Does Easter Effect My Day To Day?
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Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a great privilege to once again share the Word of God with the saints of Durbin Memorial Baptist Church.
We live in a very entertaining time. Every where we go, everywhere we look, we are bombarded with a host of entertaining diversions. From the TVs above our mantles to the phones we keep in our pockets, we have 24/7 access to entertainment and amusement.
There is nothing inherently wrong with being entertained. From the writings of the New Testament, we know that the apostle Paul had at least some experience with contemporary poetry, athletics, and theatre. The Old Testament is full of feasts and celebrations. Through the Psalms you can see great enjoyment through observing God’s creation. We see singing, laughing, even (don’t hate me here, baptists) DANCING! Through the pages of Scripture.
Believe it or not, being a part of God’s people, following the Lord faithfully, is not devoid of fun, amusement, or enjoying entertainment.
Enjoying entertainment for the glory of God is observing His creation, being filled with joy and even excitement over the good things He has given us.
In proper proportion, entertainment is a good thing. I myself enjoy movies, going to a ball game, or even *gasp* dancing with my wife and son.
But the whole of our existence cannot be the consumption of entertainment. Entertainment is fun, but it is fleeting. You might be moved by a compelling scene in a movie, but it typically makes very little impact on your day to day life.
When I talk about this in terms of movies or ballgames, we can all agree. But what if I told you that the church has a problem with entertainment. And not even the problem you might expect! Sure, there are many churches that seemingly seek to be entertainment factories, with lights and laser and fog machines. We talked about that a couple of months ago and certainly that is not our intention in our church. But even in the most buttoned up, conservative churches, there is a problem with entertainment.
What I mean is this, if we aren’t careful, we can be captivated by the mystery, excited by the drama, and even caught up in the depths of theology, and then move on without every really doing anything other than a few minutes of reflection.
Last week we celebrated the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. In that sermon I said, “On its own, this is an incredible event, unmatched in all of History! More monumental than landing a man on the moon. On its own the resurrection of Jesus Christ would be a spectacular marvel to ponder upon.” When we think about the mechanics of the Resurrection, it surely is entertaining! Someone has died and raised back to life! There is drama, suspense even in the days before the resurrection.
But the resurrection is not JUST a fascinating event. It is the validation of Jesus’ Kingship. It is the catalyst of the early church. It is the foundation of our faith. Because Christ lives, we see that He is worthy to be followed. Because Christ lives, we know we can be freed from the penalty of our sins. Because Christ lives, we recognize Him as the Lord He is and follow His commands.
When we gather together as a church to walk through the truths of Scripture, we are not seeking to be solely entertained, but to be transformed by the renewal of our minds, discerning the will of God, so that we actually practice what we preach!
Even the most conservative church becomes nothing more than an entertainment vessel when the implications of sermon are left in the pews when the congregation leaves.
This sermon has been entitled, “Does Easter Effect my day to day?” And I hope that we find the answer to that question is a resounding, “Yes!”
Church, it’s time to stop being being entertained by the ideas of church and begin living out the truth of Scripture in every day life.
Turn with me, if you would to 1 Timothy 6. Today we will be finishing out this letter from the Apostle Paul to Elder Timothy. We will be confronted with glorious truths of Scripture that have direct implications on the way we handle ourselves in the world. The beauty and glory of God and His Word has a direct effect on our practice, both in the church and in the world. Today we will be seeing the beautiful connection between the truth and Scripture and putting it into practice. Begin with me in verse 11.
11 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
I love watching videos of guys making tables out of reclaimed wood and epoxy. They go through every step from picking out the wood, to placing it in a frame, mixing colors into the resin, pouring the resin in, letting it cure, running it through the planer, then finally sanding the table. In a 60 second video, you see the whole process. I’ve probably watched 500 or more different videos capturing the process of making wood and resin tables.
For me, those videos are just entertainment. I might have seen a lot, but you wouldn’t want to come to me to get a new coffee table. I enjoy the artistry, but I’ve never done any of it. I don’t have the skills, materials, or equipment to put together a table.
Many people treat the church and the truth of Scripture like I do those videos. They appreciate what is being done, but they don’t feel skilled or equipped enough to actually do any of the things they hear talked about. But dear Christian hearing this message today, if you do not feel skilled to live out the commands of Christ, it is likely that you have not spent enough time actually practicing because I can assure you that you have been equipped to do so. When our faith is in Jesus, the Holy Spirit indwells us. The Holy Spirit enabled you to understand the truth of Christ’s sacrifice for your sin and stays with you to guide you in cultivating Christian Character, comforting you in sorrow, gifting you to serve God through His church. The Holy Spirit seals you unto the day of final redemption. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service. You may not yet be skilled, but you have certainly been equipped!
