Word of Salvation – Vol. 53 No.20 – May 2008

 

The First — And Last

 

A Sermon by Rev Sjirk Bajema

on Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 34

Scripture Reading: Matthew 4:1-11

 

Brother, sister, young person…

Where is your eye? What are you looking at? “Well, Mr Preacher,” you might say, “I’m looking at you actually!” Good! Now let me ask: “Why me?” Don’t hurry, take a few moments to think about what this is all about. Why are you here? Where is your inner eye looking? Are you looking to God? The God who has made himself known through his Word, the Bible?

A complete stranger coming into our presence, with no background as to who we are, would find, I trust, that the Bible is vitally important to us. How very different from the world out there! Why is there such a huge gap between what the Bible says, and what actually goes on in this world?

That’s not such a hard one to answer, is it? This world doesn’t want to live by that book. And even we who do believe in the book don’t follow it perfectly, do we? But this book tells us it’s important to look to the Lord. In fact, if you’re looking somewhere else you need to do whatever you can to stop. Jesus, who this Word is really all about, went so far as to say in Matthew 5:29-30, “If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It’s better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.”

Jesus’ words here are strikingly similar to the first commandment. In fact, this is exactly what the first commandment says. You have to look to God. For if you’re not setting your eye — the focus of your whole life — on Him first of all, then you cannot possibly keep the other nine commandments! In fact, then you’ll avoid the Word of God altogether! For if you do not have your focus on God, how can you be ready to receive anything from him?

Congregation, let’s each one of us share this confession today…

I’M LOOKING UP! Yes, look to the Lord! That’s our first point.

And secondly, let’s show in our lives… I’M KEEPING IT UP!

1. I’m looking up

So our first point: I’M LOOKING UP! Sounds simple? Ah, dear Christian, oh, if only this were true! We cannot deny how clearly and plainly our LORD has said it. The First Commandment begins, “I am the LORD your God.” Words that would have reminded Moses of the way in which the LORD called him through the supernaturally burning bush. That incident we know from Exodus chapter 3. It was then that, despite the sign of a bush on fire which wasn’t being consumed, Moses expressed the lack of trust that we all suffer from. He said to God in verse 11 of Exodus 3, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” To which came the Lord’s immediate and decisive reply in verse 12, “ I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”

Indeed, that would be the mountain on which the people would be given the Ten Commandments. And yet Moses continues to look down into himself instead of looking up to God! He questions the LORD again: “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, What is his name? Then what shall I tell them?”

Listen, congregation, to God’s response. He replies in Exodus 3:14, “ I am who I am . This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you’.” Now imagine if someone were to say that to you! You asked them for their name, and they said, “I am who I am!” Well, how’s that going to help you? You can say that about yourself as well! “I am who I am!” And yet, think about what it would be like if that person was very famous. They said to you, “I am who I am.” You would recognise straightaway who they are!

Could there be anyone more worthy of our instant recognition than God Himself? Of course not! And that’s exactly the call to each one of us today. That call comes to us not just today, or tomorrow, or next week. It’s all the time! I’M LOOKING UP!

This is what the second half of Answer 94 points us to. Positively the First Commandment requires, “That I sincerely acknowledge the only true God, trust Him alone, look to Him for every good thing humbly and patiently, love Him, fear Him, and honour Him with all my heart.” Here’s what it is to look up!

Taking it bit by bit, we see that to “acknowledge the only true God” is what the Bible is all about. That’s where we find the facts! This is the Word about God. It’s nowhere else! It’s not in the accumulated wisdom of the ages. It’s not in some astral voices, or astronomical connections. It’s not found through crystals. And here there’s no vague Supreme Being’ whom all religions in the world can safely identify with. There’s only one way! Either the claim of our Lord Jesus Christ is right, or He was a great fraud, and completely deluded about Himself.

Yet what Jesus did shows that He was no fraud. And He certainly wasn’t mistaken about His own identity! How is it possible that the greatest truths and insights ever uttered by man were spoken by a man who didn’t know Himself? There is only one option. And no one, if he wants to be truly fair, can ignore Jesus’ claim!

My friend, look up ! Let Him fix your heart heavenward. And fix it there! As Answer 94 continues, I have to “ trust Him alone .” Trust. Or, as it’s further explained in our Answer, we “look to Him for every good thing humbly and patiently.”

Again, it’s something quite opposite to what we naturally want to do! But do we believe? Is He the True God, who is almighty, faithful and true? Has His promise ever failed? Were you ever left or forsaken by him? The words of James 1:17 are clear: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” “Shifting shadows” is such a good picture of us! We who are so easily swayed from the clear Word of God. But God does not change, and he is firm and secure.

Our reading from Matthew 4, about the temptation of Jesus, shows vividly how unswerving Jesus is in his obedience. I mean, who of us wouldn’t have turned aside the opportunity for that kind of wealth and power? Ah, just this time, it’s so easy to reach out and grab. Can you say then, “I’m looking up?” No way! Do the wrong thing, and you’re only looking down! You have grabbed the moment. God hasn’t been allowed to provide. Because you weren’t humble and patient.

