Christian Living: The Bottom Line

Posted by David on December 5, 1999 under Sermons

The term, “the bottom line,” is a popular way to refer to an accounting concept in business. The “bottom line” reveals if a business is succeeding or failing.

Take the value of all the business’ assets. Add all the outstanding accounts payable (determine how much money is owed to the business). Add the actual income that the business generated. Then, from that total, subtract all the business’ losses. Subtract all the business’ expenses. Subtract all the debts the business cannot collect.

When all expenses and losses are subtracted from all assets and income, you have the “bottom line.” It answers the key question: “Did the business show a profit?” If it did, the business succeeded.

The “bottom line” figure is an extremely important number. Let’s illustrate it in this way. Two small business owners have been in business for three years. They are discussing their businesses. One says, “This was my third year in business, and I did $1,500,000 of business.” The other replies, “That is amazing! I did the same thing! This was my third year in business, and I also did $1,500,000 of business this year!”

Was each business successful? I don’t know. I need more information to answer that question. I need to ask each man, “What was your total expenses?” One says, “My total expenses were $1,250,000.” So he had a profit of $250,000. The “bottom line” says the business was successful. The other says, “My expenses were $1,750,000.” He did $1,500,000 of business, but in the process he lost $250,000. The “bottom line” says the business did not succeed that year.

The “bottom line” declares the strength and success of the business. In business the final analysis is fairly simple: success is determined by profit.

We use the concept of the “bottom line” to figure the success of things other than business.

1. The “bottom line” in Christian living is not measured by material profit.
   1. If we use the “bottom line” concept to evaluate success in Christian living, what is the “bottom line?”
      1. Some declare the “bottom line” in Christian living is “rightness.”
         1. “Rightness” is knowing, accepting, and occupying the “right positions.”
         2. Religiously, if I can prove that I am right, my Christian life is successful.
         3. “Rightness” is proven by giving the right answers to the question, “Where do you stand on…”
      2. Some declare the bottom line in Christian living is correct conformity.
         1. I know the correct religious standards.
         2. I know the correct religious traditions.
         3. I know the correct religious procedures.
         4. I correctly conform to those standards, traditions, and procedures.
         5. I do the church things that I am supposed to do.
         6. I refuse to do incorrect church things.
         7. Because I correctly conform, my Christian life is successful.
         8. Correct conformity is proven by completing the correct check list.
      3. Some declare the “bottom line” in Christian living is proper religious habits.
         1. I have the attendance habit; I come to the church building when I am supposed to be there.
         2. I have the giving habit; I always contribute.
         3. I have the Lord’s Supper habit; I take the Lord’s Supper even if I stay for nothing else.
         4. I have the a cappella singing habit; I worship only where there is a cappella music, even if I never sing.
         5. I have the correct church building habit; I worship only in a building that uses the correct name.
         6. Because I have all the proper religious habits, my Christian life is successful.
         7. Proper religious habits are verified by attending where worship is conducted in the proper manner.
2. It is extremely important to understand and to ask the right question in locating the “bottom line” in Christian living.
   1. In regard to “rightness:”
      1. Is “rightness” a proper spiritual concern? Yes!
      2. Is “rightness” the “bottom line” of success in Christian living? No.
   2. In regard to correct conformity:
      1. Is correct conformity a proper spiritual concern? Yes!
      2. Is correct conformity the “bottom line” of success in Christian living? No.
   3. In regard to proper religious habits:
      1. Is developing the proper spiritual habits a proper spiritual concern? Yes!
      2. Is developing the proper spiritual habits the “bottom line” of success in Christian living? No.
3. Then what is the “bottom line” when we determine success in Christian living?
   1. The answer to that question is much too important.
      1. It must not be determined by human speculation offered by well-meaning Christians.
      2. That answer must come from the Lord.
      3. That answer must be confirmed by the writers of the New Testament.
   2. Let’s permit them to speak for themselves.
      1. First, let’s allow Jesus to speak:
         1. Matthew 7:12 In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets. (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
         2. Matthew 22:37-40 ” ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
         3. John 13:34,35 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
      2. Second, let’s allow the writers in the New Testament to speak:
         1. Paul: 1 Corinthians 13, an entire chapter declares that love is greater than faith and love is greater than hope.
         2. Paul: Romans 13:8 Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
         3. Peter: 1 Peter 1:22 Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
         4. John: 1 John 3:11 For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. 18 Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. 23 This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us. (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
   3. “Aw, David, this love business is way overblown; love is too easy; there are many, many things that are much harder to do than love.”
      1. Really?
         1. That is the reason there is so much neglect, pain, depression, and anger in marriages–there is just too much love, and love is much too easy.
         2. That is the reason that abuse in our homes has reached the level of an epidemic–there is just too much love, and love is much too easy.
         3. That is the reason that so many of our children have so many struggles and problems–they are surrounded by too much love, and love is much too easy.
         4. That is the reason so many marriages end in alienation or divorce–they suffer from too much love, and love was much too easy.
         5. That is the reason there is so much sexual unfaithfulness–there is just too much love, and love is too easy.
         6. That is the reason that so many people had rather live together in fragile relationships than commit to each other in marriage–love is just too easy, and there is too much of it.
         7. That is the reason that people are exploited and suffer from injustices every day–there is too much love and it is much too easy.
         8. That is why is has been so easy for the church to argue, fuss, fight, and treat brothers and sisters in the most ungodly ways you can imagine–there is just too much love, and love is much to easy.
4. Consider with me the popular concept of judgment day.
   1. It is your turn to have your personal conversation with God.
      1. God: “Why do you consider yourself to be a godly Christian?”
      2. You: “Oh, yes, I am without doubt a godly Christian.”
         1. “I never worshipped in a church building without the right name on it.”
         2. “I always came for communion, even if I could not stay.”
         3. “Worship attendance was always important to me.”
         4. “I strongly objected to the use of instrumental music in worship.”
         5. “I always insisted that the congregation follow correct procedures.”
         6. “I always took a strong stand for doing things the traditional way.”
         7. “Bottom line, I always stood for the things that were important to You.”
   2. God asks you some questions:
      1. “Was your marriage nurtured and sustained by love?”
         1. “Well, my marriage wasn’t very good. But I knew how You felt about divorce. We did not work to build love in our marriage, but we didn’t divorce.”
         2. “But remember that I did all the ‘bottom line’ things.”
      2. “Did you show your children love and teach them how to love?”
         1. “Well, I am not sure that I understand what You mean. We tried to give them the things they wanted. We did not want them to be embarrassed among their peers. We gave them all the advantages. I don’t understand why, but they became angry, rebellious, and turned against the church.”
         2. “But remember that I did all the ‘bottom line’ things.
      3. “Did you promote and develop love in the congregation?”
         1. “Well, to tell You the truth, I was never in a loving congregation. I was so busy defending the ‘bottom line’ things that matter to you that I did not have much time to devote to love.”
         2. “But remember, I was strong and unbending for the ‘bottom line’ things.”
      4. “Where did you read in my word that those things were My ‘bottom line’ concerns?”
         1. There is a long silence.
         2. “God, do You mean that love really was the ‘bottom line?'”

I close with a statement made by Jesus. I think that you will understand.

Matthew 23:23,24 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)

This congregation has the opportunity to grow and work as never before in its history. The opportunities before us are incredible. But we can grab those opportunities only if we learn how to love as never before. That love that is God’s “bottom line.” That love is the “bottom line” of successful Christian living.

The Courage To Go Home

Posted by David on under Sermons

I want your minds and your hearts for a few minutes. Begin by focusing and concentrating. Question one: what is the hardest thing you ever did? Teens, what is the hardest thing you ever did? Singles, what is the hardest thing that you ever did? Young marrieds, what is the hardest thing that you ever did? Parents, what is the hardest thing that you ever did? Empty nesters, what is the hardest thing you ever did?

Question two: what is the bravest thing that you ever did? Teens, singles, young marrieds, what is the bravest thing that you ever did? Parents, empty nesters, what is the bravest thing you ever did?

Question three: is there any connection between the hardest thing you ever did and the bravest thing that you ever did?

Again, I call your attention to the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15.

