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[Matt's Messages] "Long Live the King!"

“Long Live the King!”
The King of Kings in the Books of Kings
January 8, 2017 :: 2 Kings 11:1-12:21  

Our ongoing series is called “The King of Kings in the Books of Kings,” and this is message number 24 in that series.

It’s been over a month since our last message in this series, so I don’t expect anybody to remember where we are in the story.

Let me try to catch you up.

Our last message had the happy title, “I Will Avenge the Blood of My Servants.”

Do you remember that one? It was not boring. It was many things but it was not boring.

In that story told in chapters 8, 9, and 10, the LORD raised up a messiah (small-m, messiah, an anointed one) named Jehu who brought the justice that the story had been crying for since 1 Kings 17.

The prophet Elisha sent Hazael to take over the kingdom of Aram from Ben-Hadad in Syria, and he sent Jehu on a mission to take over the northern kingdom of Israel, destroying the house of Ahab by killing Joram and Jezebel and avenging the blood of all of God’s servants whom Ahab and Jezebel had killed.

Does that sound familiar?  Is it coming back to you?

Jehu obeyed. He drove his chariot like a madman and in one day killed, not just the king of Israel, but also the Ahaziah, the king of Judah because they were together that day in the valley of Jezreel.

And he killed more people, too. I think he got kind of carried away. He kill Jezebel and he killed Ahab’s family, and then relatives of Ahaziah and then all of the priests of Baal.

In one fell swoop, Jehu changed the political landscape of both kingdoms.

Now, in the next two chapters, the spotlight swings to the South, to the Southern kingdom of Judah.

We’ll return to the North in due course, but the focus, the question, for today’s two chapters is what will happen to the Southern kingdom now that their king has been killed?

Because there are some promises that are on the line.

Remember that God has made some big promises to King David about how he will always have a descendant who will carry the promises of the kingdom.

Even when the kingdom split in two, back in 1 King chapter 11, the LORD promised again about Solomon, “I will give one tribe to [Solomon’s] son so that David my servant may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where I chose to put my Name” (1 Kings 11:36).

But now the Davidic king has been killed by Jehu.

Will David’s line continue or be cut off?

It’s a big question. If you follow along in the parallel books of 1 and 2 Chronicles, you find out that Ahaziah didn’t have very many Davidic family members. His dad, King Jehoram had been eliminating any potential rivals. So Ahaziah didn’t have any uncles left to follow him as king when he died. And like I said, Jehu had killed a bunch of Ahaziah’s family.

There aren’t that many left. But he has several sons, and at least one newborn.

A newborn son. Ahaziah had a newborn in the palace.
He could become king on day.

But he has an enemy.

And his enemy is his grandma.

2 Kings chapter 11, verse 1.

“When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to destroy the whole royal family.”

Athaliah was probably Jezebel’s daughter.

And she acted like it.

She was from the North (Israel), in the line of Omri but she had married into the royal family of the South (Judah).

She had married the old Davidic King and she was the mother of the dead Davidic King, but she hated the rightful new Davidic King.

She wanted all of the power of the kingdom to herself.

And when her son was killed, she saw her opportunity and started having everyone else in her way killed, too.

All of the royal princes who were next in line for the throne.

Verse 1 says, “She proceeded to destroy the whole royal family.”

Remember that stump?

Remember the stump of Jesse that we learned about during Advent season?

Well, this is a stump moment.

The whole line of David is about to be cut off.

And what does that do to the promises?

Verse 2.

“But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram and sister of Ahaziah, took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the royal princes, who were about to be murdered. She put him and his nurse in a bedroom to hide him from Athaliah; so he was not killed. He remained hidden with his nurse at the temple of the LORD for six years while Athaliah ruled the land.”

God has a plan, doesn’t He?

And he’s got a person on the spot to enact that plan. This lady, Jehosheba, is one of the unsung heroes of the Old Testament.

We should be naming our daughters after her.

When everyone else was running for their lives, Jehosheba ran for Joash, her tiny little nephew.

And she found a tiny little room to stash him away in in the temple complex.

And we never hear from her again.

It’s quite possible that Jehosheba died that day, saving little Joash.

And saving the kingdom and protecting the promises made by God.

Now, I want you to think about the next six years for just a second.

Because for six years, Athaliah ruled the land.

It looked like she had won.

It felt like she had won.

For all intents and purposes she had won!

Everybody knew that her reign was illegitimate, a sham, but nobody knew that the rightful king was still alive. Almost nobody.

There were probably hints and whispered secrets about it.

But the common man in Judah said, “It’s a stump. God’s promises are dead because all of David’s sons are dead. God’s promises have failed.”

Six years.

Do you feel that?

Six years they thought that the promises were dead.

Do you feel sometimes like God’s promises are dead to you?

If not “dead,” then “duds.”

“These promises to me are duds. They just aren’t working. I can’t see this coming together.”

Six years!

But then the big reveal. V.4

“In the seventh year Jehoiada [the high priest, and actually, Jehosheba’s husband] sent for the commanders of units of a hundred, the Carites and the guards and had them brought to him at the temple of the LORD. He made a covenant with them and put them under oath at the temple of the LORD. Then he showed them the king's son.

He commanded them, saying, ‘This is what you are to do: You who are in the three companies that are going on duty on the Sabbath–a third of you guarding the royal palace,  a third at the Sur Gate, and a third at the gate behind the guard, who take turns guarding the temple–and you who are in the other two companies that normally go off Sabbath duty are all to guard the temple for the king.

Station yourselves around the king, each man with his weapon in his hand. Anyone who approaches your ranks must be put to death. Stay close to the king wherever he goes.’

[You’re the secret service detail. Guard this boy with your life. You know who he is!]

The commanders of units of a hundred did just as Jehoiada the priest ordered. Each one took his men–those who were going on duty on the Sabbath and those who were going off duty–and came to Jehoiada the priest. [Then he handed out the weapons.] Then he gave the commanders the spears and shields that had belonged to King David and that were in the temple of the LORD.

The guards, each with his weapon in his hand, stationed themselves around the king– near the altar and the temple, from the south side to the north side of the temple. Jehoiada brought out the king's son and put the crown on him; he presented him with a copy of the covenant and proclaimed him king. They anointed him, and the people clapped their hands and shouted, ‘Long live the king!’”

That’s our sermon title for today.

“Long live the king!”

Six years. Six years of Athaliah’s wicked rule.

But now it comes out.

The king is alive. “Long live the king!”

And everybody is so happy. Except for Athaliah, of course. V.13

“When Athaliah heard the noise made by the guards and the people, she went to the people at the temple of the LORD. She looked and there was the king, standing by the pillar, as the custom was. The officers and the trumpeters were beside the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets. Then Athaliah tore her robes and called out, ‘Treason! Treason!’”

It’s hard to believe she could say that with a straight face!

Because she was the one was treasonous. V.15

“Jehoiada the priest ordered the commanders of units of a hundred, who were in charge of the troops: ‘Bring her out between the ranks and put to the sword anyone who follows her.’ For the priest had said, ‘She must not be put to death in the temple of the LORD.’  So they seized her as she reached the place where the horses enter the palace grounds, and there she was put to death.

Jehoiada then made a covenant between the LORD and the king and people that they would be the LORD's people. He also made a covenant between the king and the people.

[And then they started living it out.]

