Stuart Johns – Page 7 – Idaville Church

Non-Covenant Care

Origins

Non-Covenant Care

(Genesis 25:12-18)

INTRODUCTION

“When I picture God's rejoicing over his people with singing, I think of Snowflake Bentley. Wilson ‘Snowflake’ Bentley, a New England farmer born in 1865, couldn't get enough of snowflakes. For forty years, he ran around in the snow, raucously joyful, catching snowflakes on chilled slides and photographing them, seeking to capture for others the beauty he saw in those one-of-a-kind masterpieces of frozen crystals. Over his lifetime, he photographed more than five thousand individual snowflakes. His notes were effusive: ‘No. 785 is so rarely beautiful.’ He wrote of the ‘feast of [their] beauty.’ As I imagine Snowflake careening in the snow, giddy with joy, I marvel with the psalmist, ‘LORD, what are human beings that you care for them, mere mortals that you think of them? They are like a breath; their days are like a fleeting shadow’ (Psalm 144:3-4). I'm like a vanishing, vaporous breath, and God cares for me.”

Source: Jean Fleming, Pursue the Intentional Life (NavPress, 2013), page 50.

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2015/november/8110915.html].

BODY

ME
- Overcoming obstacles
  - - I could have entered college with scholarships to help pay for my schooling, but instead I entered college on academic probation
    - My grades in high school were passing, simply because I did not apply myself
    - I had to take a required, none credit, class my first semester that taught me how to study and held me accountable
    - I graduated college with a much better GPA that was much higher than just passing
    - I graduated seminary with almost a 4.0 GPA. I had one class that I did not complete perfectly
    - While maturity played a role in my developing educational success, I know that God was taking care of me
- God’s care
  - - God has taken care of me throughout my life in many ways
      - He provided safety for me as I experienced culture shock with our move to Birmingham, AL as a Junior in High School
      - He protected me from many of the teenage pitfalls
      - He led me to Judy in college and has provided wisdom and guidance for both of us through nearly 31 years of marriage
      - He has shown great care in waiting for me to be obedient to His calling for my life – pastoral ministry
      - I have seen God’s care for me through various illnesses I have experienced over the years
      - God has cared for me by answering prayers
    - I know that He will continue to take care of me until He calls me home or sends Jesus again

WE
- Every one of us has probably experienced obstacles that we have had to overcome with the Lord’s help
- We can all share ways in which we have seen God taking care of us or of our family members
  - - We may be able to recall times that God took care of us even before we were His disciples
    - We can probably recount times that God took care of family members, friends, and coworkers who are not His disciples

These seven verses are the shortest toledot (“the account of . . .”) section in Genesis. It is a transitional section that prepares us for the section on Isaac’s family line. It focuses on the genealogy and obituary of Ishmael, the non-covenant son of Abraham and Hagar. This is a continued featured of the narrator of Genesis, to provide information about the non-covenant people before addressing the covenant people. What we will see from this section is that . . .

BIG IDEA – God cares for all people. (this includes covenant and non-covenant people)

Let’s pray

GOD (Genesis 25:12-18)
- The Genealogy (vv. 12-16)
  - - Abraham’s son
      - “This is the account of . . .” is the seventh statement like this in Genesis
        This the shortest one in Genesis (only 7 verses)
        Verse 19 begins the eighth section beginning with, “this is the account of . . .”
      - This is the account of Ishmael
        He is Abraham and Hagar’s son
        Hagar was Sarah’s maidservant from Egypt
        As was mentioned earlier in Genesis (12:16), Hagar perhaps was one of the maidservants that the Egyptian Pharaoh gave to Abram when he and Sarai went there during the famine in Canaan
      - Now that we know who Ishmael’s parents are, the narrator lists his sons
    - Ishmael’s sons
      - We find all of these names listed in the ancestry of the nation section of 1 Chronicles 1:29-31
      - We are told that Ishmael’s sons are listed in birth order
        Nebaioth (nev-ah-aw’/nev-aw-yoth’) = “heights”
        Firstborn
        Isaiah 60:7 tells us that this tribe was rich in rams
        They were located in what is modern Ha’il [show map 1]
        Kedar (kay-dawr’) = “dark”
        Isaiah 60:7 also mentions the richness of their flocks
        They were nomads that lived between Egypt and Dedan-Edom [Waltke, Genesis: A Commentary, 345]
        Isaiah mentions them as warriors, skilled with the bow and arrow (Isaiah 21:17)
        They were “the most influential tribe during the first millennium until the Nabateans.” [Mathews, The New American Commentary, Volume 1B, Genesis 11:27-50:26, 360]
        Adbeel (ad-beh-ale’/ade-bee-el’) = “chastened of God”
        Mibsam (mib-sawm’/miv-sawm’) = “sweet odour”
        Mishma (mish-maw’) = “a hearing”
        Dumah (doo-maw’) = “silence”
        Isaiah has an oracle about Dumah (Isaiah 21:11-12)
        They were located in northern Arabia [show map 2]
        This oasis town was a key point in the incense trade between Babylon and Palestine [Mathews, 361]
        Massa (mas-saw’) = “burden” or “oracle”
        Hadad (khad-ad’/kha-dad’) = “mighty”
        Tema (tay-maw’) = “desert”
        “Tema is also mentioned in Isa. 21:14 along with Dedan (v. 13) and Kedar (v. 16), and they are urged to provide water and bread for Arabian refugees who have been ravaged by Syrian forces.” [Hamilton, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament, The Book of Genesis, Chapters 18-50, 172]
        Tema also appears in Job 6:19 and Jeremiah 25:23
        There is an oasis town named after Tema in northwest Arabia [show map 2]
        Jetur (yet-oor’/yet-tour’) = “enclosed”
        Found together with the tribe of Naphish in the Transjordan (1 Chronicles 5:18-19)
        The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh went to war against them and Nodab
        These three tribes were considered the Hagrites
        Naphish (naw-feesh’) = “refreshment” or “precious”
        Kedemah (kayd’-maw/kayd’-de-maw) = “original” or “toward the east”
      - The narrator tells us that these are the sons of Ishmael
        The names are also the names of the twelve princes
        They settled in villages and set up camps according to the tribes/clans named after them
        Settlements – unwalled villages near towns (without protection) [Mathews, 362; Waltke, 346]
        Camps – it has the idea of tents related to towns [Mathews, 362]
        The sons of Ishmael were nomadic/transient, so they lived in unprotected structures
        Twelve tribal rulers
        God cares for all people.
        We see the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham concerning Ishmael
        Genesis 17:17-20, Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?” And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael might live under you blessing!” Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation.
        PRINCIPLE #1 – God fulfills His promises.
        We talked about this last week, that God fulfills His promises to us also
        It is a great reminder again this week that we can claim the promises of God for peace, provision, protection, presence, and so much more
    - In verse 17 we are told of Ishmael’s death
- The Obituary (v. 17)
  - - Age
      - He was 137 years old
      - He lived another 48 years after his father, Abraham’s, death
    - Death
      - We are told that he breathed his last and died
      - He was gathered to his people
      - He was not buried with his father in Machpelah near Mamre
      - While it is not stated, it can be implied that Ishmael had secured his own family burial location
    - The narrator concludes this toledot section with the destiny of Ishmael’s sons and their tribes
- The Destiny (v. 18)
  - - Where they settled
      - They were nomads, so they traveled throughout eastern and south-eastern Arabia
        [show map 3]
        [show map 4]
      - PRINCIPLE #2 – God can overcome our lack of faith.
        We don’t really see the removal of Ishmael from Canaan, in this statement about where they settled
        Ishmael and Hagar had already been sent away many years earlier
        God had promised to bless Ishmael and make him into a great nation also, but He was not the son through whom His covenant would be fulfilled
        Abraham and Sarah had tried to take matters into their own hands, but God was able to overcome their impatience and lack of faith
        Application
        Past
        Have you ever gotten impatient with God’s timing?
        Have you ever lacked faith in God’s ability to accomplish something?
        Did your impatience or lack of faith create obstacles that God overcame in order to accomplish His plan and purpose for your life?
        Present
        Is there currently a situation where you are struggling with God’s timing?
        Is there a current circumstance where your faith is lacking?
        Are you in danger of creating an obstacle that God will have to overcome?
        #1 – My Next Step Today Is To: Ask God to strengthen my faith in Him and wait patiently on His timing.
      - God had overcome Abraham and Sarah’s lack of faith by providing a region where Ishmael and his descendants could live and thrive and where the promises of God would be fulfilled
      - The final half of verse 18 shows us that God’s Word never fails
    - How they lived
      - Ishmael’s descendants lived in hostility toward all their brothers
        This fulfilled what the angel of the Lord told Hagar when she was expecting Ishmael and had fled from Sarah
        Genesis 16:11-12, The angel of the Lord also said to her: “You are now with child and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard of your misery. He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.”
        In hostility
        The original Hebrew can be translated two ways
        “Against the face,” which means in defiance or in hostility
        “Opposite, east of,” meaning dwelt alongside of
        While both translations would make sense here, the one that speaks of them living in defiance/hostility fits better with the context of Genesis 16:12 where Ishmael’s hand will be against everyone
        That is what is being referenced in Genesis 25:18b
        While this narrative note is not positive, it still shows that God’s Word never fails
      - PRINCIPLE #3 – God’s Word never fails.
        There are hard sayings in Scripture (Read John 6:53-66)
        There are difficult concepts for us to grapple with in God’s Word
        There are things that God calls us to do that we do not always want to do (Read Luke 14:25-27)
        There is discipline that God promises for our disobedience that we do not want to think about
        And yet, God’s Word never fails (Read Joshua 21:43-46)
        His Word provides guidance and direction for our lives
        #2 – My Next Step Today Is To: Know and submit to God’s unfailing Word whether or not I understand it or agree with it.
      - God’s Word did not fail when He told Hagar that Ishmael would live in hostility towards his brothers – it happened even though it was not a positive revelation/word
    - Even though Ishmael’s line was not the chosen covenant line, God still cared about him and his descendants
    - God cares for all people, whether or not they believe in Him or are disciples of His Son, Jesus

YOU
- Do not forget that God fulfills His promises!
- Do you need to patiently wait for the Lord to strengthen your faith about the difficult situation you are currently facing?
- Are you ready to submit to God’s unfailing Word?

WE
- As a body of believers, we can help to support one another as we patiently wait for God’s perfect timing
- We can also help support one another as we submit to God’s unfailing Word

CONCLUSION

“During the recent uprisings in the Middle East, Ron and Joke Jones, who serve with the Christian and Missionary Alliance in Israel, communicated the following in their prayer letter:

The result of the fighting and killing has left a profound sense of discouragement that hovers over the country. Several times we have come into closer contact with this conflict than our comfort zone allowed.

Yesterday a friend shared with us something she observed that was a delightful reminder of God's care for us. She watched a shepherd caring for his flock near the area where guns are fired. Every time the shots rang out the sheep scattered in fright. The shepherd then touched each of them with his staff and spoke calmly to them, and the sheep settled down immediately because they trusted the shepherd. And then another shot sounded, and the same routine happened again. Each time, the sheep needed the shepherd to orient them again and to reassure them they were safe.

We are like those sheep, and our Shepherd reaches out and touches us with his staff, speaking words of calm and comfort.”

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2001/january/12813.html]

May 22, 2022/by Office

Covenant Continued

Origins Genesis Sunday Morning Stuart Johns Faithfulness, Promises, Righteousness, Salvation

Origins

Covenant Continued

(Genesis 25:1-11)

INTRODUCTION

“Witnessing to the holy love of God was always in John Wesley's mind. Even in death.

Here was a man who had preached more than 45,000 sermons, traveled (mostly on horseback) a distance equivalent to nine times around the world, written 233 books and pamphlets, and helped with the writing of 100 more.

But for Wesley, this was not enough. Even in death he witnessed to the love of God. Among Wesley's funeral instructions was the request that his body be buried in nothing more costly than wool. No silk or satin was to adorn the corpse from which his spirit had fled. And his last will and testament gave final seal to the gospel he had so long and courageously preached. He directed that ‘whatever remains in my bureau and pockets at my decease,’ was to be equally divided among four poor itinerants. He specially requested that neither hearse nor coach take any part in his funeral, and he desired that six poor men in need of employment be given a pound each to carry his body to the grave.”

Source: Adapted from J. Wesley Bready, "The Passing of a Prophet," Good News Magazine (July/Aug 1991).

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2003/october/14655.html].

BODY

ME
- Will, Power of Attorney, and Living Will
  - - After having the Life Institute come for the Stewardship Lifestyle Seminar, Judy and I decided that we needed to update our will
    - We did not have a Power of Attorney or a Living Will previously, so we added those to the list
    - Just last week we received the draft by email for our review
    - We are looking forward to having those documents up-to-date
- Obituary
  - - I have not really put any thought into what I would want in my obituary
    - The standard items will probably be there, like who has survived my death, who has preceded me in death, who my parents and wife were, and when and where I died.
    - Perhaps it will have what church I was a member of
    - I would like everyone to know that I was passionate about following Jesus as my Master
    - I would want people to know that I loved my wife, children, and grandchildren will all my heart
    - I would also hope that people would remember me for being passionate about teaching God’s Word and the importance of prayer

WE
- We all should have a Will, Power of Attorney, and Living Will – have you all done that?
- Has anyone thought about his or her obituary?
  - - What would you like it to contain?
    - Are you going to write it yourself or leave that responsibility to the Funeral Director and surviving family members?

Abraham has lived a good long life and has experienced the faithfulness of God. Isaac is married to Rebekah and they have twin sons. In the first eleven verses of Genesis 25, we see Abraham’s last will and testament and his obituary. Abraham has remained faithful to the covenant that God began with him and instructed him to continue through Isaac. Abraham establishes that covenant in such a way that no one will question that Isaac is the covenant heir. Through Abraham’s example, we learn that . . .

BIG IDEA – Obedience to God’s covenant brings blessing.

Let’s pray

GOD (Genesis 25:1-11)
- The Will (vv. 1-6)
  - - Genealogy with Keturah [ket-oo-raw’] (vv. 1-4)
      - Abraham took another wife
        Scholars are split on whether Abraham married Keturah before or after Sarah’s death
        Both sides have compelling arguments
        After Sarah’s death
        The sentence structure seems to indicate that Abraham married Keturah after Sarah died
        Abraham lived another 37 years after Sarah’s death, so he certainly could have fathered six more sons during that time
        God had renewed his vital powers in order to father Isaac in his old age (100 years old), so certainly God could have allowed those vital powers to continue after Isaac’s birth and Sarah’s death
        If Abraham waited until Isaac was married, to take Keturah as his wife, there would have been 35 years until his death, which would have been plenty of time for the youngest son to be twenty or twenty-five when he is given gifts and sent away (Ishmael and Hagar were dismissed when he was about 15 years old) [Albert Barnes, Barnes’ Notes on the Old Testament, Accordance electronic ed. (Altamonte Springs: OakTree Software, 2006), paragraph 1832.]
        Before Sarah’s death
        She is identified as a concubine in verse 6, which could indicate that Abraham took her as another wife while Sarah was still alive
        The Hebrew word for “took” can also be translated as “had taken,” which could leave room for the possibility that Keturah became his wife while Sarah was still living
        The narrator has not put everything in chronological order, so perhaps the mention of Abraham taking another wife, happens prior to Sarah’s death
        In Genesis 25:19-34 the narrator will share the details of Jacob and Esau’s birth
        Abraham is still alive when the twins are born
        In fact Jacob and Esau are 15 years old when Abraham dies [Isaac married at 40 (Abraham is 140); Jacob and Esau are born when Isaac is 60 (Abraham is 160); Abraham dies at 175 (Jacob and Esau would have been 15)]
        So the narrative about Abraham’s death precedes the narrative about the birth of Jacob and Esau (the narratives are not in chronological order)
        Fortunately, the main point of this passage does not stand or fall on whether or not we can determine if Abraham married Keturah before or after Sarah’s death
      - Abraham’s sons, grandsons, and great grandsons
        Sons
        Zimran [zim-rawn’] = musician
        Jokshan [yok-shawn’] = snarer
        Medan [med-awn’] = contention
        Midian [mid-yawn’] = strife
        Located east of the Gulf of Aqaba
        They traded in gold and incense
        “In the Pentateuch the Midianites initially have neutral standing as the traders who transport Joseph to Egypt, then a favorable standing because Moses marries into the family of the priest of Midian, Jethro. By the end of the period, however, they are in collusion with the Moabites in the disaster at Baal Peor – an event that places them firmly in the category of antagonists to Israel.” [Walton, The NIV Application Commentary, Genesis, 533]
        Ishbak [yish-bawk’] = he releases
        Shuah [shoo-aw’] = wealth
        Grandsons
        Jokshan’s sons
        Sheba [sheb-aw’/shev-vaw’] = seven or an oath
        Dedan [ded-awn’] = low country
        Midian’s sons
        Ephah [ay-faw’] = gloomy
        Epher [ay’-fer] = a calf
        Hanoch [khan-oke’] = dedicated
        Abida [ab-ee-daw’/av-ee-daw’] = my father knows
        Eldaah [el-daw-aw’] = God has known
        Great Grandsons
        Descendants of Dedan
        Asshurites [ash-oo-ree’] = steps
        Letushites [let-oo-sheem’] = hammered
        Leummites [leh-oom-meem’] = peoples
        All of these are in the plural, probably referring to people groups
      - PRINCIPLE #1 – God keeps His promises.
        God had made a covenant with Abraham as we saw in Genesis 17:4-6
        “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you.”
        The Lord changed Abram’s name to Abraham to reflect this covenant with him
        What we see with the genealogy through Keturah is God keeping His promise to Abraham
        These additional six sons and their descendants would be nations of people
        Obedience to God’s covenant brings blessing.
        Abraham was experiencing God’s blessing
        Application
        God continues to keep His promises today
        He has not failed to keep every promise that He has made in Scripture
        There are some promises that are waiting to be fulfilled when Jesus returns a second time
        How have you seen God keep His promises to you? (take a moment to write those down)
        Are there some promises, from His Word, that you need to claim for yourself today?
        Peace (Isaiah 26:3, You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.)
        Provision (Philippians 4:19, And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.)
        Protection (Psalm 91:4, He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.)
        Presence (Deuteronomy 31:6, Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.)
        There are many more promises that you can claim from God’s Word
        #1 – My Next Step Today Is To: Claim God’s promise of ____________ (peace, provision, protection, presence, etc.) in my life.
      - This genealogy is important because of what happens in verses 5-6
    - Last will and testament (vv. 5-6)
      - Abraham left everything to Isaac
        This should not come as a surprise to us
        The narrator already mentioned this in Genesis 24:36, My master’s wife Sarah has borne him a son in her old age, and he has given him everything he owns.
        While Isaac was not Abraham’s first-born son, he was the first-born son to Abraham and Sarah, which was the covenant couple in God’s eyes
        As the first-born son of covenant, Isaac receives all of his father’s possessions
        Genesis 13:2, Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold
        Genesis 23:6, “Sir, listen to us. You are a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tomb. None of us will refuse you his tomb for burying your dead.”
        This does not mean that Abraham did not love his other sons or provide for them from his wealth
      - He gave gifts to everyone else
        While Abraham was still alive, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines
        The word “concubines” is in the plural
        To our knowledge, through Scripture, the only two concubines that Abraham had were Hagar and Keturah
        Hagar is only referred to as a “maidservant” (Gen. 16:2) and a “slave woman” (Gen. 21:10). Waltke states, “she probably could be designated ‘a concubine.’ Similarly, Bilhah is called both a ‘maidservant’ (30:3) and ‘concubine’ (35:22).” [Waltke, Genesis: A Commentary, 338]
        Keturah is designated as a concubine in 1 Chronicles 1:32 when Ezra lists the ancestry of the nations
        Neither of these women were the covenant or first wife of Abraham, that honor rested with Sarah
        Abraham still provided for them
        When Hagar and Ishmael are sent away they were given some food and a skin of water (Gen. 21:14)
        My guess, from this passage, is that Abraham provided more than just food and water for Ishmael – perhaps he gave him livestock and flocks, gold, silver, and other possessions
        Keturah’s sons probably received some of the same kinds of gifts, although, we are not told exactly what gifts were given
      - He sent them away to the east
        “Abraham recognized his other children by giving them gifts and sending them away, thereby making sure they couldn’t supplant Isaac as the rightful heir.” [Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, Pentateuch, 115]
        The imagery of going east, in Genesis, is not only a geographical location, but also the physical separation from God and His blessing
        Adam and Eve went east when they were evicted from the Garden of Eden
        Lot went east when he separated from Abraham
        The inhabitants of Babel had traveled east to build their tower
        Jacob will flee to the east
        All of Isaac’s potential rivals are dismissed to the east
        God has chosen Isaac and his descendants as the covenant people to fulfill His covenant and purpose
        Jesus will come through the line of Isaac
    - The will has been “executed” prior to Abraham’s death – Isaac gets everything and the other sons get gifts from their father’s estate
    - What comes next in the narrative is Abraham’s obituary
- The Obituary (vv. 7-10)
  - - Age
      - The narrator tells us Abraham’s age when he died
        He was 175 years old
        During Abraham’s time period, that was considered old
        He had lived in Canaan for a century (100 years)
        Isaac is now 75 years old
        Jacob and Esau are 15 years old
      - PRINCIPLE #1 – God keeps His promises.
        This was a fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham
        Genesis 15:15, You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age.
        Abram was not told at that point what a good old age was, but we know now that it was 175 years old
      - We not only know how old Abraham was, but we also know a little about his frame of mind
    - Frame of mind
      - The phrase “full of years” includes both quantity and quality of life
        “This obituary notice about Abraham draws attention to the fact that Abraham died not only at an elderly age but in a frame of mind filled with inner shalom and satisfaction.” [Hamilton, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament, The Book of Genesis, Chapters 18-50, 167]
        “Several years ago I was talking with some lay people about a problem in one of our American denominations, and I asked why there had not been any progress in a certain area. One person [Gen, p. 724] replied, ‘There is not going to be any progress until some people die.’ Later I reflected on how sad it is when someone is such a problem that people actually wait for that person’s death and inevitably greet the news of it with thanksgiving.
        
