Walk In The Light (1 John 1:1-7)

Probably between ad 85 and 95, John [1] wrote to the believers near Ephesus, in present-day Turkey.[2] The persecution under Nero had come and gone, killing even Paul and Peter. John was the last  apostle, looking back at what had been happening in the early church. 

1 John 1:1-7

We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us— we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship (koinonia) with us; and truly our fellowship (koinonia) is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that our[3] joy may be complete. 

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship (koinonia) with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship (koinonia) with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

In his opening, John seems to be responding to the Gnostics, who thought there was no way Jesus was incarnate (“in the flesh”) because matter was evil.  John makes it clear that he was.  The incarnate Jesus could be seen, heard, and touched.

Then he explains how our relationship with Christ brings us into the family of God. We can have genuine fellowship with other followers of Jesus because our fellowship is grounded in our fellowship with God (1 John 1:3). The result is joy.

Fellowship flows from knowing God, who is “light.” In God there is “no darkness at all” (1:5) Light suggests purity, honest, goodness, righteousness, truth. There are no shadows or dark sides to God (James 1:17); he is perfect and free of sin (Psalms 145:17; Matthew 5:48).[4] Jesus said, “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness”(Matthew 12:46). So if genuine fellowship comes from being in the light, the breaking of our fellowship comes from walking in darkness (1 John 1:6). 

Our profession of faith must be backed up by our practice (1:6). Children of the light walk in it (see John 8:12; Eph. 5:8; Col. 1:13; 1 Pet. 2:9.[5]

For John, fellowship with others follows faith in God and displays itself in works that build fellowship with God and others. Life from Christ exhibits characteristics of life of Christ. This is how we know we are ‘in the light’ with Him (1 John 2:5–6): we will increasing resemble Jesus.”[6]

* * * * * * * * * *

“God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship (koinonia) with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true.” 

I've been hearing a lot of discussion about Christians should be responding to recent scandals among Christian leaders. I want to walk into this with fear and trembling, because I am well aware that when sinners talk about other sinners there is a danger of unrighteous judgment and pride. And yet we can’t shy away from this. We must wrestle with how it is that professing Christians  leave the light and head toward the dark, and how we get back out. Our fellowship with God and others is on the line. So I offer some (imperfect) thoughts meant to inspire us to wrestle with this. A lot of the discussion centers around some version of two common phrases: 

·      “There but for the grace of God go I.” 

·      “We are all sinners saved by grace, and so we are all in need of God's forgiveness.” 

There is truth in both of these, but it's a truth that can be misunderstood or misapplied. While it’s an important part of a broader biblical truth, they need to be situation within that broader biblical truth. #context  That's what I would like to explore today.

I think the foundational question is this: are all sins equal in the eyes of God? My question is: Equal how? In eternal consequence? In impact to humanity? In affecting my sanctification? From that follows other questions:

·      Do we all walk in the same kind of darkness? 

·      Are some in shadows while some are in inky, blinding darkness, and does that distinction even matter? 

·      Do all sins have an equal impact on our fellowship with God and others? 

Let’s start to build a framework. 

First, the unholiness of all sin is incompatible with the holiness of God. All sin happens in and contributes to the same darkness of evil’ all sins do something negative to our fellowship with God and others. All sin at minimum “misses the mark” (hamartia) of our holy calling, and at maximum just wreaks sinful havoc in the world (asebeia, parabasis).[7] In Christianity, every sin is fatal to us. That isn't intended to minimize the impact on victims, but to maximize the responsibility of perpetrators - and to remind us that, to vary degrees, we are all perpetrators.

All sin leads to spiritual death; all sin requires a price to be paid that we cannot pay ourselves; all sin requires repentance the leads to forgivenss that will be an act of God’s grace through Christ. 

“ But if you show favoritism… you’ll be sinning and condemned by the law. For if a person could keep all of the laws and yet break just one; it would be like breaking them all.  The same God who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also says, “Do not murder.” If you break either of these commands, you’re a lawbreaker, no matter how you look at it.  So live your life in such a way that acknowledges that one day you will be judged.” 

 (James 2:9-12)

“The wages of sin (hamartia – “missing the mark”) is death.” (Romans 6:23)

Just as “the love of God, which builds up the City of God,” is the source and root of all virtues, so too “the love of self, which builds up the City of Babylon,” is the root of all sins. (Augustine in De Civitate Dei)

 We all walk into the same kind of darkness.  The sinner pays either with his own life or Christ's, but death is due. There is a death my sin brings to me, as it ripples out to others: death of relationship, death of trust, death of innocence. These are not the same death kind of death, but they are real burdens borne by those around me. It requires the blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse us from the penalty of sin and the impact of sin, and move both perpetrators and victims into the same kind of light. 

So in that sense, when we say that the ground is level at the foot of the cross, that's what we mean. All of us kneel there. That is the great humbler in Christian theology. We all kneel. We are all dead in our sins without the life of Christ (Ephesians 2; Romans 6). We all require the grace of God given through Jesus, who paid the eternal penalty of death so we can have eternal life. 

But the temporal implications of sin are handled in a different way biblically than the eternal implications of sin. In other words, the great leveling in the spiritual realm stands arm-in-arm with a gradation of the wickedness and severity of sin in the physical realm. 

Starting at the Old Testament we see that God establishes a system of responses to sinful behavior that does not treat all sin the same. There is a principle of sowing and reaping. If you sow a lot, you reap a lot. That’s true of doing good and doing evil. And God will not be mocked. We will sow what we reap.  

·      Genesis 18:20 states that the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah were unusually grievous.

·      Jeremiah 16:12 tells the Israelites they have done worse than their fathers.

·      Exodus 32:30-31 “Moses said unto the people, Ye have sinned a great[8] sin…and have made them gods of gold.”

·      2 Kings 17:21 “Jeroboam drove Israel from following the LORD, and made them sin a great sin.”

·      God revealed the sins of Israel in three stages to Ezekiel. And in each stage Israel’s sins were “more detestable” (Ezekiel 8:6-16) than the previous ones.

·      In Numbers 15, the Bible contrasts sin done unintentionally and sin done “with a high hand,” meaning sin done willingly while shaking one’s fist at God. 

·      Scripture also speaks of “sins that cry out” that God himself will execute judgment because humans and government officials have acted unjustly towards others (e.g., Gen. 4:10; 18:20; 19:13; Ex. 3:7-10; Deut. 24:14-15).

 In the Old Testament, there were escalating temporal responses to violations against others and against God, from escalating fines to being cut off from the people (exile) or being put to death. God applied different temporal penalties to different sins. A thief paid restitution; an occult practitioner was cut off from Israel; one who committed premeditated murder was sentenced to death. In addition, 

“Distinctions are made between different levels of clean and uncleanness requiring different sacrifices (Lev. 11-15, cf. chs. 1-8), and especially between “unintentional” and “intentional” sins (Num. 15:22-30). Unintentional sin can be atoned for (e.g., Lev. 4), but certain intentional sins, specifically “high handed” sins are so grievous that they cannot be atoned for and they require the death penalty (Num. 15:30). This kind of distinction makes no sense unless we think in terms of degrees of sin.”[9]

So while everyone went to the temple to offer a sacrifice for the forgiveness of their sins, great or small, not everything played out the same in their community life.  Even Jesus talks about greater and lesser sins.[10]

·      Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above [higher up – from Rome]. Therefore he who delivered Me over to you has the greater sin.”  Matthew 23:14 

·      Jesus, speaking to the Pharisees and scribes, said they shall receive greater damnation because of their hypocrisy. Some sins are called gnats, others camels (Matthew 23:24).

The New Testament writers felt the same way.

·      1 John 5:16-16 “6 In this regard, if you notice a brother or sister in faith making moral missteps and blunders, disregarding and disobeying God even to the point of God removing this one from the body by death, then pray for that person; and God will grant him life on this journey. But to be clear, there is a sin that is ultimately fatal and leads to death. I am not talking about praying for that fatal sin, 17 but I am talking about all those wrongs and sins that plague God’s family that don’t lead to death.”

The Catholic tradition makes a distinction between venial and mortal sins,[11] but we are not Catholic, so let’s see what the Reformers thought –which is that there is a difference between lesser sins and what they called gross and heinous sins.  

“The Reformers did not deny degrees of sin, but they did reject the mortal-venial distinction, especially as it was worked out in Rome’s sacramental theology. For them, all sin is “mortal” before God, and our only hope is that we are united to Christ in saving faith and declared justified in him. For fallen creatures to stand before God, we need Christ’s perfect righteousness imputed to us and all of our sin completely paid for by his substitutionary death. 

 Also, for the believer who is born of the Spirit and united to Christ as our covenant head, since our justification is complete in Christ, there is no sin that removes our justification, and ultimately thwarts the sanctifying work of the Spirit by the loss of our salvation. Yet, although we should reject the mortal-venial distinction as taught by Rome, this does not entail that we should reject a distinction between all sin as equal before God and various degrees of sin in terms of their overall effects on the person, others, and the world.”[12]

But what about this? 

“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment… You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:21-28) 

Both scenarios reflect a dark heart that God sees; both are sins that have eternal implications. Both deserve judgment. Both require repentance. But they do not land in the world temporally in the same way. Jesus himself has other teachings that make that distinction. Not all sins have the same impact on the image-bearers around the sinner the same way. The sins of the heart deserve condemnation; the sins of the hand deserve a greater condemnation. Think of it this way:  

·      If sins were in every sense equal, in every sense not different, the person thinking about killing someone they hate might as well just do it, if these sins are not in some sense different, because Jesus says someone who wishes someone else dead is as guilty as if they had murdered them. 

·      If someone would say to me, “I might as well go ahead and commit adultery because I’m already guilty of lust. I can’t be in any worse shape in the sight of God, so I might as well finish the deed.” My answer? “Oh yes, you can be in much worse shape in the eyes of God and others.” The “sowing and reaping” judgment of actual adultery will be much greater than the harvest from internal lust. 

·      If abusers would restrain unrepentant lust in their minds, the people around them might be creeped out when they are around them (“Something’s not right with that guy”), but they would not be abused. It’s a foolish thing for a person who has committed a misdemeanor to say, “I’m already guilty; I might as well make it a felony.” God forbid that we should think like that.[13]

I was watching Knives Out, and there is scene where the villian, who had killed two people, tries to kill a third. “In for a penny, in for a pound.” This is a terrible idea. Killing three people is worse than killing two, and actually killing them was worse than if he had just thought about killing them.  

Both the Bible and our experience make a distinction between the severity of things. We can simultaneously recognize that all of them are bad – all of them are a walk into the valley of the shadows of spiritual death at minimum -  without having to level the impact that they clearly have on the world and on others. It's like cleaning up after a heavy wind storm versus a heavy hurricane. Both are storms; one leaves of disaster unlike the other.

There's a temporal difference between taking one step off the path and having taken a hundred. All the steps must be dealt with, surrendered, and repented for because they all traffic in darkness. But some of them rock the world and ways that other ones don't.  I think we ignore that difference at our spiritual and relational peril.

Justin Bieber[14] and Shawn Mendez sing a song in which they ask, “What if I trip? What if I fall? Then am I the monster?” Well, no, but if you land where monsters grow, you’d best get out. If you don’t, you will be. That’s how monsters start. If you track their lives back far enough, all monsters at one point looked a lot like us.

* * * * * * * * * *

I don’t make this point so that we can look at our sin and say, “It’s just a step into the shadows. I’m not like THAT person, who sprinted there and made a home there.” If that’s where your mind is going, you are missing the point and are further in darkness right now than you realize.[15] If you use the temporal severity of someone else’s sin to give yourself a pass, you need a serious revival in your heart.  

I read a book once that talked about the ripple effect of our sin. It’s like the Butterfly Effect. We see huge sin and the immediate temporal impact and think, “Terrible sin!” and that’s a correct judgment. But we don’t realize our smaller sins are stones cast in the water that ripple out and lead to sins we will never know about but may well be devestating.  We need to get over ourselves and our self -righteousness. It’s like filthy rags if we could see it.[16] 

I make the point  about the temporal gradation of sin for two reasons. You need to hear both reasons before you react to my first reason.  

The first point: if we are not careful, saying, “We are all sinners in need of forgiveness” can sound like a minimization of the terrible impact of what happened, as if stealing  a pencil the same as rape. It can make fail to pass a righteous judgment on what happened.  

Please. Pass a biblically appropriate judgment on all sin. We are allowed to weigh in on fruit. Please, don’t let the fact that we are all sinners stop us from lamenting the horrible nature of escalated sin. Don’t refuse to condemn sexual abuse because you have had lustful thoughts. Repent of your lustful thoughts, and then echo the OT prophets, who were certainly not perfect, and who had no problem calling out the abuse of God’s image-bearers, especially when the sin was committed by those who claimed to be God’s people. 

The second point: we must take seriously the truth that “We are all sinners in need of forgiveness,” and “There but for the grace of God go I.” I don’t mean we all would inevitably end up where some people have. I mean we all have the capacity to step into the shadows and keep going. We know this already in our own ways in our own lives. Even if we didn’t go so far as to become monsters, we know what it is like to at least explore lands of darkness where the monters looked attractive. 

People don't wake up one morning and think, “I'll be a serial sexual predator, or a mass shooter, or start Enron.” I suspect it was something much, much smaller, something that might even feel insignificant in the overall scheme of things but which was a step down a path that veered off the path of righteousness. 

Unless I am intentional and lean on God's grace, I will wade into the water of sin until a point that I am taken terrible places by the relentless undertow I helped create – and I will surely take others with me. It doesn't matter what the sin is - we can all drown accidentally because we went wading on purpose.

I read a book once by the lead detective in the Jon Benet Ramsey case. Something that has stuck with me is that from a police perspective they are not worried about the person who snaps and kills someone else. That person always confesses because their conscience can't handle it. It's the person who is slowly become more violent that they worry about, because by the time they get to killing people they just don't care, they're conscious doesn't bother them, they're not haunted by their sin.

“Sin is of an encroaching nature; it creeps on the soul by degrees, step by step, till it hath the soul to the very height of sin. ...By all this we see, that the yielding to lesser sins, draws the soul to the committing of greater… Ecclesiastes [says] ‘The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness, and the end of his talking is mischievous madness.’ ...”  Thomas Brooks

That's applicable to all of us. There, but for the grace of God. we take that first step and keep going, and eventually we end up somewhere very, very dark. So, what do those steps look like? 

·      It's entertaining rather than fighting those lustful thoughts because hey, nobody will know. 

·      It's not reporting that one source of income because it can't be that big of a deal and it's not that much taxes and it's not worth the hassle. 

·      It's clicking on that link because it's just one picture that will get my adrenaline pumping. 

·      It's making demeaning jokes about the opposite sex because they're funny, right? 

·      It's accepting that Facebook friend request from someone who likes to post racy pictures and who has no mutual friends with you because hey, why not?  

·      It's sharing that meme that yeah, it's a little harsh and maybe even a little unfair, but this is the time for it. 

·      It's listening to angry people on podcasts, TV shows and YouTube videos and thinking that they're probably too angry, but this is entertaining. 

·      It’s sharing prayer requests that are gossip. 

·      It's slowly moving from generosity to greed in just the smallest of ways.

·      It’s telling a slight untruth about someone else because it makes us look better.

·      It’s hiding that small sin from the accountability of others because it’s not that big of a deal.

There is the start of a path that, but for the grace of God, we go. And but for the grace of God, we'll keep going. I don't think it's fair to say that we would all end up at the same place with the same kind of sin. What is fair to say is that we will all walk to terrible places of some sort if we do not deal with each step that is taking us there.  

But if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

That which is hidden must come to the light.  This is the only way we have fellowship with God and others. We must walk in the light as Jesus was in the light. 