All the people of the land went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed the altars and idols to pieces and killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars. Then Jehoiada the priest posted guards at the temple of the LORD. He took with him the commanders of hundreds, the Carites, the guards and all the people of the land, and together they brought the king down from the temple of the LORD and went into the palace, entering by way of the gate of the guards. The king then took his place on the royal throne, and all the people of the land rejoiced. And the city was quiet, because Athaliah had been slain with the sword at the palace. Joash was seven years old when he began to reign.”

“Long live the king!”

Now, there’s a lot of things that I could point out about this story that are really interesting.

One of them is that when Joash is crowned, he’s also given his own copy of the covenant or the testimony. When I think of these brothers from the Gideons that we have here today, I think how important it is for each of us to have our own personal copy of the Scriptures. Here in America, we can have so many personal copies. I don’t know how many I have, especially if you include digital ones.

But they didn’t all have their own back then. But the king definitely got one, and it should have been his delight.

There’s lots of things I could point to that are interesting here, but I really want us all to feel this one lesson about who God is, and I hope it’s awfully familiar to you:

#1. GOD ALWAYS KEEPS HIS PROMISES.

That’s the like the theme of the whole Old Testament.

How many times as we’ve trekked through Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, now 2 Kings, have we said, “God always keeps His promises?”

Probably not enough times.

Because we need reminded.

Because often we live in those “six years” when it doesn’t seem like the promises are working.

Are you living in “Athaliah period” right now in your own life?

“It just doesn’t seem like the whole thing is working.

Where is God and where are His promises?”

Well, they are right here, all along.

The rightful king was in the temple the whole time.

God was still keeping His promises, and He always will.

Do you need to hear that this morning? One week into 2017.

“Long live the king!”

God always keeps His promises.

Let me give you a challenge today. Here’s some homework.

What promise of God will you begin to cling to a greater way in 2017?

What has God promised us as His people that you can personally take to heart and cling to in a new and fresh way for this year that is opening in front of us?

Think about that.

Think about what you are facing right now this year and think about what promise if you believe it could make a big difference in how your year goes.

I was visiting with one of you this week, and you said, “I feel alone. But I know that I am not alone.” “Because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’” “I am with you always even to the end of the age.” “Nothing can separate us from the love of God...”

What promise do you need to claim and cling to for 2017?

Do you know what God has promised us?

That’s the first step, and then memorize it or put it on a 3x5 card or a post-it note, and get it in front of you, and pray it, and maybe write under it, “Long live the king!”

I’ll tell you what mine is. It’s the same as it was last year. 

John 16:33–“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

“Love live the king!”

Does this story remind you of anything?

There are a number of times in the Bible when they try to kill the little children to stamp out the promise.

Moses in the bullrushes, right?

And what Herod and the Magi?

This weekend is the traditional time to remember the visit of the Magi in Matthew chapter 2. They were looking for the newborn king whose star they had seen in the East.

And Herod said, “Well, I’m told that he’ll be in Bethlehem. Let me know if you find Him, because I want to worship Him, too.”

Herod was just like Athaliah. And he had all of the little kids in Bethlehem killed to try to stamp out the promise of God.

But God always keeps His promises.

He always has a Davidic King.

So the Magi and then Joseph outsmarted Herod. They were the Jehosheba and Jehoiada of the New Testament.

And King Jesus was spirited away to be a refugee in Egypt.

To later be revealed.

“Long live the king!”

Now, we’ve been doing these Books of Kings long enough to know that after a king is crowned, the next thing is to answer the big question, right?

What’s the question?

Thumbs up or thumbs down?

Does this king do his one job or does he fail to do his one job?

In verse 17, at the age of 7, King Joash got off to a good start.

They basically reboot the entire nation.

“Jehoiada then made a covenant between the LORD and the king and people that they would be the LORD's people. He also made a covenant between the king and the people.”

Remember who you are and what you are supposed to do.

And then just stick with it.

How did King Joash do? Thumbs or thumbs down?

Chapter 12 tells us that he was at least one thumb up. At least at the start. Chapter 12, verse 1.

“In the seventh year of Jehu, Joash became king [7 years old!], and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years [“Long live the king!”]. His mother's name was Zibiah; she was from Beersheba. Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the years Jehoiada the priest instructed him [hmmm]. The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.”

Well, he’s at least one thumb up just because of verse 2. “Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD...”

However...there is a rider on that statement, isn’t there? “Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD...all the years Jehoiada the priest instructed him.”

The Chronicles make it even clearer that after Jehoiada died, things went downhill.

But at least at first, aside from the high places (which were an longstanding problem) things started out very well.

In fact, Joash did something that none of kings of Judah had done since King Solomon–he took care of the temple.

We haven’t much about the temple ever since Solomon built it in all of it splendor.

Granted, we’ve spent a lot of time in the North, but there just hasn’t been anything about the temple for chapter after chapter.

And it’s fallen into disrepair. Joash means to fix that. Verse 4

“Joash said to the priests, ‘Collect all the money that is brought as sacred offerings to the temple of the LORD–the money collected in the census, the money received from personal vows and the money brought voluntarily to the temple. Let every priest receive the money from one of the treasurers, and let it be used to repair whatever damage is found in the temple.’

[He cares! And when it doesn’t happen. He does something. V.6]

But by the twenty-third year of King Joash the priests still had not repaired the temple.  Therefore King Joash summoned Jehoiada the priest and the other priests [lit a fire under them] and asked them, ‘Why aren't you repairing the damage done to the temple? Take no more money from your treasurers, but hand it over for repairing the temple.’ The priests agreed that they would not collect any more money from the people and that they would not repair the temple themselves.

Jehoiada the priest took a chest and bored a hole in its lid. He placed it beside the altar, on the right side as one enters the temple of the LORD [where everybody could see it, total transparency]. The priests who guarded the entrance put into the chest all the money that was brought to the temple of the LORD. Whenever they saw that there was a large amount of money in the chest, the royal secretary and the high priest came, counted the money that had been brought into the temple of the LORD and put it into bags.

When the amount had been determined, they gave the money to the men appointed to supervise the work on the temple. With it they paid those who worked on the temple of the LORD–the carpenters and builders, the masons and stonecutters. They purchased timber and dressed stone for the repair of the temple of the LORD, and met all the other expenses of restoring the temple.

[And just the temple.] The money brought into the temple was not spent for making silver basins, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, trumpets or any other articles of gold or silver for the temple of the LORD; it was paid to the workmen, who used it to repair the temple.  They did not require an accounting from those to whom they gave the money to pay the workers, because they acted with complete honesty.

[Don’t worry, the priests were still taken care of. V.16]

The money from the guilt offerings and sin offerings was not brought into the temple of the LORD; it belonged to the priests.”

One big thumb up for Joash!

Well done.

But. He didn’t stick with it.

When things got difficult and when his mentor had died, the thumb turned downward. V.17

“About this time Hazael king of Aram went up and attacked Gath and captured it. Then he turned to attack Jerusalem.”

Does that name sound familiar?

He’s the guy whom Elisha sent to depose Ben-Hadad. He’s the newer ruler of Aram, and Elisha said that he would be a headache and a threat to the Jewish people. And he was. Just like Elisha predicted.

In fact, he’s come to attack Jerusalem.

What does King Joash do in this situation?

