Genesis 3:8-15

“8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

14 The Lord God said to the serpent,

“Because you have done this,

cursed are you above all livestock

and above all beasts of the field;

on your belly you shall go,

and dust you shall eat

all the days of your life.

15  I will put enmity between you and the woman,

and between your offspring and her offspring;

he shall bruise your head,

and you shall bruise his heel.”

THE UNCHANGING NATURE OF GOD

The first thing I want us to notice is the stark contrast in language used regarding God here in this passage. Starting in chapter 2, Moses began to consistently refer to God as “LORD God” (Yahweh Elohim). But a shift took place in the second half of verse 1. As the serpent tempted, he removed the title LORD. He sought to minimize Eve and Adam’s view of God by depersonalizing him— “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?’”

So, I want to reiterate the point Wayne made last week quickly. Part of Satan’s playbook is to minimize the great and personal nature of God. As Deitrick Bonhoeffer puts it, “Satan does not here fill us with hatred of God, but with forgetfulness of God.” It’s as if Satan handed Eve a pair of binoculars backwards. He sought to minimize Eve’s view of the almighty, gracious, and personal God. He attempted to portray God as small, mean, and distant, as less caring than He truly is.

Because of this, I believe that part of my role as your pastor is to remind you of what Satan seeks to make you forget. Part of our job as brothers and sisters in Christian community is to remind one another of what Satan strives to make us forget. A proper view of God should enhance proper living. A high view of God should lead to high moral standards. The blurrier our view of God is, the blurrier our view of sin becomes.

As the serpent tempted Eve, he attempted to minimize the glorious and gracious nature of God. But I want you to notice the stark contrast in language in verse 8–“And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden…”

Isn’t it beautiful how no lie of the enemy can ever change the true nature of God? The LORD God never changes. He stays the same yesterday, today, and forevermore. Satan may succeed in actually diminishing our view of God. But he will never succeed in diminishing God.

SINNERS ARE NATURAL HIDERS

Now, let’s look at what happens whenever Adam and Eve take the fruit and eat it. When Adam and Eve ate the fruit, their eyes were opened. They knew they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. So, where they were once naked and unashamed before sin, they are now naked and ashamed. Sin has brought forth shame and hiding. But they didn’t just hide parts of themselves from one another. They sought to hide themselves entirely from God.

Look at verse 8, “And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees in the garden.”

Church, I want us to understand that Adam and Eve’s decision to hide is a decision we follow today. Attempting to hide from God is the natural human response to sin. Now, I intentionally use the word 'attempt' because we cannot actually hide from the all-seeing, all-knowing God. As Psalm 139:7-8 says, “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!”

There is nowhere that you can go that God cannot see. There’s no forest you can run to, there’s no darkness that can conceal you. However, sin has conditioned our hearts to think that darkness is safe. Like Adam and Eve, we think life in the trees is safer than life in the garden. A life in the shadows is safer than a life in the open light. A life apart from God is better than a life with God.

Now, check this out. If you remember, God had given Adam the command to eat from any tree in the garden except the one. And once they had eaten from the one, they sought to hide in the abundance of trees.

Like Adam and Eve, we’re tempted to find comfort from our sin in the abundance that God has given us. We seek to find safety in the material things God has provided. But, in the same way that a full forest couldn’t save Adam and Eve, a full bank account can’t save us. A bigger house can’t save us. A bigger paycheck can’t save us. A full pantry can’t save us. A loving spouse can’t save us. Healthy kids can’t save us. A longer vacation can’t save us. Nicer clothes can’t save us.

It is human nature to hide from God because of our sin. And it is human nature to seek to find safety from God in the good things God has provided. But, no gift given by God can ever protect us from God.

If you were to search your heart, do you think that you would discover that you feel safest hiding behind material possessions? Like are you content with your sin never being exposed as long as your bank account is full? Would you be willing to exchange material possessions for a life with God?

THE GOD WHO PURSUES AND CALLS

We all have fig leaves, something we use to mask the shame and guilt we feel from our sin. We don’t want others to see the shame and guilt we are carrying because of our failures. Therefore, we put on a mask. And we all have woods that we try to run to to hide from the God we’ve sinned against. We seek to escape the presence of the all-knowing, all-seeing God of the universe because deep down we know that we’ve sinned against him. But look what God does in verse 9. He calls out to Adam. He says, “Where are you?”

This isn’t a question of ignorance. It’s a probing question intended to expose the off nature of their location. And before we look at Adam’s response, can we just let this reality marinade in our hearts for a moment? God knew what happened here, and yet he pursued. Do not miss the fact that God is in the business of pursuing sinners. He is in the business of calling out those who are hiding in darkness.

This is true of all who are in Christ today. We were all hiding, cowering away in the trees when we heard God call out to us! When we were all content with God walking by and never returning, God stopped and called out to us!

Can I pause and draw a separate point of application that I thought about last night?

Christian brothers and sisters, we must know that it is the natural inclination of the human heart to hide and run. Some of us have been deeply hurt by someone who is not a follower of Christ. And we’re still hurt because we’re holding out for that person to come to us and apologize, to be the bigger man and right their wrongs.

Here’s my encouragement to you. You hid in the darkness wearing fig leaves, just like your offender. And you didn’t come out of the trees until Christ called out to you. If Christ pursued reconciliation with you, you can seek reconciliation with your offender.

BLAMESHIFTERS

God called out to Adam, “Where are you?” Adam responds, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” To which God responds, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”

Notice how God addresses the sin at hand with precision and patience here. Each question is calculated, and each question reveals another layer of the deeper issue at hand.

Adam responds to God’s question, “The woman you have to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” God then directs his attention to Eve, asking her, “What is this that you have done?” And Eve responds, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Yikes! Neither Adam nor Eve accepted responsibility for their wrongdoing! Both acknowledged something was off. But neither acknowledged that something was off because of them. Adam shifted the blame off of himself onto Eve and ultimately onto God— “It’s the woman that you gave me!” And Eve shifted the blame off of herself and onto the serpent— “The serpent deceived me and I ate!”

I read a quote this week that I thought was so true: “To err is human; to blame it on others and upon God is more human.” Adam and Eve both portrayed themselves as the victim here. Adam was the victim of the poor decision of the woman whom God had given him, and Eve was the victim of the attacks of the serpent.

Friends, like Adam, we all have a little blame-shifter in us. It’s never our fault. It’s someone else’s fault. It’s our poor upbringing’s fault. It’s our surroundings’ fault.

It’s God’s fault.

You cheated on your taxes because politicians are corrupt. You stole from your work because your employer didn’t pay you enough. You’re mean to your children because you were raised in a broken home. You’re promiscuous because your dad was never around. You look at pornography because your wife won’t be intimate with you. The list can go on and on. It’s never your fault; there’s always an excuse. And some of these excuses may be valid. They may possess ounces of truth in them.

Was Adam correct in his statement that God gave Eve to him to be his wife? Absolutely! Was Adam correct in his statement that Eve gave him the fruit to eat? Sure! Was Eve correct in her statement that the serpent deceived her? Of course! But, were any of those valid excuses for their wrong doing? Absolutely not!

No excuse provided was able to justify their actions. They were not the victims; they were the perpetrators.

At the heart of the gospel is an acknowledgment of our own failures. At the heart of the gospel is a receiving of grace for the offenses you are guilty of. We must admit that we are sinners. There is no justifiable excuse that we could offer God that would remove from us the guilt of our sin! Adam and Eve both stood guilty before God. You and I, apart from Christ, stood/stand guilty before God. And as they stand guilty, God speaks. He begins to usher in punishment, first to the serpent, next to Eve, and then to Adam. These words spoken are strong and just.

CHRIST, THE SERPENT-CRUSHER

Next week, we will unpack the theology of the words spoken here in more detail. But I want us to see the hope in God’s words spoken here. Before God ushers out punishment to Adam and Eve, he ushers out punishment to the serpent. And in these words spoken to the serpent, we catch a flicker of hope, a glimpse of light. Perhaps God’s not done with Adam and Eve? Perhaps there’s hope for them? Perhaps there’s hope for us?

To the serpent, God says, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

The language here is harsh. It’s strong. It’s humbling. It’s defeating. Because of his deceptive work in the garden, he will be cursed above all other creatures. He was condemned to crawl on his belly, a sign of total humiliation. But, not only will the serpent be humbled, he will be defeated and crushed. From that day forward, there would be enmity between him and the woman, between his offspring and hers.

Enmity entails hostility. It’s combative language. It’s language of struggle. But, there wasn’t just going to be a struggle between him and the woman. He was going to be defeated by her offspring. As the serpent will bite at the heel of her offspring, his head will be bruised by his heel. This act was an act that we believe was fulfilled on the cross! On the cross, Satan struck the heel of Christ, but Christ struck Satan’s head through his death and resurrection. The bite of the enemy was the crushing blow against the enemy. Jesus crushed Satan on the cross, dismantling his power to deceive and devour.

The rest of the Bible operates out of this promise. It’s designed to tell the story of how Genesis 3:15 becomes a redemptive reality for God’s people! God, through Christ on the cross, had a plan to make things right for sinful humanity! As death and condemnation were extended to us through Adam’s trespass, righteousness and justification were extended to us through Christ. God has shown his love for us in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us. We have now been justified by his blood. Our hope is found in Christ, the Serpent-Crusher.

So, the beauty of the gospel is that we don’t have to hide in shame. We can come to God humble and broken, admitting our faults and confessing our sins. And in doing so, we are met with freedom and grace! We get to joyfully declare Romans 8:1, “There is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.”

So, for those of us who have been shifting the blame our entire lives, I invite you to come to God, humble and broken, so that you can experience true grace and mercy!

And for those of us who have come to Christ humble and broken, but still feel shame, I employ you to cling to Hebrews 12:2, “keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”Hebrews 12 thus challenges us not to look inward at our sin but to look upward at our Savior. As one commentator puts it, “Shame focuses on our sin. Freedom focuses on his salvation. Shame focuses on our past. Freedom focuses on our future. Shame is defined by our failures. Freedom is defined by our faith.” — Bethancourt, Phillip

Genesis 3:1-7

Genesis 2:19-25

“[18] Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” [19] Now out of the ground the LORD God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. [20] The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. [21] So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. [22] And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. [23] Then the man said,

“This at last is bone of my bones

and flesh of my flesh;

she shall be called Woman,

because she was taken out of Man.”

[24] Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. [25] And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.”

If you’ve been following closely, you will begin to notice how verse 14 stands in stark contrast to everything that has transpired up until this point. Up until this point, the word “good” had been used only in a positive sense. God spoke, creation followed, and God saw that it was good. God spoke, creation followed, and God saw that it was good. God spoke, creation followed, and God saw that it was good. Then on the seventh day, God saw everything that he had made and declared it as “very good.” But here we see God declare something to be “not good.” He says, “It is not good that the man should be alone.”

In Genesis 1:26, we see God say, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” So, in chapter 1, we’re first introduced to the triune nature of God. There is one God who eternally exists in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Therefore, if we are made in the image of a communal God, we can rightly conclude that we are made for community.

God’s declaration is theologically and psychologically true; it is not good for humans to be alone. The triune God who exists in perfect community has declared it is not suitable for the one made in his image to be alone.

So, let's examine what God does to address this need with Adam— “He made a helper fit for him.”

And as we see in the preceding verses, the helper he makes for Adam is Eve. Woman is the helper fit for man. Eve is the one that, before the foundation of the world, God chose to come along and assist Adam’s leadership. So, God created Adam and placed him in the garden, with the specific command to work and enjoy his creation. And as Adam did so alone, God brought to him a helper fit for him. Eve was uniquely designed in the image of God to come alongside and assist Adam with strength and dignity. God made Eve special, just like Adam, in His image. She was made to be his strong and caring helper, working with him to do what God called them to do.

The timeline set for us here is one that the rest of the Bible follows. Although they are both equally made in the image of God, the man (Adam) is the head of the household, the one God has called to work hard and lead his home lovingly, and the woman (Eve) is the one God has called to come alongside and help him. She is the helper fit for him. And that word helper is not a demeaning term; it’s not a term of weakness. It’s a term of dignity and strength. Psalm 33:20 says, “Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.” So, if the term 'helper' is a title of honor and strength regarding the LORD, it has to be a title of honor and strength for Eve, as well.

Men and women are created equally in dignity, value, and worth before God. They’re both image bearers. But they’ve been given distinct, complementary roles. The man in the garden was called by God to lovingly and sacrificially work for God’s glory, and then the woman was called by God to lovingly support, nurture, and help man do so.

Proverbs 31:11 says, “An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.” Married men, listen to me. God has called you to work for your family, and he has called you to lead your family. But God, in his infinite grace and mercy, has given you the gift of your wife. She is the helper fit for you. So, do not run from her; run to her. Let her be of help to you. Eve was uniquely designed in the image of God to come alongside and assist Adam in glorifying God with strength and dignity. God made Eve special, just like Adam, in His image. She was made to be his strong and caring helper, working with him to do what God called them to do.

Now, in a way, verse 18 serves as the thesis statement for what’s going to transpire for the rest of this chapter, which is the creation of woman. Verses 19-20 set the stage for what Adam was doing before Eve entered the picture, and I think it heightens for us the importance and value of Eve in this context. So, let’s look at what was transpiring before Eve was made for a moment.

“[19] Now out of the ground the LORD God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. [20] The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him.”

The first thing we see here is God alluding to how the animals were made. In the same way that Adam was formed out of the ground, all of the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens were formed. But, as we saw in verse 7, unlike the beasts of the field and the birds of the air, God breathed life into the nostrils of Adam, making him distinct from the rest of creation. Animals found life through God’s creative word, but man found life through God’s intimate breath. God granted Adam authority over the rest of creation, entrusting him to name all the living creatures.

To name something means you possess authority over it. If I walked up to you and said, “Your son is so cute, and I love the name ‘John.’ But today he will now be known as ‘Judith.” You would look at me like I had four heads because I do not possess the authority to name your child.

So, Adam was exercising dominion over God’s creation by naming all the living creatures. But as he did so, he began to take notice of how something was different between him and the rest of creation. And the difference wasn’t wings or hooves; it was the fact that he was alone. There were multiple giraffes; there was a boy giraffe and a girl giraffe. There were multiple elephants; there was a boy elephant and a girl elephant. There were multiple aardvarks; there was a boy aardvark and a girl aardvark. But here Adam sits all alone. Unlike the rest of the creation, “there was not found a helper fit for Adam.” So, God took action— “The Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.”

There’s beautiful intentionality here. God did not have to create woman in this way, but he did. He could have easily created both male and female from the dust, just like he did with every other animal. But he didn’t! With great intentionality and purpose, God chose to cause a deep sleep to fall on Adam, take from him his rib, and form Eve from it. Eve was taken out of Adam, formed out of his very being, making her equally an image bearer as Adam. She was a precious addition to Adam, a gift given by God as a complementary helper to him. As Matthew Henry puts it so beautifully, “The woman was made of a rib out of the side of Adam; not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved.”

Look what Adam says when God brought her to him, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of man.” Here, we find Adam immediately acknowledging the gift this woman is to him. He was apparently aware of his need, and he saw how God met that need, which led him to joyfully celebrate her presence—“This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh!”

