Forgotten the Truth

2 Peter 1 v12-21

What is your memory like?  Do you forget things very easily?  Are you better with faces or with names?  Although that seems a silly question with me, because if you don’t remember faces  what good is a name?   Apparently we never actually forget, it is all stored in our brains.  We just do not know how to retrieve it.  In the passage before us  Peter is at pains to remind the believers in Asia Minor to remember the basics of the Christian faith.

Verses 12-15 The need for Reminders.

How do you remember things?  I usually write things down in my diary, but you have to remember to read your diary. When you were revising for exams how did you remember things?  We learn rhymes as children to teach us things – for example you may have learnt a rhyme for the number of days each month has – repeat rhyme.  Or you may have learnt ‘every good boy deserves football and face’ to remember the order of musical notes, see I did listen in music class.  In Scripture the people of God are urged constantly to remember.  God assists them in their remembrance by giving them physical signs to aid them.  So you have the sign of the rainbow to remind Noah and his descendants of God’s covenant never again to destroy all life with a flood.  You have the sign of circumcision to remind the people of Israel of the covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  They have the Passover to remind them of the great deliverance from Egypt and we could go on.   

Peter calls the believers to remember.  Peter begins verse 12 with ‘So’ which connects what is to follow with what he has just written.  He tells the believers he will make every effort to remind them of the virtues he has outlined even though he is well aware that not only do they know about them but they are in fact well established (or grounded) in them. 

When Jack Nicklaus was the undisputed world number 1 in golf he was asked how he kept at the top.  His answer was startling.  At the end of every golf season he went back to his first coach who taught him the basics of the game all over again.  Every season he went back and learnt the basic building blocks of a good golf swing.  There wasn’t anything new to learn, just to be reminded again of the basics.  Peter reminds the believers that there is no new revelation to be learnt, no new insight to be gained, no new technique which will make their Christian life different.  He reminds them, and will continue to remind them of the truth which they are established in and about which they have a settled conviction. 

Why is Peter so insistent about reminding them of this truth?  Well in verses 13-14 he gives a personal reason – his death is near.  Peter reveals to them that his time amongst them is short.  Jesus has revealed to Peter that his death is near.  Now let me ask you: if you knew your time here was coming to an end what would be your focus?  What would you be concerned with?  Peter’s concern is to promote the knowledge of the truth of the gospel amongst the believers. Peter devotes himself to this end because he knows the time is coming when he will leave this ‘tent’ (body) behind for a short while and go to be with Christ.  He then reiterates his purpose in writing to them (verse 15) – READ.  He wants them to remember the truth of the gospel in which they have become established – why? Because his fear is that if they forget the truth of the gospel they will fall asleep and fall (v9) from grace.  He wants them to over learn.  That is what Peter is talking about here to the believers.  To remember so that the truth of the gospel becomes the very fabric of our lives.  Would that be true for all of us.

Let me stop there for a moment and just make this a little more personal for all of us.  When you fall into sin what at that moment have you forgotten?  It is not that at that precise moment you don’t believe in God or that you don’t believe the Bible.  Is it not that for a moment you have forgotten the truth of the gospel?  Is it not the case that you have forgotten the consequences of sin and the cost of forgiveness of sin?   When we fall from grace it is not that we have become unbelievers but that we have forgotten our need of grace, the cost of that grace and the eternal consequences of sin.  Peter does not want the believers of Asia Minor to forget, nor should we.

Verses 16-18 attested by Divine Glory.

On what basis did Peter teach them the truth of the gospel?  He is at great pains here to point out that it was not man-made stories, or hearsay that they shared with them but ‘eyewitness’ accounts.  In these verses Peter speaks of the Transfiguration of Christ.  Peter, James and John were eyewitnesses to the transfiguration of Christ and they each heard the voice of God speaking approval of Jesus Christ ( Matthew 17.1-9).  Note he says ‘we’ – it was not Peter alone who could testify to what happened on the ‘sacred mountain.’ Please note the mountain only became sacred because of the presence of God and did not remain sacred when the Transfiguration was over.  Peter, along with James and John, saw the glory and majesty of Christ when He was transfigured before their eyes.  Peter says it was not clever myths that we taught you but the truth – of which we ourselves were witnesses.  The Christian faith is based on historical facts and not fairy tales. Peter told them about Jesus who lived and died, not some mythical creation of man’s imagination.  There was no mythology about what he shared with them – just historical facts of which he himself was one eyewitness.  Nothing speculative.  No stretching of the truth – eyewitness accounts.  So the truth to which he is calling them back, to remember after he has gone, which will keep them from falling is attested to by God in the account of the Transfiguration.

You see first and foremost the truth of the gospel only becomes real to us when God applies it to our hearts.  We will not be convinced, nor converted unless God’s Holy Spirit opens our eyes, our minds and our hearts to the truth.  The gospel will remain mere words until attested to by divine majesty.  It was so for Peter, James and John.  It was so for the believers of Asia Minor and it will be so for us today.  You can hear the most eloquent preacher preach.  You can have all your intellectual questions answered but unless the divine majesty of God attests the truth of Christ in your heart you will never understand, never believe and never be saved.   

Verses 19-21 Attested to by Scripture.

Peter now goes on to speak of the witness of Scripture to the truth of Christ, to which he is calling them back, and to remember long after he is gone.   Look at what he writes to them in these verses.  Verse 19 – the Word of the prophets was fulfilled in the coming of Christ, the Messiah – it was made more certain by His coming.  Therefore they should pay attention to it just as in a dark place you look to the light for guidance and direction – because there is another coming of Christ, the Second Coming and on that day the word spoken through the prophets will be vindicated and brought to completion.  The ‘day dawns’ is speaking of the second coming.  The ‘morning star’ is speaking of Christ as the Messiah – Numbers 24.17/Rev. 22.16.  And when he writes ‘rising in your hearts’ he is not speaking about a subjective second coming but of the transformation that will take place in believers when Christ comes again.

Verses 20-21 He points out to them that the Scriptures are not merely the words of men but the Word of God.  He also speaks a word of warning to them – namely that it is not about their own interpretation.  They are not, nor are we, at liberty to interpret Scripture as we like.  He begins by saying to them ‘above all’ or ‘knowing this first’ – Scripture is the Word of God and as such carries the meaning and purpose of God to its hearers.  The prophets were not at liberty to write and interpret as they saw fit but to do so under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  Now I want to say to you it was not that God bypassed their intellectual faculties and they were merely human typewriters – that is not what Peter means here.  Stain Glass window illustration – the light remains light but is tinted by the colours of the glass.  The personality of the writers is reflected in the writing but it remains the Word of God.

There is also a warning to the believers contained in these verses also.  Peter wants them to understand that they are not at liberty to interpret the Scripture according to every whim and fancy of their own.  Scripture has meaning and purpose and they must be diligent and disciplined in searching it out.  They must also humble themselves and submit to its authority and they must seek the Spirit to aid them in this.  Peter wants them to be established, grounded in the truth of the gospel, which they already know.  For this to happen they must be disciplined in listening to Scripture and this requires that they search out its meaning – not apply their own meaning to it.

Conclusion

Peter’s purpose is to ground the believers in the truth of the gospel of Christ because his time amongst them is coming to an end.  His concern is that after he is gone they will be enabled to stand firm because they know the truth, are established in the truth and are obedient to the truth – as attested to by God and the Scriptures.  Peter establishes for them the pattern of being grounded in Scripture which bears eyewitness to the revelation of God in Christ.  Being established in the truth of the Scriptures the believers will not fall asleep nor fall from grace (v9) because they will remember the truth of the gospel.

