One Lord
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
<<PRAY>> <<READ 4:1-6>>
Review
Unity - a gift & a goal (bike, toolbox)
I mentioned the gift of the bike, but also the fact that I had to put it together myself. But that was part of the gift, because my dad knew it would give me joy
Unity is a gift - all genuine Christians are united in the most significant way, because we belong to the One LORD Jesus Christ. But we’re also called to eagerly maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. To open the toolbox and assemble the gift in the context of the local Church.
NOTICE vv4-6 <<point>> - Repetition of ONE - 7x in vv 4-6. Chs 1-3 set forth the foundation of Christian unity - what Christ has done.
Verse 5 begins, “One Lord.” It’s a statement of faith in Jesus, but it’s also a proclamation of victory. Victory over every power, ruler, or tyrant that would claim our allegiance.
1 Sam 5-6 - the Ark in Dagon’s house in Ashdod of the Philistines
BULLET POINTS
Today, idols stand in the temples of false religions. But they also stand in churches bearing the Name of Christ. We are swimming in an idolatrous culture. Just like the Israelites in 1 Samuel 5, and just like the Ephesian Christians.
DEFINITION OF AN IDOL
One of the most common Old Testament words for idol is derived from the idea of emptiness and worthlessness. It cannot help you, it cannot deliver on its supposed promises.
5 Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field, and they cannot speak; they have to be carried, for they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, neither is it in them to do good.”
Anything other than the LORD, that we turn away from the LORD to serve.
Dan and Ashlie Clark: What am I willing to sin in order to get? What is there in my life, that I would sin if I lost it?
An idol can be a physical object, but doesn’t have to be.
Covetousness is idolatry, Paul said in Colossians 3:5 & Eph 5:5. Coveting is simply turning your heart into a temple for the thing you covet. In the Ten Commandments, God specified that we must not covet our neighbor’s spouse, house, property, or anything else that belongs to our neighbor.
So: Have I turned my heart into a temple for something other than God?
What about your own house? Your career? Is your heart a shrine to your own comfort?
If those questions have you saying, “Wait a minute - if that makes something an idol, then I have idols!” then you’re right. Part of the hard, painful truth of our calling to serve ONE LORD is that every one of us has to keep uprooting new idols in our hearts. Theologian John Calvin said “man’s heart is a perpetual factory of idols.”
Artemis of Ephesians wasn’t just a statue of a false goddess; she was a cultural and political symbol. When word of Christianity came to the Roman authorities, they instituted a simple test to single out faithful Christians for persecution - the magistrate would produce a simple portrait of the Emperor and tell the Christian, “light a candle and give worship to the Emperor." They were commanded to bow to another lord, just to be good citizens.
But there is only one Lord.
A Christian first and foremost is called to seek the Kingdom of God over the kingdoms, or anarchies, or republics of men. In Ephesians 1, Paul says that because Jesus was raised from the dead and seated at the right hand of the Father, He is now far above all rule and authority.
He is seated far above the powers that fight in our nation today. Right now, you, Christian, must look at every other name, every authority, every political party, every movement, every cause, and say to yourself, “This is under Christ’s feet. Jesus is LORD over all.”
Coveting idolizes the thing you covet, serving it instead of God
If you sit back and start naming potential idols in your life, you’re unlikely to exhaust the list. Just like men and women have been carving gods out of stone and wood since they left Eden, we’ve been shaping them in our own images since then, too.
But there is only one LORD, and we must serve Him only. This is absolutely central to our UNITY. So if we’re going to be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, we’ve got to pull out the toolbox and figure out:
How do we dismantle idolatry and raise up Christ as our only LORD together?
From this simple phrase: “ONE LORD,” we can learn 2 biblical truths and 2 practical tools.
I. Truth #1: Jesus Christ is LORD
I. Truth #1: Jesus Christ is LORD
Here in Ephesians 4:5, the English word “Lord” translates a Greek word, κυριος.
This is the way the New Testament refers to the covenant Name of God in the Old Testament. The Gospels quote from the Old Testament as the word of the Lord. The Temple is the Temple of the Lord.