        How different with those who have walked close to the Lord, having been a blessing to others by the quality of their life and testimony! Then, people are thankful for the life and not for the fact that it has ended.” [James Montgomery Boice, Genesis 12–36, vol. 2 of Boice Expositional Commentary. Accordance electronic ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1998), 723-724.]
        “How few people really experience joy and satisfaction when they reach old age! When they look back, it is with regret; when they look ahead, it is with fear; and when they look around, it is with complaint.” [Wiersbe, 113]
        I am reminded of something my father said several years ago, when he was reflecting on his life. He told me that he is ready to go home and be with the Lord. There is not anything else on a “bucket list” or any other thing he needs to accomplish in his life to feel fulfilled, satisfied, or at peace
        How many of us know of family members who have expressed the same feelings?
        That was the same frame of mind that Abraham had as he breathed his last
      - PRINCIPLE #2 – Living a faithful, righteous life brings joy and satisfaction.
        Psalm 92:12-15, The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, “The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”
        Where are you at today?
        Frame of mind
        Are you aging gracefully?
        Are you at peace with God and with other people?
        Are you looking forward to death with joy?
        Are you satisfied with how your life has gone?
        You have a choice!
        Are you living a faithful, righteous life?
        That kind of life brings joy and satisfaction
        You can experience inner peace and satisfaction
        You can say, like my father and many others, that you are fulfilled, satisfied, and at peace with your life
        #2 – My Next Step Today Is To: Strive to live a faithful, righteous life, so that I can experience inner peace and satisfaction, as I grow old.
        Some of us have more time than others to accomplish this
        Embrace the time you have to live a life that is faithful and righteous
      - The final part of Abraham’s obituary is the location of his burial
    - Location of burial
      - Isaac and Ishmael come together to bury their father
      - It should not come as a surprise that he is buried in the same location as his wife, Sarah
        It is the cave of Machpelah near Mamre
        The cave was part of the field that Abraham had purchased from Ephron son of Zoar the Hittite
    - The final verse of this section transitions us from Abraham to Isaac
- The Blessing (v. 11)
  - - Isaac is living in Beer Lahai Roi, [be-ayr’ lakh-ah’ee ro-ee’] which is where Hagar had fled after being mistreated by Sarah
      - The name of the well there means, “well of the Living One who sees me”
      - That was how Hagar felt after being visited by the Lord at the well (Genesis 16:13-14)
    - God blessed Isaac
      - PRINCIPLE #3 – God blesses His covenant people.
        Isaac was the covenant son through whom the Messiah would come
        He and his descendants had been set apart by God
        As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are God’s covenant people, too
      - Obedience to God’s covenant brings blessing.
        We can experience God’s blessing when we obey His covenant
        There is a new covenant that God has given to us through Jesus Christ
        Read Jeremiah 31:31-34 (also found in Hebrews 8:7-13)
        We see four promises here [https://www.inversebible.org/assets/inverse/lessons/Covenants/INV-D-2021-Q2-L02.pdf]
        “He [God] promises that He will write His laws in their hearts (Heb. 8:10), to sanctify them, to make them holy, aligning their hearts and characters with His.”
        “He [God] promises to be their God and make them His people (Heb. 8:10) to reconcile them to Himself.”
        “God promises to reveal Himself to the whole world , and He promises that the day is coming when that will not be necessary anymore, because everyone will know Him, from the least the greatest (Heb. 8:11)—the harmony of Eden will be restored.”
        “God promises to forgive our sins and remember them no more (Heb. 8:12), in order to justify us so that we stand before God as though we had never sinned.”
        1 Corinthians 11:23-26, For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
        After Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, and ascension, He sent the Holy Spirit to live within His disciples
        That is how we have God’s law in our minds and written on our hearts
        We have God’s Word, the Bible, so we can know the Lord
        God has forgiven our wickedness and sin through Jesus Christ
        John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
        #3 – My Next Step Today Is To: Believe in Jesus Christ as my Savior, so I can experience the blessing of eternal life.
        Obedience to God’s covenant brings blessing.

YOU
- Is there a promise from God that you need to claim today?
- Do you need to strive to live a faithful and righteous life, so you can experience inner peace and satisfaction?
- Are you ready to experience the blessing of eternal life by believing in Jesus Christ as your Savior?

WE
- We can encourage one another to claim the promises of God
- We need to urge one another on in living a faithful and righteous life

CONCLUSION

“Ken Fuson actually wrote his own tribute before passing:

Ken Fuson, born June 23, 1956, died Jan. 3, 2020 in a Nebraska Medical Center, of liver cirrhosis, and is stunned to learn that the world is somehow able to go on without him. Ken attended the University of Missouri-Columbia’s famous School of Journalism, which is a clever way of saying, ‘almost graduated but didn't.’ Facing a choice between covering a story for the newspaper or taking his final exams, Ken went for the story. He never claimed to be smart, just committed.

In 1981, Ken landed his dream job, working as a reporter for The Des Moines Register. Ken won several national feature-writing awards. No, he didn't win a Pulitzer Prize, but he's dead now, so get off his back.

In 2011, Ken accepted a job in the marketing department at Simpson College, where he remained until 2018. He was diagnosed with liver disease at the beginning of 2019, which is pretty ironic given how little he drank. He is survived by his sons who all brought Ken unsurpassed joy. He hopes they will forgive him for not making the point more often. He loved his boys and was (and is) extraordinarily proud to be their father.

Ken had many character flaws - if he still owes you money, he's sorry, sincerely. He prided himself on letting other drivers cut in line. For most of his life, Ken suffered from a compulsive gambling addiction that nearly destroyed him. But his church friends never gave up on him. Ken last placed a bet on Sept. 5, 2009. He died clean. He hopes that anyone who needs help will seek it. Miracles abound.

Ken's pastor says God can work miracles for you and through you. Skepticism may be cool, and for too many years Ken embraced it, but it was faith in Jesus Christ that transformed his life. That was the one thing he never regretted. It changed everything. God is good. Embrace every moment, even the bad ones. See you in heaven. Ken promises to let you cut in line.”

Source:

Ken Fuson, Des Moines Register (1-8-9-20); Joseph Wulfsohn, Obituary goes viral after journalist pens his own funny, touching tribute,” Fox News (1-10-20).

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2020/april/mans-own-hilarious-obituary-points-to-christ.html]

May 15, 2022/by Office

Special Worship & Prayer Service

Worship & Prayer 1 Peter, 1 Timothy, 2 Corinthians, Colossians, Ephesians, Exodus, James, Malachi, Philippians, Romans Sunday Morning Stuart Johns Healing

Sunday

May 1, 2022

Preparation
- SONG – Too Good To Not Believe
- SCRIPTURE – Exodus 17:8-16
- PRAYER
  - Reverence
    - Thank You for providing ______ (name) to support me in the battle of ______.
    - Father, I worship You for being my banner over _______.
    - Lord, I worship You for the miracle of _______.
  - Response
    - Lord, I confess that when I am _______ the enemy is winning.
    - God, please forgive me for my weakness of _______.
  - Request
    - Savior, I raise my hands in victory over _______, so that Your Name will be glorified.
    - Father, please provide support for me/us as I/we go through the battle of _______.
  - Readiness
    - I lift my hands in worship of Your _______.

Emotional
- SONG – In Jesus Name (God Of Possible)
- SCRIPTURES
  - 2 Corinthians 1:3-7
  - Philippians 4:4-7
- PRAYER
  - Reverence
    - Father, I am grateful for Your comfort when I went through . . .
    - Lord, thank You for being near to me when . . .
    - Jesus, I worship You, because Your name is . . .
  - Response
    - God, I confess that I have not passed on Your comfort to others, because . . .
    - Lord, please forgive me for being anxious about . . .
    - Father, I confess that I am desperate about _______ right now.
  - Request
    - Christ, help my comfort, from You, to overflow to _______ (name/group) today.
    - Father, I present my request of ________ to You, with thanksgiving.
    - Lord, please bring emotional healing from __________ (loss/fear/anxiety/depression/etc.)
  - Readiness
    - Lord, I embrace Your peace that transcends all understanding. Please guard my heart and mind from ________ this week.
    - Jesus, I claim Your _______ (hope/freedom/healing/Name/etc.) as I begin this week.

Relational
- SONG – I Speak Jesus
- SCRIPTURES
  - Philippians 2:1-8
  - Ephesians 4:1-6.
  - 1 Peter 4:7-11
- PRAYER
  - Reverence
    - Jesus, thank You for _______ (making Yourself nothing/becoming a servant/becoming human/humbling Yourself/dying on the cross/etc.), so that . . .
  - Response
    - Father, I confess that in my relationships I have not been ________ (like-minded/loving/one in spirit and purpose/etc.).
    - Lord, please forgive me for being ________ (selfish/conceited/unloving/impatient/harsh/unforgiving/etc.) with/towards _______ (family member/coworker/neighbor/etc.).
  - Request
    - Father, I speak Your powerful Name over ________ (family situation).
    - God, please help me to be patient with, love, and look to the interests of ________ (individual/group), instead of my own interests.
  - Readiness
    - Lord, may my ________ (speech/service/etc.) bring praise to You this week.

Financial
- SONG – It Is Well
- SCRIPTURES
  - Malachi 3:1-12
  - 1 Timothy 6:17-19
- PRAYER
  - Reverence
    - Lord, we worship You because You do not change, even when . . .
    - God, I am grateful for Your provision of . . .
  - Response
    - Father, I repent for robbing You of Your tithes and offerings, because of _______ (fear/lack of faith/arrogance/worldliness/etc.).
    - Lord, I confess that I have been arrogant and have put my hope in ________.
  - Request
    - God, help me to trust You by faith for ________ as I commit to giving You Your tithes and offerings.
    - Gracious Father, please provide a way out of the financial burden of ________.
  - Readiness
    - I claim Your promise, that when I am faithful to give, You will provide _________, so that the nations will call me blessed.
    - Lord, I want to lay up treasures in heaven by _________, so that I can experience life that is truly life.

Physical
- SONG – Healer
- SCRIPTURE – James 5:13-16
- SONG – Jesus Over Everything
- PRAYER
  - Reverence
    - All powerful Lord, I worship You for healing me from . . .
    - God, I praise You because . . .
    - Jesus, thank You that Your Name is over _________ (shame, anxiety, troubles, pain, sickness, disease, death, sin, hell, the grave, etc).
  - Response
    - Father, I confess my sin of . . .
  - Request
    - [Invite anyone who would like to be anointed with oil and prayed over to come forward].
    - Lord, please bring healing to _________ (name) as they struggle with _________.
  - Readiness
    - Gracious Father, we worship You for the healings that are taking place this morning.

Spiritual
- SONG – Way Maker
- SCRIPTURES
  - James 4:4-10
  - Colossians 3:1-11
  - Romans 10:9-10
- SONG – In Christ Alone
- PRAYER
  - Reverence
    - God, thank You for showing me Your grace through . . .
    - Jesus, I worship You for taking my place on the cross, so that . . .
  - Response
    - Father, I confess that I have befriended the world by . . .
    - Lord, please forgive me for setting my mind on _________ (sexual immorality/impurity/lust/evil desires/greed/etc.).
  - Request
    - Lord, today, I __________ (submit to You/resist the devil/come near to You/wash my hands/purify my heart/humble myself/etc.).
    - Father, today, I rid myself of ___________ (anger/rage/malice/slander/filthy language/lying/etc.).
    - Jesus, I confess that You are Lord and I believe in my heart that God raised You from the dead. Please save me from _______ (sin/doubt/fear/etc.).
  - Readiness
    - Way Maker, thank You for healing my heart from . . .

May 1, 2022/by Office

Led by the Lord

Origins Genesis Sunday Morning Stuart Johns Obedience, Worship

Origins

Led by the Lord

(Genesis 24:1-33)

INTRODUCTION

“I made my pastoral calls in the county hospital and walked back to my car in the parking lot. Just as I reached out to the car door to get inside, I heard, ‘Go see Bob.’ Bob was a retired fireman, seriously ill with heart problems and confined to a bed because of his ailment. He had recently made a decision to accept Christ and was making wonderful spiritual progress. I took what I heard to be the prompting of the Holy Spirit, but I protested, saying, ‘I was there not long ago. It's not time yet to go back again.’ The prompting persisted, so I got into the car, pulled out of the lot, and headed for Bob's place. It was just a few minutes away, up a rural road winding through beautiful, northern California hills.

I came to Bob's house, pulled into the driveway, and looked over to the big front window of the living room where Bob usually lay in a hospital bed.

Bob was lying there, but he looked different. I thought to myself, "He looks dead." I hurried to the front door and knocked. Evelyn, his wife, came to the door breathless and distraught. "Oh, I'm so glad you're here. Bob just died a few minutes ago!"

We sat together in the kitchen, not saying too much to each other as the man from the funeral home did his work in the other room, getting ready to remove my friend from the home. Quietly, when the time was right, I read from the Scripture, and Evelyn and I prayed, seeking God in the loss of her husband.

I've thought back many times to that afternoon, and I am so glad that I followed the leading of the Spirit. I got there just as someone needed me most.”

Source: Unknown.

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2008/april/10040907.html].

BODY

ME
- Divine prompting
  - - I have experienced divine promptings throughout my life
    - Most of you know the story about my divine calling to pastoral ministry and how that was confirmed by multiple people in the weeks following that calling
    - There have been times when I have sensed the Lord prompting me to pray for or call certain individuals
      - It’s amazing to hear what those individuals were going through when I was prompted to pray for them
      - It gives me chills when I call someone and they need to talk about a situation they are going through
- Obedience shows true faith
  - - I had befriended another man who worked in the suite beside the one I worked in
    - During a break, one day, he was telling me that he was considering moving in with his girlfriend to save on expenses
    - The Lord prompted me to challenge him not to do that, but I chickened out
    - When I went back to my office, I felt the conviction of the Holy Spirit for not being obedient
    - So, I prayed and asked the Lord to give me another opportunity to challenge this man
    - That opportunity came about a week later
      - We were standing outside chatting and I mentioned his comment about considering moving in with his girlfriend
      - I challenged him to trust God and not move in with his girlfriend
      - His response was something like this, “Thank you, I needed someone to challenge me on that.”
    - He claimed the name of Christ, yet he was considering doing something that he knew would tarnish that claim and witness

WE
- Divine prompting
  - - As disciples of Jesus Christ we all have probably experienced a divine prompting at one time or another?
    - How do we respond when those promptings come?
- Obedience
  - - Perhaps, like me, we all have experienced the conviction of the Holy Spirit for not being obedient to that prompting
    - Hopefully, we have all experienced the blessing of obedience, too

Abraham is getting older and is probably realizing that in order for God’s promise to be fulfilled, his son Isaac was going to have to get married and start having children. Abraham had a couple of criteria for this bride search that he had his chief servant swear to abide by. The servant understood the criteria, but asked what he should do if the woman refused. Abraham reassured him that . . .

BIG IDEA – Where God guides, He provides.

Abraham’s faith had developed into a strong faith that trusted God to do what seemed humanly impossible.

