Aug 24
4

Sermon: Christ Came To Bring Division?, Luke 12:49-53

Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 4:2–6

“In that day the branch of the LORD shall be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land shall be the pride and honor of the survivors of Israel. And he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, everyone who has been recorded for life in Jerusalem, when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains of Jerusalem from its midst by a spirit of judgment and by a spirit of burning. Then the LORD will create over the whole site of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, and smoke and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory there will be a canopy. There will be a booth for shade by day from the heat, and for a refuge and a shelter from the storm and rain.” (Isaiah 4:2–6, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Luke 12:49-53

“I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” (Luke 12:49–53, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction
1. As we consider the teaching that Jesus delivered (primarily to his disciples) as recorded here in Luke 12, it is clear that Jesus was very concerned to prepare his disciples to walk faithfully in this world after his departure. Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. There he would be crucified and buried. On the third day, he would rise. Forty days after this, he would ascend to the Father, leaving his followers to serve him on earth as members of the New Covenant and citizens of his inaugurated kingdom. The teachings of Christ that we find here in Luke 12 were meant to prepare his followers to walk faithfully in the world after his exaltation and to avoid all hypocrisy.
2. Dear brothers and sisters, please recognize that these teachings of Christ delivered to the original disciples of Christ are also for us, for we live under the same New Covenant (the Covenant of Grace) and we are citizens of the same kingdom (the inaugurated, eternal kingdom of Christ, the Son of God). We would be wise, therefore, to pay careful attention to what Christ says.
3. As we have been working our way through Luke 12 over the past week, I have regularly drawn your attention to the fact that Christ here addresses the hearts and minds of his disciples. The very first thing that Christ addressed was the sin of hypocrisy. Hypocrisy, friends, is something we must avoid. And to avoid it, we must recognize it as a sin of the heart and mind. To avoid religious hypocrisy, we must be renewed by Christ in the heart and mind. Our belief in Christ must reside in the heart (see Romans 10:9-10). Our love for God and Christ must not be superficial but from the heart. And our obedience to God and Christ must flow from a heart renewed by the grace of God, by his word and Spirit. Superficial religion is bound to produce hypocrisy, and Christ has sternly warned us to avoid the hypocrisy of the Pharisees (see Luke 12:1).
4. And do not forget the many other sins of the heart that Christ has addressed – sins that will inevitably result in an inconsistent, hypocritical walk if they are allowed to remain in us. Christ has warned us about the fear of man, covetousness (which is idolatry), anxiety, distractions, and inattentiveness. Dear brothers and sisters, I pray that you will take these warnings we have received from Christ over the past several weeks to heart. Please reflect on the teachings of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Make a diligent search of your hearts for these sins and, by the grace of God and with the help of the Holy Spirit, cast them away in Jesus’ name.
5. Here in the passage that is open before us today, Christ prepares the minds and hearts of his disciples for their future walk in this world by dispelling false expectations concerning life in his inaugurated kingdom.
  1. Expectations are a very powerful thing, aren’t they? Expectations reside in the mind and heart. When our expectations are met, it leads to rejoicing. When expectations are not met, it leads to frustration, discouragement, and even despair. How important it is, therefore, to have expectations that are good and reasonable – expectations rooted in truth.
    1. This is true of all our relationships. Perhaps you have noticed that people will sometimes disappoint us. I see three possible reasons for this.
      1. One, perhaps your expectations of the person were too high. They failed to meet your expectations, but the fault was not theirs – it was yours. You expected too much from the individual, and so it was inevitable that they let would eventually let you down. Sometimes parents will expect too much from their children. Sometimes husbands and wives expect too much from each other. Sometimes church members expect too much from their pastors, and pastors of members. We must beware of this propensity to heap heavy burdens on others, burdens hard to bear.
      2. Two, sometimes disappointment comes because a person fails to meet good and reasonable expectations. The truth is, we are human beings plagued by weaknesses and sin. In situations like this, we must be prepared to show love and grace to those who let us down. Instead of putting a spotlight or magnifying glass on the weakness or sin, we must patiently cover it by showing mercy and grace and grace to others.
      3. Three, many disappointments come as a result of a mixture of the two things mentioned above – unrealistic expectations, and the weakness or sins of others.
    2. I briefly mention the causes of disappointment in our ordinary human relationships only to contrast them with the disappointment that people will sometimes feel toward God and Christ.
      1. Perhaps you have heard someone say something like this: I feel as if God has let me down. If I had the opportunity to counsel a person who felt this way, I would eventually, and with care, want to explore what that person’s expectations of God and Christ were. It probably would not take long to see that the person harbored expectations for God and Christ in their mind and heart that did not square with what God has promised in the Holy Scriptures.
        
        I can imagine someone saying things like this:
        
        I feel as if God has let me down. I trusted him, but I lost my job.
        
        Or, I feel as if God has let me down. I trusted him, but my child got sick.
        
        Or, I feel as if God has let me down. I trusted him, but my loved one died.
        
        Or, I feel as if God has let me down. I trusted him, but my life has gotten harder, not easier, after deciding to follow after Christ.
        
        A Christian thinking this way would need to learn that God has not promised to give us a life free from such trials and tribulations now, but to be with us in the midst of the trials of this life and to work all things for good. The disappointed believer needs to see that Christ did not come to free us from all sickness or physical death now but to give us something far better – life eternal with him in the new heavens and earth. Then and there, “He will wipe away every tear from [our] eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things [will] have passed away” (Revelation 21:4, ESV).
        
        You see, God is perfectly faithful to keep all the promises he has made to us (see 1 Corinthians 1:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:24; 2 Thessalonians 3:3; 2 Timothy 2:13). It is vitally important for us to know what those promises are, and what they are not so that our expectations of him are right and true.
6. The passage that is open before us today is about expectations. You can see it clearly in verse 51. There Christ speaks to his disciples, saying, “Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division” (Luke 12:51, ESV). Here Christ addresses the expectations of his disciples concerning the future and he sets them straight.
  1. This was necessary, for many who followed after Christ at this time still harbored false expectations concerning Christ and his kingdom in their hearts and minds. Many hoped that Christ would overthrow Rome and bring peace to the nation of Israel on earth.
  2. And it is not difficult to see where these false expectations came from. They came from a misinterpretation of Old Testament passages which speak of the Messianic bringing peace to his people on earth.
    1. I think of Psalm 72 which says, “In his days may the righteous flourish, and peace abound, till the moon be no more! May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth!” (Psalm 72:7–8, ESV). This is a Psalm of Solomon. It is a prayer that Solomon prayed for himself and the kings that would descend from him, but it is especially about the everlasting kingdom of the Messiah, David’s true son. This passages teaches that Messiah’s kingdom will stretch from sea to sea, that the righteous will flourish, and that peace will abound.
    2. I think also of Isaiah 2:4. It too is a prophecy about the days of Messiah. It says, “He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” (Isaiah 2:4, ESV)
  3. So then, Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah do indeed move us to expect him to bring peace to the earth. It is not difficult to see why many who recognized Jesus as the Messiah, the King of God’s everlasting kingdom, harbored these expectations within their hearts and minds. There is evidence that even the twelve carried these expectations within them. In fact, Luke tells us in his second volume, the Book of Acts, that Peter still harbored these false expectations in his mind and heart after the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ and before Christ’s ascension. It is in Acts 1:6 that we hear Peter ask Jesus the question, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6, ESV). Peter still didn’t get it. And so Christ said to him, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:7–8, ESV).
  4. When the Holy Spirit fell on Peter and the others on the day of Pentecost, one thing the Holy Spirit did was to help them remember and understand the teaching of Christ that was delivered to them earlier (see John 14:26). It seems that it was not until then that the disciples of Christ fully understood what Christ meant when he said, “Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division” (Luke 12:51, ESV).
  5. The meaning of this saying should be clear to us now. The meaning is this: these Old Testament prophesies which speak of the peace that Messiah will bring to the earth were not entirely fulfilled at his first coming but will be fulfilled at his second coming. Stated differently, while many expected the Messiah to bring a full and immediate fulfillment of prophecies such as Psalm 72 and Isaiah 2, Christ made it clear that these prophecies would be fulfilled progressively in two stages.
    1. Is it true that in the days of Messiah “the righteous [will] flourish, and peace [will] abound, till the moon be no more!” Is it true that Messiah will “have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth”, as Psalm 72:7–8 says? Yes, it is true. But the question is, how will this happen, and when?
      1. Many who lived in Jesus’ day expected this prophecy (and others like it) to be fulfilled by Messiah immediately upon his arrival and all at once. But Christ made it clear that this peace and dominion would come progressively and in two stages.
        
        First, Christ’s everlasting kingdom of peace would be inaugurated. The Spirit of peace would be poured out on all flesh upon Christ’s ascension to the Father’s right hand in heaven. The gospel of peace would be proclaimed to all nations. Christ’s kingdom of peace would progressively spread on earth, therefore. But in these last days – the days between Christ’s first and second comings – the peace will be confined to the church where the everlasting kingdom of Messiah is now manifest. It is in the church that the righteous will flourish. And in these last days – the days between Christ’s first and second comings – the world will remain hostile towards God and the people of God.
        
