Following Jesus By Focusing on the Kingdom

‌An Important Question

¹³ When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” ¹⁴ They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” ¹⁵ “But you,” he asked them, “who do you say that I am?” ¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” ¹⁷ Jesus responded, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven. ¹⁸ And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven.” ²⁰ Then he gave the disciples orders to tell no one that he was the Messiah.

​Matthew 16:13–20 CSB

The question about Jesus’ identity, as seen by the disciples, was an important one. By this time, there were many opinions about who Jesus might be. Jesus had taught many times and performed many miracles by this time. His fame was growing greatly.

Verse 15 is the important verse in this section, though: “But you, who do you say that I am?” While there are many opinions about Jesus even today, the one that impacts our lives is who we see Jesus as.

Do you see Jesus as a good man… a wise teacher… a miracle worker… or do you see Him as He truly is: the one and only Son of God, the Savior of the world?

The answer to that question determines everything both in this life and the next. Seeing and trusting Jesus as Savior and Lord is the only thing that can bring forgiveness for our sins and a new life with God for all eternity.

In verse 17, Jesus shows that this truth comes to a person not because of great learning or education but by the work of the Holy Spirit in a person’s life. When you see Jesus as He truly is, you can be sure the Holy Spirit has revealed that to you and is inviting you to come and place your faith in Him.

This is where following Jesus starts. As the Holy Spirit opens the eyes of our hearts to the reality of who Jesus is and what He has done for us, He invites us to come and follow Him. It is a following that lasts for all eternity.

‌The Road Ahead

Some have called this life of following Christ a journey. I think that’s a good picture. It is a path that we walk with Him experiencing the new life He has for us. But the journey isn’t always easy.

In Matthew 16:21-23, Jesus begins to share plainly about what the road ahead looked like for Him.

²¹ From then on Jesus began to point out to his disciples that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and be raised the third day. ²² Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, “Oh no, Lord! This will never happen to you!” ²³ Jesus turned and told Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me because you’re not thinking about God’s concerns but human concerns.”

​Matthew 16:21–23 CSB

As Jesus began talking about His impending betrayal and death, it brought about a reaction from Peter that seemed bold. As Jesus tells about how He will be betrayed, killed, and resurrected, Peter pulls Jesus aside and rebukes Him.

This course did not fit into what Peter thought should be. He had been raised hearing about how the Messiah would come and bring deliverance to God’s people. He wasn’t supposed to die, much less be murdered.

How many times do we do this though? We have a way that we think things should go only to find out the Lord has something completely different in mind. We get frustrated in those moments. We even get bold enough to say that the Lord wouldn’t do that. How quickly we can forget that the Lord is a sovereign God who can do whatever He pleases, however He pleases.

Jesus warns Peter sharply. He says that Peter is not listening to the Lord but to Satan. Satan’s plans are not too hard to figure out. They always aim to keep the Lord’s plan from happening.

In Matthew 16:24-26, Jesus also shares about the road ahead for anyone who would be His follower.

²⁴ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. ²⁵ For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will find it. ²⁶ For what will it benefit someone if he gains the whole world yet loses his life? Or what will anyone give in exchange for his life?

​Matthew 16:24–26 CSB

Being a follower of Jesus is simple, but it is not easy. It is simple because all a person has to do is deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Him. It’s not easy because denying one’s self means that you no longer call the shots. Taking up a cross means that you will experience suffering in this life for your decision to follow Christ. Following Him means that you don’t get to choose the route or destination any longer. These are things we do not like to give up so easily.

‌The Focal Point

Jesus understood that the journey of following Him was not for the faint-hearted. There would be trials and tribulations for every person who chooses to follow Jesus in this life because of the sin that has cursed this world. As I’ve said before, Jesus did not want to have any “fine print” in the agreement. He wanted each person to know exactly what they would sign up for, but He didn’t just share the hardships that would come. He also shared the focus that would help anyone see the journey is worth it.

²⁷ For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will reward each according to what he has done. ²⁸ Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

​Matthew 16:27–28 CSB

Jesus told those who were following Him about the coming Kingdom that He was setting up. What is interesting is that in Matthew 17, Jesus allows Peter, James, and John to see Him transfigured into a glorified state — what He would be like after the resurrection.

Jesus walked this earth as a man and knew the hardships that this life can throw at a person, but He also knew the end of the story. He knew that the Kingdom He was building would be worth any momentary trial a person might face here.

In His Kingdom, each person who follows Jesus experiences the reward of freedom from sin, freedom from shame, and an intimate relationship with the living God of the universe. What is better is that nothing can ever take that away.

³⁸ For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

​Romans 8:38–39 CSB

‌Final Thoughts

With the Summer Olympics coming up this summer, I’m always intrigued by the track and field events, especially the hurdles. These athletes run at lightning speed jumping over obstacles that are set before them. Any good trainer will tell you that to win in this event, you have to focus not on the obstacles or what’s around you but the finish line.

A life of following Jesus is much like the hurdles in track. You are on a path and there are many obstacles in the way. Some of those obstacles look too big to conquer in the moment. Some of us may have more obstacles than others. But one thing is the same: the finish line. Standing there at the finish line is the One who made the path and welcomes you into His glory.

When you focus on the Kingdom that He has called you to be part of, it is easier to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him.

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Follow Jesus By Valuing What's Most Important

What do you find yourself taking the most pride in? Form some, it may be their families. For others, it is their accomplishments (work/hobbies). I remember when I was in 4th grade or so, our school gathered a bunch of items that we thought were so important and put them into a time capsule. This time capsule was buried in front of the school, and the plan was to dig it up in 50 years to show a new generation what we thought was so important.

Some of us have boxes in the attic or basement of our houses that hold things from our past that we value greatly. If we were to take them out, the first glance at some of those things would bring back sweet memories from our pasts.

‌Precious Philippi

The New Testament letter we call Philippians is a letter written to the church at Philippi by the apostle Paul while he was in prison (most likely in Rome around A.D. 62).

The Philippian church was very special to the apostle Paul. It was the first Christian church Paul planted in Europe. Throughout this letter, Paul uses language that shows how dear this church was to his heart.

Paul wrote to this church to encourage them in the faith as they faced pressure from the culture around them. The Church at Philippi found itself in the midst of a thriving city that experienced many freedoms and luxuries. Sadly, many things in Philippi also sought to move people’s hearts from the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

‌Paul’s Warning

¹ In addition, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. To write to you again about this is no trouble for me and is a safeguard for you. ² Watch out for the dogs, watch out for the evil workers, watch out for those who mutilate the flesh.

​Philippians 3:1–2 CSB

A group of people known as Judaizers had come into Philippi with false teachings that were leading some away from the truth of the gospel. These Judaizers had impressive credentials among the Jewish people, and because of this, some were listening to what they were saying.

We can see this type of thing happen in our lives today. We see someone who has a bunch of titles or letters before or after their name, and we think, “They must know what they are talking about.” The truth is just because a person has a lot of degrees or titles doesn’t mean they are worth listening to. What is most important is the message that is being shared and if it is truth.

‌Paul’s Accolades

⁴ although I have reasons for confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more: ⁵ circumcised the eighth day; of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; regarding the law, a Pharisee; ⁶ regarding zeal, persecuting the church; regarding the righteousness that is in the law, blameless.

​Philippians 3:4–6 CSB

Paul does not discount there are things of which we could be proud. In verses 4-6, Paul shares things in his own life that many had looked to him as being something worth taking great pride in.

• Circumcised on the 8th day — This was a quality of true Jewish males. Those who converted to Judaism would go through this as adults. This was a strict observance of what the Law of Moses commanded God’s people to do.

• Of the nation of Israel — This phrase was to show that Paul was not one converted from another religion, but that he was Jewish from birth. He was a true descendant of Jacob who would have his name changed to Israel by God.

• Of the tribe of Benjamin — This was to show that Paul was from the prestigious tribe of Israel. It was this tribe that gave Israel its first king. Benjamin was the only son of Israel that was born in the Promised Land.