Husbands in the room, listen to me! Adam publicly celebrated Eve as bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh. Follow Adam’s example here and use your words to celebrate your girl as the gift that she is! A Godly man will always use his words to build up his wife, not tear her down, to celebrate her, not berate her. There should never be any doubt in anyone's mind that your wife is the most precious thing in the world to you. That’s bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh!

Adam uses careful wordplay here in this declaration. He calls her woman (ishah in Hebrew) because she was taken out of man (ish in Hebrew). This wordplay links their identity; they mutually belong to each other. Although different, she was equal with him, one with him— “this at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.”

This is marriage language being used here, which is why Moses follows up with, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.” Obviously, Adam didn’t have a father or mother to leave at this time. But God is establishing His design for the marriage covenant moving forward here.

The word “therefore” links what was just said with what’s about to be said. So, in the same way that God brought Eve to Adam for them to become one, “a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” Before there was ever a father and mother to leave, God sculpted the marriage covenant between a man and a woman to be an act of both leaving and cleaving, where they leave their parents to become one with their spouse. Something special takes place in marriage. And out of this union that was formed, the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. In every way imaginable (physically, emotionally, and spiritually), they were completely innocent and vulnerable and open with one another. There was no guilt, fear, brokenness, or shame. There was no hiding or mistrust. In every way, they were fully known and fully loved. This was God’s original design for creation.

In Matthew 19, Jesus was asked the question, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?”

The question was prompted by an attempt to rightly interpret Deuteronomy 24:1, which allowed a man to give his wife a certificate of divorce if he found some indecency in her. Some interpreted this strictly, limiting it to a case of sexual immorality. Others interpreted it broadly, permitting divorce for almost any reason. But Jesus said, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” So, Jesus directed their attention past the law back to God’s original design for marriage in creation. In doing so, he’s making the argument that God, in the beginning, designed marriage to be a covenantal, one-flesh union between a man and a woman that was meant to be permanent and not causally dissolved by human decision.

So, if Jesus engaged the questions of his culture regarding marriage by directing their attention back to God’s original design in the garden, we ought to do the same. When it comes to defining marriage, the Bible consistently points back to Genesis 2, which teaches that God designed marriage as a lifelong covenant union between one man and one woman. Society will seek to say you can enjoy the benefits of marriage without a marriage covenant, and that’s a lie. Society will seek to say that you can leave your marriage whenever you want, and that’s a lie. Society will seek to say that marriage doesn’t have to be between a man and a woman, and that’s a lie.

Paul, for example, warns against sexual immorality in 1 Corinthians 6:15-20. He says, “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! 16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” 17 But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. 18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” So, here Paul is preaching against sexual immorality, and he’s saying that sex is only to be enjoyed within the confines of marriage. In the beginning, God designed sex to be a gift that is to be enjoyed between a husband and a wife, a man and a woman, within a marriage covenant. Sex is the forging together of two bodies, the act of two becoming one flesh. Therefore, it is a sin to seek to enjoy the benefits of marriage outside of a marriage covenant.

Paul, in Ephesians 5, makes one of the most beautiful theological connections between marriage and the gospel. In Ephesians 5:31, he quotes Genesis 2:24 to describe marriage and its mystery, pointing to Christ and the church. In Ephesians 5, he’s making the argument that God ultimately designed marriage to be a portrait of the gospel. So, God intentionally crafted the marriage covenant in the manner that He did, so that it could be a portrait of the gospel, Jesus’ relationship with the church.

Let’s look at this within its greater context. In Ephesians 5:22-33, he says,

“22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. 28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because we are members of his body. 31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. 33 However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.”

Here we find Paul adding color to the black and white definition of marriage that always existed before Jesus died on the cross. And the color that he’s adding is the gospel. In the garden, Adam was given the responsibility to lead, nourish, and lovingly cherish his wife, and Eve was to complement and help Adam rule over creation. In the garden, Adam was the head of the house, the leader of the home, and Eve was called to help him and submit to his leadership. In the same way that being a helper isn’t a sign of weakness, submission isn’t equivalent to a lack of dignity and worth. Submission shouldn't be offensive; it should be an honor. We see this demonstrated for us in the Trinity. In the Trinity, we see the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as equal in worth, value, and honor; they are one. But, despite this oneness, each person has a different role.

In John 5, Jesus says that he was sent by the Father to do the work of the Father, walking in complete submission to the Father's will. So, although Jesus was one with the Father, he willingly submitted to the will of the Father. But, because He submitted to the Father, that doesn't mean he was any less than the Father. He is the Word made flesh, fully divine! He is the One all things were made by, through, and for! He is the One every knee will bow and every tongue will confess as Lord! Yet, he willfully, intentionally, and joyfully submitted himself to the Father's will. 

So, if submission is offensive, Christ should be offended. But if Christ doesn’t balk at submission, we shouldn’t either. Submission shouldn't be offensive; it should be an honor. It’s an act of strength and dignity, an opportunity to display the life and character of our Savior and Lord, Jesus. 

Now, submission assumes leadership. For a wife to submit, the husband must lead. And his leadership must be sacrificial and loving. As the head of the household, the man lays his own wants and desires down for the good of his wife. He cares for his bride like he would care for his own body. He bathes her in the Word of God as he’s in it daily. The best leaders are selfless leaders. The most godly husbands are the most loving husbands.

Now, I think two of the biggest temptations within marriage to distort this beautiful design are two-fold. Either (1) a wife refuses to submit to her husband and rule over him, or (2) a husband seeks to abuse his right to rule over a woman through harsh, cruel, and exploitative domination. Neither are biblical, and neither should be encouraged or accepted. Instead, God designed marriage to be a forging together of two bodies, where a wife submits to her husband as he lovingly lays down his life for her good, caring for her as he would his own body. And what’s beautiful is this was all God’s original design to ultimately display the gospel, Jesus’ relationship with his bride, the church. God designed marriage in the garden to be a portrait of the gospel!

Genesis 2:4-18

As we move into this portion of Genesis 2, we must see and understand that it presents a zoomed-in view of what has already been told in chapter 1. Chapter 1 is a wide-angle view of creation, while Chapter 2 is a zoomed-in view. It’s a retelling of what’s already been told. In these verses, we find a more detailed description of God creating man and placing him in the garden, where he was to dwell with God in harmony while tending to the garden.

Let’s dive in.

“4  These are the generations

of the heavens and the earth when they were created,

in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.”

5 When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, 6 and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground— 7 then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. 8 And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

10 A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. 14 And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

When you hear the word “generations,” you might be like me and think it refers to genealogy or a family tree. If so, you’re likely very confused by what this verse means— “These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.” However, the Hebrew word for generations (toledot) can also mean the story that flows from something or someone. For example, Genesis 6:9 states, “These are the generations of Noah,” which is then followed by the story of Noah, not a list of his children. So, in simpler terms, verse 4 is saying, “This is the story that has unfolded after God has made the heavens and the earth.”

Some view this verse as a section heading that signifies a transition in the book of Genesis. It’s an attention grabber. It begins the transition of a broad view of creation to a narrow view of the formation of man, woman, and the garden. So, we’re transitioning from the wide-angle view of creation into the zoomed-in view of creation.

THE LORD GOD

Before we move on, I would like to draw our attention to something in this verse, specifically a transition found in the text. Up until this point in the Bible, God has been called “God”— “In the beginning God…Then God said… So God created…So God blessed the seventh day…”But now I want you to notice how God is described as “the LORD God.”

In Chapter 1, the Hebrew name used for God is “Elohim,” which highlights Him as the powerful and majestic Creator. However, in Chapter 2, God is introduced as Yahweh Elohim. Yahweh highlights God’s relational nature as our covenant redeemer. So, this title, “LORD God,” highlights God’s greatness and closeness. God, the creator, is God our redeemer. The personal God is the powerful God. The one who formed the stars is the one who formed us. The one who spoke the sun into existence breathed his breath into man’s nostrils. The one who holds the universe in his hand is the one who redeemed us with an outstretched arm.

God is both transcendent and immanent; He is sovereign over all and closely dwelling with those who belong to him. God is powerful and personal. The One who dwells closely with his people in the garden is the One who created all things. We are reading the story of a mighty and personal God forming man into his image, placing him in his garden to rule over his creation.

A LAND WAITING FOR CULTIVATION

Verses 5-6 then describe the state of creation before man was formed. No bush of the field or small plant of the field had yet sprung up. So, with the camera lens zoomed all the way in, we’re beginning to see what creation looked like before humans entered the picture. Bush of the field signifies wild, uncultivated shrubs or plants that require rain to survive. Plants of the field signify cultivated crops or food plants that require human farming. So, the ground was waiting for someone to work it. It’s as if God’s good creation was unfinished without man’s participation. Yet, even still, God was providing and sustaining his creation by a mist or spring coming up from the land to water the face of the ground.

It’s not worth spending much time here, but some interpreters have trouble understanding the word "mist" here. Some interpret it as a dew-like mist, while others interpret it as an underground spring or stream. Either way, Eden was a well-watered sanctuary. God was miraculously providing for his creation during this time.

Then, in verse 7, the climactic moment transpires, and man is made— “Then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”

This is poetically beautiful and theologically rich language.

Like every other beast of the field, God formed man out of the ground. But, unlike any other part of God’s creation, he breathed into man’s nostrils the breath of life. Animals found life through God’s creative word, but man found life through God’s intimate breath. Many commentators highlight how the language of breathing is one of warmth and intimacy. It almost depicts the imagery of a kiss. God personally and intimately made man. He who was formed from dust was intimately given life by almighty God. All human life is special to God. It’s valuable to him. God made the first man from dust and breathed life into him. God made people in a special, loving way, and every life is precious to Him.

Then, in verse 8, we see God place man into the garden that he planted in Eden— “And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed.”

The term garden means “a protected area,” and Eden means “delight.” So, the garden was a special enclosed sanctuary planted by God within the land of delight. The garden was a special, safe place in Eden, full of wonderful things. As we will see in how it’s described in a moment, it is a place of abundant, life-giving joy. Man's first home was one of blessing and delight, not struggle and scarcity.

Look at how it’s described in verses 9-14:

First, we see that God brought up beautiful and fruitful trees, trees that were pleasant to the sight and good for food. Two of those trees were the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The tree of life represented God’s life-giving presence and the gift of eternal life, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil represented moral autonomy and covenant testing.

Second, we see that a river was present to water the garden, and then it divided into four rivers that went from Eden to various regions. Eden was the source of blessing that touched all of these neighboring regions: Havilah, Cush, and Assyria. Havilah was a land of abundance and resources, a place rich with gold, bdellium, and onyx. Cush was portrayed in Scripture as a distant and powerful nation. Assyria would later become one of Israel’s greatest enemies. These regions together represent abundance, distance, and future enemies. The river of Eden touched all categories of the earth— near and far, friend or foe, wealth or poverty. God’s life flowed out to the whole world.

Then we see in verses 15-17, “The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, ‘You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’”

The Hebrew word for work is ʿābad, meaning to serve, cultivate, or labor, while the Hebrew word for keep is shāmar, meaning to guard, protect, or watch over. This tells us that Adam was called to tend the soil, cultivate growth, and guard it from harm. The call to work tells us work is a good, God-glorifying thing. Before sin entered the picture, work was present. Work is a key component in God’s design for humanity. God designed work to be good. The enemy wants us to believe the lie that work is bad, but the Bible teaches us that work is good!

Do you believe your job is good, church?

***I know this may conflict with some of our politically conservative leanings, but this teaches us that God designed humans to take care of their creation. He put man in the garden to work it, to tend to it, and take care of it. God has entrusted man to take good care of his creation.

Now, notice that when God puts man in the garden, he gives him specific instructions! He gives him permissionand restriction. He says, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat.” As Phillip Bethancourt puts it in his commentary on Genesis, “God’s commands include both freedom and fences, liberty and limits, rights and restrictions, guidelines and guardrails— all for our good and his glory.” Sometimes we may face the temptation to view God's commands as unloving and oppressive. But what we find is that the opposite is true! God gives man freedom to enjoy his creation— eat of any tree! Except this one tree. Do not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

But why? Why doesn’t he want man to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? Because “in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” To choose to eat from this tree would surely bring death.

God’s command here is good because it’s for man’s good! All of God’s commands are good because God is good! A good God seeks good things for his people! Therefore, when we read his commands, we trust that they are for our good! The moment we begin to see God’s commands as something other than good is the moment we start to wade into dangerous water. And as we will see in a few weeks, this is what will happen with Adam. Adam failed to obey this single command from God. He sought to sidestep God and His word to become wise on his own. He sought to take matters into his own hands. He sought to determine what was right without reference to God’s revealed will. As we will see in a few weeks, sin will enter the picture through the first Adam.

But! Here’s what’s beautiful!

The New Testament describes Jesus as the second Adam, the last Adam. So, where the first Adam failed to obey God, the second Adam came and walked in perfect obedience to God. Sin and death came through the first Adam, but grace and life came through the second Adam, Jesus Christ (Rom 5:12-21). In the first Adam, we all die, but in the second Adam, Jesus, we all can be made alive (1 Cor. 15:22)! Adam's disobedience brought condemnation, but Jesus’ obedience brought justification and life. Jesus came to restore that which was lost in the garden. He brings eternal life and restores God’s presence with his people. And we see this all anticipated throughout Scripture.

When you look at the temple in the Old Testament, you see a lot of parallels between the temple and the garden. This leads many to believe Eden was the first ‘temple-garden,’ the original sanctuary of God’s presence. The garden was an enclosed place where life flowed. It was where God dwelt with man, personally interacting with Adam and Eve. In the same way, the temple was God’s dwelling place among his people; it’s where God met Israel. In it were gold, precious stones, and trees, mirroring those in Eden. Water rituals were performed in it, which symbolized life-giving imagery. The temple was Eden’s architectural and symbolic continuation.

In the same way that Adam was called to work and keep the garden, the Levites were called to work in the sanctuary and keep it from defilement. So, Adam’s calling in the garden wasn’t just agricultural; it was priestly. But Adam failed in his role as a priest. He failed to work and keep it as he should. But Christ ultimately came and fulfilled Adam’s role as a priest. He is the great high priest! He was appointed by God as the great High Priest, offering salvation to those who obey Him. He is the greater Adam, the one who restores that which was lost in the garden.

But he wasn’t just the greater Adam, he was the true temple, God’s dwelling place among men. He is the tree of life fulfilled, the one in which eternal life is found. He is the rivers of blessing in which His Spirit is poured out to the nations. All who are in Christ look ahead to a day when Eden will be restored, where God will dwell with his people for all eternity with no curse, death, or separation. We look forward to a day when we will no longer fail, when we will dwell with God in the new Jerusalem in peace and harmony, where a river of life flows from God’s throne and the tree of life bears fruit for healing, for all eternity.

Genesis 2:1-3

Let’s dive in.

“[1] Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. [2] And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. [3] So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.”

REST LIKE GOD

Here Moses is emphasizing God’s completion of creation— “The heavens and the earth were finished… on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done.”

At the start of chapter 1, God’s work of creation has begun. At the start of chapter 2, God’s work of creation is brought to a close. Creation is complete; it is finished. It doesn’t lack a thing. God is done. He stopped, observed all he had made, declared it to be ‘very good,’ and now rests.