        Secondly, Christ’s everlasting kingdom of peace will be consummated when he returns. It will be at the return of Christ that peace will fill the earth from sea to sea. It will be at the return of Christ that the righteous will flourish in all the earth.
7. I trust you can see why it was vitally important for the expectations of Jesus’ disciples to be set straight. If they expected that the full glory of the kingdom of Messiah would soon come, immediately and in full, they would be ill-prepared, sorely disappointed, and given to despair when faced with trials and tribulations of various kinds, persecutions, and continued to hear of wars and rumors of wars in the world. These false expectations would need to be corrected in the minds and hearts of Jesus’ disciples if they were to serve him faithfully in the world after his ascension to the Father’s right hand.
“I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled!”
1. And so Christ said, “I came to cast fire on the earth”, and he expressed his desire that the fire was already kindled.
  1. What is the fire that Christ came to cast on earth?
    1. Fire often symbolizes judgment. Think of the fire that fell from heaven on Sodom and Gomorrah. Think of the way that Peter speaks of the final judgment when he says, “But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly” (2 Peter 3:7, ESV). Think also of the many times fire is used in the Book of Revelation to symbolize God’s judgment – both the partial judgments of God and the full and final judgment.
    2. But fire also symbolizes the Holy Spirit in the Scriptures and the work that the Spirit does both to save and sanctify God’s people. It was in Luke 3:16 that we heard John the Baptist speak of Jesus. “John answered them all, saying, ‘I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” In Acts 2:3 Luke tells us about the fulfillment of these words. It was on the day of Pentecost when the ascended Christ poured his Spirit out on his disciples. They were assembled in one place on Sunday, the Lord’s Day, the fiftieth day, or seven sevens, after Christ’s resurrection, that “divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them” (Acts 2:3, ESV).
    3. So, fire symbolizes judgment and fire symbolizes the pouring out of God’s Spirit on God’s people to save and to sanctify. Which of these things did Christ have in mind when he said, “I came to cast fire on the earth”, and expressed his desire that the fire was already kindled? I’m not so sure we need to choose.
      1. Fire, as you know, has both life-giving and destructive capacities depending on the context. Fire can be used to heat, to cook, and to refine. Fire can also hurt, destroy, and consume.
      2. When Christ said, “I came to cast fire on the earth”, I think it is right to understand him to mean that he would send forth his Spirit both to save and sanctify his people and that he would judge the world by his Spirit. The same Spirit who saves God’s elect by warming their hearts to God and Christ as he is offered to them in the gospel and sanctifies God’s people by the refining fire of God’s word also delivers the judgments of God to people and nations who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.
      3. So then, Christ announced that he was about to kindle a fire. This fire, as we will soon see, would divide. Some would be warmed, comforted, enlivened, and refined by this fire. Others would be consumed by it.
“I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished!”
1. And where would this fire be kindled? Where would it start? From where would it spread? Answer: This fire would be kindled at the cross of Christ.
  1. Christ spoke of his crucifixion when he said, “I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished!” (Luke 12:50, ESV)
    1. This baptism of which Christ spoke was no water baptism, but a baptism in the wrath of God poured out, in death, and in the grave. In other words, this baptism was for Christ a baptism of fire.
    2. A great fire was kindled at the cross of Christ.
    3. This fire would soon spread from Jeruslam to Judea and Samaria and the ends of the earth. It would spread as Christ’s Spirit-filled disciples took the gospel of peace to all nations. It will continue to spread until Christ returns. And when he returns, he will rescue the godly and pour out the fire of God’s wrath upon the earth and upon all who are not united to him by faith.
    4. How can it be that the fire of God’s wrath which was kindled at the cross has such a differnt effect on people so that it warms and enlivens some and consumes others? The answer is found in Christ and in one’s relation to him. When the wrath of God was poured out on Christ on the cross, he shielded many from it as he died in their place and as their substitute. These are the elect of God who by God’s grace place their faith in Christ in due time, being effectually called by God’s word and Spirit. All who reject Christ and die in their sins have no such cover or shield. The holy and righteous wrath of God will consume these.
“Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.”
1. And this is why Christ said, “Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.”
  1. These last days – the days between Christ’s first and second comings – the days of the New Covenant and the inaugurated Kingdom of God – will be marked by division and hostility on earth.
  2. And where will the division be found? Christ tells us in verse 52: “For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
    1. It is very important to see that Christ drew the line of division through the family.
    2. This should shock us for it is contrary to the way the world operates.
      1. Where is the greatest unity typically found in the world? Is it not typically found in the family? Perhaps you have heard the expression, blood is thicker than water. The meaning is that blood relations should be the strongest of all. Mothers and fathers are typically devoted to sons and daughters, and sons and daughters to brothers and sisters, etc. And the world will work out from the immediate family to the extended, and from the extended family, to the community, and from the community to the nation. Nationality, race, or ethnicity, has been a source of unity throughout the ages, as I am sure you know. But Christ drew a line of division right through the middle of all that worldly unity. Why? Because the division Christ is here speaking of is the division between those who belong to him and those who do not. The division is between those who are members of the covenant he mediates, and those who do not. The division is between those who are citizens of his kingdom and those who are not. And belonging to Christ as members of the new covenant and citizens of his eternal kingdom has nothing at all to do with blood relations, that is to say, physical birth. What is it that unites us to Christ, his covenant, and his kingdom? It is only faith. And we are enabled to place our faith in Christ only because of the new birth that God gracious gives by his word and Spirit. And it is when we believe that the blood of Christ is applied to us for the forgiveness of sins. So then, the dividing line of Christ’s kingdom does not agree with the dividing lines of the world. The world is divided up according to families, communities, ethnicities, and nations. But God people are distinguished from the world by their union with Spirit-wrought, faith bound, union with Christ. It is not natural birth that matters, but new birth. It is not natural bloodlines that matter, but the atoning blood of Christ applied to the believer by the Spirit of God and received by faith alone.
    3. When Jesus drew the line of division through the family, it shocked the world. And this line of division would have been especially shocking to the original followers of Jesus, who were mainly Jews who were born and raised under the Old Covenant order.
      1. The Old Covenant had its own lines of division to distinguish between those who were in and out, covenantally speaking. What were the lines of the Old Covenant that mattered most? I can think of three:
        
        One, there were the lines drawn on the earth or on a map that demarcated the boundaries of the land of Israel. Israel was the land given to the Old Covenant people of God. Being in or out of the land of Israel mattered greatly under the Old Covenant.
        
        Two, even more important were the lines of genealogy or physical descent. Being a Hebrew, a descendant of Abraham, mattered greatly under the Old Covenant order.
        
        Three, there was the particular line of genealogy or physical descent through which it was promised that the Messiah would one day come into the world. This line was especially important, for it was only through belief in the Messiah who would be born into the world in this line – the line of Abraham, Judah, and David – that those who lived under the Old Covenant order would be saved.
      2. The thing to recognize is that when the Messiah was finally born into the world for us and for our salvation, and once he had completed the work of redemption through his obedient life, death on the cross, and resurrection on the third day, these lines of division melted away. Now, the only dividing line that remains, covenantally speaking, is Christ. Under the New Covenant, where you live does not matter. And neither does it matter whom you were born.
      3. National borders, ethnicity, and genealogy do not function as lines of demarcation under the New Covenant. Faith in Christ is the only thing that distinguishes God’s covenant people from the world in this New Covenant era, and that is why Christ has warned that he came, not to bring peace on earth, but division. And under the New Covenant dispensation, the division will appear even within families, as a husband believes while a wife does not, or children believe, and parents do not.
        
        As an aside, this is why I am a Reformed Baptist and not a Reformed paedo-baptist. I’m afraid that our Reformed paedo-baptist friends have failed to appreciate this great difference between the Old Covenant and the New. Under the Old Covenant, all who were born in the line of Abraham were members of the Old Covenant, and the male children were rightly given the sign of the covenant, namely, circumcision. But under the New Covenant, this genealogical principle has passed away having been fulfilled by Christ. The thing that makes one a member of the New Covenant and a partaker of its blessings is faith in Christ alone. The sign of the New Covenant, which is baptism, is only to be given to those who make a credible profession, therefore, something that our infants and small children cannot do. Though they might trust in Jesus from a young age, we must wait until they can make a credible profession of faith before giving them baptism and the Supper. This is what Christ has ordained, saying, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18–20, ESV)
2. I’m sure there are some who upon reading these words of Christ, “Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division”, think to themselves, this doesn’t sound like something Jesus Christ would say.
  1. After all, doesn’t Christ command his people to be peacemakers? Indeed he does! In Matthew 5:9 Christ says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”
  2. And what about the commands of the New Testament instructing Christians to pursue peace? Take, for example, Romans 12:18, we Paul says, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” (Romans 12:18, ESV).
  3. And what about the many, many statements in the New Testament wherein peace is pronounced on the people of God? Again and again, Paul says things like this to the church: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:2, ESV).
  4. Friends, there is no contradiction between these verses that I have just read and the words of Christ, “Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.” All of these sayings must be interpreted in context. When all is considered, here is what we must believe.
    1. One, Christ came to bring us peace. He came to bring peace between us and God by removing the guilt and stain of sin. He came to bring peace among men by erasing the old national and ethnic lines of demarcation. This peace that Christ came to give us is experienced now in the church where “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for [we] are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28, ESV)
    2. Two, Christ was a peacemaker, and as disciples of Jesus Christ, we are called to be peacemakers. Notice that Christ did not say, I came to be divisive, but rather, “Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.” There is a great difference between bringing or giving division and being divisive. Divisiveness is sinful and must always be avoided. But sometimes division cannot be avoided. In fact, there are times when avoiding division would be sinful, for there are times when avoiding division would require you to compromise on the truth. This agrees with what Paul has said: “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” (Romans 12:18, ESV).
    3. Three, the thing that brings the division that Christ speaks about here in Luke 12 is the gospel itself. The gospel is a gospel of peace! It is the good news that through faith in Christ, peace with God is found. But the gospel is also a dividing line.
      1. When the gospel is preached, men and women are forced to choose a side.
      2. When the gospel is preached, men and women might take offense. After all, the good news of Jesus Christ includes the bad news that all are dead in their sins and guilty before God apart from Christ.
      3. The gospel will bring division between the believer and the non-believer because belief in the gospel will result in a new way of life. The non-believer will think it strange “when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you…” (1 Peter 4:4, ESV)
      4. This division within families that Christ spoke of would be experienced in a pronounced way by the first disciples of Jesus. As has been said, the first disciples of Jesus were mainly Jews. And we know that a great division arose amongst the Jews in the early days of the church over the question of Jesus as the Messiah. Some believed he was the Messiah and confessed him Lord. But many remained in unbelief. Some of the unbelieving Jews persecuted Christ’s followers sharply.
Conclusion
1. So how does this text apply to us today?
  1. One, in general, I do believe this text should move us to ask ourselves the question, are my expectations of God and Christ right, being founded in the truth of God’s Holy Word?
  2. Two, in particular, we should not be surprised to experience division in the world as followers of Jesus Christ.
  3. Three, we must beware of any theological system that draws dividing lines (covenantally speaking) in a place other than what Christ has drawn them.
    1. Reformed paedobaptism
    2. Dispensationalism
    3. Reformed confessionalism
  4. Four, when we inevitably experience division in the world over the cross of Christ and the gospel of Jesus Christ, we must strive to be peacemakers. “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” (Romans 12:18, ESV).

Posted in Sermons, Joe Anady, Luke 12:49-53, Posted by Joe. Comments Off

Aug 24
4

Catechetical Sermon: Wherein Consisteth Christ’s Exaltation?, Baptist Catechism 31

Baptist Catechism 31

Q. 31. Wherein consisteth Christ’s exaltation?

A. Christ’s exaltation consisteth in His rising again from the dead on the third day, in ascending up into heaven, in sitting at the right hand of God the Father, and in coming to judge the world at the last day. (1 Cor. 15:4; Acts 1:11; Mark 16:19; Acts 17:31)

Scripture Reading: Philippians 2:5-11

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:5–11, ESV)

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“Christ’s exaltation consisteth in His rising again from the dead on the third day…”
1. “He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:4, ESV).
“In ascending up into heaven…”
1. “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11, ESV).
“In sitting at the right hand of God the Father…”
1. “So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God” (Mark 16:19, ESV).
“And in coming to judge the world at the last day.”
1. “He has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead” (Acts 17:31, ESV).
Application
1. Christ meets all of our needs as he fulfills his offices.
  1. London Baptist Confession 8.10: This number and order of offices is necessary; for in respect of our ignorance, we stand in need of his prophetical office; and in respect of our alienation from God, and imperfection of the best of our services, we need his priestly office to reconcile us and present us acceptable unto God; and in respect to our averseness and utter inability to return to God, and for our rescue and security from our spiritual adversaries, we need his kingly office to convince, subdue, draw, uphold, deliver, and preserve us to his heavenly kingdom. ( John 1:18; Colossians 1:21; Galatians 5:17; John 16:8; Psalms 110:3; Luke 1:74, 75 )
2. Christ can identify with our weaknesses given his humiliation.
  1. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15, ESV).
3. Christ has the power to meet all our needs given his exultation.
  1. “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37, ESV).

