Scripture to Meditate On

Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 1 John 4:4

The first thing to notice is that John refers to someone 'who is in the world'. There is something about this person we need to be aware of. John also thinks that it is important that the saints know that there is another person who is greater than that first person.

John is concerned that the saints understand some things about Satan. He is great. He has real power. He can do real damage. He is to be watched. But we saints need not fear him. And the reason for that is clear. Jesus is greater than Satan. Jesus is our hope in this conflict with this evil spirit who is followed by so many in the world. And that is why we are able to overcome them as well as overcome him.

So, vigilance and optimism.

Friendship with God

I’m going to start off, this morning, with one of those odd kinds of questions. Who are you? There are many good ways to answer that. Here’s one answer that needs to be remembered. You are a creature. That means that you have been made by God. That also means that you are superfluous, unnecessary. God has no need of any of His creatures. He has no need of you. He was completely happy as Father, Son and Spirit, since forever without you. You are unneeded.

And yet - and this is where the wonder of God once again shines - having created you, He extends Himself to you. He reaches out to you - superfluous, unnecessary you. And He does that because He wants to create something beautiful with you.

Advent: Fellowship

We are once again considering our Advent theme. Jesus said, 'I am the light of the world.' For the last two weeks we've been looking at that statement of His in terms of His coming, His Advent. Our text from 1 John 1 is one that is familiar to many of you, but I think that it will have some surprises when we see how John develops his thought. Instead of reading all of our text here I'm going to read it a verse or so at a time and comment on what John is saying.

Idols

1 John 5.21

I was listening recently to a lecture on idolatry as it related to ministers. In the middle of his comments the speaker referred to 'comfort foods'. It wasn't a major point but something he mentioned in passing. He said something like, 'I thought Jesus already sent Someone to comfort us – the Holy Spirit.' The Spirit used that passing remark to get me thinking. It's out of that nudge that I wrote today's sermon. This morning we're going to take a look at idols. We're going to do that because idols are real and they affect us as we work at following Jesus. I sincerely hope that the Spirit will use His Word to deal with your idols as He is doing that to deal with mine.

When the language of idols pops up most people think of statues and bowing and all of that. That won't do if we're going to make progress in this area. Let's return to the language of gaps that I used in another sermon. We live in a fallen world. Because of that nothing works the way that it's supposed to . Nothing. And especially not us. We were created to enjoy the Father and His good gifts and in this way to be challenged and satisfied. We are, in so many ways, challenged, but we are not satisfied – and we won't be. Not here. There is a gap. On the one side is the way things were intended to be and on the other, where we live, is the way that things actually are.

Work is supposed to be stretching, refreshing, joyous, fulfilling and exciting. All of work. All of the time. It's not. It may, at times, be more like that than at other times, but it never achieves the goal of what it was meant to be. There's a gap. Relationships are supposed to be invigorating, completely open, revelatory and safe. All relationships. All the time. They're not. Again, we do better at times, but our relationships are never what they're supposed to be. There's a gap. Life in all its different aspects is supposed to be the experience of perfection that amazes and fulfills. But it isn't, and we feel it. We feel it everywhere. We live in a fallen world. Everything is broken. And the gap between what is and what ought to be, the gap that frustrates us so, is never going to close as long as this fallen world exists.

Now, how do we deal with the gap? In a way, that question summarizes life. How do we deal with the different gaps that confront us? This gets us back to that comment about comfort foods. Mondays are my day off. This past Monday I was plotting out my day. What would I do? I had planned to be on Peach Street to buy something at the Mall. And the thought occurred to me, 'I can get a Wegman's sub and have it for lunch. What a great idea. They are so good!' Now, that sounds innocent enough. But let me tell you what was going on in my heart. One theme of my life is a kind of boredom. It comes from being alone. It's a gap that separates me from life as intended. If real life, life according to the original plan, is in vivid color, then boredom is a drab and depressing gray. Now, how do I deal with that gap? From my youth food has functioned as a gap-filler. It has been a way for me to create some color when life got a little too gray. That's what my plan for a Wegman's sub was about. I will deal with the gray by adding the pleasure of a particular food. I will gain comfort from a sub. Now, here's the point: When I do something like that, I become an idolater. I am dealing with the gap, but I am dealing with it in the wrong way. I am forgetting about Jesus.