1. There he was starving to death, feeding pigs.
   1. Consider his situation and conditions.
      1. He was homeless and belonged nowhere.
         1. He had no family where he lived–by his own choices and decisions he was in a foreign country.
         2. He deliberately separated himself from his family and his home.
         3. His family had no idea where he was–they could not find him if they tried.
         4. He did not even have enough money to buy food.
      2. He looked like a man who fed pigs; he was dressed like a man who fed pigs; and he smelled like a man who fed pigs.
         1. He was a starving man.
         2. He was so thin you probably could count his ribs.
         3. A person who saw him as he left home would not would not recognize him as the same man.
   2. Then came that horrible moment when “he came to himself.”
      1. He saw himself for what he was.
      2. He saw what he did for what it was.
2. At the moment that he came to himself, he stood at a fork in life’s highway.
   1. One fork was the road to death.
      1. He could stay where he was, and die.
      2. He could continue to do what he was doing, and die.
      3. He could fill himself with the shame, the guilt, and the embarrassment of self-pity, and die.
      4. He could get angry at the world for all his misfortune, and die.
      5. He could punish himself for all his wrong doing, and die.
      6. He could just do nothing, and die.
   2. The other fork was the road of courage.
      1. When he left home he thought that he was being very courageous.
      2. But as he fed the pigs, he learned some hard lessons about courage.
         1. It takes no courage to be:
            1. Selfish.
            2. Greedy.
            3. Controlled by pleasure.
            4. Rebellious.
            5. Angry.
            6. Defiant.
            7. An “impossible person.”
            8. Those require no courage because they do not require that you deal honestly with yourself.
         2. Feeding pigs in a foreign country during an economic depression led to the discovery of true courage.
            1. It takes courage to look your personal failures “in the face” and admit them–not to have a person force you to confess them, but to admit them to yourself when there is no one to talk to but you.
            2. It takes courage to accept responsibility for the mess you made.
            3. It takes courage to take the necessary action to deal with the mess you made.
            4. It takes courage to make a positive, constructive decision and follow through.
   3. If he took the courage road, he had to do some specific things.
      1. First, he had to leave the pigs and get out of the foreign country.
      2. Second, he had to get on the road that went home and return.
      3. Third, he had to admit his failure to his father.
3. The hardest thing this man ever did was also the most courageous thing he ever did: he found the courage to go home.
   1. Think about all the difficulty involved in walking home.
      1. He wanted to admit his mistakes and failure, but he did not know how his confession would be received.
      2. Can you imagine his thoughts as he made that trip?
         1. In my opinion, the closer he got to home, the more afraid he became.
         2. “I know what Dad is going to say. I can hear him now.”
         3. “I know how upset Dad will be when he learns that I wasted all that money.”
         4. “I know how upset Dad will be because of what I did to his reputation.”
         5. “And then there is older brother; oh, how I dread to face and listen to older brother.”
            1. You know the parable.
            2. He had reason to dread older brother.
   2. As he made the trip home, wonder if there were moments when he thought there was no need to complete the trip.
      1. “Dad will reject me.”
      2. “Older brother will run me off.”
      3. “Former friends will shun me.”
      4. “Nobody will be glad to see me back.”
      5. “I will be a constant, living embarrassment to everyone.”
      6. I wonder if there were not moments when he thought, “I had rather die than face my older brother.”
   3. Pay special attention to the fact that without the courage to go home, nothing changed.
      1. For the man to come to himself was good, but if he did nothing, nothing changed.
      2. For the man to realize his failure was good, but if he did nothing, nothing changed.
      3. For the man to accept responsibility for his mistakes was good, but if he did nothing, nothing changed.
      4. For the man to confess to himself that it happened because of his choices and his decisions was good, but if he did nothing, nothing changed.
      5. For the man to be sorry for his decisions, sorry for the pain he caused, sorry for his foolishness and wastefulness was good, but if he did nothing, nothing changed.
4. The hardest thing any of us will ever do is to deal honestly with ourselves, and the most courageous thing any of us will ever do is redirect our lives.
   1. “David, you talk a lot. What is the hardest thing you ever did?”
      1. The hardest thing I ever did involved all these things:
         1. It involved seeing, looking at, and examining the negative forces that controlled me as a person.
         2. It involved admitting my weakness.
         3. It involved rejecting the slavery of my fears.
         4. It involved trusting God to love me and accept me in my imperfection.
         5. It involved redirecting my life and learning to function on the right motives in new ways.
      2. “Did all that involve any courage?”
         1. Oh, yes! Courage I did not even know or understand until I dealt with my own life.
         2. It always takes courage to understand why you are the person you are.
         3. It always takes courage to be honest with yourself about your weakness.
         4. It always takes courage to face your fears.
         5. It always takes courage to trust God’s promises.
         6. It always takes courage to redirect your life.
   2. When the prodigal son “came to himself,” he knew that he was dying.
      1. When he faced the fact that what he had done and was doing was killing him, he had to make a choice.
      2. When he made the choice to redirect his life, he had to act on his choice.
   3. Are you dying?
      1. No, I am not talking about the front, the facade that you wear for everyone to see.
      2. I am not asking if you have your family and friends fooled.
      3. I am not asking if you have the congregation fooled.
      4. I am asking, when you look deep in your heart, when you are truthful and honest with yourself, when it is just you talking to you, are you dying?
      5. Do you have a choice to make?
         1. Are you going to make it?
         2. Are you going to let yourself die?
      6. Will you make your choice and act on it?
         1. What choice? The choice to redirect your life.
         2. What action? Exercise the courage to go home.

[Prayer: Father, help us have the courage to come to ourselves. Help us have the courage to make the godly choice to redirect our lives. Help us have the courage to redirect our lives.]

God wants you in His family. There has never been a time when God did not want you in His family. But it is not enough for God to want you as His son or daughter. You must want to be God’s son or daughter.

Let me be honest with you. There will always be an older brother. Satan will see that the older brother is always there.

But God never stops waiting for you to find the courage to come home, wanting you to find the courage to come home, and watching for you to come home because you found the courage.

Older brother might cause you some stress, but God will heal your soul and give you life.

What Am I Doing Here?

Posted by David on November 28, 1999 under Sermons

I want you to think about something that is impossible as though it were possible. First, suppose that you had one chance to go back in your life. You literally could travel back in time in your own life. But, you could do this only in your own life. Second, suppose that when you went back, you knew everything that you know now. When you went back in your own life, you had all the understanding and wisdom that you have developed from study and experience. Third, when you went back in your life, you could change three things. You could change any decision that you made. You could change any failure to take action. You could change any action that you took.

BUT, you could do these three things only in your own life. You could not go back and change anything in anyone else’s life–not Mom’s, or Dad’s, or your husband’s, or your wife’s, or your children’s life, just in your life. You could change nothing they did, only what you did.

What would you change? I wish I could change some things. There are some things that I would not do. There are things that I would not say. There are people that I would not hurt. There are motives that I would change.

“Why would you make those changes?” I would make most of them because of the understanding I have now that I did not have then.

How about you? Would you change a decision, an act, or a failure to act?

“Who would not! But we cannot do that.” No, we cannot do that, but there is something that we can do. Again, this morning, I call your attention to the Jesus’ parable that we call the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15.

1. You remember the parable.
   1. A younger brother, the youngest of two sons, wanted to leave home.
      1. The parable does not say why, but perhaps he had all he could stand of home, of Dad, and especially of older brother.
         1. In their society, older brother was in control when Dad died.
         2. In their society. older brother received two thirds of the inheritance.
         3. In their society, older brother would make the family decisions.
      2. Perhaps he left because he was sick of religion.
         1. The Jewish religion controlled every aspect of life.
         2. It controlled what you ate.
         3. It dictated what you could and could not do on Saturday.
         4. It controlled everything from your work to your food preparation.
         5. You went to the synagogue every Saturday to listen to scripture read and discussed, to hear rules and laws declared, and to pray.
         6. You went to the temple to offer sacrifices.
         7. You were expected to pray personal prayers three times a day.
         8. There was a rule for everything, and you were to know and keep all the rules.
      3. Perhaps he just wanted to experience life without religion, experience what the New Testament refers to as the “pleasures of sin.”
         1. Maybe he wanted to get drunk.
         2. Maybe he wanted to “run with the bar crowd.”
         3. Maybe he wanted to be sexually irresponsible.
         4. Maybe he wanted to gamble.
         5. Maybe he wanted the high of being the center of attention by blowing money.
   2. The parable does not say why he wanted to leave home; it simply tells us he did.
      1. So he demanded his one third of the inheritance, which meant he likely received it in cash, precious metals, and jewels.
      2. Soon after he got his hands on his inheritance he left home.
         1. Can you picture him leaving home?
         2. He did not need anybody! He certainly did not need his family!
         3. I bet he wore some fine clothes! I bet he was looking good!
      3. He went far away from home and all the influences of home.
         1. He planned to live like he wanted to live with no restraints, no restrictions.
         2. He did not want his family to bother him.
         3. He did not want religion to bother him.
         4. He did not want to be near anyone who knew his family.
         5. He was committed to doing his own thing–“get out of the way, here I come!”
   3. Living the life that he chose was expensive.
      1. As long as he could pay for the party, he had all kinds of friends and he got all kind of attention.
      2. And I have no doubt that he experienced pleasures that he never knew existed. He probably experienced some fantastic highs.
         1. Doing what is wicked and irresponsible can create incredible pleasures.
         2. The pleasures just have terrible consequences.
         3. And the worst consequences, the most painful consequences, the consequences that demand prices that you never dreamed existed are the consequences that occur inside you.
      3. He had neither the time nor the desire to work; he was too busy escaping, too busy having fun.
2. One day he was broke, and at the same time this country he was in entered a severe economic depression.
   1. Immediately, perhaps overnight, his situation totally changed.
      1. Before he had lived in the finest places and was welcome everywhere; now he had no place to stay and was welcome nowhere.
      2. Before he had lots of friends who loved to party with him; now that he had no money and could not afford to party, he had no friends.
      3. Before he never wanted for food and alcohol; now he had nothing to eat and no alcohol to drink.
      4. Before he did not want work and did not need work; now he was desperate; he had to find a job at a time when there was no jobs.
      5. Everyone was struggling; nobody needed another party animal to feed.
   2. He left home to get away from every restraint and influence of home, and he did.
      1. He probably wanted to get away from Dad’s watchfulness, and he did.
      2. He probably wanted to get away from older brother, and he did.
      3. He probably wanted to get away from religion, and he did.
      4. But getting away did not create the result he expected.
         1. The only job he could find was feeding pigs.
         2. He would never feed pigs at home because pigs were forbidden the Jewish people.
         3. He was truly away from God’s influence because Jews could not eat pork.
         4. Necessity forced him to do the unthinkable–feed pigs.
            1. Have you ever been really lonely and really hungry?
            2. He was literally starving, and no one cared; in fact if he died, his death would solve their problem.
            3. Nobody cared enough about this starving man to give him anything.
               1. He wanted to eat what the pigs ate, but it would not keep him alive.
   3. Then, in one of the most insightful statements that Jesus ever made, the man took the first step toward a total change.
      1. Jesus was the master of stating the most profound, insightful understandings in very simple statements.
      2. Jesus said that one day as this starving man was feeding the pigs, that he came to himself (Luke 15:17).
         1. Many translations say, “He came to his senses.”
         2. What a horrible moment of realization!
         3. In that moment he actually understood what he had done.
         4. In that moment he actually understood where he was and why he was there.
         5. In that moment he realized it was not Dad’s fault, it was not older brother’s fault, it was not religion’s fault, but that it was his fault.
         6. He was where he was, he was doing what he was doing, he was starving to death because of his choices, because of his decisions.
      3. At that moment, he realized a lot of things.
         1. He realized he could not turn the clock back–what had happened was real.
         2. He realized that he did not have to be there.
            1. If he stayed there, it was because he decided to stay there instead of accepting responsibility for his decisions and his actions.
            2. If he starved, it was because he decided to starve instead of accepting responsibility for his decisions and actions.
            3. If he died far away from home feeding pigs, it was because he decided to die instead of accepting responsibility for his decisions and actions.
      4. In his heart of hearts he knew that he could never go back and be a son.
         1. He did not even want to go back and be a son.
         2. He was ashamed of himself.
         3. He was ashamed of what he had done.
         4. He was ashamed of the grief and pain that he caused.
         5. He was ashamed of the way that he wasted life.
         6. He just did not want to starve to death, and the only person who might care enough to let him work as a servant and have food was Dad.
3. It is extremely important that you see this clearly: nothing good happened in this man’ s life until he came to himself.
   1. Horrible things are happening in our society because people do one of two things:
      1. Either they never come to themselves in their despair, loneliness, and pain.
      2. Or when they come to themselves they refuse to accept responsibility for their decisions and their actions.
   2. Horrible things are happening in the church because struggling, dying Christians are doing one of two things:
      1. Either they never come to themselves in their despair, loneliness, and pain.
      2. Or when they come to themselves they refuse to accept responsibility for their decisions and actions.
   3. Why don’t suffering people who endure the consequences of the life they live come to themselves?
      1. They prefer to deny the reality of their situation.
      2. Or, they prefer to blame someone else for what they allowed to happen.
      3. Or, they prefer to hold someone else responsible for their choices.
         1. “It is my parents fault.”
         2. “It is my husband or wife’s fault.”
         3. “It is my children’s fault.”
         4. “It is my boss’ fault.”
         5. “It is the fault of the person who deceived me or hurt me.”
      4. Did all these people contribute to your problem, to your situation? They surely did!
         1. We rarely experience a crippling problem or a devastating situation that is solely our fault.
         2. Other people always contribute to our problems.
         3. But when you come to yourself, you see what you contributed to your problems, and you accept responsibility.
      5. That is the heart and soul of repentance.
         1. The person who refuses to come to himself or herself cannot repent.
         2. The person who repents has choices.
4. What happened to the prodigal son is very simple: one day he woke up, saw what was happening, saw where he was, and asked, “What am I doing here?”
   1. Has that ever happened in your life? If it has never happened, your life is in a mess.
   2. If it has never happened, that is very likely a major reason for your life being in a mess.
   3. Hasn’t the time come to wake up, to realize what is happening, to see where we really are, and to ask ourselves, “What am I doing here?”
      1. Before I will allow God to forgive me, I must accept responsibility for my life.
      2. Before I will allow God to forgive me, I must repent.

