The Power of Love
I Corinthians 13.1 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues,they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Love
The most powerful force in the universe is the love of God.
He has lavished His Love on us. I John 3.1
Jesus showed us the full extent of His love. John 13.1
He gave us a new commandment...
John 13.34
To love one another
As the He loves us!
Paul is speaking about spiritual gifts in the previous chapter, in this chapter and in the next chapter.
Love is all important. It is called by some, “the greatest gift.”
Look with me how it’s absence in the face of great spiritual gifts make those gifts of no blessing or benefit to us and negates the blessing to others. The lack of love short circuits the flow of the Spirit through you.
1. If you could speak the languages of the all nations and even heaven itself...!
Imagine that!
I have been around the world.
Even here in New York! 80 languages spoken.
I need someone with the gift of interpretation.
It would be awesome, my mind reels! Wow! If I could speak the 80 languages of Metro NY!
Just “God bless you” in Creole 2 weeks ago when meeting with Pastor Kuadio and his church board. They all laughed. I said, “You didn’t know I could do that!” They laughed even harder. The connection you can make when you speak the language is beyond imagination.
But love is so all important that even if I could speak all the languages on the earth if I did not have love, “I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.” Now remember last week?
the common good= I Corinthians 12.7
sympherÅ Symphony
an elaborate musical composition for full orchestra
If I don’t have love I would just be making a lot of noise. I would not be part of the symphony. I would not be a blessing to the church. It would do nothing for anyone but just draw attention to myself. It would not exalt Jesus Christ. It would be meaningless. It would be annoying. resounding gong or a clanging cymbal
No, I want to blend into God’s symphony.
I may even be speaking the truth but we are to speak the Truth in Love. Ephesians 4.15
There is a huge difference. I have heard it both ways. Talking about eternal things with passion and a broken heart or lecturing about them without love.
2. If you had the gift of prophecy and could understand all mysteries.
Mysteries= the hidden and secret things
You could explain the other side of the curtain.
You could unwrap all the mysteries and answer questions that people have about life.
Why are there wars?
Why do people die young?
Why are there birth defects and children born with special needs?
Why can’t some people already burdened down catch a break... Pastor Jerry and I with Lyswa Rene... suffering joyful... sick daughter. “Bro, it seems like this guy has enough to contend with, then he has a sick daughter on top of it.”
Most recently, about Haiti, why is God allowing this to continue? The theological answers don’t cut it for me. They fall far short of bringing peace to the heart, especially when you are the one suffering or if you care about those suffering.
We cannot give adequate answers for grief. Not do I believe that people grieving are looking for answers. Yet they flow freely. Nonsense!
But say for a moment you could explain to a grieving soul, a mother, an answer that would unwrap the mystery of her child’s death. You could explain it...
If you could explain all of it without love it would not touch hearts, transform lives
Knowledge= deep understanding
Knowledge
If not done with love... I am nothing.
3. If you had a faith that could move mountains.
We are impressed with mountain moving faith, very impressed.
That guy is really something!
If he does not have love, he is nothing!
This is serious. God working through me, doing great exploits, without love I am
A nobody.
Love and faith. Faith without works is dead. Faith and works without love doesn’t do a thing for me.
Look at verse three...
4. If I sell all I have and make the ultimate sacrifice...
And have not love i gain nothing.
No gain= useless, no advantage, no profit
Interesting we are told that all these things will pass away.
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues,they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.
Even 2 out of three things essential for our journey will no longer be necessary.
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
When we see Jesus in heaven we will no longer need faith! Right now we walk by faith not by sight, but there! Fave to face!
Who hopes for what He already has? Or what he has already seen? Romans 8.24
Our hope will be fulfilled.
But the greatest of these is love.
Greatest= used of rank and age as with elder
In closing look at verses 4-8
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails.
Put your name in the place of love... how far can you get? It will show you where you need to grow in love!
Live a life of love! It is the greatest!
Sunday, October 13, 2019
Sunday, October 6, 2019
Spiritual Warfare
The Church and Spiritual Gifts
Before Jesus left for heaven He told His disciples to wait in the city of Jerusalem until they were baptized with the Holy Spirit, clothed with power from on high. So they waited in Jerusalem praying. When the day of Pentecost had fully come they were all in one place in one accord and the Holy Spirit fell on them, the promise of the Father. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in the languages of the Jews where they resided, who had come to Jerusalem from every nation on the earth.
Peter stood up and preached. He used
Joel 2.28-31 “And afterward,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams,
your young men will see visions.
29 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out My Spirit in those days.
30 I will show wonders in the heavens
and on the earth,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
31 The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
32 And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Paul was sent out by the Lord to be the first missionary in the church. We are reading one of the letters that he wrote to one of the church he started in Corinth. With the coming of the Holy Spirit came many wonderful gifts listed here others in
Romans 12.3-8 The gifts of the Holy Spirit for the church. They are to be a display of the power of the Holy Spirit and the love of God for His Church and the world.
As with all the doctrines of the church in the Scriptures there is the possibility of error.
I believe we are in a time right now of great error. People who have followed the LORD for a long time are in danger of departing from the faith. They are dabbling with things spiritually that are outside the parameters of the Scriptures. The Bible is our guidebook for our spiritual life. There are seducing spirits today at work sent from Satan because he knows his time is short.
I Timothy 4.1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to (seducing spirits)deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons. Don’t be deceived!
Just As Paul penned this admonition and instruction to Timothy so he writes to the Corinthian church to correct any misgivings or misinformation concerning the gifts of the Holy Spirit. A number of times he uses the word “now.”
Three “nows”
Now= moreover
1. Understanding, Not Ignorance. v.1
Ignorant = not know, not understand, to err or be wrong by mistake or sin
We should know about the gifts of the Spirit.
The Scriptures are abundant.
Here
Romans 12.3-8
We should understand how they work.
Romans 12.4-6a
3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.
God distributed the gifts to you.
We have different gifts.
Don’t envy another’s gift.
A 14th century Christian whom the gifts of healing came through asked God at one point to take it away. People were coming only to be healed!
We should not make mistakes over and over again.
(I think that too often happens)
The second “now”
2. For the Common Good v.7
sympherÅ Symphony
an elaborate musical composition for full orchestra
The whole body, building it up, strengthening it
Each part does its work.
The gifts of the Holy Spirit after the building up of the body of Christ his church. Some are very obvious such as prophecy speaking forth His Word while some are done quietly and out of sight like the servants who drew the water at the wedding feast.
The gifts of the Holy Spirit are not for our glory. They should exalt Christ and build up His Body.
In this time when entertainment has invaded the church we need to be alert. His Spirit.
