Title: Introduction to the book of James

Text: James 1:1

FCF: We often struggle balancing works with faith

Prop: Because living and saving faith produces good works, we must hear and live the Word.

Scripture Intro:

[Slide 1] Turn in your bible to James chapter 1. Let’s go ahead and read the first verse of this letter. I am reading from the NET which you can follow on page 1360 of the pew bible or in whatever version you have in front of you. And before we read verse 1, I do plan to read the entire book at the end of the introduction, so be thinking about whether you’d like to read aloud a chapter of James in a few minutes.

As I looked back over each introduction to an epistle that I have done since being your pastor, it became clear to me that although there are some generally consistent items that are included in an introductory sermon, each letter is unique and requires its own approach. Some begin with doctrinal teaching in the first verse, preventing me from including any of the text in the introductory sermon. Some letters are part of a series or a collection. Others are thematically connected.

James then, takes on its own shape as we will actually look at the first verse today. There are two reasons we are able to do that. First, it stands alone in the text. Nothing he says after is inherently connected to anything he says in the first verse. Secondly, the first verse includes some of the introductory material that I would be talking about anyway – so I might as well include it in our look at the letter as a whole.

James is considered to be a general or catholic epistle, meaning it was written to no one person or church specifically and was intended to be given to all the church. Although calling it “general” makes it seem like James doesn’t have anyone in particular in mind - we see from the first verse that that is actually not quite accurate. James does have someone in mind that he is sending this letter to. We’ll get to that in due time.

Canonicity

[Slide 2] The epistle of James has always been a little bit suspect as to whether it should have been included in the canon of scripture. Many early church fathers accepted it but in their disputed books section. It is worth noting that all the disputed books were eventually adopted into the canon of scripture. They included Hebrews, James II and III John, Jude and Revelation. Essentially everything after Philemon in your bible except for I John.

But sometime later, in the 1500s to be exact, another prominent church figure had some seemingly significant problems with the book of James. Martin Luther, the great reformer, who in his study of Romans had come to the conclusion that Justification is by faith alone and not of works. So why did Martin Luther have a problem with the book of James? Well, James says in chapter 2 of his epistle that Justification is by works and not of faith alone. So… like exactly the opposite of what Luther concluded that Paul was teaching in Romans. For those wondering, that is definitely going to be on the “theological challenges” list when we get to that in a few minutes.

Title: Trust and Obey

Text: II Peter 3:14-18

FCF: We often struggle living in light of God’s promises and warnings.

Prop: Because true Christians continue believing God’s Word, we must trust and obey God.

Scripture Intro:

[Slide 1] Turn in your bible to II Peter 3.

Today we will conclude our year long study on I and II Peter. Although all Scripture is living and active and applies to our lives today – it has seemed especially true of these two books. The apostle Peter speaks to the average Christian encouraging them and warning them of coming dangers. And his conclusion is simple and often repeated. Just because it is simple of course, doesn’t mean it is easy.

It will be difficult to move on from the Petrine Epistles, but to soften the blow, it seems the Lord is leading us right back into the same sort of message but from the beginning of church history. Starting next week we will begin our study of the book of James. I expect it to take us at least through the winter and perhaps even into summer of next year. After that I believe the Lord is leading me away from the epistles and to the Acts of the Apostles. And I have no idea how many decades that will take us to get through.

Title: Holy Blitzkrieg

Text: II Peter 3:8-13

FCF: We often struggle enduring in faith and obedience due to the long delay of God’s coming.

Prop: Because God’s delay is in patience but His judgment will be devastating, we must live purely and steadfastly until He returns.

Scripture Intro:

[Slide 1] Turn in your bible to II Peter 3.

Last week, we saw how God’s people must remind themselves of the predictions of God and the command of Christ. They must do this while understanding above all, that they will face strong opposition from those questioning what the Lord has made plain. Our takeaway was that we needed to be people of the book, constantly reminding ourselves of what God has promised and what He has commanded us.

Well, that same message carries on throughout the end of the book. Trusting what God has said and obeying what He has commanded becomes the drum that Peter beats 3 times as he ends his letter. But the reasons we must trust what God has said and obey what He has commanded are abounding.

Today He will give us two more reasons which when put together can best be described as Holy Blitzkrieg.

It is fitting that this is Dean’s first Sunday away from us and I am talking about World War 2. Anyway… Blitzkrieg is the Nazi form of assault on an opponent that is a surprise attack dealt with unrelenting force over a short period of time. The basic strategy is to shock and overwhelm the enemy to the extent that they are beaten before the fighting truly begins. This method of warfare was highly effective against troops expecting trench warfare from World War 1. A long and drawn-out battle gaining little to no ground. Ultimately blitzkrieg helped Germany to secure most of the world before the tide turned.

God’s nature and judgment are the focus of Peter’s argument today. God is not like us, and that impacts both when and how He will come in judgment. Explaining all this will naturally lead Peter to share with his audience what sort of people they should be. And we will benefit from his answer.

I am in II Peter 3 and I’ll start reading in verse 8. I am reading from the CSB today but you can follow in the pew bible on page 1371 or in whatever version you prefer.

Transition:

So much to cover today, so let’s get right into it.

I.) Because God is not like us, we must live purely and steadfastly until He returns. (8-9)

a. [Slide 2] 8 – Dear friends, don’t overlook this one fact:

i. After assuring his readers that there will be a judgment coming upon the ungodly just like the flood before, only this time in fire, Peter now desires for them to pay attention to a particular truth.

ii. He doesn’t want them to miss an old Jewish axiom that he will give them and then expand on.

b. [Slide 3] With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.

i. This comes from Psalm 90:4, where it says “in your eyes 1000 years are like yesterday that quickly passes.”

ii. Peter actually adds a second phrase on the end of this which inverts the idiom.

iii. What does this mean?

iv. Some have suggested that this is actually spelling out a time-table for the events of the judgment.

1. Rabbinical tradition refers to a millennia as a day and a day to a millennia.

2. Indeed, some Rabbis taught that the earth would endure for 6000 years and then the Sabbath rest and judgment from God.

3. [Slide 4] This is echoed in the epistle of Barnabas 15:4 where Barnabas says “in six thousand years the Lord shall bring all things to an end; for the day with Him signifies a thousand years; and this He himself bears witness, saying ; behold, the day of the Lord shall be as a thousand years. Therefore, children, in six days, that is six thousand years, everything shall come to an end.

4. Although early church fathers were fairly agreed that the Epistle of Barnabas was not divinely inspired, they are also agreed that it was actually written by the apostle and contains great truths often quoted by Clement and Origen.

v. So, is this what is happening here? Is Peter setting down a time that the Lord would return?

vi. [Slide 5] Although as mostly premillennial people, we may find this option VERY attractive. It violates the first, second, and third rule of biblical interpretation. Do you know what those rules are?

1. [Slide 6] Context is King

2. [Slide 7] Context is King. Any guesses on the third one?

3. [Slide 8] Context is King. Hey I thought you said you’ve never heard of them.

Title: Not Peace, A Sword

Text: II Peter 3:1-7

FCF: We often struggle to keep our minds set on and believe what God has said.

Prop: Because the Scriptures are polarizing to the two families, we must remember what we’ve been taught from scripture.

Scripture Intro:

[Slide 1] Turn in your bible to II Peter chapter 3. Realistically speaking we are only 3 sermons away from finishing up II Peter. As we approach the end of the book it will be helpful for us to review only briefly what we have covered thus far.

In Chapter 1, Peter introduces our dependance on our God. That all that we need to live godly lives has been given to us by Him. Including the faith to believe in Christ. This does not promote idleness – but rather spurs us forward to add to our faith other spiritual virtues. Since we have the confidence that God has supplied all we need, we can pursue godly living in faith, knowing that God has and will continue to help us. Peter confesses that they already know all this but he wants to reassure them before he dies that all they have received from the apostles and the holy prophets is true.

In chapter 2, Peter exposes the false teachers for what they are. They have snuck in with destructive heresies, while appearing by all human perception to be genuine confessors of Christ. They had even abandoned the desires of the world for a time. Nevertheless, they went back to those desires to be enslaved again, proving that they were never genuinely changed. And God has always and will always reserve the ungodly for judgment while rescuing His people.

As Peter wraps up his letter, he turns to his audience to encourage them in what to do in light of the presence of these false teachers, and how to keep themselves spiritually safe from them.

I am in II Peter 3. I’ll begin reading in verse 1. I am reading from the NET which you can follow in the pew bible on page 1371 or in whatever version you have in front of you.

Transition:

What is the remedy to avoid false teaching? How can you ensure that you do not fall prey to it? Could it really be as simple as how you perceive the Word of God?

I.) Because Scripture is relevant, we must remember what we have been taught from scripture. (1-2)

a. [Slide 2] 1 – Dear friends, this is already the second letter I have written to you,

i. Although an apostle, an Elder, and a Pastor – Peter addresses his flock as his friends. His beloved. Family. For that is what the body of Christ truly is.

ii. And as a loving father Peter writes to his children for a second time.

iii. Although this is not definitive proof that this letter was written by Peter, nor is it proof that I Peter is the other letter he wrote, it seems safe to conclude based on all the leg work we did in introducing this book, that Peter wrote two letters, I and II Peter, for the same purpose.

iv. What is that purpose?

b. [Slide 3] In which I am trying to stir up your pure mind by way of reminder.

i. Peter wants to stir up or awaken. This word can be used of water that is agitated and choppy. So their minds must be called to action. They must be alive and active.

ii. But not just any minds. It is their pure minds.

iii. With all this talk about apostates and looking like believers but turning out to have a nature that has never changed – Peter is convinced that such is not true of the audience to which he is writing.

iv. He says they have pure minds. Blameless or unspotted minds. They are untainted, unmixed.

v. And how will he activate their holy minds?

vi. By way of reminder.

c. [Slide 4] 2 – I want you to recall

i. Peter’s purpose as he stated in chapter 1 of this book also, is to remind them.

ii. He wants them to bring back to the front of their minds some piece of information.

iii. Not just once – but to keep the reminded truth at the forefront of all their living.

iv. What specifically must they recall?

d. [Slide 5] Both the predictions foretold by the holy prophets

i. Peter wants them to go back to the prophets of the Old Testament.

ii. Is he referring only to the Major and Minor prophets?

iii. Well Moses is called a prophet of God, and he wrote the first 5 books of the bible.

iv. Samuel was a prophet of God.

v. Prophets of God existed through the times of the Kings of Israel and Judah.

vi. Psalms, Proverbs, Job. Song of Solomon all contain prophesy about the coming of the Messiah both the first and second advent.

vii. In other words – even though Peter states the predictions foretold by the holy prophets – there really isn’t a book of the Old Testament we can exclude.

viii. Since we know where Peter is going, and since he states their “predictions” as what we should recall, it is appropriate for us to conclude that he wants us to pay particular attention to those prophesies about the coming judgment.

e. [Slide 6] And the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles.

i. But here is a perplexing question… to which command is Peter referring?

ii. Certainly, since he speaks of the coming judgment – that could hone our guesses… but which one?

iii. Is it Christ’s command to repent and believe the gospel?

iv. Is it Christ’s command to make disciples?

v. It is hard to say for certain – but given the subject matter that came before this, and given what he is about to talk about through the end of the book, I would say that verse 14 gives us our best clue.

vi. “Therefore, dear friends, since you are waiting for these things, strive to be found at peace, without spot or blemish, when you come into His presence.”

vii. We are still a couple weeks away from delving into this verse deeply, but might I suggest to you that the command that Peter refers to, the command that has been transmitted from Jesus through the apostles, to now all of us His dear children… is to persevere.

viii. The command is to endure.

ix. The command is to be found by his returning master, a slave with many talents when he was only given one. A bridesmaid with a full oil container when the groom comes. A wedding feast attender that responds to the summons. A sheep that hears the masters call and comes without delay.

x. Certainly, as Peter has said in chapter 1, the Lord keeps His dear children! But there is a human side of this also. We must add to our faith. We must produce fruit of righteousness. We must persevere!

f. [Slide 7] Passage Truth: Peter reminds his audience that they already have what they need to persevere. Namely, the Scriptures and commands of Christ.

g. [Slide 8] Passage Application: So, they must remember the Words of God concerning the coming of the judgment. Namely the predictions of the Old Testament prophets and the warnings of Christ their King and judge.

h. [Slide 9] Broader Biblical Truth: Zooming out to the whole counsel of God -we know that God’s Word is ultimately what He has provided to His people not only to draw them to Him but also to help them persevere to the end. All that is written within the scriptures are given for faith and practice of His people. And the bible claims this of itself. In fact, the scriptures say that not only are they profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, but that Christ, who is called the Word, is the fullest revelation of God that we have. He says that if you have seen me, you have seen the Father because I and the Father are One. And all that Jesus taught and commanded His apostles has been meticulously preserved in the gospels, Acts, and the epistles of the New Testament. And each Old Testament book is affirmed and treated as scripture in the pages of the New Testament.

i. [Slide 10] Broader Biblical Application: What does that mean for us? Basically, that the bible, the Word of God, is invaluable to God’s people. It is likened unto bread and water in scripture. Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. If we are to have life and to have life abundant – we must keep at the forefront of our minds the teachings of the scriptures. Included in these are, of course, the predictions of the coming judgment and the need for God’s people to remain faithful and endure to the end.

