach of another. Andrew didn’t wait for him to chance upon Christ. Christ tags him with a change of his name. His name is not changed from rock to pebble. Simon means “one who hears,” a marvelous facility of discipleship. Petra and petros both mean “rock.”
John himself emerges here. Also of Bethsaida, youngest of 12, and of the fishing enterprise (of 4). To him Jesus entrusted Mary. He was called “the disciple whom Jesus loved.”
Jesus went looking for Phillip, v 43. He called both to faith and to follow. Faith meant he had found the Messiah, to follow meant he must tell others.
In that spirit, he sought Nathanael. Nathanael owes his conversion to a friend. He was dealing honestly with his doubts, opening mind and heart to the prospect of truth. “Come and see” said Phillip. V46 Nathanael mocks Jesus, then in V49 professes his faith. V50, 51: Nathanael owes to his conversion the life of fullness.
II. In a Manner of Speaking, We Learn How Jesus Sees Himself. “Ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.” Some, of course, would say that it means nothing more than that. It was out of the common idiom of the day. The Aramaic bar nasha means Son of man. The Hebrew ben adam means the same.
Isaiah 56:2 “Blessed is . . . the son of man who holds it (justice) fast.”
Psalm 146:3 “Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man in whom there is no help.”
Or, that it was self-disclosure not unlike that found in Ezekiel, where the expression is found eighty-plus times. It is the word from God spoken to his prophet as a specialized address. It denotes his humanity. It contrasts his humanity with power, glory, sovereignty of God.
Daniel is the one, however, who helps us to understand its meaning. He was given to see the personification of the great world powers. He describes the vision (Daniel 7:1-14). It was of four great world powers—Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece. For three hundred years they dominated. “A lion with eagle’s wings” (v4); a bear . . . with three ribs in its mouth (v5); a leopard with four heads, and it had dominion (v6); a fourth beast, dreadful, and terrible, with ten horns (v7). V13 “And I saw in the night, visions, and behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven . . . And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages should serve him.”
John uses the same imagery in Revelation. 1:7 speaks of the one who “cometh in the clouds.” 1:13 “The one in the midst of the seven candlesticks like unto the Son of man.”
Conclusion
What you must see, what I must see, is Jesus as He is here pictured. Daniel uses the imagery of the God-man. One who is come to serve who is like those whom He has come to serve. Daniel 7:18 “But the saints of the Most High, shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even for ever and ever.” V28 “My cogitations much troubled me” “But I kept the matter in my heart.”
The great need of our time is to see Jesus as He is, as Son of man. Like John’s two disciples in discovering that Jesus was who John was talking about. He (Jesus) was the Word, of which John the Baptist was the voice. Like Simon Peter who was a large chunk of stone, but with care what a useful instrument he would become. Like Phillip, to faith him would be to follow him. Like Nathanael, casting aside our doubts we begin to see the very “heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.”
It must remain unexplored, but there remains the potential of “son of man” for us. Matthew 12:31f, Mark 3:28f, and Luke 12:10, read “all sins will be forgiven the sons of men.”
THE SIN OF SONLESSNESS
#055a THE SIN OF SONLESSNESS
Scripture John 8:21-36, NIV Orig. Date 10-2-61
Rewr. Dates 4-18-85 (7-77)
Passage: 21 Once more Jesus said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.”
22 This made the Jews ask, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘Where I go, you cannot come’?”
23 But he continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.”
25 “Who are you?” they asked. “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,” Jesus replied. 26 “I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is trustworthy, and what I have heard from him I tell the world.”
27 They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. 28 So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up[a] the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. 29 The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.” 30 Even as he spoke, many believed in him.
31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
33 They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”
34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
Purpose: To introduce a doctrinal study called The Doctrine of Christ so that my people will better understand their need of Christ, the sin-bearer.
Keywords: Christ the Saviour The Christian Life Sin Power
Introduction
It has been several years ago, but the news services told the story all around the country. The streets of the city of New York were electrically dark, but were aflame with human passion. Different reports gave different accounts. 1,700, 1,800, as many as 2,000 arrested for looting and arson. An old jail, long out of service, had to be reactivated to hold the mobs.
It started with a power failure and turned into a night of terror. Untold numbers of people were caught up in a wild melee in the streets that suddenly engulfed them. Some of them found themselves doing things that they would never have done under other circumstances.
