Comfort

A couple of weeks ago I spoke to you about love. I tried to clarify a bit what Jesus means when He calls us to love one another. I told you that love, according to Jesus’ definition, is patient and kind. Love will confront and take risks. And love endures. This is what Jesus expects when He calls us to love one another.

What I’d like to do this morning is return to the topic of love and look at another piece of what Jesus calls us to. To love one another is to offer comfort to those who need it.

Bread

We're still looking at this conversation that Jesus had with the crowd that enjoyed the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand. And once again, Jesus is trying to explain the Gospel. That is, he is trying to teach the people about himself. And once again, the teaching of the text depends on an image. Please listen as I read our text, John 6.22-35.

Baptism with the Holy Spirit

The second half of John 1 is filled with titles and labels applied to Jesus. In today’s sermon we are going to look at one of them. Jesus is the one who baptizes with the Spirit. The Spirit is the neglected person of the Trinity. I hope to change that, at least a little. This morning we are going to take a look at the work of the Spirit in the life of the Christian, in your life. Even apart from preparing this sermon, the Spirit has been leading me to think about several aspects of what He is about. I am eager to share with you some of what I am learning. Our text this morning is John 1.29-34.

Knowing the Father

What has Jesus come to do? That’s a good question to ask because the Bible answers it in lots of ways. And seeing the different ways the Bible answers this question will help you to understand better what Jesus has come to do for you. Our text, this morning, gives one of the Bible’s answers to this question. My hope is that it will help you understand yourself, your life and your God a little bit better.

Our text is John 1.14: ‘No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.’

The Beauty of Jesus

I am sure that most of you have heard and read this morning's text more than just a few times - and that you have seen some helpful things in it. What I'd like to do this morning is take what you know and go further with it. I don’t expect that I will tell you much that you've never heard before, but I do hope that as a result of this morning’s sermon you will not just understand better but also feel more deeply what John is getting at in our text.

Please listen as I read our text: ‘And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.’

Believing in Jesus

This morning we’re going to deal with one of the basics of following Jesus. This morning we’re going to deal with believing. There is a lot going on in that little phrase, and what John has written in our text will help you get a handle on some more of that. My hope is that understanding better what it means to believe in Jesus will lead to following Him better. Now, please listen as I read our text, John 1.11-13.

He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Love One Another

Today’s sermon is an unplanned part two to last week’s sermon on Isaiah 5. There were gaps in what I said last week. I said things that I need to clarify. I’m preaching on this and not moving on the Isaiah 6 because of some feedback that I received last week. I won’t embarrass my caller, but I do want to say, ‘Thank You’ for the call.

You’ll remember that I used Jesus’ love for us as our model of loving devotion for one another. He said, ‘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.’ [John 13.34,35] What I’d like to do is take this apart a bit and look at three aspects of Jesus’ love for us, three aspects of love that we are to imitate. After doing that I’m going to answer some questions that I’m guessing that you have. Some of my answers surprised me.

Let’s start with this. Jesus described Himself as a shepherd. He talked about how, as a good shepherd, He cares for His sheep. In that context He said, ‘The sheep hear [their shepherd’s] voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.’ This whole thing about names is a big deal in the Bible. Time and again we see that a person’s name was so much more than just a label. A name was to say something about the person. It was to be a reflection of something significant about him. This is highlighted when we see names changed. So, after God promises that he will be a father of a multitude of nations, Abram, ‘exalted father’, is renamed Abraham, ‘father of a multitude’. After a night spent in a wrestling match, Jacob, ‘schemer’ becomes Israel, ‘he strives with God’. And it’s when Jesus says, ‘Upon this rock I will build My Church’ that Simon, ‘he hears’, becomes Peter, ‘the rock’. A name in the Bible is important because it is about who you are. So, when Jesus says He knows His sheep by name, He’s saying more than, ‘I know your label.’ Instead, He is saying, ‘I know you, who you really are. And that’s because you are one of my sheep.’ A good shepherd knows his sheep. Jesus knows us. Each one of us. By name. Jesus’ flock – His Church – is not a bunch of faceless names to Him. He knows each of us and loves each of us one by one by one. There is an intimacy here that Jesus has with us, an intimacy that He also encourages us to pursue. He wants us to know Him in the same way that He knows us. And He calls us to know each other in the same way. Love strives to know the loved. Love is about the intimacy of persons.

Let’s move on. Here’s something else Jesus said. ‘I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.’ These are Jesus’ words to His closest friends right before His death. He promises His ongoing presence with His own – an interesting thing to promise on the eve of one’s death. And what was He talking about? The Spirit. Listen to the larger context. ‘If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.’ Do you see what this says about His love for us? Jesus will not love from a distance. He promises to be near to us. He is with us as He loves us. And that is important because it is almost impossible to love from afar. A young married couple comes to you for advice. The wife is a student here in Erie, but the husband has been offered a great job in California. They figure they’ll be apart for a year or two until the wife can finish her obligations here. But they’ll call each day and visit during vacation times. They want to know what you think about their plan. I think we all agree that this is a really bad idea. For a marriage to flourish a husband and wife need to be together, spend time together. They need walks together, shared jokes, working through issues together, his coffee with her brownies, or just being in the same room while they read different books. Love – in a marriage or in any relationship – needs time together. ‘I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.’ To love as Jesus loves means being with the other person, spend time together. Nearness.