Compliments should be controlled. Criticism avoided. We have this treasure in jars of clay, some of us are cracked pots.
The third “now”
3. You are Part of the Body of Christ.
Holy Fellowship
Spiritual Relationships
His Hands, His feet here on the earth.
All of us have been given gifts, gifts of the Holy Spirit. God’s gifts are distributed to each one of us. We all have different gifts and those gifts express themselves differently for instance someone may have the gift of exhortation and they’ve got a outgoing personality that it will be expressed for the most part through the spoken word someone else might have a silent gift of exhortation and it comes across in writing notes.
I have watched when the Body, a local fellowship, the whole Body in a locale, the Body of Christ Worldwide (Bahamas now)... Errol Viera from Ozone Park and contributions all for His Glory... when this happens the church may have the gates of hell conspire against it but it is an unstoppable force. When the Body of Christ uses its gifts for His glory wonderful things happen.
It is thing of beauty and grace. It is attractive. People may criticize but we will hear Jesus saying about us, “Leave her alone. Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. She did what she could.”
4. Zealously Seek After The More Useful, More serviceable, More Advantageous, Excellent Gifts.
We are to ask the Lord for the Holy Spirit and will not He give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?
So when the need arises in our lives we can ask the LORD for a gift from His Spirit to address their needs.
Luke 11.11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
Matthew 7.11
If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!
The gift of faith
The gifts of healing
The Word of Wisdom
The gift of Helps
Serving
Encouraging
Giving
Showing mercy
Yes
Sunday, September 29, 2019
Truths About The LORD's Supper
Truths About The LORD’s Supper
I Corinthians 11.23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.
We are not talking about this per se
Transubstantiation
Consubstantiation
Symbols
I have taken the LORD’s Supper in all kind of churches and with all kinds of languages. I recognize it as symbolic of the Body and Blood of our LORD Jesus Christ. It is a sign that we are one Body at one table with the LORD.
We all have sets of standards for taking the LORD’s Supper.
First it is for believers
Second it is for sinners... a place of examining ourselves and confession
Our Asian brothers and sisters require that you be baptized first, Spanish follow this to a degree.
Witnessed this, very sweet
Some churches require you to be a member of that church, although many have moved to “open communion”.
Not really discussing that today.
There are scriptural truths right here. Truths about the LORD’s Supper.
Let’s look at them.
It is to be done with
1. Thanksgiving
eucharisteÅ Thanksgiving
I Corinthians 11.23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
Our Thanksgiving Day
tied in to our faith
He gave thanks for the bread. Of course He is the Bread of Heaven, the Bread of Life.
God will provide Himself Genesis 22.12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”
What was Jesus giving Thanks for in that prayer?
We know He gave thanks for food before.
John 6.10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). 11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks,and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
Paul writes to the Church at Ephesus, in Ephesians 5.25, “Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her.”
Jesus willingly, lovingly laid down His life for the Church. It could be that in that prayer at the Last Supper He was thanking God the Father that He had provided Himself a sacrifice.
The Passover was a bloody feast. Estimates by Josephus are that in the first century Jerusalem it would take 250,000 lambs to be slaughtered for the pilgrims that would come to celebrate the feast. The Creator could have very well been giving thanks for the fact that in His own words in about 18 hours, “It is finished.”
Back to the words spoken to Abraham on that same spot where Jesus died, the spot where he was willing to sacrifice Isaac, his only son, to the LORD.
14 So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”
Luke calls Adam, “the son of God” Luke 3.38
Genesis 2. 7 Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life,and the man became a living being.
Paul calls Jesus the second Adam Jesus is everything Adam was supposed to be. Adam did not have a mother. Jesus was born of a virgin without a human father.
So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being" the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven (1 Corinthians 15:45-48).
Abraham had Ishmael, the son of the flesh, Isaac, the son of the Spirit, supernaturally born.
Abraham could relate completely to God, your son, your only son
God had Adam, a son He created. Jesus was His only Son. He was one with Him. The LORD is one. He was not created. He has been with God, He is God. He became flesh to become a sacrifice for the sins of the world. To those who believe and follow Him they are the church. He loved the church and gave Himself up for the her.
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only, only begotten Son...
This is a meal of Thanksgiving to Almighty God for His Indescribable Gift.
Jesus Christ, the One and Only, the Holy One of God and the salvation He provided.
It is a very simple meal. Bread and Wine
The LORD’s Supper is also a time of
2. Remembrance
A reminder, an admonition
Think about it thoroughly.
It is a Memorial Feast.
Jesus instructed us to consider deeply His sacrifice on the cross for our sins.
I believe that is why He made it so it would be something we would touch with our Hands and take into our bodies.
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. I John 1.1
John 6.53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
His body broken
His blood shed
When we take the LORD’s Supper we focusing totally on His Body broken for us and His blood shed for us. We ought to be thinking about the scourging and and the crown of thrones and the cross as we take.
The cross shows us the horror of sin, our sin, the sin of the whole world.
Jesus spoke about His Father’s Coming Kingdom
3. His Second Coming
Proclaiming His Death
26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.
We hold in our Hands the symbols of His suffering.
Until
This is for this present time.
He comes
Revelation 19 speaks of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
Marriage between the Bride and the Bridegroom.
The church and Christ.
It seems that this will be some transformation of taking the LORD’s Supper as we know it.
Face to face.
I Corinthians 13. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
He will come again.
We do it with Thanksgiving, remembering His Death and looking forward to His coming again.
I Corinthians 11.23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.
We are not talking about this per se
Transubstantiation
Consubstantiation
Symbols
I have taken the LORD’s Supper in all kind of churches and with all kinds of languages. I recognize it as symbolic of the Body and Blood of our LORD Jesus Christ. It is a sign that we are one Body at one table with the LORD.
We all have sets of standards for taking the LORD’s Supper.
First it is for believers
Second it is for sinners... a place of examining ourselves and confession
Our Asian brothers and sisters require that you be baptized first, Spanish follow this to a degree.
Witnessed this, very sweet
Some churches require you to be a member of that church, although many have moved to “open communion”.
Not really discussing that today.
There are scriptural truths right here. Truths about the LORD’s Supper.
Let’s look at them.
It is to be done with
1. Thanksgiving
eucharisteÅ Thanksgiving
I Corinthians 11.23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
Our Thanksgiving Day
tied in to our faith
He gave thanks for the bread. Of course He is the Bread of Heaven, the Bread of Life.
God will provide Himself Genesis 22.12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”
What was Jesus giving Thanks for in that prayer?
We know He gave thanks for food before.
John 6.10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). 11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks,and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
Paul writes to the Church at Ephesus, in Ephesians 5.25, “Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her.”
