Thursday, December 3, 2009
John #21
God of all Comfort
John 14:1- 14
December 6, 2009
Pastor Ben Fleming
Turn to the gospel of John 14. When my grand daughter cried – I had this ache to comfort her. Most people like to try and comfort a baby. Some of us get the opportunity to comfort those who grieve. We want to comfort people who are fearful and we want to comfort someone who has failed. We want to comfort someone who has just gotten the news from the doctor…. Everyone needs comfort sometime in their life. Some people think they will find comfort in a bottle of Southern Comfort. But how do you find comfort from your sins? How do you find comfort when you feel guilty and burdened because of your sin against God? How do you find comfort when you feel condemned and have no peace?
The apostle Paul writes in 2 Cor 1:3 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in our troubles..” In chp 7:6 he writes “but God, who comforts the downcast or depressed, comforted us by the coming of Titus. People who are downcast and depressed need comfort from believers --- Jesus said in Matt 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn over their sin for they shall be comforted” --- have you ever thought what does mourning over your sin look like? and David wrote in Ps 23 “I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me.” The comfort of God to His people is a major theme throughout the bible.
In the New Testament we find the greek word parakaleo translated as “comfort,” “exhort,” “beseech,” the exact translation is always determined by the context. Its root means to “to call alongside of,” i.e. to summon for assistance. To comfort is to cheer and encourage. Today we are going to examine the comfort that Jesus gives to his disciples and to all believers everywhere. In the first 14 verses of John 14 but I am only going to tackle 6 verses today. John lays down the foundation for that comfort. Please stand as we read God’s Word in John 14:1 – 14.
We left off two weeks ago in chapter 13 with Jesus teaching his disciples “what does it take to be a servant like Jesus.” He closed out that section by book ending it with the words “a new
commandment I give to you, that you love one another, just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” Peter responds to those words of Jesus and tells Jesus that he will lay his life down for him and then Jesus says to Peter – “when the rooster crows you will have denied me three times.” The other disciples where obviously there…. and were obviously troubled by the words of Jesus. You could say their faith was beginning to falter. Jesus was telling them that he was going to leave them and the words about Peter must have shocked them. Jesus then comforts his followers – this is the context of these 14 verses.
How does Jesus Christ give us His comfort?
1. The comfort of Christ comes from His presence. (Vs. 1) “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me.”
These men had been with Jesus for three years and they had seen him do all kinds of miracles – he was now telling them that he was going to leave them – in (13:33) he said, “Little children, I am with you a little while longer. You will seek me, and as I said to the Jews, now I say to you, Where I am going, you cannot come.”….. This must have confused them and worried them. These guys were just like their fellow Jews and they were expecting him to be a conquering King – they were not expecting him to leave them alone.
Jesus knew these men’s hearts – he knows your heart right now. He knows when you are troubled. He knows when you are full of fear and confusion. Jesus knows the condition of our hearts in every situation – he knows when you are at peace and when you are in turmoil. He gives his men three commands in this verse --- #1 do not let your heart be troubled. If we are commanded to not let our hearts be troubled then we have been given control over how our hearts are – Have you let your heart get troubled at times? I know I have --- I have to fight to have a heart that is at peace. The second and third commands he gives is the solution to keeping your heart from being troubled #2 Believe in God and #3 Believe in Me. We have a choice of where were are going to place the attitudes of our hearts --- in our trouble or in God and Jesus.
Philippians 4:6 “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Prayer guards your heart and your mind.
Colossians 3:2 “Set your minds on things above, not on things that are on earth.” When we practice believing in God and believing in Jesus we have hearts that are at peace… and when your heart is at peace you will experience the presence of Jesus – it does not matter what the situation is…………
June 9th, 2008 flying to Seattle 3 hours after my son told me that my grandson had died – I sat in that Southwest seat quietly sobbing I could feel and sense the very presence of Jesus. It was the same presence I felt that Saturday morning when they told me my grand daughter was alive. It’s the very same presence I feel when I ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit on a Sunday morning when I prepare to speak to you. Do you not want to feel.. the presence of Jesus in your life? Sure you do. I can see hundreds of pictures of my grand daughter on the internet but there is nothing like holding her and hearing her breath. I talk to my dad all of the time but there is nothing like his presence. I plan to see him this spring. When I spoke to you about suffering and the glory of God I told you that the number one what that you can comfort someone who is suffering is by your presence --- you do not have to have anything to say to that person.
Story: 6 year old Jody lost her next door friend Sally to cancer. These two girls had been the best of friends. One day Jody came home to her mom and told her mom that she had gone to comfort Sally’s mother. What did you say – her mom asked? Nothing she said --- I just climbed up on her lap and cried with her……..
Jesus comforts his children with his very presence and as we are going to find out he does that by giving them his Holy Spirit to dwell within them --- he even calls the Holy Spirit the Comforter. Its not a coincidence that the word comfort and Holy Spirit are both part of the same root Greek word. We will look at the Holy Spirit more in future messages. #1 The comfort of Jesus comes from His presence.
2. The comfort of Christ comes when we trust His preparation. (Vs. 2 - 3) “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”
This is one of the main text I use when I am asked to perform a funeral for someone I do not know. At a funeral, people want comfort and they want to know where a person goes when they die and most believe everyone goes to heaven. I go back to verse one and camp on the fact that these words in verse 2 -3 only apply to those who believe in God and who believe Jesus. When you read of Jesus saying that his father’s house has many rooms – he is speaking of heaven ---- Never picture heaven as some kind of big housing tract that Jesus is building since he has been there for over 2,000 years and that everyone is going to have his or her own place. There is no key at the pearly gates with your name on it that fits a specific room. Jesus says “In My Father’s house are many rooms” not a literal reference but a reference to intimacy - other places in the bible refer to heaven as a country or a city. Revelation 21:16 says this city is laid out as a square – its length is as great as the width and he measured the city with the rod – 1500 miles – its length and width and height are equal.” In modern terms – the base of the city is over 200 million square miles – more than half the size of the United States. ---
Hebrews 11:16 “But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.” --- not rooms but intimacy
Revelation 21:3 “the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them.” ]
Can you imagine what the disciples where thinking when Jesus spoke these words? Go back to verse 3. he says, “and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” Jesus felt these words ought to bring comfort to his men. I am going away but I am going to come back again – the second coming. When Jesus ascended into heaven in Acts 1 – the angels said to the disciples in verse 11 “why do you stand looking into heaven?” This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way you saw him go into heaven.” One day that is going to happen and the day it happens is coming closer and closer – we are in the end times. Jesus has prepared for us to come to him and for him to come back. Are you prepared for that? Are you prepared to met Christ face to face? (TO THE RIGHT) For some us of it is right around the corner. For some of us we simply do not care –we think we do not need Christ and the comfort he gives – we can handle life ourselves. I am sad and grieved for you - Satan has fooled you and blinded you. The comfort of Christ comes when we trust His preparation. Would you trust Him today?
3. The comfort of Christ comes when we trust His claims. (Vs. 4 – 6) “and you know the way to where I am going. Thomas said to him, Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way? Jesus said to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” By now the disciples were so blown away by what Jesus was telling them – you can see how Thomas responds to Jesus almost as if he threw his hands up and said “we do not know the way where you are going - how can we know the way?”
People are shocked when real Christians insists that Jesus is the way and the only way to God. Christians did not invent that claim. There was no committee that made it up. It is not a question of tolerance or being open to diversity. It is simply a question of accepting and believing what Jesus claimed. Why do people reject Jesus claim of being the only way to God?
* They are satisfied with their own way or doing nothing. They refuse to examine Christ claims. They are like a person in a smoke filled room who doubts there is a fire, they insist that they are going to find their own way out – some of you are like that sitting right here. I know it – you know it – God knows it and Satan knows it. Your pride and spiritual arrogance makes you satisfied to do nothing.
* They deny their lostness. They do not see any need to be rescued. The bible says Christ died for our sins, he was buried and raised again on the third. They do not see that they have any sin for someone to die for. These people are so lost they do not see any need of a savior. It is kind of like they are debating whether there is a fire or not. For you believers – many times we do not realize how lost… lost people really are. We do not understand how they are content with having no comfort – no peace and no hope. Why do people reject Jesus? #3
* They are convinced that there must be several valid ways to get to God besides Jesus. I was in LA this past week – going from West Hollywood to Pasadena and the GPS put me on the 101 and as I sat there for 20 min going now where I was convinced that I could do something to this GPS to figure out another way to get where I wanted to go quicker --- we humans rebel at the notion of there only being one way. These people are in the smoke filled room – they agree there must be a fire – but to them any way of escape is as good as the other – even though they have not actually chosen a way themselves. Jesus claims to be the only way to the Father – He knew that could comfort his disciples --- it is narrow but it is wide enough for the entire world. In verse 6, Jesus says that He is the way the truth and the life. Jesus provides for man as much as we need to know and can know about God. Scripture says that no one has ever seen God. It is only Jesus His Son who is close to the Father’s heart – who has made him known. He said – if you have seen me you have seen the Father. Look in verse 6 --- Jesus is not talking to his men about finding a place or a physical destination – the end of the verse makes it clear – he is talking about a person – he is talking knowing God – coming to God – being with God – being God’s friend instead of his enemy. Look at this closer with me:
* Jesus is the way. Jesus is both God and man. He knows intimately your experience and your needs. He is your path – he is your bridge – he is not just an example or a road sign. Jesus allows you to know God the Father. He glorifies Him. Jesus makes God beautiful. When Jesus said this, he said, I am the hodos or the only road or the only way to the Father. He was very careful with his words. He did not say I am a way or one of the ways he said I am the way.
John 1:18 “No one has ever seen God, the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made Him known.”
* Jesus is the truth. Jesus is the reality of all that God promised. He is the source of knowledge of the Father – His answers – His teachings – His commands are all right. There is no shadow of dishonesty – falsehood or lying in His life. Jesus is complete holiness.
John 1:17 “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ”
* Jesus is the life. Jesus gives us life both now and eternally. He gives life on this earth and He gives life after this body stops working. He provides for us the example of how to live life on this earth. Not only that – He promises to join His life with our life as we live. Jesus spoke the word zoe – which also means breath. So he is saying as well – I am your breath. We do not live on this earth in our own power – He pours His Spirit within us to live it. There is no other source of life than beside Jesus. Our response to that is to receive that life and allow it to work itself out in our daily lives.
Ok – the claims of Jesus are unmistakable. He gave these claims to his disciples to comfort them. Truth comforts – tolerance condemns. Jesus invited his disciples – He invites you and me to receive His truth claims or reject them. For those of you who are apathetic to them – you are doing the same thing as rejecting them. When you reject the truth claims of Jesus you in fact are refusing to see the state of your human condition. You are drowning and Jesus is throwing you a life saving rope and you refuse his rope – you think there is going to be another one or you can choose to swim to shore and safety in your own power. God have mercy on you.
Closing: Merrill Womach was a brilliant Christian gospel singer in the 60’s. He was in a plane crash in the winter of 1961. The plane caught fire on takeoff and was engulfed in flames. Womach tumbled out of the plane – some people found him and drove him to the hospital. On the way to the hospital from a body squealing with pain of 3rd degree burns – came these words: PHOTO
I’ve found the dear Savior and I am made whole,
I am pardoned and I have my release.
His spirit abiding and blessing my soul,
Praise God in my heart there is peace.
Wonderful peace, wonderful peace.
When I think of how he brought me from darkness to light,
There’s a wonderful – wonderful peace.
Prayer:
Song:
John 14:1- 14
December 6, 2009
Pastor Ben Fleming
Turn to the gospel of John 14. When my grand daughter cried – I had this ache to comfort her. Most people like to try and comfort a baby. Some of us get the opportunity to comfort those who grieve. We want to comfort people who are fearful and we want to comfort someone who has failed. We want to comfort someone who has just gotten the news from the doctor…. Everyone needs comfort sometime in their life. Some people think they will find comfort in a bottle of Southern Comfort. But how do you find comfort from your sins? How do you find comfort when you feel guilty and burdened because of your sin against God? How do you find comfort when you feel condemned and have no peace?
The apostle Paul writes in 2 Cor 1:3 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in our troubles..” In chp 7:6 he writes “but God, who comforts the downcast or depressed, comforted us by the coming of Titus. People who are downcast and depressed need comfort from believers --- Jesus said in Matt 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn over their sin for they shall be comforted” --- have you ever thought what does mourning over your sin look like? and David wrote in Ps 23 “I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me.” The comfort of God to His people is a major theme throughout the bible.
In the New Testament we find the greek word parakaleo translated as “comfort,” “exhort,” “beseech,” the exact translation is always determined by the context. Its root means to “to call alongside of,” i.e. to summon for assistance. To comfort is to cheer and encourage. Today we are going to examine the comfort that Jesus gives to his disciples and to all believers everywhere. In the first 14 verses of John 14 but I am only going to tackle 6 verses today. John lays down the foundation for that comfort. Please stand as we read God’s Word in John 14:1 – 14.
We left off two weeks ago in chapter 13 with Jesus teaching his disciples “what does it take to be a servant like Jesus.” He closed out that section by book ending it with the words “a new
commandment I give to you, that you love one another, just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” Peter responds to those words of Jesus and tells Jesus that he will lay his life down for him and then Jesus says to Peter – “when the rooster crows you will have denied me three times.” The other disciples where obviously there…. and were obviously troubled by the words of Jesus. You could say their faith was beginning to falter. Jesus was telling them that he was going to leave them and the words about Peter must have shocked them. Jesus then comforts his followers – this is the context of these 14 verses.
How does Jesus Christ give us His comfort?
1. The comfort of Christ comes from His presence. (Vs. 1) “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me.”
These men had been with Jesus for three years and they had seen him do all kinds of miracles – he was now telling them that he was going to leave them – in (13:33) he said, “Little children, I am with you a little while longer. You will seek me, and as I said to the Jews, now I say to you, Where I am going, you cannot come.”….. This must have confused them and worried them. These guys were just like their fellow Jews and they were expecting him to be a conquering King – they were not expecting him to leave them alone.
Jesus knew these men’s hearts – he knows your heart right now. He knows when you are troubled. He knows when you are full of fear and confusion. Jesus knows the condition of our hearts in every situation – he knows when you are at peace and when you are in turmoil. He gives his men three commands in this verse --- #1 do not let your heart be troubled. If we are commanded to not let our hearts be troubled then we have been given control over how our hearts are – Have you let your heart get troubled at times? I know I have --- I have to fight to have a heart that is at peace. The second and third commands he gives is the solution to keeping your heart from being troubled #2 Believe in God and #3 Believe in Me. We have a choice of where were are going to place the attitudes of our hearts --- in our trouble or in God and Jesus.
Philippians 4:6 “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Prayer guards your heart and your mind.
Colossians 3:2 “Set your minds on things above, not on things that are on earth.” When we practice believing in God and believing in Jesus we have hearts that are at peace… and when your heart is at peace you will experience the presence of Jesus – it does not matter what the situation is…………
June 9th, 2008 flying to Seattle 3 hours after my son told me that my grandson had died – I sat in that Southwest seat quietly sobbing I could feel and sense the very presence of Jesus. It was the same presence I felt that Saturday morning when they told me my grand daughter was alive. It’s the very same presence I feel when I ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit on a Sunday morning when I prepare to speak to you. Do you not want to feel.. the presence of Jesus in your life? Sure you do. I can see hundreds of pictures of my grand daughter on the internet but there is nothing like holding her and hearing her breath. I talk to my dad all of the time but there is nothing like his presence. I plan to see him this spring. When I spoke to you about suffering and the glory of God I told you that the number one what that you can comfort someone who is suffering is by your presence --- you do not have to have anything to say to that person.
Story: 6 year old Jody lost her next door friend Sally to cancer. These two girls had been the best of friends. One day Jody came home to her mom and told her mom that she had gone to comfort Sally’s mother. What did you say – her mom asked? Nothing she said --- I just climbed up on her lap and cried with her……..
Jesus comforts his children with his very presence and as we are going to find out he does that by giving them his Holy Spirit to dwell within them --- he even calls the Holy Spirit the Comforter. Its not a coincidence that the word comfort and Holy Spirit are both part of the same root Greek word. We will look at the Holy Spirit more in future messages. #1 The comfort of Jesus comes from His presence.
2. The comfort of Christ comes when we trust His preparation. (Vs. 2 - 3) “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”
This is one of the main text I use when I am asked to perform a funeral for someone I do not know. At a funeral, people want comfort and they want to know where a person goes when they die and most believe everyone goes to heaven. I go back to verse one and camp on the fact that these words in verse 2 -3 only apply to those who believe in God and who believe Jesus. When you read of Jesus saying that his father’s house has many rooms – he is speaking of heaven ---- Never picture heaven as some kind of big housing tract that Jesus is building since he has been there for over 2,000 years and that everyone is going to have his or her own place. There is no key at the pearly gates with your name on it that fits a specific room. Jesus says “In My Father’s house are many rooms” not a literal reference but a reference to intimacy - other places in the bible refer to heaven as a country or a city. Revelation 21:16 says this city is laid out as a square – its length is as great as the width and he measured the city with the rod – 1500 miles – its length and width and height are equal.” In modern terms – the base of the city is over 200 million square miles – more than half the size of the United States. ---
Hebrews 11:16 “But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.” --- not rooms but intimacy
Revelation 21:3 “the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them.” ]
Can you imagine what the disciples where thinking when Jesus spoke these words? Go back to verse 3. he says, “and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” Jesus felt these words ought to bring comfort to his men. I am going away but I am going to come back again – the second coming. When Jesus ascended into heaven in Acts 1 – the angels said to the disciples in verse 11 “why do you stand looking into heaven?” This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way you saw him go into heaven.” One day that is going to happen and the day it happens is coming closer and closer – we are in the end times. Jesus has prepared for us to come to him and for him to come back. Are you prepared for that? Are you prepared to met Christ face to face? (TO THE RIGHT) For some us of it is right around the corner. For some of us we simply do not care –we think we do not need Christ and the comfort he gives – we can handle life ourselves. I am sad and grieved for you - Satan has fooled you and blinded you. The comfort of Christ comes when we trust His preparation. Would you trust Him today?
3. The comfort of Christ comes when we trust His claims. (Vs. 4 – 6) “and you know the way to where I am going. Thomas said to him, Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way? Jesus said to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” By now the disciples were so blown away by what Jesus was telling them – you can see how Thomas responds to Jesus almost as if he threw his hands up and said “we do not know the way where you are going - how can we know the way?”