Let’s pray

GOD (Genesis 24:1-33)
- Promise (vv. 1-9)
  - - Abraham’s state (v. 1)
      - His age
        The narrator tells us that Abraham is now old
        Well advanced in years
        It is believed that Abraham is almost 140 years
        Isaac would be 40 years
        Sarah has been gone two or three years
      - His status
        God has blessed him abundantly
        “Age and wealth are often signs of a blessed life (e.g., Job 42:12).” [Mathews, The New American Commentary, Volume 1B, Genesis 11:27-50:26, 326]
        God had blessed Abraham in every way
        Long life
        Flocks and herds
        Gold and silver
        Male and female servants
        Promised covenant son
        Promise of land (a country)
      - The narrator moves from Abraham’s state to a conversation that he has with his chief servant
    - Instruction (vv. 2-4)
      - Chief servant
        Most Bible translations have “oldest/eldest servant”
        From that translation, many scholars believe that it could be Eliezer, who was his most trusted servant and household administrator
        Genesis 15:2, But Abram said, “O Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?”
        We are not told if it is Eliezer, but if it is, he would also be old and advanced in years
      - Put your hand under my thigh
        This must have been the customary way for oaths to be sworn in the Ancient Near East
        The hand would actually be put under the male reproductive organ, since that was the source of life/offspring
        “Westermann says, ‘The rite of touching the generative organ when taking an oath occurs elsewhere only in Gen. 47:29 where the circumstances are the same, namely, imminent death. The one who is facing death secures his last will by an ‘oath at the source of life.’’ (Westermann, 384” [Gangel & Bramer, Holman Old Testament Commentary, Genesis, 201]
      - Swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of earth
        This was not a deity that the Canaanites or Abraham’s relatives in Mesopotamia worship
        This is the only God who deserves to be called God
        He is the God of the Creation and the Cosmos
      - Ethnic purity
        Abraham urges his servant to not choose a wife for Isaac from the Canaanites
        He instructs him to go back to Mesopotamia to find a wife from among his own relatives
        NOTE: Abraham’s relatives were also polytheistic in their beliefs, so perhaps Abraham is more concerned about ethnic purity than religious practice
      - The instructions given by Abraham cause his servant to ask two legitimate questions
    - Question & Answer (vv. 5-8)
      - Questions
        What if the woman does not want to come back to Canaan with me?
        Keep in mind that the distance from Canaan to Mesopotamia is around 400 miles
        It would take about a month for the servant to travel to Abraham’s home area
        The woman would be leaving everything she knows and embracing her new family
        There wouldn’t be any weekend trips home to visit her mom and sisters
        She would be making a life-changing decision to accept the marriage proposal
        The servant wants to know Abraham’s wishes in case Abraham passed away while he was gone
        Do you want me to take Isaac back to Mesopotamia?
        If the woman is unwilling to return with him, do you want me to take Isaac back to Mesopotamia?
        The servant wants to know which criteria is most important to his master – wife from his own people or remaining in Canaan
        We see Abraham’s answer to the two questions
      - Answers
        Don’t take Isaac back to Mesopotamia!
        God promised to establish my offspring in Canaan
        Perhaps Abraham was concerned that if Isaac left Canaan that he would never return
        Abraham believed God’s promise with all of his heart and never looked back
        PRINCIPLE #1 – “True faith always results in obedience.” [Wiersbe]
        It would have been easy for Abraham to abandon Canaan and return to what was familiar, but he held to God’s promise by faith
        This is true for us as well
        When God calls us out of our comfort zone
        When He asks us to follow Him to a place that is far away from family and friends
        Do we follow in faith or resist in doubt and fear
        I declined the offer, twice, to move from Ohio to Missouri, to work at the headquarters of Child Evangelism Fellowship in the USA Ministries department
        We did not have any family in Missouri (I did have a cousin and her family in Kansas, but they were not close)
        Moving from Missouri to California took us further away from family
        We had faith that God was calling us to both of those places, so we obeyed in faith, trusting Him
        He blessed us with incredible friends and neighbors who became our surrogate family
        Is God calling you to obey Him, by faith, in a particular area?
        Are you resisting that calling?
        #1 – My Next Step Today Is To: Obey the Lord’s calling on my life and follow Him by faith.
        Abraham knew from past experiences that God would provide and so he encourages his chief servant
        God will provide
        Abraham reassures his servant that God would send His angel before him to prepare the way for his success
        Where God guides, He provides.
        Abraham was confident in God’s ability to transform the heart and mind of a young woman to accept the adventure of a lifetime
        Abraham then helps to put his servant’s mind at ease
        Release from oath
        If the woman is unwilling to come back with you, then you will be released from the oath
        Abraham reiterates again that he does not want Isaac to go back to Mesopotamia
      - With his questions answered and his mind at ease, Abraham’s servant is willing to swear the oath
    - Oath (v. 9)
      - Abraham’s servant places his hand under his master’s thigh
      - While doing that he promises to find a wife for Isaac from Abraham’s family in Mesopotamia and not to take Isaac back there
    - Once the oath is sworn, it is time to prepare for the trip
- Preparation (vv. 10-11)
  - - Before (v. 10)
      - The servant took ten camels and loaded them down with all kinds of good things (choice things, expensive things)
      - We are not told what these good, choice, expensive things are
      - In verse 22 we find out that there was a gold nose ring and two gold bracelets
      - The narrator leaves us in suspense as to other items that the servant took as a bride price
      - The location in Mesopotamia
        We are told that the servant goes to the town of Nahor in the region of Aram Naharaim
        The town of Nahor can either refer to the actual name of the town or to the town where Abraham’s brother Nahor lived (perhaps Haran)
        Aram Naharaim means “Aram of the two rivers” [Mathews, 332]
        Northwestern Mesopotamia [northern Syria and Iraq today]
        The two rivers would have been the Euphrates and its tributary the Habor/Habur/Khabur
      - This was the preparation for the trip
    - PRINCIPLE #2 – God will direct us when we trust and obey His Word.
      - Abraham’s servant has a general idea of where he is supposed to go
        This is more than Abraham had when he left Haran
        If this chief servant has been with Abraham since he left Haran, then he would know where to go, but we are not given that information here
        He has to trust and obey God’s word of guidance as he travels north
        When we obey God’s leading by faith, He will direct us – where to go and what to do
        We can claim that truth for our lives today – God will direct us when we trust and obey His Word
      - About one month passes between verses 10 and 11
    - After (v. 11)
      - In verse 11 we see the preparations of the servant after he arrives in the town
      - He has the camels kneel down near the well outside the town
        This was strategic on the servants part
        He was preparing to watch the evening trek to the well by the young women of the town
        What better way to encounter women who could be potential wife material for Isaac
    - There is one more vital part of his preparation – prayer!
- Prayer (vv. 12-21)

- - - Prayer (vv. 12-14)

- - - - He addresses the Lord
        Since he is Abraham’s liaison, he addresses the Lord as the God of my master, Abraham
        This is does not mean that the servant does not have faith in the Lord
      - Requests
        Give me success
        Show kindness to my master Abraham
        The servant needs to know which young woman is God’s choice for Isaac, so he asks for two specific things to identify her
        First, when I ask a girl for a drink, she will lower her jar and give me a drink
        Second, without prompting, she will recognize that my camels need water and offer to give them water too
        He petitions the Lord again to show kindness to his master, Abraham
      - Aren’t you glad that the Lord knows what we need before we ask (Matthew 6:8) and because He knows before we ask, He is already acting on our behalf

- - - Answer (vv. 15-21)
      - The Lord had already prompted Rebekah to leave her house and head to the well while Abraham’s servant is praying
      - The narrator gives us some key pieces of information
        Genealogy
        He does not keep us in suspense about whether or not Rebekah is part of Abraham’s family
        While the servant does not know it yet, we are given insider information
        Rebekah is the daughter of Bethuel
        She is the granddaughter of Nahor and Milcah, Abraham’s brother and sister-in-law
        Attributes
        Rebekah is very beautiful – probably referring to her appearance
        She is a virgin – in the Ancient Near East it does not necessarily means she has not been sexually active, but rather it means that she is of marriageable age
        She is pure – no man had ever lain with her (which in our modern culture means she was a virgin, she had not been sexually active)
        Again, the servant is not aware of these attributes when he sees her
        At the moment, the servant is relying on the criteria he has asked the Lord about
      - Rebekah went down to the spring, filled her jar, and came up again
      - The servant is hopeful, so he hurries over to meet her
        I’m assuming that Rebekah is the first woman to come to the well, which is why he hurries over to meet her
        He is hopeful and enthusiastic about the Lord’s ability to answer his prayer
        Just imagine if he had already approached multiple women and they had rejected his request for a drink or, if they gave him a drink, but didn’t offer to water his camels
        I think his demeanor would have been less hurried with Rebekah
        When he asks her for a drink, she lowers her jar and gives him a drink, then she offers to draw water for his camels until they are satisfied
        She doesn’t waste time, but empties her jar into the trough
        Then she ran back down to the well to get more water and continues this process until the camels were taken care of
        Camels who have not had a drink for a couple of days could consume as much as 25 gallons of water to rehydrate
        Multiply that by 10 camels and you have 250 gallons of water
        On average, a water jar in the Ancient Near East, could hold up to 3 gallons
        That would be a potential of 83 trips down to the well and back – talk about water aerobics
        “When you see a man or a woman going out of his or her way to minister, you have found someone very special.” [Courson, Jon Courson’s Application Commentary, Old Testament, Volume 1: Genesis-Job, 113]
        While she is serving the needs of the camels, the servant is quietly watching her to discern if the Lord had made his journey a success
    - We can assume that he felt certain that the Lord had made his journey a success by what he does next

- Presentation (vv. 22-25)
  - - Gifts
      - The camels are satisfied and the servant is satisfied
      - So, he takes out a gold nose ring and two gold bracelets
      - It is apparent that he gives these items to her, because in verse 30, Laban saw her wearing them
    - Request
      - He then asks her whose daughter she is and if there was room in her father’s house for he and his companions to spend the night
      - She tells him that she is the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah and Nahor
      - She answers his second request by telling him that they have plenty of resources and space to house them for the night
    - PRINCIPLE #3 – God answers prayer!
      - We see that God answered the prayer of the servant through Rebekah
      - She willingly gave him a drink of water and then offered to water his camels
      - I am a huge proponent of praying specific prayers, because then we know when God answers them
        I’m not talking about praying specific prayers that try to corner God or prosper individuals
        I believe we can pray specific prayers according to God’s will and purposes and He will answer
        Each week we share praise reports for answered prayer
      - We have to remember that God answers prayer in three ways
        Yes, No, and Wait
        There are times when we feel like God has not answered our prayers, because we did not get the answer we wanted or hoped for (so we actually missed His answer)
      - How we react to answered prayer is so important
    - That is what we see next in verses 26 and 27
- Praise (vv. 26-27)
  - - The servant bowed down and worshiped the Lord right in front of Rebekah, presumably
    - He again addresses his praise to the Lord, the God of my master Abraham
      - He acknowledges that the Lord has been kind and faithful to Abraham
      - PRINCIPLE #4 – God is faithful!
        We can trust in the faithfulness of God
        That is His character and His character never changes
        How have we seen the faithfulness of God?
        At Idaville Church, we have seen the faithfulness of God through His provision for our finances, through salvations and baptisms, through spiritual growth, through the revitalization of the church, and so much more
        Personally, we have seen God’s faithfulness through answered prayer for family members, through God’s provision for us financially, through healings, through His protection, and so much more
        How have you seen God’s faithfulness in your life? (take a moment and write a couple of things down)
      - The servant also recognized the Lord’s faithfulness to him
        He acknowledges that the Lord had led him to the house of his master’s relatives
        This was Abraham’s nephew’s family that the servant would be staying with
    - PRINCIPLE #5 – Worship is the right response to God’s faithfulness.
      - When is the last time you have bowed down before the Lord and worshiped Him for His faithfulness?
      - In our busyness we may neglect to even thank the Lord for His faithfulness and answers to our prayers, let alone bow down before Him and worship Him
      - #2 – My Next Step Today Is To: Bow down before the Lord in worship for His faithfulness to me.
      - We are going to give everyone the opportunity to bow down before the Lord in worship during the closing song this morning
    - Rebekah understands the significance of what is taking place, so she runs back to her house
- Provision (vv. 28-33)
  - - Pronouncement (v. 28)
      - Rebekah told her family what had happened when she went to draw water at the well
      - Perhaps they were wondering where she was, since it probably took her a long time to water the camels
      - We learn that Rebekah has a brother named Laban (that name should sound familiar and he will play a significant role with Isaac and Rebekah’s son, Jacob)
    - Hospitality (vv. 29-33)
      - Perhaps Laban was running the household at this point, which is why Bethuel does not go out to greet the servant
      - It is probable that Laban either made preparations prior to going to the spring or gave instructions to the household servants to make preparations for the entourage
      - Laban hurried out to meet Abraham’s servant and invited him to stay with them
      - Perhaps the gifts that he gave Rebekah and his worship of the Lord, prompted Laban to address him as “blessed by the Lord”
      - The servant followed Laban back to Bethuel’s house
      - Hospitality shared
        The camels were unloaded and given bedding and food
        Water was brought for the travelers to wash their feet
        Food was brought out for the men to eat
      - Urgency message
        Since the Lord had so graciously and faithfully answered his prayer, the servant did not want to eat first
        He wanted to share the purpose of his trip
        Laban encourages him to tell them, but that’s a narrative for another time

YOU
- Are you ready to obey the Lord’s calling on your life and follow Him by faith?
- Are you ready to bow down before the Lord, in worship, for His faithfulness to you?

WE
- We can encourage those in our congregation by affirming the calling God has place on their lives
- We can model worship for God’s faithfulness by bowing down before Him

CONCLUSION

As the worship team leads us in the closing song this morning, I want to encourage everyone to come forward and bow down to the Lord in worship of His faithfulness.

April 24, 2022/by Office

Authentic Believing

Easter John Sunday Morning Stuart Johns Gospel, Omnipresent, Salvation

Easter 2022

Authentic Believing

(John 20:24-31)

INTRODUCTION

“Thomas A. Miller, a surgeon and researcher, explores the miracle of Christ's resurrection from a medical angle. Dr. Miller notes that the body contains trillions and maybe even 100 trillion cells. Each one of these cells carries out thousands of different chemical reactions. Thus a bodily resurrection would require ‘some phenomenal power to energize life into all these individual cells, but it would have to do so in such a way that specialized nerve cells could resume their unique function, heart cells perform theirs, blood cells and bone cells do theirs, and so on.’

Dr. Miller continues:

Consider the heart as just one example. It beats on average 70 times a minute, 4,200 times an hour, 100,800 times a day … and 36,288,000 times a year …. And for that to happen, thousands of processes within each cell must act in a coordinated way to ensure that the blood entering the right side of the heart is effectively propelled into the lungs, where the red blood cells contained in it discharge carbon dioxide and pick up oxygen, following which it returns to the left side of the heart where it is propelled to the tissues of the rest of the body, do that they might receive precious oxygen they need to sustain their many functions. This all happens at least every second in such a smooth fashion that we are not even aware of it. And at the moment we die, all these processes came to a screeching halt.

A bodily resurrection implies that thousands of processes in trillions of cells must be restarted with the unique intricacy and inter-coordination that existed before death. Dr. Miller notes that this would require not just incredible power but also unimaginable knowledge. He writes:

Even the latest science has not unraveled the complete mystery of each of the cells of our bodies, and how they interact and "talk" with one another …. But for the resurrection of Jesus to occur, all of that information had to be known in its completeness and totality, and known some two thousand years ago.”

Source: Thomas A. Miller, MD, Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead? (Crossway, 2013), pp. 133-136.

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2013/march/1031113.html].

BODY

ME
- Third party authentication
  - - The push to protect our online accounts is never ending
    - In recent years, there has been a push for third party authentication, especially for financial accounts and even email accounts
    - The idea is that every time I login to one of these accounts, they will either text or email me a code that I enter to prove that I am the owner of the account and to protect my account
    - I am not put off by this authentication, because I want to make sure my accounts are secure

WE
- Third party authentication
  - - How many of us have had to do that recently?
    - Perhaps some of us do not want to be bothered with receiving a code and entering it in order to gain access to our accounts
- Banking
  - - Some of us don’t use a computer, but we’ve probably been to the bank to withdrawal money or cash a check
    - When we do that, the teller asks us for our ID, so we can prove that we are who we say we are

Jesus appeared to ten of His disciples on the day He came alive again. There was one disciple who was missing from that initial meeting. As we learned in the sunrise service, the wound made by the spear would have been a unique identifying factor that it was Jesus who was appearing to them. No other person, who was crucified, had that unique mark. We’ll see today that the disciple, who missed the initial meeting, says he’ll never believe that Jesus is alive unless he can put his fingers in the nail holes in Jesus’ hands, and place his hand in the spear hole in Jesus’ side. He wanted physical proof before he would believe. Jesus challenges him on this and speaks a blessing over those who believe without seeing. John wants us to know that . . .

BIG IDEA – Jesus is pleased when we believe without seeing.

Let’s pray

GOD (John 20:24-31)
- Thomas’ Unbelief (vv. 24-25)
  - - Who is Thomas
      - A twin
        The name Thomas is Aramaic
        The name Didymus is Greek
        They both mean “twin”
        We’re not told who his twin was
      - A disciple
        He is one of the Twelve
        Jesus had chosen him as one of His closest disciples
        We know from church history that Thomas took the message of Jesus Christ to India and gave his life for the Gospel while there [Courson, Jon Courson’s Application Commentary, New Testament, 596]
      - A realist
        John 11:16, Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” (this was in response to Jesus encouraging His disciples to come with Him to see Lazarus, who had died – Thomas realized the volatility of going back to Judea so soon after the Jews had tried to stone Jesus)
        John 14:1-6, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
      - As a realist, he would have been skeptical about the possibility of Jesus’ resurrection, which is why he may not have been together with the other disciples on that first day of the week – for Thomas, the three-year journey of faith was done – perhaps he was feeling hopeless and just wanted to be alone
    - Thomas absent
      - During the sunrise service, we looked at the episode that Thomas missed
        It was on the evening of that first day of the week – the day that Jesus came alive again
        The disciples were behind locked doors for fear of the Jews and Jesus miraculously appeared to them and greeted them with “peace”
        He showed them His hands and side
      - Thomas wasn’t with them when Jesus appeared to them
        “Thomas is a good warning to all of us not to miss meeting together with God’s people on the Lord’s Day.” [Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, New Testament, Volume 1, 394]
        Hebrews 10:22-25, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
        “Remember Thomas when you are tempted to stay home from church. You never know what special blessing you might miss!” [Wiersbe, 394]
        Application
        Think about a time when you didn’t “feel” like coming to church, but after you came, you left feeling refreshed, renewed, filled with joy, peace, comfort, and contentment
        Early in my tenure here, we had a movement of the Holy Spirit that happened during second service that was powerful. A young man was listening to the message and as I was finishing up, he fell to his knees and began to flail around, knocking down some of the metal chairs. He stood up and came towards me. I embraced him as he kept repeating a man’s name. I asked him what we needed to know about that man. He eventually looked at me, blinked his eyes, and then said, “what just happened?” This young man had spoken with me, earlier in the week, about the man, whose name he was repeating. That man had been going through a difficult time and this young man was trying to help him. Something supernatural happened that day and not everyone in the church was there to experience it. The Holy Spirit of God was speaking through this young man and it was powerful!
      - Thomas had missed something supernatural and powerful and the other disciples tried to explain it to him
    - The disciples’ witness
      - Told
        In the Greek this verb is in the imperfect tense, which means it is a continual or repeated action [Blue Letter Bible, https://www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/jhn/20/1/t_concf_1017025]
        The other disciples didn’t just mention it to Thomas once, they kept on telling him
        I can only imagine that the reason they kept on telling him is because he was shaking his head from side to side in disbelief
        This didn’t make logical sense to Thomas, the realist
        “My aunt and uncle had a missionary family visiting. When the missionary children were called in for dinner, their mother said, ‘Be sure to wash your hands.’
        