We don't usually sprint to sin,  at least not at first. We usually wander or walk. The speed comes when momentum is built over time. I remember once when I went skiing and I was feeling really confident at the end of the day, so I went up to one of the larger hills. I started down and it only took about 10 feet before I just threw myself to the ground and stopped all of my momentum because I knew it was not going to end well.  I took off my skis and crawled back up while everyone on the ski lift watched me. It was humiliating, but it was better than the alternative. That momentum was going to break a leg, or crash me into people. 

This is why it is so crucial to stop the momentum. The grace of God has given us his Word, his spirit, and his people. These are all meant to stop this momentum and move us back into the light. Part of the grace that God gives us are means of sanctifaction that are right in front of us. Things like accountability and community. Things like honesty and transparency.

I'd like us to think and pray about a few things this week.

·      Do I have a trajectory that is taking me toward darkness or light? 

·      Am I already in deep darkness in need of a blinding light? 

·      How much of my life is hidden? Particularly, what am I hiding? 

·      Am I being honest before God and others about what is happening?

·      What does it look like to turn around?  

·      How will repentance benefit my fellowship with God and others?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

[1] John was the one “whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23). He wrote five books in the New Testament: three letters, a gospel, and the book of Revelation.

[2] “His special vocabulary tells the whole story: To remain/continue/abide (24x) in the truth (9x) means to believe in (9x) or confess (5x) the Son (22x), to whom the Father (14x) and Spirit (8x) bear witness (12x); it means further to be born of God (10x), so as to walk (5x) in the light (6x), to hear (14x) and to know (40x) God, to keep (7x) the commandment (14x) to love (46x) the brothers and sisters (15x), and thus to have life (13x), which is from the beginning (8x), and finally to overcome (6x) the world. All of this is in contrast to the lie (7x), deceit (4x), denying Christ (3x), having a false spirit (4x), thus being antichrist (4x), walking in darkness (6x), hating (5x) one’s brothers and sisters but loving the world (23x), thus being in sin (27x), which leads to death (6x).”  (How To Read The Bible Book By Book, Gordon Fee)

[3] Other oldest manuscripts and versions read "OUR joy," namely, that our joy may be filled full by bringing you also into fellowship with the Father and Son. (Compare Joh 4:36, end; Php 2:2, "Fulfil ye my joy," Php 2:16; 4:1; 2Jo 8). It is possible that "your" may be a correction of transcribers to make this verse harmonize with Joh 15:11; 16:24; however, as John often repeats favorite phrases, he may do so here, so "your" may be from himself. So 2Jo 12, "your" in oldest manuscripts. The authority of manuscripts and versions on both sides here is almost evenly balanced. (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary)

[4] “1:5 God is light. The connection between God and light begins in the opening verses of Genesis (see Ge 1:3) and continues in the Psalms (see Ps 27:1; 36:9; 104:2) and the Prophets (see Isa 49:6; Mic 7:8). The coming Messiah was also thought to bring God’s light (see note on Jn 1:4–13). Matthew and Luke used Isaiah’s image (Isa 9:2) that the coming Messiah would bring light to those in darkness to point to Jesus (Mt 4:16; Lk 1:79). There are numerous references to light and darkness in the Gospel of John (Jn 1:4–5, 9; 3:19–21; 8:12; 9:5; 12:35–36, 46). Outside of the New Testament, the Dead Sea Scrolls community called themselves the “sons of light,” playing on the same theme of God as light (see note on Lk 16:8).”  (NIV First Century Study Bible)

[5] Vines Expository Bible Study Notes

[6] “John challenges us to find in the mirror of our everyday lives clearer reflections of Jesus and to disregard the teachings of those who, like vampires, have no reflection at all and seek to suck the life from those who do.” How To Read The Bible Through The Jesus Lens

[7] https://www.theopedia.com/greek-and-hebrew-words-for-sin

[8] This particular word has to do with orders of magnitude greater. https://biblehub.com/hebrew/1419.htm

[9] https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/essay/degrees-of-sin/

[10] Some common markers theologians use to talk about what makes a sin “greater”: Awareness of breaking God’s law; rebellious motivation; puposeful intent to do harm to others; habitual revisiting of that sin; degree of impactful on others.

[11] https://catholicstraightanswers.com/what-is-the-difference-between-mortal-and-venial-sin/

[12] https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/essay/degrees-of-sin/

[13] https://www.ligonier.org/blog/are-there-degrees-sin/

[14] That’s right. I quoted Justin Bieber. 

[15] You may be wondering if this leads to the kind of judgment the Bible warns against. The Bible is clear that it is not our place to judge the thoughts and intents of the heart. That's what God sees. But what the Bible does make clear is that we can know people by their fruits. What people do is something that is an outward expression of something inside and yes, we can reach conclusions about whether what things people do are holy or unholy, whether they are steps in the path of righteousness into the light or steps away from the path of righteousness into the darkness. Ravi has already had conversations with God about the state of his heart. That's not mine to figure out. What I can do is figure out how what he did aligns with what God calls us to do. And that was a pretty easy one to figure out. 

[16] Isaiah 64:6

Alexander, Demas, and Life In The Kingdom (2 Timothy 4:9-16)

Come to me, Timothy, as soon as you can. You see, Demas having loved this present age, has abandoned me, and headed off to Thessalonica. Crescens took off for Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. Luke is the only one left. Bring Mark with you because he is useful in this work and will help look after me. I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. On your way here, pick up the cloak I left with Carpus in Troas, and bring the scrolls—especially the parchments.

Keep your eye out for Alexander the coppersmith! He came against me with all sorts of evil—the Lord will render to him according to his works — so watch your back because he has gone overboard to oppose our message.

When it was time for my first defense, no one showed up to support me. Everyone abandoned me (may it not be held against them) except the Lord. He stood by me, strengthened me, and backed the truth I proclaimed with power so it may be heard by all the non-Jews. He rescued me, pried open the lion’s jaw , and snatched me from its teeth. And I know the Lord will continue to rescue me from every trip, trap, snare, and pitfall of evil and carry me safely to His heavenly kingdom. May He be glorified throughout eternity. Amen.

There are two people who get discussed a lot in this passage: Alexander and Demas.

Alexander. It is not clear if this reference is to an Alexander that is mentioned elsewhere. He might be mentioned in 1 Timothy 1:20 and if so, he, along with Hymenaeus, had been 'handed over to Satan' which was a form of discipline that was basically being made to leave the church (the idea was that the church provided spiritual covering, so, being kicked out was ‘handing someone over to Satan with the hopes that the experience would bring them to repentance and restoration). Or…it may have been a Jewish leader involved in accusations against Paul in Ephesus in Acts 19:33. Or….it might have been another Alexander. Whoever he was, he was bad news.

Demas. Everyone agrees on this: He was at one point a co-worker who is mentioned with Luke and Mark (Colossians 4:14; Philemon 24) and who stayed with Paul when he was in prison earlier.

They also agree that Demas loved this present age. It was not unusual for Jewish people to contrast “the present age,” with “the age to come.” The present age was characterized by the suffering of God’s people (Galatians 1:4); the age to come would be wonderful rather than terrible. Everyone agrees on these two things. But how we contextualize Paul leads to some very different conclusions.

This disagreement is an ‘open hand’ issue. There is nothing that challenges the foundations of our faith lurking in the differences of opinion here. It’s a comment about a dude named Demas who Paul says abandoned him because he ‘loved this present world.’

I am going to give you the range of what people think, because whatever it means, there is something to learn about life together in the Kingdom from any of the conclusions we reach. Each time I thought, “Oh, I will go this direction with it,” I found something else that made wonder if maybe I shouldn’t go that direction with it…so I am going to go all directions with it.

1. In the most generous reading possible, Demas loved the people who suffered in this present age, and he did not want to stop his ministry. Adam Clarke, who is one of my go-to commentators has the most generous take I found.

Having preferred Judaism to Christianity; or having loved the Jews, and having sought their welfare in preference to that of the Gentiles. The הזה עולם words olam hazzeh… are generally to be understood as signifying, either the Jewish people, or the system of Judaism…This is a light in which the conduct of Demas may be viewed.

It could not have been the love of secular gain which had induced Demas to abandon St. Paul; he must have counted this cost before he became a Christian…It is not intimated that he had denied the faith, but simply that he had left the apostle and gone into Thessalonica; for which this reason is given, that he loved the present world.

Now, if αγαπησας, having loved, can be applied to a desire to save the souls of the Jews, and that he went into Thessalonica, where they abounded, for this very purpose, then we shall find all three - Demas, Crescens, and Titus, one at Thessalonica, another at Galatia, and the third at Dalmatia, doing the work of evangelists, visiting the churches, and converting both Jews and Gentiles. This interpretation I leave to the charitable reader…”

So Adam Clarke admits it’s a charitable reading, but the Jewish rabbis actually practiced doing that when a situation was unclear, so it’s not without precedent. About 180 years before Paul wrote this, a rabbi had said, “Judge each person with the scales weighted in their favor.” From that developed a practice of rabbis meeting together to practice “judging favorably” by brainstorming ways it was easy to rush to a negative judgment and then practice thinking through positive assumptions (until truth was known).

Paul once wrote, “To live is Christ; to die is gain.” Paul seems ready for the “gain” of death at this point in his life, but in Clarke’s reading, Demas was not done ‘living for Christ’ even though he knew the age to come would be gain. So he leaves Paul so that he, too, does not die, and he can display his love to the people in this age by witnessing to the gospel.

2. A second, less generous reading – but I think probably more honest – is that Demas was just not ready to die. Even if his love for the present age could be seen as a passionate heart for spreading the gospel, that wasn’t the only motivation. Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible summarizes well:

“Having loved this present world” does not mean, necessarily, that… he loved the honors or wealth of this world; but it means that he desired to live. He was not willing to stay with Paul, and subject himself to the probabilities of martyrdom; and, in order to secure his life, he departed to a place of safety… That he desired to live longer; that he was unwilling to remain and risk the loss of life, is indeed clear. That Paul was pained by his departure, and that he felt lonely and sad, is quite apparent; but I see no evidence that Demas was influenced by what are commonly called worldly feelings, or that he was led to this course by the desire of wealth, or fame, or pleasure.

”The Pulpit Commentary adds:

“It would appear from this that Demas had not the faith or the courage to run the risk of sharing St. Paul's imminent martyrdom at Rome, but left him, while he was free to do so, under pretence of an urgent call to Thessaloniea; just as Mark left Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:13).”

3. Wuest’s Commentary offers a third reading that builds on this and is more pointed and harsh as it focuses on Paul’s sense of abandonment. There seems to be something personal here. Two others left (Paul didn’t ‘send’ them like he did Tychicus), but Demas is singled out. Even though a couple verses later Paul says everyone abandoned him (it’s the same word), something is going on with Demas. I get the impression that one hurt in ways the others did not.

“Demas had not only left Paul so far as fellowship was concerned, but he had left him in the lurch also, so far as the work of the gospel was concerned. He had been one of Paul’s dependable and trusted helpers. Paul said that he let him down. The Greek word … is made up of three words, “to leave” (leipo), “down” (kata), and “in” (en), that is, to forsake one who is in a set of circumstances that are against him. It was a cruel blow to Paul.”

Gill’s Exposition agrees with this view and adds a hopeful reading to how the story of Demas ends.

“It does not appear…that he entirely apostatized; he might forsake the apostle, and yet not forsake Christ and his interest, or make shipwreck of faith and a good conscience: his faith might be right, though low, and his love sincere, though not fervent; and through a fear of persecution, and loss of life, he might be tempted to leave the apostle, and withdraw from Rome, for his own safety; which though it was far from being commendable in him, yet may be accounted for in this state of frailty and imperfection, consistent with the grace of God. And it should seem that he afterwards was delivered from this temptation… if Demas is only a contraction of Demetrius, and he is the same who is so much commended many years after this (3 John 1:12 ).”

The final and must sobering reading is that Demas abandoned the faith.

"Not lack of courage, but a lust for materialism seemed to be his downfall.”

"The prospect of worldly advantage was the motive which determined Demas. No doubt the busy commercial center of Thessalonica offered many opportunities for success in business, and love of money may have been the besetting sin of this professing Christian."

"While we are ready to think as well of Demas as we possibly can, this falling in love with the world… is here evidently the opposite of loving the Lord's epiphany which is mentioned in verse 8. We are compelled to believe that Demas gave up the love of that coming epiphany for the love of this present world's course. This is what cut into Paul's heart most deeply."

Because of the possibilities in interpretation here (once again, open hand issues; don’t die on one of these interpretive hills), there is richness here that allows us to see the complexity of the human condition. I think we can all find ourselves in the possibilities with Paul and Demas and Alexander.

• Sometimes people attack our message and our faith, and it hurts (Alexander attacking Paul).

• Sometimes people follow God away from us, and it gets lonely (Crescens and Titus, who ‘left’ but did not ‘abandon’).

• Sometimes, the cost of discipleship seems too high, and we want to be faithful but at less cost (Demas, afraid to die).

• Sometimes God motivates different kingdom priorities in different people, and there is tension (Demas loving “this age” in a good way; all of Paul’s friends leaving to evangelize elsewhere).

• Sometimes it feels like people abandon us – which may or may not be the right term, but it feels that way. ( How Paul felt.)

• Sometimes, our circumstances threaten to overwhelm us. (Paul; Demas fearing death)

So what do we see from this passage and Scripture about how to respond to these situations?

Sometimes people attack our message and our faith, and it hurts. Vengeance is not ours to deal. Paul lets it go: “The Lord will reward him according to his works.” Villifying, name-calling, getting revenge – not of Christ.

Sometimes people follow God away from us, and it gets lonely. Make a distinction between abandonment and God expanding His Kingdom. We can’t stay in one place and go into all the world to make disciples. We can’t expand Eden into the world if we all stay in Garden. I grew up in a farming community that used this analogy: Christians are like manure. We make great fertilizer when we are spread out, but , wow, do we stink when we stay all piled together.

Sometimes, the cost of discipleship seems too high, and we want to be faithful but at less cost. Do what Jesus encouraged his disciples to do, which is count the cost.

“27 If you don’t carry your own cross as if to your own execution as you follow Me, you can’t be part of My movement. 28 Just imagine that you want to build a tower. Wouldn’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to be sure you have enough to finish what you start? 29 If you lay the foundation but then can’t afford to finish the tower, everyone will mock you: 30 “Look at that guy who started something that he couldn’t finish!”

31 Or imagine a king gearing up to go to war. Wouldn’t he begin by sitting down with his advisors to determine whether his 10,000 troops could defeat the opponent’s 20,000 troops? 32 If not, he’ll send a peace delegation quickly and negotiate a peace treaty. 33 In the same way, if you want to be My disciple, it will cost you everything. Don’t underestimate that cost!” (Luke 14:27-33 excerpted)

Count the cost now. What is on the altar? Everything. Know what you have signed up for.

Important note: Let’s not ‘overspiritualize’ this so we can merely do what we want. I’m not talking about justifying our desires by sacrificing others or avoiding our God-prioritized responsibilities. God will not call you to turn your back on His known Kingdom priorities for you. For example, if you come to me and say, “I need to abandon my spouse and kids because they just aren’t on board with where I am sure God is taking me,” then we are going to have a chat. Read 1Corinthians 7, especially v. 32-35. Once you get married, once you have kids, you have a primary mission and obligation and mission field as God intended. They are not obstacles to be hurdled, overlooked or dismissed. They are image bearers to be stewarded.

I don’t have a Bible verse for this, but I suspect that when I give an answer on the Day of Judgment, God’s first question to me will be, “Give an account for my daughter, your wife, whom I gave to you to steward.” Everything else will come after that. That’s just one example to make this point: if it is God who is calling you, you will be convicted to put yourself on the altar, not others. And you will, in some fashion, be called to do that every day. ”I die daily,” said Paul. Be ready. Count the cost.

Sometimes God motivates different kingdom priorities in different people, and there is tension. Paul says a couple guys left him, he sent one away - and it all at least felt like abandonment. That’s hard. Practical example: I wanted Sal and Heather to stay here but I’m not the Holy Spirit. I didn’t give them my gifts and passion and vision; God gave them His gifts for them to do His work. It would be foolish and selfish of me to demand that God work in them like I see fit.

