Why Do You Call Me Good? – Mark 10:17-23

• January 23, 2024
• Pastor
• 0 Comments

Mark 10:17-23

We’re in our third week of this new series called Seven Questions God Asks Us. Of course, there are more than seven questions that God (or Jesus) asks in the Bible, but we’re just considering a few of them. Today, let me invite you to take your copy of God’s Word and turn with me to Mark 10. The story that we’re going to read this morning is one of those that’s recorded in each of the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). We call them synoptics because they contain many of the same stories and are often in a similar sequence and might even include identical wording.

(I have to admit that every time I think about defining a Greek or Hebrew term, I’m reminded of Peggy’s satirical monologue of me for Pastor Appreciation month two years ago – and I just smile.)

Nevertheless, the word synoptic comes from the Greek word synopsis, and you’re all familiar with that – a synopsis is general summary of something. If you pause a little longer and look at the word synoptic, you might notice the prefix “syn” and the word “optic.” Syn meaning “together” or “with,” as in synonym or synonymous, and optic meaning “vision” or “the ability to see.” So, synoptic is literally “together sight,” or we might say “seeing things similarly.”

Ok, enough of the etymological word studies. But the reason I point that out is because many of us have come to know this story as the story of the Rich Young Ruler – and yet, that’s a title that’s actually a composite of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. See, Matthew (twice) refers to the man as “young,” while our text makes no mention of his age, and Luke’s account identifies the man as a “ruler.” Therefore, we’re left with the story of the rich young ruler. Also, let me just make this final distinction before we read the text. This is a real story with a real unidentified man. This isn’t a parable. Jesus taught using parables and many of His parables sounded like “real” scenarios:

“Behold, a sower went out to sow seed…” (Mark 4:3)

“[T]he kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants…” (Matthew 18:23)

“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers…” (Luke 10:30)

Now, it’s possible that Jesus had specific people and events in mind when he told those stories, but not necessarily. However, in today’s text, we’re encountering a real man and Jesus. Man, you learn all kinds of neat things when you come to Mountain Hill. Well, let’s read this story:

17 And as He was setting out on His journey, a man ran up and knelt before Him and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” 20 And he said to Him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” 21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22 Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. 23 And Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!”

“Father, I pray in this moment that the Spirit of God will be our teacher, that You will grant to us listening ears, that You will save us from distraction, and that we might know we’re in the presence of the risen Christ. So that, much like the disciples of old, we may say to one another, ‘Didn’t our hearts burn within us as Christ spoke to us and explained from the Scriptures all the things concerning Himself?’ (Luke 24:32). Lord, we’re not interested in hearing a man talk. What we want, what we need, is to hear the voice of the living God. Reach into our lives, we pray, in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Our young man would be on most fathers’ lists of possible sons-in-law, wouldn’t he? If you’ve ever thought who you might like for your daughters as a son-in-law and you’ve considered things honestly, then perhaps you’ll agree with me that the characteristics represented in this man, although not in any particular order, are indeed attractive.

First of all, he’s prosperous. Now, we know that doesn’t matter in its entirety, but it sure helps. And the ability for someone to provide is an important thing.

Second, he was principled. He was a young man who was able to say that he’d been living by the rules. He wasn’t trying to fiddle things or dodge issues; he was a man of integrity. That, too, is attractive.

He was also personable. We pick that up from the fact that there was something about his approach and the way in which he interacted with Jesus that caused Jesus to love him (as Mark records it for us). Of course, that says something about Jesus, but it also says something about the nature of this young man – he was personable.

And finally, he was spiritual. He might have preferred to call himself religious, but certainly he was a young man who was interested in eternal life and spiritual matters.

Prosperous…principled…personable…and spiritual: not only on the list of potential sons-in-laws but also on the list of attractive prospects for most churches. Any church that was looking for a few good men to add to their ranks, to help serve in some capacity, would’ve immediately said, “Now that’s the kind of fellow we could use on one of our committees!” And the disciples were probably saying to themselves, “This dude could be one of us.”

Therefore, it’s quite striking that when you get to the end of the dialogue, you discover that the man’s face has fallen, and he’s gone away sad. I did a quick skim of the New Testament this week. Mind you, it was quick. It wasn’t in-depth or thorough, but what I found was that there are a number of people who came to Jesus sad but went away happy. This is the only person that I could find in the whole New Testament who met Jesus and went away sad. Think about that for just a minute. Now, you had some that went away mad (Pharisees, Sadducees, Roman authorities, and the like), but only this guy came happy and left sad.

As we consider this third question that Jesus asks us, I want to outline today’s message with four words: question, redirect response, and instruction. That’s the roadmap: the man’s question, Jesus’ redirect, the man’s response, and Jesus’ instruction.

Question

Verse 17 seems to suggest that this man’s concern was so great, his interest was so sincere, that he’s virtually falling over himself as he seeks to address his question to Jesus.

You don’t rise to leadership, nor do you amass wealth unless you’re zealous, hardworking, marked by exertion and by activity (or unless you’re involved in corruption). And I believe we wouldn’t at all be surprised, if we walked through a couple of days with this young man and found out that he was just the kind of individual who was “Johnny on it.” He would be the kind of person who returned his telephone calls. He would be the sort of guy who said, “If I’ll call you at 6:00 p.m.,” then he called at six. If he said he had a book to pass on to you, then he got the book to you. That’s just the kind of man he was. And if somebody presented a challenge, he was ready for it. He’d made that part of his life. Therefore, it’s no surprise at all that when he comes to Jesus with this spiritual question, he wants to know what he had to do: “What do I have to do?” Isn’t that the question of every “go getter” – just tell me what to do.

Obviously, this guy isn’t a disinterested bystander at one of Jesus’ public teachings. Here’s a man who runs for all he’s worth. He is eager to ask Jesus the question burning in his soul, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” He comes eagerly. He comes willingly. He comes with respect and honor. He falls on his knees before Jesus, and he uses a form of address that was somewhat unusual and rare among the Jews when he says to Him, “Good Teacher,” or, “Good Rabbi.” Let me pause there for a second.

One who held the office of rabbi in the Jewish community was considered one of the most distinguished and honorable persons in the community. It was the custom of the Jews that anytime the father, the patriarch of the family, entered a room, his children were required to stand in respect for him – with one notable exception. If one of the sons became a rabbi, then the custom was that when that son entered the room, his father would stand in respect of his son because of this elevated office.

So, it’s with great respect that this young man asks Jesus, “Good Teacher, what do I have to do to inherit eternal life?” The Psalms in the Old Testament talked about inheriting life, and so often in the Old Testament the notion of inheriting life was related to obedience to the law. This man comes with that assumption that the only way he will ever inherit eternal life is by doing something that would make him right before God. I’m going to come back to that in a few moments, but for now let’s go on with Jesus’ redirect

Redirect

Notice how Jesus answers the question with a question. He says: “Why are you calling Me good? Don’t you know that there’s only One who is good, even God?”

Some of the critics of the Christian faith go to this text, and they say, “See, here is a place where Jesus denies His own deity. Jesus recognized that He too had sin in His life because He says He’s not good.” I’m quite convinced that’s not what Jesus was saying. Rather, Jesus knew that the man didn’t know to Whom he was asking the question. Jesus knew that this guy didn’t know that he was talking to God incarnate. Jesus was calling attention to this man’s superficial understanding of what goodness is, just like we do. Just like the world, it’s so easy for us to call each other good. We say, “He’s a good man, she’s a good woman, he’s a good child,” and so on without giving much thought or consideration to what goodness entails. Good is a relative term, and we use it by comparing one person to another.

We compare ourselves to each other, just as we talk about animals. I say about my dog, “My dog is a good dog.” What do I mean by that? I don’t mean that my dog has a highly refined ethical sense of propriety or that my dog knows how to make those hard decisions that righteousness requires. No, I’m just saying that as dogs go, my dog is a pretty good dog. My dog comes when I call her. She doesn’t bite the mailman. She’s barks when there’s something to be barked at, but otherwise she’s quiet. That’s what a good dog is.

So, what do we mean when we say that a man is good? We mean that compared to other people, he’s pretty good. We’re warned in Scripture, however, not to judge ourselves by ourselves or to judge ourselves against others. Rather, we understand that goodness is ultimately defined by the character of God. And where is God’s character manifest most clearly – in the law. When we judge ourselves against the ultimate standard of the righteousness of God, then we come to understand why the Psalmist and the Apostle Paul say: “There is none righteous. There is none who does good, no, not one” (Psalm 14:1, 53:1; Romans 3:10-12).