Nevertheless, their weakness violated the law, caused pain and suffering; they would have to pay for their crimes. In other places, those more detached from the human scene were scoffing at the evangelical concept of sin. Is there sin? Can there be a God who judges sin? Are we accountable for the wrongs we do?
Sin comes to us in all shapes and colors. It waltzes through one’s life with the whisper of a gentle breeze, or it destroys everything in its path like a late Summer storm. It registers every degree of intensity from anguish to zeal (misguided). It is real! There are different kinds. These are difficult to categorize. One sin exceeds all others in total effect upon our lives. It is the Sin of Sonlessness. It is the sin unto death. It spells death for people, for cultures, for nations, for churches.
I. The Sin of Sonlessness Results in Minimized Human Potential. John 8:34-36 “You are from beneath, I am from above. You are of this world. I am not of this world. Therefore, I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
You see, creation included Christ. God created a being capable of self-will and therefore of response. Genesis 3:5 “Ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” Ecclesiastes 7:29 “God has made man upright, but they have sought many inventions.” They were seeking not what God’s will provides but what their will tolerates.
From the first it was His intention to redeem man through Christ. One of the things remembered with fondness from New Orleans is the trips to Women’s Hospital and the magnificent walks by the nursery window. There were dozens of babies. The spark of life is God’s gift. Spiritual life also. John 1:16f “of His fullness have we all received . . . . The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”
Any of us may achieve material success apart from Christ, but it has no redeeming effect. Some unnamed author of Profit and Loss wrote:
I counted dollars while God counted crosses,
I counted gains while He counted losses.
I counted my worth, my things gained in store;
And he sized me up by the scars that I bore.
I counted honors and sought degrees,
He counted the hours I spent on my knees.
I never knew until one day by the grave
How vain are the things that we spend life to save.
I did not know till a friend went above
That richest is he who is rich in God’s love.
Dr. Arthur Burden, Christian psychiatrist in New Orleans, served on the Foreign Mission Board screening committee. He recovered from a heart attack in 1974. “God spared my life. I am sure of that. I am not completely sure for what reasons. The things that are important to me now are the little every day things: a blue sky; time spent with my family; the touch of a friend’s hand.”
We reach our fullest potential by the measure of our attachment to Christ.
II. The Sin of Sonlessness Results in a Life Turned Inward. John 8:26 “I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard from Him.”
The first concern of the life turned inward is that it contradicts God’s will. What if Jesus had allowed Himself to get side-tracked? What if He had been satisfied to turn Israel around? V26 “I see so much to judge.”
For the reformer, what if the goal becomes an end in itself, and the source of the goal is lost from view? “He who sent me is true.”
You see, Israel was to be the agent through whom others came to believe. “And I speak to the world.” Isaiah 42:6 “I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, . . . and give thee . . . for a light to the Gentiles.”
Though Jesus didn’t get side-tracked, we can. The question is not just the expending of spiritual energy. It is primarily openness of life to the will of God. I Corinthians 3:11f “No other foundation can any person lay than what is laid, which is Jesus. Whatever is built . . . gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or stubble. Fire shall try everyone’s work of what sort it is.”
This life turned inward becomes a barrier to the way rather than a guidepost. Parents can stand in the way of children. Failing to be a consistent witness, we stand in the way of others. G.K. Chesterton wrote: “We are all in the same boat on a stormy sea, and we owe each other a terrible loyalty.”
III. The Sin of Sonlessness Separates One from God. John 8:34 “Whoever commits sin is a slave of sin, and a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore, if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” It is to know God through His Son. Gladstone “All that I think, all that I hope, all that I write, all that I live for, is based on the divinity of Jesus Christ, the central joy of my poor wayward life.” Phillips Brooks “The only way to realize that we are God’s children is to allow Jesus to lead us to our Father.”
But to be without Christ is to be without dependable hope. John 3:36 “He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life, but he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on Him.”
Conclusion
He held the lamp each livelong day
So low that none could miss the way,
And yet so high to bring in sight
That picture fair of Christ, the light,
That gazing up--the lamp between—
The hand that held it was not seen.
He held the pitcher, stooping low,
To lips of little ones below,
Then raised it to the weary saint
And bade him drink when sick and faint;
They drank--the pitcher thus between—
The hand that held it scarce was seen.