People sitting next to you have some different Kingdom priorities than you do because God saw fit to bring diverse people together in a unified mission. The offensive lineman is not the kickoff return man. The hand is not the foot. It is not our job to conform everyone to our image; we are to be conformed to Christ’s image, and I suspect it is in mosaic of the church that we at least get a glimpse of how the diversity of Christ-followers helps us to better see a unified image of Christ. The resolution is to pray for the wisdom to appreciate the diverse complexity of the whole body, fitly joined together for God’s work and purpose.

Sometimes it feels like people abandon us – which may or may not be the right term, but it feels that way. Don’t hold it against them. Paul notes that the strength and nearness of God became abundantly clear to him at the time of his greatest sense of being alone. I’ve noted before that the closest I have ever felt to God was when I stood in the rain beside my father’s freshly filled in grave. I talked to someone this week who had a profound, break-through spiritual experience with God after the death of a spouse.

Watch for God’s strength to be highlighted in what feels like times of great weakness, loneliness or abandonment. Pray for your eyes to be opened to the ever-present reality of Immanuel, God With Us.

Sometimes, our circumstances threaten to overwhelm us. God will rescue us from every trip, trap, snare, and pitfall of evil and carry us safely to His heavenly kingdom. That didn’t mean Paul did not suffer and die. He did. Even as he wrote this, his life was wrapping up here in a hard way. No, I think he meant this:

Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will trouble, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we encounter death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we have complete victory through him who loved us! For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor heavenly rulers, nor things that are present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35-39)

Let that hope fix our eyes and steady our hearts.

Disaster-ship and Disciple-ship

Moving from 2019 into 2020, it was my sense that we had some really good momentum here in the church on a number of levels: Small groups were going strong, kid and youth ministries were doing well, Message+ was having great post-sermon conversation, the worship team was clicking, we had a new stage and a new sound system, the Mission Board had new life. Then, COVID-19. Granted, COVID hit everyone. That wasn’t unique to us. Still, it felt like going virtual derailed a church train that was picking up some steam.

Then election tension was everywhere. Once again, not unique to us. In that sense, between COVID and politics, the church in the United States has had a refining year –or at least the opportunity to be refined. And since we are a church in the United States, we get that opportunity too.

We started meeting using our outdoor space in May, I think. It was a beautiful summer and our facility enabled us to get back together in a way that observed safety and fostered community. There were some bumps, then we settled in. Then we moved indoors in September. Some bumps again, but we settled in.

The first Sunday we had a full band back on stage in December - the third week of beautiful Advent decorations - was the day of the fire. So not only didnwe lose the gym space and a few more weeks of holiday cheer, we lost the full band just as it was coming back.

A bunch of us had a meeting the Monday night after the fire, and the working assumption (based on some discussion that day with contractors giving estimates) was that it would be a 10 week process. “We will be back in the gymnatorium by the beginning of March.” That was 8 weeks ago and we haven’t started yet. It’s probably going to be at least two more weeks before we can start doing anything. It’s already going to take twice as long as we thought. Honestly, May seems realistic.

So here we are in the lobby. And people who had legitimate concerns about meeting in person because of health or job concerns but or the ripple effect for people around them if they got sick were okay with how much room we had before now aren’t comfortable with this cozy experience (that’s not a criticism; it’s an observation). And while the family of those who consider this church home is significantly larger than those who are here on a Sunday (around 300 vs 50), it still feels like community steps backward also.

Some days I feel like we’re in a 21st century update of Job: God says to Satan, “Have you seen my servants in the world? (pandemic) In the United States? (election tension) At CLG?” (Satan cracks his knuckles and says, “Do they still have Advent candles?”) I don't mean to say that is how it went down. I’m just saying it feels like it.

I have an opinion: I am increasingly convinced that God is using this season to deconstruct us individually and corporately so He can reconstruct something better. Because do you know what all of this sparked at CLG? A huge, messy sanctification process.

Most of us drained our emotional reserves last year, with the result that we burned through all our filters and just kind of started saying what we probably should have been saying for years. So it got messy. It was hard. Is hard.

But what if it was a gift? What if God’s intent is to strip away all our routine and comfort and facades and get our eyes refocused on him for our good and His glory? In a sermon a while ago I quoted the poet Auden, who once said, “We who must die demand a miracle.” What if it’s not that dramatic? What if it’s simply God’s intent to get us as a congregation to the place where we say,

“We who are frustrated and angry at half the people in our own church and in despair about our ability to do life together because we are sooooo different and this lobby will only feel cozy for so long before it gets crowded... We need a miracle. We beg for a miracle.”

And God’s like, “I think that’s a great idea, so if we are going to do this, let’s do it right. Settle into the lobby and settle down. I'm going to need this time to work with y’all. All y’all.”

That’s where I’m at right now. This trial, this test, is a gift that God will work for our good if we indeed love him, and are indeed called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). I believe He plans to rebuild something beautiful and better from the ashes (fire pun intended). We can’t rebuild this with merely our own power or intelligence or personality, or it will fail. Unless the Lord builds it, our labor is in vain. (Psalm 127:1)

* * * * *

Today’s sermon is about cooperating with the Lord’s rebuilding. I’m going to use a ship analogy because why not?

In the business meeting, we are going to talk about how we are restructuring and reorganizing in a way that we are patching holes in the infrastructure of the ship of CLG. The ship needs not only maintenance, but some remodeling. Someone last week who thinks about ships more than I do said, “We’re in dry dock: scraping barnacles, patching things, scrubbing off algae.”

The best sailors in the world are going to have a hard time getting to their destination (or even staying afloat) if they are constantly bailing water and fixing communication coms. So we are restructuring and reorganizing a lot of things in ways that I am convinced were Holy Spirit inspired for this time in this season of CLG, and I am really excited about where we are moving. I don't think it would have happened without the Holy Spirit using last year to shine a glaring spotlight into the shadowy overlooked and ignored corners of CLG’s structure and organization. Because I believe this is the Lord’s inspired rebuild plan, I think you will see ministerial and relational fruit in our church and in your life from this.

But I am also reminded of something T.S. Eliot once wrote: “They constantly try to escape from the darkness outside and within, by dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good.” I’m really excited about the system we are moving into, but it’s not our savior. It will be as good as the people who are a part of it.

As we have begun to address that need more honestly, something else very important has come into focus: the passengers and crew have some issues and unresolved tension, and by passengers and crew I mean the people on the ship, and that’s all of us.

The business meeting will show you what’s happening during dry dock so that the ship of CLG is more seaworthy. This sermon will be about sanctifying the passengers and crew.

So, here’s the sermon.

This church is a ship that has set sail. It will either be a Disciple-ship (yay!) or a Disaster-ship (boo!). I am going to give 5 ways both courses can happen, building from what Paul said to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4: “I have fought the good fight; I have finished the course; I have kept the faith.”

How to create a Disaster-ship

1. Don't take ‘keeping the faith’ seriously.

First, don’t take orthodoxy seriously. How do we know what orthodoxy is? The Bible; the Creeds; two thousand years of Christians wrestling with how to properly keep the faith (note: their are open and closed hand issues, open hand being they ones on which Christians in good faith can disagree as they continue to seek clarity and truth grounded in the things around which they have closed their hands – the divinity of Jesus, his atoning death, his bodily resurrection, etc.). Latest polls among evangelicals show only 52% strongly agree that the Bible is their highest authority; only 58% believe that Jesus’ death is the only sacrifice that could remove the penalty of sin; only 48% believe that only those who trust solely in Jesus will receive eternal life. That’s building a disastership. That is not a sustainable faith, because it’s not built on the faith.

Second, don't take orthopraxy seriously. Don’t live as if we take God and His path of righteousness seriously. Remember: obedience is a means of getting to know God. Disobedience is a means of getting to know “not God.” This speaks to integrity and character, consistency and commitment, not perfection. Paul knew what was true and knew what to do. If you don’t want to keep the faith, keep yourself in the dark about what is true and ignore what God has called you to do.

2. Fight all the secondary fights in church instead of focusing on the good fight

. I talked about this last week also. We can get so busy fighting skirmishes off to the side that we are distracted from the course of the race: spreading in the good news of the grace of God. The fact is, we can get very good at winning battles that feel super important while losing wars that are far more crucial. There is a scene in Wonder Woman where she is being taken to the front lines of the battle. She keeps seeing heart-wrenching scenes and wants to stop, but they keep reminding her: “We need you in the front. If that changes, the rest of this changes.”

It wasn’t that what broke her heart wasn’t important. It was. It just wasn’t going to change if the source of the problem didn’t change. She could fix that, then be back to fix it again in a month. True change flows from truly changed people. We can get so busy directing the hands and feet of people that we forget that if their hearts are in the right place, their hands and feet will go in the right places. It’s not an either/or – it’s good to stop hands from doing evil and feet from taking us there– but clean hands are connected to a pure heart (Psalm 24:4).

On Disasterships, people spend their time butting heads over the wall color in the galley and the kind of wax to use on the floors (silly), or how to best protect and secure the sails (serious), but they happen at the expense of the most important thing, which is to know the captain, love the crew, and sail toward those who need the good news the ship carries.

3. Hide from each other.

Lack of honesty and transparency is like a cancer in the church. A couple weeks ago Tom Gordon talked about ‘choosing our hard.’ Often the courses laid before us are all hard. We want to choose the hard that bears good fruit. In some ways, dishonesty or lack of transparency or failure to confront biblically is its own kind of hard. We develop bitterness and anger and judgment and it undermines friendships in community. That’s hard. Walking into tension is another kind of hard, but it's a hard that has the potential for good fruit if both parties are committed to being focused on fighting the good fight.

4. Be too near sighted or farsighted (inwardly/outwardly focused.)

It's like either having a magnifying glass or a telescope as we look at the world. It's seeing the things right in front of us but being very blurry about what's far away, or being crystal clear about what's far away and being very blurry with what's right in front of us.There are probably two ways that churches can veer off course with excellent intentions and for excellent purposes.

• One is to get so outwardly focused (on other people or other places) that discipleship fails to happen within the church and within ourselves.

• The other is to get so inwardly focused (on ourselves and our church) that evangelism and ministry fails to happen outside our lives and our church.

Granted, it is not easy to balance those two things. Often the history of churches will look a bit like a pendulum as they continue to self assess and respond. However, a sure fire way to head toward disaster is to ignore the tension and settle unthinkingly into one side or the other.

5. Don't take love seriously.

Love is the heart of Jesus’ teaching.

• Love of God first, which manifests itself in love of others. (Matthew 23:27)

• If we love him we keep his Commandments. (John 14:15)

• If we say we love God and hate our brothers and sisters we are liars. (1 John 4:20)

• The greatest commandment involves love. (1 Corinthians 13)

• Love covers a multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:8)

Without love, we are just loud, obnoxious cymbal crashers. The noise will drown out our words. The noise will overshadow our actions.

How to create a Disciple-ship.

1. Keep the faith.

First, take orthodoxy seriously.

• Study the Bible. Bible Gateway is a good place to start. There is a cheap membership that gives you access to a ton of commentary that you can read side-by-side with a passage. Read a passage and prep a class. Take notes. Put together an outline. Make an application.

• Study the creeds , which represent two thousand years of Christians wrestling with how to properly keep the faith. Generally, the further back you go in history, the more they focus on ‘closed hand’ issues. When you get into modern denominational creeds, they will sometimes include what you need to at least tighten your hand around to be a part of that denomination, so just know the difference. Our church has a Statement of Faith, which is different from a creed, but is worth absorbing.

• We are evangelicals. Go to the National Evangelical Association and check out their statement of faith, and then click on “topics” and “resources” for a boatload of helpful information.

Second, take orthopraxy seriously.

Live is if we take God and His path of righteousness seriously. Remember: obedience is a means of getting to know God. It’s also a means of honoring his image bearers. Become part of a small group or a circle of close friends in which you genuinely hold each other accountable – not telling each other what we want to hear, or complaining about common causes, but surrendering our privacy to trusted people for the sake of discipleship. What two things did Paul land on? He knew what was true, and he knew what to do. Let people help you discern if that is in fact happening in your life.

2. Focus our primary effort of fighting the good fight.

Wrestle on behalf of the Honorable Cause, which Paul described as “testifying to the good news of God’s grace” and displaying a God whose perfect patience is good news for even the worst of sinners (1 Timothy 1:12-17). God knows that I know how easy it is to become distracted. I think you do too. Once again, it’s not an either/or, because there are secondary causes that are deeply intertwined with our primary calling. This is a question of focus, time, emotional investment, guiding principles. Our prayer should be that God gives us the wisdom and strength to engage in wrestling primarily for this Noble Cause while always asking the question: “How is this creating more or better disciples?” Do righteous secondary causes speak to the nobility of our primary cause? Sure. Just don’t make a good thing the ultimate thing. That’s idolatry.

3. Be honest with each other.

We commit to being fully known and fully knowing so that we can be fully loved and fully love. It is impossible to do this without the grace and the love of God filling us. I mean, look at us.

• We are too politically, socially, and psychologically diverse for CLG to work by any cultural standard. So was the early church, and God brought them together for the express purposing of displaying His glory by unifying un-unifiable people.

• We are too broken. We are too easily offended and too casually offensive. Let’s be honest: for about a year now, we have felt it whenever we walk into a room with masked and unmasked people. We fill up this room with our baggage on any given Sunday.

• The range of backgrounds and preferences and quirks and strengths and weaknesses is simply too much for us on our own strength to go about creating this New Humanity that the Bible talks about that is found in Christ.

Ephesians 2:4 “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” Let’s be honest: forming a closely knit community from this group will take the same kind of miracle now that it took then. We who are called to be a new humanity beg for a miracle! We cannot do it on our own.

Remember how Paul said God’s perfect patience was revealed in Paul, as if anything less than supernatural, miraculous patience would not suffice? We are the kind of people who require the perfect patience of a long-suffering God to transform us into his image, let alone into a cohesive body ☺ But that’s part of the way we testify to the good news of God’s grace. “Look what God has done. We thought it was impossible. With God, this is one of the many impossible things that becomes possible.”

4. Get bifocals.

Pray that God helps us to see clearly near and far away. How do we do this as a church? Those of you who are nearsighted do the work of nearsighted people and draw the rest of us in with you so that we see what you see. Show us how to be and make better disciples, to do the hard work of sanctification in ourselves and in our church. Those of you who are farsighted, do the work of far-sighted people and draw the rest of us in so that we see what you see. Show us how to make more disciples, how to go into the highways and byways and compel them to come in, so that the house of God is full. (Luke 14:23) This is part of the diversity we need. It will cause tension because it’s easy to get really frustrated with others whose vision is blurry when ours is clear. But it’s a necessary and good tension as “iron sharpens iron.”

5. Take love seriously.

While this love has aspects of friendship and being nice to each other (and even ideally liking each other!) it's much deeper than that. It's what I mentioned last week in talking about those who ‘have loved the appearance of Jesus.’ It's being committed to thinking God's thoughts, and preferring what God prefers, weeping and rejoicing over the same things that caused Jesus to weep and rejoice. I'm not sure where to go with this other than to ask you to wrestle with, from day to day, what love looks like in this moment and with this person and in this situation. What are the most loving words I can say? What is the most loving attitude I can have? What is the most loving action I can take?