So, what does Jesus do? Where does Jesus take him? Straight to the law, and more specifically to the second part of the law – the part that deals with our interactions with one another. Let me put it this way: Jesus starts with the easy part. He says: “You know the law. Thou shall not murder. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not commit adultery.” It’s important that you see where Jesus starts. Why? Because when we encounter people today, what is their typical response regarding eternal life? “I haven’t murdered anybody. I haven’t robbed a bank. I haven’t cheated on my spouse.” They start in the same place. And we need to help them understand that “goodness” is only determined and defined by the One who is Himself good – God.

Response

Suddenly this eager young man, who came rushing to Jesus to find out how to get in God’s kingdom, breathes an audible sigh of relief: “Thank goodness. Is that all? All I have to do is keep the law.” He says: “Jesus, I’ve never committed adultery. I’ve never stolen anything. I’ve never murdered anybody. I’m not a covetous person. I’ve done all of these things since I was a little boy. I was born and reared in the Jewish community. We recited the law all the time. I know the Decalogue. It’s written on my heart. I keep those commandments every day.”

You would expect Jesus to say, “No you don’t.” Jesus could’ve said, “Sir, you haven’t kept a single one of the Ten Commandments since you got out of your bed this morning.” Obviously, the guy wasn’t aware of the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus explained that even if you’ve refrained from full-blown adultery, but you’ve lusted after someone, then you’ve broken the law. Even if you’ve never taken a human life, if you’ve been angry without just cause, if you’ve hated your brother, if you’ve insulted him, then you’ve broken the law concerning murder. Jesus revealed that the demands of God’s law are far deeper than the mere, simple outward obedience that’s spelled out in the law.

The rich young ruler simply didn’t understand the law. He didn’t have a clue about the depth of his own sin. And this continues to be a problem today. People don’t truly appreciate their need of salvation. They don’t view themselves as standing in opposition to a holy God – after all, except for this morning, when was the last time you heard someone use the word “holy” in the proper context? My ears are especially sensitive to it, and I can tell you that without fail it’s used as an adjective modifying any number of curse words. Whereas, in the Bible, it’s only and always used in relation to Almighty God. In fact, He is holy, holy, holy (Isaiah 6:3), and we are called to “be holy as He is holy” (1 Peter 1:16). Well, let’s look at the final scene.

Instruction

Jesus doesn’t give him a lecture. He doesn’t say: “No, you haven’t kept the law since you were a little boy. No, you don’t understand the gospel. You don’t understand justification by faith alone.” Rather, He’s trying to help the man. After the man said, “All these things I’ve kept from my youth,” Mark tells us that Jesus, looking at him, loved him. Isn’t that interesting? The young man says to Jesus – the Judge of heaven and earth who is standing right in front of him – “I’ve kept the law since I was a little boy,” and Jesus looks at him and loves him.

Why does He love him? Is it because He was so happy to finally find an Israelite in whom there was no guile, to finally find somebody in the Jewish community that did in fact keep the law from the time he was a little boy? Did Jesus love this fellow because he was so lovely? I don’t believe the rich young ruler was an arrogant man. To be sure, his answers were arrogant, but I don’t think his demeanor was arrogant. I don’t think that was his attitude. He really wanted to know, and he believed that he had kept the law.

My mind (perhaps like yours) turns to that scene of Jesus approaching Jerusalem weeping, crying out in prophetic lament, “Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and all who were sent before, how often I would have gathered you to Myself like a hen gathers her chicks, but you would not” (Matthew 23:37; Luke 13:34). I think Jesus wanted to look at this man, put His arms around him, and say: “Don’t you understand? The only way you get into the kingdom is if you bring nothing in your hand. You have to receive it like a child. You can’t buy it. You can’t earn it. You can’t possibly deserve it. You have to receive it. It’s by grace and grace alone.”

So, what does Jesus do. He loves him and He moves right up to the top of the list. “Let’s put it to the test. There’s one little thing you lack. You’ve done so well all those years, but you’re going to miss this inheritance because of one requirement. All you have to do is go out and sell all that you have, give it to the poor, pick up your cross, and follow Me – then you’ll inherit the kingdom.”

Folks, if all I had to do to inherit eternal life was to get rid of all my private property, I wouldn’t wait until tomorrow. I’d give it away today, because “what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul” (Mark 8:36)? What could be sillier than to seek money, or financial security, or wealth rather than the kingdom of God?

Understand that Jesus is not setting down a universal rule for anybody to enter the kingdom of God. He’s not saying that everyone must divest themselves of all private property, enter a monastery, and take an oath of poverty. That’s not what Jesus is saying. Nor is He saying that wealth and riches are inherently bad or evil. As an old pastor friend of mine used to say, “It’s not wrong to have stuff, as long as the stuff doesn’t have you.” No, Jesus is addressing the man’s specific area of rebellion, disobedience, and unfaithfulness. “You’ve kept all the law? Let’s start with number one: ‘Thou shall have no other gods before Me.’” Jesus knew that money was this man’s god. And when Jesus hit the nail on the head the rich young ruler’s sigh of relief was transformed into a groan of despair, for the Bible says, “Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful…” That word “sorrowful” isn’t strong enough. He was downcast. In the Greek it says that he was stugnazó. He was “shocked.” He was “devastated.” And he walked away from Jesus.

The Pearl of Great Price was standing right in front of him. All the treasures of heaven and earth were in the One he walked away from. It’s like a man who wouldn’t trade a nickel for a billion dollars, but even that’s a poor analogy. He thought his own possessions were worth more than Jesus. He’d rather have had his own bank account than the kingdom of God. In just a moment we’re going to close by singing:

I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold;
I’d rather be His than have riches untold;
I’d rather have Jesus than houses or lands.
I’d rather be led by His nail pierced hand

Than to be the king of a vast domain
Or be held in sin’s dread sway.
I’d rather have Jesus than anything
This world affords today.

The real tragedy of this story is that the only Person in the universe who could get this rich man out of bankruptcy, the only Person in the universe who could pay the debt that the man couldn’t pay, was standing right in front of him. Do you want eternal life today? Let go of what’s in your hand. Let go of those riches. Let go of your performance. Let go of whatever is holding you back from receiving the free gift of God’s grace.

That’s what the gospel is all about. Christ pays for us. He purchases us. He pays our debt. He gives to us His righteousness, which is the only thing that will satisfy the demands of God’s law. By faith, when you put your trust in Christ and Christ alone and despair of your own wealth, you let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also, and cling to Jesus. Then you receive the inheritance that you need to get into the kingdom of God.

“O God, we’re beggars who have no bread. We’re debtors who have no money, but You’ve poured out a Treasure to us in Jesus. You’ve given us the Pearl of Great Price. O God, don’t ever let us walk away from You.”

What Is This You Have Done – Genesis: 3:8-13

• January 15, 2024
• Pastor
• 0 Comments

Genesis 3:8-13

Let me invite you to take your copy of God’s Word and turn with me (again) to Genesis 3. We started a new sermon series last week called Seven Questions God Asks Us. We looked at the very first question that God asked in the Bible (v. 8). Today, we’re going to continue and look at the second question that He asked (v. 13). And I promise that we won’t spend the remaining five weeks in Genesis. Beginning next week, the last five questions will all come from the New Testament.

Even still, some of you might wonder why we’re staying in Genesis when there are so many other places where God asks us a question. And the reason is this: understanding the opening chapters of Genesis is the only foundation for an accurate worldview. It’s vital that we know how sin came into the world. It’s important to understand the universal problem of sin – something many churches don’t talk about anymore. Why? Why is that so important? Because we won’t understand redemptive history and its ending, unless we understand its beginning. We won’t appreciate our need for a Savior and why it’s important that Jesus died and rose again, why it’s important that He returns again and brings with Him a new heave and a new earth; we won’t understand all of the sweeping elements of redemptive history unless we understand the problem of sin and how it came about. And Genesis 3 explains this like no other religion, no other philosophy, and no other worldview. After all, God’s Word is truth. Remember Jesus’ words in the high priestly prayer, “Sanctify them by the truth; Your Word is truth” (John 17:17).

See, if we don’t take Genesis 3 on its own terms and deal with these verses, then we’ll have a faulty worldview and we’ll come to the greater questions of life with wrong answers and wrong conclusions. So, with that as a little primer, let’s read verses 8-13:

8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

“Father, as we come now to the Bible, we earnestly pray for the help of the Holy Spirit to reveal Christ to us, to reveal ourselves – to show us who and what we are outside of Christ and in Christ. Help us, Lord, to think, to believe, to obey. For we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

The Bible tells us that when God finished the work of creation, He was absolutely satisfied. He pronounced it good. And the Bible also tells us the pinnacle of His creative handiwork was making Adam and Eve. These two people were not morally neutral. They were not ambivalent, set somewhere in a kind of neutral territory between good and evil. Rather, the Bible says that they were actually created with a positive bias, with an inclination to do what is good. But – and that’s the event described here in Genesis 3 – we find that as they attempt to take a giant leap forward their strategy goes horribly wrong. And in lusting after a throne that they could never inhabit, they find themselves degraded, losing the place and the privileges that they were created to enjoy.

