A Doxology of Spiritual Duty
Notes
Transcript
Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;
Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.
Introduction:
Introduction:
The fact is that the Lord has a wonderful eternity for those that have trusted Christ as Lord and Savior.
And what keeps the man of God and, by application, the people of God, enduring through the difficulties of life is the reality of who God is.
And that all things will be brought to bear in the proper time, the text says.
Of course, the beginning of verse 15 points back to the reality of verse 14, the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And the fact the no one knows the date for the coming of Christ, we have faith that He will being it about at the proper time.
And while believers wait for the Lord to come in the proper time, we always keep our focus on the eternal.
But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none;
And they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not;
And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away.
Paul is not saying in these verses that marriage is no longer binding or to be treated with seriousness, but he is teaching that marriage should not at all reduce one’s devotion to the Lord and service to Him and to the eternal priority.
The mature believer does not get swept away in the emotion of this life, so as to lose motivation, hope, and purpose.
Believers are not to get wrapped up in the commercialization and pleasures that govern the world.
Believers are not to be swept up in earthly enterprises so that heavenly matters become secondary.
The immanency of Christ’s return should further serve to motivate believes for service.
And, as the text above says, because the things of this world pass away, we must focus of eternal realities.
There is one main eternal reality that we need to be focused on and that is knowing God more.
The Doxology of Spiritual Service is a recognition of who God is the midst of a crooked and perverse nation.
Until the time that Christ returns, Paul give the doxology of our spiritual service.
Focusing on Christ and who He is, keeps our minds of the perverseness of world because it brings Christ into focus.
As long as we focus on the realities of this world, the less Christ will come into focus.
The way to fight and to be successful in the battle is to focus on Christ and all that he is.
And that is how Paul wraps of this section, with a doxology of praise that will inform our spiritual service.
Paul focuses on four realities of who Christ is that informs our spiritual service and helps us focus on Christ.
Being a Man or the Person of God is impossible without a focus on Christ and our spiritual service.
Paul focuses on four realities: His Satisfaction, His Sovereignty, Hos Sacredness, and His Strength.
I. The Satisfaction of God (vs. 15a)
I. The Satisfaction of God (vs. 15a)
Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;
Now, it may seem a little strange to talk about God being satisfied.
After all, the Greek word here is “μακάριος” which is the word that means “blessed or happy,” and is the same word used for kingdom citizens in Matthew 5.
If you really think about it, that word will hit you; that God is blessed.
Now, how are we to understand the fact that God is blessed?
How are we to understand that God is content, that God is fulfilled, that God is happy.
Listen, it is the idea of absence.
The absence of unhappiness, the absence of frustration, and the absence of any anxiety or anything when it is used on reference to God.
It is saying that God is content.
God is happy.
God is satisfied.
God is content.
God is unfrustrated.
God is perfectly content.
Listen, God is perfectly happy because anything that is not the way God wants it cannot exist within His sovereignty.
We need to understand that.
Anything that is not the way God want it cannot exist.
Therefore, that means that God must be in the purest and truest sense content with everything, because nothing is outside of His sovereign control.
Just think about that in reference to the situations that are in your life.
We are a ball of frustration, and God is perfectly happy.
We may be tempted to think, “Well, doesn’t He care about my frustration?”
Yes, of course He does.
But He mostly cares about what the particular anxiety that your going through will produce and He has that all under control.
You see, God is not like we are.
God is absolutely unperturbed by anything.
God is not wringing His hangs.
God never sweats.
God is perfectly free from worry.
Because the fact is that why would God worry when He controls everything?
Everything is exactly the way that He wants it to be.
It has to be, because He is absolutely sovereign.
He is God, He is blessed.
And the wonderful reality is that those who enter into a relationship with Him enter into that calm.
And we, too, can be unperturbed when we understand that God is perfectly content.
We could really call God the happy one.
God takes all things into account, some things are pleasing to Him and other things are not pleasing to Him.
But nothing is beyond His control and everything is working exactly as He has designed it, therefore He is totally content and contentedness is the source of happiness.
And this, too, can and should belong to us.
Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.
The text says that “Happy is the man who trusts in Him.”
Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways.
Happy is everyone that walk in His ways.
We can be people that are content.
Listen, our God is content.
Why do we get upset?
Why do we get fretted?
Why do we get so anxious?
Just think for a moment that how wonderful it is for the servant of the Lord to know no matter what the opposition is, no matter what the persecution is, God is calm.
God is happy.
God is satisfied.
God is absolutely content.
I am unhappy, but He is happy.
But He is totally content, because it under His control.
Yes, God does have emotions.
But they never effect HIs mine by creating worry.
They never effect His mind by creating anxiety.
They never effect his mind by creating fear.
Because He controls all of them.
Always calm, always happy.
Totally content because He is totally sovereign.
John MacArthur Sermon Archive A Solemn Call to Spiritual Duty
So when I face danger with the knowledge that the God who preserves and restores life is my God and the God who has promised future glory and vindication is my God, and that my God is perfectly calm and perfectly happy because He is perfectly in control of everything, then I can be happy too with anything.
And we are blessed, because as believers we are plugged into the one who is blessed.
When we really can tap into this truth, then we can look at life and say, “what am I worried about?”
“What am I concerned about?”