One more. This takes us back to Jesus’ comments about being a shepherd. ‘The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.’ When we hear this our thoughts quickly go to the Cross. And they should. And yet, Jesus’ laying down His life includes more than that. Before He could die on that Cross, Jesus had to empty Himself, and come to be among us as one of us. Throughout His life He was the grain of wheat that suffered tastes of death. He died to the love of His family who thought He was crazy. He died to a good reputation in His home when they were ready to throw Him off the cliff. He died to the enjoyment of a wife and children which was normal for everyone around Him. There were many good things that Jesus sacrificed for us and that long before the Cross loomed. Jesus sacrificed for us because of His love for us. Love sacrifices.

So, three qualities to Jesus’ love for us. Intimacy. Nearness. Sacrifice. We are loved people. Deeply loved. The fact that we are such sinners just adds to the wonder of that thought. And if this is the only thing that you take home from this sermon, it will have been a huge success. We. Are. Loved. This is a truth that changes so much. This Jesus, who loves us so, calls us to follow Him, to imitate Him. He wants us to love each other in the same sorts of ways that He has loved us. And, apart from any other benefits from this, our mutual love becomes our witness to the world. ‘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.’

Now, let me anticipate some thoughts that you might have in response to what I’ve just said. The first is this. ‘You’re asking for too much. To do this is just too hard. I know that it’s a command of Scripture, but it’s just too hard. You’re asking too much.’ Well, what can I say? It is hard. In fact, it’s more than hard. It’s impossible. Think about this. Whatever Jesus calls us to will be impossible. Feeling the impossibility of obedience to some command is actually a sign that you’ve understood what Jesus is expecting. And obedience is impossible because of our sin. It will trip us up every time. To love another person like Jesus loves is simply not possible for us. No holy act is possible for us. And that’s why grace is so important. That’s why grace can never be left out. Jesus expects the impossible from us, but He also provides all that we need so that we can do the impossible. That’s the wonder of the Gospel. Sinners actually behaving like holy people, doing the impossible. So, if you are overwhelmed by what Jesus calls for, you’re on the right track. You’re getting it. You need Jesus to act, to give you the ability to love that you just don’t have. And that is something that you ask Him for, something you pray about. As you pray, He will act. We need to pray if we are going to love like Jesus loves. Depending on grace is so important. Without that you will either be crushed by your sense of failure or become proud because of you sense of success.

Here’s another possible response. ‘I see what you’re saying, but I really don’t have any more time or energy to do this.’ Well, the fact of the matter is that you might be exactly right. You might not have the time or energy to add more to your list. That might really be your situation. Think about the different ways in which we sin. Some are sins of the tongue, things that we say. Others are sins of the eyes, things that we look at. There are also sins of desire, discontent, laziness, overdoing. We have lots of sins. And they all need to be changed. However, it should be obvious that we can’t work on all of them at the same time. The Twelve had lots of sins to work on, but Jesus didn’t have them work on them all while He was with them. So, it may well be that Jesus is not calling you to work on developing loving relationships with more people right now. It may be that He wants you to be working on something else right now. It may be, in fact, that right now He wants you to do less and not more.

This has some important implications for us. Jesus does not expect you to become perfect by next week. So, He’s okay with the fact that you still sin and will continue to sin. Now, I realize that if you take my last sentence in the wrong sense it is heresy. But if you take in the right sense, then it is extraordinarily freeing. So, let me repeat it. Jesus is okay with the fact that you still sin and will continue to sin. Relax. There’s grace for sinners. One thing that this means is that not every part of every sermon is intended for every person who hears it. So, consider this situation. After prayer and thought you come to a conclusion. ‘Jesus has called me to work on this area of my life.’ And then, come Sunday, I preach a sermon on some other area you need some work in. You just might conclude that you’re not going work on that other area I preached about until that first one is properly dealt with. And you might be right about that. As the Spirit leads you – and that’s not empty Church talk! – as the Spirit leads you, follow. Work on whatever He is pointing out in your life. Just because I preach a sermon on some topic doesn’t mean that dealing with that issue automatically becomes the top priority for your life. And that brings us back to the importance of choices. Pray. Think. Discuss. And listen to the Spirit. Then choose what you will do. It may well be that these sermons on loving relationships with the church aren’t meant for you. Or maybe they are. Choose. Maybe your prayer needs to be, ‘Lord, I know that I sin in this area, but I really think that You want me to focus on what You pointed out to me last month. Bring me back to this at the right time.’ So, not every part of every sermon is intended for every person who hears it. Having said that, there will always be something helpful in each sermon for you. It may be some throwaway comment I make. Or it may be the main point of it all. But the Spirit will have something for you each Sunday. It may be a promise to enjoy or command to take more seriously or just a different way of looking at things. It just may be another opportunity to be stunned by the beauty of Jesus and His Gospel. But you must listen for it. And as you do listen, choose wisely. Jesus is here. He is watching. He will bless your efforts, giving you all you need to follow Him well.