So what about you and I? Are you established in the truth of the gospel?  Have you grounded yourself in the truth of Christ Jesus as revealed in the Scriptures and by God’s Spirit in your heart?  Maybe you need to pray and ask God to reveal Himself to you?  Maybe it is not that you do not know the truth it is that you have forgotten it and you need to be re-established in the truth.  For some of you this passage is just a word of encouragement to keep on keeping on.  God simply says to you keep going, keep establishing yourself in the truth of my Word.  Maybe for someone reading this the challenge is to begin to establish yourself and your family in the truth. I think for all of you who are believers the challenge  is to remember again, and to remind ourselves again, that the gospel is no man made myth but the eternal truth of God and the revelation of salvation for us and for this world.

Amen.

Jesus, you must be joking

I read recently that they reckon by the time a child is 16 they will have asked over 500,000 questions and the majority will have started with the word ‘Why.’  Sometimes we ask a question to gain information for ourselves.  Sometimes it is a test to see what someone else knows. Sometimes it is to convey information.  We often find Jesus answering questions in the gospel and on a few occasions He asks questions.  Read Mark verses 27-30.  These verses set the context in which the words are spoken by Jesus.  Jesus has asked the disciples ‘Who do the people say I am?’  The disciples have answered with all the popular answers of the day - John the Baptist, Elijah or some other prophet.  He then asks them who they say He is?  Simon Peter gives this wonderful answer ‘You are the Christ.’  In Matthew’s gospel Jesus praises Simon for this confession.  Here in Mark Jesus immediately goes on to teach the disciples exactly what Simon’s confession means.  This passage is the turning point in the gospel of Mark.  From here on Jesus face is turned to Jerusalem and the Cross.  So turn with me to verse 31.

Verses 31-33  Shock One - The Messiah must die.

Mark tells us that Jesus began to teach the twelve that the Son of Man, that is Jesus, must suffer, be rejected by the social and religious leaders, crucified and then rise again.  Now why was it important for Jesus to teach them this at this stage?  Well you see, the disciples, like all Jews, had a false understanding of the Messiah and what He would do when He came.  Simon has confessed that they believe Jesus is the Messiah, the Anointed One, the One promised by God.  However the common idea was that the Messiah would free Israel from all her enemies by military might.  He would be a great liberator from the Romans.  Jesus now teaches them as Mark says in verse 32 - plainly about this.  So let us look at what He said to them about the Messiah, about Himself.

The Messiah must suffer, be rejected, die and rise again.  This was the way it was going to be.  This was to be the way of the Messiah.  The disciples were shocked at this and they failed to understand.  You see they did not understand that Jesus must

Suffer – If you have ever seen Mel Gibson’s film The Passion of the Christ I think you understand something of the physical suffering of Christ as he was crucified.  Yet the physical pain was nothing compared to the spiritual pain of taking our sin and bearing the wrath of God the Father towards sin.  The agony of separation from the Father and the Holy Spirit – that mystery of the cross as the Father turns His back on His Son expressed in that cry ‘My God, my God, Why have you forsaken me?’ All that suffering was to reconcile man to God.

Rejected - the religious leaders would fail to see He was the Son of God and they therefore would reject Him and the way of the Cross.  He would be rejected by the very people who longed for the coming of the Messiah.  He would be rejected by family and friends.  When they come to arrest Him in the garden of Gethsemane His closest friends will run away in terror. Judas will reject Him and betray Him with a kiss.

Die - the Word of God tells us that without the shedding of blood there can be no forgiveness of sins.  Under the old covenant the blood shed was that of bulls and goats.  Once a year the High Priest would enter into the presence of God in the Holy of Holies within the Temple and present the sacrifice of atonement for the people of Israel.  Daily other sacrifices would be offered to atone for sin and to make reparation for sin.  But the thing was it had to be repeated endlessly, day after day.  Month after month.  Year after year.  Jesus reveals that His death will atone for sin once and for all.  The perfect sacrifice which would meet all the requirements of the Law and of the Holiness of God to atone for sin.  He, the Messiah, would take the place of the sacrificial Lamb.  He would stand in the place of condemnation and take upon Himself the punishment due for sin. 

Rise again – Yet death is not the end.  In the old covenant the animal died and it atoned for sin but it could not bring life to the person in whose place it stood.  When Christ died on the Cross He atoned for sin but rising from the dead He defeated death and offered victory over the grave.  The disciples fail to understand these things -.9.10 says they failed to understand about the resurrection.

Their failure to understand is clearly demonstrated in what happens next.  I love Simon Peter in the Bible.  Failure after failure and yet God uses him greatly.  Good old Simon - one minute confessing Jesus as the Messiah the next telling Him no not that way.  Simon is shocked by what Jesus has just told them.  He is offended with the idea of Jesus suffering, being rejected and dying.  Please note will you Simon is full of good intentions.  It is out of genuine love for Jesus that he does not want Him to die.  It is also however, ignorance of the will of God that he rebukes Jesus.  Simon says what the rest are thinking.  Jesus replies in some of the hardest hitting words of all Scripture - READ verse 33.  What a rebuke.  Note He looks at the twelve, He knows they are thinking the same as Simon.  I would say Simon went red with embarrassment and from what we know of his temper he probably had trouble controlling it.  Why would Jesus say such a thing to a loving friend like Simon?  Especially after Simon has just confessed Him to be the Messiah and when He knows that Simon spoke only in His best interests.   Well the answer is quite simple:

The temptation to go another way than the way and will of God the Father - the way of the Cross.  Jesus is here once again facing temptation to go the way of man and not the way of God.  The Father’s way was of humility, obedience, suffering and death on the Cross - Paul says in Philippians 2 – Jesus humbled himself, became obedient unto death, even death on the cross.  It is the wilderness temptations all over again, only this time the words come from the lips of a friend, a disciple.  Listen, learn from that.  When we set our foot and heart to follow the way of God - good friends may well come and with good intentions and try to divert us another way.  The temptation is to go along the way of the common expectations.  Peter had no idea what he was doing.  Peter, the one Jesus said would be the rock, whose confession of the gospel would be the foundation upon which Christ would build His church has now become a stumbling block to the way of the Cross.  Jesus had to reject Peter’s assertion.  He had to in order to obey the Father and to win salvation for mankind.

Verses 34-37  Shock 2 - The Messiah’s Followers must die.

Jesus now calls the crowd to Himself.  What He is about to say is for all believers, for all who would follow Him, not just for the select few, not just for the disciples or the leaders of the Church - but for all who claim allegiance to Christ.  He now tells them plainly and in stark terms what it means to follow Him.  READ Verses 34-37.  Following me, He says, is not about power but about humility, obedience, suffering and death which will lead to resurrection to new life.  To follow me means to follow my path, to suffer as I suffer and if needs be to die for me and the gospel.  The gospel is about a crucified saviour - gospel people must therefore be a crucified people.  Let us look at this a little more closely:

Deny himself - now this not denying that nice cream bun, or that second helping of chocolate cake.  It is about dying to my self-centredness.  Dying to my ambitions, my hopes, my possessions and living to Christ.  Paul said ‘I die daily.’  That is what Jesus calls for here.  This is actually a harder saying than the rebuke to Simon in verse 33.  I must move from being self-centred to be Christ-centred.  I must give up all that would stand against me following His way.  It is me giving my whole life over to Jesus because this leads to total freedom.  As verse 35 says I have all to gain and nothing to lose.  You see if I try to save my physical life by holding on to it and denying Christ I actually end up losing the greater prize eternal life.  Which is of more value?  As someone once said ‘he is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep for what he cannot lose.’ 

Verse 36 - Richard Branson when he was offered a bribe by GTech said ‘ I need only clothes, and three meals a day thank you.’    Howard Hughes had an immense fortune but ended up a lonely, broken, recluse.  He had the wealth but at what cost.  What about you?  You see life to God is not cheap.  Weigh it up - profit side = the world, loss side=soul - no contest really because they are nowhere near the same value.  One is temporary, fleeting, the other is eternal.  You can lose your soul in many ways:

Murder it - by loving sin and cleaving to the world

Poison it - by choosing lies and believing man-made religion and superstition

Starve it - by neglecting all means of grace and refusing the gift of Jesus - salvation.

