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Sermon Outlines

In Redemptive Suffering or Damnable Oppression

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1 Thessalonians 2:13-16 (NIV)

13 And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe. 14 For you, brothers and sisters, became imitators of God’s churches in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus: You suffered from your own people the same things those churches suffered from the Jews 15 who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and also drove us out. They displease God and are hostile to everyone 16 in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. In this way they always heap up their sins to the limit. The wrath of God has come upon them at last.

“Big, if true” versus “big, because true.” 

The young people and political pundits say, “Big, if true.”  

The meaning; “Would be big if not completely preposterous.” For example, “We are all going to have affordable, safe, green helicopter transportation in 2 years.” Big. Not true. 

Some things are true, and therefore big.  

For example, these are the two options in responding to the gospel: 

  1. It is the word of God heard through men 
  2. It is the word of men ascribed to God.  

1 Thessalonians 2:13  13 And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe. 

Our acceptance or rejection of the gospel leads to one of two broad paths:  

  1. Redemptive suffering in loving the Word of God 
  2. Damnable oppression in suppressing the Word of God 

Objection: But aren’t there more options? What if I’m just not interested in Jesus or religion? Most irreligious people don’t care about your religion, we just don’t find it interesting or relevant. To reject the interests and drama of the gospel, is to claim its interests and drama are false, irrational emotionalisms. 

Response: This isn’t a third option because to reject a message’s interest in us, its claimed relevance, and to be indifferent to its drama, is to reject it completely.  

Illustration: Imagine a wife come to confront her husband about a way of life ruining their life together. Her message isn’t just her claim of fact, and what is right and wrong, but is also bound up in her interest in him, his interest in her, the relevance to their relationship and future, and the drama of what hangs in the balance—the incredible difference his response makes for them.  

If he responds with indifference, disinterest, or as though her message is irrelevant or an overreaction, he has rejected her entirely because he has rejected the meaning of her plea. 

Even if he says, “There is some truth to what you’re saying,” or concedes some facts or meaning, if he rejects the drama, the relevance, what is at stake—his and her interest in the questions—he has abandoned her. He has rejected the truth, and committed his way to self-destruction—whether he is passionate or not.  

Responding to some messages with indifference is the worst kind of rejection and the most complete form of betrayal. It is one of the worst betrayals because it offers so little hope of redemption.  

Therefore, the two paths from facing the gospel must be dramatically opposed because the very nature of the gospel is highly significant, deeply interested, holistically demanding in its claim on our nature and being, and full of the good drama of love and justice.  

The gospel is the Word of God heard form men, not the word of men put into the mouth of God. Your acceptance of this makes all the difference in your destiny.  

Your response to God’s word will set your path. You will either be in solidarity with the Word, or complicit in its suppression. Receiving the message as the Word of God will set your feet on the path of imitating Christ’s redemptive suffering. Conversely, rejecting the gospel message will set you on a path of persecuting the Christ unto damnable suppression.  

Accepting the gospel as God’s Word will set you on a path of redemptive suffering rather than damnable oppression.  

Recognizing that something is the very Word of God means it is more formative to your authentic being than your intuitive pursuit of the authentic self.  

Accepting the Word of God will set your life on one of two paths.

  1. If we accept that the gospel is the word of God entrusted to men, then we will follow the path of people of the Word—the path of redemptive suffering. 
  2. If we reject the gospel as the word of men attributed to the mouth of God, this will lead us to the path of imitating those who resist and suppress the gospel (even though we think we are just minding our own business or doing God/the universe a favor). This must be, since the Word and its people are an affront and an intolerable threat to those who reject.  

We might not feel like we are intentionally serving either path—or are doing either intentionally. Yet, one of these two paths will come up under your feet based on your response to the gospel. 

You will organically either find yourself walking more in solidarity with those walking in the redemptive suffering of Christ, or you’ll become subtly complicit in the damnable oppression of the Word. The human heart is never truly indifferent to the dramatic claims of the Word—the Word must turn us to embrace or hostility. 

In these verses, the apostle doesn’t argue for the gospel’s truth—he explains the results that will flow from our responses.  

 1. You’ll walk in the solidarity of redemptive suffering 

1 Thessalonians 2:13-15  you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.  14 For you, brothers, became imitators of God’s churches in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus: You suffered from your own countrymen the same things those churches suffered from the Jews,  15 who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and also drove us out.  

Assurance: Evidence that the Word “is at work in you who believe.” 

Receiving the gospel as the Word of God places you in the line of redemptive suffering—from Abel to the present global church. From those closest to you: your family (like Abel), your faith (like prophets, Jesus and apostles), your people (“your own countrymen”).  

Honor: In the heritage of the people of the Word 

  • Judean churches 
  • The Prophets 
  • Jesus himself 
  • The Apostles 
  • Hebrews 11 

This is a fundamental part of Christian identity, not peripheral or minor. Jesus called his words an offense, and the existence of the Word is an affront to the World. It is an indictment of their idolatry and way of life. We are a living insult to those that will not be corrected by the Word.  

Varying levels of intensity:  

  • Solidarity: Even when we are not suffering active persecution, we will always be brothers and sisters to those who are. We are in familial solidarity with them. They are our interest, we are bound to them in the same drama.  
  • Sober humility: Persecution prepared vs. Persecution complex. The goal of realizing this is so that we can be happy warriors and builders, not cranky.

2. You’ll stray into complicity in damnable suppression  

1 Thessalonians 2:14-16  You suffered from your own countrymen the same things those churches suffered from the Jews,  15 who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and also drove us out. They displease God and are hostile to all men  16 in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. In this way they always heap up their sins to the limit. The wrath of God has come upon them at last.  

