Christ Church

Lessons for the Limelight (Joint Outdoor Worship Service Part #2)
Grace Sensing on July 21, 2024
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Sexual Decorum in the Home (Biblical Child Discipline in an Age of Therapeutic Goo #8)

Grace Sensing on

INTRODUCTION

In some ways, this message will be like a lesson in firearms safety—one of the basic rules of firearm safety is that you should always treat all guns as if they were always loaded. We are all of us sexual beings, men and women, boys and girls, and as Christian disciples, we need to learn how to conduct ourselves accordingly, with propriety and decorum. 

THE TEXT

“Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren; The elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity” (1 Timothy 5:1–2). 

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

The apostle Paul is instructing Timothy on how to behave in an appropriate and pastoral way in the congregation of the Lord. The standards that apply in a decent household are used by Paul as the template for his instruction. The way we ought to behave in our households provides a pattern for how we should behave in the household of God. When a young pastor has to deal with folly in an older parishioner, he should not rebuke him, but rather entreat him the way you would plead with an aging father (v. 1). Younger men should be treated as brothers (v. 1). Older women should be regarded as mothers in Israel (v. 2). And then Paul comes to the sisters, where he tells Timothy to treat them as sisters. And how should sisters be treated? With all purity, with all holiness, with all comeliness (v. 2). This is necessary because every gun is always loaded.  

ARSONISTS AND FIREMEN

Given the times we find ourselves in, it is necessary for us to consider these things together. But in order for us to do so, I have to deal with a possible distraction first. As many of you know, over the history of our congregation, there have been various sexual scandals and pastoral snarls. And some of them have been kept in the public eye by our enemies for political purposes, over the course of decades. Because of this, some will want to say that we have no right to be talking about this subject at all. But if the protection of the church requires it, we have the obligation to address it.

As we do, just keep a few basic things in mind. Since this church was planted in 1975, the session of Christ Church has consistently acted in a biblical and honorable way with regard to the various situations that have arisen—not perfectly, but honorably. Second, an enormous number of lies have been told about us and it is often the case that the lies cannot be answered without betraying pastoral discretion and confidentiality. And we would rather be lied about than to expose any of you to the wolves. Third, it is clear that many of our critics have no idea what faithful pastors need to do. And last, some of our fiercest enemies are also carrying water for the pornification of America, the perverse grooming of drag queen story hours, and the pending legitimization of pedophiles—a.k.a “minor-attracted persons.” They are like arsonists critiquing the efficiency of fire fighters. While we are always willing to hear criticism, it would not be from the likes of them.       

 FATHER AND BROTHERS

One of the central obligations that the men of a family have is the protection of the household (Gen. 2:15), particularly of the more vulnerable members of that household (1 Pet. 3:7). Now if your first responsibility is the protection of your girls, then this begins with not being someone they need protection from. You are to protect them from snakes, and this begins with not being one.

Daughters and sisters grow up into women, a fact that is obvious to all with eyes in their head. The duty of the men in the house is to protect them by remaining warm, affectionate, and close—but not creepy close. As much as it is made fun of, there is a lot to be said for the Christian side-hug.

Third, you have a responsibility to behave like a gentleman (1 Pet. 3:7), treating the women in your house like ladies. There is a flippant and crass closeness that is also wildly inappropriate—innuendo or casual touching. Your home is not the locker room of your men’s rugby club.    

MOTHERS AND SISTERS

The women have a genuine responsibility in all of this as well. But because of feminist propaganda, we have come to treat those who believe in a woman’s moral agency as people who automatically “blame the victim.” This is ludicrous. Two things can be true at the same time—that thief ought not to have gotten into your car and stolen your wallet, one, and secondly, you shouldn’t have left your wallet on the dashboard with twenty-dollar bills sticking out of it. The thief should be arrested and prosecuted, of course, and all your friends should still call you an idiot. 

So there are two things that women should be prepared to do. One is that of comporting yourself in a chaste and modest fashion (Tit. 2:5). This begins with teaching little girls to “sit like a lady,” and it extends into the teen-age years, when their goal should be to adorn themselves in modesty (1 Tim. 2:9). The apostles of Christ do not call upon the young women to be cool, or fashionable, or “not dorky.” The goal is Christian modesty. The goal is NOT to be “not immodest.” Different things, different attitude altogether. You should not be asking yourself how short your shorts can be before you are definitely in sin, and then have your shorts be a millimeter longer than that.

