Latest / Cumberland Trace Church of Christ (Formerly Lehman Ave Church of Christ) / "The Bible Tells Me So" by Hiram Kemp

Transcript

"The Bible Tells Me So" by Hiram Kemp · Cumberland Trace Church of Christ (Formerly Lehman Ave Church of Christ)

0:05
Karl Barth was known as the famous Swiss theologian. His most
0:09
famous work is his commentary on the book of Romans. In 1962,
0:13
Barth was lecturing throughout the United States, and in one of the lectures that he
0:17
was giving, a student interrupted him at the end when they were doing question and
0:21
answers and said, Mr. Barth, can you summarize your entire theological
0:24
belief system in a sentence? And Barth thought for a
0:28
minute and then he responded, yes, I can. I can do it with the song
0:31
that my mother taught me when I used to sit on her knee.
0:35
Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells
0:39
me so. People were, as you might imagine,
0:42
surprised. They were shocked, looking maybe for something more deep, more profound,
0:46
something more enlightening, but Barth summarized it with that hymn,
0:49
that children's hymn written from the 19th century that was initially
0:53
a poem, and he says, Here's what my entire theological system boils
0:57
down to: the Bible says it, that settles it,
1:01
and that's enough for me. And I guess the question every one of us
1:05
has to ask ourselves is, is that it? Is it that simple that a person
1:08
can simply accept the Bible's teaching, accept what God has said,
1:12
and can that really be enough? Can you really have a deep spiritual
1:16
relationship with God? Can you be spiritually whole and healthy with a
1:20
mindset that simply says God's Word says this, that settles
1:24
it, and as a result, I believe it. On the surface, it could
1:27
seem like this response to theological spiritual questions is kind
1:31
of a scapegoat. People ask you things and you simply respond with,
1:34
well, this is what the Bible says and that's what I believe. It can seem
1:37
like a way of trying to get around deep thinking, trying to get around the
1:41
hard and the rigorous work. But if you actually think about what's being said in
1:45
that statement, and even in the song that we just sung a moment ago,
1:48
It's actually the deepest and the truest answer that anybody can
1:51
give. The Bible says this, that settles
1:56
it, and I believe it. Nobody should simply accept the
2:00
Bible and its authoritative claims simply because the Bible says it. We should
2:04
read and study the Bible. We should examine it and see if it can hold
2:07
up to scrutiny and actually measure up to divine authenticity.
2:12
And when you do that, here's what you find. The Bible claims to be inspired
2:15
of God, 2 Timothy 3:16. 14 through 17. The Bible
2:19
possesses supernatural knowledge that only individuals could possess
2:23
if God himself had given it to them. Genesis 1:1-31.
2:27
There's a high moral ethic in the Bible unsurpassed by anything else
2:31
in all the world and all of literature. Matthew chapter 7 and verse 12.
2:35
There's predictive prophecy. Isaiah 44 and verse 28 through
2:38
chapter 45 and verse 1. And then there's amazing unity in
2:42
the Bible. Psalm 119 and 160. The Bible does
2:45
bear the marks of being a book unlike the best books on the New York
2:49
Times bestseller list, but it bears the mark of a book that's come to us
2:53
from God. And if that's true, then every decision we make that the
2:56
Bible speaks to and is relevant towards, it should be enough for us to simply
3:01
say, I believe this and this is the direction I'm going in simply because
3:05
the Bible tells me so. It'll help us.
3:08
It'll answer the deepest questions that unsettle us as individuals and really
3:13
upend our society as a whole. Questions like, what is true?
3:17
Or what's wrong with the world? And more importantly, what's wrong with me? How can
3:21
I be saved if I can be? And how can I know it? What does
3:24
God require of me in response to that? And how do I fulfill
3:28
God's will for my life? All of those questions and many others
3:31
are fulfilled by accepting the Bible as it is in truth,
3:35
the Word of God, 1 Thessalonians 2 and verse 13, and then being
3:39
able to follow that up with whatever the Bible says That settles it
3:43
for me. I accept it and I believe it.