People are shocked when real Christians insists that Jesus is the way and the only way to God. Christians did not invent that claim. There was no committee that made it up. It is not a question of tolerance or being open to diversity. It is simply a question of accepting and believing what Jesus claimed. Why do people reject Jesus claim of being the only way to God?
* They are satisfied with their own way or doing nothing. They refuse to examine Christ claims. They are like a person in a smoke filled room who doubts there is a fire, they insist that they are going to find their own way out – some of you are like that sitting right here. I know it – you know it – God knows it and Satan knows it. Your pride and spiritual arrogance makes you satisfied to do nothing.
* They deny their lostness. They do not see any need to be rescued. The bible says Christ died for our sins, he was buried and raised again on the third. They do not see that they have any sin for someone to die for. These people are so lost they do not see any need of a savior. It is kind of like they are debating whether there is a fire or not. For you believers – many times we do not realize how lost… lost people really are. We do not understand how they are content with having no comfort – no peace and no hope. Why do people reject Jesus? #3
* They are convinced that there must be several valid ways to get to God besides Jesus. I was in LA this past week – going from West Hollywood to Pasadena and the GPS put me on the 101 and as I sat there for 20 min going now where I was convinced that I could do something to this GPS to figure out another way to get where I wanted to go quicker --- we humans rebel at the notion of there only being one way. These people are in the smoke filled room – they agree there must be a fire – but to them any way of escape is as good as the other – even though they have not actually chosen a way themselves. Jesus claims to be the only way to the Father – He knew that could comfort his disciples --- it is narrow but it is wide enough for the entire world. In verse 6, Jesus says that He is the way the truth and the life. Jesus provides for man as much as we need to know and can know about God. Scripture says that no one has ever seen God. It is only Jesus His Son who is close to the Father’s heart – who has made him known. He said – if you have seen me you have seen the Father. Look in verse 6 --- Jesus is not talking to his men about finding a place or a physical destination – the end of the verse makes it clear – he is talking about a person – he is talking knowing God – coming to God – being with God – being God’s friend instead of his enemy. Look at this closer with me:
* Jesus is the way. Jesus is both God and man. He knows intimately your experience and your needs. He is your path – he is your bridge – he is not just an example or a road sign. Jesus allows you to know God the Father. He glorifies Him. Jesus makes God beautiful. When Jesus said this, he said, I am the hodos or the only road or the only way to the Father. He was very careful with his words. He did not say I am a way or one of the ways he said I am the way.
John 1:18 “No one has ever seen God, the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made Him known.”
* Jesus is the truth. Jesus is the reality of all that God promised. He is the source of knowledge of the Father – His answers – His teachings – His commands are all right. There is no shadow of dishonesty – falsehood or lying in His life. Jesus is complete holiness.
John 1:17 “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ”
* Jesus is the life. Jesus gives us life both now and eternally. He gives life on this earth and He gives life after this body stops working. He provides for us the example of how to live life on this earth. Not only that – He promises to join His life with our life as we live. Jesus spoke the word zoe – which also means breath. So he is saying as well – I am your breath. We do not live on this earth in our own power – He pours His Spirit within us to live it. There is no other source of life than beside Jesus. Our response to that is to receive that life and allow it to work itself out in our daily lives.
Ok – the claims of Jesus are unmistakable. He gave these claims to his disciples to comfort them. Truth comforts – tolerance condemns. Jesus invited his disciples – He invites you and me to receive His truth claims or reject them. For those of you who are apathetic to them – you are doing the same thing as rejecting them. When you reject the truth claims of Jesus you in fact are refusing to see the state of your human condition. You are drowning and Jesus is throwing you a life saving rope and you refuse his rope – you think there is going to be another one or you can choose to swim to shore and safety in your own power. God have mercy on you.
Closing: Merrill Womach was a brilliant Christian gospel singer in the 60’s. He was in a plane crash in the winter of 1961. The plane caught fire on takeoff and was engulfed in flames. Womach tumbled out of the plane – some people found him and drove him to the hospital. On the way to the hospital from a body squealing with pain of 3rd degree burns – came these words: PHOTO
I’ve found the dear Savior and I am made whole,
I am pardoned and I have my release.
His spirit abiding and blessing my soul,
Praise God in my heart there is peace.
Wonderful peace, wonderful peace.
When I think of how he brought me from darkness to light,
There’s a wonderful – wonderful peace.
Prayer:
Song:
John #20
A Godly Servant
November 22, 2009
John 13:1-20, 34,35
Pastor Ben Fleming
Turn in your bibles to John chapter 13. Many years ago a humble pastor served a very small church in a country town. His ministry was quiet – over the years only a few people came to faith in Jesus Christ. Year in and year out, the work became more and more discouraging to him. It was only years later that the faithful pastor found great joy in knowing that one of those persons who came to Christ under his service was (PHOTO) Charles Haddon Spurgeon, a man whom God later used to bring multitudes to faith in Jesus Christ. (BLANK) Today we are going to study the call to servant hood or service. Service or servant hood is not a subject that a pastor wants to speak about. Most of the time when church people hear this topic – they think he is going to ask them to sign up to do something. I guarantee you I am not going to do that.
In our text today – Jesus is washing his disciples feet. He has raised Lazarus from the dead. It is 6 days before the Passover and Jesus has come into the town where Lazarus lived (Bethany) (MAP) and a dinner is given in his honor – perhaps to thank him for raising Lazarus--- Martha is serving him and Mary anoints his feet with oil and wipes his feet with her hair – to a Jew – washing another person’s feet would be only done by the most menial slaves (remember that when we look at what Jesus is asking his disciples to do) ---(BLANK) and then the next day Jesus is making his way to Jerusalem for the Passover and he enters into the city – the people cut date palm branches and lay them down in the road as Jesus rode into the city on a donkey – (this is what is know as Palm Sunday) – Picture this event – there could have been as many as a million people coming to the city from all over the known world at that time. Jesus continues using this opportunity to teach the crowds around him and even though God spoke from heaven in a audible voice back to Jesus in reply to his prayer in verse 28 – the people still did not believe…. We then come to chapter 13 it is most likely a Thursday and Jesus is sharing the Passover meal with his disciples while in Jerusalem. Up to now we have been studying 3 years of Jesus ministry and now from chapter 13 to 19 will cover one night. vs 1 – 20, 34-35. READ
Background: (PHOTO) Jesus is with his disciples having the Passover meal together in Jerusalem – we think of this meal as the last supper– John says that before the Feast of the Passover – Jesus knew that the hour had come to depart out of this world – he knew it was time to go back to His Heavenly Father and John says – he loved his own who were in the world and He loved them to the end. John writes that during the supper which had already began – the devil had put it into the heart of Judas to betray Jesus. (BLANK) Jesus knew what was happening – because he knew the scriptures and the prophecies. John records that Jesus rose from the supper – he most likely was sitting on the floor – he took off his outer garments – took a towel and tied it around his waist --- notice what John does not say --- tradition would demand that those at the dinner had their feet washed before they sat down to eat --- so someone had already brought the basin with water and the towel….. The dinner had already begun and no one had had their feet washed. No one around the table was going to do the menial task……….Jesus must have been waiting and watching and listening to his disciples – the first course had been served and still no feet washed. Jesus got up ---- took off his outer garments and wrapped a towel around himself and came to Peter to wash his feet and Peter says – “do you wash my feet?” And Jesus says to him “you do not understand what I am going to do but later you will” – and Peter says “no way will you wash my feet” and Jesus says to him “if I do not you have no part of me” --- and then loose at the mouth Peter says – “hey do not just wash my feet but my hands and my head.” Jesus shows us here what is perhaps his last attempt to provoke Judas to really believe, he says in verse 10 “the one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet – but is completely clean – and you are clean – but not every one of you.”
He was refereing to salvation – forgiveness brings cleansing – salvation is a one time event – when you believe – you are washed – God forgives all of your sin in the past --- all of your sin in the present and all of your sin in the future ---- but Judas had not believed even though he was a disciple – his faith was false. This is the way some of you are today. You have a false faith. You are just like Judas. You need to come to Christ. You need to be washed.
Look back to verse 12 – Jesus put his garments back on after washing 12 sets of feet and says “do you understand what I have done to you? You guys call me your teacher – if your teacher washed your feet then you ought to wash each other’s feet – I have given you an example – you should do just as I have done. A servant is no greater than his master – nor is the messenger greater than the one who sent him – “if you know these things – blessed are you if you do them.”
Jesus then closes this particular section with the words found in (Vs. 34 -35) “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this will all people know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
A lot of people serve other people. We have an industry called the service industry. This is not what Jesus is talking about. He is talking about his followers – believers serving other believers. “By this will all people know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” You can say that you have love for other believers but if you are not engaged in serving them you are fooling yourself. You really do not have love for them. In the context of what just happened – Jesus is talking about serving those that you know by name and are close to – and if you want to spilt hairs – serving someone who is not your blood. There are many reasons why believers have to learn to serve one another. Serving others does not come easy. Serving others is something you have to learn and I have to learn. Jesus knew that it would increase our love for each other. He knew that it is one of the best ways to encourage another believer.
What does it require to serve like Jesus?
1. To be a servant requires humility – not gifting or position. Vs 4. “he rose from supper, He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist.” Can you imagine what John saw Jesus doing? Jesus was doing something that only the lowest servants in the house would do – he was washing the feet of someone who had walked through the streets – stepped in the mud puddles and the camel dung --- Jesus was washing off his men’s feet --- I imagine that he did not do the job half way – he got the camel dung out between their toes. The way John wrote this you know that the dinner had begun --- no one was going to do the job – perhaps the 12 guys were waiting for someone else to do it -- this is most likely what was going on because Jesus had already taken the opportunity before to speak to them before about humility and being a servant. On your outline:
Mark 9:33 – 35 (ESV) “And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, “what were you discussing on the way?” But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and a servant of all.” ---- humility was not a big strength with the disciples at this point. Humility is not a big strength with many believers. The church needs humble believers. The church needs believers who will wash other believers feet without being asked. The church needs believers who will pick up after other believers without being asked. The church needs believers who will be faithful – available and teachable. The church needs humble believers. When the church has humble believers you know that the people in that church are loved and they are loved like Jesus loved. Remember his command --
“love one another just as I have loved you – by this (the way you humbly serve each other) all men will know that you are my disciples.” Do you think people in Carson City know that you are a disciple by the way you serve others in your church family???? Are you humble? The minute you say you are – that is a prideful statement or thought and humility goes out the window. John Calvin wrote, “It is evident that man never attains to true self knowledge until he has previously contemplated the face of God, and come down after such contemplation to look into himself.” If we talk about humility we have to start with God – do we not?
Pastor C.J. Maheny wrote the book Humility – True Greatness – you ought to read it or listen to his message on humility…. he gives us a definition:
Humility = is honestly assessing ourselves in light of God’s holiness and our sinfulness. If you do that as a believer it will produce humility in you.
A humble believer is a servant. A servant is a lover of God’s people. You cannot be a lover of God’s people and not be one who sees the holiness of God and your own sinfulness. TO BE A SERVANT REQUIRES HUMILITY
2. To be a servant requires action or initiative. Vs. 5 “Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples feet and to wipe them with a towel that was wrapped around him.” Jesus did not wait to be asked to wash their feet – he could have asked or told someone else to do it – but no he does it. He saw the need and he responded to the need. Why is it that many believers do nothing unless they are asked? Why is it that many believers will not even serve when they are asked and say – “I am not gifted in that area” - I am already doing something else? I have thought about this for 15 years as a pastor. My best answer is to look at the word of God.
Matthew 23:11-12 (ESV) “The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” So great believers take action. Great believers get involved in serving other believers – they do not wait to be asked. Great believers are humble and they will serve others and many times NO ONE ELSE ever knows it…… Pastor D.L. Moody once said, “the measure of a man is not how many servants he has, but how many men he serves.” To be a servant requires action --- do not wait to be asked.
3. To be a servant requires obedience. (Vs. 16 -17) “Truly, truly I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” Obedience does not come naturally. Obedience is not convenient. Obedience is a choice that you have to make and a decisive action that you are going do something. Think about it: Did Jesus enjoy cleaning the camel dung out of Peter’s toes? There are people in a church family that God wants to you to serve that you would not enjoy serving. There are believers who are not grateful --- they are whinners and they keep asking and asking and asking. It is not our position as a servant to determine who is worthy to be served. We are called to obey and to obey is going to cost you. Paul puts it this way to the believers at Ephesus…
Ephesians 6:7- 8 “rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does he will receive back from the Lord…” TO BE A SERVANT REQUIRES OBEDIENCE
4. To be a servant requires love for others. vs. 35 “by this all men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another” How is your love for Jesus demonstrated? How do you love other believers in Christ – you love them if you humbly serve them. Ok – is Jesus saying that service produces love for other believers or does love for other believers produce service? THINK: There are people who serve people and they are natural at it but that does not mean that they love with the love of Jesus Christ……. When you become a believer in Christ – the love of Christ is poured out into your heart and you were never meant to be a vessel without a funnel. Every believer is to be a funnel of the love of Christ. The more you love Christ – the more you will love other people. The more you love Christ - the greater will be your ability to love people who are hard to love and let me tell you that there a lot of people like that in the church today.
Why does it seem that women serve more than men? Is it because women have a greater grasp on love? Is it because women tend to be humble and men are proud? In God’s economy – the same Holy Spirit lives in women and men --- it does not matter --- the love of Christ has been poured out into a believer and therefore – believers are to love and that love shows itself in serving other believers and Jesus says by this all men will know that you are my disciples because you have love for one another. Do you think people see us as a church that loves each other????????
Look what Paul says Galatians 5:13-15 “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other” -- so Paul says as a believer you are free and you can use that freedom to indulge your sinful nature or you can use that freedom to serve another believer.
So – if I am not serving others then I obviously am serving myself and indulging myself.
A woman came to me after a service one Sunday sometime ago when I spoke on servant hood and said – “I really do not bother serving anyone in this church I serve others at my workplace” She was missing completely what Jesus was teaching and very few if any people in this church thought she loved them.
For some believers – the desire for approval motivates their service. Their efforts only go as far as the amount of positive feedback they receive. They have to be thanked and identified or they get offended. Now --- I try to be a pastor who does thank those who serve……. but for Jesus – service expressed who he was and his service did not depend upon the response of others to him.
Comment: Some people serve naturally. For Jesus’s friend Martha, serving others came easily and graciously to her. For others, serving is an ordeal. Some of you feel that way…… If you do not feel confident at your effort – the service exhausts you or you become angry when your service goes unappreciated or noticed. On the flip side -- Some find it difficult to accept service from others. Being helped by others makes them feel inadequate or vulnerable. They are the kind of a person who is unable to be gracious when they are not in control. Some of you are like that….. I know I am. We need to remember that the true point of serving is to obey and imitate Jesus Christ.
When you allow someone else to serve you are giving that person the chance to obey God. Think about that.
Illustration: A student in a small bible school became disturbed over the condition of the men’s restrooms – they always seemed to be neglected. When nothing seemed to be done to eliminate the stinking problem, he took matters into his own hands and complained to the principal of the school. A little while later the student noticed that the problem was being corrected, but he saw to his amazement that the man with the mop and pail was the principle himself. The student said, I thought he would call the janitor, it was a major lesson to me and I asked myself why I had not taken care of the problem myself. Which one are you? The student or the principle?
Application:
*Do you know someone who needs a visit or a word of encouragement? COMMENT
*Do you have a possession you no longer use that would help someone else?
*Is there a menial task in our church that regularly goes unfilled?
*Are you depressed and totally focused on yourself? --- Find or search out something to do to help another believer or the church in someway --- I guarantee you that if you do so – you will find some measure of joy out of it.
*Find a person or opportunity that disgusts you – camel dung – it costs you your time – your convience and your common sense – do something tangible to or for that person – give them no money – serve them.
Submit yourself to another person in your church family and work alongside them as they ask you for help.
*Find a place to serve faithfully and regularly in your church family – learn to be fat – I know of someone who was gifted in an area but they were not humble --- few people thought that person loved them.
Closing: There’s a clever young guy named Somebody else – there’s nothing this guy can’t do. He is busy morning till way late at night, just substituting for you…. You’re asked to do this or you’re asked to do that – and what is your ready reply? Get somebody else to do that job, he’ll do it better than I. So much to do in this weary old world – so much and workers so few, and somebody else, all weary and worn, is still substituting for you. The next time you’re asked to do something worthwhile, just give this ready reply: If somebody else can give time and support, my goodness, so can I.
Worship Song: Make me a servant
November 22, 2009
John 13:1-20, 34,35
Pastor Ben Fleming
Turn in your bibles to John chapter 13. Many years ago a humble pastor served a very small church in a country town. His ministry was quiet – over the years only a few people came to faith in Jesus Christ. Year in and year out, the work became more and more discouraging to him. It was only years later that the faithful pastor found great joy in knowing that one of those persons who came to Christ under his service was (PHOTO) Charles Haddon Spurgeon, a man whom God later used to bring multitudes to faith in Jesus Christ. (BLANK) Today we are going to study the call to servant hood or service. Service or servant hood is not a subject that a pastor wants to speak about. Most of the time when church people hear this topic – they think he is going to ask them to sign up to do something. I guarantee you I am not going to do that.
