At the heart of the church

At the heart of the church is the God who exists in perfect relationship. This God brings His people into that relationship which then gives us the model for our relationships. It is my prayer that the church would strive to be together, that we would be one, as the Father and Son are one. When I pray that prayer I know that the answer involves me giving myself to others. I will laugh with those who laugh and weep with those who weep. I will be called upon to fight for and alongside my brothers. I will open my home and go into theirs.

It is unthinkable that Jesus would do anything without the Father and the Spirit. May it be unthinkable that we would do anything without the church.

The Great Commission Matthew 28:18-20

Text: Matthew 28:18-20                                                         2/5/2012

Thesis: We are called to be disciples who make disciples.

Today we look at our 6^th core value: the Great Commission. The Great Commission is found in Matthew 28:18-20. Let’s read it together.

This morning I think it is important that you and I understand what a disciple is and what a disciple does. Jesus has commanded us to be disciples who make disciples. So what should we be and what should we do?

 I. A disciple repents and believes the gospel of Jesus Christ

• Repent of disobedience (Luke 13:1-5)

In Luke 13 Jesus was talking about some religious people who were killed along with their sacrifices by Herod. They’re blood was mixed with their sacrifices. That was a terrible crime. He also talked about a tower that fell and killed 18 people. That was a tragedy. The question then arises, are you any different from them? Were they any worse than you? Is that why they died that way? No, they weren’t worse sinners than you. They didn’t have it coming. They were normal “good” people and they died suddenly. Twice Jesus says, “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Lk 13:3, 5).

Every person is headed toward death and judgment. The horrors of hell await those who ignore God and go their own way. Therefore, we must repent. To repent is to simply turn around. Listen to God and understand that what you are doing is wrong; it is sin and God will punish you for your rebellion against him. He will punish you unless you repent.

But every day in our courts it is not enough just to say that you are sorry. Many criminals repent apologizing for the wrong they have done but punishment must still be handed out. This punishment for our sins is why we must also

• Believe in the resurrected Jesus (Luke 24:46-47)

The only way you and I will escape the punishment we deserve for our sins is if we believe that Jesus took that punishment for us. It is not enough just to be sorry. You must also cling to Jesus as your only hope, your only atoning sacrifice. There on the cross your punishment was handed out. The wages of your sins were paid in the grave of Jesus Christ. And then he rose again. Every disciple must be sorry for his/her own sin. We must repent of disobedience. But every disciple must also link up with Christ. By faith you must be joined to Christ so that the cross becomes your payment. The tomb becomes your grave. And the resurrection of Jesus becomes the source of your life.

A disciple repents and believes the gospel of Jesus Christ. Without repentance and faith you cannot be a disciple but because of repentance and faith, because you have been born again through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, now you are a disciple. Disciples are not the mature. Disciples are not pastors or missionaries. Disciples are not those Christians who have reached some level of accomplishment in the Christian life. Everyone who has repented of his sins and placed his faith in Jesus Christ is a disciple of Jesus Christ.

If you become a disciple through repentance and faith how then do you live as a disciple? You keep repenting and you keep on believing. Another way to say it is

II. A disciple relies on the continuing presence of Jesus

You and I can rely on his presence because he promised his presence.

• Jesus promised to be with you forever

Jesus ends this powerful passage in Matthew 28 with some encouraging words. Verse 20, “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Jesus will never forsake or abandon or neglect his own. He will always be with you. He’ll be with you through the Holy Spirit. He’ll be with you through the church. By faith you will abide in him. For every command Jesus promises his presence.

You need his presence because apart from Christ you can do nothing (John 15:5). You can try a lot of things. You can even be successful at a lot of things. But it is impossible to accomplish God’s things without God. Bottom line, Jesus promises his presence because you and I need it. With Jesus I can be a loving husband and a faithful father. With Jesus I can find forgiveness when I sin and strength to obey.

Reading Andrew Murray has taught me to pray a simple prayer no matter the situation, “Jesus I want to abide in you right now.” Cultivate an awareness of his presence by disciplining yourself to pray for his presence. When I am aware of my need for him I am more likely to cry out for his help and attempt life by his power. If I’m not aware of my need I’m not likely to cry out for his help and I’ll attempt life by my power. You and I need Jesus. He promised to be with us forever.

That’s good news because I need his continued presence in order to obey his commands. Because of his presence

III. A disciple seeks to obey the commands of Jesus

But why obey Jesus?

• All authority belongs to our Commander

Jesus’ words are plain in verse 18, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Jesus doesn’t mince words. Because he is the Son of God who has conquered sin and the grave he is the rightful ruler of every being. Every angel, every demon, and every person is under his authority. Jesus has the right to do with anyone or anything whatever he wants. He has all authority. If Jesus commands us to do something and the government tells us not to whom should we listen to? Listen to the one who has all authority. Listen to Jesus. And what has he said?

• He has commanded us to make disciples

It is the God-given responsibility of every Christian to make Christ-followers out of every person on the globe. This is why I believe it is necessary to be involved with other Christians in the task of global disciple-making. The main reason why I value the Southern Baptist Convention is the ability to link up with other Christians in the cause of making disciples of all nations. I give money. I pray. I go to help and encourage those missionaries. I cannot learn every language and speak to every person but I can be intentionally involved in the lives of others who extend my reach literally to the nations.

But I also do not pretend that because I give money and pray and go on mission trips that I am fulfilling all that Jesus intended when he commanded me to go and make disciples. Let’s get specific now about what it means to make disciples.

•  Make disciples where you are

Verse 19 literally reads, “Going, therefore, make disciples of all nations.” You might have heard someone translate it, “Therefore, as you are going make disciples.” You have a responsibility to the far reaches of Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia, North America, South America, and Antarctica. But you have the greatest responsibility to make disciples of those you regularly see. You are commanded to make disciples of those in your home, on your street, at your work, and in your community. Think home, street, work, and community.

Now, the ace of spades command, the overarching command, is to glorify God in everything you do. You can then break that command down into two commands that must shape every day. The first way we glorify God is by making disciples in everyday life. The second way we glorify God is by working hard as for the Lord and not for men. Whether you are retired, an employer, an employee, or a stay at home mom this is what God expects of you: work hard and make disciples. It is not enough just to work hard and expect to make disciples without sharing the gospel and teaching others what Jesus commands. And it is shameful to agree to do a job and not do it. Work hard and make disciples right now right where you are. That’s the first specific of what it means to make disciples: make disciples where you are. Now the second:

• Baptize

Our Commander has told us to make disciples and part of that calling is to help that disciple understand baptism. As Christians we are to loving invest ourselves in others as we evangelize the lost and disciple the saved. When a person has heard the gospel, understood the gospel, repented of their sins, and put their faith in Jesus Christ now what?

The first step in discipleship is baptism. Here, in a wonderful act of faith, a Christian publicly proclaims his/her unity with Christ. By faith the Christian was there when Jesus was crucified so all Christians can say, “I was crucified with Christ (Gal 2:20). By faith the Christian was in Christ when he died so all Christians can say, “I no longer live.” By faith we were buried with him and by faith we rose again in him so all Christians can say, “but Christ lives in me.”

Baptism is a symbol but it is more than a symbol. In baptism the Christian is making a powerful declaration. Colossians 2:12 says that you have been buried with him in baptism and you are raised by the powerful working of God who raised Jesus from the dead. Baptism is the outward display of a spiritual truth: what is true of Christ is true of me.

And the reason we baptize, that is to immerse in water, is because to dip or immerse is what the word means, baptism this way is the best representative of what it means to be buried with Christ and raised from the dead, and this way was practiced by the early church before sprinkling or pouring was introduced.

When you evangelize, when you share the gospel, and someone repents and believes it is your responsibility to encourage their new life as a disciple. This starts with you helping them understand baptism. Jesus commands us to baptize. And Jesus tells us to

• Teach disciples to obey all that Jesus commanded

Knowing what Jesus said does not make you a disciple. Understanding what Jesus said does not make you a disciple. A disciple is someone who seeks by the Holy Spirit’s power to obey what Jesus said. Disciples are not perfect. Disciples are people who through repentance and faith seek to carry out Jesus’ commands consistently and wholeheartedly.

Here we must give others and ourselves a big dose of grace. Discipleship, becoming more like Christ, is a lifelong process. In many ways discipleship and sanctification are very similar. Sanctification is the progressive work of God by which we are made more like Christ. Discipleship is the work of the church through which each believer learns how to live like Christ. In this sense every Christian is being pushed by two engines: sanctification by God and discipleship by the church.

There was only one perfect child, perfect teenager, perfect person, perfect spouse, perfect sibling, perfect parent, and perfect friend. That perfect person is not you so give yourself grace. That perfect person is not your spouse or your child or your teenager so give them a dose of grace. That perfect One is God; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

You, and every Christian around you, is in the process of daily learning what it means to live like Christ. Your job is to help that person understand what Jesus has commanded as well as actually obey what Jesus has commanded. And you’re not done when that person obeys Jesus’ command to be baptized. Your responsibility is to walk with that person through life teaching him/her to obey EVERYTHING that Jesus commanded. Discipleship is not a 1, 2, or 3 year program that upon completion you graduate and then become a master. According to 1 John 3:2 you won’t fully become like Jesus until he returns. This is the good news in which we live. Right now we are children of God. Right now with all our sin and weakness and lack of understanding and disobedience we are still children of God. We are all marching toward the day when we will become like the Son of God. Now we are being purified. Then we will be pure.

All this means teaching one another to obey all that Jesus commanded is the heart of discipleship. From the oldest to the youngest we need to be discipled. From the pulpit to the back pew we need to be discipled. None of us are perfect. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 tells us to encourage one another and build one another up. Isn’t that discipleship? 1 Thessalonians 5:15 tells us to admonish the idle, encourage the faint-hearted, and be patient with them all. That’s making disciples; helping one another become more like Christ every day.

IV. Practical ways to get involved in making disciples

• Get face to face with someone

Our phones and computers and televisions can be useful tools but they will never be as effective as a face to face real life relationship. Christian listen to me. Turn off the phone, TV, computer and video game. Put down the hobby or the book and be with the one you are with. Read the bible together. Talk about what God says and work out what it means to obey. Then pray for God’s help to talk, and understand, and obey.