        The little boy scowled and said, ‘Germs and Jesus. Germs and Jesus. That's all I hear, and I've never seen either one of them.’”
        
        Source: Vesper Bauer, Audubon, Iowa, Christian Reader (Sep/Oct 1998).
        
        [https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2000/february/12256.html]
        The little boy did not understand the importance of washing his hands, because he had never seen a germ
        Thomas did not understand the importance of Jesus’ resurrection, because he had not seen Jesus like the other disciples had
      - Seen
        This Greek verb is in the perfect tense, meaning that it was an action completed in the past, once and for all, not needing to be repeated [Blue Letter Bible, https://www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/jhn/20/1/t_concf_1017025]
        The disciples were telling Thomas again and again that they had seen the Lord – it was a fact – He was alive!
        Application
        PRINCIPLE #1 – God is pleased when we tell others about Jesus.
        “The disciples who had experienced the surprising appearance of Jesus and his empowering commissioning were apparently enthusiastically ready to share the details of their postresurrection experience of ‘the Lord.’” [Borchert, The New American Commentary, John 12-21, 312]
        I always enjoy being around new believers, because their enthusiasm for sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ is contagious
        They aren’t complacent, apprehensive, or fearful about sharing it with anyone and everyone
        For long-time believers, the enthusiasm seems to wear off, because they have been confronted with those who are skeptical and those who refuse to believe in Jesus – we are no longer enthusiastic and excited about sharing the Gospel
        I believe the reason this happens in our lives is because we have a false idea of our role as messengers of the Gospel
        We have this incorrect belief that if people don’t believe in Jesus, after we share the Gospel with them, that we have somehow failed God and Jesus
        Our responsibility is not to convert and convince, but to communicate
        1 Corinthians 3:6-7, I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters in anything, but only God, who makes things grow.
        Planting and watering are both forms of communicating
        The planter is the one who shares the Gospel with an individual for the first time
        The waterer is the one who shares the Gospel with an individual a second, third, fourth, fifth, or more times
        Whether or not someone believes in Jesus, when you share the Gospel with them, does not define success or failure
        When we simply communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ with someone, we succeed in God’s eyes – He is pleased!
        That should change everything for us
        We should be excited and enthusiastic about sharing the Gospel
        #1 – My Next Step Today Is To: Enthusiastically share the Gospel with my family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers.
        Now that we know, success is simply communicating and not convincing or converting, let’s plant and water with enthusiasm and watch as God makes it grow!
        Who will you plan to share the Gospel with this week?
        The other disciples were enthusiastically and repeatedly telling Thomas that they had seen the Lord – He was alive!
      - What we see with Thomas’ response is that he probably got tired of the other disciples repeatedly telling him they had seen the Lord
    - Thomas’ demands
      - Thomas wanted proof – he wanted to experience what the other disciples had experienced and even more
        He didn’t just want to see Jesus’ hands and side
        He wanted to put his fingers in the holes where the nails had been
        He wanted to put his hand in the whole created by the spear
      - “Thomas’ words help to understand the difference between doubt and unbelief. Doubt says, ‘I cannot believe! There are too many problems!’ Unbelief says, ‘I will not believe unless you give me the evidence I ask for!’” [Wiersbe, 394]
        Some people are right there, right now
        They are telling us that they will not believe in Jesus unless He gives them the evidence they are asking for
        They want all their questions answered to their satisfaction
        If God is all-loving, then why does He allow bad things to happen?
        If God is all-powerful, then why doesn’t He stop bad things from happening?
        God is both all-loving and all-powerful in addition to being sovereign, all-knowing, ever present, unchanging, infinite, holy, righteous, and so much more
        It’s the arrogance of humanity to believe that we can understand all of who God is and how He operates as an infinite God
        They want physical proof that God and Jesus exist
        It’s the arrogance of humanity to demand that God provide the evidence we ask for before we will believe in Him
        Isaiah 55:8-9, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
        1 Corinthians 1:27-29, But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.
        Ephesians 3:20-21, Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
        Jesus is pleased when we believe without seeing.
      - Thomas’ declaration
        Thomas tells the other disciples that he will not believe it without his demands being fulfilled
        In the Greek there is a double negative, ou mē, which gives his declaration an emphatic push
        It could be translated, “I’ll never believe it!” [Milne, The Bible Speaks Today, The Message of John, 302] or “I positively will not believe!” [Wiersbe, 394]
        Thomas is saying, in no uncertain terms, that if his demands for proof are not met, he will never believe that Jesus is alive
    - Jesus is gracious with Thomas, and his demands, and does the supernatural again, within the week
- Thomas’ Belief (vv. 26-29)
  - - Thomas present
      - All of the eleven disciples were together in the same house one week later
      - Perhaps the other ten disciples told Thomas not to miss this Sunday gathering
      - Jesus again appears to His disciples, even though they are behind locked doors
      - He greeted them again with “peace be with you”
      - I’m sure they needed peace as he supernaturally gained access to the room they thought was secure
      - Jesus doesn’t waste any time in challenging Thomas
    - Jesus’ challenge
      - Jesus basically repeats Thomas’ demands back to him
      - “Here you go, Thomas! Put your fingers in the nail holes in my wrists. Put your hand in the spear whole in my side.”
        PRINCIPLE #2 – Jesus is omnipresent
        “Here Jesus is teaching a lesson of great import, for in repeating Thomas’s ultimatum, it’s as if He’s saying, ‘Boys, even though you don’t see Me, I’m with you always.’” [Courson, 597]
        Because Jesus is omnipresent, He hears and knows our deepest desires
        Application
        This is a foundational truth principle for us as believers – Jesus is always present with us
        No matter what we are going through, we can trust that He is here
        Maybe you’re feeling lonely, anxious, depressed, overwhelmed, worried, fearful, unsure, or concerned
        You may be struggling physically, emotionally, financially, relationally, and/or spiritually
        Jesus is right there with you
        Even if you can’t see Him or feel His presence with you, He is there
        Hebrews 13:5-6, Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”
        #2 – My Next Step Today Is To: Claim the truth promise that Jesus is always present with me.
        The second part of Jesus’ challenge is His exhortation for Thomas to stop doubting and believe
      - Stop doubting and believe
        The literal translation of the Greek text would be, “Do not become unbelieving [apistos] but believing [pistos].” [Burge, The NIV Application Commentary, John, 562] or “Do not be unbelieving but believing.” [Carson, The Pillar New Testament Commentary, The Gospel According to John, 657]
        Thomas wasn’t saying that he couldn’t believe, because there were too many problems (doubt), but rather that he would not believe (unbelief), without physical proof
        “Authentic believing was the issue,” not doubt [Borchert, 314]
        Hebrews 3:12-13, See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.
      - Jesus’ presence, challenge, and exhortation was enough for Thomas
    - Thomas’ confession
      - The only response that Thomas could have at this point was to confess who Jesus was – “My Lord and my God!”
      - Thomas’ confession accomplished two things
        It recognized Jesus’ authority
        Confessing that Jesus was his Lord, meant that Thomas was submitting to His authority as Master
        We must do the same thing when we come to believe in Jesus – submit to Him as our Master
        It recognized Jesus’ deity
        PRINCIPLE #3 – Jesus is God!
        Thomas knew that only God had the power to do the supernatural
        God is the only One who is always present with us and knows everything about us, including our thoughts and desires
      - Thomas wanted physical, material proof that Jesus was alive
        Most of the time we refer to Thomas as “Doubting Thomas” and can be pretty critical of him
        He was in good company though, because Peter, John, and the other disciples didn’t believe the testimony of the women, including Mary Magdalene
        Peter and John had to see the empty tomb for themselves – they wanted physical and material proof
      - Jesus then offers a blessing over those who would never experience the physical and material proof that Thomas and the other disciples did
    - Jesus’ blessing
      - Jesus tells Thomas that he believed, because He was granted the physical and material proof he had demanded
      - Jesus then blesses those who have not seen and yet have believed
        If you have believed in Jesus, He was talking about you!
        You can personalize that part of verse 29 today
        “Blessed is _______ (your name) who has not seen and yet has believed.” [have everyone repeat the verse with their name in it]
        Hebrews 11:1, Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
        Jesus is pleased when we believe without seeing.
    - This naturally transitions to our belief
- Our Belief (vv. 30-31)
  - - More miraculous signs
      - John gives us some concluding remarks, which includes the theme verse for the entire Gospel of John
      - John lets us know that Jesus obviously did many other miraculous signs while His disciples were with Him
      - We don’t know how many miraculous signs Jesus did while on earth
      - It’s also probable that He did miraculous signs when His disciples were not with Him
      - John does not record the other miraculous signs
    - John’s witness
      - John records eight miraculous signs in his Gospel
        Turning the water into wine at the wedding feast in Cana (John 2:1-11)
        Healing of the nobleman’s son (John 4:46-54)
        Healing of the lame man at the pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-17)
        Feeding of the 5,000 (John 6:1-14)
        Jesus walking on the water (John 6:15-21)
        Healing the man born blind (John 9:1-12)
        Death and resurrection of Lazarus (John 11:1-45)
        Catching of fish (John 21:1-11)
      - These eight miraculous signs, that John records, are for the purpose of helping us to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God
      - When we believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, then we can have life in His name
        The life that John is talking about is eternal life
        He says it this way in John 3:16-18, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”
        We are all born in sin, Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned – for before the law was given, sin was in the world. (Romans 5:12-13a)
        God sent Jesus to take our punishment for sin
        God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Cor. 5:21)
        He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. (1 Peter 2:24)
        #3 – My Next Step Today Is To: Believe in Jesus and receive God’s eternal life.
        We have to believe without seeing the physical and material proof of Jesus’ resurrected body
        We have to believe the eye witness accounts that are recorded in the Bible
      - Jesus is pleased when we believe without seeing.

YOU
- Are you ready to enthusiastically share the Gospel?
- Do you need to claim the promise that Jesus is present with you?
- Are you ready to believe in Jesus without seeing Him and receive eternal life?

- Our mission is to pursue, grow, and multiple disciples for Jesus

CONCLUSION

“Tim Keller tells the following story about the power of Christ's resurrection:

A minister was in Italy, and there he saw the grave of a man who had died centuries before who was an unbeliever and completely against Christianity, but a little afraid of it too. So the man had a huge stone slab put over his grave so he would not have to be raised from the dead in case there is a resurrection from the dead. He had insignias put all over the slab saying, ‘I do not want to be raised from the dead. I don't believe in it.’ Evidently, when he was buried, an acorn must have fallen into the grave. So a hundred years later the acorn had grown up through the grave and split that slab. It was now a tall towering oak tree. The minister looked at it and asked, ‘If an acorn, which has power of biological life in it, can split a slab of that magnitude, what can the acorn of God's resurrection power do in a person's life?’

Keller comments:

The minute you decide to receive Jesus as Savior and Lord, the power of the Holy Spirit comes into your life. It's the power of the resurrection—the same thing that raised Jesus from the dead …. Think of the things you see as immovable slabs in your life—your bitterness, your insecurity, your fears, your self-doubts. Those things can be split and rolled off. The more you know him, the more you grow into the power of the resurrection.”

Source: Nancy Guthrie, editor, Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross (Crossway, 2009), p. 136.

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2012/march/7032612.html].

April 17, 2022/by Office

The Deed Dance

Origins Genesis Sunday Morning Stuart Johns Glorifying God, Rejoice, Trust

Origins

The Deed Dance

(Genesis 23:1-20)

INTRODUCTION

Walt Disney made a statement that is the premise behind the animated movie Meet the Robinsons.

He said, “Around here, however, we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors, doing new things, because we’re curious . . . and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”

BODY

ME
- Moving a lot
  - - Since Judy and I have moved around a lot during our 30 years of marriage, we have not really thought about where we would be buried when we die
    - Most people don’t like to talk about death to begin with, much less, about burial plots
    - We have discussed it a couple of times over the past 30 years, but I’m not sure we have settled on anything yet
    - We haven’t purchased burial plots
    - We haven’t met with the funeral home to discuss their services
- Wills, estates, and burial plots
  - - I have started thinking more about it, especially after the Stewardship Lifestyle Seminar and meeting with the lawyer to discuss our will and estate planning
    - My family
      - Salem Cemetery in Chambersburg, PA (Johns and Rife) – my parents will be buried there
      - Browns Mill Presbyterian Cemetery in Chambersburg, PA – behind Rhodes Grove Camp & Conference Center (Hykes and Kennedy)
    - Grove family
      - With Mabel Groves’ funeral this week, I was reminded again that Judy and I do not have burial plots
      - When we had the burial service at Barrens Salem Union Cemetery, the family was showing me the other headstones where extended family has been buried

WE
- How about you and your family?
  - - Most families have a particular cemetery where most of them have been buried or will be buried
    - This is usually the case with most families
- Long standing tradition
  - - This is not a recent tradition in our lifetime or even the generation before us
    - The idea of a family burial place comes to us from the Patriarchs
    - Abraham was just as concerned about securing a family burial space
    - I’m in good in company, because Abraham did not plan ahead for this either
    - It wasn’t until his wife Sarah’s death that he secured the family burial plot

Abraham was fully committed to God’s divine plan for him and his descendants. Once he entered the Promised Land, he didn’t look back – he kept moving forward. As we will see in Genesis 23:1-20, today, Abraham doesn’t take Sarah back to Mesopotamia to bury her. Rather, he purchases property in Canaan. What we will learn from Abraham’s example is that . . .

BIG IDEA – Faith in God’s divine word gives us strength and confidence to keep moving forward.

Let’s pray

GOD (Genesis 23:1-20)
- Death (vv. 1-2)
  - - Sarah’s age
      - Sarah is the only woman in the Bible whose age is revealed
        Fun note: perhaps this is why we never ask a woman her age
        We know she is 127 years old when she dies
      - “All that we know of Sarah’s activities between the age of 90 and 127 is that she gave birth to Isaac and died thirty-seven years later.” [Hamilton, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament, The Book of Genesis, Chapters 18-50, 125]
      - It is three years before Isaac’s marriage to Rebekah
      - Abraham is 137 years old
      - They have been in Canaan for sixty-two years
    - Where she died
      - Kiriath Arba
        This would have been the name of the town when Abraham and Sarah lived there
        The narrator gives the audience the modern city name to help them know where he is talking about
        Joshua 14:15, (Hebron used to be called Kiriath Arba after Arba, who was the greatest man among the Anakites.)
        “‘Kiriath Arba’ means ‘city of four’ (qiryat ʾarbaʿ), which may originally have referred to a group of four related cities (Aner, Eschcol, Mamre, and Hebron, see comments on 14:14).” [Mathews, The New American Commentary, Volume 1B, Genesis 11:27-50:26, 315]
      - In the land of Canaan – the Promised Land
    - Abraham’s grief
      - The passage makes it sound like Abraham was somewhere else when Sarah passed away
      - He was not in Hebron at the time, so where was he?
        Genesis 22:19, Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beersheba. And Abraham stayed in Beersheba.
        This was just after Abraham and Isaac returned from the top of Mt. Moriah, where the Lord tested Abraham by asking him to sacrifice Isaac
        If you remember, it was a three-day journey from Beersheba to Mt. Moriah (close to Jerusalem) [50-60 miles]
        Beersheba is 26.4 miles south of Hebron (it would have been about a day and half journey)
        Perhaps Sarah remained in a clan community in the grove of Mamre near Hebron while Abraham and Isaac helped with the flocks and herds in Beersheba
        Abraham had dug a well in Beersheba when he and Abimelech struck a contract
        It would have been a natural place for them to shepherd their herds and flocks, since the well was there
        Abraham followed the mourning rites of the ancient Near East as he mourned and wept for Sarah
      - Mourning and weeping
        The mourning rites would have included “loud weeping, tearing clothes, sitting in dirt, wearing sackcloth, and shaving the head.” [Mathews, 315]
        Mourning would “involve crying out, exclamations of grief that may be a ritual lament, although not the cries of a formal poetic lament.” [Mathews, 315]
        It was not uncommon in Biblical times for the surviving family members to mourn loudly
        The neighbors would have known immediately that someone had died, because of the loud laments of the family
        In some cases, there were professional mourners who would join the family in their grief
        Our grief today is much more subdued, though I have experienced family members who have wept openly and loudly
        There is certainly nothing wrong with expressing our grief openly and loudly
        Weeping was how a person would express their grief either over the death of a loved one or a difficult situation – it has the idea of shedding tears
        Warren Wiersbe relates this encounter, “The late Vance Havner had a wife named Sarah. Shortly after her untimely death, I was with Dr. Havner at the Moody Bible Institute, and I shared my condolences with him. ‘I’m sorry to hear you lost your wife,’ I said to him when we met in the dining room. He smiled and replied, ‘Son, when you know where something is, you haven’t lost it.’” [Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, Pentateuch, 111]
        What a great reminder for us today
        Philippians 1:21-23, For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far;
        Read 2 Corinthians 5:1-8
        Revelation 14:13, Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”
        When our loved ones, who have a personal relationship with Jesus, depart from this world, we can rejoice, because they are not lost – they are with Jesus!
        #1 – My Next Step Today Is To: Rejoice over my loved ones who have passed away and had a personal relationship with Jesus, because they are with Him now.
        This is the hope we have as disciples of Jesus Christ – we will one day be with Him also
        Read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
    - As soon as Abraham completes his mourning and weeping, he sets his sights on purchasing a burial location for Sarah
- Deed (vv. 3-18)