The most foolish deal - to gain wealth and fame at the expense of your eternal salvation.   To sell your soul for earthly gain is to sell it cheap, like Esau selling his birthright for a bowl of stew.  Remember these words when you are tempted by the treasures and pleasures the world offers.  Remember them when you are tempted to deny Jesus.

Verses 38-9.1  The Glory to Come

Jesus tells the crowd and His disciples there will come a day of reckoning.  A day when I will judge the world.  A day when men will be called to account for their souls.  He has told them His way and His gospel will never be popular, it may lead them to suffering, even to death but that in the face of them they are not to deny Him.  Many Christians know firsthand the truth of those words of Christ. Ask Lindy Reid about the persecuted church and you will be shocked at the facts.  We may not face physical death here for the sake of Jesus and the Gospel but we will face ridicule, the death of our name and reputation, maybe the loss of promotion or even our job - but Jesus promises us a greater reward for standing up for Him.  Our motivation for denial of Jesus is self, self-preservation - but Jesus has already challenged us that we must be Christ-centred and not self-centred if we would truly follow Him.  The consequences of denying Him does not bear thinking about - READ Verse 38.  How awful it will be on that day when Jesus denies men before His father because they have denied Him before men.  It is hard to imagine that we would be ‘ashamed of Christ.’  Yet Jesus says that is exactly what some people will be.  They will be ashamed of Him, ashamed to be known as one of His people.  Friends you cannot be a closet Christian. You cannot walk around denying Him and believe that one day He will present you before the Father with joy. Maybe this Christmas is actually the opportunity for you stand up and be counted for Christ.  From this day forward purpose in your heart to follow Him and to no longer deny Him.  We have much to gain and little to lose in following Jesus.  As the old chorus goes ‘the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of Him.’ 

So Jesus challenges each of us:

My way is the way of the Cross.  It is the way of humility, obedience, suffering, death to self but it leads to resurrection and eternal life.  What way are you going to go?

Amen.

Mark 8.27-9.1 Jesus, you must be joking

WAKEN UP

I pray that everyone will be Blessed over the Christmas and new year and may 2011 bring us all into a closer relationship with God

Romans 13. V11-14
'Waken up!' If you are not a morning person you must really hate those words. If you just love that feeling of rolling over and going back to sleep then to hear those words, accompanied by the duvet being pulled back must really rank up there as the worst way to start the day. Sometimes we hear 'waken up' and it means we need to have our eyes open to something that is going on around us that we are missing. I am sure you have heard the expression 'waken up and smell the coffee!'  That is exactly what Paul is writing to the believers in the church at Rome. These verses (11-14) are in fact a summary of the argument that Paul began in 12.1 concerning the Second Coming of Christ and the way Christian believers should live in the light of that fact. In AD386, in Milan, Italy, this passage led to the conversion of St Augustine - you can read it in his Confessions. Read 13 verses 11-14.
Verse 11- there is urgency in what Paul writes in this verse. Paul is not speaking about some remote time in the future for which they can prepare at leisure. Having spoken of the need to love their neighbours as themselves (1-10) Paul now exhorts them to understand the time in which they live and to waken up from spiritual slumber. They are to remember that they live in a critical period - the era between the first coming and the second coming of Christ Jesus. This expectation hovers over all believers and they are to live in the light of that expectation. Isn't it interesting that he has to tell the Christian believers not to slumber but to be watchful and alert for the coming of Christ. He tells them the time of their 'salvation' is nearer than when they first believed in Christ Jesus. By that he means that the fulfilment of salvation is near. The bible speaks of salvation in past, present and future senses - so I am saved (Eph 2.8), I am being saved (1 Cor 15.2), I will be saved (1 Peter 1.9). Here Paul is speaking of the final consummation of their salvation when Christ returns. They must waken up to that fact. Obviously some of them had started to drift asleep in their walk with God. You know how you start to do the 'nodding dog', eyes get heavy, heaviness comes over you and suddenly you find someone poking you and you hear 'waken up!' That is exactly what Paul is doing here to the believers at Rome. He wants them to live that day, that moment in the expectation of the return of Christ. How would, or should, the fact that Christ could come today change how you live your life today? Seriously, if you knew Christ would come today would you live in a different way? Why don't you then live like that now?
Verse 12 - Paul uses the contrast between day and night, darkness and light to depict the difference Christ and His return makes, and should make, in the life of the believer. Note also that he does not exclude himself from this admonition - 'Let us…' Paul does not place himself above them or above his own teaching. He too needs to step out of darkness into the marvellous light of Christ and to live accordingly.
Night/darkness - depicts evil and sin. The night is nearly ended in that the return of Christ is nearer than when they first believed in Him. There is also a sense in which their present life is still lived in the realm of darkness but they are to remove the clothes of darkness - that is the works of sin and the deeds belonging to their old lives. The lifestyle/behaviour which they indulged in before coming to Christ are to be taken off and left in the darkness because they no longer live in darkness but they have crossed over into the light of Christ Jesus. Light depicts those who have passed through the experience of salvation in Christ. Therefore the clothes (the deeds of sin) are no longer their clothing for their lives - they have done away with such things by coming to Christ Jesus. Hence the admonition earlier in this chapter to love Christ and to love their neighbours. Their lives are to be lives filled with love for Christ and for others - the very opposite of the self-centredness of the old life they lived when they belonged to the darkness. They put off the 'works of darkness' by putting on 'the armour of light.' Note will you they do not put on the works of light but the armour of light. This is important for them, and us, to grasp. It is a battle which they have entered by coming to faith in Christ and in order to fight that battle they need the right equipment. In Ephesians 6.10-20 Paul lists the armour of light - and in other letters he mentions armour. Christ takes us from darkness to light, from sin to salvation but we must not fall asleep in this present time - we must put on the armour provided and engage in the battle. How do they, and we, do this?
Verse 13 - Paul here lists three couplets which are meant to cover the whole of life. In an age when we hear very little of what we cannot (or should not) do Paul's words here are a very timely reminder of how Christians are to live. Paul states quite clearly and categorically that by being a follower of Christ there is a way of life which is necessary if we are not to slumber and fall into sin. Intemperance, sexual sins and licentiousness (or unrestrained desires) are not the marks of a Christian believer who has put on the armour of light. Christians belong to Christ and not to the realm of darkness. Hence they, and we, are to live lives that clearly marks us out as followers of Christ. Paul is very clear, Scripture is very clear, - read these words again and take them on board. The first two couplets deal with behaviour - personal morality which if not brought captive to the word of God will lead us into sin and hurt others in the process. The third couplet deals with the attitude of mind and spirit. We may tick the right boxes in the first two areas but what about this third area - our attitude of mind and spirit. It is easy to be morally upright in our actions but what about our words and thoughts. Paul says that believers are to live decent lives - literally 'walk becomingly' before God. The lifestyle of those who walk in the light is one that is in stark contrast to those who walk in darkness.
A way of life which marks out the believer as different from those who still walk in darkness. Now let me ask you - can you tell the difference in your life? Without you saying a word would people know you are a follower of Christ Jesus? From your attitude and words would people mark you as a follower of Christ? Paul expects there to be convincing and compelling evidence of your confession as a follower of Christ. God expects there to be a clear distinction and difference between your life and the ways of darkness if you claim to be His. You see the six vices listed here by Paul paint the picture of someone who is self-centred and self-pleasing above all else. The gratification of self is the mark of their life and lifestyle. In stark contrast the believer is to live as though the day of the return of Christ has dawned, bringing with it the personal presence of Christ Jesus. Friends, especially you young people, heed this warning from the apostle Paul. Let me say also - to put on the armour of light and to walk in the light will lead you into a battle - a battle with your own sinful desires, with the sinful desires and actions of your friends, family etc and ultimately the world - so don't expect to be popular when you walk in the light clothed in the armour of light.
This is a daily spiritual battle of consciously and habitually turning away from the paths of darkness and following Christ. To do this we need to spend time with God. We need to spend time in His word, in prayer, in fellowship with other believers so that our knowledge of and intimacy with God deepens. This is a daily process and progression. We need to encourage one another to put on the armour of light and to once again enter the battle.
Verse 14 in stark contrast to those who walk in darkness the believers are to clothe themselves with Christ and not to seek to gratify the sinful desires of the flesh. How do they clothe themself with Christ? It is a deliberate and conscious acceptance of the Lordship of Christ in and over their lives. All their motives and desires, all their actions and words are to be brought under His control and guidance, under His Lordship. This they do by faith in Christ. This they do by obeying His word, following His commands and growing in love of Him and one another. Having laid aside the garment of the sinful nature and having put on Christ by faith, they are to live accordingly. Having learned the gospel in principle they are now to put it into practice daily in their lives. Paul has spent much of the letter to the Romans explaining how they are justified in Christ and in these last chapters he spends his time explaining how that justification leads to sanctification. Justification is the work of the finished work of Christ on the cross applied to their lives by the Holy Spirit. Sanctification is the daily ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in their lives, with which they co-operate, in making the believer more like Christ each day. That Christlikeness will be seen in love in action in their lives. That is what Christ taught His disciples in parables and in actions - love for those whom society despised, rejected and abandoned. The Good Samaritan, the woman at the well, the woman caught in adultery, Zaccheus, the lepers, the 'little ones' and even Judas. And we could go on with that list. Sanctification is a steady ongoing progression in their lives as daily they put on the armour of light and seek to walk in the light of Christ doing battle 'against sin, the world, and the devil and so remain Christ's faithful soldier and follower till life's end.. By clothing themselves with Christ they make no room for sin in their lives. They habitually identify and associate with Christ Jesus. It is a strong and vivid metaphor that Paul uses by saying 'clothe yourself with Christ.' It is more than just putting on His character - it is being clothed with His grace and then living as Christ daily. People should see Christ in you daily. There is no room for complacency in the Christian life. Godliness and holiness do not automatically follow - they require the putting off of the old and the putting on of Christ each day. We remain sinners (7.14) even after we have become a saint and there is a constant battle in our lives against the sinful nature and we must play our part in that battle. A good soldier does not sleep whilst the enemy is around. A good soldier obeys the rules, follows orders, has effective armour, has a definite goal and exerts himself in the fulfilment of that goal. Yet soldiers do not fight alone - they are part of an army - each playing his/her part so that the whole are victorious. Should this not be true of the soldiers of Christ?


