Northpointe PCA Sermons

Northpointe PCA Sermons

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Northpointe PCA Sermons episodes

  • April 21, 2024; Sunday Evening Worship

    Scripture: 1 John 2:18-27

    Order of Service
    • Call to Worship — Psalm 103
    • Hymn — Praise to the Lord, the Almighty (#216)
    • Prayer of Invocation
    • Confession of Faith — Westminster Larger Catechism, Q&A 50
    • Hymn — The Apostles' Creed (#560)
    • Pastoral Prayer
    • Scripture Reading — 1 John 2:18–27
    • Prayer for Illumination
    • Sermon
    • Hymn — Children of the Heavenly Father (#257)
    • Benediction — Numbers 6:24–26
      • Sermon Title: Take Care of Your Confession of Christ

      Scripture: 1 John 2:18–27

      I. Your Confession of Christ Is Assailed by Enemies

      A. We live in "the last hour" — the Redemptive age between Christ's first and second coming, a time of ongoing war over the church's confession (1 John 2:18)

      B. John distinguishes between the Antichrist who is coming and many antichrists who have already come

      1. The term antichrist means "against Christ" — one who opposes Christ and seeks to oppress the church
      2. The defining mark of antichrists is their denial that Jesus is the Christ (1 John 2:22)
      3. To deny Jesus is the Christ is to deny his Messiahship, his Incarnation, his priestly atonement, his Davidic kingship — the whole of his person and work collapses

        4. C. The enemies come from both outside and inside the visible church

        1. Some were once members of the congregation who have gone out, making plain they were never truly of the body (1 John 2:19)
        2. John Stott: "He who stands firm to the end will be saved — not because salvation is the reward of endurance, but because endurance is the hallmark of the saved"
        3. Danger is subtle: attractive sinful lives, persuasive human wisdom, Christ-less preaching from pulpits
          4. II. Your Confession of Christ Is Scripturally Guarded

          A. Two safeguards are set before believers in 1 John 2:20–24, 27: the Word heard from the beginning, and the anointing of the Holy One

          B. First safeguard — the apostolic and prophetic Word (1 John 2:24)

          1. "Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you" — the gospel first preached and believed
          2. As the body needs regular food and water, the confession of Christ requires the regular ministry of the Word — preached, read, and made manifest in the sacraments
          3. The call of Hebrews: hold fast your confession

            4. C. Second safeguard — the anointing of the Holy Spirit (1 John 2:20, 27)

            1. The Holy One who anoints is Christ himself; the anointing is the Holy Spirit — cf. 2 Corinthians 1 (the Spirit as seal and guarantee)
            2. The Spirit works regeneration, enlivens what is dead, and drives the believer to a true confession of Christ
            3. John speaks in the indicative: the anointing abides in you — Christ is a keeping Christ; the Spirit is a keeping Spirit

              4. D. John also speaks in the imperative: "abide in him" (1 John 2:27)

              1. Feed regularly on the nutritious food of the Gospel, knowing the Spirit will make use of it to your benefit without your power
              2. Ongoing true confession and growth in grace are the evidence; endurance is the hallmark of the saved
                3. III. Your Confession of Christ Is Securing the Promise

                A. The True Confession of Christ comes with a promise — eternal life (1 John 2:25)

                1. "This is the promise that he promised to us: eternal life" — the Greek doubles the word promise for emphasis
                2. Eternal life is central to John's letter — referenced in every chapter but the fourth; six times across the letter

                  3. B. The source of eternal life is Jesus Christ himself, who was with the Father and was made manifest (1 John 1:2; 1 John 5:20)

                  1. There is no life apart from a true confession of Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God
                  2. John 10 — he has come that we might have life, and have it abundantly

                    3. C. Eternal life is both present and future

                    1. Present: the believer is already a new creation, already enjoying union and communion with Christ, already experiencing the principle of new life through sanctification
                    2. Future: life without end, the hope of resurrection and glory beyond what any mind can grasp
                    3. 1 John 5:13 — "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life" — assurance is the pastoral goal

                      4. D. Guard what has eternal value; rest in the Christ who keeps — "Who do you say that I am?" Guard that confession

                      32 min
                    4. Christian Love

                      Scripture: 1 John 2:7-17

                      Order of Service
                      • Call to Worship — 1 Kings 8:23
                      • Hymn — Bless the Lord, O My Soul (Psalm 103E)
                      • Prayer of Invocation
                      • Confession of Sin
                      • Assurance of Pardon — Psalm 32:5
                      • Hymn of the Month — The God of Abraham Praise (#234)
                      • Pastoral Prayer
                      • Sermon
                      • Hymn — Blest Be the Tie That Binds (#409)
                      • Benediction — 2 Corinthians 13:14
                        • Sermon Title: Christian Love

                        Scripture: 1 John 2:7-17

                        I. The Newness of Christian Love — 1 John 2:7-11

                        A. The commandment to love is both old and new

                        1. Old: rooted in the Old Testament — Deuteronomy 6:5 (the Shema) and Leviticus 19:18 (love your neighbor)
                        2. Christ affirmed these as the two greatest commandments on which all the Law and Prophets hang
                        3. New: the age of fulfillment has dawned; in Christ, the love of God shines on the entire world in unprecedented fullness

                          4. B. The light of Christ exposes false claims to spiritual enlightenment

                          1. John's polemical target: proto-Gnostic teachers who equated spiritual knowledge or ecstatic experience with knowing God
                          2. True enlightenment is demonstrated by love for the brothers and sisters in Christ, not by doctrinal knowledge or spiritual experience alone
                          3. John 13:34-35: A new commandment — love one another as Christ has loved you; by this all will know you are his disciples

                            4. C. The power of Christian love — 1 John 2:10

                            1. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light and there is no cause for stumbling
                            2. Assurance of salvation is closely linked to love for the brethren; a lack of love for fellow believers may signal spiritual weakness
                            3. 1 Peter 4:8: Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, for love covers a multitude of sins
                            4. A church characterized by cross-bearing, self-sacrificing love is a defeat for Satan and a demonstration that the light of Christ has overcome the darkness
                              5. II. The Possession of Christian Love — 1 John 2:12-14

                              A. John addresses three stages of spiritual maturity

                              1. Little children — new believers, forgiven for Christ's name's sake
                              2. Young men — growing believers, strong in the word, overcoming the evil one
                              3. Fathers — mature believers, knowing him who is from the beginning

                                4. B. All believers, regardless of maturity, share the same objective standing before God

                                1. The Greek perfect tense underscores past action with ongoing present and future reality: sins forgiven, the Father known, the evil one overcome
                                2. Even the spiritually immature child and the spiritually mature father equally know the Father — a direct rebuttal to Gnostic hierarchies of enlightenment