- - - This section is broken into three movements that all begin the same Hebrew word, qûm or wayyāqom in the Qal form
      - It is translated “rose” in verses 3 and 7 (arise: after lying down; from bending over the dead)
      - It is translated “was deeded” in verses 17 and 20 (stand: especially figuratively; be established, confirmed, of purchase)
    - First movement (vv. 3-6)
      - It includes the initial round of negotiations with the Hittites
        Abraham rose (qûm) – he got up from beside Sarah’s body after mourning and weeping
        Abraham’s request
        Alien and a stranger
        Abraham addresses the Hittites (the sons of Heth)
        “A ‘resident alien’ (gēr; cf. 15:13) is someone who does not belong by right in a place; a ‘settler’ (tûšāb) is someone who is nevertheless staying there semi-permanently.” [Goldingay, Baker Commentary on the Old Testament, Pentateuch, Genesis, 367]
        Abraham had tenant status with them, since he had been living among them for years (settler idea)
        A stranger had some recognition in the community, but could not own property of his own [Kidner cited by Gangel & Bramer, Holman Old Testament Commentary, Genesis, 200]
        “The truth was that Abraham owned the whole land. God had given it to him, but there was no way he could convince his neighbors of that.” [Wiersbe, 111]
        Imagine going to the current residents of a home and telling them that God has given you their home
        How do you think that conversation is going to go?
        Instead, Abraham comes humbly before the Hittite people
        Sell me some property
        Abraham humbles himself before the Hittites and asks for permission to buy property in their land, which would give him a permanent foothold in Canaan
        Abraham would no longer be an alien and stranger, but rather a land owner and a permanent part of the community
        From this little parcel of land, the descendants of Abraham would fill the whole land
        “The man has no land of his own, but by acquiring Hittite property he demonstrates his reliance on the prior promise of the Lord (cp. Jer 32:6-15).” [Mathews, 317]
        PRINCIPLE #1 – God is pleased when we have faith in His divine promises.
        Abraham believed God for the birth of Isaac and it was credited to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6)
        Abraham had faith that God would establish his descendants in Canaan and therefore he asked to purchase land in Canaan to bury his dead
        God always keeps His promises
        He promises to never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5-6; Matt. 28:20)
        He promises to always love us (Jer. 31:3)
        He promises to forgive our sins when we confess and repent (1 John 1:9)
        He promises to provide for us – supply all our needs according to His riches (Phil. 4:19); He will add all these things to us when we seek His kingdom and righteousness first (Matt. 6:33); God, who didn’t spare His own Son, will also graciously give us all things (Rom. 8:32)
        There are so many more promises of God found in His Word
        Where do we need to exercise our faith in God’s promises?
        #2 – My Next Step Today Is To: Trust by faith that God will fulfill His divine promises in my life.
        Faith in God’s divine word gives us strength and confidence to keep moving forward.
        Abraham needed some land with a cave on it to bury his dead
        Hittites’ response
        Mighty prince
        The Hittites recognized Abraham’s status within their community
        They called him a mighty prince
        In Hebrew it means, “a prince with God,” “a prince of God,”
        They see Abraham as “God’s elect one” [Hamilton, 129]
        They recognized God’s protection and provision for Abraham (He was given animals and slaves from Pharaoh and Abimelech and Sarah received a thousand shekels of silver from Abimelech)
        Abraham had defeated the five kings that had attacked the region where Sodom and Gomorrah were located and returned all of the people to that region
        Abraham had become very wealthy with silver, gold, and animals
        Abraham was well known throughout Canaan
        Overall he had a good reputation with the people of Canaan
        PRINCIPLE #2 – God is glorified when our lives testify about Him.
        We have the same opportunity that Abraham did, but in our own communities
        Do our lives testify about the Lord’s protection and provision?
        Do our lives testify about how awesome God is?
        Do our lives show others the transforming power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
        #3 – My Next Step Today Is To: Glorify God by living a life that testifies about Him.
        Because of Abraham’s reputation in Canaan the Hittites inform him that he can have his pick of any of their tombs
        Have your choice of our tombs
        The Hittites offer their choicest tombs to Abraham
        They are willing to have Sarah buried in any of their tombs
        Important note: The offer does not include land ownership, but simply space in their tombs
        There was normally a preparation table in each tomb where the bodies were prepared for burial
        There were other chambers where the most recently deceased person was laid
        Eventually, the remaining bones were piled up in the back of the tomb
        So, we see why the Hittites were amiable in offering their tombs to Abraham
        Perhaps they assumed that Abraham would take her bones when he moved on [Goldingay, 367]
      - The first movement ends with the offer of any tomb, but Abraham has a specific cave in mind
    - Second movement (vv. 7-16)
      - It includes two additional rounds of speeches
        First round is addressed to the “people of the land,” but also includes the specific piece of land that Abraham is desiring from Ephron (vv. 7-11)
        Abraham rose (qûm) – he got up from sitting in the gate of the city (v. 7)
        Abraham continues to be respectful and humble as he makes his specific request
        He stands up only to bow down before the Hittite people, in respect
        Abraham’s request (vv. 8-9)
        Abraham is still feeling out the situation with the Hittites when he says, “If you are willing to let me bury my dead . . .”
        He asks the Hittite leaders to intercede on his behalf with Ephron son of Zohar
        Ephron owns a field that has a cave at the end of it
        The cave is named Machpelah
        The name actually means “double-cave” or “split-cave”
        Perhaps there were to chambers in this cave, either side-by-side or one on top of the other
        Abraham is only interested in the cave at the end of the field, and is willing to pay the fair market value for it
        Ephron’s response (vv. 10-11)
        Ephron was sitting among the Hittites that were gathered
        At the end of verse 10 the city is identified as his city
        Perhaps Ephron was the main leader of the city where he lived
        Ephron offers both the field and the cave that is on it to Abraham as a gift
        We have to understand that this was the typical bargaining process in the ancient Near East
        Ephron was not really offering the field and cave for free
        “If Abraham had accepted the land as a gift when it was offered, he would have insulted Ephron, who then would have rescinded his offer. Many Middle Eastern shopkeepers still follow this ritual with their customers.” [NIV Life Application Bible, footnote for Genesis 23:10-15]
        Had Abraham accepted the free offer, Ephron’s family could potentially come back after his death and reclaim the field and cave
        Abraham understood the bargaining ritual, so he continues his dialogue with Ephron
        Second round addresses Ephron directly and the payment for the field and cave (vv. 12-16)
        Abraham once again bows before the people of the land in respect
        Abraham offers to buy the field that the cave sits on
        Ephron continues the bargaining process by stating that the land is worth 400 shekels of silver
        This was an exorbitant price for the field, especially based on other land transactions found in Scripture
        “David paid only one-eighth that amount—50 shekels of silver—for the purchase of the temple site from Araunah (2 Sam. 24:24). Jeremiah paid 17 shekels of silver for his cousin’s field in Anathoth (Jer. 32:9). Omri paid fifteen times as much as Abraham—two talents of silver (6,000 shekels)—for the large hill of Samaria (1 K. 16:24).” [Hamilton, 135]
        Ephron didn’t consider the price exorbitant, because he states, but what is that between me and you?
        He probably knew how wealthy Abraham was
        “The custom of the day was to ask double the fair market value of the land, fully expecting the buyer to offer half the stated price.” [NIV Life Application Bible, footnote for Genesis 23:16]
        Abraham agrees to the price without haggling and weighs out the 400 shekels of silver, according to the weight current among the merchants
        The transaction was done in the presence of the people of the land, so that there were plenty of witnesses
      - With the purchase complete, the final movement summarizes everything that just happened
    - Third movement (vv. 17-18)
      - The property and location
        The field, cave, and trees within the borders of the field
        Machpelah near Mamre
      - The people
        Ephron
        Abraham
        This is the third time that (qûm) is used
        Here it is translated as “was deeded,” “made sure,” “established,” “secured”
        “Literally, the phrase is ‘rose [and went over] to.’ That is, the deed ‘rose and went to Abraham.’” [Waltke, Genesis: A Commentary, 321]
        Plenty of witnesses – all the Hittites that had come to the gate of the city
    - The transaction is complete and Abraham can finally bury Sarah

- Done (vv. 19-20)
  - - I’m sure that Abraham didn’t waste any time in completing the burial process
    - The location of the cave is mentioned again
    - The transfer of ownership is mentioned one last time

YOU
- You don’t have to weep like those who have no hope
  - - When your family members, who have a personal relationship with Jesus, pass away, you can rejoice, because they are with Jesus
    - They are not lost
- God keeps His promises
  - - He will never leave you or forsake you
    - He will always love you and forgive you, when you repent
    - He will always provide for you, and so much more
    - So, you can trust by faith that God will fulfill His divine promises in your life
- Glorifying God with your life is an incredible way to testify about Him with others

WE
- We can rejoice with friends who have believing family that have passed away, because we know where they are at (we can also mourn with them as they grieve)
- We can encourage each other with the promises of God, found in Scripture
- We can urge each other on in living lives that glorify God

CONCLUSION

“In November 1858, missionary John Paton landed in the New Hebrides to establish a ministry among the people. On February 12, 1859, his wife gave birth to a son; and on March 3, his wife died. Seventeen days later, the baby died. ‘But for Jesus and the fellowship He gave me there,’ said Paton, ‘I must have gone mad and died beside that lonely grave.’

But we do not sorrow as those who have no hope! We have been born again, ‘to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead’ (1 Peter 1:3, NKJV), and we are ‘looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ’ (Titus 2:13).”

[Wiersbe, 113]

April 10, 2022/by Office

All In The Family

Origins Genesis Sunday Morning Stuart Johns Obedience, Provides

Origins

All In The Family

(Genesis 22:20-24)

INTRODUCTION

“My parents, Salvation Army officers, were out on a miserable December night for an open-air meeting. Not another person was around, but my dad said that ‘God didn't need people to be out listening--he only needed us to be faithful.’ So they played a few carols and Dad gave a short message before everyone retreated inside.

A few weeks later, Dad was ringing the bell at a mall when a lady asked him if he had been on that street corner two weeks earlier. She explained: ‘My father had been in a coma for six months. We were dreading the holidays since Dad was not really with us. But then we heard the carols, and to our amazement, my father sat up and said, ‘That's God's music.’ And with that he died.’ What an encouraging proof of God's faithfulness to those who are faithful.”

Source: Pauline Hylton, Christian Reader, Vol. 33, no. 6.

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/1998/september/3989.html]

BODY

ME
- God’s provision in FL
  - - When we were expecting Wade, we had decided to live off of my income and put Judy’s income into savings
    - So, the last year she taught before Wade was born, we put her income into savings
    - After Wade was born, we moved back to Ohio and it took me several months to get a job
    - I began serving with Child Evangelism Fellowship of Hardin and Hancock Counties
    - Before I began serving with CEF, we were living off of the savings that we had put aside from Judy’s last year of teaching
    - God knew our future and He provided what we needed for the interim
- God’s provision in CA
  - - He did the same thing when I resigned from Every Generation Ministries in CA and we took several months to travel across the country and visit with family
    - We were able to live off of income that we had saved
    - God had prepared us once again for a major transition and had provided
    - God was faithful through our obedience

WE
- How have we seen God’s faithfulness when we have been obedient?
  - - Take a moment to think about that for yourself
    - When has God asked you to obediently follow Him?
    - Did you listen?
    - What was the result? How did you experience His faithfulness?

Abraham had obediently followed the Lord’s direction in sacrificing his only son Isaac. We saw last week that God provided a ram as a substitute for Isaac. In the final five verses of chapter 22, we see the genealogy of Nahor, Abraham’s brother. God knew just what Isaac would need in the future and He was already preparing the way for him. Through this short transitional section, we will see that . . .

BIG IDEA – God is faithful when we are obedient.

Let’s pray

GOD (Genesis 22:20-24)
- News from home (v. 20a)
  - - Some time later
      - These are the exact same words that are used in Genesis 22:1
      - It simply lets us know that time has passed
      - It is an indefinite amount of time – we do not know how much time has passed
    - Abraham was told
      - In verse 1 we know that God is the one who spoke to Abraham
      - Here in verse 20 we do not know who told Abraham about his brother
      - It is probable that one of Nahor’s children came from the East to visit Abraham and shared the news about his siblings
      - It is all speculation, because God’s Word does not identify who told Abraham
    - What is shared next is Nahor’s genealogy
- Nahor’s sons (vv. 20b-24)

- - - Notes about the genealogy
      - Why is Nahor’s genealogy shared here?
        “[This] is the start of the narrative’s epilogue (22:20-25:11). With the question of Abraham’s faithfulness and the identity of the heir settled (22:1-19), the epilogue transitions Abraham’s story to the Jacob narrative (25:19-35:29) by establishing the union of Isaac and Rebekah who parent Jacob and his brother (25:21-26). . . . Reporting the productivity of the Nahor clan after the promise of blessing for ‘all nations’ (v. 18) implies that the Nahor history is part of the beginning fulfillment; . . .” [Mathews, The New American Commentary, Volume 1B, Genesis 11:27-50:26, 306]
        “. . . it prepares the way for the history of the marriage of the heir of the promise.” [Keil & Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament, Volume 1, The Pentateuch, 162]
      - The genealogy is important for the narrative that follows in Genesis 24
      - Nahor’s genealogy includes twelve sons by two women
    - Through his wife, Milcah (mil-kaw’)
      - Milcah was Nahor’s niece
        She was the daughter of Haran, Nahor’s brother
        She was the sister of Lot
        [Show the family tree]
        The intermarrying of family was not considered taboo in the ancient Near East
        The mention of Milcah also bearing children, perhaps gives us insight into the conversation that Abraham was having with this unidentified individual
        They were catching up on each other’s lives
        Abraham had shared about Sarah giving birth to Isaac
        He probably shared about Hagar having Ishmael
        This prompted the individual to inform Abraham that Nahor’s wife, Milcah had also borne sons to his brother
        Who were these sons? [show more of the family tree]
      - Sons by Milcah (mil-kaw’)
        It begins with a statement about Milcah also being a mother and bearing sons to Abraham’s brother Nahor (opens the inclusio)
        Uz (oots) “wooded”
        Firstborn
        Jeremiah 25:20 and Lamentations 4:21 refer to a city named Uz located in Arabia [Hamilton, The Book of Genesis, Chapters 18-50, 118]
        Buz (booz) “contempt”
        “Places or tribes named Buz and Hazo were probably located in the mountainous region of northern Arabia, evidenced by the fact that in Jer. 25:23 Buz is mentioned along with Dedan and Tema, which are Arabian tribes or territories.” [Hamilton, 118]
        Kemuel (kem-oo-ale’) “raised of God”
        Father of Aram
        Kesed (keh’-sed) “increase”
        “Chesed may represent the Chaldeans of Lower Mesopotamia.” [Hamilton, 118]
        Hazo (khaz-o’) “vision”
        Pildash (pil-dawsh’) “flame of fire”
        Jidlaph (yid-lawf’) “weeping”
        Bethuel (beth-oo-ale’) “God destroys” or “man of God” or “dweller in God”
        Became the father of Rebekah
        “. . . noting ‘Rebekah’ in the genealogy (v. 23) refers to the future matriarch by whom blessing will occur for Abraham’s family and, ultimately, all nations.” [Mathews, 306-307]
        The inclusio is completed/closed with a nearly identical statement about Milcah bearing eight sons to Abraham’s brother Nahor
      - Then the visitor tells Abraham about the sons born to Nahor’s concubine
    - Through his concubine, Reumah (reh-oo-maw’)
      - “A concubine was a secondary wife, whose position was not considered disreputable in the East.” [Albert Barnes, Barnes’ Notes on the Old Testament, Accordance electronic ed. (Altamonte Springs: OakTree Software, 2006), paragraph 1765.]
      - Sons of Reumah [show the rest of the family tree]
        Tebah (teh’-bakh/teh’-vac) “a slaughter”
        Gaham (gah’-kham) “burning”
        “Gaham appears on a sixth-century inscription from Arad as one of eight persons from whom grain is either distributed to or collected from.” [Hamilton, 118]
        Tahash (takh’-ash) “dugong”
        Maacah (mah-ak-aw’) “oppression”
        “A place named Maacah is located between Gilead on the south, Bashan on the east, and Mt. Hermon to the north, that is, in southern Syria.” [Hamilton, 118]
      - Not much else is known about the other two sons born to Reumah
    - What can we learn from the passage that applies to our lives?

- Application
  - - PRINCIPLE #1 – “The Lord is faithful to all who love and obey Him from the heart.” (Boice)
      - We saw last week that Abraham obeyed the Lord by willingly offering his son as a sacrifice to the Lord
        The Lord provided a substitute for Isaac, so that Abraham’s line would continue through this promised son
        In this passage we see that the Lord is faithfully preparing the way for Abraham’s line to continue through Isaac and Rebekah
      - As followers/disciples of Jesus Christ and children of God, we can count on His faithfulness also
        Read Hebrews 11:1-40
        Abraham and many others obeyed God by faith and while none of them received what had been promised, they knew that God would faithfully complete what He had promised
      - What are you trusting the Lord to faithfully complete?
      - Are you loving and obeying Him from the heart?
      - My Next Step Today Is To: Love and obey the Lord from my heart and trust Him to faithfully complete His plan in my life.
    - PRINCIPLE #2 – “God provides for our needs before we even recognize them.” (Wenham)
      - God knew Abraham and Isaac’s need
        The Lord already knew that Isaac would need a wife
        The Lord also knew that Abraham would require his chief servant to swear an oath not to get a wife for Isaac from the Canaanites, but rather from his own relatives back east
        We see in this text that Rebekah is already named as one of Abraham’s relatives
        The stage is set for Genesis 24
      - God knows your every need
        He knows about your financial needs
        He knows about your emotional needs
        He knows about your physical needs
        He knows about your spiritual needs
        “If you let your need drive you to God, God will meet your deepest need.” [Craig Groeschel, Fight, Study Guide, 48]
        He knows about the needs you will have in the future
      - God is ready and willing to meet your needs when you seek His face
        Read Matthew 6:25-34
        Jesus reminds us that in our greatest need, our first response should be to seek His kingdom and His righteousness
        Too often we seek the kingdom of this world and our own strength and wisdom
        My Next Step Today Is To: Seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness and trust Him to provide for my every need.

CONCLUSION

“German pastor Martin Rinkart served in the walled town of Eilenburg during the horrors of the Thirty Years War of 1618-1648. Eilenburg became an overcrowded refuge for the surrounding area. The fugitives suffered from epidemic and famine. At the beginning of 1637, the year of the Great Pestilence, there were four ministers in Eilenburg. But one abandoned his post for healthier areas and could not be persuaded to return. Pastor Rinkart officiated at the funerals of the other two. As the only pastor left, he often conducted services for as many as 40 to 50 persons a day—some 4,480 in all. In May of that year, his own wife died. By the end of the year, the refugees had to be buried in trenches without services.

Yet living in a world dominated by death, Pastor Rinkart wrote the following prayer for his children to offer to the Lord:

Now thank we all our God
With hearts and hands and voices;
Who wondrous things hath done,
In whom this world rejoices.
Who, from our mother's arms,
Hath led us on our way,
With countless gifts of love,
And still is ours today.”

Source: Harry Genet, "The Unlikely Thanker," Men of Integrity (3-3-00)

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2009/november/3110909.html]

April 3, 2022/by Office

The Sent & Scattered Church

8 Marks Of The Church 1 Peter, Acts, Matthew Sunday Morning Stuart Johns Discipleship, Evangelism

8 Marks Of The Church

The Sent & Scattered Church

INTRODUCTION

Urban Legends

Lecture given by Bill Mounce about the Top Ten Myths about Missions

“Another part of our educational task in working with local churches is to realize that many people have myths about the missionary enterprise. I call this lecture, “Dispelling the Top Ten Myths about Missions.” We have many, many faulty ideas about missions that must be separated from our thinking so that we can be better equipped to think appropriately about the great missionary cause.