Some of you for the cause of making disciples may need to back out of all technology for a few days. Take a 3 day fast from the cell phone, TV, and computer and with prayer and the help of a wise loving Christian begin adding in only what is helpful. I’m talking to those of you who can’t eat a meal or have a 10 minute conversation with a real person without checking your phone.

Get face to face with someone and teach him/her to obey all that Jesus commanded.

• Read the bible with someone

What Jesus commanded is recorded in the bible. There are many helpful books out there on every subject you can imagine but none but the Bible is living and active. The bible is like a two edged sword that cuts both ways; highly effective. Moms and dads, read the bible with your children. My family has been greatly blessed as we read through the bible using Long Story Short as a guide. Each week has 5 bible readings with an explanation and questions for each reading.

Husband and wives read the New Testament together using our church daily bible reading plan. We print each week in the bulletin or you can pick up a copy of January through June’s reading in the foyer.

Read the bible with a coworker while on break. Meet up with a Christian once every two weeks to read and pray. Read the bible evangelistically. I can put plans in your hands to read the bible with someone in almost any situation. Just ask me. I want to help you make disciples. To do so we must use the bible. My last piece of practical advice for making disciples is this:

• Pray that God would use you to make disciples

I believe Jesus’ command to those 72 disciples in Luke 10 is a command for us, “Pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into the harvest.” I want you this morning to pray that God would send you out to labor face to face with the bible. Everyone get out your prayer brochure and turn to the next to last page titled “I Will Pray for Lost People.” The disciple making process begins by making the commitment to pray for the lost. I want you to think of 3 people that may or may not be Christians. These 3 may be friends at school, they may be coworkers, they may be neighbors, or family members. Write those three names in your prayer book and we are going to spend time praying for them.

When the church gathered together and prayed in Acts 4 we are told that the place in which they were gathered was shaken and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness (Acts 4:31). May God shake us as we pray and fill us with his Spirit to go and make disciples.

I’ve put the five requests taken from Romans 10:8-17 on the screen and I’ll lead us as we pray asking God to use us to make disciples.

Love, Serve, Share Hebrews 13:1-3

Text: Hebrews 13:1-3                                                 11/13/2011

Thesis: Christians are an everlasting family.

Today is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. It is also the last sermon in our series looking into the “one another” passages of the New Testament. From here, Lord willing, we will begin a sermon series looking at our six core values.

I hope these sermons on the church have challenged and encouraged your thinking concerning the church. I hope the Spirit has convinced you of the truth and your life looks more like Jesus’ because of it. As we finish this series I want to take what we’re learning about the local church and apply it to the universal church. By local church I mean that specific body in which God has placed you for regular worship, equipping, and the using of your gifts. The local church has a pastor or pastors who will give an account for your soul. By the universal church, however, I mean everyone on the globe who has been born again through faith in Jesus Christ. Mambrino Baptist Church is a local church that is a part of the universal church.

Now, because we’re all busy and ill-informed and a bit selfish it’s safe to assume that the majority of us give little thought to our persecuted brothers and sisters around the globe; the suffering universal church. You’ve heard some mention of an organization and magazine called Voice of the Martyrs but that’s about as far as you’ve gone. This morning I pray all that changes.

Each sermon over the past two months has touched on the themes we find today in Hebrews 13:1-3. In some senses we have been very focused on us; we’ve looked inward a great deal and I think it has been necessary. But now it’s time to take what we’ve seen in God’s word about the local church and follow it outward to the universal church.

There are three words I want you to hear, understand, and live out in everyday life: love, serve, and share.

Read Hebrews 13:1-3- love, serve, share

I. Protect your love for the saints (v1)

The command of verse 1 is simple

1. Let brotherly love remain

Don’t stop loving one another. From the letter as a whole, and particularly from chapter 10, we learn that the Hebrew Church was a persecuted church. They have had a hard struggle. They’ve endured suffering. Publically they’ve been mocked and injured. They’ve even had their property confiscated. During all this they have not abandoned each other. They’ve been partners with those so treated. They had compassion on those who were in prison. Now they are being told in chapter 13, ‘Let brotherly love continue.’

When times are hard the easiest thing to do is draw into your self. When your family is suffering and being abused for the gospel it is easy to forget about your brothers and sisters in Christ; you’re suffering for crying out loud! But in difficulty, in suffering, “let brotherly love continue.”

I’m going to walk us through some passages that will help us continue loving one another. As we meditate on and live out these passages brotherly love will remain.

1. Jesus has made us family (Galatians 4:4-5)

Another way to say it is like this: we are family by way of adoption.

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

Those Christians who let brotherly love continue are those individuals who understand that salvation is about more than entering the kingdom or gaining eternal life. Salvation is entering a new loving family. Remember, once you were not a part of God’s people. You were outside the promise; outside the covenant. Then God rescued you and he did it through adoption. God chose to bring you into His family. Ephesians 1:5 says, “He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ.”

Through the work of Christ you were bought and cleansed. Through the work of Christ in his righteous life, atoning death, and victorious resurrection you were adopted into the Father’s family. You now are a part of a family, a forever family, and we owe it all to Jesus.

And the church, this forever family, is a loving family because

1. God has taught us to love (1 Thessalonians 4:9)

Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another.

Through the Gospel every believer learns to love one another. If you are a Christian, a person who has heard and believed the good news concerning the person and work of Jesus, then God has already taught you what it means to love one another. 1 Thessalonians 4:9 removes the ignorance excuse. None of us can claim that we don’t know what true love is; to do so is to say you don’t believe the gospel. None of us can claim that we’ve never experienced true love. God has poured out his love for us through Jesus Christ. God has taught us to love.

1. Jesus set the standard for love (John 13:34; 1 John 3:16)

We began this series with these passages:

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 we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

When a person hears the gospel she is introduced to true love. When a person believes the gospel she experiences true love. As an adopted child of God she is placed in a family that loves. And the bible defines love as the giving of yourself for the gospel-good of another. Think on the depth and tenacity and sacrifice and joy of Jesus’ love. That is how we are to love one another.

1. God gives us the power to love (2 Peter 1:3)

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to live and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.

You see, knowing God and possessing the power to live a godly life are inseparable. You and I will love one another like Jesus does only as we live reconciled to the Father. Now, some of us can’t love because we aren’t reconciled to God. Difficult people aren’t the problem your unrepentant heart is cold and dead. You need to be born again in order to love like Jesus. But still, some of us live angry unloving lives because we believe God is angry with us. Some Christians choose to live according to the relationship the old un-reconciled man had with God. Instead, as adopted children of God through faith in Jesus Christ, live knowing that God loves you, God is no longer angry with you. You are His chosen, holy, and dearly loved child. As you walk in that love you will be equipped to love.

Put it all together: because we are family, because we have been taught to love, and because we have been equipped to love “let brotherly love remain.”

We can easily pick that up and pray for the persecuted church. Put some effort into getting to know the persecuted church. Pray that your love for the persecuted church would remain. Pray that God would not let your comfort and ease crowd out your love for those who are suffering. Pray that God would not let your suffering and busy-ness crowd out your love for those who are suffering. And pray for the suffering. Pray that their love for the church would remain.

Christian, protect your love for the saints.

II. Don’t forget hospitality (v2)

Verses one and two go together: if brotherly love remains than hospitality or serving one another will not be forgotten. If brotherly love disappears than so will the tangible display of that love. So how does hospitality work?

1. The love of Christ makes us hospitable

You were any enemy of God yet the Father loved you and sent His Son to die for you. You are no longer a slave. You are a son of God. You are an heir. You are a part of the family. You were once an enemy but now you are seated at his table. How many enemies are seated at your table? How many of those sharing a meal in your home were once living life hating you?

The question must be asked: has the gospel lost its power to reconcile or have the people of God stopped believing the gospel has power to reconcile?

As we dwell in and abide in the love of Christ it transforms us so that we begin to love like Christ. So how do we abide in the love of Christ? It starts with a biblical understanding of the love of Christ. You get out a big thick juicy concordance or bible program and you search the Scriptures. You swim in these things; immerse yourself in them. Allow the truth to transform your mind. From there you choose to live according to the truth. Christian, every day you have a decision. You can either live according to a lie, namely, God doesn’t love me. Or, you can live according to the truth, namely, God loves me. The more you understand God’s love the more readily you will see that love worked out in your life.

So, abide in Jesus’ love and obey his commands; do not forget to show hospitality to strangers. And then comes a good reason to do so, Hebrews 13:2, “for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”

Abraham welcomed three strangers into his home who turned out to be the Lord and two of his angels (Genesis 18). Lot welcomed those two angels into his home and by so doing he wasn’t destroyed (Genesis 19).

Welcoming strangers into your home can really be a good thing. But don’t expect every stranger to be an angel. Instead, know this: we serve Christ by serving others.

1. To serve others is to serve Christ (Matthew 25:40)

In Matthew 25 Jesus divides the sheep from the goats; he divides the people of God from the people who belong to the world. And the thing that divides them is feeding the hungry, giving the thirsty a drink, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and those in prison. The Christians ask Jesus, “When did we see you like this and serve you?” Matthew 25:40, “And the King will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’”

So let me give you an exception to the rule. The rule is when you serve a fellow Christian, a brother of Christ, it is as if you are serving Christ. The exception is that sometimes that person you are serving will be an angel. So,

1. Don’t overlook hospitality

To overlook something means to forget it or neglect it. We do not intentionally overlook things. Hebrews 13:2 doesn’t mean, “don’t refuse to practice hospitality.” Instead it means don’t get so wrapped up in yourself and your family and your friends that you forget to welcome in and serve the stranger.

When is the last time you had a member of this faith family into your home? It might be for a meal, for dessert, or for a time of prayer. When is the last time you had a neighbor, a coworker, a stranger into your home so you could serve him or her?

Some in this church have opened their homes and lives to the fatherless, the widow, and the stranger. I am grateful for God’s grace poured out in this way. May you and I look in to the mirror of God’s law wrestle with the idea that the empty bedrooms and the empty chairs at dinner time could be caused by our sinful refusal to practice hospitality.

