"When she was just a girl / she expected the world / But it flew away from her reach / And the bullets catch in her teeth / Life goes on, it gets heavy / The wheel breaks the butterfly."– Coldplay “Paradise”
You cannot go against nature Because when you do Go against nature It's part of nature too Our little lives get complicated It's a simple thing Simple as a flower And that's a complicated thing - Love and Rockets “No New Tale To Tell”
“Cosmic systems intertwine / Astral bodies drip like wine Comets shoot across the sky / Can't explain the reasons why / I like to singy singy singy / Like a bird on a wingy wingy wingy." –Madonna “Impressive Instant”
Just one more I promise: Louie Louie, oh no Me gotta go Aye-yi-yi-yi, I said Louie Louie, oh baby Me gotta go - The Kingsmen – Louie Louie
No, I have not started taking some kind of drug that I should not be taking. Those are actual lyrics to popular songs along all kinds of popular genre. What’s scary is that I know some of you were singing along as I read those. You may need to find a good hobby. When they say, “They don’t write ‘em like that anymore” it’s not always a bad thing.
It just proves that nowadays you can have a hit song with words that make no sense at all. But it hasn’t always been that way. I would love to have heard the Psalms written by David and the others being sung in the original language and accompanied by the harps, flutes and other musical instruments that they had.
When we get to heaven, I want David to play some of those old gems and let us all sing along. Won’t that be fun? You know what? Then we can get the band Casting Crowns to play that song we did first this morning, “Glorious Day”. Can you imagine singing along with David to “One day the grave could conceal Him no longer
One day the stone rolled away from the door
Then He arose, over death He had conquered
Now He's ascended, my Lord evermore
Death could not hold Him, the grave could not keep Him
From rising again”?
One day the stone rolled away from the door
Then He arose, over death He had conquered
Now He's ascended, my Lord evermore
Death could not hold Him, the grave could not keep Him
From rising again”?
And while we have lots of Old Testament hymns in the book of Psalmsand we all have our favorite modern music that we enjoy worshiping with, we don’t know a lot about what the first church did for music. We do know some but not much. And if it weren’t for Paul we wouldn’t have much of anything.
We read last week in Colossians 3:16 that we are to sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songswhich I didn’t have time to look at in detail last week. But I will say this that Paul was telling us to use all kinds of music in our worship including using instruments because the word interpreted “psalm” there means a song accompanied by plucking a stringed instrument with your fingers. Sorry Church of Christ friends but I’ll go with what Paul says.
And in our passage today we see an actual excerpt from one of their hymns that the first church would have used in their worship. It was evidently a song they all would have known and while the music is lost forever, the beautiful and powerful words are captured forever in 1 Timothy chapter 3. Paul wrote two letters to his friend and co-worker Timothy who was at this time pastor of the church at Ephesus.
Paul had started this church in his missionary journeys but left Timothy there to deal with the problems that would come up and so later on he wrote a personal letter to Timothy just to let him know what he needed to do. Can you imagine getting a letter in the mail from Paul? Can you imagine Paul sending us a letter to Christ Fellowship telling this church what we needed to be doing? You would pay pretty close attention, wouldn’t you? Well, here it is and it might as well be entitled First and Second Christ Fellowship. So let’s look closer at the beautiful song written in the letter just to us in 1 Timothy 3:14-16.
“Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these instructions so that, 15 if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. 16 Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great:
He appeared in the flesh,
was vindicated by the Spirit,
was seen by angels,
was preached among the nations,
was believed on in the world,
was taken up in glory.”
was vindicated by the Spirit,
was seen by angels,
was preached among the nations,
was believed on in the world,
was taken up in glory.”
I want to start by saying that there is, as usual with Paul, a lot here. And I will not be able to do it justice and couldn’t if I had a month of Sundays but we will be able to discuss some of it more in detail tonight at 6 pm. Some of you that have been around a while know that there is just something special about Sunday nights at Christ Fellowship and there always has been.
But this morning we continue with the 4th installment of our series entitled,“The 3:16’s” as we move through several books of the New Testament looking at the third chapter and 16th verse and supporting verses, in an effort to ensure the focus of this church is always on Jesus. And it is evident that Paul wanted that first church to have their focus on Jesus as well and that Paul knew that a focus on Jesus would change that church and that a Jesus-focused church would change the world. And that is exactly what happened.
What is it about music? What is it that moves and beats and breathes and lives inside of a person? Whether it is Beethoven or Van Halen, music has a way of changing people; their attitudes, their outlooks, their very lives. Without music life would be lacking. Martin Luther said, quote, "The devil takes flight at the sound of music, just as he does at the words of theology, and for this reason the prophets always combined theology and music, the teaching of truth and the chanting of Psalms and hymns. After theology, I give the highest place and greatest honor to music." Unquote.
And when you combine music with theology as Paul has done here then you unleash a force to be reckoned with. You unleash a song about the birth, life, death, burial and resurrection of the most powerful Entity in the universe in just whose name is the power to give life. In fact, if you notice, Paul doesn’t even have to include the name of Jesus and no one would ever mistake it.
Paul says here that the way for people to live and to conduct themselves in church is to focus on Jesus. And he says in verse 16 that it is a mystery. According to my commentaries, the word mystery in the original Greek wasmusterion and it meant something a little different than it does now. It meant something that was revealed to the elect; to the initiated or to the predetermined ones. And for true believers and disciples of Jesus we know
He appeared in a body,
was vindicated by the Spirit,
was seen by angels,
was preached among the nations,
was believed on in the world,
was taken up in glory.
was vindicated by the Spirit,
was seen by angels,
was preached among the nations,
was believed on in the world,
was taken up in glory.