Unreached means gospel-resistant – many people in the world today who are unreached are unreached, not because they have been offered the gospel and were then resistant to it, but simply because they have never been offered the good news of Jesus Christ. They need to hear the Christian gospel.
Evangelism always leads to church planting – people somehow believe that if we just evangelize – if we just get the word out through radio broadcasts, through the internet, through whatever means – that we will somehow be able to win the world for Christ. . . . I believe that ultimately it takes churches to ultimately spawn other churches.
Missions means going to live in jungles somewhere – we have a tremendous growth in the number of people in the world that are actually living in urban areas. So the mission field today is much more likely to not be a remote jungle area – though we have missionaries who work in those areas – but actually more likely to be in a large urban setting.
The remaining work of missions can be done by national Christians – the idea is that what really needs to be done is to send our money, our checks, and let the national workers do it. If we are talking about a people among whom there are no Christians, or there is no viable church, then we simply are irresponsible if we say, ‘Oh, we’ll let the nationals do it,’ because there are no nationals who can do it.
Missionaries have destroyed cultures – somehow or another assumes that missionaries have gone out, have been a destructive force, and have in many ways been critical of the national, indigenous cultures that are there. What we actually find is missionaries have empowered cultures.
There are no job opportunities in missions – missionary work is probably the most diverse group of people in the world, doing every conceivable professional task, as well as all of the traditional Christian ministry tasks, from preaching, to counseling, church-planting, and so forth. There are many, many job opportunities.
Missions is only for the super spiritual – missionaries are quite ordinary people with quite ordinary tasks that they’re involved in around the world . . . missionaries have problems like everybody else. Missionaries go through difficulties like everybody else. Missionaries get discouraged like everybody else. Missionaries wonder at times whether they really are truly called by God or not, just like anybody else in ministry.
Short-term mission projects are sufficient to fulfill the Great Commission – I believe that short-term missions is a part of a larger strategy of missionary activity. . . . There is not replacement for the difficult, challenging, and sometimes arduous task of language learning and cultural adaptation.
Missionary commitment is mainly about giving money – we have to see that the financial support, though while it’s important, should be seen as a part of the larger commitment to send workers. Jesus says, ‘The harvest is ripe, the laborers are few, therefore, pray the Lord would send out laborers into his harvest.’
Hearing the Gospel is the same as being reached by the gospel – because someone can hear the gospel does not mean that they have been reached by the gospel.

[https://www.biblicaltraining.org/transcriptions/lecture-9-top-ten-myths-about-missions]

There are many common myths about the church that are misguided at best and dangerous at worst.

BODY

Myth
- You can gather as a church without going as a church and be a healthy church
- This myth, if believed, can be dangerous because:
  - - It gives a local church the false sense of security that they can holistically be the church without being with people who are not yet part of the church
    - It gives the church a distorted view of the heart of Jesus, who desires all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth
- We know this is a myth because Jesus said a clear mark of a healthy church would be a church filled with people who want to tell people outside the church about Him

Let’s pray

GOD
- MARK: The Sent & Scattered Church
  - - The Sent & Scattered Church and the Teaching of Jesus (Acts 1:8; Matthew 28:19-20)
      - Acts 1:8
        Background
        Luke reminds Theophilus that he wrote about, in his former book (Gospel of Luke), all that Jesus began to do and to teach until He was taken up to heaven
        Luke tells Theophilus that Jesus appeared to His apostles and disciples over a 40 day period, speaking about the kingdom of God and giving them commands
        When they were meeting together with Jesus, they asked Him when he was going to restore the kingdom to Israel
        This question probably arises from what Jesus tells them in Matthew 28:18, that all authority in heaven and on earth had been given to Him
        If Jesus had all authority, then surely He would be able to restore the kingdom to Israel
        They were thinking about shedding Roman rule
        Jesus was not talking about an earthly kingdom, but about a spiritual kingdom
        Jesus told them that they were not to know the times or dates that God has set for that to take place
        He wanted them to focus on spreading the Gospel (spiritual), instead of when the kingdom would be restored (physical/earthly)
        They had work to do, prior to God’s kingdom being restored on earth
        Then we see Jesus’ words in Acts 1:8
        Power
        The Greek word for power is dynamis
        “The Greek word dynamis entered the English language when the Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Bernhard Nobel (1833–96) made the discovery that became his fortune. He discovered a power stronger than anything the world had known up to that time. He asked a friend of his who was a Greek scholar what the word for ‘explosive power’ was in Greek. His friend answered, ‘Dynamis.’
        
        Nobel said, ‘Well, I am going to call my discovery by that name.’ So he called his explosive power ‘dynamite.’” [James Montgomery Boice, Acts, vol. 20 of Boice Expositional Commentary. Accordance electronic ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1997), 25.]
        They apostles were going to have power from the Holy Spirit to do several things:
        To know and truth of the Gospel and preach it with boldness
        The ability to speak other languages that they did not already know
        The ability to do miracles as proof of their commissioning
        The ability to endure many trials
        The power of the Holy Spirit would enable them to be Jesus’ witnesses
        Witnesses

- - - - The Greek word for “witness” is martys (mar’-toos)
        We get our English word for martyr from this Greek word
        In the historical sense the Greek word simply means, “one who testifies for one” or “to be a witness for one, serve him by testimony” [https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3144/nasb95/mgnt/0-1/]
        That is how it is used in Acts 1:8
        In an ethical sense it has the meaning that we associate with it in the English language – someone who gives their life as proof of the strength and genuineness of their faith – a martyr
        “. . . while some of God’s people have a calling to evangelism (Eph. 4:11), all of God’s people are expected to be witnesses and tell the lost about the Savior.” [Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Dynamic, BE Series Commentary. Accordance electronic ed. (Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 2010), 23.]
        “Every believer should be a ‘world Christian,’ able to function for the Savior from the other side of the street to the other side of the world.” [Kenneth O. Gangel, Acts, ed. Max Anders, vol. 5 of Holman New Testament Commentary. Accordance electronic ed. (Nashville: B & H Publishing Group, 1998), 10.]

- - - - Ever larger circles/outreach
        The apostles are to start in Jerusalem, then move to Judea and Samaria, and eventually to the ends of the earth
        The book of Acts really outlines this increasing outreach
        Acts 1-7 (Jerusalem)
        Acts 8-9 (Judea and Samaria)
        Acts 10-28 (ends of the earth)
        Judea & Samaria
        Acts 8:1, On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. (NIV)
        Acts 8:4-5, 14, Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there . . . When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. (NIV)
        Ends of the earth
        Paul’s missionary journeys took the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the known world
        “The uttermost parts of the earth have been given to the Saviour, (Psa. 2:8) and churches should not rest until He whose right it is shall come and reign, Ezek. 21:27.” [Albert Barnes, Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament, Accordance electronic ed. (Altamonte Springs: OakTree Software, 2006), paragraph 9119.]

- - - - Jesus encouraged His apostles to wait for the empowerment of the Holy Spirit and then to spread the Gospel in ever larger circles
        In Matthew 28, He tells them what the Gospel outreach should look like

- - - - Matthew 28:19-20
        Therefore
        What is the therefore, there for?
        It points back to what Jesus just said
        “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” (Matthew 28:18)
        Because all authority has been given to Jesus, He is commanding them to make disciples
        Make disciples
        This is the only command in these verses and it is an imperative
        Disciples
        “Being a disciple meant more than being a convert or a church member. Apprentice might be an equivalent term. A disciple attached himself to a teacher, identified with him, learned from him, and lived with him. He learned, not simply by listening, but also by doing.” [Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Loyal, BE Series Commentary. Accordance electronic ed. (Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 2010), 269.]
        “At the heart of our mission is the reproduction in others of what Jesus has produced in us: faith, obedience, growth, authority, compassion, love, and a bold, truthful message as his witnesses. They were learners commanded to produce more learners.” [Stuart K. Weber, Matthew, ed. Max Anders, vol. 1 of Holman New Testament Commentary. Accordance electronic ed. (Nashville: B & H Publishing Group, 2000), 484.]
        What is a disciple of Jesus Christ then? It is someone who: [Wiersbe, 269]
        Has believed on Jesus
        Has been baptized as an expression of their faith
        Is connected with a body of believers where they are learning God’s Word (truths of the faith)
        Is then able to go out and win others and teach them
        “How much faster our churches would grow, and how much stronger and happier our church members would be, if each one were discipling another believer.” [Wiersbe, 270.]
        As disciples of Jesus Christ, that begs the question, who am I discipling?
        It also begs the question, whom am I being discipled by?
        We are learners who are commanded to make more learners
        This model of disciples making disciples is part of revitalizing and strengthening the church
        Every one of us can share what God is teaching us through our own personal devotional time
        There are three participles that help us understand the imperative command of making disciples
        Going (aorist passive)
        It can mean “while you are going” or “when you have gone”
        It is an ongoing action, not a one-time thing
        “The point is that we believers are active; we are not inert. Going means crossing boundaries to make disciples—going across the street, going to dinner with an unbelieving friend, going into the inner city, going beyond one’s comfort zone to make the gospel accessible to the lost.” [Weber, 484-485.]
        Baptizing (present active)
        In the present tense and active voice, it means an ongoing process – as individuals believe on Jesus for salvation, they are to be baptized
        Baptism is an outward expression of an inward decision
        Baptism does not save you, it is an expression, publicly, that you are saved – that you are adopting and receiving the system of religion that is Christianity
        “So to be baptized in the name of the Father, etc., means publicly, by a significant rite, to receive the system of religion, to bind the soul to obey his laws; to be devoted to him; to receive, as the guide and comforter of the life, his system of religion; to obey his laws, and trust to his promises. To be baptized unto the Son, in like manner, is to receive him as the Messiah—our Prophet, Priest, and King; to submit to his laws, and to receive him as the Saviour of the soul. To be baptized unto the Holy Ghost is to receive him publicly as the Sanctifier, Comforter, and Guide of the soul.” [Barnes, paragraph 3272.]
        Teaching (present active)
        The present tense and active voice again mean ongoing teaching – “keep on teaching them”
        “By fulfilling the teaching portion of the Great Commission, we take believers at every stage of spiritual maturity to the next stage of growth.” [Weber, 486.]
        With you always
        Jesus tells us that He will be with us always as we accomplish His Great Commission
        This fact of His presence with us is something that will last until He returns
      - Jesus teaches us that we have the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to make disciples in every part the world until He returns
    - The Sent & Scattered Church and the Teaching of the Early Church (Acts 2:42-47)

- - - - Background
        We have been looking at Acts 2 quite a bit as it pertains to the teaching of the early church and the 8 marks of the church
        This was the establishment of the early church, so it very important for us to study
        We see in Acts 2:42-47 the apostles doing just what Jesus had commanded them to do, beginning in Jerusalem
        They were making disciples of all nations, especially in Jerusalem – remember, people from all over the known world were in Jerusalem for the Feast of Weeks (one of three major annual feasts for the Jews)
        Three thousand had already been added to their number after Peter spoke at Pentecost
        We see the fellowship of the believers in Acts 2:42-47
      - Fellowship of the believers
        Devoted to
        Apostles’ teaching
        Fellowship (agape meals)
        Breaking of bread (communion)
        Prayer
        Miraculous signs were done by the apostles by the power of the Holy Spirit
        Everything in common
        They were spending time together – lots of time together
        They were selling their possessions and goods
        They used the proceeds from those sales to provide for the needs of one another
        Daily commitment
        Met together in the temple courts for teaching
        They shared meals together in their homes with joy
        They praised God!
        Enjoyed each other’s company
        Growth happened
        The Lord added to their number daily
        Notice that the work of salvation is the Lord’s work
        The Apostles were faithful to preach and teach the Word of God, the Holy Spirit did the work in the hearts and minds of unbelievers, and Jesus provided salvation
        “A healthy Christian community attracts people to Christ. The Jerusalem church’s zeal for worship and brotherly love was contagious. A healthy, loving church will grow in numbers. What are you doing to make your church the kind of place that will attract others to Christ?” [NIV Life Application Bible, footnote for Acts 2:47]
        “Instead of a humble and subdued group of Christians praying quietly in an upper room, we now have over three thousand people all over the city praising, praying, and witnessing for Jesus. The early church was a healthy church, a veritable model of what congregations can be in our day when they take seriously the biblical qualifications of what it means to be the church.” [Kenneth O. Gangel, Acts, ed. Max Anders, vol. 5 of Holman New Testament Commentary. Accordance electronic ed. (Nashville: B & H Publishing Group, 1998), 32.]
      - The early church modeled what Jesus had taught

- - - The Sent & Scattered Church and the Teaching of the Apostles (1 Peter 2:12)
      - Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. (NIV)
      - “Peter’s readers were scattered among unbelieving Gentiles who were inclined to believe and spread vicious lies about Christians.” [NIV Life Application Bible, footnote for 1 Peter 2:12]
      - As disciples of Jesus Christ, our actions are just as powerful and important as our words (preaching/teaching)
    - We not only see this mark proclaimed to us through teaching, but also through a picture
- METAPHOR: The Light Of The World (Matthew 5:13-16)

- - - Living in the world
      - Jesus uses two word pictures to help us understand our role as His disciples in this world
      - Salt
        Three purposes of salt
        Preservation
        In the ancient world they used salt to preserve food, especially meat (it kept it from getting rotten)
        “Just as salt prevents or kills bacteria in food, the kingdom servant prevents or confronts corruption in the world.” [Weber, Matthew, 61.]
        Flavor
        Colossians 4:5-6, Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
        “‘Seasoned with salt’ means that what we say should be ‘tasty’ and should encourage further dialogue.” [NIV Life Application Bible, footnote for Colossians 4:6]
        Thirst – do we make anyone thirsty for Jesus Christ?
        Jesus also used the word picture of light
      - Light
        We are already the light of the world through Jesus Christ; it is not something we have to become [Stuart K. Weber, Matthew, 62.]
        The city on a hill and the lamp on a lamp stand were for the purpose of being seen and providing a point of focus
        As disciples of Jesus Christ we need to be seen as we reflect the light of Jesus to our world
        “The function of light is to make reality or truth visible, thereby giving direction and guidance by what is seen.” [Stuart K. Weber, Matthew, 62.]
        “Let your holy life, your pure conversation, and your faithful instruction, be everywhere seen and known, always, in all societies, in all business, at home and abroad, in prosperity and adversity, let it be seen that you are real Christians.” [Albert Barnes, Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament, Accordance electronic ed. (Altamonte Springs: OakTree Software, 2006), paragraph 596.]
    - The metaphor shows us that we are to be sent and scattered, seen and not hidden, so that the world might see our good works and praise our Father in heaven
    - So, how does this apply to our lives?
- APPLICATION (how will we know if this mark of The Church marks Our Church?)
  - - We will go to them through God’s great mandate (Mark 16:15-16)

- - - - He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (NIV)
      - We are called to scatter throughout our communities, our state, our nation, and our world to preach the good news of Jesus Christ to everyone
    - We will love them through God’s great commandment (Matthew 22:39)
      - And the second is like it: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (NIV)
      - This goes well with our theme for 2022, “Love One Another”
    - We will share with them God’s great exchange (2 Corinthians 5:21)
      - God made him who had not sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (NIV)
      - This is what we are to witness to others about concerning Jesus and the Gospel
      - Jesus came down from heaven, grew up to be a man, lived a perfect life, and willingly died on a cross to take our punishment for sin
      - Our right standing before God is through the blood of Jesus Christ
      - [Share the Gospel]
    - We will disciple them through God’s great commission (Matthew 28:19-20)
      - Read Matthew 28:19-20
    - Our desire is to have a church filled with people who want to tell people outside the church about Him

- Idaville Member Survey from RESTOR Renewal Ministries
  - - There was one of the five survey questions that were in the top fifteen of the least difficult for us as a church
      - “Our church consistently teaches on evangelism, outreach and missions.” (13 out of 15)
        We definitely strive to teach on evangelism, outreach and missions
        It is encouraging to know that you all feel like we are doing that
      - That was the least difficult for us, but how about the most difficult?
    - One of the remaining four questions was in the top 10 of most difficult for us
      - “The people in our church know and understand our church’s plan for reaching the people in our community and the world.” (8 out of 10)
        I know that some people struggled with questions like this, because they felt like they didn’t know what other people in the church were thinking
        Our model for quite a few years now has been three-fold (perhaps it just was not communicated enough)
        Locally – we are always serving locally (food pantries, other service projects, etc.)
        Domestically – we try to do a domestic mission trip every other year
        Globally – we try to plan an international mission trip every other year
      - That leaves three final questions
    - The three remaining questions fell in the middle
      - “The mission of our church is clearly in line with the mission of God in the world.”
        Mission – Pursue, Grow, and Multiply Disciples
        Our mission statement comes directly from Matthew 28:19-20
        That should be mission statement of every church
      - “Our church consistently encourages the members of our church to engage in evangelism, outreach and missions.”
        We provide opportunities locally, domestically, and globally
        One of the goals for this year is to create a team that will intentionally and actively share the Gospel in our community
        The Revival on the Farm is coming this summer (June 5-8, 2022) and each church, that is participating, will be doing prayer walks through their community to pray for and invite individuals to attend the revival services
        This will be an incredible opportunity for all of us to engage in evangelism, outreach and missions
      - “Our church consistently provides opportunities to participate and grow in evangelism, outreach and missions.”
        This is closely connected to the previous survey question
        We are providing some opportunities, but we would also like to provide additional opportunities to consistently be in our community with the specific goal of sharing the Gospel
    - What are our next steps?
- Next Steps
  - - Discipleship
      - Who are you discipling?
      - Who is discipling you?
      - The amazing thing about discipleship is that both people learn from one another, so while you are discipling someone you are also being discipled by them
      - My Next Step Today Is To: Begin a discipleship relationship with one other person.
      - The best model for this is to be in a discipling relationship with someone of the same gender (male-to-male; female-to-female)
      - Let’s see how God will use this to grow His church and bring joy and happiness to everyone
    - Fellowship of the believers
      - We saw in Acts 2:42-47 that the early church was devoted to several things including fellowship
      - They enjoyed each other’s company, they shared everything, they took care of one another – their hearts were glad and sincere
      - They were praising, praying, and witnessing for Jesus
      - Their zeal and brotherly love were contagious and the result was a healthy growing church
      - My Next Step Today Is To: Examine my zeal and brotherly love for Idaville Church, so we will be a church that attracts others to Christ.
    - Sent & Scattered
      - We are working towards creating a Gospel Team that will consistently and actively share the Gospel in our community
      - We are also planning prayer walks for the Revival on the Farm
      - We will continue to provide domestic and global mission opportunities
      - These are just a few ways we are encouraging you and providing opportunities for you to be sent and scattered
      - My Next Step Today Is To: Commit to participating in the opportunities provided by Idaville Church to make disciples.