In our text today – Jesus is washing his disciples feet. He has raised Lazarus from the dead. It is 6 days before the Passover and Jesus has come into the town where Lazarus lived (Bethany) (MAP) and a dinner is given in his honor – perhaps to thank him for raising Lazarus--- Martha is serving him and Mary anoints his feet with oil and wipes his feet with her hair – to a Jew – washing another person’s feet would be only done by the most menial slaves (remember that when we look at what Jesus is asking his disciples to do) ---(BLANK) and then the next day Jesus is making his way to Jerusalem for the Passover and he enters into the city – the people cut date palm branches and lay them down in the road as Jesus rode into the city on a donkey – (this is what is know as Palm Sunday) – Picture this event – there could have been as many as a million people coming to the city from all over the known world at that time. Jesus continues using this opportunity to teach the crowds around him and even though God spoke from heaven in a audible voice back to Jesus in reply to his prayer in verse 28 – the people still did not believe…. We then come to chapter 13 it is most likely a Thursday and Jesus is sharing the Passover meal with his disciples while in Jerusalem. Up to now we have been studying 3 years of Jesus ministry and now from chapter 13 to 19 will cover one night. vs 1 – 20, 34-35. READ
Background: (PHOTO) Jesus is with his disciples having the Passover meal together in Jerusalem – we think of this meal as the last supper– John says that before the Feast of the Passover – Jesus knew that the hour had come to depart out of this world – he knew it was time to go back to His Heavenly Father and John says – he loved his own who were in the world and He loved them to the end. John writes that during the supper which had already began – the devil had put it into the heart of Judas to betray Jesus. (BLANK) Jesus knew what was happening – because he knew the scriptures and the prophecies. John records that Jesus rose from the supper – he most likely was sitting on the floor – he took off his outer garments – took a towel and tied it around his waist --- notice what John does not say --- tradition would demand that those at the dinner had their feet washed before they sat down to eat --- so someone had already brought the basin with water and the towel….. The dinner had already begun and no one had had their feet washed. No one around the table was going to do the menial task……….Jesus must have been waiting and watching and listening to his disciples – the first course had been served and still no feet washed. Jesus got up ---- took off his outer garments and wrapped a towel around himself and came to Peter to wash his feet and Peter says – “do you wash my feet?” And Jesus says to him “you do not understand what I am going to do but later you will” – and Peter says “no way will you wash my feet” and Jesus says to him “if I do not you have no part of me” --- and then loose at the mouth Peter says – “hey do not just wash my feet but my hands and my head.” Jesus shows us here what is perhaps his last attempt to provoke Judas to really believe, he says in verse 10 “the one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet – but is completely clean – and you are clean – but not every one of you.”
He was refereing to salvation – forgiveness brings cleansing – salvation is a one time event – when you believe – you are washed – God forgives all of your sin in the past --- all of your sin in the present and all of your sin in the future ---- but Judas had not believed even though he was a disciple – his faith was false. This is the way some of you are today. You have a false faith. You are just like Judas. You need to come to Christ. You need to be washed.
Look back to verse 12 – Jesus put his garments back on after washing 12 sets of feet and says “do you understand what I have done to you? You guys call me your teacher – if your teacher washed your feet then you ought to wash each other’s feet – I have given you an example – you should do just as I have done. A servant is no greater than his master – nor is the messenger greater than the one who sent him – “if you know these things – blessed are you if you do them.”
Jesus then closes this particular section with the words found in (Vs. 34 -35) “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this will all people know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
A lot of people serve other people. We have an industry called the service industry. This is not what Jesus is talking about. He is talking about his followers – believers serving other believers. “By this will all people know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” You can say that you have love for other believers but if you are not engaged in serving them you are fooling yourself. You really do not have love for them. In the context of what just happened – Jesus is talking about serving those that you know by name and are close to – and if you want to spilt hairs – serving someone who is not your blood. There are many reasons why believers have to learn to serve one another. Serving others does not come easy. Serving others is something you have to learn and I have to learn. Jesus knew that it would increase our love for each other. He knew that it is one of the best ways to encourage another believer.
What does it require to serve like Jesus?
1. To be a servant requires humility – not gifting or position. Vs 4. “he rose from supper, He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist.” Can you imagine what John saw Jesus doing? Jesus was doing something that only the lowest servants in the house would do – he was washing the feet of someone who had walked through the streets – stepped in the mud puddles and the camel dung --- Jesus was washing off his men’s feet --- I imagine that he did not do the job half way – he got the camel dung out between their toes. The way John wrote this you know that the dinner had begun --- no one was going to do the job – perhaps the 12 guys were waiting for someone else to do it -- this is most likely what was going on because Jesus had already taken the opportunity before to speak to them before about humility and being a servant. On your outline:
Mark 9:33 – 35 (ESV) “And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, “what were you discussing on the way?” But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and a servant of all.” ---- humility was not a big strength with the disciples at this point. Humility is not a big strength with many believers. The church needs humble believers. The church needs believers who will wash other believers feet without being asked. The church needs believers who will pick up after other believers without being asked. The church needs believers who will be faithful – available and teachable. The church needs humble believers. When the church has humble believers you know that the people in that church are loved and they are loved like Jesus loved. Remember his command --
“love one another just as I have loved you – by this (the way you humbly serve each other) all men will know that you are my disciples.” Do you think people in Carson City know that you are a disciple by the way you serve others in your church family???? Are you humble? The minute you say you are – that is a prideful statement or thought and humility goes out the window. John Calvin wrote, “It is evident that man never attains to true self knowledge until he has previously contemplated the face of God, and come down after such contemplation to look into himself.” If we talk about humility we have to start with God – do we not?
Pastor C.J. Maheny wrote the book Humility – True Greatness – you ought to read it or listen to his message on humility…. he gives us a definition:
Humility = is honestly assessing ourselves in light of God’s holiness and our sinfulness. If you do that as a believer it will produce humility in you.
A humble believer is a servant. A servant is a lover of God’s people. You cannot be a lover of God’s people and not be one who sees the holiness of God and your own sinfulness. TO BE A SERVANT REQUIRES HUMILITY
2. To be a servant requires action or initiative. Vs. 5 “Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples feet and to wipe them with a towel that was wrapped around him.” Jesus did not wait to be asked to wash their feet – he could have asked or told someone else to do it – but no he does it. He saw the need and he responded to the need. Why is it that many believers do nothing unless they are asked? Why is it that many believers will not even serve when they are asked and say – “I am not gifted in that area” - I am already doing something else? I have thought about this for 15 years as a pastor. My best answer is to look at the word of God.
Matthew 23:11-12 (ESV) “The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” So great believers take action. Great believers get involved in serving other believers – they do not wait to be asked. Great believers are humble and they will serve others and many times NO ONE ELSE ever knows it…… Pastor D.L. Moody once said, “the measure of a man is not how many servants he has, but how many men he serves.” To be a servant requires action --- do not wait to be asked.
3. To be a servant requires obedience. (Vs. 16 -17) “Truly, truly I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” Obedience does not come naturally. Obedience is not convenient. Obedience is a choice that you have to make and a decisive action that you are going do something. Think about it: Did Jesus enjoy cleaning the camel dung out of Peter’s toes? There are people in a church family that God wants to you to serve that you would not enjoy serving. There are believers who are not grateful --- they are whinners and they keep asking and asking and asking. It is not our position as a servant to determine who is worthy to be served. We are called to obey and to obey is going to cost you. Paul puts it this way to the believers at Ephesus…
Ephesians 6:7- 8 “rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does he will receive back from the Lord…” TO BE A SERVANT REQUIRES OBEDIENCE
4. To be a servant requires love for others. vs. 35 “by this all men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another” How is your love for Jesus demonstrated? How do you love other believers in Christ – you love them if you humbly serve them. Ok – is Jesus saying that service produces love for other believers or does love for other believers produce service? THINK: There are people who serve people and they are natural at it but that does not mean that they love with the love of Jesus Christ……. When you become a believer in Christ – the love of Christ is poured out into your heart and you were never meant to be a vessel without a funnel. Every believer is to be a funnel of the love of Christ. The more you love Christ – the more you will love other people. The more you love Christ - the greater will be your ability to love people who are hard to love and let me tell you that there a lot of people like that in the church today.
Why does it seem that women serve more than men? Is it because women have a greater grasp on love? Is it because women tend to be humble and men are proud? In God’s economy – the same Holy Spirit lives in women and men --- it does not matter --- the love of Christ has been poured out into a believer and therefore – believers are to love and that love shows itself in serving other believers and Jesus says by this all men will know that you are my disciples because you have love for one another. Do you think people see us as a church that loves each other????????
Look what Paul says Galatians 5:13-15 “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other” -- so Paul says as a believer you are free and you can use that freedom to indulge your sinful nature or you can use that freedom to serve another believer.
So – if I am not serving others then I obviously am serving myself and indulging myself.
A woman came to me after a service one Sunday sometime ago when I spoke on servant hood and said – “I really do not bother serving anyone in this church I serve others at my workplace” She was missing completely what Jesus was teaching and very few if any people in this church thought she loved them.
For some believers – the desire for approval motivates their service. Their efforts only go as far as the amount of positive feedback they receive. They have to be thanked and identified or they get offended. Now --- I try to be a pastor who does thank those who serve……. but for Jesus – service expressed who he was and his service did not depend upon the response of others to him.
Comment: Some people serve naturally. For Jesus’s friend Martha, serving others came easily and graciously to her. For others, serving is an ordeal. Some of you feel that way…… If you do not feel confident at your effort – the service exhausts you or you become angry when your service goes unappreciated or noticed. On the flip side -- Some find it difficult to accept service from others. Being helped by others makes them feel inadequate or vulnerable. They are the kind of a person who is unable to be gracious when they are not in control. Some of you are like that….. I know I am. We need to remember that the true point of serving is to obey and imitate Jesus Christ.
When you allow someone else to serve you are giving that person the chance to obey God. Think about that.
Illustration: A student in a small bible school became disturbed over the condition of the men’s restrooms – they always seemed to be neglected. When nothing seemed to be done to eliminate the stinking problem, he took matters into his own hands and complained to the principal of the school. A little while later the student noticed that the problem was being corrected, but he saw to his amazement that the man with the mop and pail was the principle himself. The student said, I thought he would call the janitor, it was a major lesson to me and I asked myself why I had not taken care of the problem myself. Which one are you? The student or the principle?
Application:
*Do you know someone who needs a visit or a word of encouragement? COMMENT
*Do you have a possession you no longer use that would help someone else?
*Is there a menial task in our church that regularly goes unfilled?
*Are you depressed and totally focused on yourself? --- Find or search out something to do to help another believer or the church in someway --- I guarantee you that if you do so – you will find some measure of joy out of it.
*Find a person or opportunity that disgusts you – camel dung – it costs you your time – your convience and your common sense – do something tangible to or for that person – give them no money – serve them.
Submit yourself to another person in your church family and work alongside them as they ask you for help.
*Find a place to serve faithfully and regularly in your church family – learn to be fat – I know of someone who was gifted in an area but they were not humble --- few people thought that person loved them.
Closing: There’s a clever young guy named Somebody else – there’s nothing this guy can’t do. He is busy morning till way late at night, just substituting for you…. You’re asked to do this or you’re asked to do that – and what is your ready reply? Get somebody else to do that job, he’ll do it better than I. So much to do in this weary old world – so much and workers so few, and somebody else, all weary and worn, is still substituting for you. The next time you’re asked to do something worthwhile, just give this ready reply: If somebody else can give time and support, my goodness, so can I.
Worship Song: Make me a servant
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
John #19
Suffering and God’s Glory
John 11:1- 44
November 15, 2009
Pastor Ben Fleming
Turn in your bible to John chp 11. Men are always seeking an explanation for suffering – they want to know why and what or who caused it. They look backward for a connection between prior sin and present suffering – you have done and I have done it. But if we believe the bible – the bible looks forward in hope and seeks explanations not in the cause of the suffering but in the results suffering. We skipped John 9 about the man born blind and when Jesus was asked who sinned – Jesus said – “this has happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” Jesus did not blame anyone. He knew that suffering can do many things in a believers life – it can burn out un holiness and purify us and it can also burn in the promises of God and lead us to a stronger….. and a closer dependence upon him which displays the work of God in our lives. We are going to read a story that John tells in this gospel where Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. John 11: 1 - 44 Please stay seated….
Expound : Jesus is on the other side of the Jordan river – Mary and Martha were in their home at Bethany which is just 2 miles outside of Jerusalem and their brother Lazarus was ill and the sisters sent a message to Jesus – “he whom you love is ill”. Jesus was across the Jordan River where John the Baptist started baptizing people. When Jesus heard the words – he said, “this illness does not lead to death” – he was talking about the final death but for those who heard him – Jesus said – “this illness is for the glory of god, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” In chp 9 – Jesus said to the disciples about the man born blind – “it was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.”
That may not mean much to you – but it does with me even now as I remember thinking – “God what did my son and daughter in law do to deserve what they have gone through” – we often want to know why and we want to find some reason for what is happening to us or to someone else. We have a victim mindset and that causes us to have an urge to blame something or someone – and especially God. If you look at verse 5 – 6 – I think it sounds odd --- it says that “Jesus loved Martha and Mary and Lazarus but the text says he stayed two days longer in the place where he was” --- I do not know about you but my thoughts are that when you hear someone close to you is on their death bed – you go and you go right away – but not Jesus – no Jesus trusted God and he knew that God was in control – he knew God’s timing and that whatever happened to Lazarus – God was going to be glorified. I think about why Jesus did not high tale it back to Bethany but I also ponder “what did he do for those two days that he delayed?” --- you know he did not waste the time and you know that Lazarus was still on his mind. I think back to the point that Dr Null tried to drive home to us --- “make the most of the moment”. Even though the bible does not tell us what he did – Jesus made the most of those two days………….
He knew that Mary and Martha were suffering as they saw their brother dying – most likely Lazarus died as the messenger was bringing the news to Jesus. Jesus finally says to his men – “let’s go back to Judea” and on the way – Jesus says that Lazarus has died. He knew that because he was omniscience or all knowing. When Jesus got back to Bethany (verse 17) tells us that he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for 4 days. There is no doubt that Lazarus was dead – Mary and Martha were not the only witnesses to his death. Martha – comes out to greet Jesus and says “Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died.” And then she shows her faith and says – “but I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” – Jesus says to her – “your brother will rise again” and Martha is simply thinking – yes I know he will rise again on the last day – and then Jesus says “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me even though they die – will live and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.”
Jesus was talking about eternal life – a believer in Christ will never experience eternal death… and then Martha says – “yes Lord” – I believe that you are the Christ – the Son of God.” John writes down for us that Martha then turned around and went to get her sister Mary and said to her in private – “the teacher is here and calling for you” – (is there a lot here that we can learn from Jesus in how to minister to people who are grieving?) Comments… Dick --- Terry Mary got up and went to Jesus and said – “if you had been here my brother would not have died” – (second time a woman says this to Jesus) - Jesus did not tell here off or correct her --- Comments… Jesus saw her weeping and those around her and he was moved in his emotions – he did not rebuke her or give any nice spiritual comments – he asked where they had placed Lazarus (his focus was on the one the people were grieving over) and then it says Jesus wept…… We see the human side of Jesus in suffering and we see the supernatural side of Jesus in suffering. Remember when you suffer with others --- often it is not words they need but your presence and your tears. There is not a person here this morning who cannot give their presence to another person who is suffering. Stop using the excuse – “I do not know what to say.” My son said – that was the most common comment he got from good meaning Christians. Comment…..
Jesus comes to the tomb and gives the command – “take away the stone” and Mary the sister says – “Lord – he has been dead four days” – “there will be an odor” – and Jesus says – “did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God.” They rolled the stone away and Jesus prays out loud – he did so not for himself but for the people around him so that they may believe ---- Comment on praying out loud with others….
John records that “Jesus cried out with a loud voice – Lazarus come out.” Augustine says that Jesus had to call out Lazarus by name for if he had not – all the dead would have come out of their graves.”
Jesus did not say one careless word during his time on this earth and the apostle John made certain to record for us the right words of Jesus. Lazarus comes out of the tomb wrapped in the grave clothes – what was physically dead was now physically alive. --- THINK ABOUT IT: Jesus almost always had large crowds around him – so you know that at the minimum 50 – 100 people witnessed this miracle. Notice what verse 45 says – “Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him.” Jesus brought glory to God by what He did.
Suffering comes in many forms. It is not just the death of a loved one like Lazarus but suffering can be short and suffering can be life long – Brady – you know that. Suffering can be an accident like a broken hip – suffering can be cancer or a tumor or a birth defect. Suffering can be the loosing of our sight or hearing – Suffering can be a loss --- loss of a loved one --- loss of a job ---- loss of a marriage ----- loss of a friendship. Suffering can be lonliness ----- it can be a bad relationship or no good relationships – suffering can be a result of bad decisions that we make and we cannot get out of the consequences they bring upon us. You would be surprised at the number of Christians who suffering from STD’s. It does not matter what it is – the point we are looking at today --- for the believer… suffering is to bring glory to God. We have the choice in how we participate in the suffering that we go through. TAKE THE PAPER AND READ IT……….
Story: Phillip Yancey writes, Doug had gone through 12 years of schooling – a highly trained professional who was offered a job paying $200,000 a year, he turned the job down to take his wife Julie and three kids into the inner city and join a ministry to the poor. Doug and Julie thrived in this inner city setting – they saw many come to faith in Christ and they were very active in their inner city church. 39 year old Julie discovered a lump in her breast – doctors removed it but two years later cancer had spread to her lungs. Doug took over many of the household chores –while his wife battled chemo. She could not hold down food – she lost her hair and she battled fear and depression. One night, Doug was driving down the street with his wife and 12 year old daughter Joy. A drunk driver swerved across the center line and smashed head on into their car. Julie was badly shaken, but unhurt. Joy had a broken arm but Doug was the worst with a massive blow to the head. After the accident – Doug never knew when a headache would strike – he would become disoriented and forgetful. Worse – the accident permanently affected his vision. He developed double vision – he could barely walk down stairs without assistance. Doug learned to cope with his disabilities but one – he could not read more than a page or two at a time. All his life – Doug loved books. Now he was restricted to the limited selections and the sluggish pace of recorded books. When Doug ate – it required great concentration and care. When Doug was asked – What have you learned that might help someone going through a difficult time of suffering in their life. He said, “First off, I really have not been disappointed with God, I have learned first through my wife’s illness and then my accident --- not to confuse God with life.
I am not a stoic or a fatalist – I am upset at my accident and I feel free to curse the unfairness of life and to vent all my anger and grief --- but I believe God feels the same way I do about my wife and the accident --- grieved and angry --- I do not blame God for what happened.
I have learned to see beyond the physical reality in this world to the spiritual reality. We tend to think life should be fair because God is fair. But God is not life --- by expecting constant good health – for example – then I set myself up for crashing disappointment.
God’s existence, even his love for me, does not depend upon my good health. Frankly, I’ve had more time and opportunity to work on my relationship with God during my impairment than before.” ------my son gave me this story…… we can choose to bring glory to God and pursue that glory just like Doug did even if our suffering is never as severe as his. ---------- lay the paper down and pick another one……..