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers.”

III. Link up with the persecuted (v3)

Hebrews 13:3 commands us to “Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.”

1. Remember those in prison

The context of chapters 13 and 10 make it clear that we are to remember those who are in prison because of the Gospel. Remember those persecuted because they obeyed God. Now, I’m not saying we forget about people who are in prison because they committed some sin and are being punished by the government. What the text is saying, however, is that we should give special attention to those brothers and sisters who are thrown into jail for preaching the gospel.

In verse 2 we are told to not neglect or overlook hospitality. That means don’t let serving others in practical ways get pushed out of your daily lives. That’s deterioration by neglect. In verse 3 we are told to remember those in prison. To remember means to recall or make yourself aware of information concerning those in prison so you can do something about it. This is adopting a proactive stance towards those in prison.

Maybe you can remember it this way

1. Be an Onesiphorus (2 Timothy 1:16)

Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 1:16, “May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains.”

Onesiphorus remembered those in prison. Can anyone in prison for the gospel say that of you?

One of the reasons we don’t remember those in prison is because we don’t know anyone in prison. Let me show you a website that can change all that: www.prisoneralert.com. PrisonerAlert.com is a ministry of The Voice of the Martyrs. This website provides an opportunity for you to join in the vital and important ministry of intercession and solidarity with those who suffer for the faith. You can sign up for prisoner alerts. You can get prayer requests. You can even write a letter of encouragement that will be translated, and when safely possible, delivered to that prisoner.

Be an Onesiphorus, remember those in prison as if you were in prison with them. If you were in jail because of the gospel what would you want the church to do for you? Do that for them. Pray for, refresh, and link up with your persecuted brothers and sisters. And it’s not just about prisoners. Hebrews 13:3 also tells us to

1. Remember the mistreated

You have a body. You know how badly it hurts when someone hurts you. It can be the physical pain of starvation or abuse. It can be the emotional pain of being singled out and made fun of for living in step with the gospel. Do you know anyone who is currently being mistreated, abused, and afflicted for the gospel?

Together we are the body of Christ but for some reason we have a mental disorder. We aren’t care about or even know about those members of the body that are in pain. It’s like the church is in shock walking around as if everything is fine when actually there are gaping wounds. Let me close with a question:

IV. What will it look like for you and your family to love, serve, and share?

1. This morning your faith family is going to try and remove the ignorance excuse.

You’ve seen the truth from God’s word and we want to provide you with the means to walk according to God’s word. We want you to remember, to pray for and care for and share in the suffering of the persecuted. As we sing our final hymn you’ll see six people begin passing out a packet of information. This is information produced by The Voice of the Martyrs specifically for the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. You’ll get a little brochure introducing you to a woman named Padina. You’ll get a little prayer card focusing you on one of several restricted or hostile areas in the world today. And you’ll get a magazine with several short articles introducing you to the suffering and persecuted. There’s a map inside that magazine that highlights the 54 nations who are hostile toward the Gospel. There’s also a card inside that magazine where you can sign up for a free subscription to the monthly magazine that will keep you informed concerning the persecuted church. Please take some time today to look through the materials and because of the gospel let brotherly love continue, don’t neglect hospitality, and remember the persecuted.

A Living Sacrifice Romans 12:14-21

A Living Sacrifice
Text: Romans 12:14-21 11/6/2011
Thesis: Being a living sacrifice means giving yourself for the good of others, even your enemies.

I appeal to you church, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Does everyone here have a well thought out biblical picture of how that is supposed to look in life? Does the liturgy of your daily life follow the leadership of Christ? Honestly, how do you know?
My prayer and desire is that at the end of this sermon you will have a clear idea in your mind concerning how a living sacrifice should look. Our help comes in Romans 12 verses 14-21. Here’s the big picture: Being a living sacrifice means you give yourself for the good of others, even your enemies.
Guys, this is a gut-check passage. When we hear this passage correctly it causes a crisis of belief; is God really worth it? Will Jesus catch me if I fall? Will the Holy Spirit give me the strength to obey? As I abide in Jesus’ love and obey these commands will I gain greater joy? Do I really believe the Word?
Some of you, when you hear the truth, will be like the disciples in Mark 10 who upon hearing of the difficulties of entering the Kingdom were exceedingly astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?” (Mark 10:26). So before we get there it is necessary to hear the commitment of God. Jesus said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God” (Mark 10:27).
What you are about to hear is impossible on your own but it’s not impossible with God. So let me divide us all up into 3 groups; all of us fit into one of these types. The first are those who will hear this word and not care. You will listen, clearly see that you are falling short, and you won’t care. Most likely if that’s you then you are not a Christian. The second group will be those who hear this word, see that you are falling short, and you’ll therefore think you aren’t a Christian. But listen, do not mistake the Spirit’s work of sanctification, pointing out your indwelling sin and calling you to holiness through faith, as proof of an unregenerate heart. Repent of your sins, stand firm in grace, and move forward because you really are a Christian. In the words of Hebrews 6, “don’t lay again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith towards God. Go on to maturity because you are a Christian.” The third group is made up of those in whom this word will resonate as the very Word of God. You’ll hear it, count the cost, see your inability, see the impossibility, and trust the power of the Gospel to make you able.
Let’s turn our eyes to the text, Romans 12:14-21, and what it looks like to be a living sacrifice.