WE
- Vision
  - - Core Values
      - “We are a church that reaches out, spreading God's Word, God's glory, and God's promises to those that do not know Him.”
      - “We are a church who encourages our members to discover, develop, and use their spiritual gifts.”
    - Core Focus
      - Purpose (why we exist): “Pursue, Grow, and Multiply Disciples.”
    - Growth Strategy
      - Three+ Uniques – “Reaching outside our walls (warm/fellowship).”
      - Proven Process:
        “Intentional group to welcome and direct people.”
        “Reinstitute meal teams.”
    - Value Proposition (Promise): “Within 90 days, guests should be comfortable, connected, and committed to Idaville Church.”
- Traction
  - - “Have a Welcome Team established and functioning.”
    - “Short-term domestic mission trip in 2022.”
    - “Have a 10% increase in the number of individuals serving in missions.”
    - “Have a 10% increase in the pursuit of holiness as evidenced through salvations, baptisms, and accountability.” (annual)
      - “Create a team that will intentionally and actively share the Gospel in our community.” (quarterly)
      - “Plan specific dates, times, and locations to have the Gospel Team in the community.” (quarterly)

CONCLUSION

“Robert Bellah, a sociologist who teaches at the University of California at Berkeley, is very interested in the influence of religion on the community. In an interview in Psychology Today he said, "We should not underestimate the significance of the small group of people who have a new vision of a just and gentle world. The quality of a culture may be changed when 2 percent of its people have a new vision."

There are many more than 2 percent Christians in your country and mine. Then why aren't we having more effect? Why aren't we having more influence? I pray that God will call you to permeate non-Christian society for Christ, to take your stand there uncompromisingly with the value system and moral standards of Jesus.”

Source: John Stott, "Christians: Salt and Light," Preaching Today, Tape No. 109.

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/1996/december/432.html]

March 20, 2022/by Office

The Submitted To Godly Leadership Church

8 Marks Of The Church 1 Timothy, Acts, Hebrews, Luke, Mark Sunday Morning Stuart Johns Humility, Leadership, Submitting

8 Marks Of The Church

The Submitted To Godly Leadership Church

INTRODUCTION

Urban Legends

Carey Nieuwhof shares 5 dumb myths every leader should abandon.

Success will happen overnight – “Who hasn’t fallen for this? And if you don’t believe it, you’ve secretly wanted it, haven’t you? Yet there are few overnight successes. Or as my wife has pointed out, it was a very long night.”
Smart work, not hard work, will win the day – “. . . smart work is no substitute for hard work. Working smarter doesn’t mean you can put in a few hours, hit cruise control and coast to victory. . . . When you stop growing, so do the people around you.”
I will get universal buy-in – “There will be a day when I become a good enough leader that I will announce our next move and everyone will applaud wildly, right? . . . Conditions will never be perfect. ‘Everybody’ will never buy in. Sometimes you just need to lead.”
There’s a silver bullet – “So there’s one thing that will turn everything around right? A silver bullet? A model I can just embrace and press play and everything will magically be wonderful. Right?”
One day I will arrive – “No, you won’t. And if you do, you’ll arrive to learn you’ve missed the point. Effective leaders keep growing. They never stop.”

[https://careynieuwhof.com/5-dumb-myths-too-many-leaders-believe/]

I love to read. Years ago, I would read three books at a time. One was a leadership book, another was a spiritual development book, and the third would be a “fun” book (historical fiction, etc.). I was always looking to grow in my spiritual walk and leadership knowledge. Today, I read a lot for spiritual growth through commentaries and other books. I read books on prayer and some leadership stuff.

There are many common myths about the church that are misguided at best and dangerous at worst

BODY

Myth
- You can have subjective standards for church leadership and be a healthy church
- This myth, if believed, can be dangerous because:
  - - If the leaders of the church are not subject to the objective standards of leadership in the church, the people of the church won’t be subject to the objective standards of discipleship in the church
    - This confuses the church, exposes the church, and robs the church of its sense of security
- We know this is a myth because Jesus said a clear mark of a healthy church would be a church filled with leaders who are being led by him, leading like him, and leading to him

Let’s pray

GOD
- MARK: The Submitted To Godly Leadership Church
  - - The Submitted To Godly Leadership Church and the Teaching of Jesus (Mark 3:13-15; Luke 22:24-27)
      - Mark 3:13-15
        Background
        The corresponding passage in Luke 6:12-16 tells us that Jesus had been up on the mountainside praying all night
        In the morning He called the disciples up on the mountainside and chose the twelve apostles
        Appointing the Apostles
        Most scholars agree that the number of Apostles is probably significant, because there were twelve tribes of Israel (that number is important throughout Scripture)
        Jesus designates the twelve as “Apostles”
        This was a change from simply disciple to apostle
        A “disciple” is one who learns by doing; our modern equivalent might be an “apprentice.” An “apostle” is one who is sent on official service with a commission. Jesus had many disciples but only twelve apostles, His special “ambassadors.” [Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Diligent, BE Series Commentary. Accordance electronic ed. (Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 2010), 46.]
        Purpose in appointing them
        They might be with him
        Wiersbe and Grassmick agree that being with Jesus was for the purpose of training them
        The twelve apostles would learn from Jesus’ example
        Once they were ready, He would send them out
        He might send them out to accomplish two things
        To preach
        To have authority to drive out demons
        Mark 6:6-7, 12-13, Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits. . . . They went out and preached that people should repent. They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.
        Application [J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on Mark, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels. Accordance electronic ed. (London: Wertheim, Macintosh, & Hunt, 1857), paragraph 1932.]
        “Like the apostles, the faithful minister ought to keep up close communion with Christ.”
        “Like the apostles, the faithful minister ought to be a preacher. This must ever be his principal work, and receive the greatest part of his thoughts. He must place it above the administration of the sacraments. (1 Cor. i. 17).”
        “Like the apostles, the faithful minister must labour to do good in every way. Though he cannot heal the sick, he must seek to alleviate sorrow, and to increase happiness among all with whom he has to do. He must strive to be known as the comforter, the counsellor, the peacemaker, the helper, and the friend of all.”
        “Like the apostles, the faithful minister must oppose every work of the devil.”
        Jesus chose twelve men to be His apostles, these twelve men were going to lead the founding of the church
        In their humanness, the Apostles struggled with the worldly idea of greatness, which Jesus had to address
      - Luke 22:24-27
        The apostles were arguing about which of them was the greatest
        The significance of what Jesus was sharing with them at the Last Supper was lost on them
        “When you are interested in promoting yourself, it doesn’t take much to start an argument.” [Wiersbe, 128]
        Worldly greatness/leadership
        Characterized by selfishness, arrogance, and doing whatever it takes to make it to the top
        Some kings in the ancient world gave themselves the title of “benefactor,” but it was not necessarily a true representation of who they were and what they did
        Spiritual greatness/leadership
        Youngest
        In the culture of the day, the youngest person was the one who was considered the least
        They did not have rank or position, especially as it pertained to family units
        The first-born (eldest) would be the one who had rank and position within the family – he would inherit everything
        “The senior leader with the most experience must adopt an attitude as if he were the youngest with no experience, no leadership responsibility, and no honors expected.” [Trent C. Butler, Luke, ed. Max Anders, vol. 3 of Holman New Testament Commentary. Accordance electronic ed. (Nashville: B & H Publishing Group, 2000), 370.]
        One who serves
        Servant leadership is what Jesus was telling them to do
        Philippians 2:3, Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, in humility consider others better than yourselves.
        John 3:30, He must become greater; I must become less.
        Jesus’ example
        Jesus is the One who is serving the bread and the cup at the supper
        Jesus gives them an example of what servant leadership looks like by taking a towel, wrapping it around His waist, and washing His disciples feet
        “Usefulness in the world and Church; a humble readiness to do anything, and put our hands to any good work; a cheerful willingness to fill any post, however lowly, and discharge any office, however unpleasant, if we can only promote happiness and holiness on earth,—these are the true tests of Christian greatness.” [Ryle, paragraph 7786]
        “You must make a choice. Will you accept the world’s oppressive way of honoring greatness? Or will you follow Jesus’ example of becoming a servant and seeking the best for the “family”? Will you be part of the last who will become first? Or must you be first now?” [Butler, 370]
      - Jesus teaches us that He is the One who establishes spiritual leaders and that spiritual leadership is remarkably different than worldly leadership
    - The Submitted To Godly Leadership Church and the Teaching of the Early Church (Acts 2:42; 6:3-4)
      - Acts 2:42

- - - - They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (NIV)
        As we saw in the previous point, Jesus had chosen the twelve apostles, trained them, and sent them out to preach and teach
        Acts 2:42 shows us what happened after Jesus sent the apostles out – the day of Pentecost happens
        The 3,000 who were added to their numbers on Pentecost, plus those who were already followers of Jesus devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles
        These believers were submitting to the godly leadership of the apostles
        As the number of believers continued to grow, there had to be the delegation and sharing of leadership responsibilities, as we will see in Acts 6:3-4
      - Acts 6:3-4
        “Ministry is everyone’s responsibility, but different ministry tasks require different ministry qualifications.” [Kenneth O. Gangel, Acts, ed. Max Anders, vol. 5 of Holman New Testament Commentary. Accordance electronic ed. (Nashville: B & H Publishing Group, 1998), 92.]
        The seven that were to be chosen needed to have two primary qualifications
        Full of the Spirit (controlled by)
        Full of wisdom
        They were given the responsibility of waiting on tables
        This certainly has the idea of serving food to the widows
        It can also have the idea of a manager’s table where funds for food are distributed
        Acts 4:34-35, There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.
        While the very important task of providing for the needs of all widows was delegated to seven men, the apostles dedicated their time to two things
        Apostles’ priorities
        They gave their attention to the prayer and the ministry of the word
        The prayer that is being talked about here is public prayer
        Leading others in public prayer
        They certainly had their own quiet time of prayer also
        Ministry of the Word
        In Mark 3, we saw that this was one of the primary things that Jesus sent the apostles out to do
        While ministering to the physical needs of the believers was important, the primary responsibility of the apostles was to the spiritual needs of the believers
        They needed the necessary time to prepare and teach God’s Word
        That is not to say that they didn’t still help with food or money distribution, but that was not their primary role
      - The early church teachings help us understand that the spiritual leaders were tasked with leading believers in corporate prayer and the teaching of God’s Word

- - - The Submitted To Godly Leadership Church and the Teaching of the Apostles (Hebrews 13:17; 1 Timothy 3:1-13
      - Hebrews 13:17
        Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you. (NIV)
        Obey your leaders
        “The reference here is to their religious teachers, and not to civil rulers.” [Albert Barnes, Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament, Accordance electronic ed. (Altamonte Springs: OakTree Software, 2006), paragraph 29886.]
        “When a servant of God is in the will of God, teaching the Word of God, the people of God should submit and obey.” [Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Confident, BE Series Commentary. Accordance electronic ed. (Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 2010), 176.]
        My desire and practice has always been to be in the will of God and teaching the Word of God
        My prayer is that this desire and practice are evident to you all
        There have been times when leading Idaville Church has felt like a burden, but those times are few and far between
        During those times, I reflect on the calling that God placed on my life over 13 years ago and I am encouraged and find hope
        The vast majority of my time here has been joy-filled
        I love you all and I love to serve together with you
        “A disobedient Christian will find on that day that the results of disobedience are unprofitable, not for the pastor, but for himself.” [Wiersbe, 177]
        Keep watch and give account
        The leadership of Idaville Church is genuinely concerned for the spiritual growth and salvation of those that God has placed in our care, to shepherd
        Each board member has a group of individuals/families that they are responsible to connect with and check up on
        We take this responsibility very seriously, because we will have to give an account when we stand before the Lord
        While the writer of Hebrews exhorts the people in the church to obey the leaders, Paul writes to Timothy to share the qualifications of those who serve in positions of leadership
      - 1 Timothy 3:1-13
        Read 1 Timothy 3:1-13
        Overseer
        Being an overseer is a noble task
        Qualifications
        Positive
        Above reproach, husband of one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, gentle, manage family well, good reputation with outsiders
        Negative
        Not given to drunkenness, not violent, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money, not a recent convert
        When people tell me they don’t meet the qualifications of an overseer, I encourage them to work on the areas where they feel they don’t qualify, so they can qualify
        Paul also lists the qualifications for a deacon
        Deacon
        Qualifications
        Positive
        Worthy of respect, sincere, keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience, husband of one wife, manage children and household well
        Negative
        Not indulging in much wine, not pursuing dishonest gain
        They are to be tested
        Their wives are to be worthy of respect, not malicious talkers, temperate, and trustworthy
      - The teaching of the Apostles helps us to understand that when qualified leaders are following God’s will and teaching His Word, that they should be obeyed and followed
    - We not only see this mark proclaimed to us through teaching, but also through a picture
- METAPHOR: The Flock of God (1 Peter 5:1-4)

- - - Fellow elder
      - Peter does not use his position as an apostle to elevate himself above the other elders
      - He positions himself as a fellow elder that was privileged to witness Jesus’ sufferings and share in the glory that will be revealed in future
    - Shepherds of God’s flock
      - “To ‘shepherd’ means ‘to lead, to guide, and to rule.’ . . . According to that psalm [Psalm 23], the tasks of a shepherd are to lead (v. 2), to provide spiritual guidance and feeding (v. 3), to offer comfort (v. 4), strengthening (v. 5), and correction (v. 2).” [Max Anders, I & II Peter, I, II & III John, Jude, ed. Max Anders, vol. 11 of Holman New Testament Commentary. Accordance electronic ed. (Nashville: B & H Publishing Group, 1999), 89.]
      - John 21:16, Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
        This was the second time that Jesus asked Peter this question, after His resurrection
        The same Greek word is used in John 21:16, by Jesus, that Peter uses in 1 Peter 5:2 – he hasn’t forgotten what Jesus exhorted him to do
      - Shepherding/Taking care involves two relationships as Wiersbe points out
        Being among the people (know their needs/problems)
        Being over the people (lead them and help solve problems)
    - Attitude of a shepherd
      - Willingness, not a task/duty
      - Not greedy for money, but certainly worthy of his hire
      - Eager – with enthusiasm, excitement, and energy [Anders, 89]
      - Being an example to the flock
    - “Just as a flock of sheep follows their shepherd, we follow Jesus, our Shepherd. Just as a flock of sheep are submitted to and obey their shepherd, we submit to and obey Jesus and the under-shepherd’s He has appointed for us.” [Matt Kyser]
    - So, how does this apply to our lives?
- APPLICATION (how will we know if this mark of The Church marks Our Church?)
  - - We can clearly see the leaders in our church being led by Jesus (John 21:22)

- - - - Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” (NIV)
      - Jesus is talking with Peter by the Sea of Galilee after His resurrection
      - He has shared with him about the kind of death he would experience and Peter asks about John, who was following them
      - Jesus wanted Peter to follow Him regardless of what would happen to anyone else
    - We can clearly see the leaders in our church leading like Jesus (Mark 8:34-35)
      - Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.” (NIV)
      - Our desire as leadership in the church is to daily deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Jesus
      - We want to lead like Jesus, so that when you follow you will be following Jesus
    - We can clearly see the leaders in our church leading to Jesus (Colossians 1:28)
      - We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. (NIV)
      - Pastor Marc and I strive to admonish and teach you with all wisdom
      - Our desire is to be able to present you perfect in Christ
    - We can clearly see the people of our church joyfully submitted to their leaders (Hebrews 13:17)
      - Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you. (NIV)
      - We already addressed this verse under the teaching of the apostles
    - Our desire is to have a church filled with leaders who are being led by Jesus, leading like Jesus, and leading to Jesus

- Idaville Member Survey from RESTOR Renewal Ministries
  - - There were two of the five survey questions that were in the top fifteen of the least difficult for us as a church
      - “I’m confident that the leaders in our church are biblically qualified leaders as outlined in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1.” (8 out of 10)
        This is so important
        If the leaders of the church did not meet those qualifications, we would be in trouble
      - “The leaders in our church are clearly submitted to Jesus and His leadership of our church as explained in Scripture and empowered by the Spirit.” (11 out of 15)
        This is also important
        Pastor Marc, the board, and I look to Jesus as our Shepherd
        We look to the Holy Spirit for guidance and direction in how and where to lead the congregation for the future
    - One of the remaining three questions was in the top 15 of most difficult for us
      - “I desire to lead others the way my leaders lead our church.” (12 out of 15)
        It is hard to determine from the survey why this scored in the top 15 of the most difficult for us
        When we look at the two previous survey questions it is clear that the leaders are biblically qualified, submitted to Jesus, and empowered by the Spirit
        So, I’m at a loss as to why individuals in the church do not desire to lead others the way the leaders of our church lead
        Some people do not want to lead at all, but rather serve behind the scenes
        Others feel like they do not qualify to lead
      - That leaves two final questions
    - The two remaining questions fell in the middle
      - “Our leaders are the kinds of leaders I desire to submit myself to.”
      - “I will joyfully follow the lead of our leaders in the next season in the life of our church.”
      - If the leaders of the church are biblically qualified, submitted to Jesus, and empowered by the Spirit, then as the flock of God, here at Idaville Church, we should:
        Want to lead others the way the leaders of the church lead
        Desire to submit ourselves to the leaders
        Joyfully follow the lead of the leaders in the next season in the life of our church
- Next Steps
  - - Leaders
      - We need to make sure that we are being among the people, so we will know their needs and problems that they face
      - We also need to be lead well by helping them to solve their problems
      - My Next Step Today Is To: Commit to connecting with the people of Idaville Church, so I can lead them well.
    - People
      - As the leaders of the church commit to connecting with you all and leading you well, then we should submit to them and joyfully follow their lead
      - This is does not mean that we will always agree with them, but if they are biblically qualified, submitted to Jesus, and empowered by the Spirit we can have confidence in their leadership
      - My Next Step Today Is To: Submit to the leadership of Idaville Church and joyfully follow their lead for the future.
    - Everyone
      - Our theme this year is “love one another”
      - Romans 12:9-10, Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.
      - If both leadership and the people strive to follow these two verses, then everything will work out for God’s glory
      - My Next Step Today Is To: Love sincerely, hate what is evil, cling to what is good, be devoted to my brothers and sisters at Idaville Church, and honor others above myself.

WE
- Vision
  - - Core Values
      - “We live, model, and share the importance of being Biblically grounded.”
      - “Our leadership strives to be led more by Jesus, to lead more like Jesus, so we can lead more to Jesus.”
    - Growth Strategy
      - Three+ Uniques – “Preaching and teaching God’s Word.”
- Traction
  - - “Begin a leadership development program.”

CONCLUSION

I want to open the altar this morning for anyone who would like to commit to the next steps outlined in the message today. Every one of us is probably guilty of not doing something that we should be doing.

March 13, 2022/by Office

The Sanctifying Church

8 Marks Of The Church 1 John, Acts, John, Romans Sunday Morning Stuart Johns Holiness, Sanctification

8 Marks Of The Church

The Sanctifying Church

INTRODUCTION

Urban Legends

“It’s one of Hollywood’s favorite bits of pseudoscience: human beings use only 10 percent of their brain, and awakening the remaining 90 percent—supposedly dormant—allows otherwise ordinary human beings to display extraordinary mental abilities. In Phenomenon (1996), John Travolta gains the ability to predict earthquakes and instantly learns foreign languages. Scarlett Johansson becomes a super powered martial-arts master in Lucy (2014). And in Limitless (2011) Bradley Cooper writes a novel overnight.