Jesus willingly, lovingly laid down His life for the Church. It could be that in that prayer at the Last Supper He was thanking God the Father that He had provided Himself a sacrifice.
The Passover was a bloody feast. Estimates by Josephus are that in the first century Jerusalem it would take 250,000 lambs to be slaughtered for the pilgrims that would come to celebrate the feast. The Creator could have very well been giving thanks for the fact that in His own words in about 18 hours, “It is finished.”
Back to the words spoken to Abraham on that same spot where Jesus died, the spot where he was willing to sacrifice Isaac, his only son, to the LORD.
14 So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”
Luke calls Adam, “the son of God” Luke 3.38
Genesis 2. 7 Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life,and the man became a living being.
Paul calls Jesus the second Adam Jesus is everything Adam was supposed to be. Adam did not have a mother. Jesus was born of a virgin without a human father.
So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being" the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven (1 Corinthians 15:45-48).
Abraham had Ishmael, the son of the flesh, Isaac, the son of the Spirit, supernaturally born.
Abraham could relate completely to God, your son, your only son
God had Adam, a son He created. Jesus was His only Son. He was one with Him. The LORD is one. He was not created. He has been with God, He is God. He became flesh to become a sacrifice for the sins of the world. To those who believe and follow Him they are the church. He loved the church and gave Himself up for the her.
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only, only begotten Son...
This is a meal of Thanksgiving to Almighty God for His Indescribable Gift.
Jesus Christ, the One and Only, the Holy One of God and the salvation He provided.
It is a very simple meal. Bread and Wine
The LORD’s Supper is also a time of
2. Remembrance
A reminder, an admonition
Think about it thoroughly.
It is a Memorial Feast.
Jesus instructed us to consider deeply His sacrifice on the cross for our sins.
I believe that is why He made it so it would be something we would touch with our Hands and take into our bodies.
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. I John 1.1
John 6.53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
His body broken
His blood shed
When we take the LORD’s Supper we focusing totally on His Body broken for us and His blood shed for us. We ought to be thinking about the scourging and and the crown of thrones and the cross as we take.
The cross shows us the horror of sin, our sin, the sin of the whole world.
Jesus spoke about His Father’s Coming Kingdom
3. His Second Coming
Proclaiming His Death
26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.
We hold in our Hands the symbols of His suffering.
Until
This is for this present time.
He comes
Revelation 19 speaks of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
Marriage between the Bride and the Bridegroom.
The church and Christ.
It seems that this will be some transformation of taking the LORD’s Supper as we know it.
Face to face.
I Corinthians 13. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
He will come again.
We do it with Thanksgiving, remembering His Death and looking forward to His coming again.
Sunday, September 22, 2019
Listen To The Warnings
Listen To The Warnings!
I Corinthians 10.1 For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
6 Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.” 8 We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. 9 We should not test Christ, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. 10 And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.
11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. 12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
Listen to the warnings
My daughter, Theresa, told me that over the summer, she had met with a friend who has 2 children at the beach. There was a rip tide warning. There were yellow flags posted. Still, the lifeguards had to pull 6 people out of the water that day because they didn’t pay attention to the warnings. Paul is urging us in the passage to look out for certain sins, sins that can easily entangle God’s people. Israel is our example. We need to heed the warning.
The children of Israel
They enjoyed many spiritual blessings.
They also enjoyed many material blessings.
God was present. In the Pillar of Cloud by day and the Pillar of Fire by night. They could see these signs 24-7.
They got to see the evidence of God with them each day. He provided for all their needs. He took care of them. He parted the Sea, worked miracles and did what no one else could do, through the Desert. I have been across that desert in a Mercedes bus. Cannot imagine it on foot with children and animals and possessions. But He brought them across. They celebrate that every spring!
Verses one through four tell of the blessings. Similarities to our faith. Very similar!
Verse 5 Judgment because of sin among the people God blessed.
God had been good to this nation, His people.
6 Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did.
Watch out for these evil things, watch out if your heart is drawn to them.
Be on your guard. Watch over your soul.
I thought that us what Pastors are supposed to do. We are... but read the warning...
Acts 20. 28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which He bought with His own blood.
We are to all watch over our own souls.
Mark 13.33 Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”
Watch out for these specific sins of Israel on their journey to the Promised Land, of which they never got to.
1. Idolatry
a worshipper of false gods, a covetous man as a worshipper of Mammon
Houses, cars, money are be idols today.
Even position can be.
The iPhone 11 Pro is an idol. Not saying if you bought it it is an idol to you but it is to many... to those who waited overnight outside the Apple Store in the Walt Whitman Mall on Tuesday night.
I wrestled over a flat screen TV. It was going to be the first time I bought an appliance when the current one was still working fine. I walked away first time when I was ready to purchase it.
Status can be an idol.
Even Christian leaders can be... we are only servants
Anything that comes before the LORD is an idol.
2. Sexual Immorality
Hebrews 12.16 See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son.17 Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done.
Watch out for wolves in sheep’s clothing!
Warnings against the adulteress. Proverbs 5,6 and 7
A man who commits adultery lacks judgement Proverbs 6.32
Conscience, heart and soul
3. Testing the LORD
Complaining about His Care for us... not trusting His Promises when He has proved Himself faithful.
Psalm 95.7
Today, if only you would hear His voice,
8
“Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah,
as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness,
9
where your ancestors tested Me;
they tried me, though they had seen what I did.
10
For forty years I was angry with that generation;
I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray,
and they have not known My ways.’
11
So I declared on oath in My anger,
‘They shall never enter My rest.’”
Psalm 78.40-43 How often they rebelled against Him in the wilderness
and grieved Him in the wasteland!
41
Again and again they put God to the test;
they vexed the Holy One of Israel.
42
They did not remember His power—
the day He redeemed them from the oppressor,
43
the day He displayed His signs in Egypt,
His wonders in the region of Zoan
Testing the LORD. We are not to do this. God does not need to prove Himself. We prove Him as we trust Him. We grow in our faith
as we live by faith.
Another sin that is mentioned here is
4. Grumbling
Our faith will be tested. We will go through difficulties to obtain the promises of God. That is life in the middle. Waiting... and in the midst troubles.
We are going to have trouble. If your goal as a Christian is to have a trouble free life you are going to be frustrated. You are certainly not following Christ. Remember the words of Jesus... John 16.33 “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
It is so easy to find faults! We all have them!
Love covers a multitude of sins.
"Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world" (Phil. 2:14-15). "Be hospitable to one another without grumbling" (1 Pet. 4:9). It causes one to perish (1 Cor. 10:10).
5. Be Aware
12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!