3:46
In order to do this, you've got to be both honest and courageous,
3:50
because as you start thinking through some of the points we're going to make this
3:53
morning, it won't be enough to say, this is what I wish the Bible said,
3:57
or this is what I've been taught that the Bible said, or this is what
4:00
I've always been told that the Bible said. We've got to be honest enough to
4:03
say, here's what the Bible actually tells me, and then we've
4:07
got to be bold and courageous enough to simply accept it and to launch out
4:11
and do it. The Bible tells us many things, but here are some of the
4:13
things specifically that we can believe and trust because
4:17
the Bible tells us it's so. Here's number 1: truth doesn't change.
4:21
You can trust the truth and the reality that's given to you in Scripture simply
4:26
because the Bible tells us so. Psalm 119 and verse
4:30
152, the psalmist says, from of old I've learned from your testimonies that
4:34
your word is established forever. Psalm 119 and verse
4:37
89, the psalmist says, forever, O Lord, your word is firmly
4:41
fixed in the heavens. The Bible is not always changing and updating.
4:45
Instead, reality, the truest and deepest reality,
4:48
is forever fixed. And truth is God has given it to us in Scripture.
4:52
And in all the circumstances and situations that the Bible touches
4:55
on, it remains unchanged for all time.
4:59
You think about how often we use our phones, our tablets, our computers,
5:02
and how often we're refreshing things, whether it's our email whether it's a news
5:06
app, whether it's ESPN, whether it's text messaging, we're constantly
5:10
refreshing, especially when we hope and desire to receive some sort of new information.
5:15
When we want to get some news across or get something from someone else
5:19
that we're anticipating. God's promise to you and me in the Bible,
5:22
and this is great news, is you're never going to open up your Bible,
5:26
whether it's on your phone or on your tablet or a paper copy, and read
5:30
these words, the Bible's currently updating information. Your app may be updating,
5:34
but the information that's contained in Scripture It's forever fixed.
5:38
The grass withers and the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands
5:42
forever. Isaiah 40:8. That's great news
5:45
for us because in a world of constant refreshing, God tells us that
5:50
true and ultimate reality is based on a fixed standard that's
5:54
never going to change. It's never going to need to be updated, and it's never
5:58
going to be altered. Jesus would say in Matthew 24:35,
6:02
heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
6:06
Not one jot or one iota from all of the law will perish until
6:10
all be fulfilled, Matthew 5:18. We can know
6:13
with certainty that truth never changes. One of
6:17
the common phrases that you find, especially in the New Testament, is this phrase,
6:20
it is written. And whenever you're reading in the New Testament and you come across
6:24
this phrase, it is written, it typically means several things. In the first place,
6:27
it means, hey, it is written. This is dealing with something that was written beforehand.
6:31
Go back and go check. But every time you read that phrase in the New
6:35
Testament, it is written, it's in the perfect tense in Greek, which means it
6:39
has been written in the past. It means it's written right now, and it also
6:43
means it will forever be written. The things written in Scripture were written
6:47
to an ancient audience in an ancient context, but they speak to us
6:50
today as freshly as the morning news. Paul says, let God be
6:55
true though every man be found a liar, Romans chapter 3 and verse 4.
6:59
And one of the things the Bible tells us unequivocally is that truth doesn't
7:03
change. And we live in a society where the target is always
7:07
moving. Things that were accepted today are unacceptable tomorrow.
7:10
Things that are unacceptable today will be applauded tomorrow. People speak
7:15
about truth in funny and interesting ways. People say things like, well,
7:18
that's your truth, or these things are my truth, meaning they're
7:21
simply true for me even if they're not true for you. But the Bible simply
7:25
speaks of the truth, Ephesians 4:15.
7:29
So flip through the pages of your Bible and on whatever subject God
7:32
speaks, it's always going to be the same no matter what changes.
7:36
If you want to know about sexual ethics and gender, Romans 1:26-27,
7:41
God gives His verdict on that matter and that's always going to
7:44
be true. If you want to know about Jesus' identity
7:48
as the supreme authority over everybody in the world whether they believe in
7:51
Him or not, Matthew 28:18 says all authority is given to Him
7:55
in heaven and on earth. That's never going to change. The Bible tells
7:59
me so. If you want to know about the origin of the world, why we're
8:02
here, and where we're headed, Genesis 1:1-31 and Genesis
8:07
2:7 says God spoke the world into creation,
8:10
and God made man from the dust of the ground. That's always going to be
8:14
true. If you want to know about the only 2 destinies and ultimate realities
8:18
for everybody in the world, no matter who they are, of either heaven
8:21
or hell. Matthew 7:13-14,
8:24
Jesus says those are the only 2 pathways everybody's traveling
8:27
on, and that's always going to be true. It never will change. The Bible
8:32
tells us truth never changes, and we can rest in that reality.