• A Hebrew born of Hebrews — This was to show that both of Paul’s parents were Hebrew people. This is also a reference to those who held on to speaking the Hebrew language even when they were scattered among other nations and languages.

• Regarding the Law, a Pharisee — one who devoted their whole life to the study of God’s Law and keeping it to the smallest detail.

• Regarding zeal, persecuting the church — Paul shares that in his old way of life, he had made eradicating the followers of Jesus his life mission.
  
• Regarding the righteousness in the Law, blameless — Paul pointed out that if anyone were to put him to the test outwardly, he would pass with flying colors. He had never been accused of breaking any law.

Paul had many accolades in his life up to this point. Many in the Jewish world thought at one time Paul was the epitome of being a good Jew. As he lists his “qualifications,” he doesn’t see them all as bad. He took great pride in being an Israelite. He was thankful for the study of God’s Law that he had the opportunity to do.

We may have certain things in our lives that people look at as blessings. It may be the family you were born into, the degrees you have earned from countless hours of studying, or recognition from a job well done at work, school, or in the community. These are not bad things. They are just not the most important thing.

‌A Changed Goal

What we see in verse 7 is Paul had at one time considered all these things “a gain” to him. There was a time when they were the main thing in his life, but something happened.

⁷ But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. ⁸ More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung, so that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ—the righteousness from God based on faith. ¹⁰ My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, ¹¹ assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead.

​Philippians 3:7–11 CSB

While Paul had spent much of his adult life persecuting the Church, he met Jesus on the Damascus Road and was forever changed. At that moment, he realized that much of what he treasured (while it was not necessarily bad) was insufficient to bring about the peace, hope, and joy he so desperately desired.

How many of us find ourselves running from one accomplishment to the next looking for fulfillment? We think that maybe one more title… one more degree… one more promotion… one more of whatever will make us feel like we are valuable and worth something. That path is never-ending and can never be completely satisfied.

Like Paul, what we need is an encounter with the One who created us for His glory. We need an encounter with the One who gave His life to redeem us from our sin. When we come to the place where we meet Jesus, we realize that all of the accolades this world can offer can be considered rubbish in comparison to knowing Jesus and experiencing what He can do in a person’s life.

Are we looking to outward things to make us closer to God? Are we looking to our good works? Are we looking to who we are or what we can accomplish? If so, then we are going to be let down every time. It is only through Jesus Christ will we find what we are truly looking for.

‌Final Thoughts

Paul had found this great truth (only through Jesus Christ will we find what we are looking for), and he wanted to share it with all who would listen to him. In these verses, you can almost hear him pleading, “Don’t depend on what you can do… don’t worry so much with the accolades… don’t lean so much on your family name, reputation, or accomplishments. Know Jesus, and in Him, you will find what you’re looking for.”

Paul ended this section by stating the goal of his life had become to know Jesus — the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings. He realized the truth of Psalm 34:8.

⁸ Taste and see that the Lord is good. How happy is the person who takes refuge in him!

‌Psalm 34:8 CSB

That may just be the message you need to hear today. You have been bouncing among so many things — relationship to relationship, job to job, achievement to achievement — and you still feel lacking. Could it be that you have been missing the single thing you need most — Jesus?

These other things may be gifts or tools the Lord has blessed you with but don’t settle for the blessing. Look to the One who gives you those blessings. He will show you how each of them are to play in your life. He will also show you that He is the One you need to value above all else.

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Four Significant Costs of Following Jesus

As we look around at various things in our lives, we can easily be reminded of the old saying, “Nothing in this life is free.” We look around and begin to realize that just about everything has a cost. With inflation at times, we see those costs go up more than we would like.

Many have talked about the gracious gift of salvation the Lord offers to all who come to Him by faith as being free, but I’m not sure that is entirely true. While we can never do enough or earn that gift, the gift of salvation cost Jesus greatly — He left heaven to come and dwell among us; He was mocked and ridiculed by many while on earth; He paid for our forgiveness not with money but with His own life.

Some have also said that following Jesus doesn’t cost anything. While it is true that there are no monetary fees to becoming a follower of Jesus Christ, there are still some costs. Some would say that we shouldn’t say things like that because it would cause some to not want to follow Jesus. My thoughts on this topic are: Why don’t we just see what Jesus Himself had to say about it?

In Luke 14, Jesus explains plainly that in order to be a follower of His, there are four significant costs that need to be considered. Let’s look at those at this time.

‌The Cost of Priority

²⁵ Now great crowds were traveling with him. So he turned and said to them, ²⁶ “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, and even his own life—he cannot be my disciple.

​Luke 14:25–26 CSB

Luke records that “great crowds” were following Jesus as He would go from place to place. These were people who had seen Jesus do miracles or heard Him teach the truths of God’s Word. They were interested in what was going on, but not all of them were true followers at this time. There is a difference between being “in the crowd” and being part of what is going on.

Jesus takes this moment to explain the difference between a fan and a follower. A fan is one who will hop on the bandwagon and enjoy the ride while things are good. A true follower is one who receives what is being shared and allows it to direct them. Jack Nicholson could be called a follower of the Los Angeles Lakers. He has had court-side season tickets to all their home games since 1970.

Jesus didn’t mind the crowds of people containing those who were at different commitment levels, but He knew that if they did not fully receive and follow Him, they would miss out on what He wanted to give them.

Jesus shares with the crowd the cost of priority with His words in verse 26. This statement has caused some to get a little squeamish because it just doesn’t quite sound right. Are we really supposed to “hate” someone? This is an example of how we may come across something in the Bible that seems to contradict itself. If we look at the whole teaching of the Bible, we realize that those who are followers of Jesus are not called to hate in the sense that many of us think about hate.

The term Jesus uses here is a term of comparison. It is metaphorical in nature and relates to our priorities. Jesus is not saying that we should hate our families or even ourselves; He is saying that when a person compares our love for Jesus to anything else, it would seem like hatred.

Jesus says that in order to be a follower of His, a person must make Him their first priority. Jesus is not one to be put on the shelf of our hearts alongside others. He will not share His throne with anyone or anything. When we do give Jesus first place over everything and everyone else in our lives, we come to find out that He enables us to love them as we could not without Him having priority in our lives.

³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.

​Matthew 6:33 CSB

As we look at our lives, would others realize that we love Jesus above everything else?

‌The Cost of Suffering

²⁷ Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.

​Luke 14:27 CSB

While the cross is a cherished symbol today by many, it was anything but cherished during the time Jesus spoke these words. Remember, when Jesus said this, He had not yet gone to the cross. Still, the people who heard Jesus say this knew exactly what He meant. The cross was used as an extremely brutal form of execution. The Romans would use crucifixion like billboards are used today. They would execute criminals against the Roman Empire along roads to show all travelers that you don’t mess with Rome.‌

When Jesus said that anyone who wanted to be His follower would have to “bear his own cross,” it was a sobering statement. To bear one’s cross would be burdensome and disgraceful at times. You would not be getting popularity points by bearing a cross. At times, it would be extremely painful. It would drain your strength from you.

Alongside that, it would be shameful. Many times, the Romans would make those sentenced to crucifixion carry their cross through town to the place where they would be executed. We see Jesus going through this in John 19.

Not every follower of Jesus will have to carry a literal cross, but there will be some type of cross they will have to carry. It will not be easy. It will be painful at times. It will cause others to look at you with disgust at times because they don’t understand.

Jesus didn’t want anyone to be taken by surprise here. He wanted them to know about this cost.

‌The Cost of Consideration

²⁸ “For which of you, wanting to build a tower, doesn’t first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? ²⁹ Otherwise, after he has laid the foundation and cannot finish it, all the onlookers will begin to ridicule him, ³⁰ saying, ‘This man started to build and wasn’t able to finish.’ ³¹ “Or what king, going to war against another king, will not first sit down and decide if he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? ³² If not, while the other is still far off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace.

​Luke 14:28–32 CSB

Jesus uses two examples to share this cost of consideration. First, He shares about a person building a tower but not taking the time to make sure they had what was needed to finish it. A tower was a tool of defense. It would be built high up along a border to see trouble coming and act. Towers are good things, but a tower that is half-built is no good to anyone.