Straying into suppression: The result of not recognizing the Word of God in the gospel is to actively or passively resist it—to suppress it. To see that it should not spread openly and unhindered. 

  • You may actively oppose the gospel—lightly or intensely—by isolating, caricaturing, disenfranchising, passive oppression, or active oppression.  
  • You may make excuses for suppression and hindering of the gospel.  This is fairly common, even among believers.  We naturally suppress the truth of our complicity in oppression. You won’t let yourself accept you are going down this path—every step will be accompanied by a ready supplied justification.  

Results:

  • Displease God: They think they are doing the right thing, but they displease God—to the point of wrath.
  • Hostile to all men: They are not only hostile to God, and to his church, but to all men—those who the gospel is for. By hindering the message of life and salvation form reaching more and more people, they are hostile to the people they hinder it from reaching, and they do all humanity a material evil.  They may do it in ignorant good faith—it may be subjectively blameless—but it is objective hostility and a material evil against humanity.  

Prudential humility: Resolute understanding. 

  • Resolute: Don’t excuse oppression of any kind when you see it, including suppression of the gospel or Christians. 
  • Understanding: We are threatening to people, and people don’t understand the gospel, and many have suffered at the hands of those called Christians.  Also, we have no right to be put above people legally or in privilege in our society. We cannot try to force other voices out of a public square to privilege our own. This means we should stand up for all those being suppressed and oppressed. However, we must resolutely stand up for our right to express the word of Christ in the gospel, and that no one does right in stopping us. 

Humility: “We thank GOD.” The Apostle credits them receiving the Word of God with the preceding work of God. That Word “is at work in you who believe”—meaning, if you believe, the Word is doing its work. 

So we should not think of ourselves as those that are better than others, but those that have received the treatment of the Word, that we have heard in a way God used to reach us.  

We are not judges but heralds—singers, tellers. We should not mistake the role of sharer with the role of judge.

1 Thessalonians 2:13  13 And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe. 

At High Point, Special Topics

Pastoral letter on gathering as the church in the COVID-19 pandemic

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To the High Point Church family, in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, 

For 2000 years, pastors have written to the congregations they serve with spiritual advice, commands and encouragement in times of need. This was not only true of the apostles, but also church fathers and bishops, like St. Athanasius. Martin Luther wrote to European Christians in the 16th century an essay entitled “Whether One May Flee from a Deadly Plague.” It is still worth reading.  

The current pandemic may not be as deadly as some of the ancient plagues, but it is deadly for some, and this may not be the last pandemic that we face in our lifetime. Many Christians recognize the big picture in relationship to faith in Christ when facing disease. In life or death, we belong to Christ. Jesus has called us to live in faith, not fear. But we are also told that faith is not the same as foolishness. Faith and wisdom are never opposed to each other, and yet both are opposed to cowardice. Christians generally understand that we are to live in the divine triumvirate of faith, hope and love, that we should serve our neighbors, believe that God is ultimately in control of all things (even suffering), and that we should act with wisdom in our daily choices. Much can be said about these basic and fundamental Christian truths. 

However, the church can easily become divided in a situation like this—over questions of conscience and wisdom. For example, is it religious persecution for the government to say we cannot have our normal gatherings? Does worshiping with a virtual source count as worship? If the church opens, should everyone have the conviction that they should attend? Should we be deferential and obedient to the government in their regulations? 

In this letter, I will focus on three important parts of the Bible’s teaching and outline our plan for gathering again so that we can move forward in the coming weeks not only in wisdom and faith, but in unity.

First, the Bible teaches in many places that every Christian is called to be an active, covenantal and familial participant in a concrete local church whenever possible. Christians should seek to form a local church when one is not present, and this can only be neglected in extreme circumstances—for example, if you are the only Christian in 100 square miles in rural North Korea. However, does it follow that we must meet every week on Sunday in a particularly marked church building, as is our ancient custom? Scripture seems to teach that the earliest Christians probably met on “the first day” of the week, which is presumably our Sunday. 

Three scriptures seem to state this. Acts 20:7 says that people gathered together for a meeting that lasted until the next day, and that this meeting was “on the first day of the week.” But though the reference tells us when the meeting happened, it doesn’t tell us that this was a normative time for the church to meet. In 1 Corinthians 16:2, people are told to set aside a financial gift “on the first day of every week.” This is so that no time will be used to collect money when Paul arrives to carry the church’s gift to Jerusalem. It does not include any normative command about when worship should take place, or why. In Revelation 1:10, the apostle John says, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet…” Here, presumably the first day of the week is simply referred to as the Lord’s day—as though the concept was already established, and everyone would know what he meant. However, in the case of Acts 20:7, since Jews counted days from evening to evening, that meeting would have been on Saturday night over to Sunday morning. In fact, it’s likely that most Christian churches met on Saturday night after the Sabbath had concluded—the Sabbath spanning from Friday evening to sundown on Saturday evening. 

We are also told precious little in Scripture about exactly what should happen in our worship services, or exactly when we should meet. Early in the book of Acts, people are meeting in the temple to hear the apostles teaching, and are meeting “day by day” in people’s homes. As the New Testament moves forward, no prescription is given for a day of worship, a time of worship, the frequency of meetings, how many people make up a meeting, and so forth. Instead, these things are left up to the prudential wisdom of Christians, while we are given general commandments about what should be included in our worship, what should be our goals, what faith and godliness looks like and that we should do these things “often.”