The word rest means “to cease, stop, or desist.” This implies the reality that there is no work left to be done. There was not one ounce of lack left in God’s creation. Therefore, he stopped and enjoyed/took delight in his finished work. God wasn’t fatigued. He didn’t need a breather. The omnipotent, all-powerful God of the universe rested on the seventh day because he finished the work that he had done.

The Hebrew word shabat is where we get the word Sabbath. The word Sabbath is a term you’ve likely heard at some point in your life. After all, one of the Ten Commandments is to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. In the Bible, the Sabbath is a special day when we stop working to worship God. So, God is modeling for us here how we ought to treat work/rest. As image bearers of God, we are to imitate how God works. As God’s people, we ought to work as God works and rest as God rest. And throughout the Bible, God's progression of working six days and resting on the seventh day serves as a model for his people.

In Exodus 20:8-11, for example, we find God specifically giving his people the Ten Commandments. In them is the command to remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

“[8] Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. [9] Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, [10] but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. [11] For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”

Do we feel the weight of what’s being said here? On equal footing with the command not to murder is the command to remember the Sabbath day and to keep it holy. As a people who hold in high regard human life, we ought to also be a people who hold in high regard the Sabbath.

At some point, as a parent, you will likely hear the words, “I’m not hungry,” whenever you tell your child to eat their dinner. But your response will probably be: "Well, you still need to eat. Because if you never eat, you could get really sick and die. And we love you way too much to let you get sick and die. So eat the chicken.”

I fear some of us approach rest like my son approaches dinner. We don’t rest from our work because we’re tired; we rest from our work because God calls us to. The God who didn’t need rest chose to rest, and he calls his people to rest.

Notice the explanation provided here. Notice the “for” in verse 11– “For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” God is saying, “Do as I have done.” In the same way God worked for six days and rested on the seventh, we ought to work six days and rest on the seventh.

God “blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” This is identical language used back in Genesis 2:3, which says, "God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.” That word ‘blessed’ is the same word used in chapter 1 regarding fish, birds, and man. He blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply.” So, in the same way God blessed man to be fruitful, God blessed the Sabbath to be fruitful for man. The sabbath day of rest was intended to be a blessing to God’s people, both physically and spiritually. God calls us to life, not death, blessing, not destruction. But Satan wants us to believe the opposite. Satan wants us to think that obedience to God leads to a life of misery and want. So, do not miss the fact that the day of rest was intended to enrich human life, not destroy it. In the words of Jesus, “the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” It was a gift, not a burden. So, if we choose to work when God calls us to rest, then we are choosing to miss out on blessings.

Now, that’s probably a hard pill to swallow for many of us because there’s something deep within all of us that doesn’t necessarily love the idea of rest. There’s something within us that consistently feels the need to continue working. There’s a temptation to think that a day of rest means a day of loss. Our work is never done, so not working means not getting paid. But, in a world that says “blessing comes from grinding,” God says “blessing comes when we stop and rest.” In a world that says we will lose when we stop working, God says we will gain when we stop working. And, we have to ask ourselves which voice we will listen to? Will we listen to the world that fuels our selfish desires? Or will we listen to God, the one who knows best?

Exodus 31:12-17 tells us that this day of rest was to be a sign between God and his people. It’s a mark that displays our exclusive belonging to the LORD.

“[12] And the LORD said to Moses, [13] “You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, ‘Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the LORD, sanctify you. [14] You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death. Whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. [15] Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death. [16] Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever. [17] It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’”

Don’t miss the beauty here. The sign that God has chosen to use for our belonging to Him is rest, not work. God doesn’t say, “Roll up your sleeves and work harder, and your hard labor will be a sign forever between me and the people of Israel.” No! Rest is the chosen sign of our belonging to God. When we rest from our work, we are declaring our trust in God’s provision! Rest is an intentional declaration of worship! It’s you saying, “Although I could work, I choose to rest in the God who provides!” It’s a time of worship and remembrance! When we rest, we show that we trust God to take care of us.

Deuteronomy 5:12-15 says, “[12] ‘Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you. [13] Six days you shall labor and do all your work, [14] but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant, or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. [15] You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.”

The Sabbath was intended to deepen one's love, awe, and worship of God. It is intended to be a time when we remember that God has brought us out of bondage into freedom and celebrate that God has saved us with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. More than a time to nap, the Sabbath was intended to be a time of worship.

A SHADOW OF WHAT WAS TO COME

Now, all rest temporarily scratches an itch within our hearts for a greater rest. For Israel, as they wandered through the wilderness, they longed for the promised land. They longed for the rest it would bring. They longed to escape the taxing demands found in the wilderness. They longed to no longer have to no longer set up and tear down tents. They longed to no longer have to gather manna every morning. They longed for the safety of a home. In Deuteronomy 12:8-11, God says, “…[9] for you have not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance that the LORD your God is giving you. [10] But when you go over the Jordan and live in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to inherit, and when he gives you rest from all your enemies around, so that you live in safety…” So, for Israel in the wilderness, the promised land was an anticipated place of rest, a place of safety from all their enemies.

Well, the author of Hebrews masterfully connects the seventh day of rest here in Genesis to the promised rest in Canaan. But, he does so in a way that directs our attention past Canaan to a true rest we can experience today in Jesus. In doing so, he’s telling us that all who believe in Jesus have entered into true rest. The true mark of our belonging to God is our rest in the finished work of Jesus on the cross.

Notice in the book of Genesis that there is no morning or evening on the seventh day. God’s rest is ongoing. If God’s seventh-day rest had ended, there would be no continuing rest for his people to enter into today. But the Christian hope is that God’s rest is still extended to us today in Christ Jesus. Hebrews 4:9-10 says, “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.”

So, the author of Hebrews draws a parallel between the creative work in Genesis and the redemptive work of the cross. God finished his work on the seventh day, and he declared it very good! And right before Jesus took his last breath on the cross, he declared, “It is finished.” The Sabbath pointed ahead to Jesus. It was a shadow of the things to come. It was a shadow of the real and true rest that is found in Jesus. Jesus came and fulfilled what the Sabbath ultimately pointed to: true rest in the finished work of the cross.

At the heart of the Christian faith is rest and freedom, not works and bondage. The gospel invitation is not “get your life together so that you can experience the wealth of a relationship with God.” The gospel invitation is “Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Are you tired today? Are you burdened with guilt and shame? Come to Jesus and rest in his finished work of the cross. Come to the risen savior and find hope! In Christ alone, you will find rest today, and in him we look ahead to the day when we will rest safely with God for all eternity.

Genesis 1:3-23

Genesis 1:1-2

Before we dive in, though, I think it might be helpful for us to do some heavy lifting regarding authorship and context.

Genesis is obviously the first book in the Bible. But it’s also the first book of the Pentateuch, the first five books in the Bible. These five beautifully woven books were intended to be read and treated as one grand work designed to teach Israel about its history and help it with its future.

The book of Genesis, along with the rest of the Pentateuch, was written by Moses. Nowhere in this book do we have Moses raise his hand, identifying himself as the author. However, the Bible consistently assumes that Moses is the author of the Pentateuch.

“[14] Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” — Exodus 17:14

“[24] When Moses had finished writing the words of this law in a book to the very end…” — Deuteronomy 31:24

“[31] just as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the people of Israel, as it is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, “an altar of uncut stones, upon which no man has wielded an iron tool.” And they offered on it burnt offerings to the LORD and sacrificed peace offerings.” — Joshua 8:31

“[6] But he did not put to death the children of the murderers, according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, where the LORD commanded, “Fathers shall not be put to death because of their children, nor shall children be put to death because of their fathers. But each one shall die for his own sin.” — 2 Kings 14:6

“[5] For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them.” — Romans 10:5

“[15] Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts.” — 2 Corinthians 3:15

“[45] Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. [46] For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. [47] But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?” — John 5:45-47

If you’re not familiar, Moses was the one God called to set his people free from slavery in Egypt and to lead God’s people through the wilderness into the promised land in Canaan. However, Moses never reached the promised land, meaning Genesis was written while God’s people wandered through the wilderness.

The Pentateuch was God's preparation for his people to enter the promised land by providing them with a history and a future. God’s people had been suppressed by the Egyptians, who worshipped other gods for 430 years. Thebook of Genesis teaches God’s people the truth about God and creation. There is no multiple gods. There is no sun god, a sky god, or a god of the underworld. There is one God who is the creator of all things. And this is how he has operated throughout history. As God’s people wandered through the wilderness, preparing to enter the land promised to them, Genesis provided them with a past “rooted in the very land that they were about to enter,” and the rest of the Pentateuch supplied detailed instructions for how to faithfully live once they entered this land.

Today, we will unpack the first two verses of the 1,533 verses in the book of Genesis.

Let’s dive in.

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”

THE BIBLE IS ABOUT GOD

Before we unpack the nuts and bolts of these two verses, we must understand that the Bible begins with God and ends with God. Therefore, the Bible is about God. From Genesis to Revelation, it is about him— “In the beginning, God created…”

It’s easy sometimes to read the Bible with a me-centered lens, asking questions like, “What does this say about me?” “What is this saying to me?” “What does this mean for me?” But, before we ever get to those questions, we must first ask, “What does this say about God?”

God is the main character of the Bible, not you, me, Moses, Abraham, David, Peter, or Paul. Therefore, opening the Bible with any other framework would mean we’re missing the main point. Before the Bible directs our gaze inward, it directs our gaze upward. And as our gaze is directed upward, we learn that God, the creator of all things, was present and active before anything was made.

GOD IS ETERNAL

The term “beginning” implies the beginning of time. So, at the beginning of time itself, God was there. This teaches us that the creator of all things, God, is eternal. From “everlasting to everlasting” (Psalm 90:2), God was there. As Kent Hughes eloquently puts it, “Whichever way we look— to the vanishing points of the beginning or the end— God is there, having always been there.”

Is this a truth about God that we often consider? That God has eternally existed at all times. Before the foundation of the world was laid, God was there. And he wasn’t just there inactively existing. The book of Ephesians tells us that God “chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before him.” So, before time existed, God was there. And before time existed, God had already crafted his perfect will of redemption through the death of his Son on the cross. And before time existed, God had a plan for your life.

GOD IS THE CREATOR

God is eternal; he has no beginning or end. This eternal God is the source of all things. The eternal God who existed outside of time created all things— “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

You know what’s fascinating? That word “created” is only accredited to God in the Bible. Man may build, but God creates. Man may craft, but God creates. Man may construct, but God creates. To be the creator of something implies you’re the source of something. He is the creator, and we are created! He is the source of all things; we are not!

God had no preexisting material to create anything, yet he created everything out of nothing. This is what theologians call the doctrine of ex nihilo. Hebrews 11:3 says that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. Before anything existed, God was there, and he called into existence things that did not exist (Rom 4:17). He spoke light out of darkness (2 Cor. 4:6). The eternal God, who existed before time, created all things out of nothing.

The words “heavens” and “earth” are opposites intended to highlight totality. They’re intended to communicate all of creation, all of the cosmos. Nothing exists that has not been brought to existence apart from God. He is the source of all of life. I was having a conversation with a young man on Friday at the barbershop. He wants to design spaceships one day. I asked him to tell me an interesting fact about space.

Here’s the fact he enlightened me with: Do you know that while traveling at the speed of light (which is a speed only massless items can travel at; it’s the cosmic speed limit), it would take us roughly 25,000 years to get to the closest known galaxy? For context, it would take 2.1 minutes to get to Venus, which is 23,612,105 miles.

This vast universe is what we are describing when we say “heavens.” From the farthest galaxy to the closest stream, from the biggest star to the smallest atom, all things get their breath from God.

God is eternal—not bound by time. God is the creator—the source of all things. God is transcendent—he is above and beyond all things. The highest heaven cannot contain God (1 Kings 8:27). He exists in a league of his own; his existence doesn’t depend upon anything outside himself. He is the one seated on high (Ps. 113:5). He is the one who looks far down on the heavens and the earth (Ps. 113:6). He is the sovereign God and King, the divine ruler and creator of all, the one from whom all creation gets its life.

ORDER OUT OF CHAOS

Verse 2 then says, “…The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep…”

“Without form and void” was a rhythmic phrase in Hebrew (tohu vavohu) intended to highlight creation's disordered and empty nature. It was an empty wasteland that was uninhabitable. It’s the antithesis of what the Earth is now. The earth that is now full of life and light was once formless and lifeless.

I think the commentator Umberto Cassuto describes it well when he equates the earth to a lump of clay before the potter sculpts it into something beautiful. He says, “Just as the potter, when he wishes to fashion a beautiful vessel, takes first of all a lump of clay, and places it upon his wheel in order to mould it according to his wish, so the Creator first prepared for Himself the raw material … with a view to giving it afterwards order and life.… It is this terrestrial state that is called tohu and bohu.”

Another commentator pointed out how these words are used elsewhere in Scripture (Isaiah 34:11 and Jeremiah 4:23) to describe a barren and empty wasteland, an uninhabitable land like the wilderness.

- “…Night and day it shall not be quenched; its smoke shall go up forever. From generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it forever and ever. But the hawk and the porcupine shall possess it, the owl and the raven shall dwell in it. He shall stretch the line of confusion over it, and the plumb line of emptiness.” — Isaiah 34:11

- “I looked on the earth, and behold, it was without form and void; and to the heavens, and they had no light.” — Jeremiah 4:23

The imagery of deep waters further describes a world unsuitable for human life. The “face of the deep” doesn’t necessarily communicate the ocean as we know it. But it signifies deep, vast, and chaotic waters.

So, Moses intentionally chose language to signify an uninhabitable land—a chaotic, formless, and dark land. And as the earth was chaotic, formless, and dark, God’s Spirit was hovering over the face of the waters. This is similar language used in Deuteronomy 32:11 to describe an eagle hovering over her nest to protect her young— “Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that flutters over its young, spreading out its wings, catching them, bearing them on its pinions.”

So, as chaos was present, God was there. The Spirit of God brought order out of chaos, form out of formlessness, light out of darkness.

Did Moses understand the Trinity at this point? Likely not. But is this verse one of the first glimpses into God's triune nature? I think it absolutely is! Although it's not clear here in Genesis 1, we’re already catching glimpses into God's triune nature.

This is the same Spirit who hovered over the Virgin Mary as she conceived the Savior of the world. This is the same Spirit that descended upon Jesus after he was baptized in the Jordan River. This is the same Spirit who raised Christ from the dead. This is the same Spirit who fell on the early church at Pentecost. This is the same Spirit who is testifying to the Son right now. This is the same Spirit who resides within our hearts right now as Christians.

We serve a mighty and powerful God who is always working. No amount of chaos or barrenness can thwart his good plan. God can bring order out of chaos, form out of formlessness, and light out of darkness. I believe the language Moses chooses to use here would have captured his readers' attention by drawing their minds to the wilderness in which they found themselves.

Can you imagine what this phrase must have done to the heart and mind of those who first read this in the wilderness?