We grow in Christ. We become mature in Him. We begin to realize that there are areas where we no longer struggle like we used to.
to stop, stand still, to stand immovable, stand firm, like the foundation of a building
Here is the danger. We are not exempted from falling until we are home. If we look at ourselves as being strong, standing firm we must be careful that we do not fall.
Guard your heart. It is the well spring of life.
I Corinthians 10.1 For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
6 Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.” 8 We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. 9 We should not test Christ, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. 10 And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.
11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. 12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
Listen to the warnings
My daughter, Theresa, told me that over the summer, she had met with a friend who has 2 children at the beach. There was a rip tide warning. There were yellow flags posted. Still, the lifeguards had to pull 6 people out of the water that day because they didn’t pay attention to the warnings. Paul is urging us in the passage to look out for certain sins, sins that can easily entangle God’s people. Israel is our example. We need to heed the warning.
The children of Israel
They enjoyed many spiritual blessings.
They also enjoyed many material blessings.
God was present. In the Pillar of Cloud by day and the Pillar of Fire by night. They could see these signs 24-7.
They got to see the evidence of God with them each day. He provided for all their needs. He took care of them. He parted the Sea, worked miracles and did what no one else could do, through the Desert. I have been across that desert in a Mercedes bus. Cannot imagine it on foot with children and animals and possessions. But He brought them across. They celebrate that every spring!
Verses one through four tell of the blessings. Similarities to our faith. Very similar!
Verse 5 Judgment because of sin among the people God blessed.
God had been good to this nation, His people.
6 Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did.
Watch out for these evil things, watch out if your heart is drawn to them.
Be on your guard. Watch over your soul.
I thought that us what Pastors are supposed to do. We are... but read the warning...
Acts 20. 28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which He bought with His own blood.
We are to all watch over our own souls.
Mark 13.33 Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”
Watch out for these specific sins of Israel on their journey to the Promised Land, of which they never got to.
1. Idolatry
a worshipper of false gods, a covetous man as a worshipper of Mammon
Houses, cars, money are be idols today.
Even position can be.
The iPhone 11 Pro is an idol. Not saying if you bought it it is an idol to you but it is to many... to those who waited overnight outside the Apple Store in the Walt Whitman Mall on Tuesday night.
I wrestled over a flat screen TV. It was going to be the first time I bought an appliance when the current one was still working fine. I walked away first time when I was ready to purchase it.
Status can be an idol.
Even Christian leaders can be... we are only servants
Anything that comes before the LORD is an idol.
2. Sexual Immorality
Hebrews 12.16 See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son.17 Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done.
Watch out for wolves in sheep’s clothing!
Warnings against the adulteress. Proverbs 5,6 and 7
A man who commits adultery lacks judgement Proverbs 6.32
Conscience, heart and soul
3. Testing the LORD
Complaining about His Care for us... not trusting His Promises when He has proved Himself faithful.
Psalm 95.7
Today, if only you would hear His voice,
8
“Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah,
as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness,
9
where your ancestors tested Me;
they tried me, though they had seen what I did.
10
For forty years I was angry with that generation;
I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray,
and they have not known My ways.’
11
So I declared on oath in My anger,
‘They shall never enter My rest.’”
Psalm 78.40-43 How often they rebelled against Him in the wilderness
and grieved Him in the wasteland!
41
Again and again they put God to the test;
they vexed the Holy One of Israel.
42
They did not remember His power—
the day He redeemed them from the oppressor,
43
the day He displayed His signs in Egypt,
His wonders in the region of Zoan
Testing the LORD. We are not to do this. God does not need to prove Himself. We prove Him as we trust Him. We grow in our faith
as we live by faith.
Another sin that is mentioned here is
4. Grumbling
Our faith will be tested. We will go through difficulties to obtain the promises of God. That is life in the middle. Waiting... and in the midst troubles.
We are going to have trouble. If your goal as a Christian is to have a trouble free life you are going to be frustrated. You are certainly not following Christ. Remember the words of Jesus... John 16.33 “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
It is so easy to find faults! We all have them!
Love covers a multitude of sins.
"Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world" (Phil. 2:14-15). "Be hospitable to one another without grumbling" (1 Pet. 4:9). It causes one to perish (1 Cor. 10:10).
5. Be Aware
12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!
We grow in Christ. We become mature in Him. We begin to realize that there are areas where we no longer struggle like we used to.
to stop, stand still, to stand immovable, stand firm, like the foundation of a building
Here is the danger. We are not exempted from falling until we are home. If we look at ourselves as being strong, standing firm we must be careful that we do not fall.
Guard your heart. It is the well spring of life.
Sunday, September 15, 2019
People need the LORD
People Need The LORD!
I Corinthians 6.9 Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
With all the sin in the world, in our nation, around us we can become easily withdrawn. It is also possible for the church to become ingrown, not wanting to allow people close who need the Savior. It is hard to watch sin in action. It is hard to see people inflict pain on themselves. It hurts to see souls destroy themselves. Some situations today have no visible solution if people do come.
Jarrid Wilson, assistant pastor of Harvest Fellowship of Riverside, CA took his life this week. He is the second “high profile” pastor to do this in recent days. Please, please, please pray for Pastors! Especially the younger ones. There is a lot emotional pressure as well as spiritual pressure on pastors today. People’s lives are so messed up with sin. It is overwhelming to lead a flock today. Sin has taken a toll on people.
We can feel awkward in the presence of those who do not believe.
We wish we didn’t have to even know about sinful living, no less watch the nation move away from God.
Habakkuk 1.3
Why do you make me look at injustice?
Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?
Destruction and violence are before me;
there is strife, and conflict abounds.
This morning we are going to look at truths which we can forget as we contend with sin in this world.
We are in a spiritual battle. Sometimes it with with the enemy. Some of it is over the lost, those without Jesus, living in sin.
To the church at Corinth Paul wrote about those who were living in sin, And that is what some of you were
We need to reach these people listed here. They need Christ! They are our mission field. We need to pray for their salvation more than we are disgusted by their sin.
Jesus reached out to prostitutes and demon possessed people. He changed them. That is what they were. He transformed them. He did not indulge them.
We look at some of these situations today and we wonder how can this be made right? We must not forget we are people of Hope!
It's like in the great stories Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were, and sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy. How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad happened. But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something. Even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back only they didn’t. Because they were holding on to something.
Frodo : What are we holding on to, Sam?
Sam : That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it’s worth fighting for.
The ninety nine and the one lost sheep in Luke 15.1-7
The Prodigal Son in the same chapter.
We are looking at Biblical Truths on how we should view and interact with the lost.
1. Sinners Need The Saviour.
Luke 19.10 “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Zacchaeus Luke 19
Nicodemus John 3
The Woman at the Well John 4
Sinners are the victims of the enemy, not the enemy.