When John the Baptist began his ministry, Matthew 3:3 says that this was a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy:
3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’ ”
And if you look up the quote, you’ll find:
3 A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
LORD in small caps, YHWH. The Name that God tells Moses when he asks who he should say sent him to Pharaoh - “I AM THAT I AM.”
This is the NAME that we are not to take in vain. When David slew Goliath, he said “you come to me with sword and shield and spear, but I come in the NAME of the LORD of hosts.”
In Ephesians 1 and in Philippians 2, Paul says that Jesus has been exalted to the highest place, and given the name that is above every name.
In Psalm 138:1-2 and Psalm 148:13, it is the Name YHWH, the LORD, that is exalted above all names.
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his majesty is above earth and heaven.
4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
And the New Testament takes up texts like these - where the LORD is YHWH, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and says that Jesus fulfills them.
When we say that Jesus Christ is LORD, we are declaring that He is the Eternal Son of the Father, the Word by whom all things were made. He spoke with Abraham under the tree in Genesis 18 and said “this time next year, Sarah will have a son.” He is the Messiah and the Branch, the One who promised David he would always have a son on the throne, and the One who became flesh and dwelled among us as David’s LORD and David’s son, and now sits on the throne as He awaits the day He will return to judge the living and the dead.
Jesus is the One to whom all praise, honor, and worship are owed. The title “LORD” is well-fitting, because He is over all.
11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”
To say that Jesus Christ is LORD is to proclaim with all the host of heaven that He is worthy of total, enraptured, joyful devotion. No smallest corner of the cosmos is outside His power and authority.
When the Philistines brought the Ark of the Covenant into the house of Dagon, they thought they’d conquered and domesticated Israel’s gods. But the LORD wasn’t in Dagon’s house. Dagon’s house and everything in Ashdod was in the LORD’s house.
The Ark was made to resemble a king’s footstool, to symbolize that the LORD is enthroned in heaven, but set His presence on earth. And in the morning, when the Philistines went in to find Dagon face down on the ground, it was the LORD who had kicked him over in the night.
The LORDSHIP of Jesus is a source of tremendous joy for the Christian, because He is not only exalted above all things, not only victorious over every attempted rival, even death, but He is also GOOD. (PS 136). <<save, heal>>
II. Truth #2: There is no other lord
II. Truth #2: There is no other lord
And this brings us to the second truth: If there Jesus Christ is LORD, then there is no other lord.
When God called Israel out of Egypt, but found themselves facing the Red Sea, the LORD said
4 And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord.” And they did so.
Looking back on the Exodus, in
35 To you it was shown, that you might know that the Lord is God; there is no other besides him.
“I am the LORD, and there is no other” is the theme of Isaiah 45-46.
22 “Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. 23 By myself I have sworn; from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return: ‘To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.’
And in the very first days of the Church, the apostle Peter said:
11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Jesus is LORD, and there is no other. He gives eternal life.
What does this have to do with unity?
Because we have ONE LORD, every time we bow to another, we promote division. And every idol we identify and cast out helps us grow up into the unity of the faith, and helps us grow together as ONE BODY.
And this brings us to the first tool - a way for us to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bonds of peace: <<SPEAK>>
III. Tool #1: Worship (Colossians 3:17)
III. Tool #1: Worship (Colossians 3:17)
Once again, consider the story of the Ark of the Covenant in Ashdod.
After kicking around Dagon, the LORD inflicted plagues on the Philistines, until they finally sent a messenger to Israel, begging Israel to take the Ark back. And in 1 Samuel 7:3, the prophet and judge Samuel said this to the Israelites:
3 And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” 4 So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the Lord only.
Because we have ONE LORD, we are called to total service to Him. Total praise.
This is sort of like a template.
ILLUST: When making lots of cuts w/ a miter saw, rather than grabbing measuring tape for each cut, make sure you get one good cut, and then use it to cut the rest.
The template - who are we serving, and why?
17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
In everything we do as a church, we should ask first: Who are we serving, and why?
When churches start thinking they exist to serve the members, the church dies. When they think they exist to serve seekers, they often balloon at first, but eventually, they die. When a church thinks it exists primarily to serve the community, they lose their saltiness and end up being good for nothing. The church exists to serve the LORD. We love one another because He first loved us. We must serve the community, but we must do so because we are called by Jesus to do so, and we must do so for His purposes.