This ready-made blueprint for fantasy films is also a favorite among the general public. In a survey, 65 percent of respondents agreed with the statement, ‘People only use 10 percent of their brain on a daily basis.’ But the truth is that we use all of our brain all of the time.

How do we know? For one thing, if we needed only 10 percent of our brain, the majority of brain injuries would have no discernible consequences, since the damage would affect parts of the brain that weren’t doing anything to begin with. We also know that natural selection discourages the development of useless anatomical structures: early humans who devoted scarce physical resources to growing and maintaining huge amounts of excess brain tissue would have been outcompeted by those who spent those precious resources on things more necessary for survival and reproductive success. Tougher immune systems, stronger muscles, better looking hair—just about anything would be more useful than having a head full of inert tissue.

We’ve been able to back up these logical conclusions with hard evidence. Imaging techniques, such as positron emission tomography (PET) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), allow doctors and scientists to map brain activity in real time. The data clearly shows that large areas of the brain—far more than 10 percent—are used for all sorts of activity, from seemingly simple tasks like resting or looking at pictures to more complex ones like reading or doing math. Scientists have yet to find an area of the brain that doesn’t do anything.

So how did we come to believe that 90 percent of our brain is useless? The myth is often incorrectly attributed to 19th-century psychologist William James, who proposed that most of our mental potential goes untapped. But he never specified a percentage. Albert Einstein—a magnet for misattribution of quotes—has also been held responsible. In reality, the concept most likely came from the American self-help industry. One of the earliest mentions appears in the preface to Dale Carnegie’s 1936 mega best seller, How to Win Friends and Influence People. The idea that we have harnessed only a fraction of our brain’s full potential has been a staple for motivational gurus, New Age hucksters, and uninspired screenwriters ever since.

Obviously, this is bad news for anyone hoping to find the secret to becoming a genius overnight. The good news, though, is that hard work still works. There is plenty of reason to believe that you can build brainpower by regularly working at challenging mental tasks, such as playing a musical instrument, doing arithmetic, or reading a novel.”

[https://www.britannica.com/story/do-we-really-use-only-10-percent-of-our-brain]

I like to play Sudoku and June’s Journey (it is a game where you have to find various objects in a scene. My favorite video game of all times is Portal, which is a thinking game. All of those games help to keep my mind sharp. I hope that I am using more than 10% of my brain when I’m playing those games.

There are many common myths about the church that are misguided at best and dangerous at worst

BODY

Myth
- You can emphasize personal holiness as much as you want and be a healthy church
- This myth, if believed, can be dangerous because:
  - - It can give someone a false sense of security that they can be truly united together with Jesus without looking increasingly like Him
    - It dilutes and pollutes the church, which God intended to be potent and pure
- We know this is a myth because Jesus said a clear mark of a healthy church would be a church filled with people who are being conformed more and more into the image of the Son

Let’s pray

GOD
- MARK: The Sanctifying Church
  - - The Sanctifying Church and the Teaching of Jesus (John 17:13-19)
      - Background
        John 17:1-26 has historically been entitled, The High Priestly Prayer
        Jesus is praying for Himself (17:1-5), His disciples (17:6-19), and for future believers (17:20-26)
        In the middle of His prayer for the disciples we see His teaching on sanctification and the means by which His disciples and future believers can continue the process of sanctification
      - Means of sanctification
        Jesus is expressing to the Father that He is coming to Him now
        He is praying out loud for the benefit of His disciples, so they can have the full measure of His joy within them
        He gave the disciples God’s Word
        This brought about hatred by the world
        Jesus was not asking the Father to take them out of the world, but to protect them from the evil one
        Paul reminds the Ephesian believers that our struggle is not with human beings, but rather it is against the rulers, authorities, and powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12)
        Jesus was not praying for isolation, but infiltration
        Jesus was praying that His disciples would be sanctified in the world
        We see, that sanctification comes by the truth
        God’s Word is the truth!!!
        The Greek word for sanctification means “set apart for sacred use, cleansed and made holy” [NIV Life Application Bible, footnote for John 17:17]
        Our theme last year was “pursuing holiness”
        The Spiritual Life Journal focused on various commitments: holiness in prayer, the Word, service, giving, relationships, the Gospel, and worship
        The commitments under the heading “Holiness in the Word” were, to read through the Bible with my Idaville Church family in 2021 and memorize one verse a month with my Idaville Church family in 2021
        “A follower of Christ becomes sanctified (set apart for sacred use, cleansed and made holy) through believing and obeying the Word of God (Hebrews 4:12). He or she has already accepted forgiveness through Christ’s sacrificial death (Hebrews 7:26, 27). But daily application of God’s Word has a purifying effect on our minds and hearts. Scripture points out sin, motivates us to confess, renews our relationship with Christ, and guides us back to the right path.” [NIV Life Application Bible, footnote for John 17:17]
        Hebrews 4:12, For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
        “The Greek word for sanctify is hagiazo, which means ‘to set apart for God’s use.’ As Bruce points out:
        
        This involves their consecration for the task now entrusted to them; it involves further their inward purification and endowment with all the spiritual resources necessary for carrying out that task. This purification and endowment are the work of the Spirit, but here Jesus declares the instrument of that work to be ‘the truth’—the truth embodied in the Father’s ‘word’ which Jesus had given to the disciples as he himself had received it from the Father (vv. 8, 14). The very message which they are to proclaim in his name will exercise its sanctifying effect on them: that message is the continuation of his message, just as their mission in the world is the extension of his mission (Bruce, p. 334).”
        
        [Kenneth O. Gangel, John, ed. Max Anders, vol. 4 of Holman New Testament Commentary. Accordance electronic ed. (Nashville: B & H Publishing Group, 2000), 317.]
        Bruce is talking about the Gospel of Jesus Christ being proclaimed to all nations
        It also includes teaching the nations to obey everything Jesus had commanded them from the Father (Matt. 28:20)
        Jesus sanctified Himself, so that His followers could also be truly sanctified
      - “God’s truth has been given to us in three ‘editions’: His Word is truth (John 17:17); His Son is the truth (John 14:6); and His Spirit is the truth (1 John 5:6). We need all three if we are to experience true sanctification, a sanctification that touches every part of our inner person. With the mind, we learn God’s truth through the Word. With the heart, we love God’s truth, His Son. With the will, we yield to the Spirit and live God’s truth day by day. It takes all three for a balanced experience of sanctification.” [Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Transformed, BE Series Commentary. Accordance electronic ed. (Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 2010), 98.]
      - Jesus’ teaching helps us understand that sanctification comes from truth, which is found in God’s Word, the Bible
    - The Sanctifying Church and the Teaching of the Early Church (Acts 5:1-11)
      - Sin in the church
        We know from this passage that lying was the sin that Ananias and Sapphira were judged on
        They had lied to God
        They had lied to God’s people
        “George MacDonald wrote, ‘Half of the misery in the world comes from trying to look, instead of trying to be, what one is not.’” [Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Dynamic, BE Series Commentary. Accordance electronic ed. (Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 2010), 78.]
        “They build the front just like St. Mark’s,
        Or like Westminster Abbey;
        And then, as if to cheat the Lord,
        They make the back parts shabby.” [Wiersbe, 78]

- - - - Realities
        The property was theirs to do with what they wanted
        They were not required to give all of the proceeds from the sale of the property to the church
        But, they were required to be honest about their giving
        If we look back at Acts 4, we better understand their desire to make it appear as though they had given the total amount of the sale of the property to the church
        Acts 4:36-37, Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.
        Joseph was not the only one who had done this, for from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need (Acts 4:34-35)
        My guess is that pride was also a contributing factor in Ananias and Sapphira’s deception
        They wanted to be counted with those who were giving sacrificially to the church
        The result of their deception was death
      - Sanctification in the church
        Why was their lie judged so harshly?
        First, the Lord was establishing His church through the disciples and He wanted it to be holy and sanctified
        “This act was judged harshly because dishonesty, greed, and covetousness are destructive in a church, preventing the Holy Spirit from working effectively. All lying is bad, but when we lie to try to deceive God and his people about our relationship with him, we destroy our testimony about Christ.” [NIV Life Application Bible, footnote for Acts 5:3]
        This was not the first time that the Lord judged harshly
        “It is worth noting that the Lord judges sin severely at the beginning of a new period in salvation history. Just after the tabernacle was erected, God killed Nadab and Abihu for trying to present “false fire” to the Lord (Lev. 10). He also had Achan killed for disobeying orders after Israel had entered the Promised Land (Josh. 7). While God was certainly not responsible for their sins, He did use these judgments as warnings to the people, and even to us (1 Cor. 10:11–12).” [Wiersbe, 79]
        When the Lord was establishing new things, He wanted them to be established correctly, with integrity and honesty
        Paul shares warnings from Israel’s history with the Corinthian believers before he says, These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! (1 Cor. 10:11-12)
        We all have the capacity to deceive and lie, not only to other human beings, but also to the Lord
        The result
        After Ananias’ death we read, and great fear seized all who heard what had happened (Acts 5:5)
        After Sapphira’s death Luke writes, great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events (Acts 5:11)
        This was the correct response – reverence – to God’s righteous judgement on Ananias and Sapphira
        The church needed to not only emphasize sanctification, but they needed to practice it
      - God takes sanctification and holiness seriously, and so should we
      - But what do the apostles have to say about sanctification?

- - - The Sanctifying Church and the Teaching of the Apostles (Romans 8:28-30; 1 John 3:1-6)
      - Roman 8:28-30
        The primary thought from these verses is, conforming to the likeness of his Son
        Sanctification is just that, becoming more like Jesus in our attitudes, thoughts, speech, and behaviors
        “God’s ultimate goal for us is to make us like Christ (1 John 3:2). As we become more and more like him, we discover our true selves, the persons we were created to be. How can we be conformed to Christ’s likeness? By reading and heeding the Word, by studying his life on earth through the Gospels, by being filled with his Spirit, and by doing his work in the world.” [NIV Life Application Bible, footnote for Romans 8:29]
        Notice that the way to sanctification is again pointing us to God’s Word – it is where truth is found
        But it also includes being filled with the Holy Spirit and doing His work in the world
      - 1 John 3:1-6
        Wiersbe outlines vv. 1-3 very well [Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Real, BE Series Commentary. Accordance electronic ed. (Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 2010), 107.]
        What we are – children of God (v. 1)
        What we shall be – like Christ with a glorified body ready for heaven (v. 2)
        What we should be – purified, holy, sanctified (v. 3)
        “For a child of God to sin indicates that he does not understand or appreciate what Jesus did for him on the cross.” [Wiersbe, 108-109.]
        “One of our resources, then, for living a more holy lifestyle is pondering and meditating upon who Jesus is, who we have become in him, and what our life is likely to be when we see him.” [Max Anders, I & II Peter, I, II & III John, Jude, ed. Max Anders, vol. 11 of Holman New Testament Commentary. Accordance electronic ed. (Nashville: B & H Publishing Group, 1999), 190.]
        As followers of Jesus Christ, we still sin sometimes
        What John is referring to is willful, continual, habitual sin
        “An unbeliever who sins is a creature sinning against his Creator. A Christian who sins is a child sinning against his Father. The unbeliever sins against law; the believer sins against love.” [Wiersbe, 108]
        We are not trying to deliberately disobey God, grieve the Holy Spirit, or take lightly Jesus’ sacrifice
        We understand the importance of revering God
        If we continue to sin, as a disciple of Jesus Christ, then we don’t truly understand or appreciate Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice on the cross [Wiersbe, 108-109]
        Jesus came to take away our sin
        The sacrificial system required a perfect lamb to be sacrificed in order to cover over their sins
        Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29)
        His perfect sacrifice did not cover over our sins, but took them away
        Abiding in Christ
        The key to not sinning is found in “living in Christ”
        “To abide in Christ means to be in fellowship with Him, to allow nothing to come between ourselves and Christ. . . . It is this communion (abiding) with Christ that keeps us from deliberately disobeying His Word.” [Wiersbe, 110]
        “Biblical terminology does not say that a Christian has two different natures. He has but one nature, the new nature in Christ. The old self dies and the new self lives; they do not coexist … The Christian is a single new person, a totally new creation, not a spiritual schizophrenic. It is the filthy coat of remaining humanness in which the new creation dwells that continues to hinder and contaminate his living. He is no longer the old man corrupted, but is now the new man created in righteousness and holiness, awaiting full salvation (Rom. 13:11) when he dies and is given a new body (p. 164).” [John MacArthur cited by Anders, 192-193]
      - The Apostles want us to understand that becoming more like Jesus takes reading and heeding God’s Word, being filled with the Holy Spirit, pondering and meditating on who Jesus is and who we have become in Him, and abiding in Christ.
    - We not only see this mark proclaimed to us through teaching, but also through a picture
- METAPHOR: A Holy Nation (1 Peter 2:9-12)

- - - Who we are, in Christ
      - Chosen race, royal priesthood, holy nation, God’s own possession, people of God, recipients of God’s mercy
      - The holy nation represents a nation that is pursuing sanctification
      - The reason is so we can proclaim the excellencies of God
    - Who we used to be, prior to Christ
      - Not a people
      - Not recipients of God’s mercy
    - What we should do as a result of following Christ
      - Negative
        Abstain from fleshly lusts
        “Sinful desires” is best understood as “strong desires motivated by selfishness.” [Anders, 1999]
      - Positive
        Keep your behavior excellent/live such good lives/practice good deeds
        Accusations [Anders, 1999]
        Christians were accused of being disloyal to Caesar
        They were accused of hurting local businesses, because they spoke against idol worship
        Speaking against idol worship got them labeled as being godless
        Peter is encouraging the believers to show the Gentiles, through their changed/sanctified/holy lives, that the accusations are not true or valid
      - The result of living this holy, sanctified life would be that the Gentiles would glorify God when Christ returns
    - So, how does this apply to our lives?
- APPLICATION (how will we know if this mark of The Church marks Our Church?)
  - - We will see evidence of God’s supernatural work in our lives (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24)

- - - - Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass (NASB1995)
      - The work of sanctification is the work of God in our lives as we submit to Him
    - We will see evidence of God’s sustaining work in our lives (Philippians 1:6)
      - For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus (NASB1995)
      - The perfecting work in us is God’s sanctifying work – making us more like Jesus
    - We will see evidence of our part in the sustaining work of God in our lives (Philippians 2:12-13)
      - So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure (NASB1995)
      - The working out of our salvation is again the process of sanctification
    - We will see evidence that we are being sanctified by time in Scripture (John 17:17)
      - Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth (NASB1995)
      - This takes us back to what we learned about sanctification from Jesus, the early church, and the apostles
    - We will see evidence that we are being sanctified through timeless obedience (Titus 2:11-15)
      - For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you (NASB1995)
      - Obedience over the long haul – denying ungodliness and worldly desires, living sensibly, righteously and godly, and looking for Jesus second coming
    - Our desire is to have a church filled with people who are being conformed more and more into the image of the Son (Jesus)

- Idaville Member Survey from RESTOR Renewal Ministries
  - - There was one of the five survey questions that was in the top ten of least difficult for us as a church
      - “I can confidently say that being part of our church has deepened my desire to be more like Christ.” (7 out of 10).
        This is encouraging!
        I am excited that most of us have a deepened desire to be more like Christ
        Notice that the primary word in the sentence is desire
      - I think the next question helps us understand that while we have a deepened desire, we don’t really know how to act on that desire
    - One of the remaining four questions was in the top 10 of most difficult for us
      - “The people in our church understand what ‘sanctification’ means and the means God uses to sanctify us as Christians.” (4 out of 10)
        I hope everyone of us can now define sanctification – becoming more like Jesus Christ
        I also hope that we now know the means that God uses to sanctify us
        Jesus taught us that sanctification comes from the truth, which is found in God’s Word the Bible
        The teaching of the early church helped us understand that God is serious about sanctification and holiness in His church
        The Apostles teaching helped us to understand that becoming more like Jesus takes reading and heeding God’s Word, being filled with the Holy Spirit, pondering and meditating on who Jesus is and who we have become in Him, and abiding in Christ
        Spiritual Life Journal
        There are two commitments in the Spiritual Life Journal that apply to God’s Word
        “I am committed to read through the Bible with my Idaville Church family in 2022.”
        “I am committed to memorizing one verse a month with my Idaville Church family in 2022.”
        I would encourage everyone to make those two commitments
        The daily Bible reading guide is close to the back of the journal and the monthly memory verses are in the very back
        I want to encourage you to take it two steps further
        After reading the daily Bible passage, journal what God is saying to you through His Word
        Share what God is teaching you with another person
        My Next Step Today Is To: Commit to reading through the Bible, journaling, and sharing what God is teaching me with others.
      - Where did the remaining three questions fall?
    - The three remaining questions all fell in the middle
      - “Our church has helped me to make a plan for my own personal sanctification.”
        I do not know that we have helped each person make a personal plan for their own sanctification
        We have definitely provided resources for you in the Spiritual Life Journal
        Pastor Marc and I would love to meet with you, if you would like to develop a plan for your own personal sanctification
        The initiative has to be on your part, otherwise it will not last
        My Next Step Today Is To: Set up an appointment with Pastor Stuart or Pastor Marc to discuss my personal sanctification plan.
      - “It’s clear that the leaders in our church are consistently growing in their Christ-likeness.”
        I trust that this will be more evident as we all pursue becoming more like Christ
      - “Our church consistently teaches on and encourages personal and corporate sanctification.”
        As holiness and sanctification come up the various passages of Scripture that we are studying, I will make an concerted effort to highlight sanctification and encourage everyone to seek to become more like Christ
        Our theme last year was “Pursuing Holiness”
        We want to continue to do that even this year and beyond

WE
- Vision
  - - Core Values
      - “Our leadership strives to be led more by Jesus, to lead more like Jesus, so we can lead more to Jesus.”
    - Growth Strategy
      - Three+ Uniques – “Preaching and teaching God’s Word.”
        Through the weekly exposition of God’s Word, we all have the opportunity to learn more about Jesus and who we have become in Him
        We can learn about abiding in Him and how to do that
      - Proven Process – “Sunday school and Discipleship groups.”
        Sunday school and discipleship groups are an great way to learn the truths of God’s Word
        When we learn the truths of God’s Word then we can become more like Jesus
- Traction
  - - “Have a 10% increase in the number of people attending Sunday school and/or discipleship groups.”
    - “Have a 10% increase in the pursuit of holiness as evidenced through salvations, baptisms, and accountability.”

CONCLUSION

The altar is open this morning with members of our prayer team. You can come forward today and kneel at the altar or pray with one of team members about anything. It may be about something the Holy Spirit has spoken to you about through God’s Word. It may be something you are dealing with personally. You come as the worship team plays quietly and then leads us in the closing song.

March 6, 2022/by Office

Non-Covenant Care

Covenant Continued

Special Worship & Prayer Service

Led by the Lord

Authentic Believing

The Deed Dance

All In The Family

The Sent & Scattered Church

The Submitted To Godly Leadership Church

The Sanctifying Church

Weekly Schedule

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