I was reading a commentary this week on Genesis and the author or commentator compared it to contemporary air travel. He said, “They reached for an upgrade that they couldn’t get and found that they weren’t even back in the original seat from which they’d tried to made a run. They were actually downgraded from first class on a private Gulfstream to the Wright Flyer.” That’s essentially what happened. And their act of rebellion towards God brings with it consequences which are immediately apparent: an alienation that makes them feel vulnerable and naked; an alienation not only from God who has made them but an alienation from one another as they begin to cast aspersions on one another; and as family arrive, an alienation which is represented between not only husband and wife but parents and children too.

It’s within this context that we encounter our second question – a straightforward question, one that’s addressed to Eve particularly, and the question is in verse 13, “What is this you have done?” I’ve outlined today’s message with these three points. First, what did Eve do? Second, our sinful nature (because their predicament is our predicament – we can’t examine this question without making it personal). Last, our choice today. So, what did Eve do?

What Did Eve Do?

Well, she’d been deceived into eating what was forbidden. She believed a lie. Actually, she believed a compounded lie. Essentially, she succumbed to the idea that God could not be trusted – that God is a cosmic killjoy, that what He’s actually committed to doing with the creatures He’s made is having them miss out on all the good things of life. The Evil One, the Deceiver, the Slanderer comes and says, “Look, if you can’t be like God, then all of this is irrelevant.” And she’s deceived by that notion. She’s deceived into believing that God’s way is not best. She believed a lie.

Secondly, she was blatantly disobedient. The reason it was wrong to eat from the tree was simply because God had told her not to. Part of mankind’s problem is that we don’t like being told what is and isn’t good and right. We want to be our own boss. Everybody else has to do what we say, but we’re not beholden to what anyone says to us. We need to pause and acknowledge that either we start from the position that God is a self-proving God who speaks to us by a word that is true simply because it’s His word, or we begin from the assumption that we, and not God, are the final judges of all truth. And when the latter is the case, then inevitably, we deny to God the right to command our obedience: “Nobody is going to tell me what to do!” Arrogance, pride, disobedience, rebellion – call it what you will, but once you remove God as our creator who speaks a word that is authoritative and true, then you remove any basis for legislating relationship and morality.

I ran across this quote from David Brooks. He’s a conservative Christian political and cultural columnist for the New York Times. He wrote a piece called Saturday Night Lite; it’s quite humorous, but in the course of it, and really unrelated to the rest of it, he writes this: “Sometime over the past generation we became less likely to object to something because it is immoral and more likely to object to something because it is unhealthy or unsafe. So, smoking is now a worse evil than six of the Ten Commandments, and the word ‘sinful’ is most commonly associated with chocolate.”

Isn’t that true? I mean, that’s the only place that you’re ever really allowed to mention sin: “Um, yes, what’s on your dessert menu tonight?” “We have the apple pie á la mode, we have the cheesecake, we have the carrot cake, and we have the sinful one – we have the sinful sin cake, the triple chocolate lava cake.” It’s always the chocolate sin cake that I’m immediately attracted to. But you see, once you’ve removed God, once you’ve removed that One who speaks a word that is authoritative and true, then you’ve removed any basis for legislating right and wrong.

Now, I have to address this before we move to our second point. It’s true that, chronologically speaking, Eve sinned before Adam. She was the one that was tempted, picked the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and ate. After that, she gave the fruit to her husband, and he ate. But the Bible unmistakably places the blame on Adam as the one responsible for the fall of mankind. Folks, here me clearly on this. Both Adam and Eve sinned, but in the grand scheme of things – at least according to the Bible – Adam was held culpable.

Listen to Romans 5, and I want to see if you hear Eve’s name or the female reference “woman.”

But the free gift [of God’s grace] is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous (Romans 5:15-20).

Did you hear Eve’s name mentioned, or the female reference “woman?” Nope. In fact, in Genesis 3, although Eve was the one that took the action, Adam was the one that God called out first. Why? Because God had given the command to Adam (not Eve). Adam was there when Satan was deceiving Eve (look at verse 6, “she also gave some to her husband who was with her.”) Adam failed in his responsibility as the leader. Adam’s sin was negligence. Adam’s sin was silence. Adam’s sin was not stepping in to correct Eve and protect Eve.

In 1 Timothy 2:14, Paul makes a subtle distinction between the sin of Adam and the sin of Eve. Listen, “Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner.” That sounds bad to our ears, but there’s a clever and subtle point that Paul is making there. Eve fell into sin (as it were) because of a deception; but, Adam was not deceived, which means he chose to sin. When Adam took the fruit from Eve, he knew full well what he was doing. He was not misinformed or misled; he simply decided to rebel against God’s command. So, while our question is directly posed to Eve, make no mistake that it’s also directed to Adam (if not more so). “What is this you have done?”

That’s why our next point is to consider OUR sinful nature.

Our Sinful Nature

I want us to open ourselves up to the possibility that the searchlight of the Bible would turn on us. So that, with these characters in view, we now say, “Well, is there any point of contact between this whole concept of evading responsibility, being involved in blatant disobedience, and at the same time being prepared to believe a lie?”

Contrary to the commonly held view that men and women (people in general) are basically good and only need time and a fair chance to prove it by improving their situation, the Bible says NO: man has inherited a nature that is in rebellion against God, that is deeply flawed, and that is ultimately self-centered. In fact, I was having a conversation with several guys this week and this very statement was expressed – that man is basically good and it’s his environment, his upbringing, his education, his experience, his whatever that causes him to become bad, but if left alone man is good. But that’s not the Bible’s view.

I love how pastor and author Alistair Begg illustrates this. He writes, “Those two views [man is either basically good or basically bad] work themselves out in the grocery line and in airline travel as you have the privilege of having a precious little bundle with legs long enough simply to reach the back of your seat as you fly. The question is, ‘Do I have behind me here an essentially good little person who is kicking the back of my chair as an expression of love? Or do I have behind me here a flawed little character, sitting next to a flawed mother, who is sitting next to a flawed father, who on account of their basically flawed perspective of life have assumed that this piece of pristine beauty is just waiting for the opportunity to prove how tremendously good a little character he or she is?’”

Obviously, that’s a very trivial way of putting it. I understand that. But work it out in history. At the turn of the 20th century, the thinking was that if we could eradicate the poverty that was part and parcel of the growing cities of the United States, if we could provide better education, if we could provide better health care, if we could provide better and more affordable housing, then we would prove that these detrimental factors, once addressed, would show that man is essentially good, and given time and a fair chance, he would improve his lot, and we would have “fixed” society’s issues.

Well, it didn’t go that way did it? We went to 1914 and WWI – “the war that would end all wars” – and then came WWII, and so on from there, and you can’t read articles or internet news without recognizing that despite some improvements in all of these areas none of these things nor all of them together were able to address the endemic condition in the hearts of men and women. And the reason for the predicament with teenagers even a generation ago (my generation) was, “They just have so little, and their impoverishment drives them to this activity.” Yet, today, the argument has shifted: “They just have so much; and the problem is, they have so much, and they don’t know what to do.” Now, any sensible student of history says, “Okay, well, let’s look at this, and let’s look at the Scriptures and see whether the Scriptures speak with any clarity.”

And what about a personal assessment? Forget history; what about your life and about mine? Are you a rebellious person? Do you find it easier to do wrong things than right things? See, even when we consider environment, genetics, upbringing, education, government, body chemistry, and so on, we still have to face the fact that what the Bible confronts us with in this question is our own willful choice to sin. G.K. Chesterton, in an earlier era, said, “Whatever else is in doubt, man is not what God intended him to be.” The Bible says that men and women have a sin issue, that we’re at odds with our Creator. But we’d rather not talk about that, so we deny that God exists as our Creator and look for other ways of explaining our sin problem.