                                  3. C. Christian love flows from Triune love

                                  1. Forgiveness through the Son (1 John 2:12), knowledge of the Father (1 John 2:13-14), the word abiding by the Spirit (1 John 2:14)
                                  2. This is not guilt-tripping love (look how much I've done — what will you do for me?) but an organic bond with the God who is love
                                  3. Luke 7:47: She who is forgiven much loves much; he who is forgiven little loves little
                                  4. Application: Feed on the love of God for you before going out to love others — love for the brethren is fueled by the love of God received at the cross and the throne of grace
                                    5. III. The Antithesis of Christian Love — 1 John 2:15-17

                                    A. Christian love is a scrutinizing, selective love — it does not love the world

                                    1. The contrast is absolute: either the love of the Father dwells in you or the love of the world does; there is no neutral ground
                                    2. As seen in the morning sermon: you serve either the Father in heaven through Christ or the father from below through Adam in sin

                                      3. B. John identifies three characteristics of worldliness (1 John 2:16)

                                      1. The desires of the flesh — the inward man: the corrupted, sin-enslaved heart and its cravings
                                      2. The desires of the eyes — the outward man: living by what looks good and will satisfy the corrupted heart
                                      3. The pride of possessions — the autonomous man: placing himself on the throne as though he were God, blinded to his creaturely dependence
                                      4. Commentator Findlay summarizes: two lusts and one vaunt — unholy desire for what one does not have, and unholy pride in what one does have

                                        5. C. The world is passing away, but whoever does the will of God abides forever (1 John 2:17)

                                        1. John does not merely give believers a to-do list; he inspires longing for eternity (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: to build a ship, teach people to long for the immensity of the sea)
                                        2. Thomas Chalmers, The Expulsive Power of a New Affection: the love of the world cannot be driven out by demonstrating the world's worthlessness, but only by a superior affection — the love of God written on the heart by the Spirit in Christ
                                        3. Application: Where do your affections lie — in the rotting things of this world, or in the eternal God, the eternal family, and the eternal home that will abide forever?
                                          4. 28 min
                                        4. The Light of the World

                                          Scripture: John 8:12-30

                                          Order of Service
                                          • Hymn of Praise — All Praise to God Who Reigns Above
                                          • Call to Worship — Psalm 107
                                          • Hymn — All Praise to God Who Reigns Above
                                          • Prayer of Invocation
                                          • Confession of Sin — from Daniel 9
                                          • Assurance of Pardon — 1 Peter 2:24
                                          • Scripture Reading — Psalm 23
                                          • Pastoral Prayer
                                          • Offering
                                          • Hymn of Preparation — O Splendor of God's Glory Bright
                                          • Sermon
                                          • Prayer
                                          • Lord's Supper — Institution from Matthew 26:26–29
                                          • Hymn — Behold the Lamb
                                          • Post-Communion Prayer
                                          • Hymn — Behold the Lamb (final stanzas)
                                          • Benediction
                                            • Sermon Title: The Light of the World

                                            Scripture: John 8:12–30

                                            I. Christ as a Shepherd Light

                                            A. Jesus declares "I am the light of the world" (John 8:12) in the context of the Feast of Tabernacles, where four great golden lamps illuminated all of Jerusalem

                                            1. The light of the feast recalled the pillar of fire that led Israel through the wilderness (Deuteronomy 1:33)
                                            2. Jesus positions himself as the fulfillment of that pillar — the true light that shepherds God's people through darkness

                                              3. B. Jesus as the light follows a pattern of Exodus typology throughout John's Gospel

                                              1. John 6 — the true bread from heaven, recalling the manna
                                              2. John 7:37 — the source of living water, recalling the rock in the wilderness (1 Corinthians 10:4)
                                              3. John 8:12 — the light in the darkness, recalling the pillar of fire
                                              4. Christ brings a new Exodus, leading his New Covenant people out of darkness

                                                5. C. Those who refuse to follow the light will die in their sins (John 8:21–24)

                                                1. Like Israel who perished in the wilderness through unbelief and never entered the promised rest (Hebrews 3:16–19)
                                                2. Unbelieving Jews, rejecting Christ's light, are united to those who fell in the wilderness rather than to Christ

                                                  3. D. Application: your goal and aim in life determines who your shepherds will be

                                                  1. If your aim is the things of this world, the world will shepherd you
                                                  2. If your aim is God who is light, Christ is your pillar of fire through the darkness
                                                  3. The Puritans commended meditation on heaven and the world to come as a means of keeping the heart oriented toward Christ
                                                    4. II. Christ as a Self-Authenticating Light

                                                    A. The Pharisees charge Jesus with invalid self-witness, appealing to the Mosaic law requiring multiple witnesses (Deuteronomy 17:6)

                                                    1. Jesus had acknowledged in John 5:31 that self-testimony alone is insufficient, but there he pointed to the Father, John the Baptist, and his works as further witnesses
                                                    2. Here, Jesus does not primarily argue from within their judicial framework

                                                      3. B. The Pharisees judge according to the flesh; Jesus judges according to truth and the Father who sent him (John 8:15–16)

                                                      C. Jesus doubles down — he and the Father together constitute the required two witnesses (John 8:18)

                                                      D. The deeper point: the Son of God, like the sun, is self-authenticating

                                                      1. You do not need someone to prove the sun is shining — you feel its warmth and see its effects
                                                      2. So also Christ — his words and works produce a strangely warmed heart in those with ears to hear (cf. the disciples on the Emmaus road)
                                                      3. Job's confrontation with God illustrates the point — the creation itself is witness enough; God does not stand on trial before man

                                                        4. E. Jesus' "I am" sayings carry the weight of the divine name

                                                        1. The Greek reads simply "I am" — no predicate (John 8:24, 8:28)
                                                        2. This echoes Exodus 3:14 (God's self-disclosure to Moses) and the Servant Songs of Isaiah 40–55
                                                        3. Jesus is the Great I Am — self-existent, dependent on nothing outside himself for validation

                                                          4. F. Application: cold hearts do not need more evidence — they need prayer

                                                          1. Cry out to the Father to give you the warmth of his Son
                                                          2. The Father will never turn a deaf ear to such a plea, whether from an unbeliever or a believer in a cold and dark season
                                                            3. III. Christ as a Sacrificial Light

                                                            A. Jesus speaks of being "lifted up" — a double meaning (John 8:28)

                                                            1. Lifted up on the cross in public humiliation and execution
                                                            2. Simultaneously lifted up and exalted back to the Father in heaven
                                                            3. The cross is both the depth of his humiliation and the mechanism of his glorification

                                                              4. B. The cross proves Jesus is who he claimed to be

                                                              1. He does not seek worldly glory, fame, or public power
                                                              2. His willingness to be publicly humiliated and die is the evidence he seeks his Father's glory alone
                                                              3. Like Washington refusing the crown, Christ's refusal of worldly power authenticates his identity
                                                              4. The Roman centurion at the cross perceived it: "Surely this was the Son of God"