8:38
Maybe you know about the Magic 8 Ball. Maybe you had one as a kid.
8:40
You remember how this worked? You shake it up and say, should I ask her
8:43
out, yes or no? Is my team going to win the game?
8:47
Will I pass the test? And sometimes the 8-ball would say what? Yes.
8:51
Other times it would say, I'm in doubt about that. Other occasions
8:55
the ball would say, come back and ask later. In fact, the more you shake
8:58
the Magic 8-Ball, the less certain you become, and you start
9:02
to realize this is not a reliable standard. The Bible's different.
9:06
The more you keep coming back to the Bible, the more you keep
9:09
taxing it with questions and examining it, the more you find it is
9:13
unwaveringly true no matter what happens. It doesn't change like the
9:17
Magic 8 Ball. It stays the same. You can study it and read it.
9:20
You can read it in a different century, on a different continent, in a different
9:24
language, in a different translation, and the Bible is always
9:27
telling us the very same things because it comes from an unchanging God.
9:32
John 10:35 says Scripture cannot be broken.
9:36
Truth doesn't change, and we know this because the Bible tells us. So here's number
9:41
2. Sin is deadly. You could add this to the medley we sung
9:44
a moment ago before the sermon began. Sin is deadly, this I know,
9:48
for the Bible tells me so. In Romans 6 and verse 23,
9:52
Paul says, the wages of sin is death,
9:55
but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
9:59
This is why we need the Bible, because society would say that some sins are
10:03
disgusting. The Bible— the world would tell us that some sins
10:07
are dangerous. But only the Bible is going to tell you the real
10:10
truth, and that is that ultimately sin is deadly. It's not just
10:14
dangerous. It's not just disgusting. It's not just damaging. The Bible uses strong
10:18
terminology to get across to us the idea that sin is ultimately
10:22
deadly. Think about the first prohibition that God ever gave
10:26
in the Bible, the first time God ever told somebody, don't do this, and if
10:30
you do it, it's a transgression, it's a sin. The very first time God does
10:33
this in Genesis 2 and verse 17, he says, in the day you eat thereof,
10:37
you will surely die. And that's what happened. All the days
10:41
of Adam were 930 years, and he died, Genesis 5:5.
10:46
For by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and death
10:50
spread to all people because all people sin, Romans 5:12.
10:54
Sin is deadly, and it completely destroys.
10:58
Sin isn't just dangerous, it comes in to utterly and completely
11:02
destroy us. And if you grew up in the church, and if you grew
11:05
up around the Bible, you might think that this point is basically second nature
11:09
to everybody. Everybody knows that sin is ultimately deadly, but not
11:13
everybody does. It's kind of like if you work in the medical profession, you know
11:17
that people call in the medical profession high blood pressure the silent
11:21
killer. People that have high blood pressure don't often wake up feeling dizzy,
11:24
feeling bad. They don't really notice anything until the
11:28
symptoms eventually rise, and by then it can be too late. It's called the silent
11:32
killer. Carbon monoxide, you can't taste it or smell it or touch it,
11:36
but it'll kill you. The absence of immediate symptoms doesn't say
11:40
anything about the absence of immediate danger, and sin
11:44
works the very same way. Isaiah says, woe to the wicked, it'll be
11:47
ill with him, Isaiah 3:11. Paul says, what pleasure are you
11:51
getting in those things of which you are now ashamed? The end of those things
11:55
is death, Romans 6:21. Sin will
11:58
come in and ruin and ravage and completely destroy our lives.
12:02
It's like a storm leaving destruction in its wake and utter calamity.
12:06
And the Bible tells us that sin, it's deadly,
12:10
and we should see it for exactly what it is. But I think we need
12:14
to allow the Bible to bring its full sting on as it relates to this
12:17
point. It's not just the case that sin is deadly in the abstract, that sin
12:21
is just deadly out there for other people. The Bible is saying not only is
12:24
sin deadly, but your sin is deadly and my sin is
12:27
deadly. Ezekiel 18 and verse 4, Ezekiel says,
12:31
the soul that sins, that soul will die. Sin is not
12:35
some abstract force out here making destruction and havoc throughout the world.
