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He is Lord of All (The Continuing Adventures of Jesus #17) (King’s Cross)

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INTRODUCTION

One of the great lies of the Devil, embraced by modernity, is the inevitability of history – that time is like a stream, and you can’t stop it, you can’t reverse it, and everything that has come before is rushing down upon us. We see this in the victim-mentality of many: blaming childhood, parents, income level, minority status, abuse, addictions, or their oppressors, their governments, their bosses, or their persecutors.

But the Bible reveals to us a God who is before and outside of time and therefore not bound by time. He is Lord of time. And while there are many patterns and repeated themes (so learning from history is valuable), there is also true innovation, creativity, Reformation, and repentance (so freedom, responsibility, and surprising change are also possible). One of the great twists in human history was the gospel going to Gentile nations directly, tearing down the middle wall of separation between Jew and Gentile, destroying the enmity, and sanctifying them that they may all come to God in worship directly through faith and repentance in Jesus Christ. 

The Text: “Then Peter went down to the men which were sent unto him from Cornelius; and said, Behold, I am he whom ye seek: what is the cause wherefore ye are come? …” (Acts 10:21-48).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

Having seen the vision, Peter went down and went with the men sent by Cornelius and came to his house where he had gathered many friends and family (Acts 10:21-24). Cornelius greeted Peter with great honor, but falling down at his feet in worship was not appropriate because as Peter insisted, he was a mere man (Acts 10:25-26). As they talked, Peter explained that it was not lawful for Jews to have close fellowship with Gentiles, but God had revealed to him not to call any man common or unclean – so he asked the purpose for his summons (Acts 10:27-29). Cornelius repeated the story of the vision and said that they had all gathered to hear what God commanded Peter (Acts 10:30-33). 

Peter begins preaching with the declaration that God is no “respecter of persons” and accepts all who fear and obey Him through the peace of Jesus Christ – the Lord of all (Acts 10:34-36). Peter traces the word they have heard from the baptism of John to His crucifixion and resurrection and the commissioning of the apostles as His official witnesses (Acts 10:37-41). They were ordered to declare that Jesus is the judge of the living and the dead, and just as all the prophets had testified, there is remission of sins by faith in Him (Acts 10:42-43). At this, the Holy Spirit came upon them all, causing them to begin speaking in different languages, magnifying God, and Peter called for water that they might be baptized (Acts 10:44-48). 

GOD SPEAKS THROUGH MEN

It’s worth pointing out that God prefers this method of communicating, which if you think about it, seems a lot more complicated and elaborate than we might think is necessary. Why not just have the angel tell Cornelius about Jesus? Instead, we have this lengthy process of visions, messengers, and discussion leading up to the message of the gospel, the gift of the Spirit, and finally, baptism. 

And God often works this way in our lives. The reason is that God delights in the story. He delights in the process, the tension, the time it takes because we learn to see more of His wisdom and power, and we have more to praise Him for. 

THE WORD & THE SPIRIT

While Cornelius misunderstood how to greet Peter, He was not wrong that by Peter’s presence, they were in the presence of God (Acts 10:33). When two or three gather in the name of Jesus, He is with them (Mt. 18:20). When the Word of God is proclaimed, God Himself is speaking (Rom. 10:14, 1 Thess. 2:13). And this is the way of the Spirit. The Spirit is often associated with time and creation: the Spirit hovered over the waters at creation, filled the artisans with wisdom to construct the tabernacle, and is given to believers to know God, know themselves, and know what they should do – so that they may grow in holiness. While God is free to give His Spirit as He pleases, the sword of the Spirit is the Word of God (Heb. 4:12). God delights in the process of reading, hearing, singing, preaching, and discussing His Word, and it is by that process that the Spirit falls.   

What does our land need? It desperately needs the Word of God, the word of peace to interrupt our spell, our curse, and turn us back to the living God. But the glorious thing is that it is right here – it’s right in front of us, if we only we listen, believe, and obey. 

CONCLUSION: ORDAINED JUDGE & REDEEMER

For Jesus to be the Judge of the Living and the Dead is for Him to be Lord of all time (Acts 10:42, Rev. 1:11). He is Lord of history. All of history answers to Him. But this means that we have an access point outside of History to change history. We are not trapped in the machinery of history, or at the mercy of the machinations of evil men or even our own past sin. Jesus is Lord over all. 

On the one hand, if there is a Judge over all, then there will be justice for all, and that justice will apply to us as well. But if there is a Judge who has access to the past, there is a possibility of mercy in the present. In fact, there is more than a possibility. The Judge Himself was crucified in the most cruel and cursed way by wicked men, and God raised Him from the dead, so that through His name, all who believe in Him may have their sins forgiven (Acts 10:39-40). And notice that: what men did in history, God overturned in history. 