I. A living sacrifice speaks only good words (v14)
Here is the truth concerning all those who want to be Christians, all those who want to be living sacrifices:
A. All who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted (2 Timothy 3:12)
People are going to persecute you. What are you going to do? People are going to pursue you in order to hurt you, stop you, destroy you, or even kill you. It might be that one evening in the near future people bust into your home, capture you, lie about you, torture you, strip you naked and crucify you on a billboard alongside I-20. It happened to Jesus. It has happened to Christians throughout the ages. What is your settled faithfilled reaction to persecution?
Romans 12:14, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.” Speak good of those who try to humiliate or destroy you; bless them. A living sacrifice walks by faith understanding that following Christ means leaving no room for curses. You don’t get to respond with words that sting. Christian, unwholesome words, words that tear down are never an option. Our sarcasm is not funny its sin.
As a living sacrifice you have only one option described in different ways: bless those who hurt you (Rom 12:14), speak the truth in love (Eph 4:15), say only what builds up (Eph 4:29). Christian this doesn’t apply only to our conversation with fellow believers. A living sacrifice speaks ONLY good words even to those who hurt, torture, and try to kill us.
There are no days off. There are no loop holes or exemption clauses. Do you feel sufficient for this calling? Let’s keep going.
II. A living sacrifice shares life with others (v15)
Let’s start with the easier of the two in verse 15
A. Weep with those who weep
Sympathy is not all that hard for those of us who have any affection toward our fellow man. When we see pictures of families weeping in Japan after a natural disaster it stirs our emotions and we feel sorry for them. When we hear of a child fighting cancer or leukemia we weep with those who weep. One of the hardest parts of preaching a funeral is standing by the casket as a widow gives a tearful kiss to the husband she loves. It is good, right, and Christian to weep with those who weep. It is also good, right, and Christian to
B. Rejoice with those who rejoice
Kids, when it’s your birthday party and you get all the attention and all those cool presents how do you feel? You feel happy right? Another way to say it is you rejoice; you have joy because of what happened to you. But when you go to a friend’s birthday party and she gets all the attention and cool presents how do you feel? When your brother or sister gets exactly what you want how do you feel? Are you just as happy that she gets all the good stuff as you are when you get all the good stuff? Do you rejoice with those who rejoice?
Adults, we’re not free from this sin. How do you feel when a friend or family member gets a big raise or a promotion? Do you rejoice as if you had received the raise?
Teenagers, what about when one of your friends gets some new shoes or the new iPhone 4G? Do you rejoice with those who rejoice?
Suddenly ‘love your neighbor as yourself’ doesn’t seem all that easy. There are no days off. There are no loop holes or exemption clauses. Are you living as a sacrifice? Let’s keep going.
III. A living sacrifice enjoys harmony because of humility (v16)
A. Get over yourself
Twice the Apostle Paul described his life as “being poured out as a drink offering” (Phil 2:17, 2 Tim 4:6). Let me read Philippians 2:17 for you, “Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.”
The drink offering in this situation was like the opener for the big band. The drink offering was good but it wasn’t the big deal. It wasn’t like the burnt offering or the sin offering for the sacrificial offering on the Day of Atonement. Paul is saying, “Even if I go out with a whimper or fizzle out to make way for you to do great things then I’m glad. I’m happy. I rejoice with you all.”
So, never be wise in your own sight. Refuse to be that person who thinks he has it all figured out. We all know those people who consider everyone else to be idiots. My way is the right way and if you weren’t dumb you’d see that.
One of the greatest things that will help you get over yourself is associating with the lowly. Now lowly isn’t bad or negative. Jesus said we should learn from him because he’s lowly (Mt 11:29).God comforts the lowly (2 Cor 7:6) and gives grace to the lowly (James 4:6). This is one reason I go on mission trips. I want to find, link up with, and learn from the lowly. I want to walk with those saints who do greater things than Christ.
I’m thinking here about Johnny Huffman in Louisiana and Pastor Omaru in Niger, Africa. The only people who call them are people who need something. Yet there is a faithfulness and a fruitfulness about them that is unmistakable. When I associate with the lowly I stop thinking about how the world is full of idiots and I start to see just how big of an idiot I am. I think you’ll find the same holds true for you.
And as you lay aside your own pride and learn from the lowly you will find it much easier to live in harmony with others. Verse 16 commands us simply to “Live in harmony with one another.” This has to do with priorities; with the way you think and view life. Maybe we should ask a basic question: Do you even care about living in harmony with the people around you?
If you tune a thousand pianos to the same pitch fork when they all simultaneously hit that center C they will be in harmony. Tune yourself to the sinful desires of your flesh and there will be no harmony with those around you. Care only about yourself and your family, refuse to weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice, and your life with lack harmony. But tune yourself to Christ, be a living sacrifice, and you will find that harmonizing with those around you will come much easier.
But what about those times when you speak only good words, when you share in people’s joy and suffering, when you pursue humility and harmony, but people still hate you?
IV. A living sacrifice destroys his enemies (vs17-21)
The only real way to destroy and enemy is to make him a friend (William Barclay). From verses 17-21 I’m going to rapid fire 7 principles that all living sacrifices must hold to as they love and pray for those who persecute them.
A. Do not repay evil with evil (17a)
Refuse to get sucked into sin. When kicked the flesh wants to kick back, harder. When someone says something that stings us we want to sting them back. A living sacrifice refuses to go there but going there leads to nowhere good. You decide that the evil buck will stop with you. Do not repay evil with evil.
B. Think before you react (17b)
“Give thought to what is honorable in the sight of all.” When someone does something evil to you this is your M.O.: Ask yourself, what is good? What is wholesome? It’s been abused and misused but it’s so true, ask yourself what would Jesus do? 9 times out of 10 when someone has hurt you the first thing that comes to your mind will not be good. That is why we are told to think about how we are going to respond. Take time to consider if the people around you will count your response as good and honorable.
But someone will say, “If I don’t respond immediately and exert myself and my authority then people will walk all over me. I’ll lose face. My reputation will be damaged and I’ll lose credibility.”
Hear this: God isn’t concerned about your reputation or credibility. God is concerned that you only say what is good and do what is honorable. So, think before you react.
C. Do everything possible to gain peace (18)
You can’t please everyone. Some people will hate you for no reason and refuse to forgive you when you ask. But you can’t control them. What you can control is you. So, if possible, as far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
Speak the truth in love. Do not sit quietly as God is mocked. Do not turn a blind eye when someone suffers injustice. But if someone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your shirt, give him your coat as well. And if some soldier puts a gun to your head and forces you to carry his stuff for one mile go ahead and go two miles with him. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you (Matthew 5:39-42).
Still feeling sufficient for the task of offering yourself as a living sacrifice? Let’s keep going
D. Leave vengeance to God (19)
Verse 19 begins with the affectionate title ‘Beloved’ because this is so hard. Paul tenderly walks his Christian brothers and sisters through this and so should we. “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’”
It is here that the call to walk by faith is unmistakable. The wrath of God is what will be poured out on all God’s enemies on the last day. The wrath of God is not for today but for that day after Christ returns. So, we’re being told to let God handle it at some point in the future; at a point that we may never see it. When wronged trust that God will make every wrong right. When evil is done and left unpunished in this age do not grow bitter knowing that all evil will be punished in the age to come.
Retaliation and revenge are characteristics of unbelievers. If there is no God and if he’s not just then I better get my revenge. But since there is a just God who is all-wise and all-knowing and all-powerful we can let Him handle it. Get over your hurt. Not because it didn’t happen or it wasn’t all that bad. Get over your hurt because God will finally and perfectly take care of it.
But be careful, don’t sit around licking your wounds because God’s going to get ‘em. Don’t fuel your bitterness by rejoicing in their pain or coming judgment.
E. Sacrifice for your enemy (20)
There’s a change in verse 20, “to the contrary” we’re getting a course correction. Don’t seek your own revenge. Don’t sit around imaging how bad it’s going to hurt when they finally get what’s coming to them. Instead, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” A living sacrifice is a person who goes out of her way to meet the needs of her enemy. Compassion for your enemies is a characteristic of a brother who offers himself as a living sacrifice.
Think about that person who hurt you or hates you. How can you meet his/her needs? This is how Christians are commanded to think. It’s right there on the page. Verse 20 also tells us why we do good to those who hurt us, “for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”
When you consistently pray for, love, and do good to your enemies it’s going to destroy him. He’ll either become your friend or he will be eaten up with anger because he cannot destroy you. That idea pushes us into our last verse, verse 21. “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
F. Don’t get niked by evil (21a)
In the original the word “overcome” is nika’o. We have a brand of clothing called Nike. It means to be victorious, to conquer, or to overcome. A living sacrifice is someone who lives and prays and sacrifices and speaks so that evil will not overcome what is good. Do not get niked by evil
G. Nike evil with good
Conquer the evil in you. Be victorious over evil in your marriage and in your family. Overcome the evil in our communities, nation, and world. But don’t overcome evil with evil. Don’t assassinate abortion doctors. Overcome evil with good. 1 John 5:4 says, “Everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.”
You will overcome the evil around you and in you as you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Listen to his word. Believe his promises. Abide in him and you will do what is good. Separate yourself from him, refuse to walk by faith, and you will accomplish nothing good.
Church, the gospel is the power of God unto salvation for all who believe. The truth concerning Jesus Christ poured into our lives by the Holy Spirit provides the power we need be living sacrifices. You can’t do this. I can’t do this. With man this is impossible. Don’t attempt this on your own. Don’t try to be like this so that you’ll become a Christian. You can’t do this. But it’s possible with God.
You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. You can be a living sacrifice. Now that we’ve filled in the blanks and you have all the details concerning what it means to live as a Christian here is my final question
V. Which of the three groups do you belong to?
A. Are you a member of that group that doesn’t care?
You just want revenge and you want to go to lunch. If that’s you this morning would you please take a moment and pray a simple prayer? Pray, “God open my eyes to what is true concerning Jesus Christ.” Take that prayer with you and offer it up to God throughout the week.
B. Are you a member of that group who is now convinced that you can’t be a Christian because you are so far off the mark?
This is spiritual warfare. If you are convinced you are cut off from Christ do you think you will be living dependent upon the power of Christ to love your enemies? Refuse to be distracted. Fix your hope on the power of the Gospel. The more you live dependent on the power of God the more easily you will see how your life has truly been changed. The more you discipline yourself to walk by the Spirit the more easily you will recognize his voice when he speaks to your spirit telling you that you are a child of God. Don’t get distracted.
C. Are you a member of that group who is convinced of the power of the gospel?
Go from this place and live for the glory of the One who loves you and gave His Son of you. Trust him as you love your enemies. Destroy those enemies with good making them your friends. Walk in humility and live in harmony with one another. Share in the needs of the saints. Only speak good words.
Church, with man this is impossible. But with God all things are possible. Please join me in praying that God would fill this church with living sacrifices.

Now that we’ve begun

Here are some thoughts after we started our survey of the Old Testament Sunday night.

1. Here is a helpful article utilizing the Creation, Fall, Redemption, Consummation structure for the storyline of the bible

Take some time to read it and digest how the pieces fit together. Keeping the big picture is always difficult when studying the details. Allowing the details to reshape our understanding of the big picture is equally difficult.

2. The sniff test

Instead of bringing out some of the finer distinctions between good biblical theological systems I want us to talk about those things that as we hear them they just don’t seem right. You might not be able to put your finger on it but it just don’t smell right. That is the sniff test. Looking back now, I made it through undergrad on the sniff test.

3. Thinking caps

I hope none of us are exactly at the place we want to be in our relationship with God or our understanding of the bible. We press on! Maturing as we should will cost us but it will also pay dividends. Spend the week thinking about God and how he has faithfully revealed himself through Scripture.

4. Labels

I will do my best to stay away from theological labels. Where the shoe fits we’ll wear it but we won’t go out shopping for shoes. As we listen to God through his Word he will transform us. If that puts us in one camp instead of another so be it but claiming camps or defending camps or conquering camps is not the goal.

Unity in the Church

Jesus prayed for us (those would believe in the apostles’ word):

That 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. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I 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 (John 17:20-23, ESV).

Here’s a helpful thought from George Beasely-Murray:

The Church is to be the embodiment of the revelation and the redemption of Christ before the world, so that the world may not only hear that Jesus is the Christ, who has achieved redemption for all, but they may see that the redemptive revelation of the Christ has power to transform fallen men and women into the likeness of God and to bring about the kind of community that the world needs (John, WBC, 303).

The Resurrection Produces Joy; John 16:16-33

Text: John 16:16-33                                                               5/1/2011

Thesis: The resurrection of Jesus produces great joy in us.

I. The resurrection of Jesus produces the joy of seeing

1. The disciples were confused (vs. 16-19)

In the disciples’ minds there was still no place for a crucified, resurrected, and ascended Messiah. He was supposed to rule and reign forever on this earth.

We must be careful not to let our ideas of what Jesus should be and do cloud out the power of who Jesus is and what he did.

1. The crucifixion will cause sorrow in the disciples but joy in the world (20a)

The death of King Jesus drove a wedge between the disciples and the world. When the disciples witnessed the trial, torture, and execution of Jesus they wept and lamented. Inwardly they were wrecked with grief and this inner turmoil poured out in loud and sorrowful tears. They could imagine nothing worse than the shameful death of the One whom they loved so dearly. Their hopes and plans rested on Jesus; without him they had nothing but sorrow.

The world on the other hand threw a party. The world rejoiced that the trouble maker was gone. The one who made such grand claims about the Father, about himself, about the temple, and about the spiritual bankruptcy of the world was silenced. Their normal God-less lives could continue now uninterrupted.

The disciples wept over the silence of the Word of God. The world rejoiced because his convicting voice was no longer heard. This is what happened on Good Friday 2,000 years ago. But Good Friday is good because of Easter Sunday.

1. The resurrection will cause sorrow to turn to untakeable joy (20b-22)

Sorrow over the death of Jesus is not the end. Weeping, mourning, and lamenting is not the end. That sorrow though painful for a time while turn into joy.  This is simply an amazing promise: the worst thing that ever happened to you will end up producing the most joy in you. Jesus doesn’t deny their pain; he actually tells them that they will have sorrow. But with the promise of sorrow comes the promise of joy. You will have sorrow but your sorrow will turn into joy.

Think about the pain and then joy of childbirth. The joy of the birth overshadows the pain of the delivery. Now admittedly I’ve never experience labor pains but I’ve witnessed them and what Jesus said is 100% true. There is not much joy in labor but there is a great deal of pain. And its simply amazing how quickly the sorrow and pain of labor turns into tears of joy when that precious child is born. When that child is placed in momma’s arms the anguish is forgotten, not because it didn’t actually happen. No the anguish is forgotten because of the surpassing joy of seeing that child.