1 Corinthians 13 What if I speak in the most elegant languages of people or in the exotic languages of the heavenly messengers, but I live without love? Well then, anything I say is like the clanging of brass or a crashing cymbal. 2 What if I have the gift of prophecy, am blessed with knowledge and insight to all the mysteries, or what if my faith is strong enough to scoop a mountain from its bedrock, yet I live without love? If so, I am nothing. 3 I could give all that I have to feed the poor, I could surrender my body to be burned as a martyr, but if I do not live in love, I gain nothing by my selfless acts. 4 Love is patient; love is kind. Love isn’t envious, doesn’t boast, brag, or strut about. There’s no arrogance in love; 5 it’s never rude, crude, or indecent—it’s not self-absorbed. Love isn’t easily upset. Love doesn’t tally wrongs 6 or celebrate injustice; but truth—yes, truth—is love’s delight! 7 Love puts up with anything and everything that comes along; it trusts, hopes, and endures no matter what. 8 Love will never become obsolete.”

Fight The Good Fight (2 Timothy 4:5-8)

5 But you must stay focused, self-controlled and be alert at all times. Tolerate suffering[1]. Accomplish the good work of an evangelist, and complete the ministry to which you have been called.6 For I am already being poured out, and the last drops of this drink offering are all that remain; it’s almost time for me to leave[2]. 

 7 I have fought the good[3] fight, I have stayed on course and finished the race, and through it all, I have kept the faith.[4] 8 I look forward to what’s in store for me: a crown of righteousness that the Lord—the always right and just judge—will give me that day (but it is not only for me, but for all those who have loved/have longed for His appearing). (2 Timothy 4:5-8)

 Paul must have had a sense this day was coming. He had written years earlier:

“But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.” (Philippians 2:17)

“Even if” has become “am already.” Paul sees his blood as the libation which had already started being poured on the sacrificial offering.[5] Libations were one of the final acts of a sacrifice, with the worshiper pouring (usually) wine on the altar after the burnt offering was mostly consumed. Paul was under a death sentence; it appears the cruelty had already begin. Paul’s blood is about to finish off his life of sacrifice, a spiritual commitment that had now become a physical reality.  And then here comes his classic ‘legacy’ statement:

“I have fought the good fight, I have stayed on course and finished the race, and through it all, I have kept the faith.”

“I have fought the good fight”

This likely alludes to Grecian games: Literally, “I have wrestled that good wrestling.”  "I have played out the honourable game" showed up in another commentary. This has two layers of meaning: I have struggled hard, with determination and commitment (that’s good – speaks to character and integrity) in an honorable cause (that’s good – speaks to nobility of the person or the cause for which we fight.).

Key point: not every struggle is noble. Paul often quoted the Greek poets. There is a passage from Euripides with the exact expression Paul uses that shows how “the good fight” was used among the Greeks to express the honorable nature of the fight. In this case, Euripides refers to a wife laying down her life for her husband when both his parents had refused to do it. 

"Thou [the parents] wouldst not, neither darest thou to die for thy son… thou wouldst have fought a good fight hadst thou died for thy son."[6]

Sometimes, we get bloodied for terrible causes. From the perspective of the Bible, bravery, courage, and the willingness to take the blows of battle are not enough. 

• We don’t have to look further than 9/11 to see this is true. I suppose the terrorists were brave: they were willing to give their lives for a cause. They were faithful to the end. But none of us in this room would look at what they did and say, “Well done.” Why? Because the cause, the mission, was evil.  

• This is why we don’t applaud KKK members who stuck with it to the end of their lives, because they stuck with something horrific. Between 1882 and 1959[7] – around 75 years – there were almost 5,000 lynchings.[8] If you were dedicated to a movement that fueled that, your dedication counts against you, not for you.

• Let’s be honest: we make this distinction when we see protestors/rioters who get tear gassed or arrested. If we think the cause is noble, they are heroes. If we think their cause is not, we think they are criminals and maybe even terrorists who got what was coming to them. 

• It’s why Just War Theory demands just ends, just means, and a just cause.

• Sometimes we get bloodied in church over difference that should never have reached that level. When I grew up, I knew churches that split over coverings, Bible versions, and End Times theology. Now we are often deeply divided over elections and COVID responses. They rise up and threaten to overwhelm our fellowship and unity, when the ‘good’’ fight is the task of testifying to the Good news of God’s grace. (More on that in a minute).

 Sincere and radical commitment is not enough. The cause matters. And the cause is what Paul calls ‘the course.’

“I have finished the course.”

This is a reference to the Games (which Paul does a lot). The course is what a runner has marked out.  Paul's life was that course;[9]  he explains “his course” in Acts 20:24.

“However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.”

We can get distracted by asking the question, “What am I supposed to do with my life?” because we often mean, what vocation am I supposed to do, or how do I use my gifts and talents? These are important questions. However, they aren’t the most important question. We already know what God wants us to do with our life in the most important sense: testify to the good news of God’s grace. Paul has the same course we all do. This can happen anywhere, in any situation, with any set of skills. Land on this. Find stability and meaning and purpose on this. Then, ask the other questions. They are worthwhile, but they are not ultimate. Don’t confuse them. 

Notice what Paul doesn’t say. He doesn’t brag about how awesome he has been. There’s no, “And I crushed it, dominating everything thrown at me.” No, in fact, Paul was pretty clear in his writing that he saw himself as the chief of sinners. In his first letter to Timothy, he noted: 

12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, 13 even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; 14 and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. 

 15 It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. 16 Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life. 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. (1 Timothy 1.12-17)

There is no bragging here about merits of self-help or pulling himself up by his spiritual bootstraps. In fact, Paul says, God used Paul to demonstrate God’s perfect patience. Paul was the kind of guy who apparently had a tendency to draw out frustration and impatience from even God. In other places, he publicly acknowledges the war within.  

15 Listen, I can’t explain my actions. Here’s why: I am not able to do the things I want; and at the same time, I do the things I despise. 16 If I am doing the things I have already decided not to do, I am agreeing with the law regarding what is good. 17 But now I am no longer the one acting—I’ve lost control—sin has taken up residence in me and is wreaking havoc.  

18 I know that in me, that is, in my fallen human nature, there is nothing good. I can will myself to do something good, but that does not help me carry it out. 19 I can determine that I am going to do good, but I don’t do it; instead, I end up living out the evil that I decided not to do. 20 If I end up doing the exact thing I pledged not to do, I am no longer doing it because sin has taken up residence in me. 

21 Here’s an important principle I’ve discovered: regardless of my desire to do the right thing, it is clear that evil is never far away. 22 For deep down I am in happy agreement with God’s law; 23 but the rest of me does not concur. I see a very different principle at work in my bodily members, and it is at war with my mind; I have become a prisoner in this war to the rule of sin in my body.  

24 I am absolutely miserable! Is there anyone who can free me from this body where sin and death reign so supremely? 25 I am thankful to God for the freedom that comes through our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One!

 This is a guy who is well aware of who he is apart from Christ, and well aware that he is still a work in progress while ‘in Christ,’ and therefore aware of just how glorious that makes Jesus. “Fighting the good fight” has nothing to do with our goodness and everything to do with the cause for which we are fighting, and strength God gives us – in His grace – to press on to the end. 

 “I have kept the faith.” 

This is the good cause that makes the fight good. “Keeping the faith” could mean that Paul has kept the body of doctrine safe from distortion and heresy.[10] It could mean Paul has remained personally faithful in his commitment to God. Either one seems possible considering how Paul talks about both of those things in other places. The Pulpit Commentary puts them both together nicely. 

“Through his long eventful course, in spite of all difficulties, conflicts, dangers, and temptations, he had kept the faith of Jesus Christ committed to him, inviolable, unadulterated, whole, and complete. He had not shrunk from confessing it when death stared him in the face; he had not corrupted it to meet the views of Jews or Gentiles; with courage and resolution and perseverance he had kept it to the end.” (Pulpit Commentary)

 It sounds like ‘keeping the faith’ is a combination of preserving orthodoxy (right belief) while committing to orthopraxy (right actions). 
 

If I may offer an encouragement to those of you who are struggling right now either just through life or with your faith. Notice Paul says nothing about how he feels or felt. He didn’t think his faith was going to make his life easy – just read the lists of what all he went through, and remember how many letters were written from Roman jails. In the midst of all these things, Paul stood on two things: he knew what was true, and he knew what to do. He clung to orthodoxy, and he lived orthopraxy. And in the end, he says: “I have fought the noble fight; I have finished the course; I have kept the faith.”

I look forward to what’s in store for me: a crown of righteousness[11]… 

This is likely another Games reference. In the Games, the winner gets the crown. One historical record from the Greeks notes: 

“‘Pytheas, broad-shouldered son of Lampo, won the crown of the double-contest (wrestling and boxing) at the Nemean games.”[12]

 But note Paul said this crown is for “for all those who have loved/have longed for His appearing.” We won’t get the crown because of how broad-shouldered we are. This race isn’t about finishing ahead of other people. It’s about finishing by the grace and through the power of God. There is a reward for those who finish the race because we have a broad-shouldered savior who conquered death, hell and the grave so that we even have a race to run. 

We even get a hint of what keeps Paul (and by extension, us) focused: “have loved/have longed for his appearance.[13] “Have loved” seems to refer to his first epiphany of Jesus; “have longed” to his second.[14] I don’t know how to explain this word in this context, so I am going to recruit HELPS Word studies.  

• agapáō –for the believer, preferring to "live through Christ" (1 John 4:9,10), i.e. embracing God's will (choosing His choices) and obeying them through His power.  

• With the believer, agapáō ("to love") means actively doing what the Lord prefers, with Him (by His power and direction). 

So, those who have loved the appearance of Christ have embraced God's will (choosing His choices and preferring His preferences) and been obedient with the help of God’s power and direction. I suspect this is what leads to the longing for his return. If we embrace and obey, we “taste and see that the Lord is good.” And when we get a taste of that, we long to see the One from whom that blessing has come.

QUESTIONS FOR PRAYER AND REFLECTION

What does it look like for you to focus your primary effort on “fighting the good fight” rather than getting distracted by all kinds of secondary fights that, while perhaps good in their own way, are not the good fight? Are there areas in which your priorities have been compromised? What does it look like to realign your life?

In what ways has it been challenging to “stay the course” in your life (testifying to the good news of God’s grace with your words and actions)? What does repentance – turning around - look like in this area?

In what areas do you need to pray for the Holy Spirit to help you “keep the faith”(studying to preserve the truth of God’s revealed word and committing to a life in the path of righteousness)?

 Do you love/long for the appearance of Christ? Have you embraced God's will - choosing His choices and preferring His preferences? Are there areas of your life you need to surrender more fully so that the Holy Spirit will align your preferences and choices with the heart and mind of God? 

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[1] Things of “a malicious disposition." (HELPS Word Studies)

[2] There are multiple images here having to do with loosing what is tied: raising a ship’s anchor;  an army striking tents and marching. (Meyer’s NT Commentary)

[3] Kalos – beautiful or noble. He isn’t saying he did a good job; he’s saying that for which he fought is good and noble.

[4] Does “the faith” that Paul has kept mean the body of doctrine, as elsewhere (2 Tim. 1:12, 14; see also Eph. 4:5), or does it refer to Paul’s personal faith? Either is possible. It is interesting to note that “to keep the faith” was a fixed expression in extrabiblical literature for those who remained faithful to God. It is not inconceivable that Paul used a common expression but with the added meaning that is so important in the Pastorals. (NIV Application Commentary)

[5] For libations or ‘drink offerings’ accompanying Old Testament sacrifices, see  Exodus 29:40-41; Leviticus 23:13, 18, 37; andNumbers 15:4-10, 24; 28:7-10). 

[6]  Found this example thanks to Adam Clarke.

[7] The last year the Tuskegee Institute published a report. 

[8] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynching_in_the_United_States#Statistics

[9] Pulpit Commentary

[10] See 2 Timothy 1:12, 14; Ephesians 4:5),

[11] ‘Righteousness’ then is the ‘race’ of the Christian life. So in 1 Timothy 6:11; 2 Timothy 2:22, ‘follow after righteousness,’ and in ch. 2 Timothy 3:16, ‘the discipline which is in righteousness. (Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges)

[12] Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

[13] “The Apostle specifies here exactly the persons for whom “the crown” was reserved—those who in this life have indeed longed for the appearance of the Lord... . None here could in very truth desire “His appearing,” save His own, who love Him and struggle to live His life.” Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

[14] “As in 2 Timothy 4:1, of the second coming; to which all the six occurrences of the substantive in N.T. refer. The verb in Luke 1:79 and Titus 2:11; Titus 3:4 refers to the first Epiphany. Some have interpreted appearing as Christ's first coming into the world, as 2 Timothy 1:10; but the other sense is according to the analogy of 1 Corinthians 2:9; Philippians 3:20; Hebrews 9:28.” (Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges)

Itching Ears (2 Timothy 4:1-5)

And now I bring you this charge before God and Jesus the Anointed, the one destined to judge the living and the dead, at His glorious appearance and His kingdom: 2 go out and preach[1] the word! Go in season and out of season - whether it’s an opportune time or not! Reprove, warn, and encourage; but do so with all the patience and instruction needed to fulfill your calling 3 because a time will come when some will no longer tolerate sound teaching. 

Instead, they will live by their own desires; they’ll scratch their itching ears by surrounding themselves with teachers who approve of their lifestyles and tell them what they want to hear. 4 They will turn away from the real truth you have to offer because they prefer the sound of fables and myths. 5 But you must stay focused and be alert at all times. 

Tolerate suffering. Accomplish the good work of an evangelist, and complete the ministry to which you have been called. (2 Timothy 4:1-5)

* * * * *

WHAT DO PEOPLE WITH ITCHING EARS WANT TO HEAR? 

They want to hear what they want hear. They want messages from God that will affirm their own desires and approve their choice of lifestyles, not challenge what they love and how they live. Those with itching ears prefer lies that make them feel good to truths that make them uncomfortable. God, then, becomes a God that exists to further our self-interests, not His Kingdom.

I’m going to use a story from the Old Testament to illustrate how this works. It’s likely a story that Timothy would have known (remember Karl’s sermon last week about the Old Testament?), and would have connected to this idea of ‘itching ears.’  

1 Kings 22:1 For three years there was no war between Aram and Israel. 2 But in the third year Jehoshaphat king of Judah went down to see the king of Israel. 3 The king of Israel had said to his officials, “Don’t you know that Ramoth Gilead belongs to us and yet we are doing nothing to retake it from the king of Aram?” 4 So he asked Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to fight against Ramoth Gilead?” 

Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel, “I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” 5 But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, “First seek the counsel of the Lord.” 6 So the king of Israel brought together the prophets—about four hundred men—and asked them, “Shall I go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?”“Go,” they answered, “for the Lord will give it into the king’s hand.” 

7 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no longer a prophet of the Lord here whom we can inquire of?” 8 The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, “There is still one prophet through whom we can inquire of the Lord, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.” “The king should not say such a thing,” Jehoshaphat replied. 9 So the king of Israel called one of his officials and said, “Bring Micaiah son of Imlah at once.” 

10 Dressed in their royal robes, the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting on their thrones at the threshing floor by the entrance of the gate of Samaria, with all the prophets prophesying before them.11 Now Zedekiah son of Kenaanah had made iron hornsand he declared, “This is what the Lord says: ‘With these you will gore the Arameans until they are destroyed.’” 12 All the other prophets were prophesying the same thing. “Attack Ramoth Gilead and be victorious,” they said, “for the Lord will give it into the king’s hand.” 

13 The messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him, “Look, the other prophets without exception are predicting success for the king. Let your word agree with theirs, and speak favorably.” 14 But Micaiah said, “As surely as the Lord lives, I can tell him only what the Lord tells me.” 15 When he arrived, the king asked him, “Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or not?” “Attack and be victorious,” he answered, “for the Lord will give it into the king’s hand.” 

16 The king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?” 7 Then Micaiah answered, “I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd, and the Lord said, ‘These people have no master. Let each one go home in peace.’” 18 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you that he never prophesies anything good about me, but only bad?” 

19 Micaiah continued, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne with all the multitudes of heaven standing around him on his right and on his left. 20 And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?’ “One suggested this, and another that. 21 Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will entice him.’ 22 “‘By what means?’ the Lord asked. “‘I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,’ he said. 