Posted in Sermons, Joe Anady, Posted by Joe. Comments Off

Jul 24
28

Sermon: Stay Dressed For Action, Luke 12:35-48

Old Testament Reading: Exodus 12:1–11

“The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, ‘This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight. Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts. And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD’s Passover.” (Exodus 12:1–11, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Luke 12:35-48

“Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.’ Peter said, ‘Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?’ And the Lord said, ‘Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. And that servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.’” (Luke 12:35–48, ESV)

*****

Introduction
1. This section of Luke’s Gospel is very practical. As you will probably remember, here in Luke 12, Christ delivers a series of teachings to his disciples aimed at the mind and heart. Christ has warned us about the heart-sins of hypocrisy, the fear of man, covetousness (which is idolatry), and anxiety concerning the necessities of life. Each of these passages has been delightful to study and to preach. These texts have benefited me greatly and I pray they have encouraged your hearts too.
2. The older I get, the more clearly I can see the great importance of keeping the mind and heart pure before God. If we hope to honor God with our words and deeds, our minds and hearts must be governed by the word of God and filled with the Spirit of God. To strive to honor God in word and deed, but to neglect the mind and heart, will soon result in hypocrisy. It is from the mind and heart that our behavior naturally flows. A corrupt heart will produce corrupt living. A pure heart will produce holy living. Some will attempt to honor God in word and deed by sheer willpower alone. Their success will be merely superficial and short-lived. But Christ transforms the lives of his people by first renewing their minds and purifying their hearts. Stated differently, God enables his people to believe upon Christ and obey him by renewing them to the core of their being, by his word and Spirit. If this is how Christ saves and sanctifies his people, we should not be surprised that Christ focused so much attention on the hearts and minds of his disciples. Christ’s desire is that we would walk faithfully and serve him in the world. And so he addresses our hearts.
3. Here in Luke 12:35-48, Christ warns us about the heart sins of inattentiveness, slothfulness, and distractedness. To be inattentive is to fail to pay attention to something. To be slothful is to be lazy, inactive, or idle. To be distracted is to lack the ability to concentrate on something because the mind is preoccupied with something else. Followers of Jesus Christ must not be inattentive, slothful, or distracted. Instead, Christ commands us to be like servants who are always dressed for action, awake, alert, watchful, and diligent in the performance of our duties.
4. This passage is clearly connected to the previous one. In the previous passage, Christ commanded us not to seek what we are to eat and what we are to drink, nor be worried. “For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them”, Christ said. Instead, we are to seek God’s kingdom – Matthew’s gospel adds, and his righteousness (see Matthew 6:33) – and then Christ promises, and these things – that is to say, the necessities of life – will be added to you (see Luke 12:29–31). The meaning is this: Disciples of Jesus are not to live for the things of this world. We are not to make the attainment of food or drink or any other thing the leading concern or driving force of our lives. Instead, we are to seek first the kingdom of God, trusting that God will provide for all our needs as we do. Here in Luke 12:35-48, Christ commands us to maintain this focus.
5. What is the Christian to be about? What is the leading concern of our lives to be? We are to seek first the kingdom of God. This means we are to live for the glory of God as we enter God’s kingdom through faith in Christ and strive to honor Christ as king in every aspect of our lives. This means that we are to seek the furtherance of God’s kingdom through the proclamation of the gospel. This means that we are to seek the flourishing of God’s kingdom through the building up of Christ’s church. This is to be the leading concern of every disciple of Jesus. We must beware of slothfulness, inattentiveness, and all that would distract us from this calling.
Exposition of Luke 12:35-48
1. Please look with me at Luke 12:35-36. Here, Christ issues a command: “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks.”
  1. This is an analogy or metaphor for life in God’s kingdom. In Luke 2:31 Christ commanded his disciples to seek God’s kingdom. Here Christ commands his disciples to stay dressed for action. This means that we are to be ready, alert, and about the work that Christ has called us to do.
  2. The scene that Christ sets is that of a very great household – a large estate, we might say. The master of the house has gone away to a wedding, perhaps his own. And in his house, there are many servants. It is expected that the servants of this great house will not be slothful, distracted, or inattentive, but will remain dressed for action while the master is gone. They will keep their lamps lit so that the house is bright. They will be about the work the master has given them to do so that the house is kept in order. And they will remain faithful in this work until the master returns home, however late it may be.
  3. How terrible it would be for the master to return home late at night (perhaps with his new bride) to a dark and disorderly house filled with sleeping servants. Can you imagine the master standing in the dark at the door to his estate, knocking, but with no replay? And when he finally enters, he finds his servants groggy from sleep, poorly clothed, and the house in disarray. That master would not be pleased with his servants.
  4. Clearly, Christ is the master of the house in this metaphor. Christ is the master of God’s house. He is the King of God’s kingdom. He is the Lord of the church, which is where the eternal kingdom of God is manifest on earth today. The household is the church, therefore, and Christ is the master and Lord of his church.
  5. And clearly, the servants of this great house represent Jesus’ disciples.
    1. To follow Jesus, one must turn from their sins, trust in him, and confess him as Lord (see Romans 10:9).
    2. Those who follow Jesus are to live as servants of God and Christ (see 1 Peter 2:16).
    3. Given this teaching, it is not surprising that the apostles of Christ often referred to themselves as servants of Christ.
      1. “Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness,” (Titus 1:1, ESV)
      2. “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.” (James 1:1, ESV)
      3. “Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:” (2 Peter 1:1, ESV)
      4. “Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ:” (Jude 1, ESV)
      5. “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John…” (Revelation 1:1, ESV)
    4. Following Christ requires one to be a servant in Christ’s house, that is to say, in Christ’s kingdom and church. Here Christ commands his disciples to:
      1. “Stay dressed for action…”
        
        A more literal translation of the Greek would be let your loins be girded. In the days of Christ people wore long flowing robes. When there was physical work to be done, the robes would be tied up to allow the person to move around more freely.
        
        When Christ commands us to stay dressed for action he means that we are to live with our hearts and minds being continuously prepared to do the work that God has called us to do as citizens of his kingdom and servants within his household.
        
        One of the first things we do each morning is get dressed. What you put on will be determined by what you plan to do. If you plan to work in the yard, you will put on a certain kind of clothing. If you plan to go into the office, you will dress more professionally. The point is that we dress ourselves daily, and this always involves being mindful of the work to be done on that day.
        
        Christ is here commanding us to do the same thing spiritually. As his disciples, we are to clothe ourselves mentally, emotionally, and volitionally to be about the work that God has called us to do. We are citizens of his eternal kingdom and servants within his household and we are to stay perpetually dressed for action.
        
        Stated negatively, we cannot allow ourselves to be distracted, slothful, or inattentive.
        
        And oh, how easy it is to be distracted, brothers and sisters. How easy it is for us to be drawn away from our devotion to Christ being tempted by our own desire for ease and pleasure or by some shiny thing in the world. As disciples of Christ, we must stay dressed for action…
        
        Paul the Apostle was concerned for the believers in his day. He write to the Corinthians, saying, “But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 11:3, ESV)
        
        And so, in another place, Paul commanded Christians to “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.” (Ephesians 6:11–13, ESV)
        
        And how is it that we stay dressed for action? It is through prayer. Paul, after listing the piece of the Christian’s armor in Ephesians 6, says, “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication” (Ephesians 6:18, ESV). It is through prayer that we daily put on the spiritual armor that God has provided for us. It is through prayer that we stay dressed for action.
      2. Christ also commands that we keep our lamps burning.
        
        This must symbolize the light of the Word of God and the light of a life lived in obedience to the Word of God.
        
        Christ’s house is to be well-lit. And where does this light come from? God is the source of all light. His word is a light to our feet (see Psalm 119:105). It is by the light of God’s word that Christ’s house, the church, is to be ordered. It is by the light of God’s word that we are to walk personally. And it is the light of God’s word that we are to share with the world.
        
        “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning,” Christ commands.
      3. And then he says, “…be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast…”
        
        The word feast is not in the Greek. A more literal translation would be wedding or wedding hall. How are we to live as disciples of Christ? Like men, or women, who are waiting for their master to come home from a wedding.
        
        This must be a reference to the second coming of Christ. These last days, which span from the resurrection of Christ from the dead on to his second coming (see Acts 2:17, 2 Timothy 3:1, Hebrews 1:2, James 3:5, 2 Peter 3:3), may be compared to a wedding, for in these last days Christ, the bridegroom, is calling his elect bride, the church, to himself from every tongue, tribe, and nation. When all of the elect are gathered in, being called to repentance and faith, Christ will return, and then there will be the consummation and the marriage supper of the Lamb (see Revelation 19:6-9). Disciples of Christ must live with a sense of anticipation and readiness as if waiting for Christ’s return.
        
        This could also be interpreted with our own personal deaths in view. It could be that Christ returns while we are alive. We live being ready for his return. It is more likely that Christ will come to us personally to call us home through death. We must be ready for that too.
      4. Whether Christ comes to us in his second coming or to call us home through death, we must be ready so that we, like good and faithful servants in his house, “may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks.”
2. “Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them.” (Luke 12:37, ESV)
  1. To be blessed is to be truly happy in the Lord. Do you wish to be blessed now and for eternity? Then die to yourself and live as Christ’s servant!
  2. What Christ says in the second half of verse 37 is truly shocking. Here it again: Truly, I say to you, he [that is to say, the master] will dress himself for service and have them [that is to say, the servants] recline at table, and he [the master] will come and serve them [the servants].”
    1. Who has ever heard of such a thing? What kind of master is this who, after arriving home late at night, will dress himself with the garb of a servant, command his servants to recline at the table, and insist on serving them? This sort of behavior is unheard of! But this is precisely the kind of master we have. Christ is a King who serves his servants. He humbled himself to lay down his life for us and our salvation. He was raised to glory and ascended to the Father’s right hand where he serves us still and our great prophet, priest, and king, the only mediator between God and man. And when he returns, he will serve us still as he welcomes us into his eternal home and ours, wipes away every tear from our eyes and preserves us in glory forever and ever.
    2. The servant-hearted nature of Christ the King was displayed beautifully when he, on the night he was betrayed, rose from supper as he observed the last Passover with his disciples, “laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him” (John 13:4–5, ESV). As you probably know, Peter objected. Christ the King spoke to Peter, saying, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me” (John 13:8, ESV). Paradoxically, Christ the King is also Christ the suffering servant.
  3. In verses 38-39, the metaphor changes. There we read, “If he [that is, the master] comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants!”
    1. The meaning here is that the servants must be diligent. The master might delay a long time and come home very late at night. Indeed, for those of us who live 2,000 years after the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ, it might seem like the master is delayed and the night is growing old. Nevertheless, we must remain alert and vigilant, knowing that to the Lord a thousand years is as one day and one day is as a thousand years (see 2 Peter 3:8-13).
  4. Christ goes on to say, “But know this, that if the master of the house, had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Luke 12:39–40, ESV)
    1. The meaning is clear. Instead of allowing the fact that we do not know the hour of Christ’s return to lull us into a sense of sleepy complacency, we must be all the more vigilant. As the Scriptures say elsewhere, Christ will return like a thief in the night. As Paul says, “the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.” (1 Thessalonians 5:1–6, ESV)
3. In verse 41, Peter, the leader of the Apostles, asks a good question. “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?” (Luke 12:41, ESV)
  1. It must be remembered that there were twelve apostles. Around them were seventy (or seventy-two) others who followed Jesus closely. And around the seventy, there was a very great multitude.
  2. So then, Peter’s question was, is this teaching for us, the twelve apostles, only, or is this for all who follow after you?
  3. Jesus’ answer begins in verse 42: “And the Lord said, ‘Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.’” (Luke 12:42–44, ESV)
    1. At first, it might appear that Christ ignored Peter’s question. In fact, he answered Peter’s question carefully and wisely. Instead of taking one of the two options that Peter gave him, saying, it is for you, or, it is for all, Jesus distinguishes between the ordinary servants in the master’s house and the servants who are managers within the master’s house.
    2. So then, Jesus’ answer to Peter’s question was, this teaching is for all my disciples. All my disciples are servants in my house who must remain dressed for action and keep their lamps burning. But in my house, there are also servants whom I have appointed as managers. You, apostles, are the managers. Later, I will appoint elders to oversee, rule, and manage the affairs of my house. While all of my servants are expected to stay dressed for action and keep their lamps burning, a special responsibility falls on my servants whom I appoint as managers.
    3. “Who then is the faithful and wise manager whom his master will set over his household,” Jesus asks. This is a reference to a servant whom Christ appoints to oversee the affairs of his household, that is to say, the church.
    4. And what is the responsibility of the manager? One, the manager is to oversee the house. Two, the manager is to see to it that the other servants are fed and cared for.
    5. As I have said, this is a reference to the apostles, and later, the elders who would be appointed to serve within Christ’s church as managers, stewards, or overseers. In the Greek, the common word for servant is δοῦλος. The Greek word translated as manager is οἰκονόμος.
      1. This is the word that Paul uses to describe himself as an apostle in 1 Corinthians 4:1-2, saying, “This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards [οἰκονόμους] of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards [οἰκονόμοις] that they be found faithful.” (1 Corinthians 4:1–2, ESV)
      2. In Titus 1:7, elders or overseers are also called stewards. “For an overseer, as God’s steward [οἰκονόμον], must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain…” (Titus 1:7, ESV).
    6. The point is that while all of Jesus’ disciples are servants in his house who are called to remain dressed for action, a special obligation and responsibility falls on those servants of Christ who are appointed as managers, stewards, or overseers within Christ’s church – first the apostles, and later, the elders (see Titus 1:5).
  4. Christ says that the managers who are found faithful will be rewarded. But then he issues a warning, saying, “But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful.” (Luke 12:45–46, ESV)
    1. Here is a sober warning delivered to those who serve as pastors, elders, or overseers within Christ’s church. Pastors are to servants of Christ who have been appointed by Christ to serve the other servants of Christ. This authority must not be used for selfish gain. This authority must not be abused. Those who abuse the authority given to them by Christ will be judged harshly by Christ when he returns.
      1. This is what James was referring to when he said, “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” (James 3:1, ESV)
      2. And this is why Peter wrote to the elders of the churches, saying, “shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.” (1 Peter 5:2–4, ESV)
  5. In verses 47-48, Christ offers a word of clarification. “And that servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.” (Luke 12:47–48, ESV)
    1. There is a great difference, dear brothers and sisters, between acting foolishly and sinfully out of ignorance and acting foolishly and sinfully while knowing better.
    2. I have met many Christians (and some pastors) who are not as faithful to the Lord as they should be, but for them, it is a matter of ignorance. God and Christ look at that very differently from a situation in which the person knows better and yet disobeys. So should we.
    3. Everyone to whom much is given, of him much will be required, Christ says. That is a sobering statement. It reminds the parable of talents that Christ told, as recorded in Matthew 25:14ff. The servant who was given five talents (a sum of money) earned five more, and the servant who was given two talents earned two more. When they reported to their master they both received the same reply: “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:21, ESV). But the servant who was given one talent buried it in the ground. “His master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth’” (Matthew 25:26–30, ESV).
Conclusion
1. Dear brothers and sisters, how will the master of God’s house find you when he calls you home through death or when he returns on the last day to judge and make all things new? Will he find you awake, dressed for action with your lamps burning, and about the work that he has called you to do? Or will he find you sleepy and slothful, inattentive, and distracted by the cares and concerns of this world?
2. It is very easy to be distracted, friends. If we are not careful, even good things can draw us away from our devotion to Christ and his kingdom. But we must seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, trusting that the good things of this life will be added to us (see Luke 12:31, Matthew 6:33).
3. So, in each arena of our lives, let us “Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling” (Psalm 2:11, ESV). Let us “Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!” (Psalm 100:2, ESV).
4. Dear friends, it does not matter what your particular calling is. Are you male or female, rich or poor, old or young, married or single? Let us serve the Lord and seek his kingdom first. Are you are member of Christ church or a minister? It does not matter. What matters is that we are found faithful in Christ’s kingdom.
5. Each of us must trust in Christ and honor him as king. We must have him as Lord of our minds and hearts as we seek to obey his commandments in private and in public. As Paul says, “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.” (Romans 12:9–13, ESV)
6. And as it pertains to life in the church, we must seek to build it up according to our gifts and callings. As Paul says, “Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness” (Romans 12:6–8, ESV).
7. When Christ calls us home through death or when he returns, may he find us dressed for action with our lamps burning. And may we be blessed to hear him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:21, ESV).