There will be sorrow at the cross and tomb but that horrendous pain will give way to unspeakable joy. Colossians 1:18 tells us that “[Jesus] is the beginning the firstborn of the dead.”

Look at the amazing promises of John 16:22: “So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.” The resurrection turns sorrow into untakeable joy. Notice that Jesus said “I will see you again.” This is the promise of personal physical interaction between the risen Lord and the once sorrowful disciples. They won’t see him from a far. No, Jesus will seek them out. And their reunion will not be superficial; the joy will not be an act. Joy will overflow from deep within each of them. Their hearts once sorrowful will erupt with joy that no man and no situation can destroy.

Christian, we must return to the simple truth that the resurrected Jesus really does produce unshakeable joy. Here’s the dilemma. We look at our physical struggles and there is sorrow. We look at our relationships and there is sorrow. We look at our righteousness and there is sorrow. We look at our lack of fruitfulness and there is sorrow. The truth is painful but simple. Why is there sorrow in us and all around us? Because we have a form of godliness but deny its power. We have a form of Christianity but have discarded Christ.

Look at the disciples. When the resurrected Jesus showed up John 20:20 tells us that they were glad; they were overjoyed. When the disciples were later arrested, beaten, threatened, and released Acts 5:41 tells us “they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.” You have untakeable joy when those who hate you literally can’t beat it out of you.

When by faith you are joined to the resurrected Jesus you are joined to the source of untakeable joy. The resurrection of Jesus produces the joy of seeing.

II. The resurrection of Jesus produces the joy of understanding

It is no coincidence that the joy of seeing is connected to the joy of understanding. When it comes to all that Jesus is and all that Jesus has done and all that Jesus is doing we just don’t get it. And we’d rather watch the news, work in the garden, forward emails, and check facebook then devote ourselves to thinking about and believing all that Jesus said. Let’s track this progression in the disciples. Grasping the life-giving joy-producing person and work of Jesus Christ is everything. True joy is a product of who he is and what he has done. So if you are detached from him you’ll be detached from joy. If you are cut off from Christ you will be cut off from joy. Here’s the starting line:

1. Jesus was with the Father, sent by the Father, made the Father known, and returned to the Father (vs. 28; John 1:1, 14, 18)

In verse 28 Jesus tells us that he “came from the Father” that’s divine origin. He goes on to tell us that he “has come into the world” that’s divine mission.  He’s also “leaving the world” because his mission is complete. And he’s “going to the Father” returning to his rightful place of honor at the Father’s right hand.

Here are the gospel basics: Jesus is God. He has to be “from the Father” or “God in the flesh” as John 1:14 puts it or he cannot give us untakeable full joy. Guys promise girls that they’ll make them happy but Guys can’t give the fullness of joy. Car manufacturers and clothing designers and home builders want us to believe that if we buy their product we’ll have joy but it’s always an empty promise. Only the God who created joy and only the sovereign God who rules over every detail and only the all-wise God has the ability to give us joy. This is God, this Jesus send from the Father, can deliver on his promise of joy.

Jesus is God and Jesus has secured our joy by removing our sin. Jesus’ mission to remove our sin and restore us to God is the next of our gospel basics. We have sorrow because of sin. We have shame because of sin. We have guilt because of sin. We are separated from God who is the source of joy because of sin. So, we must understand that Jesus didn’t come ultimately to restore our joy.  Jesus came to restore us to God and the happy by-product of restored fellowship with God is joy.

1 Peter 3:18 “Christ suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God.” He didn’t suffer to restore our joy because joy isn’t the goal, God is. So Jesus was sent by God to suffer as the substitute for our sin. And Jesus was sent by God to fulfill all the righteous requirements of God for our souls. Jesus returned to God because he paid our penalty and provided the righteousness that God required.

And Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father proof that he is the divine sin-atoning grave-conquering righteousness-providing Son of God. Jesus has gone to the Father. He is risen from the grave. You can trust all that he is, all that he has done, and all that he has said. There is joy for all those who believe because all those who believe are restored to God.

Those are the basics; let’s go deeper

1. Knowing everything is a mark of divinity (vs. 30; 1 John 3:20; Isaiah 41:21-29; John 2:24-25; Matt. 6:8)

In response to the truth of verse 28 the disciples claim, “Ah, now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech! Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that you came from God.” In this very moment the disciples get a glimpse of the deity of Jesus Christ. They confess that he knows all things.

1 John 3:20 says, “God knows everything.” In Isaiah 41:21-29 God condemns idol worship because idols do not know the future while God does. Jesus says about the Father in Matthew 6:8, “your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” When Peter sees the resurrected Jesus he confessions “You know all things” (John 21:17; 2:25).

When the disciples say that Jesus knows all things and does not need anyone to question him they are confessing the fact that Jesus is doing what only God can do. Jesus has to be divine in origin, mission, and destination. He bears the marks of omniscience.

Now although the disciples are correct about Jesus; they are right in their belief. Their faith is immature, insufficient, or naïve.

1. The resurrection solidifies naïve belief (vs. 27b, 30-33)

Notice what Jesus said in verse 27, “you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.” Just because their faith is not yet what it will be it doesn’t mean the disciples aren’t sincere. They do love Jesus and they do believe in Jesus. But look at what Jesus says in verse 31, “Do you now believe?” The NIV takes it as a bit of sarcasm, “You believe at last!” Yet notice the depth of their belief, “Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone.” They believe so deeply and strongly that they’re all about to run like frightened school girls.

They’re going to leave him alone. They’re going to abandon him. But Jesus is never alone. The Father is always with him. The deep satisfying presence of the Triune God will sustain Jesus even when all his loved ones forsake him. As a member of the eternal Trinity Jesus isn’t swayed by peer pressure nor does he need peer supports from his fellow humans. Jesus has the presence of the Father and Spirit.

The disciples need to receive what Jesus has; they need untakeable joy. We all need to hear these truths about Jesus so that in him we may have peace. Jesus is not giving us a pep talk. Jesus is inviting us into perfect fellowship with him. Look at verse 33 and weigh the options.  In the world you will have tribulation; there will be difficulty and sorrow, pain and suffering. But in Jesus you will have peace.

Jesus doesn’t promise to take us out of tribulation he promises that if we are in him we’ll have his peace. Jesus offers everything he has to you today.  Do not look at the world. Do not look at your troubles. Do not look at your sorrow or failures or sin. Look at Jesus the One who has overcome the world.

By faith give yourself to him. Do not seek joy seek to be joined to Jesus. Do not seek relief seek what it is to be “in Jesus”. Jesus has rose from the grave so he is alive you can be joined to him. You can live because he lives. You can be righteous because he’s righteous. You can have peace and joy but only by letting go of who you are and joining yourself by repentance and faith to all that he is.

Seeing the resurrected Jesus gives untakeable joy. Do you have the joy of understanding? Are you going deeper into the joy and peace found only in Christ? Are you tired of yourself yet? Are you ready for the all sufficient king? Turn away from your sin and turn to him today and you will be saved. You will begin this wonderful journey to joy through understanding and experiencing all that Jesus is for you.

As we return to verse 23 we see another way the resurrected Jesus produces joy

III. The resurrection of Jesus produces the joy of fruitful prayer

In verse 23 Jesus said, “Truly, truly I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full”

1. Ask in his name by asking according to his person, power, and purposes.

When you ask in Jesus’ name you are believing that all he has done applies to you and gives you access to the Father. I have no right to ask anything from God in my own name. My name is enemy, darkness, sin-sick, and dead. But Jesus’ name is beloved Son, light, righteous, and life. Ask of God because you have been joined to the person of Christ. Ask according to his person.

And ask according to his power. It is utterly foolish to pray in the name of some dead saint whose flesh and bones are still buried somewhere on this earth. Mary’s body is in the grave waiting the resurrection. Every apostle’s corpse is rotting somewhere in the Middle East. The body of every so called saint is currently at the mercy of worms and maggots. What power do they offer you? The utterly dependent have nothing to offer. But the one who has the power of a righteous life can help. The one who has the power over the grave can help. The one who right now at the presence of the Father can help. Stop praying small prayers and pray in Jesus’ name; pray according to his resurrection righteous power.

And pray according to his purposes. One aspect of prayer is that of an ambassador. You’re life is not your own. You’ve been bought with a price so now you’re on Jesus’ mission. How does what you’re asking for in prayer fit his work of redeeming and reconciling a lost and broken world? How does that relationship or those new shoes fit with the name of Christ? How about that car, that home, or the way you want to spend “your time”? There are times when we don’t get what we pray for because we ask wrong, to spend the answer on ourselves (James 4:3). But when we ask in Jesus’ name, according to his person, power, and purposes, then we will receive.

1. Ask the Father in Jesus’ name and he will give it to you (23)

The Father loves to glorify the Son. The Father sent the Son and the Spirit to accomplish his mission of redeeming his sinful and broken creation. People who possess untakeable joy and go deeper in their understanding of Jesus find themselves praying Christ-centered requests that get answered.

This marks a radical shift in prayer

1. The resurrection changed the way we are to pray (24)

In verse 24 Jesus said, “Until now you have asked nothing in my name.” In Luke 11 when Jesus’ disciples asked him to teach them to pray he said nothing about his name. So what has changed? The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus change everything even the way we pray.

Until this time, until this event, until this accomplishment the disciples probably never even thought of praying in Jesus’ name. But when Jesus busts the grave wide open and ascends to the Father’s right hand it suddenly makes sense to pray on his merit and not on the merit of the blood of bulls and goats.

We pray in Jesus’ name because he rose from the grave. He broke the power of sin. By Christ and Christ alone do we have access to the Father who knows what we need even before we ask it. And there’s more

1. The resurrection of Jesus produces fruitful joyful prayer (24)

Jesus said to pray in his name, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. There is joy in him due to the resurrection. There is joy to be found in going deeper in your faith. And there is joy to be found because when you link up with him and his mission the things you pray for end up making you happy.

Now be careful here. The guy who wrote this gospel and tasted the fullness of joy spend his golden years exiled on an island a prisoner for the gospel. So, I’m thinking the fruitful joyful prayers probably have a little more to do with storing up treasures in heaven than building bigger barns on earth.

