Alston Road Church of Christ Podcast

Series: N/A

Service: Sun AM

Type: Sermon

Speaker: Scott Kercheville

Why do we obey God? Why do we work hard to not disobey him? Why has Jesus’ freed us from the curse of sin? What is the purpose? We are going to consider the story of Joseph as an example of what God does with his obedient children. I want us to see in action what God has saved us to do and why it is imperative that we obey God’s voice.

In Genesis, God created Adam and Eve and blessed them them with the task to be fruitful and multiply. But Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s voice, so they were cursed with difficulty in fruitfulness and multiplication — in child-labor and laboring to get food from the ground. Outside of the Garden, sin and death filled the earth. They watched the result of their sin as their older son, Cain, killed their younger son, Abel. Their disobedience brought a curse to all.

But God told Abraham’s family that he would multiply and make them fruitful (Gen. 28:2; 35:11; 47:27; 48:4) and thus bless the nations through their descendants. Abraham wasn’t perfect, but God was patient with him and through the years Abraham learned to trust God. And when God told Abraham to sacrifice the son through whom all God’s promises were supposed to come, Abraham obeyed God’s voice. So God solidified his promise: “In your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” (Gen. 22:18) Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s voice and through them a curse was mediated to all; now, God has patiently nurtured Abraham to obey him so that through his offspring a blessing will be mediated to all.

But here’s the problem when we get to the story of Joseph. Abraham and his offspring have mostly been a curse to everyone. When Abraham and Isaac acted without faith, Pharaoh and the Philistines suffered for it. Later, when we come to Abraham’s grandson, Jacob, we find that his children are a mess. Two of Jacob’s children deceived and slaughtered all the men in a city, captured their wives and children, and plundered their wealth as vengeance for one man’s sin. These are the offspring by whom God is going to bless the nations?

One of Jacob’s sons was named Joseph. Though he was hated by his brothers, God gave him dreams that his family would one day bow before him. Annoyed by Joseph’s dreams, the brothers nearly killed Joseph, but, they opted to sell him as a slave. And now, in chapter 39, at 17 years old, Joseph is all alone in Egypt, unjustly made a slave of Potiphar — an officer of Pharaoh. How will Joseph respond to all this? What will come of his dreams? As we read, I want you to notice what Joseph does and what the Lord does through him.

The Lord Was With Him (Gen. 39)

Joseph has been unjustly sold as a slave, and yet the text repeatedly tells us that the Lord was with him. Verse 2: “The Lord was with Joseph…” Verse 3: “His master saw that the Lord was with him…” Even after Joseph is unjustly cast into prison, verse 23 says “the Lord was with him.” When you are shipped to a foreign land and falsely accused of rape, it takes eyes of faith to see that God is with you — especially when God has promised that your family will bow before you. It seemed like that promise had gone off the rails. Family — whatever you are suffering right now — have the eyes of Joseph and see that if you are in covenant with the Lord, the Lord is still with you and his promises are valid. You may be in a tough marriage, a job where you are mistreated, or suffering health issues far earlier than you expected — but God is still walking with you and can even still use you. Suffering is not a sign God has left us — it is when he especially draws near. Psa. 23:4 ESV, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

Joseph Was Relentlessly Faithful (Gen. 39)

Here’s why seeing the Lord’s presence in his life is vital: Joseph is about to face the test of his life. For Adam and Eve, it was the fruit in the garden. For Abraham, it was his son. For Joseph, his family has completely rejected him and it seemed like God’s promise was dead. He’s a slave and he’s all alone. But his master’s wife tells him he doesn’t have to be all alone. “Come to bed. Lie with me.” I don’t have to tell you how comforting her offer could seem to a young man who has nothing and nobody — and no father looking over his shoulder. Furthermore, he’s a slave and she is the wife of the master — she’s in a position of power. Day after day she spoke with him. “Come on. It’d be fun. Lie with me.” And yet, verse 10: “he would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her.” And when she grabbed him by the shirt, he ran — leaving his garment behind.

Did you see that? He wouldn’t listen to her. He didn’t think about it. In fact, not only would he not sleep with her, he wouldn’t even lie beside her. No flirting. No snuggles. No Netflix and chill. Let me offer a strong suggestion to those of you who are not married: don’t sit around alone in a house watching shows and movies together. You can Netflix and chill when you get married. If you snuggle up on the couch, you are asking temptation.

