Christy’s mom lay in a small bed in her apartment in the basement of her sister’s house.
Blind, in pain and unable to care for herself…she spends her days mostly sleeping, always hurting
She was once an elegant lady…an interior designer, immaculate, engaging…an eye for color and beauty…a pianist, a flower gardener……now the world of color is gone from her.
I thought to myself, when we visited several weeks ago.
This is sins curse, the results of the fall on display
But…then…several feet away in that small apartment is Christy’s dad, 91, attentive, loving, caring…responsive to her needs.
By her side like he has been for over 60 years.
In that apartment was Scripture…read and heard.
Prayers…said and heard.
A covenant partner demonstrating gospel love in what is no doubt the greatest ministry of his life.
They were both sacrificial in their time and effort and money over many years of active ministry…most of it in addition to working long hours in a small business in downtown Joplin.
Now, I thought, as I watched them together…there in this basement where few see, but God does…
…God is getting glory as the power of the gospel is displayed by faithful suffering and faithful service.
Some, who wouldn’t understand what they were seeing…would think…what a tragedy…their lives are over, their ministry is certainly over.
All that service and sacrifice and this is what they get?
But that is not what is happening.
As Christy and I drove home…we spoke of how we saw the curse on display in the suffering of her mom…and we saw the gospel on display in that same suffering and in the service her dad was rendering out of love.
We saw the already not yet reality of the gospel, in a small basement apartment.
We saw God being glorified through their lives…and that, after all, is all that what will matter anyway.
Their lives were and are now, being spent…not wasted.
There are plenty of people running around in full physical health…busily, actively, wasting their lives.
These two, are not.
We often demand that the gospel cure the pain of the fall right now, immediately and completely
It will, and it is…but it is not fully yet.
We live between the advents of Christ…he has come, he will return.
The promise of the gospel is already…but not fully yet.
Here’s how that demanding finds its way into our lives:
“I have served you God and yet, I’m sick, or discouraged, or unhappy…fix this, now!”
“My friends or my family are unkind, or unaware, they fail me, they don’t get me…change them now…meet all my needs, now!
“My spouse doesn’t meet my needs…my job doesn’t meet my expectations…you don’t do what I want you to do…perfect all this now!”
We become confused about what we are seeing…we become desperate and demanding when we fail to understand…it is still night, but dawn is coming.
And so, we are disappointed, self-centered, demanding…when life is full of suffering, or disappointing.
We focus on the “not yet” and fail to see the “already” of the promises of God.
The not yet…Christy’s mom is suffering
The already…A covenant partnership that continues to love each other and demonstrate confident faith in God…a covenant faith that knows that this current suffering is not all there will be.
When we demand…God fix this, all of this…right now!
We miss the joy of the gospel that is set before us…right now!
We see only the fall, only suffering is winning in basement apartments.
We must see the gospel…winning in that basement apartment.
What do you see? When you look at your life?
Mostly the “not yet”
Or do you see the gospel…the “already”
I spoke to some college students yesterday, some suffering with terrible mental health struggles…some are wondering why God doesn’t “fix” this now, where is he in their suffering?
Already, if they pay attention…God is giving them grace as they train for godliness and see his strength displayed in their weakness.
But he has not yet fully taken the curse of sin from this world or from their lives.
Paul wrote, in Romans 8:
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
Floods are devastating town in America, Thailand, and Bosnia and elsewhere.
Creation itself groans.
And we, who have the firsfruits of the Spirit…groan as we wait.
Firstfruits are a guarantee of a future full and good harvest
Firstfruit of the Spirit…is ours already.
The redemption of our body, the end of this suffering…is not yet ours.
In that basement, in your body, in your relationships, in the created world itself…”meanwhile we groan.”
Because all is not fully well yet.
Let’s go to John, chapter 13, starting in verse 18.
Backstory, Jesus is having supper with his friends, he has, to their great surprise…washed their feet and said that they should serve each other like he has served them.
Now, let’s pick up the conversation.
John 13
18 “I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill the scripture: ‘He who shares my bread has lifted up his heel against me.’
Jesus quotes Ps. 41 where David is lamenting being mocked by his enemies while suffering a life-threatening illness.
But then, even worse still, was the treason of his closest friends.
Middle east customs of hospitality meant that being betrayed by one you are sharing bread with was an especially despicable act.
Why?
It is just so discouraging and so wrong…to be betrayed by someone who was a friend you literally shared bread with.
19 “I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am He. 20 I tell you the truth, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.”
Jesus is about to be betrayed, but he is no helpless victim…he is not some “sucker” who has been duped by Judas.
Difficult times are coming for his disciples…so he wants them to know…”When this happens…remember I told you ahead of time…so that when it does…you will believe that “I am He.”
This points to the name of God given to Moses…”I am who I am”
They are initially going to be shocked and scattered and confused…but their faith will recover, and they will see the resurrected Lord and they will be empowered by the Spirit to live and die with boldness.