Posted in Sermons, Joe Anady, Posted by Joe. Comments Off

Jul 24
28

Catechetical Sermon: Wherein Did Christ’s Humiliation Consist?, Baptist Catechism 30

Baptist Catechism 30

Q. 30. Wherein did Christ’s humiliation consist?

A. Christ’s humiliation consisted in His being born, and that in a low condition, made under the law, undergoing the miseries of this life, the wrath of God, and the cursed death of the cross, in being buried, and continuing under the power of death for a time. (Luke 2:7; Gal. 4:4; Is. 53:3; Luke 22:44; Matt. 27:46; Phil. 2:8; Matt. 12:40; Mark 15:45,46)

Scripture Reading: Philippians 2:1–8

“So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:1–8, ESV)

*****

Introduction

Q. 23. Did God leave all mankind to perish in the estate of sin and misery?

A. God having out of His mere good pleasure, from all eternity, elected some to everlasting life, did enter into a covenant of grace, to deliver them out of the estate of sin and misery, and to bring them into an estate of salvation, by a Redeemer. (Eph. 1:3,4; 2 Thess. 2:13; Rom. 5:21; Acts 13:8; Jer. 31:33)

Q. 24. Who is the Redeemer of God’s elect?

A. The only Redeemer of God’s elect is the Lord Jesus Christ, who, being the eternal Son of God, became man, and so was and continueth to be God and man, in two distinct natures and one person, forever. (Gal. 3:13;1 Tim. 2:5; John 1:14; 1 Tim. 3:16; Rom. 9:5; Col. 2:9)

Q. 25. How did Christ, being the Son of God, become man?

A. Christ, the Son of God became man by taking to himself a true body and a reasonable soul; being conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary and born of her, yet without sin. (Heb. 2:14; Matt. 26:38; Luke 2:52; John 12:27; Luke 1:31,35; Heb. 4:15; 7:26)

Q. 26. What offices doth Christ execute as our Redeemer?

A. Christ, as our Redeemer, executeth the offices of a prophet, of a priest, and of a king, both in His state of humiliation and exaltation. (Acts 3:22; Heb. 5:6; Ps. 2:6)

*****

Baptist Catechism 30

“Christ’s humiliation consisted in His being born, and that in a low condition…”
1. “And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7, ESV).
“Made under the law…”
1. “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law” (Galatians 4:4, ESV).
“Undergoing the miseries of this life…”
1. “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not” (Isaiah 53:3, ESV).
2. “And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:44, ESV).
“The wrath of God…”
1. “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” (Matthew 27:46, ESV).
“And the cursed death of the cross…”
1. “And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8, ESV).
“In being buried…”
1. “For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:40, ESV).
2. “And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph” (Mark 15:45, ESV).
“And continuing under the power of death for a time.”
1. “And Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb” (Mark 15:46, ESV).

*****

Conclusion

Why did the Son of God humble himself as he did? Consider what the Nicene Creed says about Christ the Son:

We believe… in one Lord Jesus Christ,

the only Son of God,

begotten from the Father before all ages,

God from God,

Light from Light,

true God from true God,

begotten, not made;

of the same essence as the Father.

Through him all things were made.

For us and for our salvation

he came down from heaven;

he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary,

and was made human.

He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate;

he suffered and was buried.

The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures.

He ascended to heaven

and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again with glory

to judge the living and the dead.

His kingdom will never end.

Posted in Sermons, Joe Anady, Posted by Joe. Comments Off

Jul 24
21

Sermon: True Remedies For An Anxious Heart, Luke 12:22-34

Old Testament Reading: Jeremiah 17:5–10

“Thus says the LORD: ‘Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.’” (Jeremiah 17:5–10, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Luke 12:22-34

“And he said to his disciples, ‘Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you. ‘Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’” (Luke 12:22–34, ESV)

*****

Introduction
1. We live in a very anxious age. I suppose we could spend all of our time theorizing as to why so many are plagued by anxiety today. Perhaps it has something to do with the pace of our lives. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that we are constantly bombarded with troubling news. Truth be told, I think it has a lot to do with the condition of the modern man’s soul. As our society grows more and more secular and less and less godfearing, it is not surprising to see that anxious hearts abound.
2. The world does offer some relief.
  1. If you were to look up remedies for anxiety on the internet I’m sure you would learn that breathing techniques can help calm the anxious mind. Someone recently told me that if you take 12 deep breaths in and out and hold the 13th as long as you can, it will help the brain to shift from the Beta wave frequency into the calmer Alpha wave frequency. That is good to know.
  2. A healthy diet is also important. Exercise is important too. And do not forget about the importance of getting adequate sleep. We must take care of our bodies. And we should not forget that the body and mind are connected.
  3. And of course, the world will also offer medication. You should know that I am not entirely opposed to medication. In some circumstances, it can be helpful. I am concerned that we overmedicate though.
  4. The thing that I want you to see about these remedies offered by the world is that they are useful for managing and masking the symptoms of anxiety. Now, I do not mean to suggest that these remedies are useless. If you are feeling anxious, it might help you to take a series of deep breaths, cut back on the caffeine and sugar intake, and get some exercise. If the anxiety is out of control to the point of being debilitating, perhaps medication should be considered, but I would urge you to proceed with caution. Nevertheless, I do believe my observation is true. While these remedies may help to manage and mask the symptoms of anxiety, they do not get to the heart of the matter.
3. But Christ gets to the heart of the matter in the passage that is open before us today.
  1. My question for you is, will you listen to Christ concerning your anxiety? You’ll listen to your doctor, your psychologist, or your psychiatrist. But will you listen to Christ?
  2. Need I remind you that Christ is your Creator? The person of Christ is the second person of the Triune God, the one through whom all thing were made (see Hebrews 1:2). Christ is the Creator, yes, even of your body and soul.
  3. And need I remind you that Christ is your Redeemer? He is the eternal Son of God incarnate. The Son assumed a true human nature, body and soul, for us and for our salvation. He can sympathize with our weakness, therefore. He was tempted in every way that we are, yet without sin. And he assumed a true human nature, body and soul, to redeem and heal our corrupted natures.
  4. If there is anyone you should listen to regarding your anxiety, it is Christ, your Creator and Redeemer, the great physician of your body and soul.
  5. So, let us listen to Christ as he warns his disciples of the heart-sin of anxiety and presents us with precieous remedies – remidies that do not merly mask or enable us to manage the symptoms of anxiety, but remidies that address the very heart and root of the anxious thoughts and feelings that plague our souls.
Exposition of Luke 12:22-34
1. In Luke 12:22, Christ commands his disciples to be not anxious. The command: “Do not be anxious…”, Christ says. The Greek word is in the imperative mood. It is a command that we are to obey. This indicates that we have responsibility in this matter. This indicates that we have choices to make and the freedom to make those choices. “Do not be anxious…”, Christ says.
  1. What is anxiety?
    1. The first thing to acknowledge is that is an inward thing. Anxiety is a condition of the mind and heart. It effects the body, yes. When we are anxious, our brian fires rapidly, our heart races, and our chest tightens. And anxiety in the mind and heart will certainly impact our actions. But anxiety, properly speaking, is a condition of the soul.
    2. So the theme continues in this section of Luke’s gospel. Christ is here addressing matters of the heart and mind with his disciples. He has warned against hypocrisy, the fear of man, the fear of persecution, and covetousness – all of which are matters of the heart. Here Christ warns against anxiety.
    3. Anxiety is more than a reasonable and responsible concern.
      1. Anxiety is concern accentuated by worry.
      2. Anxiety is concern mingled with fear and apprehension.
      3. Are there things in this life that you should be concerned about? Yes, of course.
        
        A husband and father, for example, should be concerned to provide for his family and to protect them from physical and spiritual harm. This reasonable concern should result in responsible action. But a husband and father must not be anxious, that is to say, plagued by worry.
        