11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
All teachable moments for the church.
Lost in sin.
Bitten by the serpent.
Bound by the enemy.
Frustration by Fulton J. Sheen
Mark 5.1-20
1. What Sin Did To Him
* It defiled him.
* It divided him.
2. What Society Did To Him
* It banished him
* It bound him
3. What The Saviour Did For Him
* He cleaned him up
* He sent him home
In need of Jesus.
Everyone needs God.
Everyone needs forgiveness.
God has placed eternity in the hearts of men. Ecclesiastes 3.11
2. We Must Pray For The Lost.
They are lost in sin.
Rescue the perishing... Bring them to Jesus.
Fanny Crosby’s story about this hymn
Prodigals
LORD, Bring back the prodigal sons and daughters!
Ephesians 6.19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
Pharisee and Tax collector in the temple
Luke 19.9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fasttwice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
3. Tough Mind Towards Sin/ Tender Heart Toward The Sinner
We cannot compromise with sin.
Romans 6.1What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
We are not helping people when we condone their sinful life styles.
We are hurting the next generation when we excuse sin.
We are not to condemn them either. This is walking a tight rope. It is called Grace. It is amazing!
John 3.17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.
John 12.47 For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.
If we judge or we condemn we are missing the mark. Let’s be like Jesus, full of Grace and Truth.
Balance, too much tenderness we will condone sin.
Too much toughness we will condemn the sinner. Both are wrong. Jesus is the Answer
Jesus came from the Father full of grace and truth. He offered hope to everyone. We follow Him when we do the same.
4. Pray
We pray for people to be healed and we should.
We need to pray more for people to come to Christ and be saved.
Matthew 10.28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Pray that the Holy Spirit will draw them.
John 6.44
"No one can come to Me unless the Father Who sent Me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.”
Pray they will listen to the invitation from Christ.
People need the LORD.A
I Corinthians 6.9 Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
With all the sin in the world, in our nation, around us we can become easily withdrawn. It is also possible for the church to become ingrown, not wanting to allow people close who need the Savior. It is hard to watch sin in action. It is hard to see people inflict pain on themselves. It hurts to see souls destroy themselves. Some situations today have no visible solution if people do come.
Jarrid Wilson, assistant pastor of Harvest Fellowship of Riverside, CA took his life this week. He is the second “high profile” pastor to do this in recent days. Please, please, please pray for Pastors! Especially the younger ones. There is a lot emotional pressure as well as spiritual pressure on pastors today. People’s lives are so messed up with sin. It is overwhelming to lead a flock today. Sin has taken a toll on people.
We can feel awkward in the presence of those who do not believe.
We wish we didn’t have to even know about sinful living, no less watch the nation move away from God.
Habakkuk 1.3
Why do you make me look at injustice?
Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?
Destruction and violence are before me;
there is strife, and conflict abounds.
This morning we are going to look at truths which we can forget as we contend with sin in this world.
We are in a spiritual battle. Sometimes it with with the enemy. Some of it is over the lost, those without Jesus, living in sin.
To the church at Corinth Paul wrote about those who were living in sin, And that is what some of you were
We need to reach these people listed here. They need Christ! They are our mission field. We need to pray for their salvation more than we are disgusted by their sin.
Jesus reached out to prostitutes and demon possessed people. He changed them. That is what they were. He transformed them. He did not indulge them.
We look at some of these situations today and we wonder how can this be made right? We must not forget we are people of Hope!
It's like in the great stories Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were, and sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy. How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad happened. But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something. Even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back only they didn’t. Because they were holding on to something.
Frodo : What are we holding on to, Sam?
Sam : That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it’s worth fighting for.
The ninety nine and the one lost sheep in Luke 15.1-7
The Prodigal Son in the same chapter.
We are looking at Biblical Truths on how we should view and interact with the lost.
1. Sinners Need The Saviour.
Luke 19.10 “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Zacchaeus Luke 19
Nicodemus John 3
The Woman at the Well John 4
Sinners are the victims of the enemy, not the enemy.
11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
All teachable moments for the church.
Lost in sin.
Bitten by the serpent.
Bound by the enemy.
Frustration by Fulton J. Sheen
Mark 5.1-20
1. What Sin Did To Him
* It defiled him.
* It divided him.
2. What Society Did To Him
* It banished him
* It bound him
3. What The Saviour Did For Him
* He cleaned him up
* He sent him home
In need of Jesus.
Everyone needs God.
Everyone needs forgiveness.
God has placed eternity in the hearts of men. Ecclesiastes 3.11
2. We Must Pray For The Lost.
They are lost in sin.
Rescue the perishing... Bring them to Jesus.
Fanny Crosby’s story about this hymn
Prodigals
LORD, Bring back the prodigal sons and daughters!
Ephesians 6.19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
Pharisee and Tax collector in the temple
Luke 19.9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fasttwice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
3. Tough Mind Towards Sin/ Tender Heart Toward The Sinner
We cannot compromise with sin.
Romans 6.1What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
We are not helping people when we condone their sinful life styles.
We are hurting the next generation when we excuse sin.
We are not to condemn them either. This is walking a tight rope. It is called Grace. It is amazing!
John 3.17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.
John 12.47 For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.
If we judge or we condemn we are missing the mark. Let’s be like Jesus, full of Grace and Truth.
Balance, too much tenderness we will condone sin.
Too much toughness we will condemn the sinner. Both are wrong. Jesus is the Answer
Jesus came from the Father full of grace and truth. He offered hope to everyone. We follow Him when we do the same.
4. Pray
We pray for people to be healed and we should.
We need to pray more for people to come to Christ and be saved.
Matthew 10.28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Pray that the Holy Spirit will draw them.
John 6.44
"No one can come to Me unless the Father Who sent Me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.”
Pray they will listen to the invitation from Christ.
People need the LORD.A
Sunday, August 18, 2019
Watch What You Boast About
Watch What You Boast Over
I Corinthians 5.6 Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? 7 Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
I John 2.16 For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
Remember last week we quoted:
Psalm 34.2 My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad.
Galatians 6.14 May I never boast except in the cross of our LORD Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
Boast=
I Corinthians 5.6 Glorying in something
Galatians 6.14 same word
Psalm 34.2 halal to shine forth light, to shine with God’s favor
Opposite of boasting is the state of humility.
Proverbs 11.2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.
Foolish pride /Humble wisdom
We are told:
In Ephesians 4.2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
Humility=
Having a deep sense of one’s moral littleness
Modesty, lowliness of mind
Servants must be humble
The Corinthian Church was boasting over men. Paul and Apollos.