The second example Jesus shares is about a king going to war making sure the troops he has is sufficient. Think about what would happen if you showed up in battle only to be outnumbered 3-to-1. The morale of your troops would plummet. You would probably end up losing many people if not your own life. All of it could be avoided if you simply took the time to consider what you were doing.

Jesus calls each person who desires to be His follower to consider the cost. He doesn’t want there to be any fine print where things are often hidden and then brought up against you later. He lays the entire deal on the table for full consideration. The Lord created each of us with a brain and desires us to use it. When people do not understand that following Jesus will not be popular at times, they tend to stray away when those times come. Jesus encourages everyone to take the time to consider what following Him really means.

‌The Cost of Ownership

³³ In the same way, therefore, every one of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.

​Luke 14:33 CSB

When Jesus says that His followers must renounce their possessions, He is not talking about giving away everything. Yes, Jesus will tell the rich young ruler that he needed to in Luke 18, but that young man’s possessions were his god that was keeping his heart from the Lord. What Jesus talks about here in Luke 14 is yielding ownership of every aspect of one’s life to Jesus. There is a recognition that everything we have comes from His hand and ultimately belongs to Him. We no longer see our possessions as “our property” to do whatever we wish. They are things and people the Lord has entrusted to us to handle as He desires. Do we hold on to these things as if we own them, or do we recognize they have been entrusted to us by the Lord?

‌Conclusion

For a person to follow Jesus, it is much more than saying a prayer one time. It may start with a prayer, but it also calls for us to do what Jesus said in Luke 9:23.

²³ Then he said to them all, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.

​Luke 9:23 CSB

While there is no way to earn or pay for a relationship with the Lord, there is a cost. This is no different from any other relationship in our lives. When a husband or wife commits to their spouse, the cost is forsaking all others to commit to their spouse. When parents are blessed with a child, the cost will be some free time and only looking out for your own interests.

While the cost to follow Jesus deals with priorities, suffering, consideration, and ownership, we come to realize that Jesus’ words in Matthew 11:28-30 are true.

²⁸ “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

​Matthew 11:28–30 CSB

I would encourage you to listen to the words of Jesus today. Take time to count the cost of following Him. As you do, you will quickly realize the cost of following Jesus is minute compared to what He does for us.

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Follow Jesus By Wholeheartedly

How do you do with directions? It has been said that there are three types of people when it comes to directions:

• Those who do well with directions
• Those who are okay with directions
• Those who the GPS asks them, “Where in the world are you going???”

No matter which category you fall into, driving in an unfamiliar place—especially while it’s dark—can be difficult. If you’re not careful, you can wind up in some places that you do not want to be.

1 Corinthians is a letter that Paul wrote to Christians in a city called Corinth during the first century. This letter shows us that this church had many issues. In the passage we will look at today, Paul shares four important things that we would do well to hear and apply in our own lives as we seek to follow Jesus wholeheartedly.

‌The Command

¹⁴ So then, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. ¹⁵ I am speaking as to sensible people. Judge for yourselves what I am saying.

​1 Corinthians 10:14–15 CSB

As Paul begins this section of the letter, he speaks to them out of his care for them. He calls them “dear friends” — some translations say, “beloved.” What Paul is about to share is going to be pointed because he will address something that was happening in the lives of the Corinthian believers that didn’t need to happen. Sometimes the greatest way to show someone you really care about them is to confront them when they are doing wrong.

The command we are looking at is found in verse 14: flee from idolatry.

‌What is idolatry?

Idolatry is the act of a person giving his or her worship/devotion to something other than the one true God. We call these things idols. We may be tempted to think about statues made from wood or precious materials. The truth is just about anything can become an idol in a person’s life — cell phones, video games, hobbies, other people’s opinions about us, etc. The list of potential idols in our lives seems to go on like a young child’s Christmas list.

“The human heart is a perpetual idol factory.”

John Calvin

Each human being has been created by God with a desire to worship something. Sadly, since the fall of humans in the Garden of Eden, we have looked to many things to satisfy that desire other than the one true God.

There is something within each of us that is drawn to idolatry. In 1 Corinthians 10:14, Paul strongly urges believers to flee from idolatry. Notice he didn’t say flirt with idolatry but flee from it. Too many times, we would rather flirt with things that we should flee from. We look to see how close we can get to the edge without it being “sin.” This reveals to us that our hearts still need work.

If we are going to follow Jesus wholeheartedly, we cannot flirt with things that seek to steal the worship/devotion that is due Him.

‌The Argument

The second important thing Paul discusses in this passage is his argument for obeying the command. When it comes to people’s reactions, some things do not change over time. When Paul tells the Corinthian believers to stop doing something, there will be those who ask, “Why?”

In verses 16-20, Paul lays out an argument for why we should be quick to flee from idolatry in our lives. The main point of Paul’s argument is the truth that when you associate with something, it is taken by those around you as you affirming and being part of it as well.

Paul uses three examples in his argument:

‌1. The Lord’s Table

¹⁶ The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? ¹⁷ Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, since all of us share the one bread.

​1 Corinthians 10:16–17 CSB

The cup and the bread Paul mentions in these verses point to the Lord’s table. The Lord’s Supper holds a special place in the heart of a Christian. Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper as a way for His followers to be reminded of His sacrifice for them. It is not to be taken lightly. Paul reminds his readers that when they drink the cup at the Lord’s Supper, they are doing so in a way that shares in the blood that Jesus shed for their forgiveness. Paul also says that when a person eats the bread, they are sharing in the body of Christ.

When we partake in the Lord’s Supper, we don’t do it because it is a certain day or because “we’re supposed to.” We are to do it intentionally with full engagement, remembering what Jesus has done on our behalf. His body was broken so that our brokenness could be mended. His blood was shed so that our sins could be forgiven. Without either of those, we are left hopeless.

‌2. Israel’s Old Testament Sacrifice

¹⁸ Consider the people of Israel. Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar?

​1 Corinthians 10:18 CSB

Paul reminds his readers about the sacrifices the Jewish people would do in the Old Testament. In the Old Testament book of Leviticus, one can see a number of sacrifices the Jewish people were commanded to offer to the Lord. Each of these sacrifices pointed to the sacrifice God would make through His Son, Jesus, on the cross. With many of these sacrifices, the one bringing the sacrifice would be given a portion of it to eat. There was a participation the presenter had with the sacrifice. They were not just bystanders and observers of the sacrifice. They were part of the sacrifice.

Paul uses this illustration to point to the fact that worship is involved, you do not sit by and watch… you have a part in it.

‌3. The Table of Idols

In verses 19-20, Paul gets to the main issue he is addressing: the Table of Idols.

¹⁹ What am I saying then? That food sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? ²⁰ No, but I do say that what they sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons!

​1 Corinthians 10:19–20 CSB

In Corinth, worship was popular. There was the Temple of Aphrodite, the Isthmus Games – dedicated to the Greek god, Poseidon, and it was the regional capital of the Roman Empire. It seemed like just about everywhere you looked, worship of something was going on.

Paul addresses an important point in these verses. He states that idols or false gods hold no true weight in the grand scheme of things. They aren’t real. But the sacrifices or worship that takes place towards them is very real, and it is actually being done to demons. Demons are fallen angels who sided with Satan when he tried to overthrow God. Their job is to do the bidding of Satan and steal worship from the one true God.

Paul points out that, while the Corinthian believers knew these false gods and idols weren’t real, they would still participate in certain festivals and events because they enjoyed them. They thought, “I don’t believe in this junk, but the events are fun,” or “I’m just hanging with my friends who believe this stuff, but I don’t believe in any of it.”

Paul reminds his readers that participation is often seen as acceptance and even approval. He urges them not to participate in the work of demons even when it seems harmless.

‌The Conclusion

As Paul lays out his reasons for telling them to flee from idolatry, he brings it to a conclusion with a sharp point in verse 21.

²¹ You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot share in the Lord’s table and the table of demons.