[Prayer: Father, bring us to our senses. Whatever needs to happen for us to come to ourselves, may it happen. Give us the courage to see how much we need You and Your forgiveness.]

If you could change any decision you made or any action you took, what would you change? You cannot go back and undo it. But you can repent and redirect your life.

It Depends. Who Did You Meet?

Posted by David on November 21, 1999 under Sermons

I do not understand love. I never have. I am extremely grateful for love. My life is powerfully blessed by love. Love is the single most rewarding blessing in my life. I literally cannot image life without it. But I still do not understand it.

Do you understand love? If you are confident that you understand love, explain some things to me. How can a wonderful, gentle, kind, caring, unselfish woman fall in love with a godless, rough, rude, selfish, abusive man? How can a sensitive, generous, caring man full of kindness fall in love with a woman who does not respect him and treats him like dirt? How can a mother continue to love a daughter who fails her and hurts her in every possible way? How can a father continue to love a son who resents him and rebels against him in any way that he can? How can children deeply love parents who give them nothing but neglect and rejection? How can anyone genuinely, sincerely love when his or her love is neither appreciated nor returned?

This is the greatest love mystery of all. How can a holy, sinless, caring, unselfish God love any human being? Our love for each other is mystifying. God’s love for us is beyond comprehension.

1. When I want to deepen my understanding of God’s love, I consider two things.
   1. First, I reflect on the crucifixion of Jesus.
      1. Jesus loved all of us collectively and individually enough to endure that horrible execution.
      2. God loved all of us collectively and individually enough to let Jesus be killed.
      3. The more I understand the crucifixion, the more I realize that I do not and cannot understand God’s love.
      4. Yet, the more I understand the crucifixion, the more clearly I see God’s love.
   2. Second, I reflect on a parable Jesus taught, the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32).
      1. This son was a failure, a disappointment, and a heartache to his father.
         1. He demanded his part of the inheritance, left home, and went far away to live what a godless society considers “the good life.”
         2. After he wasted all his money on pleasure and extravagance, the country fell into severe economic depression.
         3. When he found himself starving in impossible circumstances, he finally realized how stupid he had been.
         4. In a spirit and attitude of total unworthiness, he returned home to confess his unworthiness and to ask his father to let him be a servant.
         5. His father welcomed him with incredible love, and reinstated him as a son.
2. I want you to consider a different scenario: what if the older brother had been the first one to meet this prodigal son when he returned home?
   1. You do remember the older brother, don’t you?
      1. This was the father’s older son, the son who stayed home and worked as the dependable, responsible one.
      2. This was the son who was infuriated by the good reception that the father gave his wayward brother.
      3. This was the son who refused to greet his brother or come to the welcome party.
      4. This was the son who vented his anger on his father by declaring, “I have always been faithful to you, and you never did anything like this for me!”
   2. What if this was the first person that the wayward son met when he returned?
      1. “You sorry good-for-nothing!”
         1. “How dare you show your face around here!”
         2. “I cannot believe that you had the gall to come back here!”
         3. “Do you think that just because you show up in your rags and your pathetic body that you will find some sympathy? Think again!”
         4. “Do you have any idea of how many tears Mom cried for you? I was always here, but she cried for you!”
         5. “Do you realize that you broke Dad’s heart? You did not care about Dad when you selfishly left home to do your own thing! You never thought about anybody but you!”
         6. “Dad grieves every day for you. Every day he looks down the road to see if you are coming back. No matter what I do or how hard I work, Dad grieves for you!”
      2. “You grew up in a godly home.”
         1. “You had an incredible Mom.”
         2. “You could not ask for a better Dad.”
         3. “You had all the opportunities a person could hope for.”
         4. “And just look at what you did to the family name!”
         5. “Do you have an idea of what you did to the respect people had for Dad?”
         6. “I listened to people talk–they think if Dad had been a decent father you would not be such a wicked son.”
      3. “You traveled to a heathen country to hide among people who do not even know God.”
         1. “I’ll bet you never looked for a synagogue. But I’ll bet you knew all the prostitutes and bar tenders!”
         2. “By choice you lived like a heathen–a genuine, godless party animal!”
      4. “Well, godless party animal, don’t think that just because you are hungry and skinny as a snake that you can just slip back like nothing happened!”
         1. “Don’t you realize how wasteful that you have been?”
         2. “Don’t you understand just how good-for-nothing you are?”
      5. “And don’t tell me that you are sorry for what you did and repent! What a laugh!”
         1. “Sure, you repent as soon as you were broke!”
         2. “Sure, you repent when your party friends deserted you!”
         3. “Sure, you repent when you found yourself slopping hogs in the pig pen!”
         4. “Sure, you repent when you were starving to death!”
         5. “How convenient! Now with nothing left, you come back to dear old Dad so that he can bail you out!”
         6. “I see through you like a clean window pane!”
         7. “Repent! How does that change all the money you wasted?”
            1. “How does that change all the prostitutes you slept with?”
            2. “How does that change what you did in the bars?”
            3. “How does that change all the pain and grief you caused?”
      6. “So now you want to be a servant!”
         1. “I will never let you be a servant around here, and don’t for one minute forget that all of this belongs to me! You had your inheritance and blew it!”
         2. “I almost wish I could make you a servant. I would teach you how to work!”
         3. “Get out of here and don’t come back!”
         4. “I won’t let you hurt Dad any more! He has suffered enough because of you!”
      7. “Because of your life I am miserable.”
         1. “I am sick of hearing Dad worry about you.”
         2. “I have to keep this place together and take care of Dad’s business.”
         3. “And I never get the respect and thanks I deserve because Dad never stops thinking about you.”
   3. If the prodigal son had talked to his older brother before he had a opportunity to see his father, what do you think would have happened?
3. Our society already passed a crucial crossroads.
   1. Most of us in the church do not understand that crossroads is behind us.
      1. Many of us still think that this is a Christian nation.
      2. Many of us still think that the majority honor Christian values.
      3. Many of us still think that Christian morality is the basic morality of American.
   2. Do you understand that the crossroads is behind us?
      1. When was the last time that you watched TV and said, “This really is a Christian nation!”
      2. When was the last time that you read a newspaper, listened to a news broadcast, or watched a documentary on some aspect of American society and said, “This nation really lives by Christian values!”
      3. When was the last time that you looked at our community and our state and said, “Christian morality really motivates Americans to be kind and honest!”
   3. You do not have to look a thousand miles to see what has already happened.
      1. American homes and American families are crumbling.
         1. Did you notice in the recent report on the divorce rate in America that the states known in the past as the Bible belt are among those with the highest divorce rates?
         2. There is no time to be a husband and wife.
            1. Too many do not understand how to build a successful marriage.
            2. Because we are hurting and scared, we have become a sexually active, irresponsible, uncommitted people.
         3. There is no time to be parents, and many don’t know how to be parents.
         4. We don’t know how to nurture relationships.
         5. People are hurting; people are lonely; people are scared; and people have nowhere to turn.
   4. Such realities bring the church to a critical crossroads.
      1. Some congregations already have passed that crossroads; they chose their direction, some chose a wonderful direction, and some a sad direction.
      2. Some congregations are waking up to the fact that they are at the crossroads and must make a choice.
      3. Will the congregation be a spiritual hospital that brings people to the healing of a loving God who will receive them with grace and forgiveness?
      4. Will the congregation be a fortress that excludes some and punishes others for their mistakes?
      5. Will we bring people to meet the father of the prodigal son?
      6. Or will we be the older brother?
4. I genuinely enjoyed both Will Ed Warren and Larry Henderson’s lessons last Sunday morning.
   1. Will Ed discussed a common mission tool used in several third world countries–drilling a well in a village to give them a pure water supply.
      1. Many places have existed for generations with inadequate and impure water.
      2. For generations people drank polluted water not knowing that their water was a source of disease that threatened life.
      3. Caring for this life and death physical need creates the opportunity to teach them about Jesus.
   2. Our society is killing itself by drinking dirty, polluted water.
      1. Jesus is the pure water of life.
      2. God dug the well when Jesus died for our sins.
      3. Our job is to help those in despair and pain find that well and drink its pure, healing water.
   3. It is much easier to show people in Ghana God and His love by drilling a water well than it is to show people in America God and His love by ministering to those who are in despair.
      1. I have a very close friend who was baptized when he was 15.
         1. The preaching and teaching he heard made it so hard to be saved, so hard to belong to God that by 16 he decided that he was going to hell.
         2. Since he was going to hell, he decided that he would “split hell wide open.”
         3. You would have to work hard to live a more ungodly life than he lived as a young adult.
         4. With his life shot, his home shot, and his future shot, he finally learned enough about God’s grace to believe that even he could be forgiven.
         5. But he learned about God’s grace too late to save his home.
         6. Still, he turned his life around, learned to trust God, and became a changed person.
         7. A few years later his wife agreed to remarry him.
         8. For several years he has been an active, serving deacon.
         9. He drinks from the water of life.
      2. “Why don’t people come to us and drink from the water of life?”
         1. Could it be that when they see and hear us, they commonly see and hear the older brother, and rarely see and hear the Father?
         2. Could it be that they never see us drinking from the water of life?