He sends him a bribe. He tries to buy him off. He appeases and placates the aggressor. V.18

[Hazael turned to attack Jerusalem...] But Joash king of Judah took all the sacred objects dedicated by his fathers–Jehoshaphat, Jehoram and Ahaziah, the kings of Judah–and the gifts he himself had dedicated and all the gold found in the treasuries of the temple of the LORD and of the royal palace, and he sent them to Hazael king of Aram, who then withdrew from Jerusalem.”

Oh man.  All of that money that he had been raising for the temple, he sent to Hazael?!

It worked! But at what cost?

Is that what Solomon said that the king should do if Jerusalem was attacked?

Do you remember the dedication of the temple, and what Solomon said that God wanted when Jerusalem was being attacked?

It wasn’t send them the money. Send them the treasury.

It was pray to God and God will deliver.

God always keeps His promises.

Don’t try to pay them off. You’ve got God! You belong to Him!

But Joash forgot all of that bailed. And failed his one job.

Here’s the lesson to take home with us. It’s a reminder.

#2. GOD ALWAYS WANTS OUR WHOLE HEARTS.

He doesn’t just want a piece of our hearts.

He doesn’t want half-hearted obedience.

He wants all of us.

He wants our whole hearts.

Psalm 86, verse 11 turns that into a prayer: “Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.”

Or as the hymn puts it:

Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

God always wants our whole hearts.

Here’s a question for you for 2017. What are the biggest threats to your wholehearted  faith and obedience in the coming year?

What threatens to take you down?

When I look at Joash, I think that Joash never made his faith his own.

When Jehoiada was living, he lived like Jehoiada wanted him to.

But when Jehoiada was gone, there wasn’t anything there in Joash.

We see this a lot with kids. They are good apparently Christian kids until they hit about 18 or 19 or 20. And then where did they go?

It’s because you have to make your faith your own or you don’t really have faith.

And we parents need to pray that they make their faith their own because they can’t get to heaven on our faith. God has no grandkids. God is not a grandfather, just a father.

And when I look at Joash, I think that Joash never prepared for the hard times.

He should have.

The way his life started?

But he got comfortable. And when Hazael came knocking, he ran in fear to the treasury instead of in faith to the LORD.

What is the biggest threat to your whole-hearted faith in 2017?

What do you need to lay aside or do battle with so that the LORD has your whole heart, your whole attention, your whole you?

Identify it and then take action.

Don’t let it fester.

Don’t let it wait.

The author of 2 Chronicles gives us a lot more of the gory details of where Joash went wrong.

By the time, he died, he was two thumbs down. He even had Jehoiada’s son Zechariah killed. That might have been the son of Jehosheba, his aunt and savior!

So he ended poorly. V.19

“As for the other events of the reign of Joash, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? His officials conspired against him and assassinated him at Beth Millo, on the road down to Silla. [The first southern king to be assassinated.] The officials who murdered him were Jozabad son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer. He died and was buried with his fathers in the City of David. And Amaziah his son succeeded him as king.”

Two things going on there at once.

One, he dies a ignoble death because he failed to have a whole heart. And God always our whole hearts.

But, did catch who the king was after him? Amaziah his son.

There still remains a son of David on the throne.

God always keeps His promises.

We’ve learned again and again that when these kings are at their best, they remind us of Jesus.

But we’ve also learned when these kings are not at their best, they remind us why we need Jesus.

We need a Son of David who does not die, or at least comes back from the dead.

We need a Son of David who has a whole heart of faith and never fails to do His one job.

Because we have failed and we will fail.

And we need a perfect King to take our place and pay for our sins on the Cross, in His body on the Tree.

So that we might die to sins and live for righteousness.

King Joash reminds us that we need King Jesus.

That baby hunted by Herod?

He grew up, live a perfect life, taught about the kingdom of God, and then died on the Cross to pay for our sins.

But He didn’t stay dead.

He was resurrected on the third day.

And now He lives forever with His saints to reign.

Long Live the King!


***

Messages in this Series:

01. Who Will Be King?
02. The Wisdom of the King
03. The Temple of the King
04. The Incomparable King of the Temple
05. A Breathtaking King
06. The Turned King and the Torn Kingdom
07. The Two Kings and the Tearing of the Kingdom
08. The Word of the LORD
09. In the Eyes of the LORD
10. The LORD Lives
11. The LORD Is God!
12. The LORD Is Still God.
13. “You Will Know that I am the LORD”
14. "Thus Saith the LORD!"
15. What the LORD Says
16. Is There No God in Israel?
17. Where Is the God of Elijah?
18. How NOT To Relate to God
19. God of Wonders
20. No God in the All the World Except in Israel
21. LORD, Open Our Eyes!
22. "If the LORD Should Open the Floodgates of Heaven"
23. "I Will Avenge the Blood of My Servants"

Rainy Violet in Moss

[Matt's Messages] "Jesus Christ and Him Crucified"

“Jesus Christ and Him Crucified”
Gospel Roots (1892-2017)
January 1, 2017 :: 1 Corinthians 2:1-2

Next week, Lord-willing, we will return to our series on the Books of Kings. But as today is the first day of a new year and the first Sunday of a new year and a communion Sunday and the first Sunday of the year in which we celebrate our 125th anniversary as an organized church, I thought we would start the year with something a little different.

Our church was founded in February of 1892, so this year we will be celebrating our 125th birthday as a church. We have a few special events planned to mark that occasion. In February we’ll share a birthday cake and reminisce a little together. In October, the president of the EFCA, Kevin Kompelien, and his wife Becky are going to visit our church for a special weekend celebration. And when they’re here, we’re going to have an Open House and invite back old friends and church family from years before. And have a good old church family reunion weekend.

Another thing that I want to do to mark this 125th year is to preach a special set of sermons, over the course of the whole year, that revisit and reflect and reconnect with the core values that have undergirded and shaped our church for the last 125 years.

I’m going to call this series, “Gospel Roots (1892-2017)” because it’s about our going back to the  basics, back to the foundational root system that our church is based upon and gets its life from.

I want us to remind ourselves again and again who we are, where we came from, and what we are here together for. Our Gospel Roots.

There will be messages about our history, about what we believe, about our worship, about our purpose, about our involvement in missions, about our congregational polity, about why we pray so much, why I preach the way I do, and lots more of that sort of thing.

My hope is that this series (not every sermon in 2017 will be in this series but many of them will, my hope is that this series) will be good not just for the old-timers like myself (I’ve been the pastor here for 19 Christmases!) but also really good for the newcomers to our church family.

We have a lot of new people here, and I’m so glad about that.

Welcome! And I want us all to be on the same page. For us all to know what our gospel roots are and how they affect everything that we are and do.

And here’s the biggest root at the very center, at the very bottom of all the roots:

It’s the Person and Work of Jesus Christ Himself.

We are, fundamentally, faith-followers of the Lord Jesus Christ who died for us.

Our message title for today is “Jesus Christ and Him Crucified.”

Which comes from 1 Corinthians chapter 2, verse 2.

We’re going to make that our Hide the Word Verse to start off our year.

Let’s read it out loud together:

“For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.”

Those are the words of the Apostle Paul.

He is writing to the church of God at Corinth, and he’s reminding them how single-minded he had been when he had first visited them.

Well, it’s time for New Year’s Resolutions.

Do you do those?

Some people do, and some people don’t.

I’m one of those guys who definitely use the turning of the new year to make some changes myself.