                                                                5. C. "Then you will know that I am" (John 8:28) — the cross becomes the moment of revelation

                                                                1. Not necessarily saving faith for every onlooker, but for any remnant among them, it comes through Calvary
                                                                2. At the Feast of Tabernacles the final lamp was left until the last night, signifying awaited salvation — Christ's being lifted up is the fulfillment of that final light

                                                                  3. D. The cross is the blazing, untempered heat of God's love — like the Mississippi summer sun with no cool breeze

                                                                  1. Christ, who is light, enters the dark world and absorbs the darkness into himself
                                                                  2. Through his broken body and shed blood, those who receive him by faith become children of light
                                                                  3. They no longer walk in darkness but are led by the light into the glorious embrace of the Father
                                                                    4. 33 min
                                                                  4. Right and True Judgement

                                                                    Scripture: John 7:53-8:11

                                                                    Order of Service
                                                                    • Call to Worship — Zephaniah 3:14-17
                                                                    • Hymn — All Creatures of Our God and King
                                                                    • Prayer of Invocation
                                                                    • Nicene Creed
                                                                    • Scripture Reading — Malachi 2:17–3:5
                                                                    • Hymn — O Lord, How Shall I Meet You
                                                                    • Pastoral Prayer
                                                                    • Offering
                                                                    • Hymn — Before the Throne of God Above
                                                                    • Sermon
                                                                    • Hymn — My Faith Looks Up to Thee
                                                                    • Benediction
                                                                      • Sermon Title: Right and True Judgment

                                                                      Scripture: John 7:53–8:11

                                                                      I. Sloppy Judges

                                                                      A. The scribes and Pharisees bring the adulterous woman before Jesus, claiming to apply the law of Moses

                                                                      1. Deuteronomy 22 prescribed stoning for a betrothed virgin who commits adultery; Leviticus 20 and Deuteronomy 22 subjected a married woman to capital punishment as well
                                                                      2. Both parties in adultery were subject to punishment — yet the man is absent, revealing a glaring double standard

                                                                        3. B. Their use of the law is exposed as sloppy on multiple counts

                                                                        1. Common practice in first-century Judaism was divorce, not stoning — they press Jesus for a judgment they themselves did not practice
                                                                        2. The text says they brought her to test (tempt) Jesus — she is merely a pawn to trap him, not the subject of righteous zeal for the law
                                                                        3. When their scheme fails, they abandon her — confirming she was never their true concern

                                                                          4. C. The primary function of the law is to expose our own sin, not to serve as a weapon against others

                                                                          1. Galatians 3 — the law highlights our sin
                                                                          2. Romans 7 — Paul is condemned by the law and recognizes himself as a sinner before God
                                                                          3. Righteous judgment requires first being humbled by the law and recognizing one's own guilt; elders in the church and civil judges are still called to render proper judgments, but must do so with humility
                                                                            4. II. Self-Condemning Judges

                                                                            A. Jesus writes on the ground — likely rendering his verdict in the manner of a Roman judge (writing first, then speaking)

                                                                            1. Jeremiah 17:13 — those who forsake the Lord, the Fountain of Living Waters, will have their names written in the earth
                                                                            2. Jesus presented himself as the Fountain of Living Waters in John 7:37; these judges have rejected that fountain

                                                                              3. B. Jesus says, Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her

                                                                              1. This does not require sinless perfection in a judge, but references Deuteronomy 17:7 — witnesses who cast the first stone must not be guilty of the same crime
                                                                              2. Jewish tradition held that witnesses could not be guilty of the very sin for which they accuse another
                                                                              3. At minimum, these men were guilty of condoning the double standard that protected men while condemning women for the same sin
                                                                              4. The oldest and wisest leave first — cut most deeply by the force of their own guilt

                                                                                5. C. Romans 2:1 — in passing judgment on another, you condemn yourself, because you practice the very same things

                                                                                1. The Pharisees created a heavy burden of extra-biblical laws impossible to uphold — a pattern repeated in today's globalized, social-media-driven culture
                                                                                2. The antidote to self-condemning judgment is grace — the preamble to the Decalogue (I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt) establishes that the law is given in the context of redeeming grace
                                                                                3. Matthew 11 — Christ's yoke is easy and his burden is light; losing the preface to the law means losing Christ and his grace
                                                                                  4. III. A Sanctifying Judge

                                                                                  A. Jesus is the only one truly fit to condemn her — he alone is without sin — yet he says, Neither do I condemn you

                                                                                  1. This is pardoning grace: real, merciful, and powerful
                                                                                  2. It is not grace that winks at sin — he adds, Go, and from now on sin no more
                                                                                  3. Just as the preamble to the law (I brought you out of Egypt) precedes the commandments, God's pardoning grace always produces sanctifying obedience

                                                                                    4. B. John 1:16-17 — from Christ's fullness we receive grace upon grace; the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ

                                                                                    1. Changed and righteous lives are grace-fueled lives, not law-driven lives
                                                                                    2. Romans 7 ends in Wretched man that I am — the law paralyzes; it is grace that energizes obedience
                                                                                    3. Transformed lives must first hear, and keep hearing, Neither do I condemn you

                                                                                      4. C. Pastoral application: Do those in your care hear Christ's words Neither do I condemn you through your ministry to them, or do they receive only the heavy burden of extra-biblical rules?

                                                                                      1. The words I love you from even a mere human have transformative power — how much more the pardoning love of Almighty God
                                                                                      2. Children raised under harsh judgment without love are transformed when they encounter someone who genuinely loves them — so also God's children are transformed by hearing the Father say through the Son: I love you; I do not condemn you; go and sin no more
                                                                                        3. 32 min
                                                                                      3. March 24, 2024; Sunday Evening Worship

                                                                                        Scripture: 1 John 1: 5

                                                                                        Order of Service
                                                                                        • Preparation — Reading from Psalm 32:5
                                                                                        • Call to Worship — Lamentations 3:22-24
                                                                                        • Hymn — Great Is Thy Faithfulness (#32)
                                                                                        • Prayer of Invocation
                                                                                        • Psalm Reading — Psalm 32 (Responsive)
                                                                                        • Hymn — Psalm 32 (#551)
                                                                                        • Pastoral Prayer
                                                                                        • Scripture Reading — 1 John 1:5-10
                                                                                        • Sermon
                                                                                        • Hymn — Great King of Nations (#713)
                                                                                        • Benediction — 2 Corinthians 13:14
                                                                                          • Sermon Title: Walking in the Light

                                                                                          Scripture: 1 John 1:5-10

                                                                                          I. Walking in the Light Is Fellowship with God

                                                                                          A. The central declaration: God is light and in him is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5)

                                                                                          1. In the Greco-Roman world, gods were morally reprehensible; this mindset was creeping into the church
                                                                                          2. Greek dualism held that the body was a mere envelope — one could do anything with the body and still have fellowship with God
                                                                                          3. John counters: your moral life is an indicator of your fellowship with a morally pure God