One more. ‘I understand what you mean by working at loving relationships, imitating Jesus in this. I do have a relation with someone that reflects Jesus’ kind of love. But that person isn’t a part of FRC. Why do I need this kind of relationship with someone here?’ My answer has a couple of levels to it. I start with this question. What does it mean to be a church? I think that we can agree that being some sort of Sunday preaching and teaching center isn’t good enough. Just doesn’t fit with the New Testament’s description. A church is supposed to be more than that. So, here’s part of an answer. A church is a group of people who, because of their love for Jesus, love each other and that for the sake of the world. Remember where this all started last week: mission. Jesus expects us to change the world. His prime weapon to change the world are His churches. And one key weapon that we have as a church is our love for one another. So, a church is where the love of Christians for each other is on display before the world in order to draw them to Jesus. That’s not the whole story, but it gets at part of it. So, to quote the Apostles’ Creed, I believe in the Church. Having said all of that, do I think that you should drop those close relationships that you have with others so you can start working on that with people here? That doesn’t sound right, does it? Once again, we’re faced with the messiness of trying to be faithful disciples of Jesus, faithful members of His churches, in a broken world. It’s not easy. I remember a missionary problem. A man with multiple wives was converted along with his family. So, what about the polygamy? Does he divorce all but one wife? If he does the others will either starve or become prostitutes. The resolution was that he was to remain married to them all while understanding that monogamy is the only right way. There are those who think that solutions are easy. All you need to do is follow the rules. They’re wrong. We’re supposed to be working on deep, loving relationships within the church. But sometimes we can’t. So, let me encourage you to hold on to these deep love relationships that you have. Enjoy them, even though that might mean that there is no time or energy left to develop something like that here. But if somehow the Spirit opens the way to develop that kind of relationship with someone here, then pursue it at that time.

Let me pull this together. I sincerely and passionately believe in the church as the place where the love of the saints for one another proves the Gospel to the watching world. Unbelievers will see this love and be convinced by this love because it is something that they cannot do. They will come to Jesus because they see a love that is humanly impossible. I believe that. I believe that that is the goal for every church. That’s one of the things that made the church in the early part of Acts so powerful. But there are many, many obstacles that stand in the way. And we won’t be able to remove them all. In fact, if we remove any of them it will only be because Jesus has acted and given us the ability to beat down some sin. And so, we keep at it, for the sake of Jesus, who has loved us so, and for the sake of a world that needs to see the Gospel before they will believe it.

Knowing God

John 17.1-3

What we have before us is the opening to the prayer that Jesus offered the evening before the cross. In it He defines eternal life. You'll note that He doesn't describe it in terms of forgiveness of sin or living forever or even some great unknown that happens later. He tells us that eternal life is knowing the Father and knowing the Son whom He sent. Now, what does that mean? The plan for this morning's sermon is to reflect on this idea of knowing God. We'll look at several different places in Scripture. Now, why am I doing this? Why this topic? I doubt that most of you will hear anything dramatically new, so that's not my goal. But sometimes we get so focused on the details that we lose sight of what the big picture is. We are called to follow Jesus. That's obvious. But the goal isn't in the details of the following. The goal is the result of following Jesus. The goal is to know Him. So, what I want to do this morning is remind you what that means. I want to help you see that more clearly so that working at the details will make sense. I want to help you to take the next step in embracing this goal so that when following Jesus gets really hard you'll still believe that it's worth it. That's goal and I expect the Spirit to bless so that we'll reach it.

Let's start with a basic idea of 'know'. A prominent text for this is in Genesis. 'Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain...' It's too bad that some of the modern translations change this. The Spirit wrote 'know' for a reason. The use of the word 'know' in this context reminds us that we're talking about intimacy. Sex is about the intimacy of persons, an intimacy that includes both body and soul. What is sad about so much sexual immorality these days is that it settles for the intimacy of bodies but leaves out the intimacy of souls. In fact, there are some who freely acknowledge this. 'I don't love you. In fact, I hardly know you. But let's have some fun.' And that is so sad. And it is sadder yet when this sort of lack goes on even within a marriage; intimacy of bodies without any intimacy of souls. God defined marriage as two individuals becoming one person. That's all about intimacy: two people who touch each other so deeply in every aspect of their life together so that they really do seem like one person. They are still two but the union is such, the way that they act is such that they seem like one. Sexual union is intended to be only one expression of that oneness. That's what a marriage is to be like. This speaks to our topic because marriage was designed to be a picture of the relationship of Jesus and His Church. Eternal life is about the intimacy of persons. It's about two, Jesus and you, His Church, becoming one. Unfortunately, down through the centuries there has been a counterfeit Christianity which is not about an intimate life with Jesus. Instead, it's about satisfying some religious guidelines. The Temple was filled with worshipers when the Old Testament prophets condemned the people for their failure to work at knowing God. The Pharisees were all about following the rules and doing them just so. But their hearts were very far from the God they thought they were worshiping. And that same counterfeit continues down to our day where so many still miss that fact that walking with Jesus really means walking with Jesus. It's intended to be a relationship built on the intimacy of two becoming one.