These days, I try to make the changes things that are smaller and do-able. More like mid-course corrections than U-turns or big goals.

In the past, I’ve tried to make bigger changes, and sometimes succeeded but often failed.

How about you? Do you have some New Year’s resolutions?

For many people, it’s to lose weight, especially following the Christmas holidays with all of the cookies and fudge stuff.

Many people sign up to get more exercise. Curt, this is your biggest time of the year at Planet Fitness, isn’t it?  I’ll bet you sell more memberships around now than any other time of year.  And then, the question is, do people show up or not after they sign-up, right?

For some people, the new year’s resolution is to save more money or spend less money or make more money. I always try to work on our family budget in January, and that’s definitely my time for making those goals.

Some people make career resolutions this time of year. What they want to do at work. What sales goal they want to hit or what rung on the career ladder they want to climb to.

And some people make resolutions for education at this time of year. What classes they are going to take, what degree or certification they are going to work towards or  what books they are going to read. I just got 6 new books for Christmas, and I want to read them all right now. But I’ll have to make some room in my schedule if I’m going to do that.

Well, the apostle Paul also made a resolution when he came to minister to the Corinthians. It wasn’t a New Year’s resolution. But it was a resolution which he certainly did keep.

And when he wrote his first letter back to the Corinthians, he reminded them of it. Because it was an example for them to follow in their own lives.

It was a resolution...to know nothing.

Except for one thing: Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

2 Corinthians 2:2, “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.”

Now, I don’t think that he means “know nothing” in an absolute sense.

He’s talking about his preaching, his teaching, the focus of his ministry.

And he’s saying that the focus of his ministry was the Person and Work of Jesus Christ.

He’s not saying that he never talked about anything else.

“How’s the weather, Paul?” “Jesus Christ and him crucified!”

How do you think the Steelers will do this year? “Jesus Christ and him crucified!”

What kind of a year will 2017 be? “Jesus Christ and him crucified!”

I don’t think that’s what he was saying.

He was talking about the center of His life and ministry.

And how everything revolves around Jesus Christ.

D.A. Carson says it this way, “[This does not mean] that Paul was devoted to blissful ignorance of anything and everything other than the cross. No, what he means is that all he does and teaches is tied to the cross. He cannot long talk about Christian joy, or Christian ethics, or Christian fellowship, or the Christian doctrine of God, or anything else, without finally tying it to the cross. Paul is gospel-centered; he is cross-centered” (The Cross and Christian Ministry, pg. 38).

He is Christ-centered.

That’s what Paul is talking about when he says that he resolved to know nothing else among them.

And it wasn’t a new resolution, either.

It’s not like this was something new that Paul was trying in Corinth that he hadn’t done everywhere else.

He’s just reminding them that he was absolutely committed to it.

These were his all important values.

This was the center of his message and lifestyle.

This was the root at the bottom of everything that he was and did.

If you didn’t “get” this about him, then you didn’t “get” him.

This was the main thing.

The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing, right?

That’s what Paul is saying.

And it was the opposite of what the world was saying, of what they all expected. Look back at verse 1.

“When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.”

That’s how everybody else rolled. That’s how everybody else did it.

They came with eloquence and worldly sophistication.

They came as professors and pundits.

They came as skilled speakers and philosophers.

They came on their own power and persuasive abilities.

They said things that made sense to people.

That’s important.

He doesn’t just mean that they used philosophy like a professor at Penn State. We might all dismiss that.

What Paul is saying is that the rest of the world says things that make sense to the rest of the world.

They are they guys on TV that are masterfully giving their opinion, and people are nodding their heads and saying, “Yeah, that make some sense to me.”

“That sounds wise, I think. That’s the way to do things. The way to get things done.”

“That’s a position of strength.”

Paul says, “I didn’t come from a position of worldly strength and worldly wisdom when I came to share the good news about God.”

“I just talked about Jesus.

And I talked about how He was killed.”
In fact, the world thinks that’s crazy.

“Cray, cray,” as the kids say these days.

Paul says that the world thinks that the gospel is (his word for it is) “foolishness.”

It’s foolish to focus on the message of the cross.

“That’s just ridiculous!”

That’s what the world thinks.

And if it isn’t true, then they’re right.

But if it is, then it’s “wiser than man’s wisdom...and stronger than man’s strength.”

I believe that the world should think that you and I are at least a little bit crazy.

We want the world to admire us and think well of us Christians.

But actually Paul says that we will actually be despised and laughed at for what we center our lives around.

The world may respect us for our love and service if we are loving servants, but if they are paying attention they will probably think that we are at least a little bit crazy.

Because if we are fools, we are to be fools for Christ.

If we are to be seen as crazy, let us be crazy for Christ!

“For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.”

So, here are two resolutions for us to make today.

Not just as New Year’s resolutions but as every day commitments.

And not just as individuals but as a church family going back again and again to our gospel roots.

#1. RESOLVE TO KNOW JESUS CHRIST.

Jesus Christ is the most compelling person in all of history.

He is the most compelling person in the whole universe.

Resolve to know Him more and better.

Last month, I got to read this book on the Doctrine of Christ. It’s called God the Son Incarnate, and it was all about Who Jesus Is.  467 glorious pages of knowing better who Jesus Christ is.

That’s going to be the focus our district Stay Sharp conference next month with Greg Strand. “The Doctrine of Christ.” What the Bible teaches about the identity of Jesus Christ.

Resolve to know nothing except Jesus Christ.

That is to say how everything relates to Jesus Christ!

That’s what all of our songs were about today, right?

What the choir sang?  “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” “Run, Shepherds, Run and See the Baby!” “Hark! The herald angels sing, “Glory to Christ, the newborn king!”

“My Lighthouse!”
“We Believe in God the Father, We Believe Jesus Christ!”
“Jesus Paid It All!”

Jesus did.

Everything we do should relate to our resolution to know Jesus Christ.

How are you going to know Jesus Christ better in 2017?

Let me give you a hint, it’s going to take your Bible.

And it’s going to take prayer.

I was talking yesterday with a Christian friend who feels like he has stumbled in his faith.

He’s stopped reading his Bible, he’s stopped praying, he’s stopped coming to church.

Actually, he hasn’t stopped, he’s just slowed down and given up. He’s fallen off.

But he’s getting back up again now to know Jesus Christ.

Do you know how to grow in your knowledge of Jesus Christ?

Our Sunday School classes are great for that. Even though we’re studying the Old Testament, every session connects what we are learning with Jesus Christ.

Heather and I just read a great book that shows you how to do that for yourself at home, too. It’s called Hungry: Learning to Feed Your Soul with Christ.

What do you need to plan now to do to know Jesus Christ better and deeper and more fully?

To make knowing Him the main thing?

He is so worth knowing!

Everything we learned last month about the Root and Shoot of Jesse? That’s Jesus!

Unlimited Spiritual Power, Faultless Justice, Perfect Peace.

That’s our Gospel Root! That’s Jesus.

Get to know Him.

Our church exists to bring people into a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ.

To know nothing except Jesus Christ.

...and Him crucified.

#2. RESOLVE TO KNOW JESUS CHRIST CRUCIFIED.

Because if you don’t know Him through His crucifixion, you don’t really know Him.

Because it’s not just Who Jesus is, but what Jesus did that is so amazing and so important.

Jesus died on the Cross for our sins.

The world thinks that’s crazy.