But Joseph wouldn’t do that. Why? Because he didn’t merely see himself as a victim. He doesn’t only see himself as a lonely young man who has nothing. Notice what he says in verse 8-9. He sees that his master has given and put him in charge of everything, and hasn’t kept anything back from Joseph except his own wife. Ashley pointed out to me a couple months ago that this is intentionally crafted to be a twist on what happened with Adam and Eve. God put Adam and Eve in charge of everything and there was nothing he held back from them except for the forbidden tree. When the snake pointed out the one thing, she listened to the snake and ate and Adam listened to his wife and ate. They failed to refuse one piece of forbidden fruit in Paradise while Joseph refuses a forbidden woman while he’s a slave. He may be a slave, but he refuses to let that excuse his behavior and he takes a different perspective: he’s been given everything and he’s not about to take this woman. What loyalty to his master — his neighbor! What loyalty to God!

Joseph suffers for his faithfulness. He’s accused of attempted rape. In an instant, he’s no longer a glorified slave but a prisoner. Faithfulness can lead to suffering. And yet, the Lord was still with him there.

God Mediated His Blessing through Joseph (Gen. 39)

Finally, see that wherever Joseph goes, God causes Joseph to be a blessing. 39:3, “His master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord caused all that he did to succeed in his hands.” How did Potiphar know it was Yahweh? Simple: Joseph told him. Notice 39:5. “From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had, in house and field. He left all that he had in Joseph’s charge, and because of him he had no concern about anything but the food he ate.” Skip to the prison and it’s the same story in verse 23: “The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph’s charge, because the Lord was with him. And whatever he did, the Lord made it succeed.” And it was the same story when Pharaoh set Joseph over the land of Egypt: in a terrible famine, God preserved Egypt, the surrounding areas, and even Joseph’s family through Joseph.

Do you see what’s happening here? Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s voice and through them a curse was mediated to the ground and to all people. Now, God has been patient with Abraham’s family and as Joseph obeys God and works hard for his master and uses his God-given wisdom to advise Pharaoh, God’s blessing is finally being mediated through Abraham’s family to the nations.

God’s commands are so often given a negative connotation. The secular world looks at rules as repressing liberty and self-expression. Especially when it comes to sexuality and identity, rules appear to repress our internal identity. God’s rules are oppressive towards people. This completely misses the point, and as Christians we need to help the world recover the right basis for God’s commands. But even Christians can give negative connotations to God’s commands. Christians are who try to obey God’s commands and call others to do the same are often called legalists — and some certainly lose sight of why we ought to carefully obey God at all.

At the most basic level, rules are the basis of good, healthy relationships. But, here, Joseph’s obedience to God — his love of God and love of his neighbor — allowed God’s blessing to freely flow through Joseph to the nations. What a crazy position God has put Abraham’s offspring in! The whole world is under the curse that came from Adam and Eve’s sin, and yet God has decided to mediate his blessing through these guys? For Joseph, that was clearly a humbling thought and he not only gave God glory — he told Potiphar that Yahweh was the one blessing his house — he respected that position by walking faithfully when tempted.

Disobedience is not arbitrary rule-breaking that merely keeps us out of eternal life — though it can do that. Forgiveness is not merely wiping the slate clean so we can enjoy eternal life — though it does that. Disobedience unleashes the curse — dark, Satanic chaos into our lives, families, churches, communities, and world. When we disobey God we are the cog holding up God’s desire to bless others through us (who are now Abraham’s offspring by means of our loyalty/faith to/in Jesus). Just look at any serious studies that are done — when people are obedient to God even unbelievers can see that there is more morality, order, and happiness — blessing. The world is objectively better without sin.

Redeemed from the Curse to Bless (Gal. 3:13-14)

But there’s 7.9 billion problems with this. We haven’t always chosen to be satisfied with everything God has given us. All we like Adam and Eve have taken the fruit, lied to Pharaoh, or said yes to Potiphar’s wife — in one way or another. Israel is a clear example of everyone’s failure in this regard. They did not bless the nations for God’s glory, they did not serve as royal priests to shine a light — they were worse than the nations and they dishonored God’s name. But then an Israelite came who, unlike Adam, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, or even Joseph, never sinned. He always kept God’s “arbitrary rules” — and they turned out to not be so arbitrary because everywhere he went he, as Peter said, “went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.” God was with him and he was a blessing. But then they falsely accused and executed the Righteous One on a tree.