“‘You will succeed in enticing him,’ said the Lord. ‘Go and do it.’ 23 “So now the Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours. The Lord has decreed disaster for you.” 24 Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah went up and slapped Micaiah in the face. “Which way did the spirit from the Lord go when he went from me to speak to you?” he asked. 25 Micaiah replied, “You will find out on the day you go to hide in an inner room.” 

26 The king of Israel then ordered, “Take Micaiah and send him back to Amon the ruler of the city and to Joash the king’s son 27 and say, ‘This is what the king says: Put this fellow in prison and give him nothing but bread and water until I return safely.’” 28 Micaiah declared, “If you ever return safely, the Lord has not spoken through me.” 

“Didn’t I tell you that he never prophesies anything good about me, but only bad? Put him in prison.” People with itching ears will oppose truthful messages and truthful messengers because it doesn’t suit their own desires. This is not a new problem, even among the people of God.

 Scripture warns over and over about false prophets and false teachers who draw crowds by proclaiming what their hearers wanted to hear (Jeremiah 6:14; 8:11; Ezekiel 13:10,16; Micah 3:5).  The audiences begin to think that because it sounds good and makes them feel good it must be true. Sometimes things that sound good and feel good are indeed true, but they aren’t true because they made us feel that way. They will be true based on something that is not based on feelings.  If someone said, “Anthony, you are a fashion icon in Northern Michigan whose beard is the envy of all men,” that might make me feel good, but it’s not true. 

So what are we drawn to if we are not drawn to truth? What Paul calls ‘fables and myths’ – what other eras might call ‘stuff and nonsense.’ 

"Those who reject the truth are abandoned by the just judgment of God to credit the most degrading nonsense." (biblehub.com) 

“In periods of unsettled faith, skepticism, and mere curious speculation in matters of religion, teachers of all kinds swarm like the flies in Egypt. The demand creates the supply. The hearers invite and shape their own preachers. If the people desire a calf to worship, a ministerial calf-maker is readily found.”  (Vincent’s Word Studies)

 When the Bible talks about prophets, there is a lot of overlap with what  it says about teachers and preachers. In the Bible, over 87% of the time the words of the prophets are more like teaching or peaching than they are prediction.[2] They are usually forthtelling, not foretelling. 

That’s probably why the warning about false teachers and prophets overlap quite a bit. They involve two key things: a) false lifestyle (we talked about that in 2 Timothy 3) and b) false teaching (which just keeps coming up again and again).[3] It is a sobering thing when the people give weight to false prophets and teachers – those who say they speak for God but do not.  It’s a terrible thing when it happens because “the people desire a calf to worship, and a ministerial calf-maker is readily found.”

Paul told the early church not to despise genuine prophecies any more then they should despise genuine teaching.[4] Both are gifts for our good and God’s glory.

But, he gave them standards to protect that gift: If a prophet claims to speak for God, and either what they forthtell (proclaim) does not align with revealed Scripture, or what they foretell (predict) does not come true, they are not speaking for God, and the words they have given will be corrosive to our spiritual health even if they feel good. 

If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed. (Deuteronomy 18:22)

The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I didn’t send them, order them or speak to them. They are prophesying false visions to you, worthless divinations, the delusions of their own minds. (Jeremiah 14:14)

Their visions are false and their divinations a lie. Even though the Lord has not sent them, they say, “The Lord declares,” and expect him to fulfill their words. 7 Have you not seen false visions and uttered lying divinations when you say, “The Lord declares,” though I have not spoken?... “ 

 9 My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations... 10 because they lead my people astray, saying, “Peace,” when there is no peace,… so I will pour out my wrath against the wall and against… those prophets of Israel who prophesied to Jerusalem and saw visions of peace for her when there was no peace, declares the Sovereign Lord.”’ 

17 “Now, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people who prophesy out of their own imagination. Prophesy against them 18 and say… ‘You have profaned me among my people [and] by lying to my people, who listen to lies, you have killed those who should not have died and have spared those who should not live. 

20 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will set free the people that you ensnare…and save my people from your hands, and they will no longer fall prey to your power...  I will save my people from your hands. And then you will know that I am the Lord.’” (Ezekiel 13)

 Before Christmas we spent some time talking about the importance of identifying true vs. false teachers because the health of our souls is on the line. I cannot stress enough how important it is to separate true vs. false prophets, whether they are claiming to foretell or forthtell.

It doesn’t matter how much what they have to say pleases us. If they are demonstrably false -  that is, if what they claim to say on behalf of God does not align with Scripture or does not come true - they are saying things that are false. I am not saying they intend to. They may the most sincere people on the planet. But if what they is demonstrably wrong, they what they have said is demonstrably false. 

2 Peter 1:21 “For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

 If they were carried along by the Holy Spirit in that moment, what they had to say would have aligned with Scripture and/or come to pass. If those criteria are not met, what they had to say came from their will, not God’s.

I know Christians have vigorous debate about whether or not our gifts as ‘works in progress’ just like we are. No matter where you land, I think everyone agrees on this: 

If someone says that God has placed divinely inspired words in their mouth in such a way that they are quoting prophetically in that moment as a direct mouthpiece for something God has to say, the bar is really, really high, because God does not speak untruth. 

At minimum, please, please do not give your spiritual formation over to someone who has a history of prophecying falsely. The health of your soul depends on it. [5]

* * * * *

So how do we avoid the trap of growing our own pair of itching ears? By allowing the written Word of God's eternal, authoritative truth to reprove,[6] warn,[7] and encourage us.[8]   

“The truth strips them of their vices, sacrifices their idols, darts its lightnings against their easily besetting sins, and absolutely requires a conformity to a crucified Christ; therefore they turn their ears away from it.” (Adam Clarke)

You know what’s better than itching ears? Humble and open ears. God’s Word is sufficient to do two very important things: undo us (that’s ‘reproving’ and ‘warning’) and rebuild us (that’s the ‘encouragement’). Please, let the word of God unsettle you. Let the truth of God expose the thoughts and intents of your heart. Let the revelation of God unmask hypocrisy and shatter idolatry.

And then let it rebuild you with truth, and grace, and holiness, and love. 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This, I think, is the big question: How do we organize and focus our lives so that we don’t get caught in the trap of ‘hearing what we want to hear’ instead of hearing truth?

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[1] Preach—literally, "proclaim as a herald." The term for the discourses in the synagogue was daraschoth; the corresponding Greek term (implying dialectial style, dialogue, and discussion, Ac 17:2, 18; 18:4, 19) is applied in Acts to discourses in the Christian Church. Justin Martyr [Apology, 2], describes the order of public worship, "On Sunday all meet and the writings of the apostles and prophets are read; then the president delivers a discourse; after this all stand up and pray; then there is offered bread and wine and water; the president likewise prays and gives thanks, and the people solemnly assent, saying, Amen." The bishops and presbyters had the right and duty to preach, but they sometimes called on deacons, and even laymen, to preach. Eusebius [Ecclesiastical History, 6.19]; in this the Church imitated the synagogue (Lu 4:17-22; Ac 13:15, 16). (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary)

[2] Shane Wood, in his notes on Revelation

[3] 2 Peter 2:1-3 “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words.”

Deuteronomy 13:1-5  “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, ‘Let us go after other gods,’ which you have not known, ‘and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him.”

[4] 1 Thessalonians 5:20 

[5] 1 John 4:1 “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

Matthew 24:24  “For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.”

[6] “Expose, reprove and convince.” (biblehub.com’s lexicon)

[7] “A warning to prevent something from going wrong.” (biblehub.com’s lexicon)

[8] “Comfort and encourage ‘up close and personal.’ (biblehub.com’s lexicon)

The Old Testament: Building Foundations (2 Timothy 3:15-17)

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Here’s where the fun begins. What scriptures is he talking about here? The Gospels? Revelation? We can look at the prior verse to get an idea.

15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

There’s a case to be made that early books of the NT were already being considered scripture; however, the only scripture available at the birth of Timothy is the Old Testament.

Why The Old Testament?

The OT gets a bad rap. It’s in the name “old”. It makes it sound like it’s out of date. However, I’m a huge fan of the OT. For one I love history, and the OT is filled with it. I’m that annoying guy who when people say, “This is the worst thing any American politician has ever done!” points out something like, “Aaron Burr was tried for treason for trying to start his own nation while the VP.”

It has all the action. Paul has his letters, but the OT has Samson slaying Philistines, The Flood, The Plagues. People being turned to salt. If the New Testament is Interstellar, then the OT is End Game. But most importantly the OT is foundation that Christianity is built on!

The Gospel

Let’s talk about one of the most foundational things in all of Christianity: the Gospel. If I were to ask the average person, “What is the Gospel?” I would probably get one of a couple answers like, “John 3:16,” or “the good news.” Let’s look at Paul’s description of the Gospel:

3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance[a]: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

Twice Paul mentions the scriptures. Jesus died and rose again for our sins and was raised again according the scriptures. The Gospel is sowed all throughout the OT let’s look at perhaps the 1st example

14 So the LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring[a] and hers; he will crush[b] your head, and you will strike his heel.”

Take a look what God is saying to the serpent. He’s telling the serpent that woman will have offspring and that offspring is going to crush the serpent’s head. Let’s look at one more out of Isaiah 53:

Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.3 He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. 4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

I would argue that there’s not a better description of Jesus than this.

Now, about sins… How do even know what sins are? In general, we would look at them as breaking a commandment. Again, those are from the OT.

The Old Testament Answers Some Big Questions

Do you ever wonder why God just doesn’t declare himself from the mountain tops? Why not make some grand gesture and remove all doubt? The OT has the answer.

• After the plagues in Egypt and the crossing the Red Sea, the Israelites sing a song of praise. Yet 3 days later, the people are complaining about the lack of water. 11 days later they complain about a lack of food. 3 months later they make a new God who they claim brought them out of Egypt It seems that having wonders and miracles is enough to get a pig headed people across a dessert, but not enough to build the kind of faith God wants.

• Job deals with the big question of why do bad things happen to good people

• Ecclesiastes deals with leaning on wisdom

• Song of Songs deals with love or women with goats teeth, that one I’m not completely clear on.

In Conclusion

Normally I would close with something for you think about. I’m a big fan of “how is it with you?”

This time I don’t have a big call. Rather, I would like it if you were to give the OT another try.

Open it up, maybe read Exodus as family. I think if you give a try with Jesus in mind, you might be surprised at the nuggets you will find

PRAYER TIME

The Old Testament also speaks of repentance, which is our theme this month. Let’s spend some time in prayer before we close with a few songs.

Psalm 32

1 Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.2 Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit.

Take a moment to thank God for his faithful forgiveness. If you can name the sin, even better.

3 When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. 5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin.

Take a moment to acknowledge and uncover your sin, and pray for the faithful forgiveness of Christ. Be as specific as possible.

6 Therefore let all the faithful pray to you while you may be found; surely the rising of the mighty waters will not reach them. 7 You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. 9 Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.

Take a moment to pray that God helps you to kneel before the cross willingly and not stubbornly, remembering that you alone offer the true song of deliverance.

10 Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him. 11 Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!

Thank God for his unfailing love: you are righteous only because He has the power to declare repentant sinners righteous. He has the power to take the fallen wicked heart and turn it into an upright heart. Rejoice at not only the forgiveness of God, but on the life, hope and joy on the other side of repentance.

Repentance: Planning Not To Sin

OPENING PRAYER OF REPENTANCE

Where the life changing truth of the salvation offered through Jesus Christ is either not known or not embraced, may we, your ambassadors, go into the highways, byways with the bold, truthful, grace-saturated message that the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the only hope for the brokenness in the world and the evil in our hearts. May your Holy Spirit prepare the soil in those who hear, and may your Holy Spirit enable us to be faithfully present in a dark world with the light of holiness, truth and love.

Where lies and deception flourish, bring the light of truth that we can shine into the darkness of deception.

Where fear lurks, bring hope that we can spread to the despairing and hopeless.

Where hatred festers, bring loving peacemakers – like ourselves, dedicated to the hard and messy work of dragging real peace from deep conflict.

Where revenge motivates, bring forgiveness and reconciliation that is genuinely demonstrated and taught by your people.

Where injustice rages, let justice roll down through our words and actions.

Where cruelty simmers, bring gentleness and mercy from the lips and by the hands of your children.

Where chaos erupts, bring calm and order that begins in our hearts and permeates our cities.

Where lawlessness lives, bring accountability and lawfulness that begins with us.

Where evil abounds, may goodness much more abound, and may our heart, soul, mind and strength display it.

Where hard and cold hearts motivate, bring grace that first saved us, and continues to be extended to us, the most unworthy of all.

And where we have failed to bring heaven to earth in these ways – and we have – oh, merciful God, forgive us, and give us another chance.

______________________________________

To recap last week:

1. Repentance involves submission. We have to recognize that, if we choose to surrender our lives to Christ, there is a sense in which choices have been made for us. In moments of temptations, I think, “This isn’t my choice to make. It’s already been made for me. God established the path of righteousness, and when I surrendered my life to Him, my steps were ordered in that path. The choice has been made.” Question #1: What choices are you wrestling with that have already been made for you?

2. Repentance involves action. Repentance literally means we “turn around” and to the other direction. I believe God gives us the strength and the grace to repent; I also believe that we can experience the act of turning very differently. Question #2: What change of direction will follow your repentance? Depending where you see yourself in the analogy, what has God strengthened you to do right now?

3. Repentance involves humility. This means not just acknowledging your sin to God, but to others who were hurt by your sin without equivocation or defensiveness.so that peace can follow. Question #3: To whom do you need to go and make peace through humble confession and repentance?

This week, point #4: Repentance Involves Planning Not To Sin.

You've heard the saying "those who fail to plan, plan to fail." Never was this more true than with Christian character formation and discipleship. When it comes to sins of various sorts, it is a necessary and good beginning to "not plan on sinning." In other words, not positioning myself, my heart, my attitude in such a way that I am ready and eager to sin. I'm not planning to "rent that movie, pick at my spouse, sow discord, etc."

However, this is what I will call a ‘negative’ approach to righteousness. It's defensive, as it were, telling me what I won’t do. I am not "planning" to sin. Real discipleship - hence, real repentance - requires that we add the positive counterbalance by shifting the terms around. Instead of merely "not planning to sin," I need to "plan--not--to--sin."

See what I just did there? I still need to plan. I need to plan and position my heart, my attitude, my circumstances in such a way that I am filled with light because of what I view, read, listen to, dwell on, say, etc. This plan puts me in places and around people that will tend to effectively crowd out the temptation to sin. What kind of movie will I rent? How might I bless my spouse? How will I sow seeds of unity, etc." It is taking the offensive, rather than the defensive. Instead of hoping to hold the ground I have, I take new ground and am transformed in the process. Consider the following

▪ "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has been forcibly seized, and aggressive men seize it aggressively." (Matt 11:12) (Matt 11:12) What in the Heaven does this mean? Well, there are differences of opinion, but this could very well be a picture of Jesus' apprentices taking positive action to get the Hell out of themselves and the Heaven in. Picture a bunch of sheep bursting through the opening of their pen in the morning when the shepherd lets them out after being penned up all night. They ‘thunder’ out into the world. They don’t stay penned up in a defensive structure.

▪ "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." (Matt 16:18) Imagine the gates of Hell having been erected inside your own soul. Their purpose is to keep your soul "separated" from the Kingdom of the Heavens. What God has done through Jesus is batter down those gates and invite us to participate in building new ones: gates that now protect the holy kingdom that has been set up in our hearts. One of our primary battering weapons is repentance.

▪ "When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation." (Matt: 12:43-45) What is your plan for putting something new in place of the bit of Hell that just got removed from you? Repentance isn't just ceasing some sinful action. It is turning and going the other direction. Repentance isn't negative and defensive, it is positively offensive against the Gates of Hell. For example, if we struggle with lustful thoughts, we need to put new thoughts in our head, or the lustful ones will simply move back into that empty space. If we struggle with saying harsh words, we need to practice saying kind words. If we struggle with spending money selfishly, we need to make a practice of spending money sacrificially. If we like to fill our time with anxiety -producing news, we need to replace it with peace-inducing material.

