The Necessary Prerequisite for Killing Sin

Over the next nine weeks, our adult Core Seminar will consider the command for us to kill sin, as stated by the Apostle Paul in Romans 8:13:

If you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

You are responsible for killing sin. Yes, you must do it by the Spirit – we’ll discuss what that means on Sunday mornings. Yet you personally must decide that sin should be killed.

But many of us do not want to kill sin. Why not?

One important part of the problem: We have an unbiblical view of sin. We will not hate sin unless we hold the biblical view.

Many think of sin simply as the breaking of a rule. Some rules – such as speed limits – are to an extent arbitrary. We may approve of speed limits that prevent other drivers from traveling 120mph on I-85 – but if I’m on a long, straight section of interstate in good weather with no cars behind me or in front of me, I may be able to drive well over the speed limit without negative consequences.

When we think of sin in this way, we easily rationalize our disobedience:

  • “A little violation of this rule doesn’t really matter.”
  • “I can disobey without getting caught”
  • “I can be careful to avoid the potential negative consequences”
  • “There are aspects of my situation that make this rule inapplicable.”
  • Or, “Sure it would be bad if I were to do this long-term. But once? No problem.”

But biblically, sin is not at all like the speed limit.

Consider these two aspects of sin:

First: Sin is personal rebellion, an affront to the glory of God.

God created man in His image, for His glory (Genesis 1:26-27, Isaiah 43:6-7). We thus are obligated to fulfill the purpose of our creation by living in such a way that we show what He is like.

In the Garden, Adam and Eve do not break an arbitrary rule. Rather, by believing the serpent’s lies and disobeying God, they imply that God is not good, that He is not loving, that He is not wise, that He does not have their best interests at heart. God had given them all they could possibly want or need – and they chose to think He was miserly, conniving, constraining them (see D.A. Carson’s insightful summary of what Eve should have said to the serpent). This is rebellion against the One to whom they owe everything, even life itself.

If we are to hate sin, we too must see it as rebellion against the One who has given us everything.

Second: Sin is the destruction of joy, rather than the path to joy.

We see this too in the Genesis account. Adam and Eve think they will profit by eating the forbidden fruit. But instead, they lose everything: Their sweet relationship with God, their open and trusting relationship with each other (and eventually with their children), their fulfilling work, and even their bodily immortality.

King David and our Lord Jesus summarize this point well:

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11, emphasis added).

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field (Matthew 13:44, emphasis added).

We do not become like God by rebelling against God; we do not find joy and fulfill our reason for existence by despising Him and His Word. We find love, joy, and peace in walking with Him – what Adam and Eve had forsook – even when that means turning our backs on the pseudo-pleasures that the world and the devil offer us.

Consider the following passages that drive home the biblical view of sin (ESV, emphasis added). Meditate on them to increase your hatred of sin. Then join us in Core Seminar on Sunday mornings as we consider how we individually and collectively can put sin to death.

Psalm1: Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

Psalm 81:13-16: Oh, that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways! I would soon subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes. Those who hate the LORD would cringe toward him, and their fate would last forever. But he would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.

Proverbs 7:7-27: I have seen among the simple, I have perceived among the youths, a young man lacking sense, passing along the street near her corner, taking the road to her house in the twilight, in the evening, at the time of night and darkness. And behold, the woman meets him, dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart. She is loud and wayward; her feet do not stay at home; now in the street, now in the market, and at every corner she lies in wait. She seizes him and kisses him, and with bold face she says to him, “I had to offer sacrifices, and today I have paid my vows; so now I have come out to meet you, to seek you eagerly, and I have found you. I have spread my couch with coverings, colored linens from Egyptian linen; I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let us take our fill of love till morning; let us delight ourselves with love. For my husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey; he took a bag of money with him; at full moon he will come home.” With much seductive speech she persuades him; with her smooth talk she compels him. All at once he follows her, as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as a stag is caught fast till an arrow pierces its liver; as a bird rushes into a snare; he does not know that it will cost him his life. And now, O sons, listen to me, and be attentive to the words of my mouth. Let not your heart turn aside to her ways; do not stray into her paths, for many a victim has she laid low, and all her slain are a mighty throng. Her house is the way to Sheol, going down to the chambers of death.

Proverbs 8:32-36: [Wisdom is speaking] “And now, O sons, listen to me: blessed are those who keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it. Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors. For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the LORD, but he who fails to find me injures himself; all who hate me love death.”

Proverbs 9:13-18: The woman Folly is loud; she is seductive and knows nothing. She sits at the door of her house; she takes a seat on the highest places of the town, calling to those who pass by, who are going straight on their way, “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” And to him who lacks sense she says, “Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.” But he does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

Proverbs 15:32: Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence.

Isaiah 55:1-3: “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.

Jeremiah 2:12-13: Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the LORD, for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.

Matthew 6:30-33: [Jesus says] “But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” [See 1 Kings 17:1-16 for an example of this truth lived out.]

Romans 6:19-23: I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Galatians 5:22-23: The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control [that is, Christlike character, displayed to the glory of God]; against such things there is no law.

Philippians 3:8: I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.

Revelation 3:14-22: “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation. “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'”

Once you have deepened your hatred for sin, hold on securely to this fundamental Gospel truth:

1 John 2:1-2: My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

God Delights to Redeem His People

“Praise our triune God, who delights to redeem us!” That was our service theme last Sunday. Through Jacob’s sermon and our reading of Ruth chapter 3, we saw Boaz’s delight in serving as Ruth’s redeemer – and subsequently recognized the picture of God’s delight in redeeming His people.

We face constant temptations to think differently about God. When we sin, when we fail, when we neglect prayer or Bible reading, we often feel as if God is annoyed with us, frustrated with us, ready to have nothing more to do with us.

But our God is the happy God. Whatever He pleases, He does (Psalm 135:6). He overflows with joy within the Trinity.

God is pleased to spread His joy by redeeming a people for His own possession, who will receive and then display and proclaim His love and mercy, His grace and truth (1 Peter 2:9-10). We His people become His intimate family, sharing in His joy (Psalm 16:11, Matthew 25:21, 1 Peter 1:8-9).

But we all are sinful, are fallen, while God is holy; He is “light and in Him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). He thus is the God of perfect justice; every sin must be paid for. So if we are to be in His family, there must be a payment for our sins – the redemption price.

So Jesus provides that payment. Indeed, through the sorrow and pain of the cross, Jesus knew the “joy set before Him” (Hebrews 12:2), the joy of redeeming God’s people for His glory.

Thus, our redemption is God’s work from beginning to end. He delights to accomplish that redemption. He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust, that we are fallen (Psalm 103:14). And so through the Gospel He provides a way for us, sinful as we are, to be His delight. We become like Him in hating sin – we must be holy, for He is holy (Leviticus 11:45). Yet when we commit sin, we come to Him in confession and repentance, relying on Jesus’ sacrifice, knowing that in Him the Father accepts us completely (1 John 1:9-2:2, Romans 8:1).

Reflect on these great truths. Meditate on the God who delights to redeem His people. And – whatever you do, however you fail – know that God delights to redeem you for Himself.