Now, is food somehow evil? Absolutely not. And this is what makes this whole issue of idolatry so difficult. Food is a gift from God. It's more than just fuel for the body. It is, in fact, intended to give pleasure, to add color to life. But it is not to be something that we grasp at as a way to deal with the gap. Jesus has told us that He will fill the gap, every gap. He will take what is drab and fill it with color. No more boredom. No more gaps. That's why He's come. And He has many ways to do that. He may, in fact, provide a good meal that gives pleasure. But here's the key: when we feel the gap, how will we respond? Will we look to Jesus to fill that gap in a way that He thinks best, or will we grab one of His gifts – food or anything else – and try to fill that gap on our own as we think best? We become idolaters when we expect some bit of creation to fill a gap that we sense instead of trusting Jesus to do that. We worship the creation – look to it, hope in it, expect it to fix things – instead of worshiping the Creator by entrusting ourselves to Him.

Consider something that the Apostle Paul has to say. 'Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.' Do you see Paul's point? When we say, 'If only I had that then I'd be okay' – whether we're talking about a Wegman's sub, a different job, a soul-mate, a new computer game, whatever – we express the idolatry of our hearts. We look to this created something to fill the gap instead of looking to Jesus. Jesus has come to fix a broken world. He, and only He, can deal with the gaps. Only He can make it possible for us to live as He originally intended. Hoping in something else to deal with the gap is worshiping an idol.

So, how does Jesus fill the gap? He uses a variety of ways. As it turns out, in my case on Monday, after an enjoyable time of golf, Jim invited me to join him for lunch. So, he raided his fridge, and we ate. I didn't have a Wegman's sub, but what I did have – some food with friends – filled the gap nicely. It was much better than a Wegman's sub. There is, of course, the 'however' here. My life wasn't suddenly emptied of gray and filled with color. Jesus dealt with the gap, but it was not completely filled nor was it permanently filled. Let me make clear that your experience of the gap can be reduced as mine was on Monday. More color can be added to our lives, pushing back the gray, but the gaps will still exist.

And that leads to this. Jesus' promise to fill the gap will not be fully and finally kept until He returns. That means that we will all experience that sense of a gap – actually, lots of gaps – for the rest of our lives. We will, every day, face this question: 'Will I trust Jesus to deal with the gap that is confronting me at this moment, or will I take matters into my own hands to try to fill it myself? Will I worship Jesus or some aspect of His creation?' This is so very difficult because the world, the flesh and the devil tempt us with so many things to use as idols - including good things like a Wegman's sub. Wrestling with this is hard. It's part of Christian suffering that the Bible talks about.

This highlights, again, the importance of our choices. Remember, we don't stand still as Christians. Our walk with Jesus is either improving or deteriorating. So, consider what happens when you choose an idol to deal with a gap. It will work – at least for a while. But over time our idols won't satisfy like they once did. A Wegman's sub might work for a time but after a while something more will be needed. The idolatry grows, and as it does it enslaves more and more. But choosing to trust Jesus to fill the gap creates some change also. Choosing to worship Him instead results in those gaps being filled. You begin to notice that there really is more color in your life. And persisting in this kind of choosing results in a growing ability to trust Him more to finish the job completely. Our choices in this really matter. All of this is simply an application of what Jesus was getting at when He said, '...with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.' Life is not static. It is dynamic. We will either grow as worshipers of Jesus or descend into the abyss of idolatry.

Now we're ready for our text. 'Little children, guard yourselves from idols.' It's not one of those complicated parts of the Bible. John offers a simple exhortation. 'Be careful. There are idols everywhere. Watch out for them.' I'd like to look at this exhortation in terms of two questions: 'Why?' and 'How?'

So, why should we guard ourselves from idols? It will take some effort. Why should we expend that effort? The most important reason is not about our well-being. The most important reason shows up in a place like Isaiah 42. 'I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.' When we worship some idol we rob Jesus of the glory He deserves. Remember our purpose for living: to make Jesus look good. Any idolatry not only fails to do that, but it actually makes Him look bad. Professing Jesus as Savior, but depending on something else to help you make it through the day is hypocrisy. It is a hypocrisy that makes Him look bad. Guarding ourselves from idols is of great benefit to us. But it is not the first reason why we do that. If pursuing our well-being becomes our first motivation, then, ironically, we have fallen into idolatry. The first reason for guarding ourselves from idols is that Jesus deserves no less.

Now, to the second question. How do we do this? There are several things to do. This isn't complicated, but that doesn't mean that it will be easy. The first thing to do is to admit to yourself that you have idols. You are an idol worshiper. That should be very sobering. Our God is quite clear about this. He hates idolatry. And you don't have to look for some out-of-the-way text to know that. This is the Second Commandment. 'You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me...' Our idolatry is a very serious matter. But though we should be sobered by this we should not despair. Remember the Gospel. Jesus has come to save idolaters like us. He has come to rescue us from our idolatry and all of its consequences. So, the first step is to be honest and admit to yourself, 'I worship idols.'