Story: Nine year old Allison wrote these words during the time of her younger brother Christopher’s brain tumor: “As life goes by some things change but others seem just to stay. I’ve always known that he is with me but now I know He sees right through me. I feel as though I’ve been cheated one whole year – and no chance to complete it. Some people say that life is fair through from my experience I feel as though God does not care. I used to wonder if my life would break, when the next sob I would take. When I lie alone in bed, the place for where I rest my head. I see the stars and moon above and that is when I know I’m loved. ------
Some believers suffer through different challenges. Story: Wendy is a sincere – intelligent Christian woman who has know the Lord Jesus for many years. She is a housewife and mother – she graduated first in her class from nursing school and is considered extremely capable and dependable in the hospital setting. For several years – she had been struggling with deep depression – not spiritual or intellectual – but linked to her inability to experientially know the love of God because the love she had known as a child was so conditional. She writes these words: “Looking back, trying to find an answer, grabs at the inner deep feelings and emotions, wrenches like a cut of a sharp object into a very tender area; sharp, stinging, then dull and aching. It is choking me, cutting off my air supply, I have a sensation of impending doom…
I hurt, yet I do not want to ask for help. I must get help; somehow I have to reach out and admit my need or end my life. I want to live, though; somehow I need permission from within myself to go on living. I know God loves me. I know I need the fullness of his love. But do I dare accept it… I am afraid to accept God’s love for fear of rejection most of all. Do I want to believe in God. Do I dare to trust Him? I don’t know. Ps. Lord, let me experience the joy of your salvation. I want to believe. Suffering comes in various forms. ----------
I pray that my family has brought and continues to bring God glory through the trials we have had with Ben and Becky. God has given us the choice in how we respond. He has given us the words to say when we did not know what to say – I can’t say that there have not been times of doubting and times of fear – but if we learn to listen to the Holy Spirit God empowers us to hear him and listen to what He is doing.
Isaiah 63:7 I will tell of the kindness and the goodness of the Lord.” Time and time again I get that chance – it is my choice if I bring glory to God in the suffering. I am reminded again of the text Dr Null took us through in 2 Peter 1:6 “…make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue and virtue with knowledge and knowledge with self control and self control with steadfastness… Maybe believers do not bring glory God in their suffering because the choose to make no effort?
How Does Suffering Glorify God?
1. Suffering develops our Christian character as we exercise patience. Trials and suffering gives us opportunities to be an example of strength, courage, and dependence on God to unbelievers and believers. I have to say that I continue to learn this one. My grand daughter Charity is doing well – but she still has one kidney that is small – she has little cerebellum – she has loss or no hearing in one ear and other minor defects. I can choose to focus ahead and worry ahead and fear for my son and daughter in law.
I have passed by disabled students at the schools and wonder – but I know that God is producing patience in me. I was so encouraged to read the quote on Becky’s facebook – she is a young mother who is learning to bring glory to God in her suffering (SLIDE) “Don’t waste life with worry… focus on the moment.”
2. Suffering weans us from life’s attractions, diversions, and illusions as we focus on God for help. Suffering drives a believer to the face of God. Suffering helps to keep our hearts focused on what really matters instead of this trivial world around us.
3. Suffering reveals the flimsy grip we have on health and prosperity in this life as we realize that we must trust in God for our security.
4. Suffering intensifies our desire to be with God in eternity, where we will receive new bodies and be reunited with the loved ones who have gone before us. I think those who are suffering with life long disease reflect this point the most – Brady – you stand out for me here.
5. Suffering provides opportunities to portray how God’s timing expresses his love to us. All through the loss of Caleb and the birth and this journey with Charity that we are on – I have to say for me I have walked in a fuller side of the love God. I thought I knew God pretty well over the past 35 years but this past year has been one of the deepening of the love of God in my own life.
How Can You Bring God Glory In Suffering?
* Rejoice in your suffering, not because you like pain, but because you know God is using life’s difficulties to develop your perseverance. Ask God for the strength to deal with your suffering in every difficulty. Godly suffering is never in silence and you will never rejoice in your suffering in silence. God never designed it that way. Suffering in silence is sin --- its pride
Romans 5:3- 5 “More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
* Learn from what God is teaching you in the suffering. I remember the message on Father’s Day June 15, 2008 – 5 days after my grandson died. “do not waste the lessons from the test”. Trials and suffering are a sign of God’s love for you. You bring glory to God when you learn what He is teaching you in the suffering and then live that out.
Hebrews 12:5 – 6 “…My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” Vs 8 If you are left without discipline, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.”
* Expect that your life is going to become more pleasing to God as a result of the suffering. If God uses the suffering to purify you – then expect that you are going to become more pleasing to God and less pleasing to sin.
1 Peter 1:6 -7 “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith of your faith – more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire – may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
------------LET US PRAY…………………….
Brady to close use
Refiners Fire
John 11:1- 44
November 15, 2009
Pastor Ben Fleming
Turn in your bible to John chp 11. Men are always seeking an explanation for suffering – they want to know why and what or who caused it. They look backward for a connection between prior sin and present suffering – you have done and I have done it. But if we believe the bible – the bible looks forward in hope and seeks explanations not in the cause of the suffering but in the results suffering. We skipped John 9 about the man born blind and when Jesus was asked who sinned – Jesus said – “this has happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” Jesus did not blame anyone. He knew that suffering can do many things in a believers life – it can burn out un holiness and purify us and it can also burn in the promises of God and lead us to a stronger….. and a closer dependence upon him which displays the work of God in our lives. We are going to read a story that John tells in this gospel where Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. John 11: 1 - 44 Please stay seated….
Expound : Jesus is on the other side of the Jordan river – Mary and Martha were in their home at Bethany which is just 2 miles outside of Jerusalem and their brother Lazarus was ill and the sisters sent a message to Jesus – “he whom you love is ill”. Jesus was across the Jordan River where John the Baptist started baptizing people. When Jesus heard the words – he said, “this illness does not lead to death” – he was talking about the final death but for those who heard him – Jesus said – “this illness is for the glory of god, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” In chp 9 – Jesus said to the disciples about the man born blind – “it was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.”
That may not mean much to you – but it does with me even now as I remember thinking – “God what did my son and daughter in law do to deserve what they have gone through” – we often want to know why and we want to find some reason for what is happening to us or to someone else. We have a victim mindset and that causes us to have an urge to blame something or someone – and especially God. If you look at verse 5 – 6 – I think it sounds odd --- it says that “Jesus loved Martha and Mary and Lazarus but the text says he stayed two days longer in the place where he was” --- I do not know about you but my thoughts are that when you hear someone close to you is on their death bed – you go and you go right away – but not Jesus – no Jesus trusted God and he knew that God was in control – he knew God’s timing and that whatever happened to Lazarus – God was going to be glorified. I think about why Jesus did not high tale it back to Bethany but I also ponder “what did he do for those two days that he delayed?” --- you know he did not waste the time and you know that Lazarus was still on his mind. I think back to the point that Dr Null tried to drive home to us --- “make the most of the moment”. Even though the bible does not tell us what he did – Jesus made the most of those two days………….
He knew that Mary and Martha were suffering as they saw their brother dying – most likely Lazarus died as the messenger was bringing the news to Jesus. Jesus finally says to his men – “let’s go back to Judea” and on the way – Jesus says that Lazarus has died. He knew that because he was omniscience or all knowing. When Jesus got back to Bethany (verse 17) tells us that he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for 4 days. There is no doubt that Lazarus was dead – Mary and Martha were not the only witnesses to his death. Martha – comes out to greet Jesus and says “Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died.” And then she shows her faith and says – “but I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” – Jesus says to her – “your brother will rise again” and Martha is simply thinking – yes I know he will rise again on the last day – and then Jesus says “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me even though they die – will live and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.”
Jesus was talking about eternal life – a believer in Christ will never experience eternal death… and then Martha says – “yes Lord” – I believe that you are the Christ – the Son of God.” John writes down for us that Martha then turned around and went to get her sister Mary and said to her in private – “the teacher is here and calling for you” – (is there a lot here that we can learn from Jesus in how to minister to people who are grieving?) Comments… Dick --- Terry Mary got up and went to Jesus and said – “if you had been here my brother would not have died” – (second time a woman says this to Jesus) - Jesus did not tell here off or correct her --- Comments… Jesus saw her weeping and those around her and he was moved in his emotions – he did not rebuke her or give any nice spiritual comments – he asked where they had placed Lazarus (his focus was on the one the people were grieving over) and then it says Jesus wept…… We see the human side of Jesus in suffering and we see the supernatural side of Jesus in suffering. Remember when you suffer with others --- often it is not words they need but your presence and your tears. There is not a person here this morning who cannot give their presence to another person who is suffering. Stop using the excuse – “I do not know what to say.” My son said – that was the most common comment he got from good meaning Christians. Comment…..
Jesus comes to the tomb and gives the command – “take away the stone” and Mary the sister says – “Lord – he has been dead four days” – “there will be an odor” – and Jesus says – “did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God.” They rolled the stone away and Jesus prays out loud – he did so not for himself but for the people around him so that they may believe ---- Comment on praying out loud with others….
John records that “Jesus cried out with a loud voice – Lazarus come out.” Augustine says that Jesus had to call out Lazarus by name for if he had not – all the dead would have come out of their graves.”
Jesus did not say one careless word during his time on this earth and the apostle John made certain to record for us the right words of Jesus. Lazarus comes out of the tomb wrapped in the grave clothes – what was physically dead was now physically alive. --- THINK ABOUT IT: Jesus almost always had large crowds around him – so you know that at the minimum 50 – 100 people witnessed this miracle. Notice what verse 45 says – “Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him.” Jesus brought glory to God by what He did.
Suffering comes in many forms. It is not just the death of a loved one like Lazarus but suffering can be short and suffering can be life long – Brady – you know that. Suffering can be an accident like a broken hip – suffering can be cancer or a tumor or a birth defect. Suffering can be the loosing of our sight or hearing – Suffering can be a loss --- loss of a loved one --- loss of a job ---- loss of a marriage ----- loss of a friendship. Suffering can be lonliness ----- it can be a bad relationship or no good relationships – suffering can be a result of bad decisions that we make and we cannot get out of the consequences they bring upon us. You would be surprised at the number of Christians who suffering from STD’s. It does not matter what it is – the point we are looking at today --- for the believer… suffering is to bring glory to God. We have the choice in how we participate in the suffering that we go through. TAKE THE PAPER AND READ IT……….
Story: Phillip Yancey writes, Doug had gone through 12 years of schooling – a highly trained professional who was offered a job paying $200,000 a year, he turned the job down to take his wife Julie and three kids into the inner city and join a ministry to the poor. Doug and Julie thrived in this inner city setting – they saw many come to faith in Christ and they were very active in their inner city church. 39 year old Julie discovered a lump in her breast – doctors removed it but two years later cancer had spread to her lungs. Doug took over many of the household chores –while his wife battled chemo. She could not hold down food – she lost her hair and she battled fear and depression. One night, Doug was driving down the street with his wife and 12 year old daughter Joy. A drunk driver swerved across the center line and smashed head on into their car. Julie was badly shaken, but unhurt. Joy had a broken arm but Doug was the worst with a massive blow to the head. After the accident – Doug never knew when a headache would strike – he would become disoriented and forgetful. Worse – the accident permanently affected his vision. He developed double vision – he could barely walk down stairs without assistance. Doug learned to cope with his disabilities but one – he could not read more than a page or two at a time. All his life – Doug loved books. Now he was restricted to the limited selections and the sluggish pace of recorded books. When Doug ate – it required great concentration and care. When Doug was asked – What have you learned that might help someone going through a difficult time of suffering in their life. He said, “First off, I really have not been disappointed with God, I have learned first through my wife’s illness and then my accident --- not to confuse God with life.
I am not a stoic or a fatalist – I am upset at my accident and I feel free to curse the unfairness of life and to vent all my anger and grief --- but I believe God feels the same way I do about my wife and the accident --- grieved and angry --- I do not blame God for what happened.
I have learned to see beyond the physical reality in this world to the spiritual reality. We tend to think life should be fair because God is fair. But God is not life --- by expecting constant good health – for example – then I set myself up for crashing disappointment.
God’s existence, even his love for me, does not depend upon my good health. Frankly, I’ve had more time and opportunity to work on my relationship with God during my impairment than before.” ------my son gave me this story…… we can choose to bring glory to God and pursue that glory just like Doug did even if our suffering is never as severe as his. ---------- lay the paper down and pick another one……..
Story: Nine year old Allison wrote these words during the time of her younger brother Christopher’s brain tumor: “As life goes by some things change but others seem just to stay. I’ve always known that he is with me but now I know He sees right through me. I feel as though I’ve been cheated one whole year – and no chance to complete it. Some people say that life is fair through from my experience I feel as though God does not care. I used to wonder if my life would break, when the next sob I would take. When I lie alone in bed, the place for where I rest my head. I see the stars and moon above and that is when I know I’m loved. ------
Some believers suffer through different challenges. Story: Wendy is a sincere – intelligent Christian woman who has know the Lord Jesus for many years. She is a housewife and mother – she graduated first in her class from nursing school and is considered extremely capable and dependable in the hospital setting. For several years – she had been struggling with deep depression – not spiritual or intellectual – but linked to her inability to experientially know the love of God because the love she had known as a child was so conditional. She writes these words: “Looking back, trying to find an answer, grabs at the inner deep feelings and emotions, wrenches like a cut of a sharp object into a very tender area; sharp, stinging, then dull and aching. It is choking me, cutting off my air supply, I have a sensation of impending doom…
I hurt, yet I do not want to ask for help. I must get help; somehow I have to reach out and admit my need or end my life. I want to live, though; somehow I need permission from within myself to go on living. I know God loves me. I know I need the fullness of his love. But do I dare accept it… I am afraid to accept God’s love for fear of rejection most of all. Do I want to believe in God. Do I dare to trust Him? I don’t know. Ps. Lord, let me experience the joy of your salvation. I want to believe. Suffering comes in various forms. ----------
I pray that my family has brought and continues to bring God glory through the trials we have had with Ben and Becky. God has given us the choice in how we respond. He has given us the words to say when we did not know what to say – I can’t say that there have not been times of doubting and times of fear – but if we learn to listen to the Holy Spirit God empowers us to hear him and listen to what He is doing.
Isaiah 63:7 I will tell of the kindness and the goodness of the Lord.” Time and time again I get that chance – it is my choice if I bring glory to God in the suffering. I am reminded again of the text Dr Null took us through in 2 Peter 1:6 “…make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue and virtue with knowledge and knowledge with self control and self control with steadfastness… Maybe believers do not bring glory God in their suffering because the choose to make no effort?
How Does Suffering Glorify God?
1. Suffering develops our Christian character as we exercise patience. Trials and suffering gives us opportunities to be an example of strength, courage, and dependence on God to unbelievers and believers. I have to say that I continue to learn this one. My grand daughter Charity is doing well – but she still has one kidney that is small – she has little cerebellum – she has loss or no hearing in one ear and other minor defects. I can choose to focus ahead and worry ahead and fear for my son and daughter in law.
I have passed by disabled students at the schools and wonder – but I know that God is producing patience in me. I was so encouraged to read the quote on Becky’s facebook – she is a young mother who is learning to bring glory to God in her suffering (SLIDE) “Don’t waste life with worry… focus on the moment.”
2. Suffering weans us from life’s attractions, diversions, and illusions as we focus on God for help. Suffering drives a believer to the face of God. Suffering helps to keep our hearts focused on what really matters instead of this trivial world around us.
3. Suffering reveals the flimsy grip we have on health and prosperity in this life as we realize that we must trust in God for our security.
4. Suffering intensifies our desire to be with God in eternity, where we will receive new bodies and be reunited with the loved ones who have gone before us. I think those who are suffering with life long disease reflect this point the most – Brady – you stand out for me here.
5. Suffering provides opportunities to portray how God’s timing expresses his love to us. All through the loss of Caleb and the birth and this journey with Charity that we are on – I have to say for me I have walked in a fuller side of the love God. I thought I knew God pretty well over the past 35 years but this past year has been one of the deepening of the love of God in my own life.
How Can You Bring God Glory In Suffering?
* Rejoice in your suffering, not because you like pain, but because you know God is using life’s difficulties to develop your perseverance. Ask God for the strength to deal with your suffering in every difficulty. Godly suffering is never in silence and you will never rejoice in your suffering in silence. God never designed it that way. Suffering in silence is sin --- its pride
Romans 5:3- 5 “More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
* Learn from what God is teaching you in the suffering. I remember the message on Father’s Day June 15, 2008 – 5 days after my grandson died. “do not waste the lessons from the test”. Trials and suffering are a sign of God’s love for you. You bring glory to God when you learn what He is teaching you in the suffering and then live that out.
Hebrews 12:5 – 6 “…My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” Vs 8 If you are left without discipline, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.”
* Expect that your life is going to become more pleasing to God as a result of the suffering. If God uses the suffering to purify you – then expect that you are going to become more pleasing to God and less pleasing to sin.
1 Peter 1:6 -7 “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith of your faith – more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire – may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
------------LET US PRAY…………………….
Brady to close use
Refiners Fire
John #18
Can You Lose Your Salvation?
Pastor Ben Fleming
John 10:22-30
November 8, 2000
Take your bible and turn to John 10. Last week we began to look at the relationship that Jesus says that he has with his sheep. In chapter 8 we looked at what a true disciple of Jesus Christ looks like. Today I want to walk through with you what Jesus says about his relationship with His sheep. We are going to examine the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints. Some call it eternal security. Once a person is a believer in Jesus Christ will they always be a believer? Once a person comes to God will they always be with God? How will a person continue to the very end? Can I loose my salvation?
There are people who call themselves a believer in Christ and yet they do not have the assurance of their salvation --- there are people who think they are saved and actually are lost and there are people who do what they do spiritually in hopes of pleasing God and trying their best to get salvation. R.C. Sproll writes, “If a person’s confidence in their salvation rests in a confidence in themselves – that is arrogance – if they are sure they will go to heaven because they think they deserve to go to heaven – that is unspeakable arrogance.”
I realize that this is a (doctrine) that some go one way on and others go a different way. Roman Catholics say “if anyone says that a man once justified cannot lose grace and therefore that he who falls and sins never was truly justified – let him be accursed.” Protestant Arminians say, “persons truly regenerate or saved, by neglecting grace and grieving the Holy Spirit – fall away totally and finally, from grace into eternal damnation.” Well – I do not want to speak to you from a denominational view but I will of course speak to how I see the scriptures. Both of the views I just mentioned I believe are what we would call unsound doctrine.
