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Loving the Stranger

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Hebrews 13:1-6

Let brotherly love continue. 2 Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels. 3 Remember the prisoners as if chained with them—those who are mistreated—since you yourselves are in the body also.4 Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear, What can man do to me?”

Introduction

Hospitality is one of the basic Christian duties. It is a central duty because it embodies the gospel of Jesus. At the same time, because it ought to embody the gospel, it is worth thinking through carefully so that we are not thoughtlessly embodying a false or distorted gospel.

The Texts

Paul says that Christians are to pursue or even “persecute” with hospitality – literally the “love of strangers” (Rom. 12:13). Peter says that we are to love one another in the church, and be “hospitable” to one another without grumbling (1 Pet. 4:8). In Hebrews, it says not to neglect hospitality (Heb. 13:2). In the parable of the sheep and the goats, Jesus commends the sheep who took in the stranger, for doing it unto the least of these my brethren was doing it unto Him (Mt. 25:35). Elders and pastors are to set the example for Christians by being hospitable (1 Tim. 3:2, Tit. 1:8). These commands are rooted in the Old Testament law: “You shall neither mistreat a stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” (Ex. 22:21). “And if a stranger dwells with you in your land, you shall not mistreat him. The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” (Lev. 19:33-34). “He administers justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the stranger, giving him food and clothing. Therefore love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” (Dt. 10:18-19).

Boaz & the Moabites

Perhaps one of the greatest biblical stories of hospitality is found in the story of Ruth, where Boaz married Ruth, the Moabitess, at great sacrifice to himself for the good and blessing and protection of a “stranger” in the land, a foreign widow. One of the lesser known genealogical facts of the Bible, that really should get more airtime, is the fact that Rahab the Harlot was the mother of Boaz (Mt. 1:5, Ruth 4:20-21). Boaz knew how to love a stranger sacrificially because his own mother had been the recipient of such sacrificial love. But there is actually quite a bit more to the story. Moab was one of the sons of the incestuous unions of the daughters of Lot (Gen. 19:35-38). The sexual sin continued in the family: Even though Balaam failed to curse Israel when he was hired by the king of Moab to do so, the women of Moab successfully seduced many of the men of Israel (Num. 25:1), bringing God’s curse in the form of a severe plague that was only averted by the well-aimed javelin of Phinehas (Num. 25:7-8). Likewise, it was during the days of the judges that Eglon king of Moab oppressed Israel and was assassinated by Ehud (Judg. 3). So, hold all of this together: it was within living memory that many Israelite men had gone to the Moabite red light district, and it was within living memory that Israel had been oppressed by the Moabites. And it was in those days, during the judging of the judges, that a destitute Moabitewoman shows up in Bethlehem. There would have been plenty of talking going on in town – and a certain bit of it was wise and godly talking.

Strangers & Strange Women

One of the famous warnings of Solomon in the book of Proverbs regards the “strange woman.” “To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words, which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God” (Prov. 2:16-17). “For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil: but her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword” (Prov. 5:3-4). Solomon knew well from personal experience the dangers he warned of: “But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites, of the nations concerning which the Lord said unto the children of Israel, ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love… And his wives turned away his heart” (1 Kgs. 11:1-3, cf. Dt. 7:1-4). This same principle is repeated in the New Testament: “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness?… And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord” (2 Cor. 6:14-18). Likewise, “ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (Js. 4:4). So on the one hand, God urges His people to love strangers, to welcome them into the covenant of God, to feed and clothe them. But on the other hand, God repeatedly warns about being assimilated to their ways. Jesus was/is a friend of sinners and prostitutes, precisely because He refuses to be drawn into their sin and insists on them leaving their sin behind. This is Christian hospitality; this is the gospel embodied in love for strangers.