That means when we come across imperatives in Scripture, imperatives are commands—the action words, we don’t have to view them as simply interesting ideas or standards that we could never possibly meet. It means that when we see a call to action in Scripture, our response should be to pray, “O Lord use your Spirit to produce this in me! Guide me in glorifying you through obedience!”
In the verses we just read through, there are four primary imperatives. Four actions that are given by Paul to Timothy. Timothy isn’t supposed to nod along as he reads the letter and forget it about it on his way to Sunday lunch. He is supposed to listen, pray and apply. He is to flee, pursue, fight, and hold. These are ongoing actions that are to make up the life of Timothy.
Before we get into the specific application of these actions, we need to note that they are rooted in a theological truth. Paul calls Timothy “O Man of God”. Paul using this title probably shocked young timid timothy. This is the only time this phrase is used in the New Testament. It appears about 70 times in the Old Testament, each time referring to a man who was officially speaking for God, like Moses to the Israelites. This title helps us understand that the honor there is in being the elder of the church of the Ephesus and the necessity of preaching God’s Word, and not Timothy’s own personal musings. When someone is proclaiming Scripture, they are speaking God’s Word. It is sticking to the Word of God that makes Timothy a Man of God.
So the Man of God is to apply the four actions laid out in these verses. But as the Elder serves as a model for the rest of the congregation, all of us should be seeking to apply these four actions.
First flee. Flee what? Flee the abuses of the pulpit that we looked at last week. Run from interjecting one’s own opinions above the plain Word of God. Run from quarreling and dissension. Run from using a guise of godliness to gain earthly treasures and run from the love of money.
There are times when we have to look at an illicit situation and say, “My name’s Bennet and I ain’t in it!” And run the other direction! That is what Joseph did when tempted to lay with Potipher’s Wife. He got up out of there. As we progress through these actions, we will see that we also are called to fight, but if temptation is breathing down your neck, your first step is to flee!
I would guess that there are many in us today who are struggling with a particular sin. But instead of fleeing, we sit in it! Or worse we feed it! We read all about avoiding controversy, but we thrive on the drama! We stoke the flames when we should be excusing ourselves from the situation. You may very well need to physically remove yourself from an escalating situation. Maybe you’re struggling with visual and digital lust. You know you shouldn’t but the temptation is too strong, the images too readily available. Have you considered getting rid of your smartphone? Have you considered putting a monitor on your device? I can help you do that! It’s hard to do that because you have to admit your struggle with sin, but it shows strength in your seriousness about fleeing temptation! Putting up safeguards in your life isn’t weak, it’s recognizing your need for sanctification. Church, flee. Run from sin. And Run to what? Look at the next action:
Pursue. Pursue what? Righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness. If you’re familiar with the fruit of the Spirit, you’ll notice some major overlapping here. Sometimes we want to sit around and wait for the Holy Spirit to slap us on the back of the neck before we do anything. But in this command we are told that we are to actively pursue what is right and in accordance with God’s Word. We are to increasingly put more and more faith in God showing affection towards Him and His church. We are to keep-on-keeping-on with patience and humility. We are to keep these ideals at the forefront of our minds and actively seek to show them in word and deed. When is the last time you asked yourself, how can I be more loving to God and others today? It sounds so weird to think about, but that’s because we haven’t made it a priority! Church, may we today set our minds on things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God! Let’s start reviewing and improving, asking ourselves, “Was what I did today godly?” If the answer is yes, praise God for the Holy Spirit’s work in you and continue pursuing these things. If the answer is no, praise God for His grace and continue pursuing these things!
This is part of the third action: Fight. Fight what? The good fight of faith: This is remaining in sound belief and practice in a world full of distraction. We’ve seen throughout this letter that some of parted from the faith. They have made a shipwreck of their faith getting caught up in foolishness contrary to the gospel. Fighting for faith is fighting against the winds and deceptions of outside forces and remaining close to God’s Word. Our faith is the same faith that has been once for all delivered to the saints. We don’t have to be contentious, but we must fight for the faith. We hold fast to God’s Word and seek to add or take away nothing from it!