But notice what Paul says that did for those held captive by the curse. Gal. 3:13–14 (ESV), “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree’— so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.” The curse has come upon us and we like Adam have mediated that curse to others, but Jesus became a curse for us to redeem us from the curse of the law. And Paul doesn’t say that now means we get to go to heaven when we die — though it does mean that. He says that means Jesus has enabled the blessing of Abraham to come to the Gentiles. Jesus is finally the first Israelite — the first offspring of Abraham — through whom God’s blessing can finally flow through to the Gentiles, the nations. And now we can all receive God’s blessing — God’s Holy Spirit, God’s personal presence. Paul goes on to say in Galatians that when the Spirit in us, righteous fruitfulness is multiplied in the world through God’s growing family: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. 

Jesus Christ has been such a blessing to each of us by redeeming us from the curse of the law and by turning us from our sins (cf. Acts 3), and now we have the wonderful opportunity to share that blessing with others in a host of ways — in our families, schools, work, neighborhoods, cities, countries, and world. We are alive through the Spirit of God, and now we must keep in step with the Spirit and let Jesus Christ live in us — bless people through fruit of God’s Spirit in us with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness and more. And we also have the opportunity to bless others by turning them from their sins. They can be saved to start enjoying the life that is eternal now and to become fruitful trees now that bless others. Isa. 27:6 ESV, “In days to come Jacob shall take root, Israel shall blossom and put forth shoots and fill the whole world with fruit.”

Do we see now why it is so vital that we flee from sin as Joseph did? Let me especially urge us with the words of Paul. 1 Cor. 6:18–20 NLT, “Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” Run!!! We are temples of the Holy Spirit through whom God trying to mediate life and blessing to the dead world, but no other sin so clearly prevents this like sexual sin. Churches are hurting and sometimes fruitless because of sexual sin. So many of our men and our women are entranced by pornography, premarital sex, adultery, and same-sex desires. This is not arbitrary rule breaking that we simply need to be forgiven of: this is a root bearing bitter and poisonous fruit that must be chopped down.

When we run and God frees us from any sin — bitterness, greed, jealousy, fight-causing, drunkenness, pride, or sexual sin — God’s Spirit is unleashed to work through us so much more powerfully. In school we will look out for others and learn to think and reason well to bless others for God’s glory. In our work we will work hard and cultivate earth’s resources to bless others for God’s glory. We will look out for our neighbors and bless them for God’s glory. We will love the world by confidently telling them the good news of the king who died to free us from the curse so God’s Spirit could restore our original humanity and work powerfully in us.

Has Satan held you in his grip telling you that you will lose everything if you start confessing your sins to another brother or sister here? Don’t listen to Satan’s lies — listen to Jesus. Jesus became a curse for us to redeem us from the curse so we could receive the promised Spirit and bless others. Trust him and trust his people. Whatever root is bearing bitter and poisonous fruit, will you confess and repent today? Don’t lay your head on the pillow before you reach out to a brother or sister for help.

Series: N/A

Service: Sun AM

Type: Sermon

Speaker: John Kilgore

Series: N/A

Service: Sun AM

Type: Sermon

Speaker: John Kilgore

Series: N/A

Service: Sun AM

Type: Sermon

Speaker: Byron Gage

Series: N/A

Service: Sun AM

Type: Sermon

Speaker: Scott Kercheville

It is already summer and the kids get to rest. Remember what that was like, adults? I remember how hard it was my first couple of summers out of college to grapple with the fact that summer means nothing as an adult. You have now stepped onto the hamster wheel and you have to keep running till you die — no rest.

When God made the heavens and earth, it was it was formless and void — disordered and empty. But God ordered it and filled it over the course of six days and then rested on the seventh day.   Every other day had morning and evening and ended, but Genesis records no end to the seventh day. God’s rest on the seventh day shows us the goal of creation. After you make a meal, you eat it. After God made the world, he rested in it. God did not create, form, and fill the universe just for fun — the heavens and earth were likely made as a sort of temple for God to rest in with his people. But when Adam and Eve sinned, they were cursed with lives full of pain and meaningless work without rest.