Conclusions

These principles have a number of applications in a number of different directions: entertainment, friendship, learning from pagans, and evangelism. In the early church one of the images the church fathers used to describe how Christians should interact with pagan culture was the “war bride” law (Dt. 21:10-13). God prohibited men acting on impulse in the middle war (as is common in pagan warfare) and required that if a man wanted to marry a captive woman, she was to shave her head, trim her nails, put off the clothing of her captivity and be allowed to mourn for a full month before he could marry her. The church fathers said this was a good analogy for sorting through pagan cultures. The “strange woman” needs to be naturalized or assimilated into Israel, and this cannot be done impulsively or thoughtlessly, and she must leave behind her pagan gods and cleave to the God of Israel, like Rahab did, like Ruth did.

A caution and an encouragement: Remember that it is a fundamental Christian responsibility to provide for those of your own household first (1 Tim. 5:8). Many Christians in the name of mercy ministry/hospitality sacrifice marriages and children on the altar to this strange god. But the first rule of Christian hospitality is to create no new orphans or widows or strangers. In other words, the first strangers you are called to feed and clothe and love are the ones living in your own house. The encouragement is that as you do this well, and your family is spiritually thriving, you will be practiced in hospitality and ready to give to those in need.

The ground of all of this is the gospel: “That He might reconcile us to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity…Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God” (Eph. 2:19).

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What’s Wrong with #MeToo? (Toby Sumpter)

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Introduction

According to Wikipedia, the phrase seems to have been first used by Tarana Burke, a social activist, around 2006. But the hashtag began to go viral in October 2017, touched off by the sexual abuse allegations against Harvey Weinstein. Actress Alyssa Milano may have been the celebrity who gave the push it needed to get off the ground. She tweeted the hashtag around noon on October 15, 2017, and it had been used more than 200,000 times by the end of the day, more than 500,000 times by October 16. On Facebook, the hashtag had been used by more than 4.7 million people in 12 million posts during the first 24 hours. This was followed by Gwyneth Paltrow, Ashley Judd, Jennifer Lawrence, and Uma Thurman, and others joining in.

Harvey Weinstein & His Ilk

After making movies that exploited women for decades, in October 2017 Weinstein was accused by more than a dozen women of sexual harassment, assault, and rape, and on May 25, 2018, he was charged and arrested for “rape, criminal sex act, sex abuse, and sexual misconduct for incidents involving two separate women.”

Let’s begin with stating emphatically that men are sinners, and men sin against women frequently. The Bible does not hide this fact. Rather, God’s word acknowledges this evil and seeks to protect men and women from this (e.g. Gen. 34, Ex. 21:10-11, Dt. 22:25-27ff, 2 Sam. 13). In a culture that celebrates lawless sex, fornication, adultery, homosexuality, pornography, and even 50 Shades of Abuse as popular entertainment, I do not doubt for a moment that a majority of the women in the #metoo movement have been mistreated and/or harassed in some measure by bosses and boyfriends, brothers and fathers, even pastors and police officers. And let us state with absolute clarity that this is evil and wicked. The Bible teaches clearly that women are to be honored and protected and cherished (1 Pet. 3:7). God forbids even a man from lusting after a woman in his heart (Mt. 6). The Bible requires a man to nourish and cherish his wife as his own body, just as Jesus does the church (Eph. 5). The Bible requires a man to provide for his family, and failure to do so is the equivalent to apostasy (1 Tim. 5). The duty of husbands and fathers and brothers and pastors and civil magistrates to honor and protect their daughters and wives and sisters and members and citizens, and this includes the duty to take all necessary precautions to protect them, to report sinful or criminal activities to the appropriate authorities, and to execute justice speedily as defined by the Bible.