Here is a stark warning to us all. We are too inclined to slumber and to fall into grave danger. We need to waken up and to put on the armour of light because we are in a spiritual battle everyday. We are to make no room in our lives for sin but to be on our guard against it and to fight against it with the weapons God has provided for us. Today we are to put off the clothes of darkness and to put on the armour of light by clothing ourselves in Christ Jesus. This we do by consciously coming to Him and surrendering our lives to Him and asking the Holy Spirit to apply the finished work of the cross, the atonement, to our sinful lives. Then we are to clothe ourselves in the armour to enter the fray and to fight for godliness and holiness in our lives. People should be able to point us out as Christians because we walk in the light and live accordingly. Waken up to that point and do something about it if they cannot tell if you are Christian or not. Some of us don't need to hear the warning we just need to be encouraged to keep putting on the armour and to keep entering the battle because we have clothed ourself with Christ and we are His. The task of some  is just to get alongside that weary soldier and encourage him to keep going, to keep fighting because the day of Christ's return is near. So maybe someone needs to hear encouragement from these words of Paul - to keep going because He is coming again.
For all of us we need to hear these words: One day the clouds will part and He will come - as we heard from Luke's gospel this morning. Then we need to answer this question: When that day comes will how will He find you clothed? 

Forgive

Being big enough to forgive.

I want you to imagine a television commercial in which you see a teenager being mocked by school mates and running into her home crying.  The next scene is of the same girl in a shop purchasing a bottle of ointment and pouring it over those same pupils who had mocked her.  The last scene is of them all in the school canteen laughing together.  Another commercial in the series is of a car crash, someone has jumped a red light but in the middle of the ensuing argument out comes this bottle and it is poured over both parties and the final scene is them laughing together.  Just like in the Ronseal advertisements the man pushes the bottle towards the camera and you read ‘Forgiveness’ and he says ‘it does exactly as it says on the label.’  Now let me ask you: If you were the manufacturer of that bottle of ‘forgiveness’ what would you charge for it?  Would the cost go up or down depending on the hurt caused?  Would the time between the hurt and the purchase affect the price?  What would you pay for a bottle of forgiveness?

If you were the hurt party would you pour the contents of that bottle over yourself or over the offender?  As the wronged individual would you feel cheated knowing someone could pour the contents of that bottle over you and you would have no choice but to forgive? 

If you were the person who had wronged someone would you pour the contents of that bottle over yourself or over them?  Would you feel relieved that you could wander down the high street and purchase a bottle of forgiveness to heal the wrong?

I am sorry to tell you I know of no such product on the market.  I know of no product that you can pour over someone and forgiveness springs forth.  But this I do know – where forgiveness is found and how it can be poured into your life and mine this very morning.

Read 2 Samuel 16, and put your thumb in 2 Samuel 19 as well.  Let me set the context of what you are about to read.  This is probably the lowest ebb David has ever found himself in life.  His son Absalom has rebelled (2 Samuel 15) and taken over the kingdom.  David is on the run (2 Samuel 15.13) with a band of loyal followers.  As Absalom enters Jerusalem David is fleeing out the other side. He heads out via the Mount of Olives and as he does he encounters Shimei (2 Samuel 16.5).  We are not told very much about this man Shimei, other than he belonged to the clan of Saul.  At this moment in time he comes across as a very unsavoury character to say the least.  David is fleeing for his life and Shimei sees his opportunity to add insult to injury.  Look at what he does – verses 5-8.  He begins to curse David and to hurl all sorts of insults and accusations against David.  At this moment I want you to know that some of what Shimei says is true and some of it is false.  David was a man with bloodshed on his hands – some of it of innocent men like Uriah, some of it of enemies like Goliath.  That much is true but what is false is that Shimei accuses him of having the blood of the house of Saul on his hands.  That is not true.  After Samuel had anointed David king and Saul had tried to kill David, and he was on the run, David had many opportunities to kill Saul but never lifted his sword against him because he (Saul) was anointed of God.  On one occasion David when David was hiding in a cave Saul entered to relieve himself and David’s men urged him to strike Saul down, but David refused, all he did was cut off a piece of his tunic and even that he bitterly regretted.  So some of the accusations of Shimei are false, the have basis of truth, and they are unwarranted.  But along comes another character into the situation – verse 9, enter Abishai.  Now here is the loyal servant of David and look at what he suggests as to how to deal with Shimei.  He basically says ‘David, this man is worth nothing.  I would cut his head off just as I would a dead dogs.’ Abishai could not have spoken more derisorily about Shimei than to call him a ‘dead dog.’  Dogs were despised by Hebrews – in fact one of their prayers had them thanking God he had not created them as a dog. Abishai wants David to do to Shimei what he had done to Goliath after Goliath had insulted him – kill him and cut his head off.  But here comes the first, and essential, lesson in forgiveness – read verses 10-12 

Verses 10-12 David got a vertical perspective before he got a horizontal perspective.  David begins by distancing himself from the anger of Abishai.  Abishai wanted to strike now.  He wanted to return the insults with interest.  This man has cursed you, hurled insults and lies at you, he has hurt you physically as well (threw stones) – get your blow in first.  Let him know who he is dealing with.  Kill him David or at least let me sort it for you.  Sound familiar?  When you get hurt by someone there will always be people advising you how to get even.  There will always be people telling you how to do it, what to do and to do it now.  There will even be some who will be willing to do it for you.  They will gloss it up as doing you a favour, being your friend.  But look at how David reacts.  David gets the divine perspective on all of this first.  David turned and looked for the goodness of God before he looked at the hurt from Shimei.  Did you catch that?  David looked for the hand of God’s goodness in this before he turned his eyes, his ears, his mind and his heart to the pain of the words and the pain of Shimei’s stones.  There is the first lesson of forgiveness.  Where is God in all of this?  That is exactly what David asked.  That is what he says in these verses.