Transition:

[Slide 11(blank)] But this is not all that Peter wishes for his audience to remember or to understand concerning God’s Word.

II.) Because Scripture is reviled, we must remember what we have been taught from scripture. (3-7)

a. [Slide 12] 3 – Above all, understand this:

i. Many translations have something to the effect of “knowing this first”

ii. This is not a step of chronology but of priority.

iii. Whatever Peter is about to have them understand – it is not something they must know going into a recalling of the Old Testament prophecies or the command from Christ.

iv. Rather, this is what they must understand chiefly…

b. [Slide 13] In the last days blatant scoffers will come,

i. This seems odd to place this as a higher priority item to understand recalling the Old Testament Prophesies or the command of Christ.

ii. But thinking this through it actually makes perfect sense.

iii. The command of Christ and the predictions of the Old Testament prophets are items that are written, preserved, and will not fade away.

iv. God keeps His Word and preserves it for His people.

v. If there is going to be failure, it is going to be human. And a human failure that we most certainly must be conscious of – is the tendency to complacency and comfort.

vi. It is easy to be lulled into an “everything is fine” mentality and fail to remain vigilant.

vii. Peter wants his audience to, above all, understand that blatant scoffers will come.

viii. Peter actually says “scoffers in their scoffing will come.” This is an idiom to indicate that they are not actually trying to hide their intentions. They may as well wear signs that say they are scoffers.

ix. But what is a scoffer?

x. A scoffer is a mocker or ridiculer.

xi. How does the scriptures as a whole speak of the mocker? Perhaps the most famous is Psalm 1.

xii. “How blessed is the one who does not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand in the pathway with sinners, or sit in the assembly of scoffers!”

xiii. Traditionally, interpreters see the progression, or rather the digression, of walking, standing, and sitting parallel to the wicked, sinners, and scoffers.

xiv. To sit in the assembly of the scoffers is to join in the immovable opposition to God and all He says.

xv. Therefore, to scoff is much like the apostates of chapter 2. They mock or ridicule the things of God.

xvi. Why would they do this?

c. [Slide 14] Being propelled by their own evil urges

i. They are slaves to their natures.

ii. They may have made that profession and all seemed good for a time – but now they are back to eating their vomit. They are back to rolling in the mud.

iii. The worst part is – they think that everyone else has it wrong.

iv. Come gather in our think tank and we will educate you on the true nature of the judgment of God!

v. Come join us as we dismantle the prophets of old and the apostles!

vi. Come reason together with us – do we need the Old Testament anyway?

vii. Come and hear the true gospel – that God has forgiven you all your sin and has no care for how you live.

viii. So says the scoffer, acting as the teacher. Sit and hear where you have errored. All the while, they are the ones controlled by their evil urges.

ix. But what is their message? What is their prophesy?

d. [Slide 15] 4 – and saying, “Where is His promised return?

i. My friends. Do you not hear the sly hiss of the serpent in these words?

ii. You will not surely die. There is no coming judgment!

iii. Where is it if its true? Hasn’t he been gone for almost a whole generation? Shall we continue to wait? How long? 100 years? 1000? 10,000?

iv. How do we know that He won’t return you ask? How do we know that no judgment is coming?

v. Easy…

e. [Slide 16] For ever since our ancestors died, all things have continued as they were from the beginning of creation.”

i. It has already been at least 4000 years since Adam and Eve have died.

ii. These prophets have said this was coming for thousands of years!

iii. And yet – life goes on as it always has! Nothing has changed!

iv. The burden of proof is on you! How dare you say that judgment is coming. How dare you suggest that anything is going to change.

v. No. There is no coming judgment. All will continue as it is. So, eat, drink, be merry, for tomorrow will be exactly like today.

vi. Such is the reasoning of the mocker.

vii. Why have they concluded this?

f. [Slide 17] 5 – For they deliberately suppress this fact,

i. They have concluded this because they are deliberately rejecting a key piece of information.

ii. One that would upend their entire argument.

iii. What piece of information are they intentionally forgetting?

g. [Slide 18] that by the word of God heavens existed long ago and an earth was formed out of the water and by means of water.

i. I am going to try to keep this from getting too technical but we have to understand something about ancient cosmology to understand Peter’s point.

ii. The way the ancient’s understood the world was not exactly scientific.

iii. [Slide 19] Many ancient cultures understood the earth to be a disc floating on top of water, surrounded by water on all sides, and covered by water above with a firmament holding the waters from pouring through.

iv. We could actually demonstrate this by placing a plastic plate on water in a container and allowing it to float. Then, putting a bowl over top of it, and then pouring water on top of the bowl.

v. How did this come about?

vi. Well, the earth was without form and void. It was chaotic. And God’s Spirit moved on the face of the waters and brought order to the chaos.

vii. If we look at this Ancient Near Eastern understanding of cosmology this is how they understood the universe. And the creation account leans into that understanding. That isn’t to say that they are correct. It is simply to meet them where they are.

viii. So, the Spirit of God divides the waters in the sky from the great deep, brings land from the waters and surrounds the land with seas.

ix. But what happened to this world?

x. What happened to a perfect cosmological system set up so all God created would thrive?

xi. Well – in short – sin.

xii. Sin happened. Which resulted in what?

h. [Slide 20] 6- through these things the world existing at that time was destroyed when it was deluged with water.

i. If we assume that what the bible says is true, we see a great number of things that are starkly different after the flood.

ii. The age of men takes quite a nose dive. This occurs immediately in Noah’s grandchildren. There is no gradual descent, but rather a sharp nosedive in the years a person lived. Noah lived over 900 years. His son Shem lived 500. And his son 400. And each following generation lives a little less and a little less. We also see them having children MUCH earlier. Before the flood Noah became a father when he was 500. And most before him gave birth to their children between their 80s and 180s. Shem has his son at 100 years old – but after this the men are in their 30s and 20s when they have children.

iii. Animals were noticeably more trusting of men before the flood.

iv. So much so that the bible actually comments after Noah and his family get off the ark, that animals were no longer tame.

v. Noah steps off the ark and makes a vineyard. He drinks the juice and gets drunk. Perhaps he has sinned here… or perhaps he was completely surprised by the fermentation process of the wine.

vi. God saw all that He had made and called it good. However – our earth today wobbles on its axis, It is not a perfect sphere but is actually fatter around the equator – AND its shape is constantly changing, it spins 1 time in 23 hours 56 minutes and 4 seconds, its orbit around the sun takes 365 days 5 hours 59 minutes and 16 seconds.

vii. Now there are many theories as to what is going on and why all this is the way it is.

viii. But Peter – as a humble fisherman in the first century by the inspiration of the Spirit gives us the long and the short of it.

ix. The world before the flood is gone. The earth that God created – is not the same earth we have now.

x. Now whether something changed cosmologically – or whether there was some kind of water canopy or exactly how all this happened we are not all together sure.

xi. But from Peter’s perspective – the world that God created… was destroyed in the flood of Noah.

xii. When we read that the fountains broke apart in the great deep and the heavens opened up... the cosmology of Genesis indicates that something cosmological happened during the flood.

xiii. To the extent that the earth we now inhabit, although capable of supporting life, is a broken version of the world before the flood.

xiv. Which makes us ask the question… if the flood was so cataclysmic – apocalyptic even – how did the world survive at all?

xv. Well Peter can answer that too…

i. [Slide 21] 7 – But by the same word the present heavens and earth have been reserved for fire,

i. God in His wrath exercised restraint.

ii. Like a demolitions expert he broke the world, but made sure to break it in such a way that life could continue afterward.

iii. Now the heavens and earth are not the same as they were before the flood.

iv. They are a broken shadow of what they were.

v. But Peter makes it plain. All that is present now – has been reserved… but for what?

vi. Fire.

vii. Although God promised never to the judge the world again with water… He did not promise to never judge the world again. And there are many passages in scripture revealing that the next judgment will be in fire – not in water.

viii. We just talked about this last week when we discussed that Jesus would bring a baptism of fire.

ix. And just so we are clear – what is this baptism in fire supposed to accomplish?

j. [Slide 22] By being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

i. The same thing that the waters of the flood did.

ii. Peter focuses on the destruction of the ungodly.

iii. Will the world also burn up too?

iv. The bible speaks of a new heaven and new earth. Is this God renewing or recreating? Or both?

v. This isn’t Peter’s point.

vi. He simply wants to assure his audience that the scoffers are purposefully neglecting a very important detail.

vii. God has already destroyed the world once in judgment.

viii. The earth is not as it has been from Adam.

ix. The heavens are not as they have been from Adam.

x. If God can judge once and purge the world of all the ungodly…

xi. He can certainly do it again.

k. [Slide 23] Passage Truth: So, Peter reminds his audience that scoffers will come in the last days, following their father the devil, and reviling all that has been revealed about the truth of the Word of God.

l. [Slide 24] Passage Application: So they must continue to keep the scriptures at the forefront of their minds. For all the Word of God has an answer to every mocking word and every accusation such people could bring against it.

m. [Slide 25] Broader Biblical Truth: From the whole of scripture we see this theme on repeat. Although Peter says it will occur in the last days – and perhaps he means it will intensify – when have we not seen scoffers question and bring great doubt to the words of God? And since the completion of the first century, has not this question been raised over and over again? Where is His promised coming? Did we miss it? And even today, many mock the promises of God. Peter has more to say on those promises and how God will keep them – but for now it is enough to remind ourselves that scoffers and mockers are normal operating procedure. Noah had his mockers. So will Christ.

n. [Slide 26] Broader Biblical Application: So CBC, we must keep the devotion of our faith alive. We must trust what God has said. Each year, each century, each millennia, that promise gets no less valid and no less true. He is coming again to judge the living and the dead. He is not slow to follow through. For He does not operate on the time table we do. So for now, as His people we must anxiously look for His coming by maintaining our faith and living holy and expectant lives so we are prepared for His coming.

Conclusion:

[Slide 27(end)] So CBC, in a world where scoffers seem to be lying in wait around every corner, where do we run for safety?

Where do we go when false teaching threatens to steal us away and undo us? Where will we set our foundation upon which we can build the spiritual virtues of godly living? How do we escape the lies of the devil and his children?

Believe what God has said.

In this text, Peter’s audience can escape those who he is warning them about, by continually refreshing their minds with the promises and commands of God. In this we must see the divide the Word of God makes between the two families – the family of the serpent and the family of the seed. Christ said, I did not come to bring peace but a sword. His Words… divide. So what must God’s people do?

They must wash their minds with the Word. They must have a heavenly view on the world. And the only way to get a heavenly view on all of life – is to keep the Word of God at the forefront of every word, every deed, every thought, every feeling.

Do we understand what that means?

It means that regardless of whether or not something is legal, fiscally wise, your patriotic duty, or your civil right – it must first pass the test of the Word of God. It must first make it through the filter of how God views the world.

It means that even if everyone else talks that way, thinks that way, or acts that way – the Word of God stops God’s people from it.

It means that rather than being controlled by emotions, rather than following our hearts, rather than letting “love” or “joy” determine what we do – the Word of God corrects what we feel. And it may not change the emotion – but it prevents us acting in that emotion. To choose His law instead of our feelings.

There was a time in Israel’s history where everyone did what was right in their own eyes. It was the time of the judges.

IF you want to succumb to the teaching of false teachers, if you want to follow them straight into hell, then do as the Israelites did. Always do what you think is best. Always do what feels good to you. Follow you heart and it will lead you right into the fire of judgment.

But if you are God’s. If you expect to be rescued from judgment instead of being reserved for it… then you must check every single thing you think – your entire worldview- your values – your rights- and even your most deeply held opinions must be compared to the Word of God and if it is found out of step… it must be killed. Not imprisoned. Not shunned. Not given a slap on the wrist. No my friends, you must bind it and take it to Golgotha and nail it to the tree with Christ.

You must surely be killing your sin… for if you do not… your sin will be surely be killing you.

Do not believe those who revile the word of God. Do not trust those who use the word of God as a weapon against those with whom they disagree. Do not follow those who act in the wisdom of their logic and reason without considering the Word of God. And do not abide the words of a man who questions the plain text of scripture to twist it to his own ends.

Rather cling to what God has revealed in His Word to His people.

And mark and avoid all who dissuade you from its study. Be wary of all who take you to preachers and teachers who they do not personally know, nor have they investigated their lifestyles, but tickle the ears and affirm the conclusions they wish. Ignore those who flippantly question the teachings of church fathers without careful and humble consideration of the truths they espouse.