Simply put, the fullness of joy is wrapped up in answered prayer. And answered prayers are those prayed according to the name of Jesus. Don’t you want to be closer to Jesus? Don’t want to be a part of his mission? Don’t you want to pray big powerful life changing powerful prayers? There is fullness of joy for us. There is fullness of joy for you. Find it all in the resurrected Jesus who is right now interceding for you. But know this

1. The resurrected Jesus is our mediator not our messenger (25-27)

We have a popular saying, see if you can finish it: Don’t kill the ______________. Messengers have nothing to do with the message being delivered. There is nothing personal involved its just a job. Jesus does not live at God’s right hand to deliver your messages to the Father. Look closely at our final verses.

Verse 26, “In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf.” Jesus is not your heavenly do-boy running your love notes to your 2^nd grade girl-friend. We don’t need him for that. We don’t need him to ask the Father for us.

Here’s why, verse 27, “for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.” Because you’re linked up with the resurrected Jesus and because you’re loving him the Father loves you.  The Father listens to you because you love Jesus.  The Father doesn’t listen to you because you love you or because you love your wife or your kids or your neighbors or the nations.

Even being heard by the Father depends on Jesus. Getting your foot in the door depends on Jesus. Getting the Father’s ear depends on Jesus. Having your prayer answered depends on Jesus. Not because he picks up your prayer and delivers it to the Father but because he picks you up and delivers you clothed in his righteousness to the Father.

IV. How do we fight for and gain this joy?

Join the Spirit; John 16:4-15

Text: John 16:4-15                                                                  4/17/2011

Thesis: Understand the work of the Spirit so you can join in.

I. Focusing on self always leads to sorrow

1. The time of departure has come (4)

In verses 4&5 Jesus reiterates the truth of his rapidly approaching death, resurrection, and return to the Father. The reason he came was to do battle with sin and the grave. He did not come to earth in order to remain on earth. We need more than the physical presence of Jesus. Our rapidly approaching deaths cry out for resurrection. Our daily accumulating guilt cries out for atonement. We do not need a Jesus was comes to stay we need a Jesus who comes to die. That hour death, that time, is now. It is time to fulfill the mission of redemption through the atoning work on the cross.

But instead of experiencing joy over the work and glory of the Son the disciples experience sorrow. I think our heavenly Father wants us to understand where sorrow comes from. Let’s unpack verses 5 and 6.

1. Sorrow is caused by focusing on my loss (5-6)

Remember, Jesus always does the will of the Father. And now Jesus is going away so it must be the Father’s will.  The disciples should therefore be focused in on the destination of the Son. They should be asking “Where are you going?” That issue is the important issue but Jesus points out that none of them is asking the right question.

Now some of you are thinking about Peter’s question in John 13:36. Peter asks, “Lord, where are you going?” If Peter asked the question “where are you going?” how can Jesus say “none of you asks, ‘where are you going?’”

Think about it this way: you have a very big event coming up later in the day; you are facing something that will change your life. And a friend walks up to you and asks “what do you have planned for the day?” You’re excited and relieved to be able to have a listening ear but before you can respond that friend immediately begins to talk about himself. Did that friend really care to know what you had planned for the day? Did that friend really ask “where are you going?”  No. The same is true for Peter’s question. He may have said the words but his heart wasn’t wrapped up in Jesus. Peter’s heart was wrapped up in himself and getting what he wanted.

That gets to the heart of sorrow: sorrow is caused by focusing on my loss. How many times do we pray to God for answers and instead of waiting for an answer from His word we immediately go on to the next question? Our lack of waiting on the answer reveals that we really don’t care about God and his will. We only want what we want.

Look at your prayer life and your sorrow. How much of your depression and discouragement is caused by not getting what you want or what you think you deserve?  How much energy do you spend praying about and pursuing what God wants? If sorrow is caused by focusing on my loss then the opposite is also true

1. Rejoicing is caused by focusing on his gain (14:28)

Let me put it this way: if the vine wins the branches win. Jesus said in John 14:28 “You have heard me say to you, ‘I am going away , and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.” If you abide in Jesus and if Jesus is in a joy-filled place then his joy will be in you and your joy will be full. But if you abide in your losses then you will have sorrow.

Jesus is urging his disciples then and he is urging us now to dwell on who he is and where he is. The Apostle Paul understood this when he wrote, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Eph 1:3). The Apostle Paul wrote those words of praise when he was in prison. He had every earthly reason for sorrow but because Paul was abiding in Christ and because Paul was realizing all the spiritual blessings of Christ he was able to praise God.

Think about a grape vine. If that grape vine is planted in rocky soil then the branches will suffer. But if that grape vine is transplanted into fertile soil then the branches will bear much fruit. Rejoice with me then. The vine could be in no better place than at the right hand of the Father. We all would do well to think more about the location and blessings of Christ our Savior.

Let me recommend Randy Alcorn’s book Heaven. But most importantly let me encourage you to read the Bible; use your concordance and cross references and dwell on that important question “Where is Jesus now?”

As we return to our text in John 16 we see Jesus again putting the cookies on the bottom shelf where we can all get them.  In Jesus’ departure there is a great blessing for us.

II. Jesus gives us the Advantage

What we must carefully look into, beginning with verse 7, is what is the advantage? “Jesus said, “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.”

1. The Holy Spirit is the advantage (7)

It doesn’t matter how we feel and it doesn’t matter what we think is best. Jesus tells us the truth. The best thing that could happen to us and our sorrow-filled hearts is that Jesus goes away. We’ll work out the details in a moment. What we must see right now is that there is great gain in Jesus’ going.  We could translate the phrase “it is better for you that Jesus goes away”. What is the advantage? It is the coming of the Helper, the Paraclete, or the Spirit of truth who is the Holy Spirit.

What could be better than seeing Jesus with our own eyes or touching him with our own hands or hearing him speak to us in person? What could be better than that? The Holy Spirit dwelling inside of you. Obviously we have dramatically missed the full advantage of receiving the Holy Spirit. Now I don’t think we’ve missed the Spirit I think we’ve quenched the Spirit. I think that just like Peter asking the wrong questions of Jesus we’ve been asking the wrong questions about the Holy Spirit.

Let’s talk about the two main things that the Holy Spirit was sent to do. Let’s identify what the Holy Spirit was sent to do and let’s see if we’ve joined him in his mission.

Jesus said in John 15:26 that the Spirit who proceeds from the Father “will bear witness about [Jesus]”. But don’t think this is something the Spirit does on his own outside of the church.  In John 15:26 Jesus said that this testifying Spirit will be sent to his disciples.  In John 16:7 Jesus again tells us that this blessing of the Holy Spirit is sent to his disciples.  The Spirit bears witness to Jesus through Christians.  So if you are talking about Jesus to your family, your friends, your neighbors, and your coworkers then you have joined the Spirit in his mission. You are experiencing the blessing. If you are silent; you are missing out. The first main thing the Spirit does is bear witness to Jesus.

The second main thing the Spirit does is to convict the world. In verse 8 Jesus said, “And when he comes, he will convict the world.” I think D.A. Carson says it best when he explained this work as bringing someone to an acknowledgement of personal guilt.

Now let’s think.  The Spirit and the Son work together (see vss. 13-15).  We know the Son did not come to condemn the world but to save the world (John 3:17). So we know the Spirit’s work of conviction is not the securing of a guilty sentence; the Spirit didn’t come to confine the world to hell. No, the Spirit’s work is to bring our guilt to light.  It is the Spirit’s blessed job to point people to Christ by exposing their sin.

Before we get to the details of what this means in verses 9-11 I want you to see one major thing that will help you out of sorrow and into joy.  Did you notice that these two major things that the Spirit does (witness to the world and convict the world) have more to do with the world than with you? The great blessing of the Spirit is not that he works in you; like you are the goal. No, the great blessing is that the Spirit works through you because the salvation of the nations is the goal.

Many of us are wallowing in sorrow because we want to be the goal; we want to be the reason for the Spirit’s coming. We want the Holy Trinity to make our lives a perpetual all inclusive vacation. But Jesus is making it clear that the reason he sent the Spirit is so that you and I will bear witness to Jesus for the salvation of our friends at school and our neighbors at home. Because Jesus is in heaven you will bear much fruit. The Spirit through you will testify to the world and convict the world and bring salvation to the world.  There is great joy to be found as you join the Spirit in his work.

All right we’re going to fly through the details of the Spirit’s work in verses 9-15.  We have the big picture: namely, the Spirit has been sent to work through us so that people around the world are brought to an acknowledgement of personal guilt. And as people acknowledge their guilt they will look for a savior. People will be drawn to Jesus as the Spirit spot lights their sin. Here we go in verses 8&9.

1. The Holy Spirit convicts the world concerning sin (8, 9)

Now this is huge.  What does Jesus say is at the root of every sin? Look at verse 9 and tell me what the cause of rebellion against God is. Unbelief is the cause of sin. Why do people in shooting galleries sin? Because of unbelief.  Why do you and I sin? Because of unbelief. You sin in big ways and small ways because you do not believe Jesus is who he said he is.  You sin every day because you do not believe that Jesus’ words are true. You and I sin because we do not believe Jesus will do what he said he would do.

So at the heart of the Spirit’s mission is exposing all those places in you and in me and in the world where we have turned our backs on Jesus. So when we refuse to acknowledge our sin and deal with it through faith in Jesus Christ we are quenching the Spirit. And when we know we should speak out against some sin in the church or in our community or in our nation or in the world and we do not, that is quenching the Spirit. The Spirit came to expose all those times and ways when we abandon God’s plan for selfish gain.  The Spirit came to put his finger in the wound of our disobedience. And the Spirit does all of this in you and through you because he wants us to turn to Christ and be healed.