Now, if you would be rescued from your idolatry, your heart will need to be changed. After all, what's wrong with eating a Wegman's sub? It all depends on what's going on in the heart. Idols reside in the heart. If you would be freed from idols, your heart will need to be changed. At this point, it's important to remember that you cannot change your own heart. Seeing that is actually very helpful. It reinforces the fact that being rescued from your idols is a Gospel issue. It's something you can't do, but it certainly is something the Spirit can do. And that's encouraging. The Spirit is a gift from Jesus. He has work to do in your life, things like dealing with your idols. And He will deal with them. That's the Gospel. It really is a Gospel of grace.

However, this does not mean that there is nothing for you to do. There is much for you to do, but it is done in preparation for or in response to what the Spirit does.

So, first, you need to get lots of Bible into your soul. You need to listen to sermons, be involved in Bible studies, read your Bible alone and in with your family, listen to the Bible on your iPod, think about the stuff you learn from your Bible. You want to give the Spirit lots to work with, lots of Bible to work with. Now, no one here can spend every waking hour getting lots of Bible. That, actually, would be a bad thing. We have different situations, different schedules, different abilities. So, you should aim for what's right for you. But keep the goal clearly in mind: lots of Bible. The Spirit will use it to reveal idols that you never knew you had, things like Wegman's subs.

Then, you'll need to interact with others about these things. You're going to need to talk about all that Bible that you're getting. This is something for husbands and wives to do and for families to do. Dinnertime, when the family is re-united, is a great time to talk about Bible. This is something that you'll want to discuss with the other folk in the church. This makes for good discussion at the monthly luncheon or after worship. All you need to do to start is say something like, 'Can I tell you what I've been seeing from the Bible'? And you really do need to do this because getting more Bible is something that you can't do alone, not well anyhow. No one can see all of the Bible. The Spirit uses other people to help us see more of it. Remember, this sermon started in my soul as I listened to someone talk about the idolatry of comfort foods. We can't do this alone.

And then, you'll want to pray. You'll want to pray about getting more Bible into your soul. Getting it into your mind is relatively simple. That just takes discipline. But getting it into your soul is a different matter. You'll need to pray about that. And then, you'll want to ask that your idols be revealed to you. That's a little scary but not terribly. Our God is actually very gentle with us.

And all of that will come to a climax when the Spirit points out some idol. He will put His finger right on it. There will be no doubt. You'll feel the nudge. You'll almost hear words: 'You have sinned. You have robbed Jesus of some glory. You have worshiped some idol. You've worshiped this idol.' And that is so very serious. At that point, you'll need to return to the basic theme of the Gospel: repentance and faith. Repent of your sin. Admit it. You looked to an idol to deal with the gap instead of looking to Jesus. Be honest, and say it clearly, in black and white. 'I worshiped an idol; this one.' But don't stop there. Never stop there. Come again to Jesus. And there is no need to be afraid. He isn't angry at you. He will welcome you and receive you gladly. Come to Him for forgiveness and for change. He will give you both. And then, rejoice. Jesus is at work in your soul. You've taken another step in the right direction – by His grace. And the day will dawn when He will be finished with His work in you. No more gaps. No more drab gray. No more idols.

Family

1 John 2.9-11

This week's sermon is actually a continuation of last week's. I didn't plan it that way, but that's how the Spirit led. Last week's sermon was about Paul's call to obedience. You'll remember that I gave you four stories to illustrate four possible responses to what the Spirit was saying. The point of that sermon was that we need to work on our relationships within the church. This week's sermon builds on that by raising a question. And the question is simple: What does that mean? What are we supposed to do if we are going to 'work on our relationships'? What does that look like? Today, I hope to answer that question.

Our text is but one example of a multitude of passages in the Bible that have something in common. They all use the word, 'brother'. However, as you know, John didn't mean that in the sense of your parents' son. John was talking about other Christians, and he used the word 'brother' to refer to them. As far as John is concerned, Christians are brothers. And that means that as far as Jesus is concerned, Christians are brothers. And it's that simple thought that I want to develop.