Be Bereans. Go to the Word of God and see if we find what is being taught. Trust what God says. Ignore the scoffer.

This is how you stay on Christ’s foundation. This is how you insure that you are not led astray.

Be people of the book. For soon, if you aren’t, you will be swept away with all the rest. There is no excuse my friends.

The God of the Universe, who holds all things in His hands, has given you 1 book to know Him and to obey Him. If that is not enough to make you pant for a drink from its pages. If that is not enough to make you hunger for a morsel from its words. Then nothing will.

Title: The Sacraments

Text: Various

FCF: We often struggle to see use the sacraments as God intended us to.

Prop: Because God has given the sacraments as a sign and seal of our atonement in Christ, we must partake in faith expecting to be assured of our sonship to God.

Scripture Intro:

[Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Philippians chapter 3.

So I am up here a little earlier than I usually am aren’t I? That is because, as was mentioned earlier during announcements, we have quite a different service this morning.

Today is one of those unique opportunities that we have to celebrate both sacraments in our church on the same day. Many churches do the Lord’s Supper every week. The Lord did not give us instruction on how often we are to have the Lord’s Supper, so we, as you know, only do the meal quarterly. And baptism is a sacrament that we cannot actually plan. Baptism occurs only once in the lifetime of a Christian; therefore, it is naturally limited in frequency by that fact.

So, for God to align for us both a baptism and the Lord’s Supper on one day is an opportunity I can’t pass up to teach once more on the concept of a sacrament – and what they mean to the body of Christ.

But the reason I am speaking now in the service, is because I want to focus on each Sacrament separately. First, we will focus on Baptism, and after we have our baptism, we will then come back to the word and focus on the Lord’s Supper. That’s right – I am going to have a two-part message occurring in the same service. Don’t worry – both parts are not 45 minutes each. I saw alarm on many of your faces. It will be ok everyone.

This is a topical sermon of course, which means not only are we are going to see a lot of scripture today, but we will approach scripture differently than we normally do. When we go through textually, we are asking God to show us truth – and He decides what we see in that text. Topical sermons ask questions and then look to the Word for answers.

[Slide 2] The primary questions we will attempt to answer this morning are

1 – What is a Sacrament?

2 – What are the Sacraments?

3 – Is Baptism a Sacrament?

4 – How do the Sacraments differ from one another?

Unfortunately, before we can approach the first question we must answer some preliminary questions.

And that is where we will begin this morning – but before we do, let me pray and ask the Lord to guide us.

Transition:

To begin this morning, I want to remind ourselves of the observations we have made in II Peter thus far. We have seen that God has supplied to His children all they need to become partakers in the divine nature, and to come to the glorious excellence that He has called us to. Yet we see that there are some who make a good showing, who confess truth, who leave the filth of the world through the knowledge of Christ, yet return to be enslaved to their sin. So, the direction I want to start us on this morning… is by asking the question how does God keep us? If saving faith is enduring and working faith – How does God make sure our faith endures and works? Or, to say it more succinctly…

I.) [Slide 3] How does God perfect our faith?

a. Let’s look at Hebrews 12:1-2.

i. [Slide 4] For our faith to endure there are a few things that are necessary in this passage.

ii. First is laying aside every weight. These weights are often looked at as sins, but since he says every weight and sin, we cannot conclude that the weights themselves are sin. Most likely in the context the writer of Hebrews is referring to their insistence to go back to the Levitical system of sacrifices. Meaning that the writer of Hebrews is not just talking about sins, but also about anti-faith objects. Things that you are trusting in for a right standing before God. Namely, your own merit.

iii. The second aspect of the put-off put-on principle is to run with endurance the race that has been set before us. But how are we to do that?

iv. We must keep our eyes on Christ. Why?

v. He is the pioneer, author, originator, or best example our faith.

vi. He is also the finisher, completer, or perfector of our faith.

vii. Why is he the completer of our faith?

viii. Because being united with Him – He has finished His work. He was incarnated, he obeyed the Lord, He died for sinners, He was raised again, and is now sitting at the right hand of God making intercession for us.

ix. We can run the race with confidence because He has already completed it.

x. So, the perfecting of our faith is accomplished in Christ.

b. [Slide 5] Let’s look at II Peter 1:2

i. This is a passage that should be very familiar to us.

ii. Peter asks that grace (God’s divine power to help us to be what we could not be without Him) and peace (God’s divine comfort and assurance of our status with Him) would be multiplied to us in what?

iii. In the knowledge (the deep, personal, intimate understanding) of God and of Jesus Christ our Lord.

iv. It is by our growing in the deep, intimate, personal knowledge of Christ that we can grow in union with Christ. That we make our calling and election sure. That we as Ephesians says will grow up into Christ and be mature in Him. Or as Romans says that we will be pressed into or conformed to Him.

c. So how does God get his children from justification to glorification? How does He keep them growing up into Christ? How does He make sure as Jesus says, He does not lose any of His sheep?

d. By giving His dear children grace to endure and peace to endure confidently.

e. And that grace and peace are multiplied to us, how?

f. Through the deep, personal, growing, intimate knowledge of Christ.

g. [Slide 6] Philippians 3:1-11 brings all this together, but because it is a longer passage – we’ll have to turn there.

i. Paul’s one goal is to know Christ, because He has paved the way to righteousness. His faithfulness has become our faithfulness. His righteousness our righteousness.

ii. And to know Him in His death, the power of his resurrections is then to, as he says, somehow attain to the bodily resurrection.

Transition:

So the next natural question is…

II.) [Slide 7] How can we know Him in this way?

a. Since as Hebrews has said, he has run the race before us, to learn of Him we must follow Him.

b. [Slide 8] And in following Him – what has He said of Himself? Let’s look only to the gospel of John and we will find more than enough.

c. He is called the Word, so we must listen to Him as the fullest revelation of God. (John 1:1-18)

d. He is called the fountain of living waters, so we must drink Him. (John 4:5-26; 7:37-39)

e. He is called the bread of life, so we must eat Him. (John 6:22-59)

f. He is called the light of the world, so we must follow Him out of the darkness. (John 8:12-30)

g. He is called the door so we must enter through Him. (John 10:1-10)

h. He is called the good shepherd so we must listen and obey Him. (John 10:11-18)

i. He is called the way to the Father, so we must pray in His name and by His provision. (John 14:1-14)

j. He is called the truth, so we must hear and believe only Him. (John 14:1-14)

k. He is called the life, so we must live as He lived. (John 14:1-14)

l. He is called the vine so we must be bound to and abide in Him. (John 15:1-17)

m. Through the study of the Word of God, through preaching of the word of God, through prayer, through Christian fellowship and intentional discipleship to teach people to observe all that the Lord has commanded. We know Him more and more through these means.

n. And in knowing Him more and more, God’s grace and peace are multiplied to us. So that we may what?

o. [Slide 9] As it says in Ephesians 4… so that we may grow up into the full stature of Christ. Namely, so we may be like Him. For if we are becoming more like Him now… we will certainly look forward to the blessed hope of being truly like Him in the age to come. And as Paul said in Philippians that we might somehow be raised from the dead as He was.

p. That is why historically, the church has called these practices, the ordinary means of grace. Not grace to justify us, but grace to sanctify us. To grow up into into Christ.

q. We as God’s people, ask for grace when we need help. And God has supplied vehicles or avenues whereby He communicates grace to us. Namely in knowing and following Christ.

Transition:

[Slide 10(blank)] So, God grows His people into Christlikeness by giving them grace as they know Jesus Christ more and more. And the Word of God, prayer, and Christian fellowship are avenues that He has provided for us to know Him more. But where do the sacraments come in here? Well… now we are ready to ask our first question.

III.) [Slide 11] What is a Sacrament?

a. Where does the word Sacrament appear in the bible?

i. It doesn’t. Just like the word trinity.

ii. It is a combination of the Latin word for sacred and the Greek word for mystery – but often we think of a mystery as a secret that no one knows. More likely it means mystery in the sense that Paul does, in that it is a divine and spiritual thing, not fully revealed in totality to us. It is mysterious. It is mystical.

iii. Sacrament means – holy spiritual mystery.

iv. Yet the teaching of the sacraments, both their command and the symbolism behind them are virtually everywhere in the New Testament and are shadows of other ordinances God had in the Old Covenant.

b. A good definition of sacrament is as follows

i. [Slide 12] A Sacrament is a sign set apart and commanded by Christ that declares to His people the promise of the gospel, namely that He grants us freely the remission of sin and life eternal – not for our sake – but because of the work of Christ on the cross. These symbols do teach and assure us that the whole of our salvation depends upon that one sacrifice of Christ and they also, by the Spirit’s work, more fully unite us to the One sacrificed.

ii. I tried to underline the important parts on the slide. I stopped. Because the only words not underlined were conjunctions. So… it is all important.

iii. But if I had to put it more succinctly…

iv. [Slide 13] A sacrament signifies the inward spiritual reality of Christ’s atonement for us and seals that reality on our consciences, building our faith in Him alone, and thus further uniting us to Him.

v. This brings us to our next primary question...

c. [Slide 14] What are the Sacraments?

i. Different branches of Christendom have varied numbers of Sacraments.

ii. Based on the definition above – many items that are viewed as Sacraments were never actually ordained by Christ Himself. Some are not actually signs of the new covenant or of Christ’s atonement.

iii. As we whittle away at all that is viewed a Sacrament, we come really to 2 Sacraments that remain.

iv. [Slide 15] Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

d. [Slide 16] How do the Sacraments differ from the ordinary means of Grace?

i. What makes these unique or special?

ii. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper differ from the ordinary means of grace in that they were specially instituted by Christ to represent and apply to believers the benefits of the new covenant by visible and outward signs.

iii. The ministry of the Word, prayer, and Christian fellowship may be avenues that God gives grace through – but the sacrament is symbolic, pertaining to the atonement, and ordained of Christ to communicate and apply the benefits of that atonement to His people.

iv. In the ministry of the Word, prayer, and fellowship with believers we can see a natural connection between our participation in these means and God’s growing us through them. Not saying that we earn God’s grace in any way… But there does seem to be a more obvious connection between reading God’s word and God equipping us for His will and work. The same goes with prayer and Christian fellowship.

v. But in the Sacraments, there is truly nothing special about the water, the bread, or the juice. And by simply washing, eating, or drinking – we cannot begin to explain how God grows us in it. Yet God uses common things as symbols of deep spiritual truths to declare to His people what He has done for them in Christ and to assure them that they are His by binding them to Christ all the more.

Transition:

[Slide 17(blank)] Now, over the last few years, we’ve talked at length about how the Lord’s Supper is a Sacrament. But what are the symbols of baptism? What do they mean? How do we know that God grows us in baptism? In short…

IV.) [Slide 18] How do we know that Baptism is a Sacrament?

a. When we looked into the Lord’s Supper as a Sacrament, we encountered the unique challenge that there is actually not a lot written about the Lord’s Supper in the scriptures. So, while we were able to piece together the spiritual reality behind the symbols and how the sacrament declares and assures these truths with us as believers, we had to scour almost every passage we could.

b. Baptism gives us the opposite problem. There is a plethora of information about baptism in the New Testament. So, our challenge becomes organizing and utilizing the information we need to establish whether or not baptism is a Sacrament.

c. [Slide 19] Revisiting our definition of a sacrament the first thing we must prove from scripture is that Christ has set apart this sign. So, our question is, does Christ command all believers to be baptized?

i. [Slide 20] Before Jesus began his earthly ministry, He was baptized by John the Baptist in Matthew 3. When John protested, saying he had no need to do this since it was a baptism unto repentance, Jesus said to baptize Him to fulfill all righteousness.

ii. Early in Christ’s ministry, recorded for us in John 3, Jesus’s disciples were baptizing those who were repenting of sin. This is a key concept to understand. John’s baptism was for the repentance of sin. Jesus’ disciples were continuing and expanding John the Baptist’s work.

iii. In Matthew 28, before His ascension, Jesus commands his disciples to go and make disciples. In that process they are to baptize them in the name of the triune God and teach them to observe all that Christ has commanded. So baptism and teaching them obedience are part of the discipleship process.

iv. In Mark 16 Jesus says that the one who believes and is baptized will be saved: but those who do not believe will be condemned.

v. So, it seems that Jesus really did institute this practice both by affirming John’s use of it, and by commanding his disciples to continue using it.

vi. And we see in several examples in Acts that His disciples obeyed His command.

d. Let’s take the second part of the definition of sacrament.

i. [Slide 21] “declares to His people the promise of the gospel, namely that He grants us freely the remission of sin and life eternal – not for our sake – but because of the work of Christ on the cross.”

ii. Do we see that this is true of Baptism?

iii. [Slide 22] Look at Acts 2:38 – Peter declares to the people in Jerusalem, at the start of the church, to repent of their sin. Further, he says that every one of them must be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. What does that mean? In the name of? It means on account of, or for the sake of, because of.

iv. And then he says for the remission or forgiveness of sins. We balk at this statement because it seems like, as it did in Mark 16, that Peter is saying baptism is necessary for sins to be forgiven… and in a way it is. But not because of the water of the baptism or their submission to it.

v. Rather it is because of the faith they now have in what the symbol signifies. That for Christ’s sake, we are made new. We are changed. They are being baptized on his account or for His sake. Meaning – they believe. This is where forgiveness of sins comes in. Not the sign, but the thing signified.

vi. And then he says that you will receive the Holy Spirit. And we have to ask… so do we receive the Spirit after we are baptized or before? Again – Peter is not focusing on the act of water baptism but rather the thing signified in that baptism. Meaning the Spirit of God indwells upon a believer receiving faith from God in the atonement of Jesus Christ.

e. [Slide 23] And that leads us to the next part of the definition of a sacrament… “These symbols do teach and assure us that the whole of our salvation depends upon that one sacrifice of Christ”

f. What are the symbols of baptism and how do they teach and assure us that all our salvation depends on Christ? And this my friends, is really where the plethora of information on baptism comes in.

g. Did you know that in the New Testament there are at least 9 baptisms?

i. There is the baptism of Moses. I Corinthians 10 tells us that the Israelites were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.

ii. There is the baptism of Noah where 8 people were baptized into the flood waters, mentioned in I Peter.

iii. There is the baptism of John – As we noted it was for the purpose of repentance of sins Mentioned in Matthew 3.

iv. There was Jesus’ baptism which was to fulfill all righteousness also in Matthew 3.

v. There is the baptism of the Holy Spirit which is predicted by John the Baptist to be a baptism that Jesus brings – first mentioned in Matthew 3 but also in other places in the New Testament.

