The title of Glenn Durham's sermon describes his chosen topic pretty well
and he makes Biblical points therein. It's definitely a sermon worthy of
reading.
May God bless,
Carl
my website -- http://www.nettally.com/saints/
my blog -- http://www.anniemayhem.com/cgi-bin/wordpress/
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When Christ Condemns
by Glenn Durham
John 3:16 may be the best known verse in the Bible, but the next one is
near
in significance: "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn
the
world, but in order that the world might be saved through him." Jesus came
to save. That's good news. But what about when he does criticize and
rebuke?
We need to answer that question because many people feel guilty and fear
condemnation. Hiking in the Rockies provided a parable for this. On the
way
up to camp the boys paused beside waterfalls and investigated unique rock
formations. Our loads felt light and the hike a joy. But after camping
through torrential rain, the waterlogged equipment increased our loads and
combined with the threat of more storms to quell all enthusiasm. Feeling
weighed down and fearing more rain made the return a non-stop trudge.
You know the feeling - guilt weighs, grace relieves. And those relieved
find
they enjoy the journey. Jesus did not come to condemn, but to save. So
that
we can be saved and live life to the fullest, we should know when and why
he
does condemn. Let's read about it in John 7:14-24.
14 Not until halfway through the Feast did Jesus go up to the temple
courts
and begin to teach. 15 The Jews were amazed and asked, "How did this man
get
such learning without having studied?"
16 Jesus answered, "My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent
me. 17 If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my
teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. 18 He who speaks on
his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor
of
the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.
19
Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are
you trying to kill me?"
20 "You are demon-possessed," the crowd answered. "Who is trying to kill
you?"
21 Jesus said to them, "I did one miracle, and you are all astonished. 22
Yet, because Moses gave you cir***cision (though actually it did not come
from Moses, but from the patriarchs), you cir***cise a child on the
Sabbath.
23 Now if a child can be cir***cised on the Sabbath so that the law of
Moses
may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing the whole man on
the Sabbath? 24 Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right
judgment."
Our family vacation this fall threw us back to an earlier time. Mackinaw
Island is essentially free from motorized vehicles. As a result, we
thoroughly enjoyed peddling that bicycling paradise. There was, however,
an
unexpected problem. You must watch your step on Mackinaw because there is
a
prodigious amount of.(there's no nice way to say this): "horse-poo." The
movies rarely show this dangerous side effect of the time before cars -
everywhere you step is a potential land-mine. Jesus also walked carefully,
though for different reasons.
The fact that Jesus carefully considered his steps may surprise you. We
imagine Jesus doing what he wanted when he wanted, and with little worry
about the effect. But God shows us that Jesus remains innocent as a dove
while planning his movements as the wisest of serpents. As a result, he
refuses to be bullied into action by family, friends, or foes.
I see a clear application of Jesus' pattern in the ways in which we speak
to
one another, and to those outside the church. Christians sometimes suppose
that we need not be careful how we present truth, as long as we speak it.
I
mentioned to you a couple of week's ago an example of this problem.
Dr. John Frame (professor at Reformed Theological Seminary): "One slogan
of
the Machen movement was 'truth before friend****p.' We should laud their
intention to act according to principle without compromise. But the
biblical
balance is 'speaking the truth in love' (Ephesians 4.15). We must not
speak
the truth without thinking of the effect of our formulations on our fellow
Christians, even our opponents. That balance was not characteristic of the
Machen movement." Dr. Frame then says that he dreams of a day when we
"honor
one another as much for character and witness as we do for agreement with
our theological positions." The way we speak is as im****tant as what we
say.
We may also fail to match Jesus' sensitivity while witnessing to his
Gospel.
Some believe that the technique and methods of evangelism matter little as
long as we get the message out. We can paint John 3.16 on a sign and dye
our
hair funny colors, or we can yell at unsuspecting customers as they climb
the steps to the post office - as long as we get the message out. But
Jesus
does not agree. For him, teaching is both content and context.
Jesus' brothers had tried to force his hand. Not believing in him and
tired
of neighbors' scornful glares, they tell Jesus to make a public claim of
his
power and politics. But he does not comply: "For you guys, anytime is
acceptable. You don't care about the subtleties of discerning God's will
and
doing all things well. Now is not the right time; I will not react to your
agenda; God is not controlled by human expectations."
But after a day or so delay does Jesus go to Jerusalem - not publically,
but
in private. Rather than risk a mob proclaiming him king, he chooses an
entrance that enables him to most effectively teach. Jesus was born to
die.
But to give his sacrifice meaning, he must teach. Therefore, he
prioritizes
the context of his speaking ministry (while delivering true content). He
preaches so that the most people can hear and respond.