They were boasting over their wisdom.
They were boasting about how open minded they were about a sexual sinful situation!
1. No More Boasting!
About men, wisdom or sin!
Men
I follow this one. I just love this guy’s preaching. Focused on the servant not the Master and LORD.
I Corinthians 3.5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task.
Yesterday I made the mistake of telling Yelssy what a great job she is doing. She said, “Pastor Larry, it is not me. It is the LORD!”
She got me. I should have known better. Whatever is gain for me I count it loss for the sake of Christ. Forbid it LORD that I should gain save in the death of Christ my LORD.
Wisdom
Everyone want to know the secret of life.
How to be happy, content, rich, healthy. What will bring peace. They did back in Biblical Times. They do today.
The Greek Philosophers were in every city. Corinth had them.
Paul spoke about them:
I Corinthians 3.18 Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age,you should become “fools” so that you may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”; 20 and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”
Sin:
The problem in this chapter is that a person was living in sin and the Church was proud.
I Corinthians 5.1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife. 2 And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this?
Proud= inflate, swell, puff up
They were bragging about how open they were... how accepting they were... of sin!!!
The problem was that the church wanted to impress the city of Corinth, a center of philosophy. So they let sin go on in the church and then were proud how advanced they were, how accepting they were, how far ahead they were, not only among the churches but also among the philosophers.
They were thinking and probably saying among themselves, “No one will accuse us of being closed or narrow minded.” We will be out ahead of the current thought trend.
Far too often the church, in an attempt to be contemporary, compromises. We cannot go against the Word of God. We cannot go “beyond what is written.” I Corinthians 4.6
The Scriptures are our guide. They are our borders. Live within them and you will experience the rich full life of Christ within you.
Live outside of them and you will inflict pain on yourself and those you love.
Paul rebuked them and wrote, and of a kind (sexual immorality)that even pagans do not tolerate!
No more boasting about what we have (what do have that we didn’t receive?) or what we have done... without Me, Jesus told us, we can do nothing.
This is a great challenge for us in America. We do not depend on the LORD like our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world where they have no reserves, they feel and experience the need to depend on the LORD for their daily bread. We need to cultivate that dependency upon Jesus.
* Discipline ourselves to think about how very blessed we are and give thanks to the LORD.
* Stick our necks out.
2. Boast in the Cross of Jesus Christ
Your boasting is not good. There is good boasting
Our Passover Lamb
Unleavened Bread= Get rid of sin among you
What does leaven or yeast do? It puffs the bread up.
Sin and pride do the same thing.
Paul is speaking about the Passover Feast and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, both pointing to Jesus.
The Feast of Unleavened Bread is a feast that is generally mistaken for Passover. Passover however is only one 24 hour period while Feast of Unleavened Bread lasts for seven days.
On the evening after Passover God told the Hebrew people exiting Egypt not to allow their bread to rise, but to grab everything and leave. The ancient peoples used to gather yeast on grape leaves to leaven their bread if they needed to speed up the process, but God said "Don't even let any leavening touch the dough. Just bake it and go."
In their haste they grabbed the necessities and fled toward the land God was preparing for them.
God then told them that in the future they were to commemorate this feast by getting all yeast out of the house for seven days.
Paul is talking about the cross, the cross of Christ.
Focus on Christ!
I Corinthians 2.1 When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
Galatians 6.14 May I never boast except in the cross of our LORD Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
3. Boast In the LORD.
Think about His Love.
The Father has lavished His love upon us.
I John 3.1 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!
Think about His Grace.
The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
I Timothy 1.14
Think about His Mercy.
His forgiveness
Think about His Return.
We need to do that more.
Mark 13.32 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard! Be alert[e]! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”
Think About The End of Our Time
Luke 12.16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
I Corinthians 5.6 Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? 7 Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
I John 2.16 For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
Remember last week we quoted:
Psalm 34.2 My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad.
Galatians 6.14 May I never boast except in the cross of our LORD Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
Boast=
I Corinthians 5.6 Glorying in something
Galatians 6.14 same word
Psalm 34.2 halal to shine forth light, to shine with God’s favor
Opposite of boasting is the state of humility.
Proverbs 11.2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.
Foolish pride /Humble wisdom
We are told:
In Ephesians 4.2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
Humility=
Having a deep sense of one’s moral littleness
Modesty, lowliness of mind
Servants must be humble
The Corinthian Church was boasting over men. Paul and Apollos.
They were boasting over their wisdom.
They were boasting about how open minded they were about a sexual sinful situation!
1. No More Boasting!
About men, wisdom or sin!
Men
I follow this one. I just love this guy’s preaching. Focused on the servant not the Master and LORD.
I Corinthians 3.5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task.
Yesterday I made the mistake of telling Yelssy what a great job she is doing. She said, “Pastor Larry, it is not me. It is the LORD!”
She got me. I should have known better. Whatever is gain for me I count it loss for the sake of Christ. Forbid it LORD that I should gain save in the death of Christ my LORD.
Wisdom
Everyone want to know the secret of life.
How to be happy, content, rich, healthy. What will bring peace. They did back in Biblical Times. They do today.
The Greek Philosophers were in every city. Corinth had them.
Paul spoke about them:
I Corinthians 3.18 Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age,you should become “fools” so that you may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”; 20 and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”
Sin:
The problem in this chapter is that a person was living in sin and the Church was proud.
I Corinthians 5.1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife. 2 And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this?
Proud= inflate, swell, puff up
They were bragging about how open they were... how accepting they were... of sin!!!
The problem was that the church wanted to impress the city of Corinth, a center of philosophy. So they let sin go on in the church and then were proud how advanced they were, how accepting they were, how far ahead they were, not only among the churches but also among the philosophers.
They were thinking and probably saying among themselves, “No one will accuse us of being closed or narrow minded.” We will be out ahead of the current thought trend.
Far too often the church, in an attempt to be contemporary, compromises. We cannot go against the Word of God. We cannot go “beyond what is written.” I Corinthians 4.6
The Scriptures are our guide. They are our borders. Live within them and you will experience the rich full life of Christ within you.
Live outside of them and you will inflict pain on yourself and those you love.
Paul rebuked them and wrote, and of a kind (sexual immorality)that even pagans do not tolerate!
No more boasting about what we have (what do have that we didn’t receive?) or what we have done... without Me, Jesus told us, we can do nothing.
This is a great challenge for us in America. We do not depend on the LORD like our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world where they have no reserves, they feel and experience the need to depend on the LORD for their daily bread. We need to cultivate that dependency upon Jesus.
* Discipline ourselves to think about how very blessed we are and give thanks to the LORD.
* Stick our necks out.