[Prayer: God, help us realize that we are the wayward who need to come to you. Help us bring those in despair to you. Give us the wisdom not to be the older brother.]

I grieve when I realize that we “don’t get it.” We often despair over the choices our children make. Yet, we never realize that many of our children do not want what we have. They don’t want our lives. They don’t want our God. They don’t want our church. They don’t want a life that is too busy for relationship, too hectic for love, too fragmented for loyalty, and too judgmental for forgiveness.

Often they are not rebelling against God. They are rebelling against our shallowness. The water of life does not flow from a shallow well. It does not produce shallow lives.

[Song: There’s a Fountain Free]

Sharing God: The Cycle

Posted by David on November 7, 1999 under Sermons

Most of you have spent several years of your life in the work force. The majority of us have spent at least half of our lives working in numerous jobs. I want to ask you two questions.

• Question one: what is the most exciting, fulfilling work that you have been part of?
• Question two: what is the most difficult, demanding work that you have been a part of?

The most exciting, fulfilling work that I have been part of is missions work. The most difficult, demanding work that I have been a part of is that same missions work.

In good circumstances, sharing the good news about the power of Jesus’ death and resurrection to people outside the United States is exciting, fulfilling work. At the same time, sharing the good news about the power of Jesus’ death and resurrection to people outside the United States is difficult, demanding work.

How can that be? How can working in the same country among the same people both be exciting, fulfilling work and difficult, demanding work?

1. Let me share with you what I refer to as the cycle in mission work.
   1. In this cycle, I am speaking about good circumstances in a good situation.
      1. These people have had little exposure to Jesus Christ and may have never owned a Bible.
      2. They are eager to learn.
      3. They do not hate Americans.
   2. Stage one of the cycle involves the difficulty of getting started.
      1. The list that illustrates the challenges of getting started is too long to give.
      2. It involves so many things that you would never think about unless you committed yourself to mission work.
         1. It includes everything involved in selecting a country and determining where in that country you will live.
         2. It includes all that is involved in finding support and oversight for your work.
         3. Then when you actually go, it involves many practical matters that are solved slowly.
            1. Finding a place to live.
            2. Having pure water.
            3. Having a source of good food.
            4. Learning more about the culture and language of the people.
            5. Making certain that you know, respect, and abide by existing regulations and laws.
            6. Establishing your credibility.
            7. Learning how to distinguish between the opportunist and those sincerely interested.
            8. Simply learning how to function every day in a different culture.
   3. Stage two of the cycle begins when you begin to contact people who sincerely hunger and thirst for righteousness.
      1. This is the time when mission work is incredibly enjoyable.
      2. No experience compares to teaching a person who knew little or nothing about Jesus Christ and watching that person place his or her faith in Christ.
      3. Your credibility soars and your message is popular.
      4. Jesus is appreciated.
      5. Constantly you encounter sincere people who genuinely want to learn and genuinely want to understand.
      6. They sincerely appreciate your willingness to be there, your willingness to teach them, and the fact that you expect nothing from them.
      7. In this stage you are welcome and respected almost anywhere you go.
         1. Those who will oppose you do not yet understand what is happening.
         2. They have not determined how they will respond to what is happening.
      8. It is common for this to be a time of multiple conversions.
         1. Almost all your energy and your time is consumed in evangelism.
         2. You are overwhelmed with the opportunity.
         3. Everyone enjoys being a part of missions in this phase of the cycle.
   4. Stage three of the cycle begins when many new congregations come into existence.
      1. Now you live among many new congregations filled with infant Christians.
      2. Often those congregations are isolated from each other.
      3. Every congregation wants the missionary to come teach them every week.
      4. When a congregation begins, you may find yourself with baptized believers who have never worshipped God.
      5. They know almost nothing about prayer, the Lord’s Supper, or Christian songs.
         1. Either they have never been in a worship assembly, or they have been taught they have no right to lead a worship assembly.
         2. They literally need to learn how to worship.
      6. In the beginning, that can also be exciting.
   5. Stage four of the cycle focuses on the spiritual growth and maturing of new the converts and their congregations.
      1. This is a difficult, demanding stage–the difficulty is hard to exaggerate.
         1. It is a complex, complicated stage.
         2. It is a time consuming stage, but if it is not addressed, Christians will leave faith in Jesus as fast as people convert to Jesus.
      2. No missionary can handle all the problems that occur in this stage.
         1. Main problem number one: you have almost no written materials available.
            1. Most people do not have a Bible.
            2. They know little or nothing about Bible history.
            3. The Bible has to be in their language for them to study it.
            4. There are no written materials for classes.
            5. The missionary basically has three options:
               1. He can try to teach all the classes, but that becomes impossible as the number of congregations grow.
               2. He can try to write the needed study material and have it translated and printed, but that is time consuming and expensive.
               3. He can train people to teach, which involves many challenges.
         2. Main problem two: when a believer is baptized into Christ, he or she does not culturally change.
            1. Therefore, problems that are common place in the culture become common in the church.
            2. For example, a moral problem that is acceptable in the culture will be acceptable in the church.
         3. Let me give you a specific example.
            1. The missionaries I worked with took a multiple approach.
               1. We coordinated visits to the churches so we could visit as many as possible, but six missionaries cannot visit over a hundred congregations very often.
               2. We began a preacher training school which created opportunities and new problems.
               3. I wrote and had printed lessons that dealt with common moral problems they faced.
               4. I also wrote a series of about fifty lessons designed for new congregations.
            2. Commonly on Sundays I would visit a congregation, teach, and pass out some written material to leave with them.
               1. One Sunday morning at the close of worship I distributed two or three lessons about moral problems and asked questions.
               2. A Christian man raised his hand and said, “Brother, this paper says that if you sleep with another man’s wife that it is wrong. I do that often. Is it really wrong?”
            3. That culture did not define marriage as we do, did not look upon adultery as we do, and considered polygamy as desirable.
            4. Those problems were not simple to address.
      3. The challenge of maturing the churches quickly taught you:
         1. The most influential men were not the most spiritual men, but they commonly controlled the local church.
         2. Commonly young men were the only men free to attend classes, and their respect and credibility problem was enormous.
         3. Christians who cannot read or who have nothing to read learn slowly.
         4. Changes occur slowly because growth and maturing occur slowly.
         5. Helping them understand how to live as Christians was far more difficult than helping them understand how to become Christians.
2. The enjoyable stage is the rapid conversion stage: every missionary likes to be a part of that stage.
   1. However, the period of great receptivity is not an indefinite period.
      1. Satan is not stupid.
      2. The opponents of Christianity learn quickly.
   2. That certainly is not new.
      1. One of the most exciting times to be a part of the church in Jerusalem was the period between Acts 2 and Acts 4.
         1. Jewish people were converting to Christ by the thousands.
         2. Christians were filled with joy, spent a lot of time together, and took care of each other.
      2. Acts 6 was not such an exciting time.
         1. The congregation faced a major problem, and that problem was created by their diversity.
         2. The problem was created by neglect, money, food, and a lack of respect.
         3. The wisdom of the apostles resulted in a good resolution of the problem.
      3. Acts 11 was even less exciting.
         1. Peter was the most prominent leader in the Jerusalem church.
         2. By God’s instruction and direction, Peter went to a non-Jewish home, taught non-Jewish people, and baptized them. (That was exciting!)
         3. The leadership in the Jerusalem church were upset with Peter for entering a non-Jewish home and baptizing them, and confronted Peter when he returned.
      4. Acts 15 was even less exciting.
         1. A zealous group of Jewish Christians from the Jerusalem congregation went to a large non-Jewish congregation in another country and informed them that they were not saved because they had not submitted to Jewish circumcision.
         2. The argument was so intense that it was taken to the Jerusalem leadership for resolution.
         3. The leadership made a decision, but it did not end the problem.
      5. Acts 21 was even less exciting.
         1. Christians in the church of Jerusalem deeply resented Paul converting non-Jewish people.
         2. Jerusalem Christians were so upset at Paul that the elders were concerned for Paul. The end result was that Paul was almost killed.