To help you in those reflections and meditations, here are additional Scriptures on this theme. (Unless otherwise indicated, all Scriptures are ESV. Emphasis added.)

  • Micah 7:18-20 Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. 19 He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. 20 You will show faithfulness to Jacob and steadfast love to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old.
  • Jeremiah 32:37-41 Behold, I will gather them from all the countries to which I drove them in my anger and my wrath and in great indignation. I will bring them back to this place, and I will make them dwell in safety. 38 And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. 39 I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them. 40 I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me. 41 I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul.
  • Psalm 35:27 Let those who delight in my righteousness shout for joy and be glad and say evermore, “Great is the LORD, who delights in the welfare [shalom] of his servant!”
  • Psalm 147:10-11 His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man, 11 but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.
  • Psalm 149:4 For the LORD takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation.
  • Isaiah 43:25 “I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.”
  • Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.”
  • Psalm 103:13 As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.
  • Psalm 130:7-8 O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption. And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.  (NET 7b-8: [He] is more than willing to deliver. 8 He will deliver Israel from all the consequences of their sins.)
  • Ephesians 2:4-7 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ– by grace you have been saved– 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
  • Mark 1:40-42 NET Now a leper came to [Jesus] and fell to his knees, asking for help. “If you are willing, you can make me clean,” he said. 41 Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing. Be clean!” 42 The leprosy left him at once, and he was clean.

So join the leper in saying to Jesus, “If you are willing, you can make me clean!” He will gladly say to you: “I am willing! Be clean! Welcome to my intimate family!”

How to Keep a New Year’s Resolution: Be Empowered by God

One of the joys of a new year is the hope it generates that our lives can improve or our flaws can be overcome. The power of this hope often results in a New Year’s resolution. While there is disagreement about the usefulness of these resolutions or what makes a good resolution the one thing that we can all agree is we aren’t very good at keeping them. The average New Year’s resolution lasts about 10 days so by the time you read this post you will likely be more than halfway through a typical New Year’s resolution lifetime. So Instead of providing insight on what your New Year resolution should be or if you should have one at all (if you are interested in this topic see Jacob Smith’s post from December 2022), the focus of this post is how to keep a resolution (New Year’s or otherwise) to begin with. Put another way how do we develop a godly resolve to keep our commitments?

 

We should not rely on the power of our own will to complete the commitments God has set in our hearts.

 

First we should see that our conversion itself is a kind of resolution, empowered by God, to follow him. We have been saved from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light and are now slaves to righteousness (Colossians 1:13, Romans 6:15-23). Upon conversion our life is now marked by a commitment to follow the ways of Christ. This commitment comes with great power to obey him. We should not rely on the power of our own will to complete the commitments God has set in our hearts. Instead we must trust that he will provide the power and encouragement to us. Knowing that he has rescued us and that he now empowers us reminds us that we should actively depend on him to keep the “resolves for good” that we have (2 Thessalonians 1:11–12).

 

Our failures are an opportunity to depend on God even more to restore the path he has set for us and keep our commitments.

 

Another key to keeping a godly commitment is knowing how to respond to failure. Failure of some kind is inevitable with a year long (or life long) commitment, so it is critical that we train ourselves to persevere and overcome them.  Godly resolutions don’t die because we fail to keep a commitment perfectly, they die because we simply quit. Often times our failures are so demoralizing and debilitating that we are tempted to give up our commitments altogether. Because of our sin, we should expect to fail at some point. This fact shouldn’t provide us comfort but rather it should encourage us to prepare ourselves to respond to our failures in a godly way. The prophet Micah is great example and encouragement in this regard. His response to failure is not to run away from God but to acknowledge the results of his sin and put his trust in the same God he has sinned against to “bring him out to the light” (Micah 7:8-9). So even our failures are an opportunity to depend on God even more to restore the path he has set for us and keep our commitments.

If despair is the disease that weakens our godly resolve, then joy is the tonic.

If despair is the disease that weakens our godly resolve, then joy is the tonic. Paul describes his ministry to the church in Corinth as a work “with you for your joy” (2 Corinthians 1:24). He goes on to give them many godly commitments that make for good resolutions. There are encouragements to give (2 Corinthians 9:6-15), to reconcile both to God and man (2 Corinthians 5:18), and to not tamper with God’s Word (2 Corinthians 4:2). We should see our godly commitments as a way to increase our joy in Christ, remove our despair, and keep our godly resolve. Our New Year’s resolutions and how we keep them (or not keep them) show us what we put our hope in. As we make these commitments, let us trust in God’s power to fulfill them, fight against our despair, and work toward joy in Christ.

Merry Christmas from Psalm 16:11

Our Mission Statement and Psalm 16:11

This advent season, we as a church have sought to actively remember and anticipate Jesus. That is, we have been remembering Jesus’ first advent, the incarnation, when Jesus inaugurated God’s kingdom here on earth through his life, death, and resurrection. And, we have been anticipating his second advent, his bodily return. At that time, Jesus will bring the fullness of God’s kingdom in the new heavens and new earth, and God will dwell with his people forever. Such remembering and anticipating actually go hand-in-hand with our professed mission as a local church. Our mission statement here at Desiring God Community Church reads:

We exist to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples.

I want to highlight one particular phrase: for the joy. The pursuit of joy is at the heart of the Christian life. Why? Because as Christians we desire God. And, as our mission statement makes clear, our supreme God is the source of joy. Psalm 16:11 affirms this:

Psalm 16:11 — You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Now, our mission statement implies that we already have a passion for God’s supremacy, since we hope and seek to spread it. Therefore, we already experience this joy that we want others to know. So how did we get to this place of divine joy ourselves? And what does any of this have to do with Christmas? Well, it all comes down to how we “exist” to go about our mission of spreading this passion for God’s supremacy. That is, to understand what our mission statement and Psalm 16:11 have to do with Christmas, we must first answer the following question:

“How did we gain access to the divine joy of Psalm 16:11, the very divine joy we believe comes gift wrapped with a passion for God’s supremacy?”

According to the Apostle Peter, the answer has everything to do with Christmas.

Peter’s Sermon at Pentecost

In his sermon at Pentecost, Acts 2:14–41, Peter quotes Psalm 16:8–11 and applies it to Jesus. There he proclaims:

Acts 2:25–28—25 For David says concerning him (Jesus), “ ‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; 26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope. 27 For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. 28 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’

Peter then unpacks what he means in Acts 2:29–32. There, Peter doubles down on his assertion that David penned Psalm 16:8–11 about Jesus, not himself. Indeed, it is impossible for it to be about David because, as Peter notes, David is dead and this Psalm speaks of resurrection. Peter first points out the obvious, “I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day” (Acts 2:29). In light of this, Peter notes that David, being a prophet (Acts 2:30), actually prophesied about Jesus’ future resurrection — “he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption” (Acts 2:31).

What inspired David to prophesy so boldly? We only need to look at Acts 2:30–31 — “knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ,” (Acts 2:30–31). David prophesied by the power of the Holy Spirit because God had promised that one of David’s son’s would sit on his throne. What does this sitting on the throne have to do with the resurrection? Well, the original context of this oath to David (2 Sam 7:12–16; 1 Chr 17:11–14) arrays the promise with eternal implications and divine glory.