This effort is aided by the final action in this section: Take hold. Hold on to what? Eternal life. Now, don’t get this wrong, this doesn’t mean that we can let go and lose our eternal life, our salvation. Rather, this is saying fixate and cling to the reality that you were once dead in your sins, but Christ has made you alive through faith in Him! One pastor wrote: “We are to grab onto the eternal life that is already ours and ride it for all it’s worth through the ups and downs of following Christ. Eternal life—the knowledge of God the Father and Christ his Son, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the knowledge of sins forgiven, the peace of Christ, the fruits of the Spirit, the joy of service, the love of God—these are things we must grab onto and joyously hold until we arrive in Heaven.”
Holding onto eternal life is keeping this life in its proper perspective, understanding you sacrifice today and feast in glory! We are propelled follow the commands of Scripture because we know of what is to come!
What we have seen thus far is actionable, practical instruction given to the shepherd of the saints at Ephesus and by extension us today. These are not just amusing concepts, they are imperative commands for the faithful follower of Christ.
Next we will be given the glorious, spectacular theology that fuels the action.
13 I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, 14 to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.
Here we see Paul charge Timothy to keep these commands, doctrinal and practical purity in the church, and the commands are supported by 5 wondrous theological truths. These are truths that should cause us to marvel, but we don’t JUST enjoy them. These truths fuel our obedience. We’re going to race through these, so buckle in, enjoy the ride, but don’t forget to marvel at the scenery as we pass through!
The first truth is the Omnipresence of God. That is a big word that simply means God is everywhere. Paul says to Timothy, “In the presence of God.” This is anchoring the charge that he is giving to young Timothy, but it also highlights that God is present in all places of His creation. We must all remember that nothing is hidden from the sight of God. But Paul doesn’t say this to strike fear into Timothy’s soul, rather it is intended to be an encouragement! We should remember that God IS with us! As we pursue righteousness in this life and in whatever role He has given us, we are not alone!
The second truth is that God is the “Life Giver”. Paul writes that God gives life to all things. We can understand this in two levels. From the general sense, God gives life to all things through creation. He is the sustainer of everything in existence. And in a more particular sense, God makes all His people spiritually alive first at the point of conversion. Then because of the Resurrection of Christ we dwelled upon last week, believers are assured that life giver will raise them even physically on the Last Day. This truth about God is given to encourage and strengthen Timothy in his daily faithfulness to God. Even if your opposition takes your very life because of the boldness of your faith, you can be assured that God will raise you from the dead! This theological truth is also supported by verse 16. Our Triune God alone has immortality. John Gill wrote, “Angels are immortal, and so are the souls of men, and so will be the bodies of men after the resurrection; but then neither of these have immortality of themselves, they have it from God; who only has it, of himself, originally, essentially, and inderivatively.” There is no other way to eternal life but by Christ Jesus! He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man comes to the Father but by Him!
The third truth is that Jesus is King! That is the good confession He made before Pontius Pilate. Pilate asked Jesus “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus responded, “It is as you say.” Christ knew such an admission would lead to His death, but that would not change the Reality that Christ is King! He is the Messiah, the Star out of Jacob, the scepter risen out of Israel, promised in Numbers 24. He is the one from Jacob who exercises dominion and conquers sin, death, and His enemies are His footstool. This theological truth motivates Timothy because it reminds Him who he is serving and also Christ serves as a model for bold proclamation even in the face of death. This is supported even further in verse 15 where Paul calls Christ “the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings, and Lord of lords.” Christ is not only the King of the Jews, but the Sovereign over all creation. Christ is King, worthy to be served. Our service to Him ought to be like a bird following an air current, It is the natural and right disposition of Life. When we come to faith and recognize Christ as King, we are not uncovering some new truth, we falling in line with the order of Creation! Whether you recognize it or not, Christ is King. At His name every knee will bow and Tongue will confess He is Lord. Our service to Him now is the right response to seeing His lordship!
The fourth theological truth is that Christ is coming again! Timothy is to keep the commandments well “UNTIL THE APPEARING OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.” We can be rest assured that Christ is coming again! According to a post on Facebook, He’ll be coming back tomorrow! Now I find those sensational posts to be a bit ridiculous when we know that no of us will no the day or hour. But what we do know absolutely know is that at the proper time, whenever God so chooses, Jesus WILL be coming back. The sin left in this world will be no more. God will wipe away this pain, sorrow, and death we see all around us and we will dwell with Him forever. Until that time, we aren’t to use our efforts to try to decipher when that time will be, rather we are to use our efforts to keep the commandments of Scripture, to be free from reproach, to share the gospel, and live faithful lives for the glory of God! God knows when that proper time is, He’s called us to steward our lives in the meantime!
