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BIG BAPTIST JOHN
Luke 3:1-20 Dr. Chuck DeVane, Pastor Lake Hamilton Baptist Church Hot Springs, Arkansas January 29, 2017 1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, 2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places shall become level ways, 6 and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’” 7 He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 9 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” 10 And the crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?” 11 And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.” 12 Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” 13 And he said to them, “Collect no more than you are authorized to do.” 14 Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.” 15 As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, 16 John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” 18 So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people. 19 But Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him for Herodias, his brother's wife, and for all the evil things that Herod had done, 20 added this to them all, that he locked up John in prison. — Luke 3:1-20, ESV If you are my age or older, you probably remember the legendary figure immortalized in the Jimmy Dean song: Every morning at the mine you could see him arrive, He stood six-foot-six and weighed two-forty-five, Kinda broad at the shoulder and narrow at the hip, And everybody knew you didn't give no lip to big John, Big John, Big John, big bad John. Today I want to speak of a historical and even larger than life figure. Jesus’ story begins with the story of big, bad, John the Baptist. We really don’t know how big he was, but we do know he was larger than life. He was bad only in the good sense, edgy, different, a little dangerous, despised by the powers that be. He was the original Baptist, but by no means the founder of any particular denomination of Christians. He introduced the Christ, and therefore Christianity, to the whole world. John appeared at the perfect time. Gospel author Luke was a good physician and a master historian. His is the longest, most well-researched account of the life of Christ and those closest to Him. In many ways, no one was closer to Jesus that His relative, friend, and fellow prophet, John the Baptist. In the history of God and God’s people, John the Baptist, like the Lord Jesus Christ, appeared at God’s precise and perfect time. It was the perfect time for Jesus and John because, to borrow a phrase from Dickens, it was the best of times and it was the worst of times. The koine Greek language was available to write a most descriptive and definitive New Testament. Roman roads were routed to every realm of civilization, roads that would eventually be traveled by Peter, John, Paul, and other emissaries of the gospel. On the other hand, Rome was a cruel taskmaster and Jewish religion had become largely corrupt. Politics had put the priesthood up for sale. Both the Roman government and the Jewish religious establishment were enemies of true faith, therefore truly faithful preachers were considered enemies of the state. If Jesus had stepped into this Mardi Gras without a Spyboy, He would not have lasted three months, let alone the necessary three years. So God sent John, big bad Baptist John, to pave the way for Jesus. John’s preaching broke four centuries of prophetic silence at the end of the Old Covenant. John’s ministry built a bridge to the New and better Covenant. John stretched baptism, sometimes used for Gentile proselytes into Judaism and frequently used by the Essene sect of Jews, into a symbol of repentance, new life, and a New Covenant with God. One of his last acts on earth was to baptize the Lord Jesus Christ. But his first act was preaching, when it came to preaching, big bad Baptist John was second to only One. John preached the whole gospel. Verse three begins with “proclaiming” and verse eighteen ends with “good news.” Big bad Baptist John was a preacher of the gospel. The Old Testament prophet and New Testament evangelist preached it whole, too, from beginning to end. John’s preaching began with the depravity of man. He address his audience as a bunch of snakes (a phrase also used by the Lord Jesus Christ in His preaching). On the surface, this does not sound like a very nice thing to say. But, unless we appreciate the bad news about our standing before God apart from grace, we cannot appropriate the good news of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Apart from saving grace, we are nothing more than slithering snakes selfishly seeking to sink our teeth into others in order to get what we want. We may hide being religion or moral platitudes, but apart from grace we, like snakes, have no legs to stand on. John’s preaching punctuated faith and repentance. Family nor religious heritage can save a person. It is faith that counts, faith in God as God has revealed Himself