Year after year, as Israel wandered through the desert in hopes of God leading them into the promised land, they were reminded that the God they were following was the God who formed the formless, who shaped the shapeless, and who turned a wasteland into a garden. In the same way God prepared the earth for human habitation, he was preparing to lead them out of a desert and into a specially prepared homeland. In the wilderness, they were a lump of clay that was being prepared to be moulded. The God who possesses the power over life and death can turn deserts into gardens.

A NEW CREATION IN CHRIST JESUS

As we will learn in Genesis 2-3, sin entered the picture, and sin brought death and chaos into the world. Sin brought forth a greater wilderness, a darker darkness. But the Bible also teaches that, before the foundation of the world, God had a plan to make things right through the death of his Son on the cross. He had a plan to make us into a new creation.

2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and have us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.”

Ephesians 2:8-10 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

All who place their faith in Jesus become a new creation. Perhaps you’re burdened with the fruit of your own sin today. Perhaps your life is in chaos because of it. Maybe you feel like you’re wandering through the wilderness with no hope of a garden. I’m here to tell you that the God who created the heavens and the earth can also make you new. In the beginning was God, and in the end God will be… and you can dwell with him in perfect harmony for all eternity.

Evangelism in Acts pt.4

Evangelism in Acts pt. 3

Evangelism in Acts pt.2

Present in the undercurrent of our passage today is this truth: a people eager to live out the gospel will be a people presented with opportunities to preach the gospel. The Holy Spirit will open up doors for us to preach. As we seek to walk in obedience to the Holy Spirit in our day-to-day lives, he will present us with unique opportunities to share the glorious message of Jesus Christ with others.

At the end of chapter 2, we see the early church exploding: “[42] They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. [43] And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.”

Well, in chapter 3, we catch a glimpse of the wonderful signs that the apostles performed. In our passage today, we will find the apostles healing a man who could not walk, which opened up an opportunity for Peter to share the gospel's truth with a large crowd.

Now, before we begin, I want to draw our attention to who is performing the miraculous works at this moment in time—“…many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.” God was doing something special and unique in and through his apostles at this moment in time. I believe these unique works done through the apostles were intended to validate the apostles' message regarding Jesus in the early church.

I say that to say this: the apostolic ministry that we see in the book of Acts is not being continued today. Put more bluntly. The application of our passage is not for you to walk away thinking you can heal a lame man on the street. The application of our passage is not for you to feel guilty for not having enough faith because you aren’t like Peter. There was a unique power being displayed in and through the apostles at this time.

Now, with that being said, God has been, and always will be, a God of miracles. So, I am not saying that God has stopped working, nor am I saying that he has stopped healing. God is not bound by the laws of nature. He can do as he pleases. The God who parted the seas still moves mountains today. There is no sickness that He cannot heal. And through his word, the all-powerful God of the universe invites us to pray for healing. But just because he can heal, doesn’t mean he always will. Sometimes, God plans to display his power in and through our weakness. Sometimes God plans to teach us that his grace is sufficient for us in and through our lowest moments.

CONTEXT:

At the start of chapter 3, Peter and John go to the temple to pray. At the temple gate lies a lame man who was carried there to ask for alms from those entering the temple. In other words, he’s asking for help at a place where people are most generous.

As Peter and John walked by, the man asked them for help. Peter and John pause and look at him, and Peter says, “Look at us.”

The man directs his attention to them, expecting financial help from them. But, Peter responds, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!”

He then takes him by the right hand and raises him up, and immediately, his feet and ankles are made strong. Leaping up, he stands and begins to walk. He enters the temple with them, walking, leaping, and praising God. The man is full of joy and excitement over God's work in his life, leading to everyone taking notice! They saw him walking and praising God, recognizing him as the one who was once lame and asking for alms. As a result, they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

The man clung to Peter and John. The crowd was curious and ready to hear from them, which presented an opportunity for them to preach the gospel.

Now, before we get into Peter’s message, I want us to observe what led to his message more closely and see if there’s some application we can pull from it.

We live in a social media-driven age, don’t we? Social media can bring many good things, but it can also bring many bad things. When it comes to the church, one of the hidden adverse effects of social media is that it can taint our motives. It can lead us to turn private works into public works. It can lead us to believe that the world has to know about the good things we’ve done, turning private works into public works, turning works done for God’s glory into works done for our own glory.

So, with that in mind, let me ask you, “What captured the attention of the audience?” Was it Peter telling others of the work he’s done? Or was it simply the fruit of his work that captured their attention?

Nowhere in this passage do you find an ounce of evidence supporting the idea that they performed this work for personal gain. I’m convinced that if the man who was healed had not leaped, shouted, and clung to Peter, no one would have known it was Peter who had healed him. I’m convinced Peter and John would have been content exercising their good works in the shadows with zero recognition. And I believe Peter’s example demonstrates a proper view of gospel service. True gospel service must be an expression of love, not an expression of pride. True gospel service leaves behind the question, “How will this impact me?” True gospel service is content with only benefiting someone else.

Peter didn’t meet this need to acquire a crowd; he met this need as an expression of love for the glory of Christ. In our day and age, though, we feel the pressure to broadcast the work we do. When pride drives our hearts and motives, we will seek to use service to serve ourselves. We will use meeting another’s need as a marketing tool to build our brand and reputation. We will design shirts and make sentimental videos that capture the selfless acts we perform, then we will post them on our website or social media to show the world all the good works we do in our community.

But we must heed the warning Jesus gives during his sermon on the mount, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

As we see in Jesus’ words, practicing righteousness before others is not wrong. But it is wrong to practice righteousness before others in order to be seen by others. It’s our motive— our heart— that matters to Jesus. So, may we be a people eager and unashamed to practice righteousness publicly. May we be unashamed of the gospel. May we be anxious to serve and meet the needs of those around us. But may we never be eager to practice our righteousness before others in order to be seen by them. We ought to be a people who are content with crickets over trumpets. If no one ever sings our praises, we will be ok!

But, as we seek to practice our righteousness before others for our neighbor's good and Jesus’ glory, we must understand that people will likely notice. A life of obedience to Jesus will be a life of power. Impact will be made. Humble service that authentically meets the needs of those around us will authentically make an impact in the community around us, and impact breeds curiosity. A faith lived out in front of others will be noticed by others. So, if we are eager to live out the gospel, we must be ready to share the gospel. If we are willing to live out our faith, we must be willing to share our faith. Peter’s life opened up an opportunity for him to preach; the fruit of his actions promoted proclamation. The more we seek to authentically live out the gospel, the more opportunities we will likely have to proclaim the gospel.

So, let’s look at how Peter shares his faith after living out his faith.

When Peter saw the crowd, he quickly capitalized on the opportunity before him. He says to them,“[12] And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk? [13] The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. [14] But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, [15] and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. [16] And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.

[17] “And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. [18] But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. [19] Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, [20] that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, [21] whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago. [22] Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you. [23] And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.’ [24] And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days. [25] You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ [26] God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.”

I first want us to notice how Peter is adamant about getting the limelight off himself and onto Jesus. In verse 12, he says, “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power and piety we have made him walk?” And in verse 16, he says, “And his name—by faith in his name— has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.”

So, throughout this message, Peter is adamant that it was not he who performed the work he accomplished. The healing God accomplished through Peter was not by Peter or for Peter; it was by Jesus and for Jesus. When God works in and through you to meet the needs of those around you, you will be tempted to bask in the glory of praise. But if the heartbeat of our life is the glory of Jesus, we should be eager to give him the glory when he works in and through us.

Now, we’ve all met that person who does something for a neighbor and then awkwardly points to the sky with their head down saying, “It’s all God, brother!” So, just some practical counsel here. We don’t have to make it any more awkward than it already is. A simple and humble explanation of what God has done in and through you will suffice— “God has blessed me, and I felt him leading me to bless you. So, together, we can praise God!”

But, notice how, as Peter shifts the limelight off himself, he promptly shifts their focus onto the cross. In doing so, he’s seeking to show his audience how the work of the cross was a part of God’s glorious plan of redemption. It wasn’t a moment of weakness; it was a moment of power. He says, “The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, who you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him.”

What Peter does here is remarkable. He’s ironically contrasting their view of Jesus with God’s view of Jesus. In doing so, he’s highlighting their guilt in rejecting and killing their Messiah. The God they’ve always worshipped is the God who has glorified the one they crucified. The one they put in the grave is the one God raised from the grave. The one they delivered to Pilate is the one God exalted to heaven. The one they denied in the presence of Pilate is the one God has given the name above all names. The one they’ve declared as a criminal is the one God declared most glorious. The one they’ve mocked is the one all will one day bow before and confess as Lord.

When the opportunity arises, we want to rightly paint a beautiful portrait of the cross. The cross wasn’t a moment of weakness; it was a moment of power. As we talk about Jesus, we want to exalt Him as the one who is most worthy of worship and adoration.

Peter goes on to say in verses 14-15, “But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.”

These verses give Jesus three titles. In addition to being God's servant, Jesus is also the Holy One, the Righteous One, and the Author of Life. These are divine titles deserving of awe and wonder. As the Holy One, he is the one set apart, pure, and belonging to the Holy God of Israel. And as the Righteous One, he is the one who was completely innocent and just, walking in perfect obedience to the Father. So, (in these two titles) Peter is further highlighting the scandal of the cross. They mocked the servant of God. They let a murderer go free in the place of the Holy One. They declared the Righteous One guilty. But, not only that, they killed the author of life.

Author means originator, founder, pioneer, leader, or source. It implies Jesus being the source of life, the one by whom all things were made by, through, and for. The creator of life came to lay his life down on the cross. They killed the author of life. But God raised him from the dead. And they were all witnesses.

In Isaiah 53, we find the prophet Isaiah describing how God’s servant who would be exalted and lifted up would be despised and rejected by man. He would be “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” He would be “pierced for our transgressions; crushed for our sins.” Upon his shoulders would be the punishment that would bring us peace and healing.

Then in verse 11, he says, “By his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous…” So, Peter is connecting the dots from Isaiah 53 to Jesus. He is saying that Jesus was the holy and righteous servant who came to die for the guilty; by his wounds, we can be healed. Through his work on the cross, we can be accounted righteous.

So, as we share the gospel, it’s important for us to be eager to address the scandal of it. The one who holds our life together willingly died in our place. The one who knew no sin became sin so that we might become the righteousness of God. The holy one was publicly beaten and mocked. The righteous one was brutally crushed in our place. By his wounds we can be healed. The cross was a moment of power and grace because it viciously dealt with your guilt and shame.

But, for us to truly understand how remarkable the work of the cross is, we have to see how it was all a part of God’s predetermined plan of redemption. It was a fulfillment of prophecy. In verse 18, Peter says, “And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But, what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, thus he fulfilled.” Then later on in verses 24-26, he says, “[24] And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days. [25] You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ [26] God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.”

So, although they acted in ignorance, they still stand guilty before God. But the heinous act of injustice on the cross was a fulfillment of God’s predetermined act of redemption. All throughout history, God had been saying through the prophets that he would send his servant to suffer on behalf of his people. And throughout history, God has been saying through the prophets that blessing for all the families of the earth would come through this servant.

A key element of the gospel that we cannot miss is to whom it is offered. “All the families of the earth” can experience blessing in Christ Jesus. Part of the beauty of the gospel resides in the fact that it doesn’t discriminate. One of the beauties of the gospel lies in the fact that it shows no favoritism. All who are broken and lowly can come to Jesus and find life! In him is blessing. So, we don’t share the gospel with just the rich, nor do we share it with just the poor. We share it with everyone! We are eager to take the gospel to the ends of the earth!

And, if you’re met with the question, “Does Jesus love me?” You can emphatically say, “YES! For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life!”

As we share the gospel, we ask the question, “What is the proper response of the gospel?”

Well, Peter says, “Repent and turn back that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.”

The language of Peter’s call here implies his audience walking in a direction away from God. Therefore, the call to repentance is a call to turn away from sin and return to God. The right response to the gospel is repentance, an abandonment of sin and a clinging to Christ, and when this takes place, forgiveness and renewal follow because we get Jesus. It’s the presence of the Lord that leads to refreshing restoration. With repentance, we get God. And a life with Jesus is far better than a life without him. In Jesus, we find forgiveness. In Jesus, we find blessing. In Jesus, we find restoration. In Jesus, we find refreshment. As we share our faith, we invite people into loving relationships with Jesus.

Evangelism in Acts pt.1

One of the best ways to become good at something is to study those who were good before you.

As a college baseball player, I wanted to be the best hitter possible, so I studied good hitters. I spent countless hours watching the swings of professional hitters. I watched their hand placement, their legs, their load, their hip placement at the point of contact, and their follow-through. Then, I would video my own swing and strive to emulate every small detail of their swing.

I believe the same principle should apply to our evangelism. If we want to be good preachers, we need to studygood preachers. If we want to communicate the gospel well, we need to look at others who communicated the gospel well. If we want to lead others to Jesus, it would serve us best to study what the early church did in leading others to Jesus.

So, for the next few weeks, we will do just that. We will examine how the early church talked about Jesus so that we can hopefully become better at talking about Jesus.

Now, if I can, I want to be honest and transparent with you for a moment. No one needs this series more than I do. My heart has become calloused and hard toward the call to share the gospel with the lost… and I’m tired of it. I’m tired of the complacency I’ve fallen into when it comes to sharing my faith. I’m tired of feeling like a wall has built up in my vocal cords, preventing me from talking about the most fantastic news in the world.

So, this series is for me more than anyone else in this room today. This series is for your pastor who has grown comfortable with not sharing the gospel. This series is for your pastor who has seemingly lost his zeal for seeing the lost come to know Christ. This series is for your pastor who has grown indifferent to the reality that there are people around him each and every day who do not know Jesus.

The aim of this series is to wake up my sleeping heart, giving me a fresh longing to see the lost come to know Christ through my own gospel proclamation. And, maybe, just maybe, if you’re like me, you need this series to pry your mouths open, too. Perhaps the Holy Spirit will stir up our stagnant hearts to shout from the rooftops the goodness of the Lord!

Romans 10:9-10 says, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

In these two verses, we find belief and confession go hand in hand. When it comes to salvation, you cannot have one without the other. All who are saved will cling to the truth of the resurrection with their heart and declare their allegiance to Jesus with their tongue. And to declare your allegiance to Jesus with your tongue is to live out your allegiance with your life.

So, it’s essential for us to understand that there are two camps of people in here today: those who have done this and those who have not, those who believe and those who do not, those who have embraced Jesus and those who have rejected Jesus, those who confess him as Lord and those who confess him as fool.

In our passage today, we will find Peter drawing his audience to face this reality head-on. His audience has witnessed the crucifixion and is aware of the resurrection. But they haven’t embraced the fact that God raised him from the dead. They haven’t declared him their Lord and Savior.

At the start of chapter 1, Jesus had ascended and returned to the Father's right hand. The early church, which consisted of 120 people, had just replaced Judas with Matthias. Now, at the start of chapter 2, we find the Holy Spirit falling on the early church on the day of Pentecost. A loud sound like a mighty rushing wind came down from heaven, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Filled with the Holy Spirit, they began to speak in tongues, meaning they spoke in languages other people could understand.