This leads to the most specific verse that focuses on the times and frequencies of our meeting, Hebrews 10:25. It says, “let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” The most literal contention here is the command to “not give up meeting together.” In the context of the pandemic, this command has led some Christians to believe churches should simply continue their previous meeting schedule in obedience to this command. Other believers have claimed that this quotation does not apply to extenuating circumstances in which our health could be at risk. However, Hebrews makes clear that these Christians are worshiping in the context of intense persecution, which includes the “plundering of their possessions.” In addition to having their private property taken, the apostle also includes an entire chapter on the suffering of God’s martyrs in Hebrews chapter 11. This is no doubt included because of the severity of the suffering he expected the Hebrews to face, which clearly could include profound personal suffering, even martyrdom. So, we should not too easily dismiss our earnest Christian brother or sister who believes that this verse says that we should not stop meeting together in our normal way even in the worst possible circumstances, including during a pandemic. 

Conversely, extreme circumstances are also the context for the Biblical command to obey those in civil authority. In Romans 13, the apostle Paul tells us to obey the government in absolute language, as instituted by God.  

Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. Romans 13:1 – 2 

This was the case even though Nero was emperor, and their current government was murdering Christians. 1 Peter 2:12 – 15 tells us to obey every authority instituted in our society, whether on the federal or local level. The purpose of this is not only that authority is in itself a good, bringing order out of chaos, but that we are to “silence the ignorant talk of foolish men.” Presumably, this means the ignorant talk that because we are citizens of heaven, we are no longer under the practical jurisdictions of men. This is not the case. In 1 Timothy 2:1 – 2 we are commanded to pray for all those in authority. This is meant to help them see that they can leave us alone to live in peace and quiet. The result should be that godliness would thrive among us, and that people would see its beauty and turn to God who wants “all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” So, not only are we instructed to obey authority because it is ordained by God, but because it is also integral to the reputation of God’s truth in our city. Obeying authority is critical to living honorably and deserving a good name, and consequently, adorning God’s name in the minds of our societal neighbors.  

This does not mean that there are no exceptions to the rule. Peter and John disobey the Jewish rulers when they are commanded not to speak about Jesus and his salvation.  

But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard. Acts 4:19 – 20  

The Hebrew midwives are blessed by God for disobeying Pharaoh’s orders to kill Jewish boys as they were born because they “feared God.” They knew that to obey the king they would directly disobey God, the greater and true king. Therefore, our duty to obey right authorities is foundational, but does admit our disobedience when such a command requires us to disobey a direct command of God. We could also note the disobedience of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who were also all commended by God. 

So, the question we must answer with good conscience is: Are we disobeying the general commands of worship and fellowship given to Christians and the local church by worshiping only according to what our government allows during a pandemic?  

This requires us to take stock of the minimum actions that amount to worship and fellowship as outlined in the Scriptures. First, there is no direct command as to the day we must meet, nor the time. We are told to “not stop meeting together.” This must mean that meetings should be frequent. The purpose of these meetings in Hebrews 10:25 is to “encourage one another” toward perseverance until the return of Jesus. This meeting has no minimum number so long as it is plural. Two or three might suffice. The church is commanded to read Scripture publicly, submit to the shepherding of elders, hear the word preached, worship in song and prayer, fulfill the “one another” commands, baptize new believers, celebrate the Lord’s supper, exert church discipline, and spread the gospel as the work of making disciples of all nations.  

Can we do this using almost entirely virtual tools while confined in households? I believe the answer is yes, at least for some period of time. At some point, virtual meetings are not sufficient for the human soul, and people who do not gather are scattered. This is why house church movements are so difficult to cultivate. Gathering in a large church makes it much easier to gather people. Yet, large churches are not necessary for us to be the body of Christ. Not having them in operation makes it harder and less convenient. But we are not precluded from worshiping, praying, or doing any of the works and worship we are commanded to do under these restrictions.  

What we must face is that this takes discipline and maturity. We have to organize ourselves. We have to check in on people. We have to exhort and encourage one another. We must do for free and out of love what is fitting for those God has made brothers and sisters, those he has made “one body.” We must be a people who can be the body of Christ without a building and without a budget. For this is what we may be one day not only in a pandemic, and what many of the Body of Christ are now in various places around the world.  

We should be cognizant of our rights in a free society governed by laws, that should apply to everyone the same, rather than by men, who will do as they please. However, the Biblical examples argue for justice on the basis of truth while in a posture of obedience to the government, except for in the most extreme circumstances. So, Christians can speak against government policies and use rights of speech, petition and assembly to change policies and advocate for their rights, as well as the rights of others. Some have done this. 

This leads to two concluding areas of action once we begin gathering again, and eventually, reopen our building doors. 

First, all Christians must respect the earnest conscience of others acting in faith who are trying to obey Christ. Most human decisions are not right and wrong in themselves. They are prudential decisions: decisions made on the principles of wisdom, utilizing our best perceptions of what is happening. We make prudential decisions by weighing the voices of many virtues and varied commands of God. Our varied perceptions and conceptualizations are imperfect and may lead people of the same convictions and faith to very different decisions concerning how we should act. In such circumstances, love must press for unity in the Body of Christ by respecting and accommodating the consciences of others. There are limits to this principle, but only express and explicit commands of God fence in the earnest conscience. In Romans 14, an example of where this principle is expounded, one of the differences of opinion about which we are not to judge each other is how we esteem the significance of certain days. In the context of the passage, these are probably festival days of the Old Testament. But this is a disagreement about the times and places of worship, and the apostle says we should not judge each other over these things. We should not allow the disunity to fester among us that comes from despising those who are conservative or judging those who have a more liberal conscience. For this to work, both groups must seek the truth in Christ, search the scriptures, and stay in fellowship with each other. 