Failure to Actually Repent

Is there widespread sexual harassment and abuse of women in our culture? I would argue that there is plenty of evidence to make it highly likely. What must we do in such a situation? We must repent of our sins. But this means that at the top of our list of sins to repent of would need to be the sins of abortion and every form of sexual promiscuity: pornography, Sports Illustrated swimsuit calendars, pornographic scenes in movies, what passes for clothing in many hip department stores, and most modern swimwear. Men need to repent of supporting all of these things, and women need to repent of participating in them. Sin is always the insistence of no brakes. But you cannot cut the brake lines when it comes to your pet sin (an immodest dress or a roving eye at the beach) and then magically command the brakes to work when it comes to how you will treat the women around you or how you will be treated at work or school. You cannot insist that you be left alone to follow your heart and do what feels good and then suddenly object when someone else is doing that. So this is the first problem with the #metoo movement: it fails to address the problem at its root. While I do not doubt there may be a few exceptions here and there where this movement has unearthed something that was dealt with from the root, biblically, the movement as a whole is a big distraction tactic to the extent that it isn’t actually telling the truth about the source of all the harassment and assault.

Failure to Get Real Justice

And this leads to the second failure, which is that #metoo fails to get real justice.

It fails to get justice by making no attempt to distinguish between sins and crimes. The word “abuse” is an amorphous and ill-defined term that under-reports certain heinous crimes (rape, for example) and over-reports things that might merely be matters of rudeness, thoughtlessness, or naiveté. And it all gets lumped together. This is a real travesty to the women who have suffered actual violent crimes. But the Bible makes a clear distinction between different kinds of wrongs, different degrees, and different jurisdictions. This is because God knows that various wrongs and hurts are better dealt with by different means. If you have a doctor who prescribes chemotherapy for every ill, you better run away. But you should have the same opinion of those who want every single thing reported and investigated by the police. The civil magistrate is ordained by God to punish crime sand protect the innocent (Rom. 13), but God has also established the Church and the Family as spheres of legitimate authority and ministry – particularly for dealing with sins. Some acts are both sinful and criminal and so they need to be dealt with by all the jurisdictions in various ways, but some acts are only sins and not crimes. The point of this is not God going easy on sins or crimes. The point is that God knows better than we do what justice actually is. He requires just weights and measures: “life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe” (Exod. 21:23-25).

Related to ignoring the distinction between sins and crimes, there is no attempt in the #metoo movement to judge allegations of crimes with biblical justice. While we may readily assume that many (if not most) allegations are true (given the heart of man and the state of our culture), it is still the case the women may sin and commit crimes by falsely accusing men and ruining their lives (Gen. 39:7ff). This is why the Bible requires that every accusation be confirmed by two or three independent witnesses (Dt. 19:15). It’s important to note that the Bible considers various forms of verifiable physical evidence as a “testimony” (Dt. 22:13-21), and so this could include things like DNA, fingerprints, rape kit data, etc. The Bible does not require there to be 2 or 3 witnesses to report something. The Bible requires 2 or 3 witnesses to convict someone. And a charge against an elder cannot be publicly recorded or officially “received” unless there are two or three witnesses (1 Tim. 5). Related to due process also includes the right of the accused to defend himself, to cross-examine witnesses/testimony, the duty of judges to inquire diligently into matters, and the punishment of false witnesses (Prov. 18:17, Dt. 19:16-21). If a witness cannot be cross-examined or is unwilling to face the consequences of being proven false, it cannot be considered credible evidence/testimony.

On the one hand, to the extent that we have allowed our justice system to drift away from biblical norms, we have created a situation where justice is not being carried out swiftly for the guilty or false witnesses, and we thereby tempt women and others to take matters into their own hands. But on the other hand, I’m convinced that this is a calculated move by some leading the movement to lump every charge indiscriminately together in order to justify mobs. And the mobs are not after justice. A mob, by definition, cannot do justice. Mobs are for destruction, revolution. The point of this is simply to tear down God’s established authorities. It is a popular temper tantrum. All it wants is whatever it wants right now.