***Pentecost was a pilgrimage feast, which meant Jewish men were commanded to travel to Jerusalem to worship God. It was primarily a celebration of their harvest, where God’s people would bring the first fruits of their harvest as a thanksgiving offering to God. This is why, as we see in verses 5-11, there were devout men from every nation under heaven dwelling in Jerusalem at this time.

When this diverse and large crowd of people heard the loud commotion, they came together and were amazed at how the church spoke in their native language. They said, “[7] Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? [8] And how is it that we hear, each of us, in his own native language? [11]…We hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.”

Please don’t miss how the first visible fruit of the Holy Spirit’s presence within the early church was the church proclaiming God's mighty works. I believe this tells us two things: (1) evangelism is a church wide call that has been a part of the church, and (2) the aim of our evangelism is God’s glory.

Right from the start, with no training and only the Holy Spirit, the church begins to proclaim God's mighty works. And they’re effective! Sure, Peter will stand up and preach in a moment. But, before Peter ever preaches, the church declares the mighty works of God, and they have their audience's ear!

You don’t have to have a degree in theology to effectively declare God's mighty works, and you don’t have to have a degree in cultural engagement to effectively engage the culture! The Holy Spirit will bridge gaps we cannot bridge. There are divisions in this world that we cannot overcome on our own effort: language barriers, racial barriers, social barriers, etc. But these barriers are not barriers to God. The Holy Spirit opens doors we cannot open, and he closes doors we cannot close. He equips us to do things we cannot do, He calls us to people we cannot reach, and he accomplishes things we cannot accomplish. And he will always lead us to seek the glory of God over the glory of self. The more full of the Holy Spirit we become, the greater God will become in our speech.

PRAYER: Holy Spirit, lead us to those who need to hear of your mighty works. Holy Spirit, help us to speak of your mighty works in power.

The early church shouted God's goodness in languages they didn’t know, which led to everyone being amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But, as we see in verse 13, others were also mocking them by saying, “They are filled with new wine.”

Many were amazed; some were not. Many inquired, some mocked. So, a Holy Spirit-filled life will undoubtedly lead to some of the world mocking you. As you tell the world of God’s goodness, some will call you foolish. Some respond in belief, while others will react with unbelief. And the temptation will be to allow the fear of striking out to keep you from playing the game. The temptation is to allow the possibility of being mocked to keep you from sharing your faith.

As I’ve assessed my heart some this week, I think this could be an underlying contributor to why I’ve grown silent in my preaching of the gospel. I’ve grown afraid of mockery. I’ve grown to love my own reputation more than I love the reputation of Jesus. I’m more consumed with the glory of Ryan than the glory of Ryan’s Savior and Lord. Therefore, I do not share with others the glory of Jesus.

But this isn’t the case for Peter. The man who once denied Jesus three times is now facing opposition head-on. Peter stands up instead of sitting down. Alongside the apostles, he stands up and addresses the large crowd. He says,

“[14] But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. [15] For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. [16] But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:

[17] “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,

that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,

and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

and your young men shall see visions,

and your old men shall dream dreams;

[18] even on my male servants and female servants

in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.

[19] And I will show wonders in the heavens above

and signs on the earth below,

blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;

[20] the sun shall be turned to darkness

and the moon to blood,

before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.

[21] And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

[22] “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know—[23] this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. [24] God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. [25] For David says concerning him,

“‘I saw the Lord always before me,

for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;

[26] therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;

my flesh also will dwell in hope.

[27] For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,

or let your Holy One see corruption.

[28] You have made known to me the paths of life;

you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’

[29] “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. [30] Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, [31] he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. [32] This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. [33] Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. [34] For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,

“‘The Lord said to my Lord,

“Sit at my right hand,

[35] until I make your enemies your footstool.”’

[36] Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

[37] Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” [38] And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. [39] For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” [40] And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” [41] So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.”

You could safely argue that this is one of the most powerful messages ever preached. It’s the instrument God chose to use to explode the early church, going from 120 to 3,000 members in one day. As you closely look at the bones of this message, you will begin to realize that its power resides in the Scripture it quotes. After all, God's word—not man's word— is as sharp as a double-edged sword. The power of evangelism comes from God’s word, not human eloquence. In simpler terms, telling others about Jesus gets its power from the Bible, not our fancy words.

Human charm and clever speech can cultivate a large following, but they cannot awaken a dead heart to life. What awakens a heart to life is not the persuasiveness of the messenger, but the authority of the message, the living and breathing Word of life. It is not polished speech that saves, but the proclaimed Word of God that pierces the heart. So, as a preacher, the further I drift from the Bible, the duller my words will become. But the closer I get to the Bible, the sharper my words will become. As someone seeking to share your faith with others, the further you drift from the Bible, the duller your words will become. But the closer you get to the Bible, the sharper they will become.

In addressing the crowd, Peter quotes three different Old Testament Scriptures to drive home the point he’s seeking to make.

He quoted Joel 2:28-32 to explain the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. In doing so, he’s combating the accusation that they’re drunk. He’s saying that the actions of the church weren’t a byproduct of early alcoholic consumption; they were a fulfillment of God’s promise. They weren’t drunk with wine; they were filled with the Spirit, just as the Scriptures promised.

He quoted Psalm 16:8-11 to show that the Messiah would not see decay. In simpler terms, the resurrection was always going to come. Here, Peter is arguing that David’s words couldn’t simply be about himself. David died and was buried, and his body decayed. Therefore, David had to be prophesying about a greater Holy One who would one day come and not be abandoned to the grave. Peter is saying that Jesus is the fulfillment of Psalm 16. He is pointing to the cross, highlighting it as a moment foreknown by God. And he is pointing past it to the resurrection, highlighting it as a moment foreknown by God. He wanted his audience to know that the Scriptures foretold Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Then he stacked an extra layer on Psalm 16 by quoting Psalm 110:1 to declare Jesus’ exaltation and authority. Jesus is the risen Lord and Savior seated at the Father's right hand. Jesus is the Lord that the LORD said, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.” So, Jesus’ death and resurrection are essential. But, so, too, is his ascension. Jesus is reigning and ruling at the right hand of the Father right now at this very moment.

So, if the power of evangelism comes from God’s Word, we should rightly conclude that as we share our faith, it is good to have our Bibles open. We don’t want to convince people of our opinions; we want to convince them of what the Bible says about Jesus. The Bible is the source of truth; therefore, it is the source of the message we proclaim.

But let’s be reasonable for a moment. It takes time to reach a place where you can sit down with someone with an open Bible to explain the Bible. Most evangelistic conversations are impromptu. They occur in our break room at work or next to the treadmill at the gym. So, the best evangelists have the Scriptures written on their hearts. The best evangelists spend time studying, meditating, and memorizing the Scriptures. When we’re cut, we want to bleed Scripture. We want the word of God to be written so much on our hearts that it effortlessly oozes out of us at all times. If and when the Holy Spirit opens up a door for us to proclaim the gospel, we want to be ready to proclaim the gospel. So, may we work to get to a place where a lack of preparation is never the reason for a lack of proclamation. May we work to get to a place where a lack of evangelism doesn’t stem from a lack of knowledge.

The best evangelists are the best students. They are those who simply want to know Jesus deeply and personally and who want to share that with others. Therefore, behind every minute spent sharing the gospel are countless hours spent in communion with God, abiding in him.

Notice the centrality of Jesus in Peter’s testimony. His message is biblically sound and Christ-centered. As he speaks about Scripture, he points to Jesus. Faithful exposition of the Bible means seeing Jesus in the Bible. Peter didn’t preach to the crowd that the Psalms were about them, that they would rise above their enemies and reign victorious. He preached to the crowd that the one they crucified on the cross is the one who would rise from the dead, ascend to the right hand of the Father, and reign victorious over all. Jesus is the fulfillment of the Scriptures. He is the one by whom all of the prophecies ring true. Therefore, if our conversations surrounding Scripture don’t center around Jesus, we’ve missed the point of the Scriptures we’re discussing.

At the heart of our evangelism is a desire to introduce people to the truth about Jesus… for the glory of Jesus. We want to introduce people to who Jesus is, what he did, why it matters, and the call to repent and believe. His life, death, resurrection, and ascension are all essential components of the gospel. And as Peter shines the light on these things, he exposes the crowd as guilty sinners. In verse 36, he says, “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” And when the crowd heard this, “they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’”

As we tell others about Jesus, we have to be willing to address sin. When we address sin, we want to create a space where people are welcomed to repentance. We want to cultivate a church culture that welcomes repentance, the turning from sin, and we have to understand that repentance is a public activity. With repentance comes private conviction of sin, which is followed by public confession of sin and public baptism for the forgiveness of our sins.

Evangelism is not a tool to make you look better. It is a humble declaration of God’s goodness. It is an open invitation for sinners like you to come to the risen Savior and experience forgiveness of sin.

3 John pt.2– Who is Diatrophes?

As the church, we exist to glorify Jesus— the One who has saved us— in everything we do. When our eyes are on Jesus, we will be a healthy church. When our eyes get off Jesus, we will become an unhealthy church. Diotrephes was a church leader whose eyes had turned away from Jesus, leading to many problems in the church. From his mistakes, we can learn a lot about what a healthy church should look like.

We’re going to do two things today.

First, we will unpack some behind-the-scenes information regarding the man mentioned in this portion of the letter. Then, we will seek to draw some application from this man's life.

Let’s dive in.

“9 I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. 10 So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us. And not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers, and also stops those who want to and puts them out of the church.”

Right off the bat, I want us to notice how we could have had a fourth John if it wasn’t for Diotrephes— “I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority.”

John had apparently written something to the church, likely a letter of encouragement and counsel. But Diotrephes intercepted it, preventing the church from reading it. And John tells us why this letter was intercepted. Diotrephes intercepted the letter because he did not acknowledge John’s authority as an apostle, and rooted in that rejection was pride. As John describes it, he “likes to put himself first.”

We know little about Diotrephes beyond his character and actions described in these two verses. We don’t know his position, nor do we know his role. He could have been a corrupt pastor, maybe a crooked deacon, or perhaps just an influential church member. But, given the information in this letter, I think it’s safe to say that he possessed some type of influence or authority within the church, given his ability to reject John’s instructions, impact who was welcome, and cast out church members.

As we’ve seen in his letters, John has no problem calling someone a false prophet or antichrist. He’s quick to draw a line in the sand, separating those who are in and those who are out. Because of this, I find it interesting that he doesn’t use either of those titles to describe Diotrephes. This leads me to believe that we have two options here: (1) Diotrephes could be a false prophet waging war against the church, and John waits until he sees him face to face to pronounce such judgment against him. Or (2) it could be that Diotrephes was a believer caught in sin.

I think you could make an argument either way. Verse 11 seems to imply that Diotrephes’ actions are evil, which means he has not seen God. But, in that same breath, John doesn’t accuse Diotrephes of heresy or denying Christ. He doesn’t point-blank call him a false prophet or antichrist. So it could be that John is using such serious language as a warning to Diotrephes and the church that these actions cannot and will not be tolerated within the church. 1 Timothy 3 says, “[An overseer/pastor/elder] must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil.”

Therefore, we could be seeing firsthand the fruit of placing someone in leadership too soon. We could be seeing a church leader who has allowed pride to creep into his heart and distort his leadership.

I always tell college students aspiring to become pastors to be careful and to allow God to lead them into that role in his time. Before the church becomes a place you work, it needs to be a people you love. Before you ever stand in the limelight, you need to labor in the shadows. Before you get a check from the church, you need to serve the church for free. Before you ever lead the church, you need to be led as a member of a church. Before you ever teach the church, you need to be taught as a member of the church. Don’t thrust yourself into a leadership position before you’re ready, and don’t appoint people as leaders before they’re ready. It’s tempting to elevate charisma over character and thrust someone into a leadership position before they’re ready. But, we should heed the warning in Scripture and be slow to crown someone as a leader before they’re ready because pride and conceit are easy to give in to, and conceit and condemnation are close friends. Leaders need time to fail, to be humbled, to be sanctified, to be encouraged, to learn, to process, and to wrestle with their call.

So, it could be that Diotrephes is a false prophet, or it could be that he is a church leader or influential church member who is behaving sinfully. Either way, his actions are not Christ-like; they are evil. And they must not be tolerated within the church.

Diotrophes was a common Greek name during this time in the Greco-Roman world. And, if you remember, this letter was likely written somewhere between 85 and 95 AD. If that’s the case, John is likely the last living apostle. Therefore, we’re on the cusp of transitioning out of this apostolic age. So, it could be that Diotrephes no longer saw the importance of John. It could be that he thought John was old and outdated, and that it was time to pass the torch to the next generation of church leaders. It could be that John was a threat to his position of authority. Or it could be that John was encouraging something that went against his own vision for the church. We don’t know much about why Diotrephes acted the way that he did other than his actions were rooted in pride. All we know is that Diotrophes “loved being first,” and this love for being first has led to a mess within the church.

So, what I want us to do is try to summarize some of the corrupt characteristics found within this man. In doing so, we will seek to draw some applications regarding a healthy and unhealthy church culture.

The first thing we see is that he likes to put himself first. His life was marked by pride. He wanted to be the center of attention. Instead of serving others, he served himself. Instead of supporting others, he supported himself. Instead of allowing the glory of Jesus to rule his every decision, he allowed the glory of self to rule his every decision.

Friends, pride is a dangerous thing. It’s a poison that will slowly lead to your own demise. But it’s also a sin intended to destroy those around you. Pride is like a spark in a dry forest. It will spread farther and faster than you ever imagined, destroying things you never intended to destroy. This man’s self-centeredness prevented the church from experiencing the blessing of encouragement or rebuke through John’s letter; it prevented the church from experiencing the blessing of encouragement from the presence of the brothers; and it drove members of the church out of Christian fellowship.

No sin ever impacts just you; it will always affect those around you. The implications of sin will always go farther than you ever want them to go, and pride has a strange way of blinding you to how your actions affect those around you. It hardens your heart to the reality that your actions impact others. The self-centered man doesn’t care about how his actions impact others; he only cares about how others can impact him.

What a stark contrast in men we have in this letter. Gaius was giving his life, time, and resources to support others who were carrying the gospel to those who had never heard it before. In contrast, Diatrephes was exerting effort to prevent others from carrying the gospel to those who had never heard it before. Gaius was selfless; Diotrephes was selfish. Selfless humility is fertile soil for gospel advancement, while self-centeredness is the weed that seeks to choke out gospel advancement.

A healthy church consists of men and women who are eager to put others before themselves. In using the words of Jesus, “The first will be last and the last will be first.” We bow low so Christ may be lifted high. When we crucify our egos, the beauty of the church blossoms. The strength of the church is found in hearts content with second place. And the strength of the church is crippled by hearts striving for first place. Be careful, friends, not to be driven by pride or ambition.

The second thing we see is that Diotrephes rejected apostolic authority— “I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority.”

The language here implies Diotrephes is inserting himself as the ultimate authority of the church. He’s turned his nose up at John and scoffs at his leadership and teaching. He’s rebelling against the divine authority that God has put in place over his life.