1. Acts 2:38

2. Ephesians 1:13-14

3. I Corinthians 12:13

vi. There is baptism into the sufferings of Christ, mostly in Mark 10 where two disciples came asking for a place of honor in the kingdom. Jesus asks them if they can endure the baptism he is will be baptized with? They said they could probably not knowing what he meant. Then Jesus said, that indeed they would follow Him in His sufferings. As all God’s true children do.

vii. There is baptism into fire or judgment. In Matthew 3, John predicts that this is another baptism that Christ will bring. He will secure his wheat into the barn but burn the rest. In II Thessalonians 1 Christ will return with a flaming fire inflicting vengeance. But in this He will spare His own.

viii. There is the baptism into Christ that believers are said to experience. In Romans 6 we are baptized into his death. Buried with him. And raised with Him to walk in new life. We are baptized into one body – namely the body of Christ in I Cor 12:12. Through faith in Jesus we are baptized into Christ and have put on Christ in Galatians 3:26-27 so that now all who are in Christ are one. And in Colossians 2, a new circumcision has occurred where our sinful flesh is cut off as Christ’s body was cut off from life. We are buried with Him and raised with Him.

ix. Lastly, there is baptism into water for believers

x. And there are other baptisms mentioned that probably refer to ritual washings so I have excluded them.

h. Perplexingly, even though there are 9 baptisms – Paul says that there is only 1 baptism in Ephesians 4. So to which baptism does he refer? Looking at the context, it is fairly obvious that he means the baptism into Christ. What does that mean?

i. After careful consideration, being baptized into Christ actually accomplishes all of these baptisms.

i. Noah and Moses were types of Christ, who led their people to safety by their obedience to God.

ii. John’s baptism not only pointed forward to Christ’s work, but Christ Himself was baptized by John.

iii. Jesus entered the waters of baptism not to repent but to receive the Spirit of God, obey the Lord, and yet become sin for us and die our death so that we could receive His life.

iv. Being baptized into Christ means we will suffer for His name, but escape His judgment.

v. Since Christ sends the Spirit to His people, when we are baptized into Christ we are baptized with the Spirit of Christ.

vi. So, all these baptisms are accomplished by us being immersed into, covered with, or united to Christ by faith.

vii. Therefore, water baptism of believers is the symbol of this baptism. That we are baptized into Christ. Into His baptism, into His life, into His death, into His burial, into His resurrection, into His glory.

viii. Water baptism is the symbol of our being declared righteous. Because in justification we are clothed with Christ, treated as if we have the same standing before God as He does – though we are still sinners. Our sins are washed away and remitted, placed on Christ instead. Our accounts are switched.

ix. So, water baptism is both commanded and symbolizing the work of Christ’s atonement.

j. And the symbols do not end there. We know that the Spirit washes us with regeneration and that we are birthed into a new birth by Spirit and by water. These images also convey a sign and thing signified kind of relationship between baptism and our justification.

k. All we have left is to prove that baptism is a Sacrament is to show that baptism “by the Spirit’s work, more fully unite(s) us to the One sacrificed.”

i. For this we go to I Peter 3:20b-22

ii. In this passage we see that Peter assures us that just like the 8 people who were aboard the ark were saved by or through their baptism, so we are also saved through our baptism.

iii. Not by the washing of dirt by water… but the pledge, or answer of a good conscience to God.

iv. Just as water washes dirt away, we know that baptism into Christ’s death and resurrection washes our sins away.

v. And because of this pledge we have a good or clear conscience toward God. We walk away from our water baptism which is a symbol of our baptism into Christ, knowing that our conscience is clear – not because of our own righteousness, but because of the righteousness of Christ which we have received by being baptized into Him.

vi. Secondly, in Matthew 28, as the mark of a true disciple being made by other disciples, water baptism is one part of that process, the other part is obedience to all that Christ commanded.

vii. Thirdly, since Christ did precede us in baptism both in the symbol and in the thing signified, we unite to Him by faith and follow Him also in both the thing signified and the symbol itself.

viii. Finally, our baptism into Christ achieves our baptism into a family, a community, a body of believers that began with Adam and Eve and who God is still drawing from all nations. A body that is invisible, but will one day be gathered again. And so, as the sign of that truth – in water baptism when the baptized comes up out of the water, they experience the welcome and joy of a family of people who are also baptized into Christ. And we with the Spirit declare and assure all present that Christ alone has made us new.

l. Therefore, I conclude, that water baptism of believers is indeed a sacrament of holy significance. A gift of God’s whereby we all can build our faith in Christ, know and be united to Him more, and be given grace by God.

m. [Slide 29 (end of first part)] And so, let us do just that. As Elliott and I prepare, we’ll have Jerry come forward to lead us in prayer this morning before the offering.

[SERMON BREAK = PART 2 FOLLOWS]

Transition:

[Slide 1] So this morning as we turn our attention away from baptism to the other sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, we must answer the last of our primary questions…

V.) [Slide 2] How do the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper differ from one another?

a. If both sacraments by definition are signs and symbols of the atonement of Christ meant to declare and assure us of our standing with God and to multiply grace to us through a deeper unity with Christ… why do we need two? How do they differ? What do each declare to us that the other does not?

b. [Slide 3] As we’ve seen, Baptism correlates to our justification. That once for all Christ was slain for us, transmitting us from death to life and creating in us a new nature.

c. From that definitive point in our lives we are forever changed and made new.

d. Therefore, in the sacrament of baptism, so long as it is believer’s baptism, it is to be undergone once until we are delivered safely into the Kingdom of God.

e. [Slide 4] But the Lord’s Supper is a sign of the atonement of Christ in relationship to our sanctification.

f. This sign communicates to us the ongoing nature of the saving work of Christ, in that we are sustained by and kept for glory in the continued feeding of our souls on the intimate relationship we now have with God the Father as a direct result of the atonement of Christ. That in His body we are brought close, and that in His blood we are made pure. That through His body we can approach the Holy God, Yahweh His name, and by the blood of the lamb we do not enter as a criminal but as a Son or daughter.

g. The sign of baptism communicates to us the deliverance from who we were and promise of who we are now. The sign of the Lord’s Supper communicates to us the assurance of who are now and promise of who we will be.

h. Both Sacraments teach and declare to us by physical signs how the atonement justifies and sanctifies us… so that we may hope in the promise that the same God who justified us and is now sanctifying us, will one day glorify us… in Christ.

Transition:

And now knowing the emphasis of the Lord’s Supper on our present walk with the Lord, I feel I must clarify and even warn all here this morning

VI.) [Slide 5] Who is worthy to partake of the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper?

a. With Baptism, we saw that those who have made a convincing profession of faith are to be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

b. Are the conditions for who is worthy the same for the Lord’s Supper?

c. The answer is both yes and no.

d. [Slide 6] The reason we can answer yes is because beyond justification, there is no additional requirements of any who would partake of the meal.

e. All who are God’s children are encouraged and even commanded to take part in the feast.

f. [Slide 7] However, the reason we can also answer no, is due to the correlation the Lord’s Supper has with our sanctification.

g. As we have noticed in our recent study of II Peter, God is the one who preserves and continues to grow us in Him. But if we are enslaved again to sin, then we prove that our natures have not actually changed.

h. And so it is not by mere convincing profession that we may partake of the Lord’s Supper. For Peter suggests that the false teachers of his time had this convincing profession. Yet were abusing the Lord’s Supper and using it for opportunities to spread sin.

i. Instead, it is the ongoing nature of that profession of faith – the ongoing result of justification that must be present to be worthy to partake.

j. So who is NOT worthy to partake of the Lord’s Supper?

i. [Slide 8] If you are not a believer, you must not partake. This is a holy and symbolic meal of something that God has done in His people. Not only does it profit you nothing to partake, but it also risks your own health and even life to partake in an unworthy way. You blaspheme the body and blood of Christ by partaking when you have not yet partaken of the spiritual truth signified in the meal. So if you are an unbeliever here today, in all shapes and forms, I would caution you, do not partake.

ii. [Slide 9] If you are a professed believer here today, but are currently overcome by a sin in your life that you have no intention of leaving. If you are actively pursuing a sin for which you do not wish to forsake. Then you also should not partake. Not because you must be perfect to feast with us – but because God’s true children hate sin and love God’s law. And to deliberately keep on sinning after receiving knowledge of the truth only gives you a fearful expectation of judgement that will consume the enemies of God. To you I say, not just not to partake… but to repent! Forsake your sin and cry out to the Lord for His mercy. And if in hearing this call to repent, the Spirit has moved you to do just that… even today you may join us in the feast. But I caution you – do not flippantly repent so you may partake. The Lord who sees all things knows your heart.

iii. [Slide 10] Lastly, if you believe that eating this meal will in some way wipe away your sins or absolve you of God’s punishments, or contribute in any way to either earning your justification before God, or getting on God’s good side, I’d encourage you to not partake with us today. For you are in error and you do not know the truth. Christ alone saves and nothing we do contributes to that. Nor can it.

k. [Slide 11] So who IS worthy to partake of the Lord’s Supper?

i. You are a believer struggling to get victory over a sin.

ii. You are a believer feeling disconnected from Christ

iii. You are a believer feeling disconnected from other believers

iv. You are a believer who desires to live a life more like Christ

v. You are a believer who wishes to obey Christ

vi. You are a believer who desires to proclaim Christ’s atonement with your life.

vii. You are a believer who wants to celebrate the mercy and grace of God as He gives it.

viii. [Slide 12 (end)] Why is it only those who are broken and needy that qualify for this meal?

ix. Because that is what the Lord’s Supper is for. Meals in general are for the hungry. For the weak. For the thirsty. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they will be, what? FILLED!

x. Jesus Himself said that He did not come to seek the healthy but to help the sick.

xi. And the scriptures tell us that God’s true people agree with God about their own sin. They see themselves as wholly deficient and unable to make restitution for their sin or to please God.

xii. What does that mean? If you are weak, broken, needy, struggling, hurting, failing, desperate for Him… this meal is for you! Come and Feast!

xiii. Jesus said His body is for you. He said this cup is for you. Come and Feast!

xiv. The Lord’s Supper is a gift to us… His people. So that we may remember our Lord, commune with Him and with one another, grow in grace and victory over sin, and hope in the day when we will eat the marriage supper with Christ. So, Come and Feast!

So, l will pray. After that, we will remain here for a short time as we have not only welcomed Elliott as a member of the invisible church today – but will also receive him into membership of our visible church today as he makes a covenant with us and we with him. After that time, we’ll gather upstairs and go to the Lord’s Supper. those who are worthy to partake please join us upstairs. Grab the elements for yourself and have a seat. There is a song we will sing and that is printed out on the back of your bulletin – so make sure to grab one on your way up if you haven’t.

If you are not planning to join us – for any reason – please quietly slip out when we transition upstairs.

Let me pray.

Title: Characteristics of the Cursed - Part 2

Text: II Peter 2:17-22

FCF: We often struggle knowing who to listen to and when to follow.

Prop: Because false teachers promise what they do not have because they are slaves to their nature, we must remember what we’ve been taught and obey the command we have been given.

Scripture Intro:

[Slide 1] Turn in your bible to II Peter 2.