to man. Faith without repentance, and repentance without works, is dead and impotent to save. Modern evangelism offers a flimsy faith devoid of repentance. We need to go to old school, the classroom of big bad Baptist John, and get the gospel right. Grace produces faith, faith produces good works, all centered upon the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. John’s preaching found its center in Jesus Christ. Big bad Baptist John made no claims to be the Messiah, but simply claimed to be His messenger. What a messenger, and what a message! John introduced the coming of Jesus as well as the advent of the Holy Spirit. He was a trinitarian preacher with a most timely message about the salvation of God, appointed by the Father, accomplished by the Son, applied by the Spirit. John’s preaching concluded with consequences, the real and eternal consequences, of either accepting or rejecting the gospel of Jesus Christ. The wheat goes into the barn of Heaven, the chaff is tossed into the fire of Hell. The word of God calls this the good news, the gospel, and big bad Baptist John preached it from beginning to end. Even so, things did not end well for big bad Baptist John. John received an ugly, untimely, reward from the world. It is John the Baptist, not any of our current cavalcade of corrupt televangelists, who should have been traveling first class and living in a spacious estate. He was a good and godly man, a true preacher of righteousness, a man of head, heart, and courage for Christ. So what was his earthly reward? The greatest man who ever lived, apart from Christ Himself, was falsely arrested for telling the truth, thrown in a dingy prison cell, and executed by beheading. Big bad Baptist John spoke truth to power. Big bad Baptist John preached the gospel to sinners. Big bad Baptist John honored God with his life, yet was rewarded on earth with an ugly, untimely death. In the Jimmy Dean song, big bad John gave his life for others. Big bad Baptist John did this in real life. In all his ways, John not only introduced Jesus, John was like Jesus. He was part and parcel of the perfect timing and plan of God. He delivered not part, but the whole of the gospel. He was executed at the hands of ungodly men. Perhaps it was a terrible way to die, but it is a great way to live, living for and like the Lord Jesus Christ. In the fullness of time God gave him a word, So people in the wilderness of Judea heard, A man preaching faith and repentance to God, He spoke real bold but he dressed kind of odd, big John, Big John, Big John, big Baptist John. John preached to power and he preached for love, He pointed all the people to the great God above, But one day his sermon, it hit the wrong note, Herod took him prisoner, it was all she wrote for big John, Big John, Big John, big Baptist John. He baptized Jesus and a new day began, But then it was time for his work to end, He lost his head in that cold jail cell, But many went to Heaven and escaped from Hell, thanks to John, Big John, Big John, big Baptist John.
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THE HIDDEN MESSIAH
Luke 2:39-52 Dr. Chuck DeVane, Pastor Lake Hamilton Baptist Church Hot Springs, Arkansas January 22, 2017 39 And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him. 41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. 43 And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, 44 but supposing him to be in the group they went a day's journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, 45 and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” 49 And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?” 50 And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. 51 And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man. — Luke 2:39-52, ESV At the age of twelve, Mozart was composing his first opera, Julie Andrews sang on a London stage, and Derek Trucks started playing lead guitar for the Allman Brothers band. By his twelfth birthday, Pablo Picasso had finished four paintings. At twelve years of age, Tiger Woods qualified for his first Junior World Championship, which he would win, and a kid from Akron named LeBron James was recruited to play for a select AAU basketball team. Greatness is often apparent at a young age, even as young as twelve. This is true of Jesus, too, although no one seemed to fully appreciate it at the time. Hidden in this exclusive look into His childhood, Luke gives us some signs which point to the fact that Jesus of Nazareth is the promised Messiah, the King of Israel, the Savior of the world. This picture is precious to us because it is the only one in the photo album, otherwise known as the Gospels. Baby pictures can be found in Matthew and Luke, but Luke alone gives us the portrait of Jesus as an adolescent. Found after three days missing by frightened and faithful parents, the revelation of Jesus in the temple is more profound now than people realized then. Can you see Jesus in the picture? Sure you