A Humble Trust and Rest in Jesus
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Hello, I first want to (Welcome) all of you are that are here today, (1) in person or (2) those of you that are watching online.
My name is Wes Thompson. I used to be the Lead Pastor of this congregation (Veritas West) and it’s GOOD to be back to preach today.
My last Sunday preaching was almost a year ago, it was September 1 of last year. So it feels good to be here today.
Pastor Phil asked me to preach about two months ago and I was excited to have the opportunity.
And it’s an honor to not only preach, but to have the opportunity to close out the series we’ve been in as we’ve been looking at the book of 1 JOHN.
Interestingly, I glanced at the last sermon I preached here a year ago and the main premise of that text was: PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT GOD HAS SAID!!! And I found it interesting that that was a similar message as the one that is being exhorted today.
With that said, out of reverence for the Word of God, please stand with me for the reading of Scripture.
1 JOHN 5:21...
English Standard Version Chapter 5
21 Little children, ukeep yourselves from idols.
That’s it! That’s the passage for today. That wraps up 1 JOHN… But’s let’s remain standing together, and I want to read a few more passages in 1 JOHN that I think really embody the message John is trying to communicate here.
Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you.
1 JOHN 4:2
English Standard Version Chapter 4
yevery spirit that confesses that zJesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God
1 JOHN 5:20
English Standard Version Chapter 5
20 And we know that the Son of God has come and rhas given us understanding, so that we may know shim who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and teternal life.
1 JOHN 2:16
English Standard Version Chapter 2
16 For all that is in the world—xthe desires of the flesh and ythe desires of the eyes and pride of life3—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And zthe world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.
again our passage today:
Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
Main Idea of John’s Message is this: [ABIDE IN JESUS]
But we can talk more about that in a minute.
This sermon will be categorized in three parts: (1) Problem (2) Solution (3) Application… with the main premise being: ABIDE IN JESUS.
(1) PROBLEM (2) SOLUTION (3) APPLICATION
>>>And we see that John ends the letter with the PROBLEM in mind<<<
THE PROBLEM:
Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
The problem, according to John, is IDOLATRY.
What is IDOLATRY?
In the ANCIENT NEAR EAST, which was the context for much of the OT, was riddled with images of idols, many of them physical representations of deities or Gods that the people would worship and admire.
There are several other images of IDOLATRY that we see in the NT. The one I think John has in mind, according to the Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary is:
The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary Idol, Idolatry
The NT also understands idolatry as putting anything in the place that God alone should occupy as the proper focus of obedience and worship (e.g., Col 3:5).
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
So according to this definition, an IDOL could be anything [EXTERNAL TRINKET or an INTERNAL BELIEF/DESIRE] that displaces God on the throne of our heart.
IDOLATRY is inextricably linked to the idea of worship.
Getting at this idea, Christian philosopher James Smith asks the question:
Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation Introduction: Beyond “Perspectives”: Faith and Learning Take Practice
What if education wasn’t first and foremost about what we know, but about what we love?
And it’s here that I think we have to recognize the culture and place in which we find ourselves in. Our environment isn’t something we often think about because it’s like the air we breathe. It’s invisible to us. We’re in it and we don’t see it.
But the Enlightenment was such a powerful movement in history and had a profound impact on the way the Western World views reality.
Descartes, famously said in the year 1637, “I think therefore I am” which ushered in this new wave of thinking about the world.
“No longer would humans be relegated to their emotions or their religious musings… what mattered was reason and was the mind and was what we could quantify with what can be evaluated right in front of us with our eyes and brain.”
And while reason is important, this was a radical distortion of the fullness of what it means to be a human being made in the image of God.
To divorce the importance of emotion from human personhood… to disregard the importance of religious experience from human personhood… to close oneself off from anything that cannot be explained away is a radical distortion of robust human experience.
DESCARTES’s statement (“I think therefore I am”) was radical and it contained only a fragment of truth.
Human beings do reason. But human beings do so much more than that
We aren’t brains on a stick… We aren’t cogs in a machine… We are made of love and we are made to love…
We are made in the image of a loving, emotional God and therefore we bear those same qualities.
To embrace them is human and is good.
I say all that to say… “Idolatry is really getting at desire… Idolatry is getting at what stirs our affection and love for something, and it can be anything...”
John Calvin said, “the human heart is an idol factory.”