Last week Peter began a character sketch of the false teachers that will soon be or have already targeted the congregations throughout Asia Minor. He describes them as men who in their arrogance and insolence, irreverently spurn authority. Even authority that is created higher in order. Like fallen angels. But they are also brazen. They flaunt their sin practices and even try to entice others to participate.

It is interesting to note that for Peter discussing these people as false prophets or teachers – he has focused up to this point on their lifestyles and not their actual doctrinal beliefs.

Today he will continue to flesh out who these people are, and we’ll see where he goes.

I am in II Peter 2 starting in verse 17. I’ll be reading from the NET today which is on page 1370 in the pew bible. But you can follow in whatever version you prefer.

Transition:

We have the longer of the 2 part sermons this week. There is much to cover. So buckle up and lets dive in.

I.) False teachers look good on the outside but are empty within, so we must remember what we have been taught and obey the command we have been given. (17-19)

a. [Slide 2] 17 – These men are waterless springs

i. Peter continues his characterization of the cursed by adding two metaphors to describe the third characteristic of these false teachers.

ii. Imagine a dessert place, dry and weary. A land empty of moisture and life.

iii. But you are accustomed to the heat. You are from this area. So, you plan a journey according to where you can get water.

iv. In your planning there is no way to arrive at your destination without stopping at a natural spring. You know it will be crowded but such a spring will sustain you long enough to get to the next city.

v. So, you set out and make your journey. You use your resources you brought without any hesitation, knowing that you will arrive soon at the oasis where you can fill your bottles with the water from the spring.

vi. But when you arrive you find it barren. Empty. Waterless. And has been for some time.

vii. The natural spring – has dried up.

viii. Not only are you unable to fill your bottles, but you don’t have the supplies to get to the next city.

ix. In a word – you are trapped.

x. These men, are springs promising abundant life and providing none.

b. [Slide 3] And mists driven by a storm,

i. This image is less clear.

ii. Either this is reaffirming that they promise something they cannot deliver (like clouds without rain), or it illustrates how they are driven away (by a storm) from the truth because they have forsaken the way of righteousness.

c. [Slide 4] For whom utter depths of darkness have been reserved.

i. Because they have abandoned the way of truth and because they are waterless springs, they have been reserved for utter darkness.

ii. Their judgment will come. Just as the angels who left their place, just as the world in Noah’s day, just as Sodom and Gomorrah. God knows how to reserve the wicked for judgment.

d. [Slide 5] 18 – For by speaking high-sounding but empty words they are able to entice, with fleshly desires and with debauchery, people who have just escaped from those who reside in error.

i. Going back to waterless springs and clouds that promise rain but never deliver, Peter breaks through the metaphor to spell out exactly what he means by that.

ii. The false teachers are charismatic. They are energetic. They have a message that is well articulated and seemingly well thought out. They can “prove” it from the scriptures.

iii. Yet these are empty words. They have no substance.

iv. But if it really is empty and if it is antithetical to what the apostles taught, why are these words, no matter how well spoken, how are they able to entice people?

v. How was the snake able to entice Eve? Pleasing to the eyes, good for the body, and able to make us wise.

vi. What they are offering feeds the basic sin nature we are all born with. It offers something that looks good. Something that is natural and normal. Something that is a great benefit to us individually. But we must reach out and take it ourselves. And to reach out and take it for ourselves, we must violate a command of God.

vii. But the final component here that completes this transaction, is that the people they are able to entice are those who have just escaped from those who reside in error. What does that mean?

viii. Quite simply these are very new believers. Those who have made a profession of faith and have separated themselves from the world.

ix. Enter the snakes to tempt them with a half step version of Christianity.

x. “You’ve gone too far!” They might say. “You’ve isolated yourself. Don’t worry about these things that the apostles are calling sins. It isn’t like Jesus is going to judge you for them. Remember your sins are forgiven. There is no judgment to come! So, live like you want. Jesus loves you.”

xi. As seasoned Christians we smell the stink of death and the smoke of hell all over such statements. But when you have a young believer, easily influenced, these words could entice them to follow their desires into sin.

e. [Slide 6] 19 – Although these false teachers promise such people freedom, they themselves are enslaved to immorality.

i. Seasoned Christians have no doubt heard this argument countless times.

ii. “God just wants to keep you from all the best stuff.”

iii. “Why does your God want you to be such Puritans!”

iv. “I couldn’t be a Christian, I’d feel too trapped.”

v. Or even today – “Christianity is a religious tool used by white oppressors to keep minorities and women suppressed. We need to break free from Christianity’s chains. Only then will we have a truly free society.”

vi. Yeah – false teachers promise freedom.

vii. But these false teachers offer a freedom that that they do not have themselves. They offer freedom from the law, but in reality, they are slaves to immorality or more likely – depravity.

viii. Enslaved by A sin – sure – but more likely enslaved by a sin NATURE is what Peter is saying.

f. [Slide 7] For whatever a person succumbs to, to that he is enslaved.

i. Whatever overcomes you…

ii. Whatever overpowers you…

iii. Whatever undoes you…

iv. Whatever dominates you…

v. That is your master.

vi. There is no such thing as spiritual freedom.

vii. You are either a slave to your flesh, Satan, sin, and death, inheriting the whirlwind of the wrath of God.

viii. Or you are a slave to Christ and His righteousness, inheriting life and life everlasting.

ix. Either way you are a slave. But as the apostles found… slavery to Christ… redefines the word freedom. Can you call it slavery when it is the best thing that could ever happen to us? Can you call it slavery when it was exactly what you were made for?

x. Is the Phillips head screw a slave to the turning of the Phillips head screw driver? Maybe… but this was the reason that screw was created. To turn with the screw driver and be anchored into the wall.

xi. True freedom only exists in slavery to Christ.

g. [Slide 8] Passage Truth: So, Peter teaches his audience the third characteristic of the cursed. They offer great promises of freedom and comfort, but are themselves enslaved to their own sin nature.

h. [Slide 9] Passage Application: So, Peter’s audience must mark these men, refusing to follow them in their sin, and protecting new believers from their influence.

i. [Slide 10] Broader Biblical Truth: Zooming out to all of scripture we find that false prophets in the Old Testament would frequently tell the King of Israel what they wanted to hear. It made them very popular. In fact, Jonah’s first prophesy was that the northern Kingdom would expand its land. When we studied Jonah in Foundations, we wondered if that was one reason Jonah did not want to preach a message that would lead to the conversion of one of Israel’s greatest enemies. And in the New Testament Paul warns that people in the last days will have itching ears and accumulate for themselves teachers who will tell them what they want to hear. But the warning here is sobering. There is only freedom in knowing and obeying Christ. All other freedoms are false. So when a prophet, preacher, apostle, or seer tells you what you want to hear, what feeds your flesh, what gratifies your natural desires… he is false.

j. [Slide 11] Broader Biblical Application: So CBC, we must be careful to preach Christ and His commands. We must not be too light on sin, for even though we know that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ, we have been predestined to be conformed to Christ and to grow into His full stature. Our goal is perfect submission and flawless obedience. We know we will never achieve it in this life, that is why we must be merciful to one another when we fail. But we also bear each other’s burden in this and help each other to stand and obey again. We also must mark those who encourage us to sin in ways the scripture expressly forbids. Whether through a “new interpretation” of scripture or not using the scripture at all, we must be wary of someone who is light on sin, or who indicates in any way that God is not all that offended by our transgressions. And finally, we must pay particular attention to those who are new believers, young in the faith. They are particularly vulnerable to the lies of apostatizing teachers. Let us grow them in the faith so they may stand firm against the fiery darts of the evil one.

Transition:

[Slide 12 (blank)] Peter has almost concluded his character sketch of the cursed. He has only one more characteristic he wishes to make plain. But in here we find some fairly chilling words.

II.) False teachers are slaves to their sin nature, so we must remember what we have been taught and obey the command we have been given. (20-22)

a. [Slide 13] 20 – For if after they have escaped the filthy things of the world through the rich knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they again get entangled in them and succumb to them, their last state has become worse for them than their first.

i. This is a notoriously difficult verse to consider.

ii. Why is that?

iii. Well in the doctrinal landscape of this country there are very few… remarkably few who would ever say that a person can actually lose or reject their own salvation.

iv. Even some of the most hard-core advocates for human free will would really balk at the idea that once a person is saved, their own will could deconvert or unsave them.

v. So most American or Western Christians would come to this verse and be very uncomfortable with what Peter is saying.

vi. But before we rush to any judgments, let’s dig in.

vii. [Slide 14] If they have escaped the filthy things of this world

1. What could this phrase mean?

2. So first, Peter puts this in an if…then construction. This could set up a hypothetical on Peter’s end, however, the verbs in the sentence do not use the Greek mood that is normally used to set up a hypothetical.

3. So Peter is probably not considering an if…then construction that is improbable or impossible. In fact, he is speaking of a real condition. Something that is fairly axiomatic. It is almost proverbial.

4. Then Peter describes the protasis, that if they after having escaped the filthy things of the world… we’ll pause here. Turn back to verse 4 of chapter 1 with me. Let’s read that together

5. “Through these things he has bestowed on us his precious and most magnificent promises, so that by means of what was promised you may become partakers of the divine nature, after escaping the worldly corruption that is produced by evil desire.”

6. That sounds pretty similar to what he says here of these apostates doesn’t it?

7. Well, just wait, it only gets more difficult…

viii. [Slide 15] Through the rich knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,

1. So, Peter has actually talked about the knowledge of Christ quite a bit so far.

a. In 1:2, Peter wishes for God’s grace and peace to be lavished on his audience as they grow in the rich knowledge of God and Jesus.

b. In 1: 3, Peter says that it is through the rich knowledge of God that God’s power gives all that we need for a godly life.

c. And in 1:8, we are assured that if we can be described with increasing spiritual virtues, we will be kept or protected against being lazy in pursuing the knowledge of Christ and from being unprofitable in our knowledge of Christ.

2. So, what does he say here? That they were able to escape the filthy things of this world through a knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

3. My friends, Peter is using Christian jargon to describe these people. All indicators in this passage point to a person who was genuinely converted to Christ.

4. Peter describes a person who left the filthy things of this world as a direct result of the saving knowledge of Christ.

5. But after doing this…

ix. [Slide 16] They again get entangled and succumb to them.

1. Those same filthy things of the world…

2. That same corruption they escaped by knowing Christ…

3. They once again entangle themselves in them and are defeated or give in.

4. So, Peter’s if…then… presents a person who by the knowledge of Christ has escaped the corruption of sin, only to find themselves in it once again, but not just in it… defeated by it. Succumbing to it. Loving it.

5. If all this is true… what is the REAL conclusion?

x. [Slide 17] their last state has become worse for them than their first.

1. Peter does not elaborate on this statement at all.

2. He simply suggests that as an entrapped and defeated person in the filthy things of this world, they are in a worse predicament now than they were prior to receiving the knowledge of Christ and escaping the filthy things.

3. Peter goes on…

b. [Slide 18] 21 – For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than, having known it, to turn back from the holy commandment that had been delivered to them.

i. What do we make of this statement?

ii. How is it better to be a sinner who never hears the gospel, the holy command to repent and believe on Christ, to be holy, to love God and to love others… how is it better to never hear such things than to hear them, receive them, begin in them, and then turn back?

iii. Peter does not explain. He doesn’t actually give us the answer.

iv. But before we move on, let me just say this.

v. According to what we just saw, Peter is most assuredly teaching, not only that it is possible to be truly saved and reject your salvation… but that to do so, means you will never return from it.

vi. “Ok Chris… where’s the but…”

vii. No buts.

viii. Peter is warning the false teachers, the new believers, and everyone in the churches in Asia Minor about this real truth. There is no forgiveness for someone who receives Christ and is washed from his sin only to return to and be dominated by it.

ix. Like Lot’s wife, who escaped the city but was destroyed because she turned back… so are apostates.

x. Peter stops short of calling these men the elect or children of God… but the description of them before they went back to be dominated by their sin again… is the same description he uses earlier to talk about Christians.

xi. “So… are you saying that the bible doesn’t teach eternal security?”

xii. No. “Whew!”

xiii. What I am saying is, that these two verses do not teach eternal security.

xiv. “Oh boy. So, what does that mean for us? The bible has contradictions? How can the bible both teach that those who are Christians are eternally secure and that those who are Christians can reject their own salvation by going back to and being defeated by their previous sins?”

xv. I am tempted to conclude the sermon here.

xvi. The force of Peter’s words on the original audience would have been like jumping into icy water.

xvii. It would be difficult to achieve that today with our desire to quickly microwave all our problems away.

xviii. To end the sermon here would leave you as uncomfortable as his original audience probably felt.

xix. But Peter concludes his thought in verse 22… and as it is, verse 22 gives us the harmonization we seek.

c. [Slide 19] 22 – They are illustrations of this true proverb:

i. Peter is going to give us a proverb.

ii. He says it is one proverb which means that both statements are actually the same truth encapsulated in parallel illustrations.

d. [Slide 20] “A dog returns to its own vomit,” And “A sow, after washing herself, wallows in the mire.”

i. I have, just, so much to say on this little proverb, that it is a little overwhelming to try to figure out how best to construct my thoughts.

ii. First, this is the 3rd and 4th time in the characteristics of the cursed that Peter has mentioned the animal Kingdom in reference to these men. This is beyond a pattern… this is a thread of Peter’s thought. So, what has he said so far about animals?