Practically, as we roll out the reopening of church services, we will not all agree on how this should be done. Some believe we were wrong to ever close services. Others have asked to be present at services already. Some have informed us we should not open for some time. Others have said they will not come for some time, but affirm the church reopening if that is what the elders decide. I have been encouraged by the humility and the earnestness to honor Jesus that I have encountered among people who are acting in opposite ways. I believe this can please the Lord if we can also love and accept one another, even while debating with one another in humility and honest discourse. Jesus demands that we find unity even in the midst of giving others freedom of conscience in many matters. 

Concerning the reopening of the church, our plan needs to be fluid. The county has made clear that it reserved the right to move back and forth in levels of openness and quarantine, depending on infection rates and other indicators. So, for the foreseeable future, we will continue to at least live stream one service of worship each Sunday. This will remain the case until we communicate the next phase of reopening. Since we have started live streaming, some have attended worship much more regularly. Pray for God to use this time to draw many people deeper into the covenantal community of the church. 

The second step, which we have not yet reached, is to meet in groups of ten or fewer to worship together along with the streamed worship services. Moving to small group meetings for worship allows us to meet together to encourage one another in persevering faith and good works. This is an adequate means of fellowship and personal contact that treats people as fully human in their spiritual and social needs. We will communicate with you once we are either legally or conscientiously able to meet in this way.  

Though the public order says we should use virtual means in every way possible, we cannot neglect personally meeting with a small group of people any longer than is absolutely necessary. Gathering in small groups that are connected to virtual worship allows us to meet the basic necessities of Christian worship in the present moment, while minimizing risks of infection to ourselves and our neighbors. These small groups should be no more than ten people and should be the same people every week. This way, if someone is infected, we will know fairly easily who has been in contact with that person and who will need to quarantine themselves. Also, make sure the ten you choose is not exclusive of those that will get left out. Structure those you invite to include friends, as well as those that need a friend, because Jesus told us to invite all the people that couldn’t do anything for us (Luke 14:12 – 14).

Hopefully, fairly soon, things will move more back to normal, and we will be able to reopen Sunday services as normal. Right now, though churches can meet at 25% occupancy, there are many onerous requirements for those meetings, and so we will not gather in our church building until further notice. For High Point Church, even 25% capacity makes controlling the spread of disease difficult, especially in our space. 25% capacity in our sanctuary alone is more than 200 people. These actions are in line with the advice of numerous health care workers that we have consulted in the last week.  

Finally, do not tell yourself this will all be over soon. We have no idea what the next months, or the next year, will bring. If you plan for an end to the difficulties, your resolve will break when hardships extend. Choose to trust God in each moment, and plan for the future only long enough to do your duty and have hope that God will use you for some eternal good that circumstances can neither steal nor spoil. Find your happiness in God and in people (who last forever), in present graces (like sunshine), and in pursuing godliness. Life’s greatest joys do not come by changes in trials, and most wholesome routes of meaning are expanded in hardship, not contracted. You do not have fewer eternal opportunities in these days; you have more—regardless of what happens to our bank accounts or our health. Even when our bodies are wasting away, we can be renewed inwardly day by day (2 Corinthians 4:16). Let us give to everyone what duty owes them: first to God, and then to our governing authorities, to the fellowship of believers, in generosity to the poor and to our not yet believing neighbors.   

Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love (Ephesians 6:24).

Sermon Outlines

Imitators and Examples: Discipleship and Martyrdom

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1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you. 2 We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. 3 We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. 6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. 7 And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, 9 for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.

Imitating Jesus means imitating his examples.  

So, imitate those thriving unto perseverance. What evidence of grace exhibits thriving perseverance, and are grounds of assurance that lead to true perseverance?

  1. Conversion: A cataclysmic change of belief and allegiance.
  1. Worship: Seeing the worth of God in proportion to pain, and everything else. 
  1. Discipleship: The humility to identify and imitate the godliness of good examples.
  1. Mission and witness: Authentic word and faith goes forth and goes everywhere. 

We’ll look at the last 2 today.  

Discipleship: We imitate those who have proved examples in godliness 

Conversion (faith) and worship (joy) lead to imitating God as he is displayed in Christ Jesus. This imitation, this pursuit of godliness, is called discipleship.  

But no one can make Jesus their direct object of complete imitation. He is ascended. He said this is because God with us is now the Spirit—God’s work no longer limited in space, but everywhere present—and yet imminent. 

So how do we imitate God, or even Jesus, now? We imitate his best examples as compared to his word. The word we have of him is incomplete, yet representative. You can follow him based on his word, and his disciples. 

1 Thessalonians 1:5-7  You know how we lived among you for your sake.  6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.  7 And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.  

What makes up this dynamic here:  

  • “How we lived among you” (imitating Jesus with integrity)
  • “For your sake” (doing it partly for the observers) 
  • You became imitators of us (choosing to respond) 
  • In spite of severe suffering (you came out in the midst of opposition) 
  • So you became a model  

Godliness means being like God in the ways we are meant to be. It is evidence of imitation. We are told we bear God’s image—that is, God created us to imitate and replicate his own image in creation.  

Discipleship: the school of godliness in which we imitate Christ by imitating his examples.  

We must become a disciple (imitator) of Jesus, but none of us can be discipled by Jesus. His ascension led to his sending of the Holy Spirit, to form godliness in all Jesus’ imitators. 

“Disciple” means learner—a relationship of teaching and imitation. Heavy on imitation.  

Jesus’ commission to “make disciples” given to the whole church assumes that we must be disciples, and that we must make disciples. Or in Paul’s language here, to be imitators and to become examples.  