The evil one has worked hard on this and has had too much success. So, let me caution you. Beware of this danger. Remember that you have an enemy who hates you and who wants to see you fall. And he pursues that goal tirelessly. And here let me give you something to keep your eye on as a warning signal: your prayers. This is one place where you can evaluate the intimacy of your walk with Jesus. Miners used to take canaries with them into the mines. The toxic gases in the mines would kill the bird before they would affect the men. As long as the bird was singing all was well. But a dying bird was sufficient warning that the men faced grave danger. When it comes to the intimacy of your walk with Jesus, the quality of your prayers is an early warning system. The issue isn't the quantity of your prayers but the quality. And the question to ask yourself isn't, 'Is everything perfect when it comes to my prayers?' The answer to that will always be the same. The right question to ask is, 'Am I still working at being honest and open with my God when I pray?' The evil one will work hard at getting you to settle for some sort of checklist mentality instead of striving for intimacy when it comes to your prayers. It's not necessary for him to get you to stop praying – though he tries that also. All he needs to do is to get you to settle for prayers that are empty of any intimacy. So, watch the quality of your prayers.

Let's move on to another aspect of our topic. This is from Paul's letter to the Philippians. '...that I may know Him and the power of his resurrection...' Knowing Jesus includes knowing His power. And that fits. So much of dealing with life comes down to a question of power. 'Do you have the strength, the ability, the power to make life work?' This issue of power shows in different ways. The question for Moses and Pharaoh come down to this: Whose God is stronger? And that question was decided very clearly. The last God standing wins. And the ten plagues provided the answer. When it was Jesus versus Satan it wasn't a matter of plagues. Instead, it was exorcisms, the miraculous casting out of demons. This was all the evidence needed to prove that Jesus had the power to defeat Satan. And what does power look like today? We are such a scientific age that most people would still be skeptical if someone were to exorcism demons. A predicted plague of locust would be interpreted as an odd coincidence. It would take a lot to overcome such bias. Power that impresses today will look different. So, here are some words of Paul that fit our situation. '... our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.' He goes on to explain what's he talking about. He doesn't point to predicted plagues or miracles. Instead he writes about the 'work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope', in those saints to whom he wrote. He points to how they 'received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that [they] became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.' And then he writes this. 'For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.' What is the evidence of power here? Changed lives. The Spirit of Jesus had power to change those Thessalonians. Elsewhere, Paul warned Timothy about counterfeits. He told him about people who have 'the appearance of godliness, but deny its power.' Knowing God is about power, the power of a life that has been changed so that it sparkles. So many people today feel powerless. They may not use that language, but their response to life, their vain attempts to make it work, reveal their sense of powerlessness. But there is power for those who know God, the power of the Spirit. So, the promise of God to every saints is that there will be change. And that is so encouraging. The sins you struggle with will be taken away. There will be progress and there will be change. This is part of eternal life. It is ours because we know God.

One more text. This is from Galatians. 'Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God...' Here, again, we have the language of knowing God. But this time Paul corrects himself mid-sentence. He remembers that it's not so much that you have come to know God as it is that He has come to know you. This reminds us that there is a priority here. God knew you before you were even able to get to know Him. And being good Calvinists we'll want to talk about God's sovereign grace and how God always takes the initiative. But let's not stop there, simply asserting the right doctrine. There is something very encouraging going on here. If God acted first, if He took the initiative in getting to know you, that means that He desires a deep, intimate relationship with you. In fact, He desired this relationship with you before you even thought about such a thing. And that makes a world of difference. Far too many Christians picture God in the distance yelling, 'Come on! Get it into gear! Get over here if you want to do this knowing Me thing the right way.' And any faltering along the way earns you at least a disparaging frown, if not worse. But that's not the Gospel. The Gospel tells you that God desires a relationship with you. And because of that He moves toward you. In Jesus, He has come near to enjoy a relationship of love with you. What else could the Incarnation mean? And when Jesus returned to the Father, He didn't leave us here on our own. He sent the Spirit to continue to develop this relationship. God wants to know you. That is so profound, especially when we remember that we are such great sinners. So, knowing Him is not a matter of us doing everything just so, of our jumping through the right hoops in the right way, to make sure we get to God. It's all about Him reaching out to us. And that makes our part simple. It's like ballroom dancing. Jesus holds us on the dance floor and gently says, 'This isn't as hard as you think. I'll show you how to do it. Just follow My lead.' Now, we can insist on trying to do it on our own, and we'll step on toes and look real dumb. Or we can trust Him to make us look good on that dance floor. He wants the relationship with us, and He's done an awful lot to make it happen. How much easier it would be if we just trusted Him and followed His lead. Now the fact of the matter is that we will still mess up and step on toes. But Jesus still holds us close and whispers in our ear, 'That's okay. You're doing fine. Just follow My lead.'