        A pastor should be concerned for the church over which God has made him an overseer. This reasonable concern should result in responsible action. But a pastor must not be anxious, that is to say, plagued by worry.
        
        A mother should be concerned for the physical and spiritual wellbeing of her children. Again I say, this reasonable concern should result in responsible action. But a Christian mother should not be anxious, that is to say, plagued by worry.
      4. While reasonable concern will move us to responsible action, anxiety is a debilitating distraction. Anxiety in the mind and heart will hold a Christian back from living the life that God has caled them to live. It is no wonder that Christ warned his disciples about the heart sin of anxiety. If allowed to remain in the heart, anxiety will distract us from what matters most and consume our lives, rendering us fruitless and ineffective.
  2. What is the thing Christ forbids us from being anxious about?
    1. Two things: our inner spiritual life, and our outer physical life.
    2. In verse 22 Christ speaks to us, saying, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on” (Luke 12:22, ESV).
      1. The Greek word translated as “life” is Ψυχή. It means “soul”.
      2. The Greek word translated as “body is Σῶμα. This is a reference to our physical bodies.
      3. When we think of our life or existence it is right for us to think of these two things: human beings have bodies and souls. When the body dies the soul lives on. On the last day, our bodies will be raised and reunited with our souls to be either judged by Christ or openly acquitted, if we are united to him by faith.
      4. Here Christ teaches that we are not to be anxious about our Ψυχή – our souls – that is to say, our inner life. And he mentions food. Why does Christ mention food as if food is the thing that sustains the soul and not the body? I think the reason is this. Food (and drink) is what we take in for the sustenance of life. Food functions as an apt metaphor, therefore, for that which sustains the inner life of man. So, Christ commands us to not be anxious about our life, what we will eat.
      5. And neither are we to be anxious about our bodies, what we will put on. The soul appears to need food. And what does the body need? Most fundamentally, the body needs to be clothed. And so Christ says, do not be anxious about the life of your body, nor about what is necessary for its sustenance.
      6. And then Christ explains, saying, “For life is more than food and the body more than clothing.” I believe the meaning is this: the sustenance of the life of the soul requires more than food and the sustenance of the life of the body requires more than clothing.
      7. You see, the argument is from the greater to the lesser. John Calvin explains the principle nicely. Commenting on this verse, he says, “[Christ] argues from the greater to the less. He had forbidden [his disciples] to be excessively anxious about the way in which life might be supported; and he now assigns the reason. The Lord, who has given life itself, will not [allow] us to [lack] what is necessary for its support. And certainly we do no small dishonour to God, when we fail to trust that he will give us necessary food or clothing; as if he had thrown us on the earth at random. He who is fully convinced, that the Author of our life has an intimate knowledge of our condition, will entertain no doubt that he will make abundant provision for our wants. Whenever we are seized by any fear or anxiety about food, let us remember, that God will take care of the life which he gave us.” (John Calvin and William Pringle, Commentary on a Harmony of the Evangelists Matthew, Mark, and Luke, vol. 1 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 340.) I think this is good and right.
      8. And it seems to me that Christ is also reminding us here that God has the power to sustain the life of our soul and the life of our body, for all eternity. The life of the soul requires more than food. The life of the body requires more than clothing. God is able to sustain us, body and soul, in this life as he provides us with food to eat and clothes to wear. More than this, God is able to sustain us, body and soul, for all eternity. We are to trust the Lord that he will sustain us in this life (for as long as he has decreed we live here), and we are to trust the Lord that he will sustain us in the life to come.
      9. The argument is from the greater to the lesser. If we are to trust the Lord with our very lives and concerning the most basic necessities of life, then we out to trust him in all things, and not be anxious.
      10. Hear the command of Christ again: “Do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on.” (Luke 12:22, ESV)
2. Not only does Christ command his followers not to be anxious, but he provides us with remedies – true remedies – remedies that get to the very heart of anxiety.
  1. The first remedy is found in the word “therefore” at the beginning of verse 22. “And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on.”
    1. The word “therefore” is to remind us of what Christ had just taught as recorded in the previous passage. In the previous passage, Christ warned his disciples about the heart sin of covetousness. “And he said to them, ‘Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life [ζωή] does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15, ESV).
    2. He then told a parable about a foolish rich man who put all his trust in his possessions. The rich man’s fields produced bountifully. He did not think to give thanks to God, nor did he think to relieve the suffering of the poor and needy. Instead, he thought only of himself. He tore down his barns and built larger ones to store (hoard) his possessions. And then in Luke 12:19 he spoke to his own soul (his Ψυχή), saying, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” But in verse 20, God said to him, “Fool! This night your soul (Ψυχή) is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” Jesus then concluded his parable with this word of explanation: “So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:21, ESV).
    3. When Christ began his teaching about anxiety with the word “therefore”, he connected what he had said about covetousness with what he was about to say concerning anxiety. Covetousness and anxiety go together, and it should not be difficult to see why. If you love the things of this world supremely, and if you have placed your hope in the things of this world, as the rich fool did, then you are likely to be anxious concerning the loss of these things. In fact, I think it is right to say that you ought to be anxious. Stated differently, if you are covetous – if you have loved the things of this world (created things) supremely and have made them the source of your hope, your joy, and your peace – then it is perfectly reasonable for you to be anxious, for you have built your life on a very shaky foundation, one that is destined to give way.
      1. Think of the man who loves money supremely and has made his 401K his trust. He spends a lifetime soothing himself with the accumulation of wealth. It brings him a sense of comfort and security. But that man is a fool. He is a fool because he has forgotten about death. He has forgotten that at some point God will say to him, “This night your soul (Ψυχή) is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?”
      2. Think of the mother who loves her children supremely. She spends a good portion of her life living for her children and finding her ultimate satisfaction and peace in them. This too is folly. As good as it is for a mother to love her children and to nurture them, she must not make her children the foundation of her life. The children will grow and establish households of their own. They too are moral beings. They cannot bear the weight of our hopes and dreams. They do not have the power to sustain our lives.
      3. Apply this principle to every created thing. Covetousness is idolatry. Idolatry is folly. God alone is to be supremely loved, feared, and trusted, for God alone is able to sustain us. Whenever we transfer the love, fear, and trust that is due to God alone and place it on some created thing, anxiety is bound to follow, or at least it should. Those who trust in created things supremely and do not feel anxious about it are blind fools who have forgotten about death and the final judgment.
      4. It is no wonder that the only remedy the world can offer for anxiety is to manage and mask the symptoms. The truth is, apart from God and Christ, human beings have every reason to be anxious. In fact, I am not surprised that the world is anxious. To be honest, I’m surprised there is not more anxiety in the world. But I know what holds it back. Men are fools. They have found many ways to convince themselves, against all evidence, that God does not exist and to distract themselves from the fact that they will die someday and will be judged by him. More than this, men are idolaters who have found ways to soothe themselves with their little false gods. And when these false gods fail them, which they inevitably will, men have found many ways to numb themselves to the reality of their hopeless condition. Of course, this is no true solution to their anxiety.
      5. The fear of God and faith in Christ is the solution. But to have God and Christ, covetousness must go, for covetousness is idolatry (see Colossians 3:5).
  2. The second true remedy to anxiety that Christ offers to his followers is found in the “consider.” Do you see the word “consider”? It appears twice in our text, once at the beginning of verse 24 and again at the beginning of verse 27.
    1. The word “consider” is also in the imperative mood in the Greek. This means it is a command we are to obey. This indicates that we have responsibility in this matter.
    2. To consider is, “To give very careful consideration to some matter—‘to think about [something] very carefully, to consider [something] closely’” (Louw Nida, 349).
    3. If a follower of Jesus Christ is feeling anxious (which we all do from time to time), one thing we must do is consider. We must slow down and think. We must contemplate.
    4. And what are we to consider? Answer: We are to consider God’s revelation. We are to consider what God has said to us regarding who he is, who we are, and our relationship to him, in Christ Jesus.
      1. In verse 24 Christ says, “Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!” (Luke 12:24, ESV)
        
        Just a moment ago, Christ spoke to his disciples, saying, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat… (Luke 12:22, ESV). Now Christ reassures his disciples concerning God’s faithful provision of food.
        
        Christ reassures his disciples concerning the faithful provision of food by directing their attention first to natural revelation. “Consider the ravens”, Christ says. Even nature testifies to the fact that God is faithful to provide for his creatures. “Consider the ravens”, they are not like that rich fool who sowed his field with seed, reaped an abundant harvest, and tore down his perfectly good barns to build bigger ones. That rich fool trusted in himself and in his possession. The ravens are wiser than him. They trust God for their daily provisions, and “God feeds them.” God has designed the world in such a way that even nature speaks to his existence and faithfulness. “Consider the ravens”, Christ says.
        
        And then Christ comforts his disciples with a bit of special revelation. “Of how much more value are you than the birds!”
      2. The pattern is repeated in verses 27 and 28. There Christ says, “Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!”
        
        Just a moment ago Christ commanded his disciples, saying, “do not be anxious… about your body, what you will put on” (Luke 12:22, ESV). Now Christ reassures his disciples concerning God’s faithful provision of clothing.
        
        He reassured them by again directing their attention to natural revelation. “Consider the lilies”, Christ commands. Look at how they grow. You do not see the flowers of the field anxiously straining or struggling. They simply trust in God day by day. And yet they are dressed more beautifully than King Solomon ever was.
        
        And to this observation of the natural world, Christ adds his definitively clear word: “But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!”
    5. So then, Christ speaks to the anxious disciple of his and says, it is time for you to consider some things more carefully than you have before. You must think more deeply about God and his faithfulness to provide for his creatures, in general. And you must think more carefully about the special love that he has set upon you to call you to repentance and faith and to reconcile you to himself through me. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ plagued by anxiety, one thing you must do is consider God’s revelation – his world book and his word book – the book of nature and the book of Scripture – more carefully, and believe what God says. Notice that Christ rebukes his disciples for their lack of faith. It’s as if Christ says, you are plagued by anxiety because you are failing to believe what God has said.
    6. Sandwiched in between Christ’s commands to consider the ravens and to consider the lilies, we find this little comment regarding the futility and folly of anxiety. “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?” (Luke 12:25–26, ESV).
      1. This is also an important truth for the anxious disciple of Christ to consider. Not only are we to consider God and his faithfulness to us in the Covenant of Grace, we also must consider what a giant waste of time and energy – what a useless distraction – anxiety over the cares of this world is.
        
        Not only is anxiety dishonoring to God, being rooted in a lack of faith in him, it also accomplishes nothing.
        
        We cannot make our stature increase by 18” by worrying. That is what the Greek literally says. And this is a metaphorical way of saying, by worrying, we do not have the ability to lengthen our lives by a single hour. Why worry, then? Being anxious brings nothing good and beneficial. It only does harm.
        
        Anxiety is a distraction. It will rob us of our vitality and sap our strength. Instead of being anxious about the cares and concerns of this life, we are to trust the Lord and depend on him for daily provision.
  3. So far, two remedies to anxiety have been presented. First, we are to beware of covetousness, which is idolatry. Covetousness and anxiety go together, remember. Secondly, we carefully consider God’s revelation of himself and of his care for us in nature and in Scripture so that we might trust God’s Word. Thirdly, we are to put away every distraction and devote our lives to seeking the kingdom of God.
    1. Look at verses 29-31. There Christ says, “And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you” (Luke 12:29–31, ESV).
      1. There are three commands in verses 29-31. Two are negative, and one is positive.
      2. The two negative commands are these: “Do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried.
        