Before we move to our last point, I want you to notice just a few more red flags about our sinful nature. First, notice, in verse 10, that Adam says he hid because he was “afraid” of God. Think about this for a moment. Prior to sin. Prior to Genesis 3, what is the picture that we get of Adam and God? Genesis 2 describes God creating Adam and putting him in the garden to work it. God brings all the animals to Adam and whatever he called them was their name. There’s an image that’s implied here. God and Adam are friends. We don’t know exactly how long Adam and Eve existed in the garden before sin entered the world. Perhaps it was a relatively short time or maybe it was many years. We don’t know, but it seems clear that there was a closeness between Adam and God (and presumably Eve, too). But now, in verse 10, they’re afraid of God. That’s what our sin problem does – it causes us to be afraid of God, afraid of the very One we should draw close to. God is now the bad guy. Fear replaces joy. Sin upsets our relationships.

Second, notice why he says he was afraid (v. 10). “…I was afraid, because I was naked…” Not, “I was afraid because I sinned,” but because I was naked. That, too, is interesting, isn’t it? Look at Genesis 2:25, “And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.” Being naked was normal. Being naked was the way that God had made man and woman. No shame. No embarrassment. No hiding. No fear. But now . . . after sin . . . “I was naked.” And you gotta love God’s questioning, “Really, Adam? Who told you that you were naked? You’ve been naked ever since I made you. Who told you?” What’s the answer? Nobody. Nobody told them. They were alone. It certainly wasn’t Satan. He’s already done his work. Adam and Eve have no children yet. No neighbors. “Who told you, Adam?”

You see, Adam and Eve experienced that indictment, that consciousness of nakedness because they had violated their conscience. They had fallen into sin and corruption and the shame and awareness of being naked rose up from inside of them. The answer to the question, “Who told you that you were naked,” is nobody. A guilty conscience brought about by sin told me that my nakedness was shameful.

Third, notice because of sin, Adam can’t even bring himself to confess. In fact, God actually answers for Adam (v. 11), “Have you not eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” “Isn’t that what happened, Adam? Didn’t you disobey Me? Isn’t that why you feel shame? Isn’t that why you tried to cover yourself? Isn’t that why you’re hiding, Adam?” No confession. No owning it. No admission. No accepting responsibility. What does he do? He blames God. He doesn’t blame Eve. It’s important that we see this. Adam doesn’t blame Eve. Look at verse 12, “The man said, ‘The woman whom YOU [God] gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” Our sin problem ultimately turns a lover of God into a hater of God. Adam doesn’t love God. Eve doesn’t love God. They resent God. They see God as a frightening figure who is going to bring about death. They see God as their judge not their friend. They see God as the author of their sin, because it’s God who creates the circumstance in which they fall. And so, they resent God. They hate God. They despise God. They want to keep their distance from God. Their hearts are now void of any love for God. And folks, listen to me, according to the Bible, that sin problem was passed along to every other person that was born – even before they did anything good or bad. I know it doesn’t sit well with many people. Like I said, some of the guys I was talking to this week didn’t like the idea. But as I read the Scriptures, that newborn bundle of joy inherited a sinful nature just like you and me.

“What is this you have done?” Let’ close with a choice.

A Choice of Pathways

I know it can be simply a rhetorical device to do what I’m about to do, but I think it’s true as well as rhetorically effective, and that is to set before us two stark choices. Jesus did it in Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”

Choice number one is what we might call atheistic humanism – a pathway that’s broad and crowded. On this pathway the assumption is that there is no God; the Bible is therefore not a revelation from God, but it’s rather simply a collection of religious ideas; and therefore, the study and interpretation of the Bible is governed by those assumptions.

Choice number two is what we might call Christian theism – a pathway that’s narrow and sparsely populated. On this pathway, the assumption is that God made every fact in the universe, and that He alone can interpret all things and all events; that because we are made in the image of God, we know that we are dependent upon God for any truth; and that because of our participation in the rebellion described in Genesis 3, as sinners, we suppress this knowledge, and we reinterpret the universe on the assumption that we (and not God) give meaning to everything. You follow the logic of that, don’t you?

That’s where the gospel comes in. Ephesians 2, “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience – among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved – and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (vss. 1-7).

That’s the explanation for Newton’s hymn, which we sing so tritely:

Amazing grace! how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now I’m found,
Was blind, but now I see.

Only God can effect that change. And He has gone to the extent of sending His Son in order that the hardness of our rebellion might be overwhelmed by His “lovingkindness [which] is better than life” (Psalm 63:3).

“What is this you have done?” Believed a lie, been blatantly disobedient, and decided to pass the buck to whoever I could – to my wife, to my parents, to my environment, to my genetics, to my school, to my impoverishment, whatever it might be. And God shines
his Word right into our hearts and says, “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29).

Where Are You? – Genesis 3:8-10

• January 10, 2024
• Pastor
• 0 Comments

Genesis 3:8-10

As I mentioned in my Friday email, we’re starting a 7-week sermon series called Seven Questions God Asks of Us. As some of you know, for the week of Christmas, I went up to TN to visit Lauren and her three-year-old daughter, Audrey. Let me just say that I forgot how many questions toddlers ask. “Why is that man standing there?” “Why do I have to take a bath?” “How does Santa fly?” “When can I go outside?” “Wee, are those your boots?” It seems that every conversation is a game of 20 questions.

And I got to thinking, “Are our conversations with God any different?” Our questions for Him are often just as numerous and certainly just as simple as those of a three-year-old. After all, when you’re speaking to an all-knowing and all-wise God, our questions, although more complex from a human perspective, are no less easy for Him to answer. But have we deeply considered the questions that He asks? If His reason for questioning us isn’t to discover something new, since He already knows everything, then perhaps they’re meant to challenge us to consider the state of our own hearts?

Well, let me invite you to take your copy of God’s Word and turn with me to Genesis 3. Like some of you, I endeavor to read through the Bible each year and most of the time we start on page 1, chapter 1, verse 1, “In the beginning, God…” But this time, as I began reading, I was especially interested to see if I could find the first question that God posed, and wouldn’t you know it’s right here in Genesis 3. Now, for the sake of our studies, we’re just going to read the immediate verses that relate to the question, which means that we’ll only read verses 8-10.

8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”

“Living God, help us to hear Your voice – not the ruminations of a mere man – may we truly understand; and in understanding that we may believe, and in believing that we may follow in all faithfulness and obedience, seeking Your honor and glory in all that we do; through Christ our Lord. Amen.”

We’re all familiar with this story, right? We’re in the garden, and more specifically we’re at that seminal moment where sin enters the world – a transaction that we refer to as “The Fall” – a story that explains why the world is the way that it is. In fact, among all the other literature and religions of the world, you will be hard-pressed to find any other piece of writing which explains the origin of sin and misery in the world as the Bible gives. And whether a person accepts this explanation or not, one has to at least be honest enough to recognize that an explanation is offered.

Now usually, when you come to the early chapters of Genesis, you end up with questions of biology or astronomy or cosmogony. And I’m sure that some of you (even now) have those questions. But what I’m going ask you to do is to set them aside, at least for now. Not because they’re illegitimate (they aren’t), but they may prove to be a diversion from putting yourself in the position where you aren’t responding to the question that God is asking and instead are entertaining the questions that you’re asking. So, set those aside and let’s consider God’s question. And the question that God poses is very straightforward; it’s just three words: God said to the man, “Where are you?”

The question comes on the heels of Adam’s and Eve’s disobedience. And what they’re trying to do is cover up, trying to hide, trying to find excuses. Let me just repeat those words again. They’re words with which all of us are familiar: disobedience, cover-up, hiding, excusing ourselves. I’d be surprised if any one of us has not employed at least one of those mechanisms in the past week. And what we discover is that Adam, who has been made by God and made for God, is actually running away from God.

In that respect, he’s not unusual, he’s not dissimilar to many people in Landrum or Greenville or Greer or Travelers Rest – perhaps even some who are here this morning. You may have made your journey through life to this point, and yet you’re still seeking to explain life, to make significance out of life, all the while running away from God. As you continue reading, what you discover is that man quickly becomes dislocated: dislocated from his environment, dislocated from himself, dislocated from his spouse, and, as it turns out, dislocated from his children. And what Genesis 3 is saying is essentially this: that the moral and spiritual pileup, the wreck on the freeway of 21st century society, is directly related to the response that Adam gives to God’s question here. Now, with that as the context, let me observe three things with you.

An Unusual Question

Think about it. We’re the ones hiding from God, and yet God is the One asking the question, “Where are you?” The reason that I’m calling it unusual is because there’s a common notion in our world that says man is looking for God – that your family and friends and neighbors are actually spending their free time searching for God, searching for ways to draw closer to their Creator, and that it’s God who’s actually doing the hiding; that somehow or another, God has taken the telephone off the hook (if He exists at all) and He’s not returning calls, He cannot be reached, He’s hiding somewhere in the universe and there must be a way to go and find Him. What Genesis 3 is actually saying is the total opposite of that: that we’re the ones who are hiding from God, and God is the One who comes asking of us, “Where are you?”