The fifth and final theological truth we will explore in this section, is that God is unapproachable. In verse 16 Paul write, God “dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see.” Paul is using this phrase about light to describe the incomprehensibility of God. Through the study of God’s Word we can begin to have an idea of who God is, but what we absorb is just the tip of the iceberg of His glorious nature. Because we live in a somewhat Christian culture, we have become familiar with the idea of God, but none of us truly have a grasp on the sheer holiness, other-than-ness of God. While He is omnipresent, as we discussed, God is simultaneously and utterly transcendent, above us. Once more the English Baptist Pastor John Gill wrote, “in this present, frail, and mortal state; yea, angels themselves cannot bear the luster of [God’s glory], but cover their faces with their wings; for God is light itself, as well as clothes Himself with light, as with a garment, and its the Father and fountain of lights to all his creatures.” Whatever you think of God, I assure you, He is greater. If you think He is worthy to be served, I assure you He is more worthy than you could ever understand. To Him be glory and honor and eternal dominion. Amen.
These five theological truths are marvelous and captivating ideas. You could spend your whole life dwelling upon the omnipotence of God, the way He gives life, the Kingship of Christ, the second coming of Christ, and the unapproachable glory of God. You would do well to consider these things. But as you do, remember that they are not truth meant to merely entertain your senses or spur your curiosities. They are the realities in which we are encouraged to serve and steward our lives. They are the undercurrent of living our lives for the glory of God. They are why we order our church in accordance with God’s will. They are why we carry ourselves above reproach with our neighbors. They are why we share the gospel with unbelievers. They are why we love the Lord and our neighbors. Theological truth are intended to drive our practical behaviors! If these truth interest you but make no difference on the way you live, then they are nothing more than a source of entertainment. Be assured, the joys of the Christian life extend beyond the great truths and into the day to day joys of following the Lord who is worthy to be served.
We see that play out in more practical application of these theological truths in our next section of our passage this morning.
17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.
When we’re processing and applying the truths of God’s greatness and the eternal blessing He has for His people, this life comes into proper perspective.
In this section Paul tells to Timothy to challenge those who are materially sound to do good unto others, be generous, share, and be ready to enjoy the riches of eternity that await God’s people. I mentioned last week that I’m not here to make you money. That is certainly true. But it is also true that in His divine provision, God will reward us in glory for the things we have done for him in the here and now. Verse 19 says that the people who are generous and doing good, store up treasures for themselves. This is God’s promise to be gracious towards generous givers. I cannot tell you exactly what that will look like in glory. But I know that it will be better than anything I could I put to words. The crazy thing to me is that God is well within His rights as the Sovereign to command our good behaviors, acts, and generosity without giving us anything in return. But in His goodness and grace He rewards us!
As we live our lives for the glory of God, as we apply the truths of Scripture into everyday, practical living we are taking hold of that which is truly life. We are designed to live in accordance with and submission to the will of God. We are designed to direct relationship with God! Go back to the Garden, before the fall of man Adam and Eve had an unmitigated relationship with God. That is what humans are designed for and where we are heading after Christ’s return. Though sin causes us to stumble, it is what we are designed for now as well. We are designed to live out the commands of Scripture in humble and joyful submission to God’s Sovereignty. As we do those things, as we follow Him, we are truly living.
Church, may we not just think about these things, may we do them! May we flee from sin, may we pursue godliness, may we fight for faith and hold fast to the promise of eternal life.
We know in this fallen world there will be challenges and temptations that seek to prevent us from doing so. Paul warns Timothy of that in our final verses this morning:
20 O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,” 21 for by professing it some have swerved from the faith. Grace be with you.
As we wait for the fallenness of sin to fall on the Last Day, we guard our teaching and our practice. We seek to not get caught up in the meanderings and confusions of the world. We know that some have swerved from the faith making it a shipwreck. But by the grace of God, through sincere study and application of the Word of God and the sealing of the Spirit of God with faith in the Son of God, we guard what has been entrusted to us. We order the church in accordance with His Word. We read the Word. We teach the Word. We preach the Word. We LIVE the Word. Knowing that He who began a good work in us will bring it to completion.
We don’t do this on our own. We do this with and by the grace of the unapproachable God. We could never reach to Him, so He reached to us.
It is grace that The Father sent the Son to die for our sins. It is grace that we see our need for a Savior. It is by grace that we come to faith in Christ. It is grace that draws us together as a local body. It is grace that saves us from our sins. It is grace that propels our service. It is grace that rewards us in glory. It is grace.
Do you want to know more about God’s grace? Come forward in this hymn of response. I’d love to tell you about my gracious Savior.
Grace be with you.
Let’s pray.