The Christians in Jerusalem had a hard time understanding the same thing we have a hard time understanding. They could not understand that God loved all other people as much as God loved them. Be honest. Don’t we struggle as we try to understand that God loves every other people as much as He loves us?

[Prayer: God, help us understand how much you love all people. Help us understand that you and Jesus are not Americans.]

Everyone should have the opportunity to know how much God loves them. Everyone should have the opportunity to understand what Jesus did for them.

In every country, in every society, there are people who are starved to learn about the living God and His son Jesus. Let’s suppose that you never had access to a Bible, never met a Christian, and lived in a culture that had no Christian influence. What kind of person would you be? What kind of life would you live?

With your Christian understanding, if you were in that situation, would you want an opportunity to hear about God’s love and Jesus’ death? Please help share the news of God’s love and Jesus’ sacrifice.

It Is a Matter of Priority

Posted by David on October 31, 1999 under Sermons

I want you to concentrate as we read 2 Peter 3:8-13.

But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)

1. If we fail to examine the context of this scripture, we miss Peter’s major emphasis.
   1. In chapter one Peter emphasized the need for Christians to mature and grow as they lived in this evil world.
   2. In chapter two Peter stressed that this evil world would become increasingly wicked.
      1. Influential teachers would declare that they were speaking for God, but their message was not God’s message.
      2. They would declare that God really did not care how you lived, when the truth is this: how you live is basic to belonging to God.
      3. Peter said there was nothing new about this; there have always been people who lived as though God did not care what they did.
   3. In chapter three Peter said things would become so horrible, so evil that Christians would begin to wonder.
      1. “Where is Jesus Christ?”
      2. “He promised that he would come back.”
      3. “Why doesn’t he come?”
   4. The scripture we read is Peter’s response to two things.
      1. He responded to the fact this is a wicked world.
      2. He responded to the fact that Jesus had not yet returned.
   5. This is his response:
      1. First, God does not look at time in the same way people look at time.
         1. With people, time is a key consideration in virtually everything; with God, time is a key consideration in nothing.
         2. Peter was not saying, “Let me tell you how God calculates time. A thousand human years equals one God year.”
         3. He made this simple statement, “God does not look at time like people look at time.”
         4. People measure faithfulness and promises in the terms of time.
         5. God does not; time has no influence on God’s faithfulness or His promises.
      2. Second, God is not slow; He is patient.
         1. To a human, slow typically means that you are irresponsible, forgetful, negligent, and uncaring.
         2. Patient means that you are responsible, mindful, and care deeply, but that you will take as much time as necessary to achieve your purposes.
         3. God’s patience appears to be slowness to people who are frantic about time.
         4. But that is a human impression because we humans impatiently think primarily in terms of our physical existence.
      3. Third, this physical creation was completely perverted and distorted by evil.
         1. Our physical world has not served God’s intended purposes, and evil makes it impossible for the world ever to serve those purposes.
         2. There is one solution, and it is the only solution.
         3. To eliminate evil and wickedness in our physical world, the entire creation must be destroyed.
         4. There will be an enormous roar and a heat so intense that everything will burn.
      4. Fourth, you Christians know that is true.
         1. Since you know this physical creation will be eliminated with extreme heat, that must determine the way you live your life.
         2. You should focus your daily life on holy conduct and godliness.
      5. Fifth, when the world is destroyed, it will not a terrible moment, but a good moment.
         1. If it were in our power, Christians would have this happen sooner instead of later.
         2. We want to live in that existence where there is righteousness but no evil.
2. Today, look around you, be totally aware: anything that you can see, hear, touch, smell, and taste is not permanent.
   1. This whole day be aware of this truth: everything around you is temporary.
      1. One of two things is be true of everything.
         1. Either it will die.
         2. Or it will evaporate with intense heat.
      2. In human existence, there is only one exception: the person.
         1. When you became a living being, God placed in you a touch of the eternal.
         2. The person who lives inside your body will never die.
         3. When you as a person began to exist, you began a journey that will never end–the person who lives inside your body will never stop existing.
      3. My body will either die or evaporate, but I won’t.
         1. Your body will either die or evaporate, but you won’t.
         2. Your child’s body will either die or evaporate, but your child won’t.
   2. I ask you two questions.
      1. Question one: will this congregation have the leadership it needs after you die?
         1. If it does, someone’s children will provide it.
         2. Children who are alive right now will provide leadership for this congregation when all of us adults are dead.
      2. Question two: will their leadership teach people how to live in Jesus Christ?
         1. Peter said their world would become increasingly evil because people did not know how to live, because they believed that God did not care how they lived.
         2. That has already happened many times, and it is happening again now.
         3. Will our world become increasingly evil because people do not know how to live? Will people think God does not care how people live? Do the majority already think that? Do you think that?
   3. Your child is completely surrounded every minute of his or her life by things that will die and things that will evaporate.
      1. Is everything that your child considers important in his or her life something that will die or evaporate?
      2. Does your child know that anything exists besides things that die or evaporate?
      3. If your child has heard that eternal realities exist, does he or she think these things are real or does he or she think such things exist only in Mom and Dad’s imagination?
      4. If your child becomes an adult who lives by your priorities, what will happen?
3. What I now share with you I share by permission.
   1. I do not know the name of the teenager who wrote this.
      1. I know that this teen is a Christian, a member of this congregation.
      2. I know this teen is a high school student, not a junior high student, and is a very good student.
   2. Consider:
      This student has a lot of questions about heaven and struggles in trying to find a trustworthy concept of heaven.
      1. “Also I wonder, where is heaven? Not exactly but close to where it exists.”
      2. “Another thing I have been thinking of, is how uncomprehensible heaven actually is, how no human being could ever really understand the magnitude without actually being there … For some reason it scares me, probably the fear of the unknown, but Heaven scares me.”
      3. “I mean I totally believe in God and totally want to go to heaven, but it is just weird. We’re all raised with different views of heaven some we get from ourselves and some we get from others. I went to so many different types of churches when I was little and heard so many different views. But all the views they said came from the Bible, but they were pretty much all different. I understand them saying it differently when we are kids, but what does that really do but confuse us now; case example one: me.”
      4. “… Sometimes we need someone to push us or help us understand; not mislead me like when I was a child …”

[Prayer: Help us understand and trust.]

Our children live in a world that changed radically before they were born. Our children live in a society that changed radically before they were born. Most of us adults do not live in the same world our children live in. The truth is both simple and frightening. The older we are, the less we have to live every day in full exposure to our world and our society. Age gives us the luxury of isolation.

But our children live in that world every day. And our children do not have the luxury of isolation. We older Christians can be puzzled and baffled and shocked and even deny that this radically different world exists. The only thing that puzzles, baffles, and shocks our children are Christian adults who know nothing about the world they are forced to live in every day.

Consider a great irony of Christianity today. God sent His Son Jesus to be the Christ, to be our Savior, to prove His enormous love for us, and to destroy our fears. Almost 2000 years later, the church has many older Christians who believe in God but are afraid of Him, and has many younger Christians who believe in God, but are afraid to live where He lives. That is not what God intended when He sent us Jesus. God sent us Jesus to give us security by destroying our fear.

Fundamental Messages From 1 Timothy 2

Posted by David on October 17, 1999 under Sermons

This evening I encourage you to think. I hope the things I share with you will encourage you to think beyond the time of this evening’s assembly. I want to state clearly that you do not have to agree with me. If you sincerely disagree with me, that is fine. I have no “hidden agenda,” no “ulterior motive.” I want to share some information that can advance understanding and deepen commitment to God’s message in God’s word.

When we discussed 1 Timothy 1, I stated that an understanding of the situation in the city of Ephesus was basic to understanding Paul’s letter. The city of Ephesus was the dominate influence in that region and probably beyond. What Paul wrote to Timothy was understood by Timothy in the context of the religious and social systems formed by the culture, economic realities, and social environment at Ephesus.