12:39
Sin comes into our lives and sabotages our best
12:42
self. It ruins what God would have us to be and who God
12:46
would ultimately have us to be. Ecclesiastes 7 and verse 29,
12:49
the wise man says, God made man upright, but man has sought out
12:53
many wicked schemes. And the Bible tells us
12:57
sin is deadly no matter what the world says, no matter how
13:01
the world tries to advertise it as being life-giving and invigorating.
13:04
It ruins lives and it destroys individuals.
13:08
I'm sure you've seen commercials like this before. Ads come up about some sort
13:12
of medicine or maybe something that can greatly enhance your life. And the way the
13:16
commercials and the ads work is they've got people laughing, playing sports,
13:19
cooking, doing all kinds of great things. And with about 2.5 seconds
13:23
left to go in the commercial, somebody starts talking at rapid speed
13:26
like an auctioneer and saying, by the way, in 10 years this could kill you
13:30
or greatly deform your body. And in about 8-point font
13:34
at the very bottom, they try to list all of the side effects side effects
13:37
that they can. Why don't they do that up front? Because if people knew that,
13:41
if they knew this was what would happen to you, they'd never engage. They'd never
13:45
partake. And the devil does the very same thing with sin.
13:49
But the Bible tells us the truth. In the end, it bites like a serpent
13:53
and stings like an adder, Proverbs 23:32.
13:57
Sin will lead to our ultimate end in death. Ecclesiastes 8:13
14:01
says, it will not go well for the wicked. His days will not be prolonged
14:05
like the shadow because he does not follow after God.
14:08
We know this because the Bible says it, but we also know this because
14:11
we've seen it. We've seen it in our own lives and in the lives of
14:15
others, what sin does to us as we rebel and disobey God.
14:19
It ruins us. It turns us away from who we should be, who God would
14:22
have us to be, and we can't— we mar the very image that God has
14:26
made us in. Genesis 1:26-27. The Bible's being honest
14:30
with us, and the Bible tells us no matter what the world advertises,
14:34
no matter what's pushed on us, that sin is deadly. And the only way
14:37
to break free is to know and love the truth that God's given
14:41
us, John 8:31-32, and go in the way that leads to life.
14:46
Here's number 3, the Bible tells us there is hope.
14:51
The Bible's honest about the consequences of human rebellion, but the Bible is
14:54
also telling us the truth about the reality that there is hope
14:58
in the world. This is true. The Bible doesn't just say, hey, the sky's fallen,
15:02
things are dark and ruined. The Bible also holds out the reality that
15:06
there's hope for all of humanity. Paul says, the hope which is laid up for
15:07
you in heaven, Colossians 1:5. Jesus is
15:11
called the way, the truth, and the life. But in other contexts,
15:15
Jesus himself is also called our hope, 1 Timothy 1:1.
15:19
The Bible tells me so. No matter what's going on in my personal life,
15:23
no matter what the news headlines read, no matter how I feel,
15:26
you can know as a Christian that there's hope in the world whether you feel
15:30
it or experience it or not, simply because the Bible tells you it's
15:34
true. Titus 1:2, Paul says, in hope of
15:38
eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before the world began.
15:42
In the midst of all the noise in our society that tells us the sky
15:46
is falling and that we should constantly be afraid and on edge, breaking and
15:51
cutting through that noise is the voice of the Holy Spirit through the pages of
15:54
Scripture saying to everybody who will listen, it will not always be like this.
15:59
Romans 8:18, Paul says, for the sufferings of this present
16:03
time aren't worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed. For the creation itself
16:07
longs to be delivered from the bondage of its futility, to which it's
16:11
been subjected in hope, awaiting the deliverance of the glorious liberty of
16:15
the children of God. Paul says we wait for that in hope. And why does
16:18
a person hope for that which he sees? Instead, we hope for what we can't
16:22
see. Romans 8:18-25. The Bible holds out that hope is
16:26
yet to be enjoyed. In fact, that's happening right now. John 1:5
16:30
says, light shined in darkness, Light has come into our world, John 3:19,
16:34
and we can know this is true and it's so because the Bible tells
16:38
us it is. This isn't just a reality or truth to accept. It means as
16:42
a Christian, you've got to be making your way toward hope. You've got to be
16:46
making your way toward what God holds out, that better things are yet to come
16:49
in your life and ultimately in the whole world.