John was an apostle. The word apostle means “one who is sent.” An apostle was a special messenger with a special title who took a specific message to a specific people. So, the message John and the other apostles proclaimed was God’s message, not man’s message. In Luke 6:13 and Mark 3:14, we see Jesus choose for himself twelve disciples whom he named apostles. He called them to himself, taught them, and sent them out to preach his message. These were men who personally walked with Jesus, who were personally called by Jesus, who were personally taught by Jesus, and who were personally sent out by Jesus to preach the message Jesus had taught them. An apostle was a divinely appointed church leader responsible for proclaiming God's divine message. So, to reject John’s message was to reject God’s message. Diotrephes had allowed selfish ambition to blind himself to obedience to God.

What a terrifying reality, one we’re all tempted to follow. For us, the ultimate authority is God’s word, the Bible, the Holy Scriptures. That is the authority every one of us, pastors included, submits to. No church member is exempt from submitting to authority. As pastors, we are called to submit to God’s authority, and we are called to teach what the Bible teaches and allow that to govern us. If the Scriptures claim Jesus is the only way to eternal life, we embrace him as our only hope and proclaim his name throughout the world. If the Scriptures say something is sin, we call it sin and strive to avoid it. If the Scriptures call something righteous, we call it righteous and strive to walk in it. If the Scriptures tell us to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, we strive to love him with every fiber of our being. If the Scriptures tell us to love our neighbor as ourselves, we seek to love our neighbors well.

A healthy church consists of men and women who submit to God’s authority. We humble ourselves and kneel before the King of kings, Jesus. The strength of the church is found in hearts that are willing to bow in submission to God’s rule. And the strength of the church is crippled by hearts unwilling to submit to God’s rule. The moment we become unwilling to kneel before the authority God has put in place over us is the moment we begin to unravel.

The next thing I want to see is that Diotrephes was a slanderer. He wasn’t simply rejecting John’s authority; he was seeking to destroy John’s reputation through slander— “talking wicked nonsense against us.” Diotrephes had begun to fabricate stories against John to recruit others to join him in his rejection of John.

Words possess great power. They can be used for good, and they can be used for corruption. They can be medicine or they can be poison. They can build up, and they can tear down. The book of James tells us that the tongue is a “restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.” Diotrephes had begun to use his tongue as an instrument of destruction. With it, I’m sure he corporately blessed God. But with it, he also corporately cursed man. With his words, he’s slowly setting the church on fire.

A healthy church consists of men and women who seek to use their words to build others up. The strength of the church is found in lips eager to speak truth in love. And the strength of the church is crippled by lips willing to gossip or slander. May our words be medicine that offers healing, not a poison used to destroy.

Now, notice what John strives to do here, though. John moves toward his offender, not away from him. He doesn’t overlook conflict; he moves toward it. John has written a letter to the church, which Diotrephes put a halt to. He’s sent the brothers to the church, which he’s put a halt to. And now he’s, in his old age, going to attempt to come to see him face to face to address him.

If I'm honest, John’s example is tough to follow. I hate conflict, so I tend to run away from it, not toward it.

As I surveyed my heart this week, I’ve begun to realize that sometimes, I mistake fear for grace. At times, I’ve felt I’ve been gracious and merciful, when in reality, I’ve just let the fear of conflict keep me from addressing an offense. Grace and mercy are sometimes found in overlooking an offense— “Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense (Prov. 19:11). But true grace and mercy aren’t found in overlooking alloffenses. Grace and mercy are displayed best when we are able to look our offender in the eyes and address them. May we follow John’s example in addressing sin face-to-face.

The next thing I want us to see is that Diotrephes refused hospitality and prevented others from showing hospitality— “he refuses to welcome the brothers, and also stops those who want to and puts them out of the church.” This is a stark contrast to the type of lifestyle Gaius was living. Gaius welcomed and supported the brothers, while Diotrephes refused them. Gaius sought to send the brothers out in a manner worthy of God, while Diotrephes kicked people out of the church who sought to support their missional efforts.

Part of faithful Christian living is being a welcoming people, especially when it comes to welcoming other believers. “We’re glad you’re here, come on in” should be words we use often! If Christ has invited us into his holy family, we should invite others into our family.

A healthy church consists of men and women who are hospitable. Our church will be most healthy when we have a healthy relationship with brothers and sisters from other churches. Our church will be most healthy when we use our resources to help our brothers and sisters from other churches. The moment we stop partnering with other brothers and sisters to the ends of the earth, we’ve journeyed into sin. The moment we begin to reject hospitality, we’ve journeyed far from God. May the Lord shut us down the moment we begin to shut our doors to those around us. The moment we begin to put ourselves first, we’ve journeyed into wickedness.

The Book of 3 John teaches us the importance of selflessness and humility within the church. To be a faithful church, we must stay close to Jesus. Gospel doctrine shapes gospel culture. We can tell if we’re walking in obedience to Jesus by the way we treat other Christians.

3 John pt.1– Who is Gaius?

What do you want to be remembered for in this life? A good businessman? A good ball player? A good salesman? A godly man? A godly woman?

Well, in this short letter, which we call 3 John, we can catch a glimpse of the reputations of various members of the early church. The reputations of some were good, while the reputations of others were not so good. Gaius, the recipient of this letter, was a man who walked in the truth. He faithfully lived out the gospel. Diatrophes was not. He was an arrogant and corrupt leader who put himself first, rejected apostolic authority, and led the church away from gospel hospitality.

The book of 3 John will force us to ask the question, “What do we want to be known for in this life?” Will we be known as faithful, selfless, loving, and hospitable Christians who inconvenience themselves for the good of others? Or will we be known as arrogant, selfish, and unloving people who push others out for the good of ourselves? What reputation are you building?

The only things that can truly shape our reputations are the small and consistent decisions we make throughout our lives. As the great prince of preachers, Charles Spurgeon, once said, “The eagle-eyed world acts as a policeman for the church… [It] becomes a watchdog over the sheep, barking furiously as soon as one goes astray..… Be careful of your private lives … and I believe your public lives will surely be right. Remember that it is upon your publiclife that the world's verdict will very much depend. (“The Parents’ and Pastor’s Joy”).”

Let’s dive in.

“1 The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth.

2 Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul. 3 For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth. 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

5 Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, 6 who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. 7 For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. 8 Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.”

As you can see, the author of this letter doesn’t point-blank identify himself at the beginning of this letter. Instead, he simply identifies himself as “the elder.”

Obviously, your Bible likely has the book titled, “3 John.” So, what has led scholars, historians, and commentators to conclude that the author of this book is John?

Well, given the similarity in the introduction to 2 John, many believe the author of 3 John is the same as the author of 2 John. And given the similarities in writing style and themes between the gospel of John and 1, 2, and 3 John, many believe the author is the same. So, it’s safe to conclude that the elder here is the apostle John.

The term elder is presbyteros in Greek. It’s the same term used in 1 Timothy 5:17 and Titus 1:5 to describe the church office of a pastor/elder/overseer, those who teach, shepherd, and oversee the congregation. This is certainly a title that could and should be accredited to the apostle John. As likely the last living apostle at this time, John was undoubtedly an elder of the church, a teacher, shepherd, and overseer of the church.

But at this point, John was also elderly. If this letter had been written around 90 AD, as many suspect, John could have been between 80 and 90 years old. John was a seasoned believer who had witnessed a lot in his lifetime. In his youth, he sat with, talked with, and followed the Messiah, the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ. In his youth, he watched blind people see, lame people walk, and the dead come back to life. In his youth, he wept as he watched the Savior die. In his youth, he raced Peter to the empty tomb when he heard it was empty. In his youth, he rejoiced as he touched the risen Savior. In his youth, he was commissioned by Jesus right before he watched him ascend to the right hand of the Father. He had the Holy Spirit fall on him in his youth at Pentecost. He then watched the early church explode when Peter preached the gospel. He watched the church walk in love. He watched the church explode under persecution. He watched Paul come to know Jesus. He watched Paul become transformed by Jesus. He, himself, led people to Jesus. He, himself, discipled followers of Jesus. He, himself, likely wept over the death of his best friends as they died under persecution for Jesus. And now, in his old age, he’s still tenderly and lovingly caring for Jesus’ people.

John is an elderly elder of the church. He is a seasoned church leader and the last living apostle who cares deeply for those he leads.

We then see the recipient of this letter, Gaius.

***We will spend most of our time today unpacking who Gaius is and why John is addressing him. But before we do, let me go on record and say that if any of you are looking for a Godly name for a boy, look no further than Gaius. I commission the next family that gets pregnant with a boy to name their child Gaius.

Gaius was a fairly common name during this time. Therefore, we have multiple instances in the New Testament where a man with this name appears. In Romans 16:23, we find a Gaius of Corinth. Paul baptized him himself, and he later hosted Paul and the church in his home. In Acts 19:29, we see a Gaius from Macedonia, who was Paul's companion and got caught up in a riot in Ephesus. In Acts 20:4, we find a Gaius from Derbe, also Paul’s companion, who helped deliver a collection of resources to the Jerusalem church.

I desperately wanted the Gaius in 3 John to be one of these guys. I thought it would be fun to have a better grasp of who this man is and what he did for the kingdom. But, although there’s a possibility that the Gaius described in 3 John could be one of these Gaiuses, it’s not likely. The timing and location indicate that we simply have multiple different Gaiuses in the Bible who played a vital role in advancing the gospel in the early church, which is comforting in its own right. The advancement of the gospel and the health of the church didn’t rest upon the shoulders of one or two faithful Christians; it rested on the shoulders of many faithful Christians who sought to live faithfully for Jesus. The same is true today. The health of the church and the advancement of the gospel will never rest upon the shoulders of one single person.

As we see in these first few verses, Gaius is one whom John dearly loved. He is the “beloved Gaius,” the one John loves in truth. In other words, John’s love toward this man isn’t superficial; it’s authentic. It’s real and rooted in truth. This is the type of love that God calls us to display. Authentic and genuine, not fake and superficial love is what we’re called to possess.

So, how would you describe your love for your brothers and sisters in the church? Do you, like John, love in truth?

In verse 2, John begins to pray for the one he loves, which should teach us to pray for those we love. A tangible way to display authentic love is through fervent prayer. To be a loving church, we must be a praying church.

John says, “Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.” In other words, John prays that his physical health will match his spiritual health.

There are two things worth digging into here:

First, it’s okay to pray for physical health. This is probably more of a point for me than anyone else. But I sometimes think it’s wrong to pray for physical needs, that faithful prayers are only spiritual prayers. But that’s not true because the Bible provides examples of faithful church leaders praying for the physical health of other church members. We always want to pray Biblical prayers, and there’s strong evidence in Scripture of people praying for physical needs to be met. So, may we humbly lift the church's needs up to the Lord.

The second thing I want us to notice is what he’s saying. He’s praying that their physical health will match their spiritual health— “that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.” In expounding on this prayer, Daniel Akin said, “A good point of application naturally arises from this prayer. What if I were to pray for you and ask God to bless you physically to the same degree you are healthy spiritually, and what if He answered my prayer? What would happen?! Would you be fit, sick in bed, or nearly dead? Would we need to rush you to the emergency room and have you ushered into the ICU or CCU?”

John then says, “For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.”

Let’s paint the picture of what’s taking place here. There was a group of Christian brothers who were once with Gaius and later journeyed to John. When they got to John, they told him about Gaius' lifestyle, which caused John to rejoice. The reputation of Gaius has stirred up joy within John's heart, which has caused him to rejoice greatly! And this rejoicing caused John to pick up his pen and paper and write a letter of encouragement.

Can we press pause here for just a quick second? It would serve us well to follow John’s example here. The book of Proverbs says, “Better is open rebuke than hidden love.” So, may we be encouragers like John. When we see a brother or sister living out the gospel well, may we use our words to encourage them!

Now, John's language can be a bit strange. He says that these brothers have “testified to your truth.”

That’s a weird statement, isn’t it?

John is simply saying that the testimony of these brothers regarding Gaius is truthful. They came and accurately described what was going on in Gaius’ life. They testified to his truth, meaning they gave an accurate description of his life. The reality of Gaius’s life is that he is walking in the truth.

What does it mean to walk in the truth? It means he’s walking in obedience to Jesus, the source of truth. He’s living out the gospel. The message he’s embraced is the message he’s living. This is the reason John rejoices. He says, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” One of his greatest sources of joy in his life is seeing or hearing his children walking in the truth.

The phrase “my children” likely doesn’t denote biological children. Instead, it’s likely a description of spiritual children. This could be someone John introduced to Jesus and later discipled in Jesus. Or it could be an individual whom someone else introduced to Jesus, and he has played a role in discipling. Either way, this is a man whom John has spiritually parented.

The phrase “my children” teaches us that our work has just begun once we introduce someone to Christ. Once we introduce someone to Jesus, we seek to teach them what it means to follow Jesus by walking in the truth.

Could John’s words also teach us that Christian joy is tied to Christian discipleship? There could be a multitude of reasons why we might not disciple young Christians. We might feel like we don’t have time or that we aren’t qualified. But, I want us to see that one of the repercussions of not discipling young Christians is missing out on joy. John says, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth!” John was encouraged by the way Gaius was living. So, one of the greatest sources of joy is seeing those you’ve invested in spiritually embrace and live out truth! In the same way that a parent rejoices over their child taking their first steps, we can rejoice over seeing those we disciple walking out their faith. Could it be that the more we pour our lives into knowing the truth of Scripture, living the truth of Scripture, and teaching the truth of Scripture, the more joyful we will become?

John then says, “Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore, we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.”

Here, we are beginning to see what Gaius was doing that brought John so much joy. We are beginning to see what walking in truth actually looks like.

The brothers who came and testified to John about Gaius were missionaries. They were strangers on a journey. They had selflessly gone out for the sake of the name of Jesus. They weren’t accepting anything from the Gentiles, meaning profit was not their goal. They weren’t selling a message; they were freely proclaiming the hope of Christ crucified. And Gaius was supporting them. He was exerting effort to help these brothers in their efforts to take the gospel to the Gentiles freely. Gaius was helping missionaries.

Can we just take a moment to acknowledge that the Bible has a letter written, not to the ones going, but to the ones supporting? In our attempt to celebrate those who answer the call to go, it’s easy to overlook the call to support. But to do so would be to go against God's heart.

One of our deacons, Troy Andrews, made a beautiful point a few months ago. He said, “Some will be called to go, while others are called to stay back and hold the rope.” That picture accurately depicts what Gaius was doing. Gaius was a rope holder. He was a supporter of those who went. Friends, missional support is just as important as missional living. Not everyone is called to go. Not everyone can go. But not being able to go doesn’t mean you can’t partake.

Look at what John says in verse 8: “Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.” The missionaries have fought to keep the gospel free. Therefore, the church ought to support them.

That word support is the Greek word apolambanō (ap-ol-am-ban'-o). It means to receive. So, John is saying that the type of support we are to give is a hospitable receiving. It’s not simply a throwing of money; it’s a linking of arms, a joining of lives.

But, notice how John describes those who receive and support. He calls them “fellow workers for the truth.” The Greek word for fellow workers is synergos, which means “working together.” It’s where the English word “synergy” derives from. Synergy means a cooperation of action. It implies the interaction of different elements that produce a greater combined effect than the sum of their individual effects. In other words, the gospel will go further when we work together.