Jesus Fulfills God’s Promise to David

2 Samuel 7:12–13—12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

1 Chronicles 17:11–12—11 When your days are fulfilled to walk with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. 12 He shall build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever.

In his covenant to David, God assured David that he (God) would establish the throne and kingdom of one of his sons forever (2 Sam 7:13; 1 Chr 17:12). Moreover, his son’s kingdom will be God’s kingdom. God said to David, “but I will confirm him in my house and in my kingdom forever and his throne shall be established forever” (1 Chr 17:14). Sure of this promise of an eternal eternal king on an eternal throne, David, under inspiration of Holy Spirit, prophetically penned Psalm 16 about the resurrection of one of his future sons, the promised eternal king. And Peter, full of the Holy Spirit, unveils the mystery by proclaiming that Jesus’ resurrection and ascension to the eternal throne at God’s right hand, fulfilled David’s prophecy.

Acts 2:32–36 — 32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, “ ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, 35 until I make your enemies your footstool.” ’ 36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

Psalm 16:11 in Light of Acts 2:14–41

In light of Peter’s sermon at Pentecost, when we read Psalm 16:11“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” we are reading the prophesied words of Christ, the Son of God, who is risen and reigns on high, joyfully basking in the Father’s glorious presence. And Peter concludes with the promise that those who are united to Jesus Christ by faith “receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” as ones “the Lord our God calls to himself.” When we are united to Christ by faith, we receive the Holy Spirit, which means that God has called us to himself. By virtue of our union with Christ, we experience now through the Holy Spirit, and will experience in full at Christ’s return, the same fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore that Jesus experiences now in God’s presence.

DGCC’s Mission Statement, Psalm 16:11, and Christmas

So — to recall our first question — “How did we gain access to the divine joy of Psalm 16:11, the very divine joy we believe comes gift wrapped with a passion for God’s supremacy?” We have access to the divine joy of Psalm 16:11 through Jesus. And, we “exist to spread a passion for God’s supremacy for the joy of all peoples” through Jesus. And — to recall our second question — “What does Psalm 16:11 have to do with Christmas, specifically Jesus’ first and second advent?” Well, consider some New Testament passages.

Matt 1:1 — 1The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Luke 2:10–11 — 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Rev 22:16, 20 — 16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star”…20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.”

Jesus is the promised son of David (Matt 1:1; Luke 2:11) who is risen and who reigns on God’s throne forever (2 Sam 7:13; 1 Chr 17:12; Acts 2:25–36). His first coming meant “great joy” for God’s people, because he is the “Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10–11). And, those united to him by faith receive forgiveness and the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). As a result, they — “everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself” (Acts 2:39) — are reconciled to and commune with God. Thus, because of Jesus’ first advent those united to Christ spiritually enter into the joy of God described in Psalm 16:11. And by Jesus’ own testimony, he, “the descendant of David” is “coming soon” to bring us fully into God’s presence (Rev 22:16, 20). So through Jesus’ second advent, we will enter fully into the joy of Psalm 16:11. Therefore, Psalm 16:11 ties directly to Christmas, because through the advents of Jesus God grants us access into his glorious presence where there is “fullness of joy” and “pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11). So in light of the reality that Jesus is coming soon, we echo Rev 22:20, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” And until that day, we exist to spread a passion for the supremacy of God for the joy of all peoples through Jesus.

Merry Christmas from Psalm 16:11.

Rejoice Exceedingly with Great Joy!

Charlotte airport arrivals, Tuesday, almost midnight. My 3-year-old grandson Simon hasn’t seen me for four months. Pushed in his stroller around a corner, he notices me. His face lights up. Breaking into a huge smile, he cries out, “Papa!” He laughs and snuggles up against me.

I am near tears (a not uncommon occurrence these days!). Seeing me, Simon rejoices exceedingly with great joy.

Matthew uses those words to describe the wise men’s reaction when the star leads them to the infant King (Matthew 2:10). They have traveled far to worship Him, and they rejoice to see Him at long last.  Similarly, the angel tells the shepherds “good news of great joy” – their Savior is born, and they can see Him nearby, in Bethlehem (Luke 2:10).

In our present age, we do not yet have the joy of seeing Jesus in person. Yet we do have joy – just as Simon eagerly anticipated seeing Beth and me when his parents told him weeks ago about the upcoming trip. But then, upon their arrival, Simon’s joy seeing us face to face both fulfilled and surpassed the joy of that eager expectation.

Peter describes this present joy: “Though you have not seen [Jesus], 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” (1 Peter 1:8).

But this state of joyful expectation is temporary. Jesus will return. Our joy will be full. We will break into huge smiles and laugh. We will see Him face to face. We will see in that face the complete acceptance made possible by His sacrifice during His incarnation, the deep love that prompted that sacrifice, and His pure delight in welcoming us into His family forever.

This Christmas remember the “wonders of His love.” See this Jesus as your Savior, your King, your Treasure. And long to see Him face to face.

The Greatness and Weakness of Old Testament Worship

We need food. We need shelter. We need love. We need respect.

But what is our greatest need?

Scripture is clear: Our greatest need is to see Jesus for Who He is, and to respond accordingly. Only in this way can we fulfill the purpose of our creation. Only in this way can we draw near the One in whose presence is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11). If we are His people, and He is our God, we can lose everything else – and yet still gain (Mark 8:34-37, 10:29-30).

So the book of Hebrews exalts the Lord Jesus and commands to consider Him, to keep our eyes fixed on Him. In particular, the author shows that Jesus is superior to any Old Testament priest and that the New Covenant in Him is superior to the Old Covenant.

Seeing these contrasts, we today are tempted to denigrate Old Testament worship – either to ignore the long sections of Scripture that describe it, or to go further and think of such worship as false and misleading.

But the New Testament never treats Old Testament worship that way, neither in Hebrews nor anywhere else.

Remember: All Old Testament worship forms were commanded by God! They are all part of God’s torah, His instruction about Who He is, who we are, how we can be reconciled to Him, and how we can fulfill the purpose of our creation in a fallen world.

Thus, there is a greatness to Old Testament worship.

At the same time, as Hebrews make abundantly clear, there is a weakness in that worship.

So let’s ask: How was Old Testament worship great? And how was it weak?

Hebrews 8:5 tells us of its greatness: The Old Testament priests “serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things.”

Think of the glory! These priests were serving a copy of heavenly things!

So their worship forms were not something that they thought up, that they decided would be appropriate ways to worship God.

Neither was their worship patterned after forms that peoples around them were using.

No! God showed Moses the true, heavenly reality! And then God helped Moses to see how to best reflect that heavenly reality on earth, through the tabernacle, through the sacrifices, through the annual feasts and other forms.

Thus, all these forms of worship pointed as effectively as possible to the heavenly reality on which they were patterned. And today, you and I have the privilege of being able to read God’s instructions to Moses, and thereby to learn about the heavenly realities – indeed, to learn about Jesus through them. As He Himself says, “If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote of me” (John 5:46; see also Luke 24:44).