​1 Corinthians 10:21 CSB

Paul states that a person cannot share in both the Table of the Lord and the Table of Idols. It is a divided allegiance. Jesus would say something similar in Matthew 6:24.

²⁴ “No one can serve two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

​Matthew 6:24 CSB

A person cannot dine at two different tables. Jesus knew this. Paul knew this. We would do well to learn this as well. When you participate in anything, you give the impression that you are condoning whatever it is. As much as we would like to say, “I don’t believe any of this stuff. I’m just here to enjoy the scene and people,” the message we give says something completely different.

If we are going to be followers of Jesus, it will call for following Him in every aspect of our lives. We cannot compartmentalize our lives so as to give Jesus some parts, but others will be given to something else. Jesus desires for us to follow Him wholeheartedly. He died so that our entire lives could be redeemed, not just parts.

‌The Warning

Paul concludes this section of his letter with a warning in verse 22.

²² Or are we provoking the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

​1 Corinthians 10:22 CSB

Sometimes, we find ourselves in situations out of ignorance—we don’t know any better. We wander about in the dark for a while, and then someone shines a light on the situation, and we realize why there have been so many temptations in our lives—we have allowed ourselves to go to a place we shouldn’t be.

What Paul addresses in verse 22 is another thing. Could it be that some of the Corinthian believers were intentionally provoking the Lord? Some people fall into the trap that Adam and Eve did — we know better than God in this situation. We dig our heels in the ground and say, “God isn’t going to boss me around.”

Paul warns his readers—then and today—that this is dangerous ground. Do we really think that we are stronger than the Lord? Do we really think that we have a better outlook on what is around us? He is all-knowing, ever-present, and all-powerful. Purposefully testing God’s grace reveals to us that we do not understand His grace very much.

‌Final Thoughts

In our lives, we will find ourselves sitting at the table of something. We will pull up a seat and partake in what is going on. As we do that, we also show those around us who we are allowing to lead our lives.

The same Holy Spirit that caused Paul to urge the Corinthians to flee from idolatry and follow Jesus wholeheartedly is the same Holy Spirit that is speaking that word to us today. I would encourage you to examine the tables that you are partaking. Are they tables that reflect your new life in Christ, or are they the tables of idols that seek to steal your worship and devotion from Jesus? A person cannot partake in two different tables at the same time. What table are you partaking?

The Lord has invited us to come and partake of His table. It is a table filled with grace and mercy. It is a table set by Him to meet our every need. What need do we have to pull up a chair at any other table? Has the Lord proven insufficient at any time?

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Follow Jesus Through Genuine Communion

We are going through a series examining different aspects of Jesus’ invitation to each person He calls to come and be His disciple. We can see through the New Testament that Jesus gave one clear and pointed invitation to any who would trust Him: Follow Me. Jesus continues to extend this invitation to people today.

The part of this invitation we want to look at today is following Jesus through genuine communion. When it comes to following Jesus, it is much more than just saying a prayer. This invitation from Jesus is a call to come and have a genuine relationship with the God of the universe. This relationship operates much like any other relationship that we have in our lives. It takes time to get to know one another and trust each other more and more.

The Bible is filled with stories of people to whom the Lord extended this invitation. Their stories show how each would come to know and trust the Lord more. One person’s life that is mentioned throughout the Scriptures is a man we know as David. David was the overlooked shepherd boy whom the Lord raised up to be king over Israel. In the Bible, we do not just have others recording what happened in David’s life, but we also have David himself sharing his heart at various times.

In Psalm 27, we see David’s song and prayer. It has been said that the book of Psalms is the songbook of the Bible. In this psalm, David shares how he had come to know and trust the Lord in a deeper way.

With our time today, I’d like to look at this psalm and let the Holy Spirit use it to show us how we can follow Jesus well through genuine communion.

‌Our Confidence

In Psalm 27:1-3, David begins this psalm sharing about our confidence. When we talk about confidence, we talk about something or someone with whom we have put great trust. This is something or someone who has proven to be worthy of our trust. We put our confidence in various things and people at times. We have confidence that our car will start in the morning (most of the time). Athletes put their confidence in their coaches and teammates if they want to succeed. We put our confidence in the mirror each morning to show us what we look like before going out into the world.

While we may place varying degrees of confidence in different things or people, there is only One in whom we can fully trust to care for us unconditionally and always be there. His name is Jesus Christ.

In these verses, David reveals that every follower of Jesus’ confidence should be in the Lord. Why?

‌He is our light

At different times, the Lord is described as light. This description points to His holiness and ability to provide guidance for this journey called life. When we find ourselves in darkness, what do we do? We usually find a light to reveal what is around us and what way we should go. For every follower of Jesus, He is their light.

‌He is our salvation

When we hear the word “salvation,” especially in church, many of us immediately go to the ultimate salvation from sin, death, and judgment. That is one aspect of this word. What is interesting about this word in verse 1 is that, in Hebrew, this term means “deliverance.” Many scholars believe David wrote this psalm at a time when he was facing a battle. More than likely, eternal salvation was not the immediate thought of this verse. This verse pointed to a more immediate deliverance — maybe from hardships or enemies he was facing.

Salvation means the same thing for us. It does speak to our ultimate deliverance from sin and judgment when we place our faith in Jesus Christ, but it also speaks about the deliverance we need in everyday situations. What is interesting is that through the cross of Jesus, He provides deliverance both for the present situations but also for eternity.

‌He is our stronghold

The word “stronghold” refers to a place of protection. David said the Lord is the stronghold of his life. Where do you run to when life gets hard? What is that safe place where you know you will find comfort and protection from anything that wishes to do you harm? For the follower of Jesus, that stronghold is the Lord.

The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are protected.

​Proverbs 18:10 CSB

“The Lord is my light, to guide me; my salvation to deliver me; and the stronghold of my life, in whom I take refuge.”

John Stott

For us to follow Jesus properly, we have to come to know that He is worthy of our confidence in every part of our lives. Have you come to find the Lord to be your light, salvation, and stronghold?

‌Our Desire

David continues in Psalm 27 by sharing his deepest desire. We all have different desires in life. That’s not a bad thing. The question that we should all address is:

‌What is our deepest desire?

What is the one thing that we cannot truly live without? For David (and followers of Jesus), this deepest desire was to be near the Lord.

⁴ I have asked one thing from the Lord; it is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, gazing on the beauty of the Lord and seeking him in his temple. ⁵ For he will conceal me in his shelter in the day of adversity; he will hide me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock. ⁶ Then my head will be high above my enemies around me; I will offer sacrifices in his tent with shouts of joy. I will sing and make music to the Lord.

​Psalm 27:4–6 CSB

If you could ask for only one thing from the Lord, what would it be? Wealth? Good Health? Someone to spend the rest of your life with? The perfect job?

The deepest desire for a follower of Jesus is to be in His presence. The reason for this is because you will come to find out that in His presence is found everything you need.

David wanted, above everything else, to be in the presence of the Lord. In the Lord’s presence, there is peace, love, joy, comfort, and more. David mentioned gazing upon the beauty of the Lord. When was the last time you were in awe because of the beauty of the Lord? Sadly, we can get so busy that we blow right past it and don’t take the time to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord.

Note where David stated was a prime place to seek the Lord — His temple. This is talking about the house of worship where other followers of Jesus gather in unity of heart to worship Him. There is something special about the gathering together with other people in worship. Yes, you can meet with the Lord by yourself, but there are some things you will not experience outside the gathering of His people.

‌Our Prayer

When we come to verse 7, we can see a shift in this psalm. You can note David moving from talking about the Lord to talking to the Lord. Verses 7-12 serve as a prayer that David offers to the Lord.

⁷ Lord, hear my voice when I call; be gracious to me and answer me. ⁸ My heart says this about you: “Seek his face.” Lord, I will seek your face. ⁹ Do not hide your face from me; do not turn your servant away in anger. You have been my helper; do not leave me or abandon me, God of my salvation. ¹⁰ Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord cares for me. ¹¹ Because of my adversaries, show me your way, Lord, and lead me on a level path. ¹² Do not give me over to the will of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing violence.