can. But, can you see the hidden Messiah? The Messiah was hidden from godly parents. God made a good choice in giving Himself to Mary and Joseph as parents. How could a perfect, faithful, and wise God do otherwise? Mary and Joseph were not perfect, but they were faithful and wise. Only faithful and wise Jews would raise their children according to the Law of the Lord. Only faithful and wise Israelites would make the rugged round trip of nearly two hundred miles between Nazareth and Jerusalem to honor God at the Passover. Only faithful and wise parents would pass along faith and wisdom to their firstborn son, even though He was the personification of them both. Faith is a gift from God. Wisdom is applying that faith to every area of your life. Faith is the most important thing you can pass along to your children, and wisdom dictates taking them to the house of God at every opportunity. Faithful and wise were these two godly parents, Mary and Joseph. Yet, they really didn’t see Jesus as the Messiah in this episode of His life. They did not follow Jesus, but rather lost Him in the caravan (which was not a Dodge, but a large entourage of family and friends from Nazareth). They did not worship Jesus as God the Son, in spite of the testimonies of the Magi, Simeon, and Anna at His birth. When they found Jesus in the temple after three days, they scolded Him as if he were an ordinary twelve-year-old boy. When Jesus explained, they simply stored away the information for later consideration. Then they took Jesus back home and kept Him there, hidden and silent, for eighteen long years. Overall I commend Mary and Joseph. They were faithful believers in the Old Covenant sense, and good and godly parents. But even these faithful, wise, good, and godly parents did not recognize the messianic attributes of Jesus at the age of twelve. The Messiah was hidden from religious rulers. The last time Luke looked at Jesus in the temple, Simeon and Anna gave messianic testimony about Him shortly after His birth. Their words had either not been told or had been completely forgotten by the religious rulers in Jerusalem. When the same boy appears in their midst of the temple twelve years later, His messianic presence seemed to be hidden from their learned eyes and ears. To Jesus’ credit, He knew it was not yet His time. Instead of lecturing the religious rulers, as He would eventually do, Jesus just listened at this juncture. He asked and answered questions, but never let on that He Himself was the Lord of the temple. The temple rulers and teachers were amazed, the Bible says, but they took no action to worship Jesus or acknowledge Him as the Messiah in any form or fashion. They should have been sitting at Jesus’ feet, even His small, twelve-year-old feet, rather than vice versa. Surely they were looking for the Messiah. But, they did not expect Him to come out of a cadre of Nazareth pilgrims. They were looking for military might, not childhood faith. They were listening for the proclamations of a king, not an ordinary servant. Jesus, at twelve and afterward, did not neatly fit their bill. However, I place no great blame on the religious rulers than I would the godly parents of Jesus. The fulness of time for our Lord to present Himself to Israel and the world had not yet come. God has a schedule and He aims to keep it. His divine calendar revolves not around the sun and moon, but the Son of God, if you can spot Him. The Messiah remains hidden to most people. There were twelve years between the birth of Christ and this misadventure in the temple. Eighteen more years would pass before Jesus was baptized by John to embark on His three-year public ministry. Two thousand years have passed since our Savior lived, died, and rose again. And to this very day, the Messiah remains hidden to the vast majority of Jews and Gentiles alike. Forget the birth and passion narrative for a moment and just look at Jesus at twelve. What do you see? What do you hear? A little lost boy, or the God and Savior who can save lost people to the uttermost? I see a person who perfectly fits the prophetic description of the Messiah, especially that of Old Testament prophet Isaiah. While most people look for messianic deliverance in political power and military might, Jesus came the first time as a humble, obedient servant. People from Nazareth were deemed lowly by nature when they trekked to Jerusalem. Look at the twelve-year-old Jesus as He humbly and obediently submits Himself to His earthly parents. Some country singer once said, “O Lord it’s hard to be humble, when you’re perfect in every way.” This statement is actually true about Jesus, yet He was often overlooked because of His great humility and obedient servanthood. I hear a person who openly admitted that He is the divine, only begotten, Son of the true and living God. “My Father,” the juvenile Jesus confessed concerning Jehovah. When He claimed deity as an adult, the religious rulers wanted to stone Him. When He claimed it here, at age twelve, I suppose they just chuckled a little bit. Even Mary and Joseph did not hear Him clearly as the Word of God, but packed the words away to bring them out at another time. What do you see and hear when you look and listen to the twelve-year-old Jesus? See and hear the hidden Messiah, the face of God and the voice of Christ in a young boy. His character is consistent with Old Covenant prophecy. His claim to be the Son of God is verified by His New Covenant ministry. He is the Messiah, the Lord of lords, the King of kings, the Savior of the world! Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Believe that He is the eternal, pre-incarnate, born in Bethlehem, lost in Jerusalem, baptized by John, crucified by Pilate, raised on the third day, ascended into Heaven, soon to return Messiah. Follow the Lord Jesus Christ, as He appeared throughout His first advent. Do not necessarily shun political and military solutions to problems, but primarily devote yourself to being a humble, obedient servant to both God and man. Be a servant, like Christ at His first coming, and you will rule and reign with Him at His second coming. Don’t hide Jesus. Never be ashamed of the gospel, the church, or the Christian way of life. Give thanks for the joy and suffering it brings. Make it your ambition to always be seen in your Father’s house and listening to God’s word. Our Lord Jesus Christ may have been hidden at birth, at the temple, even on the cross. But do not let the Messiah be hidden from you. Copyright © 2017 Lake Hamilton Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Check out the weekly happenings at Lake Hamilton Baptist Church in Hot Springs, Arkansas. ANNA THE RADICAL
Luke 2:36-38 Dr. Chuck DeVane, Pastor Lake Hamilton Baptist Church Hot Springs, Arkansas January 8, 2017 36 And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, 37 and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. — Luke 2:36-38, ESV In this early section of Luke’s Gospel we are exclusively introduced to two godly characters: Simeon and Anna. Both were prophets or preachers, both were temple junkies and prayer warriors, and both of them recognized Jesus and pointed people to Him as the Messiah. In the last passage we looked at Simeon the visionary, and learned much from what he saw. Though fewer words are used to describe Anna, from her we can learn even more. For while Simeon was indeed a visionary in the way he accurately looked at God and the gospel, Anna was a radical for the way she lived out the word of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ. The word “radical” is a both salty and diverse. It can be used as an adjective or a noun. It has a variety of meanings depending on the context, and it can be ascribed in a flattering or derogatory manner. Radical can imply change, usually extreme change, which most people do not like. Radical can speak of extreme or exemplary commitment, something most people are not willing to give. Radical can speak of good things in hipster lingo, like “Radical, dude.” IMB president David Platt authored a best-selling book, Radical, to describe the normal, first century Christian life as opposed to the nominal, twenty-first century version of the faith. All of these definitions of radical were embodied by Anna, an early and true radical for Christ. Anna was radically pure. Anna remained a virgin until she was married, and apparently remained chaste after her husband died. That would have been normal in her day. In our day, it’s a little more radical. This isn’t a sermon on sex, but sex should be mentioned in the sermon. Sexual activity is ordained by God to be enjoyed by one man and one woman in a committed, covenant marriage. Any thing else is sin, and sin is a radical departure from God’s perfect plan. Does this mean that God will strike you dead if you have sex outside of marriage? I don't think so, or else there would be a lot more funerals being conducted these days. God is gracious and forgiving, even though the scars of unwise sexual activity can linger. Anna had no scars, however, because she kept herself sexually pure. Purity is power with God. Purity, or holiness, is part and parcel of being filled with the Holy Spirit. Anna was able to do some great things for God because she kept some basic principles of God, including sexual purity. That’s radical, dude, and we should copy. Anna was radically simple. Here we must speculate a little, but I interpret Anna to be a quite simple, even economically poor person. We don't know for sure. Perhaps she inherited a large sum of money from her family or deceased husband. Or, maybe she was a temple beggar, since she located herself there every day. What we do know is that Anna was radically dedicated to some of the disciplines we are about to discuss, things like worship and prayer and the word of God and witnessing. She could not have excelled at these things if she had devoted herself to making large sums of money and purchasing