        What does Christ mean when he says, “Do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink”? Does Christ mean that we are to think nothing at all about procuring food and drink? Does he mean that we are to neglect work and sit idly by as if food and drink will fall down from heaven? Does he mean that we should not shop for groceries or meal prep? No, that would be absurd. And we know this would be an incorrect interpretation because other Scriptures texts command us to be diligent in work so that we might provide for ourselves and those under our care (see 1 Timothy 5:8).
        
        Given the context, Christ must mean that we must not make the attainment of food and drink the aim and driving ambition of our lives. This is how the nations live, Christ says. The non-beliving world lives for the attainment of wealth, food, drink, clothing, and shelter. The disciple of Jesus is not to live for this. We are not to worry about these things, but we are to trust that God will provide for us through means, the most common means being work.
        
        You know, there is a difference between living to eat and eating to live. There is a difference between pouring your life into your home and responsibly maintaining the home that God has provided for you to live in. There is a difference between living to shop for clothing and shopping for clothing so that you might live. Disciples of Christ are not to seek what they are to eat and drink with anxious concern.
      3. Instead, Christ positively commands us to seek the Father’s kingdom, and promises that these things – the food and the drink – will be added to us (Luke 12:31, ESV). In other words, we are to make the attainment and advancement of the kingdom of God our driving concern as we trust in the Lord to meet all our physical and spiritual needs.
        
        What does it mean to seek the Father’s kingdom?
        
        To seek the kingdom of God is to seek to enter it now and for eternity. And how does one enter the kingdom of God except through faith in Christ the King?
        
        To seek the kingdom of God is to seek to be ruled by God and to be more and more obedient to him.
        
        To seek the kingdom of God is to advance his kingdom on earth now to through the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
        
        This is what Christians should devote themselves to as they trust in God to meet their basic needs.
3. There are four more imperatives found in verses 32 through 33. “Fear not”, Christ says.
  “Sell” and “give”. And finally, “provide for yourselves”. I take these to be the fruit or result of a life that is free from anxiety and marked by faithful dependence upon the Lord.
  1. In verse 32 Christ speaks to his disciples, saying, “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
    1. In Christ, we are to live a life free from anxiety and fear.
    2. We are not to fear because we are Christ’s sheep and Christ is our shepherd.
    3. We are to seek the Father’s kingdom without fear knowing that it is our Father’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom.
  2. As it pertains to possessions, those who are free from covetousness and anxiety will be free to sell and give. “Sell your possessions, and give to the needy”, Christ says.
    1. It would be foolish to think that Christ is here teaching his disciples to sell all that they have to give to the needy. This is not what the text says. If his disciples were to do that, they would all be needy themselves.
    2. We must remember the context. When it comes to our possessions we are not to hold on to them with a clenched fist like the rich fool did, but with an open hand, being willing to give out of our abundance and according to our ability (see Acts 5:4, Ezra 2:69; 1 Corinthians 16:2).
    3. Those free from covetousness and anxiety will free to live with this kind of boldness, courage, and generosity.
  3. The final command is, “provide”. “Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys” (Luke 12:33, ESV).
    1. Being freed from covetousness and anxiety concerning the things of the earth we free us to store up moneybags and treasures in heaven. All of the treasures of this world will fail us. Moths will eat away at clothing, food will rots, houses and barns will decay, thieves will steal, and death will cause all of the possessions we have accumulated to be distributed to others. But it is possible to store up treasures in heaven. This is done through faith in Christ and through the good deeds we perform by God’s grace.
Conclusion
1. In the introduction to this sermon, I stated that Christ does not merely teach us to mask or manage the symptoms of our anxiety but gets to the heart of the matter. This has been demonstrated already as Christ links anxiety with the covetousness in the heart, commands us to consider his word, and directs us to seek first God’s kingdom and his rightousness (see Matthew 6:33). But all that Christ has commanded is summed and explained with these words, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Luke 12:34, ESV).
2. Anxiety is a matter of the heart. The heart will always be set on its treasure. And the heart will always be anxious to preserve and protect it’s treasure. Where is your treasure? That is the question. Is your treasure here on earth? If it is, your heart has every good reason to be anxious. Or is your treasure with God and Christ in heaven? If your treasure is in heaven with God and Christ, you have every reason to be at peace and free from all fear and anxiety, for that treasure is secure, having been secured by Christ our redeemer.
3. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:3–7, ESV)

Posted in Sermons, Joe Anady, Luke 12:22-34, Posted by Joe. Comments Off

Jul 24
21

Catechetical Sermon: How Does Christ Execute The Office Of A King?, Baptist Catechism 29

Baptist Catechism 29

Q. 29. How doth Christ execute the office of a king?

A. Christ executeth the office of a king, in subduing us to Himself, in ruling and defending us, and in restraining and conquering all His and our enemies. (Ps. 110:3; Matt. 2:6; 1 Cor. 15:25)

Scripture Reading: Matthew 2:1–6

“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’ When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” (Matthew 2:1–6, ESV)

*****

Brothers and sisters, I’ll begin by reminding you that we are considering the work of Christ in this portion of our catechism. It was in Baptist Catechism questions 24-25 that we considered the person and natures of Christ. In other words, those questions and answers addressed the questions, who and what is Jesus? The question behind Baptist Catechism questions 26-31 is, what is the work that Christ has done to redeem us from our sin and misery? As you probably know by now, our catechism presents the work of Christ by considering the offices he has fulfilled. An office is a work to be done. Jesus Christ, the only redeemer of God’s elect, has fulfilled three offices. We have considered his prophetic and priestly offices. Today we will consider his kingly office.

Consider, briefly, four things about Christ the Redeemer and his kingly office:

One, Jesus Christ was not the first king of God’s people.

Under the Old Mosaic Covenant, many kings were appointed to rule within Israel. To learn about Israel’s kings, you may read 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Chronicles. The history of Israel’s kings is rather sad. It did not begin well with the choosing of Saul. Israel wanted a king like all the other nations. God allowed them to have Saul. He was a disaster because he was worldly and faithless (see 1 Samuel 15:23). Afterwards, David was anointed king. David was far from perfect, but he was a man after God’s heart (see 1 Samuel 13:14). This means he was a man of faith. This also means that he understood the kings of Israel were to rule under God’s supreme authority. David was the greatest of the kings of Israel. The nation was settled and well-established under his rule. His son Solomon enjoyed the fruits of that, but he turned his back on the LORD. Of all the kings that descended from David and Solomon, some were faithful, but most were unfaithful. When you read the story of Israel’s kings, you will notice this theme: As goes the king, so goes the kingdom. Kings are to protect the citizens of their kingdom. They are to rule over them justly. They are to lead. When the kings of Israel (and later Judah) honored the Lord, the nation was blessed. When they dishonored the Lord, the nation was cursed.

The second thing I would like you to consider is that long ago it was promised that a great King would arise in the line of David.

2 Samuel 7 is a very important Scripture text. In it, we find a record of what is called the Davidic Covenant. There God promises many things to King David as it pertains to his kingdom. Listen to verses 12-13. There the Lord promises David, “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. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (2 Samuel 7:12–13, ESV). In verse 16 the Lord says, “And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever” (2 Samuel 7:16, ESV).

So, God promised to raise up a son from David who would rule over his kingdom forever. This should sound familiar. Just as God promised that the Messiah would be a priest who served forever, God also promised that David would have a son who would rule and reign forever.

This combination of the priestly and kingly offices is also observed in Psalm 110 which we read earlier. Here is again: “The LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.’ The LORD sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies! Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments; from the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours. The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek’” (Psalm 110:1–4, ESV).

Notice a few things about this very important text: One, this king who would be David’s son would also be David’s Lord. That is why David said, “The LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand…” etc. The first LORD mentioned is God. And who is the second Lord mentioned? He is the king who would descend from David. So, David’s son would be greater than him. Jesus makes much of this in Luke 20:41-44. Two, this great king would be invited to sit, not on an earthly throne, but at God’s right hand in heaven. Three, this king would sit there until all his enemies were subdued. Four, many will be judged by this king, being placed under his feet. Five, his people would offer themselves freely on the day of his power. In other words, many would bow the knee to him freely and surrender to him as Lord. It is no wonder that many were eagerly awaiting the arrival of this Anointed King or Messiah.

This leads to our third consideration concerning Christ’s kingly office. Though Jesus Christ was not the first king, he is by far the greatest King. He is the King of Psalm 110. He is the King of 2 Samuel 7. He is the King who descended from David. He is the King who rules and reigns forever over God’s eternal kingdom. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords (see Revelation 19:16).

The New Testament Scriptures teach this in many different ways. Listen to the very first verse of the New Testament. Matthew 1:1 says, “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” Matthew begins his gospel by telling us that Jesus Christ is the son that was promised to David as recorded in 2 Samuel 7.

When the angel Gabriel came to make the announcement to the virgin Mary that she would conceive and give birth to a son, he said, among other things, “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:31–33, ESV).

Many other proofs could be piled up in support of the claim that Jesus is the Anointed son of David, the King of God’s eternal kingdom. I’ll present one more passage to you from the book of Revelation. Here we find a picture of the return of Christ and the final judgment. In Revelation 19:11 we read, “Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:11–16, ESV).

The fourth and final thing I would like you to consider about Christ’s kingly work is that in this office, Christ the Redeemer meets our needs.

What needs does Christ meet as our king? One, subduing us to himself. We need him to do this because we are by nature rebels and enemies of God. Two, he rules over us. Those who have Jesus as Savior also have him as Lord (see Romans 10:9). Lords rule over their people! Christ is a most merciful and kind ruler. Three, Christ defends his people. Listen to the words of Christ in John 10:25: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one” (John 10:27–30, ESV). Four, Christ restrains all of his and our enemies (see Revelation 20:1-3). Five, Christ conquers all of his and our enemies, the last enemy to be conquered is death. You can hear echoes of Psalm 110 in 1 Corinthians 15:25-27. There Paul writes about Christ, saying, “For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For ‘God has put all things in subjection under his feet’” (1 Corinthians 15:25–27, ESV).

*****

I would like to conclude this little sermon by reading Second London Confession chapter 8 paragraphs 9 and 10 to you. This will serve as a nice conclusion to this sermon and to this section of our catechism.