The second thing that the girls of a household should be taught is the courage to be vocal about anything that makes you uncomfortable. The first level of this is preventative—getting people to back off. Tell your dad that you don’t like your brother coming into your bedroom like that. Tell your mom that you are too old to sit on dad’s lap. The second level is when pastors and/or legal authorities need to be informed and involved. This would be when anything of an explicit sexual nature has occurred. It is not your Christian duty to put up with that, or to make excuses for it, or to pretend that ignoring something is forgiveness. And incidentally, the same thing is true for boys. Do what you need to do, but do not enter into it lightly. You live in a time when false charges are too readily believed (Gen. 39:13-14), and so you should not play into that. But if it needs to be dealt with, then get the help you need to deal with it. 

BUT NEVER FORGET…

A topic like this is necessarily tawdry. But never forget that Christ came into a tawdry world, and He did it in order to suffer and die. And why?

“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:9–11).

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Leaving Vengeance & Loving Justice (Troy)

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INTRODUCTION

For far too long the Christian Church has been passive and apathetic, watching freedom and justice slip away from our land, but how does our Lord’s teaching about enemies and justice apply to us? Whether we are thinking about the way pagans are seeking to destroy our Christian culture, or international conflict in the Middle East or Europe, or interpersonal conflict you may have in your family, what does Jesus mean and how does this teaching apply? 

The Text: “Ye have heard that it hath been said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth’: but I say unto you, that ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.”

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

Jesus quotes from the criminal law of Israel “eye for an eye” (Ex. 21:24, Lev. 24:20, Dt. 19:21), having just recently affirmed the ongoing validity of the law (Mt. 5:17-20), and He says that this criminal justice is not to be applied by individual persons as acts of vengeance. Rather, our personal disposition is to be patient and forbearing (Mt. 5:39). This includes when we are sued and taken to court and the judge allows our goods to plundered (Mt. 5:40). Given the nature of man and the tendency of courts to be corrupted, we should be fully prepared to surrender not only our hats, but also our coats (Mt. 5:40). Likewise, under foreign occupation, you may be compelled and commandeered like slaves, and we should be prepared to go the extra mile (Mt. 5:41). Our personal disposition is to be thoroughly and sacrificially generous to all (Mt. 5:42). 

PRINCIPLES OF JUSTICE

Jesus is not setting aside this central principle of justice that requires magistrates to repay evil equitably. We know this because elsewhere magistrates are still required to uphold justice (Rom. 13:4), God executes justice by “repaying” evil (Rom. 12:19), and Jesus Himself says in the judgment He will repay each person according to what he has done (Mt. 16:27, Rev. 22:12). “Eye for eye” is known as the lex talionis, the law of exact retribution or literally “the law of such a nature.” The lex talionis itself was meant to require careful calculation and prohibit punishments driven by vengeance. When someone takes out your eye, your flesh wants to take off their head. Capital punishment is an example of “life for life,” and restitution for lost, damaged, or stolen goods would be another (Ex. 22:1-4). Zacchaeus honored this principle when he restored four-fold for his tax-thieving (Lk. 19:8). What Jesus prohibits here is using criminal justice as a justification for personal vengeance (Mt. 5:39). While not setting aside true justice, we must be willing to endure mistreatment. 

LEAVE VENGEANCE FOR THE COPS

Paul makes the same point in Romans 12 where he says not to repay any man evil for evil (Rom. 12:17), pursue peace with all men (Rom. 12:18), leave vengeance for the Lord to repay (Rom. 12:19), and do personal good to enemies (Rom. 12:20), overcoming evil with good (Rom. 12:21). Immediately after that, it says that the civil magistrate is the power ordained by God to minister God’s vengeance and wrath on evildoers (Rom. 13:4). This means if you caught a thief breaking and entering, you could call the cops, give him a glass of water while you wait, and then press charges. Likewise, we should note that Jesus does not forbid arguing our case before magistrates (Mt. 5:40), as we see Paul doing elsewhere (cf. Acts 25-26); rather, He forbids us from angrily refusing to be defrauded if the case goes against us (Mt. 5:40). And sometimes it’s better to be defrauded even before the case goes to court (1 Cor. 6:7). 