1. These men are like animals when they irreverently rebuke fallen angelic beings. Why?

a. They prove themselves to be foolish, unreasoning, and unthinking – acting by nature- on instinct.

b. They submit themselves to the capture and destruction of these fallen angelic beings as they become tools to be used by them and taken in their destruction with them.

2. These men are like Balaam who though claiming to be a seer was more foolish than his donkey who rebuked him for his greed.

3. And now here they are compared to dogs and pigs.

iii. Before we analyze the proverbs themselves, we must make an observation. Throughout the 1st century world, both pagan and Jewish culture considered dogs and pigs to be filthy and appalling beasts. Throughout the scriptures, including in Matthew 7 – dogs and pigs are viewed as wicked or unholy creatures. Creatures that eat garbage and generally are shunned.

iv. So, when we read this proverb don’t think “man’s best friend” and teacup pig ok? Think rats and cockroaches.

v. But what is said specifically?

1. A dog returns to his own vomit.

a. Not being a “dog person” – and I just alienated like half of you. Look I don’t mind dogs… at your house. Anyway – not being a dog person, I wondered… is this true? Is it true that dogs eat their own vomit – often enough to conclude it as an axiom?

b. After a quick google search it was fairly unanimous. Yes. Dogs eat their own vomit. Many sites (that were not Christian sites) mentioned first and foremost that it is actually natural instinct. It is a response to the stimuli. The vomit smells like food so they eat it.

c. Indeed, a veterinarian site, responding to the question “should I stop my dog from eating his own vomit?” stated… no. There is no harm in them doing it. It’s natural.

d. And you wonder why I’m NOT a dog person? I think y’all have more explaining to do

Title: “Characteristics of the Cursed” Part 1

Text: II Peter 2:10b-22

FCF: We often struggle holding our ground in the truth

Prop: Because false teachers share similar characteristics, we must remember what we have been taught and obey the command we have been given.

Scripture Intro:

[Slide 1] Turn in your bible to II Peter chapter 2.

It is good to be back behind the pulpit. It is my turn to teach in foundations as well, so I am coming back from vacation with a full teaching schedule. The Lord is good though and allowed me to complete all my work this week.

It is also good to be back to II Peter. I am anxious to get back to the text, but the last time we were in II Peter was July 3rd. Perhaps July seems like a lifetime ago for you. I know it does for me. So it is reasonable to expect you to have forgotten most of what we have been talking about in II Peter – so let me try to do a little bit of review with you.

[Slide 2] Peter began his second letter with a beautiful description of all that God has done to insure that all we need to be what He wants us to be, is provided by Him.

Starting with faith to even be united to Christ. How do we have that faith? Peter answers. It is by the gift of God through Christ’s righteousness. Without God’s gift of Christ’s righteousness, none would believe.

Then Peter tells us that all things we need to be godly come from Him, through knowing Him. In fact, all God’s children have been called to His glorious excellence. And what God calls His children to, they will receive. In fact, it is through all His gifts to us that He has given us great promises , and since He never lies, His promising guarantees that we will receive it. He promises that we will be partakers in the divine nature.

But if we think we can bank on that promise and sit and do nothing. Peter continues by commanding his audience to make every effort to build upon what they have been given. To grow in Christ. To take the gifts of God and use them like the men in the parable of the talents who pleased their master.

In fact, Peter continues, if you have this growth upon the gifts given by God, not only will they prevent you from being useless and unfruitful for God, but they also verify or confirm that you are called and elected by God.

But Peter warns, that if these gifts are not built upon and you see no growth, then you are blind and lost. You are still in your sin and are not a true believer.

And just to make sure he is clear, Peter then bounces back again to the other side of this whole discussion to say – that if these spiritual characteristics of Christ are found in you and increasing… then they will prevent you from stumbling into apostasy and will gain for you a rich entry into the Kingdom of Christ.

After this, Peter admits that he knows they have heard all this before. But he wants to remind them because it is so desperately important that they hold fast to these truths. And because he is about to be martyred.

But how do we know all this is true? Because God has prophesied this from the beginning. And the apostles who gave this message to them did not invent this teaching or follow fables. Instead, they were eyewitnesses of Christ’s glory, and receivers of His prophetic Word.

His audience would be wise if they continued to listen to the apostles teaching and not be tempted to turn to others who disagree with them.

In fact, Peter says that they need to hold fast to all the apostles taught (much of which he has written in this very letter). Why? Well that is where chapter 2 comes in.

[Slide 3] Chapter 2 opens with the assurance that false teachers have always been around, and unfortunately, they will continue to be around.

And as they have always done, they will continue to sneak into the assembly of God’s people and sow their destructive teachings that are contrary to what has been received as the truth. If we peek ahead to chapter 3, we see that this teaching was that Christ was not going to return to judge, and that there would be no future Kingdom.

We find then, in chapter 2, the consequences of that belief in that they deny the authority of Christ and live debauched lifestyles. Doctrine has consequences y’all. If you believe something that only slightly twists the scriptures it is going to altar everything eventually.

Peter warns that these false teachers will try to exploit them and lead them astray. Which is why he wrote all he did in chapter 1. They need to trust the apostles and what they taught. The doctrine of chapter 1 is the antidote for the venom of the false teachers of chapter 2.

[Slide 4] But Peter assures his readers that God will not allow these false teachers to get away with it. In fact, based on 3 examples from Jewish history and mythology, he proves that God always has and always will rescue His people and reserve the ungodly for judgment. And He will especially reserve those who despise authority and who indulge their fleshly desires.

[Slide 5] Today, Peter is going to get specific. He is going to do a little character sketch for us. He is going to list the sinful character flaws of false teachers.

His purpose in that is twofold. First, so that we might mark them among us and be wary of them. Second, so that we might hold fast to the truth we have been taught and walk in the way of righteousness as we have been commanded.

Unfortunately, there is no way I would be able to do all of this in one sermon, so next week, we’ll come back for the rest of the description of these false teachers.

For now, I am in II Peter chapter 2. Let’s begin reading in verse 1 just to get the context we most recently spoke of, and we’ll read to the end of the chapter so we know where we are going.

Transition:

Ok, so lots to get to today, but we are well on our way. Let’s look at the second half of verse 10.

I.) False Teachers despise all authority but their own, so we must remember what we have been taught and obey the command we have been given. (10b – 13a)

a. [Slide 6] 10b – Brazen and insolent, they are not afraid to insult the glorious ones,

i. For those who despise authority and follow after their flesh – Peter does not beat around the bush. He doesn’t sugar coat it.

ii. Brazen means bold in a bad way or audacious. The kind of people we might say – how dare you – to.

iii. And insolent which means to be self-willed or self-satisfied. It is a combination of arrogance and lacking any need or want of others. It communicates not only pride but also disrespect to others. I like insolent as a translation.

iv. They are audacious because they follow their flesh. They are insolent because they despise authority. And both of these threads will permeate the rest of the chapter.

v. Peter begins with their insolence.

vi. He cites one particularly alarming and unfortunately applicable accusation against these false teachers.

vii. What is it?

viii. They are not afraid to insult the glorious ones.

ix. So, to insult means to demean or to slander. It is actually the word from which we get blasphemy. All in all, it means to speak irreverently against someone who is an authority or is in some way higher ranking than you.

x. Glorious ones could also be translated dignitaries or glories.

xi. Some view this as the false teachers speaking irreverently against the apostles or perhaps human civil magistrates. Although I disagree with that interpretation, to speak irreverently against either the apostles or human civil magistrates would fall into the same category of sin.

xii. But for several reasons I do not believe that is what these brazen insolent people were doing.

xiii. Let’s continue on and then I’ll explain what I think Peter is saying and why.

b. [Slide 7] 11 – yet even angels, who are much more powerful, do not bring a slanderous judgment against them before the Lord.

i. So, we have the picture that these men who have snuck in quietly with destructive heresies, are now irreverently rebuking the glorious ones.

ii. Whoever the glorious ones are, Peter reveals that not even angels, who are either much more powerful than these men, or possibly the glorious ones, not even angels bring an irreverent rebuke about them to God.

iii. Because II Peter and Jude have so much similar content, if we go to Jude, he says something similar in verse 8

1. “yet these men, as a result of their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and insult the glorious ones.”

2. Then verse 9 “But even when Michael the archangel was arguing with the devil and debating with him concerning Moses’ body, he did not dare to bring a slanderous judgment but said, “May the Lord rebuke you!”

iv. In Jude it is obvious that the glorious ones, dignitaries, or glories to which he is referring are angelic beings. Specifically angelic beings of a high rank. And more specifically, a named Angelic being of a high rank refusing to rebuke a fallen angelic being of a high rank.

v. So, coming back into the text of II Peter, I’d say that his reference is the same.

vi. So, what is the crime of these men?

vii. They are speaking irreverently against high ranking angels… specifically angels that have left their place and turned against their creator.

viii. As one commentator writes

1. [Slide 8] “When they were rebuked for their immoral behavior and warned of the danger of falling into the power of the devil and sharing his condemnation, they laughed at the idea, denying that the devil could have any power over them and speaking of the powers of evil in skeptical, mocking terms.” Bauckham, Richard. Jude and II Peter. Edited by David Hubbard and Glen Barker, Zondervan, 1983. Word Biblical Commentary Series.

2. Perhaps they would go so far as to deny the very existence of such beings altogether.

3. Or knowing that they deny the future coming judgment of Christ and an eventual Kingdom of righteousness – perhaps they thought that the coming judgment was only on these beings and not for them.

4. Perhaps they thought that being united to Christ meant that they could live however they wanted and still escape the punishment reserved for the devil and his angels.

5. They have forgotten the words of Christ – “depart from me you lawbreakers, for I never knew you.”

ix. What does their flippancy toward these fallen angelic powers mean?

c. [Slide 9] 12 – But these men, like irrational animals

i. In our culture to call someone an animal can actually be a good thing.

ii. But that is not at all how Peter intends this.

iii. In fact, this is a SHARP rebuke.

iv. As far as the Angelic race is from the human race, that pales in comparison from the distance between the human race and the animal kingdom.

v. Angel kind and mankind alike have spiritual futures, spiritual realities, and spiritual destinies.

vi. Angel kind and mankind are rational and make choices, generally acting out of well-thought-out reason.

vii. Animals, although perhaps being included in the new Kingdom, have no soul or spirit which will transcend to that time or place.

viii. And instead of acting out of rationality or reason… animals are…

d. [Slide 10] - Creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed –

i. What does this mean?

ii. It means that animals act according to their nature.

iii. If we followed the dictionary definition of instinct it says. “An innate, fixed pattern of behavior in response to certain stimuli.”

iv. They have been programed by God to act within a hierarchy of needs for their own personal body and for their species.

v. Birds do not fly south for the winter because they have thought long and hard about it and have concluded that this is what they must do this year. They fly south because that is what they have in their nature to do. When they feel the earth tilt and the winds change, they gather and make the trip.

vi. This is one way that animal kind and human kind differ sharply.

vii. Although we can debate the freedom of the will and how free natural man’s will actually is – one thing we can agree on I think, is that mankind has more freedom of his will than the animal kingdom does.

viii. Another stark difference between human kind and animal kind is that God made it clear in Genesis that the world, including the animals, were given under the dominion of man.

ix. Animals serve the purpose of mankind.

x. Animals are born or created so that they can be captured, tamed, used, or consumed by mankind.

xi. Their entire purpose is to serve the needs of men.

xii. Quick caveat, this does not give mankind the freedom to abuse the animal kingdom.

xiii. But why does Peter word this as captured and destroyed? We know what he means about animals? Their capture is related to their taming and their destruction is related to the killing of the animal for various needs a man would have. But why does Peter choose these words?

xiv. He is comparing an animal to these men and the relationship of an animal to men and the relationship of these men to these angelic and wicked beings.

xv. So, these men when they irreverently rebuke fallen angelic beings, they are like animals sharing two things in common with them

1. They are irrational and unthinking

2. Their purpose is to be captured and destroyed.

xvi. As animals were created to be tamed and used by men, so the wicked were made to be captured and destroyed by fallen angelic creatures.

xvii. These two commonalities with animals are explained as Peter goes forward.

xviii. Why are they irrational and unthinking? Because they…

e. [Slide 11] Do not understand whom they are insulting

i. As animals act on instinct and respond to stimuli without thinking or reasoning… they did not actually sit down and consider the beings they were irreverently rebuking.

ii. If they had – they would have known that such beings are far beyond their power.

iii. And why are these men showing that their purpose is to be captured and destroyed?