He blew the trumpet, soft and clear,
That cringing sinners need not fear,
And then with louder note and bold
To storm the walls of Satan’s hold:
The trumpet coming thus between,
The hand that held it was not seen.
But when our captain says, “Well done
Thou good and faithful servant, come.
Lay down the lamp, lay down the cup,
Lay down the trumpet, leave the camp.”
Thy weary hands will then be seen,
Clasped in his pierced ones, naught between.
Author unknown
THE SIN OF SONLESSNESS, reflections on 9/11
#055b reflections on 9/11 THE SIN OF SONLESSNESS
Scripture John 8:21-36, NIV Orig. Date 10-2-61
Rewr. Dates 9/14/2001; 4-18-85 (7-77)
Passage: 21 Once more Jesus said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.”
22 This made the Jews ask, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘Where I go, you cannot come’?”
23 But he continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.”
25 “Who are you?” they asked. “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,” Jesus replied. 26 “I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is trustworthy, and what I have heard from him I tell the world.”
27 They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. 28 So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up[a] the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. 29 The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.” 30 Even as he spoke, many believed in him.
31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
33 They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”
34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
Purpose: Post 9-11, to introduce a doctrinal study called The Doctrine of Christ so that my people will better understand their need of Christ, the sin-bearer.
Keywords: Christ, Saviour Christian Life Sin Power
Introduction
The study brought us today to John 8:24. The horrors of the week do not necessitate a change. The gospel is still the hope of our world. We must be faithful, but careful in exploiting what we possess. Commitment is the exercise of the day.
We have watched, for three days now, as a brigade of men and women have hauled away the debris of the World Trade Center. Hundreds of thousands of tons of the by-product of the hate of a small group of people. A vast commitment of principal because one person may still be alive under it. Such effort is simply a by-product of love.
So, the text has not been changed, though some remarks will bear on the depth of the outcome of such a week.
Significantly, the controversial remarks of Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell must be brought into such a text. Has God taken a protective hand away? It is impossible to argue the point that we Americans have enjoyed that protection. Now, is it gone? Are we without it? They are honorable men, and men of vision, but they are wrong. His hand is extended to all people of “good will,” whatever their religion or life principle. And, so must our hand. In the crisis of that hour, and the days since, there have been tens of thousands of those responses.
The tragedy happened. It was not willed by deity to happen. Nor was it a chance event. It was humanly engineered. So must be the conditions of recovery.
Deuteronomy 24:16 “Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.” Jeremiah 31:29 “In those days . . . say no more ‘the fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’ . . . Everyone shall die for his own iniquity.”
Even if Robertson and Falwell could prove their contention, I would lay claim to that concluding prayer of Habakkuk 3:17-19 “Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength. He will make my feet like hinds’ feet and He will make me to walk upon mine high places.”
Sin comes to us in all shapes and colors. It waltzes through one’s life with the whisper of a gentle breeze, or it destroys everything in its path like a late Summer storm. It registers every degree of intensity from anguish to zeal (misguided). It is real! There are different kinds. These are difficult to categorize. One sin exceeds all others in total effect upon our lives. It is the Sin of Sonlessness. It is the sin unto death. It spells death for people, for cultures, for nations, for churches.
I. The Sin of Sonlessness Results in Minimized Human Potential. John 8:34-36 “You are from beneath, I am from above. You are of this world. I am not of this world. Therefore, I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
You see, creation included Christ. God created a being capable of self-will and therefore of response. Genesis 3:5 “Ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” Ecclesiastes 7:29 “God has made man upright, but they have sought many inventions.” They were seeking not what God’s will provides but what their will tolerates.
From the first it was His intention to redeem man through Christ. One of the things remembered with fondness from New Orleans is the trips to Women’s Hospital and the magnificent walks by the nursery window. There were dozens of babies. The spark of life is God’s gift. Spiritual life also. John 1:16f “of His fullness have we all received . . . . The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”
Any of us may achieve material success apart from Christ, but it has no redeeming effect. Some unnamed author of Profit and Loss wrote:
I counted dollars while God counted crosses,
I counted gains while He counted losses.
I counted my worth, my things gained in store;
And he sized me up by the scars that I bore.
I counted honors and sought degrees,
He counted the hours I spent on my knees.
I never knew until one day by the grave
How vain are the things that we spend life to save.
I did not know till a friend went above
That richest is he who is rich in God’s love.