                                                                                            4. B. Two types of walking in darkness

                                                                                            1. Unsound doctrine of God — those who blatantly practice darkness in public with no shame, because they have a wrong view of God's holiness
                                                                                            2. Sound doctrine, secret darkness — those who say all the right things publicly but live in hidden sin; Luke 12:2 — nothing covered will not be revealed
                                                                                            3. Only God and the individual know what is done in secret; the omniscient and omnipresent God sees all

                                                                                              4. C. To claim fellowship with God while walking in darkness is a lie — in word and in conduct (1 John 1:6)

                                                                                              II. Walking in the Light Is Fellowship with the Church

                                                                                              A. 1 John 1:7 — walking in the light produces fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus cleanses from all sin

                                                                                              1. John surprisingly names fellowship with the body, not just with God, as the fruit of walking in the light
                                                                                              2. Fellowship with the body is not the condition for Christ's blood covering us, but a manifestation of it

                                                                                                3. B. Historical problems in the early church paralleled today

                                                                                                1. Greek dualistic factionalism prized individual spiritual enlightenment and created a spiritually elite class
                                                                                                2. Greco-Roman social structure discouraged fellowship across class lines

                                                                                                  3. C. The church fathers and reformers consistently tied salvation to the church

                                                                                                  1. Cyprian: "You cannot have God as your father if you do not have the church as your mother"
                                                                                                  2. Calvin's Institutes: beyond the pale of the church, no forgiveness of sins, no salvation can be hoped for
                                                                                                  3. Westminster Confession 25.2 — outside the visible church there is no ordinary possibility of salvation

                                                                                                    4. D. Modern evangelicalism often downplays ecclesiology in order to preserve soteriology — but the two are organically tied together

                                                                                                    1. Evidence of walking in the light: serving the body, feeding on the ordinary means of grace, fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ
                                                                                                      2. III. Walking in the Light Is Fellowship with Self — Honest Knowledge of One's Own Sin

                                                                                                      A. Calvin's Institutes opens with the inseparable connection between knowledge of God and knowledge of self

                                                                                                      B. The Greek dualists and Gnostics lacked true self-knowledge; they did not see themselves as sinners before a holy God

                                                                                                      C. Two aspects of sin addressed in the passage

                                                                                                      1. 1 John 1:8 — "sin" as a noun: our sin nature, the inherent principle of sin; to deny it is self-deception
                                                                                                      2. 1 John 1:10 — "sinned" as a verb: actual transgressions proceeding from our sin nature; to deny them is to make God a liar
                                                                                                      3. Westminster Shorter Catechism Q&A 18: original sin (the sin nature) gives rise to all actual transgressions

                                                                                                        4. D. The promise of 1 John 1:9 — if we confess, God is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse from all unrighteousness

                                                                                                        1. Faithful — God's faithfulness to his covenant promises established in the blood of Christ; the New Covenant in Christ's blood guarantees his reception of our confession
                                                                                                        2. Just — God retains his justice in forgiving sin because Christ absorbed the full just wrath of God on our behalf; Romans 3:23-26 — God is both just and justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus

                                                                                                          3. E. Illustration: viewing a solar eclipse

                                                                                                          1. Without proper glasses, the sun blinds — outside of Christ, God's blazing holiness is terrifying and drives us away
                                                                                                          2. Through the "glasses" of Christ — his propitiation at the cross — God's light and purity become beautiful and draw us into confession, forgiveness, and life in his presence
                                                                                                            3. 30 min
                                                                                                          3. Where Are You From?

                                                                                                            Scripture: John 7:25-52

                                                                                                            Order of Service
                                                                                                            • Hymn — All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name
                                                                                                            • Call to Worship — Psalm 105:1-6
                                                                                                            • Prayer of Invocation
                                                                                                            • Confession of Sin
                                                                                                            • Assurance of Pardon — 1 John 1:9
                                                                                                            • Scripture Reading — Malachi 2:10-16
                                                                                                            • Hymn — Great Is Thy Faithfulness
                                                                                                            • Pastoral Prayer
                                                                                                            • Offering
                                                                                                            • Prayer of Dedication
                                                                                                            • Hymn — Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah
                                                                                                            • Sermon
                                                                                                            • Prayer
                                                                                                            • Hymn — Spirit of God, Descend upon My Heart
                                                                                                            • Benediction
                                                                                                              • Sermon Title: Where Are You From

                                                                                                              Scripture: John 7:25-52

                                                                                                              I. Where Christ Is From

                                                                                                              A. The crowd's confusion centers on Jesus's earthly origin

                                                                                                              1. A first-century Jewish tradition held that Messiah's origin would be unknown; most expected him from Bethlehem per Micah 5:2
                                                                                                              2. Galileans and Nazarenes were considered unsophisticated, making a Galilean Messiah offensive to many
                                                                                                              3. The Jewish authorities curse the believing crowd for ignorance of the law, yet ironically overlook that Jonah was a prophet from Galilee

                                                                                                                4. B. Jesus redirects the question from earthly to heavenly origin

                                                                                                                1. "You know me and you know where I come from, but I have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is true, and him you do not know" — John 7:28-29
                                                                                                                2. John, unlike the Synoptic Gospels, is not primarily concerned with Jesus's earthly origin story but with his heavenly origin — the Word was with God and was God (John 1:1)
                                                                                                                3. The believing crowd in John 7:31 responds rightly: whatever his origin, could the Christ do more signs than this man?

                                                                                                                  4. C. Application: immerse in the whole counsel of God rather than rigid theological puzzle pieces

                                                                                                                  1. Various first-century Jewish sects (Qumran community, Sadducees, Pharisees) each had predetermined boxes Messiah had to fit — their traditions screened out truth
                                                                                                                  2. Scripture is not a puzzle we construct; it is revelation to be meditated upon so that hearts are trained to recognize truth even when it comes from unexpected places
                                                                                                                  3. The goal is to have God's word swimming in our bloodstream, not merely to collect proof texts or factoids
                                                                                                                    4. II. Where Christ Is Going

                                                                                                                    A. Jesus announces his departure: "I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come" — John 7:33-34

                                                                                                                    1. He speaks of the complex of his glorification: crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension back to the Father

                                                                                                                      2. B. The Jewish authorities misunderstand entirely, wondering if he will go to diaspora Jews scattered among the Greeks — earthly mindedness vs. heavenly mindedness, a recurring theme in John

                                                                                                                      C. Separation from Christ is not a matter of physical distance but of unlikeness of heart and spirit

                                                                                                                      1. Adam's sin broke fellowship with God; Christ, never missing the mark of God's glory, remains in fellowship with the Father even while standing on earth
                                                                                                                      2. To be conformed to Christ's image and receive him is to be even now in the kingdom — hidden in Christ (Colossians 3), seated in heavenly places (Ephesians 2), belonging to the Jerusalem above (Galatians 4)
                                                                                                                      3. Augustine: "Christ came to earth in such a way that he didn't depart from heaven, and so he returned as not to abandon us"
                                                                                                                        4. III. Who Christ Is Sending