The template of total service to ONE LORD helps us identify idols in the Church and in ourselves. Helps us make Christ-honoring decisions, but it also helps us notice when things aren’t how they should be.
When you start to think the church ought to do this or that,
Why do I want this? Why do I insist on this?
Why do I love this? Or hate it? Why don’t I want to hear about this?
Is it because I’m walking in love as Christ loved us, or is it for some other reason?
Many divisions and painful church splits begin because no one stops and asks, “Who are we serving, and why?”
We have one LORD, and He is the One who sets the purpose and mission of the Church, and He’s called us to do something very similar to what He did in the house of Dagon. This brings us to another TOOL to increase our joy and maintain our unity: <<READ>>
IV. Tool #2: The Word (2 Cor 10:4-6)
IV. Tool #2: The Word (2 Cor 10:4-6)
Before entering the Promised Land:
5 But thus shall you deal with them: you shall break down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and chop down their Asherim and burn their carved images with fire.
Joshua 11 - Hazor (no other people would have destroyed the idols. would have done like the Philistines & put the idols in their own gods’ temples).
But we’re called:
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.
Our unity in Christ is often attacked by high-sounding words. The servants of idols argue against the knowledge of God, so how can we destroy their strongholds? The divine power we must use is the Scripture.
We have to wield the Word like our LORD, in service to our LORD.
Turn right now back to Ephesians 2, and we’re going to wield this idol-smashing hammer together.
<<READ 2:11-22>>
What does this text have to say to our church today?
Is there room in this community for hostility?
“Gentiles/circumcision” - is there room in the One Body of Christ for racism?
Racism is an anti-Gospel, anti-Christian idolatry. The idol is yourself. The blood of Jesus was poured out to purchase men and women from every tribe, and tongue, and nation. You and I are one Body.
So how do we take every thought captive to obey Christ? I bet there are people in this very room who need that idol smashed. And we do it together. Instead of canceling each other, we call one another to kneel together in allegiance to One LORD.
That’s only one whack at the idol of race. Obviously, there’s much more to be said. Our starting point here is that we’ve got to take up the idol-smashing Word together. This is a weapon for an army on the march.
Let’s take a whack at a couple more idols. How about covetousness? Turn to Ephesians 5. <<READ 1-5>>
Remember the first tool - worship. What has taken up residence in your heart and turned it into a temple? For some of you, especially the YouTube generation, fame sits there in your heart, demanding you seek it instead of the Kingdom of God. You covet what you see on Instagram. How can we smash that idol and cast it out together?
What about leisure? How much of your time, your mind, your thoughts, are shaped more by the worldly, sinful things on this <<HOLD UP PHONE>> than the thoughts, attitudes, and priorities in this?
Should we fill and shape our minds with immoral things?
Pick up your idol-smashing weapon and <<read 11-12>>
We should walk in love. We should refuse to take part in unfruitful works of darkness. What’s the most immoral thing you fill your mind with? Look at verse 15: <<read 15-20>>
Do you notice v19 says “addressing one another”? The Spirit-given hammer to smash the idol of immorality is reading, singing, and studying God’s Word with others in submission to the One Lord.
Our calling to one Lord - 2 Cor 10:4-6, taking every thought captive to obey Christ - requires the Holy Spirit’s work through His Word. Remember the Lord’s Prayer -
“Your will be done” - Jesus prayed same prayer in Gethsemane - when you identify that idol, stop what you’re doing and pray. “Lord, this is an idol. But you are my only LORD. I cast it out in your NAME, help me to serve you alone. Kick it over like you did to Dagon.”
Do you see how this works? Ask: Who are we serving, and why? Identify the idol, and then open the Word in submission to the LORD with other believers.
What’s taken up residence in your heart and demanded worship?
Ambition? Music preferences in the church? Wealth? Your family? Your reputation? Your intellect? Football? Sex?
You’ll notice that most but not all idols are good things that get turned into gods.
But we have only ONE Lord, so serve Him only. Hold up His Word together & cast out the pretenders.
Not only will we grow in unity in Christ, we will grow in joy.
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