2. Boast in the Cross of Jesus Christ
Your boasting is not good. There is good boasting
Our Passover Lamb
Unleavened Bread= Get rid of sin among you
What does leaven or yeast do? It puffs the bread up.
Sin and pride do the same thing.
Paul is speaking about the Passover Feast and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, both pointing to Jesus.
The Feast of Unleavened Bread is a feast that is generally mistaken for Passover. Passover however is only one 24 hour period while Feast of Unleavened Bread lasts for seven days.
On the evening after Passover God told the Hebrew people exiting Egypt not to allow their bread to rise, but to grab everything and leave. The ancient peoples used to gather yeast on grape leaves to leaven their bread if they needed to speed up the process, but God said "Don't even let any leavening touch the dough. Just bake it and go."
In their haste they grabbed the necessities and fled toward the land God was preparing for them.
God then told them that in the future they were to commemorate this feast by getting all yeast out of the house for seven days.
Paul is talking about the cross, the cross of Christ.
Focus on Christ!
I Corinthians 2.1 When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
Galatians 6.14 May I never boast except in the cross of our LORD Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
3. Boast In the LORD.
Think about His Love.
The Father has lavished His love upon us.
I John 3.1 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!
Think about His Grace.
The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
I Timothy 1.14
Think about His Mercy.
His forgiveness
Think about His Return.
We need to do that more.
Mark 13.32 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard! Be alert[e]! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”
Think About The End of Our Time
Luke 12.16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
Sunday, August 4, 2019
Servants of God
Servants of God
I Corinthians 3.5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the LORD has assigned to each his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. 9 For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.
This may be a difficult message to receive for some, especially if they are wrestling with pride. We like to think we are something.
Jesus tells us, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” John 15.5
I think we throw the term servant around today without knowing much about it. We have hired help today whether it is landscapers, or house cleaners or the like.
First of all these are jobs. A servant had no life of his own. He belonged to someone else.
I have seen a form of servants in Haiti. The poor people will give their children to wealthy people in exchange for food and a place to stay. I have seen the servants quarters. They are at the beckon call of the master. Their lives are governed by another. Literally their lives are not their own. They rise before dawn and sometimes work late into the night.
Servants do the dirty work like taking out the trash, cleaning the bathrooms, etc.
Being God's servant is an honorable position. Throughout the New Testament, the word bondservant or servant is applied to someone absolutely devoted to Jesus. Paul, Timothy, James, Peter, and Jude all describe themselves as “bondservants of Christ” Every task takes on dignity if it is done for Jesus.
Bondservant= willing after a debt was paid staying on as a servant, it enhanced and advanced the relationship with the Master.
Servants of God...
First look at this word Paul uses to put servants of God in perspective.
1. Only servants v.5
It is human nature to have an affinity toward certain pastors and ministers of the Gospel. There are certain ones I can listen to and receive something each time.
Ron Posey’s statement, not my preference but who cares if God uses him to help our church?
The Corinthians carried this way too far. They began to elevate ministers, servants. It was inappropriate. It was wrong. You can tell how worldly or spiritual minded a person is by whether or not they put servants on a pedestal.
We have almost lost sight of what it means to be a servant in the church, particularly among pastors. Servant Leadership is a buzzword. You want to see the epitome of Servant Leadership? Look at Jesus in the Upper Room, washing the feet of His Disciples! John 13 More about that in a moment.
This whole idea of leadership bothers me. It is a spiritual gift for the church. It has nearly replaced the concept of the Pastor as a shepherd of the flock. I love my cousin’s husband, Herman, Dr. Herman Wapelhorst, “Larry, how’s the flock?” He knows. He gets it.
Programs, strategies, vision all have a place, a little place in the Kingdom. The church has elevated these things to the point of intoxication today so that a young “successful” pastor told me recently, “I really don’t like people.” If that is the case then go into business or some profession because you are not a shepherd.
The big issue of this section of scripture is elevating the human element far beyond what it supposed to be. That is precisely what they were doing in the Corinthian Church. I am not sure they even realized it.
Paul had to write to them and say we are only servants. Without that understanding men are elevated. When someone is elevated they can get the wrong impression of themselves. Romans 12.3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.
The danger of treating servants of God for more than they are can make people feel that they are above the possibility of error.
There is only One Who is perfect. He is the LORD. Elevating servants as we see in this passage takes our eyes off the LORD and puts them on others. 21 So then, no more boasting about human leaders! All things are yours, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, 23 and you are of Christ,and Christ is of God.
It is the LORD. It is God. It is all about God. He makes the seed to grow. We plant and water it. That is our part.
When we have done our part...
2. Jesus Put Servanthood In Perspective.
Luke 17.10 So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”
That speaks to my heart and soul. Who do we think we are?!
We talk about worth of some of God’s servants that actually make me nauseous, what they have given up to serve Jesus, etc.
Meanwhile where is God in all of this? God help us. We have moved far beyond His Word today. Jesus is the One!
7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.
Greatness is God’s Kingdom is in being the servant of all.
Matthew 23.11 The greatest among you will be your servant.
Mark 9.35 Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all."
He was going to demonstrate this when He showed them the full extent of His love.
These statements by Jesus were so opposite of the contemporary thought. The disciples argued over who would be the greatest. They vied for the position of sitting on His right and His left.
Mark 10.35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want You to do for us whatever we ask.”
36 “What do you want Me to do for you?” he asked.
37 They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in Your glory.”
38 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”
39 “We can,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, 40 but to sit at My right or left is not for Me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”
To be a servant was the furthest thing from their minds. On the contrary they dreamed of having servants and being part of the Kingdom on earth they thought Jesus was going to set up. I have read some Bible Commentaries where the writers believe no one in that upper room wanted to be the servant and wash feet. This was a common tradition and courtesy. This opened up the way for Jesus to do it. He knew their hearts and He knows ours!
We were reading about this in the Discipleship Group on Thursday night. The account of Simon the Pharisee and the sinful woman and Jesus.
Luke 7.44 Then He turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give Me any water for My feet, but she wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.
One of the spiritual battles we face is just this. We are in the Kingdom of God, serving in the Kingdom of God. Yet our lives are lived on the earth. We wrestle against not against flesh and blood. Our battle is with principalities and power, of spiritual forces of darkness in the heavenly realms. We must submit to the cross. We must follow Jesus’ example as a servant. We must embrace the cross and our standing as servants. It is not something we do. It is who we are!
3. Jesus Set An Example of Servanthood Because He Was A Servant.
The Basin and the Towel
The dirt off the feet. The odors.
The lowest servant in a household would do this.
John 13.15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master,nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
The most distasteful tasks are dignified if they are done for Jesus.