He looks at his past life.  He knows his own sinfulness before God and he knows God’s goodness towards him and putting the two of them together he understands that this is a means of God’s discipline in his life.  There is no self-justification.  There is no self-righteous anger.  There is no seeking vengeance.  There is no striking out and inflicting pain on his accuser.  David says in verse 12 – if this is of the Lord then in my distress the Lord will bring good.  If this is of the Lord then who am I to react against it or to kill the one he has sent to be the means of my discipline.  Friends there is an important lesson there too – we all need to have eyes and ears that are open for the Lord’s disciplining in our lives – it may come, as here, in the form of an insult and pain – but we are not to despise.  David didn’t.

Turn now with me to 2 Samuel 19.  Absalom has been murdered and David is returning as king to Jerusalem.  Once again we encounter Shimei – but in changed and different circumstances.  Look at verses 16-20.  When Shimei hears David is returning we read that he hurries, he is in a rush to meet David.  Shimei falls prostrate before David and listen to his words – read 19-20.  Shimei confesses his sin.  In fact he echoes the very words of David ‘I have sinned.’  I want you to note that because it is of importance.  Shimei does not begin by saying ‘well you know circumstances were different back then etc.’  Shimei makes no attempt to justify what he had done.  There are no excuses falling from his lips.  There are no bargaining chips being laid on the table.  ‘I have sinned.’  Friends, some of you reading this need to learn that lesson.  True repentance of sin has no conditions, no words of justification, no excuses and no self-righteousness attached.  True repentance of sin says ‘I have sinned.’  Some of you desperately need to here and take that on board.

Verse 21 – here comes our old friend Abishai again.  What advice will he give David this time?  Oh, nothing has changed in Abishai’s heart. His answer – kick him when he is down David.  David don’t you let him away with this.  Now is your opportunity, the shoe is on the other foot.  Teach him a lesson he will not forget.  Sound familiar?  Of course it does – we hear it all the time.  We see it all the time and we may even have been on the receiving or giving end of it.  But in verses 22-23 we once again see a different reaction from David.  Once again he rejects the advice of Abishai.  Once again David has a divine perspective before he listens to human advice.  Did you note the little phrase?  ‘Do I not know that today I am king over Israel?’  That is pregnant with meaning.  David is saying ‘God keeps his promises.’  God had promised David he would be king as long as he lived and then the throne would pass to his son Solomon.  In that phrase David is saying God keeps his promises, why should anyone die – God has been faithful to me today.  His insults were brought about by my own sinfulness with Bathsheba – they were part of the consequences of my sin.  They were the means of the Lord God humbling me and ensuring I learned the lesson of my sin.

So what do we learn from this moment in the life of David?  Well I want to outline some things in relation to forgiveness.

First, I want us all to note that David sought God’s perspective on each situation before he listened to any human advice.  Each occasion that he encountered Shimei he listened for God before he listened to Abishai.  Learn that lesson – when insults, injuries and pain comes – seek God’s voice before you listen to human advice.

Secondly, David was well aware of his own sinfulness and contribution to the situation.  David knew he was not an innocent man before God or anyone else.  He knew his own sins and failures and therefore had a better understanding of the sins and failures of Shimei.  You see the humbled, forgiven David was in a better position to forgive than the self-righteous Abishai.  If you have never been humbled by God, forgiven by God I doubt you will be able to forgive others.  When you are aware at the depth of your own sin, and the cost of forgiveness for you personally, then you will be in the right position to forgive others.  David knew the heartache, the pain, the destruction that his own sin had brought.  David knew the cost of his forgiveness – the life of an innocent.  Knowing that he was a merciful man.

Thirdly, there will always be an Abishai about when you get hurt.  Abishai will be on your shoulder in a flash telling you how to get even, how to strike back and how to hurt the other person.  Abishai is not of God – so why would you listen.  Abishai harbours self-righteous anger and he never lets it go, as we have seen.  Abishai awaits his opportunity to get even.  David – he waited his opportunity to forgive.

There is a strange twist to this story.  Read  1 Kings 2.8-9.  You know friends there is a very important lesson in those two verses for us all.  Forgiveness, for us as people, is not an instant act but a process.  David had forgiven Shimei but he never forgot.  He never left it behind and at the end of his life he passed the hurt on to his son Solomon.  He kept his promise that he would not kill Shimei but he passed on his hurt to the next generation to deal with.  Do we know that in this land of ours or what?  Friends when you forgive remember it is the start of the process – you must go on forgiving.  When you ring a heavy bell it tolls out a resounding sound.  So long as you keep pulling on the rope it will toll.  When you let go of the rope the bell will continue, because of its weight, to toll but gradually it gets quieter and quiet and eventually it goes silent.  That is like the pain of forgiveness – you must let go of the rope but the pain will take time to go quiet.  But just like the bell, one tug of the rope will have the bell tolling again, one tug of the rope of pain and your bell will toll and you have to quieten it down again by getting the hands off the rope. 

Forgiveness is a decision and it is a journey for us as people.  The truth this morning – you can only forgive when you know you have been forgiven.  David could only forgive Shimei because he knew forgiveness from God.

 The application is simple – forgive – make the decision, start the process.

Act Of Love

Mark 14.3-9

Have you ever done anything extravagant for love’s sake?  The advertisements tell us to buy diamonds as an expression of love.  All sorts of things are suggested at Christmas time to express our love for someone.  Matthew, Mark and John all record this incident of Jesus being anointed with an expensive perfume.  John (ch.12) tells us that the woman involved is Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha.  John places the incident as having taken place just prior to the beginning of Holy Week, whereas Mark places it at another time.  The discrepancy is explained by the fact that Mark arranges his material in theological order and not chronologically. For Mark  the conspiracy to kill Jesus (expressed in verses 1-2) and the betrayal by Judas (verses 10-11) provide a stark contrast to this act of love and devotion (verses 3-9).  So our context in this passage is the plot to kill Christ and against this background Mary’s act of devotion comes vividly to the fore.

Verse 3.  Mark tells us that the incident takes place in Simon the Leper’s house.  We do not know who this man was.  He may have been healed by Jesus – but he was certainly healed – otherwise he would not have been living in the village of Bethany, nor would anyone have come to have a meal with him.  Added to this the retention of suffix ‘the Leper’ after his name hints at the fact that the disease was now a thing of the past.  Again we can see how Jesus was not afraid to be seen with those who were, or had been, considered outcasts of society.  Mark proceeds to tell us the kernel of the story – a woman (who we know from John’s account is Mary) comes into the room at which the guests, including Jesus, are reclining enjoying a meal.  She has with her an alabaster jar of expensive perfume.  The alabaster jar would have a had a long neck and have been sealed with wax to prevent the fragrance escaping.  Mark tells us that the perfume is pure nard, a perfume which came from India and as he rightly explains was extremely expensive.  In fact the value he places on it is 300 denarii, a year’s wages.  The average wage being 1denarius per day.  In order to use the ointment inside the neck of the bottle would be broken and the contents poured out.  However an expensive ointment like nard would have been rationed and used over a longer period.  Mark tells us that Mary breaks open the jar and pours the content over the head of Christ.