Paragraph 9. This office of mediator between God and man is proper only to Christ, who is the prophet, priest, and king of the church of God; and may not be either in whole, or any part thereof, transferred from him to any other. (1 Timothy 2:5)

Paragraph 10. This number and order of offices is necessary; for in respect of our ignorance, we stand in need of his prophetical office; and in respect of our alienation from God, and imperfection of the best of our services, we need his priestly office to reconcile us and present us acceptable unto God; and in respect to our averseness and utter inability to return to God, and for our rescue and security from our spiritual adversaries, we need his kingly office to convince, subdue, draw, uphold, deliver, and preserve us to his heavenly kingdom. (John 1:18; Colossians 1:21; Galatians 5:17; John 16:8; Psalms 110:3; Luke 1:74, 75)

Posted in Sermons, Joe Anady, Posted by Joe. Comments Off

Jul 24
14

Sermon: Be On Your Guard Against All Covetousness, Luke 12:13-21

Old Testament Reading: Ecclesiastes 5:8–20; 12:13–14

“If you see in a province the oppression of the poor and the violation of justice and righteousness, do not be amazed at the matter, for the high official is watched by a higher, and there are yet higher ones over them. But this is gain for a land in every way: a king committed to cultivated fields. He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity. When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes? Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep. There is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun: riches were kept by their owner to his hurt, and those riches were lost in a bad venture. And he is father of a son, but he has nothing in his hand. As he came from his mother’s womb he shall go again, naked as he came, and shall take nothing for his toil that he may carry away in his hand. This also is a grievous evil: just as he came, so shall he go, and what gain is there to him who toils for the wind? Moreover, all his days he eats in darkness in much vexation and sickness and anger. Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God. For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart… The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 5:8–20; 12:13–14, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Luke 12:13-21

“Someone in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.’ But he said to him, ‘Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?’ And he said to them, ‘Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.’ And he told them a parable, saying, ‘The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.’” (Luke 12:13–21, ESV)

*****

Introduction
1. I would like to remind you that we are in the middle of a section in Luke’s gospel wherein Jesus delivers a series of warnings to his disciples regarding sins of the heart. First, he warned his disciples of the sin of hypocrisy. Next, he warned them about the fear of man. Connected to this, Christ warned his disciples not to shrink back when faced with persecution, but to acknowledge him before men. Here in the passage that is open before us today, Christ warns his disciples about the heart-sin of covetousness. He spoke to the crowds, and especially to his disciples, saying, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
2. This warning from Christ, and the teaching that follows, was prompted by a request made by a man in the crowd. Luke 12:13 says, “Someone in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.’”
  1. We don’t know who this man was or the details of his situation. It is likely that he had an older brother who refused, or perhaps was slow to, divvy up the inheritance he had received from his parents’ estate with his siblings. In those days, the firstborn son was to receive a double portion of the inheritance, and it may have been the responsibility of the firstborn son to administer the estate and distribute the funds. Clearly, there was some disagreement between this man and his brother. Maybe the brother was someone who followed or respected Jesus. And so this man approached Jesus to ask for his help. “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me”, he said.
  2. Jesus’ response was rather curt. “But he said to him, ‘Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?’”
    1. Why did Jesus respond like this? Why was he unwilling to function as a judge or arbitrator in his case?
    2. The answer is, it was not a part of Jesus’ messianic mission to meddle in civil affairs. The proper place for a dispute like this to be settled was is in the civil law courts. Jesus Christ, as you probably know, showed no interest in engaging in politics or civil matters such as this during his earthly ministry. In Luke 20:25 we hear Christ say, “render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And here Christ says, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” (Luke 12:14, ESV).
    3. Are we to take this to mean that disputes between brothers should not be settled within the church? Well, if the brothers are both Christians and church members, the church ought to mediate and even judge. 1 Corinthians 6 teaches that church members ought to settle disputes like this in-house, as it were, rather than going to law court against one another.
    4. But this situation was differnt. It appears that one, or both, of these brothers were not true disciples of Jesus. Therefore, the proper place for a dispute like this to be settled was in the civil law courts
    5. You see, this man was mistaken concerning Jesus’ mission and the nature of Christ’s kingdom. Jesus’ mission was not to overthrow Rome, to reform Old Covenant Israel, or to establish some new political system. He came to atone for sin, to inaugurate a New Covenant, and to establish the everlasting kingdom of God. But we must remember, that Christ’s kingdom is not of this world.
    6. Here is one of the significant ways in which Christ, his kingdom, and covenant differ from Moses and David, and the kingdom and covenant within which they served. The Old Mosaic Covenant and the Kingdom of Israel were very much of this world. And so Moses and King David did judge within the civil realm (see Exodus 18:13 and 2 Samuel 8:13). I’m sure this man thought that King Jesus would do the same. But King Jesus was unwilling to function as a judge or arbitrator between these brothers. King Jesus is a different kind of King. As has been said, his kingdom is not of this world. His kingdom is heavenly now. It is spiritual now. It is eternal. It will be brought to a consummation in the new heavens and earth when Christ returns. Christ will judge on the last day. And then he will judge, not partially and imperfectly, as Moses and the Kings of Israel did, but perfectly, fully, and finally.
    7. Jesus refused to function as judge or arbitrator between these two brothers. If they could not work out their differences privately, they would need to work them out in a court of law. And Jesus would have nothing to do with the court of law. Judging civil matters was not a part of his Messianic mission.
3. But notice that Jesus was willing to speak to spiritual matters, that is to say, to matters of morality and the heart.
Be On Your Guard Against All Covetousness
1. In Luke 11:15 we read, “He said to them…”
  1. “Them” might be a reference to the two brothers. Certainly, the crowd also heard this teaching. And we should not forget that the disciples of Jesus were present too. Notice that in Luke 12:22 Christ sets his attention squarely on his disciples again and builds upon the teaching he delivers here, saying, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life”, etc. So, this teaching was delivered to the disputing brothers and the crowd, but it was especially for the disciples of Jesus to hear.
2. And what did Christ warn against? He warns us, saying, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness…”
  1. What is covetousness? One dictionary defines covetousness as “a strong desire to acquire more and more material possessions or to possess more things than other people have, all irrespective of need” (Louw Nida, 290–291).
  2. Covetousness it must be remembered, takes place in the mind and heart. True, the heart sin of covetousness will eventually show itself in words and actions, but strictly speaking, covetousness is about thoughts and desires.
  3. Do not forget, brothers and sisters, that the tenth of the Ten Commandments is “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s” (Exodus 20:17, ESV).
    1. So serious and destructive is the heart sin of covetousness that one of the Ten Commandments is devoted to forbidding it.
    2. Some have noted that there is a connection between the tenth of the Ten Commandments and the nine that preceded it. If we were to reflect carefully concerning our violations of God’s law we would see that the sins we commit often spring forth from covetousness within the heart. Why do people dishonor those with authority over them, commit the sin of adultery, steal, lie, and even murder? Are these sins not often driven by the sin of covetousness within the heart?
    3. The Apostle James seems to make this connection. In James 4:1-2 we read, “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.”
  4. You should know that the Apostle Paul often warns against the sin of covetousness.
    1. In Colossians 3:5 Paul says, “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”
      1. Isn’t that interesting? Paul says that covetousness is idolatry. What does he mean by this? He means that covetousness is idolatry in the heart. When we covet we make the things of this world to be like little gods to us.
    2. In Ephesians 5:2-3 Paul says, “But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”
      1. Notice that Paul again calls covetousness idolatry.
      2. And notice that Paul lists the heart sin of covetousness alongside other sins that we might consider far more vile. Dear brothers and sisters, I hope you are beginning to see the point. Covetousness in the heart is no small sin to be trifled with.
      3. The seriousness of the sin of covetousness in the heart is especially stressed by Paul’s words, “For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”
    3. Finally, in Romans 1:28 Paul is speaking of the ungodly when he says, “And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.”
  5. I mention the tenth of the Ten Commandments, James 4, and these statements from Paul in an attempt to alert you to the severity and danger of this sin of the mind and heart. I am afraid, dear brothers and sisters, that when we think about our battle against sin we tend to think primarily about the sins that we commit with our words and deeds. But covetousness is a sin of the mind and heart. We covet, not with our words or deeds, but with our thoughts, emotions, and desires. Dear friends, our battle against sin – our pursuit of holiness – should not begin with our words and deeds, but with the mind and heart. This is where the real work of sanctification is done. If we wish to grow in holiness, we must be transformed inwardly, renewed by God’s word and Spirit (see Romans 12:1-2, 1 Peter 1:14-16).
  6. This has been a theme in this portion of Luke’s gospel, hasn’t it? We have been warned against the sin of hypocrisy, which is fundamentally a sin of the heart. We have been warned against the sin of the fear of man. And here Christ warns us about covetousness. We should take the words of Christ very seriously: “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness…”
3. At the end of verse 15, Christ provides us with a striking reason to avoid covetousness. He says, “for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
  1. Material possessions do not in any way contribute to or sustain a person’s actual life, or existence. A poor man lives, and a rich man lives. The life of the poor man and the life of a rich man is not drawn from their possessions, be they little or great. Stated differently, our life or existence is derived from God, not our possessions. God is our creator. God is our sustainer. It is God who has numbered our days. We come from God and to God we will return. Therefore God ought to be our highest treasure and greatest pleasure. It is God we should love and fear. It is the glory and enjoyment of God that we should live for. How foolish it is to make the attainment of material possessions the center of your life and the purpose of your existence, therefore.
The Parable Of The Rich Man
1. Christ, being the good teacher that he is, told a parable to illustrate the point. In Luke 12:16 we read, “And he told them a parable, saying, ‘The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:16–21, ESV).
2. There are a few important observations to make about this parable:
  1. First, we should recognize what this parable is not about.
    1. This parable does not teach that the attainment of wealth is a sin. It is possible to be wealthy and godly. Think, for example, of Abraham. He was wealthy and godly. And think of Paul’s instructions for the rich. Paul wrote to Timothy, saying, “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17, ESV). Notice that Paul does not condemn the rich for being rich, and neither does he command that they stop being rich, but that they not be haughty (prideful), nor set their hopes on riches. Instead, those who are rich are to set their hope on God as they enjoy the kind gifts that God has given to them. In the same passage, Paul goes on to say, “They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life” (1 Timothy 6:18–19, ESV). I think you can see that Paul’s teaching in 1 Timothy 6:17-19 agrees perfectly with Jesus’ teaching here in Luke 12:15-21. Here Christ warns against covetousness and his parable is about those who would lay up treasure for themselves here on earth but are not rich toward God (see Luke 12:21).
    2. Also, this parable does not teach against the wise use of money and possessions. In other places, the Scriptures teach us to work diligently and to save. Proverbs 6:6-11 says, “Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.” (Proverbs 6:6–11, ESV). The Scriptures also teach us to use our wealth for good and for the furtherance to the kingdom of Christ.
  2. Secondly, we must recognize what this parable is about – it is a warning against covetousness within the heart.
    1. The parable begins with these words: “The land of a rich man produced plentifully…” That, dear friends, is a blessing. It is a blessing from God. It is a blessing to give thanks to God for. It is a blessing to be used for good. It is a blessing to be enjoyed.
    2. But notice how this covetous man responded to this blessing from God. He did not think of God to give thanks and praise to him, nor did he think of the needy around him. Instead, “he thought to himself…” And what did he think to himself?
      1. “He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?” (Luke 12:17, ESV). Notice the repetition of the words “I” and “my”.
      2. Verse 18: “And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods” (Luke 12:18, ESV).
        
        Notice that this rich man’s impulse was not to give out of his abundance, but to store. Perhaps a better word would be, to hoard.
        
        And notice how wasteful he is. I think we are to assume that his barns were perfectly good. He could have simply built another barn, if necessary. But he decided to tear down the old barns and to build new ones – bigger and better barns than before.
      3. In verse 19 the rich man speaks to his own soul. “And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry” (Luke 12:19, ESV). Again I say, it is not wrong to enjoy the good gifts that God gives to us here on earth. What was wrong with this man’s reply, then? Two things:
        
        The first has already been mentioned. A major part of the problem is found in what the man does not say. His attention is exclusively turned inward upon himself. Again and again, he says “I” and “my”. He speaks to his soul and urges himself to take pleasure in these possessions of his. Never does he speak to God to give him thanks and praise. Never does he speak to the poor and needy around him, saying, come and be relieved out of the abundance that God has bestowed upon me.
        
        Notice, secondly, the confidence this man placed in his riches. He spoke to his soul, that is to say, to the immaterial part of himself that animates the body, the essence of his life, saying “You have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry” (Luke 12:19, ESV). Christ has just said, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15, ESV). And here we have a story about a rich man who lived as though his life consisted in the abundance of his possessions. This man did not enjoy his riches to the glory of God and use them for the good of others. No, he loved his riches. He idolized his riches. He put his trust in his riches. And this is something that the Scriptures often warn against.
        
        Psalm 62:10 says, “Put no trust in extortion; set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, set not your heart on them.”
        
        Proverbs 11:28 says, “Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.”
      4. In verse 19 the rich man speaks to his own soul, but in verse 20, God speaks to him. There we read, “But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” (Luke 12:20, ESV).
        