Paul says in chapter 1, “[W]e preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God" (1 Corinthians 1:22-24).

You don’t understand Jesus unless you understand His crucifixion.

He was changing everything.

He was solving everything.

He was saving us. He was reconciling us to God.

He was taking our place.

He was paying our debt.

Jesus Paid It All
All to Him I Owe
Sin Had Left a Crimson Stain
He Washed It White as Snow

We don’t believe that Jesus was just a great teacher.
We don’t believe that Jesus was just a great prophet or spokesman for God.
We don’t even believe that Jesus was just God in the flesh.

We believe that Jesus was God incarnate to die in the flesh in our place.

And we believe that there is nothing else more worthy of knowing.

Resolve to know Jesus Christ crucified.

Crucified for you and for me.

We believe in the crucifixion!
We believe, we believe!

And that’s why we worship around this table.

To remember.

To resolve to know Jesus Christ crucified.

We don't "pretty up" Jesus.

We don’t make Him presentable.

We present Him as bloody and suffering and dying on the Cross to save us from our sins.

We resolve to know nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

And we always have.

This is the first communion set for Lanse Free Church.

Our historians have dated it back to the founding of the church in 1892.

In my mind's eye, I imagine those first few ten families with the last names Swanson, Gustafson, Danielson,  Nelson, Alhquist, Olson, Johnson meeting in the home of A. J. Palmquist and taking bread off this plate and saying, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me” and taking up this cup and saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me."

And everybody resolving that this church would always stay cross-centered, gospel-centered, Christ centered.

That they and those of us to follow would resolve to know nothing while we are together except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

Rain on Apple Blossom

Books I Read in 2016

This week, I've been posting about my top books and other really good books that I read in 2016.
Today, I'm posting the full list of books I completed* this year.
1. Settlers or Sojourners? by Marty Schoenleber, Jr. [Review]2. Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins3. Understanding Gender Dysphoria by Mark Yarhouse [EFCA Now Review]4. Lost Children by Edith Pargeter5. The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling6. Jesus and the Land by Gary Burge7. Rogue Lawyer by John Grisham8. The Epistle to the Romans (NICNT) by Douglas Moo9. The Epistle to the Romans (BNCT) by Thomas Schreiner10. A Passion for God by Raymond Ortlund, Jr.11. All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr12. Holiday with Violence by Ellis Peters13. Good Master by Kate Seredy14. Jesus and the Jihadis by Craig Evans and Jeremiah Johnston15. Last Bus to Wisdom by Ivan Doig16. The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra by Vaseem Khan17. As for Me and My House by Walter Wangerin, Jr. [Review]18. The Winter Queen by Boris Akunin19. The Breath of Peace by Penelope Wilcock20. Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris and Mrs. Harris Goes to New York by Paul Gallico21. Murder on the Leviathan by Boris Akunin22. The Turkish Gambit by Boris Akunin23. Going Public by Bobby Jamieson [EFCA Now Review]24. The Green Ember by S.D. Smith25. Anna and the King by Margaret Landon26. Death of Achilles by Boris Akunin27. Do Ask, Do Tell, Let’s Talk by Brad Hambrick [EFCA Now Review]28. The Assize of the Dying by Ellis Peters29. The Way of the Righteous in the Muck of Life by Dale Ralph Davis30. Special Assignments by Boris Akunin31. The Man with Two Left Feet by P.G. Wodehouse32. The State Counselor by Boris Akunin33. The Phantom Rickshaw and Other Eerie Tales by Rudyard Kipling34. Bear Is Broken by Lachlan Smith35. Answering Jihad by Nabeel Qureshi 36. Meet Mr. Mulliner by P.G. Wodehouse37. Same Kind of Different As Me by Ron Hall & Denver Moore38. Beating the College Debt Trap by Alex Chediak [Review]39. She Lover of Death by Boris Akunin40. How to Survive the Apocalypse by Robert Joustra and Alissa Wilkinson [EFCA Now Review]41. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel42. Playing Saint by Zachary Bartels43. 100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson45. 1 Kings: The Wisdom and the Folly by Dale Ralph Davis46. He Lover of Death by Boris Akunin47. Mulliner Nights by P.G. Wodehouse48. The Diamond Chariot by Boris Akunin49. The Last Con by Zachary Bartels50. The Affinities by Robert Charles Wilson51. A Few Quick Ones by P.G. Wodehouse52. Sister Pelagia and the White Bulldog by Boris Akunin53. Sister Pelagia and the Black Monk by Boris Akunin54. More People to Love by Jason Abbott, and Benjamin Vrbicek [Review]55. The Guns of Navarone by Alistair Macintyre56. Good and Angry by David Powlison [Review]57. Doctor Doctrine’s Christian Comix: The Word of God by Fred Sanders58. Doctor Doctrine’s Christian Comix: On the Trinity by Fred Sanders59. No God But One by Nabeel Qureshi [Review]60. Uncle Fred in the Springtime by P.G. Wodehouse61. The Imperfect Pastor by Zach Eswine [Review]62. The Radical Book for Kids by Champ Thornton [My Interview with the Author]63. God The Son Incarnate by Stephen Wellum [Top Book of 2016]64. Expositional Preaching by David Helm [Review]65. Hungry by Rondi Lauterbach


* These are books I finished reading in 2016, not the ones I started or the ones I didn't get done. I read a bunch of them for escapist fun, some for/with my kids, and a lot of them just to learn and grow. They aren't listed (perfectly) in the order I read them. Some of them I am reading for a second or third time. I read fewer books in 2016 than in previous years--it was a busy year with life going in several directions at once, and I hope to get into better habits again in 2017. 
As I say each and ever year--I'm not endorsing these books just because they are listed here. Some of them are really good and some are really bad. Most are somewhere in between. Read with discernment.

Here's the article where I explain why I post these.

Lists from previous years:

2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008 (first half, second half)
2007 (first half, second half)
2006 (first half, second half)
2005 (first half, second half)

More Good Books from 2016

Yesterday, I named my "top books of 2016." Today, I want to share some of the other good books that I had the privilege of reading which I recommend to others with a few words about what I appreciated about them.

Even More Good Books
Beating the College Debt Trap by Alex Chediak

In my Goodreads review, I said:

Ready-for-college-themed author Alex Chediak has done it again! In this easy-to-read guide, Alex breaks down the complex world of college financing for math and money simpletons like me and gives sound, practical, biblical counsel. The most significant thing he does is write directly to the prospective college student--not their moms and dads (though parents will profit from reading it, too). Highly recommended. Start reading it yesterday!  

[Also read my interview with the author from his book for parents on getting kids ready for college.]

Hungry by Rondi Lauterbach

If my wife had a top books list of her own, this one would be on hers for 2016. Heather and I will be reviewing it soon for Lifeway Pastors.

Like an encouraging and experienced friend, Rondi does a great job of both wetting our appetite for serious Bible study and convincing us that we can gain satisfying nourishment from any faithful Bible intake even with limited time to prepare.

This will be our go-to book for introducing women to studying the Bible for themselves.

Settlers or Sojourners? by Marty Schoenleber, Jr.

In my Amazon Review, I said:

In this mini-book, Schoenleber wants followers of Christ to think beyond our security, comfort, and convenience. He illustratively contrasts two kinds of travelers each on a journey who might look similar on the outside but who will make radically different choices based on their internal self-identity.