16:53
When you turn your Bible to Genesis chapter 1, the Bible opens, yes, with God
16:56
speaking the world into creation, but in the first 2 verses, Genesis 1:1-2,
17:01
The Bible says the earth was without form and void.
17:04
Theologians use the Latin phrase ex nihilo, which means God created
17:09
out of nothing. And there are several reasons why Moses starts
17:13
the Bible that way. One of the reasons is so we'll know God's power.
17:16
By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and everything by the breath
17:19
of his mouth. God spoke and there was nothing, and all of a sudden there
17:23
was something. God spoke in his power. But Moses also tells us God
17:27
created the world out of nothing for a purpose. Because there'll be times in
17:31
your life when you say, I've got nothing left, I'm down to nothing, I'm completely
17:35
hopeless, there's nothing else left. And the Bible tells you in the first 2 verses
17:39
on the very first page, God can work with even that. In fact, God created
17:43
all of the beauty and all of the vistas and all of the views that
17:46
you see in this world out of nothing. And so when you feel like,
17:49
I'm down to absolutely nothing else, the Bible says
17:53
that's actually what God had to start with from the very beginning.
17:56
It matters not how you and I feel about it. There's hope in the world,
18:00
and we know this because the Bible tells us so.
18:04
Have you ever seen trees in the dead of winter?
18:07
There's no green, no fruit, no shade,
18:11
nothing. To the blind eye and to a person who's never experienced spring
18:14
in their lives, it looks like this tree is never gonna live again.
18:18
There's nothing to it. But an arborist or a farmer looks at that
18:22
tree and knows that underneath the bark there's still life.
18:25
Its roots are still being given nutrients by the very soil.
18:29
And sometimes life is like winter. Sometimes in our lives
18:33
we say, I can't see anything good coming. I can't feel anything.
18:37
Unanswered prayers, hardship,
18:40
difficulty— doesn't seem like anything good's coming. But if
18:43
you've been through winter before and made it to spring, you know when
18:47
there's more sunlight, and in a matter of time, eventually life
18:51
is going to spring forth. Peter says God has brought
18:55
you to life again through a living hope, 1 Peter 1:3.
18:58
See, here's where your eyes can deceive you. If you just simply look at the
19:01
tree with untrained eyes, you might think of death. But if you know anything
19:05
about spring, you know life is on the way. And the Bible tells us sometimes
19:08
your life feels like winter, but spring's coming.
19:12
And Christians don't believe the Bible because it's always springtime,
19:15
but because we know one day it will be. And this gives you hope.
19:19
This gives you a confident expectation that the best days are yet
19:23
to come. Why do you believe that? Because you've seen God do it over and
19:26
over again. It's the promise in scripture that God won't just show us something special
19:30
in the end, he's going to do something special in us. Philippians 3:21, Paul says
19:35
he's going to take your lowly body and fashion it like his glorious body.
19:38
What looks like death will ultimately spring forth to
19:42
eternal life. There's hope in the world no matter what anybody tells you, and we
19:46
know this because the Bible tells us so. Here's number 4: salvation
19:52
is by grace through faith, and this we know because the Bible tells
19:55
us it's true. Among people that believe the Bible, there's a great deal of confusion
19:59
about how a person's saved and how a person becomes a Christian, but in the
20:02
Bible no such confusion exists. Paul says you're saved by grace
20:06
through faith, Ephesians 2:8-9. What does that mean?
20:10
Grace means that God in his kindness has extended humanity the
20:14
opportunity to be saved in and through his Son. And apart from that, nobody would
20:18
have an opportunity to be saved. John 3:16-17, Jesus speaking
20:22
to Nicodemus says, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten
20:26
Son, that whoever believes in him might not perish but have everlasting life.
20:30
You're saved by grace through faith. What is faith? That's the
20:34
proper response that every human being has to make to the salvation that God
20:38
offers, and people that do that are saved. Romans 5:1-2.