Don’t our students have to learn that through their years of study? Much as it seems to drag on and on, still you have to keep at it! And you’ll get your reward! Study hard and you’ll do well for whatever talent you have. In the same way we place ourselves under God’s guidance and wait for Him. Jesus is our Great Teacher. Learning under his personal tutoring will bring us through.

And congregation — love it! Make it your deepest desire to do His will. You are so thankful. You want to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. You’re going to be more passionate about Him than you are about your favourite sport or hobby! Make your relationship with the Lord one that is lovely. Not the cold, harsh, embittered attitude of a believer who only feels frustrated in whatever he does! Be with the Lord! Create opportunities for meditation, for fellowship, and for worship.

Who counts the time when they’re in love? And who doesn’t rush off to be with the one they love! So talk about what He says to you, through the preaching. Share that latest good Christian book. Debate the issues of our world in His light. With the right motivation what have we got to lose? In fact, look at what you gain! To help us in this there’s the next aspect of fear’. The first commandment requires that we “fear God”. This really puts our lives into God’s perspective. He’s looking over us.

The apostle Peter pictures this in 1 Peter 1:17. He wrote there, “Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives here in reverent fear.” The teacher’s looking! We have to do our best. But that’s because we respect Him the best. Here is where we see the meaning of the “honour” our Lord deserves. The One who is ultimately good has to have our very best!

When we meet important people in this world we can turn on the most polite manners, so how much more shouldn’t we have that for God Himself? So Jesus replies to the devil, at His time of temptation in the desert, by identifying the true object of our worship. He says to him in Matthew 4:10, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only’.” Answer 94 is spot on, when it states, “In short, that I give up anything rather than go against His will in any way.”

2. I’m keeping it up

And so we come to our second point. We not only say, I’M LOOKING UP! We also live our lives to show that… I’M KEEPING IT UP!

To use that illustration about where we are looking, it’s important to keep our vision adjusted to the very best. We have to! It’s that very thing we’re looking at which dictates how we act. Take the way you behave at work or at school. You could do the same as everyone else. After all, that’s our lowest common denominator. That’s the easy way out. We have the least hassles then. But morally it’s a terrible way to live!

I’m reminded here of a struggle parents can have with their children. How often haven’t you heard the phrase, “Oh Mum… argh Dad… but all the other kids do it!”? Not that all the other kids really do it — mind you! Yet it only takes one, and the argument’s made for the lowest common denominator. And as you well know, sometimes what they ask for is really trying to take a big chunk out of your standards. That way, at least they might get part of the way!

People of God — here is idolatry. It’s a subtle deception to shift our eye. Just stop those Christians from looking up! Distract them! Give them something they’ll believe is an aid to help them worship better. Yes, something along the lines of that Golden Calf which tripped up the Israelites just after they left Egypt. Now, here was something they could see! And look how it came from our jewellery all joined together to make such a beautiful statue!

It’s not so foreign, fellow believers! As the apostle Paul confirms this lesson for us in 1 Corinthians 10:11-12, “These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfilment of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” Watch out! Keep your eye of faith fixed ever so firmly upon the Guide above! Put temptation in its place.

And where else should temptation be but out of sight? This is what Answer 95 is clear about. It sums up the Bible’s teaching there, by saying, “Idolatry is having or inventing something in which one trusts in place of or alongside of the only true God, who has revealed Himself in His Word.” Looking to the beginning of Answer 94 we see a list of such devilish conspirators. And so how we fight them must be decisive. As it says, “That I, not wanting to endanger my very salvation, avoid and shun all idolatry, magic, superstitious rites, and prayer to saints or to other creatures.” In our age we can add many more! Whether that be our nation, family, husband, wife, children, money, security, academic degree, car, motorbike, television, Playstation, Gameboy, social life, or whoever or whatever starts to take first place in our lives. When it’s our first concern — it’s also our god!

Let’s pause a moment. Friend, is there that god in your life? What do you really love, best of all? You know God won’t accept second place. The first commandment is clear, “You shall have no other gods before me.” Believer, you know whose you are. You realise what He did to make that happen. So serving Him is the only true life. Keep away, then, from what spiritually kills you. Avoid, like the plague, anything which takes away from your personal walk with the Lord. Don’t touch it! Even if it seems the exciting and “in” thing to do — like witchcraft and the occult are these days — still, they are the enemies of God!

And you can be fooled! God’s enemies do have certain signs and wonders. Let’s not underestimate the power of Satan. But Who is stronger still? And Who can deliver us from the bondage of the idols all around us? Who is the One saying, “I am the LORD your God?”

Friend, where is your eye? Ah, the eye of faith! I AM LOOKING UP. Jesus Christ is my own personal Lord and Saviour. And I’M KEEPING IT UP. He’s guiding and keeping me by His Spirit. I trust in him. And so my life is like the song:

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
save in the cross of Christ, my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them through His blood.

Amen.