Slavery in Egypt was the essence of the curse. The Israelites worked sun up to sun down seven days a week as slaves in Egypt. But God foreshadowed the final day of our rescue from slavery to work, sin, and death when he broke their chains and set Israel free. And God commanded Israel to share in the Sabbath day rest he set aside in the beginning. God commanded them to remember how he set them free from slavery in Egypt by working six days a week and resting on the seventh day. He also set aside periods of feasting and rest throughout the year. Every seven years Israel was supposed to let the land rest and just trust that God would give them enough food to take care of them. At the end of the seventh sabbath year — that is, every 50 years — they declared a Jubilee. The land rested, slaves were set free, debts were forgiven, everyone who had fallen on tough times and had to sell their family’s land was allowed to return to it. It was a picture of the ultimate rest that God gives and will give us one day.

But, due to sin, God’s people were exiled from their land of rest to Babylon where they were afflicted for 70 years. But at the end of the 70 years when Daniel was ready for their exile to be over, God curiously answered that they would have to endure 70 more weeks (sevens) before final salvation was worked. Ten more sets of Jubilees before the ultimately Jubilee — all sin atoned for and everlasting righteousness brought in. God did release the captives, but they quickly recognized that they were still slaves in exile to another Egypt, another Babylon.

When God spoke through Isaiah of how he would one day crush Babylon and set his captives free, he spoke of it as a time when “the LORD has given you rest from your pain and turmoil and the hard service with which you were made to serve…” (Isaiah 14:3 ESV). To this day God’s people still long for freedom from slavery to never-ending work, sin, and death. We long to be free from Egypt and Babylon. One day, God will end the pain and the turmoil and bring us into the eternal Sabbath day rest with no end that he’s been pointing us to for thousands of years. Doesn’t that sound so good?

In Revelation, parts of God’s salvation are depicted as a new Exodus to a new day of rest. Before, God had plagued Egypt, parted the sea, and led his people through the other side of the sea where they rejoiced over God’s salvation singing the song of Moses with dancing and tambourines. In Revelation, angels pour exodus-like plagues on the enemies of God’s people. Those who conquer the enemy stand beside the sea with harps singing the song of Moses and of the Lamb (15:2-4).

Revelation also points us to the final Sabbath rest in the new heavens and new earth and the new Jerusalem where God and his people rest together forever. But before all that, the idea of rest is more explicitly played on in Revelation 14:6-13. Three angels sound out the gospel to the whole world, but their message sounds very different from what you and I might think we should say when we sound out the gospel.

No Rest (14:6-11)

Did you notice how the message is primarily one that speaks of God’s wrath and judgment? Certainly, when we proclaim the good news we should proclaim Jesus’ kingship, authority, and that, because of his sacrifice, all can be reconciled to God. But, that’s not the focus here. Look again at verse 7. The focus here is on the need to repent, fear God, give him glory, because his judgment is coming near. 

And that doesn’t change throughout the text. Verse 8 proclaims the fall of Babylon. Literal Babylon had fallen many centuries earlier, but the type is revived here to portray any city, country, or empire that leads people to commit spiritual adultery on God. Babylon gives glory to itself instead of God, it trusts itself for security instead of God, it idolizes luxury and economic prosperity over God, and instead of doing justice it multiplies injustices against its slaves and against God’s people. And the angel goes out proclaiming the sureness of Babylon’s fall. 

Imagine this so far as you proclaim the gospel. Not only do you tell people about Jesus, you level with them in a really sober way. “God’s judgments are falling on the earth to wake us up. God’s ultimate hour of judgment is coming at any moment. Fear God and worship him. The ultimate demise of our country is so certain that the Bible proclaims, ‘Fallen, fallen is Babylon.’”