And so this is the message for all men, all nations: You cannot have this redemption apart from this Judge. But if you come before the Judge in true humility, you will see the scars in His hands and you will hear the glorious words: completely forgiven. This is true for every individual, every family, every city. This is true for every nation, even ours: Come to the Judge and be forgiven. 

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Brothers and Business Deals (Workbench of Practical Christianity)

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INTRODUCTION

By the grace of God, we live in an industrious community of Christians, and it has to be said that this has had a very predictable result. We are also a community that contains more than its share of well-to-do believers. This presents dangers, and temptations, and opportunities.  

As I am fond of saying, “You can’t keep money from doing what money always does.” What was once said of the Puritans who came to New England? It was said that they came to do good, and ended up doing well. Jeshurun waxed fat and kicked (Dt. 32:15). Cotton Mather once said that faithfulness begat prosperity and the daughter devoured the mother. Beware, when you have eaten and are full, and have built goodly houses, and your gold is multiplied, that your “heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God” (Dt. 8:10-14).

THE TEXT

“And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables? The sower soweth the word. And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended. And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, and the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred” (Mark 4:13–20). 

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

This passage is the Lord’s application of His parable of the sower. He begins by saying that an understanding of this parable is the master key to an understanding of all His parables (v. 13). The seed that the sower casts is the Word of life (v. 14). Some of the seed falls on the path or sidewalk, and so Satan has no trouble whisking it away immediately (v. 15). Their hearts were the sidewalk. Then there was the stony ground. Because of the rocks the soil was shallow, but there was shallow soil there. They sprouted immediately, gladly, but only because the soil was so shallow (v. 16). But because they can have no deep root, they fall away promptly in any difficulty (v. 17). And then comes the warning that I want to emphasize this morning. Some seed is sown among the thorns (v. 18), and those thorns are defined as cares, lies, and lusts (v. 19). These choke the Word, rendering it unfruitful. Then there is the good soil, returning a harvest of thirty, sixty, and a hundred-fold (v. 20).    

HOW ANXIETY PRESENTS ITSELF

The Lord is teaching us about the sowing of the gospel and the life-and-death responses that are exhibited by different kinds of soil. He is talking about salvation or the lack of it, and as we meditate on the parable, we do recognize this. But I am preaching to Christians, which means this is a message to the good soil. That good soil produces differing amounts of grain—thirty, sixty, and a hundred-fold. We make a serious mistake if we glibly assume that the things that interfere with the salvation of unbelievers can have no effect on our sanctification. We too can deal with hardened soil, stones in the soil, and with thorns. As we reflect on this, make all the necessary adjustments.

With that said, we are going to consider how “the cares of this world” present themselves to us, as responsible Christian adults. And that is it. They present themselves as “taking responsibility.” Anxiety and worry can clean up real nice, and knock on the door of your heart, wanting to know if you have adequate insurance coverage. He is a representative agent for Carking Cares Mutual.   

DOING BUSINESS WITH BROTHERS

Because God is blessing us in this place, under these circumstances, in this community, I must exhort you to remember certain things. As your pastor, I have seen many business deals between brothers go south. And the more our community is blessed, the more it will create opportunities for this kind of thing to happen. So here are some principles that financial opportunities and pressures (e.g. “cares” straight out of the parable) will make you want to forget.

  • Write it down: Regeneration does not make anyone’s memory perfect, least of all yours. “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith” (Romans 12:3). 
  • Abide by what you wrote down: It is amazing what financial pressure can do to one’s hermeneutical abilities. A righteous man swears to his own hurt, and does not change (Ps. 15:4). As Upton Sinclair once put it, “It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it.”
  • Don’t play to the gallery: Our community is big enough now that it will always contain a number of tenderhearted Christians, ready to take up the side of whoever the “poor buddy” is. This is in violation of the Scriptures, but it still happens. “Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour” (Leviticus 19:15). 
  • Distinguish best practices from pagan best practices: Certain business practices really are best practices in a common grace sort of way. But other things are just imported from the world, with the smell of worldliness all over them. It is never lawful to sue a brother before unbelievers (1 Cor. 6:1-8), for example.
  • Don’t change your story: “‘It is good for nothing,’ cries the buyer; But when he has gone his way, then he boasts” (Proverbs 20:14).
  • Don’t abuse the ichthus fish symbol: The Golden Rule is “do unto others” (Matt. 7:12), and is not “hope that others would do unto you.” When you see that little fish sign in the window, does it make you want to hope that he gives a little discount to you because you are a brother? Or does it make you want to add 10% to the invoice because he is a brother?     