And that’s how I felt when Pastor Phil asked me to preach this text… “Well I definitely can share about how to do idolatry really well! I’ve got that down!”
So maybe a good place to start is to ask yourself some simple questions...
Humor me… Close your eyes, try to clear your mind of distraction, I’ll give you a few seconds… stop thinking about this afternoon, clear your head...
With your eyes closed: Really do some introspection: “What have you been daydreaming about lately? What thing, if you had it, would make your life worth living? What causes you the most fear and worry? What keeps you up at night? What do you MOST want?”
[Open your eyes]: According to the Bible, all of the things (apart from the Trinitarian God) you thought of, just now, have the propensity to be idols for you.
ESV SB says:
The ESV Study Bible Chapter 5
Keep yourselves from idols means keep yourselves from trusting, obeying, revering, and following—that is, in effect, worshiping—anyone or anything other than God himself, and his Son Jesus Christ.
We can idolize good things!
[EX] For me, I can idolize my financial position. I can idolize the relationship I have with my wife. I can idolize a perceived level of success I have for myself, or lack-thereof. I can idolize what others’ think of me or their approval of me.
HERE’S THE DEAL: We’re never not playing this mental and heart gymnastics within ourselves. We’re wired to worship. We’re made to desire. Therefore, we’re always worshipping something. There is something or someone we’re deriving our meaning and purpose from… humans are made for this!
We first need to become well acquainted with what it is… Do that exercise again this week when you have more time for some introspection: “What have you been daydreaming about lately? What thing, if you had it, would make your life worth living? What causes you the most fear and worry? What keeps you up at night? What do you MOST want?”
[Open your eyes]: According to the Bible, all of the things (apart from the Trinitarian God) you thought of, just now, have the propensity to be idols for you.
That’s the problem John is addressing. This is a problem for everyone at all times and in all places. That is a theological fact.
THE SOLUTION:
What is the solution to the problem of idolatry, according to John? What is the antidote to the problem? What is it that my mind and HEART needs to be reminded of every day?
If there’s sin, what is the solution? If there’s darkness, what is the solution? If there’s sickness, what is the macro solution? If there’s racism, what is the macro solution?
To ABIDE in the sovereign, solid, steady person of Jesus!
Our heart and mind needs a guide. We need a northstar. We need something pointing us towards a safe place.
Idols are god-substitutes that tell us if we have them, then we’ll be safe and content. But god-substitutes will never deliver on their promise.
When I try to find ultimate safety and purpose from anything in this world I am only left wanting more.
That is a recipe for discontentment!
Because my spouse, my bank account, my perceived accomplishments, my being accepted from others —> none of that can hold the weight of my soul!
An invitation:
Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
So, I don’t see this as law. I don’t read this as a restriction. I don’t see this as God limiting me from good experiences.
NO! This is an invitation: “Do you want to be content? Do you want to be at joy? Do you want to have peace in the midst of trouble? Do you want to feel safe and secure? Do you want to know you’re loved no matter what?”
YOU CAN HAVE ALL THAT!!! That’s the gospel! That’s the good news of Jesus! YOU CAN HAVE ALL OF THAT!!!
What does ABIDING look like?
I remember in the summer of 2015, pondering this question with Pastor Joe Byler at Short North… we were sitting around a fire thinking about this… and as we were wrestling with different Scripture passages… the definition that began to form in my heart and mind was that ABIDING looks like HUMBLE TRUST AND REST IN THE PERSON AND WORK OF JESUS!”
If I’m Abiding in Christ what it looks like it me exhibiting a posture of HUMILITY, TRUST and REST in Jesus!
So when you examine your life, Christian, what do you see?
Do you notice a posture of humility?
Do you notice a deep trust you have in God that results in deep deep peace?
Do you have a soul that is at REST?
I think this is what ABIDING looks like. I think this is what John wanted the believers across Asia Minor to believe and to embody. And I believe this is applicable for us as well.
The problem is IDOLATRY. The solution is to ABIDE in Jesus. ABIDING IN JESUS looks like HUMBLE TRUST AND REST IN THE PERSON AND WORK OF JESUS.
APPLICATION:
(I admit that this application is organized more like a reflection)
a. In the theological journal, THEMELIOS, Brian Tabb addresses Idolatry in light of COVID-19:
Themelios: Volume 45, No. 1, April 2020 3.1. Disease Smashes the Idol of Security
Disease Smashes the Idol of Security
Tabb, Brian J. “Editorial: Theological Reflections on the Pandemic.” Themelios 45.1 (2020): 1–7. Print.