It reminds me of what David wrote in Psalm 14:1-3, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.”

Or what Paul writes in Romans 1:18-23, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So, they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.”

Secondarily, it’s unusual insofar as God is not in need of information. If God knows everything, why is He asking where Adam is? Well, in one sense, it’s rhetorical. But as we’ll see in a moment, it’s more than that. When God asks questions in the Bible, it’s not for His sake but for those He’s addressing. So, in fact, by posing this question, He’s really asking Adam and Eve to face up to where they are. God wants Adam to answer for Adam’s sake not His.

We do this with our children and grandchildren. When it gets really quiet around the house with a three-year-old you know she’s up to something no good. So, what do you say, “Audrey, what are you doing?” You know the answer, but you want her to acknowledge where she is and what she’s doing. But, hey, it’s not just three-year-old’s; it happens with 23-year-olds too. The telephone rings and there’s slurred speech on the other end. You know what’s going down, but what do you say? “Where are you?”

Thirdly, it’s unusual because it’s much more than a geographical or physical question. It’s a bit like when you meet somebody these days, and they say to you, “Where are you in your head?” It’s not like there’s a miniature you walking around inside your literal and physical brain. No; you’re asking the question to just get them to come to their senses – to face up to their circumstances and situation. It’s an unusual question. But it’s also . . .

A Kind Question

Now follow me here – the fact that it’s a question from God is, by its very nature a kind question. God didn’t need to ask a question. God could’ve reacted in many different ways. If He’d reacted strictly in justice, He could’ve brought about the sentence of death that He had promised to begin with. But He comes with a question. As one scholar put it, “He appears in the garden not with a stick to chastise nor with a prod to poke, but He comes into the garden, and it’s His voice which pierces their hidden territory.” So, it’s a very kind question that comes by means of His voice.

What we have here, then, is actually the very first indication of God’s grace. Think about it; imagine for a moment that you aren’t familiar with Genesis 3, or perhaps you’ve never really read the Bible and you’re reading it for the first time. You read about God giving clear instructions to Adam, “Do this, do this, do this, but don’t do that,” and then they go and do the very thing God told them not to do. If this is a new story to you, then you’re leaning it. You’re all ears; what’s God going to say now? And He comes with a question, “Excuse me, where are you?” How kind!

Listen folks, God doesn’t give to men and women what they justly deserve, rather, on the basis of His immense kindness, He grants to them what they don’t deserve. That’s what the Bible calls grace: and there’s no better place to see this manifested than in the incarnation when God comes in the person of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. People marveled at the words that He spoke; He spoke with kindness and tenderness and care. It’s surely striking, is it not, that when God steps down into time, that He comes to speak, and in speaking, not to condemn but to redeem?

Now, you may be thinking, “But what’s there in Adam to compel God to go looking for him?” And of course, the answer is: Nothing! So why does God do it? Because that’s the kind of God He is. It’s His kindness which draws men and women to turn their backs on sin and to turn to Him in repentance. Chris Tomlin recorded a song back in 2001 called Kindness and the chorus reads like this:

It’s Your kindness Lord
That leads us to repentance
Your favor Lord, is our desire
It’s Your beauty Lord
That makes us stand in silence
Your love
Is better than life

God operates according to His own good pleasure. His approach to men and women is the approach of love. And He comes announcing His intention to save. So, it’s an unusual question, but it’s also a kind question. Finally, it’s . . .

A Personal Question

And in that way, it’s also an unavoidable question, not only to Adam but to each of us, because the Bible speaks to us asking the same question: “Where are you?”

Now, if you do your homework and read chapters 1, 2 and 3, then you may see yourself in Adam’s evasive response. “Where are you?” Answer, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” Now God might have said, “Adam, just answer the question.” But Adam immediately begins to pass the buck: “The woman You put here with me, she got into some business with the fruit, she gave it to me. I did it, but it’s not me, it’s her; in fact, it’s not her, it’s You. You’re the One that gave me the woman; therefore, ultimately You’re responsible for this predicament; therefore, it’s not my problem, it’s Your problem.”

Have you been there? Why doesn’t God do something? It’s His problem; He did this, He made this, He messed this thing up. What Adam and Eve did was done knowingly. They did it willfully. They did it freely. They weren’t programmed to do it any more than you or I have been programmed to do one single thing we’ve ever done when it comes to turning our backs on God and denying His existence or denying that we know Him.

So, it’s a very personal question. You may even hear your own voice in Adam’s excuses; his attempts to shift the blame. You may actually come to recognize that your thinking – like Adam’s – is crooked. See, Adam’s not thinking properly. Even his intellect and reason have been affected by sin. His rebellion has affected his thinking. No sensible person would assume that they could hide from God behind a tree. How silly is that?

And yet, we think we can hide from God. We forget that He sees us at all times. He sees you there in that corner office. He sees you in that group of friends. He sees you in your girlfriend’s house. He sees you at the bar. You don’t think He sees you in those places, but He sees you. And the ultimate seeing that He does is not related to your geographical or physical location but into your soul and where you are in relationship to pursuing the love of God. David writes:

O LORD, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, You know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.

Where shall I go from Your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, You are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” even the darkness is not dark to You; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with You. (Psalm 139:1-12).

So, the thinking of men and women is skewed, it’s warped. Why is it that so many phenomenally intelligent people flat out resist the Bible? Why is it that we find ourselves saying again and again, “Why do people not understand or get this?” Because sin has affected the way in which they think! We tend to think that somehow or another, our ability to rationalize things, our ability to think things out takes place, if you like, in some island that is unaffected by the moral impact of sin – but that isn’t the case. So, we have to ask God to forgive us our sins, because the sinful mind is hostile to God.

So, let me as you. “Where are you?” It’s a question that makes clear to us that God is a God who chooses to reveal Himself, not hide Himself, and makes clear to us that God is a God who is very interested in establishing a relationship with those whom He has made, even though we have turned defiantly against Him. He’s a seeking God, a saving God, a revealing God, a relationship-creating God, a God who speaks down the corridors of time to you and me today with an unusual, kind, personal question: “Where are you?”

Does Jesus Really Matter? – Revelation 5:1-14

• January 4, 2024
• Pastor
• 0 Comments

Revelation 5:1-14

Dr. Travis Kerns fills in for Pastor Lee this weekend and brings a message of hope and encouragement from the book of Revelation.  Dr. Kerns serves as the Senior Associational Mission Strategist for the Three Rivers Baptist Association in Taylors, SC, which consists of roughly 100 local congregations.  He has also served as Professor of World Religions and Apologetics at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.  He and his wife, Staci, served as missionaries to Salt Lake City, UT with the North American Mission Board where they helped start 56 Christian churches.

The Birth of Jesus: According to John (1:1-18)

• December 26, 2023
• Pastor
• 0 Comments

John 1:1-18

I know that everyone is excited to spend time with family and friends, and if you happen to have little ones with you tonight then they’re incredibly antsy. So, I won’t take much time (I promise). But I want to take just a minute and consider the birth of Jesus according to John. If you’re visiting with us (and I know we have several guests here tonight), last Sunday we looked at the birth of Jesus through the lens of the gospel of Matthew, and this morning we looked at it through the lens of the gospel of Luke. Tonight, I want us to look at how John describes Jesus’ birth. And some of you might be thinking, “John doesn’t have a birth narrative.” And you’d be right, but only if you’re thinking of it in the strictest and most natural way. Indeed, John’s Gospel does contain a birth narrative, but it’s a bit more creative than the others.

You heard Betsy read it just a moment ago. And what I’d like to do (very briefly) is point out and explain five truths concerning the Word made flesh, and then contrast two starkly different responses that you might give to Him tonight. My goal is that you might see Jesus for who He is and be moved to receive Him as your Lord and Savior. If you’ve already done that, then I pray that you’ll embrace Him, and treasure Him, and delight in Him, and follow Him, and display Him even more.

So, let’s start, shall we?

First, the name of the Word-made-flesh is Jesus.

That’s what verse 17 tells us, “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” When we looked at the birth of Jesus according to Matthew’s Gospel we heard the angel tell Joseph that was the name he was supposed to give the baby. “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:20-21).

You say, “Ok, yeah, I got it. His name is Jesus. But why is that so special?” It’s because the name Jesus Christ isn’t just a name – the name tells us who He is and what He’s done. He’s named Jesus because He would save His people from their sins. That’s what He does. He saves us from the eternal, never-ending, all-encompassing wrath of Almighty God. And the title Christ or Christos means “anointed one” in Greek and it means “Messiah” in Hebrew. That’s who He is – He’s the Messiah, the anointed one, our Savior and King.