When I was in college I lived in a rooming house with a bunch of Christians from the Inter-Varsity group. One of them, Bob, had joined a fraternity. One day Bob asked me why we Christians used the language of 'brother' when talking about each other. He wondered if we were trying to imitate the fraternity where everyone is a 'frat brother'. I pointed to verses like these in 1 John and told him that this is the way that the Bible refers to us. It tells us that we are brothers. That satisfied Bob. But, as I've thought about it, that answer is incomplete. It needs another question to be answered. And that question is, 'Why?' Why does the Bible do that? What I want you to see is that built into this kind of language of 'brother' is an assumption. The Bible assumes that we are a family, the family of God. And so, when it comes to our relationship with God, He is our Father and we are His children. That's familiar enough. But what's not so familiar is that when it comes to our relationships with each other, we are siblings, brothers and sisters. That's not a metaphor or just some stylized language. We are brothers and sisters in the same sense that God is our Father. The one relationship is as real as the other. There is no metaphor here. And so, you see, John's language of 'brother' - which, incidentally, for John includes both men and women - is a reminder that we are the family of God.

This is very helpful because it answers our question: What does it mean for us to work at our relationships in the church? John's use of the word 'brother' answers that. We are to act as a family. We are to behave toward each other as siblings, as brothers and sisters. That is our goal as we work at our relationships within the church. That's what we are shooting for. And, to be clear, let me say that we aren't called to create new kinds of relationships that don't currently exist. We not called to become siblings. No! We are brothers and sisters. We are that because we are the family of God. That is what the Gospel has made us: God's family. So, being family is just as real as being forgiven. No metaphors. So, the point is not that we need to become what we currently are not. No, rather, we need to be who we really are. We need to act like the family that the Gospel has made us. We are brothers and sisters in God's family.

So, here's my first thought. The church is a family, God's family. We are His children. That makes the other people in this room your siblings, your brothers and sisters. This is the Gospel, and we need to believe it. It shows that we are believing it when we act like it.

Now, my second thought. Here, I need to deal with a problem. Consider family life in the homes of your friends and neighbors. The experience of being family has fallen on hard times. Roles within the family are not being fulfilled according to what God has said. Husbands and wives are not relating to each other as they should. Fathers and mothers are not relating to their children as they should. Children are not relating to their parents as they should. And children are not relating to each other as they should. Things have broken down. Everyone is pleasant enough to the others, but the relationships expected in a family are not there. These are families that aren't working as they should. One result of that is what some are calling 'father hunger', a crying need for the role of father to be filled in a person's life. That's why we are finding so many Christians who, in one way or other, are asking, 'What does it mean that God is my Father?' They really don't know how to answer that because they have never really experienced the love of a father. In the same way, many Christians cannot answer the question, 'What does it mean that other Christians are my brothers and sisters?' They just don't know. Having Godly relationships with their natural siblings just isn't part of their experience. If we are going to be able to understand the church as a family and work toward that goal, we will need to know what it means to have a good and Godly relationship with brothers and sisters.

Here, I am going to suggest two things to do to develop Godly relationships with siblings. Now, understand that this will be remedial. You know how some kids should have learned their math facts in elementary school but didn't. They have to get extra help - remedial help - somewhere later down the line. It's not the best way to gain those skills, but what else are you going to do. The best way to learn how to be a brother or a sister is by growing up in a Godly family where those things were taught. But, for some, we're going to have to go to 'Plan B', remedial help. So, two things to do to develop good relationships with brothers and sisters. First, love them. Second, serve them.

Let's follow the model of God's love. What does it mean that God loves you? I've told you that, at the very least, it means that God likes you. For me, that is simply a tremendous thought that I'm still trying to digest. God likes me! Amazing. But, if that's what God's love means, then a love for a brother or sister must also at least include liking him or her. I was asked a question some weeks ago. 'What if some people in the church just aren't your kind of people? There aren't any problems between you and them. No one is angry at anyone. But they are just different from you, and you've never gotten to know them, not really. That's okay, isn't it?' This is how I answered. If the Church is just another social group, then fine. We get along well with some people but not others. What are you going to do? But the Church isn't just another social group. We are the Church of Jesus. We are unlike any other organization on the face of the earth. The Church has received the Spirit of God. And that has happened so that we can fulfill the mission given to us. Jesus has called us to change the world, to make disciples of the nations. What we need to see is that how we relate to each other is key to our success. That's why Jesus said this. 'A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.' We will accomplish our mission of revealing Jesus in all His glory to the people around us and thus change the world, only if we love one another. That love relationship is proof of who Jesus is as the one who has changed our lives by making us His disciples. The power of the Gospel is revealed to the world by our relationships. So, in answer to that question, yes, we need to like each other. This is what Jesus means when He commands us to love one another as brothers and sisters, to love as a family. That's the first aspect of developing Godly relationships.