Intimacy, power, God's desire for us. Now we're ready for the last section. Here I raise a question. Why is this important? Why should knowing God be a priority for us? I have two reasons for you. First, knowing God is how life works. We were made to enjoy intimacy with Him, to experience the power of His Spirit changing our lives, to be comforted and encouraged by Jesus taking the lead in developing this relationship. Life just doesn't work without knowing God. So many try to make it work without Him, but it just doesn't. It can't. We were made to know God. That's the first reason why this is important. The second comes from a favorite verse of mine. You heard it read recently from the end of Daniel, but it was in the midst of some pretty confusing things. Listen again. 'He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action.' Knowing God is important so that you can stand against the evil that surrounds us and defeat it. Jesus taught us to pray, 'Thy kingdom come.' And the kingdom will come. But it will not come without a fight. Do you think that Satan is about to give up any time soon? Do you think that he's just pursuing a defensive strategy? No, he's still throwing everything he can at the Church. He knows his time is short. If we love Jesus, if we want to see Him honored, if we want to see His kingdom spread across this globe, then we need to fight for that. And it is the people who know God who will be able to fight the best. Intimacy, power, God's desire for us.

I don't think that I've said anything that is new to most of you. And that fits with my plan which was simply to remind you about things you already know. But remember that if the sermon is going work, you need to take something home with you. One thing will do. What will that be?

Advent: Seeking Worshipers

John 4.19-26

What a fascinating conversation. Sitting at the local well, Jesus is chatting with this woman. And what do they discuss? Worship! They actually have a little debate about worship. When was the last time you chatted with a stranger about worship. It just doesn't happen. If you were to raise a question about worship you'd probably hear, 'You mean, do I go to church? Sure, I go to church. But why are you asking me about that?' So many people today will tell you that worship just isn't that important, though probably not in so many words. But that wouldn't be true. Worship really is that important to them. It is actually something that most people stress over. That may sound wrong, but it's not. It comes down to how you understand 'worship'. If you define worship as some religious ritual performed in a special building on special days, then it is a very small part of life for the great majority of people these days. In fact, for a growing number of people, this ritual has absolutely no role in their lives. But that's not how the Father defines worship. Whatever a person focuses on, greatly desires, dreams about, looks to, is awed by, demands, defends with vigor, longs for, hopes in and lives for is what that person worships. So, you see, everybody worships. The whole issue of worship is the focal point of their lives. And when people have what used to be called a 'nervous breakdown' it is because whatever they worship didn't come through for them, and they finally accepted that fact. Everybody worships. It's the whole issue of worship that lies behind the demand of so many football stars for a Super Bowl ring. It's the whole issue of worship that takes a good worker and transforms him into a workaholic. It's the whole issue of worship that makes parents demand that their children achieve specific goals. Is it wrong to try to do well at sports or work hard at the job or to want to see kids succeed? It all depends on how one defines doing well, working hard and succeeding. It's all about worship.

What someone worships is not always obvious to him. The heart is deceitful. But people can discover what they worship - what they really worship - just by watching themselves in action. One big tip­‑off is the emotions. Are they engaged? How? There are some people who have absolutely no interest in football. The TV is blaring about some key game that's going down to the wire, and they give it no attention - not even a little. But then, as you know, there are those for whom football is everything. It's obvious to everyone. And it's obvious because, for one thing, their emotions are engaged. Oftentimes, a person can tell that the issues of worship are at stake in some situation or other as he notices either the ecstasy or the rage pouring forth. Here, just think of Jesus, rejoicing in what the Father is doing in rescuing people or enraged as He cleans out the Temple. The emotions are a tip‑off. So, while people may not stop to chat about worship at the local well, worship is still a hot issue for everyone.

Now, we're ready for the text. 'But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.' Understand what Jesus is saying here. The Father is seeking people who focus on, greatly desire, dream about, look to, are awed by, demand, defend with vigor, long for, hope in and live for - Him. The Father is seeking people who are emotionally engaged when it comes to Him, so much so that there are times of ecstasy and times of rage - just because of Him. The Father is seeking worshipers, this kind of worshipers. And so, do you know what He did? He sent Jesus. We're still dealing with the same question we've been looking at for the last couple of weeks. Why Advent? Why did Jesus come? And we're coming up with yet another answer. Jesus came seeking worshipers for the Father, people so given to the Father that it shows.