Maybe your health prevents you from going on missions. Maybe your bank account prevents you from going on missions. Maybe your family prevents you from going on missions. Maybe your work prevents you from going on missions. Maybe you understand the importance of missions, but you just can’t go, and your inability to go makes you feel guilty. I hope this letter will be water to your soul. I hope you see that holding the rope for those in the trenches is just as important as being in the trenches.

God, help us to be like our brother, Gaius. God, please raise up from Harbor men and women who will answer the call to go and share the gospel with those who have never heard it before. And raise up from Harbor men and women who are content to stay and support those who go. Help us see the importance of both. May we have the reputation of being a people who are faithful in supporting those on mission for the gospel.

2 John pt.2

Now, it could be because this is a relatively new book to me, one I admittedly haven’t read much in my lifetime. But this book is good! I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading it this week! I’ve walked away convinced that, had John lived in our day and age, he would have been an excellent rapper. He’s always poetically contrasting things like light and darkness, love and hate, truth and falsehood, children of God and children of the devil, obedience and disobedience, faith and unbelief, the Christ and antichrist. But, here it seems like John is taking his writing skills to a whole new level. In a poetically beautiful way, John is writing to a local church, encouraging her to continue to embrace the sound doctrine of Christ. As the church, we are each called to abide in Christ, and to abide in Christ, we will (1) walk in love, (2) walk in obedience, and (3) guard the truth of the Bible.

“4 I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father. 5 And now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another. 6 And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it. 7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. 8 Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward. 9 Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, 11 for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.

12 Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink. Instead I hope to come to you and talk face to face, so that our joy may be complete.”

13 The children of your elect sister greet you.”  

Notice how the meat of this letter begins with John rejoicing over the church's obedience—“I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father.”

We won't spend much time here, but as a pastor, few things stir up more joy in my heart than seeing the church walk in the truth. The phrase “walk in truth” implies that the truths of the Bible have impacted your mind as well as your heart. And a heart affected by truth will lead to a life impacted by truth. Walking in truth is truth applied.

When you come to me excited about what God’s teaching you in the Word, I get excited. When I see you living out what you’re learning, I rejoice! One of the best ways to serve your pastors is by living out the truth of the gospel we all love and embrace.

John then says in verse 5, “And now I ask you, dear lady— not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning— that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it.”

This is a wordy few sentences. So let me try to summarize what John is saying. Here, John pleads with the church to continue walking in obedience to God by walking in love. He’s reminding the church how love and obedience are inseparable; they’re two different sides of the same coin. You can’t walk in obedience to God’s commandments without love, and you cannot walk in love apart from God’s commandments. Love and obedience cannot be separated— “This is love, that we walk according to his commandments.”

Real love flows from obedience, and real obedience is always motivated by love. Yet, we often seek to separate love from obedience and obedience from love. Let me seek to explain.

Obedience without love is displayed through an attempt to use God’s law as a means to serve yourself by building your own reputation and identity. This is what the religious leaders were doing when Jesus came on the scene. They were using the law to serve themselves, not others. The commandments were a tool to push others down and build themselves up. They were a whitewashed tomb. They dressed nice, they fasted and tithed so others could see, and they prayed loud and extravagant prayers. But there was no love for God, nor was there a love for others. They wore a mask of obedience to appear as those who had divine favor from God. But inwardly, they were corrupt and hypocritical.

Church, we’re not exempt from this. We all face the temptation to love our reputation more than we love others. We all face the temptation to use God’s law as a means to serve ourselves, not others. So, may we be careful not to use the commandments of God for something they were never intended to be. Obedience was never meant to be separated from love.

Now there’s also a temptation to swing the pendulum to the other side and think we can find love outside God’s commandments. But John’s words here teach us that that’s an impossibility. We are to “love one another,” and “love is walking according to his commandments.” The moment we seek to separate love from obedience to God is the moment we’ve journeyed into hate. But this is what we’re tempted to do.

For example, the Bible holds marriage in high esteem as a lifelong covenant between a man and a woman. But the society we live in hates this. They claim this is outdated, oppressive, and hateful. So, in the name of love, we’ve sought to redefine what marriage can and can’t be.

The Bible holds authority in high esteem, calling us to respect authority. The Bible calls us to not resist our governing authorities and to honor our father and mother. The Bible calls the man to be the head of the household and lead, love, and serve his home. But the society we live in hates this. They claim this is outdated, oppressive, and hateful. So, in the name of love, we push for equality and encourage others to live their truth and follow their heart.

The Bible holds the Sabbath in high esteem, calling us to keep the Sabbath day holy. But our society hates the idea of someone else getting an upper edge. Therefore, we embrace the notion that work never sleeps, which turns Sunday into a day to finish that deadline or wrap up that tournament. In the name of love, we sell our souls to work or sports.

The Bible holds human life in high esteem, teaching us that men, women, and children are made in the image of God. The society we live in agrees with this, stating that murder is wrong, until human life threatens our freedom to choose. Therefore, in the name of love, we embrace and celebrate the removal of life through the avenue of abortion or euthanasia.

Church, obedience without love is hypocrisy. But love without obedience is hate. If we want to be loving, we must seek to know Scripture, embrace the truth of Scripture, and rejoice with the truth of Scripture. 1 Corinthians 13:6 says, “Love does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.” So, the moment we seek to dismiss obedience to God’s commandments in the name of love is the moment we’ve abandoned love. Obedience to God is one of the clearest ways to display our love for God and one another.

Now, in this exhortation to obey God by walking in love, John reminds the church that this commandment is an old commandment— “…not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning.”

God is far greater than we could ever imagine. So, a key part of the Christian life is learning new things about God. In the same way that we could never collect every grain of sand on the beach, we could never fully grasp God's fullness. But as we learn new things about God, we must remember that there are no new truths, only old truths. Therefore, a key element of the Christian life is remembering the old truths we’ve already embraced.

Now, I was doing the math this week. If this letter was written around 90AD, John had lived as a follower of Jesus for roughly 60 years by this point. It’s even possible he was nearing 90 years old by this point. Yet, in his old age, John hasn’t outgrown the simple call to love one another. We will never outgrow the call to love.

The older we get, the easier it is to become jaded. The longer you live in a fallen world, the easier it is to grow bitter. Every day that passes is another opportunity to get hurt by those around you. But, oh, the joy I feel when I see older saints still walking out their Christian faith. There are not many things more beautiful to me than seeing older saints still embracing the call to love one another as Christ has loved us.

How do we do this? How can we become a John? The only way this can take place is through the warm embrace of the gospel proclaimed in the Scriptures. The truth of the gospel is the heat that keeps our hearts soft and tender, able to display genuine love. Away from it, we will grow cold and hard. If we want to be loving people, we must keep the gospel close.

John then says, “For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist.”

We’ve discussed this time and time again in 1 John. John is saying that the antichrist is anyone and everyone who dismisses Jesus and preaches something contrary to the truth of him that is found in the Scriptures. And he’s saying you don’t have to look far and wide to see false teachers. Many had gone out into the world to deceive back then, and many have gone into the world to deceive now.

So, how do we know what the Bible teaches about Jesus? What is true? What is false?

Well, when we were going through 1 John, we put together a concise statement regarding a biblical summary of who Jesus is. It went as follows:

“Jesus Christ is both fully God and fully man. He came to earth to live the perfect life we could not live, died the death we deserved, and rose again— defeating sin and death— to offer us new life. He is now seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven and will one day return. Every person will stand before him to be judged according to how we have lived: those whose faith resides in Christ to everlasting life and those who rejected Christ to everlasting judgement.”

So, anything that goes against these core truths surrounding Jesus is a lie, and we must seek to guard against these false teachings.

Look at the stern warning John gives in verse 8. He says, “Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward.”

It’s worth pausing here for a moment because there are a few interpretations regarding the reward mentioned at the end of this verse. Some think John is talking about a loss of salvation. Others think he’s talking about losing a spiritual award found in heaven (1 Cor. 3:12-15, 2 Cor. 5:10). Others think he’s talking about losing the outcome of a corporate ministry. In other words, if the church were to stray from the truth, John and his companions’ efforts would be in vain.

As we quickly wade through these different interpretations, I think it’s important to remind ourselves of what 1 John 2:19 says, “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.”

We’ve already established that not all who are members of the physical church are members of the spiritual church. Perseverance is a sign of authenticity. Those who are born of God will continue to walk with God. Therefore, I don’t think this verse teaches us that we’re able to lose our salvation. So, it could be that he’s referring to an award in heaven. But, I don’t want us to get so bogged down in the weeds of what the award might be that we overlook the warning! A loss is a loss, and a reward is a reward! John is sternly saying that doctrine matters! It matters what we’re being taught! It matters what we believe! It matters what we teach! It matters how we live! So, watch yourself! Watch what message you embrace. Watch what message you preach! Watch how you live!

All who are in Christ will persevere, and all who are in Christ must persevere! A tangible way that God keeps those in him is through their watchful perseverance. The warnings in Scripture are the guardrails that keep us persevering.

John then says, “Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.” So, a tangible way to know that we have a relationship with God is our willingness to abide in Christ and his teachings. Those who embrace Jesus as Lord and Savior have God, and those who do not embrace Jesus as Lord and Savior do not have God. Now, remember that John is not likely addressing a woman with children; instead, it’s likely he’s addressing a church in a bit of a poetic and symbolic manner. So, I don’t think John’s intention here is to encourage the church to never have a non-believer in their home. Instead, he’s calling the local church to carefully watch what is being taught within their body.

As pastors, we are responsible for providing teaching, preaching, and counsel from the Scriptures, as well as guarding against false teachers and teaching. Part of our job is to protect the pulpit and ensure we don’t receive false teachers into our house. This is why we have an elder-recommended curriculum for our community groups. We want to ensure we aren’t allowing falsehood to creep into the church's life.

Now, I think there’s some beauty in how John closes his letter here. He says, “Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink. Instead I hope to come to you and talk face to face, so that our joy may be complete.”

If any of you know me, you know I’m a bit of a tightwad. I hate to spend money. After reading John’s words, I think he might agree with me! That brother doesn’t want to waste paper and ink. Although using these words to justify being a tightwad is tempting, I won’t. I think that would be a significant misrepresentation of John’s original intent. Instead, I want to remind us that in a digital age, face-to-face conversations are better. In a digital age where we love to hide behind a screen, John’s words remind us that face-to-face conversations are better. So, carve out space in both your schedule and budget for coffee with the saints. Prioritize gathering with the local body you’ve been called to. Face-to-face gospel conversations fuel Christian joy— “I hope to come to you and talk face to face, so that our joy may be complete.”

John then closes with the statement, “The children of your elect sister greet you.”Remember the imagery John is using. The elect lady and her children are the church, a local congregation. So, John is saying that the local body he’s with (likely in Ephesus) is greeting the local body he’s writing to. Notice there’s zero animosity found in these words, zero disdain. Instead, there’s only warm hospitality and love. We are not in competition with other congregations. We are a small family that is a part of God’s great family, a [b]ody that’s a part of the [B]ody. Warm greetings, not cold slander, are what we’re called to extend to other church families in our city, state, country, and world.

2 John pt.1

1 John 5:17-21

1 John 5:6-12

1 John 5:1-5

1 John 4:13-21

Let’s dive in.

“[13] By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. [14] And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. [15] Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. [16] So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. [17] By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. [18] There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. [19] We love because he first loved us. [20] If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. [21] And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.”

Last week, we learned that love is part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit— “Whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.” This means that Christlike love is a miraculous work, something we cannot produce on our own efforts. Therefore, our willingness to love should be a tangible way to know we are in Christ.

Well, likewise, John here is showing us how the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives is the living proof that we are in Christ and Christ is in us— “by this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.”

So, how do I know that I am a Christian? How do I know that I am in Christ? How do I know that Christ is in me?

The Holy Spirit has been given to you as proof. Ephesians 1 says, “we are sealed with the Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance.” Likewise, Romans 8:16 says, “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. So, proof that you are in God and God is in you is the Holy Spirit’s presence in your life, and proof of the Holy Spirit’s presence in your life is Christlike love. Love is fruit of the Holy Spirit. Christlike love is a miraculous work, something we cannot produce on our own efforts. Therefore, our willingness to love is a tangible way to know we are in Christ. God has given you the power to carry out the very thing he’s called you to do, which is love.

Now, there are two quick things I want to draw our attention to here in these verses:

First, I want us to notice the language John is using here to describe our relationship with God.

n this passage, John repeatedly says that we are in God and God is in us.

- “If we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us (v.12).”

- “By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us his Spirit (v.13).”

- “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God (v.15).”

- “Whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him (v.16).”

When I was a young believer, I always subtly struggled with the question, “Which is it? Am I in Christ? Or is Christ in me?”

Well, the Bible teaches that the answer is, “Yes.” Both are equally true. Our relationship with God becomes so intertwined that we are in him, and he is in us. We abide in him, and he abides in us. There’s immense richness and beauty in both realities.

For God to be “in us” means that he is comforting, convicting, leading, teaching, and sanctifying us. He doesn’t leave us alone in this life. He dwells with us by being in us. But, in the same way God is in us, we are also “in Him.” We are members of his body, a part of his family, united as one in him. He is our joy, he is our life, he is our righteousness. To be “in him” means his righteousness covers us. We are justified, declared righteous before God, and in right standing with God because we are in God.

The second thing I want us to see is that the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives is a gift received through faith, not a wage earned through works. John is saying that the way we know that we are in God and God in us is the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives that God has graciously extended to us— “he has given us His Spirit.”

I don’t want to beat a dead horse. But, if I’m going to be redundant with something, it will be the gospel. The temptation of our heart is to read these verses through the lens of law, not grace. The temptation is to think, “If I don’t do, God won’t love. If I don’t love others, God won't love me.”

In a merit-based world, it’s easy to view God in that way. But that way of thinking is the opposite of what the Bible teaches. This passage says that we love because God loves. We do because God has done.

God is not Santa Claus. He doesn’t survey our actions and give us something only when we’re not on the naughty list. No, he’s an amazing God who offers amazing gifts to the least deserving. So, our act of love is a response to the love we’ve received. Our act of grace is a response to the grace we’ve received. Our act of obedience is a response of worship. Christlike love is a response to the love of Christ, not a means of earning the love of Christ.

Look at the progression in the following verses— “[14] And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. [15] Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. [16] So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us.”

Big picture, John is here connecting our belief with our action, our confession with our living. But, before we get to that big picture truth, I want us to do some heavy lifting here first.

First, I believe the “we” in verse 14 is John and the other apostles. John is telling others what he (and the other disciples) have visibly seen demonstrated through Jesus's life. This is the beautiful reality of the Bible, particularly the gospels in the New Testament. These writings are full of eyewitness accounts of Jesus. In the Old Testament, you find promise after promise that God will send someone to make things right. He will send a Savior, He will send a King. Well, the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) were written to show that Jesus is the promised Savior of the Old Testament. So, as we read the testimony of those who walked with Jesus, we see that Jesus's life, words, and works demonstrated to us the truth that the Father had sent him to save the world. Jesus spoke like the Son of God and lived like the Son of God. He gave sight to the blind, healed the sick, raised the dead to life, and fed the 5,000. Miracle after miracle, sermon after sermon, Jesus proved to be the One sent by the Father to save the world. The Scriptures tell us that he came to save us by dying for us (just as they promised). And he rose from the grave, just as the Scriptures promised.