Jesus would have us, also, listen well to his words. And in this paragraph
we hear some reasons to love his teaching, to labor in knowing and
understanding his preaching, to build a life on his message. The first
reason.
1. We Must Listen to Jesus Because His Teaching Is God's (John 7.15-17)
When Jesus spoke, men marveled. Yesterday (January 12, 2008), Daniel
Schorr
commented on why Mr. Bush is traveling to the holy land: "I think he is
enjoying himself; he likes walking in the footsteps of Jesus Christ." From
a
political and philosophical perspective, it is hard to imagine someone
further from President Bush than Daniel Schorr, son of Jewish emigrants
from
Russia and certainly no friend of Biblical Christianity. But even he
respects the President for walking in the footsteps of Jesus. People still
marvel over him.
Clearly these Jews were amazed by Jesus' wisdom and knowledge of
Scripture.
By the age of twelve, he already astonished people with his understanding
of
the Word and his answers to theological questions. But there is more;
Jesus
also impressed people with his manner and style: "No one ever spoke like
this man." He taught with authority, and he spoke with compassion. He was
winsome to the wandering and stern with the hard-hearted. One of my
professors gave me this coin fourteen years ago to remind me of Jesus'
character: tough minded, tender hearted. Both.
Unfortunately, we pastors fail precisely here, and too often at that.
Because we fear man, we tend to be tough with the weak and feeble (because
they cannot fight back) and tender and gentle with those who harden
themselves against God and grace (because they will fight back). Forgive
me
when I do that, and correct me, please. Jesus feared God and therefore was
able to give each person love and truth.
We should note here that the Jews had a system to prevent people like
Jesus
from teaching. They knew that whoever controls education, controls the
next
generation, so their bureaucracy did just that. Likewise, the intense
opposition to Christ-centered education in our country has the same
source.
Yes, private schooling and homeschooling are allowed, but they are
tolerated, not encouraged. From rejection of vouchers to certification
requirements to limiting the use of "public" school facilities to those
inside the system, every power possible is arrayed against the freedom to
choose. It should not surprise us that one of the demands of the Communist
Manifesto is free, compulsory, public education.
J. C. Ryle: "But the Jerusalem Jews, in their pride and self-conceit, set
down anyone as comparatively ignorant who had not been trained in their
great metropolitan schools."
But they do not marvel simply because Jesus is anti-establishment. Plenty
of
alternative teaching is patently foolish. Jesus' teaching is marvelous
because it is from God. When you hear him you are confronted with God's
will.
You probably know by now that I prefer we not have red-letter bibles. I am
not a fan, either, of printing the New Testament without the Old. We asked
every member to read the whole Bible this year. Yet we err when we fail to
prioritize the New. The story of redemption is incomplete without the
Redeemer. Yes the Old Testament is im****tant to understand the fullness of
God; but the story of Jesus is essential.
When God sends his son into the world, he calls this "good news," or
"Gospel." This is the power of God for salvation. The gospel is to be
believed so that we may be saved. It is the gospel which must be
proclaimed
to all nations. It is the gospel that God calls men to preach. It is the
gospel which God sent Paul to tell in Corinth. It is the gospel which must
be preached lest the pastor be accursed. And it is told in the New
Testament.
Having said all that, some who hear (no doubt) do not benefit. You know
people who profess faith yet lives fall apart. Those who are exposed to
truth yet never changed by it. The man who attends church, yet his wife
does
not flourish. The woman always at Bible study yet never able to make her
home a haven for family or honor and respect her husband. 2Timothy 3.7
warns
about those, "always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of
the
truth."
So hearing alone must be insufficient. What else is needed? Jesus tells us
in verse 17: "If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether
the
teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority."
In other words, instead of thinking: "I must first know everything
clearly,
then I will act" - we should say, "I will act on the knowledge I have and
trust God to give more as needed." Whoever is faithful in little things,
can
be trusted with more.
You know this experientially from walking in a dark wood with a lantern.
The
light is wonderful, but the path it reveals is limited. More path appears
only as we walk in the light we already have.
J. C. Ryle observes, "God tests men's sincerity by making obedience part
of
the process by which religious knowledge is obtained. Are we really wiling
to do God's will so far as we know it? If we are, God will take care that
our knowledge is increased. If we are not willing to do his will, we show
clearly that we do not want to be God's servants. Our hearts and not our
heads are in fault."
The Apostle Paul applies this to the church in Corinth. They were not
loving
one another. So he says, "You can speak in tongues, you can prophesy, you
can understand all mysteries and have all knowledge, you faith can move
mountains - but if you do not practice the first principle of Christianity
-
love one another - then you have nothing.