1. This is my understanding: every writing in the Bible should be understood in the context of its age and its culture.
   1. The objective of establishing and respecting the context of a Bible writing is to better and more accurately understand the message.
      1. The better I understand the message, the better I can obey the message.
      2. The better I understand the message, the better I can live by the message.
      3. As I better understand the message, I reduce the likelihood that I will either pervert the message, abuse the message, or substitute my convictions for the message.
   2. If I am to increase the accuracy of my understanding of Paul’s message to Timothy, I must increase my understanding of life and the culture in Ephesus.
2. All of us understand this need when we seek to understand our world; I can illustrate that fact.
   1. Over a hundred members of this congregation have worked at least briefly in other countries in either medical or evangelistic missions.
      1. Is the culture and social system in any other country identical to the culture and the social system in the United States?
      2. Cultures and social systems are not only dissimilar, in many specific situations they are strikingly different.
      3. Let me give you some specific illustrations.
         1. When I lived in Cameroon, West Africa, men at times carried purses and held hands with men as they walked down the road.
            1. That had nothing to do with homosexual conduct.
            2. They were required to carry so many documents with them at all times that the best way to carry them was in a purse.
            3. Best friends frequently held hands as they walked.
            4. Holding hands with the opposite sex was never permissible; the only women that held hands with men in public were prostitutes.
         2. In Poland, anytime that I was invited into a home as a guest, it was a common courtesy to take fresh cut flowers to present to the hostess.
            1. But do not take red roses.
            2. Red roses had a specific, unique meaning.
         3. If you are invited to a home in Canada, it is customary to take your shoes off at the door.
            1. In the house you walk about in your socks.
            2. Or, you wear house shoes.
            3. Some people carry house shoes with them when they visit.
      4. We know that, we understand that, we respect that, and we make allowances for that when we are the visitor in other cultures.
         1. We understand without question that we must learn the basics of another culture if we are going to treat people within that culture with respect, understand them, and not offend them.
         2. Do we not realize that if such is necessary to create understanding in the cultures and social systems of today, it is certainly necessary if we are to understand letters written to social systems and cultures that existed 2000 years ago?
   2. Let me try to put this in full focus.
      1. Is the Bible the word of God? Absolutely.
      2. Is it “God breathed,” inspired? Absolutely.
      3. Does it reveal the will of God? Absolutely.
      4. Did God through His Spirit guide this revelation? Absolutely.
      5. Does that mean when Paul, Peter, John, Luke, Matthew, or Mark wrote one of the letters that is a part of the New Testament, that the writers of these letters were thinking of us, our world, and our situation as they wrote? No.
         1. They were writing to people who lived then in that world teaching them how people who belonged to Jesus Christ lived and acted in their culture and their social systems.
         2. Can we learn and understand God’s will from their writings? Absolutely.
         3. But the more that we understand their social systems and cultures, the more accurately we will understand their messages.
         4. Perhaps more importantly, the more we understand their social systems and cultures, the less likely we are to take what they said and create our own message.
         5. We really object when another religious body takes a scripture out of its context and creates a doctrine or theological principle.
         6. It is just as incorrect for us to do that as it is for any other group to do that.
3. Paul likely had to leave Ephesus quickly after the riot.
   1. To put it in accurate terms that we understand, conversions to Christ were having a significant negative impact on the economy of this very wealthy city known for its luxurious living.
      1. One of the major industries in Ephesus centered around the temple of Artemis.
         1. The temple, one of the 7 wonders of the world, was the center of a world religion.
         2. It was a major economic institution that served as a major bank in the Roman empire.
      2. The riot occurred because some of the Ephesians did not like the impact Christianity had on the economy of the city and region.
   2. Paul wrote Timothy about matters he did not want Timothy to forget or neglect as Timothy remained in Ephesus.
      1. Problem one is the focus of chapter one: people were teaching strange doctrines, genealogies, and the law.
         1. The “strange doctrines” were strange to Christ’s teachings, not strange to the thinking of people.
         2. You had people teaching as though they really understood what they were saying, but they actually did not know what they were talking about.
      2. Problems two and three are the focus of chapter two.
4. I want to address the context of problems two and three. My conclusion is that you need to be aware of the context before you approach the text.
   1. There is nothing in the text that suggests that either of these problems concern worship assemblies.
      1. Our primary assumption is that Paul is talking about worship.
      2. Our primary application has been to a worship situation.
      3. We assume that Paul is talking about worship, so we just naturally think worship when we look at this chapter.
   2. Christians had a major image problem in Ephesus.
      1. They were not seen as being good citizens or a beneficial social influence.
      2. As far as many Ephesians were concerned, if Ephesus was primarily Christian, it would be a disaster for the city.
   3. Why were Christians seen to be this kind of people, this kind of influence?
      1. One basic reason: the men did not offer sacrifices at any of the three temples dedicated to the Roman emperors.
         1. A basic act of good citizenship was to go to one of these temples and pray to and for the ruling Caesar.
         2. Responsible citizens did that as a matter of routine practice.
         3. Christians did not do that, so Christians were seen as bad citizens and enemies of the government.
      2. A second basic reason was seen in the conduct of Christian women.
         1. The goddess Artemis was said to be the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the twin sister of Apollo.
         2. If my understanding is correct, in the time of Paul this goddess was principally known as a virgin fertility goddess.
         3. Again, the city was a place of wealth and luxury.
         4. My understanding is that the behavior and status of significant women in Ephesus was not typical of women in the Roman empire.
         5. Women who were Christians seemingly behaved in ways that were more typical of the Ephesian women.
         6. Thus there were people that did not regard Christian women to be good influences representing stability in home, family, and social relationships.
5. Paul addressed each concern.
   1. “Men, while you cannot pray in the temples dedicated to the Roman emperors, you can pray in public for all government authorities.”
      1. For Christian men to be regarded as bad citizens did not serve the purposes and objectives of Christ.
         1. Jesus came to offer salvation to everyone and to call all to the one God.
         2. For people to see Christian men as enemies of the government who were not good citizens would not help achieve those objectives.
         3. Christians were not enemies of the government; they were not bad citizens.
      2. Paul’ s instructions to Christian men in Ephesus seem strange to us; we would feel very uncomfortable doing what Paul said do.
         1. In public assume the common, recognized posture of humility and prayer: raise your hands.
         2. In public, pray for authorities and those who are not Christians.
         3. For this to address their image problem, people had to hear and understand their prayers.
         4. My conclusion is that Paul is instructing them to do this audibly in public.
      3. Paul’s instructions to women also seem strange to us.
         1. Do not reflect wealth and affluence in the way you dress.
            1. Paul was not referring to clothing that exposed the body.
            2. He was saying to not reflect the image of the affluent women of Ephesus.
         2. Be known for the good you do, not the clothes and jewelry you wear.
         3. Be respectful of men, not domineering.
         4. The model for determining respectful, appropriate conduct is not the culture and social system of the affluent women of Ephesus.
         5. The model is Adam and Eve.
   2. There are two powerful, much needed lessons for us in Paul’s emphasis.
      1. Christian men must not live in isolation and build an image that declares that they are a threat to government and society.
         1. Christians are good people who exist as a blessing in society.
         2. They are responsible citizens who promote what is good and stable.
         3. Make that truth evident to all.
      2. The difference between women who belong to Christ and women who are devoted to the affluent lifestyle must be obvious.
         1. Women who belong to Christ are known for doing good.
         2. Women who belong to Christ are respectful.
         3. Women who belong to Christ are assets to marriage, to respectful behavior, to stability in society.

1 Timothy 2 is not about what happens in worship assemblies. It is about the way that Christian men and women conduct themselves in an alien society.

God Could Have “Given Up”

Posted by David on under Sermons

Would you be genuinely honest with yourself? How many times have you said within your own mind and heart, “What is he really up to?” How many times have you said within yourself, “What does she really want?”

This is an extremely skeptical world. We live in extremely skeptical times. We are suspicious of everything. We tend to think that everything is guided by ulterior motives. We tend to believe that true openness and genuine honesty do not exist.

Our skepticism profoundly impacts the way we look at God. We do not place as much emphasis on what God said as on what God did not say. We are devoted to determining what God actually wants. We often attempt to determine God’s true desires by “reading between the lines.”

I sincerely doubt that any of us are capable of imagining the enormous frustration that we inflict on God.