The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin and

1. The Holy Spirit convicts the world concerning righteousness (8, 10)

Jesus said that the Spirit will convict the world concerning righteousness because Jesus is going to the Father and his disciples will see him no longer.  When Jesus was walking on this earth he had this incredible knack of pointing out hypocrites. Jesus didn’t do this to be mean. Jesus convicted the world concerning true righteousness so that the world would repent and be saved. So he told the rich young ruler who thought he was righteous to go, sell everything he had, and give it to the poor.  The rich young ruler wasn’t righteous but he thought he was (Mt 19:21). Jesus exposed the unrighteousness of the religious people who prayed to be seen, fasted to be seen, and gave to the poor in order to be seen (Mt 6:1-18).

Now, who is going to convict the world concerning true righteousness when Jesus goes to the Father? That’s the Spirit’s job. And the Spirit will do this job through you. So a word of caution is needed. If you like to point out people’s sin and point a spotlight on their lack of righteousness you shouldn’t do it. But if you hate the pain of being convicted but know the freedom and joy of being forgiven in Christ then you should join the Spirit in his work.

The Spirit convicts the world concerning sin, righteousness, and

1. The Holy Spirit convicts the world concerning judgment (8, 11)

In verse 11 Jesus says that the Spirit convicts the world concerning judgment because the ruler of this world is judged. How many of us want to fight for the cause of Adolf Hitler? How many of us want to join up in support of Sadam Hussein? Anybody booked a ticket to Egypt in order to support ousted president Mubarak? Following after a judged ruler is utterly ridiculous.

So, this also is what the Spirit does. The Spirit exposes the guilt involved in following after a condemned and defeated ruler. Jesus said in John 12:31, “Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.” Jesus said that in reference to his work on the cross. Again, in John 16:11 we are told that the one who holds guilt and sin and death over our heads has no authority to do so.  That ruler has been defeated through the cross and resurrection.  Following after a judged ruler is a terrible crime. The Holy Spirit has been sent to expose that guilt, to expose that foolishness, and point us to salvation in Christ.

All you today who are not following Christ, all of you listening to me right now who have not repented of your sins, and all of you who are not depending on Christ for life do you see your sin? Do you see how your righteousness will never meet God’s requirements? Do you see that going the way you are going is completely foolish and will end only in your own hurt? If so, know that the Spirit is doing his work in you through the preaching of the truth.  Turn away from your sins, turn to Christ, and you will be saved.

In every bible study, sermon, and conversation may we be a people who join the Spirit in his work to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. As we transition now in verse 12 we transition from what the Spirit does in the world through the disciples to what the Spirit does in the disciples.

1. The Holy Spirit will guide you into all truth (13)

There was so much more that Jesus could have said to the disciples but because of their hardness of heart and unbelief they simply couldn’t handle it. But that does not mean they will never here. In verse 13 Jesus said, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth.” Abraham Kuyper has helped me think this through.  It has always been the task of the Holy Spirit to bring the Father’s work to its intended goal. After Adam, Eve, and the entire world were created we are told that God rested from his work (Gen 2:3). Now does that mean that everything God created had reached the goal God had created it for? Had Adam and Eve realized the fullness of marriage and family? Had mankind achieved the goal of filling the earth and subduing it? No, there was still work to be done. There were still more dynamics to be explored and used for God’s glory. Who would be there hovering over each element of creation? The Holy Spirit would be there because it is His task to bring the Father’s work to its intended goal.  That is as true before sin wrecked everything and its true after sin wrecked everything.

So it is the Holy Spirit’s job to take the previously unbearable things of Jesus and mature the disciples to the point where they could bear and even find joy in those things.

Does that mean that the Spirit does his own thing his own way? Does he say his own things for his own ends? No, look at verse 13: “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak.”

1. The Holy Spirit will speak what he hears (13)

The Spirit of God is just like the Son of God. The Son does not do anything of himself. Jesus said in John 8:28, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.”  The Son depends completely on the Father doing only what he sees the Father doing (5:19) and saying only what he hears (7:16, 17).

The same dependence is true of the Spirit. The Spirit does not speak “of himself” or “on his own authority”. The Spirit is not some rogue agent AWOL from the mission of the Father and the Son.  The Spirit is so in tune with the Father and the Son that he speaks what he hears. In verse 14 Jesus said that that Spirit will “take what is [Jesus’] and declare it to you.”

What’s the application of this? What’s the significance? Does this mean that we should expect the Holy Spirit to guide us to write the next book of the bible? The immediate application is that we can trust our bibles to be accurate because of the promised work of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would come and guide the disciples into all the truth. The Holy Spirit will speak what he hears and what he hears is the stuff of Jesus.

Read your bible and hear Jesus speak because of the promised and completed work of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit spoke and the disciples faithfully recorded it. The Spirit speaks as we listen to him in the world. And what is he saying?

1. The Holy Spirit will declare to you what is to come (13)

In the end of verse 13 Jesus said that the Holy Spirit “will declare to you the things that are to come.” The Holy Spirit has been sent to us to impart some information to us concerning the future.

Hot dog! Let’s pray and ask the Holy Spirit to tell us when Jesus is going to come back. Isn’t that what Jesus is saying the Spirit will do? Wait a second, Jesus made it clear in Matthew 24:36 that no one, not the angels and not the son, no one but the Father knows the time of Jesus’ return. So, if someone tells you that the Holy Spirit told them when Jesus is going to come back should you believe them? Absolutely not.

But what the Spirit has done is guide us into the truth concerning what will happen and the Spirit has brought all that Jesus said about his return back into the minds of the disciples so that we have passages like Matthew 24 and the truth concerning what is to come recorded in Daniel, Ezekiel, 1&2 Thessalonians, and Revelation.

The Holy Spirit has declared to you what is to come. Are you listening? Are you allowing him to do his work of guiding you into all the truth or are you running after false prophets and liars who are making up all kinds of ridiculous claims? Listen to the Spirit as he speaks through the Word. He will declare to you what is to come. Stick to it.  And stick to what glorifies Jesus.

1. The Holy Spirit will glorify Jesus (14, 15)

This is what the Spirit will do, the Spirit will glorify Jesus and he will do it with words. Christians in our day get all wrapped up in deeds and we overlook the words. Jesus said the Spirit would come and glorify Jesus by taking what is Jesus’ and declaring it to you. Here again, is that work of speaking; of making information known.

Why is the gospel the power of God unto salvation? Why is the message of Jesus’ atoning work on the cross for our sins not just words but actually power to transform dead sinners into living saints? It’s not just you talking; when you declare the things of Jesus to the world the Spirit works.

Get this: all that belongs to the Father has been given to Jesus and that has belongs to Jesus has been given to the Spirit. The Spirit takes all of that and declares it to you. But you don’t just receive the words. When you hear the message and believe the message you receive all the blessings of the message. The declaration of all that belongs to the Father, Son, and Spirit is also the giving of all that belongs to the Father, Son, and Spirit.

There are so many blessings that I could bring up right now to illustrate this point but for the sake of memory I want to point at just one thing that belongs to the Father and the Son and the Spirit. One of the amazing things that the Spirit brings to us through the power of the gospel is joy. Jesus spoke to the disciples so that his joy would be in them and that joy would be full (John 15:11).  I believe the Spirit is speaking Jesus’ things to you right now because he wants to turn your selfish sorrow into Christ-centered joy.

And how does it he do it? Where does the trail head begin? The path to joy begins as the Holy Spirit exposes your sin, your lack of righteousness, and the foolishness of following the ruler of this world. It hurts to have your sins exposed. But follow the Spirit. Follow him as he leads you to trust in the crucified and risen savior Jesus Christ. There is joy for you there. Follow him.

Orphans and the Gospel

For a quick look at some statistics click here

For a helpful book on your adoption by God read this book

Biblical Fellowship; Acts 2:36-47

***Paul did not preach using this manuscript but its the closest thing***

Text: Acts 2:36-47                                                                  1/30/2011

Thesis: The One God makes us one.

 

Today we finish our 6 week look at our core values. Today we look at biblical fellowship. In our church documents we have recorded this statement: We cherish [Christ-centered] unity that is expressed in a passionate concern for one another as well as for our neighbors. That is so broad it is borderline meaningless. So what I want to do this morning is to explain the biblical roots of biblical fellowship.

And I will tell you from the beginning you and I are going to have to try hard to keep various expressions of biblical fellowship from being the definition of biblical fellowship. Worshipping God together, sharing a meal, celebrating the Lord’s Supper, doing ministry together, studying the word of God together, and many other good things are not in and of themselves biblical fellowship. They are only expressions of or types of biblical fellowship. In an attempt to help us keep our thinking straight I want to begin by reminding you that God is the beginning, middle, and goal of the Christian life. Every aspect of the Christian life must be done because of God or for God otherwise it’s not Christian. Many non-Christians attempt to worship God. All non-Christians eat. Some people abused the Lord’s Supper and grew sick or died because of it. It is even possible to do good things, even study Scripture, without having a love filled relationship with God.

We, as Mambrino Baptist Church, do not want that. We want to live the Christian life together so that God is glorified. We want to listen to the Word of God. We want the Gospel of Jesus Christ to pulse through the veins of all that we do. We want to pray together and make disciples together. Simply put, we want true biblical fellowship.

Acts 2:36-47

 

I. God is the beginning, middle, and goal of the Christian life

A.  The Christian life begins with God

1. God is the Caller (39)

Jesus said in John 6:44, ‘No one can come to [Jesus] unless the Father who sent [Jesus] draws him.’ The Christian life begins as God calls people to Jesus. And God calls people to himself the Holy Spirit filled preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Christian life begins no other way. Every person must be personally called by God through the preaching of the Gospel. God is the caller.

2. God is the Forgiver (38)

Sin separates. The only way for there to be reconciliation between you the rebellious sinner and the infinitely holy God is for your sin to be removed. And you cannot remove your own sin. No amount of working or praying or faith can remove your sin. Christ alone removes sin. The forgiveness of sins is found only in the name of Jesus Christ. He really took your sins on himself on the cross. And God removes our transgressions from us as far as the east is from the west (Ps 103:12). It is God who forgives because of the work of Jesus Christ.  The Christian life begins with God calling you and Christ Jesus forgiving you.