20:41
It's that simple, and we can know it because the
20:45
Bible tells us this is true. If you have your Bible, turn it to Titus
20:48
chapter 3, because in Titus chapter 3, I think this is one of the clearest
20:51
expositions in the Bible on this topic of salvation and
20:56
how people can know without a doubt whether they're saved or not. You and I
21:00
don't have to argue about it. The Bible tells us how this works. In Titus
21:03
chapter 3 and verse 4, Paul says, after the loving kindness of God
21:07
our Savior appeared. That's the grace of God. And then in verse 5,
21:11
he says, we've been saved not because of works of righteousness which we've done,
21:15
but according to this washing of regeneration and the renewal
21:18
of the Holy Spirit. That's baptism. That's the salvation that's offered
21:22
through faith. It comes through Jesus Christ in verse 6, and he says it'll make
21:26
you an heir through grace of the salvation which was already promised.
21:29
Salvation is by grace through faith. What does that mean? It means if you and
21:33
I are going to be saved, it's because God initially instigated the process.
21:38
And that means on our side, we've got to believe what God has said about
21:41
Jesus being the Son of God, John 3:16-17. We've got
21:45
to repent of our sins and turn to him, Acts 17:30.
21:49
Confess with the mouth what our heart believes, Jesus is the Son of God,
21:53
Romans 10:9-10. And then be baptized for the forgiveness of our
21:56
sins, Acts chapter 2. And verse 38. And everybody who does
22:00
that is saved. How do we know it? Because the Bible tells me
22:04
so. It's normally at this point in a private discussion that somebody says, so wait
22:07
a minute, are you saying that people that have never done that are not Christians?
22:11
And the response to that has to be, I'm not saying anything. The Bible's saying
22:14
they're not. But the Bible's also saying that they can be if
22:18
they're willing to respond by faith to what God offers. Acts 2:21
22:22
says, whosoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
22:27
Remember, it doesn't matter who says you're lost if
22:31
God says you're saved, 1 John 3:20.
22:34
But also remember, it doesn't matter who says you're saved if God
22:38
says you're lost, Matthew 7:21-23. Sometimes people get
22:42
up in arms. I know I'm saved. I know I'm right with God. The Bible
22:46
lays this out plainly. Salvation is by grace through faith for everybody
22:50
in the world, and it's offered to everybody. But everybody has to respond the same
22:53
way. Here's number 5: worship must be in spirit
22:58
and in truth. And we know this because the Bible tells us so.
23:02
Sometimes we talk about worship, and I don't know if you've noticed this, people that
23:06
talk about worship a lot and have discussions about worship and how worship should
23:10
take place, we often spend a lot of time talking about what we like,
23:13
but we don't spend a lot of time talking about God. Just pay careful attention
23:16
to the next time you engage in a conversation with somebody else
23:21
about the matter of religious worship, and notice how often or how little God gets
23:24
brought up. Robert Dahl famously said, we worship our work,
23:27
we work at our play, and we play at our worship. Now he might have
23:31
been overgeneralizing, but the point was we don't give enough thought and attention
23:35
to what we're doing in moments like this in worship and the one to whom
23:38
we're worshiping. Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but to
23:42
your name give glory. Psalm 115 and verse 1. And here's what we know
23:46
about worship, simply because the Bible tells us so: worship must be in
23:51
spirit and in truth. Turn to John chapter 4. I know this is familiar
23:55
territory, but turn to John chapter 4 and notice Jesus in this context
23:59
is speaking specifically to a woman about worship. But not
24:03
only is Jesus talking about worship, he's talking to a woman about worship in the
24:07
context where 2 groups often argued about how worship should be done.
24:11
And in John 4:23, Jesus says, the hour is coming when
24:15
all that worship the Father are going to do so in spirit and in truth,
24:18
for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. Verse 24,
24:22
God is a spirit, and those that worship him must worship in spirit
24:27
and in truth. To worship God in spirit means you've got to worship
24:31
from your spirit. You've got to do it with the right attitude, with the right
24:33
mindset, with the right disposition. God won't accept it otherwise.
24:37
And so Paul says in Philippians 3:3, that we're to worship God
24:41
in spirit as the true people of God. But then we also
24:44
have to worship God in truth, and that means according to what's found in the
24:47
Bible. John 17 and verse 17, sanctify them in the
24:51
truth. Your word is truth. Worship must be— look at what Jesus says
24:56
again in verse 23 and 24, worship must be in spirit and in truth.
24:59
This word for must in the original means this, it has to be this way.