                                                                                                                        A. On the last and great day of the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus stands and cries out with urgency: "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water" — John 7:37-38

                                                                                                                        1. John explains this refers to the Holy Spirit, not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified — John 7:39

                                                                                                                          2. B. Old Testament background for living water imagery

                                                                                                                          1. Isaiah 58:11 — "You shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water whose waters do not fail"
                                                                                                                          2. Isaiah 44:3 — water poured on thirsty land connected explicitly to the pouring out of the Spirit
                                                                                                                          3. Zechariah 14:16-17 — the Feast of Tabernacles liturgy connected worship of the King with the provision of rain; Jesus fulfills this symbolism

                                                                                                                            4. C. The Feast of Tabernacles context amplifies the declaration

                                                                                                                            1. Each of the first seven days, priests processed from the Pool of Siloam to pour water at the base of the altar; the seventh day featured a climactic water rite
                                                                                                                            2. The eighth day was a sacred assembly — a New Year's Eve celebration ringing in new beginnings; Jesus on this day announces that he brings in the new, replacing the old festivals
                                                                                                                            3. Just as Jesus is the true bread from heaven, he is the true water — pouring out the Spirit on Jews at Pentecost, on Samaritans, and on the nations throughout the globe

                                                                                                                              4. D. The Spirit-indwelt believer becomes a fountain

                                                                                                                              1. Augustine: "Having drunk that water, the conscience being purged begins to live, and drinking in it will have a fountain and will be itself a fountain"
                                                                                                                              2. Those who come to Christ for the waters of the Spirit cannot contain them — the good news floods out through their lives to the ends of the earth
                                                                                                                              3. This is the incentive to walk in step with the Spirit and not the flesh, being conformed ever more into the image of Christ (Colossians 3)
                                                                                                                                4. 38 min
                                                                                                                              4. March 17, 2024; Sunday Evening Worship

                                                                                                                                Scripture: 1 John 1:1-4

                                                                                                                                Order of Service
                                                                                                                                • Call to Worship — 1 Chronicles 16:28-36
                                                                                                                                • Hymn — God, All Nature Sings Thy Glory (#122)
                                                                                                                                • Prayer of Invocation
                                                                                                                                • Scripture Reading — Psalm 31:15-24
                                                                                                                                • Hymn — Day by Day (#676)
                                                                                                                                • Pastoral Prayer
                                                                                                                                • Sermon
                                                                                                                                • Hymn — How Firm a Foundation (#94)
                                                                                                                                • Benediction — Romans 16:20
                                                                                                                                  • Sermon Title: Trust in the Apostolic Proclamation

                                                                                                                                  Scripture: 1 John 1:1-4

                                                                                                                                  I. Introduction: John's Validation for Proclaiming the Gospel

                                                                                                                                  A. John launches immediately into his letter without customary introductory elements, driven by pastoral urgency

                                                                                                                                  B. Context: John writes to believers whose assurance is threatened by false teachers undermining the deity of Christ and the duty to obey God
                                                                                                                                  C. The main verb of 1 John 1:1-4 is held until verse 3: we proclaim also to you
                                                                                                                                  D. The entire opening section establishes the grounds for trusting apostolic proclamation over the lies of false teachers

                                                                                                                                  II. Trust the Apostolic Proclamation Because of the Credentials of Apostolic Authority

                                                                                                                                  A. The subject of apostolic proclamation: the Son, the Word of Life

                                                                                                                                  1. John's proclamation concerns the Word of Life — the eternal Son, the pre-existent Logos (John 1:1)
                                                                                                                                  2. The Son is from the beginning, having always existed with the Father as God's own self-revelation
                                                                                                                                  3. This Eternal Word of Life was made manifest — he entered history in the flesh
                                                                                                                                  4. This is no new or novel word; it is the ancient gospel, the tale as old as time, rooted in eternity itself
                                                                                                                                  5. The chief consequence of the Fall was death; life could only come from one outside of fallen man — the Life himself, made manifest (Genesis 3)

                                                                                                                                    6. B. The credentials of apostolic eyewitness experience

                                                                                                                                    1. A rising crescendo in 1 John 1:1 — heard, seen, looked upon, touched — each term intensifies the claim
                                                                                                                                    2. Heard: as the Old Testament prophets were heard, so the apostles heard from the Living Word himself
                                                                                                                                    3. Seen with our eyes: not mere report but direct, personal, indelible visual witness
                                                                                                                                    4. Looked upon (beheld): a distinct verb carrying the idea of intent, careful examination leaving a deep impression
                                                                                                                                    5. Touched with our hands: the verb suggests careful, extended physical examination — the Word was tangible, touchable
                                                                                                                                    6. This experience extended to the post-resurrection appearances: Luke 24:39 — touch me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have
                                                                                                                                    7. Hebrews 12 contrasts the terrifying untouchable Mount Sinai with Jesus, whose touch brings healing and builds weary faith

                                                                                                                                      8. C. Application: our experience of Christ today

                                                                                                                                      1. Believers today do not have the same direct apostolic experience, but we are not without experience of Christ
                                                                                                                                      2. Our experience is built upon the foundation of the apostles' witness, received through the Word read and proclaimed and ministered in the sacraments
                                                                                                                                      3. By the Spirit, who plants the seed of the Word, we have vital union with Christ even now — until faith gives way to full sight
                                                                                                                                        4. III. Trust the Apostolic Proclamation Because of the Commitment of Apostolic Affection

                                                                                                                                        A. Two so that statements in 1 John 1:3-4 reveal the apostles' affections and aims

                                                                                                                                        B. The immediate aim: corporate fellowship

                                                                                                                                        1. The goal stated is not merely personal salvation but fellowship — with the apostles, with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ
                                                                                                                                        2. Fellowship is the very thing lost in the Fall — broken fellowship with God and with one another (Genesis 3)
                                                                                                                                        3. This fellowship is a common shared participation in the grace of God among all who believe
                                                                                                                                        4. C.S. Lewis's The Great Divorce depicts hell as a continual movement toward disfellowship — the opposite of what John describes
                                                                                                                                        5. The ingathering of believers into fellowship is enjoyed now in the church and will one day be perfected in glory

                                                                                                                                          6. C. The ultimate aim: consummate joy

                                                                                                                                          1. John writes so that our joy may be complete — the best manuscripts read our joy, not merely your joy
                                                                                                                                          2. The fellowship is so intimate that John's own joy waits upon and is bound up with his readers believing and holding fast to the apostolic proclamation
                                                                                                                                          3. Joy defined (J.B. Fesko): Joy is not the absence of pain or suffering, but a contentment grounded in Christ, steadfast in the knowledge that one is firmly in the Savior's grasp
                                                                                                                                          4. This joy is experienced in part now and will be experienced in full in glory
                                                                                                                                          5. Application: pray for your elders — that they would labor with the same apostolic commitment and affection toward the joy and flourishing of the flock
                                                                                                                                            6. IV. Conclusion