​Psalm 27:7–12 CSB

He also shows us how followers of Jesus are to relate to Him — as a parent. I’ve noticed four things David mentions in these verses that we seek from the Lord.

‌To be heard

In verse 7, David says, “Lord, hear my voice when I call; be gracious to me and answer me.” There are fewer things more frustrating than not being heard. When someone doesn’t take the time to listen to us, it comes across as they do not care about us. There are times when we don’t necessarily need advice but just to be heard.

The wonderful thing about the Lord is He is never too busy to listen when we speak to Him.

‌Acceptance

In verses 9-10, David shows how the Lord accepts us in rather than abandoning us. We experience rejection from so many people in this world — parents, children, spouses, bosses, friends, and others.

David knows that while many others may reject him, the Lord has always been faithful to welcome him into His presence.

‌Guidance

In verse 11, David asks the Lord to show him the Lord’s way. We don’t always know what to do in certain situations. Have you ever stood at a fork in the road and not sure about which direction to take? That can be a very frustrating situation. David reminds us the Lord is One who is all-knowing and cares for us deeply. He knows the path that will bring us the most good. It may not always be the easiest path. When we come to those points where we need guidance, the Lord is there, ready and willing to guide us in the correct way.

‌Protection

In verse 12, David tells the reader about the adversaries surrounding him. There were those looking to do harm and see his downfall. Sadly, we face many adversaries in our lives as well. Like a good parent, the Lord desires to protect His children. He will stand and fight for them if necessary.

As with any relationship that we have in life, we come to understand more about how the Lord cares for us by hearing, accepting, guiding, and even protecting us by the time spent with Him. Experience is a great teacher. We want to know that we can trust the Lord fully, but that trust is often built over time.

‌Our Trust

David concludes this psalm with a declaration of trust.

¹³ I am certain that I will see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living. ¹⁴ Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart be courageous. Wait for the Lord.

​Psalm 27:13–14 CSB

David speaks about seeing the Lord’s goodness as if it’s already happened. He also mentions that it will be noticed in “the land of the living.” He is not talking about heaven here; He is talking about the present. The wonderful eternal life God gives to each person who puts their faith in Jesus starts at that moment of trust and goes through eternity.

Verse 14 might be one the greatest demonstrations of trust ever seen. David encourages those who would read and sing this psalm to “wait for the Lord.” The truth is many times we will not get everything that we are asking for all at once. The Lord knows what we need, but He also knows what we can handle in the moment. This is why Agur said in Proverbs…

⁸ Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me. Give me neither poverty nor wealth; feed me with the food I need. ⁹ Otherwise, I might have too much and deny you, saying, “Who is the Lord?” or I might have nothing and steal, profaning the name of my God.

​Proverbs 30:8–9 CSB

We can trust the Lord in all things, even in His timing. When we wait upon the Lord’s timing, we come to find out it is as perfect as He is.

‌Conclusion

What David gives to us in Psalm 27 is a song/prayer on how to know the Lord in a deeper way. This is the genuine communion one must have to truly follow Jesus. There will be times when we do not get it completely right — just ask David, who wrote Psalm 27, but that doesn’t mean that we just give it up. We come to know the Lord in deeper ways by spending time with Him and allowing Him to build trust in our hearts for Him.

What would you say your relationship with Jesus is like? Some of you might say it is really good, and you feel much like David in this psalm. I would encourage you to stay the course. Others of you might say that your relationship with the Lord is there but hanging by a thread. It hasn’t gotten much deeper than the surface. Some of these things we’ve talked about seem out of reach. I want you to know they are not out of reach, but just like any other relationship, it won’t “just happen.” You will have to open your heart to trust, but as you do, you will find that Jesus is everything He claimed.

There may even be some of you who would say there is no real relationship between you and Jesus. There’s good news for you today: you can start that relationship today by putting your faith in Jesus. You do that by coming to Jesus, realizing that your sin has separated you from Him, believing that He died on the cross to pay for your sins, and asking Him to come into your life to forgive you of your sin and make you a new person. We would love the opportunity to show you how this can happen during our time of response.

Jesus is still calling out to people, saying, “Follow Me!” The path to following Jesus involves a genuine communion with Him.

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Follow the Lord Truthfully

When we look at the ministry of Jesus Christ while He was on earth, we see that He did many wonderful things: healing, teaching, preaching, and more. The apostle John even stated at the end of his gospel that we do not have a record of all the things Jesus did because the world wouldn’t be able to contain the books it would take to record them all.

As Jesus would preach and teach, we see that He basically gave the same invitation with each moment: Follow Me. To follow Jesus means that we give Him control of our lives and live according to His leading in all things. While that may seem like an easy task — to follow the One who created us and is all-powerful — we often go our own way instead.

Over the next few weeks, we will examine different aspects of this invitation Jesus continues to give to people to come and follow Him.

‌Hypocrisy

One topic that the Lord addresses over and over in the Scriptures is hypocrisy.

Our English word, hypocrite, is transliterated from the Greek word, hypokrites. It was a term used in Greek theater. It would refer to an actor who wore different masks in the same play so that he could play different roles. In theater, being a hypocrite was a very admirable thing. It showed great talent. In our daily lives, being a hypocrite is not looked upon very well. In our daily lives, we see hypocrisy as “saying one thing and doing the opposite.” It erodes a person’s integrity quicker than anything else can.

When it comes to following Jesus, He does not desire hypocrites. Jesus wants His followers to be genuine and allow the Holy Spirit to work in every aspect of their lives so that they will reflect Jesus to a watching world.

The Bible refers to Jesus’ followers as disciples. A disciple is a student who would come under the teachings of another (master). The goal of a disciple is to become as much like your master as possible.

⁴⁰ A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.

​Luke 6:40 CSB

One important part of a disciple’s life is worship. While Jesus had a conversation with a Samaritan woman in John 4, He spoke about how God desires and is seeking those who would worship Him in spirit and in truth.

²³ But an hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in truth. Yes, the Father wants such people to worship him.

John 4:23 CSB

There have been many questions about what it means to worship the Lord “in spirit and in truth.” While we don’t have time today to dive deep into that, I would say that spirit refers not only to the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives but also to a genuineness where our hearts are fully engaged and connected with God. Truth refers to the guardrails that the Lord has given to us through His word.

‌Hypocrisy in Worship

Can a person be a hypocrite when it comes to his or her worship? Sadly, the answer to that question is yes. We actually see it happening throughout the Scriptures. One instance is found in Isaiah 58. I would invite you to find that passage in your Bibles as we look at the Lord dealing with hypocrisy in His people’s worship.

‌Good Appearance

¹ “Cry out loudly, don’t hold back! Raise your voice like a trumpet. Tell my people their transgression and the house of Jacob their sins. ² They seek me day after day and delight to know my ways, like a nation that does what is right and does not abandon the justice of their God. They ask me for righteous judgments; they delight in the nearness of God.”

​Isaiah 58:1-2 CSB

The Lord had Isaiah go to His people with a specific message about their worship. These two verses seem a little strange, almost contradictory. The Lord calls out the transgressions and sins of the people. In verse 2, it looks like they are actually doing pretty good.

• They seek the Lord daily
• They delight to know the Lord’s ways
• They appear to be a nation seeking justice
• ‌They seek the Lord for righteous judgments
• They delight being near the Lord

If you heard this description of a person or group of people, you would probably recognize them as followers of Jesus, right? On the surface, the people seemed to be doing all the right things. As we continue reading the text, we see a problem arises…

³ “Why have we fasted, but you have not seen? We have denied ourselves, but you haven’t noticed!”

Isaiah 58:3a (CSB)

We may be somewhat familiar with fasting. You may have to fast before a medical procedure. You may hear about intermittent fasting for weight control. Fasting is the act of going without something in order to prepare for something else. Fasting can be a form of worship to the Lord. We see different types of fasting throughout the Scriptures. Most of the time, fasting would be going without food for a time to seek the Lord’s direction on a matter or to ask for something.