Themelios: Volume 45, No. 1, April 2020 3.1. Disease Smashes the Idol of Security
People around the world long for security—freedom from threats or dangers—and lack of security is among our deepest fears.
If we have an idol of security, the situation we find ourselves in will prove to be very difficult.
What is the invitation? ABIDE IN JESUS.
b. Disease Smashes the Idol of Prosperity
Brian J. Tabb, “Editorial: Theological Reflections on the Pandemic,” Themelios 45, no. 1 (2020): 4.
Themelios: Volume 45, No. 1, April 2020 3.2. Disease Smashes the Idol of Prosperity
As wealthy (and “middle class”) Christians worry about the bleeding red numbers on our savings and retirement account balances due to fears over the virus outbreak, we must remember that Mammon cannot save or satisfy us, nor can it offer the true security for the future that only God supplies.
If we have an idol of prosperity, the situation we find ourselves in will prove to be very difficult.
What is the invitation? ABIDE IN JESUS.
c.
Themelios: Volume 45, No. 1, April 2020 3.3. Disease Smashes the Idol of Wellness
Disease Smashes the Idol of Wellness
Tabb, Brian J. “Editorial: Theological Reflections on the Pandemic.” Themelios 45.1 (2020): 1–7. Print.
Themelios: Volume 45, No. 1, April 2020 3.3. Disease Smashes the Idol of Wellness
Disease offers us a healthy reminder of our weakness and limitations.
If we have an idol of wellness, the situation we find ourselves in will prove to be very difficult.
What is the invitation? ABIDE IN JESUS.
d. Public health crises forces us to face our fears.
Brian J. Tabb, “Editorial: Theological Reflections on the Pandemic,” Themelios 45, no. 1 (2020): 6.
The most often spoken command in the whole Bible is the command to “FEAR NOT”… God obviously knows this is a real struggle for us.
What must we do with our fears? ABIDE IN CHRIST.
e. Sickness is an occasion to seek the Lord.
Brian J. Tabb, “Editorial: Theological Reflections on the Pandemic,” Themelios 45, no. 1 (2020): 6.
‘If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before you—for your name is in this house—and cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.’
f. Sickness and other forms of suffering also test our faith and reveal our hope.
Brian J. Tabb, “Editorial: Theological Reflections on the Pandemic,” Themelios 45, no. 1 (2020): 7.
Themelios: Volume 45, No. 1, April 2020 4. Responding to Sickness
Our present peace and future hope should move us to respond to crises like the coronavirus outbreak with Christ-exalting good works.
g. Lastly, a global health crises prompts us to reflect on the true pandemic of human rebellion against a holy God. Sickness reveals our fears and exposes our idols and serves as an urgent invitation to seek the Lord.
Brian J. Tabb, “Editorial: Theological Reflections on the Pandemic,” Themelios 45, no. 1 (2020): 7.
The truth is we will all die one day. What happens then will launch us into eternity.
May we live with that in mind… not to make us overly somber but to live with hope that we will find our final resting place in the perfection of eternal life with God.
For the Christian, we will then experience life as it was meant to be… void of sickness . Void of sin. Void of idolatry.
Lord, help us to ABIDE IN YOU.
Communion:
L: In the night in which he was betrayed, Our lord Jesus took bread,He gave thanks; broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take and eat; this is my body, given for you.Do this for the remembrance of me.
L: Again, after supper,He took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying; this cup is The new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin.Do this for the remembrance of me. Silent Reflection – to prepare our hearts toCome to the Lords table
L: Jesus' death brings us life and this meal reminds us that we are fed by Jesus and forgiven because of Jesus.
C: We rejoice that You have died, have risen, and are now with the Father advocating for us. Amen.
L: With our money, time, and talent we give generously, knowing that through Your Son, Jesus, You have generously given to us.
C: We rejoice that You have given everything and we joyfully give everything back to Your care. Amen.
L: If you believe Jesus died to forgive you your sins you are welcome to come,
L: Come for all is ready
Benediction:
May you find rest and comfort in the Glory of God, in His promises to us, and in the Glory of Christ, our Savior. Walk now in that rest, and in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Peace be with you.