Dr. Arthur Burden, Christian psychiatrist in New Orleans, served on the Foreign Mission Board screening committee. He recovered from a heart attack in 1974. “God spared my life. I am sure of that. I am not completely sure for what reasons. The things that are important to me now are the little everyday things: a blue sky; time spent with my family; the touch of a friend’s hand.”
We reach our fullest potential by the measure of our attachment to Christ.
II. The Sin of Sonlessness Results in a Life Turned Inward. John 8:26 “I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard from Him.”
The first concern of the life turned inward is that it contradicts God’s will. What if Jesus had allowed Himself to get side-tracked? What if He had been satisfied to turn Israel around? V26 “I see so much to judge.”
For the reformer, what if the goal becomes an end in itself, and the source of the goal is lost from view? “He who sent me is true.”
You see, Israel was to be the agent through whom others came to believe. “And I speak to the world.” Isaiah 42:6 “I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, . . . and give thee . . . for a light to the Gentiles.”
Though Jesus didn’t get side-tracked, we can. The question is not just the expending of spiritual energy. It is primarily openness of life to the will of God. I Corinthians 3:11f “No other foundation can any person lay than what is laid, which is Jesus. Whatever is built . . . gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or stubble. Fire shall try everyone’s work of what sort it is.”
This life turned inward becomes a barrier to the way rather than a guidepost. Parents can stand in the way of children. Failing to be a consistent witness, we stand in the way of others. G.K. Chesterton wrote: “We are all in the same boat on a stormy sea, and we owe each other a terrible loyalty.”
III. The Sin of Sonlessness Separates One from God. John 8:34 “Whoever commits sin is a slave of sin, and a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore, if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” It is to know God through His Son. Gladstone “All that I think, all that I hope, all that I write, all that I live for, is based on the divinity of Jesus Christ, the central joy of my poor wayward life.” Phillips Brooks “The only way to realize that we are God’s children is to allow Jesus to lead us to our Father.”
But to be without Christ is to be without dependable hope. John 3:36 “He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life, but he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on Him.”
Conclusion
He held the lamp each livelong day
So low that none could miss the way,
And yet so high to bring in sight
That picture fair of Christ, the light,
That gazing up--the lamp between—
The hand that held it was not seen.
He held the pitcher, stooping low,
To lips of little ones below,
Then raised it to the weary saint
And bade him drink when sick and faint;
They drank--the pitcher thus between—
The hand that held it scarce was seen.
He blew the trumpet, soft and clear,
That cringing sinners need not fear,
And then with louder note and bold
To storm the walls of Satan’s hold:
The trumpet coming thus between,
The hand that held it was not seen.
But when our captain says, “Well done
Thou good and faithful servant, come.
Lay down the lamp, lay down the cup,
Lay down the trumpet, leave the camp.”
Thy weary hands will then be seen,
Clasped in his pierced ones, naught between.
Author unknown
MISSIONS: THE TUNE OF OBEDIENCE
#050 MISSIONS: THE TUNE OF OBEDIENCE
Scripture Isaiah 54:1-5; John 4:31-41 NIV Orig. 11-26-61
Rewr. 11-28-84
Passage:
“Sing, barren woman,
you who never bore a child;
burst into song, shout for joy,
you who were never in labor;
because more are the children of the desolate woman
than of her who has a husband,”
says the Lord.
2 “Enlarge the place of your tent,
stretch your tent curtains wide,
do not hold back;
lengthen your cords,
strengthen your stakes.
3 For you will spread out to the right and to the left;
your descendants will dispossess nations
and settle in their desolate cities.
4 “Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame.
Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated.
You will forget the shame of your youth
and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood.
5 For your Maker is your husband—
the Lord Almighty is his name—
the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;
he is called the God of all the earth.
31 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” 33 Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?” 34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. 35 Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. 36 Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37 Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. 38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.” 39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers.
Purpose: To call attention to the clear teaching of Scripture as it gives us our mandate to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
Keywords: Christ Redeemer Missions Church Obedience
Introduction
It was an Easter meeting of the Northampton Association in England. The year was 1791. The urgency of missions was a new and controversial theme for English Baptists. For as long as any of them could remember their belief had centered around Calvinism. They were known as Particular Baptists because they believed that God was a “Particular” God, and that only certain “elected” people would be saved.