CHRIST IN THE MARKETPLACE

If Christ is in you, and if you are in Christ, then one of the best places where this can be displayed is in the marketplace. This is the place where hard work, honestly and competently done, cheerfully approached and without complaining, for the price quoted, and no funny business, provides a stark contrast to the world, and also sadly, to much of the Christian world. In such a circumstance, Christ shines brightly. 

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Honesty, Cheating, & Lies (Workbench of Practical Christianity) (King’s Cross)

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INTRODUCTION

Satan is the “father of lies,” and this why those under his sway speak lies and murder with their words and deeds (Jn. 8:44). This is also why Christians are frequently attacked here by the Devil, just like the woman in the Garden in the beginning. The fundamental lie is about the goodness of God and His Word. But if we repudiate that lie, we will hate all other lies and love the truth. 

The Text: “Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members of one another” (Eph. 4:25). 

WSC Q. 77 What is required in the Ninth Commandment? The ninth commandment requireth the maintaining and promoting of truth between man and man, and of our own and our neighbors’ good name, especially in witness-bearing.

WSC Q. 78 What is forbidden in the ninth commandment? The ninth commandment forbiddeth whatsoever is prejudicial to truth, or injurious to our own or our neighbor’s good name. 

Heidelberg. Q 112 What is required in the ninth commandment? That I do not bear false witness against anyone, twist anyone’s words, be a gossip or a slanderer, or condemn anyone lightly without a hearing. Rather I am required to avoid, under penalty of God’s wrath, all lying and deceit as the works of the devil himself. In judicial and all other matters I am to love the truth, and to speak and confess it honestly. Indeed, insofar as I am able, I am to defend and promote my neighbor’s good name.

INTENTIONS & CONTEXT MATTERS

Whenever we come to this subject there are Christians with overly tender consciences tempted to think that if they told someone it was raining outside one time (because they thought it was) and then they went outside and it wasn’t, they’ve lied. But we really do need to make distinctions between lying and being mistaken (which we should be ready and willing to correct as necessary), as well as the difference between intending to deceive (lying) and intending to give the necessary information. Related, context and relationships matter: you do not owe strangers the same amount of information as you do your parents or spouse. “A prudent man conceals knowledge, but the heart of fools proclaims folly” (Prov. 12:23). Your conscience should not ordinarily be troubled if you did not read all of the fine print of the user agreement, and you clicked “I have read and understand…” The intentions of everyone involved is to communicate that you are liable for certain standards, and you understand that. 

CHEATING

Cheating is actually a form of stealing and lying. In school settings, you are passing yourself or your work off as an accurate representation. But if you copied the answers from an answer key, looked over a classmate’s shoulder, or told your teacher you finished the reading that you didn’t really finish, then you are lying and attempting to get credit, praise, and promotion that you don’t deserve. In work settings, cheating may consist of lying about your work or work hours, or you may lie by breaking your word, your contracts, or your promises. There are many warnings in Scripture about making vows/promises, and here we should be particularly careful about promising to do things that we really aren’t sure we can fulfill, including to our own family. The righteous man “swears to his own hurt and does not change” (Ps. 15:4). 

FLATTERY VS. ETIQUETTE

Sometimes empty promises are a form of flattery, which is another form of lying and cheating. It is attempting to win respect/friendship through false complements, empty promises, or ignoring real problems. Speaking the truth to one another, as members of one another, means that we must love our neighbor as ourselves, not using others for what they can do for you. And here, we should make a distinction between good etiquette and flattery. Thanking someone for dinner need not mean it was your favorite meal ever, and again, it is kindness not to say everything that comes into your head and love covers a multitude of sins (1 Pet. 4:8). But this must not be an excuse for not addressing sin or addressing weakness or ignorance (Gal. 6:1). 

RASH JUDGEMENTS/GOSSIP/SLANDER

While the ninth commandment certainly applies to judicial situations, this also includes the court of public opinion. The Bible teaches that a good name is worth more than great riches (Prov. 22:1), and the duty of honesty requires the protection of our own name as well as the good name and reputation of our neighbors. This means we must be very reluctant to receive negative reports about our neighbors’ marriage, parents, kids, business dealings, or even those of our enemies. Of course this does not prohibit seeking help from those who can actually provide it, and this does not prohibit giving feedback on public matters like quality of work. 

SELF-ACCUSATION

Thomas Vincent points out that the prohibition against lying includes to and about ourselves: “in accusing ourselves in that wherein we are not guilty, and denying the gifts and graces which God hath given us, endeavoring to lessen our esteem, that thereby we might be numbered amongst those from whom we are through grace redeemed.” This also includes “unnecessary and imprudent discovery of all real infirmities, unto the scorn of the wicked and ungodly.”

