Feb. 16, 2020 - Life Through The Word
Notes
Transcript
Last time we were together (2 weeks ago), we looked at Jesus Christ – as our Example
· We saw Christ’s example – AS TEACHER and AS LORD…
13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am.
As Teacher – we saw the practical call of Christ for us to – DO as He DID…
14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.
· He washed the disciples feet and said – DO AS I DO…
Do this to one another
He says – If I – being in a position of authority over you – have WASHED YOUR feet…
Then YOU – being subservient to ME – should DO THE SAME to one another
And as we saw – The Disciples NEEDED to HEAR this…
WHY?
· Because just prior to this – they were discussing amongst themselves – WHO would be the GREATEST among themselves…
Question:
In THAT mindset – would they have EVER contemplated washing each other’s feet?
They need to hear Jesus AS TEACHER – telling them to DO AS HE DID…
· And we brought that call down to us here and heard –
· Yes – LITERALLY get off the couch and go and help someone
· LITERALLY get off the couch and go and write that note of encouragement
· Literally DO these things… IN DEED….
Jesus – As TEACHER – teaching us…
But Jesus – in washing the disciple’s feet – was NOT JUST Teacher…He was LORD!
See – if the call for us is to COUNT OTHERS as MORE important than ourselves…then we KNOW that we will PUSH BACK on that call!
· We WON’T WANT to do this…
· We will WAR against the call to be HUMBLE!
· And so Jesus – gives us the example of WASHING FEET – as our LORD
· This call from Christ – to LOVE one another – is a call that – ATTACKS our pride!
· And it MUST – if we are to obey it
Humility is the killing of our pride…
· And so Jesus – with ALL authority to do so – attacks our pride in calling us to CONSIDER others as more important than ourselves…
That was 2 weeks ago – NOW – today
16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.
17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.
18 I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But the Scripture will be fulfilled, ‘He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’
19 I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he.
20 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”
SLIDE: The Scripture is Priority
Life Through the Word
Life Through the Word
18 I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But the Scripture will be fulfilled, ‘He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’
· Think of the circumstances here for Jesus…
· He KNEW what was coming…
· And YET – He says…
“But in order that the Scripture be fulfilled”…
See – it’s VERY EASY for us and most common in the world …
· …to view life through the FILTER of – Our Experiences
· That our EXPERIENCES determine REALITY…
SLIDE:
Experientialism: the philosophical theory that experience is the source of knowledge
· Now – on a worldly level – this is seen as OBVIOUS…
· All the world HAS is experience…
· The world EXPERIENCES a silent sky – therefore – in their mind – God doesn’t exist
· The world EXPERIENCES a DEAD man today – STILL dead 3 days from now – therefore – Jesus couldn’t have rose from the dead
On the world side – Experientialism is the norm…
BUT – EVEN within Christian circles…within religious circles… Experientialism is a danger
· Experientialism puts EXPERIENCE over the Word of God (even within the church)
· And what happens is this – People begin to – SEEK the SIGN and not Jesus!
Does Scripture speak to this?
· YES – experience is a LOUSY test for truth…and this is ESPECIALLY true of the last days…
· The Bible teaches that spiritual DECEPTION will actually increase in the last days…
4 And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray.
5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.
Paul said this about the end times…
1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,
9 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders,
10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
· John even writes about a great beast who will deceive many people in the last days…
13 It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people,
14 and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived.
· SO – how is EXPERIENCE as a gauge for REALITY…for TRUTH?
· Terrible…
· And for Jesus – in our text today – He points to the PRIORITY of SCRIPTURE in saying…
“But in order that the Scripture be fulfilled…THIS will happen!”
· Yes – based on the EXPERIENCE of the disciples…
· They were SET with Jesus by their side!
· Jesus was going to REIGN on earth…
· Bring STATUS to the group…
· And live HAPPILY EVER AFTER…
But Jesus says – SO THAT the Scripture will be fulfilled…I will be put to death!
· THIS is reality – Jesus says – and it’s all BASED on – the Scripture!
Therefore = Let the WORD OF GOD direct your path…!
Let the WORD OF GOD – be your guide!
Filter what you THINK is an ANSWER to prayer – through the WORD OF GOD!
Filter what you THINK God is telling you to do in that situation – through the WORD OF GOD!