I hope that it is clear that this worship is by no means limited to times of religious ritual. It certainly includes that, but it goes far beyond those times. This kind of worship of the Father is about all of life, just as the workaholic's worship is about all of life. Jesus has been sent to seek people whose whole lives are so focused on the Father that it becomes obvious in everyday living. It becomes impossible to miss. He is why they live. Or to put it another way, Jesus has come to win the hearts of people away from whatever else they have been worshiping so that they might greatly desire, long for, be awed by the Father instead. That's why Jesus has come. That's what the Gospel is all about.

It's time for a question. And this question isn't just some hypothetical. This is a real question coming from real people.

'What kind of God wants people to make Him the center of their lives, the exclusive focus of everything that they do, the very reason that they exist? If any of us were to make that kind of demand we'd be labeled egotistical and selfish. So, how can this Christian idea of God get away with it? A real God would just let us live and enjoy life and not make this demand of people. And it is a demand. What happens to those who refuse to worship this God? They end up in hell - or so you say. What kind of God are you guys peddling?'

The people who ask this kind question often have an attitude, but the question is still quite appropriate. What kind of God, indeed? We need to answer this question, and we need to answer it well. For one thing, we need to respond to those who raise such questions. This is a real issue for them. We need to rise to the challenge to help them see the truth. But even more important than that, we need to answer this question for the sake of our own souls. Is the God whom we worship just an egotistical tyrant? If we do not settle this in our own minds then we will be dogged by large doubts about the character of the Father, doubts that will ultimately destroy our ability to worship Him. After all, how can anyone look to, hope in and long for a tyrant who is stuck on Himself? We need to answer this question. Our ability to worship is at stake.

So, what shall we say? How shall we answer this question? The key to our answer is tied to the Christian idea of creation. It makes a big difference that the God of the Bible, Jehovah, has created us. It goes beyond the idea that since He has created us He can require of us whatever He wants. That's true, but if that's all there is then we really are ruled by a tyrant who can bully us to do whatever. So, you need to see the rest. You need to see that our Creator has created us in a certain way. He made us to enjoy dazzling sunsets, leisurely meals with close friends, moving symphonies and restful sleep at the end of a full day. He made us in a certain way. And those who cannot enjoy such things, for whatever reason, are missing something. The Father also made us to worship Him, to focus on Him, to desire Him as our chief joy. We were made for real worship of the Father. And likewise, those who cannot enjoy this worship, are missing something. But missing this 'something' is much more devastating than not being able to enjoy that sunset. Missing this is missing something huge. Life cannot be lived, not truly, when this is missing from a person's life. We were created for worship.

And so, you see, the Father's call to worship Him is not the demand of some insecure and egotistical deity. Worshiping the Father is the way things work best, the way life is lived best. It's part of how we were designed. The call to worship the Father is not a demand that oppresses but an invitation that gives life. Jesus told us that He came that we might have life and have it abundantly. At the heart of that life is the worship of the Father, that He would be the focus of who we are and what we do. Life without true worship isn't life. It's death.

Now, we need to be very careful here. There are those who think about the worship of the Father only in terms of what it will get them. For them, the Father simply becomes a means to an end. And that end, that goal, is all about themselves. Here, we're back to football stars and workaholics. But think. Is it possible to use the eternal God simply for one's own sake? Does anyone really think that he can get away with that? This was the error of the Pharisees. They were hot for worship, ready to debate anyone about it. But their focus was not on the Father. Their focus was on themselves. It is no wonder that Jesus had such damning words for them.

When it comes to true worship of the Father, He is the goal. He is no means to some other end, some other goal. There is no using Him. He is the goal. However, it's still true that, in worshiping Him, we do, in fact, gain. We are, in this way, able to enjoy life. There is a subtle, but crucial, difference here. Real worship of the Father is for His sake. Counterfeit worship is for my sake. Those who understand the difference and truly worship the Father, truly focus all on Him, rejoice the most because, as a result of their worship, their lives work best. Jesus came to seek such worshipers.

And that presents us with another aspect to all of this that we need to see. When Adam and Eve were working the Garden, eating the fruits and vegetables, enjoying walks with Jesus in the cool of the day, they were worshiping, and it was all good. But, as you know, sin entered the picture and everything was ruined. The focus of worship was dramatically changed. Just consider Satan's temptation, 'You know, you really should worship yourself. You should be the focus of your life. If you eat, you'll be able to do exactly that. If you take the fruit you'll be gods, worthy of being the focus of your own life, worthy of worship. Go ahead and take some, and worship yourself.' They believed him, and, as a result, there have been billions upon billions who have followed in their footsteps. And that's why the Father seeks worshipers. That's why Jesus has come. Left to ourselves we would never worship the Father. We might opt for some counterfeit worship but never the real thing. Never! Left to ourselves we would believe Satan's lie to our last day. And so, Jesus came to deal with that. And it all boils down to repentance and faith. If anyone is going to be able to enjoy a life of worshiping the Father he must turn from what ultimately is self worship. (Repentance.) And then he must turn to true worship. (Believing the Gospel.) Repentance and faith are absolutely essential. But by themselves they are worthless. They work only because of Jesus. Your repentance and faith will never satisfy God's demand for justice when it comes to your sin. And they will never give you the ability to change from what you are into a true worshiper of the Father. These things work only because of Jesus. His death on the cross, His being raised to the right hand of the Father, His sending His Spirit, these are what make the difference. So, now that Jesus has come, your repenting of your sin and your believing the Gospel will actually accomplish something. Only Jesus makes true worship possible for sinners like us.