At that meeting, men like Andrew Fuller and John Sutcliffe spoke to these assembled believers. But on this occasion, they spoke on the challenge of missions.
It was just one month later when many of these same pastors and church leaders assembled again. They were to induct a young man into the role of pastor of one of these churches. As a part of the program, this young man was to preach. He chose a subject which was a part of a study in which he was engaged. The title of his sermon was “The Inquiry into the Obligation of Christians to use Means for the Conversion of the Heathen.”
The young man who was assuming his first pastoral role was William Carey, the man who today is called “The Father of modern missions.” That day he referred to statistics. There were 731 million people in the world: 2 of 10 were Muslim, 5 of 10 were pagan, only 3 of 10 were Christian. Something must be done to point these lost multitudes to Christ.
John Ryland, the pastor who baptized [Carey], was present. He spoke up, “Sit down, young man: When the Lord gets ready to convert the heathen, He will do it without your help or mine.”
A year later, on May 30, 1792, [Carey] preached again to the Association. “Expect great things from God . . . Attempt great things for God.” Within a year, Carey and a Baptist surgeon named [John] Thomas would be on their way to India.
I. Foreign Missions Fulfills the Tune of World Diplomacy. V3 “Your descendants will inherit the nations, and make the desolate cities inhabited.” V35 “Look on the fields, for they are white already to harvest.” The world desperately needs to have an option to be Christian. It is Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist. It is Communist. How [many have] any chance to be Christian? A group of Christians emerged from a Jewish tour bus at the Dome of the Rock. The Muslim overseers had closed it for the day. The guide remarked to her driver, “I could do just as well without any religions.” Unfortunately, there are many Christians who act as if they agree.
Do you think Muslims will hesitate? Would see the world in Communism? Then we must support a mission program that reaches out in love.
Yes, missionaries are still making an impact with the Gospel. There are those who deny it. They say this person from another culture is not a messenger from God, but a harbinger of Western values. Baptist missionaries in most of the world are supporting national leaders. The good work for Ethiopian people is being done by the religiously oriented.
Here is the One Way that WE can creatively take a world stand. John Denver said in USA Today: “If one man is hungry, then I am hungry. If a child is starving, then my child is starving.” Missions is the one remaining best hope of the world.
II. It Not Only Fulfills World Diplomacy, but Church Deputation as Well. V35 “Lift up your eyes and look on the fields.” Matthew 28:19, 20 “Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.”
There can be no doubt that we are to evangelize. A young clergyman asked the Duke of Wellington if it wasn’t useless to preach to Hindus. “Look to your marching orders, ‘Go, preach the Gospel to every creature.’” S3p252.
The message of Christ has not found fulfillment until we share it with another. Each one of use came to believe through the witness of another. Our faith witness ought to include family, neighbors, others. Family and neighbors we can reach; missions helps us to extend our hands around the world.
It is no little job. World population is presently approaching 5 billion. By the year 2000 it is expected to be close to 6 billion.
WORLD AREA POPULATION % CHRISTIAN [1984]
Western Europe 516 million 30%
Eastern Europe 425 million 5%
[South] America 384 million 3%
Africa 700 million 2%
Asia 2.9 billion 0.1%
North America 280 million 40%
To walk with Christ is to identify with His message. Matthew 24:14 “This Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations.” Revelation 14:6 “I saw another angel . . . , having the everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.” Southern Baptist men gave 100,000 Bibles in Russia, and then they gave 100,000 Bibles again!
In preparing for Jonah last week, I read again why Jonah hated the Assyrians so. Do we want a Gaddafi or Khomeini or Khrushchev clone in control? God left the Jews because they became nation-centered.
90% of Protestant preaching is to English-speaking people. 90% or more of Christian wealth is in the hand of English-speaking people. English speakers make up 9% of the world’s population.
III. Missions Also is Necessary to Fulfill the Credibility of the Saviour. V34 “Jesus saith unto them, ‘My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.” I John 4:14 “The Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.” He continues to seek that accomplishment through men and women of faith and good will.
There are things that we can and must do. Be sensitive to the searchings of faith in the lives of people around us. Acknowledge that the means to winning the world is through the support of evangelically oriented missionaries. Take a prayerful look at what the Lottie Moon Christmas offering means in that purpose.
Remember that the way we live and talk, and the way we support our church and kingdom causes, tells people what we think about the credibility of the Saviour.