TYRANNY, SLAVERY, AND FREEDOM

Sometimes living in slavery and under tyranny is necessary, and sometimes rebellion and revolution is worse than slavery (Mt. 17:24-27). But the Bible broadly teaches that the goal of thriving societies is freedom which means using all the gifts and powers God has given us to their greatest potential (Lk. 4:16-19). If we can get our freedom, we should try, but if we can’t, we should live as the Lord’s freemen as much as possible (1 Cor. 7:21-22). Seeking to serve our masters as Christ is not apathy, since we all have a Master in Heaven who judges justly (Eph. 6:5-9, 1 Pet. 2:18-23). Christ submitted to the greatest injustice in history, and God saw and vindicated Him in the resurrection. Patiently doing good invites God’s vindication and blessing, and it puts us in a position to see most clearly what we can do now. The wrath of man does not work the righteousness of God (Js. 1:20). 

APPLICATIONS

The central point is that personal grudges and angst are the origin of all evil tyranny. And you can’t fight fire with fire. Returning evil for evil is not justice but flailing injustice. Grudges and feuds drive every revolutionary mob, and those mobs always end up destroying themselves. 

Nothing here forbids Christians from exercising biblical justice in their assigned offices. Nothing here forbids Christians from practicing self-defense or just war or seeking the preservation and restoration of freedom and property. In fact, what Jesus says assumes the legitimacy of all those things. We are to overcome evil with good. Good what? Good families, good marriages, good hospitality, good business, good art, good churches, good neighborhoods, and good civil governments. The point is that you cannot achieve a truly just and prosperous society with rage and bitterness in your heart. Faithful parents need to practice this all day long (Gal. 6:1).  

All earthly, human justice is at best an approximation. If you demand perfect justice in this world, you will be constantly disappointed and angry. This why the Cross of Jesus Christ is the only fully perfect display of justice in the history of the world. In it the justice of God was displayed from faith to faith (Rom. 1:17). This means it is received by faith and lived out by faith.

The just live by faith, both because we are justified by faith from all of our own sins and that gives us great peace and patience but also because this faith in the justice of God is what allows us to work for true justice in this world now while resting in God’s perfect timing to work it all out. This kind of faith allows us to leave vengeance to the Lord, do good to our enemies, and build something truly better.

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Stay the Course (CCD)

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INTRODUCTION

This brief letter from John shouldn’t be perceived as a loose page of Apostolic records which got stapled into the back of the Bible. It is no afterthought. Rather, the sense which this book of the Bible gives is that of a well loved uncle slipping silver dollars to his nieces & nephews. It is both personal and pastoral in its tone, while its content is simple, succinct, and robust.

THE TEXT

The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth; For the truth’s sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever. Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father. And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it. For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds. Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink: but I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face, that our joy may be full. The children of thy elect sister greet thee. Amen.
2 John

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

John, the aged Apostle, writes to the Elect Lady & her children (v1). This seems to be a personal letter, although a case could be made that he is writing to a specific church and personifies it as a Mother & her children (Cf. Rev. 21:2, 9; Is. 45:1-7, Is. 62:2-5). More likely is that this is a particular woman, who perhaps hosted a church in her home. John greets these saints, expressing his love for them, this love is shared by all who’ve known the truth (v1). The Christian love expressed by John is to be a jewel in the crown of this indwelling and enduring truth (v2). The encouragements and warnings which will follow are set in the context of the Spirit’s work to give to us the grace, mercy, and peace which God sent His Son to procure for us (v3).

John is delighted to encourage this faithful Lady that he has recently met some of her children, and that they were walking in the truth according to the Father’s commandment (v4). This “well done” is followed by a “keep it up.” It is quite clear that John is reminding her of the content of His Gospel & earlier epistle; there’s no new doctrine here, loving one another has been the ethic of God’s people from the beginning (v5). The love which God commands is a love that is loyal to His eternal truth (v6).

Now we come to some warnings. The early church faced no shortage of deceivers, not unlike our own time. While there is a surplus of deceivers, they all have the same boring doctrine in common: Jesus Christ hasn’t come in the flesh (v7). This requires believers to vigilantly “look to yourselves”, in order to not lose the great reward which awaits the faithful (v8). The dividing line in the world is between those who try to hurdle Jesus, and those who abide in Him. Those who abide in Christ’s doctrine have the Father & Son (v9). John’s lengthier first letter stresses how faith in Christ is our certainty of fellowship with the triune God.