Second, The Word-Made-Flesh Was With God And Was God Before He Was Born On Earth.

Verse 1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” What verse one teaches is that the One we know as Jesus Christ, before He was made flesh, was God, and that the Father was also God. This is part of the mysterious truth that we know as the Trinity. This is why we worship Jesus Christ and say with Thomas in John 20:28, “My Lord and my God.” He is the Lord, but He is also God.

Third, Before He Became Flesh, John Called Jesus “The Word.”

Again, verse 1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Why did John call Jesus “the Word?” Well, honestly, I can’t answer the why question. I’m not sure why John called Jesus the Word, but I think we can gain some clarity about what it means that he did.

Let me see if I can explain it this way. Let’s consider some of the things that John might have said instead of calling Jesus “the Word.” For example, John could’ve called Jesus “the Deed.” Now, granted, it’s going to sound weird, but “In the beginning was the Deed, and the Deed was with God, and the Deed was God.” Okay, so it sounds strange, but if our words are sometimes misunderstood and misinterpreted, then how much more are our deeds. In fact, I think that’s one reason we use words to explain ourselves – because words are better at
communicating.

Another example is that John might have called Jesus “the Thought.” But there’s a problem with thoughts. I don’t know about you, but generally, the only person that knows my thoughts are me (and God). Rarely, but on some occasions my family and friends know me well enough to know what I’m thinking, but not usually. Again, God seems to be more interested in communicating and thoughts are only communicated in words – externally, not only internally to the mind.

Let’s consider one more. John could’ve called Jesus “the Feeling.” But again, feelings don’t carry any clear conception or intention or meaning – not to mention our feelings are so dependent upon our circumstances. Calling Jesus “the Word” implies that He is God expressing Himself.

Fourth, All That Is Not God Was Created Through The Word (a.k.a. Jesus).

This is what John 1:3 says, “All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made.” Again, remember, “the Word” is another reference to Jesus. One of the reasons that John says this about Jesus is because it underscores that He is God and it underlines the seriousness of the world’s guilt, and blindness, and evil in rejecting Jesus. He comes to us as our Maker (because He’s God), and still the world will not receive Him.

Fifth, The Word Made Flesh Has Life In Himself, And Is The Light Of Men.

John 1:4 says, “In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.” Here, the focus is probably on spiritual life. There are two overwhelming problems that we face as humans: we’re spiritually dead and we’re spiritually blind. John is saying that Jesus is the remedy to both problems. He has the life we need, and this life becomes the light we need.

Remember Jesus and Nicodemus? Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again [that’s spiritual life] he cannot see the kingdom of God [and we can only see with light]“ (John 3:3). So, first Jesus gives life and then that life becomes light – the ability to see spiritual reality.

That’s what verse 14 says, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory.” That’s what Jesus prayed for in John 17:24, “Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given me, may be with me where I am, to SEE My glory.” After all, it was Jesus who said (twice), “I am the Light of the world” (John 8:12; 9:5). So, the Word-Made-Flesh has life in Himself, and that life becomes the Light of men. He’s the power to see and He’s the splendor that we’re seeing.

Now for the two responses:

First, I Do Not Know Him And I Do Not Receive Him

That’s exactly what verses 10-11 say, “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.” You might hear this and say, “I don’t know Him and I don’t receive Him.” That’s a very frightening thing to say about your Maker and your Life and your Light. At the very least I plead with you, don’t say that lightly this Christmas.

Second, I Know Him And I Receive Him

That’s what verses 12-13 say, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” I pray that’s your response. Receive Jesus. Receive the Word made flesh. Receive Him as Savior, and King, and God, and Word, and Creator, and Life, and Light.

The Birth of Jesus: According to Luke (2:1-20)

• December 24, 2023
• Pastor
• 0 Comments

Luke 2:1-20

Let me invite you to take your copy of God’s Word and turn with me to Luke 2. Last week, we started this little Christmas series looking at the various birth narratives of Jesus and we began with Matthew. This morning, we’re in Luke’s Gospel, and tonight, we’ll consider John’s account. I mentioned it last week – some of you are familiar enough with Scripture, and you’re saying to yourself, “But John doesn’t have an account of Jesus’s birth.” And you’re right, but only if you think of a strict narrative like Matthew and Luke. Indeed, John’s Gospel contains a birth narrative, but it’s a bit more creative than the others. So, I hope you’ll be back this evening as we find hope and encouragement there.

Well, no fancy introductions this morning. What kind of introduction can you give to a story like this? Rather, I’d like you to just imagine sitting around the fireplace. Perhaps you’ll recall your childhood. Others of you will imagine a living room or den filled with family and laughter and commotion. It’s Christmas; but before the presents are opened, you gather to hear the story of Jesus’ birth:

1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn Son and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!”

15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this Child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

“O God, with our Bibles open before us, help us, we earnestly pray, that in familiar territory we might meet with You afresh in the person of Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.”

I want to exult with you today over the wonders in this text. And to do that I want to give you three realities and conclude with two purposes. Three great realities, and two magnificent purposes. The first reality is…

It Was A Real Day

Verses 11, “For unto you is born this day . . .” It happened on a real day. A real day in history. Not a day in some mythological, imaginary story, but a day when “Caesar Augustus was the emperor of Rome and Quirinius was governor of Syria.”

It was a day planned in eternity before the creation of the world. Indeed, the whole universe was created and made glorious for this day and for what it means in human history. Paul writes, “For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through Him and for Him.” (Colossians 1:16).

For Him . . . For His appearance . . . This day. “When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the law” (Galatians 4:4). It happened on a day. The perfect day. In the fullness of time. The perfect time appointed by God before the foundation of the world. “For unto you is born this day!”

The second great reality is…

It Was A Real City

Not in Narnia. Not in Middle Earth. Not in a galaxy far far away. It happened in a city about 6,000 miles from here – a city that still exists today. The city’s name is Bethlehem. “Joseph also went up from Galilee . . . to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem” (Luke 2:4). Bethlehem is roughly six miles from Jerusalem. It’s the city where Jesse lived – King David’s father. Bethlehem, the city that Micah prophesied over, “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days” (Micah 5:2).

It happened in a city. A real city, just like Landrum, Greenville, Greer, or Travelers Rest. It was a real day. It was a real city, and the third great reality is…

It Was A Real Savior

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior.” If you’ve ever sinned against God you need a Savior. Last week, we recalled how the angel said to Joseph, “You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Did you know that only God can forgive sins against God. That’s why He sent His only-begotten Son into the world, because Jesus is God. That’s why Jesus said, “The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” (John 5:27). A real Savior was born.

Luke also tells us that He is Christ. “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ.” Christ is the English for the Greek word Christos, which means “anointed one.” In Hebrew, Christos means “Messiah” (John 1:41; 4:25). Bottom line is that Jesus is the one long-predicted, long-awaited, the one anointed above all others (Psalm 45:7). The final anointed King. The final anointed Prophet. The final anointed Priest. In Him all the promises of God are yes and amen (2 Corinthians 1:20)! He fulfills all the hopes and dreams of Israel – and oh so much more. He’s a real Savior. He’s the Christ – the anointed One, the Messiah. And there’s one more title.

Luke says Jesus is the Savior, the Christ, and the Lord. “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” The ruler, the sovereign, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, says Isaiah. He’s the Lord of the universe.

Three great realities. No myths. No fables. No novels here. And why am I pointing out these three great realities? Because we have real sins. I’m sure that you know the sin in your life isn’t just made up. Your sins aren’t just figments of your imagination. They aren’t just pretend sins. Brothers and sisters, we need to be reminded that the story we hear every Christmas is real – a real day, in a real city, a real Savior, Messiah, and Lord was born to save us from our real sin.

And that leads us to two great purposes. Evidently, one angel can bring glorious news, but it demands an army of angels, a multitude of the heavenly host to respond. So, what are the two responses: God’s glory and our peace. Jesus is the greatest revelation of the glory of God even among the heights of heaven. And He brings peace to God’s people – people who will one day fill the whole earth with righteousness and peace. Back to Isaiah’s prophecy, “Of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end” (Isaiah 9:7).

God’s Glory

First and foremost, God is glorified because Jesus is born. Glory ever-ascending from man to God. God’s glory sung out among men for the sake of His great name. There’s hardly a better way to sum up what God was about when He created the world, or when He came to reclaim the world in Jesus Christ, than His glory and our peace. His greatness, our joy. His beauty, our pleasure. The point of creation and redemption is that God is glorious and will be known and praised for His glory.