                                                                                                                                            A. Only in the apostolic word is there eternal life

                                                                                                                                            B. That life is experienced now in fellowship with God and with one another
                                                                                                                                            C. It blooms toward full, complete, everlasting joy in Christ

                                                                                                                                            35 min
                                                                                                                                          6. March 10, 2024; Sunday Morning Worship

                                                                                                                                            Scripture: John 7:14

                                                                                                                                            Order of Service
                                                                                                                                            • Call to Worship — Matthew 11:28-30
                                                                                                                                            • Hymn — O Worship the King (#1)
                                                                                                                                            • Prayer of Invocation
                                                                                                                                            • Confession of Faith — Westminster Shorter Catechism (on Baptism)
                                                                                                                                            • Sacrament of Baptism — James Davis Ethridge
                                                                                                                                            • Hymn — Gracious Spirit, Dwell with Me
                                                                                                                                            • Prayer of Confession
                                                                                                                                            • Offering
                                                                                                                                            • Prayer of Dedication
                                                                                                                                            • Hymn — Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise
                                                                                                                                            • Sermon
                                                                                                                                            • Hymn — Jesus, Thou Joy of Loving Hearts
                                                                                                                                            • Benediction — Numbers 6:24-26
                                                                                                                                              • Sermon Title: Judging by Appearances or by Right Judgment

                                                                                                                                              Scripture: John 7:14-24

                                                                                                                                              I. The Credentials of Foolish Judgment

                                                                                                                                              A. Jesus teaches in the temple at the middle of the Feast of Tabernacles, astonishing the crowd

                                                                                                                                              1. The Jews ask how he has learning when he has never studied — literally, "How does this man know his letters?"
                                                                                                                                              2. Jesus was not merely quoting scripture but teaching it with extended exposition, as only trained rabbis did

                                                                                                                                                3. B. Rabbinic legitimacy in the first century depended on formal schooling and citation of prior rabbis

                                                                                                                                                1. The Babylonian Talmud disparages those who learn scripture without attending upon rabbinic scholars
                                                                                                                                                2. Jesus accommodates himself to their concern: his teaching is not self-originated but comes from his Father in heaven

                                                                                                                                                  3. C. The background is the credentials of a true prophet from Deuteronomy 18

                                                                                                                                                  1. Unlike kings (from the tribe of Judah, line of David) or priests (from the tribe of Levi, line of Aaron), prophets arose from no fixed lineage
                                                                                                                                                  2. The prophet's credential is simply this: has he been sent by God, and is what he says true?
                                                                                                                                                  3. Jesus is all three offices — prophet, priest (after the order of Melchizedek, Genesis 14, Hebrews 7, Hebrews 10), and king after the line of David

                                                                                                                                                    4. D. The miracles of John's Gospel are signs — signposts pointing to the truth of Jesus' message

                                                                                                                                                    1. The Jewish leaders fixate on his lack of formal credentials rather than attending to the message and the signs
                                                                                                                                                    2. Paul, trained under Gamaliel, once took offense at Stephen's unlearned preaching; after his conversion he rejoiced whenever Christ was proclaimed, however imperfect the messenger (Philippians 1:15-18)
                                                                                                                                                    3. Christians are a people obsessed with truth in Christ regardless of the earthly credentials of the one speaking it — whether a tinker like John Bunyan or a scholar like John Calvin
                                                                                                                                                      4. II. The Commitments of Foolish Judgment

                                                                                                                                                      A. Jesus does not merely say he speaks true things — he says he is true (John 7:18)

                                                                                                                                                      1. He does not seek his own glory but the glory of the Father who sent him
                                                                                                                                                      2. Romans 3 says all have fallen short of the glory of God; Jesus alone does not, and therefore truth itself resides in him

                                                                                                                                                        3. B. Genuine pursuit of God's glory and will inevitably leads to Christ

                                                                                                                                                        1. There is no authentic seeking of God that does not end in Jesus Christ
                                                                                                                                                        2. Romans 10:1-4 — Israel had zeal for God but not according to knowledge; being ignorant of God's righteousness they sought to establish their own and did not submit to Christ, who is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes

                                                                                                                                                          3. C. Knowing the attributes of God or the content of scripture is insufficient without Christ at the center

                                                                                                                                                          1. Knowing God's goodness, holiness, and all his omnis will only show you how far short you fall — and drive you to Christ
                                                                                                                                                          2. The Jewish leaders marveled at Jesus' knowledge of scriptural truth but did not pause to marvel at the Truth who stood before them

                                                                                                                                                            3. D. The most important question: can you articulate the gospel and your desperate need of Christ?

                                                                                                                                                            1. Head knowledge of scripture without a grasp of the gospel is spiritually empty — it is the unlearned tax collector, not the learned Pharisee, who walks away justified
                                                                                                                                                            2. Jonathan Edwards preached the gospel to himself daily before he studied
                                                                                                                                                            3. Apart from Christ, a person falls into either self-righteous pride or hopeless despair; the remedy to both is Christ alone
                                                                                                                                                              4. III. The Contradictions of Foolish Judgment

                                                                                                                                                              A. First contradiction: possessing the law while breaking it (John 7:19)

                                                                                                                                                              1. The Jews prided themselves as recipients of the Torah, yet they were seeking to kill Jesus — breaking the sixth commandment
                                                                                                                                                              2. Paul makes the same argument repeatedly in Romans: having the law and not keeping it turns its blessing into a curse and condemnation
                                                                                                                                                              3. The crowd's response ("Who is seeking to kill you?") reflects the pilgrimage population unfamiliar with the leadership's plot; Jesus addresses the Jewish authorities specifically

                                                                                                                                                                4. B. Second contradiction: circumcision on the Sabbath (John 7:21-23)

                                                                                                                                                                1. The leaders sought to kill Jesus for healing the paralyzed man at the Pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath (John 5)
                                                                                                                                                                2. Yet Jewish law permitted — indeed required — circumcision on the eighth day even when it fell on the Sabbath (Genesis 17, Leviticus 12:3)
                                                                                                                                                                3. Jesus employs the classic rabbinic lesser-to-greater argument: if circumcision of one limb overrides the Sabbath, how much more the healing of a whole man?
                                                                                                                                                                  4. - Rabbi Eleazar: "If on account of a single limb they override the Sabbath, is it not logical that one should override the Sabbath on account of the whole man?"
                                                                                                                                                                  - Rabbi Azariah makes the same point regarding the 248 members of the body