So Old Testament worship is great because the Israelite priests serve a copy of heavenly things! It is precious! It was a wonderful gift of God to the people of Israel – and the description of it is a wonderful gift to us today.

But if that’s the case, how is it weak?

Old Testament worship is weak because those priests served a copy of heavenly things. Only a copy.

No one was ever redeemed by their sacrifices – that redemption had to take place in the true tent (Hebrews 8:2).

Furthermore, many Old Testament worshipers – even many of the priests – were simply going thru the motions. There was no inner delight in God, no broken and contrite heart before Him (Psalm 51:16-17).

So Jesus has obtained a much more excellent ministry (Hebrews 8:6). He ministers in the heavenly reality! Not in a shadowy copy. And He mediates a better covenant, with better promises – the New Covenant (Hebrews 8:8-12, Jeremiah 31:31-34). The very phrase “New Covenant” – written 600 years before Christ – implies that the first covenant one day will be obsolete (Hebrews 8:13). Now that Jesus has come, has died, and has risen to the right of hand of God, that time has come. Jeremiah’s prophecy is fulfilled. As great as Old Testament worship was, as wonderful as it was for the priests to picture heavenly realities, now that the perfect has come, the partial can pass away.

So the author of Hebrews emphasizes once again: Look to your great High Priest! Keep your eyes fixed on Him!

That is our greatest need today. It will remain our greatest need forever.

So exalt Jesus in your heart – and read about God-ordained, Old Testament worship forms so that you might exalt Jesus all the more.

Then praise God for the Old Covenant – and praise Him all the more for fulfilling that covenant in the New.

[This devotion is taken from part of the July 5, 2020 sermon. You can watch that service here; the sermon begins at 37:35; this section of the sermon begins at 1:03:35.]

The Lies of Satan and the Word of God

Our Lord Jesus tells us:

[The devil] was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him.  When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar, and the father of lies. (John 8:44)

What lies does Satan tell you?

Here are seventeen that he has used against me over the years – and responses to each from God’s Word. I encourage you to make your own list, adding additional lies, and developing a list of Scriptures to use in our battle against the enemy.

(1) THE LIE: There is no such thing as Satan

THE WORD: Satan tempts (Matthew 4:10-11), can be rebuked (Zechariah 3:2) and resisted (James 4:7), fell from heaven (Luke 10:18), asks to be able to accomplish his purposes (Luke 22:31-32); our battle is neither against flesh and blood nor against an abstract force, but against rulers and authorities (Ephesians 6:12).

(2) THE LIE: “You’re so bad, you might as well never try to be good.  God will never forgive you for all that you’ve done.”

THE WORD: “Don’t you know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God?  Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.  And that is what some of you were.  But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (emphasis added)

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

(3) (Satan doesn’t aim to be consistent: Note that this third lie is virtually the opposite of the second, but he uses both against the same person, sometimes within minutes):

THE LIE: “Aren’t you becoming a wonderful Christian now!  Look at all the things you do for God!  Isn’t it too bad that all those other Christians aren’t doing so well.  And all those unbelievers . . .  Well!”

THE WORD: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3)

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith– and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– 9  not by works, so that no one can boast. 10  For we are God’s workmanship.” Ephesians 2:8-10a

(4) THE LIE: “Don’t even try to resist this temptation — you can’t do it!”

THE WORD: “God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”  1 Corinthians 10:13

(5) THE LIE: “Shouldn’t a great mind like yours take an academic interest in Christianity?“

THE WORD: “Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.  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.  It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God– that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.’”  1 Corinthians 1:26-31

(6) THE LIE: “This is more important right now!  You can (read the Bible, pray, serve others) tomorrow.”

THE WORD: “We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.”  Hebrews 6:12

(7) THE LIE: “God’s way is no fun; you will miss out on life if you follow him!  My way is the way to life!”

THE WORD: “When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness.  What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of?  Those things result in death!  But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Romans 6:20-23

“. . . the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace . . .” Galations 5:22

(8) THE LIE: “You’ve been good for quite a while now – come on, you deserve a little fun.”

THE WORD: “If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!”  1 Corinthians 10:12

(9) THE LIE: “This sin really doesn’t matter . . . It’s only a little one.”

THE WORD: “Be perfect, therefore, as your father in heaven is perfect.” Matthew  5:48

(10) THE LIE: “Everyone else is doing it, so it must be ok!”

THE WORD: “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Romans 12:2

(11) THE LIE: “Just this once. Come on, just this once!  See what it’s like!  No harm can come from this one time!”

THE WORD: “Each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he  is dragged away and enticed.  Then, after desire has conceived it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death.”  James 1:14-15

“This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.”  1 John 2:5-6

(12) THE LIE: “No one will ever know!”

THE WORD:  “There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.” Luke 12:2

(13) THE LIE: “You’ve already blown it — you might as well give in the rest of the way and ask God to forgive you later.”

THE WORD: “What shall we say, then?  Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?  By no means!  We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?”  Romans 6:1-2

(14) THE LIE: “You’ve given plenty to God — keep this for yourself.  He can’t expect you to give him everything!”

THE WORD: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters — yes, even his own life — he cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:26 (emphasis added)

(15) THE LIE: “God doesn’t love you!” 

THE WORD: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

“I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39

(16) THE LIE: “God couldn’t possibly intend for you to do that!  Here’s an easier way to accomplish the same thing!”

THE WORD: “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways…. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”  Isaiah 55:8-9

(17) THE LIE: “If anything looks good to you, go after it!”

THE WORD: “Do not love the world or anything in the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For everything in the world — the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and his pride in his possessions — comes not from the Father but from the world.  The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.”  1 John 2:15-17

The Faith to Rejoice

A unseen virus spreading around the world. Millions losing their jobs. Uncertainty about whether or not we can ever get “back to normal.” Will tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or millions die of this disease?

What are your thoughts about God in these times? Are you praying? If so, how? With tears? With anger? With a broken and contrite heart?

Habakkuk 3:17-19 contain words of great hope. But we won’t understand those verses unless we see the depth of despair that faced the prophet writing them.

The immediately preceding verse reads:

I heard and my inward parts trembled, At the sound my lips quivered. Decay enters my bones, And in my place I tremble. Because I must wait quietly for the day of distress, For the people to arise who will invade us. (Habakkuk 3:16)

Habakkuk sees God as a consuming fire, pure and holy. In chapter 1 he called out, “God, why don’t you give us justice! Punish these evildoers!” By 3:16 he sees the enormity of that punishment – the coming destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. And he trembles.

Seeing the horrible end coming to his country, the prophet writes our text::

Though the fig tree should not blossom and there be no fruit on the vines, Though the yield of the olive should fail and the fields produce no food, Though the flock should be cut off from the fold and there be no cattle in the stalls, Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord GOD is my strength, and He has made my feet like the feet of a deer, And makes me walk on my high places. (Habakkuk 3:17-19)

Let’s consider these three verses in turn:

Verse 17: I’ve Lost Everything!

The economy of Judah at this time was based almost exclusively on agriculture and livestock. Agriculture could be divided into permanent crops – fruit trees, olive trees, grape vines – and annual field crops, like wheat and barley. According to this verse, what parts of this economy have failed?