1. Have you ever considered how easily God could have “given up” on humanity?
   1. Have you ever considered how easily God could have decided that one of the worst mistakes He ever made was creating humans with a free will?
      1. If God were human, He would have cut His losses a long time ago.
      2. To me the greatest evidences that God is not human are seen in His patience, His forgiveness, and His mercy.
      3. No human, not even the best of the best, can endure as much abuse, misrepresentation, and neglect as does God, and remain patient, forgiving, and merciful.
   2. God could have “given up” when Adam and Eve were deceived by evil and perverted His creation.
      Genesis 1:31 God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
      1. Satan in the form of a serpent told Eve that God would not kill her if she disobeyed God.
      2. Eve considered the benefits of disobedience.
         1. She defied God.
         2. She encouraged Adam to defy God.
      3. Genesis 3:8-21 states that their surrender to temptation literally changed everything.
         1. It perverted relationship with God.
         2. If perverted our sexual natures.
         3. It perverted our role on earth.
         4. It perverted the husband and wife relationship.
         5. Nothing is as it was when God brought His good creation into existence.
      4. And that is just the beginning. God could have “given up” right then.
2. The Bible reveals situation after situation when God could have “given up.”
   1. God could have “given up” when the world degenerated into total wickedness.
      1. Genesis 6:5 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
      2. Oh, yes, God could have “given up.”
   2. God could have “given up” when the adult Israelites that he rescued from Egypt returned to idolatry.
      1. After the ten catastrophes God brought on Egypt, after allowing Israel to cross the Red Sea, after providing Israel food and water in the wilderness, after speaking to Israel in a human voice when He gave the ten commandments at Mount Sinai, they turned back to idolatry.
      2. Moses was on a mountain receiving instructions from God for Israel.
         1. Israel grew very impatient while they waited for Moses to return.
         2. They gave Aaron, Moses’ brother, their gold ear rings for the purpose of making them an idol.
         3. He melted the gold, sculpted a calf, presented the calf to Israel, and the people accepted the idol with these words:
            Exodus 32:4 They said, “This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.” (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
      3. Oh, yes, God could have “given up.”
   3. God could have “given up” generations later when He gave Israel Canaan for their own country, and Israel became so ungodly they were gross.
      1. The book of Judges ends with two examples of how horrible Israel was.
         1. Judges 17 and 18 tell about a Levite who made himself a priest by worshipping idols and became the spiritual leader of the tribe of Dan.
         2. Judges 19 and 20 tell about a Levite on a journey who spent the night in Gibeah with his wife.
            1. A neighborly old man invited him into his home.
            2. That night some men of the city demanded that the host give them the visitor so that they could homosexually assault him.
            3. The host gave them his virgin daughter and the man’s wife, and they raped the man’s wife to death.
         3. Why were people so ungodly, so gross? In places like Judges 21:25 the writer gave this explanation:
            Judges 21:25 In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes. (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
      2. Oh, yes, God could have “given up.”
3. There were so many times when God could have “given up!”
   1. God could have “given up” when the nation of Israel divided into two kingdoms and one of those kingdoms turned totally to idolatry until they no longer existed.
   2. God could have “given up” when Israel rejected and killed His Son.
   3. God could have “given up” when so many of the early churches miserably failed to be the people God wanted them to be.
      1. The church at Rome struggled as Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians completely misunderstood God’s purposes in salvation.
      2. The church in Corinth had the worst kinds of division and ungodliness.
      3. The Galatian churches did not understand what God did in Jesus’ death and resurrection.
      4. The church at Ephesus did not understand that godliness was to be reflected in Christian relationships.
      5. The church at Philippi had major problems respecting each other.
      6. The church at Colossae created their own brand of Christianity by combining parts of Christianity with parts of popular pagan teachings.
      7. The church at Thessalonica thought that Jesus was coming back so soon that they could quit their jobs and do nothing but sit around and meddle in other peoples lives.
      8. The church at Pergamum adopted idolatrous practices.
      9. The church at Thyatira had an influential member who taught Christians that it was all right to commit adultery.
      10. The church at Sardis was dead.
      11. The church at Laodicea made God sick to His stomach.
   4. Oh, yes, God could have “given up.”
4. And then there is today’s Christianity and congregations.
   1. Would you rank Christianity and congregations of today as a plus or a minus?
      1. Do you think that God looks at Christians today and says, “It was frustrating, but it was worth it!”
         1. I am afraid that we American Christians are terribly arrogant before God and do not even realize it.
         2. We tend to think that God sees the church in America as being what He always wanted.
      2. What is the probability that God looks at us and says, “They are exactly what I wanted!”
         1. “They place the emphasis exactly where I wanted it.”
         2. “They are exactly the kind of people I wanted.”
         3. “They have the kind of marriages I wanted.”
         4. “They have the kind of homes I wanted.”
         5. “They respect and care about people just like I wanted.”
         6. “They are forgiving, merciful, and compassionate just like my Son was.”
   2. Does God watch us “reading between the lines” as we try to decide what God really wants.
      1. We cannot listen to the emphasis in the New Testament and fail to see the enormous stress placed on our attitudes, our hearts, our treatment of others, our morality, our ethical behavior, and our relationships.
      2. You see this emphasis in the teachings and the actions of our Lord Jesus.
      3. You see this emphasis in the letters written to the churches.
      4. Love your wife; love your husband; love your children; love fellow believers; love your neighbors; love people who are strangers; even love your enemies.
      5. Help people; do good; share; treat other people like you want to be treated.
      6. Be a merciful people in an evil world because your God is committed to showing mercy to an evil world.
      7. Show compassion; show kindness; be patient and forbearing; forgive; encourage the strong; help the weak; never discourage those who seek God.
   3. And we say, “Yes, I have read all that in the New Testament. But this is the real question: what does God really want?”
      1. And God replies, “If I wanted tabernacles or temples, I know how to command people to build.”
      2. “If I wanted rules and regulations, I know how to give people a law code.”
      3. “If I wanted rituals, I know how to command people to follow details.”
      4. “I know how to tell people to do what I want them to do.”
      5. Do you believe that God knows how to tell us to do what He wants us to do?
5. I would like to share two observations.
   1. Observation one: so much of what we emphasize when we do “church things” is about us, our likes, our desires, our preferences, and our personal priorities, and not much about God.
   2. Observation two: I often fear that in our determined effort to restore the New Testament church that we have little desire to restore New Testament Christianity.

Next Saturday and Sunday Bill Smith and Alan Robertson will spend quality time with us just to give us information on the small group ministry. We need you to be a part of that weekend experience. We need you here Saturday and Sunday. Why? We want to understand everything possible about encouraging and helping people. Why? Because God loves people. That is the only reason that God never “gives up.”

[Prayer: God, thank You for not giving up on us. Help us understand that You do not want us to give up on others.]

The only reason God has not “given up” on you and on me is because God loves us. What do we do to encourage God not to “give up” on us?

Giving God Deserved Praise

Posted by David on October 10, 1999 under Sermons

Think of a person that you know well whom you profoundly appreciate and deeply respect. It can be anyone from any period in your life. Focus on that person. Do you have him or her in mind?

Do you admire this person? Could you explain to me how this person touches your life? Could you list the qualities that you admire in this person? Could you illustrate what an exceptional person this man or woman is?

Could you talk to me about this person? Could you compliment this person? Could I hear your respect and admiration in your words and voice?

1. Do you ever talk about God the way you talk about this person?
   1. I want to talk to all Christians this morning. From young Christian to old Christian, I want you to think with me.
      1. Do you realize the good experiences that you have in your life that exist because you made peace with God?
      2. The most distressful times I ever experience are the direct result of the loss peace with another person.
         1. When peace dies, my stress and anxiety are horrible.
         2. The absence of peace with someone affects my whole life–my eating, my sleeping, my attitude, my thought process, my anxiety level.
      3. If God had not made peace with you through the blood of Jesus Christ, one of two things would be true of your life.
         1. Either you would have no conscience at all.
            1. You would be hard, indifferent, uncaring, selfish, and mean spirited.
            2. Or you would be consumed with guilt–guilt would eat you alive.
         2. What would your life be if you never worshipped, never prayed, never had a godly thought, never knew any Christian, and had nowhere to turn when times get tough and bad things happen?
      4. You would do what most people do who live that existence.
         1. You would enter a deep depression that made you angry at the world.
         2. Your life would be a hell, and you would make other people’s life a hell.
         3. You would try to escape the pain and misery of your existence by running to alcohol, or running to a pill, or smoking a joint, or involving yourself in the kinds of pleasures that temporarily make you numb and unfeeling.
         4. You would probably work hard five days a week doing something you hate just so that you could try to escape for two days a week.
   2. Do you have any idea of what God does for you every day of your life?
      1. Do you think the only things God does for you are hypothetical religious things that are not real and have no every day value?
      2. Because God is not your slave, because He does not do everything you want the way you want when you want, do you think He really does nothing?
      3. Do you have any idea what your life would be like for just twenty-four hours if God did absolutely nothing for you?
   3. When Noah climbed off the ark with his family and stepped on dry land, Noah knew what God had done for him.
      1. Maybe Noah was like us–while building the ark, maybe he thought about all he was doing for God.
      2. When he climbed off the ark, he knew he did nothing for God, and that God did everything for him.
      3. While he was building the ark, Noah lived among extremely wicked people.
         1. How wicked?
         2. Genesis 6:5,6 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.
         3. Those wicked folks did not offer sacrifices to God; in fact those folks did not “waste” their time thinking about God.
      4. Do you know the first thing Noah did when he climbed off that ark on dry land? He offered a sacrifice.
         Genesis 8:20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. The Lord smelled the soothing aroma; and the Lord said to Himself, “I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done.
         1. Why did Noah offer a sacrifice?
         2. Did God command, “Noah, when you get off the ark, offer me a sacrifice!” No.
         3. Then why? Noah was grateful, and he thanked the God who was worthy of all the honor and praise that he could give him.
         4. And his sacrifice arose as a soothing aroma to God, an aroma that God treasured.
      5. “I guess that God likes the smell of burning meat.” No.
         1. Noah was profoundly grateful to God for what God did for him.
         2. God was touched by Noah’s gratitude.
   4. That is the heart and soul of the sacrifices offered to God that touch God and deeply please Him
      1. Why do people give sacrifices to God?
      2. “Because they have to in order to obey God!”
         1. There is no question about the fact that people who believe in and trust God must obey Him.
         2. But to think that they do it because “they have to” misses the point of the sacrifice.
         3. You can do exactly what God commands you to do in the name of obedience, and still insult and deeply offend God.
         4. If you doubt that, you need to go home and read Isaiah 1.
      3. Sacrifices given to God that do not express sincere gratitude insult God.
         1. If the sacrifice does not come from the heart, it is an insult.
         2. If the sacrifice does not come from sincere appreciation, it is an insult.
         3. If the sacrifice does not honor God, it is an insult.
2. Christians offer a different kind of sacrifice to God, but they offer sacrifices for the same reasons, the same purposes.
   1. The author of the book of Hebrews talked about the Christians’ altar and sacrifice in Hebrews 13.
      1. God sacrificed Jesus on our altar.
      2. Because God sacrificed Jesus, we can offer sacrifices to God.
         Hebrews 13:15,16 Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
         1. The fruit of our lips is our continual sacrifice to God.
         2. Our lips praise God for all that He did and is doing for us in Jesus Christ.
         3. To prove the sincerity of our praise, we also offer the sacrifices of doing good and sharing.
   2. The primary way that Christians praise God publicly today is through songs.
      1. The primary place that we praise God by song is in our worship assemblies.
      2. We sing without musical instruments because all evidence indicates that the early Christians sang without musical instruments.
      3. Does the New Testament specifically condemn using musical instruments while singing praise to God? No, the New Testament does not even mention musical instruments in Christian worship.
   3. There are only two brief references that talk about Christians singing.
      1. In Ephesians 5:17-20 Paul said this to the Ephesian Christians:
         Ephesians 5:17-20 So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father;
         1. The context of this instruction does not focus on worship but on life.
         2. Instead of being foolish, understand God’s will.
         3. Don’t fill yourself with wine and go around singing the drunkard’s songs.
         4. Fill your life with the spirit, and sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs that come from your heart and honor your Lord.
         5. Constantly give thanks to God in the name of your Lord Jesus Christ.
      2. Paul said this to the Christians in Colossae (Colossians 3:14-17).
         Colossians 3:14-17 Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
         1. The perfect cord that unifies Christians is love.
         2. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts and be thankful.
         3. Let Christ’s word live in you richly; use wisdom in teaching and encouraging each other.
         4. With hearts that are thankful to God, teach and admonish each other with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.
         5. Let everything that occurs in your life honor the Lord Jesus, and through him give thanks to God.
3. In our emphases on worship, we missed an emphasis of basic importance.
   1. Before Jesus died for us, it took many correct things for God’s people to worship collectively.
      1. It required the right place, a tabernacle or a temple, a priesthood, an altar, and animals to be sacrificed. All those were necessary for Israel to assemble and worship.
      2. For Christians to assemble and worship, it takes hearts, minds, and voices.
         1. We are the priests (1 Peter 2:9); we are the temple (1 Corinthians 3:16); and we are the sacrifice (Romans 12:1,2).
         2. The true worship of God depends on nothing more than the hearts, minds, and voices of Christians.
   2. Consider carefully:
      1. Many of you would be deeply offended if we used a musical instrument this morning because the New Testament says nothing about musical instruments in Christian worship.
      2. But some of you who would be offended by the use of musical instruments do not sing.
         1. The New Testament says nothing about musical instruments in worship.
         2. The New Testament instructs Christians to sing.
      3. We need to understand that it is not the melody of the voice that thrills God; it is the melody of the heart. You sing to praise. You sing to say “thank you.”