f. [Slide 12] And consequently, in their destruction they will be destroyed, 13a – suffering harm as the wages for their harmful ways.

i. The consequences of their irreverent disdain for authority and power results in their own destruction.

ii. The destruction of the reputation or the irreverent rebuke of these fallen angelic creatures will result in those very creatures dragging them into the same judgment that they will endure.

iii. They will then, suffer harm as a direct result or as the direct payment for attempting to inflict harm.

g. [Slide 13] Passage Truth: So, Peter is in the midst of a character study of these false teachers. He has already told us that they come in with destructive heresies. He has already told us that they will deny the authority of Christ. He has already told us that they will live debauched lifestyles. He told all of this to us in verse 1 and 2. He assured his audience in verse 10 that God knows how to reserve the wicked for judgment especially those who despise authority and who indulge in their fleshly desires. So now he fleshes out what it means to despise authority. They don’t even respect beings who angels refuse to rebuke. At its core, it is a misunderstanding of their role. Human beings will judge angels someday – but only because we are united to Christ. Until then, let the Lord rebuke them. And that is the problem. These false teachers are too arrogant for that.

h. [Slide 14] Passage Application: For his readers, they must not fall prey to the destructive heresies being taught, nor are they to follow the lifestyles of these men. Instead, they must mark them for what they are, and hold fast to what they’ve been taught.

i. [Slide 15] Broader Biblical Truth: Zooming out to the whole of scripture we see that oftentimes false teachers and false prophets share a common character flaw. They are notoriously arrogant. Oftentimes they never entertain the possibility of being wrong, nor do they feel any can judge them or hold them accountable for their actions. They are above the law. They sit in the seat of the judge. They are the only righteous accuser. There isn’t anyone quite like them. In this they follow the pattern of their father the devil, as He declared with confidence – you will surely not die. God is lying to you. In fact, he is just trying to keep you from what you could become. He is holding you back.

j. [Slide 16] Broader Biblical Application: So, CBC, what do we do with this first characteristic of a false teacher? What do we do when we see someone within our church despising authority? What do we do when we see someone arrogantly thinking that they are above scrutiny? What do we do when we see someone who has elevated themselves as the judge of all, as the one with all the answers? What do we do when someone among us flippantly underestimates the power of the forces of darkness? We rebuke. We warn them that they are headed down this path. We also safeguard one another from this by holding fast to what we have been taught. This will help us keep our proper place. This is where the antidote of chapter 1 comes in. God has equipped us to be godly. He has given all we need. To hold fast to such truth keep us from assuming we are able to irreverently rebuke… well… anyone.

Transition:

[Slide 17 (blank)] But certainly arrogance and irreverence is not the only characteristic of a false teacher. Peter continues with the second character flaw, one he’s already alluded to.

II.) False teachers are slaves to the passions of their flesh, so we must remember what we have been taught and obey the command we have been given. (13b – 16)

a. [Slide 18] 13b – By considering it a pleasure to carouse in broad daylight,

i. These false teachers considered it for themselves a great pleasure to indulge, to spend on themselves, to revel. They are wholly turned inward – self-willed and self-gratifying.

ii. They do this in broad daylight. The NET interprets this as part of their brazenness. That they would do what most of the ungodly save for the night when the sun is down – they do in the daylight.

iii. Even the gentiles would consider drunkenness, carousing, and reveling during the day to be particularly appalling.

iv. King Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 10, woe to you land when your king acts like a child and your princes party in the morning.

v. By doing this…

b. [Slide 19] they are stains and blemishes,

i. In this they prove themselves to be stains on the fine white clothing of the church.

ii. They are defects or blemishes on the perfect pattern of Christ.

iii. They are not like all of God’s other children… why? Because God’s people hate sin and love God’s law. And these men are not so.

c. [Slide 20] indulging in their deceitful pleasures when they feast with you.

i. What Peter means by this specifically we may never know, but what we can surmise is that during the Lord’s Supper, where God’s people are to grow in communion with one another and with their Lord. Where God feeds His people through faith on the atoning work of Christ. Where the hatred of sin and love for God should be at its pinnacle…

ii. These men have snuck in with their lies and are indulging in their sins during such events.

iii. Not only this, but they are (as we’ll see next week) trying to get others to join them.

iv. Can you imagine someone coming into our next Lord’s Supper, just two weeks from today, and in the line to head upstairs, they begin to directly refute the teaching of the sermon they just heard?

v. Can you imagine someone standing in line gossiping about the spiritual failures of others?

vi. Can you imagine someone, while listening to how the broken body of Christ grants us access to God, right then thinking to themselves and whispering to others – how worthy they are to be in God’s presence. To say, when I finally see the most high God – He’s gonna owe me some answers!

vii. Can you imagine while we spoke of the blood of Christ cleansing us from all our sin, a person conspiring to indulge in fornication later that day?

viii. This is the height of blasphemy. The pinnacle of sacrilege.

ix. It is no wonder Peter is not holding back.

d. [Slide 21] 14 – Their eyes, full of adultery, never stop sinning;

i. Rather than their eyes being full of adultery, really this should be rendered, their eyes are full of the adulterous woman.

ii. This means that every woman they see with their eyes is a potential candidate to engage in adultery with.

iii. Adultery can be a blanket term for all sexual sin. And in this we see that their fleshly appetites are not satiated, even while the Lord’s Supper is happening all around them.

iv. Indeed, their eyes are always looking for opportunities to sin.

e. [Slide 22] They entice unstable people.

i. Of course, as we noted at the beginning of this chapter – their sin is not limited to themselves.

ii. Their sinful practices and idolatrous hearts are not content to be alone. They instead seek to have others join them.

iii. Proverbs 4:14-16 says “Do not enter the path of the wicked or walk in the way of those who are evil. 15 Avoid it, do not go on it; turn away from it, and go on. 16 For they cannot sleep unless they cause harm; they are robbed of sleep until they make someone stumble.”

iv. Specifically, they target those who are unstable. Those who do not pay attention to this proverb. Those who are not rooted in truth. Those who are young in the faith or have only made a profession of faith.

v. They are the weakest among us, which is why the church was commanded to make disciples not converts. God saves men’s souls – but He entrusts a portion of their nurture to His church.

f. [Slide 23] They have trained their hearts for greed,

i. Another common aspect of false teachers throughout the scriptures is that they combine their new and novel teaching with financial support.

ii. The provision of great wealth is neither a proof of someone teaching the truth, nor is it something sought by those who truly preach the truth.

iii. If you find a teacher consistently talking about money, wealth, and earthly prosperity of all kinds, and they are well off themselves, before even investigating what they say – you can bet that they are a false teacher.

g. [Slide 24] These cursed children!

i. My friends this is strong language. The strongest statement Peter has made yet.

ii. What is he saying?

iii. These men are under the curse of God.

iv. As the writer of Hebrews says “For if we deliberately keep on sinning after receiving the knowledge of the truth, no further sacrifice for sins is left for us, but only the fearful expectation of judgment and a fury of fire that will consume God’s enemies.”

v. Such willful rejection of God’s teachings and law means these false teachers have no hope.

vi. In fact…

h. [Slide 25] 15 – By forsaking the right path they have gone astray,

i. Jesus says that the road to destruction is broad and many take it to their own doom. And He also says that narrow is the way to life, and few find it.

ii. My friends, these false teachers have found the gate. They have found the path to life.

iii. But after finding it… they sprinted through the gate making great progress but they were easily distracted by all the pleasures of this world. And before they knew it, they found themselves back on the broad road.

iv. Now they stand on the broad road, and once again they see an exit for the narrow way. But they scoff and jeer. They shout at those walking it – begging them to come to the easier way. Begging them to come to a life of pleasure and luxury.

v. In fact, they are very much like a character from the Old Testament.

i. [Slide 26] because they followed the way of Balaam son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, 16 – yet was rebuked for his own transgression (a dumb donkey, speaking with a human voice, restrained the prophet’s madness).

i. Turn with me to Numbers 22. We will read verses 1-35

ii. So Balaam seemed committed to only doing and saying what Yahweh instructed Him to do and say.

iii. Yet even as he set out to do as the Lord instructed, the Lord, who knows the hearts of men, saw corruption in Balaam’s heart.

iv. Most likely, Balaam on the way to Balak considered the possibility of cursing the people of Israel for the great gain Balak offered.

v. In this God sent the Angel of the Lord to stop him from pursuing the wages of unrighteousness.

vi. His donkey, which is an irrational animal, seen even during this time as an animal slow and unintelligent even for a beast of the field, His donkey saw the angel.

vii. First it turned aside, then it tried to avoid, then it finally simply sat down and refused to go on.

viii. In this somewhat comical story, the seer cannot see and is irrational and foolish, but the irrational animal can see and points out the foolishness of the seer.

ix. The Lord opened the donkey’s mouth to complain against his master.

x. Balaam listened to God and blessed the nation of Israel three times instead of cursing them.

xi. However, in chapter 25 of Numbers, right after these events, the children of Israel commit acts of prostitution and worship of Baal.

xii. In chapter 31 of Numbers we discover that this was instigated by… guess… yep… Balaam.

xiii. So immediately after he blessed Israel 3 times, he sets out to corrupting their worship. In a sense although he doesn’t pronounce a curse with his lips, he engineers a curse with his influence.

xiv. And that is the essence of these false teachers. They on the surface, on the outside, they appear to be faithful but they despise authority and they want to fulfill the lusts of their flesh including carousing, sex, and greed.

j. [Slide 27] Passage Truth: So Peter shows the second sinful characteristic of these false teachers. They are slaves to the passions of their flesh. They flaunt it openly, pursue it always, and seek to gain from all they teach.

k. [Slide 28] Passage Application: His audience must mark these men, refuse to follow them into their sin, and remain steadfast in the way of righteousness.

l. [Slide 29] Broader Biblical Truth: Zooming out to the whole of scripture we’ve seen and continue to see that false teachers and false prophets, almost regardless of what they say or teach, can be found out by their lifestyles. Jesus says in Matthew 7 that you will know them by their fruit. They follow the passions of their flesh. If you stay for foundations today, you’ll see and hear how God’s true prophets not only didn’t do this – but many of them obeyed God when He commanded them to do some pretty crazy things. They didn’t do what they wanted to, but what God wanted them to.

m. [Slide 30] Broader Biblical Application: So CBC, what must we learn from this? It is important for us to be grounded in the Word. We must hold fast to what we have been taught. To believe the gospel of Christ and live it out in our lives. We must protect those who are unstable among us by training them to obey all that Christ has commanded. And we must remain humble as we, by faith, follow our savior and trust His grace. By this, we will not be easily swayed by these cursed children who come to sweep us away with them.

Conclusion:

[Slide 31(end)] Although our description of the characteristics of the cursed is not yet complete, we can identify even today people who have demonstrated both of these sinful flaws to their own demise.

Prominent men and women in the last decade have shown disdain for authority, irreverence for received doctrine, and indulgence in their own fleshly lusts. Though they once seemed to be among us. Brothers. They are now deconverted. They are cursed.

My friends, don’t let that be you.

My friends, don’t let that be me.

We must hold fast to the truth that we have received and walk in it. And we must hold one another accountable to do so.

That is one of the primary purposes of the church. To teach one another. To protect one another. Let us do just that. So that we are not swept away by every wind of doctrine.

Deacons 5

[Slide 1] Well, here we are again back for week 5 of our teaching on Deacons. This will be our final week learning about Deacons in this setting, but to really change the culture of our church to adopt a biblical model of what Deacons with a capital D and deacons with a lowercase d really are, it will take more and more learning and relearning as we slowly put into practice what God gave the Church. I hope that all these lessons will be the start of a conversation and a revolution in our church. And my hope for that has grown more and more over the last few weeks.

As we have done each week since week 1, it would behoove us to review the concepts we have learned so that we may stack the final rock on top of our cairn of understanding regarding D(d)eacons.

[Slide 2] So in week 1… what did we learn?

We took the word deacon in the New Testament and came to understand that it is a word that simply means ministry or service.

We learned that most of the time, the word is not used for those holding the office of a Deacon.

We learned that it is the responsibility of all saints, all of God’s people, all Christians to do the work of the ministry… to deacon.

We learned that all the spiritual ministry and physical service that needs to be done in the church… is done by the church as a whole and not by a single office, group, or person.

Week 1 was a huge culture shifter for our church. Not because we were extremely negligent in our duties – but because it finally voiced what I think a lot of us were thinking already. Ministry is done by the church as a whole. So when we appoint anyone to office, it is never to do all the work of ministry in the church.

What about week 2… what did we learn in week 2?

Right. We learned about the office of a Deacon. And for that, we went to the only 2 passages of scripture that deal with that office.

The first was?

Philippians 1:1

And what did we find there?

It is a unique office from the Elders. It is in Leadership of some kind. It is Subordinate to the Elders.

What was the second passage?

I Timothy 3:8-13

And what did we find there?

Yes. The qualifications of a Deacon… which are?