But we can use doctrine to discern the most wholesome examples around us that are imitating Christ. We can imitate them, or at least the things in them most like Christ. 

“You became imitators of us and of the Lord” (vs 6 ). the two are bound together. By becoming imitators of Christ’s disciples, we become imitators of Christ himself.  

Godliness must always accompany the gospel. It is its attracting fragrance, and its concrete and concentrated form in us. The message of the gospel must produce: 

  • Real piety in the heart 
  • A working faith (conversion and obedience) 
  • A laboring love (mission and martyrdom) 
  • A steadfast hope (worship) 

This is the heart of the activity of a healthy church.  

It may also be the future of the church’s organization. We may organize our faith in the most expensive way ever devised right now. Buildings, staff, marketing, technologies, seminaries, think tanks, merch. 

Discipleship rooted in imitation costs nothing—time, infrastructure, money.

  • Requires no formal institutions 
  • Can be done while doing other things—like tent making or tree removal 
  • Is not a heavy tax on time—since you can include it in much of your life as it already is

This is the result of worldliness: 

  • Performative Christian leadership—the pursuit of celebrity and salary.
  • Seeing the church as a growing market to which to sell lots of things.
  • Consumeristic expectations about what churches should provide that leads to an arms race among churches to provide ever more goods and services for church attenders—who see the church more and more like a business they patronize, rather than a body they are a part of. 

 Martyrdom/faithful witness: We imitate those who speak and show the gospel bravely 

1 Thessalonians 1:7-8   7 And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.  8 The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. 

The direct and severe persecution and affliction they experienced didn’t seem to silence them.  

1 Thessalonians 1:9  9 for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 

The message of the gospel “rang out” and the witness of their faith “has become known” everywhere. Others were now telling about it everywhere. News was traveling. 

Martyrdom: Faithful witness no matter what will happen to you. We call it: mission, evangelism, witnessing, profession… 

  • I think the word “mission” can sound too corporate to our ears now. And “evangelism” like a church program. That is not really the feel of it in the Bible.  
  • “Martyrdom” is from Greek word that means “witness” or “professor.” It came to mean, those that profess Christ no matter what will happen to them. 

A martyr isn’t a preacher or an apostle, just a faithful witness in word and in deed. Not everyone in Christ is an apostle, but everyone can be a martyr in this sense.  

Imitation: Willingness to speak in spite of opposition and affliction. Not stopped by intimidation.  

In chapter 2, Paul tells them that he had faced a lot of opposition in his last two stops. 

1 Thessalonians 2:2  2 We had previously suffered and been insulted in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in spite of strong opposition. 

It had occurred to him that being a faithful witness and confessor of the gospel was going to lead to more trouble, and to trouble for those who believed it. Yet he preached it anyway.  

In Thessalonica, people acted with jealousy, drama, political outrage, reputation assassination, and violence; among other things. We are told that this is a characteristic of the prophets and Jesus.

A family line—the line of martyrs:

1 Thessalonians 2:14-16  14 For you, brothers, became imitators of God’s churches in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus: You suffered from your own countrymen the same things those churches suffered from the Jews,  15 who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and also drove us out. They displease God and are hostile to all men  16 in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. In this way they always heap up their sins to the limit. The wrath of God has come upon them at last. 

  • The Prophets 
  • Jesus  
  • The Apostles 
  • The first Churches—in Judea 
  • Now Thessalonica 
  • Then: Faithful believers through the whole history of the church 

Implications: 

  • You are a child of the God the human race mistreats. 
  • Many of God’s faithful witnesses in every generation are mistreated 
  • They are often mistreated by religious people—even people who claim to be of their own faith. Like the Jews who killed their own prophets, and who killed their own Messiah. For us it will often be people that identify as Christians or generally religious/spiritual. 
  • This displeases God.
  • They are hostile to all humanity, because they are trying to deny them access to the message of salvation. They think they are protecting people, but they are harming them, dramatically and damnably (damnably: “heaping up sins to the limit” and “the wrath comes at last”).   

This is part of the Christian identity—the family line of the faithful. We determine and prepare to be faithful witnesses, and he determines how much opposition we will face. 

God also promises to give grace in the work of being a confessor. It is the position of greatest reward—if you are called to suffer greatly.

  • Martyrs in heaven (Revelation 6:9).
  • Hebrews 11:35—did not avoid suffering in order to “gain a better resurrection.”  

Imitating Jesus means imitating his examples in discipleship and martyrdom.  

Think about the spiritual family line from the prophets to us.  

In Hebrews 11, that line starts with Abel, the first martyr and true confessor, up to the present moment. Jesus is the first and the older brother of all of us who will be disciples and confessors. And we are called to believe and follow in that line—imitating his examples, and becoming examples ourselves.  

Now this is the question: How do you feel about that?  

Does it seem completely unreasonable? Or does it sound like an incredible privilege?   

This is an evidence of grace, and a means of assurance. If you have come to see it as a privilege, then you have embraced the cross—and much of its real meaning.  

Being like Jesus and those who are truly his is more valuable to you than mammon, and leisure, and promotions, and vacations, and a good name. 

It is evidence that God is working in you by his Spirit. That you can be assured that he is operating in your life, and that he is drawing you on to thriving perseverance.  

For some, you can feel yourself on the brink of this thing. It feels a little like jumping out of an airplane. It seems like an exhilarating freedom, but at the cost of all safety and security—in your person and in your inner self. 

But you feel that you could chose to believe. You do see the value in Jesus, and you see something of the dead end of this world. That is called “conviction”—to know a scary thing is true and that you should believe it. 

Some of you are even experiencing “deep conviction”—to where it almost feels like pain.  