Second, we need to serve each other. Last week I read from the first part of Philippians 2 as I explained what Paul was expecting the Christians to obey. Listen to it again. 'So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.' Paul was calling the people to be one, to be a family, by serving one another. Do you know what comes next in his letter? Paul gives an example of what he is talking about. Here is his description of what serving one another looks like. 'Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.' That is so powerful! The Spirit is telling us that when it comes to working on our relationships, be like Jesus. If you want to serve one another as siblings, look at His example. And this makes even more sense when you remember that Jesus is the older brother of the family. What He did, He did for His younger brothers and sisters - us. He is showing us what it means to be a brother or a sister to the rest of the family. He is the model of brotherly love.

This is what it means to be the family of God, to work on our relationships as Paul commanded. We need to like each other and we need to serve each other. Our model in this is Jesus. Following Him here will be hard. It will be hard and it will cost us dearly. But we really don't have any choice in the matter. The Spirit has commanded this in His Word.

All of this leads me to my next question. It seems appropriate to ask it here. So, how are we doing? How are we doing at being the family of God, at liking each other, at serving each other? How are we doing when it comes to our relationships within the church? I think that it's fair to say that it's not working, not the way that it's supposed to. We don't act like a family, not as Jesus understands that term. And let me tell you why I think that. This is what I am hearing from and seeing in too many of you. You're lonely; lonely in the midst of the family of God. Imagine some kid telling you, 'Yes, I have a family. I have two parents and brothers and sisters. We're all nice to each other, but I feel so lonely.' How damning! Too many of you are lonely. I understand that because I am lonely, too. Something's not working. Then there is this other problem. Some of you have thought about leaving Faith Reformed to find a better church. What is that but saying, 'It isn't working.' Who wants to leave a family where he is loved and served? And again, I don't blame you. I have thought about leaving also. These are not signs of a flourishing family. So, I find that we are at a point of decision, a crisis point. Are we going to be the church as Jesus defines it? A real family that is working on relationships, working on liking each other and serving each other?

As I thought about all of this, two things came to mind. You need to understand that my default position has always been pessimism. It's not as bad as it used to be, but it's still there. My motto: 'When in doubt, assume the worst.' So, I asked myself, 'What should I expect as I look to the future? Is changing Faith Reformed likely? Is it even possible?' Then there was this second thought: 'If this is going to work, if Faith Reformed is going to change, then I might have to change. What is that going to be like? How is it going to happen? I don't know how to answer those questions. I don't like not knowing how to answer those questions. I do know that it will be hard. And I'm sure that I don't like that. What is, is known. I can deal with that. What might be is unknown. And that, I find a bit scary.' So, there I was with these twin thoughts about this situation. And then, the Spirit nudged me. 'Uh, didn't you preach a sermon that deals with this sort of stuff? Something about four stories, four possible responses. Didn't you say that the right choice was 'Trust and Obey'? Something about Joshua taking some fortified city?' So, I slapped myself, told the Spirit that, once again, He was right and thanked Him for reminding me. Then I resolved to work at trusting Jesus and doing what He commands when it comes to working on my relationship with you. And I'm guessing that I'm not the only one who needs that reminder from the Spirit.

So, what do we do now to make some changes? Actually, asking that question is jumping the gun. First, we each need to ask ourselves: Do I want to see Faith Reformed changed? Do I want us to become a real family? If the answer is, 'No', then there is nothing more to say. But if the answer is, 'Yes', then, and only then, is it right to ask, 'What do we do now?' And the fact of the matter is that I don't know how to answer that. I don't have some master plan for us to follow. And I actually think that that is good. All too often, having a master plan is dangerous because it preempts the Spirit. There are, however, some things that I am sure of. First, we've heard from the Father, who has gently told us, 'Things at Faith Reformed have to change. You need to be more of who you really are. You need to act like the family I have made you.' The second thing that I am sure of is that, at this point, all He wants to hear from us is, first, 'Yes, Father. You're right', and second, 'What do You want us to do?' It's only as He hears us respond with the first that He will answer the second.

So, here's my plan. Let's pray. Let's pray those two things. 'Father, You're right. Things here have to change', and then, 'What do you want us to do?' If we do that I know that the Spirit will tell us what the next step will be. I'm pretty sure that it won't be easy. But He has grace to deal with that too.