extravagant furnishings and clothes. This is neither a sex sermon nor a guilt trip over your possessions, but we should touch on them both. Money is a fairly neutral subject in the Bible, for both rich and poor can be found inside and outside the kingdom of God. Time is probably a better indicator of the heart. Anna did not spend her time making more money than she needed, but rather determined to spend more time with God. As Jesus would go on to say, you cannot serve both money and God, and time will tell whom you serve. So, should we quit our jobs, give away our savings, and stay in a church building all day? No, unless you are a prophet or prophetess and God has spoken to you and ordered these things. But, is there any way we can live more simply, more deliberately, more generously, for Christ? I think so. Now, let me quit meddling and start preaching. Anna was radically worshipful. Once we get past the mundane matters of sex and money, Anna starts to really make us nervous. She did not merely attend church services on Sunday and take in a Bible study or two each week. She assembled herself with others at the temple “day and night.” Indeed, this is radical. The worship of God should take place among certain people at a certain time and certain place. I would not give you a plug nickel for anyone who claims to be a Christian but steadfastly refuses to join a local church and gather with them on Sundays for public worship, unless they are providentially hindered. But I readily admit that worship is far more than a public service on one day a week. True, radical worship of God is twenty-four-seven. Anna had a special calling from God to do what she did, and she fulfilled it. Pastors and church staff members find themselves inside the four walls of a church building for hours each day, weeks on end, but it is their specific calling to do so. God may not call you to the prophetic ministry of Anna or the pastoral ministry of the church, but He has called you to radically worship Him every day of your life, inside and outside the building. A consistent commitment to public worship usually results in rewarding hours of daily quiet time worship as well. Anna was radically prayerful. Anna was, though, in or near a religious building almost all the time. She was all in, in more ways than one. People could see her. But, the one thing that will show you if you are all in, or not, is something only you and God can see. It is your prayer life, and Anna had a great one. Prayer does not require a certain place, even though Anna positioned herself at the temple. Prayer does not require high, lofty language, which I’m almost sure Anna didn’t use. Genuine prayer simple requires faith, hope, and love. If you have faith that God is real, then you know He is really listening and speaking. If you have hope or confidence that God can do anything, you won’t hesitate to ask him anything in prayer. If you love God, with all of your heart and mind and soul and strength, then you want to spend time with Him in conversation, and prayer is merely and majestically a conversation with Almighty God. Prayer is the key to accepting God, understanding God and His word, and serving God. Prayer, like purity and devotion, is power. It gives you power from God to use for God to move those mountains and reorder lives for Christ. It is not a means to gain health and wealth for yourself, for what did Anna have? It is a means to love God and minister to others. In other words, it is radical. Anna was radically prophetic. Prayer and God’s word walk hand in hand all throughout Scripture. They can also be found as the priorities in the life of every true follower of Jesus Christ. Though both involve two-way communication, prayer is primarily our way of talking to God and Holy Scripture is primarily God’s way of speaking to us. Anna was a prophetess, which means she was gifted and able to receive and speak God’s work accurately and boldly. In this brief text, Anna can be found at the end of the day telling other people about Jesus. She took God at His word that Messiah would come. She affirmed the interpretation of her colleague, Simeon, by adding an amen to the advent of Jesus Christ. Her knowledge of Scripture was so much better than the religious rulers of her day, for they missed the first coming of Jesus while Anna said, “This is the One we’ve been looking for!” Spending a lot to time in the Bible will help you speak biblically to the issues of the day, and the most important issue is always the gospel. Anna was radically redemptive. “The redemption of Jerusalem” is fraught with soteriological and eschatological import. Those who were looking for it, though, sought out Anna’s advice. In her own words and in her own way, she told them the timeless message, “Jesus saves!” Anna was very old at this point, and I doubt she lived much longer after she finally met Jesus. Like her friend Simeon, though, when she left this earth, she departed in peace. Such spiritual and