There are a lot of beliefs in the world about Jesus. Some say he was simply a prophet or a messenger. Others say he was a blasphemer. But, we cling to and believe the apostles testimony that he is the Son of God who came to save us from our greatest enemy, sin and death. We confess that he is the Son of God who came to save sinners through his death on the cross.

The central confession of the Christian faith is that Jesus, the Son of God, has come to save sinful humanity through his death on the cross. And to confess Jesus as the Savior of the world, you’re simultaneously confessing your own need to be saved. In confessing Jesus as Savior, you also acknowledge your need for salvation. In confessing him as Savior, you’re admitting your own brokenness. Saying “Jesus is my Savior” means I know I’ve done wrong and I need Jesus to rescue me.

I saw an Instagram reel this week of people at a church writing on a piece of canvas things God has saved them from. After they wrote their thing down, they then took a paintbrush and painted over it in red, symbolizing how Jesus’ blood covers us.

Nosy me wanted to look closer and see what people were writing. On the canvas were things like “Anxiety,” “daddy issues,” and “depression.”

Now, I’m not saying that the gospel doesn’t impact these things; it certainly does. But I want to be very clear. It is your sin that the cross first addresses, not someone else’s. For me, it is my sin first that the cross addresses, not someone else’s. Christ came to save you from the wrath that would be poured out on you because of your sin. Christ came to die for the villain; the world is full of villains, and you are one of them!

Lust, jealousy, anger, resentment, hatred, drunkenness, enmity, divisions, sexual immorality, etc… These are a few of the many sins listed in the Bible that are present in your heart and life. So, confessing Jesus as your Savior is to confess your need for a Savior.

The progression here is beautiful and straightforward. All who confess Jesus as Lord will be saved, and the moment we’re saved, the Holy Spirit comes and indwells us. It’s as simple as that. All who look themselves in the mirror, acknowledge their need to be saved, and confess Jesus as their only hope for salvation will be saved. And all who make this confession will have God abiding in them, and they are abiding in God.

Have you made this confession?

Now, I want us to see this verse within its greater context. John is saying that those who confess Jesus as the Son of God will begin to walk in God's love. Our confession and our lives will coincide. To be saved from somethingmeans you don’t want to go back to that something. So, to confess Jesus as Savior is also to confess him as Lord. When we confess him as Lord, we hand over the keys to our lives, inviting the Holy Spirit to lead us. And the Holy Spirit will lead us to love, not away from it.

John says in verse 16, “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” So, once again, we are linking love to the cross, and the cross to our lives. The ultimate display of love was sending the Son of God to save the world. So, when we confess Jesus as the Son of God, we come to know and believe God's love for us, impacting how we live. In embracing the message of the cross, we embrace the way of the cross.

If you stick a lukewarm soda into a cooler full of ice, it will naturally become cold because of its proximity to the ice. In the same way, those who are abiding in Christ will naturally become Christlike. The closer we walk with God, the more loving we become. Those who cling to the loving work of the cross will begin to be transformed into loving people.

John then says, “[17] By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. [18] There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.”

John is saying that the cross is a fear killer. It completely dismantles our greatest fears.

Judgment is coming. One day, we will all stand before God and answer for our lives. God will separate the sheep from the goats, the wheat from the chaff, the righteous from the unrighteous. And all who confess Jesus as their Savior are justified before God because of what Christ has done for them on the cross. Because we are in Christ and Christ is in us, we have confidence for the day of judgment. We don’t have to fear what comes after death because perfect love casts out fear.

And John is telling us that future hope impacts daily living. The call of Christian obedience is not to obey so you might stand one day; it’s to obey because you will stand one day. So, we don’t obey out of fear of judgment. We obey because our punishment has been poured out on Jesus, which frees us from condemnation and shame. We love because God first loved us. Perfect love perfects us. It makes us more and more like Jesus.

For several years, I managed a cafe called “Mars Hill Cafe.” There were many, many sweet moments at the cafe, and there were many, many difficult moments at the cafe. There were certainly some days I would love to forget, some days where we just couldn’t get our bearings straight, where everything went wrong at once, and it felt like you were a snowball being rolled down a hill collecting more and more disastrous moments. I remember there would be times when there’s chicken on the grill, corn salad still left to be made, and a line of 20 people out the door. Next thing you know, there are 18 tickets in the window, and you think you’ll never get caught up.

In those moments, as silly as it seems, what would bring me the most comfort would be playing out the worst-case scenario in my mind. I would ask myself, “What’s the worst thing that could happen today? The building burns down, and we lose the cafe? I get fired? I die?” Then, I would answer those questions, “Either the building burns down or I get fired. Either way, in 6 hours I will lie on my bed next to my wife. If I die, as painful as that might be, I will be with my Savior and Lord, Jesus, for all eternity in a much less stressful situation than this.”

Because of the cross, we don’t have to overlook our greatest fears. Instead, we can address them. Through the lens of the cross, we can look our concerns face to face and say, “You don’t scare me anymore.” The Christian faith addresses our deepest fears and enables us to joyfully and confidently walk through life.

John then concludes, “[19] We love because he first loved us. [20] If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. [21] And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.”

God’s love impacts our love. If anyone has experienced the love of God, they will seek to love like God. Anyone claiming to love God will seek to love God’s people. All who love God will also love others. Real love for God is shown in real love for people.

So, how is your heart today, friends? Is there hate in your heart toward a brother or sister? Is there unforgiveness in your heart today? Are you a liar today, claiming to love God in word while hating someone in your heart?

God commands us to love Him and His people.

1 John 4:7-12

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. According to 1 John 4:7–8, how is love both evidence and fruit of a relationship with God?

2. How does the cross clarify and deepen your understanding of what true love is?What does it mean that Jesus is the “propitiation” for our sins, and how is that an expression of perfect love?

3. What are some ways we might be “withholding love” in our relationships without even realizing it?

4. Reflection question: If someone observed your life, what would they learn about God’s love by how you treat others?

SERMON MANUSCRIPT:

I remember having a conversation with one of my teammates when I was in college.

I had just recently read the story of God appearing to Solomon in a dream and saying, “Ask what I shall give you.” In humility, Solomon acknowledged his inexperience as king and asked for “an understanding mind.”

I found Solomon's request to be profound, so profound that it began to shape how and what I would pray for during that season of life. Like Solomon, I began to pray fervently for God to give me wisdom, clinging to James 1:5, “If anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask God who gives generously to all without reproach.”

I thought wisdom was the greatest thing you could request from God. Until, of course, I talked with one of my teammates.

As we were riding to lunch, we were talking about this story in 1 Kings 3, and I asked him, “If you could ask God for anything, what would it be?”

His response caught me off guard, shaking me to the core. He said, “I think I would ask for love.” Then he quoted 1 Corinthians 13:13, “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

His response rocked me because he was right. Wisdom is necessary; love is essential. Wisdom is beautiful, but love is vital.

“If we speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, we are a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If we have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if we have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, we are nothing. If we give away all we have, and if we deliver up our bodies to be burned, but have not love, we gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

In our passage today, John takes some time to highlight how essential love is to the Christian faith. He’s making the argument that love is a key indicator of faith. All who know God know love. If God’s love has impacted your heart, you will begin to bleed out love. To know God is to know love because God is love.

This passage adds color to the black and white picture of love. It teaches us the source of love, and it shows us the clearest demonstration of love, which is the cross. And it answers a multitude of questions we might ask about ourselves.

We might ask, “Am I a Christian?”

John says, “Whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.”

We might ask, “Am I a godly friend/husband/wife/parent/coworker/boss/etc?

John says, “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

All who are godly are loving. To walk like God is to walk in love.

Let’s dive in.

“[7] Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. [8] Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. [9] In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. [10] In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. [11] Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. [12] No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.”

LOVE, THE FRUIT OF A RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS

In these first two verses, John says the same thing in two different ways: a positive way and a negative way— “[7] Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. [8] Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” John essentially says that those who know God will love others, and those who don’t will not.

Love is not a means to a relationship with Jesus; it is the fruit of a relationship with Jesus. To withhold love from another is to swim against the current of the Holy Spirit’s leading. Simply put, our willingness to love is a key indicator of how we know we have a relationship with Jesus. It is one of the best signs that we have a relationship with Jesus. Your willingness and ability to love are a tangible way to know you are a Christian.

Now, packed deep into the crevasses of these two verses are some nuggets I want us to try to dig out for a moment.

First, I want us to notice where John said love is from— “love is from God” and “God is love.” So, love is woven deep into the fabric of God’s being; it’s tied to his identity. In commenting on this verse, John Piper said, “Love is from God the way heat is from fire, or the way light is from the sun. Love belongs to God’s nature. It’s woven into what he is. It’s part of what it means to be God. The sun gives light because it is light. And fire gives heat because it is heat.” So, love is from God because God is love.

Now, God is also eternal. So, if love is directly tied to the identity of an infinite God, then that means his love is everlasting. It has no beginning or end. This means that God’s love extended to us isn’t rooted in our performance for him. No, it’s rooted in who he is. Therefore, his love is undeserved; it’s uninfluenced by anything we can do for him. It’s firmly rooted in Jesus.

So, practically speaking—and we’ll unpack this more in a moment—the love we are called to display is undeserved and selfless love that reflects God's undeserved and selfless love. If God’s love toward us doesn’t depend on what we can do for him, then our love for one another shouldn’t rely on what others can do for us.

The second thing I want to draw our attention to is the parallel between being “born of God” and “knowing God.” John says, “Whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.”

So, how do we know we’ve been born of God? How do we know we know God? Our ability to love is the key indicator of our relationship with God.

We’ve discussed this a few times while studying this epistle, but let’s ensure we know what it means to be “born of God.” This phrase highlights a miraculous encounter that takes place within the hearts of those who believe in Jesus. When you give your heart and life to Jesus, something miraculous occurs within you. You experience a new birth. You become a new creation; your heart of stone is replaced with a heart of flesh, and you are no longer a child of Satan, but you are a child of God.

In talking with Nicodemus, Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God…. Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God… As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

So, those who believe in Jesus are born again to eternal life. They can see the kingdom of God. God’s seed abides in them, meaning the Holy Spirit now resides in their hearts, and they have been brought to life in Him. The eyes of their hearts have been opened to ways of God’s kingdom, and they can walk in obedience to their King, Jesus, in ways they could not before.

So, do not miss this! John is saying that Christian love is a Holy Spirit-driven activity. Your willingness to love is the fruit of the Holy Spirit’s presence in your life. No one born of God withholds love from another.

But John parallels the reality of being born of God with knowing God. You cannot have one without the other. Those who are born of God are those who know God, and those who know God are those who have been born of God.

We talked about this a few weeks ago, but to “know God” has a relational and intellectual aspect to it. It’s a term that highlights obtaining knowledge (I know that 2+2=4). So, I know that Jesus died for my sins. I know that Jesus rose from the dead. I know that my sins can be forgiven through Jesus. However, it can also be used within a relational context. As a husband knows his wife in a way that no one else in this world knows her, we can intimately know God. So, to know Jesus is to intellectually know about Jesus and relationally know Jesus. Knowing Jesus means understanding who he is and what he came to do for you on the cross. But it is also to embrace him as your Lord and Savior. It’s knowledge that seeps from the mind into the heart; it’s knowledge that impacts your affections and desires. Knowing Jesus means I understand what He did on the cross for me, and I give my life to Him.

John is, therefore, saying that Christian love is fruit of a relationship with Jesus. The deeper we grow in our understanding of God, the more loving we should become. The longer we walk with Jesus, the more we should walk like Jesus. Gospel doctrine leads to gospel practice. A relationship with a loving God should shape us into loving people.

The fruit of the Holy Spirit’s presence in your life is found in your willingness to love. The deeper we grow in our understanding of God, the more loving we should become.

This reminds me of Jesus’ conversation with the lawyer who sought to put Jesus to the test by asking, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

Jesus responds with his own question, “What is written in the law?”

The lawyer responds, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and will all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

Jesus says, “Bingo! Do this, and you will live.”

But then the lawyer responds, “Well, who is my neighbor?”

Jesus responds with a story.

He says a man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, was stripped of his clothes, beaten, and left half dead. Then a priest walks by and passes by on the other side. Then a Levite walks by and passes by on the other side. Then a Samaritan walks by and has compassion. He went to him, treated his wounds, took him to an inn, and cared for him. Then the next day, he leaves money with the innkeeper and says, “Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.”

Jesus asked the lawyer, “Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?”

The lawyer said, “The one who showed him mercy.”

And Jesus said, “You go, and do likewise.”

So, to love one another is to have a heart full of compassion. To love one another is to show others mercy. Those who know God know love. They know the extreme measure He has gone to demonstrate His love to us and are willing to walk out that type of love to others.

THE CROSS, THE GREATEST DISPLAY OF LOVE

John says, “[9] In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. [10] In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

How do we know God is loving? We know he’s loving because of God's extreme measure he’s taken to make things right for us. The cross is the defining point of God’s love. It shows us just how much God loves us. There is no greater display of love than the act of willingly laying your life down for those you love.

Notice what John is saying here. The eternal God, who is love, manifested (exposed, made visible) his love to us by sending his Son to the cross for us. God sent His Son to the cross so that we might go free; He sent His Son to die so that we might live through him! He sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins!

The New Testament uses the term propitiation only within the context of the cross. It’s a term of sacrifice, a term of offering, a term of atonement. It’s always used within the context of atoning for sins. It’s the same term used in chapter 2, when John says, “He (Jesus) is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” In Romans 3:25, Paul uses a similar term: "whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.” Similarly, the author of Hebrews says, “Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation (hilaskomai) for the sins of the people.”

So, making Jesus a propitiation for our sins was an act of love. It was God’s loving act of sending his Son to absorb his just wrath toward the sin that you rightfully deserved. The cross is where God’s mercy, justice, love, and wrath all collide. Jesus’ death completely satisfied God's wrath. The wrath that should have been poured out on you was poured out on Jesus. Jesus lovingly came to die in your place.

When we question whether or not we’re loved in this life, we look no further than the cross. The atoning work of Christ on the cross is far greater than you could ever imagine. Jesus Christ is the propitiation of our sins, which is the declaration of God’s love for you and me.

“[11] Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. [12] No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.” The economics of God’s kingdom are where the vertical impacts the horizontal. God’s love for you should impact how you love others. The love we have received in Christ enables and empowers us to love. Recipients of God’s love become extenders of God’s love. God abides in us and we in him, leading us to live out Christ-like love. It’s the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives. So, although we’ve never seen God, we can see his love displayed through the love we show one another.

The word perfected here means to bring something to completion or maturity. So, in the same way that muscles grow through use, our love is matured when lived out. We don’t become stronger by thinking about the gym; we grow stronger through the activities done at the gym. In the same way, God’s love is refined and strengthened through the action of love.

So, do you want to become more loving? Pray that God will give you more opportunities to work out the muscle of Christian love. Do we want to become a more loving church? Pray that God will give us more opportunities to work out the muscle of Christian love.

When we live out the gospel, the gospel is displayed. When we walk in Christ-like love, God’s love is displayed. Walking in love is a tangible way to let others see God in this life. May we represent him well!