Worthy of respect, not double tongued or hypocritical, not drinking a lot of wine, not greedy for money, holding the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience, tested first and found blameless, godly wives, husbands of one wife, managing their own houses competently.

What was the key takeaway from these qualifications? What kind of person qualifies to be a Deacon with a capital D?

Exactly – only those who are spiritually mature people. The moral and spiritual character of a person are the only characteristics that we are looking at to see if they are qualified to be Deacons the office. Not their understanding of plumbing, electrical, construction, or even a spiritual gift assessment. It is their personal spiritual character.

But that left a big unanswered question for us didn’t it? So, we had to go to week 3 looking for more answers about what exactly a Deacon the office does. We went to what passage of scripture?

Acts 6:1-8

And how many times is the office of a Deacon mentioned there?

Zero… right.

So why can we feel comfortable in gleaning information about the office of a Deacon from this passage?

Exactly. This is early in the church’s history. The function of these men who were selected for this necessary task does not really conform to the office of an Elder. That lines up better with the Apostles in this passage. And since the bible only lists two offices in the church (Elder and Deacon) it seems that these are what we might call proto-Deacons.

So, what did we learn about the role of a Deacon from this passage?

Yes. A Deacon’s role is to supply resources to and eliminate obstacles from those who are attempting to minister or serve other members of the body of Christ. We saw how the widows of the church were being given food daily – but not all of them. Some of them were forgotten. 7 men were appointed to this role, to make sure the task was done, and it got done. The saints ministered more effectively under their management and the widows were no longer neglected.

In this we saw that the office of a Deacon is a servant to the servants. A minister to the ministers. A deacon to those who are deaconing.

But in week 4 we addressed an issue regarding the two offices in the church. What did we talk about in week 4?

We attempted to compare the offices of Elders and Deacons. In so doing, we looked at both the qualifications and roles that God has given each office as listed in scripture.

When we compared the qualifications of Elders and Deacons, what did we find?

Morally, Spiritually, they were VERY similar. What were some key differences?

1) Elders must be apt to teach.

2) Elders must be gentle, not violent, hospitable, controlled in their mind, having a good reputation with those outside the faith, not prone to anger, and not contentious. Meaning that Elders especially need to be spiritually mature enough to diffuse potentially explosive situations with people.

3) Women have some role in the execution of the office of a Deacon, whereas they do not in the execution of the office of an Elder.

To seek clarity on these differences, we compared the roles of the Elders and the Deacons.

In doing so we noticed that the stewardship of God’s church does not fall on both offices of Elder and Deacon, but only on the Elders. And when we went to Acts 6, we noticed the subtle clue given by the Apostles. They recognized that it was THEIR responsibility, ultimately, to make sure that these widows were cared for… but they were unwilling to actually do the work of this and sacrifice their primary duties of prayer and the ministry of the world.

In short, every corner of the church is under the oversight of the office of the Elder. They are responsible to equip the saints for the work of the ministry.

We’ve stated that the Deacons give resources to and remove obstacles from God’s people so they can do ministry. Doesn’t that sound an awful lot like Ephesians 4 where Elders are to equip the saints for the work of the ministry?

What does that mean?

A Deacons role must be created when two conditions are met.

1.) There is a need for saints to be equipped to do the work of the ministry. But if this alone is true, then the Elders must equip the saint to do the work of the ministry.

2.) But if that task of equipping them would force the Elders to abandon their primary duties of teaching the word and prayer, then a Deacon must be appointed.

Meaning what? If the need could have been met by the Apostles in Acts 6 – it would have been.

Deacons then, toward the Elders, serve them by removing tasks that inherently prevent them from exercising their primary duties of prayer and teaching the Word.

What this means practically is that the Elders and Deacons are not two branches of government. Rather the Elders under Christ, lead the church. The Deacons are the Elders’ support who take tasks from the them so they can focus on their primary responsibilities.

Elders Lead ministry, Deacons facilitate ministry.

In this, Deacons do exercise authority, but authority limited in two big ways.

1.) It is under the Elders authority

2.) It is confined to the task that they have been given charge over.

These limitations on a Deacons authority re-emphasize that although the Deacon is an office of the church, it is not a governing body. Oversight and stewardship of the church belongs exclusively to the Elders. Why? Because that is what the bible says.

[Slide 3] Whew! We’ve learned a lot haven’t we? What could we possibly still learn today? Well, there is one unresolved issue that I’d like to point out to you that actually contributes to our understanding of what a Deacon does. We know they are a servant and support to both the Elders and the rest of the congregation to help them do their various ministries and services. But what is the impact of such a role in the church? What can come of it, and what do they become?

Does anyone remember the unresolved item from Acts 6? There are actually 2 of them.

1.) [Slide 4] Was the neglect of these widows intentional?

2.) What does it mean that Jewish priests were converting to Christ?

Let’s go back to Acts 6 and we’ll read verses 1-7 one more time.

[Slide 5] After reading this, let’s endeavor to answer whether or not the Greek Speaking Jewish widows were being neglected on purpose or not.

Here is what we know – we know that there had been tension between these two groups. The Hebraic Jews would see the Hellenistic Jews as less than them – as not really real Jews.

But that was before they had come to Christ.

It would not be surprising to come to Acts 6 and find several Jews going back to their old ways. However, I highly doubt that this was an intentional neglect of the Greek Speaking Jewish Widows. If I wanted to prove that to you – what evidence could I give from this passage and the book of Acts?

1.) The record of the church up to this point. In Acts 2, they held all things in common. In Acts 2 they shared all they had with each other. In Acts 4 they continued to share all things in common. In Acts 5 the people were gripped with fear and the warning against false piety and lying to the Spirit, and against sin in general. In Acts 5 they also saw rigorous obedience by the apostles, even at great personal risk, and seeing God bless their obedience.

2.) The apostles virtually ignore prejudice here. It seems like that would be something that should be addressed. If prejudice and racism is sin – why would the apostles ignore the sin and move to solve the symptom instead?

3.) The people grumbled or murmured. This seems to indicate that they were suspicious that it was intentional. Sometimes suspicion of something being done is just as powerful as if it was being done. So for these Greek-Speaking Jews to suspect that this was intentional, first doesn’t mean it was, but second must be dealt with seriously because it could be just as damaging as if it was being done intentionally.

4.) After calling the entire group of disciples together (Meaning both the Greek Speaking and Hebrew Speaking Jews) and asking them to carefully select 7 men with godly character… who do they select? Stephen, Phillip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas a Gentile convert to Judaism from Antioch. What is interesting about these men’s names?

a. All of them are Greek names.

b. And because Nicolas is called out as a Gentile who converted to Judaism, it is reasonable to conclude of the others mentioned that they were…

i. Jewish in race (except for Nicolas)

ii. Jewish in religion before Christ (along with Nicolas)

c. Meaning that the whole assembly gathered and selected 7 Hellenistic Jews to lead the effort in distributing the food to all the widows in the church.

Based on all these reasons, I do not believe the neglect of these widows was deliberate. But I do think that the church as a whole wanted to insure everyone that it wasn’t deliberate by taking every necessary action. They wanted the problem solved. They wanted to get back to ministry happening and having everything in common.

So they selected 7 Hellenistic leaders to solve the problem, while simultaneously putting down even the whiff of prejudice among them.

[Slide 6] Now what about the Jewish Priests converting to Christianity?

There are a few of these “to sum up” statements in the book of Acts. Luke uses them to transition from one section to another and therefore we should see threads of the previous section connecting with the threads of the one that follows.

Stephen’s ministry, arrest, preaching, and murder will happen in the following several verses. Stephen’s primary critique of the Judaism of his time was that the temple sacrifices were no longer necessary since they were but a picture of what Christ had accomplished. So, to see a comment from Luke about Jewish priests converting helps us to see that this message was being received, even by those within the temple system. More than likely these Jewish priests converted and stopped ministering in the temple.

But another aspect of this connects with what we just saw, in how the early church dealt with each other. A ministry to care for the poor, suspected of prejudice, is now stronger than ever. Cultural and racial divides remain non-existent in the church. And the poorest among them are being cared for. A priest would know the law and what God spoke in His law about foreigners, proselytes, widows and orphans. God declared that the one who perverts justice on any of these groups is cursed.

So, for this group of priests, who were probably not well off themselves because they were not part of the chief priests who were regularly critiqued for oppressing the people. For them to see God’s law actually being fulfilled and racial prejudices subsiding, for them to see the poor actually cared for as an equal in the community of Christ, how could they not believe that God was doing something special in the lives of this group called Christians. In its short history of existence the church was solving racial and economical issues that had long plagued Israel. Even in our study in Foundations we’ve seen how some of the reason God judged the Northern and Southern Kingdom was because of their mistreatment of the poor and voiceless. Suddenly, this people group under a man from Nazareth, is solving these age-old problems? How? Can it be? Was He truly the Messiah?

So based on all this – what can we learn about the office of a Deacon?

[Slide 7] Deacons are shock-absorbers!

They took what could have been a potentially explosive situation, risking the unity of the fledgling church, and absorbed all of the issues, softening and deadening its impact and thus solidifying the unity of the church.

Now they didn’t do it alone. The Apostles provided oversight, direction, wisdom and instruction. The congregation provided concern and uniquely suited men to solve such an issue.

But these 7 men absorbed that shock in the church and from it, the church was more unified then when it began.

Rather than speaking to their role I think this speaks to the effect of their role when done rightly.

Deacons serve the Elders by taking tasks away from them that would distract them from prayer and the ministry of the word. In doing this, Deacons also serve the congregation by providing resources to and removing obstacles from them so that they can do ministry. The result of that great work – is unity. Peace. Love. And Patience.

Deacons turn a situation that could have led to division, a situation that could have led to revolt, a situation that could have led to infighting, and they turn it to back to a vibrant godly ministry.

Deacons absorb friction and keep the engine cool. And they are uniquely suited for this task, because they are spiritually mature people who love God’s people, are submitted to their Elders, and desire to serve both.

[Slide 8] So, what is a Deacon?

A Deacon is a spiritually mature problem solver. A Deacon is a patient peacemaker. A Deacon is a Servant to those who serve.

What isn’t a Deacon?

A Deacon is not involved in church government.

A Deacon is not a mister fix it

A Deacon doesn’t do all the work

A Deacon doesn’t have authority over people so much as they do over tasks

A Deacon doesn’t contribute to gossip, backbiting, slander. Nor does a Deacon fan the flames of division, infighting, or army raising.

What is a Deacon?

[Slide 9] A Deacon is an office that this church desperately needs.

So how do we go forward from here?

First, can I say that although the Rummage sale brought in less money than it has in several years… our people stepped up and stepped in to get the work done, more than we have in the last several years. In the last couple months, I’ve seen people in this church pounce on ministry opportunities within the same hour it was posted on CBC scoop. I’ve seen people caring for, praying for, calling on, and helping each other. I’ve seen members and non-members alike step up to swing hammers and fix things.

In short, many of you are understanding that to be a member of the body of Christ is to be a servant and minister to each other. This delights my heart. I think I can confidently say that we have a large group of people who are ready, willing, and able to serve each other.

But we lack those who are able to get them together. We lack those who are able to organize the task and see to it that nothing and no one is forgotten. We lack those who are able to swoop in with support and not only make sure that people know where ministry is needed, but also meeting any needs those doing the ministry may have in order to complete it.

And that is what the Elders are looking for. We certainly need people who are willing to serve and minister. But those folks aren’t Deacons. Not necessarily anyway. Those folks are all of us. But we really need those who are spiritually mature and able to organize and facilitate ministry. Your Elders feel the weight of all that we are to oversee and much of it has nothing to do with praying or the ministry of the Word. There are many tasks that we would be happy to see managed and absorbed by another spiritually mature person in the church which we can trust to do it well.

Maybe after having heard all the teaching on Deacons, you think you know of someone in our church who could do this. Maybe you think, after looking at the spiritual qualifications, that you are this kind of person. Submit the name to an Elder.

But I thought Elders appoint Deacons? Of course they do. But that doesn’t mean you can’t submit a name. Even if it is your own.

[Slide 10] But before you do that – there are two books I want you to read. Much of what they have in it is going to be repeats to what you have heard already – but maybe that is ok.

1.) Deacons by Matt Smethurst. It is 133 pages and gives a great overview of the office.

2.) What do Deacons Do? By Juan Sanchez – 44 pages

Both of these books/booklets are put out by 9marks ministry. I highly recommend them before you submit any names – just to be sure that you understand the office for which you are recommending them.

A third book you can read for extra credit would be “Paul’s Vision for the Deacons “By Alexander Strauch – 192 pages – I have not read it yet but plan to read soon.

You can also be praying for your Elders as we continue to investigate what role women have in the execution of the office of a Deacon. You can be praying for us as we determine what tasks specifically we are doing that keep us from praying and the ministry of the Word. And you can pray as we assess our folks for the spiritually mature, that it would be clear who God is giving to us as Deacons.