To understand how you should believe or form your doctrine – it is always best to look at scripture and weigh what it teaches. For example: How many sections of the bible teach one way and how many sections seem to teach another way. For our study today, there are a few sections of the bible that seem to teach that a person can loose their salvation or walk away from God but I say to you up front that there are many many more sections of the bible that teach the opposite – there is a tension. I hope I can be fair in how I address that tension. I propose to you that the weight of the bible teaches that once a person comes to true genuine faith in Christ --- scripture teaches that God will carry them through in that relationship. This is what I want to bring out to you today in our study in John 10 and I do understand that this is deep thinking. Please stand : John 10:22 - 30.
Bible scholars say that there is a gap of two months between verse 21 and verse 22. – John says that it was the time of the Feast of the Dedication or as it is known today as Hanukkah or the Feast of Lights which took place in Winter. Since it was in winter – this could have explained why Jesus was walking in the temple and especially in the portico of Solomon – (PHOTO) here is a photo of the remains of Solomons Temple. What you see is a portion of the portico. Jesus was walking there – it was on the east side of the temple away from the weather – many people gathered there and we could assume that among the people – were the religious leaders who heard him in chapter 8 - 9.
(BLANK) They asked him – “How long will you keep us in suspense – if you are the Christ --- tell us plainly….” They were asking the right question but the intent of their question was to trap him so that they could publically hear him say that he was the Messiah and arrest him. Jesus says to them – “I told you and you do not believe me – the works that I do in My Father’s name – these testify of me” --- he is talking about the last 3 years of his ministry and then he says – “you do not believe because you are not my sheep” – he is coming back to the sheep theme again that we left from last week.
Look what Jesus says again about his relationship with those who do believe. “My sheep hear my voice” --- He knows those who are his sheep and they follow him – he gives them eternal life and because he has given it to them they will never perish and no one will snatch them out of his fathers hand. And to drive the point home harder he says – (vs.29) “My Father who has given them to me is greater than all and no one is able to snatch them out of my fathers hand.”
No where in the bible is there such a strong teaching on the assurance that true genuine sheep of the Lord Jesus will need never fear being lost. But….. a person must not be a fool and think – oh – I have Jesus – I am saved – I believe – I have been baptized and said a prayer --- therefore – I can live my life like I want to --- I can do anything I want to – I am still saved regardless of how I live ---- that is foolish thinking and a person who thinks that way is not a true disciple of Jesus. Time and Time again we are warned… Hebrews 2:1 “we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away.” Hebrews 3:12 -13 “See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that you may not be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.”
There is in the perseverance of a believer ….. man’s part – but as many of the saints of the past have said – every believer at times may walk into a phase of life where they face as Martin Luther has spoken of that phase, “the unbridled assault of Satan” or the “dark night of the soul.” Paul experienced such: 2 Corinthians 4:7 “We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed, we are perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted but not forsaken, struck down but not destroyed” – many of you have gone through that kind of a phase and some of your are going to go through the dark night of your soul --- one can only imagine what Paul went through. When it seems like a person turns away from God who once seemed to love God and live for God --- what do we think???? Did they loose their salvation? Some say that God will not leave me but I can leave God. What about that person who does fall away and turns from God. Hebrews 12:6 - 8 “the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son. Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father. If you are not disciplined, then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.” So from this text we can say God will discipline and punish those who are his children who turn away from Him – through rebellion or unholy living. If someone is not punished or disciplined we have to assume because of the scripture they were in the first place not a true son or daughter in Christ…. There are boundless scriptures that tell us to work out or salvation, to run the race, to be patient, to stand firm and as Dr Null went through with us in 2 Peter --- we are to make every effort. We are commanded to guard what has been entrusted to us and in John 15 Jesus says “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love” --- I could go on and on --- there is a great responsibility of man to participate in the journey through and towards salvation. God gives man a part.
And there is of course one scripture that seems to say very clearly that man can fall away from God. Hebrews 6:4 – 6 “It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance.” I could spend the rest of this time explaining that text – but that is not where we are today – we are examining Jesus the Great Shepherd and what He says about his sheep and how he is able to keep them to the very end. So --- go back to the text with me. John 10:22. There are seven facts in these verses that Jesus says about keeping those who are His to the very end.
Security of the Believer
1. Believers are the sheep of Jesus. He is their shepherd. So it is the duty of the shepherd to protect the flock. This is what we have been hearing from Jesus in this chapter. In John 6:39 Jesus said previously, “And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” Even though man does have the responsibility of running the race of the Christian life and holding onto the truths of God and obeying God – think about it……. To insist that a true Christian can somehow be lost and loose their salvation is to deny the truth of what Jesus said. “I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day,” It also defames his character – making Him out to be an incompetent shepherd, unable to hold on to those that His Father entrusted to Him . It takes the sovereignty of God and gives it to man. Fact #1 Believers are the sheep of Jesus the chief Shepherd.
2. Believers hear only His voice and follow only Him. Do you remember last week in verse 10:5
“But they will never follow a stranger, in fact, they will run away because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” How do you know the voice of the shepherd? If you are his sheep – he has given you His Holy Spirit and His Holy Spirit will convict you of you sin. John 16:8 “When he the Holy Spirit comes – He will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment.” Conviction of sin is hearing the voice of the shepherd. You cannot be one of his sheep and not have the Holy Spirit dwelling with in you and the Shepherd has given us His Word so that we may obey the shepherd and follow only Him. The Good Shepherd has given us his book the bible and he speaks to his sheep through that book. I hear of Mormans who were once Baptist and now they claim they have the now found the “restored truth revealed by the Mormans” – they did not read or hear the Word of God – they did not have the Holy Spirit dwelling within them. Fact #2 Believers hear the voice of the Good Shepherd and follow only Him.
3. Believers who are Christ’s sheep have eternal life. To speak of having eternal life and then you loose eternal life or it ends is a contradiction of terms. Does Christ give someone eternal life and then take it away or that person says no Jesus I do not want it any more? In verse 28 – Jesus says- “I give them eternal life and they shall never perish, no one can snatch them out of my fathers hand.” That is pretty clear is it not? If believers cannot be sure of their salvation and sure that God will keep them then we have to doubt other scriptures. Paul wrote this promise in Philippians
Philippians 1:6 “ He who has begun a good work in you will complete until the day of Christ Jesus.” If one can loose their salvation or walk away from God then this promise is not valid. You would have to say that God can only complete the work in a person as long as the person decides to remain a believer. The promises of God begin to be dependant upon man and that is heresy. FACT #4
4. Christ gives eternal life to his sheep. Since his sheep did nothing to earn eternal life they can do nothing to loose it. So – it is Christ who gives eternal life to a person – the person does not choose eternal life – the person does not deserve or earn eternal life – it is given to them.
Ephesians 2:8 - 9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is a gift from God – not by works, so that no one can boast.” So – salvation or eternal life is a gift that has been given to a person and that person receives that gift through faith.
5. Christ promised that his sheep would never perish. Think about it: if one of this sheep did – then that would make Christ a liar. Remember: these are the words of Christ – this is truth – it does not change due to the condition or action of a man. The truth of the word of God is not dependant on man. John wrote these words in 1 John.
1 John 5:11 – 12 “And this is the testimony, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has the life, whoever does not have the Son does not have life.” It does not say anything about someone going to church or praying a prayer or acting religious in their life. The promise simply says that He who has Christ has life and he who does not have Christ does not have life. Christ does not lie --- when he says His sheep will never perish --- I cannot get around that.
6. No one. False shepherds, false prophets, not even the Devil himself is powerful enough to snatch Christ’s sheep out of his hand.
Romans 8:38-39 “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
7. Christ sheep are not only held by Christ but they are held in the Father’s hand.
Why do some people leave the family of God? Why does it seem like someone follows Christ and does the spiritual things that we all think are indicators of being saved and yet they now want nothing to do with Jesus sometime later in their life? Do you remember the message that I gave on what a true disciple of Jesus Christ looks like? The first point was that they hold to the teachings of Christ. Can you hold to the teachings of Christ ? I believe that in some that has been the case – but then someone vanishes and even makes statements that they are no longer saved. Generally – this person falls away because they decide they are going to live an immoral life – but not everyone who falls away is like that……. I wrestle with this….
The apostle John must have wrestled with this as well. Look on your outline at his words in 1 John as he warns believers of what would be happening in the last hour.
1 John 2:19 “they went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.”
Story: I grew up in Jackson Country WV. The northern end of the bible belt. In my small hometown of Ravenswood there are 33 churches. I have read stories of people who have been converted many times. Every time there is a revival (and the summer time brings out the outdoor ones) someone goes to the altar to get saved. One pastor told of man getting saved 17 times. During a revival an evangelist made an altar call for anyone who wanted to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The man who had been converted so often made his way forward – a woman from the congregation yelled out – Don’t fill him Lord He leaks…………. LAUGHS???? We may leak but God never leaks out of us 100% if we are truly one of His.
Illustration: This is hard for many to understand - you get good believers arguing and arguing over what view one should have. Picture with me --- a father holding onto his small child’s hand as they walk down the busy street together. A view that says we can loose our salvation says that the safety of the child rests in the strength of the child’s grip on the father’s hand. If the child let’s go he will perish. A view that says we cannot loose our salvation says that the safety of the child rests on the strength of the father’s grip on the child. If the child’s grip fails, the father’s grip holds firm.
Conclusion: Our part and God’s part. God is the one who preserves you. He is the one who will bring you to the very end. But you have your part. You have your responsibility. We are commanded to bear fruit and show our selves His disciples. But I want to say to you – if you are even a baby in Christ ---- Do not fear loosing your salvation --- when you fall and sin ---- confess and repent and get back up and keep walking but do not allow apathy and laziness to become part of your life. Time is short.
I know of no better way to close this section than by reading for you the prayer that Jesus prayed to his father for his sheep. You are welcome to turn there and follow along with me. I will be reading out of the English Standard Version of the Bible.
John 17:1 - 26 1When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. 6“I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. 8For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. 9I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. 10All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. 11And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. 12While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.£ 16They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17Sanctify them£ in the truth; your word is truth. 18As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19And for their sake I consecrate myself,£ that they also may be sanctified£ in truth. 20“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. 24Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. 25O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. 26I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”
Stand and let us sing……
Pastor Ben Fleming
John 10:22-30
November 8, 2000
Take your bible and turn to John 10. Last week we began to look at the relationship that Jesus says that he has with his sheep. In chapter 8 we looked at what a true disciple of Jesus Christ looks like. Today I want to walk through with you what Jesus says about his relationship with His sheep. We are going to examine the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints. Some call it eternal security. Once a person is a believer in Jesus Christ will they always be a believer? Once a person comes to God will they always be with God? How will a person continue to the very end? Can I loose my salvation?
There are people who call themselves a believer in Christ and yet they do not have the assurance of their salvation --- there are people who think they are saved and actually are lost and there are people who do what they do spiritually in hopes of pleasing God and trying their best to get salvation. R.C. Sproll writes, “If a person’s confidence in their salvation rests in a confidence in themselves – that is arrogance – if they are sure they will go to heaven because they think they deserve to go to heaven – that is unspeakable arrogance.”
I realize that this is a (doctrine) that some go one way on and others go a different way. Roman Catholics say “if anyone says that a man once justified cannot lose grace and therefore that he who falls and sins never was truly justified – let him be accursed.” Protestant Arminians say, “persons truly regenerate or saved, by neglecting grace and grieving the Holy Spirit – fall away totally and finally, from grace into eternal damnation.” Well – I do not want to speak to you from a denominational view but I will of course speak to how I see the scriptures. Both of the views I just mentioned I believe are what we would call unsound doctrine.
To understand how you should believe or form your doctrine – it is always best to look at scripture and weigh what it teaches. For example: How many sections of the bible teach one way and how many sections seem to teach another way. For our study today, there are a few sections of the bible that seem to teach that a person can loose their salvation or walk away from God but I say to you up front that there are many many more sections of the bible that teach the opposite – there is a tension. I hope I can be fair in how I address that tension. I propose to you that the weight of the bible teaches that once a person comes to true genuine faith in Christ --- scripture teaches that God will carry them through in that relationship. This is what I want to bring out to you today in our study in John 10 and I do understand that this is deep thinking. Please stand : John 10:22 - 30.
Bible scholars say that there is a gap of two months between verse 21 and verse 22. – John says that it was the time of the Feast of the Dedication or as it is known today as Hanukkah or the Feast of Lights which took place in Winter. Since it was in winter – this could have explained why Jesus was walking in the temple and especially in the portico of Solomon – (PHOTO) here is a photo of the remains of Solomons Temple. What you see is a portion of the portico. Jesus was walking there – it was on the east side of the temple away from the weather – many people gathered there and we could assume that among the people – were the religious leaders who heard him in chapter 8 - 9.
(BLANK) They asked him – “How long will you keep us in suspense – if you are the Christ --- tell us plainly….” They were asking the right question but the intent of their question was to trap him so that they could publically hear him say that he was the Messiah and arrest him. Jesus says to them – “I told you and you do not believe me – the works that I do in My Father’s name – these testify of me” --- he is talking about the last 3 years of his ministry and then he says – “you do not believe because you are not my sheep” – he is coming back to the sheep theme again that we left from last week.
Look what Jesus says again about his relationship with those who do believe. “My sheep hear my voice” --- He knows those who are his sheep and they follow him – he gives them eternal life and because he has given it to them they will never perish and no one will snatch them out of his fathers hand. And to drive the point home harder he says – (vs.29) “My Father who has given them to me is greater than all and no one is able to snatch them out of my fathers hand.”
No where in the bible is there such a strong teaching on the assurance that true genuine sheep of the Lord Jesus will need never fear being lost. But….. a person must not be a fool and think – oh – I have Jesus – I am saved – I believe – I have been baptized and said a prayer --- therefore – I can live my life like I want to --- I can do anything I want to – I am still saved regardless of how I live ---- that is foolish thinking and a person who thinks that way is not a true disciple of Jesus. Time and Time again we are warned… Hebrews 2:1 “we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away.” Hebrews 3:12 -13 “See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that you may not be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.”
There is in the perseverance of a believer ….. man’s part – but as many of the saints of the past have said – every believer at times may walk into a phase of life where they face as Martin Luther has spoken of that phase, “the unbridled assault of Satan” or the “dark night of the soul.” Paul experienced such: 2 Corinthians 4:7 “We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed, we are perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted but not forsaken, struck down but not destroyed” – many of you have gone through that kind of a phase and some of your are going to go through the dark night of your soul --- one can only imagine what Paul went through. When it seems like a person turns away from God who once seemed to love God and live for God --- what do we think???? Did they loose their salvation? Some say that God will not leave me but I can leave God. What about that person who does fall away and turns from God. Hebrews 12:6 - 8 “the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son. Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father. If you are not disciplined, then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.” So from this text we can say God will discipline and punish those who are his children who turn away from Him – through rebellion or unholy living. If someone is not punished or disciplined we have to assume because of the scripture they were in the first place not a true son or daughter in Christ…. There are boundless scriptures that tell us to work out or salvation, to run the race, to be patient, to stand firm and as Dr Null went through with us in 2 Peter --- we are to make every effort. We are commanded to guard what has been entrusted to us and in John 15 Jesus says “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love” --- I could go on and on --- there is a great responsibility of man to participate in the journey through and towards salvation. God gives man a part.
And there is of course one scripture that seems to say very clearly that man can fall away from God. Hebrews 6:4 – 6 “It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance.” I could spend the rest of this time explaining that text – but that is not where we are today – we are examining Jesus the Great Shepherd and what He says about his sheep and how he is able to keep them to the very end. So --- go back to the text with me. John 10:22. There are seven facts in these verses that Jesus says about keeping those who are His to the very end.
Security of the Believer
1. Believers are the sheep of Jesus. He is their shepherd. So it is the duty of the shepherd to protect the flock. This is what we have been hearing from Jesus in this chapter. In John 6:39 Jesus said previously, “And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” Even though man does have the responsibility of running the race of the Christian life and holding onto the truths of God and obeying God – think about it……. To insist that a true Christian can somehow be lost and loose their salvation is to deny the truth of what Jesus said. “I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day,” It also defames his character – making Him out to be an incompetent shepherd, unable to hold on to those that His Father entrusted to Him . It takes the sovereignty of God and gives it to man. Fact #1 Believers are the sheep of Jesus the chief Shepherd.
2. Believers hear only His voice and follow only Him. Do you remember last week in verse 10:5
“But they will never follow a stranger, in fact, they will run away because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” How do you know the voice of the shepherd? If you are his sheep – he has given you His Holy Spirit and His Holy Spirit will convict you of you sin. John 16:8 “When he the Holy Spirit comes – He will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment.” Conviction of sin is hearing the voice of the shepherd. You cannot be one of his sheep and not have the Holy Spirit dwelling with in you and the Shepherd has given us His Word so that we may obey the shepherd and follow only Him. The Good Shepherd has given us his book the bible and he speaks to his sheep through that book. I hear of Mormans who were once Baptist and now they claim they have the now found the “restored truth revealed by the Mormans” – they did not read or hear the Word of God – they did not have the Holy Spirit dwelling within them. Fact #2 Believers hear the voice of the Good Shepherd and follow only Him.
3. Believers who are Christ’s sheep have eternal life. To speak of having eternal life and then you loose eternal life or it ends is a contradiction of terms. Does Christ give someone eternal life and then take it away or that person says no Jesus I do not want it any more? In verse 28 – Jesus says- “I give them eternal life and they shall never perish, no one can snatch them out of my fathers hand.” That is pretty clear is it not? If believers cannot be sure of their salvation and sure that God will keep them then we have to doubt other scriptures. Paul wrote this promise in Philippians
Philippians 1:6 “ He who has begun a good work in you will complete until the day of Christ Jesus.” If one can loose their salvation or walk away from God then this promise is not valid. You would have to say that God can only complete the work in a person as long as the person decides to remain a believer. The promises of God begin to be dependant upon man and that is heresy. FACT #4
4. Christ gives eternal life to his sheep. Since his sheep did nothing to earn eternal life they can do nothing to loose it. So – it is Christ who gives eternal life to a person – the person does not choose eternal life – the person does not deserve or earn eternal life – it is given to them.