                                                                                                                                                                  C. The deeper meaning they missed

                                                                                                                                                                  1. Circumcision signifies the consecration of the whole body and soul to God; Jesus healed the whole man, fulfilling that very meaning
                                                                                                                                                                  2. The Sabbath was meant to bring restoration and peace to body and soul; Jesus is the fulfillment of the Sabbath rest
                                                                                                                                                                  3. Like an atheist scientist who studies the intricate signs of God's creation yet rejects the Creator, the Jewish leaders gazed at covenant signs — circumcision, Sabbath — and missed the one to whom all those signs pointed: Jesus Christ
                                                                                                                                                                  4. If Christ is not at the center of our lives, we too will miss the forest for the trees — clinging to signs while missing the thing signified

                                                                                                                                                                    5. D. Closing application: John 7:24 — "Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment"

                                                                                                                                                                    1. Put Christ at the center; let every sign, every sacrament, every scripture point you to him
                                                                                                                                                                    2. The waters of baptism seen this morning are a sign — cling not to the sign but to the blood of Christ it signifies and the Spirit he pours into souls
                                                                                                                                                                      3. 32 min
                                                                                                                                                                    3. March 10, 2024; Sunday Evening Worship

                                                                                                                                                                      Scripture: 1 John

                                                                                                                                                                      Order of Service
                                                                                                                                                                      • Call to Worship — Psalm 103
                                                                                                                                                                      • Hymn — Praise My Soul, the King of Heaven (#76)
                                                                                                                                                                      • Prayer of Invocation
                                                                                                                                                                      • Scripture Reading — Psalm 31:1-14
                                                                                                                                                                      • Hymn — Beneath the Cross of Jesus (#251)
                                                                                                                                                                      • Pastoral Prayer
                                                                                                                                                                      • Sermon
                                                                                                                                                                      • Hymn — Blessed Assurance (#693)
                                                                                                                                                                      • Benediction — 1 Peter 5:10-11
                                                                                                                                                                        • Sermon Title: Assurance of Who We Are in God

                                                                                                                                                                        Scripture: 1 John 2:28–3:3

                                                                                                                                                                        I. Introduction to John's Letters

                                                                                                                                                                        A. Good biblical and historical evidence that 1–3 John were written by the Apostle John

                                                                                                                                                                        B. Connection between Ecclesiastes and 1 John

                                                                                                                                                                        1. Both describe the world as passing away
                                                                                                                                                                        2. Both emphasize the duty of obedience to God
                                                                                                                                                                          3. C. First John is the letter of assurance — John writes to remind weary Believers of who they are and what is theirs
                                                                                                                                                                          II. The Threat to Assurance

                                                                                                                                                                          A. A group of secessionists (John calls them antichrists and liars) had left the fellowship

                                                                                                                                                                          B. The threat is as old as the Garden of Eden: being tempted to doubt God's self-revelation and disregard the duty to obey his word
                                                                                                                                                                          C. Two specific attacks in this letter

                                                                                                                                                                          1. The deity of Christ coming under attack (wrong belief)
                                                                                                                                                                          2. Obedience being undermined (wrong practice)
                                                                                                                                                                            3. D. Whenever God's word is set aside in favor of the word of man, Christian assurance always suffers
                                                                                                                                                                            III. The Benefits of Assurance

                                                                                                                                                                            A. Forgiveness — so total and sweeping that believers can have confidence and not shrink from Christ in shame at his coming (see 1 John 2:28)

                                                                                                                                                                            B. Godliness — the evident fruit of obedience and practicing righteousness
                                                                                                                                                                            C. Communion with God — confidence to bring prayerful requests to him

                                                                                                                                                                            IV. Assurance Is Yours Because You Are Born of God

                                                                                                                                                                            A. John addresses believers as "little children" at least seven times in 1 John and ten times across the letters — his favorite title for believers

                                                                                                                                                                            B. You are born of the God who is light and life

                                                                                                                                                                            1. 1 John 1:5 — God is light; in him is no darkness at all
                                                                                                                                                                            2. God's light is his moral perfection and perfect truth radiating out, revealing the way to walk rightly
                                                                                                                                                                            3. 1 John 5:20 — the Son is the true God and eternal life; cf. Psalm 36:9 — with God is the fountain of life
                                                                                                                                                                            4. Life originates in God; in him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28)
                                                                                                                                                                              5. C. You are born to new life by his Spirit and Word
                                                                                                                                                                            5. At the fall, spiritual death permeated all humanity — we were dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1)
                                                                                                                                                                            6. God gives new spiritual life at recreation by his Spirit and Word
                                                                                                                                                                            7. Vivid picture in Ezekiel 37 — the valley of dry bones
                                                                                                                                                                            8. 2 Corinthians 5:17 — if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation
                                                                                                                                                                            9. 1 Peter 1:23 — new birth through the imperishable seed of the Word
                                                                                                                                                                            10. 1 John 2:20 — believers have been anointed by the Holy One
                                                                                                                                                                            11. 1 John 5:9-10 — believing in the Son is evidence of having God's testimony within
                                                                                                                                                                            12. 1 John 3:9-10 — God's abiding seed has been planted; children of God cannot continue unabated in the same sinful patterns
                                                                                                                                                                              13. D. Assurance is found in the evidence of God's light and life in our lives — but self-examination only goes so far
                                                                                                                                                                            13. Robert Murray McCheyne: "For every one look inside yourself, look ten times to Christ"
                                                                                                                                                                            14. When we sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous (1 John 2:1)
                                                                                                                                                                              15. V. Assurance Is Yours Because You Are Beloved by God

                                                                                                                                                                              A. John addresses believers as "beloved" ten times across his letters

                                                                                                                                                                              B. 1 John 3:1 — See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God
                                                                                                                                                                              C. You are beloved by the God who is love

                                                                                                                                                                              1. 1 John 4:8, 16 — God is love (stated twice in chapter 4)
                                                                                                                                                                              2. This is not "love is God" — the world twists love to mean permissiveness; God is love itself in his very being and character
                                                                                                                                                                              3. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit love each other perfectly and eternally
                                                                                                                                                                                4. D. You are born to new love
                                                                                                                                                                              4. The second half of 1 John and most of 2 John are taken up with the life of love lived out by those born of God
                                                                                                                                                                              5. Love for God and love for neighbor summarize all the law
                                                                                                                                                                              6. Jesus perfectly demonstrates this love as both model and mediator — the propitiation for our sins
                                                                                                                                                                              7. We love only because he first loved us (1 John 4:19)
                                                                                                                                                                              8. The DNA of God's love flows through the veins of those born of him — love for one another is the ultimate evidence of who we are
                                                                                                                                                                                9. E. Self-examination is called for, but we look to Jesus who is perfect love
                                                                                                                                                                                VI. Conclusion — Recite Who You Are

                                                                                                                                                                                A. John aims to remind believers of who they are so they remember what is theirs and the Kingdom to which they belong

                                                                                                                                                                                B. Preach the gospel to yourself every day (cf. Jonathan Edwards)
                                                                                                                                                                                C. You are born of God and beloved of God — this is John's message in 1 John
                                                                                                                                                                                D. The goal: confidence so that when Christ returns, we do not shrink back from him (1 John 2:28)