Even though it's only 50 short pages, the book overflows with scripture. My friend Marty wants us to re-program our minds to see ourselves as "Cross-bought" and "Cross-shaped," and he wants us to orient our lives around that new identity. Much good food for thought here.

More People to Love by Jason Abbott and Benjamin Vrbicek

I got read an advanced version of this new book by my new online friend and fellow EFCA pastor Benjamin Vrbicek and his co-pastor.

This is my endorsement:

"In More People to Love, Pastors Abbot and Vrbicek nudge us to abound in love for others because of God's big plan for the world. I was both joyfully reminded of my part to play in God's grand story and challenged to think beyond myself."

As for Me and My House by Walter Wangerin, Jr.

This is an old book, but Heather and I didn't discover it until recently. In my Goodreads Review, I said it this way:

The best book there is on the WORK of marriage. I wish I'd had known about it two decades ago (we had to learn how to do it on our own!). 

Dense but beautiful writing. And the word "insightful" doesn't cover it by half. A must read for people who want to do the necessary work of building a safe, happy, and holy marriage.

EFCA Now
For the last several years, I've had the privilege of serving as the book review coordinator for EFCA Now, the church leaders blog of our association of churches. The perks include helping to pick books to be reviewed and free copies for myself! This year, I got to read these engaging books alongside our reviewers (and offer a review of my own for Expositional Preaching).

Understanding Gender Dysphoria by Mark Yarhouse  [EFCA Now Review]

Going Public by Bobby Jamieson [EFCA Now Review]

Do Ask, Do Tell, Let’s Talk by Brad Hambrick  [EFCA Now Review by our church family's own Schenley Pilgram]

How to Survive the Apocalypse by Robert Joustra and Alissa Wilkinson [EFCA Now Review]

Preaching and Teaching
One last category of good books for 2016 is the excellent commentaries I get to read as I prepare sermons and lessons for pastoral ministry at Lanse Free Church.

At the beginning of 2016, I finished preaching through the book of Romans (a much longer process than I had anticipated!). I read many things, but the two best commentaries were:

The Epistle to the Romans (NICNT)  by Douglas Moo
The Epistle to the Romans (BNCT)  by Thomas Schreiner

The majority of sermons for the rest of 2016 has been an ongoing series on Books of Kings. I'm profiting from several commentaries (I'll report on the best when I complete the series), but the ones that find the most all-around-helpful and imminently quotable are by Dale Ralph Davis from Christian Focus Publications. And our Link Group also studied the first 12 Psalms with Dale Ralph Davis as our guide. If you are studying either yourself, I highly recommend:

1 Kings: The Wisdom and the Folly by Dale Ralph Davis
The Way of the Righteous in the Muck of Life (Psalms 1-12)  by Dale Ralph Davis

My Top Books of 2016

The wild ride of 2016 has almost wound down, and it's time again to report on the good things I've had the privilege of reading this year.

What I Mean By "Top Books"

As in past years [2013 Top Books, 2014 Top Books, 2015 Top Books], my "Top Books" list is not necessarily the best books that were published that particular year or the most enjoyable either. I intend it to be a list of the Christian nonfiction books I read:

- that had the most personal impact on me, my thinking, my heart.
- that I was the most consistently enthusiastic about.
- that I kept coming back to again and again.
- that I couldn't help recommending to others (and recommend without reservations and significant caveats).

And so [drumroll please!], here they are:

5. The Radical Book for Kids by Champ Thornton

[Read my interview with the author.]

The book I was probably the most excited about in 2016 wasn't really written for guys like me. It's a kids book that I wish I had gotten to read when I was a kid.
I had the privilege of reading an advanced version of The Radical Book for Kids and got to offer this endorsement:

The Radical Book for Kids is deceptively fun! While preteens are utterly enjoying themselves with the creative games, hands-on projects, laugh-out-loud jokes, and cool stories, Champ Thornton is radically discipling them with a crash course on Bible study methods, hermeneutics, church history, biblical theology, and Christian life and ethics. This is the kind of book that stealthily helps parents, pastors, and teachers make young followers for Jesus Christ.

Here's what I added in my review for Amazon:

The Radical Book for Kids is a book you give your kids when they are too old for a Bible story book yet still too young for the book you're reading. I wish I knew all of this stuff when I was 10! I wish I had this book when my kids were 10! I can think of 10 kids that I want to give it to right now.

When I got my copy, I read parts out loud to my family, and they chuckled, hooted, and hollered at all the right places, and they didn't realize that they were learning something important. That's a mark of a great book!

4. No God But One by Nabeel Qureshi

[Read my Goodreads review.]

This one was probably not written for me, either, but I thought it was really well done and a wonderful resource for both Muslims and Christians to read.

I was first introduced to Nabeel Qureshi through reading his testimony in Christianity Today magazine and then picked up his second book Answering Jihad. No God But One is his third book and is laid out something like a debate. Qureshi has been a passionate apologist on both sides of the question of who is the true God, and he presents the best arguments for Allah and for Jesus in an incredibly fair way.

I'm biased, of course, being a Christian pastor, but I also believe that we should be comparing apples with apples and not stacking the deck (or mix in your favorite metaphor here). Highly recommended.

I've started his first more biographical book, Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus, to finish off the trilogy this year.

3. Good and Angry by David Powlison

This one was written for me (I unfortunately need it!), and I had been waiting for it for a very long time. Ever since I learned of the ministry of CCEF and the Journal of Biblical Counseling, I've been reading the excellent (though sporadic) articles that David has written on this difficult subject, and I've also heard him teach on it in person. And for all of those years, he's been promising a book-length treatment but has been providentially hindered from producing it. But now in 2016, Good & Angry has finally arrived, and I will be sharing it with others for a very long time.

Here's what I said in my Goodreads review:

David Powlison has a unique way of seeing and saying truth. He's both feisty and humble at the same time. In Good & Angry David captures both the essence of anger and all of its contours. David is one of the wisest people there is when it comes to understanding how people tick and how the Word of God meets and changes them.

Even the title says so much. I've been reading another pretty good book recently about how not to be personally offended, and I've been helped very much by it. But the author basically argues away the concept of righteous anger as a self-justifying fiction. Powlison, alternatively, would see anger redeemed and gives us biblical categories for understanding good anger (i.e. "the constructive displeasure of mercy"). Yet at the same time, Powlison never excuses sinful anger and constantly offers helpful counsel for change.

Not only does he break new ground, but he does it with gentleness and grace. He writes as one struggler to other fellow strugglers, and it feels like a personal conversation. I can hear his voice in every sentence. This book is biblical counseling at its best written by one of its leading theorists and practitioners.

2. The Imperfect Pastor by Zach Eswine

This one was (unfortuately) also written for me.

I did not enjoy this book, but, boy, did I need to read it.

Eswine's message in a nutshell:

"Mark this down, okay? You and I were never meant to repent for not being everywhere for everybody and all at once. You and I are meant to repent because we've tried to be" (pg. 74).

Reading The Imperfect Pastor quietly and slowly was an exercise in repentance for me and good medicine. There's nothing wrong with the book. It's so well-written it doesn't even taste like medicine going down. It's just that I'm sick with the disease that the author describes: pride.

I highly recommend it for new pastors just learning their craft and for older pastors who have not yet discovered joy in their limitations.  [From my Goodreads Review.]