The late Presbyterian pastor and theologian, Timothy Keller, who passed away earlier this year wrote this in his book, Jesus the King: Understanding the Life and Death of the Son of God:

You’re glorifying something when you find it beautiful for what it is in itself. Its beauty compels you to adore it, to have your imagination captured by it. This happened to me with Mozart. I listened to Mozart to get an “A” in music appreciation in college. I had to get good grades to get a good job, so in other words, I listened to Mozart to make money. But today I am quite willing to spend money just to listen to Mozart, not because it’s useful to me anymore but because it’s beautiful in itself. It’s no longer a means to an end. And when it’s a person you find beautiful in that way, you want to serve them unconditionally.

When you say, “I’ll serve, as long as I’m getting benefits from it,” that’s not actually serving people; it’s serving yourself through them. That’s not circling them, orbiting around them; it’s using them, getting them to orbit around you. To glorify others means to unconditionally serve them, not because we’re getting anything out of it, but just because of our love and appreciation for who they truly are.

That reminds me of the habit that was embraced by Johann Sebastian Bach, where he initialed the bottom of his scores “S. D. G.” – Soli Deo Gloria, which means “glory to God alone.” The birth of Jesus, this Christmas, calls for us to give glory to God. Give Him praise. Give Him adoration. Give Him your heart and life – not solely because of what you get out of it, but because He is worthy of our love and appreciation.

The next great purpose of Jesus’ birth is…

Our Peace

I must begin by making a clarification. Even though God offers peace to everyone, only His chosen people – the people who receive Christ and trust Him as Savior and Messiah and Lord, will experience the peace He brings. God’s peace in Christ is offered to the world. But only the “sons of peace” (Luke 10:6) receive it. How do you know if you’re a “son of peace?” How do you know if you’re part of the angels’ promise, “Peace among those with whom He is pleased!”? Answer: you welcome the Peacemaker; you receive Jesus.

My great desire for all of us this Christmas is that we enjoy this peace. Peace with God. Peace with our own souls. And peace with other people – “as far as it depends on you” (Romans 12:18). And by peace, I don’t only mean the absence of conflict and animosity, but also the presence of joyful tranquility, and as much richness of interpersonal communication as you are capable of.

The key to each of them is not to separate what the angels kept together. Peace only comes when it’s connected to glorifying God. If we want peace to rule in our lives, God must rule in our lives. If we want peace to rule in our lives, Christ must rule in our lives. A heart that’s bent on showing the glory of God, will know the peace of God.

And what holds glorifying God and His peace together is believing or trusting in the promises of God obtained by Jesus. Romans 15:13 is one of those fundamental texts pointing to this crucial role of faith, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing.” In other words, the way God’s promises become real for us and produce peace in us is “in believing.” That’s true whether we’re talking about peace with God, peace with ourselves, or peace with others. Let me make a quick comment on each of those.

The most basic need we have is peace with God. If we don’t go here first, then all other experiences of peace will be superficial and temporary. Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith [see, there’s the pivotal act of believing], we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Justified means that God declares you to be “right” or “just” in His sight by imputing to you the righteousness of Jesus. And God does that by faith alone. Not by works. Not by tradition. Not by baptism. Not by church membership. Not by piety. Not by parentage. But by faith alone. When we believe in Jesus as the Savior and the Lord and the supreme treasure of our lives, we are united to Him, and His righteousness is counted by God as ours.

We’re justified by faith, and the result is peace with God. God’s anger at us (because of our sin) is put away. Our rebellion against Him is overcome. God adopts us into His family. And from now on, all of His dealings with us are for our good. He will never be against us. He is our Father, and our Friend. We have peace. We don’t need to be afraid any more. This is foundational to all other forms of peace. It all begins with discovering peace with God by believing, by trusting in Jesus for our salvation.

And because we have peace with God we can begin to grow in the enjoyment of peace with ourselves – and what I mean by “peace with ourselves” is any sense of guilt or anxiety that tends to paralyze us or make us hopeless takes a less prominent position in our lives.

I take us back to the study we just finished. Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

The picture here is that our hearts and our minds are under assault – guilt, worries, threats, confusions, uncertainties – all of them threaten our peace. And Paul says that God wants to “guard” our hearts and minds with His peace. He guards them in a way that goes beyond what human understanding can fathom. He gives us inexplicable peace, supra-rational peace. And He does it when we take our anxieties to Him in prayer and trust Him to carry them for us (1 Peter 5:7). Do that this Christmas. Take your anxieties to God. Tell Him about them. Ask Him to help you, to protect you, to restore your peace, and then use it to make peace with others, which is the last relationship. Peace with God. Peace with ourselves. And peace with others.

This last one – peace with others – is the one we have least control over. So, we need to say it the way Paul does in Romans 12:18, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”

For many of us when we get together with family for Christmas, there will be some awkward and painful relationships. Some of the pain is very old. And some of it is new. In some relationships we know what we have to do, but in other cases we’re baffled and don’t know what the path of peace calls for or looks like. In both cases, however, the key is trusting the promises of God with an eye on how He forgave us through Christ.

The text that puts this together most powerfully again and again is Ephesians 4:31-32, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” It’s amazing to me, that in spite of all my sins God has forgiven me through Christ. Are you amazed that you have peace with God? It’s that sense of amazement that makes the heart tender, kind, and forgiving. Extend this to others seventy times seven. Yes, it may be thrown back in your face. It was thrown back in Jesus’ face on the cross. Yes, it might hurt, and it can make you bitter if you’re not careful. Don’t let it. Keep being more amazed at the forgiveness you’ve received (and are still receiving). Be amazed that you have peace with God. Keep trusting God.

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” That’s why Jesus came – on a real day, in a real city, to be a real Savior, Messiah and Lord, in order to give glory to God the Father and to bring peace to those that trust Him. Merry Christmas my dear friends.

The Birth of Jesus: According to Matthew (1:18-25)

• December 18, 2023
• Pastor
• 0 Comments

Matthew 1:18-25

Let me invite you to take your copy of God’s Word and turn with me to Matthew’s Gospel. As I indicated in my weekly email, we will take today and the two services on Christmas Eve, which is next weekend (can you believe it?), and consider the birth of Jesus as outlined in the gospels. Now, some of you are quick, and you’ve already done the math, and you’re coming up short. “Hey, pastor, there are four gospels, but today and next Sunday morning and next Sunday evening only account for three sermons. What’s up?” You’re correct. The answer is that Mark’s Gospel doesn’t contain a birth narrative.

“Well, why doesn’t Mark’s Gospel contain a birth narrative?” Good question. The honest answer is, “I don’t know.” But there’s good evidence to suggest that Mark was Peter’s scribe. The outline of Mark’s Gospel is very similar to the outline of Peter’s first sermon at Pentecost. And like Peter’s sermon in Acts 2, Mark is focused only on the public life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus. So, Mark’s Gospel doesn’t include a birth narrative, but that doesn’t mean that Mark is denying Jesus’ birth or ignoring it. I would simply argue that he assumed it – that it was already established by the testimony of other witnesses, including other gospel writers, and thus he precluded it from his.

Now, some of you might also be doing the math and you’re saying, “Hey, pastor, John’s Gospel doesn’t include a birth narrative either, so what about that?” Also true, but only if you define birth narrative in the usual and strict sense. As we’ll notice on Christmas Eve night (if you’re here), John still gives us an accounting of the birth of Jesus – just in a different form. John’s interest is to give us information that the Synoptic Gospels don’t. In fact, if you’ve ever studied John’s Gospel at length, then you know that approximately 90% of the material in John’s Gospel is unique to him. Nevertheless, there’s a birth narrative, of sorts, in John, and we’ll consider that on Christmas Eve (night).

This morning, however, I want us to look at Matthew’s account of the birth of Jesus. Follow along with me, beginning in verse 18:

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son,
and they shall call His name Immanuel”

(which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a Son. And he called His name Jesus.

“Our gracious God, thank You for the Bible and the truth contained in it. Thank You that ‘everything that was written in the past was written so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope’ (Romans 15:4). As we ponder these things now, we pray that You will fill us with the hope that is found in the Lord Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.”

It’s been a long time since our church anticipated the birth of a baby among the congregation, but some of my friends, Joseph and Charlene Traynham, have been attending here for the last 3-4 months, and I’m excited to say that their expecting their first child in June. There are a multitude of questions that emerge when you’re anticipating the birth of a child, but there are two questions that seem to be more immediate than the others. The first concerns gender: “Is it a boy, or is it a girl?” Contrary to much that’s going on in our present climate, the places where the babies arrive – be it hospitals, homes, or even the side of the road – are not surrounded by nurses and doctors saying to one another, “Oh, look, it’s a person.” Rather, what they’re actually saying is, “Oh look, it’s a boy,” or “Congratulations; it’s a girl.” And secondarily, the question is: “What’s the baby’s name?” That’s of great importance. It’s probably the most important question of all, because without a name the child is somehow incomplete. And that’s why a tremendous amount of time is spent in considering names, and why there are lists of the most popular names.