· This is what Christ shows us…
· But He’s not done!
And this next point ties into the first…
· SINCE the Scripture is our Authority…
SLIDE: Life Through the Word: Expect Hardship in the Christian Life
Life Through the Word
Life Through the Word
What we see in this EXAMPLE before us - of Christ - is that the HARDSHIP of suffering was not something that Christ considered to be - STRANGE...
OR EVEN at ODDS with who He was...
Jesus EXPECTED the suffering…to come
17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.
18 I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But the Scripture will be fulfilled, ‘He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’
Jesus says - I KNOW whom I have chosen...
I know that JUDAS has no interest in TRUTH...
I know that Judas would RATHER DESTROY truth....
I know that Judas would RATHER destroy Me…than exalt Me!
I KNOW THIS - I’m NOT surprised!!
I’m not gonna RUN from this suffering!
THIS WILL HAPPEN - because in a FALLEN world - THIS is what happens to IMAGE Bearers of God!
This is CERTAINLY something that the Scriptures proclaim over and over again...
22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.
12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.
Jesus HIMSELF tells us...
27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.
What’s a CROSS?
It’s an instrument of - TORTURE...
The BANNER that flies HIGH over Christianity is this - SUFFERING!
And it’s ALWAYS been so! - WHY?
Because that’s what EVIL does - it seeks to destroy TRUTH!
When satan and the angels fell (EVIL)
Adam and Eve sin in the garden (EVIL)
Cain killing Abel (EVIL)
Tower of Babel (EVIL)
Jacob and Esau (EVIL)
Pharoah refusing to let the Israelites go (EVIL)
The Israelites murmuring in the wilderness (EVIL)
Refusing to take the land (EVIL)
Saul going after David (EVIL)
David and Bathsheba (EVIL)
David and Uriah (EVIL)
It’s ALWAYS - been SO!!
THEREFORE - Christian - don’t find it STRANGE - when it comes!!
**When you work downtown, and you get off at 5pm, when you jump on the highway you should EXPECT…??
(traffic)
**When you get in the elevator and you push the “close door” button - you should EXPECT the door = NOT TO CLOSE!
**When you fly for a living, you should expect to have to deal with - DELAYS...
Christians! - If you are living like Christ…if you are IMAGING Christ to the world - you SHOULD EXPECT...
Persecution!
WHICH means - when it comes - on account of Christ...
It should actually serve as an - ASSURANCE that you belong to Jesus!!
38 So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail;
39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!” So they took his advice,
40 and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
41 Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.
42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.
And so our SUFFERING can become an occasion to REJOICE....!
So in our passage today, we see that a LIFE lived THROUGH the WORD of God...
Is one where the Scripture is PRIORITY...
One where hardship and persecution should be EXPECTED...
But we also see something else....and we’ll close with this...
16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.
17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.
18 I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But the Scripture will be fulfilled, ‘He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’
19 I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he.
20 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”
What we see here also is that - EVEN in the KNOWLEDGE of coming SUFFERING...
Jesus’ FOCUS was on - - the faith of others...
19 I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he.
And so Jesus - EVEN in the midst of PERSECUTION - His mindset is on the FAITH of others...
SLIDE: Life Through the Word: Other’s Faith Greater Than Own Comfort
Life Through the Word
Life Through the Word
Jesus here KNOWS what’s coming for Him...
And EVEN SO - what’s on His mind is this - WHAT CAN I DO to help INCREASE their FAITH in - ME!
And so the IMPLICATION for us is - CAN I LIVE my life in such a way -
CAN I RESPOND to the SUFFERING in my life in such a way - that OTHER’s FAITH in Jesus - RISES?!!!!
Maybe you’ve heard this saying before from John Piper - maybe you haven’t - but the thought behind it applies!
Slide:
“Don’t waste your cancer”
Now when we HEAR this - we think - “WAIT - that makes it sound like CANCER can be an OPPORTUNITY for something good!”
That’s EXACTLY right!
The way we respond to our SUFFERING can help people’s FAITH IN JESUS - rise!!
Listen to this...
14 And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
Why are these Christians NOW speaking the Word of God MORE BOLDLY without FEAR?
Because of - Paul’s IMPRISONMENT...