sublime peace requires at least two things. To have a fulfilled life, a radical life if you will, you have to know Jesus and make Him known. When Anna died, it could be said of her that she trusted in the Lord and led other people to Him. She did not need for people to raise their hands or repeat after her. She did not need to give a count in some promotional newsletter. She was too radical for that. She simply loved Jesus, lived for Jesus, which made her a force for God to lead other people to Jesus. This is the life you want. Are you pure and simple, worshipful and prayerful, led by the word of God and influencing other people for Christ? You don't have to be just like Anna. If any of you start hanging out in the church sanctuary all week, I’ll probably ask you to leave. Be yourself, in whatever family and vocational setting God has placed you, and be radical. You, and so many others, will be blessed. Copyright © 2017 Lake Hamilton Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Check out the weekly happenings at Lake Hamilton Baptist Church in Hot Springs, Arkansas. BETWEEN TWO WORLDS
Acts 17:16-34 Dr. Chuck DeVane, Pastor Lake Hamilton Baptist Church Hot Springs, Arkansas January 8, 2017 16 Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. 18 Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. And some said, “What does this babbler wish to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities”—because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection. 19 And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20 For you bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean.” 21 Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new. 22 So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. 26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 28 for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’ 29 Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. 30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” 32 Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.” 33 So Paul went out from their midst. 34 But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them. — Acts 17:16-34, ESV One of my favorite books is Between Two Worlds by Dr. John R.W. Stott. It is designed to help the preacher get an accurate message from the world of the Bible and effectively communicate it to the world of today. The book builds a bridge, between two worlds, to help people to rightly understand the word of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ. This kind of bridge building is not merely the task of the scholar or pastor. It is every Christian’s duty to take the word of God and bring it to bear on the hearts and minds of people in our world. The bridge we seek to build is not merely one that travels from the first century to the twenty-first century. It is a lifeline that spans the chasm between the saved and the lost, between Heaven and Hell. No one was a better bridge builder than the Apostle Paul. He is the exemplary first century witness to instruct twenty-first century Christians. The world in which he ministers in this text, ancient Athens, was prosperous, pagan, and filled with people who had never really heard the gospel. It was a lot like modern day America. Let’s look at how Paul carried the cross and built a saving bridge between two worlds. It was a bridge built with one major tool: love! Paul loved God, even to the point of jealousy. Paul’s “spirit was provoked within him” (vs. 16) by what he saw in Athens. He was deeply upset, intensely angry, or perhaps the best translation would be to say that he was jealous. The Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) translates this same term “jealous” when speaking of God. So jealousy can actually be a loving, God-like characteristic. Why was Paul so jealous? If someone was trying to romance your girlfriend or boyfriend, wouldn't you be jealous? If someone was trying to steal your spouse and break up your marriage, wouldn't you be jealous? Why? Because someone is trying to rob you of your rightful place. In Athens, Paul saw false gods and dead religions trying to rob the Lord Jesus Christ of His place on the throne. When we see such things in America, it ought to make us jealous for Jesus. We ought to have a strong desire for Him to be Lord of lords and King of kings in the lives of people who are perishing without Him. Do you love to gather publicly and worship the Lord? Then you should feel jealousy concerning those who do not. Do you love to open your Bible and read and meditate upon the word of God? Then you should pity towards those who ignore the word of God to their peril. Do you love being a fully devoted follower of the Lord Jesus Christ? What about everyone else? Knowing and loving God will make you jealous for Him. He is our Creator and Sustainer and Father and Judge and Savior (ref. vs. 24, 25, 26ff, 30-31, 31-32). Does it bother you when God is systematically kicked out of courtrooms, classrooms, and