We are coming up on a time known in the church world as Lent. It is a time of fasting to prepare one’s heart for the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is not something that is required by Scripture, but it may be a good thing for you to do to prepare your heart.

In Isaiah 58, the people had been fasting to the Lord but felt that He was ignoring them. The people felt that the Lord had ignored them since they were not receiving what they thought they should from their fasting. We would do well to remember this truth: the Lord is not obligated to do what we want. We may jump through every religious hoop there is, but that doesn’t mean that He has to do what we think is right. He is perfect and holy; He has a plan that He is carrying out to perfection. Things like fasting are not about getting the Lord to do what we want but tuning our hearts to His so that we can do what He wants more faithfully.

Reality Check

In the final part of verse 3, the Lord shares why their fasting was not accomplishing what they thought it would:

³ “Why have we fasted, but you have not seen? We have denied ourselves, but you haven’t noticed!” “Look, you do as you please on the day of your fast, and oppress all your workers. ⁴ You fast with contention and strife to strike viciously with your fist. You cannot fast as you do today, hoping to make your voice heard on high.

​Isaiah 58:3-4 CSB

The Lord told the people through Isaiah that their lives were in complete contradiction to their religious acts. The Lord points out that the people were oppressing their workers and fighting with one another.

At the end of verse 4, the Lord says the people cannot hope to be heard by Him. In the New Testament, Titus would say it this way:

¹⁶ They claim to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good work.

​Titus 1:16 CSB 

We may think that we are doing well because we are able to check off the religious boxes in our lives (Bible reading, prayer, church attendance, giving, serving, etc).

As the Lord delivers this reality check to His people, He also shares with them what He desires.

⁵ Will the fast I choose be like this: A day for a person to deny himself, to bow his head like a reed, and to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast and a day acceptable to the Lord? ⁶ Isn’t this the fast I choose: To break the chains of wickedness, to untie the ropes of the yoke, to set the oppressed free, and to tear off every yoke? ⁷ Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your house, to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to ignore your own flesh and blood?

​Isaiah 58:5-7 CSB

What the Lord desires from those who follow Him is not mindless obedience. He wants to transform sinful and selfish people into reflections of who He is and the work He can do in a person’s life. It is not just about checking boxes, but it is about being made more like Jesus Christ in every aspect of our lives.

Later in the New Testament, James would state it this way:

¹⁵ If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food ¹⁶ and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, stay warm, and be well fed,” but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it? ¹⁷ In the same way faith, if it does not have works, is dead by itself.

​James 2:15-17 CSB

The Lord is One who invites His followers to come and be made new from the inside out for His glory. As this happens, we reflect His goodness to a watching world that desperately needs Him.

When you think about your worship, what difference is being made? Do you check off the boxes continually but remain the same person that you’ve always been? Are you like the Israelites of Isaiah 58 wondering where God is and why He isn’t doing what you want? It could be that your worship of Him is tinted with a hypocrisy that He cannot listen to. Your life may have a ton of checked boxes, but there is no difference. If this describes you, I would encourage you to listen to the Lord’s reality check here. Begin allowing the Holy Spirit to transform your daily actions and words to reflect what you say you believe.

In verses 8-12, the Lord shares with us what happens when that takes place.

⁸ Then your light will appear like the dawn, and your recovery will come quickly. Your righteousness will go before you, and the Lord’s glory will be your rear guard. ⁹ At that time, when you call, the Lord will answer; when you cry out, he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you get rid of the yoke among you, the finger-pointing and malicious speaking, ¹⁰ and if you offer yourself to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted one, then your light will shine in the darkness, and your night will be like noonday. ¹¹ The Lord will always lead you, satisfy you in a parched land, and strengthen your bones. You will be like a watered garden and like a spring whose water never runs dry. ¹² Some of you will rebuild the ancient ruins; you will restore the foundations laid long ago; you will be called the repairer of broken walls, the restorer of streets where people live.

​Isaiah 58:8-12 CSB

‌Results of Genuine Worship

• The first thing the Lord says is that your light will shine (v 8, 10)
• Recovery will come quickly (v 8)
• The Lord will protect you (v 8)
• ‌You will know the nearness of Jesus (v 9)
• You will be led and satisfied (v 11)
• You will see restoration (v 12)

‌Conclusion

The Lord is seeking followers who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. This means that hypocrisy has no place in our lives. As we do this, we come to know the Lord greater and experience His power in our daily lives. He wants to transform each of His followers’ lives into something that points others to who He is and what He can do in a person’s life.

If you have not made the decision to become a follower of Jesus, I would encourage you to answer the invitation Jesus extends to you today. He says, as He has to so many others, “Follow Me.” You can do that by coming to Him by faith, confessing and turning from your sin to following Him. Receive the forgiveness that He paid for with His sacrifice on the cross. Begin to live a new life reflecting and knowing Him in the power of His resurrection.

May we be followers of Jesus who do so in spirit and in truth… in every aspect of our lives. As we do that, we will see Him do great and mighty things among us.

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What the Love of God Does

The Christmas season is a special time of the year. This season is filled with so many wonderful things: lights, decorations, special songs, and time spent with friends and family. Another part of Christmas is gifts. I thought about putting that in the wonderful section of this season, but sometimes gifts can be one of the biggest headaches of this season. How many times have you found yourself banging your head against a wall trying to figure out that perfect gift for someone? You just want to get them an Amazon or Visa gift card, but then you realize that you might come across as copping out and not putting any real thought into it.

The truth is that this season is about the greatest gift that was ever given. It didn’t come from some warehouse or website. It wasn’t delivered to us by some guy in a brown suit or GrubHub. The greatest gift came from God as He sent His one and only Son into this world to bring to us the gifts of Advent: hope, joy, peace, and love.

In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul reminds us that…

¹³ So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:13 ESV

Love is truly the greatest gift of all. As we celebrate the Christmas season, we celebrate the love of God coming to us in a tangible way. As we look at Matthew’s account of the first Christmas, I want to show you a couple of things about the love of God that came to us that first Christmas.

‌The love of God comes to us

As Matthew begins sharing about the first Christmas, he points out the truth that the love of God came to us in the person of Jesus Christ.

¹⁸ Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 1:18 ESV

The virgin birth is an important part of the story. The fact that Mary was pregnant is truly a miracle in itself. This was a sign that this baby was no ordinary baby. This child in Mary’s womb was the Son of God.

The apostle, John, shares with us that God is love. The baby that was growing in Mary’s womb in this verse was in fact love coming to us. God didn’t just write a message in a sunset that says He loves us. God came to us… to where we are — in the muck and mire of our situations — to show us that He cares for us and has not abandoned us.

We celebrate during this season as we realize that through Jesus, love came to us.

The love of God transforms us

While Matthew starts his first Christmas account with the wonderful news of God coming to us, in verse 19, Matthew shows that it was a difficult event in the moment.

¹⁹ And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.

Matthew 1:19 ESV

Mary was betrothed to Joseph, and they were looking forward to a wonderful life together. I’m sure they were dreaming about their future together. But when Joseph realized Mary was pregnant and the child was not his, he didn’t understand what was going on. What we see in verse 19 is how the work of God’s love on a person’s heart can transform them.

Joseph thought that Mary had been unfaithful to him. The Jewish law gave Joseph every right to humiliate Mary. A normal person might have done this, but Joseph was not a normal person. The Bible doesn’t say a lot about Joseph, but what it does points to the fact that he loved and walked in faithfulness to God. Because of Joseph’s relationship with God, God’s love transformed Joseph from being one who wants to get even to being one who looks out for one whom he thought had betrayed him.

The love of God transforms a person’s heart, words, and actions. When we experience and walk in the love of God on a consistent basis, it transforms us to live in a way that reflects God. That transformation doesn’t come by any other means.

The love of God teaches us

While Joseph was making plans in his mind to gracefully part ways with Mary, God sent an angel to him in a dream to teach Joseph the truth about what was happening. God cared deeply for this young couple. God didn’t want there to be a split or shame or anything like that. In verses 20-21, God sends a message which teaches Joseph the truth of the situation.