In the same way that Jesus improves on the Silver Rule "Do not do to others what you would not have done to yourselves" (a negative, defensive maneuver) and gives us the Golden Rule (Do to others what you would have them do to you), we are to go on the offensive (Do); we are not to remain on the defensive (Do Not). We Christians are already known predominantly for what we are against.

We talk a lot about getting as many people as possible into Heaven. This is indeed the end result of the Great Commission. However, I think it’s helpful to remember that the means to this end is to diligently evangelize to get Heaven into as many people as possible--starting with ourselves. This is literally why Jesus came--to get the Hell out of humanity by putting Heaven into us. This is what God’s grace through Jesus does on the other side of repentance; this is the aim of discipleship; it has got to be the primary goal of our Church fellowship.

Question #4: With regard to repentance, in what specific way can you ‘plan not to sin’ by going on the offensive and ‘taking new ground’ with the help of Jesus, in the power of the Holy Spirit, to the glory of God?

How To Repent

For our opening prayer this morning, let’s jump right into it. We are talking about repentance; let’s repent. Bob Kauflin reprinted a prayer of confession offered at the Worship God Conference 14 years ago. It still works just fine today.[1]

Holy and righteous God, we confess that like Isaiah, we are a people of unclean lips. But it is not only unclean lips we possess. We are people with unclean hands and unclean hearts. We have broken your law times without number, and are guilty of pride, unbelief, self-centeredness and idolatry. Affect our hearts with the severity of our sin and the glory of your righteousness as we now acknowledge our sins in your holy presence.

We have had other gods before you.

We have worshipped and served the creature rather than the creator.
We have sought satisfaction in this world’s pleasures rather than in You.
We have loved to praise our own glory more than yours.

We have taken your name in vain.

We have prayed religious prayers to impress others.
We have uttered your name countless times without reverence or love.
We have listened to others use your name in vain without grieving.

We have murdered in our hearts.

We have often destroyed our neighbor with our tongues.

We have been quick to uncharitably judge others.
We have considered revenge when we were sinned against. 

We have committed adultery with our eyes.

We have loved temptation rather than fighting it.
We have lusted after unlawful and immoral pleasures.
We have justified our lusts by using the world as our standard.

We have stolen what is not ours and coveted what belongs to others.

Our lives overflow with discontent, ungratefulness, and envy.
We have complained in the midst of Your abundant provision.
We have sought to exalt ourselves through owning more.

We have lied to you and to others.

We have told distorted truths, half-truths, and untruths.
We have despised the truth to make ourselves look better.
Even in our confession, we look for ways to hide our guilt.

O God, we have sinned against your mercy times without number. We are ashamed to lift up our faces before you, for our iniquities have gone over our heads. If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? How shall we answer you? We lay our hands on our mouths. We have no answer to your righteous wrath and just judgment.

We have no answer. But God Himself has mercifully provided one for us. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Is. 53:6)

_______________________________________________________________

Repentance involves submission. We have to recognize that, if we choose to surrender our lives to Christ, there is a sense in which choices have been made for us. 

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

“Does any man here think it would be a pleasure to be his own? Let me assure him that there is no ruler so tyrannical as self. He that is his own master, has a fool and a tyrant to be his lord. No man ever yet governed himself after the will of the flesh but what he by degrees found the yoke heavy and the burden crushing. Self is a fierce dictator, a terrible oppressor; imperious lusts are cruel slavedrivers…Now, if it be true that we are not our own, and I hope it is true to many here present, then the inference from it is, "I have no right to injure myself in any way. My body is not my own, I have no right then, as a Christian man, to do anything with it that would defile it….if we are not our own, but "are bought with a price," we have no right to exercise any capricious government of ourselves. A man who is his own may say, "I shall go whither I will, and do what I will;" but if I am not my own but belong to God who has bought me, then I must submit to his government; his will must be my will, and his directions must be my law.” – Charles Spurgeon[2]

In moments of temptations, I find that it is easier for me to fall when I ask myself, “What should I choose?”  I’m like the apostle Paul; there is a war within, and it’s too easy to go with what I want rather than what God wants. That’s rebellion. But I find that I respond very differently when I think, “This isn’t my choice to make. It’s already been made for me. God established the path of righteousness, and when I surrendered my life to Him, my steps were ordered in that path. The choice has been made.” 

Question #1: What choices are you wrestling with that have already been made for you? What decision has already been made?

Repentance involves action. When we sin, we reject the holy plan God has for our lives and choose an unholy plan. Repentance literally means we “turn around” and to the other direction.  

“Repent [μετανοέω – change your mind] therefore, and be converted [ἐπιστρέφω – change your actions], that your sins may be blotted out.” (Acts 3:19) 

“I peach that they should repent [μετανοέω – change your mind] and turn [ἐπιστρέφω – change your actions] to God, and do works that demonstrate their repentance.” (Acts 26:20)[3]

 God gives us the strength and the grace to repent, because when he calls us to do something, He equips us to do that thing. 

Question #2: What change of mind and action will follow your repentance? How will you think and act differently on the other side of repentance?

Repentance involves honest humility. This means not just acknowledging your sin to God, but to others who were hurt by your sin so that peace can follow. 

“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you,  leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:23-24)

Sobering note: God doesn’t want your worship if it comes from an unrepentant heart.

Important note: repentance to others is meant to make peace where there has been hurt and strife. I talked to someone who had been lusting after another person in the church (this person didn’t know), and he wondered if he should go confess his sin to her. My answer? No. She doesn’t need to know. Telling her would probably do the opposite of bring peace and reconciliation. But generally speaking, when we know people have felt the harm from our sin, we need to acknowledge it to their face without equivocation or defensiveness. 

I saw a model repentance this past week. It was written by someone who worked for RZIM, and it was written to acknowledge that the writer, a guy by the name of Carson, had deeply wronged the victims. I’m not going to read the entire letter (it’s long and very detailed about the scandal), but I do want to highlight the repentance parts. 

Dear Brad and Lori Anne,

I wanted to write in an effort to acknowledge my shameful complicity in honoring Ravi, dishonoring you, and protecting myself. For my failure to seek the truth, show you proper respect, and advocate for justice, I contritely ask for you to consider forgiving me.

Such egregious wrong deserves a fuller accounting. This letter is my effort to explain where I failed in my obligations to God, to you, and to many others…. 

In dependence upon God’s grace, I now seek to repair the damage I have caused. First, I want to wholeheartedly apologize to you and your allies for the pain and heartache I have caused for over three years. I understand this has been far harder than I will ever know or understand. I am so sorry.

Second, I am personally contacting my friends and partners in ministry to make amends. I am telling them the truth, confessing my failings, and inviting them to join me in a righteous response to this grievous situation. I hope and pray that many more will join me in fostering a culture that is increasingly vigilant to expose abusers and earnestly committed to protecting everyone else, who would otherwise be vulnerable to predation. I will also be making a public statement in the near future. 

Third, I believe RZIM must change its name, repent, and seek a restorative response to the harm you and others have experienced. I am advocating that an organization with credibility in the survivor community be hired to do a thorough assessment of the organization and its complicity. I believe their proposals for reform will need to be implemented. Apart from the board and senior leadership demonstrating a serious and wholehearted attempt to change course, I intend to resign. 

If, in an abundance of mercy, you would be willing to give me counsel on any other measures that I might take to demonstrate my most sincere repentance and commitment to change, I would be most grateful.

sincerely yours,

Carson Weitnauer

 That is a great example of “repent [μετανοέω – change your mind] therefore, and be converted [ἐπιστρέφω – change your actions].”

Question #3: To whom do you need to go and make peace through humble confession and repentance? What will an honest, non-defensive apology look like?

RECOMMENDED PRAYERS FOR THE WEEK 

“Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent, for the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.”  (Episcopal Book of Common Prayer) 

“Eternal God, in whom we live and move and have our being, whose face is hidden from us by our sins, and whose mercy we forget in the blindness of our hearts: cleanse us from all our offenses, and deliver us from proud thoughts and vain desires, that with reverent and humble hearts we may draw near to you, confessing our faults, confiding in your grace, and finding in you our refuge and strength; through Jesus Christ your Son.”  (Book of Common Worship, Louisville: Westminster/John Know Press, 1993) 

“Almighty Father; we enter your presence confessing the things we try to conceal from you and the things we try to conceal from others. We confess the heartbreak, worry, and sorrow we have caused, that make it difficult for others to forgive us, the times we have made it easy for others to do wrong, the harm we have done that makes it hard for us to forgive ourselves. Lord have mercy and forgive us through Christ. Amen.”  (Paul E. Engle, Baker’s Worship Handbook, Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1998) 

“Gracious God, our sins are too heavy to carry, too real to hide, and too deep to undo. Forgive what our lips tremble to name, what our hearts can no longer bear, and what has become for us a consuming fire of judgment. Set us free from a past that we cannot change; open to us a future in which we can be changed; and grant us grace to grow more and more in your likeness and image, through Jesus Christ, the light of the world. Amen.”  (From the PCUSA Book of Common Worship Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1993; p. 88) 

“Almighty and merciful God, we have erred and strayed from your ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against your holy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; and we have done those things which we ought not to have done. O Lord, have mercy upon us. Spare those who confess their faults. Restore those who are penitent, according to your promises declared to the world in Christ Jesus our Lord. And grant, O merciful God, for his sake, that we may live a holy, just, and humble life for the glory of your holy name. Amen.” Anonymous

“Almighty God, you love us, but we do not love you fully. You call, but we do not always listen. We often walk away from neighbors in need, wrapped in our own concerns. We often condone evil, hatred, warfare, and greed. God of grace, help us to admit our sin, so that as you move toward us in mercy, we may repent, turn to you, and receive forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Redeemer. Amen.”  Anonymous

“Merciful God, you pardon all who truly repent and turn to you. We humbly confess our sins and ask your mercy. We have not loved you with a pure heart, nor have we loved our neighbor as ourselves. We have not done justice, loved kindness, or walked humbly with you, our God. Have mercy on us, O God, in your loving-kindness. In your great compassion, cleanse us from our sin. Create in us a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within us. Do not cast us from your presence, or take your Holy Spirit from us. Restore to us the joy of your salvation and sustain us with your bountiful Spirit. Amen.

Holy and merciful God, in your presence we confess our sinfulness, our shortcomings, and our offenses against you. You alone know how often we have sinned in wandering from your ways, in wasting your gifts, in forgetting your love. Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we are ashamed and sorry for all we have done to displease you. Forgive our sins, and help us to live in your light, and walk in your ways, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.”  Anonymous

In August of 1662 around 2,000 ministers left the national church of England for the sake of conscience. Two pastors, Edmund Calamy (d. 1666) and Thomas Watson (d. 1686),  prayed prayers of confession and repentance the final Sunday of their parish ministry in the English state church.[4]  “We have heard much of God, Christ, and heaven with our ears, but there is little of God, Christ, and heaven in our hearts…. Thou hast shown mercy to us, but the better thou hast been to us, the worse we have been to thee.  Thou hast loaded us with thy mercies, and we have wearied thee with our sins… By our spiritual leprosy we infect our holy things …We confess we are untuned and unstrung for every holy action; we are never out of tune to sin but always out of tune to pray.  We give the world our main affections and our strong desires…there is not that reverence, nor that devotion, nor that activeness of faith that there should be.… Oh, humble us for our unkindness, and for Christ’s sake blot out our transgressions; they are more than we can number, but not more than [thou canst] pardon.”

ENDNOTES

[1] https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justin-taylor/public-prayer-of-confession/

[2] https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/1004.cfm

[3] https://lectionary.blog/2020/07/24/turn-and-repent/

[4] https://reformedreader.wordpress.com/2017/01/12/prayers-of-repentanceconfession/

The Day After Christmas: The Story Of The Christmas Dragon (Revelation 12: 1-6, 13-17)

A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars[1] on her head.  She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon[2] with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns[3] on its heads. Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth.  

The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.”[4] And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days[5]… 

The dragon pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle,[6] so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time,[7] out of the serpent’s reach. Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent.  

 But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.[8] Then the dragon was enraged at the woman[9] and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus. (Revelation 12: 1-6, 13-17)

Did you know that was a Christmas story? Here’s what part of it looks like in Matthew’s Gospel.

When [the Wise Men] had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.” 

When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”  (Matthew 2: 13-18)

What happens after Christmas? “The dragon will wage war against those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.” I think John intended his audience to understand Rome/Herod/Caesar as the dragon. It would make sense considering how biblical writers used the image of Babylon.

• Babylon, the actual city, become an image of all great cities and empires whose love of pleasure, indulgence, and excess wreaks havoc among God’s people. In Revelation, she is represented as a prostitute seducing the people of God.

• Rome, the actual city, represents the power empires used to undermine and attack God’s people. 

 We can be attacked by both; we can fall in love with both. Revelation’s ‘prostitute’ (Babylon’s pleasure) and ‘dragon’ (Rome’s power) have made war with us for 2,000 years.

I think John was reminding God’s people that what the old map-makers wrote was right: “Here there be dragons.” Except now it’s everywhere. Isn’t Revelation the first version of Huxley’s Brave New World (Babylon) and Orwell’s 1984 (Rome)? In the United States, I think we get to battle both: the spiritual war we face in a culture infatuated by both pleasure and power.[10] But that’s another sermon….  

* * * * *

We've already talked about life in between the two Advents, the birth of Christ in the return of Christ. We've already talked about how while Advent begins in the darkness it ends in the light. We have the hope of Jesus behind us and in front of us. There is a stabilization in our lives because of this. The Advent focus on peace, hope, love, and joy all depend on the reality of the life, death, resurrection and future return of Jesus.

That foundation is in place.

But we see how life unfolds between the two advents right away in scripture. After Jesus is born, Mary and Joseph have to flee with him to a foreign land, a land that represented a history of bondage and slavery to the people of Israel. They live separated from family and perhaps livelihood for months, perhaps years. In the area from which they fled, Herod promptly slaughtered children.[11]

The dragon was unleashed. Just like that, the darkness begins to push in to the light. As John made clear in his apocalypse, that war would continue. Indeed, it has, in great and small ways. The dragon hates the light of truth, love, goodness, hope, joy, peace…. When life feels ‘kingdom good,’ expect pushback. Expect war. It’s after Advent begins and the gymnatorium gets decorated and peace on earth starts for feel tangible after a hard year that a fire forces us to pivot yet again in a year with an exhausting number of pivots. 

It's often after great moments of God's revelatory light that the darkness pushes in hard.[12]

I’ve not been persecuted in any meaningful sense of the world, so I don’t want to compare my experience with that of the persecuted church around the world. When I talk about the dragon in my life, I’m talking of the ways in which spiritual/emotional/relational darkness presses in to spiritual light. I don't know if you've experienced this in your life, but I've often found moments of great depression after times of great satisfaction.  

• I go teach in Costa Rica, and it's a profound experience, and I come home and I wrestle with physical and emotional health.  

•  It's the sermon that feels really good followed by a Monday of doubt and anxiety and second-guessing. 

•  It's the fantastic vacation with my wife, and two weeks later feeling like there is a relational chasm between us. 

•  It's feeling really good about my fathering one day, and then having the wheels come off the next.

• It's thinking one day how much I love the people in my life and the next day having my heart torn out by one of them. 

• It's having a much better financial year at church than I would have anticipated because of Covid, only to realize we have to cut budget for next year because we lost momentum in the latter half of the year.  

• It’s going from a moment where I think, “I am finally grounding my identity in Christ” to days of thinking, “Dear God, I am such a screw-up.” 

• Sheila and I both had bad experiences with dreams this past week. We went to sleep after a meaninful evening at home, and woke up from inexplicable chaos in a way that darkens and disorders our day. I told Sheila, “I think the dragon is making war.”