sometimes even churches? Does it bother you that people in our world live like there is no such thing as sin and there will never be a judgment so there is no need of our Savior, Jesus Christ? Get jealous, people! Get provoked and stirred up at the sin of unbelief. But don't hate the sinners and unbelievers. Love them in spite of, even on account of, their lostness. Paul loved lost people, enough to learn about them and spend time with them. Paul would not have even been in Athens if he did not love lost people. Before Paul preached to them, he took the time to learn something about them. He read their literature, he understood their poetry. Then he “reasoned” (ref. vs. 16), dialogued, or exchanged ideas with them. He talked with the religious people at “church” (the synagogue) to find out why they did not believe in Jesus. He talked with the common people on the street (the marketplace) to bring their attention to Christ. He talked with the cultured people of his day (Epicureans and Stoics at the Areopagus). Paul took time to engage their culture. He even complimented them in the conversation (vs. 22). But most of all he challenged them to believe in Jesus Christ. When it comes to lost and unchurched people, you can either build a wall of separation from them or build a bridge to reach them. Fundamentalism encouraged the former to generations of Christians, but we need to tear that wall down and build the bridge. Even if you don't drink, going to a bar and grill with a lost friend just might encourage them to come to worship with you. Even if you don’t prefer “secular” music and movies, take time to find out what the world is hearing and seeing. You will find some common grace and you will establish some common ground, like the Apostle Paul. Christians need to quit being a sub-culture and learn to permeate culture with God’s grace. Paul loved lost and unchurched people, enough to reach them on their turf in their terms. Loving God is easy. Loving one another in the church ought not to be hard. Loving unchurched people takes real, Christ-like, love. And the most compassionate thing we can ever do for sinners is courageously share with them the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul loved the gospel, enough to tell it to other people. Paul could have compromised and blended in. Paul could have condemned them and offered no hope. But he walked over a freshly built bridge and paved it with the gospel of Jesus Christ. From creation to the cross and the empty tomb, Paul never tired of telling the story of Jesus. With courage and commitment, Paul sought their conversion. He preached to them the loving, life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ. On their own turf in their own language he spoke to them of God, Jesus, and the necessity of faith and repentance. As always, he was ignored by some and mocked by others. But he endured all things for the sake of the elect (ref. 2 Timothy 2:10), and on that day dedicated disciples were delivered to the Lord Jesus Christ. You and I actually live in the same world as Paul. We are Christians in an affluent, corrupt, faithless society. Twenty-first century America is more like first century Athens than we can imagine. Most people, in both worlds, have never really heard the real gospel of grace. They have heard of religion, and don’t like it. They have heard self-help gospels and become confused. What many haven’t heard is a patient, detailed explanation of the gospel of grace alone by faith alone in Christ alone. We can blend in and compromise with culture, like so many professing Christians and churches are doing today. Or, we can condemn culture and offer no alternatives, no love. Better still, we can seek to understand where our lost friends are coming from and work earnestly for their conversion. We can build a bridge between two worlds, and bring lost and unchurched people over to a saving relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. All we need is love, according to Paul and John. We need a great passion for God that even drives us to godly jealousy. We need a great love for sinners that seeks to understand and not condemn. We need loving courage and commitment based on the gospel that will motivate us to build that bridge. Christ is coming. People are perishing. Who will help build a bridge between two worlds? Copyright © 2017 Lake Hamilton Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Check out the weekly happenings at Lake Hamilton Baptist Church in Hot Springs, Arkansas. |
AuthorDr. Charles F. "Chuck" DeVane, Jr., is the Pastor of Lake Hamilton Baptist Church in Hot Springs, Arkansas. His weekly sermon article, "The Gospel Truth," has been published in newspapers in Arkansas and Georgia. Dr. DeVane is a graduate of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and has served in the pastorate for over 20 years. Contact Pastor Chuck at PastorChuck@lakehamiltonbaptistchurch.org
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