²⁰ But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Matthew 1:20–21 ESV

The very first temptation that a human being experienced was when Eve was tempted to doubt God’s goodness and think He was holding out on humans. God’s love for us proves that to be a complete falsehood. God’s word is truth, and He has shared His truth with us. We may think that we know what our situation is all about, but we would do well to seek the truth from God if we want a better understanding.

God shares with Joseph that Mary had not been unfaithful to him. The baby she was carrying in her womb was a gift from God placed there by the Holy Spirit. Notice that the angel said that Mary would bear the son, but Joseph would name the baby Jesus. This indicates that God desired Joseph to continue with plans to take Mary as his bride and help raise this child.

The love of God saves us

In verses 21-23, Matthew shares with us that the love of God comes to save us.

²¹ She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” ²² All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ²³ “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).

Matthew 1:21–23 ESV

The angel shares that what Joseph is experiencing at this moment is the fulfillment of God’s promise to send a Savior. The prophet Isaiah foretold how the Messiah would come about 700 years before it happened. It wasn’t the way or when most people expected, but God is true to His word and always comes through at the perfect moment.

Jesus’ coming that first Christmas was the foundation that John 3:16-17 stands on. These verses are well-known by many because they share that God’s coming to us for the first time was not about judgment as much as His love toward us.

¹⁶ “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ 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.

John 3:16–17 ESV

A person is saved from their sins by turning from their sins and trusting in Jesus Christ. This work of God’s grace brings eternal life to any person who trusts in and follows Him.

The love of God empowers us

In Matthew 1:24-25, we see Joseph awakening and responding to what God had shown him.

²⁴ When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, ²⁵ but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

​Matthew 1:24–25 ESV

Joseph had to make a decision. He could go with what he originally thought about his situation, or he could listen to God’s word and walk in obedience. Because Joseph had experienced the love of God, he was also empowered to walk in obedience to what God wanted. There were going to be people who whispered about him and his bride. There were going to be people who made fun of him for being so foolish to believe that Mary was carrying the Messiah.

There are times in our lives when the decision to walk in obedience to God’s ways is not easy. There are times when walking in obedience to what God wants is not seen as popular or even logical at times. Because the love of God has come to us, we have been given the empowerment to live as God desires when we experience His love.

‌Conclusion

As Matthew shows us in his account of the first Christmas, it was a time when God’s love came to us in a special way. God’s love came to us in the person of Jesus Christ. He came to make the only way for our sins to be forgiven and for us to be reunited with God.

Gifts are definitely on people’s minds in this season and rightfully so. The first Christmas brought us the greatest gift of all — the love of God. The interesting thing about a gift is that it doesn’t become yours until you actually receive it. Have you received the gift of God’s love through Jesus by confessing and turning from your sins to Him by faith? I would encourage you to do that today if you haven’t. It is truly the greatest Christmas present ever.

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The Caring, Eternal King

During the Advent season, the church is called to remember some key gifts that God has given to us through the coming of the Messiah. They are hope, peace, joy, and love. Each Advent season, there is a focus on these wonderful gifts. These are some of the most basic necessities of our souls.

As we look around our world, we see the need for these gifts. It seems every direction we turn there is more and more fighting, division, and depression than the day before. The sin that plagues our world brings these things that make our hearts long for hope, peace, joy, and love.

Sadly, many people look to different things to bring these. Some look to substances and find a temporary relief that crashes into a worse situation. Others look to relationships, which are good things in our lives until we expect those people who are just as broken as we are to fulfill us and make us whole. We end up frustrated and pushing away when others do not meet all of our expectations.

What we come to find out is that our hearts are seeking someone or something to make us whole… to fulfill us… to give us meaning and purpose. The problem we run into too many times is that we don’t realize what that someone or something must be in order to do what we need. They need to have the ability to be present when needed. They need to have the power and authority to be able to do what we need to do. They need to have unconditional care for us and will seek our best at all times.

When you look at that list of qualifications for the One who can bring hope, peace, joy, and love to our lives, you begin to realize the qualified list is very small. In fact, there is only one name on that list: Jesus.

‌Pentecost

When we look at the Bible, we find accounts of people who lived many years ago, but their needs are not so different from our own. Take Acts 2 for example. In this chapter, we read about the beginnings of the New Testament church. The events of this chapter take place about 50 days after the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. (Pentecost comes from the Greek word meaning ‘fiftieth’.) Pentecost was, first, a Jewish festival called the Festival of Weeks/Harvest. You can read about it in Numbers 28:26-31. This festival was to celebrate God’s providence by bringing gifts from the first harvest of the year to Him.

During the Pentecost festival recorded in Acts 2, God provides a new gift: the indwelling of the Holy Spirit within each believer. This gift brings about what we know as the New Testament church. There were different opinions about what was going on that day. Some people were amazed at what God was doing through His people (2:7-11). Some people were confused (2:12). Others thought Jesus’ followers had just gotten drunk (2:13).

Because of the confusion that was taking place at Pentecost, Peter stepped up and delivered a sermon that changed history forever. In this sermon, Peter is quick to show there is no drunkenness happening, but God was doing a great work and fulfilling what was prophesied through Joel in the Old Testament.

In this sermon, Peter points to King David from the Old Testament to help explain what is going on. King David is the poster child of the Jewish religion. He was known as a man after God’s own heart. By mentioning King David, Peter was relating to the Jewish people who had gathered for this festival.

While David had been a great king, the fact that he was not ruling anymore was evident. The Jewish people, at the time of Acts 2, were living under the reign of the Roman Empire. They were desperately awaiting the Messiah to come and restore the kingdom as they thought it should be. As the old Christmas hymn talks about weary souls rejoicing, these people were weary souls indeed, but there was little rejoicing going on.

Peter takes a strange turn with King David in Acts 2:29-31…

“Brothers and sisters, I can confidently speak to you about the patriarch David: He is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn an oath to him to seat one of his descendants on his throne. 31 Seeing what was to come, he spoke concerning the resurrection of the Messiah: He was not abandoned in Hades, and his flesh did not experience decay.

Acts 2:29–31 CSB

While King David may have been a great king who oversaw the glory days of the Jewish Empire, he was dead. Those days were gone. It is interesting how similar people are. Sometimes we can hold on to things of the past that we thought were so great. We can long for the glory days of old. When we do that, typically two things happen:‌

• We don’t give a clear picture of what the “glory days of old” were.
• We miss out on what is happening right before us.

‌Peter recalls a promise

In Peter’s mention of King David, he recalls a promise God made to King David in verse 30. God had promised David that He would establish the throne forever with one of David’s descendants ruling over God’s people. We can see this in 2 Samuel 7:11-16 and Psalm 132:11. While many people thought God was referring to a lineage that would always sit on a throne ruling, God had a different idea in mind. This promise was not about a lineage but a Person. This promise was a prophecy about how the Messiah would come through David’s line.

Peter explains how this all comes about in verses 32-36.

32 “God has raised this Jesus; we are all witnesses of this. 33 Therefore, since he has been exalted to the right hand of God and has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit, he has poured out what you both see and hear. 34 For it was not David who ascended into the heavens, but he himself says: The Lord declared to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand 35 until I make your enemies your footstool.’ 36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know with certainty that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”

​Acts 2:32-36 CSB

Peter wastes no time in showing that Jesus, whom many of the people had seen crucified, had risen from the dead and sits as Ruler over all creation, especially those who place their faith in the one true God. It is Jesus who is the promised Messiah. It is through Jesus that the hope, peace, joy, and love we all so desperately need comes.

As you look at the remainder of Acts 2, you see God use Peter’s sermon to draw people a point of asking what they needed to do. When God speaks to us, it is an invitation to join Him in something. He may be calling us to a decision that changes the direction of our lives. He may be calling us to share with someone His good news. To hear God speak through someone is not something given to us to just share on social media. It is a call to repentance, faith, following, and knowing God more.

What does this mean for us?

As we look at what God did on that Pentecost in the first century and how He worked through Peter, what can we take away from this for our lives today?