All I can say is that it’s a good day to jump.  

Today is the day. If at any moment you have the grace to believe—do it. To deny the Spirit’s conviction is not just to lose the Spirit—it leads to losing yourself. 

But to say yes: To be converted. To become his disciple. To come into the line of faithful witnesses in the earth. The gain is incalculable.  

At the moment of conviction you know the costs—you feel them. But you don’t know the gain—you don’t have the experience yet, nor the imagination to see it. You only have the good promise of the truthful God of all power and perfect providence.  

Make your choice. Open your heart to the truth of God until it is irresistible. And then embrace it with all you heart, soul, mind and strength.  

Sermon Outlines

Imitators and Examples

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1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you. 2 We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. 3 We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. 6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. 7 And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, 9 for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.

Our brain is wired for an imitating mind. The part of our brain that controls our arms is part of what activates when we see another person using their arm, especially if their movement is unfamiliar to us. Imitation is the means by which technicians are trying to make machines able to learn.

Imitation isn’t popular to do, though it is prestigious to have done of you.

Since imitation is substantially the opposite of innovation—where being different, individual and unique is valued—imitation is seen as a form of weakness. To imitate is to not have a sense of self, to lack creativity, or to go along with a mindless crowd.

But this misunderstands imitation and borders on delusional arrogance. It is simply a fact that we are all imitators. We do it so naturally that we don’t even know we are doing it. So naturally that we can actually think we are mostly innovators, when we are 99.9% imitators. Even in our innovations, we have built them mostly within the framework of other things we have imitated.

Not only that, but most people that excel at specific skills have intentionally imitated people or can tell you who formed them extensively—people they imitated. By imitating people in lower order actions, we can focus our innovating energy in the specific areas we really feel need change.

Last, what do we expect others to do if we invent a truly positive innovation? We expect them to imitate it. Don’t we? That is why we’re having a fight with China over intellectual property rights. We have laws making it illegal to do the most natural thing in the human mind—imitation. You don’t have to incentivize people to imitate others. But you do have to create incentives for people to innovate.

The right human response to something good—a true improvement—is imitation.

Knowing this, God has been leading us to imitate him in all his leading of us.

To bear his image is to imitate his character and type of action. The law is a display of God’s character so the Israelites could imitate it. We are, as Romans 8 says, “conformed to the image of his Son.” We are formed into his image—we are his imitators.

In John 15, Jesus says that to see him is to see the Father. In what way? In his glory? No. In his will, purpose and character—everything a human being can imitate.

Jesus had hundreds of disciples that listened to him, and imitated him in life and teaching. But that didn’t end with Jesus, it passes on through the spiritual generations of the Church. The truth and ways of Christ are passed on personally by a coordinated combination of word and example. Like a rabbi to his disciples, or a master to an apprentice, teaching and example flow in and out of each other in a woven whole. Teaching helps us understand the meaning of the example, and the example authenticates and embodies the teaching.

This is why Jesus made it the explicit mission of his people to make disciples: intentional learners by hearing and imitating a master disciple. Every Christian disciple is an apprentice of Jesus through others of his apprentices.

The whole passage is structured around imitation and examples: This makes sense.

  • Paul was only there a short time.
  • There was no Bible to read.
  • All they had was the Old Testament, Paul’s preaching so far, and everything they had observed while watching Paul and Silas as examples.

You can see this in 1 Thessalonians 1:5-10:

  • The word came with power.
  • Paul, Silas and Timothy: “how we lived among you for your sake.”
  • Verse 6: “You became imitators of us, and of the Lord…”
  • And they welcomed the message.
  • “And so” you became a model, or an example, for all the believers.

Because of God’s unrelenting love displayed in the gospel:

Jesus builds his people by making examples of his imitators.

We are not that special, though we are individuals. We are the same kind of sinners as others, in the same experience of humanity, offered the same gospel, convicted by the power of the same Spirit, and offered examples of those that have come to faith before us. We are all called to leave our life of dead idolatry, and to serve the living God, to wait in hope for Christ’s return and to put our faith in his rescue from final judgment.

This might seem offensive in that we are the same as everyone else in these large ways. The ways we are not like everyone else, are not really ways we are like no one else—these are just smaller group traits. Sometimes we need examples in these lesser traits.

Imitating what?

Four things in this passage that we’ll cover in the next few sermons:

  1. Conversion: a cataclysmic change of belief and allegiance.
  2. Worship: seeing the worth of God in proportion to pain, and everything else.
  3. Discipleship: the humility to identify and imitate the godliness of good examples.
  4. Mission and witness: authentic word and faith goes forth and goes everywhere.

Becoming imitators and examples

People are struggling with what perseverance and growth are right now. while we feel pretty stuck. It takes humility to be an open imitator. It takes embracing responsibility to be an example.

We all have to ask ourselves whether our faith does work, whether there is a labor to our love, and whether our hope makes us steadfast.

The point of this book it to encourage us to perseverance. Not by driving us on like slaves, but by celebrating not only God’s worth (adoration), but also affirming that what God is doing in us is worth celebrating (affirmation).

Sermon Outlines

More than Conquerors over Everything: LAMENTABLE SUFFERING

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Romans 8:28-39  28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. 31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[c] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We all want assurance that we are on the right track. 

I don’t mean that we are right, and not wrong. We’re not mainly worried about our ideas; we are worried about ourselves. We defend the idea because we are defending our path, because in defending our path, we are defending ourselves.  

We are defending our track, our path, our hopes, our wellbeing, our legacy—ourselves. We want to know that we are on the right path. 

We want to know this when things are good.

When things are just tolerable. 