  • The first three items: figs, grapes, and olives – that is, all the permanent crops.
  • The next item: fields – that is, the annual crops, the staple foods, the source for most of the calorie supply. So neither the permanent nor the annual crops have yielded anything
  • Final two items: Flock and cattle – that is, sheep, goats, and cows. All their livestock are dead.

So do you see what he is saying? “Even though I’ve lost everything; even though all my income disappears.” We might say, “When I lose my job and the unemployment insurance runs out; when I can’t work and am denied my disability claim; when we’re sick and can’t pay our medical bills.”

But really Habakkuk’s situation is worse than anything we can imagine in this country. For in Judah there is no social services agency, there are no homeless shelters, there are no food stamps – and during the destruction of Jerusalem there are no well-off relatives. Emergency rooms that serve the indigent don’t exist. No income for Habakkuk means starvation. It means death – first for the weakest in the family, the old and the young, and eventually for everyone.

So in this verse Habakkuk says: Though it looks like all God’s gifts have been taken from me.

How does Habakkuk respond to this situation?

Verse 18: Yet I will Rejoice!

Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.

Note here three reactions Habakkuk avoids:

  1. He does not lash out at God in anger: He does not say, “God, you have no right to destroy your people! You are a faithless God!”
  2. He does not pretend that the evil won’t happen. He doesn’t withdraw into a fantasy world, saying, “That’s too terrible to think about. I will close my eyes and think of something else. I’ll watch Netflix all evening and get distracted.”
  3. And, note carefully, he does not even say, “Despite all this, I will endure! I will keep a stiff upper lip and stick it out! I will still wait for the Lord! I will remain faithful!”

Instead, what does he say? “I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation!”

Habakkuk not only foresees the possibility that he could lose everything; he foresees the certainty that the world as he knows it – along with everything and everyone he loves – will be destroyed terribly. And in this extremity he says not only, “I won’t accuse God of being unfaithful,” but, “I will rejoice in God.”

How can he say that? Looking ahead to the terrors of Nebuchadnezzar’s siege, how can Habakkuk rejoice in God? He answers that in verse 19:

Verse 19: For God Led Me Here

The Lord GOD is my strength, and He has made my feet like the feet of a deer, And makes me walk on my high places.

Consider three questions that arise as we try to understand what he is saying: Why does he say his feet are made like those of a deer? What is implied by “high places”? And what does he mean by He “makes me walk”?

(a) “He has made my feet like the feet of a deer.” If Habakkuk had lived on this continent, he might have said, “like those of a bighorn sheep.” Many years ago, Beth and I hiked for a week in Montana’s Glacier National Park. Frequently we would look up at a rocky, seemingly inaccessible peak – and there near the top we would see bighorn sheep. They would climb to the uppermost crags and run over rock fields as easily as we would run on the beach.

Why are bighorn sheep able to do this? Because of their feet – their tough, cloven hooves. These hooves aren’t hurt by sharp rocks; rather, they are able to grip even small outcrops. God designed their feet for climbing. They don’t slip. They don’t fall.

Note that the point is not the power of the sheep, but the design of the sheep’s foot. Habakkuk uses the word for the female deer, not the male, to emphasize this point. The female deer too is able to climb to the highest heights, to run over rocky fields, because of her special feet.

So Habakkuk rejoices that his feet are made like deer’s feet, like the feet of bighorn sheep – designed by God to travel over the most difficult ground.

(b) “My High Places”

For many of us today, the phrase “walking on high places” connotes recreational mountain climbing: Go out on a beautiful day, climb to the highest peak, experience a great view, exercise your body, get back to nature. But these are recent ideas. In Habakkuk’s day, no one exercised for the sake of exercise. Recreational mountain climbing was still a few millennia in the future.

Instead, in his time, “high places” connotes a difficult, challenging place. A place one would not want to go unless it is absolutely necessary. You might climb to a high place to gain defensible ground in a battle, but you only go there if you can’t avoid it. So “high places” here means a difficult, challenging place.

(c) “Makes me walk on my high places”

The NIV translates this, “enables me to go on the heights.”

Most English translations use two verbs here: the NAS, “make” and “walk”, the NIV, “enable” and “go”, the ESV, “make” and “tread.” But in Hebrew, there is only one verb, the usual verb for “walk”, with a stem change that indicates the subject is caused to do the normal action of the verb. So in this case, the phrase might mean:

“He leads me to these high places; He makes me go there even though I don’t want to.”

Or, it might mean (as the NIV interprets it):

“He enables me to walk on places I could not go without his help.”

I think both ideas are present. Habakkuk is not talking about a pleasant afternoon of rock climbing. He dreads what God has in store for him; he knows the path is very challenging, very dangerous. In that sense, God is leading him to a place he does not want to go. Yet God is his strength, and Habakkuk is confident that God will enable him to do what he could never do on his own.

And that is why he is joyful! God led him to this very spot. And though there is pain and difficulty here, he knows that God will either rescue him from the danger or allow him to die. But even death is controlled by God; that will come about only if God directs.

So why rejoice? God is good! He is wise! He is in control! And He knows what He is doing!

Lessons for Living By Faith

Let’s draw two lessons that may not be obvious from what we have said so far:

(1) By definition, walking by faith is harder than walking by sight

Habakkuk chapter 2 presents us with lessons about how not to live by faith. The proud one searches for satisfaction, security, accomplishment, and honor. All of us desire these things. The natural response to these desires is to seek them directly: to try to satisfy ourselves, to try to establish our own security, to try to accomplish great things, to aim to bring honor to ourselves. The natural response is the easy response.

But to the one who lives by faith, God says, “Don’t pursue these directly! You will not find them that way. I know, that’s the natural thing to do. But I tell you: Trust in Me! Delight in Me! And I will give you the desires of your heart. You will find true satisfaction, true security, true accomplishment, and true honor in Me alone!”

So you say living by faith is hard? That’s no surprise. Walking by sight is easy. Walking by faith is hard. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be walking by faith.

(2) Living by faith means loving God, instead of loving God’s gifts.

Habakkuk sees all God’s gifts disappear. Now, the question is: Will he love God?

Think of a parent who lavishes gifts on a child. The child says he loves his parent. But isn’t the child’s reaction to the ending of those gifts the real test of his love?

Or consider a young man who loves a young woman; he gives her many gifts, he writes lovely poems for her, he sends her flowers daily. She takes his gifts, reads his poems to others – but then ignores him.

How easy it is for us to act that way toward God! To love His gifts, to delight in His gifts – and to become angry if those gifts disappear.

There is a great deal of difference between, “I love what you do for me” and “I love you.”

Living by faith means loving God Himself! We indeed must be thankful for His gifts – but God is our delight, He is our portion, He is our treasure, and nothing we desire compares to Him.

So as God opens Habakkuk’s eyes to the coming of one of the most terrible events in human history, the prophet – knowing that God will bring this about –can delight in God, who enables him to walk on the high places.

What about our sorrows today, our worries about this virus?