‌1. God keeps His word

We’ve been seeing this message pop up all during this Advent series. God’s word is true. If God has promised or said something, you can count on it coming true at the perfect time. God has perfect integrity.

2. God is able

We may hear this phrase and be quick to shout, “Amen!”, but do we really understand what that means? When we say, “God is able,” we are saying that He has the full ability to work all things together in order to accomplish His purposes. There is nothing that He cannot do. Even when everything around us is going crazy and we don’t see how it can possibly get any better, He has everything under control.

28 We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.

​Romans 8:28 CSB

‌3. Jesus is the caring, Eternal King

This is the main point Peter shared in Acts 2 with his audience, but it is just as relevant to our lives today. Jesus is the Eternal King. This means that Jesus has all power and authority in the palm of His hands.

18 Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.

​Matthew 28:18 CSB

Jesus being the Eternal King also means that He is able to be present with us at all times. Do we understand that Jesus is not bound by time and space? He is omnipresent – in all places at all times. This means that while we worship here this morning, He is here. When we go to work or school tomorrow, He is there. When we go to our homes in the evenings, He is there. When we are hanging out with friends or doing our favorite hobby, He is there. When you are going through that difficult time, He is there. When it feels like no one around you sees you, He is there.

Jesus is present, but more than that, He cares about us. He not only sees us where we are, He loves us enough to come to us and help us get where we need to be. How do I know that? I know that is true because we are celebrating this season called Christmas right now. Jesus saw our need and came to us who were hopeless, miserable, and feeling abandoned to bring the gifts we talked about earlier: hope, peace, joy, and love.

‌Conclusion

At the beginning of our time, I said that far too many people look to things and/or people for the wonderful gifts of Advent. They look for hope, peace, joy, and love in places that cannot bring those. I mentioned that there was only One who could meet all the qualifications to bring these wonderful gifts into our lives. Hopefully, through Peter’s sermon in Acts 2, we can see that the Jesus, whose first coming we celebrate during this season, is the only One who can bring us hope, peace, joy, and love. These are gifts He longs to give to us if we will receive them. We do that by coming to Him in faith and following Him.

Where are you looking for hope, peace, joy, and love to come from today? I would encourage you to turn your heart towards Jesus. It is only through Him you will find these wonderful gifts.

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The Promise Keeper

As we celebrate this season, we must remember what this season is about. Christmas is about the first coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. It is most definitely a time to celebrate. If Jesus had never come, we would truly have no hope, and there would be no peace available to anyone.

The Bible has four gospels at the beginning of the New Testament which tell about the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Two of those gospels actually share about the birth of Jesus: Matthew and Luke.

When you look at Matthew’s gospel — which is at the beginning of the New Testament — you find something interesting. Matthew begins his gospel with the genealogy of Jesus Christ through his earthly father, Joseph.

Why is this genealogy of Jesus important? That is one thing that I want to look at today. It is so much more than just a list of names. This genealogy is actually proof that God is one who always keeps His promises.

If you look at the genealogy in Matthew 1, you see that it goes from Jesus’ earthly father (Joseph) all the way back to Abraham. There are four important parts of this genealogy which are each separated by 14 generations:

• Joseph – Jesus’ earthly father
• The Babylonian Exile
• King David
• Abraham

It is almost like God had this all planned out from the beginning.

But why would this genealogy go back to Abraham? It is because Abraham would play an important role in God’s plan of redemption.

‌The Call of Abram

In Genesis 12:1-3, we see God calling a guy named Abram to leave everything he had ever known and follow this God who was calling him.

¹ The Lord said to Abram: Go from your land, your relatives, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. ² I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. ³ I will bless those who bless you, I will curse anyone who treats you with contempt, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.

Genesis 12:1–3 CSB

With this call, God promised that He would make Abram (who would later have his name changed to Abraham) great and would bless the entire world through him. That is a pretty big promise.

The Power of a Promise

Promises can be tricky things in our lives. I’m sure that we have all had someone make a promise to us. Some of those who have made promises to us have made good on them. Others have broken their promises, which leads to distrust and hurt that can last with us for some time.

In the movie, Hook, Robin Williams plays a grown-up Peter Pan who has forgotten who he was and becomes a workaholic. Peter had broken many promises to his son, Jack, in the movie. When Peter’s children are kidnapped by Captain Hook and taken to Neverland, Jack doesn’t have much of a problem at first with Captain Hook becoming his dad because his real dad had broken so many promises.

How do we know that God is One who will keep His promises when there are so many around us who fail to do so?

To answer that question, we must look back to the promise that God made to Abraham. In Genesis 12, God says that if Abraham will follow and trust God, then God will make his life a blessing to the entire world.

Through Abraham’s lifetime, God gave more information about how this promise would be fulfilled.

‌The Promised Son

In Genesis 18 and 21, God promises that Abraham and his wife, Sarah, will have a son. It would be this son, Isaac, that the promise would come through.

In this step of the process, we learn a little more about how the God of the Bible is the God of the impossible. In Genesis 21, Abraham is 100 years old, and Sarah is 90 years old. Talk about impossible!

‌The Promised Sacrifice

When we come to Genesis 22, we find a very strange passage. God tells Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, to the Lord on a mountain God would show him. I thought it was through Isaac that the promised deliverer would come. The Messiah cannot come if Isaac is no longer living.

What we see from Abraham is a true measure of faith.

⁹ When they arrived at the place that God had told him about, Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood. He bound his son Isaac and placed him on the altar on top of the wood. ¹⁰ Then Abraham reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son.

Genesis 22:9–10 CSB

This scene should make any person scratch their head. God is not one who is pleased with child sacrifice. Why would God be telling Abraham to do such a thing? Why in the world would Abraham go through with this?

We see a glimpse of Abraham’s faith in God in the New Testament letter of Hebrews.

¹⁷ By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. He received the promises and yet he was offering his one and only son,¹⁸ the one to whom it had been said, Your offspring will be traced through Isaac. ¹⁹ He considered God to be able even to raise someone from the dead; therefore, he received him back, figuratively speaking.

Hebrews 11:17–19 CSB

Abraham knew enough about God that this was out of the norm. Abraham knew that he would be walking off that mountain with Isaac alive. He wasn’t sure how it was going to happen, but Abraham knew it would happen.

This brings us to a point we need to pause and think about. Are we willing to take God at His word, or do we need to know all the details before we are obedient? Faith is seen when we trust in the Lord without all the answers. Abraham trusted in the Lord and we see God answering in a mighty way.

¹¹ But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” He replied, “Here I am.” ¹² Then he said, “Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son from me.” ¹³ Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught in the thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son. ¹⁴ And Abraham named that place The Lord Will Provide, so today it is said, “It will be provided on the Lord’s mountain.”

Genesis 22:11–14 CSB

The Lord stopped Abraham from sacrificing Isaac and provided the needed sacrifice for the moment. It just so happened that in that exact moment and place, there was a ram caught in the thicket.

It is through this part of the story that God gives us an additional piece of the puzzle. God will provide the needed sacrifice at the right time.

This shows us that the promised Messiah would be one that would be the perfect sacrifice for our sins. This moment on the mountaintop with Abraham was pointing ahead to Calvary where Jesus would lay down His life as a sacrifice for you and me.

²¹ She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Matthew 1:21 CSB

Conclusion

The genealogy of Jesus at the beginning of Matthew’s gospel is so much more than a list of names. It is a reminder that God keeps His word.

The promise made to Abraham to bless the entire world through him would come at the finished work of Jesus Christ. Abraham may not have seen it with his own eyes here on earth, but he trusted that the Lord would keep His word.

We celebrate this season because God kept His word then, and He continues to keep it today.

¹¹ For the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on him will not be put to shame, ¹² since there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, because the same Lord of all richly blesses all who call on him. ¹³ For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Romans 10:11–13 CSB

Have you placed your faith in Jesus Christ? He has promised that any person who does so will not be put to shame but experience the salvation the Lord offers. That promise is the greatest gift that one could receive this season.

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