Here in this little room…he is giving them a heads up…because it is about to get hard and confusing…so they need to know…he is the Lord of all things.
He is in charge…there is no surprises for him.
But knowing and being in charge…doesn’t mean Jesus isn’t heart broken by what happens.
21 After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me.”
His distress is visible to his friends.
How can he know what is going to happen, and have full confidence in a good outcome and yet be troubled deep in his soul?
You may very well have full confidence in the final outcomes of your life…because you trust Christ.
But that doesn’t keep you from being troubled by the suffering of your life.
Christy has confidence in the outcomes for her parents…and yet she weeps for their suffering.
There is no contradiction here…this is the tension in play.
Of course, he was troubled by his betrayal…Judas was his friend…imagine how that hurt.
His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant.
In a moment of embarrassed silence, they are all wondering, “who is he talking about?”
One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.” Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?”
The “one whom Jesus loved” is the name John gave to himself.
This is not John making much of himself…”I am special”…it is the opposite of that.
He doesn’t mention himself by name because the gospel he wrote is not about him but about Jesus.
I once attended a military retirement where a man who was asked to speak on behalf of the retiree…went on and on about himself.
It was difficult to watch.
John is not like that as he writes his gospel years later…he has no interest in making it about himself.
So, he doesn’t insert himself except to say that his highest honor is that he is loved by Jesus.
Peter quietly says to John, who is back-to-back with Jesus, reclining on the floor, “Ask him who it is.”
John leaned back, “Lord who is it?”
Leonardo da Vinci’s conception of the last supper was not even close.
They were not sitting in chairs shoulder to shoulder like some panel at a formal event.
They were on the ground, resting on one elbow, sharing food with on other hand.
26 Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas . 27 As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. “What you are about to do, do quickly,” Jesus told him, 28 but no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. 29 Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the Feast, or to give something to the poor. 30 As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night. 31
Jesus evidently answered John quietly since the others didn’t know why Judas left the dinner.
It was customary for the host of the dinner (Jesus) to pull off a piece of bread, dip it into the main dish and pass to a guest as a mark of honor or friendship.
This means Judas was sitting very close to the Lord that he could do this.
Can you imagine what was inside of Judas at this time?
Terrifying and difficult to ponder.
So, was Jesus “rubbing it in” Judas face?…washing his feet, offering him the honor of a hand dipped morsel?
No, he was giving him a chance to come to his senses.
He was showing him love and offering him a chance to turn.
He was not a pawn; he was a choosing person.
But he did not take the chance to turn…Judas fully allowed Satan to have control.
Jesus said out loud, “Do what you are going to do quickly”
Everyone heard this but most didn’t understand what he meant by it.
Now look carefully at verse 30.
30 As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.
Remember, John wastes no words…he isn’t into trivial details without a larger point.
That last, short, sentence has a lot of meaning.
“And it was night.”
Of course, it was actual night…but it was also a time where the power of darkness was profoundly at work…in Judas and in those plotting to kill Jesus.
John as he wrote and reflected on this event…was remembering…it was night in more ways than one.
But he also wants to highlight…that Jesus was about to defeat the night by his death…it was night, but night would not win.
In his prologue, John 1, he wrote… “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it.”
When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once. “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.
Now, with Judas on the way to his dark mission, everything is in place…the “time” that has been not yet, is now here.
Now, is the Son of man glorified and God is glorified in him.
God’s greatest glory is going to be displayed in the life of Jesus as he suffers on the cross.
He washed their feet, something they would never do for each other.
Now he will die for their sins, something they could not do for each other even if they wanted to.
He warns them that he is going away, and he begins to lay out what he expects from them as he goes.
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
We will come back to this and unpack it at our final application…but in the flow of the narrative Peter interrupts him.
(Simon Peter asked him) “Lord, where are you going?”
A few weeks ago, I was going to get iced tea with three of my grandsons and I used the opportunity to tell them some of my testimony.
I spoke of the time when I was in college that I had become so discouraged I was considering quitting school…but then God used that discouragement to get hold of my heart and redirect me.
It was quiet in the back seat for a moment, and I thought they were pondering the work of God in my life and my grandson Chris finally said, “Wait, what, you can quit school, I want to quit school!”
“No Chris” I said, “you can’t quit school and that is not the point.”
This is what happens with Peter here.
“I’m going away…now you guys need to love each other, like I have loved you…this is bottom line, ultimate importance.”
Peter says, “Wait, what, you are going away…I want to come.”
Jesus will give them a more extended and comforting description of his promises to them while he is gone in the next chapter.
But his main point, in line with his washing their feet, and going to the cross…is that they must love one another.
This is the distinguishing mark of a follower of Jesus.
They, however, are less concerned with that, than with Jesus telling them that he is going away.
Like a child who is told to do something by a parent who then asks, “Well, what are you going to do.”
The disciples want detailed information more than difficult obedience.
Jesus tries to tamp down Peter’s tendency towards, “ready, fire, aim”.
He replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.”
Peter blows right through the red light.
“Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”
Peter is ignorant of his own weakness and the folly of self-reliance.
Self-reliance is what often leads to a denial of Christ…in attitude if not in action.
Last week I was asked to provide some feedback on a conference one of our Southern Baptist seminaries was planning.
One question was, “What have been common threats, temptations, or sources of discouragement in your preaching ministry?”
My answer was, in all cases, “Making it about me”
Self-reliance is my ongoing threat and selfishness my ongoing discouragement in all areas of my life.
Peter didn’t see this yet…but he will.
Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times
Peter, to his great shame would soon disown the Lord.
Bold claims are easy in a safe bright room full of good food and good friends…not so much when the night is dark, and you are surrounded by enemies.
A brief side note here: This tendency toward hubris and self-reliance is why I am so concerned that young men and women learn to bear the yoke in their youth…so they will trust God and not fail when they are old.
Lamentations 3:22-27
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
As a younger man Jeremiah has been through terrible suffering…he hated his calling from the Lord.
Now he is an old man looking back and he understands that there is tremendous benefit and long-term protective value in learning to trust God and not self…this comes through shouldering burdens as young person.
This doesn’t come in coffee shop Bible studies…it can start there…but it can’t end there.
For Jeremiah it came through tough opposition, persecution…learning to trust God in those circumstances.
And it comes through everyday life where we learn to bear the yoke of faithfulness and see how selfish we remain.
I was a 20-year-old, fired up, I was “Lord I’ll die for you”guy.
But then I found out, in a couple of years, how selfish I was…that came through things like having a wife and baby.
Over and over, time and testing revealed my pride and self-reliance.
So, I love the heart of the young fired up…”I’ll die for you”
But it means nothing…if that 20-year-old hubris becomes a 30, 40, 70-year-old who is still trusting self and still making it about themselves.
Gifting, passion is good…but ultimately meaningless if we fail to live by his power and we keep making life about ourselves.
About thirty years later Peter will lay down his life for the Lord…but this is after the hubris has long been removed and he has learned that is not about him or his own strength.
Let’s go back to verses 34,35.
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
This is not “new” because it had never been given before.
Deut. 6:5 says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength.”
Lev. 19:18 says, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
What makes this command new is the standard by which love is to be measured.
Their standard was faulty…it was measuring wrong…so they thought they measured up.
That standard was to measure one to another…”I’m doing better than that person”
By the new standard was…
“Love as I have loved you”.
What makes it new…is that we can look at how Jesus loved and know what it looks like for us to love.
“Love one another.”
This is simple enough for a small child to repeat
When you add the standard: love as Jesus loved us.
Now it so difficult that the most mature believers among us find it virtually impossible to practice it consistently.
Here’s what growing maturity in love looks like and why we will spend our lives in humble dependence on Christ to live this kind of love.
Stay with me, this sounds discouraging at first glance.
- The more we see the depth of our sin, we more we see the great love of Jesus for us.
- The more we see the great love of Jesus for us, the more we see how great the standard of love that he is calling us to is. (Love as I have loved you)
- The more we see how great this standard of love is, the more we see how selfish we still are.
This takes us back to point 1…and the growth process continues.
This is not an endless cycle (an empty loop) …this is an upward growth process.
To tie in with last week…this is part of what it means to grow in having the mind of Christ.
Back to where we started.
In that basement apartment…there is more gospel dawn than sin’s night.
Remembering that truth turned my wife’s mourning to joy…she believes the gospel…she has to continually, like we all do…remember it.
I’ve seen what hopeless night looks like in the lives of people…in some of the most desperate of times.
I’ve also seen what gospel dawn looks like in those desperate times.
In this life of direction not perfection…we must not demand that all the dark shadow become the full light right now …the full light of day is coming, but it is not yet.
We are to love others as Christ has loved us…because as I seek to do this, and you seek to do this…we will both thrive.
The mark of a Christian is not perfection…it is love…love as settled life direction.
We must measure by trajectory…not just points in time.
Measuring by points in time is mostly about trying…trying is pass/fail…often fail.
Measuring by trajectory over time is mostly about training.
We are training for godliness, not trying for it.
The mark of a healthy Christian or a healthy church is not the absence of any shadow but the presence of growing light.
If you are prone to see the shadow, the negative, the less than best, the “not yet”…then you may be seeing correctly but what will you do with that sight…and will you see that it is not all that is true.
Look at your friends, family, yourself…do you see mostly the “not yet” or do you also see “the already”
Will you see what the gospel is doing in your relationships, in the world around you, in your own heart.
Will you see clearly that it is still night…but that night is going to lose to dawn.
In the meantime, while we still groan…you are called to live a life of Christlike love for others.
You are not to make life about yourself.
Love like Christ loves you…this is the distinguishing mark of a Christian.
This is how you see what is most clearly true and real and valuable.
This is how you will spend and not waste your life.
If you are a Christian, God has given you the Spirit…he will empower your for this kind of love and life…but you must continually plug back into the power available to you.
We often unplug from it…we must continually plug back in.