All pain and suffering in the fallen world results from sin, beginning with man’s initial sin in the Garden. And God is dealing with sin. Through Jesus’ death on the cross, He has rendered death powerless. He has promised to end sin, to end rebellion, to fulfill His every promise for those in Christ.

So rejoice! Not because of the pain and sorrow, but because you can be confident that our God Reigns! He is sovereign over the affairs of men. He will be exalted by your joy in the midst of sorrow. He will stand by you and enable you to walk over those high places.

Once this particular pandemic ends – and it will end – what other high places lie ahead for you? Will he enable you to have great victories – playing a key role, perhaps, in the Third Great Awakening in this country? Or in establishing a church planting movement among an unreached people group? Or to have such career success that you give millions in funds to advance the Gospel, to provide for the poor, to change the culture?

Or will your high places be more like Habakkuk’s, more like those described in Hebrews 11:35-38: Mocked, beaten, imprisoned, poor, destitute?

Whatever your high places might be, know that God has guided you there. He will enable you to endure, He will enable you to rejoice. Trust Him. Delight in Him. Throw yourself upon Him. And love Him with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.

[Much of the material in this devotion is taken from a sermon preached in 2001. You can read the entire sermon – which is about twice as long – here.]

 

Abide in His Love by Karl Dauber

[Karl preached this sermon on John 15:1-11 March 22, 2020]

At Desiring God Community Church, one of our stated core values is being “Joy-Pursuing”.  Specifically, we pursue joy in God.  Our Mission Statement reads: “We exist to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples”.  So, the pursuit of joy is a big part of who we are as God’s people.

But we are broken people who live in a broken world.  As a result, life is often filled with disappointment and a sense of emptiness.  And very often, what we feel is a strong desire to just feel better.  And this impulse can drive us to worldly things that appear to offer satisfaction.  OK, maybe not really satisfaction.  Maybe just a way to escape for a while and get away from that sense of disappointment and emptiness.

I’ve seen a bad dynamic that can happen in my life:

  • I sin.
  • Then I feel disappointed in myself.
  • Then I hear the voice of the Accuser saying that God is disappointed too, and unhappy with me because of my sin.
  • Then the thought that God is unhappy with me makes feel even worse.
  • But I don’t want to feel bad – that’s what I was trying to escape in the first place.
  • So, I run away from God and toward something that promises to make me feel better, or at least makes me forget how bad I feel.

Does this sound familiar to you?  It’s like Adam and Eve in the garden.  They sin, feel guilt, and hide from God.

I have found that if the Accuser’s lies underlying this dynamic are not defeated, it is impossible for me to pursue joy in God.  If I am not convinced – not just intellectually, but at an emotional level – that God feels joy and delight when he looks at me, I will run away from him, rather than towards him.  Pursuing joy in God is impossible, unless I first know that he finds joy in me.

Wouldn’t it be great if we could say, like Jesus said in John chapter 8, that we always do what is pleasing to God, and therefore know that God is always with us?

Wouldn’t it be great if we could always hear God saying to us, as he said to Jesus: “you are my beloved child, with you I am well pleased”?

But how can this be possible, when we sin so much?  We certainly cannot claim, as Jesus did, that we always do what is pleasing to God.

The answer of course is the good news of the gospel.  Jesus became as one of us, a human being, and lived the perfect life that we should live.  And he died in our place on the cross, paying the debt we could not pay, receiving in himself the judgement we deserve.  Jesus took our sin and punishment and gave us his righteousness.

Therefore, we can say that we are always pleasing to God.  God’s joy in us is never interrupted or diminished by our frequent falling into sin.

This is not to say that our sin does not grieve God – it does.  But that is a very different thing than saying it affects God’s joy in us.  God can delight in us and be grieved by our sin at the same time.  We must make this distinction and hold onto both truths.  Otherwise, we will fall into one of two errors:

  • Thinking that our sin makes God unhappy with us, so that he is no longer “well pleased” with us. Our sin turns his smile into a frown.  That is anti-gospel, because it makes our righteousness, not Christ’s righteousness, the basis of God’s joy in us.
  • Thinking that our sin does not matter to God. Thinking that being saved is the important part.  Being obedient – well, it’s a good thing of course, but not absolutely necessary.  But we know from the scriptures that our sin is a very serious matter.  It is so serious that Jesus and the apostles warn us frequently that those who continue in sin have no reason to believe that they are in Christ and are saved at all.

Jesus’s words to his disciples in John 15 addresses this issue, and it helps us to see the importance of why our fight against sin is supremely important, and how we can fight sin, and how we can have joy.  The setting is the evening of the Last Supper.  Later that night Jesus would be arrested and next day crucified.  This is Jesus’ last opportunity to spend extended time with the 12 disciples.  Looking at this passage, we see:

  • Four truths
  • One command
  • Five results

Four truths

  1. (vs 1) Jesus is the true vine. There is only one vine, one source of life.  This entire passage is a picture of our dependency on Christ.  We are completely dependent on him. In verse 5 Jesus emphasizes this.  Without his life in us, we can do “nothing”.  It’s not that we will be less fruitful – we will be completely unfruitful, like a dead branch.
  2. (vs 2) All people are branches, both the fruitful and unfruitful. All people owe their very existence to Christ.  As we recently saw in Hebrews 1:3, Jesus upholds the universe by the word of his power, and that includes all of us.
  3. (vs 3) We have been made clean by the word of the gospel. Notice the word “already”.  Jesus doesn’t tell us to abide so that we can be made clean.    We are already clean.  Earlier in this gospel of John, Peter said to Jesus: “you have the words of eternal life”.  We heard the word of the gospel: the promise of Jesus that his sacrifice to pay our debt will save us from God’s judgment, redeem us from slavery to sin, give us life and set us free, and bring us into his Kingdom.  We heard that word, and by God’s grace we believed it, and that has made us clean.  This passage is not about how we can be saved.  It is about how we who have been saved should live.  How we can have joy.  How we can fulfill our purpose to magnify the glory of God.
  4. (vs 2) Our Father in Heaven is at work. He does two things:

First, He removes.

What does he remove?  The unfruitful branches. The unfruitful branches are unfruitful because they do not believe and therefore do not abide.  In verse 4, Jesus describes such a branch as being “by itself”.  What does this mean?  During winter, you can’t tell which branches are alive and which are dead.  But when Spring comes and it’s time for the leaves to come out, then you can see.  There are branches that produce no leaves, no flowers, no fruit.  They are connected to the tree physically, and are supported by the tree, but they no longer have any connection to the life of the tree.  This is a picture of those who were created by God, and continue to exist only by God’s gracious provision, and yet do not acknowledge their dependence on him.  In rejecting their Creator, they reject the very purpose of their existence – which is to enjoy and magnify the glory of God.  It’s like a branch of an apple tree that stubbornly insists that it does not want to bear apples!  Such a branch no longer has any purpose.

What is the destiny of these unfruitful branches?  They are like the branches that fall to the ground in a strong wind because they are dead and have no strength.  Psalm 1 says that “the wicked will not stand in the judgment”.  In verse 6 of this text, Jesus says the dead branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.  In the Bible, fire is always a picture of judgement.

Secondly, our Father in Heaven prunes.