This Christian hostess is exhorted to not show hospitality nor even a word of blessing to any such deceivers who seek entry to the body of saints who gathered in her house (vv10-11; Cf. 2 Tim. 3:6,  1 Tim. 5:13). John’s farewell notes that there’s a lot more to be said, but that “face to face” is better (here is a good prooftext for why live-streamed church is less than ideal). Covenant joy between the covenant family is a true glory & joy (vv12-13).

TRUTH & LOVE

Look back at this first section, and see how often we find “truth & love” walking hand in hand. One thing that is made plain is that the love of God is not at odds with the truth of God, and vice versa. Rather, walking in the truth is how we love one another. Living by lies is the quickest way to breed hate & contempt.

Truth is the framing, the love is the furniture. Truth is the bowl, the love is the warm meal it contains. Truth is the skeleton, love is the lifeblood. As Paul teaches, “Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law (Rom. 13:10).” Everything contained in God’s revelation leads us to two duties: loving God & loving our neighbor. But this love is not defined by mere pleasant sensations, but by truth. This is where the modern mantra, “Love is love” becomes a devouring blackhole.

The flip side is also needful. Discernment bloggers may have their five points of Calvinism ironed out, but how do they speak to their wife, how do they give their money to the poor, are their children well loved? Christ came as the incarnation of God’s love for us (1 Jn. 4:9-10), and yet the central glory of His coming was the revelation of grace and truth (Jn. 1:14).

RIVAL CHRISTS

The background of John’s warning is principally the false teaching of Cerinthus. That rascal asserted that “the Christ/divinity” came upon Jesus the man at his baptism, deserting him upon the cross. This falsehood, if embraced, would leave you with an impotent Savior. Jesus would be reduced merely to a good example, not our representative & substitute.

There’s another insidious reality of this sort of false doctrine which we ought not overlook. Denial of Christ’s incarnation is never just a flat denial; rather, it always smuggles in a “Rival Christ”. If a mere man died on a tree, you have no fellowship with God. This leaves you to seek after some other pathway to the divine. Our Lord God, however, has called His church into fellowship with Himself through Christ alone. The Elect Lady has been betrothed to Christ. John wants the early church to cling to this identity as the New Israel of God, and not be seduced by any Rival Christs.

PROGRESSING PAST JESUS

The temptation which John is guarding us against is the temptation to embrace the false doctrine of “Jesus +”. This was clearly a problem in the early church with the various false teachers who were presenting Christ is a good “starting point” but insisting that there was greater illumination & knowledge to be had. Jesus was merely a step along the way, not the central point of it all.

This is still an allure for many professing Christians. They come to Jesus for some reason, but then begin insisting that true flourishing is found beyond Jesus. It’s in this diet. It’s in understanding this secret conspiracy which the world elite have hidden from you. It’s in sexual liberation. It’s in lifting weights, avoiding seed oils, being pronoun inclusive, checking your privilege, and on and on. 

But Jesus is not a static reference point. You can’t treat Him as if he were merely the “you are here” dot on a mall map. He is far too great to be used as a starting point. He will not be confined. He will not be ignored. All attempts to go around Christ the Savior will inevitably still come face to face with Christ the King. 

JESUS ONLY, EVER, ALWAYS

This is what it means to walk in the truth. God lavished His love upon You, in sending us His Son. Thus, Jesus is everything to you. Jesus in your waking and sleeping. Jesus in your work and rest. Jesus, ever, only, always. Don’t let this slip past you, John tells us what awaits those who diligently keep the faith: a full reward. Jesus died in your stead. Rose again by the power of God. By faith, clinging to Him alone, all your days, you receive a full reward. The reward is Christ, and the way to the reward is Christ. 

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A Cascade of Love (Troy)

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Sermon Text – John 15:9-12

INTRODUCTION

When it comes to the subject of love, man has attempted to capture its essence using a variety of arts. The singer songwriter composes a ballad. The Hawaiians dance the hula. The artist paints a couple, enjoying a sunset. The poet writes a sonnet. And there have been plays and movies and concertos and books, all attempting to capture love and communicate its virtues. Now, given that the scriptures teach that God is love, that love is his very nature, that love flows out of Him as the fountainhead of life, christians have a particular artisanal advantage when they want to sculpt or paint or sing about love, because they can define it, “This falls under the category of love, while this falls under the category of hate.” We have a foundation to produce lovely things, because we know what love is. We worship a God who defines what love is by His very nature. He exists, and love, pours out on the human race in a myriad of colors, and shades and hues. God is love.