According to babcenter.com, for the first time in five years, there’s a new top baby boy name, with Noah overtaking Liam for the number one spot. Liam moved down one spot to second place, and Oliver stayed in third place, the same as last year. This year’s top three baby girl names are a repeat of last year’s, with Olivia, Emma, and Amelia hanging on to spots one, two, and three (respectively).

Now, whether the baby’s name is chosen before or after the birth, almost without exception, the parents choose the name. In fact, as much as grandparents and aunts and uncles want to interfere, really, we ought to just be quiet. Just leave mom and dad alone; let them choose their own names. But in the case of this birth, Mary and Joseph didn’t choose.

Matthew explains that the name that was revealed to Joseph and Mary was a fulfillment of a prophecy that went back some 600 years. And in fact, he quotes it: “Behold, [a] virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and they [will] call His name Immanuel.” And perhaps you noticed that there were two names given – Immanuel (from Isaiah’s prophecy) and then the name we most commonly known – Jesus. This morning, I want to suggest to you that these two names, taken in reverse order, allow us to answer two basic questions. And those two questions, then tee up our final question. So rather than three points, today we’re going to consider three quick questions.

Who Is He?

Who is He? Who is this holy child born of the virgin? Answer: He is Immanuel, which means God with us. So, when people say, “Well, I wonder who Jesus is?” And I saw a program on one of the major streaming services yesterday (I don’t remember if it was Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Paramount +, or whatever), but the big question about Jesus – you know, “Who do people say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15; Mark 8:29; Luke 9:20). Well, that’s a good question. It’s a question posed by Jesus. But it’s answered for us in the Scriptures: He’s the Word of God incarnate, before the world began. When John writes of it, he says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).

It’s phenomenal, isn’t it? The Creator coming into the world that He created – born, actually, in the same way as each of us has been born, but He was God’s eternal Son. Mary was His mother, but He had no human father. Hence, Mary was a virgin. Jesus had to grow up just in the exact same way as we did. But unlike each of us, He didn’t start to exist just a few months before He was born. He was God’s eternal Son – and in Him a unique beginning. In fact, Jesus says to the people who are listening to Him, “I [came] down from heaven” (John 6:38).

One thing we often do as humans is take for granted how our physical presence can impact those around us. Do you remember how BIG your parents seemed when you were a kid? They were massive! Over time of course, things change; we grow up and we become the big humans.

I’m what you might call an “average” build for a man, and yet children are not as tall. Many of you know that I’m dating a woman named Lauren, but what you may not know is that she has a 3-year old daughter named Audrey. I used to be an unfamiliar face to her and that was enough to be a bit traumatic, or at least confusing. Thankfully, she’s beginning to warm up to Wee. Even still, when I tell Audrey to listen to her mom or try to instruct her, she sometimes gets upset (understandably so). But when I’m at my best as a parent, the best thing I can do is kneel down on her level and speak to her in a soft gentle voice.

This is what God did when He sent Jesus to be among us. I think we all know what it’s like to think of God as this massive cosmic force we need to be constantly in fear and trembling towards (think Isaiah 6), but God didn’t want that to be the final word towards His creation. God wanted us to know Him primarily as the One who loves. And the way God did that was by “stooping down,” coming to us on our level, not as a mighty king or grand emperor, but as a common man.

Who is he? Answer: Immanuel – God with us.

Why Did He Come?

Why should God come to us clothed in humanity? Why would He come? And the answer is found in the other name: Jesus. Who is He? Immanuel. Why did He come? Jesus. He didn’t come to judge the world, He didn’t come to blame [people], He didn’t come only to seek – although He did “come to seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10). He’s the Good Shepherd, looking out for the sheep. “He came to His own; yet, His own didn’t receive Him” (John 1:11). No, he actually came to save. That’s what Matthew tells us in verse 21 – He came to take away our sin. That’s why He died on the cross: in order that we might have eternal life.

In his book Mountains in the Mist, the late Baptist minister and Australian author Frank Boreham writes:

“A century ago, men were following, with bated breath, the march of Napoleon, and waiting with feverish impatience for the latest news of the wars. And all the while, in their own homes, babies were being born. But who could think about babies? Everybody was thinking about battles.

“In one year, lying midway between Trafalgar and Waterloo, there stole into the world a host of heroes! During that one year, 1809, Gladstone was born at Liverpool; Alfred Tennyson was born at the Somersby rectory, and Oliver Wendell Holmes made his first appearance at Massachusetts. On the very self-same day of that self-same year Charles Darwin made his debut at Shrewsbury, and Abraham Lincoln drew his first breath at Old Kentucky. Music was enriched by the advent of Frederic Chopin at Warsaw, and of Felix Mendelssohn at Hamburg, Samuel Morley, Edwin Fitzgerald, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Francis Kemple. But nobody thought of babies. Everybody was thinking of battles. Yet viewing that age in the truer perspective which the distance of a hundred years enables us to command, we may well ask ourselves, ‘Which of the battles of 1809 mattered more than the babies of 1809?’

“We fancy that God can only manage His world by big battalions abroad, when all the while He is doing it by beautiful babies. When a wrong wants righting, or a work wants doing, or a truth wants preaching, or a continent wants opening, God sends a baby into the world to do it. That is why, long, long ago, a babe was born in Bethlehem [to save us from our sin].”

Who is He? Immanuel – God with us. Why did He come? Jesus – to save us from our sins. Finally…

What About You?

“Will Jesus be your Savior?” That’s a question for you. Not just children and grandchildren, but all of us! “Will Jesus be my Savior?” The Bible tells us that Jesus promised to save all who will trust in Him. All of us need a Savior, because we’re all sinful. And God can’t simply say to us, “Well, we just won’t worry about these things. We won’t worry about the fact that you don’t really listen to me, or you’re indifferent to me, or you rebel against me – whatever it might be. No, we’ll just let all that go.” No! Sin had to be dealt with. That’s why all the way in the Old Testament, you have all of these sacrifices. And people say, “What’s that all about?” Well, it’s leading to this one great sacrifice. See, the day that Jesus Christ was born preceded the day when He would leave and go to the cross of Calvary and bear the weight of our sins.

See, to know Jesus is to know His presence and power in our lives. It’s not simply to know there was a Jesus, or even to believe that Jesus was the person He claimed to be – it is to know His presence and power in our lives. And the only way we will know that is when we plunge ourselves into the immensity of His love, and His grace, and His forgiveness. And when that happens, then the very things about
which we’re getting ready to sing become reality:

O holy Child of Bethlehem,
descend to us, we pray;
cast out our sin and enter in;
be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels,
the great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us,
our Lord Emmanuel!

So, the real question at Christmas is this: “Has Jesus saved you? Have you ever plunged into the sea of God’s forgiveness?” Don’t you think that today (Sunday, December 17, 2023) would be a great time to do that? “Oh, pastor, I’ll do it some other time.” Really!? You know what tomorrow holds, do you? “Well, I mean, there are all these people…” Yeah, so what? “Well, it’s kind of embarrassing.” Embarrassing to admit that you want to escape the eternal wrath of an Almighty God and instead enjoy the glory and majesty of a loving Heavenly Father, which is only possible through trusting in Jesus Christ? Listen, Jesus said, in John 6:37-40, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and whoever comes to Me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will but the will of Him who sent Me. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I should lose nothing of all that He has given Me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” Is that your heart’s cry this morning? Let’s pray. There may be someone here today who needs to place their faith and trust in You. If so, pray with me:

“Lord Jesus, thank You for the way that You draw me to seek You and to find You. I trust You as my Savior. I bow before You as my Lord. Today I offer You the only present You want and the only one that I can give: myself. Take me as I am, and make me what You want me to be. O God, for the rest of us, Your children, I pray that we might recover a sense of wonder and awe in Your Son’s birth. Father, would the simple message stir our hearts again to greater faithfulness and obedience in You. Hear our prayers, Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.”

Christmas Cantata (2023) – Sing We Now of Christmas

• December 11, 2023
• Pastor
• 0 Comments

Christmas Cantata (2023)

Under the direction of Ray Schnurr and supported by a 14-piece orchestra, the Mountain Hill Community Church choir presents Sing We Now of Christmas.