The #metoo movement fails to get real justice by encouraging the frenzy of posts and articles and “outings” whipping up the *feeling* of having done something, but without any certainty that anything has actually been done. It is not justice to merely go on social media and say that you too were sexually harassed or abused or share someone else’s post or story. In many cases, this is a fleshly response, an electronic middle finger to the abuser, but not real justice. This frequently backfires on real victims, leaving them without real justice. This movement is not about helping real victims, but rather, a few powerful people are using the collective outrage, coopting the power of the mob to accomplish a few particular goals. The hashtag movement creates a false sense of “having done something meaningful,” when in reality I wonder how many women have done a #metoo post, felt an initial rush of exhilaration, feeling courageous and brave and maybe even something like “peace,” and now months later the old feelings of depression and desperation are coming back because no real justice was done, nothing has changed. Social media movements don’t necessarily mean anything has actually been reported to appropriate authorities, investigated thoroughly, or adjudicated properly.

Finally, to the extent that the #metoo movement has churned up a frenzy and fears, alongside a collapsing of biblical and judicial categories, we need to at least recognize the high probability of at least some men being falsely accused and falsely convicted in the court of human opinion. Justice Brett Kavanaugh barely survived one such witch hunt that ultimately produced no plausible allegations of any wrongdoing after multiple investigations.

Failure to Provide Healing

We could list everything we have already listed as part of the problem of failing to bring actual healing and reconciliation. God’s justice is His prescription for healing and reconciliation. He is the great physician; he knows what we need. This means that sin and crimes need to be distinguished biblically so that we have a true diagnosis of the problem and appropriate treatment. This leads us to establish whose jurisdiction the allegations fall into. Is this a sin and a crime that needs to be handled by multiple jurisdictions? Or is this only a sin that needs to be handled by the family or the family and the church? Do we need a band-aid or chemotherapy or a cast or a round of antibiotics? Finally, the point of witnesses and evidence and careful inquiry and cross-examination is to protect the truth at every level which is the way of freedom and healing. The truth really does set people free, but bundling all allegations and accusations into an amorphous hashtag and the vague heading of “abuse” leaves women in the bondage of uncertainty. Some things need to be prosecuted and full biblical justice should punish the guilty; some things need to be covered in love and forgotten; and other things would fall somewhere in the middle. Part of the background in all of this are certain false assumptions we have inherited from pagan psychoanalysis (Freud). Freud taught that the root of all evil was essentially repressed pain, and his false gospel teaches that simple venting of pain brings about healing. But turns out that’s a pack of lies.

Why Should Christians Care?

Remember that every time the world diagnoses a problem, there is always an implied solution. Or to put in more religious terms: whenever the world identifies a sin, they are always getting ready to offer you a Savior. Christians should care that an alternative gospel is being preached and infiltrating the Church. The real problem is sin, biblically defined. The real solution is the gospel of Christ. Every sinner deserves the death penalty, and Jesus paid it for us. Every sin and crime will be punished in the cross or it will be punished forever in Hell. Obedience to God seeks an approximate human justice to be applied in this world, but our ultimate hope is in the absolute justice of standing before the Living God who searches the hearts and will bring everything to account.

Not only is the blood of Jesus sufficient to wash away our guilt, but the good news of the gospel is that the blood of Jesus covers all our shame. Human justice is important and God-honoring, but apart from the peace of Christ that comes from His blood covering our guilt and our shame, human justice will never be enough, it will always fall short. But in the Cross, we have the certainty of perfect justice and perfect mercy and perfect peace.

It is right and good that families and churches and local communities teach the whole Bible in order to properly protect our wives, sisters, daughters, and children abuse and assault and harassment, but it’s a statist lie that insists we must have a “national movement” or that a law must be passed in Washington D.C. to do something meaningful. Rather, if we teach the whole Bible, there will be no shortage of opportunities to talk about these things, and when faithful churches and civil magistrates obey God in their duty to discipline impenitent sinners and punish criminals, we are teaching wisdom to our children and warning evildoers. But the attempt of various churches, ministries, and Christians to ride the #metoo wave, pretending to be able to make distinctions in that mob is a fool’s mission. All the attempts I have seen by otherwise wise and godly men have been confused and troubling. The Church should reject #metoo and embrace the gospel, the whole counsel of God, and biblical justice. These are sufficient for our needs.

This is the only foundation for building/rebuilding a society in biblical justice. This is the only way of freedom and justice and healing for women and men.