25:02
That's what Jesus says. God is a spirit, and those that worship him It has
25:06
to be this way. You've got to have both of these elements in your worship
25:10
for it to be acceptable with God. And this is what Jesus says in verse
25:14
23 God is looking for. He's looking for people that
25:18
are going to worship him in this way. And so when we come to worship,
25:21
God wants us to be engaged in it. He wants us to care about doing
25:24
it. In fact, God wants us to want to worship him, to be excited about
25:28
doing it, and to do it from a disposition that says, I was glad when
25:31
they said to me, let us go into the house of the Lord. Psalm 122
25:34
and verse 1. But this also means just because we feel good
25:39
about it and just because we're excited about worshiping God doesn't necessarily
25:43
mean God accepts what we're offering. We've got to have a New Testament passage that
25:46
says, hey, this is why we're doing what we're doing. And so every first
25:51
day of the week we take the Lord's Supper because it would be sinful not
25:54
to. Jesus says, this is how I want you to remember me, Matthew 26:26-29.
25:59
And Christians did it on the first day of the week, Acts chapter 20 and
26:02
verse 7. We give of our means sacrificially and
26:06
freely, 2 Corinthians 9:6-7, because God
26:09
loves a cheerful giver. We sing simply but
26:14
spiritually without mechanical instruments of music,
26:17
not because we hate instrumental music or because we can't afford one,
26:20
but because that's exactly what God asked for in worship, Ephesians 5:19
26:25
and Colossians 3:16. And worship is far more about what glorifies
26:29
God than what pleases us. And we pray and preach
26:33
and teach his word, Acts 2:42, just like he says that we should.
26:37
Here's what we know, because the Bible tells us so: worship must
26:41
be done in spirit and in truth. And the only way God's going to accept
26:45
it is if it's done that way. And sometimes people hear this
26:49
and they say, is it really that simple? Surely there's got to be more to
26:52
it. But that's it, and that's enough. If you put your heart and
26:56
soul into that, it'll wring your soul dry in the very best way.
26:59
If you give and sing and pray and sit at the feet of
27:03
God's Word and allow it to nourish and to train you in how you ought
27:06
to live, it'll change you. But then there are other people that hear this
27:10
and they say, I don't like that. I mean, this whole worship,
27:14
the way you just described it, in spirit and in truth, I know that's what
27:17
they did in the Bible, but to me that's kind of boring. I would like
27:20
it kind of spruced up. I think we can pep it up a little bit
27:23
and add some things to make it better. That's kind of like somebody walking around
27:28
with perfume or cologne in their purse, and every time they walk past somebody,
27:31
just kind of spraying it on them because they think it'll make them smell better.
27:34
Good intentions, but who asked you? And how dare
27:37
you? You can't just go around spraying people because you think it'll
27:42
spruce them up and make them smell better. And with all humility and sincerity,
27:45
how dare we spray God and say, hey, this will spruce up what you
27:49
get in worship. This will make your worship better and more enhanced,
27:53
when God never asked us. In fact, the Bible tells us
27:56
he already told us what he wants. And humility says God
28:00
knows what'll please him far more than I do. Colossians 3:17
28:04
says, whatever you do in word or in deed, do all in the name
28:08
of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father through him.
28:11
Here's number 6: eternity matters most,
28:14
and we know this because the Bible tells us so. Eternity won't just
28:18
last longer. According to Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:17,
28:21
eternity is stronger. He says there's a far more exceeding and
28:25
eternal weight of glory. And then in verse 18, he says, while we look not
28:29
at the things which are seen, but the things unseen. The things seen are temporary,
28:32
the things unseen are eternal. Eternity matters more than
28:37
right now. And there's a challenge. Every one of us has immediate
28:40
pressures, but everything that's immediate in your life doesn't
28:44
necessarily mean that it's important. The things that matter the most. This is
28:47
why Jesus says, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,
28:51
Matthew 6:33, because eternity really does matter
28:55
more than right now. And sometimes, depending on what you're wrestling with in life and
28:59
what you're facing, it doesn't seem like this is true. But beware of
29:03
allowing the immediate to overcome the things that are most urgent and ultimately the
29:07
things that are most important. In the judgment, it just might be the
29:11
case that the things that sink most people's souls aren't the things that were sinful,
29:14
but the things that were secondary. The things that people just gave themselves to
29:18
and said, I had to do this, above putting spiritual things first. The Bible is
29:22
saying labor most intensely and most effectively
29:25
for the world you can't see because that's the one that's going to matter.