There is no holding back in her giving here.  There is no reluctance to give all to Christ Jesus.  Mary gives what is expensive and costly to her.  She gives extravagantly without thought for self or for the opinion of others around her.  Her focus is on Jesus and the anointing of His head as a sign of her love and devotion towards Him.  She gives in order that she might be a blessing to Him.

Verses 4-5  - some of those present react with indignation to what they have just witnessed.  Matthew records for us that it was some of the disciples, as well as the religious leaders, who display this indignation.  John tells us that it was Judas in particular.  Mark however focuses more on their reaction rather than who was involved.  He deliberately uses the word ‘embrimaomsi’ when describing their reaction.  This word does not just mean they are angry but that their anger was expressed as violent displeasure. They begin to show their displeasure at Mary for her act of devotion.  They seek to justify their anger by pointing out the ‘waste’ and how the poor could have benefited from the money raised by selling the ointment.  John reveals for us that Judas, at least, had ulterior motives for wanting to sell the nard.  At Passover time it was common for gifts to be given to the poor – so Mary’s act of devotion was not only considered to be extravagant but also to contravene the religious conventions of the time of year.  Not much has changed in 2000 years when someone does something extravagant as an act of worship to Jesus.  Yet stop and think for a moment about the reaction of the religious leaders and the disciples.  The disciples had enjoyed hospitality at the home of Mary and Martha on many occasions and yet here they are quick to condemn her.  They knew her.  They knew Jesus.  They knew her devotion to Christ, after all He had raised her brother back to life and yet they are quick to criticise, to misinterpret and to condemn her actions.  I find it striking that those who are ‘close’ to Jesus are the ones who are the most critical and condemning of Mary for this act of devotion.

Verses 6-8 – now listen to what Jesus says in response – ‘Leave her alone!’  These disciples had been rebuked for refusing to allow little children to come to Christ and now they are rebuked for criticising a woman’s act of devotion. I can hear the frustration in the voice of Jesus at these men.  Look at the next sentence – ‘She has done a beautiful thing to me.’  You know I sat and pondered that line for a while.  How Mary’s heart must have been lifted by those words.  One minute her ears are filled with the overheard harsh criticism of the disciples and the religious leaders and the next these words of comfort and gratitude from Christ.  How her heart must have been touched and warmed by these words of thanks.  To have it said that you did ‘a beautiful thing’ to Son of God – is that not an awesome thought.  Why did He say such words to her?  It was surely not just to heal a heart that at this moment was bruised and battered by the words of angry men.  I believe the beauty that Christ was speaking of is revealed to us in His words in verse 8.  She had anointed His body for burial.  Mary may not have realised the full reality of what she had just done but Christ did.  She may not even at this stage understood fully that He was on the way to the cross, but we know from elsewhere in the gospel that on many occasions Mary was to be found at the feet of Christ listening, but He understood the cross was near.  He knew the full significance of her anointing.  He knew here was another sign from His father that the cross, and His death, was near. He speaks of His burial – the reality of His death which would precede the empty tomb and the resurrection.  Mary did not fully understand but I believe she understood more than the disciples at this point.  I believe that because by the end of this chapter the disciples will have run away and who will be left to follow the cross of Christ and to take down His body and prepare it for burial – the women.  The disciples can express all the ‘righteous anger’ at the ‘waste’ of the perfume but the reality of love and devotion Mary would be seen that she did not desert her Lord, unlike these men.

Verse 9 – Christ Jesus then goes on to speak about the ‘gospel’ and Mary’s association with it.  When He speaks of the ‘gospel’ He is speaking of His death and resurrection and the fact that His burial is the bridge from death to life.  His burial speaks of His actual death and will lead to an empty tomb which speaks of His glorious resurrection.  Christ says that whenever we preach the gospel this story will be remembered

Love and devotion are more than mere words.  Our love and devotion for Christ must be seen by others.  It must be seen in action and sometimes in extravagant actions.

Our love and devotion must not be directed or dictated to by the context.  Mary would have known that to such and act of devotion in the presence of men would be criticised but her focus was on Christ.  Sometimes we allow the company we keep, the place we are in and the fear of others to dictate and direct our devotion.  Let me give you an example – there are occasions when you are moved in your heart to lift your hands in praise, or to clap as sing the praise of Jesus, but fear of what others might think or say lead you to stand ramrod straight.  Mary did not allow the fear of others to dictate her actions – neither should you.

Criticism often comes from those within the fellowship rather than those from without.  The disciples, who should have known better, criticised Mary.  Don’t be surprised when your devotion to Christ leads to criticism from those within the fellowship and from those close to you.  But here is the key – Mary did not respond she allowed her Lord to speak for her.

Jesus understands even if others fail to.  Jesus knew Mary’s heart and He knew her love for Him in this act of anointing.  He said it was a beautiful thing – He will say the same of your love and devotion to Him – even if others criticise it.  Whose approval are you seeking?  Mary was more concerned in doing this for her Lord than what men thought – so should we.

He knows the significance of it even if we don’t.  Mary did not realise the significance of what she was doing but Christ did and He used her act of devotion and love to once again teach about His death.  There will be, there have been, moments when Christ has taken your acts of love and devotion and used them to teach others about His death and resurrection for them.  You and I may never know the significance of our extravagant acts of love and devotion. 

  The cost was not the key to Mary’s act of devotion.  The key was in the sacrificial heart of love which brought the best she had to anoint Christ’s head.  In verse 8 Jesus says ‘she did what she could.’  I believe there is the key to this whole incident – to do what you can with what you have for Jesus – is a beautiful thing to Him.  Amen.