What does he prune?  The fruitful branches.  Now, if you are someone not familiar with agricultural life, and most of us are not, this seems a bit unexpected.  If a branch is bearing fruit, why would you mess with it?  Leave it alone.  Don’t fix what isn’t broken.

And pruning sounds painful, doesn’t it?  It involves cutting and removing.  That doesn’t sound pleasant. In Hebrews chapter 12 the author says, “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”

Verse 2 explains the purpose of the pruning:  the pruning produces “more” fruit.  What does this tell us about fruitfulness?  It tells us that fruitfulness is a progressive process.  The farmer sees a branch with some fruit on it, maybe just a little bit, and he thinks “Aha!  This branch is alive and well.  It’s worth keeping.  Therefore, I will prune it so that it reaches its full potential.”  This should be encouraging to us.

On his 20th anniversary sermon, John Piper said that upon looking back and reflecting on the spiritual growth he saw in himself and in the congregation, he was not impressed.  Our faith is not impressive.  But he also once asked: “If you are not running the race of faith, are you walking?  If not walking, are you crawling?  If not, are you at least facing the right direction?”

John Freeman of Harvest USA once visited our church.  And I remember he compared Christians to a glass of beer, in which there is just a little bit of beer in the bottom of the glass and rest is just foam.  But at least there is some beer in the glass.

If it seems like there isn’t much fruit in your life, don’t fret about that – the Father is working in you.  Instead, be thankful. Praise God that there is any fruit in you at all.  In this passage Jesus said that apart from him there would be no fruit.  So, the presence of even just a little shows that you are indeed in the vine, and the life of Christ is in you.

One command

There is only one command in this passage, and that command is not “bear fruit”.  The command is “abide”.  Specifically, abide in Christ.  Jesus uses the word abide 10 times in 11 verses.  You don’t have to be a Biblical scholar to see Jesus’s main point here.  There is only one command, but it is apparently really important.  Jesus wants us to abide in him.  Therefore, that should be our focus, not fruitfulness.  We should be looking at Jesus, not looking at ourselves.

But what does it mean to abide?  Consider verse 10:

If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in His love.

For a long time, this statement by Jesus troubled me.  On the surface this verse seems to imply that we earn Christ’s love by obeying his commands.  But our obedience is not constant.  Is Jesus’ love for us therefore not constant?  Is our righteousness the foundation of our relationship with Christ?  But this is clearly contrary to the gospel.  In fact, this is no gospel at all.

Jesus’ love for us is constant.  Why?  Precisely because it is not contingent on our obedience.  In verse 16 Jesus reminds his disciples that Jesus chose them, not the other way around.  In Ephesians 2:1-6, the Apostle Paul writes that we were chosen when we were still sinners in rebellion against God.  Jesus’ righteousness, not ours, is the foundation of the love that He and the Father have for us.

Consider also Colossians 3:1-4 that speaks about us being united with Christ.  According to that passage, two things happened to us:

  1. We have died with Christ. This means that in God’s eyes, our sin has been punished just as surely as if we ourselves had died on the cross.  As our advocate, Jesus does not ask for mercy from the Father, he asks for justice because our sin has already received its due punishment and the debt has been paid.
  2. We have been raised with Christ. And where is Christ?  Seated at the right hand of God – the place of greatest honor before God!  That is where we are.  That is who we are.

In God’s eyes, we have the righteousness of Christ, and therefore he can continually delight in us as he delights in Christ, even though our obedience is not continual, as Jesus’ obedience is.

With that understanding then, let’s look more closely at verse 10.  Jesus is clearly expressing some kind of contingency that is dependent on our obedience. That’s clear from the word “if”.  “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love”.  What does this mean?  What is Jesus telling us?

In thinking about the word “abide”, the word “abode”, or residence” comes to mind, and what it means for Christ and the Father to be our abode.  Psalm 61 David said, “for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy”. This is a very helpful word picture.  Think of disobedience as leaving the strong tower of God’s love.  In vs 10 I think Jesus is saying: “when you continue in obedience, you are in effect staying within the strong tower of my love, where you will experience the full joy of that love.  When you fail to keep my commandments, you are in effect leaving the tower (no longer abiding in it) and therefore you forfeit the enjoyment of that love.”  Christ’s love for us is constant, but our enjoyment of that love is not constant because we do not constantly abide in it. You can’t enjoy a relationship which you walk away from!

Do you see what Jesus is saying?  He is urging us to remain in his love because that’s where life and joy are found.

So, what does it mean to abide in his love?  It means making a conscious decision about where you are going to seek life and joy.  Obeying Jesus’ commands is the outer result of an inner decision.  It is the outworking of a heart-felt conviction that I’m not going to find joy in this thing, or that thing, over there, or over there – but here, and only here, in Christ.

But this is not a one-time decision, is it?  It’s a decision we need to make continually, step by step, day after day, hour by hour.  How can we cultivate this together?

In 1 John 4:19, the Apostle John says “We love because He first loved us”.  God’ love for us comes first and our love for him is a response to that love.  By intentionally and prayerfully reflecting on the magnitude of God’s mercy and love for us, we cultivate a response of love for God.  In Colossians 3, Paul writes at length about putting to death earthly desires and instead living holy lives.  But he doesn’t start with that, does he?  First, he tells us to set our minds on things that are above.  Our joy in God is the power to overcome the competing allure of the things of the world.

So, ask yourselves: what do you desire?  And I mean, really think about it.  The question is not what the objects of your desire are, but why you want them.  You have to look deep down to find the desire beneath the desire.  What are you really looking for?

Do you want to be accepted and loved by someone who knows everything about you?

Behold Jesus, who knew everything about you before you were born, and chose you for himself before the foundation of the world.

Do you want affirmation that you matter?  That you have value?

Behold Jesus, who died on the cross and endured the punishment of Hell.  Why?  So that he could have you to be with him for eternity.

Do you crave security in a world where nothing seems certain?

Behold, he who did not spare his own son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

Behold, your life is hidden with Christ in God.  Jesus said he has given us eternal life, that we will never perish, and that no one can snatch us out of his hand.

Do you want rest and peace?

Behold Jesus, who frees us from all that would enslave us, and calls us to himself that we might have rest for our souls.

Do you hunger to see justice and righteousness in the world?

Behold, Jesus the King is coming, and he is going remove all causes of evil from the world.  He is going to destroy Satan with a word from his mouth, and he will rule in righteousness forever.

Do you hunger to finally be finished with your struggle against sin, and to be perfect in holiness, just like Jesus?

Behold, Jesus is coming, and the scriptures say that when he does we shall be like him because we shall see him as he is, and he is going to present us faultless and without blemish before the Father.

Do you long to be thrilled and amazed?  To see great wonder and beauty that brings tears to your eyes and makes you shout?

Behold, Jesus is coming and when he does he will come in clouds with great power and glory, and the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God as the waters cover the sea.

We need to set our minds on these things.  We need to see the big picture.  In this way, we will increasingly treasure what is invisible and eternal, rather than what is visible and passing away.  This is how we abide in Christ.