Satan is the father of lies and the accuser, and he loves to accuse sinners with real and false accusations. The answer to every accusation is the cross of Christ, whereby we have been crucified with Christ and all of our sins completely paid for (Gal. 2:20). We must not listen to or give any credence to lies that say otherwise. If God says you are forgiven, and you have confessed to anyone you have sinned against, then do not give lies the time of day. 

CONCLUSION: HONESTY & AUTHORITY/TESTIMONY

Jesus Christ is the authoritative Truth made flesh. He is the true Word of God, and by His death and resurrection, He has been given the name that is above every name. In Him, we have that honest name and therefore, our good name reflects His good name. We should want our reputations in the community to be something like “honest as a kirker.”

If Christians have lost a great deal of authority in our modern world, we should look nowhere else but here: we rejected God’s true and authoritative word for many lies, and in turn, we have told and embraced many lies. But God’s Word is the truth (Jn. 17:17), and that truth sets us free.

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Honoring God in Personal Finances 
(Workbench of Practical Christianity)

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INTRODUCTION

Martin Luther once said that a man needs to be converted twice. The first conversion is that of his heart, and the second one is of his wallet. What we are going to be addressing here is the nature of that wallet conversion. How should we go about honoring God in our personal financial dealings?

THE TEXT

“And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south. And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold” (Genesis 13:1–2). 

“And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living” (Mark 12:42–44). 

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

Abraham was the friend of God (Jas. 2:23), and he is the father of all the faithful down through history (Gal. 3:29). He serves as our exemplar in faith (Heb. 11:8), and, as we see in our text, he was very, very rich (Gen. 13:1-2). Despite all of his wealth, he knew how to look for a deeper inheritance (Heb. 11:10), and he sets an example for us in this as well.

But we also have examples from the other end of the spectrum as well. The apostle Paul points out that the saints in Macedonia combined great affliction, deep poverty, and profound joy in order to achieve staggering generosity (2 Cor. 8:2). And in our text, the Lord Jesus sets before us the example of a nameless widow who, measured by the percentages, gave more than all the wealthy tithers. 

And so we see that money matters, and it matters a lot. But it is not a lot of money that matters, unless that is what you have on your mind. What matters is that God has a lot of your heart, as indicated by money. You are the one with the temperature. Money is just the thermometer. 

A NEW COVENANT TITHE

A common assumption that many Christians make is that the tithe was an Old Testament ceremonial thing, somehow fulfilled in Christ, and so our job is to give as “the Spirit moves,” meaning somewhere in the neighborhood of two percent. 

But there is a passage in the New Testament that opens up all the wonderful promises of the Old Testament for us. And here it is:

“Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar? Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:13–14). 

The passage in context is talking about how the ministry of the Christian church is to be funded. Paul brings up how the Old Testament Levites and priests were supported, which was by the tithe. He then says “even so, in the same way, likewise” the Lord has ordained the funding of New Testament ministry. The ministry in the Old Testament was funded by the tithe, and this is how the New Testament ministry should be funded—exactly the same way.

But this is not God running low on funds, and needing to put the squeeze on His people. 

“If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: For the world is mine, and the fulness thereof” (Psalm 50:12).

No. Rather, this is an invitation from God to learn how He has determined to bless His people.  

“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it” (Malachi 3:10). 

THE MEANING OF TRIBUTE

Just as sabbath observance is a recognition that God is the Lord of time and history, so it is with the tithe. Observing one day out of seven is our recognition that all seven belong to Him. Giving a tithe your increase is a tangible way of acknowledging all your resources belong to Him, and that you are managing the remaining 90% as a responsible steward.

So you bring your tithes as the Lord’s financial training wheels for you, and this teaches you how to be responsible with your offerings (voluntary gifts) and with your management of the remaining resources that you retain. In all of this you should remember the exhortation of John Wesley: “Earn all you can. Save all you can. Give all you can.” 

WHAT THE PRIORITIES SHOULD LOOK LIKE

You honor God’s sovereign authority through the tithe. You demonstrate your love for Him through your offerings. You make sure that you fulfill your basic responsibilities by feeding your family (1 Tim. 5:8). You live out your love for others by lending a hand where needed (1 John 3:17). And all of this blends together in one harmonious picture that Paul describes for us.

“Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life” (1 Timothy 6:17–19). 

MORE PRECIOUS THAN GOLD

You have been redeemed from the slave market of sin. You have been forgiven for all your idolatries, and this includes the idolatry of wealth. Greed is idolatry (Col. 3:5). Covetousness is idolatry (Eph. 5:5). The pride of life is idolatry (1 John 2:16). This means that whatever precious things you may possess—whether in money, or heirlooms, or rare collectibles—you should first make sure that your faith is more precious to you than all of that. 

“That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:7).

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