Ephesians 2:8 - 9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is a gift from God – not by works, so that no one can boast.” So – salvation or eternal life is a gift that has been given to a person and that person receives that gift through faith.
5. Christ promised that his sheep would never perish. Think about it: if one of this sheep did – then that would make Christ a liar. Remember: these are the words of Christ – this is truth – it does not change due to the condition or action of a man. The truth of the word of God is not dependant on man. John wrote these words in 1 John.
1 John 5:11 – 12 “And this is the testimony, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has the life, whoever does not have the Son does not have life.” It does not say anything about someone going to church or praying a prayer or acting religious in their life. The promise simply says that He who has Christ has life and he who does not have Christ does not have life. Christ does not lie --- when he says His sheep will never perish --- I cannot get around that.
6. No one. False shepherds, false prophets, not even the Devil himself is powerful enough to snatch Christ’s sheep out of his hand.
Romans 8:38-39 “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
7. Christ sheep are not only held by Christ but they are held in the Father’s hand.
Why do some people leave the family of God? Why does it seem like someone follows Christ and does the spiritual things that we all think are indicators of being saved and yet they now want nothing to do with Jesus sometime later in their life? Do you remember the message that I gave on what a true disciple of Jesus Christ looks like? The first point was that they hold to the teachings of Christ. Can you hold to the teachings of Christ ? I believe that in some that has been the case – but then someone vanishes and even makes statements that they are no longer saved. Generally – this person falls away because they decide they are going to live an immoral life – but not everyone who falls away is like that……. I wrestle with this….
The apostle John must have wrestled with this as well. Look on your outline at his words in 1 John as he warns believers of what would be happening in the last hour.
1 John 2:19 “they went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.”
Story: I grew up in Jackson Country WV. The northern end of the bible belt. In my small hometown of Ravenswood there are 33 churches. I have read stories of people who have been converted many times. Every time there is a revival (and the summer time brings out the outdoor ones) someone goes to the altar to get saved. One pastor told of man getting saved 17 times. During a revival an evangelist made an altar call for anyone who wanted to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The man who had been converted so often made his way forward – a woman from the congregation yelled out – Don’t fill him Lord He leaks…………. LAUGHS???? We may leak but God never leaks out of us 100% if we are truly one of His.
Illustration: This is hard for many to understand - you get good believers arguing and arguing over what view one should have. Picture with me --- a father holding onto his small child’s hand as they walk down the busy street together. A view that says we can loose our salvation says that the safety of the child rests in the strength of the child’s grip on the father’s hand. If the child let’s go he will perish. A view that says we cannot loose our salvation says that the safety of the child rests on the strength of the father’s grip on the child. If the child’s grip fails, the father’s grip holds firm.
Conclusion: Our part and God’s part. God is the one who preserves you. He is the one who will bring you to the very end. But you have your part. You have your responsibility. We are commanded to bear fruit and show our selves His disciples. But I want to say to you – if you are even a baby in Christ ---- Do not fear loosing your salvation --- when you fall and sin ---- confess and repent and get back up and keep walking but do not allow apathy and laziness to become part of your life. Time is short.
I know of no better way to close this section than by reading for you the prayer that Jesus prayed to his father for his sheep. You are welcome to turn there and follow along with me. I will be reading out of the English Standard Version of the Bible.
John 17:1 - 26 1When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. 6“I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. 8For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. 9I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. 10All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. 11And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. 12While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.£ 16They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17Sanctify them£ in the truth; your word is truth. 18As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19And for their sake I consecrate myself,£ that they also may be sanctified£ in truth. 20“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. 24Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. 25O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. 26I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”
Stand and let us sing……
John #17
John 10:1-18
November 1, 2009
Sheep and The Shepherd
Pastor Ben Fleming------------
Turn in your bible to John chp 10. Throughout the bible God likens his relationship with His children like a shepherd to his sheep. King David – a shepherd, when he was a boy, wrote Ps 23. Let me read it for you. Psalms 23:1 - 6 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. ---- Notice that the Psalm does not tell us much about the sheep but it tells us more about the shepherd – the last verse says the most about the sheep – “surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life and I – the sheep will dwell in the house of the Lord forever”…… Philip Keller writes in his book “A Shepherd looks at Psalm 23” these words -
“I recall quite clearly how in my first venture with sheep, the question of paying a price for my ewes (female) sheep was so terribly important. They belonged to me only by virtue of the fact that I paid hard cash for them. It was money I earned by the blood sweat and tears drawn from my own body during the desperate years of the depression. And when I bought that first small flock I was buying them literally with my own body which had been laid down with this day in mind. Because of this I felt in a special way that they were in very truth part of me and I a part of them. There was an intimate identity involved, which though not apparent on the surface to the casual observer, nonetheless made those 30 ewes precious to me. But the day I bought them I also realized this was but the first stage in a long, lasting endeavor in which from then on, I would as their owner, have to continually lay down my life for them if they were to flourish and prosper. Sheep do not just take care of themselves as some might think – they require – more than another class of livestock – endless attention and care.
It is no accident that God has chosen to call us sheep”
Hebrews 13:20, tells us that “Jesus is the great shepherd of the sheep” - Peter says that before a person comes to Jesus their shepherd – “they are like sheep who are going astray but now they have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of their souls” and in 1 Peter 5:4 – “the Chief Shepherd is coming back and when he does – his sheep will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away” --- Peter does not write it but it is understood -- until the time the Chief Shepherd returns --- God has appointed under shepherds who are to shepherd the flock of God that has been placed under their care. In Acts 20:28 Paul “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of what the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.
Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.”
You do not find in the New Testament --- sheep who are not part of a flock and under the care of an earthly shepherd. Comment… Earthly shepherds are designed by God to take care of the sheep until the chief shepherd comes back. The second coming of Christ.
Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hills Church in the book THE POWER OF WORDS AND THE WONDER OF GOD says this about how an under shepherd should relate to those in and outside of the church --- #1 the shepherd is to feed the sheep (Christians, the flock of Jesus the Good Shepherd) ---- #2 a shepherd is to rebuke the swine (those who claim to worship God but live unrepentant lives of sin) ----- #3 shoot the wolves (false teachers – anyone who ravages the flock and feasts on the sheep) -----#4 beat the dogs (those who bark at God’s people in an effort to control them, abuse them and harm them. If that sounds harsh to you ---- Acts 20:29 Paul says – I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw disciples away.” And then Driscoll says…… “Those in the flock should pray for their shepherd for God to give them a discerning mind, thick skin, a good sense of humor, a tender heart, a humble disposition, a supportive family and evangelistic devotion.”
Sheep and Shepherds are God’s design. Time and time again you are going hear that a churchless Christian is not biblical. You cannot call yourself a disciple of Christ --- you cannot be a sheep and not have a flock that you are part of --- it just is not in the bible. That was my intro. John (10:1-21) ---- Next week we will continue on to verse 30 continuing to examine sheep and the shepherd. READ
In chp 9 – Jesus healed the blind man and the whole point of his healing could perhaps be summed up in verse 39 “for judgment I have come to this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.” He was talking about spiritual blindness. People see physically but are spiritually blind. Here in chp. 10 there is more about Jesus the Shepherd and his sheep than any other section in the bible. Jesus is speaking to the same people who saw him open the blind man’s eyes and there is no time gap between the healing of this man and what Jesus teaches about the shepherd and the sheep
The Shepherd and The Sheep
1. False shepherds try and get into the fold. (vs. 1 - 2) Truly, Truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.” The people who heard the words of Jesus – understood what he was talking about. Many of them where shepherds. A shepherd would gather his sheep into a fold to protect them from thieves – bad weather or wild animals.
A sheepfold could have been a cave, a shed or an open area surrounded by stones or branches some ten feet high or so. Shepherds would bring their sheep to this fold and the sheep would pass under their rod – There was a doorkeeper who watched over the fold at night and when the shepherd came back in the morning, the doorkeeper would only let them in to get their sheep. Everyone knew there was only one gate into the fold and anyone trying to get into the fold over the wall or some other way was a thief.
Jesus was rebuking those who would claim to lead God’s people without pointing the sheep to Christ who was the gate or the door to the fold. In this context – he was pointing at the Pharisees and religious leaders. Lying prophets – who posed as true shepherds – threatened the early church – and they still do today. False sheep will even join with the other sheep and in reality they are wolves. It is easy to be deceived by wolves. Jesus said:
Matthew 7:15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” In the book of Acts to the leaders of the church of Ephesus Paul said,
Acts 20:28 -29 “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood, I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock – and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things…”
Jesus knew sheep and he knew that the under shepherds of his flock needed to be wise and as Pastor Mark Driscoll says they must be ruthless.
Application: Know your shepherd. Pray for your shepherd. Know your bible – Know doctrine. Paul said to Timothy – “charge or warn certain persons not teach any different doctrine”. Knowing and teaching right sound doctrine is biblical and essential. That would not be in the bible if it were not a danger in the church. Come under the rod of your shepherd – this what a church covenant and membership is all about. False shepherds try and get into the fold.
2. Real sheep hear the Good Shepherd’s voice.
(vs.3 - 6) When the shepherd would come back to the sheepfold – he would call out to his sheep and his sheep would be able to recognize his voice. Jesus is saying that when He came those Jews who believed were able to recognize his voice and identify that he was the Messiah and they followed Him. Note all Jewish people were going to follow Jesus – not all Jewish people are God’s children. Paul wrote in Romans 9:6 “not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham just because they are his offspring.” Only someone who is a child of God hears the voice of God. Only someone who has saving faith – hears the God. Phillip Keller writes about sheep hearing the shepherds voice.
“The relationship which rapidly develops between a shepherd and the sheep under his care is to a definite degree dependent upon the use of the shepherd’s voice. Sheep quickly become accustomed to their owner’s particular voice. They are acquainted with his unique tone. They know its peculiar sounds and inflections. They can distinguish it from that of any other person. If a stranger should come among them, they would not recognize nor respond to his voice in the same way they would to that of their shepherd. Even if the visitor should use the same words and phrases of their rightful owner they would not react in the same way. It is a case of becoming actually conditioned to the familiar nuances and personal accent of their shepherd’s call.”
Jesus knows His sheep and His sheep know him because they know his voice and Jesus calls his sheep by name. His sheep will not follow a stranger – because they do not know the voice of the stranger. A true believer in Jesus Christ will never abandon Christ. No one who genuinely has saving faith will finally and completely turn away from Jesus. They will forever follow their shepherd. We will study that doctrine next week.
Application: Can you recognize the voice of Jesus? I can think of several times when someone has told me – “God told me” and yet that person does not read their bible and cannot point to any verse in the bible to support what they think God told them. Perhaps they were simply trying to justify their rebellion. God will never lead you to do something that goes against His Word and the #1 way Jesus speaks to His sheep is through His Word. So – we must not only read the Word of God but we must train ourselves to listen to the Holy Spirit as we read. Real sheep hear the shepherd’s voice.
3. The Good Shepherd is the only door to the fold. (vs.7-10) Jesus says to these people again, I am the door of the sheep – all who came before me are thieves and robbers – but real sheep do not listen to them --- I am the door and if you come through me – you will be saved and go in and find pasture – the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy – I have come that you may have life and have it abundantly.” Did you notice that Jesus changes his approach to these religious people --- first he said he was the shepherd and now he says he is the door through which sheep enter safely into God’s fold. This is the same thing he says in Jn 14:6 “I am the way, the truth and the life – no one comes to the Father except through Me.” The real gospel of Jesus Christ is narrow. The real gospel of salvation is not tolerant. Jesus says – when you come to me and through me you come to satisfying pasture. He is talking about abundant life – when you come to Jesus – through Him – He gives you abundant life --- You begin the relationship of feeding on him and His pasture. You being to experience real spiritual life – you were once spiritually dead but now you are spiritually alive. Look now what the Good Shepherd does for his sheep.
4. The Good Shepherd dies for his sheep. (11-13) Jesus again here identifies himself as the I am – I am (Yaweh). If the Greek were translated literally – it would say – “the shepherd – the good one”.
As the good shepherd he lays his life down for his sheep. Romans 5:8 says “while we were yet sinners – Christ died for us”. To be reconciled to God – there had to be a payment for man’s sin and Christ the Good Shepherd was the perfect payment. Phillip Keller again gives us a great picture of the shepherd and his sheep.
“A good shepherd delights in his flock. For him there is no greater reward, no deeper satisfaction, than that of seeing his sheep contented, well fed, safe, and flourishing under His care. This is indeed His very life – He gives all He has to His sheep. He literally lays Himself out for those who are His. He will go to no end of trouble and labor to supply them with the finest grazing, the richest pasture, ample winter feed and clean water. He will spare himself no pains to provide shelter from storms, protection from enemies – diseases and parasites to which the sheep are susceptible.” The Good Shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. That is what Christ has done for you and continues to do for you. Why does he do it???
5. The Good Shepherd loves his sheep. (14-15) “ I am the good shepherd, I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the father” and again Jesus says , I lay down my life for my sheep. It is as if he is saying I know my own and my own know me and the result of that knowing is that I lay my life down for them. So what does it mean to know? I know my own and my own know me. How do you know that Jesus knows you???? How do you know that you know Him? Do you know someone? Just because you know them does that mean you love them?
Genesis 4:1 “Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived” and verse 17 says “Cain knew his wife and she conceived. --- the NASB translated the Hebrew verb to know as had relations with. It is assumed that the husband and wife love each other. That knowing involves great intimacy. Okay – now in the prophet Amos 3:2 God said of Israel – “You only have I known of all the families of the earth” – it is the same word as in Genesis but it signifies that God had a love relationship with His people – the Jewish nation and no other nation. We find this even in the New Testament: John 17:3 “Now this is eternal life that they may know you the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” Knowing God implies a love relationship with Him. John wrote about this love relationship in 1 John 5:2 – 3 “This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. This is love for God: to obey his commands”. Sheep love the Shepherd because the Shepherd first loved them. Sheep know the shepherd because the shepherd knows them. But those who do not believe -- do not know the Good Shepherd ---there is no love relationship. Matt 7:23 “And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” Jesus is saying that he does not know them. In this verse, the know has the same connotation of a relationship of love. He who does not believe does not love.
6. The Good Shepherd unifies all His sheep. (vs.16) Jesus said, I have other sheep that are not of this fold – I must bring them also and they will hear my voice and they will become one flock with one shepherd. In this context – Jesus is saying that Gentiles will be part of his flock. Non Jews will believe and therefore Jews and Gentiles will follow the one Good Shepherd together. Jesus is speaking of the fulfillment of a prophecy hundreds of years before. ON YOUR OUTLINE
Ezekiel 34:11-13 “For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I , I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when his is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all of the places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land and I will feed them…”
Jesus, the Good Shepherd will bring all of his sheep into the fold. It does not matter what country they come from – it does not matter what culture they were brought up in and from what religious faith they have been following --- it they are one of his sheep ---- Jesus will seek them out and he will rescue them. Look what Exekiel says – “I will bring them out from the peoples (ethic groups) and gather them from the countries.” Jesus is the Good Shepherd and he will unify all his sheep – even the ones that have been scattered. It is amazing to me the things I have heard and read in this past month. Denny Bock gave me a DVD of testimonies of Muslim background believers in Jesus Christ --- Each of the testimonies talked about how Jesus came to them in a dream. Called them and told them to follow Him. Each of the testimonies was of a person from a different nation and culture but they all were Muslims. I just finished Joel Rosenburg’s book Epicenter which talks about the prophecies in Ezekiel 38 -39. Thousands of Muslims are coming to Christ. (Teenage girl in Ohio fro Sri Lanka) --- read paper We know of Mark who has come to Christ this past year as a result of the ministry of Denny and Barb Bock --- we have heard of Japanese coming to Christ as a result of the ministry Ken and Bola Taylor.
God is working in this world --- Jesus the Shepherd is directly speaking to people and He is moving and using mission workers all over the world to bring his sheep into His fold. The Good Shepherd will unify His sheep into one fold.
Let us pray……….
November 1, 2009
Sheep and The Shepherd
Pastor Ben Fleming------------
Turn in your bible to John chp 10. Throughout the bible God likens his relationship with His children like a shepherd to his sheep. King David – a shepherd, when he was a boy, wrote Ps 23. Let me read it for you. Psalms 23:1 - 6 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. ---- Notice that the Psalm does not tell us much about the sheep but it tells us more about the shepherd – the last verse says the most about the sheep – “surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life and I – the sheep will dwell in the house of the Lord forever”…… Philip Keller writes in his book “A Shepherd looks at Psalm 23” these words -
“I recall quite clearly how in my first venture with sheep, the question of paying a price for my ewes (female) sheep was so terribly important. They belonged to me only by virtue of the fact that I paid hard cash for them. It was money I earned by the blood sweat and tears drawn from my own body during the desperate years of the depression. And when I bought that first small flock I was buying them literally with my own body which had been laid down with this day in mind. Because of this I felt in a special way that they were in very truth part of me and I a part of them. There was an intimate identity involved, which though not apparent on the surface to the casual observer, nonetheless made those 30 ewes precious to me. But the day I bought them I also realized this was but the first stage in a long, lasting endeavor in which from then on, I would as their owner, have to continually lay down my life for them if they were to flourish and prosper. Sheep do not just take care of themselves as some might think – they require – more than another class of livestock – endless attention and care.
It is no accident that God has chosen to call us sheep”
Hebrews 13:20, tells us that “Jesus is the great shepherd of the sheep” - Peter says that before a person comes to Jesus their shepherd – “they are like sheep who are going astray but now they have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of their souls” and in 1 Peter 5:4 – “the Chief Shepherd is coming back and when he does – his sheep will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away” --- Peter does not write it but it is understood -- until the time the Chief Shepherd returns --- God has appointed under shepherds who are to shepherd the flock of God that has been placed under their care. In Acts 20:28 Paul “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of what the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.
Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.”
You do not find in the New Testament --- sheep who are not part of a flock and under the care of an earthly shepherd. Comment… Earthly shepherds are designed by God to take care of the sheep until the chief shepherd comes back. The second coming of Christ.
Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hills Church in the book THE POWER OF WORDS AND THE WONDER OF GOD says this about how an under shepherd should relate to those in and outside of the church --- #1 the shepherd is to feed the sheep (Christians, the flock of Jesus the Good Shepherd) ---- #2 a shepherd is to rebuke the swine (those who claim to worship God but live unrepentant lives of sin) ----- #3 shoot the wolves (false teachers – anyone who ravages the flock and feasts on the sheep) -----#4 beat the dogs (those who bark at God’s people in an effort to control them, abuse them and harm them. If that sounds harsh to you ---- Acts 20:29 Paul says – I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw disciples away.” And then Driscoll says…… “Those in the flock should pray for their shepherd for God to give them a discerning mind, thick skin, a good sense of humor, a tender heart, a humble disposition, a supportive family and evangelistic devotion.”
Sheep and Shepherds are God’s design. Time and time again you are going hear that a churchless Christian is not biblical. You cannot call yourself a disciple of Christ --- you cannot be a sheep and not have a flock that you are part of --- it just is not in the bible. That was my intro. John (10:1-21) ---- Next week we will continue on to verse 30 continuing to examine sheep and the shepherd. READ
In chp 9 – Jesus healed the blind man and the whole point of his healing could perhaps be summed up in verse 39 “for judgment I have come to this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.” He was talking about spiritual blindness. People see physically but are spiritually blind. Here in chp. 10 there is more about Jesus the Shepherd and his sheep than any other section in the bible. Jesus is speaking to the same people who saw him open the blind man’s eyes and there is no time gap between the healing of this man and what Jesus teaches about the shepherd and the sheep
The Shepherd and The Sheep
1. False shepherds try and get into the fold. (vs. 1 - 2) Truly, Truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.” The people who heard the words of Jesus – understood what he was talking about. Many of them where shepherds. A shepherd would gather his sheep into a fold to protect them from thieves – bad weather or wild animals.
A sheepfold could have been a cave, a shed or an open area surrounded by stones or branches some ten feet high or so. Shepherds would bring their sheep to this fold and the sheep would pass under their rod – There was a doorkeeper who watched over the fold at night and when the shepherd came back in the morning, the doorkeeper would only let them in to get their sheep. Everyone knew there was only one gate into the fold and anyone trying to get into the fold over the wall or some other way was a thief.
Jesus was rebuking those who would claim to lead God’s people without pointing the sheep to Christ who was the gate or the door to the fold. In this context – he was pointing at the Pharisees and religious leaders. Lying prophets – who posed as true shepherds – threatened the early church – and they still do today. False sheep will even join with the other sheep and in reality they are wolves. It is easy to be deceived by wolves. Jesus said:
Matthew 7:15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” In the book of Acts to the leaders of the church of Ephesus Paul said,
Acts 20:28 -29 “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood, I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock – and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things…”
Jesus knew sheep and he knew that the under shepherds of his flock needed to be wise and as Pastor Mark Driscoll says they must be ruthless.
Application: Know your shepherd. Pray for your shepherd. Know your bible – Know doctrine. Paul said to Timothy – “charge or warn certain persons not teach any different doctrine”. Knowing and teaching right sound doctrine is biblical and essential. That would not be in the bible if it were not a danger in the church. Come under the rod of your shepherd – this what a church covenant and membership is all about. False shepherds try and get into the fold.
2. Real sheep hear the Good Shepherd’s voice.
(vs.3 - 6) When the shepherd would come back to the sheepfold – he would call out to his sheep and his sheep would be able to recognize his voice. Jesus is saying that when He came those Jews who believed were able to recognize his voice and identify that he was the Messiah and they followed Him. Note all Jewish people were going to follow Jesus – not all Jewish people are God’s children. Paul wrote in Romans 9:6 “not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham just because they are his offspring.” Only someone who is a child of God hears the voice of God. Only someone who has saving faith – hears the God. Phillip Keller writes about sheep hearing the shepherds voice.
“The relationship which rapidly develops between a shepherd and the sheep under his care is to a definite degree dependent upon the use of the shepherd’s voice. Sheep quickly become accustomed to their owner’s particular voice. They are acquainted with his unique tone. They know its peculiar sounds and inflections. They can distinguish it from that of any other person. If a stranger should come among them, they would not recognize nor respond to his voice in the same way they would to that of their shepherd. Even if the visitor should use the same words and phrases of their rightful owner they would not react in the same way. It is a case of becoming actually conditioned to the familiar nuances and personal accent of their shepherd’s call.”
Jesus knows His sheep and His sheep know him because they know his voice and Jesus calls his sheep by name. His sheep will not follow a stranger – because they do not know the voice of the stranger. A true believer in Jesus Christ will never abandon Christ. No one who genuinely has saving faith will finally and completely turn away from Jesus. They will forever follow their shepherd. We will study that doctrine next week.
Application: Can you recognize the voice of Jesus? I can think of several times when someone has told me – “God told me” and yet that person does not read their bible and cannot point to any verse in the bible to support what they think God told them. Perhaps they were simply trying to justify their rebellion. God will never lead you to do something that goes against His Word and the #1 way Jesus speaks to His sheep is through His Word. So – we must not only read the Word of God but we must train ourselves to listen to the Holy Spirit as we read. Real sheep hear the shepherd’s voice.
3. The Good Shepherd is the only door to the fold. (vs.7-10) Jesus says to these people again, I am the door of the sheep – all who came before me are thieves and robbers – but real sheep do not listen to them --- I am the door and if you come through me – you will be saved and go in and find pasture – the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy – I have come that you may have life and have it abundantly.” Did you notice that Jesus changes his approach to these religious people --- first he said he was the shepherd and now he says he is the door through which sheep enter safely into God’s fold. This is the same thing he says in Jn 14:6 “I am the way, the truth and the life – no one comes to the Father except through Me.” The real gospel of Jesus Christ is narrow. The real gospel of salvation is not tolerant. Jesus says – when you come to me and through me you come to satisfying pasture. He is talking about abundant life – when you come to Jesus – through Him – He gives you abundant life --- You begin the relationship of feeding on him and His pasture. You being to experience real spiritual life – you were once spiritually dead but now you are spiritually alive. Look now what the Good Shepherd does for his sheep.
4. The Good Shepherd dies for his sheep. (11-13) Jesus again here identifies himself as the I am – I am (Yaweh). If the Greek were translated literally – it would say – “the shepherd – the good one”.
As the good shepherd he lays his life down for his sheep. Romans 5:8 says “while we were yet sinners – Christ died for us”. To be reconciled to God – there had to be a payment for man’s sin and Christ the Good Shepherd was the perfect payment. Phillip Keller again gives us a great picture of the shepherd and his sheep.
“A good shepherd delights in his flock. For him there is no greater reward, no deeper satisfaction, than that of seeing his sheep contented, well fed, safe, and flourishing under His care. This is indeed His very life – He gives all He has to His sheep. He literally lays Himself out for those who are His. He will go to no end of trouble and labor to supply them with the finest grazing, the richest pasture, ample winter feed and clean water. He will spare himself no pains to provide shelter from storms, protection from enemies – diseases and parasites to which the sheep are susceptible.” The Good Shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. That is what Christ has done for you and continues to do for you. Why does he do it???
5. The Good Shepherd loves his sheep. (14-15) “ I am the good shepherd, I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the father” and again Jesus says , I lay down my life for my sheep. It is as if he is saying I know my own and my own know me and the result of that knowing is that I lay my life down for them. So what does it mean to know? I know my own and my own know me. How do you know that Jesus knows you???? How do you know that you know Him? Do you know someone? Just because you know them does that mean you love them?
Genesis 4:1 “Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived” and verse 17 says “Cain knew his wife and she conceived. --- the NASB translated the Hebrew verb to know as had relations with. It is assumed that the husband and wife love each other. That knowing involves great intimacy. Okay – now in the prophet Amos 3:2 God said of Israel – “You only have I known of all the families of the earth” – it is the same word as in Genesis but it signifies that God had a love relationship with His people – the Jewish nation and no other nation. We find this even in the New Testament: John 17:3 “Now this is eternal life that they may know you the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” Knowing God implies a love relationship with Him. John wrote about this love relationship in 1 John 5:2 – 3 “This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. This is love for God: to obey his commands”. Sheep love the Shepherd because the Shepherd first loved them. Sheep know the shepherd because the shepherd knows them. But those who do not believe -- do not know the Good Shepherd ---there is no love relationship. Matt 7:23 “And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” Jesus is saying that he does not know them. In this verse, the know has the same connotation of a relationship of love. He who does not believe does not love.
6. The Good Shepherd unifies all His sheep. (vs.16) Jesus said, I have other sheep that are not of this fold – I must bring them also and they will hear my voice and they will become one flock with one shepherd. In this context – Jesus is saying that Gentiles will be part of his flock. Non Jews will believe and therefore Jews and Gentiles will follow the one Good Shepherd together. Jesus is speaking of the fulfillment of a prophecy hundreds of years before. ON YOUR OUTLINE
Ezekiel 34:11-13 “For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I , I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when his is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all of the places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land and I will feed them…”
Jesus, the Good Shepherd will bring all of his sheep into the fold. It does not matter what country they come from – it does not matter what culture they were brought up in and from what religious faith they have been following --- it they are one of his sheep ---- Jesus will seek them out and he will rescue them. Look what Exekiel says – “I will bring them out from the peoples (ethic groups) and gather them from the countries.” Jesus is the Good Shepherd and he will unify all his sheep – even the ones that have been scattered. It is amazing to me the things I have heard and read in this past month. Denny Bock gave me a DVD of testimonies of Muslim background believers in Jesus Christ --- Each of the testimonies talked about how Jesus came to them in a dream. Called them and told them to follow Him. Each of the testimonies was of a person from a different nation and culture but they all were Muslims. I just finished Joel Rosenburg’s book Epicenter which talks about the prophecies in Ezekiel 38 -39. Thousands of Muslims are coming to Christ. (Teenage girl in Ohio fro Sri Lanka) --- read paper We know of Mark who has come to Christ this past year as a result of the ministry of Denny and Barb Bock --- we have heard of Japanese coming to Christ as a result of the ministry Ken and Bola Taylor.
God is working in this world --- Jesus the Shepherd is directly speaking to people and He is moving and using mission workers all over the world to bring his sheep into His fold. The Good Shepherd will unify His sheep into one fold.
Let us pray……….
John #16
“A True Disciple”
October 18, 2009
John 8:31 – 47
Pastor Ben Fleming
In 1973 Walter Hendrickson wrote the book Disciples are Made Not Born. That was the year that I came to Christ as my savior. It was in that year that I stopped having religious faith and God gave me saving faith. It was the year that I began the journey of discovering what it meant to be and live as a disciple of Jesus Christ. I heard about discipleship groups – someone discipling another person – I am not sure that I understood what the word meant – disciple – discipleship – discipler. All I knew was that it was a process to be worked out in my life now that I was a follower of Jesus.
A good definition says that a (SLIDE) disciple = spreads the beliefs of the one they follow. Most people have heard of the disciples of Jesus Christ – most, think of them as the 12 disciples. Jesus told them in Matthew 28:19 “go and make disciples of all nations” – I am glad these guys obeyed Jesus and spread his beliefs? Turn in your bible to John 8:31. The word disciple is used real loosely today. There is a heavy metal band named Disciple, there is a disciple clothing company, a book named the Unlikely Disciple and of course disciples of the devil.
In the church, we often will talk of someone being a follower of Christ as a disciple. Many people think that if I am a Christian - I am a disciple of Jesus. The gospels give us several pictures of disciples. Matthew 8:21 “Another disciple said to Jesus, Lord, first let me go and bury my father, but Jesus said, Follow me and let the dead bury their dead.” In Luke 14 Jesus said, “If anyone does not come to me and does not hate his mother and father… even his own life – he cannot be my disciple.” So Jesus is giving a qualification of a disciple. John 20:8 “Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed.” John calls this man a disciple before he says he believed. So – can we say that someone who follows Jesus does not necessarily always have saving faith? Judas Iscariot was a follower of Jesus and yet he did not have saving faith. He is in hell right now suffering the eternal full wrath of God. There were disciples of John the Baptist and disciples of Moses. John records in chapter 9:28 “you are this fellow’s disciple. We are disciples of Moses. We know God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow we do not even know where he comes from.”
In our lives we follow people. I remember in high school – I followed Mitch Duckworth every he went. We did almost everything together – we water skied together – we built a raft and floated down the Ohio River together and we built match bombs in snuff cans together. In college – I followed John Controveros – I followed John because he befriended me and helped me grow in my faith. I learn to spread to others what John believed and what I now believed. Think of the people you have followed in your life………… what does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus?
What does it mean to spread the beliefs of the one you say you follow? Are you a real disciple of Jesus ? Please stand as we read our text this morning and in this text I want you to find with me 4 characteristics of a real disciple of Jesus Christ. READ 8:31- 47
A Genuine Disciple of Jesus Christ
1. Holds to his teaching (vs.31-32) “to the Jews who had believed in him, Jesus said, If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Jesus has again been spending time speaking to Jewish religious people telling them the validity of his testimony and who he is and at the end of his teaching John says in verse 30 – “Even as he spoke, many put their faith in him.” Most of us read that and think they were saved. They prayed a prayer or went forward but we are going see in the further words of Jesus they believed but it was not saving faith. You always have to read the bible in context --- what comes before and what comes after a verse. Bible Scholar Leon Morris wrote about verse (31-32) “these words of Jesus are addressed to those who believe, and yet do not believe. They believe enough to think that what Jesus just told them was true, but they were not prepared to yield him the allegiance that trust in him implies” Morris also says – “this is a dangerous spiritual state. You recognize that truth is found in Jesus and yet you do nothing about that truth - in effect you range or a line yourself up with the enemies of the Lord.” Unfortunately --- I believe many do that today and some of you are --- you hear and believe what is true about Jesus but you do nothing about that truth and you in effect are lining yourself up as an enemy of the Lord. ……Okay – Jesus said if you hold to my teaching you are my disciples……....What does it mean to hold to his teaching? The word Jesus spoke here
To Hold = to abide in or remain in. Jesus spoke the same word in John 15:4 “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” If you are a real disciple of Jesus – you hold to his teaching. Hebrews 2:1 says “we must pay more careful attention, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.” A real disciple of Jesus holds to the teaching of Jesus. One of the indicators of real saving faith in a person is faithfulness to the truth of Jesus Christ.
We abide in Christ – we remain in Christ – we hold onto the teachings of Christ when we place ourselves in Him and continue there and draw life from his words. This is a process – for some of us – we are just beginning this process and for some of us it has been some time. Knowing Jesus is knowing the truth. Knowing the truth means that you accept it and obey it. When you obey the truth – Jesus says it will make you free – regardless of the pain you have experienced and the wrongs done to you.
EXAMPLE:
Bruce loved being a husband and a father. He married his childhood sweetheart Cindy – Cindy and Bruce had three children under the age of 10. They taught Sunday School together – lived in Florida and enjoyed the sunshine state – but one day the darkness came as Cindy and her 5 year old were broadsided by a teenager named Justin who ran a stop sign and killed them instantly. Justin got off with no charges filed against him. Bruce battle bitterness – he fought for justice. Eventually Justin was convicted of manslaughter – at sentencing Bruce asked the judge to be lenient on Justin. Bruce said – “the only way I could move forward in life was to forgive Justin – I talked with him face to face and at that time I realized he was in as much pain as I was --- I knew the truth --- I held onto it and I obeyed it and I was set free.” A real disciple of Jesus holds to his teaching like Bruce did.
2. Has a hunger for His word (vs.37) “I know you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are ready to kill me, because you have no room for my word.”
So – we can see here that these people really did not believe even though verse 30 says they put their faith in him --- Jesus tells them that he knows they are actual descendants of Abraham and if that is the case you ought to know what his faith was like. Look what Jesus finally says to them in verse 53 – “Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.” Abraham knew the promises of God. He knew the truth of God. Abraham had saving faith and that saving faith gave him a hunger for the truth of God. These people even had more than Abraham – they had the first 5 books of the bible called the Pentatuch – Abraham did not. Hunger for God’s Word is an indicator of true saving faith.
A disciple of Jesus has a hunger for the Word of God. Jesus says to these people = you have no place or room for his word. He spoke the word choreo = the NIV translates it as room--- it meant to advance, to make progress, or to go forward. Saving faith produces a hunger for the word of God which causes the person to advance – to make progress and go forward. Jesus is saying that they heard the word of God – but they did not heed it – it bore no fruit in them – it was like the seed that fell beside the road in the parable of the sower. It is like the person who comes to church again and again and again and there is no change in their life. They have a bible but they do not read it. They have a bible but they do not know what it says and there is not the slightest desire to find out and obey it. But if someone is a true disciple – eventually you ought to be able to see changes in their life – progress and advance because of a hunger for the Word of God.
A disciple of Jesus is word oriented. They understand the importance of being a doer of the Word of God. Peter says disciples are like new born babies who long for the pure milk of the word of God so they may grow in respect to their salvation. CHARITY TURN TO THE BOOK OF PSALM 1. The first 3 verses of the book of Psalm describes this hunger for the Word of God found in a disciple of Jesus. “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord (WORD OF GOD) and on his law he meditates day and night. ---- he has room for the Word of God ---- He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields it fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does he prospers…………
Application: Do you hunger for God’s Word? Do you hunger to read God’s Word? Do you hunger to hear God’s Word preached? Its easy to loose your hunger and it is hard to feed your hunger. Habits help to feed your hunger. When do you make time for reading God’s Word? Many of us are so busy and so easily distracted by the urgency of other things --- Using the Daily Bread booklet devotional is a good way to start with God’s Word. Reading Morning and Evening with Spurgeon is great. Read something from the OT and something from the NT. Ask God to speak to you – ask God to give you the food that you need. Depend upon the Holy Spirit. Keep a record of what you read. Get a bible reading plan – you can read through the bible in one year by reading every day for 5 min. Listen to the preaching of God’s Word --- You can download almost any message you want from any preacher for free today…… If you have not just the slightest bit of hunger for God’s Word then you ought to examine if you truly have saving faith --- you have to start with saving faith – you have to come to Jesus and you have to truly believe. He will give you a hunger for His Word………………. A disciple of Jesus holds on to His teaching and a disciple of Jesus has a hunger for the Word of God.
3. Does what other disciples have done (vs. 39) “Abraham is our father, they answered. If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, then you would do the things Abraham did.”