Five results of abiding

  1. We will bear fruit. Look at verse 5.  Note that this is a promise, not a command.  We don’t make this happen.  The life of Christ in us makes the fruit happen.  That’s why Paul refers to the “fruit of the Spirit” in Galatians 5:22-23.  And how does Paul say that this will happen?  He tells us in verse 16 to “walk by the Spirit”.  That’s just another way of saying: “Abide in Christ”.  The New Testament scriptures have much to say about this fruit and what it looks like, but generally this fruit will show itself in 2 ways:
    • As an increasing conformity to the character of Christ
    • And an increasing love for God and others.
  1. Our desires will be conformed to the will of Christ. Look at verse 7. This is implied by the certainty that we will be given what we ask for.  We will be given “whatever we wish”, because when we are abiding in Christ, our desires are in alignment with Christ’s desires.
  2. We will have the full joy of Christ. See verse 11.  This is not like the “joy” that the things of the world offer.  The joys of the world are very temporary, always enslaving, and ultimately destructive.  In contrast, the joy we have in Christ is lasting.  It can never be taken away.  Finding joy in Christ liberates us from whatever else is trying to enslave us.  And joy in Christ is life-giving, not soul-destroying
  3. We will prove to be Christ’s disciples. See Verse 8.

Who needs this proof?  Not God – he knows those whom he chose (vs 16).  So why is proof is needed?

    • For our own reassurance. In Romans 5 Paul taught that God’s pruning in our lives results in fruit that proves we belong to Christ and that this increases our hope and joy.
    • In Matthew 7 Jesus said that the fruit that comes from abiding is an important way to distinguish between good and false teachers.
    • At the judgment our fruit will bear witness to all of creation that we are indeed in Christ. And this leads us to the 5th result…
  1. God will be glorified. (Verse 8) The Father is glorified when we bear fruit.

By his rebellion, Satan declares that God’s glory is worthless, and he is constantly trying to use us to support his case.  Remember how he trued to use Job this way?  Satan claimed that Job feared God only because he gets worldly benefits.  Satan claimed that Job did not worship God for who God is.

We tend to think that our daily choices are a small thing. It’s just about us.  It isn’t.  Our choices have cosmic implications.  When we choose the world instead of the one who created it, we take Satan’s side of the argument, showing that we consider God’s glory worthless, and we join in the rebellion.  But when we reject the promises of the world and instead choose to find joy by abiding in Christ, we uphold the superior worth of God’s glory and our fruit bears witness that we have made that choice – and that magnifies God’s glory.  Nothing we do gives God greater glory than the day-to-day decisions we make to choose to abide with Christ rather than running off to find joy elsewhere.

How can we apply this?

First of all, based on this passage, what should you do when you sin?  The Father’s delight in you does not change.  What changed was that you walked away from his love.  So, go back – immediately.  There’s no reason to wait. No reason to hide.  Go back to Jesus’ love.  Go back to joy.

Secondly, think deeply and prayerfully with the help of the Holy Spirit on the following questions:

  1. When am I not abiding?
  2. What is hindering me or distracting me from abiding in Christ?
  3. Where am I abiding instead of in Christ? What captures my imagination and thoughts when I’m free to think about what I wish?  Where do I go to get a sense of well-being, or to escape?

And then, share this with a close brother or sister in Christ.  This is a fight, and we do not fight alone.

From the song “Stay” by Big Daddy Weave

I’ve seen the flash of lightning
I’ve heard the rolling thunder
I’ve felt the crashing of the waves
And though I’ve known Your presence
And been filled with wonder
Still there are many things that pull me away

I’ve felt Your hand of mercy through my darkest failures
And on the other side You’ve covered me with grace
And like a child lost and afraid, You come and find this runaway
And in Your loving arms You bring me home again
What’s it going to take to make me stay?

Break my heart with what breaks Yours
Until You’re all I’m living for
Show me what it means
Not just to believe but to remain

I don’t want to hurt You anymore
I don’t want to waste another day
‘Cause it breaks Your heart, it breaks Your heart
When I keep walking away

You know what it means to sacrifice
But You tell me that it’s better to obey
You’ve giving me a thousand brand new starts
Jesus, give me what it takes to stay|
Give me what it takes to stay
Let me stay, I want to stay

All Good Is Because of Jesus

Listen carefully to what our Lord Jesus says:

Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (Matthew 10:37-39)

That is: If we love anyone in our family more than we love Jesus, we are dishonoring Him; we are therefore not worthy of Him. If we do not deny to ourselves whatever prevents us from following Him closely, we are dishonoring Him by implying that these activities or people or pleasures are more important, more vital for us than He is; we are therefore not worthy of Him. Indeed, Jesus goes on to say that to succeed in everything we put our mind to in this life, but to lose Him, is to lose everything, to lose the only true life, and thus to fail at what is most important; but to give up whatever is necessary to follow Him – even what we think is the way to success, to joy, to fulfillment – is to find true life, what is most fulfilling and joyful.

Note first: If Jesus said these words and was not Immanuel, God with us, God in the flesh, He was not a great teacher or even an admirable man; these are the sort of words that cult leaders say to their followers. But if He was who He claimed to be, then these words point us to our greatest joy, our greatest good.

Second: Think of what Jesus is saying about family, and about all other good things in this life:

  • Family is a great gift. We are to honor our fathers and mothers (Exodus 20:12). We are to rejoice in our children, seeing them as gifts from God (Psalm 127:3-4).
  • Fulfillment in life is a great gift (John 10:7-10).
  • Accomplishment is a great gift (Proverbs 3:5-6).
  • Riches and honor and health are all gifts (1 Chronicles 29:12).
  • The ability to work hard is a great gift (Deuteronomy 8:18).

So if all of these come from God, what is the problem with loving them?

The problem is seeing them as something other than what they are, gifts. We don’t earn them. We don’t deserve them. We don’t create them. They are granted to us by a gracious God “who makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45). And He grants them to us – to all humanity – only because of Jesus.

Why only because of Jesus? Because God would have been perfectly righteous to have ended the human race with the first disobedience of Adam and Eve (Genesis 2:17). There would have been no more grace, no more gifts to men. But because He planned to crush the head of the serpent via Jesus, the descendant of the woman (Genesis 3:17), because He planned to send forth His Son in the fullness of time for the redemption and adoption of His people (Galatians 4:4-5), and because the redemption through Jesus would redound to the praise of His glorious grace (Ephesians 1:3-14), He spared them, instituted His Great Plan, and for millennia has granted undeserved gifts to all of mankind. Apart from Jesus, therefore, we have none of these gifts.

But Jesus is not only the source of all these good gifts, the reason we have any good – He Himself is far and away the greatest good.

Thus, while family is a great gift, Jesus is both the Brother par excellence (Romans 8:29) and the true Husband that every good marriage points to (Ephesians 5:25-32). While accomplishment and honor are great gifts, Jesus defines the greatest accomplishment and grants the only honor worth having (2 Timothy 4:6-8).

So, when we see Jesus for Who He is, we find that in Him we have unspeakable joy (1 Peter 1:8) – joy that is found nowhere else. Therefore, thank Him continually for His gifts – and gladly give them all up if that’s necessary to follow close to Him.