So, you see, Jesus' ministry is all about remaking you into a true worshiper of the Father. Jesus' Advent is all about worship. And, fortunately, His ministry among us is not done. From time to time, His Spirit nudges us - as only He can - to point out the different ways in which we falter in our worship of the Father. He shows us when we are worshiping the wrong things. And the emotions are often the tip‑off. Bit by bit we are remade into people who really do worship the Father, the right way, all the time. Bit by bit we get to really enjoy life.

So, we have another answer to our question: Why Advent? Why did Jesus come? He came to seek true worshipers for the Father. This is something to ponder in the context of the different parts of our lives. This is something to work at as the Spirit guides us away from false worship and into a greater experience of true worship. This is something to enjoy and rejoice in as we see what Jesus has done for us.

Ask Whatever

John 15.1-8

John 15 is a cherished chapter in my Bible. Many lessons have been learned here in my short time as a disciple of Jesus. Themes from this chapter were put to music and the Inter-Varsity group that I was a part of sang them with some gusto. So, as I come the preach from this chapter there is a significant temptation to say too much and overwhelm you. I've worked to limit myself and fight that temptation so that what I do say will be helpful. I think that I've done okay at this. You can tell me later whether I succeeded at this.

The point that I want to press home will come at the end of the sermon. So, I thought it best to tell you what that is at the beginning. Last week's sermon ended with a call to prayer. I said something like, 'So, in a way, the sermon boils down to one thing. We need to pray.' Today, I want to build on that by looking at Jesus' promise in this chapter. '... ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.' That is a very bold statement, and I think one that is so very helpful to us. It is my hope that I will be able to help you to believe it and use it for the spread of the Gospel.

When Jesus said, 'I am the Vine and you are the branches', He was drawing attention to the intimacy of our relationship with Him. Many people in our world have a creed and try to live in accord with that creed. While we have creeds that describe who we are and what we are about, the point of being a Christian is not about following a creed. Being a Christian is about being united to a person. A vine and its branches share something. They share a common life. The life of the vine flows into the branches. The life of Jesus flows into us. That is what lies at the heart of the Gospel, being united to Christ. The promise of the Gospel is eternal life. Too many think of this in terms of getting to heaven one day. But eternal life is the life of the age to come that has been given to us now, in this age. We have that life now. It is the life of Jesus and it is ours by the ministry of the Spirit. It is ours now because we are branches in the vine. We do not have this life fully – that will happen at Jesus' return – but we really do have it. The life of eternity flows in our souls. Obviously, there is more here, but I'm trying to be good and limit myself.

This life that the vine shares with the branches shows in the fruit it produces. Take a ride at the right time to North East and you know what you'll see: vineyards, vines bearing fruit through their branches. Likewise, we are branches united to Jesus, the Vine, so that we might bear fruit. Now, an apt question at this point is to ask, 'What is this fruit? We know that it is a metaphor, but of what?' That's the right question. But before we answer the what question, I want to answer why. Why do we bear fruit. Jesus is quite clear. 'By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit...' The point of our fruit-bearing is to glorify the Father. Now 'glorify' is one of those church words, words that we can use so easily without actually knowing what they mean. So, let's translate that. Glorify means to make much of. If you were to go to a reception for someone who will be retiring what would you find? Well, this past Friday I went to one. Pastor Irfon Hughes is retiring and his church had a reception. At this reception I heard different people talk about Pastor Hughes. They shared stories about him, times that they enjoyed with him, different ways in which he was a very good pastor to them. They made much of this man. When we glorify the Father, we do the same thing. We make much of Him. We tell stories about Him, talk about times that we have enjoyed with Him and the different ways in which He has been a very good God to us. In one way or another, we highlight what is so good about our God. This is what the Bible does on every page. It makes much of God. And we do it, too. When we do that before the lost, we are evangelizing. When we do that before other saints, we are being encouraging. When we do that by ourselves, we are meditating. And when we do that before God Himself, we are worshiping. Glorifying God, making much of Him in different contexts and by different means, is the reason for our being alive. We are to make Him look good in the way we live each moment and in the way that we die at the end of it all. We make much of our Father by the fruit that we bear. That's all about the 'why' question. That's why we bear fruit.