And as believers we know this but it is one thing to know with your head and it is another to have a relationship with the One true God through His Son Jesus and we can have that relationship because He appeared in the flesh. Somebody please explain to me in simple English how that happened, would you please? Explain how God can become man born of a woman; a baby with needs, a child with fears, a teenager with desires and a man who knew no sin. You can’t explain that. It is a mystery that has been revealed to us, though. And we believe. And it is through that belief that we have a relationship with Him.
It says He was vindicated by the Spirit. Vindicate means to corroborate, justify or prove. Jesus was proved to be God by the Spirit in everything He did and everything He said. Even as a child, as it says in Luke 2:47 that, “Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers.” As a man there were many times that He said it didn’t matter what Moses said or what the Law said or what anybody else said, but when Jesus said, “I say unto you…” people knew He spoke with authority and that authority was the very Spirit of God.
It was that same Spirit that came down on Him in the baptismal waters of the Jordan where Matthew 3says, “the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighted on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” InJohn 16:14, Jesus said, “The Spirit will glorify me…” Like a spotlight that is not seen itself but makes known something else, the Spirit’s role is to point to Jesus, to vindicate Jesus and to focus our attention on Jesus. What else did the spirit vindicate? Absolutely nothing. Jesus is unique; the One and Only.
When it says next that He was seen by angels most of us think that was not that big of a deal in the scheme of things. Of course they had seen Him. He was and is and always will be just like God the Father and the Spirit. Jesus existed before the angels were created. Of course they knew Him. But I want you to turn to the last book of the Bible; to Revelation chapter 5 and read with me there what the angels saw.
Revelation 5:1-12 says, “Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” 3 But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. 4 I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. 5 Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”6 Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne.8 And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. 9 And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. 10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.” 11Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. 12 In a loud voice they were saying:
“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!”
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!”
The angels were used to seeing Jesus in Heaven. They were used to the Trinity; the Father, Son and Spirit being One. They saw Jesus on earth. They ministered to Him at times. They were there from His birth until they rolled the stone away from His tomb. But in this passage in Revelation we see the angels see Jesus in a whole new way. Even they didn’t know Who would open the scrolls but you can just see and hear the adoration in their voices. Finally! Finally One Who is worthy! Worthy is the Lamb!
It says He was preached among the nations. He was seen by the angels and preached among the nations. And to us, that’s again no big deal. Lots of things are preached today. To preach just means to proclaim and what are some things proclaimed? Turn on the TV and you will be proclaimed to about everything in the world. Every product is the best and you need it now to make your life complete. Just call this number today.
And while some of that stuff may be good and powerful for lifting dog hair out of the carpet or removing gray from your hair and cleaning the soap scum out of the shower, the real power is in the name of Jesus. Think about it. Romans 10:14 says, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?”
Charles Haddon Spurgeon, known as "the prince of preachers," felt he delivered his sermon so poorly one Sunday that he was ashamed of himself. As he walked away from his church, the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London, he wondered how any good could come from that message. When he arrived home, he dropped to his knees and prayed, "Lord God, You can do something with nothing. Bless that poor sermon."
In the months that followed, 41 people said that they had decided to trust Christ as Savior because of that "weak" message. The following Sunday, to make up for his previous "failure," Spurgeon had prepared a "great" sermon -- but no one responded. http://www.sermonillustrations.com/
Aren’t you glad that it’s not by the power or eloquence or lack of from the preacher that makes a great sermon? I sure am. All God asks is that you preach. He will make it powerful. He will change lives through your words. And He will allow those words to be believed on in the world. And that is the next point. 1 Co. 1:21 says, “God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.” And when Paul says in our passage this morning that Jesus was believed on in the world, it is a multi-faceted mystery or musterion.
It is a mystery that God uses us to preach His Word and His Son and it is a mystery that anyone believes. Our hearts are so hard and we are so proud but think about the crowd that was being preached to in those days. At Pentecost, (Acts 2) Peter preached the Word of God about His Son Jesus. And do you remember what happened? Of all people, Peter! Don’t you know the other apostles winced when ol’ Pete stood up and opened his mouth? What is he going to say this time?
His audience was the very people who had just recently crucified and killed Jesus and now Peter the loud-mouth; Peter the untrained; Peter the fisherman stands up, proclaims what he knows about Jesus and something happens! Peter goes from being all those things to being just Peter the preacher. And not because of anything in him but through the power of the One in Whom he preached, 3,000 people were saved and added to the church. 3000 people believed.
And lastly, we see that Jesus was taken up in glory. He was dead on the cross and buried in a tomb but He rose again just like He said He would. And just like He said in John 14 He has gone to prepare a place for us; for me and for you. He said, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” That’s too much! I can’t comprehend that. It’s too much of a mystery for me to understand. But because He has proven Himself true and He has proven Himself faithful, righteous and holy…I believe Him.
And because I believe Him; because I believe in Him and because I believe everything the Bible says about Jesus my focus has been changed. In fact, my life has been changed. I am a new creation. I am forgiven. I am redeemed. I am a joint heir with Jesus to all the good things heaven has to offer in the next world and so that brings me peace and joy in this world.
What about you? Has your life been changed? Has your attitude changed; your heart; your mouth; your witness; your language? A relationship with Jesus doesn’t make you better. It makes you new. It makes you different, set apart and holy. And if that is not how you act then I would love to talk to you this morning about what it really means to not only believe in Jesus but to believe Jesus. I’m not talking about how often you go to church or how much you give or how many little old ladies you have helped across the street.
Today is the day of salvation and true salvation starts with believing Jesus, repenting and turning away from the ways you have displeased Him and making Him Lord of your whole life with your focus on Him. Because a focus on Jesus will change your life and a Jesus-focused church will change the world.
No comments:
Post a Comment