                                                                                                                                                                                35 min
                                                                                                                                                                              9. God's Agenda

                                                                                                                                                                                Scripture: John 7:1-13

                                                                                                                                                                                Order of Service
                                                                                                                                                                                • Call to Worship — Psalm 48:1-3, 9-10
                                                                                                                                                                                • Hymn — How Great Thou Art
                                                                                                                                                                                • Prayer of Invocation
                                                                                                                                                                                • Prayer of Confession
                                                                                                                                                                                • Assurance of Pardon — Psalm 130:3-4
                                                                                                                                                                                • Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 10:14-22
                                                                                                                                                                                • Pastoral Prayer
                                                                                                                                                                                • Offering
                                                                                                                                                                                • Hymn — O Father, You Are Sovereign
                                                                                                                                                                                • Sermon
                                                                                                                                                                                • Lord's Supper
                                                                                                                                                                                  • Hymn — More Love to Thee, O Christ (stanzas 1–2)
                                                                                                                                                                                  • Bread
                                                                                                                                                                                  • Hymn — How Great Thou Art (stanza 3)
                                                                                                                                                                                  • Cup
                                                                                                                                                                                  • Prayer
                                                                                                                                                                                  • Hymn — More Love to Thee, O Christ (stanzas 3–4)
                                                                                                                                                                                  • Benediction
                                                                                                                                                                                    • Sermon Title: God's Agenda

                                                                                                                                                                                    Scripture: John 7:1-13

                                                                                                                                                                                    I. The World According to God's Agenda vs. Man's Agenda

                                                                                                                                                                                    A. The setting: the Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:2)

                                                                                                                                                                                    1. One of three pilgrimage festivals in Israel, along with Passover and the Day of Atonement
                                                                                                                                                                                    2. Celebrated God's provision during the wilderness wanderings; also a harvest festival
                                                                                                                                                                                    3. Josephus called it "the greatest and holiest feast of the Jews" — the prime moment for a Messiah to make himself known

                                                                                                                                                                                      4. B. Jesus's brothers urge him to display his works publicly (John 7:3-4)

                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Their motive is unbelief (John 7:5) — a mocking tone akin to those at the cross: "If you are who you say, show yourself"
                                                                                                                                                                                      2. They view "the world" quantitatively — the mass crowd, the grand stage

                                                                                                                                                                                        3. C. Jesus views the world qualitatively (John 7:7)

                                                                                                                                                                                        1. "The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil"
                                                                                                                                                                                        2. His brothers are of the world; Jesus is from heaven and rebukes worldliness
                                                                                                                                                                                        3. John 15:18-19 — the world hates Christ's disciples as it hated him; they are chosen out of the world

                                                                                                                                                                                          4. D. Application: the church's failure often stems from thinking quantitatively rather than qualitatively

                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Conforming to the masses produces a fad — here today, gone tomorrow
                                                                                                                                                                                          2. The qualitative church, hated by the world for Christ's sake, is the church the gates of hell shall not prevail against (Matthew 16:18)
                                                                                                                                                                                          3. God draws people from every tribe and tongue through the paradox of the cross — public shame becoming public glory
                                                                                                                                                                                            4. II. Time According to God's Agenda vs. Man's Agenda

                                                                                                                                                                                            A. Jesus's response to his brothers echoes his response to Mary at Cana (John 2:4)

                                                                                                                                                                                            1. "My time has not yet come" — Jesus does not allow his work to be dictated by any human schedule
                                                                                                                                                                                            2. He does eventually go to the feast, just as he did perform the miracle at Cana — but on the Father's timing, not man's

                                                                                                                                                                                              3. B. "My time has not yet come, but your time is always here" (John 7:6)

                                                                                                                                                                                              1. Echoes Ecclesiastes 3:1 — "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under the sun"
                                                                                                                                                                                              2. For the Jews this text conveyed God's sovereign, providential control over time
                                                                                                                                                                                              3. Jesus's brothers live by their own watch, outside God's providential timing

                                                                                                                                                                                                4. C. The Pharisees likewise misread the times (Matthew 16:2-3)

                                                                                                                                                                                                1. They can read the sky but cannot interpret the signs of the times
                                                                                                                                                                                                2. Living on "me time" means missing Christ altogether

                                                                                                                                                                                                  3. D. Application: live as Ecclesiastes 3 men and women

                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. Parents with young children — steer their hearts toward Christ in this season
                                                                                                                                                                                                  2. Empty-nesters — grow together in God's word and love rather than longing for yesterday
                                                                                                                                                                                                  3. Singles — take advantage of singleness; invest in the church; do not be anxious (1 Corinthians 7)
                                                                                                                                                                                                  4. Living well in each providential season is how we prepare for Christ's coming
                                                                                                                                                                                                    5. III. Fear According to God's Agenda vs. Man's Agenda

                                                                                                                                                                                                    A. Background: the Jewish leaders have sought to kill Jesus since John 5

                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. Jesus healed the paralyzed man at the Pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath (John 5:1-18)
                                                                                                                                                                                                    2. He declared "My Father is working until now, and I am working" (John 5:17) — making himself equal with God

                                                                                                                                                                                                      3. B. Rich irony at the feast (John 7:11-13)

                                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Jesus's brothers tell him to make himself known openly — yet the people fear speaking openly about him
                                                                                                                                                                                                      2. "For fear of the Jews no one spoke openly of him" (John 7:13)

                                                                                                                                                                                                        3. C. Jesus, by contrast, will speak openly to the very authorities seeking to kill him (previewing next week's passage)

                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Isaiah 11:3 — "His delight shall be in the fear of the LORD"
                                                                                                                                                                                                        2. This contrast captures fallen mankind's relationship to Jesus: "Do for us what I am unwilling to do for you"

                                                                                                                                                                                                          3. D. The disciples mirror the crowd — hiding behind closed doors while Jesus goes publicly to the cross

                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. The resurrection transforms fear of man into fear of God
                                                                                                                                                                                                          2. Matthew 28:10 — "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers"
                                                                                                                                                                                                          3. 1 Corinthians 15:7 — James, the once-unbelieving brother, witnesses the risen Christ and becomes leader of the Jerusalem church; Jude likewise writes his epistle
                                                                                                                                                                                                          4. Public humiliation turned to public glory: the disciples leave their hiding places and serve the living God

                                                                                                                                                                                                            5. E. Application: the fear of the Lord means the world will hate you, the cross may feel heavy, but open shame will be turned to open glory — "Be strong for the Lord as he has been strong for you"

                                                                                                                                                                                                            29 min

                                                                                                                                                                                                          About Northpointe PCA Sermons

                                                                                                                                                                                                          From the publisher's feed

                                                                                                                                                                                                          Weekly expository preaching from the Lord’s Day morning and evening worship services at Northpointe Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Meridian, Mississippi.