Consider all God does for you each day of your life. Together, let us offer a sacrifice to God with the fruit of our lips. Let us praise Jesus with our songs.

Stabilize the Situation

Posted by David on October 3, 1999 under Sermons

That is an extremely difficult commitment to make. There are things that we can understand today that were not known 20 years ago. There will be things that can be understood in twenty years that we do now know about today. The more that is discovered about Greek and Hebrew, the basic languages of the Bible, the more accurately we can translate the emphasis and the meaning of the texts. The more we can know about the worlds, the times, and the historical context of the writings, the better we can understand the message of the author.

1. In my understanding and judgment, the accuracy of our understanding of and use of the material in the letter we call 1 Timothy should be significantly influenced by our understanding of the situation in the city of Ephesus.
   1. When Paul left Ephesus for Macedonia, he left Timothy in Ephesus.
      1. This letter was intended to remind Timothy of his focus among the Christians in that city.
      2. Paul may have written this letter shortly after Acts 20:1 when Paul left Ephesus for Macedonia.
      3. The riot that occurred in Ephesus marked the end of Paul’s stay.
         1. The circumstances created by the riot may have left Paul too little time to give full instructions to Timothy.
         2. Or, Paul may have thought about things he needed to tell Timothy after Paul left.
   2. Ephesus was the most important Asian city in the Roman empire.
      1. In every way, from architecture to business, it was a very impressive city.
      2. At that time its population is estimated to exceed 300,000 people, almost four times the size of Fort Smith.
      3. Its amphitheater located in the middle of the city could care for approximately 25,000 people.
      4. It had three temples that were built for the purpose of worshipping the Roman emperor.
         1. In fact, Ephesus was the center for emperor worship and strongly promoted the practice.
         2. The book of Revelation was addressed to seven congregations in this area when emperor worship was a major threat to Christians.
   3. Paul had an important relationship with this city.
      1. He made a brief stop in Ephesus in Act 18:18-21.
         1. On that visit he left Aquila and Priscilla there.
         2. He also briefly studied with receptive Jews in the synagogue.
      2. In Acts 19 Paul returned as he promised the Jews and continued studying in the synagogue with them.
      3. In Acts 20:17-38 he met with the elders of the congregation in Ephesus.
         1. Paul had serious concerns about the future of the congregation.
         2. They would be successfully invaded by savage people who would destroy Christians.
         3. Some of the elders themselves would teach perverse teachings in order to create their own disciples.
   4. Acts gives us a lot of insight into the complex religious situation in Ephesus.
      1. Paul baptized twelve men who had been baptized with the baptism practiced by John the baptizer but who had never heard of the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:1-6).
      2. The Jews in the synagogue hardened against Paul’s teachings and Paul left the synagogue (Acts 19:9).
      3. Paul spent two years teaching his disciples in the school of Tyrannus which resulted in the message of the gospel being shared with all Asia (Acts 19:20).
      4. Paul performed so many miracles that people brought pieces of cloth for Paul to touch, and when those cloths were used with the sick, the diseased, or the demon possessed, these people were cured (Acts 19:12).
      5. Some Jewish exorcists figured that if Paul could use Jesus to do this, they could use Jesus to do this (Acts 19:14-16).
         1. They tried to cast the demons out of a possessed man by invoking Jesus.
         2. The spirits said they knew Jesus and Paul, but not them.
         3. The men were attacked, stripped naked, and fled wounded.
      6. People who had magical arts books for spiritual practices burned those books–the books were worth 50,000 days wages (Acts 19:19).
      7. Christianity was growing so fast that it cut into the living being made by those who profited from the temple of Diana, and they started a city wide riot (19:23-41).
   5. Religiously, these are the key factors we need to remember about the city.
      1. The temple of Diana was a powerful religious force in the world.
         1. The temple building itself was the largest single building in the Greek world.
         2. It was one of the seven wonders of the world.
         3. It also functioned as a wealthy banking institution.
      2. This area served as the core area for supporting and advancing emperor worship.
         1. Many years later, the book of Revelation was addressed to seven of the congregations in this area.
         2. The first congregation mentioned is Ephesus (Revelation 2:1-7).
         3. It sounds like they got a great report card: they worked hard and persevered, they did not tolerate evil men, they tested false apostles, they endured without getting tired, and they hated the evil works of the Nicolaitans.
         4. But they did not love Jesus as they did at first, and if they did not restore their love for Jesus, they would be removed.
      3. Jewish Gnosticism seemed to be a religious influence.
         1. It stressed the importance of genealogy.
         2. It could easily get Christians to focusing on the kinds of speculations that would hurt the congregation.
2. With that background in mind, I call these things to your attention in 1 Timothy 1.
   1. Timothy was urged to stay in Ephesus for these specific reasons:
      1. To instruct certain Christians not to teach strange doctrines (verse 3).
      2. Or to pay attention to myths–myths (legends or fables) played an important role in idolatrous teachings as well as Jewish teachings.
      3. Or to pay attention to endless genealogies which played an important role in one of the early heresies.
      4. These things encouraged Christians to devote their thought and spiritual concerns to speculation instead of building faith in God.
   2. Paul reminded Timothy of the goal of their teaching (verse 5).
      1. The goal of their teaching was to produce love.
      2. The love their teaching produced came from:
         1. Pure hearts.
         2. Good consciences.
         3. Sincere faith.
      3. It was when Christians stopped pursuing the love that came from pure hearts, good consciences, and sincere faith that they turned to the fruitless discussions of strange doctrines, myths, and endless genealogies (verse 6)
      4. It was the desire to speculate that created a desire to turn to the law [as opposed to Christ] (verse 7).
         1. These people made confident assertions, but did not understand what they taught.
         2. They did not even understand the purpose of the law.
         3. The law did not exist to direct the righteous man but to control the evil, lawless man.
      5. Paul had been entrusted with the glorious good news of the blessed gospel–God’s power to use Christ to rescue sinners from sin.
   3. Paul clearly understood the purpose of creating love through understanding the power of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection to rescue the evil person.
      1. What God did to save him was proof positive.
      2. Only God’s mercy and grace could serve a person like him.
      3. God had a special reason for saving an evil man like him–to prove that God could save anybody.
      4. That is why Jesus Christ came–to save sinners.
   4. Paul trusted Timothy enough to give Timothy “this command.”
      1. What command? In my judgment, the urging to stay in Ephesus and pursue the goal of their instruction: teaching people to love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith.
      2. In doing this, Timothy was to care for two things.
         1. Take care of your own faith.
         2. Keep your good conscience.
         3. Anyone who fails to do this will spiritually shipwreck.

In some ways, little changes through the centuries. In every generation, in every century, Christians spend more time promoting speculations than in creating love from pure hearts, good consciences, and sincere faith.

The consequence is that too many Christians do not know how to love. Not their families, not their friends, not their neighbors, not those who have not escaped evil, not their brothers and sisters in Christ. Too many Christians see love from pure hearts, good consciences, and sincere faith as either weakness or as being of minimal importance.

Love sent Jesus to this world. Love put Jesus on the cross. Love kept Jesus on the cross. Love raised Jesus from the dead. Love shared the gospel with the world. Is that weakness? Is that unimportant?

If Paul left a preacher in Fort Smith to spend time teaching and working with us, what would he command him to do?