This is the pattern.[13]

But how does it end? With the resurrection and life. How will history end? With the return of the king to make a New Heaven and New Earth. What happens when my life ends? Joy unspeakable and full of glory.

So we know the beginning, we know the middle, and we know the end of the story. We're just in the middle right now. The light shines, the dark pushes in, the light shines, the dark pushes in. This is life between the advents.

This, too, is an apocalypse of sorts, an unveiling that the Bible makes clear to us and that is confirmed throughout our life. We think of the apocalypse as something earth-shattering and perhaps catastrophic, but in some ways it's the ongoing pattern of our life. Truth is constantly being unveiled to us by the grace of God. We see through a glass darkly on this side of heaven (1 Corinthians 123:12), so there is a constant need for an unveiling.

·      It's when we finally understand that obscure passage of scripture. 

·      It's when we finally see how a biblical truth applies to our life in a life-changing way. 

·      It's when we begin to actually understand the power of repentance, and grace, and justice, and mercy.

·      It's when the biblical interplay of both grace and works clicks. 

·      it's when we see the flow of our life in the reality of God's plan. 

·      It's when one our Christian brothers or sisters speaks truth into our life that opens our eyes. 

·      It's when we see ourselves as God sees us. 

·      It's when we learn how to lift up our heads (Psalm 27:6; 3:3; Luke 21:28)

·      It's when we understand how God in his mercy and power could take people like us and tell us to arise and reflect his light  (Isaiah 60:1) in a way that will bring glory to him. 

These, too, are unveilings. We participate in an ongoing apocalypse. So one of the questions I have between the two advents of God is this: “How do these dark valleys work in our favor? How does God take the war leveled by the dragon and use it for our good and God’s glory?” 

Apocalyptic literature in scripture was always literature of Hope. How does my life participate in that kind of story?

Think back to what we've read the last two weeks from the prophets in the Old Testament. What was the key to living in the light? It was repentance. 

Those who walked in darkness had often walked in the darkness of their own making. In fact, the Bible has far less to say about the attacks from the dragons “out there” than the ones that have burrowed into our hearts. We tend to think of dragons like Smaug in The Hobbit: huge, overwhelming, flying over out towns or churches and just breathing fire, and so we pick up weapons and fight the dragon that came from over there, on that mountain. Let’s go take that mountain! That feels like a noble quest, right? It fits with the image in Revelation nicely.

To be sure, the dragon will make war against the saints in a very public way, no doubt. There are Smaugs that fly over our spiritual Laketowns. The church for 2,000 can give testimony to persecution and martyrdom. In those situations, we are told to be strong. The story ends in glory for the people of God, even if we wade there through blood.

But that’s only part of the story. God’s people in the Old Testament didn't get taken into exile in Babylon and bondage in Rome because Babylon and Rome were overwhelmingly strong. Israel had Yahweh. If Yahweh was for them, who could take them? 

God’s people ended up there because they trashed their covenant with God and reaped the consequences of what they sowed – consequences God had made clear. And if Old Covenant physical realities are meant to teach us truths about New Covenant spiritual realities – and I think they are – I find myself with this conclusion: Our greatest threats as Christians and as a Church are not out there. Diablo- the devil, the dragon - is in here too, ever since Eden. “The call is coming from inside the house!” 

There is no person, politician, law, educational system, Hollywood star, or organization that can make us give in to Babylon or Rome. There is no dragon that can force our hand or batter down our spiritual doors. The gates of hell cannot prevail against a holy church. But… we can embrace temptation.  

They may not be able to force my hand, but I can choose to lie in Babylon’s bed or sit on Rome’s throne. They can’t storm the gates of heaven, but I can begin to worship their power and influence and pleasure. The most thoroughly conquered people are not those who are too weak to plot resistance; it’s those who see no reason to resist.[14]

If you read through the Old Testament prophets, they don't pull any punches. God's people gave in, and they did not see their sin. They did not see the darkness as darkness, and they embraced it. 

“Arise, shine – absorb the light and shine in the darkness.” A crucial step to staying in the light of salvation in the Glorious kingdom of God is to repent. Since we started with a passage from Revelation, let’s look at where John goes with this. 

Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; for her sins are heaped high as heaven. (Revelation 18:4-5) 

God told his people through the Prophet Jeremiah that if they humbled themselves and sought the face of God, their nation would experience the blessings that God told them were in store for them if they were true and loyal to God. If they didn't (as Jeremiah warned so vividly), it wasn't going to end well for their nation at all. They were always going to be God’s covenant people, but their experience of that covenant, their experience of life, was going to be radically different based on the posture of their hearts. 

Their flourishing in the Kingdom God had planned for them had almost nothing to do with what the nations around them did. It had everything to do with how seriously they took the covenant. And if Old Testament physical realities teach us something about New Testament spiritual realities, our flourishing as Christian individuals and as a church will have almost nothing to do with what our Empire does to us or for us. It will have everything to do with how seriously we take our covenant. 

This, I think, is the way in which we experience life more abundant, the fullness of the richness of God’s redemption of the world in our lives. And that can’t help but make us the kind of salt and light in the world that God intends.

We want revival in ourselves and in our nation; we want holiness in ourselves and in our nation; we want a rejection of sin and a love of justice and mercy in ourselves and in our nation. We want the light of Christ and his gospel to push back the darkness of sin. Where does this start? In the church (1 Peter 4:17). Revival begins here.[15]

Cultures cannot become more holy if the church does not become more holy; churches cannot become more holy if we fail to repent of our sinful contribution to the brokenness of the world and beg first for forgiveness from God and those we have wronged, and then for God’s wisdom, love and strength to walk in righteousness.[16]

We are going to take time for repentance this morning. I’m going to pull from the list of sins that were undermining Timothy’s church because it’s fresh in our memory.[17] You don’t have to limit yourself to this, but if you follow these categories as far as the Holy Spirit takes them in reference to your life, I think you might be surprised how much territory this will cover. 

Areas of Repentance

1.  proud/boastful  “Boasting to anyone who is foolish enough to take him seriously! This kind of person claims many things he can't really do, so he must always keep moving on to new, naive listeners.”  (HELPS Word Studies).  Pray for the Holy Spirit to give you humility. God gives grace to the humble (1 Peter 5:5) “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.”  (James 3:13) “Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud.” (Proverbs 16:19) 

2.  arrogant/haughty  “Literally, ‘hyper shiny’. These are they who contemptuously look down on others beneath them, either in social position or wealth (the boasters), or perhaps in natural gifts (the proud).” (Ellicott’s Commentary)  Pray for Holy Spirit to help you “honor everyone” (1 Peter 2:17) “above yourselves” (Romans 12:10). “God has put the body [the church] together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.” (1 Corinthians 12:24-25) “Don't do anything from selfish ambition or from a cheap desire to boast, but be humble toward one another, always considering others better than yourselves.” (Philippians 2:3) 

3.  abusive “Revilers/railers/blasphemers. Reverses spiritual and moral realities” by calling evil good, and good evil. (HELPS Word Studies) Pray for the Holy Spirit to give you gentleness and truth. “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” (Ephesians 4:2)  “Let every word you speak be drenched with grace and tempered with truth and clarity. For then you will be prepared to give a respectful answer to anyone who asks about your faith. (Colossians 4:6)

4.  Treacherous; Traitors.—Or, betrayers… of their Christian brethren. It does not mean traitors to their king or country, but generally betrayers of the persons who trust in them, and of the cause of the trust committed to them; perhaps specially… of their brethren in times of persecution. (Pulpit Commentary) Pray for the Holy Spirit to give you loyalty. “Never let loyalty (steadfast love) and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart.” (Proverbs 3:3) “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1) “Be devoted to one another in love.” (Romans 12:10)

5.  Reckless - Better rendered “headstrong” in words, or thoughts, or actions. Rash. "Headstrong" rather denotes obstinacy which will not be influenced by wise advice… the person who acts from impulse, without considering consequences, or weighing principles. (Pulpit Commentary) Pray for the Holy Spirit to give you prudence and self-control. “Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city.” (Proverbs 16:32) “Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control.” (Proverbs 25:28) “The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception.” (Proverbs 14:8)

6.   Self-important - Highminded.— blinded by or inflated by  pride. (See 1Timothy 3:6.) Pray for the Holy Spirit to give you humble self-awareness. "Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord." (Lamentations 3:40) "Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like." (James 1:22-24)  “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” (Romans 12:3)

7. Rebellious against parents [authority] ’Unwilling to be persuaded (by God), which shows itself in outward disobedience (outward spiritual rebellion).” (HELPS Word Studies)  Pray for the Holy Spirit to help us honor our parents/spiritual authorities. Pray for the ability to “add wealth” or “give weight” (biblical imagery) to godly voices in your life.  Paul planted and Apollos watered (1 Corinthians 3:6-7); we all need holy planters and waterers in our lives. Hebrews 5:12 says, "you need someone to teach you." Pray for those that ‘have weight’ in your life; they are in desperate need wisdom, grace and truth.

 8.   Ungrateful – “properly, without God's grace (favor) which results in unthankfulness (literally, "ungrace-full"). (HELPS Word Studies) Pray for the ability to respond to God’s grace by “presenting our bodies (lives) as a living sacrifice” as a “reasonable act of service” (Romans 12:1). Pray for the Holy Spirit to enable you to pass this grace on to others.

9.   Unholy - “A lack of reverence for what should be hallowed.” (HELPS WORD STUDIES) Pray for Holy Spirit to help you treat with reverence, or set apart as holy, all that should be hallowed. What are those things? God, clearly, and people (who are all image bearers (Genesis 1:26-27, 5:1-2); followers of Jesus are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3 and 6). Now ask yourself, “Am I treating everything in God’s created world with appropriate  honor, with appropriate care and reverence?

10.  Without restraint  - “Incontinent.—Having no control over the passions or urges – emotions, words, appetites of all kinds.” (HELPS WORD STUDIES) Pray for the Holy Spirit to give you temperance and restraint, especially when it comes to moral and relational issues. Between the Holy Spirit, the guidelines of God’s Word, and the company of God’s people, there is no temptation to sin that we cannot bear (1 Corinthians 10:13)

11.   Savage (bestial) - Fierce.—Inhuman, savage, or merciless, harsh, cruel. They are both soft and hard, incontinently indulging themselves and inhuman to others, when they should be hardened to self-indulgence and soft toward others.” (Pulpit Commentary) Pray for the Holy Spirit to give you the ability to be hospitable (merciful), or “soft toward others.” God is described as “abounding in mercy.”  Jesus told people to learn what it means that God desires mercy more than sacrifices (Matthew 9:13).  Blessed are the meek and the peacemakers (Matthew 5). Greater love has no one more than laying down your life (John 15:13). Serve others sacrificially. Turn away wrath with a soft answer (Proverbs 15:1). Overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21). If someone strikes you or takes your cloak, don’t seek revenge (Luke 6:29). ‘Shame’ them with kindness (Romans 12:20). Give food and water to your enemy, and the Lord will reward you. (Proverbs 25:21-22)

12.  Haters of anything good - “Despisers of those that are good; that is, hostile to every good thought and work and person.”  (HELPS Word Studies) Pray for the ability to be lovers of good (good thoughts, actions and persons), the things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report (Philippians 4:8). Pray for the ability to not only dwell on them, but to celebrate them everywhere we see them.

 13.  “Uncaring, coldhearted; without natural affection.” “Careless and regardless of the welfare of those connected with them by ties of blood, like spouses, parents and children. Plato says, ‘A child loves his parents, and is loved by them;’ and so, according to St. Paul's judgment in 1 Timothy 5:8, were "worse than infidels."  (Pulpit Commentary) Pray for the Holy Spirit to give you the ability to love your spouses, parents, children and extended family. This may be a hard prayer. Remember: you are praying for a miracle, as supernatural gift from God. Also, pray for the wisdom to know what genuine love looks like in your situation. This may be a good one to pray in a small group of people who can offer wisdom. 

14.  Slanderers/false-accusers - the word is diabolos. People who a) have no regard for truth and b) like quarrels. Pray for the Holy Spirit to guide you into all truth (John 16:13), beginning with Scripture and extending into the rest of the world (Proverbs 23:23). Pray for the ability to know which ‘hills to die on,’ and which ones to give ground. Pray for the abilit to listen before you speak, and long for peace rather than thrive on conflict. 

15.  Despisers of covenant - Those unwilling to embrace bonds of treaty or covenant….one who will make no truce or treaty with his enemy.”  (Pulpit  Commentary)  Pray for the longing to enter into biblically covenanted relationships (spouses (Genesis 2), friends (1 Samuel 20), family (see #13), church (Hebrews 10). Pray for the strength and grace to endure. Pray for wisdom to know how to be faithfully present in the covenants in your life. 

THREE QUESTIONS

In what ares of your life do you need to repent?

To whom, besides God, do you need to repent?

What does it look like for you to move forward in a lifestyle of repentance?

_________________________________________________________________________________

[1] “The woman is commonly thought to represent Israel. The imagery is similar to the sun, moon, and 12 stars that bowed down to Joseph in his dream (Genesis 37:9–11). In Revelation 12:2 we see Isaiah’s prediction (Isaiah 66:7–8) of a woman (Israel) bringing forth a man child fulfilled.” (Halley’s Bible Handbook Notes). The 12 stars are the faithful remnent from the Tribes of Israel. “The prophets portrayed righteous Israel as the mother of the restored future remnant of Israel (Isa 26:18 – 19; 54:1; 66:7 – 10; Mic 4:9 – 10; 5:3), and also as the mother of the leader who embodied Israel’s restoration (Isa 9:6; cf. Mic 5:2 – 3).” (NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible)  In this case, the mother of Jesus, Mary, arises from ‘mother’ Israel. 

[2] The dragon is commonly understood as the Roman empire.

[3] These symbols represents great power.

[4] This is Jesus, the Messiah. See Isaiah 7:14 and Psalm 2:7–9.

[5] “1,260 days. The time of spiritual protection corresponds to the time of persecution (see Revelation 11:2; and 13:5). (NIV Study Bible Notes)

[6] Exodus 19:4

[7] See Daniel 12:7. This is also 1,260 days. 

[8] Jesus is delivering them from bondage, just like Moses. Thus the borrowing of image from the Exodus. “A flood of water could represent any sufferings (Ps 32:6; Jer 47:2), including unjust opposition (Ps 18:3 – 4; 69:1 – 4,14 – 15; 124:2 – 5); serpents’ mouths represent slander in Ps 140:1 – 5. But God would be with his people through the waters (Isa 43:2).” (NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible)

[9] “The victory that God has previously accomplished over Leviathan is the pattern for the woman’s triumph over the dragon.”  See Isaiah 51:9-10; Psalm 74:14; Job 41. (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary)

[10] “If God is dead, somebody is going to have to take his place. It will be megalomania or erotomania, the drive for power or the drive for pleasure, the clenched fist or the phallus, Hitler or Hugh Hefner.” – Malcolm Muggeridge

[11] “Advent is the right time for the asking of hard questions. Advent comes to a climax, not only on Christmas Day but also in the massacre of the innocents by Herod. The church has historically observed the Feast of the Holy Innocents on December 27, a remarkable conjuncture that remembers a massacre of infants in the same season that we rejoice in the birth of Christ. The great theme of Advent is hope, but it is not tolerable to speak of hope unless we are willing to look squarely at the overwhelming presence of evil in our world.”  Fleming Rutledge

[12] It’s a pattern found in Scripture. 

·       After God calls light into the world in Genesis 1, in Genesis 3 the darkness moves in with serpents and sin. 

·       After God Saves Noah and his family, Noah falls into sin almost immediately. 

·       Joseph gets miraculously insightful dreams from God, and it turns him into an arrogant, boastful jerk. 

·       Moses meets God on the mountain, and yet his sin keeps him from entering the Promised Land. 

·       Israel gets the promised land and then ends up in Exile when it all falls apart.