Once again these people did not grasp what Jesus was teaching them. They insisted that they were Abraham’s spiritual children --- they thought they followed his faith in God --- but Jesus is telling them that if that were the case they would demonstrate the faith that he had. Their lives – their words and their actions conflicted with his. They did not demonstrate the righteousness that Abraham demonstrated.
Genesis 15:6 “Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.” In the New Testament we find Abraham spoken of again and again. Paul gives an entire chapter in the book of Romans to the faith of Abraham. Romans 4--- the first 4 verses… “What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter. If, in fact Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about – but not before God. What does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.” ----- this is exactly what Jesus said to them --- if you are children of Abraham --- do what He did --- believe God. Hebrews gives us a perfect example of what Abraham did and how faith was demonstrated in his life.
Hebrews 11:8 “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.” A real disciple exercises faith and faith many times does things that seem humanly foolish. Go to this country and you will have no idea where the place is or you have no money to get there. A real disciple trusts God when it seems ridiculous. A real disciple does things that other disciples have done. They believe God and take God for His word. They forgive people - who the rest of the world would stay away from and condemn. You find this principle of discipleship time and time again in the Word of God. A real disciple does what other disciples have done --- they follow other disciples. Paul put it this way:
2 Timothy 2:2:2 - 3 “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” A disciple of Jesus follows other disciples. A disciple of Jesus learns from others from the past. If that was not the case then Hebrews 11 would not be in the bible and God wasted his time putting it there.
I remember Paul, John, Bruce, and Greg in my life from my past who I learned from and followed. I did not worship them – but I saw Christ working in their lives and I learned from them. I even remember the guys I almost could not stand and yet they were men of God – Larry, Geoffry, Mark and Jim – God used those men in my life. A real disciple learns from what other disciples have done and sees how Christ has used them in their life.
Application: What disciple of Jesus are you learning from? Who can you think of right now that you see them living a Christ like life? You do not worship them but you learn from them? What believers from the past are learning from? Pastor John Piper put it this way about disciples from the past… “The longer I live, the more clearly I see my dependence on those who have gone before me.” A real disciple of Jesus learns from what other disciples have done.
4. Loves Jesus and hears or obeys His Word (vs. 42) “Jesus said to them, “if God were your father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me.”
Jesus continues addressing these people after he tells them – if you were abraham’s children you would do what he did – he believed God ---- but in verse 40 Jesus says “you are determined to kill me – a man who has told you the truth from God --- and then verse 41 – “you are doing the things your own father does” --- Jesus is not at all talking about God the father --- look at verse 44 – you belong to your father – the devil – you want to carry out your father’s desire – he was a murderer from the beginning – not holding to the truth for there is no truth in him.” These are some of the same people that verse 30 says “many put their faith in him.”
So perhaps we must conclude that Jesus says that someone who does not have saving faith has faith but that faith is in the devil. Shocking --- you do not hear that much today. Amazing that Jesus would be so blunt with someone. But real truth is at times real blunt………….. and then Jesus says to them but, if God were your father - you would love me. Most people say they love Jesus --- but what does that really mean?
Jesus says – if God were your father – you would love me. John gives us later in the bible perhaps some of the best pictures of what real love for God is.
So how do we see that love?
* Real love walks. 2 John 1:6 - 7 “And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.” The Christian life is not a sprint to the finish line – it is a walk. It means that when you fall down – you confess - you get back up and keep on walking. Walking in obedience to the commands of God is an indicator of loving God. When you obey God you express love to God. I can think of time and time again when I heard God through his Word – do this Ben or do that Ben and I put it off ---- I tried to ignore it but it kept coming back --- the commands of God just kept leaping out of the bible at me and then I decided to walk . 2ndly
* Real love obeys. 1 John 5:2 “This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome.” So the commands of God are not a burden ---- to do what God tells a disciple to do is not a burden. It does not mean that it will not be tough but it is not a burden.
* Real love forgives. 1 John 4:19 - 21 “We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother”
I recently went and saw a man who is a Christian. This man hurt me, he gossiped about me, he deceived me. In a sense I felt cursed by him. It took some time but I forgave him. I kept hearing God tell me to bless him. How do I know that? Scripture told me.. Romans 12:14 “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.” Is God telling you to forgive someone? --- you’re a disciple but you have ignored blessing someone who has persecuted you. I guarantee you when you bless them you will experience in your emotions more of the love of God. Comment…………..
* Real love is actions. 1 John 3:16 - 18 “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. ‘
Close: To the believer – God has designed for you to be a disciple of Jesus – to follow him and to spread his beliefs. The main way you do that is by living a holy life. You might say that discipleship is the process of the pursuit of a holy life. Stop drinking milk and grow up to maturity.
To the non believer – today is the day that God is calling you – would you come? Would you follow?
Would you believe? You are hearing the truth but you are ignoring it – be careful that you do not experience a hardening of your heart.
Let us pray. Pray for believers and non believers.
Lord Jesus – I pray for your disciples in this room. I pray that they may grow up in their salvation. I pray that they may love you by obeying your word – I ask that they may hold to your teaching – I ask that you would give them a deeper passion and hunger for Your Word. For the non believer or the person here who does not have saving faith --- oh – God – open their heart and may today be the day that they obey and come to you and truly believe in you. IN JESUS NAME – AMEN
October 18, 2009
John 8:31 – 47
Pastor Ben Fleming
In 1973 Walter Hendrickson wrote the book Disciples are Made Not Born. That was the year that I came to Christ as my savior. It was in that year that I stopped having religious faith and God gave me saving faith. It was the year that I began the journey of discovering what it meant to be and live as a disciple of Jesus Christ. I heard about discipleship groups – someone discipling another person – I am not sure that I understood what the word meant – disciple – discipleship – discipler. All I knew was that it was a process to be worked out in my life now that I was a follower of Jesus.
A good definition says that a (SLIDE) disciple = spreads the beliefs of the one they follow. Most people have heard of the disciples of Jesus Christ – most, think of them as the 12 disciples. Jesus told them in Matthew 28:19 “go and make disciples of all nations” – I am glad these guys obeyed Jesus and spread his beliefs? Turn in your bible to John 8:31. The word disciple is used real loosely today. There is a heavy metal band named Disciple, there is a disciple clothing company, a book named the Unlikely Disciple and of course disciples of the devil.
In the church, we often will talk of someone being a follower of Christ as a disciple. Many people think that if I am a Christian - I am a disciple of Jesus. The gospels give us several pictures of disciples. Matthew 8:21 “Another disciple said to Jesus, Lord, first let me go and bury my father, but Jesus said, Follow me and let the dead bury their dead.” In Luke 14 Jesus said, “If anyone does not come to me and does not hate his mother and father… even his own life – he cannot be my disciple.” So Jesus is giving a qualification of a disciple. John 20:8 “Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed.” John calls this man a disciple before he says he believed. So – can we say that someone who follows Jesus does not necessarily always have saving faith? Judas Iscariot was a follower of Jesus and yet he did not have saving faith. He is in hell right now suffering the eternal full wrath of God. There were disciples of John the Baptist and disciples of Moses. John records in chapter 9:28 “you are this fellow’s disciple. We are disciples of Moses. We know God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow we do not even know where he comes from.”
In our lives we follow people. I remember in high school – I followed Mitch Duckworth every he went. We did almost everything together – we water skied together – we built a raft and floated down the Ohio River together and we built match bombs in snuff cans together. In college – I followed John Controveros – I followed John because he befriended me and helped me grow in my faith. I learn to spread to others what John believed and what I now believed. Think of the people you have followed in your life………… what does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus?
What does it mean to spread the beliefs of the one you say you follow? Are you a real disciple of Jesus ? Please stand as we read our text this morning and in this text I want you to find with me 4 characteristics of a real disciple of Jesus Christ. READ 8:31- 47
A Genuine Disciple of Jesus Christ
1. Holds to his teaching (vs.31-32) “to the Jews who had believed in him, Jesus said, If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Jesus has again been spending time speaking to Jewish religious people telling them the validity of his testimony and who he is and at the end of his teaching John says in verse 30 – “Even as he spoke, many put their faith in him.” Most of us read that and think they were saved. They prayed a prayer or went forward but we are going see in the further words of Jesus they believed but it was not saving faith. You always have to read the bible in context --- what comes before and what comes after a verse. Bible Scholar Leon Morris wrote about verse (31-32) “these words of Jesus are addressed to those who believe, and yet do not believe. They believe enough to think that what Jesus just told them was true, but they were not prepared to yield him the allegiance that trust in him implies” Morris also says – “this is a dangerous spiritual state. You recognize that truth is found in Jesus and yet you do nothing about that truth - in effect you range or a line yourself up with the enemies of the Lord.” Unfortunately --- I believe many do that today and some of you are --- you hear and believe what is true about Jesus but you do nothing about that truth and you in effect are lining yourself up as an enemy of the Lord. ……Okay – Jesus said if you hold to my teaching you are my disciples……....What does it mean to hold to his teaching? The word Jesus spoke here
To Hold = to abide in or remain in. Jesus spoke the same word in John 15:4 “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” If you are a real disciple of Jesus – you hold to his teaching. Hebrews 2:1 says “we must pay more careful attention, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.” A real disciple of Jesus holds to the teaching of Jesus. One of the indicators of real saving faith in a person is faithfulness to the truth of Jesus Christ.
We abide in Christ – we remain in Christ – we hold onto the teachings of Christ when we place ourselves in Him and continue there and draw life from his words. This is a process – for some of us – we are just beginning this process and for some of us it has been some time. Knowing Jesus is knowing the truth. Knowing the truth means that you accept it and obey it. When you obey the truth – Jesus says it will make you free – regardless of the pain you have experienced and the wrongs done to you.
EXAMPLE:
Bruce loved being a husband and a father. He married his childhood sweetheart Cindy – Cindy and Bruce had three children under the age of 10. They taught Sunday School together – lived in Florida and enjoyed the sunshine state – but one day the darkness came as Cindy and her 5 year old were broadsided by a teenager named Justin who ran a stop sign and killed them instantly. Justin got off with no charges filed against him. Bruce battle bitterness – he fought for justice. Eventually Justin was convicted of manslaughter – at sentencing Bruce asked the judge to be lenient on Justin. Bruce said – “the only way I could move forward in life was to forgive Justin – I talked with him face to face and at that time I realized he was in as much pain as I was --- I knew the truth --- I held onto it and I obeyed it and I was set free.” A real disciple of Jesus holds to his teaching like Bruce did.
2. Has a hunger for His word (vs.37) “I know you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are ready to kill me, because you have no room for my word.”
So – we can see here that these people really did not believe even though verse 30 says they put their faith in him --- Jesus tells them that he knows they are actual descendants of Abraham and if that is the case you ought to know what his faith was like. Look what Jesus finally says to them in verse 53 – “Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.” Abraham knew the promises of God. He knew the truth of God. Abraham had saving faith and that saving faith gave him a hunger for the truth of God. These people even had more than Abraham – they had the first 5 books of the bible called the Pentatuch – Abraham did not. Hunger for God’s Word is an indicator of true saving faith.
A disciple of Jesus has a hunger for the Word of God. Jesus says to these people = you have no place or room for his word. He spoke the word choreo = the NIV translates it as room--- it meant to advance, to make progress, or to go forward. Saving faith produces a hunger for the word of God which causes the person to advance – to make progress and go forward. Jesus is saying that they heard the word of God – but they did not heed it – it bore no fruit in them – it was like the seed that fell beside the road in the parable of the sower. It is like the person who comes to church again and again and again and there is no change in their life. They have a bible but they do not read it. They have a bible but they do not know what it says and there is not the slightest desire to find out and obey it. But if someone is a true disciple – eventually you ought to be able to see changes in their life – progress and advance because of a hunger for the Word of God.
A disciple of Jesus is word oriented. They understand the importance of being a doer of the Word of God. Peter says disciples are like new born babies who long for the pure milk of the word of God so they may grow in respect to their salvation. CHARITY TURN TO THE BOOK OF PSALM 1. The first 3 verses of the book of Psalm describes this hunger for the Word of God found in a disciple of Jesus. “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord (WORD OF GOD) and on his law he meditates day and night. ---- he has room for the Word of God ---- He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields it fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does he prospers…………
Application: Do you hunger for God’s Word? Do you hunger to read God’s Word? Do you hunger to hear God’s Word preached? Its easy to loose your hunger and it is hard to feed your hunger. Habits help to feed your hunger. When do you make time for reading God’s Word? Many of us are so busy and so easily distracted by the urgency of other things --- Using the Daily Bread booklet devotional is a good way to start with God’s Word. Reading Morning and Evening with Spurgeon is great. Read something from the OT and something from the NT. Ask God to speak to you – ask God to give you the food that you need. Depend upon the Holy Spirit. Keep a record of what you read. Get a bible reading plan – you can read through the bible in one year by reading every day for 5 min. Listen to the preaching of God’s Word --- You can download almost any message you want from any preacher for free today…… If you have not just the slightest bit of hunger for God’s Word then you ought to examine if you truly have saving faith --- you have to start with saving faith – you have to come to Jesus and you have to truly believe. He will give you a hunger for His Word………………. A disciple of Jesus holds on to His teaching and a disciple of Jesus has a hunger for the Word of God.
3. Does what other disciples have done (vs. 39) “Abraham is our father, they answered. If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, then you would do the things Abraham did.”
Once again these people did not grasp what Jesus was teaching them. They insisted that they were Abraham’s spiritual children --- they thought they followed his faith in God --- but Jesus is telling them that if that were the case they would demonstrate the faith that he had. Their lives – their words and their actions conflicted with his. They did not demonstrate the righteousness that Abraham demonstrated.
Genesis 15:6 “Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.” In the New Testament we find Abraham spoken of again and again. Paul gives an entire chapter in the book of Romans to the faith of Abraham. Romans 4--- the first 4 verses… “What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter. If, in fact Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about – but not before God. What does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.” ----- this is exactly what Jesus said to them --- if you are children of Abraham --- do what He did --- believe God. Hebrews gives us a perfect example of what Abraham did and how faith was demonstrated in his life.
Hebrews 11:8 “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.” A real disciple exercises faith and faith many times does things that seem humanly foolish. Go to this country and you will have no idea where the place is or you have no money to get there. A real disciple trusts God when it seems ridiculous. A real disciple does things that other disciples have done. They believe God and take God for His word. They forgive people - who the rest of the world would stay away from and condemn. You find this principle of discipleship time and time again in the Word of God. A real disciple does what other disciples have done --- they follow other disciples. Paul put it this way:
2 Timothy 2:2:2 - 3 “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” A disciple of Jesus follows other disciples. A disciple of Jesus learns from others from the past. If that was not the case then Hebrews 11 would not be in the bible and God wasted his time putting it there.
I remember Paul, John, Bruce, and Greg in my life from my past who I learned from and followed. I did not worship them – but I saw Christ working in their lives and I learned from them. I even remember the guys I almost could not stand and yet they were men of God – Larry, Geoffry, Mark and Jim – God used those men in my life. A real disciple learns from what other disciples have done and sees how Christ has used them in their life.
Application: What disciple of Jesus are you learning from? Who can you think of right now that you see them living a Christ like life? You do not worship them but you learn from them? What believers from the past are learning from? Pastor John Piper put it this way about disciples from the past… “The longer I live, the more clearly I see my dependence on those who have gone before me.” A real disciple of Jesus learns from what other disciples have done.
4. Loves Jesus and hears or obeys His Word (vs. 42) “Jesus said to them, “if God were your father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me.”
Jesus continues addressing these people after he tells them – if you were abraham’s children you would do what he did – he believed God ---- but in verse 40 Jesus says “you are determined to kill me – a man who has told you the truth from God --- and then verse 41 – “you are doing the things your own father does” --- Jesus is not at all talking about God the father --- look at verse 44 – you belong to your father – the devil – you want to carry out your father’s desire – he was a murderer from the beginning – not holding to the truth for there is no truth in him.” These are some of the same people that verse 30 says “many put their faith in him.”
So perhaps we must conclude that Jesus says that someone who does not have saving faith has faith but that faith is in the devil. Shocking --- you do not hear that much today. Amazing that Jesus would be so blunt with someone. But real truth is at times real blunt………….. and then Jesus says to them but, if God were your father - you would love me. Most people say they love Jesus --- but what does that really mean?
Jesus says – if God were your father – you would love me. John gives us later in the bible perhaps some of the best pictures of what real love for God is.
So how do we see that love?
* Real love walks. 2 John 1:6 - 7 “And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.” The Christian life is not a sprint to the finish line – it is a walk. It means that when you fall down – you confess - you get back up and keep on walking. Walking in obedience to the commands of God is an indicator of loving God. When you obey God you express love to God. I can think of time and time again when I heard God through his Word – do this Ben or do that Ben and I put it off ---- I tried to ignore it but it kept coming back --- the commands of God just kept leaping out of the bible at me and then I decided to walk . 2ndly
* Real love obeys. 1 John 5:2 “This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome.” So the commands of God are not a burden ---- to do what God tells a disciple to do is not a burden. It does not mean that it will not be tough but it is not a burden.
* Real love forgives. 1 John 4:19 - 21 “We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother”
I recently went and saw a man who is a Christian. This man hurt me, he gossiped about me, he deceived me. In a sense I felt cursed by him. It took some time but I forgave him. I kept hearing God tell me to bless him. How do I know that? Scripture told me.. Romans 12:14 “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.” Is God telling you to forgive someone? --- you’re a disciple but you have ignored blessing someone who has persecuted you. I guarantee you when you bless them you will experience in your emotions more of the love of God. Comment…………..
* Real love is actions. 1 John 3:16 - 18 “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. ‘
Close: To the believer – God has designed for you to be a disciple of Jesus – to follow him and to spread his beliefs. The main way you do that is by living a holy life. You might say that discipleship is the process of the pursuit of a holy life. Stop drinking milk and grow up to maturity.
To the non believer – today is the day that God is calling you – would you come? Would you follow?
Would you believe? You are hearing the truth but you are ignoring it – be careful that you do not experience a hardening of your heart.
Let us pray. Pray for believers and non believers.
Lord Jesus – I pray for your disciples in this room. I pray that they may grow up in their salvation. I pray that they may love you by obeying your word – I ask that they may hold to your teaching – I ask that you would give them a deeper passion and hunger for Your Word. For the non believer or the person here who does not have saving faith --- oh – God – open their heart and may today be the day that they obey and come to you and truly believe in you. IN JESUS NAME – AMEN
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