And so I too, would like to take the brush and paint a picture for you. And do what we humans cannot help but do, and image the invisible God of love through artistic expression, particularly, through the art of preaching. 

THE FLOW OF LOVE FROM THE FATHER TO THE SON

If you are seeking for the perfect picture of a loving relationship, look no further, because there is absolutely no barriers, nothing standing in the way from the Father’s love reaching the heart of his son.  He sends the son, and the son goes. He assigns a mission, and the son accepts without grudge. His disposition is the same as the Father, and they both think that the mission is wonderful. He says, “Have you not read this scripture: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing and it is marvelous in our eyes.’” Jesus says, “For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.”

When Christ took on human flesh and dwelt among us, he kept the law perfectly, including the greatest commandment, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” Jesus was never in a location that He wasn’t supposed to be. He never was doing anything that He wasn’t supposed to be doing. He says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.” 

When it comes to the exchange of love between the Father and the Son, there is no shame involved. There is no instance where one party loves the other party, less or more. They both infinitely love each other perfectly, with no sin.

THE FLOW OF LOVE FROM THE SON TO US

At the end of John’s gospel he says, “Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” So where do we start when talking about the love of Christ? In the story of the prodigal son, the wayward young man, returned of his own volition, convinced of his own folly, recognizing that being his Father’s servant was superior to tending pigs in a foreign land. Jesus uses the story to reveal the hard heart of the nation of Israel during his ministry. 

But I’d like to borrow the characters in Jesus’s parable to draw another analogy. Imagine that the prodigal did not return willingly, but rather was dragged back home. Maybe he got in trouble with the law; he was to be executed. So the authorities took him home to have a discussion with his Father. The father sees a platoon of Roman soldiers in the distance, and his son being led in shackles. It’s been five years since the incident. When his son figuratively ripped out his heart and rebelliously asked for his inheritance early, an unprecedented display of disrespect. An offense that was essentially communicating, “Father, I wish you were dead.” Oh, how the Father wished everyday that the son’s silhouette would break over the horizon in the distance, and he could run to him, and hug him, and forgive him. But the soldiers reach the house, his son hangs his head in shame and the captain says, “This man is to be executed for his crimes. We’ve come to make an offer to you. Your life for his. We will execute you, and we will let him go free. What say you?”

You already know what he would say, don’t you, because he did it for you. You are that man in shackles. It is you who were in rebellion and spit in the face of your father. You wanted things your way, you wanted the inheritance now, so you could squander it and gratify your sinful desires. And you are quite right to stand there, with your head to the ground in shame. But the reason you do not look your Father in the eye, is because his look of love would melt you, as he says to the captain, “I accept, please set him free, kill me, and exonerate him.”

THE FLOW OF LOVE FROM US TO OTHERS

Like an expansive orchard, abundant with ripe fruits, life presents us with an endless harvest of opportunities to love others. It starts in the home, with your own family. It radiates out towards the church body, your neighbors, your co-workers, your friends, and even strangers. The author to the Hebrews reminds us to “not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”

The catechism of the world teaches that you should hate your enemy. And the tactics of this hellish dogma include slander, attack, bearing false witness, stubbornness, and an unwavering moral indignation. The operative word there being “moral”, as it’s only a supposition of morality, a decoy, a stool made of two legs. These are blunt and crude instruments. But the Christian is not afforded any of these. We function and operate under a completely different paradigm of truth, God’s law, and the love of Christ. As such, slander is off limits. Bearing false witness is forbidden. But we are not to see this as a disadvantage. That would be like coveting their stick, when we’re armed with a sword.

CONCLUSION

Having reached the end, keep in mind that our love for the world and for each other, thanks be to God, is not something we have to psych ourselves up for because the power does not originate with us. The cascade of love has the power to split rock, and then shape it over time. The rock conforms to the flow of water, not the other way around. The barriers we once had, that prevented us from loving others, have been washed away. The waters of baptism have cleansed us, freeing us to be channels, and canals, and aqueducts that carry the love of Christ to the ends of the earth. 

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