God is happy because He is in control of everything.
I can be happy, not because I am in control of everything, but because I am in and everlastingly loved by the one who is control of everything.
I am reminded of this great verse.
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
He works all things out because He controls all things, and that makes God blessed.
II. The Sovereignty of God (vs. 15b)
II. The Sovereignty of God (vs. 15b)
Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;
I love the way that this portion of the text reads.
The text says that He is the “Potentate,” in the Greek “δυνάστης” and means sovereign or ruler.
Notice what the text says and that is that He is the “only Sovereign...”
He is God and God alone.
And what that means is that if our God is the only God, then there is no competition.
So He is the absolute sovereign and that there is no one that is vying for control of me who can defeat Him.
I am reminded of something said about the Apostle Paul in Romans 8.
Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.
I mean if my God is the only sovereign, the only ruler, I do not have anything to fear because He is at the top of the pile.
There is another interesting thing about this verse that I want to bring to your attention.
When Paul says God is the “King of kings and Lord of lords...” the second word for “king” and the second word for “lord” in that verse are both participle verbs.
And thus would be translated “and only King of all those kinging and Lord of all those lording.”
And. again, the Greek word for “Potentate” is “δυνάστης” and within the list of the Greek words that are within the same body of root words is “δύναμις” and has to do with power.
And has the idea of “power ruler.”
And it speaks about that are inherently in charge.
He has absolute power.
This does not speak of delegated power, because that would mean that someone else is more powerful and that is the delegator.
God has undelegated, inherent power and sovereign rule.
There is no one like our God.
And Isaiah understood this.
Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?
To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.
Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
It is absolutely thrilling to me to know that my God is sovereign.
Because that means that every part of my life is under the inherent rulership of God.
God is in charge of every part of my life.
What a comfort.
I do not have to depend of human effort.
I do not have to depend of human ingenuity.
I do not have to depend on human wisdom.
I do not have to depend on human talent.
I mean, you really want to have confidence that the “Word will not return void,” have confidence in the sovereignty of God.
I mean, if I did not believe that God was in charge and that it took some kind of human agenda to get things going, I would be a mess.
If I believed that it was part of my task to convince people apart from the working of Spirit, I would be miserable indeed.
If I thought that my life was completely in my hands and I had to make sure that my life turned out just right by controlled all of my circumstances, I would have to live on tranquilizers.
But we do not have to do that.
Because they kingdom of God is not built with manipulation.
It is built by the Spirit of God working through the people of God using the Word of God.
When my life is not what it should bel rather than it being up to me to take the reigns to make it right.
I would much rather hear the Father say, “Right on schedule. I know why you’re here. I know how you’re going to get out.”
That is the way that I want to live.
God is sovereign.
He is Kind over all those that are kinging, and He is Lord over all of those that are lording.
What a comforting truth; what a doxology of spiritual service.
Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.
“I know that You can do all things, And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.
III. The Sacredness of God (vs. 16a)
III. The Sacredness of God (vs. 16a)
Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.
What does it mean when it says that God has immortality?
The Greek word is “ἀθανασία” and the root word to this is “θνησκω” which means to be dead.
So, when you add the alpha in front of the word you have “not dead.”
However, it goes a little deeper than that, it has the idea of “never dying.”
It also goes a little deeper than that.
It also has the idea of endless existence.
And the text says that that ONLY belong to God.
The doxology of spiritual service says God has eternality.
He cannot perish, He cannot die.
He alone possess that.
And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation:
Art thou not from everlasting, O LORD my God, mine Holy One? we shall not die. O LORD, thou hast ordained them for judgment; and, O mighty God, thou hast established them for correction.
It is comforting to know that God is outside of time; not effected by death, eternally alive beyond influences of sin.
Notice the text also says:
Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.
God is beyond us.
He is unapproachable.
God is holy and absolutely above anything that is sinful.
There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.
Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?
God lives in an atmosphere of purity and holiness.
He lives in an atmosphere that is spotless.
Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:
Remember in Exodus chapters 33 and 34 Moses saw the shining forth of the Shekinah of God.
Moses asked God to “show me your glory.”
And God told Moses that no one can see mu glory and live.
He is totally engulfed in “otherness.”
And what is the point of celebrating His otherness?
What is the point of celebrating the fact that He is unapproachable?
I will tell you why?
Because God is holy, that means that He never makes a mistake.
Never makes errors.
Never has a misjudgment or miscue.
He always does exactly what is right, exactly what is perfect and if something is wrong, it isn’t with Him.
He tolerates no sin, and will deal with sin.
And one day He will end sin and be vindicated in holiness with a holy people.
He is holy!!
IV. The Strength of God (vs. 16b)
IV. The Strength of God (vs. 16b)
Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.
What a wonderful way for the doxology to end.
To Him be “honor” or “respect.”
And “Dominion” or “total control.”
God has controlling power to both direct and determine.
So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
We need not to fear anything because of the truth of this doxology.
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
We live according to the truths of verses 11-14 and are people of God and this doxology gives to us our motivation for our spiritual service.
God is a satisfied God.
When you control all things, you are never concerned when things do not seem to go right.
God is a Sovereign God.
God is a Sacred God.
God is a Strong God.
The truth that is revealed in these verses gives us reason to praise as we think about the doxology of spiritual service.