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Under the Mercy

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The Text

17 And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 18 Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, which is in Samaria: behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it.19 And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the Lord, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.20 And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the Lord.21 Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel,22 And will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and made Israel to sin.23 And of Jezebel also spake the Lord, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.24 Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat.25 But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.26 And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all things as did the Amorites, whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel.27 And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.28 And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,29 Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son’s days will I bring the evil upon his house. 1 Kings 21:17-29

Introduction

There was no one like Ahab, who sold himself to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord, committing abominations, following idols, and stirred up to great evil by his wife Jezebel. And yet when Ahab humbled himself before the Lord, the Lord relented from the immediate judgment he had promised. This story reminds us that God’s merciful kindness is great.

Summary of the Text

Getting a running start, remember that we first met Ahab in 1 Kings 16 when he became King of the northern kingdom of Israel (Samaria), and we are told that Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him (1 Kgs. 16:33). Under Ahab’s reign Jericho was rebuilt, with the foundations dedicated in the blood of two sons (16:34). Recall the animosity of Ahab for Elijah, beginning with Elijah’s announcement of a severe drought on the land (17:1), followed by the great showdown between Ahab’s prophets of Baal and Elijah three years later (18:17-46), and the great manhunt for Elijah forcing him into exile in the wilderness (19:1-21). Just before our text, Ahab has displayed manic-like bouts of rage and depression, where the Lord gave great military victories, but Ahab failed to deliver a crushing blow and he went home to his house in a furious displeasure (1 Kgs. 20:43). Following this, Ahab tried to buy Naboth’s vineyard, but failing that he once again throws a royal fit on his bed (21:4). And it is after his wife, Jezebel, has orchestrated the lynching of Naboth that our text picks up with the Lord instructing Elijah to go to Ahab and pronounce His sentence of the utter destruction of his family (1 Kgs. 21:17-24). The narrator once again reminds us (as if we needed reminding) that there was none like Ahab who did wickedness in the sight of the Lord (21:25-26). But when Ahab tears his clothes, puts on sackcloth, fasts, and goes about in humility, the Lord takes notice and tells Elijah that Ahab has humbled himself and therefore the judgment will be postponed (21:27-28).

Arise and Go Down to Meet Ahab

This whole story really is astounding. First off, put yourself in Elijah’s shoes. Ahab had married Jezebel – daughter of the king of the Sidonians and champion of Baal worship (1 Kgs. 16:31). Remember all the prophets murdered, and all the prophets still hiding from Ahab and Jezebel (1 Kgs. 18:13). Remember Jezebel’s oath to kill Elijah and him running for his life (1 Kgs. 19:2-3). Remember Elijah’s exhaustion and deep discouragement after the Mt. Carmel showdown (1 Kgs. 19:10). Remember how so many in Israel had turned away from God (1 Kgs. 19:14). Remember Ahab’s awful attitude (1 Kgs. 20:43, 21:4). Remember Jezebel’s plotting and Naboth’s murder – and think of Naboth’s family. The assignment of going to Ahab yet again to announce God’s judgment would have been very hard. What good would it do? Why tell him of his wickedness again? There was no one who had sold himself to work more wickedness in the sight of the Lord than Ahab (1 Kgs. 21:25). Even Ahab’s initial greeting is utterly disheartening and dripping with hatred: “Hast thou found me, O mine enemy?” (1 Kgs. 21:20). Are there people in this world, in your life that seem to be in the same category? Could they be more hard-hearted? Could they be more antagonistic? Could they be more of an enemy? Is there something in you that says, Why bother? What good will it do?

Bright Light for a Dark World

Part of our problem is that we have been fed the lie that we must choose between law and grace, high standards and mercy. But that is the one thing, as Christians, we must notdo. There is no radical grace apart from the law establishing our pitch-black guilt, and there is no pure mercy apart from the high standards we have utterly failed. “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other” (Ps. 85:10). “Grace, mercy, and peace be with you from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love” (2 Jn. 1:3). Mercy and truth, righteousness and grace can only be rightly held together in Jesus Christ. Otherwise, well-meaning people will veer between crushing legalism and sentimental licentiousness. We will swerve between pure condemnation and pliable accommodation. But this means that every refusal to hold mercy and truth together is a rejection of Jesus.