Preparing for Christmas

Preparing for Christmas Luke 1 verses 46-56
Christmas seems to get earlier every year. It was before Halloween this year that some of our neighbours started to put up their Christmas decorations - though the lights didn't go on until after Halloween was over, thankfully. Look around you in the shops and you see all sorts of advertisements for Christmas gifts etc. Christmas eve as a child is one of the most exciting nights of the year - I am sure we can all remember that feeling of anticipation of presents to be opened etc. You often hear "I can't wait till Christmas is here." Yet what are we waiting for this Christmas? What are you truly waiting for this Christmas? Think about all those who were waiting that first Christmas. There was Simeon who had waited into his old age to see the 'Messiah' of Israel come. There was Elizabeth and Zachariah who had waited into old age for the birth of their son - the forerunner of the Messiah. There were wise men in the East studying the heavens for the signs of an important event. There were shepherds on a hillside waiting for dawn to break and another day's work to begin. Life would never quite be the same for them again. There were countless faithful believers of the promise that God would send the Messiah. Then there was God the Son waiting to be born in human flesh to become Son of God. Then there was Mary and Joseph - waiting for the birth of this baby - this miraculous baby. Even God the Father was waiting for the birth of Jesus. A nine month wait from the moment the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary and she conceived. Christmas has always been about waiting - the important thing is why you are waiting and what you are waiting for?
Read Luke 1 verses 46-56.  I want us to understand the significance of what we are waiting for this Christmas by understanding what Mary says here.
I want you to look at the  10 verses - from it you will see all the OT references that are contained in these 10 verses:
V46 - Psalm 34.2
V47 - Psalm 35.9
V48 - 1 Samuel 1.11
V49 - Psalm 111.9
V50 - Psalm 103.17
V51 - Psalm 89.11
V52 - Job 12.19, 5.11
V53 - 1 Samuel 2.5, Psalm 107.9
V54 - Psalm 98.3
V55 - Genesis 17.7, 19 and Micah 7.20
The whole song is also akin to Hannah's song, in 1 Samuel 2 verses 1-10, at the dedication of her son Samuel. Mary's song is a song of praise, of thanksgiving and of prophecy. Out of 102 words which compose this song, 61 are from the OT, which means roughly 60% of it is from the OT.
Verses 46-47 - Mary's intent is stated right at the beginning - her soul glorifies God because of salvation (v47). Right at the beginning we hear Mary admitting her need of a Saviour, as we all do this Christmas. In these two short phrases Mary acknowledges her sinfulness and her need of the Lord as her Saviour. The beginning of this song speaks of a habitual act - magnifying the Lord - why? Because her joy, her rejoicing is in God her Saviour - in Him alone does she rejoice and He alone she exults.
Verse 48 - Mary's 'humble estate' refers to her lowly social status and the reference to servant or handmaiden depicts one of no significance to others. Mary saw herself as a nobody, someone of no consequence, unimportant and overlooked by others. But she is not overlooked by God - He has noticed her and bestowed an immense honour on her - hence succeeding generations will call her blessed, or highly favoured by God.
Verse 49 Mary is in awe of God - the Mighty One, whose great power has brought this gift into her life. She then states God's holiness - as 'name' in Scripture refers to the whole person, character etc. Mary has experienced God's power, mercy and holiness in her life - and it has literally overwhelmed her. What can she do but praise God? The song now changes - Mary moves away from the personal pronoun and starts to speak of all generations - all will know what she knows - the grace, the mercy and the power of God because of the child that she is carrying. However, did you note the condition - those who fear Him - that is reverence Him, obey Him and submit to Him - these people will know His mercy, His grace, His salvation and His power. Mercy appears five times in these ten verses. Mercy is often overlooked when God's power and holiness are mentioned. Mercy is not the opposite of holiness. Power without mercy leads to a view of God who is a despot dictator. In Scripture when we encounter God's power, or His judgement, we also witness His mercy at work - remember that, Mary did.
Verses 51-53- Mary now recounts God's actions - note it is God who takes the initiative and who acts. There are two ways to look at these verses because the verb tense in Greek is aorist - you can see Mary looking back at what God has done in the past, or you can see Mary looking forward to what God will do in the future. It is probably appropriate to do both. Based on His past actions Mary prophecies what He will do in the future. The coming of the Messiah will, Mary states, bring about radical social upheaval and change. In these verses we have the reversal of human values, not only of Mary's day but also of our day. It is not the proud, the rich or the mighty who will have the last word - but the humble, the poor and the hungry.
Verses 54-55 in these verses Mary recalls God's covenant, which we have been following in Genesis over the last number of weeks. Mary is telling us that the arrival of the Messiah is not something new but a continuation, a completion, or bringing to fulfilment the promised covenant made with Abraham and his descendants. Here is the lamb substituted for Isaac, her is the Passover lamb of Exodus, here is the bronze serpent lifted in the desert, here is the kinsman redeemer of Ruth, the scarlet cord of Rahab, the eternal king on the throne of David, the good Shepherd of Psalm 23, the perfect man of Psalm 1, the suffering Messiah of Isaiah - we could go on. All of these are contained in these words of Mary. God is faithful to His covenant promise and the Messiah is coming.
 
 Mary changes to speak of what God has done for all people because her experience is the experience of all who believe and trust in the Mighty One - God. In one way Mary's experience is absolutely unique and yet it is lavished on us all. When we read the words we realise that many can testify to God's strong arm intervening for them, of the mighty being brought low by God, of the humble being exalted, of the hungry fed and of the rich being dismissed. Some of you reading this post could testify to God having regard for you, even though you thought of yourself as of little significance or importance.
Fear the Lord - we live in a world that has lost any real sense of the sacred. Even in church sometimes there is a loss of reverence before God. There is an arrogance sometimes about Christian worship, an over familiarity with God which has lost sight of the majesty, the power, the holiness, the wholly other - of God. We should never forget that God struck down the men who when carrying the Ark of the Covenant reached out to steady it when their carelessness meant it almost toppled over. We should remember who it is we stand before and who it is we come to worship. Mary's song says that God will bless those who fear Him. There is a correct fear of the Lord God that this Christmas we should restore in all our hearts.
God exalts the humble - this is not just speaking of social status but also of meekness of heart and spirit, a willingness to kneel before God and to listen, to be taught, to be obedient and to be aware of our need of grace. It is the humble in heart that inherit the earth and that God exalts. You want to be exalted by God then be humble in heart and in action. Humility of heart is an attitude of life, a Christian attitude of life that God exalts. Mary was humble and God highly exalted her. Daniel, a despised youth, was exalted while Nebuchadnezzer, a king, was driven from his throne a raving lunatic. Later he would come to understand that those who exalt themselves will be humbled by God. Pride is the greatest hindrance to spiritual growth and maturity. If we build thrones and climb on to them God will find a way to cast us down. It is only when we get down on our knees and humble ourselves that God will exalt us.
God fills the hungry - Mary was hungry, like Elizabeth, Zechariah, Anna and Simeon she was longing for consolation and the redemption of Jerusalem. In due time God fulfilled the promise of a Messiah and the Christ was born. Hunger is still an indispensable condition for spiritual growth and blessing. Complacency, apathy and self-satisfaction are its greatest enemies. Those who see themselves as rich and of no need of God's mercy or grace - are sent away empty handed but the hungry are filled with good things. Not unless there is hunger in our hearts for God's grace, for His mercy, for His power and for His holiness will we be filled by Him.
Mary was waiting, humble and hungry - God came and brought great blessing to her and through the birth of Jesus He brought blessing to the world. As we wait for Christmas let us do so with humility - acknowledging our need for the Saviour and with hunger for God and the things of God - that we might be filled. Amen.

OUR GOD IS A GOD OF LOVE

THINK OF THOSE THAT NEED OUR HELP

I want to look at the characteristics of God. This blog has a three-fold purpose

1. Focus our attention on the awesomeness of the God of the Bible
2. To help us learn more about God so that our relationship with him is deepened.
3. To help us more accurately reflect God to the world in which we live.

Some of you are old enough to remember the Beatles.  You may even remember that one of their hit songs was entitled ‘All you need is love.’  I once heard a song that had the line ‘The Beatles sang all you need is love and then they broke up.’  Where they wrong when they sang ‘all you need is love’?  The word ‘love’ is used very freely today.  It is used to speak of everything from a personal taste to lust.  In fact the word ‘love’ has been cheapened and stripped of any real meaning by being used so freely and readily.  Steve Turner a Christian poet writes how ‘love was once many splendid colours but now is shown in techno-colour’ and how ‘they have stolen away the only word he had to say how he felt.’  That is what has happened to ‘love.’  It has been cheapened, devalued and degraded by the world in which we live.  So in this post I thought it would be good for us to begin again with the statement ‘God is a God of Love.’

We often say ‘God is love’ but what do we mean by that statement?  We say ‘God loves us’ but how does he loves?  We are often challenged to show God’s love to the world but how do we do that?  I hope this sermon will help answer those questions.

Read 1 John 4.7-21.  We will look at this passage under three headings 

God is Love

God is Loving

Reflecting God’s Love.

God is Love – At the end of verse 8 and in verse 16 John states ‘God is Love.  John states very succinctly that God’s very nature is love.  He does not say God loves, which he does, but that God is love.  John wants us to understand that at the very core of God is Love.  Therefore every action of God is love and every word of God is love.  God creates in love.  He acts in love.  He speaks in love.  He judges in love.  He rules in love.  Every activity of God is determined and directed by love.  He can act in no other way than in a loving way.  Every one of his activities is motivated by love.  All that God does and all God says is an expression of his nature – which John says is love.

God’s love is an exercise of his goodness, of his grace and of his generosity.  God is love and therefore his desire and his delight is to express that love.  He expresses that love in and for us.  His love is expressed towards us – sinners.  His love is expressed in grace and mercy.  His love is deep and it is constant.  In the OT when Moses asked God to allow him to see God (Exodus 33) God said to him.  ‘I will hide you in a cleft in the rock and I will pass before you and declare my name before you.’  When you read the passage you realise that what God revealed to Moses was this – steadfast love (hesed emet).  His revelation to Moses was that He, God, was love. 