When things are difficult. 

But most of all—when things are lamentable.  

Lamentable: when things are so bad, you feel “put to shame.” The results are obviously out of your control, you are being crushed, and the way is blocked. All you can do is cry out—groan in the pain, and cling to whatever hope is left, if there is any. It is to sit in the ashes of what you thought was the way—the right track. It makes you question the path, and whether it was ever the right one.  

This is the question the apostle is taking up in these verses. Based on what God the Father has done in Christ and the Spirit, what are we to do in times of lamentable suffering? If the gospel is strong enough for lamentable sufferings, it is strong enough for all moments.  

Romans 8:35-39 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” g 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 1 

Because of God’s unrelenting love displayed in the gospel:  

We conquer in lamentable suffering through Christ  

Truth and Promise:  

We are the ones in question. We are the focus of this passage:  Verse 35 “Who can separate US from the love of Christ?” 

God’s commitment is already established: Verse 31-34 emphasize the absolute commitment and steadfastness of God’s commitment to our complete salvation through:  

  • The Spirit’s local help in our hearts (26-27)  
  • His (Father’s) providence (vs 28)
  • Willingness to give his Son (vs 32) 
  • And Christ is a present, active advocate for us at the father’s side (34) 

God’s level of commitment is unrelenting. Everything we need is ours because of the work of his relentless love. (See also: 2 Peter 1:3-11) 

So can anything drive a wedge into that connection? Can we be separated from his love on our end? If we cannot be attacked and condemned from HIS end, can we be separated from our end?  

There is one main candidate for what could separate us: suffering that leads one to the ashes of lament.  

In Lamentable Suffering 

We are going to face lamentable suffering that is not specifically or particularly explained. 

We can know that everything functions under God’s sovereignty, and that all creation groans under the curse. That sin’s general infection of creation is wreaking havoc on all of us—and we don’t see it. We grab, fight for, and embrace the very thing that’s killing us. 

Lament will be the place our heart is in, like in Psalm 44:

  • We boast in you.
  • You give victory, not us. 
  • We belong to you and have obeyed you.
  • We are humiliated and subject to unjust suffering.   
  • Where are you? It feels like you are asleep or absent, or don’t care! Why won’t you fight for us? Why won’t you vindicate us?  
  • We face death all day long, we are considered like sheep for slaughter. 
  • Where is your LOVE?  

You have to prepare for this. not hope it doesn’t happen. Our conquering happens IN LAMENTABLE SUFFERING.  

Verse 37: “rather, in all these things…” Not only are we going to be in, and not saved from, lamentable suffering, but we also conquer IN that suffering. 

But look close at verse 36: “we face death all day long…we are considered as sheep for slaughter.” Is that TRUE? When we face death constantly, are we what others think we are? Nothing but sheep for slaughter? (What if it is slaughter—but the slaughter of sacrifice? Then would that be different?) 

We Conquer 

We conquer in lamentable suffering—we are not going to be put ultimately to shame.

Romans 5, 9 and 10 all have references to us not being left to shame, but being vindicated—that we will triumph. This conquering is the opposite of shame (your enemies triumphing over you).

Romans 5:5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Rom. 9:33 As it is written: “See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame.” 

Romans 10:9-11  If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”1  

Then why do we conquer IN these sufferings—why not OVER them. That would be more glorious, wouldn’t it?  

We don’t just conquer, we “over-conquer”—more is happening than traditional conquering. This is why so many people can’t imagine why God doesn’t just give them the victory they think is important.  

What is “more” than conquering?  

  • Winning over some of your enemy.
  • Not just killing your enemy—but getting your enemy to serve you.  

That is, that we conquer more and better by triumphing as believers in the slaughter of the curse, than in being saved out of it.  

WE over-conquer EVERYTHING in all creation.  

In faith, through Christ, it all has to work for our eternal good. Our transformation, our reward, our worship, etc. 

Through Christ 

This all happens “through” Christ. The word “through” is doing 8 chapters worth of work. It is not a general statement; it assumes everything Paul has told us Christ has done for us in all 8 chapters of Romans, but especially in Romans 5-8.  This will be really important later.  

The way and reason we conquer is not just because Christ loves us, but through what he has done for us because he loved us—in all the parts and aspects of his salvation.  

This includes: foreknowledge, election, calling, giving Christ, justification, reconciliation, adoption, giving his Spirit and final glorification—all for the purpose of transforming us into the image of his Son. 

All of his work comes because of his love—and is also evidence of his love as a demonstration of it. 

For example, what I give someone is both from my love and evidence of my love. So I give two things: the thing I give, and a further evidence of my love.  

Shaping this truth for faith, freedom and obedience today 

Clarity: two fears are cleared away, and one object of faith remains.  

There are 3 possibilities in our lamentable suffering: 

  1. Our wretchedness will overwhelm the long-suffering of Christ’s love—as it has done with others.  
  2. The curse is right that God is not with us, and so does not love us. We are regarded by it, and by many as nothing better than sheep for slaughter.  
  3. Are we part of the conquering of Christ? The curse and our wretchedness has been triumphed over by Christ, and we are, in him, part of his over-conquering of wretchedness and the curse that will lead to the realization of our hope in his promise, assured in the demonstration of his love.  

Knowing the truths of Roman 1-8, especially 5-8, put aside possibilities 1 and 2 in our lamentable suffering and leave us with option 3—the questions of trust, promise, faith, hope, love and perseverance. Not abandonment/nonexistence or inferiority/wretchedness. 

Narrowing our fears to one option and knowing what can be done is clarifying. And a clear heart is one that can overcome.  