Conclusion
Do you know who Albert Einstein was? Perhaps the greatest brain in scientific revolution.
Do you know about Karl Marx? Probably the greatest mind behind 20th Century economics.
Do you recognize Sigmund Freud? The prime mover of psychology.
All were Jews!!!! But the need
***THE REMAINDER OF THIS SERMON HAS BEEN LOST***
MEMORIAL SERVICE, MRS. LIB COLVIN
#922 FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH
Bernice, Louisiana
May 6, 1991
Memorial Service
Mrs. Lib Colvin
There is a nonsensical story of an old farmer sitting on a rickety rocker on the porch of his cabin way back in the hills. A backpacker happened along the trail that brought him by the cabin. Being hot and thirsty on the August day, he stopped and attempted to engage the old man, hoping to get an offer to stop and rest. Asked about cotton, the old man told the youth there was none because of boll weevils. Asked about corn, he informed him that it was not smart to plant corn when there was no rain. Asked what he did plant, the farmer responded, “I didn’t plant nothin’! I played it safe!”
But this has nothing to do with Miss Lib. The one thing that she was careful to avoid was playing it safe, especially where her Christian responsibility was concerned. She knew what she ought to do, needed to do, and set about doing it.
Too many people are like the old farmer. Just playing it safe! And when the end comes, nothing is left. We have so much to learn from Miss Lib. As much as we grieve for her, yet we know that this was the essence of her life. She was prepared for this moment of truth.
My wife taught her Sunday School lesson yesterday. She fretted when she first found that it would be her job. Then, someone gave her the material that Miss Lib herself had prepared. She knew what her responsibility was, and she was ready. Imagine, she went in the hospital on Thursday, and her lesson for the next Sunday was already prepared.
I know teachers who don’t start preparing until Friday night. I know preachers who have no idea on Saturday what they are going to preach about on Sunday night. Occasionally, Sunday morning also. This dear lady, who has taught this class longer than any of us can remember, regularly prepared her lesson early in the week, starting even on Sunday afternoon. She would never run the risk of being unprepared. Her message to us here today is preparation. What we are responsible for, do it well. Because we face the future uncertainly, face it squarely, with Christ as Lord of our lives.
I. We Learn from Her the Importance of Something to Believe. “If I do not the work of my Father,” Jesus said, “believe me not. But if I do, though you believe not me, believe the works; that you may know and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in Him.” (John 10:37-38.) Again from John (11:25), “I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth on me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.”
No matter where we are in life, the essence of living is in what we believe: the content of our belief and the way we live our lives in response to the things believed. For the Christian, what we believe about Christ sets the tone for everything we do. Of course, there are generalities, like believing the sun will rise tomorrow. But the special things that show Christ alive within this committed life have particular meaning. Romans 15:13, “Now the God of all hope, fill you with all joy and peace in believing.”
II. The Next Thing there is to Learn from Her is of Something to Be. I John 3:1-3, “Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed on us, that we shall be called children of God . . . now we are God’s children, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him because we shall see Him as He is.”
The example of Jesus was of major importance in Miss Lib’s life: Moral persuasion, compassion, and commitment to God’s will. Hebrews 10:9, “Then said He, Lo, I come to do thy will O God.” Our highest resolve is shallow outside of the will of God. She was a fine example of womanhood, of sacrificial service, and of commitment of one’s best.
III. The Third Thing that We Learn from Her is of Something to Do. Rev. 22:14, “Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates to the city.” There is a proper sequence: Something to believe, something to be, and something to do. The example of Jesus was to do what He was uniquely equipped to do.
We have surrendered a friend to the ages who showed us that this works in ordinary lives also. She found Christ sufficiently able to forgive sin. She grew in God’s grace to discover His purpose in deliverance from sin also.
Conclusion
Henry C. Morrison, missionary to Africa, tells of his return to America. A life had been spent in faithful and effective missionary service in Africa. He was retiring, regretting that he was at the end of the way. Teddy Roosevelt was on the same ship, returning from some safari or the other. Servants attended his every need on board the ship. As they approached New York harbor, passengers could see crowds of people at the dock, awaiting the president.
Mr. Morrison said he was filled with self-pity. For the president, it had been fun and games. For him, it had been devotion and service. But the crowds were waiting to see the president, not him. But suddenly, he said, the Lord filled him with an understanding that he “was not home yet.”