·       Mary gives birth to the Messiah, but will eventually lose her husband and watch her son be crucified.

·       Paul’s account of what his life was like after a personal apocalypse of the Risen savior is characterized by persecution.

[13] It doesn't surprise God. He entered into a world in which he experienced life in this pattern. He was revealed in the light of God's glory, only to go to a wilderness to endure temptation. (Matthew 3-4) He entered Jerusalem to adoring crowds who would eventually kill him. (Matthew 21:1–11, Mark 11:1–11, Luke 19:28–44, and John 12:12–19).He surrounded himself with 12 disciples, only to have one of them betray him. (Luke 22)

[14] Me. I just put it like a quote so I could read it word-for-word J

·       [15] Isaiah 30:15 “This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.”

·       Psalm 139:23: “Search me o God and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts. See if there be any wicked way in me, and Lead Me into life.” 

·       Acts 20:20-21 "I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus."

·       1 John 1: 8 "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." 

·       2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." 

·       Acts 3:19 “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” 

·       Acts 2:38 “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

·       Matthew 3:8 “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.”

·       Romans 2:4  “Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?”

·       1 John 1:8-9  “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

·       Revelation 2:5  “Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.”

·       Proverbs 28:13  “Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.”

·       Acts 26:20  “[They] declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.”

[16] What about Ninevah? Jonah told Ninevah that there was one particular thing God was going to judge them for: violence. They paid attention. There is every reason to believe the rest of life in Ninevah remained as pagan as ever. They did not become holy. What about Constantine’s embrace of Christianity for Rome? That, too, did not bring about holiness. It doesn’t appear much changed in daily Roman life except that Christians weren’t persecuted. And because Christians (understandably) were quite pleased not to be killed, they eventually began to support the nationalistic agenda of Roman to stay on Rome’s good side. And that, friends, is called syncretism.

[17] We went through in our 2 Timothy series in the three “Roots and Fruits” sermons.

Advent Ends In The Light (Isaiah 60:1-2)

ADVENT THEME: JOY

The candle we light for Joy is also known as the Shepherd Candle, because of the joy given to the shepherds by the angels (Luke 2:8-20).  When Jesus was born, it was announced as “good tidings that brings great joy.” Jesus was a gift of God incarnate that brought joy into the world; Paul would later write that joy is also a gift from God’s Spirit into us. Because of this, we can say that we are “full of sorrow, and yet rejoicing” (2 Corinthians 6:10).  

Jesus once said, “You have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.” (John 16:22) So if you were to ask me how to find joy, I would say that joy is given by God the Father through the Holy Spirit, but joy is found in the person and presence of Jesus. See Jesus. And that’s what we are going to do today.

* * * * * 

Advent Ends In The Light

December 20, 2020

I discovered chickens cannot see in the dark when I heard one of my bantams squawking loudly from the shed. When I went out, it was fine. It just couldn’t find its buddies, who were about 5 feet away in a part of the shed that was very dark. So now, during the day, I turn on a light. Happy chickens. My chickens need light so that the darkness does not paralyze and terrify them. Simple thing, chickens. Stay with me. I’m establishing patterns J

As a kid, I longed for light in the darkness. I was terrified of the night. I took a running leap into bed; I quivered under the covers. But turn on a night light or leave a door open so some light could get in, I was good. I needed light so that all the imagined fears that could take place in the darkness were dispelled by the light. 

When you have endured a week of gloomy winter, nothing beats a sunny day. I don’t care how cold it is. The whole world feels better. I’ve been known to roll my window down on sunny days when the temp is in the 20s. You start showering again, and think, “Maybe I should start exercising and not eat pancakes every day as a snack.” 

“Light to dark” is an image we know. It’s a pattern ingrained in so many things in the world. No wonder it’s a pattern we see in the Bible constantly, starting in Genesis 1, almost as if God masterminded the whole thing. J

·      The initial command “Let there be light!” was a hint: This God does not settle for darkness.When darkness settles on the deep, the Spirit of God moves.  

·      It was “while shepherds watched their flocks by night” that the glory of the Lord shone around them. This God will not be announced without dispelling some darkness.

·      When the Wise Men from the east needed a sign– the east, the land “East of Eden” (another motif from Genesis for those far from the presence of God)  - they were given a light in a dark sky to guide them to the Light of the World, “the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens everyone.” (John 1:9)  This God will make a way for those who live in darkness. 

 Any advent or arrival in which God is involved may begin in darkness, but it ends in light. 

I am fascinated this year by how the Bible establishes the darkness into which Jesus arrived before introducing the light of his apocalypse (“unveiling”). I think it’s probably the case that our appreciation of the light correlates with how profound the darkness was into which it was introduced. Let’s see why God’s people longed for the light before the first Advent of Jesus, and then we will look at our own lives. 

Isaiah 58: A Timeless Oracle For The People Of God

Eternal One: Tell My people about their wrongdoing…hold nothing back: [my people] have failed to do what is right…They pretend to want to learn what I teach, as if they are indeed a [people] good and true, as if they hadn’t really turned their backs on My directives. They even ask Me, as though they care, about what I want them to be and do, as if they really want Me in their lives. 

People: Why didn’t You notice how diligently we fasted before You? We humbled ourselves with pious practices and You paid no attention. 

Eternal One: I have to tell you, on those fasting days, all you were really seeking was your own pleasure; besides, you were busy defrauding people and abusing your workers… Is a true fast simply some religious exercise for making a person feel miserable and woeful? Is it about how you bow your head (like a bent reed), how you dress (in sackcloth), and where you sit (in a bed of ashes)? Is this what you call a fast, a day the Eternal One finds good and proper?

This isn’t looking good at all. If I can summarize: “Hey, God! How are we doing down here? Check out our fasting!?”[1]  God: “It’s disgusting. It sickens me.” Okay…. However, Isaiah has what looks like good news: a solution!  

No, what I want in a fast is this: to liberate those tied down and held back by injustice, to lighten the load of those heavily burdened, to free the oppressed and shatter every type of oppression. A fast for Me involves sharing your food with people who have none, giving those who are homeless a space in your home, giving clothes to those who need them, and not neglecting your own family.

Excellent. There is a plan. There are action steps. And now, here comes some light!

Then, oh then, your light will break out like the warm, golden rays of a rising sun; in an instant, you will be healed. Your rightness will precede and protect you; the glory of the Eternal will follow and defend you. Then when you do call out, “My God, Where are You?” The Eternal One will answer, “I am here, I am here.” 

If you remove the yoke of oppression from the downtrodden among you, stop accusing others, and do away with mean and inflammatory speech, if you make sure that the hungry and oppressed have all that they need, then your light will shine in the darkness, and even your bleakest moments will be bright as a clear day...

That sound really good! But, uh, notice the “if”. If you do these things, your righteousness will be amazing. Let’s keep reading. 

Isaiah 59

Your persistent wrongdoing has come between you and your God; since you constantly reject and push God away He had to turn aside and ignore your cries... Their thoughts are bent toward injustice; destruction and trouble line the roads of their lives.8 They never travel the path of peace; no justice is found where they have been. They set a course down crooked roads; no one who follows their lead has a chance of knowing peace.

Well, I think that’s pretty clear. It didn’t happen. It looks like they can’t light up the world with their own righteousness. In hindsight, that’s obvious, but don’t we wrestle with that same sense of capability?  How many times do we think we can clean up our lives and this world on our own? 

·      “If you can control your attitude with the customers and get here on time, your job will be safe.” 

·      “Oh, yeah. I got this.”

·      ”If you can curb your addictions, your marriage will survive and maybe even flourish.”

·      “You got it.”

·      “If you can just bounce your eyes, that porn problem will go away.”

·      “Done.”

·      “If you figure out your identity in Christ, that depression, shame negative self-talk, anxiety, loneliness will go away.”

·      “Commencing self-help.” 

 “If…” It’s such a loaded word. “If you can do that, all will be well.” Isn’t this a lesson every Christian has to learn? If our righteous effort is what it takes to fix us, we are in trouble. The people of Israel figured it out. 

People: That’s why we can’t make things right; good and true can’t gain any ground on us. We look earnestly for a bright spot, but there isn’t even a glimmer of hope; it’s darkness all around. We are left to stumble along, grabbing at whatever seems solid, like the blind finding their way down a strange and threatening street.  In broad daylight—when we should have sight—we stumble and fall as in the dark. We are already like the dead among those brimming with health. We growl like bears and moan like doves. We hope that maybe, just maybe, it will all turn out right; But it doesn’t. We look for liberation, but it’s too far away.  

So far, it sounds a bit like complaining: “Do you see what you’ve given us to work with? This world is a hard and terrible place, and “we are left to stumble alone.”  But then there is a very important turn….  

For our wrongdoing runs too deep before You. Our sins stack up against us—sure evidence of our guilt. For our offenses are always with us; they are insidious and lasting, as You know. Our guilt says it all. We know it, too. We took You for nothing, and did just the opposite of Your commands. We broke our promises to You, ignored and rejected You.

We hatched up schemes to oppress others and rebel, to twist the truth for our gain while presenting it as honest-to-God fact. When justice calls, we turn it away. Righteousness knows to keep its distance, for truth stumbles in the public square, and honesty is not allowed to enter.  There is no truth-telling anymore, and anyone who tries to do right finds he is the next target.

Now, Isaiah steps out of the dialogue and makes an observation about how God responds to what started as a complaint and ends as a confession. I think this is key. What starts as self-justification – “God, listen, have you seen the kind of world you’ve given us?” turns into repentance: “Our sins stack up against us…we are the problem in the world.” 

It’s the only “if/then” scenario that has power. “If my people humble themselves and repent.” It’s not us fixing our brokenness. It’s us submitting to God’s work. back to Isaiah.

It’s true. The Eternal One saw it all and was understandably perturbed at the absence of justice. God looked long and hard, but there wasn’t a single person who tried to put a stop to the injustice and lies. So God took action. His own strong arm reached out and brought salvation. His own righteousness—good and pure—sustained Him.  But God’s equipment was that of no ordinary warrior: He strapped on righteousness as His breastplate, and put on the helmet of salvation. Wrapped in vengeance for clothing and passion as a cloak, God prepared for war.

Finally, God determined they must get what they’ve earned: fury to those who oppose Him, vengeance against those who are against Him. To the ends of the known world, God will go to render justice.  This is how people from east to west will come to respect the name and honor the glory of the Eternal. For He will come on like a torrential flood driven by the Eternal’s winds. The Redeemer will come to make Zion right again, to rescue those of Jacob’s holy line who turn their backs on wrongdoing. This is what the Eternal One declares.

Okay, that’s good news and bad news. The good news is that God is going to bring justice. The bad news is that His own people have been the problem. But…the good news is that He is going to rescue those who turn back to him – and He is going to orchestrate this.[2]

Eternal One:  This is My covenant promise to them: My Spirit, which rests on and moves in you, and My words, which I have placed within you, will continue to be spoken among you and move you to action. And not only you, but so it will be for your children and their children too.[3] And so on through the generations for all time.

And now we move into a classic paragraph that is often cited during Advent. 

Isaiah 60
Arise, shine (“be in the light”; “become light”), for your light[4] has broken through! The Eternal One’s brilliance has dawned upon you.  See truly; look carefully—darkness blankets the earth; people all over are cloaked in darkness. But God will rise and shine on you; the Eternal’s bright glory will shine on you, a light for all to see.

 It’s reminiscent of the end of Malachi: “ But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays.” (Malachi 4:2) 

* * * * * * * * * *

“When the prophet says that’ that light is come,‘ he… sees in vision the Messiah… as pouring the light of salvation on a darkened church and world.”  (Albert Barnes’ Notes On The Whole Bible) 

“In the midst of that distressing condition, Jehovah will arise upon Zion in the person of His Son; in Christ, the glory of God will be revealed.”  (Coffmana’s Commentary On The Bible)

Oh! This is fantastic news! God Himself will be the light in the darkness. 

It’s not just God moving into the world, but God moving into our hearts. Advent is more than an ‘unveiling’ in world history; it’s an arrival in our hearts. It’s personal. This is a story about light dispelling darkness, and that while that has profound implications for world history, it also has profound implications for your history. We are all coming out of darkness; we have all contributed the sinful brokenness of the world. Our wrongdoing runs deep too. But…..

Arise, shine, your light has broken through. The Eternal One’s brilliance has dawned upon you. 2 See truly; look carefully—darkness blankets the earth; people all over are cloaked in darkness. But God will rise and shine on you; the Eternal’s bright glory will shine on you, a light for all to see.

This is the joy of the first Advent. That healing and hope is available to all of us. 

 * * * * * * * * * *

 But there is another part to it.

“…the church of God is… called upon to arise… [and] to shine forth in the exercise of grace and discharge of duty…and to diffuse this light to others…” John Gill’s Exposition On The Whole Bible) 

That summons ("Arise, shine!”) is the inevitable result of the dawning of the light. When God is felt to be near [people] in penitence, love, and prayer, [they are]… bound to reflect the glory which has risen in their heart; to bear witness of the light which has pierced and transformed their soul… The glory of the Lord manifests itself in life… It is because the ‘glory of the Lord has risen upon [them],’ that Christians are able to reflect the light which has entered their souls.” E. L. Hull, Sermons

After God was unveiled to the world in the incarnate Jesus, and unveiled in the hearts of those who repent and embrace him as Lord and King, God’s people are unveiled to the world. It’s not because we are amazing. Nothing changed in terms of our ability to light up the world with our righteousness. What changed was our identity. We are now children of God, temples for the Holy Spirit. I love how Thomas Coke, English clergyman, first bishop of the Methodist Church, phrased it: 

“Shew thy native beauty; suffer thyself to be so strongly illuminated by the glory of the Lord, that thou mayest be a light to others." [5]

I have this image of all the solar powered lights I have in my yard. They soak up the light during the day, so they can shine at night. And they don’t shine because they powered themselves up. They shine because the sun filled them with light. 

Do you see this? There is a third apocalypse, a third unveiling taking place between the birth of Jesus and His return. 

It’s his church.

Jesus is revealed through His church. “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good works and…..glorify your Father in heaven.”

So I am sobered and inspired this Advent season to think about how, between the first apocalypse in a manger that ushered in this present age, and a second that will wrap it up as Jesus is revealed as the Returning King, God plan was to have His Holy Spirit-filled followers be an apocalypse, an unveiling, that absorbs and points back to the light from the first one while shining and like illuminating signposts that point toward the second one. 

We have the light of joy because true joy entered the world through the birth of the incarnate Savior. We ambassadors, filled by God’s Spirit and nourished by God’s Word, soak up this joyful light until it lights the darkness with our words, our attitudes, our actions, our lives.  And we never stop telling everyone that He who has come will come again, and for those whom His light has filled, there will be joy unspeakable, and full of glory. 

Joy to the world. The Lord has come. Let every heart prepare Him room. 

THREE THINGS FOR PONDERING OR DISCUSSING

1. If seeing the darkness for what it is makes the light more glorious, take some time to reminisce on 2020 (and perhaps further back) and mourn the darkness. See it for what it is. Feel it. Don’t look away.

2. Now….what does Jesus offer? What is the hope in front of us? How do the first and second advents shine into the darkness? What is holding us back from ‘arising, and shining’?

3. Pray. There are times that seeing the light feels soooo elusive. “We look earnestly for a bright spot, but there isn’t even a glimmer of hope; it’s darkness all around.” If you are in a group, share stories of God’s faithfulness in your lives, times when the light that seemed so elusive did indeed break through.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

[1] Malachi highlights how much God disliked their sacrifices (Malachi 3).

[2] As Malachi 3: 6; 16-18. “Return to me, and I will return to you….  Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name. “On the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty, “they will be my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him.  And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.”

[3] Malachi says something very similar in the final verses of the Old Testament. God will eventually turn the hearts of the parents to the children, and the children to their parents.

[4] “I am the Light Of The World.” – Jesus, as recorded in John 8:12

[5] 14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”