This is why we insist on proclaiming the horror of sin in all of its hideousness because Jesus was crucified for our hideous sin. “But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up. And he did abominably in following idols…” (1 Kgs. 21:25-26). The message from Elijah was not sugar-coated; it was direct and harsh in its delivery (1 Kgs. 21:20-23). The point of this is not to encourage you to deliver this exact message to every pro-abort person in your family, office, or Facebook feed. The point is simply that we must name sin biblically – hatred, adultery, murder, lust, idolatry, prostitution, abomination, vile affections, perversion, unnatural affection, shameful. All our excuses, all our blaming, all of our “victimologies” and rapidly multiplying “intersectionalities” of victimhood are attempts to lighten certain sins, and this is fundamentally an attack on grace, an attempt to rob the world of God’s merciful kindness. We name sin in all of its hideousness because Jesus endured the hideousness of the cross. We proclaim the darkness of sin so that the light of complete forgiveness might shine on every man. We speak the truth in this love (Eph. 4:15).

For His Merciful Kindness is Great

“This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting” (1 Tim. 1:15-16). So the first application is straightforward: What have you done? What have you thought? What have you said? What have you looked at? What have you failed to do? Do you think you are beyond the reach of God’s mercy? Do you think that it is so dark, so disgusting, so shameful that God cannot have anything to do with it? But the Bible is the story of God’s grace. This is why we should love the genealogies. Long lists of sinners, mostly unknown to us, belovedto their God. The only difference between the saved and the damned is pride. The saved were not better people, the damned were not worse. The saved humbled themselves, cast themselves on God’s mercy, but the damned refuse His offer. If God notices the fleeting, desperate humility of Ahab will he not notice you when you call out to Him? If God saved Paul to show forth all longsuffering, then this was a pattern for you.

But all of this is also for the world. What is your attitude toward the other Ahabs and Jezebels of this world? Do you hate sin because you love grace? Are you eagerfor their forgiveness?

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Christmas Confession of Sin

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Introduction

John opens this letter remembering Christmas, and so this is a fitting message for our consideration as we finish up Christmas festivities and look forward to the new year.

The Text

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, our hands have handled, of the word of life…” (1 Jn. 1:1-10).

Summary of the Text

John echoes his gospel describing the “Word of life” from the beginning as something that has become flesh, something heard, seen, looked upon, and handled (1 Jn. 1:1, cf. Jn. 1:1). This Word is the life manifested from the Father (1:2), and the apostles have seen it and heard it and declared it as witnesses so that all who hear their testimony may have fellowship with them and with the Father and the Son (1:3). This fellowship is fullness of joy (1:4). The message they proclaim is that God is light and there is no darkness in Him at all (1:5). Therefore, fellowship with God in His light means that we must not walk in darkness, and the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin (1:6-7). If we deny that we have sin, we are liars and we make God out to be a liar, but if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all sin (1:8-10).

Christmas & Confession

What have you heard and seen and looked at and handled over the last few weeks? As you have sought to celebrate Christmas as Christians, you have heard and seen and looked at and handled the Word of Life. The whole point of the presents, the tree, the meals, the songs, the cookies, the eggnog – the whole point of all of it was Jesus, the Word of Life. We gave because He gave. We celebrated because He came. We rejoiced because we have fellowship with Him and with one another. But this fellowship is only possible because the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (Jn. 1:14). God became man in order to reconcile all things in His flesh. “And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight” (Col. 1:21-22). “Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; and that He might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity” (Eph. 2:15-16). So the Word became flesh in order to reconcile us to God and one another. The Word became flesh in order to abolish the enmity between us and God and one another, making true peace and fellowship. This is the only basis for Christian joy (1 Jn. 1:3-4). This fellowship is through the cleansing of the blood of Christ (1 Jn. 1:6-7). And the blood of Christ cleanses us as we confess our sins to God and one another (1 Jn. 1:9).