29:28
2 Peter 3:13 says, we await a new heavens and a new earth.
29:32
Labor toward that reward because eternity matters more than
29:35
right now. Jesus says, don't work for the food that perishes but instead for
29:39
the food that endures to everlasting life, John 6:27. Eternity matters
29:44
most, and we know this because the Bible tells us so.
29:48
Here's the last thing this morning, number 7: faithfulness is
29:52
required. The book of Hebrews is primarily
29:56
written to encourage people to get across the finish line in Jesus and not to
29:59
give up. In fact, in Hebrews chapter 10, really through the end of the book,
30:03
there are these exhortations, these words of encouragement encouraging
30:06
people to do this very thing. You be faithful and finish strong. And in Hebrews
30:10
10:35, This is what he's saying, and he says, you have need of endurance
30:14
that after you've done the will of God, you might receive the reward.
30:17
Here's what we need to appreciate, and the Bible's telling us so: faithfulness is
30:22
required. I've been thinking about this recently. Luke 15 says that
30:27
the angels in heaven rejoice over one sinner that repents
30:30
than over 99 righteous people who need no repentance. Luke 15:7,
30:34
Luke 15:10. When somebody's baptized and they come up out of the waters
30:38
of baptism, We make a big deal about that, and rightly so, and heaven does.
30:42
Heaven rejoices. But if heaven rejoices over one sinner
30:46
who repents and enters into the race of Christianity, imagine how
30:50
heaven must rejoice when Christians actually finish and get
30:54
across the finish line in Jesus. Paul says, I fought a good fight, I finished
30:58
the course, I've kept the race. Woe to the part-time Christian who's engaged
31:02
in battle against a full-time enemy. 1 Peter 5:8-9 says,
31:05
you're resisting him steadfast in your faith, and faithfulness is required.
31:09
And so that means it's going to take everything you've got. It means time to
31:13
get serious, time for you to get serious. No more games,
31:17
no more bare minimum effort, no more excuses. It's time to lock in and get
31:21
serious because faithfulness is required. We won't be saved otherwise. Just because,
31:24
well, I was baptized once in a church building and outside of
31:28
that building there was a sign that said Church of Christ, I know I'm good
31:31
to go. The Bible says that in and of itself itself is simply not enough.
31:35
Don't spend your whole life worried about whether or not you can be faultless.
31:38
You can't. But spend all of your efforts and energy worried about whether
31:42
or not you can be faithful, because you must.
31:45
Colossians 1:23 says you've got to remain steadfast,
31:48
unmoved, unfading, holding fast to the hope of the gospel that was preached
31:52
to you, because Jesus, who was faithful in all things, he requires faithfulness of
31:57
us. And we know this is required simply by opening the Bible
32:00
and reading over and over again Jesus talking about the high call of
32:04
discipleship and what he expects of every one of us. It's great when we
32:08
start, but it's epic when we finish.
32:12
Barth was right. It really is that simple.
32:16
We can say, Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible
32:19
tells me so. You could summarize your whole Christian life, all of your
32:23
theological convictions based on that. And you wouldn't be less than, you wouldn't
32:27
be being lazy, you wouldn't be being unintellectual, you'd be being honest.
32:31
If the Bible really is the book that God intended for us to have,
32:34
and it is, if it bears the marks of divine authenticity and inspiration,
32:38
and it does, then the Bible itself is enough. And we can respond to every
32:43
circumstance, every situation in life by saying, here's what I believe on this subject,
32:47
and the reason why I believe this is simply because the Bible
32:50
tells me so. And in addition to what we've already said, salvation is
32:53
by grace through faith. The Bible says when you repent,
32:57
you receive rewards: the Holy Spirit's presence, the forgiveness of
33:00
sins, and God adds you to the church. And if you need
33:04
to do that this morning, to become a Christian the way the Bible says,
33:07
the reasons that the Bible says, because you believe Jesus is the Son of God,
33:10
we'd be happy to assist you in doing that. If we can encourage you in
33:13
greater faithfulness, if we can pray with you or pray for you, let us know
33:17
how we can help as together we stand and as we sing.