Servants rise early and sometimes stay up late if necessary. They overlook inconveniences.
Recently I have been picking up the trash each day around the church. I used to grumble about how people are slobs. Now, I realize I am doing it for Jesus, to make the grounds dedicated to Him, beautiful. I ride my bike and stop where there is trash and pick it up, then take it to the dumpster and place it in there.
Be encouraged you servants of the LORD.
Keep serving!
Serve the LORD with gladness! Psalm 100.2
Lots of joy!
And trials...
II Corinthians 6:4–5: “As servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings . . . ” If you were beaten for Jesus, I would like to know who you are. Come up and tell me, “I was beaten for Jesus,” and I will bow down and give thanks for you and your faith.
Servants of God...
That is all we are.
Jesus is our example.
Servant
I Corinthians 3.5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the LORD has assigned to each his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. 9 For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.
This may be a difficult message to receive for some, especially if they are wrestling with pride. We like to think we are something.
Jesus tells us, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” John 15.5
I think we throw the term servant around today without knowing much about it. We have hired help today whether it is landscapers, or house cleaners or the like.
First of all these are jobs. A servant had no life of his own. He belonged to someone else.
I have seen a form of servants in Haiti. The poor people will give their children to wealthy people in exchange for food and a place to stay. I have seen the servants quarters. They are at the beckon call of the master. Their lives are governed by another. Literally their lives are not their own. They rise before dawn and sometimes work late into the night.
Servants do the dirty work like taking out the trash, cleaning the bathrooms, etc.
Being God's servant is an honorable position. Throughout the New Testament, the word bondservant or servant is applied to someone absolutely devoted to Jesus. Paul, Timothy, James, Peter, and Jude all describe themselves as “bondservants of Christ” Every task takes on dignity if it is done for Jesus.
Bondservant= willing after a debt was paid staying on as a servant, it enhanced and advanced the relationship with the Master.
Servants of God...
First look at this word Paul uses to put servants of God in perspective.
1. Only servants v.5
It is human nature to have an affinity toward certain pastors and ministers of the Gospel. There are certain ones I can listen to and receive something each time.
Ron Posey’s statement, not my preference but who cares if God uses him to help our church?
The Corinthians carried this way too far. They began to elevate ministers, servants. It was inappropriate. It was wrong. You can tell how worldly or spiritual minded a person is by whether or not they put servants on a pedestal.
We have almost lost sight of what it means to be a servant in the church, particularly among pastors. Servant Leadership is a buzzword. You want to see the epitome of Servant Leadership? Look at Jesus in the Upper Room, washing the feet of His Disciples! John 13 More about that in a moment.
This whole idea of leadership bothers me. It is a spiritual gift for the church. It has nearly replaced the concept of the Pastor as a shepherd of the flock. I love my cousin’s husband, Herman, Dr. Herman Wapelhorst, “Larry, how’s the flock?” He knows. He gets it.
Programs, strategies, vision all have a place, a little place in the Kingdom. The church has elevated these things to the point of intoxication today so that a young “successful” pastor told me recently, “I really don’t like people.” If that is the case then go into business or some profession because you are not a shepherd.
The big issue of this section of scripture is elevating the human element far beyond what it supposed to be. That is precisely what they were doing in the Corinthian Church. I am not sure they even realized it.
Paul had to write to them and say we are only servants. Without that understanding men are elevated. When someone is elevated they can get the wrong impression of themselves. Romans 12.3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.
The danger of treating servants of God for more than they are can make people feel that they are above the possibility of error.
There is only One Who is perfect. He is the LORD. Elevating servants as we see in this passage takes our eyes off the LORD and puts them on others. 21 So then, no more boasting about human leaders! All things are yours, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, 23 and you are of Christ,and Christ is of God.
It is the LORD. It is God. It is all about God. He makes the seed to grow. We plant and water it. That is our part.
When we have done our part...
2. Jesus Put Servanthood In Perspective.
Luke 17.10 So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”
That speaks to my heart and soul. Who do we think we are?!
We talk about worth of some of God’s servants that actually make me nauseous, what they have given up to serve Jesus, etc.
Meanwhile where is God in all of this? God help us. We have moved far beyond His Word today. Jesus is the One!
7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.
Greatness is God’s Kingdom is in being the servant of all.
Matthew 23.11 The greatest among you will be your servant.
Mark 9.35 Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all."
He was going to demonstrate this when He showed them the full extent of His love.
These statements by Jesus were so opposite of the contemporary thought. The disciples argued over who would be the greatest. They vied for the position of sitting on His right and His left.
Mark 10.35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want You to do for us whatever we ask.”
36 “What do you want Me to do for you?” he asked.
37 They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in Your glory.”
38 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”
39 “We can,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, 40 but to sit at My right or left is not for Me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”
To be a servant was the furthest thing from their minds. On the contrary they dreamed of having servants and being part of the Kingdom on earth they thought Jesus was going to set up. I have read some Bible Commentaries where the writers believe no one in that upper room wanted to be the servant and wash feet. This was a common tradition and courtesy. This opened up the way for Jesus to do it. He knew their hearts and He knows ours!
We were reading about this in the Discipleship Group on Thursday night. The account of Simon the Pharisee and the sinful woman and Jesus.
Luke 7.44 Then He turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give Me any water for My feet, but she wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.
One of the spiritual battles we face is just this. We are in the Kingdom of God, serving in the Kingdom of God. Yet our lives are lived on the earth. We wrestle against not against flesh and blood. Our battle is with principalities and power, of spiritual forces of darkness in the heavenly realms. We must submit to the cross. We must follow Jesus’ example as a servant. We must embrace the cross and our standing as servants. It is not something we do. It is who we are!
3. Jesus Set An Example of Servanthood Because He Was A Servant.
The Basin and the Towel
The dirt off the feet. The odors.
The lowest servant in a household would do this.
John 13.15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master,nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
The most distasteful tasks are dignified if they are done for Jesus.
Servants rise early and sometimes stay up late if necessary. They overlook inconveniences.
Recently I have been picking up the trash each day around the church. I used to grumble about how people are slobs. Now, I realize I am doing it for Jesus, to make the grounds dedicated to Him, beautiful. I ride my bike and stop where there is trash and pick it up, then take it to the dumpster and place it in there.
Be encouraged you servants of the LORD.
Keep serving!
Serve the LORD with gladness! Psalm 100.2
Lots of joy!
And trials...
II Corinthians 6:4–5: “As servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings . . . ” If you were beaten for Jesus, I would like to know who you are. Come up and tell me, “I was beaten for Jesus,” and I will bow down and give thanks for you and your faith.
Servants of God...
That is all we are.
Jesus is our example.
Servant
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