Fellowship & Lies

Christian joy is real joy because it built on the truth of Christ. But as descendants of Adam and Eve, we have not only inherited their guilt and tendency to sin, we have also inherited their tendency to try to hide their sin. They tried to hide their nakedness with fig leaves, and they tried to hide from God in the trees of the garden (Gen. 3:7-8). In the presence of God, all darkness is shade. Sin is turning away from God’s light, and that darkness includes trying to hide our guilt, trying to cover our shame. Even true Christians are still tempted to do this. This is why the Bible teaches us that dealing with our sin right away is enormously important. Jesus says that if you bring a gift to worship and remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift and go be reconciled to him first (Mt. 5:23-24). It’s better to be 10 minutes late for church and worship in Spirit and in truththan to stand before God as a liar. Paul says that when there are divisions in the Church, especially at the Lord’s Supper – an act of fellowship, we are not actually celebrating the Lord’s Supper, and we are guilty of the body and blood of the Lord, causing sickness and weakness and even death (1 Cor. 11:18-30). If you have anything against anyone go make it right as soon as possible. “Let not the sun go down upon your wrath; neither give place to the devil” (Eph. 4:26). The devil is the father of lies, and he is happy for Christians to pretend to be in fellowship when they are not. So do not give an inch to the devil here. When fellowship is broken, go make it right.

Fellowship & Joy

John clearly says that the heart of Christian fellowship is fullness of joy (1 Jn. 1:3-4). And this is echoed in other places, specifically related to confession and forgiveness of sin. In Psalm 32, David sings, “Happy is the one whose transgression is forgiven… When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long… I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin… Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about. Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart” (Ps. 32:1, 3, 5, 10-11). Likewise, in Psalm 51, “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make to me hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice… restore unto me the joy of thy salvation” (Ps. 51:7-8, 12). So lying about our sin (that it isn’t a big deal or that it isn’t there) and lying about God (that He can’t see it, that Jesus didn’t need to die for it) is the central cause of sadness and sickness and depression in this world. You cannot enjoy fellowship with God or other Christians while guilt and shame weigh upon you. Non-Christians experience this agony as well, but Christians have the added grief of grieving the Spirit who lives in them (Eph. 4:30). When we grieve the Spirit by sinning and refusing to confess our sins, the Spirit grieves us. Because God loves His children, His hand is heavy upon them in their sin. The greatest horror in all the world is God giving us up to our sin (Rom. 1:24).

Conclusion: Comfort & Joy

Christ was born in order that we might know God, that we might have fellowship with the Father and the Son by the Spirit. And this fellowship is the fullness of peace and joy. But this peace and joy is maintainedand enjoyedby the application of the blood of Jesus to every bump and bruise by confession of sin and forgiveness. Confession of sin agrees with God by naming the sin biblically and asks Him and any offended parties for forgiveness. God forgives us by promising not to hold our sin against us for the sake of Christ, and so we must forgive one another like that (Eph. 4:32). Forgiveness is not based on our feelings. Forgiveness is based on the fact of the Cross. When we are faithful to forgive as we have been forgiven, the Holy Spirit works true comfort and joy into our hearts and homes.

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Because He Comes

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Introduction

We don’t celebrate Advent as re-enactors. We do not pretend that Christ has not come. We celebrate Advent as believers. We believe that Christ has come and therefore all of the promises of God have come true and are coming true. Because Emmanuel has come, we take this time each year to remember and celebrate what is true all the time: we serve the God who has come, continues to come, and who will come again to judge the world. So while we are not in the same position as the Old Testament saints who needed to prepare the way of the Lord for the first time, we still do indeed prepare Him room. We are all practicing to meet Jesus every day because He comes. We are getting the world ready for Jesus, and we are getting ready for Him.

The Text

“Comfort ye, Comfort, ye, my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD’S hand double for all her sins.