I read the other day that a psychiatrist said that the most important thing in parenting was to be ‘consistent in love’.  That is God – he is constant, consistent, steadfast and faithful in love.  Why?  Because it is his character and he cannot act contrary to nor deny his character.  God is love – that is a foundational and fundamental fact.  It is foundational and fundamental to a right understanding of God.

When we grasp hold of the fact that God is love it should affect our relationship with and to God.  When I remember that God is love, that all his actions and words are always loving then I will not resent his discipline.  The letter to the Hebrews tells me that God disciplines those he loves.  So when I experience discipline from God and I recall that it is an expression of his love then my attitude towards that discipline and towards God will not be one of resentment and anger.

When storm clouds appear above me or I am going through a tough time and I recall that God is love and therefore all his actions towards me are loving then my attitude and outlook will be affected by that foundational understanding of God.

God is Loving.

John goes on to state how God expresses his love for us.  I want to concentrate on just two things:

1.God loved us before we loved him.

2.God expresses his love ultimately in the Cross of Christ.

1. God loved us before we loved him.  Look at verse 10 and verse 19.  Do you see what John says here?  He states that God took the initiative and loved us before we loved him.  You see love always takes the initiative.  Love gives itself before it receives.  Our love for and towards God is our response to his love for us.  If you want to know love John says then here it is – before you and I had even thought of God he loved us.  Paul says in Romans 5 that while we were still sinners God loved us.  God did not wait for you and I to become worthy of his love before he loved us.  He loves us unconditionally.  Listen to me– God loves you just the way you are.  It matters not  how far you are away from him he loves you.  It matters not the life you are leading he loves you.  But because he loves you he wants what is best for you and what is best for you is found only in a relationship with him through Christ his Son.

2. God expresses his love ultimately in the Cross of Christ.  Look at what John says in verse 10 and verse 14.  God shows us that he loves us in that he sent his one and only Son to die on the cross in our place.  In Romans 5 verse 8 Paul puts it like this ‘While we were yet sinners Christ died for us.’  John stated it like this in his gospel ‘For God so loved the world….’ 3verse 16.  Friends do you want to know the extent of God’s love for you – then turn your eyes to the cross and to Christ hanging on the Cross.  John says Christ became our ‘propitiation’ when hanging on the Cross.   By that he means he took the punishment that our sins deserve upon himself.  He became our atoning sacrifice.  He satisfied God’s wrath at sin, he met God’s requirements for a holy perfect sacrifice.  As the hymn writer put it ‘in my place condemned he stood.’  God’s Holy Spirit takes that sacrifice and applies it to you and to me when we come to Christ for forgiveness. 

That is why John goes on to say in verses 11 and 12 to say that love is ‘perfected in us.’  It is not that God’s love is deficient or lacking in anything, on the contrary.  It is that God’s love finds its fulfilment in us.  His love is directed towards us and when we receive it and respond to it by repentance and faith it comes to fulfilment.  That is why Christ says in Luke 15 that there is rejoicing in heaven over one sinner that repents.  It is not that God’s love lacks anything.  It is not even that he needs us to respond to his love for us.  God does not need us but he has chosen that we can bring him happiness and joy by responding to his love expressed for us in and through Christ Jesus.   We show that we have received the love of God by loving other people in the manner in which God has loved us.  John says that by loving one another God abides in us – that is God comes to live within us, to literally ‘pitch his tent in our lives.’  It is God’s abiding in us and we in him that brings to completion the purpose of his love.  And what is that purpose?  That we might be saved from eternal death and a lost eternity.

When someone says to you ‘I love you’ you have certain expectations of them.  You expect their actions to support their words.  You expect their actions to not only support but also to reinforce their words.  We learn this from God.   When God says ‘I love you’ to us he reinforces his word by sending his Spirit to confirm in our hearts the knowledge and belief of his love (verses 13-14).  Look at verse 13 – John says ‘by this we know’ – not we feel but we ‘know.’  When God’s Holy Spirit abides in our hearts we ‘know’, we have knowledge, we have certainty and security of knowledge that God loves us.  How?  Because God’s Spirit confirms in our hearts that God’s love for us is shown in that he gave his only begotten Son for us, to be our Saviour.  Look at verse 16.  John says we have come to ‘know’ and also ‘believe.’  You see it is not enough to know that God loves you, you must also believe that he loves you.  There is a difference between knowledge and belief.  John says we need both.  We need to know God loves us and we can only know by him telling us – which he has done through his Son Christ Jesus.  But added to knowledge must come belief – we must believe in our hearts, in our souls that he loves us.  We do this by opening our hearts and embracing his love for us in Christ Jesus.  You see I need not only to know but also to believe God loves me.  When I do both God confirms it not only from his word but also by his Holy Spirit abiding in me.

Then in verse 17 John starts to explain the outworking of that in my life and in your life.  Because God loves us and sent his Son Christ to be our atoning sacrifice we have ‘confidence on the day of judgment.’  On what grounds will I have confidence on the day of judgment?  It certainly will not be on any thing that I done.  I place no confidence in my own works or flesh.  I stand with St Paul when he says that all the things I thought made me righteous before God are in fact ‘garbage’ before him.  No the confidence is in the love of God expressed to me in the Cross of Christ.  Because I have confidence in this love saving me on the day of judgement I have no fear.  The fear of death is gone because love reigns in my life because God abides in me by his Spirit.  You see the other side of confidence is fear.  If I go into an examination and I have not studied for the paper I am filled with fear.  But if I have covered all the topics on the paper I have confidence that I will pass.  If I come before God on the day of judgement and I know nothing of God’s love for me it will be with fear that I stand before the judgment seat.  But, if I know the love of God in my heart by the witness of the Holy Spirit abiding in me then I stand before God with confidence.  Confidence not in myself but in the finished work of Christ and the faithful love of God in Christ to me a sinner.

Friends I want to summarise this for you.  John says to us that God is love.  His love is constant and consistent.  His love is faithful and eternal.  When God wanted us to know his love he expressed it in sending his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to this world to die on the cross for our sins.  On that cross he took our punishment.  He bore our sins.  He shouldered the wrath of God in our place.  He took punishment and fear – that which we deserved on account of sin and he replaced it with love.  By God’s love for us in and through Jesus, God the father lifted us from a place of fear, punishment and death to a position of freedom, forgiveness and life eternal.  That is what God’s love has done for us and continues to do for all who come to Christ.

As if to reinforce what he has said John reiterates the fact that the initiative for all of this came from God and not from us.  God has always, and will always, search out lost men and women.  The lost sheep did not seek the Shepherd.  The lost coin did not seek the woman of the house and contrary to what this world tells you people do not search out God.  From the first days in the Garden of Eden God has searched out mankind lost in his sin. 

Reflecting God’s Love

I do not propose to say much on this point.  In verses 20 and 21 and also in the first 5 verses of chapter 5 John points out to his readers the outworking of the love of God in their lives.  He states quite clearly that knowing God’s love for us is the foundation, the source and the motivation for us to love one another.  As Christ said in the gospel of John: ‘they will know you by your love for one another.’  Friends knowing how much God loves us.  Knowing how much he gave as an expression of his love for us.  How can we fail to love one another?  Ghandi once said to a missionary ‘I like your Jesus but I don’t like your Christians.’   if you know in your heart the love of Christ then it must be seen in your love for one another.  If it is not then John says you make God out to be a liar.  Our love for God is seen here and now in our love for one another.  It is seen in our love for those who are considered the outcasts of society.  Is that not the accusation that was levelled against Christ Jesus?  Was he not accused of being a friend of drunkards, sinners and publicans?  Did he not say to us that when we did it to the least of these we did it to him?  Did he not tell a wonderful parable about the Good Samaritan?  The challenge for us all is two-fold. 

1. To respond to God whose love for us is expressed in Christ on the Cross.
2. To love one another as Christ has loved us.