1. God the Son Incarnate by Stephen Wellum

I just finished reading God the Son Incarnate on Christmas Eve, so I haven't had time yet to write a review, but it was definitely the topmost book I read.

Wellum has done a completely masterful job of unpacking the classical teaching on the person of Christ in 467 pages. His arguments are clearly written, sufficiently nuanced/complex, and virtually comprehensive. I learned so much about my Savior and was led into true worship of the Incarnate Son. It was a perfect read for this Christian pastor during the Advent Season. More books like this need written, and I need to read more of them.

 What a privilege it is to get to read and recommend valuable books like these!

[Matt's Messages] "The Christmas Mission"

“The Christmas Mission”
December 25, 2016
1 John 4:7-12

Here’s why I picked this passage for Christmas Sunday: It tells us why there was any Christmas in the first place.

What is “The Christmas Mission?”

What was the mission of Christmas?

If somebody asked you that question this week, why is there Christmas, how would you answer?

There are a lot of great ways to answer that question.

And we’ve sung a bunch of them already this morning.

John’s got a really good way of saying it here in 1 John 4.

John says that Jesus, the Son of God was sent on a mission.

Now, those words “sent on a mission” should sound familiar to you.  Do they?

51 weeks ago, on the first Sunday of January, I preached a sermon called “Sent on a Mission in 2016."

Being a sent on a mission from God has been our theme as a church for all of 2016.

It’s come up again and again and again.

The moms might remember our Mother’s Day message, “Mission-Minded Moms.”

“Go therefore and MOTHER disciples.” We said.

And then our youth went to a little conference in Louisville, Kentucky called “Challenge,” and what was the theme of that conference?

“Live Sent.”

Because God is Father, Son, and Spirit, we are a family of servant missionaries.

We are sent on a mission.

Do you like to be sent on a mission?

A year ago, I said that I love that sort of thing.

I love it when someone has a mission for me to fulfill.

Those times when Heather says, “Matthew, I need some groceries. Here’s the list. Head over to State College and bring back these items or die trying!”  She never says that last part. But sometimes, it’s implied.

“I’ve got a mission for you.”

Of course, not all missions are the same. When Heather says, “Would you take out this stinky compost bucket out to the compost pile?” I don’t get the same exciting feeling.

Do you like to be sent on a mission?

“I’ve got a job for you. Here’s what I want you to do...”

Well, that first Christmas was a mission.

But it wasn’t a mission, first and foremost, for you and me.

It was a mission for the God the Son.

The Second Person of the Trinity.

And here was the mission: to take on flesh.

To become a human like you and me.
To be conceived in the womb of a virgin.
To be born a baby in Bethlehem.
To become God the Son Incarnate.

That was the mission that God the Father gave God the Son.

On that night, when the angels lit up the fields and sang to the shepherds, “Glory to God in the highest,” [Rejoice!] they were announcing that the Christmas Mission had launched.

God the Son had been sent.

Luke 2:10&11, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”

God the Son had been sent on a mission.

God the Father is a sending God and God the Son is a God that’s sent.

And why was He sent?

John tells us here in 1 John 4.

Have you already opened your presents?

I’ve only have two points this morning. There is so much here in this paragraph, but we’re not going to study it all. [We did that a few years ago.]

Some of you haven’t opened your presents yet, so you’re just waiting for me to get done so that you can go home and share a meal and some gifts.

My family is planning to drive to Ohio after this.

So, I’ll make this quick.

I’m only going to point out the two major things about the Christmas Mission.

Why Jesus was sent among us.

#1. THE SON WAS SENT THAT WE MIGHT LIVE THROUGH HIM.

In this passage, John is convincing his readers to love each other.

“Dear friends [beloved], let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

We’re going to say more about that in just a minute.

Love comes from God because God is the epitome of love.

And verse 9 tells us that God has shown or revealed His love among us.

How, when? At that first Christmas. Verse 9. “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.”

What other verse of scripture does that verse remind you of?

I can think of a couple, but one is the most famous verse in the Bible right?

The Gospel of John 3:16. “For God so loved the world that he gave [the most amazing Christmas present ever] his one and only Son [same term, monogenes, often translated “only begotten”], that whoever believes in him [the Son] shall not perish but have eternal life.”

The Son was sent that we might live through Him.

That baby was born in Bethlehem so that we might have life.

What kind of life?

Well, John 3:16 says, “eternal life.” Life that starts now and goes on into eternity. And John 17:3 defines eternal life as a relationship with God. “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”

Eternal life is a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ that starts now and goes on forever.

And it’s an abundant life.

Jesus said in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come [I have been sent] that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

Full life.

That’s what kind of life we get from Christmas mission.

But for us to get that life, Jesus had to experience death. V.10

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

We didn’t love God. We actually hated Him.

But He loved us. God demonstrates His own love for us in this, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

V.10 “He loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

A propitiation.

What’s this saying?

For us to have life, He had to experience death.

That baby born in Bethlehem was born to die.

The shadow of the Cross looms over the manger.

The Son of God wasn’t just sent to be sweet baby Jesus.

He was sent to give Himself as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

The Father sent His Son to His death.

Some missions are less desirable than others.

Some missions are less painful than others.

Let’s not forget in the sweetness of Christmas how painful this was.

Jesus not only emptied Himself of glory, but He took the form of a servant. Philippians 2.

“[Jesus] being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death–even death on a cross!”

That was the Christmas Mission.

A savior has been born to you, and He will die for you.

The Son was sent that we might live through Him.

Have you come to place your faith in Him?

If you have not, I invite you to do so right now.

Don’t let this Christmas go by without finding new life in the Son of God who was sent as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

And if you have put your faith in Him, rejoice and live your life in Him.

I think that also includes the idea of living your life for Him.

A life of discipleship, of obedience of doing what pleases the Lord.

He has given you a new life and wants you to live it for Him and through Him.

What did the choir sing this morning?

Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!
Mild He lays His glory by, Born that man no more may die,
Born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth.

New life.

The Son was sent that we might live through Him.

The second reason for the Christmas Mission:

#2. THE SON WAS SENT THAT WE MIGHT LOVE LIKE HIM.

Look at verse 11.

“Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”

I was surprised.

I was surprised that John doesn’t say, “Dear friends since God so loved us, we also ought to love God.”

That’s true!

But that’s not where John goes with it, is it?

He says, “Beloved, since God loved us by sending His Son on the Christmas Mission, we also ought to love ONE ANOTHER.”

He’s shown us how to do it.

Now, is that easy?

No, it’s not easy to love others.

Including Christians.

Just because we’re fellow Christians, doesn’t make us adorable.

But God’s kind of love is the kind of love that loves even enemies.

So you don’t have to be adorable for me to learn to love you.

I don’t have to be adorable for you to learn to love me.

We’ve been loved by God. So we can love one another.

Is that a line from a Christmas song?

How about “O Holy Night?”

“Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother.
And in His name all oppression shall cease.”

We won’t continue to oppress each other if we know how we’ve been loved.

We love because He first loved us.

How are you doing at that?

Did you expect to come to church this morning and be told that we need to learn to love better?

The Son was sent that we might love like Him.

Not perfectly. Love is hard for finite fallen people like you and me.

But we can love truly.

We can love others.

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”

Is that how you’ve been treated by God?

“Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”

Where do you need to grow? What aspect of love needs some work in your life?

Who are you having trouble loving these days?