Because of the way that Paul RESPONDED to his own GOSPEL SUFFERING - these men - SEEING this - THEIR FAITH IN JESUS - INCREASED!
Can we get there?
It’s hard isn’t it?
WHY?
It’s hard because OUR NATURE says - I DESERVE - comfort!
We - by nature - place ourselves in position of God - and when we DO THAT - we don’t like how this WORLD treats us...
BUT - if in our lives - GOD IS GOD - and we LOVE that!! - then we can live in a way that MAKES MUCH of HIM - and not ourselves...
Let’s close by getting practical!
· How can we display to the world that THEIR faith, is more important than our own comfort?
1. Go to Bible Study
· Notice it says – Go TO Bible Study…
Meaning – GO to Bible Study (not just studying at home alone, but GOING to Bible Study)
And the reason is 2-fold
If our call is to PROCLAIM Christ’s TRUTH to the world – then we need to KNOW God’s truth.** (can you learn God’s truth ON YOUR OWN….yes, BUT God has designed this thing to work like this – IRON SHARPENS IRON)
God says that the world will KNOW that we BELONG to HIM based on our LOVE for each other. So the ONLY way that we can effectively and practically LOVE each other is to BE WITH each other…
· We cannot and WILL NOT cultivate relationships with each other if we continuously make choices that keep us from ENGAGING each other!
· So we GO – to bible study… and LEARN and GROW together.
And that takes LOOKING at the time we could spend on Monday evenings – DOING OTHER things…and deciding:
OTHER’s FAITH is more important than my comfort / my leisure
And then you know what will happen?
· Your DESIRE will RISE to COME to BIBLE STUDY…
· You will begin to WANT to come to Bible Study…as opposed to…*
Another way we can display to the world that THEIR FAITH is more important that our comfort…is
2. Choose to become a servant to each other
In a nutshell – that means – Laying down your preferences, for someone else’s preferences.
· And a particular way that Churches fail to cultivate this…is through their MUSIC
· Some churches have what they’ll call:
o Traditional Services
o Contemporary Services
And what that means is – they’ve decided to set up a Service that is STRICTLY designed for one groups PREFERENCE – Traditional Music (hymns)
And another service STRICTLY designed for the rest of the people who PREFER more contemporary music – MODERN Worship (drums, full band)
· Now what does THAT structure teach people…
· It teaches that MY PREFERENCES ARE WORTH – me being separated from others in the church!
· It ELEVATES my preferences to be – ULTIMATE!
· That structure says – WHO CARES about SACRIFICING your preferences…Let’s SACRIFICE fellowship and sacrifice and LAYING down our preferences…Let’s SEPARATE!!
· Is it any wonder then why there is a REVOLVING door on most churches today…people coming…people going
· NO environment of – SACRIFICE…
· It’s just – I DIDN’T LIKE THAT – I’m outta here!
· Becoming a SERVANT to each other in the church means –
I lay down my time
My money
My comfort
My time off
My energy – for my brothers and sisters in Christ
· BECAUSE WHEN WE DO THAT – we display to the world that THEIR faith is more important than our comfort.
· When the world SEES us LOVING each other RADICALLY – they will KNOW that we belong to God
Last way that we can display to the world that THEIR FAITH is more important than our comfort…
· We go to Bible Study
· We choose to become a SERVANT to each other
3. We cultivate a heart posture of forgiveness
47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”
· When we as Christians understand WHO we WERE before God saved us…
· And we UNDERSTAND what God has done for us…
· We will be more apt to LOVE – and FORGIVE
Why?
· Because we will know that we have been – Forgiven Much!
Isn’t it EASY to hold a grudge…?
· It takes work to FORGIVE…
· But when we DO – whether in HERE…or OUT THERE…
· The world will see that THEIR FAITH is more important than OUR COMFORT…
SLIDE:
Go to Bible Study
Become a servant to all
Cultivate Forgiveness
· When we LIVE out EACH of these things in our lives – the world will see us as:
o God-knowing
o Humbly serving
o Readily forgiving people…
And we WILL display Jesus to them…
Can we do this…?
It takes a village…
SUMMARY
Life Through the Word
Scripture is Priority
Expect Hardship in the Christian Life
Other’s Faith Greater than Our Own Comfort
Let’s Pray