Now we're ready for that 'what' question. What is this fruit that Jesus is talking about? Go back to North East. Imagine someone new to the area seeing the vines from a distance. He knows that they're vines but what kind? As he gets closer he sees the grapes and what kind of grapes that they are. Now he knows what kind of vines they are. The fruit Jesus talks about is what people see of your life when they get up close to you. We can think of this individually, but instead, let's think of this in terms of our church. Imagine someone walking through those doors for the first time and beginning to get to know us, the people of Faith Reformed. What kind of fruit would we like him to see? Now there's a question worth thinking about. I did and came up with a couple of things. We would like him to see a thirst for God that affects the whole of life. 'As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.' We would like him to see a deep sense of joy that continues even in the face of great hardship. So, Peter writes to some persecuted saints, 'Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory...' (Here, I was thinking about those Ugandan widows from last week.) We would like him to see a love for others that sacrifices what is precious. 'Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends.' Those are some things that I think we would like newcomers to see. Those are some examples of what Jesus is talking about. Those are some of the fruit that we are called to bear: impressive personal qualities, qualities that require a lot to develop, qualities that lie close to the heart. I chose these to make a point. The fruit-bearing that Jesus is talking about is not a matter of dealing with some area of your life that needs that little bit more to get it really right. First, what 'get it really right' usually means is making my life a bit better for me. But isn't the point to make much of the Father? Take some pagan who, because of his training, seems to be a nice guy who is able to keep life pretty much under control. He also has areas of his life that need that little bit more to get right. So, with a little more effort and a bit of self-discipline he can make that progress. And, as a result, he has made his life a better for himself. He is not impressed that you, also using the same resources, can do what he can. Nor should he be. It's important that you see that Jesus is not talking about beating the pagans at their own game. He is talking about a completely different game. And so, the fruit that He is talking about is so very different. That's why I mentioned that short list: A thirst for God that affects the whole of life. A deep sense of joy that continues even in the face of great hardship. A love for others that sacrifices what is precious. And that is only the beginning. Remember, Jesus is all about a completely different game. He's not about taking nice people and making them a little bit nicer. He's about taking sinners and doing the impossible, changing their lives, producing the kind of fruit in them that would be considered unthinkable and beyond anyone's ability. And the result of this kind of fruit? This kind of fruit will make much of the Father.

Now we're ready for the promise of the text. This promise answers the question of how to bear such fruit. How can we bear the kind of fruit that will amaze the world and make much of the Father before their eyes? The assumption of the promise is that producing this kind of fruit is completely beyond us. Completely. So, Jesus says, 'Ask Me for this. Ask Me to produce this kind of fruit. And though it will seem impossible, I will grow that fruit in your life. Ask Me. Go ahead, ask Me.' It's here that the doubting Thomases show up. 'I claimed this promise once and nothing happened.' That's supposed to put an end to our discussions on – and our expectations of – this promise. But not for me. What if I asked Jesus for something, reminding Him of this promise. 'Lord, I think it would be good if I bear this fruit. So, I'm asking, expecting that You will do it because of this promise.' And what if He said, 'Well, I don't think that's the best idea. Let's do something different.' What if He said, 'No.' How should I respond to that? Should I whine, 'But You promised!!', like some bratty kid? Should I give up on the promise, telling myself that for some unknown reason it doesn't work for me? I don't think so. I think that it would be better if I were to say, 'Thank You, Lord, for not granting my request.' To be able to say that I need to do a few things. First, I need to acknowledge that I am not as wise as I might think that I am. I thought that bearing that particular fruit was a wise choice. Could it be that there is a wiser choice? Second, I need to trust Jesus not only as the one who is full of all wisdom but also as the one who passionately loves me. He is so totally committed to seeing amazing fruit develop on the branch called Leon Ben-Ezra. Everything changes when I believe that. And then, I need to remember that the goal is not about me, about making me feel good about myself and my life. The goal is to make much of the Father. So, after I thank Jesus for not granting me my request, what's my next move? My next move is not to be more tentative about the promise. My next move is to choose again and, with the same enthusiasm as before, to pray, 'Well, Lord, how about this? This looks like a good fruit to develop. What do You think?' Our problem is not that we ask for the wrong things as much as it is that we don't ask enough. The promise is wide open. Ask for whatever! We need to make full use of it, trusting in His wisdom and His love that He won't always give us what we ask for, but rather what we need so that we can make much of the Father. So, what fruit will you ask for?

Let me close with this. As you come to Jesus to ask for this or that fruit in your life, bear in mind that what you are really asking for is more of Jesus, more of His life flowing into your soul and changing what it looks like. And for that to happen, the Spirit needs to do His work. From what I can see at this point, next week we'll take a look at the ministry of the Spirit who works in the Church today to bring about this change. You might want to pray about that.

Hating Life Here

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. John 12:24-26

What striking words for me to ponder. Here is the call to die, to hate my life in this world. And that hurts. But this is merely to follow Jesus who hated His life in this world and willingly went to the cross as a result. Should my life be easy? But what a promise attached to it. If I follow Jesus here I will be with Him there. Isn't that reward enough? But on top of that 'the Father will honor him'. Amazing!