Confidence: Knowing Christ’s complete love, we can face the slaughter of the curse with joy and hope.  

During Holy Week, we talk about how the death of Jesus is one act with the resurrection of Jesus. His death and his rising are one triumph over sin, the grave and the two together—the curse.  

The way of salvation is then described to us that same way—as a death and resurrection. We die to indwelling sin and the flesh so we can be made a new creation in the Spirit—with the mind of the Spirit and of Christ.  

Romans 6:1-2 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can awe who died to sin still live in it? 

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”   

Luke 9:23-24 Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. 

Romans 6:4-5 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 5 If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. 

Colossians3:1-4 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.  

Philippians 3:10-12 “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” 

This assurance is the ultimate encouragement that you can die the death of faith in Christ. That the death and resurrection are one thing.  

We are no sheep for the slaughter of uselessness to be devoured by those opposed to God.  

We are the redeemed sheep of God’s sacrifices of redemption—who bear the bloody mark of true sonship.  

This is the way of Jesus:  

Acts 8:32 The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 

This is the alternative:  

James 5:4-5 Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. 5 You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.  

Sermon Outlines

More than Conquerors over Everything

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Romans 8:31-39 

31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long;
    we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”[a]

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[b] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Can we believe in a promise of unrelenting love?  

When I was a child I saw my dad make deals with some men simply on their word and a handshake. He’d say to me as we walked away, “Son, there are some men that can do business that way. What they say they will do, they will do.”

My mother had a hormone imbalance when I was growing up, and often I didn’t know if she would be sane, but I never thought she would abandon us. I didn’t realize how hard it is to keep a promise in times like that.  

20 years ago I promised my wife I’d never leave her nor forsake her—and she said the same—no matter her wretchedness nor the world’s chaos, if she would only stay in the covenant of this promise. 

I still believe in and am inspired by those things: by a promise being rooted in character, and that character being capable of unrelenting love. 

Even though I know they are not the norm in the world as it is.  

In fact, that is the only surefire way for me to cry in a movie—when someone does something that people don’t do. When they don’t chose themselves, but chose the good, and make whatever sacrifice to live by it.  

For years I thought the main reason people don’t hold to the promise of Christ in his death and resurrection was for empirical reasons. We don’t lose faith because we don’t believe there is the power in the universe to bring life to the unalive. It is that in the perception of our hearts, there is too much doubt and sorrow to believe that the universe is guided by unrelenting love—especially towards us.  

But the resurrection of Christ demonstrates:  

God’s children conquer because God’s love is unrelenting.  

Not because we are good, or strong.

We are conquerors because God’s love is unrelenting. 

In spite of our moral wretchedness and suffering under the curse, God will sanctify and glorify his children through the resurrection spirit of holiness.  

  • God has done everything for his children and heirs. 
  • God will succeed in glorifying those who are his. 
  • God has given us everything we need for godliness. 
  • God works for the godliness and glory of all who believe.  
  • God will transform his loved ones to godliness and glory. 
  • The resurrection is God’s guarantee of godliness and glory to his own/children.
  • God’s Spirit will unleash resurrection power on all God’s children. 
  • God’s Spirit unleashes resurrection power on all God’s children. 
  • God’s resurrection power is our conquering power.
  • The resurrection is the promise of glory.

But how can we believe this?  The “world isn’t like this.” (Intuitional empiricism rather than scientific empiricism.) 

The conflict is that when it comes to God’s love and the meaning of our lives, we are being called to believe that Jesus—in his life, death and resurrection—is a more compelling demonstration of what is true than our intuitions about our sufferings. 

Rom 8:12 “I do not consider our present sufferings to be worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed in us.” 

There are 2 reasons this can’t be believed. We’ll cover one this week and one next week.

1. Moral self-doubt: I’m too weak and wretched.

Romans 8: 31-34 31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.2 

Moral self-doubt is the belief that says, “I don’t really have the character of Jesus. I’m not going to make it, and he will ultimately reject me.”

Rom 7:21-24 “Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?3” 

Just as I Am by Andrew Peterson: “All of my life I’ve held on to this fear, These thistles and vines ensnare and entwine, What flowers appeared, It’s the fear that I’ll fall one too many times, It’s the fear that His love is no better than mine 

We think that, even after all the promises of God’s interest in loving and saving us, that he still must have a frown towards us. He must always be thinking about how he would correct us, how we should improve.  

We think that he wants a divorce and will abandon us.

Heart of Man: “I spent 60 years trying to scrub my father’s expression off of the face of God.” 

This completely misunderstands how God offered redemption in the first place:  

God sanctifies us: God’s purpose is the process. This mindset forgets that our godliness is God’s business and purpose. He will give us everything we need (2 Peter 1:3) – because he is already given us his Son.  

Why would he decide now to reject us as too wicked? Instead, if he has already delivered of his own Son, what other resource for our transformation will he not withhold?  

God is the one who justified us: there is no other court in which to accuse us. God had no illusions about us when he chose to work our salvation—there is no new evidence to marshal against us. No new crimes, no unforeseen disappointments.  

Rom. 5:6-10 6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!  

Jesus received our condemnation: The one who was condemned for us is our advocate to the Father.  And Jesus rose from the dead to advocate for us to the Father (who already loves us).

Isa. 53:4-5 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.  

God’s love—displayed in Christ and the promise of everything that comes with Him—is strong enough, reliable enough, and serious enough to put all your trust in. Don’t allow your intuition to tell you his love is like yours when he has done everything to demonstrate that it isn’t. 

You have to chose between your experience bias and God’s demonstration of his love, and the promise he’s given in it. 

Romans 5:1-7 

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.  

6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.6