The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young” (Isa. 40:1-11).

Deep Comfort

A Christian prepares for Christ by practicing deep comfort (Is. 40:1). How does anyone prepare to meet God? Meeting the God of the universe will be like nothing we have ever experienced. It will utterly undo us; every secret will be laid bare (Lk. 12:2-3). There will be no excuses, no explanations – there will be nothing to say. All will be exhaustively clear (1 Cor. 3:13). And yet the glorious thing is that sinners who have hidden themselves in Christ will find themselves laid absolutely bare and will look down and see the righteousness of Christ covering them in glory. And it will be the deepest comfort you have ever known. But Christians long for that day to come because they have begun to taste that comfort now. Christians still await the final, perfect comfort, but they wait in hope because they have experienced true comfort now. “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1). The warfare of fighting for our own righteousness, meaning, success, and joy has ended. Our iniquity has been pardoned. We have received double from the Lord’s hand for all our sins (Is. 40:2).

Remove Every Obstacle

This was the cry of John the Baptist, but it still represents well how Christians should prepare for the Lord every day. We want straight highways to God everywhere every day. We want everything in our life to be a sacrifice of praise (Heb. 13:15). We want everything to be an altar of worship. So every valley in our life needs to be filled in, every mountain and hill bulldozed, the rough and crooked places need to be straightened and steamrolled. So do an inventory: where are your valleys, your mountains, your rough and crooked places? Is it work? Entertainment? Your thought life? Your extended family? Your fears? What do you need to do? What changes do you need to make? Jesus said that if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better to go to Heaven with one eye than to go to Hell with both eyes, better to go to Heaven with one hand than to go to Hell with two hands (Mt. 5:29-30). Remove every obstacle to faithfulness and obedience. The flip side of this is the clear implication that God is coming for all of us. All flesh shall see the glory of the Lord, and that is either the most wonderful news or the most terrible news. Either the glory of the Lord will find us faithfully pressing toward Him or else it will find us unprepared. All flesh shall see Him, and this can also be encouragement for you to do the right thing even if no else is.

Get Your Priorities Straight

You prepare this world for Christ by prioritizing rightly. What really matters? The voice cries that flesh is grass and it withers like flowers and grass. This life is momentary, short, like a breath. God created material stuff. Material stuff is good. But it’s all practice for the permanent things: either heavenly or hellish. Fading things aren’t worthless, but it’s silly to pretend that fading things are permanent. When you get a tree and decorate it, when you wrap presents, when you hang lights and wrap presents, you’re practicing for something permanent. What are you practicing for? You’re either practicing joy and generosity and patience and wisdom – things that last forever or you’re practicing selfishness, greed, pride, vainglory – worthless shadows. God’s Kingdom is forever. Human souls are forever. God’s Word is forever.

Lift Up Your Voice

How do you get ready for the Lord coming? Tell other people. Do you have good news? Do you have a mountain? Get up there and yell (Is. 40:9). Do you have good news? Then say it out loud. Don’t be afraid. God has come. YourGod has come (Is. 40:9-10). The God who made the heavens and earth, the God who created you and knows you and loves you. He is King and He knows what He is doing. His work is before Him (Is. 40:10). He is a faithful shepherd (Is. 40:11). He will gather all who are His in His arms. He will carry them. He will gently lead them. Are there hungry people in your life? Are there hurting people in your life? Are there lost people in your life? Don’t they need the good news of the Good Shepherd? Don’t you have that good news? Where is your mountain? Get up there and yell. Do not be afraid.

Conclusion: He Surely Comes

We sing in our metrical version of Psalm 98, “Because He comes, He surely comes, the judge of earth to be, with justice He will judge the world, all men with equity.” And this really is the good news of Advent. Because He comes, He surely comes. Because Christ has come, He will never leave us or forsake us. He meets us day by day in His Word. He meets us in the fellowship of the saints. He meets us every Lord’s Day in worship. So prepare Him room. He comes to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found. We’re getting everything ready because He comes.

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