        This rich man had spent a lifetime speaking to his own soul, but he did not speak to his soul about God or God’s word. No, he spoke to his own soul and gave no thought to God. He spoke to his own soul but it was only about his material possessions.
        
        This man was a fool, therefore. He lived as if this life and the riches of this life were all there is. He did not fear God. He forgot that one day he would stand before God to an account.
        
        And when it came for this man to die and to stand before God to give an account, he found that the words he had spent a lifetime speaking to his own soul were at odds with the words that God spoke to him. I’m sure that this man thought of himself as being very wise. It was a good and successful businessman. He had amassed great wealth. He lived in luxury and security. He spoke to his soul, saying, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” But God’s opinion of him was very differnt. God spoke to him, saying, “Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” In other words, God spoke to him saying, all of the stuff you spent a lifetime accumulating – all of the stuff that you loved and trusted in – where is it now? Can you bring it with you? Will it benefit you now? No, others will possess it. How foolish you were to live for the attainment of wealth and possessions. How foolish you were to love these possessions supremely and to make them your hope. How foolish you were to think that your life consisted in the abundance of your possessions.
      5. In verse 21 Christ concludes his parable with this explanation: “So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:21, ESV).
        
        Dear friends, whether you are rich or poor here in this life matters little. What matters is being rich toward God.
        
        To be rich toward God is to be made right with him through faith in Jesus Christ.
        
        To be rich toward God is to fear and love him supremely, to trust him and obey him.
        
        To be rich toward God is to give him thanks and praise for whatever gifts he has given you to enjoy while alive on earth.
        
        To be rich toward God is to use whatever gifts he has given to you for the glory of his name, the furtherance of his kingdom, and the good of those around you, especially those in need.
Conclusion
1. “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness…”, Christ says. I wonder, can you see why covetousness is such a deadly and dangerous sin?
  1. Some might be tempted to think, what’s the big deal? Covetousness is only in the mind and heart. It’s the sins that we commit in word and deed that matter most, for these are the sins that are truly destructive. But God’s word says otherwise. It is the sins of the heart that are truly destructive for it is from the heart that we speak and act. Indeed, the whole course of one’s life is set by the condition of one’s heart. And so the Scriptures say, “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23, ESV).
2. Dear brothers and sisters, “be on your guard against all covetousness…”
  1. How easy it is to make the things of this world, be it money, possessions, people, positions, or prestige, the love of our lives. How easy it is to live for the things of this world as if they were supreme. But this is folly.
  2. We must live for God. He must be our supreme love and delight.
  3. If he is, this will enable us to enjoy the good things of this life in their proper place and in the proper way. The good things of this life must never become gods to us. Instead, they are to be enjoyed as gifts from God and as tokens of his love, all to his glory, honor, and praise.
3. The Christian must be on guard against all covetousness. Positively, all who follow Christ Jesus must pursue contentment. As Paul says, “godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness” (1 Timothy 6:6–10, ESV).
  1. Dear brothers and sisters, are you content in Christ Jesus? Are you happy and satisfied with him? If the answer to that question is no, then I would urge you to make a diligent search of your heart for the sin of covetousness.
  2. I suspect you are feeling discontent because you have set your love and hope upon some earthly thing. Perhaps the Lord is being merciful to you now to show you that the things of this earth cannot satisfy or sustain your life. Only God and Christ can satisfy and sustain your life in this life and the life to come.
  3. If you are feeling discontent today, I pray that the Lord will help you find the idols of your heart and that he will strengthen you to tear them down and sweep them away so that God alone is Lord of your heart. Dear friends, we will never be satisfied or at peace until we have God as our delight. And only then will we have the freedom to truly enjoy the good things of this life in their proper place and in the proper way.

Posted in Sermons, Joe Anady, Luke 12:13-21, Posted by Joe. Comments Off

Jul 24
14

Catechetical Sermon: How Does Christ Execute The Office Of A Priest?, Baptist Catechism 28, Hebrews 7:11–28

Baptist Catechism 28

Q. 28. How doth Christ execute the office of a priest?

A. Christ executeth the office of a priest, in His once offering up of Himself, a sacrifice to satisfy divine justice, and reconcile us to God, and in making continual intercession for us. (1 Peter 2:24; Heb. 9:28; Eph. 5:2; Heb. 2:17; 7:25; Rom. 8:34)

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 7:11–28

“Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron? For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well. For the one of whom these things are spoken belonged to another tribe, from which no one has ever served at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life. For it is witnessed of him, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.” For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness (for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God. And it was not without an oath. For those who formerly became priests were made such without an oath, but this one was made a priest with an oath by the one who said to him: “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest forever.’ ” This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant. The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.” (Hebrews 7:11–28, ESV)

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Introduction

As you probably recall, we are in the middle of a section in our catechism wherein we are considering the work that Jesus Christ has done to redeem us from our sin and misery. Our catechism presents the work of Christ to us in a very helpful way, that is, through the lens of the threefold offices of Christ. An office is a work to be performed. And we are learning that Christ has fulfilled the office of prophet, priest, and king. Today, we are considering Christ’s priestly work.

Consider four things about Christ the Redeemer and his priestly work (these observations will sound familiar):

First, Jesus Christ was not the first priest of God.

In the days of Abraham, there was a priest of God named Melchizedek. You may read of him in Genesis 14:l17ff. He’s a bit of a mysterious figure, but he is very important. We will return to him shortly. And in the days of Moses, Aaron was consecrated to fulfill the office of priest in Israel. From that day forward, it was the descendants of Aaron and Levi who were to hold the office of priest.

What work did these priests do? They ministered at the tabernacle, and later, the temple. They were to keep the temple pure. They were to offer sacrifices and prayers to God on behalf of the people. The priests were intermediaries and intercessors. The people of Israel were to approach God through the priesthood, at the temple, and through the sacrificial system of the Old Covenant.

The second thing I would like you to consider is that long ago it was promised that a great priest would arise, not in the line of Aaron or Levi, but according to the order of Melchizedek.

The writer of the book Hebrews makes much of this in Hebrews chapters five through seven. In that long passage, he quotes Psalm 110:4. This Psalm was written by King David about 1,000 years before Christ was born. This Psalm is about the promised Messiah. And one of the things it revealed was that the Messiah would be a priest. Psalm 110:4 says, “The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek’” (Psalm 110:4, ESV).

Two things about this verse are shocking.

One, it revealed that the Messiah would be a priest, not in the line of Aaron or Levi, but in the order of Melchizedek, that mysterious figure mentioned in Genesis 14. The reason for this is that the Messiah would not be called to function as a priest according to the order of the Old Mosaic Covenant (see Exodus 19-Deuteronomy). As priest, he would not offer up animal sacrifices or incense at the temple. He would not be concerned with ceremonial washing or the holy days of the Old Covenant. No, as a priest, the Messiah would serve under a different Covenant — the New Covenant — and according to a different order. Melchizedek lived long before Moses. Melchizedek predated the Old Mosaic Covenant. Melchizedek ministered in the world in a time when only the Covenant of Grace was present in the world, and then only in the form of a promise. For this reason, Christ is said to be a priest, not in the line of Moses, Aaron, or Levi, but Melchizedek. Just as Melchizedek served the Covenant of Grace, so to Christ would serve the Covenant of Grace. In the days of Melchizedek the Covenant of Grace was promised. In the days of Christ, it was fulfilled. As it pertains to the priestly office, Jesus Christ has more in common with Melchizedek than Moses, Aaron, and Levi.

Two, Psalm 110:4 says that Messiah will be a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. This is shocking because the priests who descended from Aaron would serve for a time but their service would always come to an end because they would die. All of the priests of the Old Covenant order were eventually removed from office by death. But the Messiah, Psalm 110:4 revealed, would serve as a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. As I have said, Psalm 110 was written by King David about 1,000 years before Jesus the Messiah was born. From that time until the arrival of the Messiah, God’s people lived with a sense of anticipation wondering when this great priest would arrive, who he would be, what work he would do, and how he could possibly serve forever, in fulfillment of this ancient prophecy (see 1 Peter 1:10-11).

A lot more could be said about how the priestly work of Christ was anticipated under the Old Covenant. In brief, though the Messiah would be a priest, not in the order of Aaron or Levi, but in the order of Melchizedek, the priesthood of Aaron and Levi and their ministry at the tabernacle and temple under the Old Covenant did foreshadow the priesthood of Christ in many ways. The continual offering up of the blood of bulls and goats, the perpetual need for cleansing, and the cycle of priests being ordained to the office and then being removed by death, anticipated the arrival of the one who would actually atone for and cleanse from sin, who would mediate forever and ever so as to bring us into the presence of God. The book of Hebrews has a lot to say about these things, especially chapters seven through ten.

This leads to our third consideration concerning Christ’s priestly office. Though Jesus Christ was not the first priest, he is by far the greatest priest, and he is also the last.

The priests of the Old Covenant offered up the blood of bulls and goats. This animal blood could not actually atone for human sin and make one right with God (see Hebrews 10:1-4). These sacrifices did point forward to the sacrifice that Jesus Christ, our great High Priest, has offered up. And what sacrifice did Jesus offer up? He offered up his own life as a substitute for sinners. He shed his own blood for the remission of sins. Christ said, “for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28, ESV).

The priests of old were able to cleanse the body and make one ceremonially pure according to the conditions of the Old Covenant, but they could not cleanse the conscience. It is Christ who cleanses the conscience, for Christ actually removes the guilt of sin. This is why the writer to the Hebrews says, “and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:21–23, ESV).

The priests of old, though they were able to intercede from on earth on behalf of God’s people, were not able to reconcile people to God, for they themselves were sinners in need of cleansing. And though they fulfilled an important ministry for a time, their ministries were always cut short by death. But Christ, our great High Priest, is able to bring us to God, and he intercedes for his people continuously, for he lived a sinless life, died a sacrificial death for his people, was buried, and on the third day, and was raised to life eternal and incorruptible. He ascended to the right hand of the Father where he makes continual intercession for his people. None of the priests of old ascended. They served God and his people on earth. But Christ ascended into the heavenly holy of holies.

This is what Hebrews 10:12-14 speaks about, saying, “And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified” (Hebrews 10:11–14, ESV).

I could say a lot more. The priests of old were good and even great, but Christ is much greater. Christ was raised from the dead. He has ascended. His blood actually cleanses from sin. He has the power to reconcile us to God.

The fourth and final thing I would like you to consider about Christ’s priestly work is that in this office, Christ the Redeemer meets our needs.

Because of sin, we need to be cleansed. We need to be made right with God. We cannot ascend to heaven on our own. Someone needs to take us there. Jesus Christ is the one. His blood cleanses (see 1 John 1:7). He gives his righteousness to all who turn from their sins to trust in him (see Isaiah 61:10). He reconciles us to the Father (see Romans 5:11). He intercedes for us continually (see Hebrews 7:25).

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Conclusion

Posted in Sermons, Joe Anady, Posted by Joe. Comments Off

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Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 4:2–6

New Testament Reading: Luke 12:49-53

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Baptist Catechism 31

Scripture Reading: Philippians 2:5-11

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Old Testament Reading: Exodus 12:1–11

New Testament Reading: Luke 12:35-48

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Baptist Catechism 30

Scripture Reading: Philippians 2:1–8

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Introduction

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Baptist Catechism 30

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Conclusion

Old Testament Reading: Jeremiah 17:5–10

New Testament Reading: Luke 12:22-34

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Baptist Catechism 29

Scripture Reading: Matthew 2:1–6

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Old Testament Reading: Ecclesiastes 5:8–20; 12:13–14

New Testament Reading: Luke 12:13-21

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Baptist Catechism 28

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 7:11–28

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Introduction

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Conclusion