The final angel isn’t any happier — notice verses 9-11. The ultimate political and military power is depicted in Revelation as a sea-beast that exerts control over all nations and languages. Just as Jesus the Lamb is slain, fakes sacrificial care for its people by being wounded in battle. But Jesus the Lamb rose from the dead, so the beast also fakes power over death by surviving its mortal wound. The beast draws everyone into worship it. An earth-beast also causes everyone to receive marks on their hand and forehead — which is a symbol of identity, worship, and allegiance to the beast.

And if anyone worships the beast or receives the mark, they must drink the wine of God’s wrath full strength. They are tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb. The smoke of the torment goes up forever and ever. They have no rest, day or night. In Revelation this is making permanent what was only temporary before. In Revelation 9, armies of scorpion-like locusts are unleashed on the earth to torment those who are not marked by God. Revelation 9:5–6 ESV, “They were allowed to torment them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings someone. And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.” We could go a lot of ways with this, but one upshot of this is that God urges people to repent before they endure eternal torment by sending them temporary torment. People will long to die, but death will elude them. Has God ever graced you with a time like that to wake you up? I hope you listened. In Revelation 9, the torment you wish you could die from lasts 5 months. In Revelation 14 and after, it lasts forever and ever. We call it hell. Revelation calls it “the lake of fire.” Jesus calls it “Gehenna” and the place of darkness where people weep and gnash — grind — their teeth.

Brothers and sisters, they have no rest, day or night, these worshippers of the beast. Isn’t that so sad? How awful to conclude this life — whether by death or when Jesus suddenly comes in the clouds — and after this life of work and pain, for the Lamb and his holy angels to preside not over your eternal delight, but over your eternal torment. We ought to try to imagine it. And in those times where we are in such agony we want to die, we ought to receive God’s gracious warning.

Rest (14:12-13)

Once the angels are done pronouncing their woes, John takes up his pen to urge the saints to endure — notice verses 12-13. If you are keeping the commandments of God, if you are keeping the faith of Jesus — endure. Don’t stop. The beastly government will threaten you, impose socio-economic suffering on you, exile you, or kill you. The beastly government will try to impress you with its displays of sacrifice and victory. Prostitute-like economic power will wink and offer you the good life apart from God — pleasure, security, wealth and luxury. Run. Flee. Endure!

A voice from heaven comes — potentially Christ’s (cf. 4:1) — makes certain that John writes something down. He will hear and see a lot — he must not miss this. Those who worship God are pictured as suffering underneath the beast and the prostitute in this life. But those who die in the Lord from now on are blessed, happy, fortunate. The Spirit interjects in agreement. The worshippers of the beast have no rest, but those who are in the Lord rest from their labors. Their deeds follow them. I frequently point to the end when Jesus comes from heaven to consummate all history because that is indeed the focus of Scripture. However, even here, before the end, this sweet promise tells us that we get to start enjoying an advance on that rest when we die. 

Can you imagine that? We get so tired sometimes. We run out of energy. Sometimes we just need a nap. Sometimes what we really need is not just sleep, but a couple weeks to sit back and enjoy the fruit of our labor. Let all the work we have been doing mean something. It’s not the full resurrection and all things made new and it’s not the kingdom come when all enemies are vanquished — but the Spirit here promises that those who die in the Lord are happy, resting from their labors. Their deeds follow them — meaning they are eating the fruit of their labor.

Their Deeds Follow Them (14:13; 21:7-8; etc.)

For some of us, this may be slightly confusing. “No, we will enjoy rest because of the grace of Jesus!” Amen. That is so true. We are saved by grace through faith. It is not our own doing, it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast (Eph. 2:8-9). I was hopelessly lost in sin, yet Jesus because of his grace took me in. And yet, the Bible repeatedly asserts that we can know who others are based on their works and that we ourselves will be judged by our works. Those who are saved by faith do walk in good works. Our works show whether or not we do really trust the Lord, whether or not we really are saved.

We can more fully dive into that subject another time. What the Spirit simply asserts here is that our deeds follow us — whether to eternal reward or to eternal punishment. Later in 21:7-8, this will be emphasized again. Conquerers become children of God, those who are cowards and otherwise are in the lake of fire. One way we can know whether or not we will rest or suffer is our works. Brothers and sisters, what are our works?

Are you tired? Hitting summer wishing you could have a summer break? God freely offers eternal rest to those who follow the Lamb. They will rest when they die. But others will find only torment with no rest.