Whom do you need to show love to this week?

That’s our Christmas mission.

Because we have new life in the Son, we are called to live lives of love like He taught us.

Not lives of hate.
Not lives of fear.
Not lives of indifference.

But lives of love.

Paul said, “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:2).

That’s not easy.

But that’s our mission because the Son of God accepted His mission to seek and save us when we were lost.

Jesus said, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you” (John 20:21).

Not exactly the same, of course. We aren’t all called to die on the Cross for other people’s sins.

But we are called to share the good news of great joy that comes from the Savior who has been born to us.

And we are called to love others in His name.

On the last Sunday of 2016, we are again reminded that we are sent on a mission of love.

But we are sent on mission of love because the Son was first sent on a mission of love for us.

And joy to the world...the Savior came!

[Matt's Messages] “The Root of Jesse”

“The Root of Jesse”
Christmas Eve Candlelighting Service
A Shoot from the Stump of Jesse
December 24, 2016 :: Isaiah 11

Advent means “coming.”  Christmas is coming...tomorrow!

Jesus has come and is coming again.

For the entire season of Advent, we have been centering on the prophecy of the Messiah in Isaiah chapter 11.  Matt Modzel read the whole thing for us just a few minutes ago. It’s really amazing.

Isaiah 11:1 has been our theme for the whole month of Advent, and we’ve been memorizing it together.

Let’s say it out loud.

“A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.”

On Wednesday night, I told the kids at our Family Bible Night Christmas Program that Isaiah 11 is kind of like an Old Testament Ultrasound of Baby Jesus.

It’s kind of grainy and shadowy and doesn’t look quite like a real baby, but it’s a sneak peak at the glory of what is to come.

Catch this: Isaiah 11 was written over 700 years before Jesus was born.

And it gives us an ultrasoundic picture, a sneak peak of the coming of Jesus Christ.

On the First Sunday of Advent, Bill and Shasta and Carter and Jocelyn lit our first candle and called it a “Candle of Persistent Promise.”

Isaiah's ultrasound prophecy anticipates a time when all of the kings of Israel have been cut down to size. As kings, they were all disappointing and never lived up to their potential.

These kings had just one job and they failed at it. #KingFail. They did not lead their nation into covenant faithfulness, and their people suffered for it. David's royal dynasty had declined until it was almost as good as dead.

It was just a dead old stump.

But in this bleak time, God was still at work. He was still keeping His promises to His people. The promises that He had made to Jesse’s son, David.

God promised to bring a powerful king out of humble origins. A tiny shoot will poke up from the stump of Jesse and then grow into a mighty tree. From modest roots, a magnificent Branch will one day bear flourishing fruit.

I know.

Sometimes it seems as though God's promises will never come to pass.  But they will. His promises are persistent, and so should be our faith.

On the second Sunday of Advent, we had a sister act light "A Candle of Spiritual Power.” Carolyn, Jamie, and Victoria told us how the ultrasound of Isaiah 11 teaches that the Spirit of the LORD will rest on the coming Messiah in an unprecedented way.

And we know Who this Shoot is going to be.

It’s Jesus! He’s the reason we are here tonight.

And He was given the Spirit without measure. Think about that!

And that means that His coming rule and reign will be unimaginably glorious.

Because of the unlimited Spiritual Power resting on Him, His Kingdom will be perfect.

Perfect justice.

Wally & Nesta lit our third candle and named it “A Candle of Faultless Justice.”

The ultrasound of Isaiah 11 says “[The Shoot of Jesse] will not judge(only) by what He sees with His eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears (alone).” He will judge with righteousness.

In fact, Isaiah says, “Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around His waist.”

This ultrasound tells us what kind of clothes the baby will wear!

On that first Christmas night, he was swaddled in cloths, but when He rules and reigns, “Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around His waist.”

Think about what that means.

King Jesus will never blunder, or bungle, or mishandle any situation. He will always choose what is right, and just, and righteous. He will never be fooled or misguided or duped. He will never be confused, befuddled, or confounded.

How happy will His people be to live in an eternal kingdom with perfect justice!

And perfect peace.

Maria and her girls lit our fourth candle and said that it was "A Candle of Perfect Peace.”

When the Messiah reigns, there will be absolutely no conflict, no battles, no hostilities, no war. Everything will change–even the laws of nature. Because peace will be everywhere!

An infant can play at the hole of the cobra and a young child put his hand into the viper’s nest.  “Go play with the snakes, little guy, it’s perfectly safe!”

There will be nothing out there to harm or destroy God’s people!

Doesn’t that sound wonderful?

It hasn’t happened yet.

We live in the time between the two advents.

Jesus has come and He’s coming again.

And we live in between.

So we know all of this about Who Jesus is and why He was born, but we are still waiting for His kingdom to come on Earth as it is in heaven.

But there is coming a day when the Lord Jesus will live up to every detail of His Isaiah 11 ultrasound!

One more thing to see here. It’s from v.10, and I promised to talk about it tonight.

Listen to verse 10.

“In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious.”

This candle is the candle of the “Root of Jesse.”

Notice that?  It doesn’t say “shoot” here. It says “root.”

Verse 1 says that Jesus will be a shoot sticking up out of the stump of Jesse.

But verse 10 says something different and mind-bending.

This ultrasound says that the Baby will not just be a result...but a cause!

His own cause?!

He will be the Root of Jesse.

Not just the offspring, but the source.

Not just the shoot but the root!

How can that be?

Only one way that can be. And that is if this little baby is also God the Son come in the flesh.

Hunter read Micah 5:2 earlier in the service.

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

The Lord Jesus stumped the Pharisees with the question, “If King David calls the Messiah ‘Lord’ in Psalm 110, then how can he also be David’s son?

How can He be both source and offspring?

Only if He is also God.

On the very last page of the Bible, Jesus reminds us Who He is, and He alludes to Isaiah 11.

Revelation chapter 22, verse 16 says, “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”

He is both Root and Shoot.

He is Alpha and Omega.

He is God in the Flesh the Messiah.

And His reign and rule will be glorious.

Listen again to verse 10 of the Ultrasound of Isaiah 11.

“In that day [at the second advent] the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest [His eternal kingdom] will be glorious.”

Hallelujah!
Hallelujah!
Hallelujah!
For the Root and Shoot of Jesse Reigns!

How do we respond?

#1. PUT YOUR FAITH IN THE ROOT AND SHOOT OF JESSE.

That’s who was born in Bethlehem that first Christmas.

Jesus Christ.

If you want to live in the kingdom that Isaiah 11 describes, you have to repent and become a faith-follower of the Root and Shoot of Jesse.

He is the way, the truth, and life.

Put your faith in Him alone.

Turn from your sins and trust in what He did for you on the Cross.

And if you do, then #2. LONG FOR THE KINGDOM OF THE ROOT AND SHOOT OF JESSE.

I know.

It know it’s hard to live in between Jesus’ first coming and His second coming.

The world we live in now is fundamentally broken.

We see it every day in every story on the news.

Aleppo.

But one day soon this ultrasound will be in living color.

And it will be like nothing ever seen or heard.

“In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious.”

And #3. WORSHIP THE ROOT AND SHOOT OF JESSE.

Because a person who can be both Root and Shoot deserves our wonder and our marveling and our delight in Who He is and will be forever.

O Come, Let Us Adore Him, Christ the King!