May people say of us, "They practice what they know," rather than, "They
know more than they do." Men, may your wife say, "He loves me as Jesus
loves
the church," not simply that he can recite the verse. Fathers, we know not
to exasperate our children; but are we? Do those with whom we work and
play
and study know only the harshness of our doctrines, or are their defenses
melted by our loyalty, kindness, fairness, honesty, encouragement and
concern for their well-being?
We must listen to Jesus' teaching because it is God's.
2. We Must Listen to Jesus Because His Teaching Glorifies God (John 7.18)
We know Paul was a great pastor because he exemplified this same passion.
Two verses make that clear. Ephesians 3.8: "Though I am the very least of
all the saints, this grace was given [to me]: to preach to the Gentiles
the
unsearchable riches of Christ." 2Corinthians 4.5: "For what we proclaim is
not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants
for
Jesus' sake."
Bilbo Baggins wrote:
All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken:
The crownless again shall be king.
Those words speak of Strider (Aragorn) the king who did not appear to be.
Appearances can deceive.
That is why Jesus says, "Test my ministry by this: who is glorified? I am
preaching to you God's grace; other's preach for their honor. Which is
from
God?"
The test of my teaching and all church leader****p must be the same: does
it
honor Jesus and humble sinners? Do I point you to God's grace as fully
sufficient, or to your efforts as necessary contributions? Of course you
know that your sins need to be repented of; but what of your good deeds?
Are
you encouraged to confidence in your successes and fear of your failures,
or
confidence of Christ's success and fear of self-righteousness? Teaching
which is from God gives all glory to God.
3. We Must Listen to Jesus Because His Teaching Enables Right Judgment
(John
7.19-24)
Jesus often healed on the Sabbath, and the Jewish leader****p was
infuriated.
Their rules for Sabbath allowed them to brag of their obedience while
practically ensuring others could not perfectly comply. So Jesus healed on
that day to press home his new message; and those in authority condemned
him.
In response, Jesus notes that they too break the Sabbath commandment when
they cir***cise on the eight day. Some laws must take
priority-specifically
works of mercy. They obey the law (of cir***cision) by "breaking" the law
(of the Sabbath). Then Jesus hits them where it hurts: "I did the same
thing
you did, only more perfectly. I obeyed the law of loving my neighbor by
healing his body, which is greater than the Sabbath command. You break the
law of loving your neighbor by plotting my death. Two application for us.
First, resist superficial and quick judgments. There is a saying: "Don't
find fault with the man who limps or stumbles along the road. Unless you
have worn the shoes he wears, or struggled beneath his load. There may be
tacks in his shoes that hurt, though hidden away from view. Or the burden
he
bears, if placed on your back, might cause you to stumble too." Do we
really
know what is going on in the heart? Can we really condemn them for
treating
us poorly? Are you sure the problems they face might not cause you
trouble?
Jesus condemns self-righteous judgments.
Second, resist the temptation to imagine that your obedience is grand.
James
Boice: "The fundamental spiritual error of the human heart is to think
that
a person can please God by his own natural efforts. But this error leads
to
others." The Jews obeyed their Sabbath rules. Jesus broke them. If he is
God, then their obedience was worthless. When Jesus healed on the Sabbath,
he said, "Your good works drive you away from God. Will you turn from
them?"
Jesus condemns self-justification.
4. Conclusion
Abe and Charlie climb Pikes Peak; Billy climbs Snowmass Mountain. Both
mountains are in Colorado and similar in height. Pikes Peak reaches 14,115
feet; Snowmass, 14,099 feet. As Abe nears the top of Pikes Peak, he p*****
14,000 feet. Billy also reaches 14,000 feet as he climbs Snowmass. Charlie
is slow; he is only 9,000 feet up Pikes Peak.
A quick judgment would say that Abe and Billy are close to the goal;
Charlie
is farthest away. But what if a wealthy businesswoman has offered everyone
who reaches the summit of Pikes Peak $100,000, and Billy's GPS gave him
bad
directions? Charlie is actually closer to the goal than Billy, and, in
fact,
every step Billy takes moves him further away.
In Philippians 3, Paul notes that before he found the gospel, he put his
confidence in his good works. "If anyone else thinks he has reason for
confidence in the flesh, I have more: cir***cised on the eighth day, of
the
people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the
law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to
righteousness
under the law, blameless." I was further up the mountain than any others.
"But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ." My
height placed me further from the goal.
"Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of
knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all
things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be
found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the
law,
but that which comes through faith in Christ." I delight in being dragged
off the mountain of my good works, that I might be located on a completely
different place.
Let us not judge by appearances, how high a person seems to have traveled.
Let us just rightly-do I bring people to trust in the completed work of
Jesus? That is the test of ministry and the call to all true Christians.
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