B.  The Christian life depends on God

1. Christians live by, walk by, and are led by the Spirit (38; Galatians 5:16-25)

Obviously now we’re talking about every day of the Christian life between the moment of the new birth and the moment of physical death. All the way and every day depends on the power of the Spirit. The promise mentioned in verse 39 is the gift of the Holy Spirit in verse 38. Spend some time this afternoon in Galatians 5:16-25. We live because the Holy Spirit brings the life of Christ to us (Rom 8:9-11). We obey because we have the power of the Holy Spirit in us (Gal 5:16-25). We think God’s thoughts because the Spirit knows the mind of God and through the Spirit-inspired Scriptures our minds are renewed (1 Cor 2:10-13; Rom 12:1).

All that is Christian depends on the Spirit of Christ empowering and indwelling you (John 15:5; Phil 1:9; Rom 8:9)

C.  God is the goal of the Christian life

1. God calls us to Himself

God does not call us to himself because he is the means of salvation.  God does not call us to himself so we can enjoy heaven.  God equips us for heaven so that we can be with him and enjoy him there.  Forgiveness is not the end it is the means to God. Glorification is not the end it is the means to God. Justification and a clear conscience are not the goals of the Christian life. Being eternally with the glorious Triune God is the goal of Christianity. If you don’t want God you aren’t a Christian. You may want Christian things but if God is not the goal you are not a Christian.

D.  It’s time to begin

1. Respond to God’s call by repentance and faith

All of us right now who the Spirit is convicting of sin and selfishness know this: God is pointing those out, so by faith in Christ they can be removed, and you can get God. Respond to his painful conviction with godly grief and Christ-centered faith. Do not wallow in shame any longer. Through repentance to God and faith in Jesus Christ be clothed in the righteousness of God. Find forgiveness and freedom today.

2. Be forgiven, be baptized, and receive the Holy Spirit

Aren’t  you glad that is really possible to be forgiven of all your sins? Thank God for washing you and making you clean. Celebrate all that God has done for you and proclaim all that God has done for you by following Christ in believer’s baptism.  Then go live everyday led by the Spirit and empowered by the Spirit. Be a Christian. Be baptized. Be Spirit-filled.

II. Now what? How to live the Christian life

A.  The Christian life is a devoted life

The Christian life begins with God, depends on God, and has God for its goal. So, it makes sense that the Christian life is life lived devoted to God. To be devoted means to continue steadfastly in the things of God. It means you are strong toward these things. God’s things shape who you are, the way you think, and the things you do. The Father, Son, and Spirit have an impact on your everyday living. In Acts 2:42 we get a glimpse into the lives of devoted Christians. They’re really just Christians. There is no such thing as Christians and then devoted Christians. There is only one type of believer. As we look at these Christians and what characterized their lives I don’t want to send you on a guilt trip. Instead I want you to hear these things, realize where you are missing out on some amazing God-things, and through repentance and faith fully enjoy the Christian life.

B.  Christians live devoted to God through His word

Acts 2:42 tells us that they ‘continued steadfastly in the apostles’ teaching’.  Christians are dependent upon Jesus Christ. Since Jesus is no longer walking physically among us we must meet him through his word. When we read the Scriptures we don’t just read about Jesus. No, this is no dead book. It is the living and active word of God.  This book, by the Spirit’s power, reveals Christ himself. We abide in Christ by abiding in his word (John 15:1-11).

These Christians in Acts 2 didn’t have the New Testament; no gospels no letters and no book of Revelation. But they had the apostles. They had the men who had touched, seen, and learned from Jesus. They were hungry for the apostle’s teaching because they were hungry for more of Christ. So they were together depending upon the words of Christ via the apostles. The same is true for you and for me today. But instead of hearing the words of Christ we listen to them.

This continuing devotion to the word of God characterizes a Christian and a New Testament church. As we listen to God we are transformed into his image. Those who want more of God look for more of him through his word. When you find a person or a church that has little concern for reading, understanding, and living in light of God’s word you will find weakness. But when you find devotion to the apostles’ teaching you will find strength. Live devoted to Christ through his word.

C.  Live devoted to Christ through His people

What is the next Godward thing they devoted themselves to? They devoted themselves to fellowship.  They devoted themselves to being together. This is normal. Car lovers and quilters find ways to get together. Football fans and art aficionados get together. When you love something there is something special about getting together with others who love the same thing.

In Acts 2 what was at the center of the fellowship? What must be at the center of our fellowship? The better question is this: Who must be at the center of our fellowship? It must be Jesus Christ.

When you are devoted to Jesus Christ you will naturally be devoted to coming together with other people who are devoted to Jesus Christ. Matthew 18:20 is in the context of church discipline but this verse is fundamentally about Christ-centered fellowship. Jesus said, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”  There is an awareness of Jesus and an experience of Jesus which is possible in the fellowship but is impossible for the individual.

Grover Harris is still right: if we keep Christ at the center then we can’t go wrong.  The resurrected Jesus must be the desire of every individual here and Jesus must be the desire of us collectively. We must be devoted to being the people of God who together experience the life changing presence of God.

We must fight to keep preaching styles, worship styles, traditions, fond memories, and even ministry from taking over why we do what we do. Being devoted to the fellowship means being devoted to knowing, worshipping, and enjoying Jesus Christ together. Every church must continue steadfastly in the desire to get and give more of Jesus. Christians are devoted to the fellowship.

D.  Christians live devoted to Christ through the Lord’s Supper

Because of the definite and sepicfic way the phrase “the breaking of bread” is found in verse 42 I believe it is referring to the Lord’s Supper. Think about it. Who is the center of the apostles’ teaching? Who is the center of the fellowship? Who is the center of the Lord’s Supper? Is it not Jesus himself; the center of us and all that we do? In the Lord’s Supper we gather together to celebrate and proclaim the Lord’s atoning death until he returns. We are his ransomed people longing for his glorious return. Because the Lord’s Supper is a tangible way of celebrating the Christ that makes us Christian it is no surprise that the church should be devoted to it.

Pray for me and for David and for the Deacons as we pray about and consider ways to be better devoted to the breaking of bread that is the Lord’s Supper. A Christian church celebrates the Christ that makes us Christian. Jesus himself has told us this breaking of bread is one poignant way to do it.

E.   Christians live devoted to Christ through prayer

Praying was central to the life of the early church. Praying to God in the temple as these Jews had always done was natural. In chapter 3 verse1 we see Peter and John going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour; its 3 o’clock its prayer time. If God exists and we’re his people then prayer just makes sense. And setting a time to do it every day is not a bad idea either. God’s people have always been a singing people and God’s people have always been a praying people.

We just finished reading the book of Acts. Did you notice how everywhere you looked the church was gathering for prayer, prayer was being mentioned, or prayer was being asked for? Prayer is more than this but prayer is certainly no less than asking. Now why do you think it is that when Jesus returns to heaven and the Holy Spirit is poured out on God’s people we see a dramatic spike in prayer? Read the Gospels and you will certainly find the subject of prayer. But then read the book of Acts and there is an undeniable increase in prayer. What is going on?

The people of God were committed to fulfilling the purposes of God. They knew their insufficiency and God’s sufficiency and so they prayed.  The moment we feel the weight of the fact that we can’t do it we’ll start praying. Those husbands who feel they can’t love their wives like Christ loved the church; it is those who draw near to the throne of grace and receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. If you fancy yourself good enough, wise enough, strong enough, and lucky enough you won’t pray. But when you come face to face with the fact that you can’t do it then you will pray.

Men of the church, can we glorify God for one second on our own? Can we accomplish one speck of good by ourselves? Can we love our wives and joyfully lay our lives down for them? Can we bring up children in the discipline and admonition of the Lord? Can we make disciples of our families, our neighbors, and our coworkers? It is time to join the saints through the ages in gladly boldly boasting in our weaknesses so that the power of Christ may rest upon us (2 Cor 12:10). The early church unmistakably knew they didn’t have what it took so they prayed and Christ equipped them and they did amazing things. Mambrino, we do not have what it takes. We don’t have the manpower. We don’t have the money. We don’t have the influence. But we have God and God plus nothing=everything. Everything minus God=nothing. Embrace your weaknesses so that you can find his strength. This is true for the individual and true for the church.

The Christian life is devoted to the apostles’ teaching, the fellowship, the breaking of bread, and the prayers.  But remember this isn’t the plan for the individual on his/her own. This is the church together devoting to these things.

III. The Christian life is life together

A.  When Christ is our center we will see amazing things (43, 47b)

When the power of Christ rested upon them they became strong. Verse 43 says “awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.” People were amazed and God was doing amazing things. When is the last time you were amazed by what God is doing in you, through you, and around you? We’ve lost our center.

Verse 47 tells us that they were “having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” This wasn’t a really good sermon or a particularly stirring song service. The people of God were encountering the presence of God and their neighbors could tell a difference. The presence of Christ made such a difference in their lives that their neighbors were being saved. I want that. I want amazing things to happen because we are radically dependent on God to lead us and empower us. When Christ is our center we will see amazing things.

B.  When Christ is our center we will be united (44)

Verse 44 tells us that all who believed were together. Literally they “were on the same.” Think about our phrase ‘on the same page.’ When we all want the same thing there will be unity. When we all depend on the same thing happening there will be unity. When Christ is what we want and the reason we do what we do there will be unity. Do you see how believing in Jesus and being together just fit? “And all who believed were together.” Its just natural. Buildings, programs, styles, and personalities can only unite for a limited amount of time. The only source of lasting unity in the church is Christ himself. As long as there is a church there will be buildings, programs, styles, and personalities but they must never be the reason to unite or the reason to abandon fellowship. Christ must be the center of our unity and unbelief must be the reason for our separation. We’re headed there. We’re coming together. Keep focused on Christ the center of our unity.

C.  When Christ is our center we will meet each other’s needs (45)

44 and 45, “And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds as any had need.” Possessions and belongings relate to real estate and personal property. Because the people drew their identities and joy from Jesus and not from stuff they were able to part with it. Nothing could make them happier than Jesus and with the church they were experiencing more of Jesus than ever before so why keep the stuff that distracts? This isn’t socialism or communism. This is Christ-centered care for your family. When there’s a need you meet it. This also implies that you know people well enough to know when there is a need.

D.  The plan is simple: worship, eat, praise