One of the most debated and many
people feel confusing portions of the Word of God is that portion
which is commonly called the Olivet Discourse. You will find
the record of the discourse commonly called the Olivet Discourse because
it was given on Mount Olivet, recorded in Matthew 24 and in
two parallel passages Mark 13 and Luke 21. And although many details of
interpretation are debated and debated quite hotly by godly
commentators who sometimes become more debaters than godly commentators,
there is general agreement that two of
the great realities dealt with in the Olivet Discourse are,
one, the prophecy concerning the destruction of Jerusalem,
which meant the final overthrow of the Jewish theocracy, and
secondly, the second advent of our Lord which will result in
the overthrow of this world order and the ushering in of the new
heavens and the new earth. Now some commentators would not
agree to that second element. They say everything in the Olivet
Discourse pertains to the destruction of Jerusalem, to the overthrowing
of the Jewish theocracy, the Jewish state, the sending of
the gospel to the Gentiles, but it's awfully difficult Most commentators
feel, and I share that conviction, to apply some of the passages
in the Olivet Discourse to anything other than the Second Advent
of our Lord Jesus Christ. When you read such words as the
lightning shining from one end of heaven to the other, so shall
the coming of the Son of Man be, it seems hard to apply that,
that coming, so drastic, so dramatic, to the gradual coming of Christ
in the establishment of the Kingdom of God in its full New Testament
sense. It is accurate to say that most
commentators agree that the Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24, Mark
13, and Luke 21 contains two great areas of prophetic discourse. Number one, the destruction of
Jerusalem, and number two, the Second Advent. However, in dealing
with these great epical events, our Lord is constantly concerned
to bring home to the consciences of His disciples very practical
issues, issues that touch their salvation, issues that touch
the nerve centers of practical Christian experience in the midst
of an epical period. For instance, in Luke 21, the
passage we will be studying together, or a very small portion of that
chapter, Our Lord no sooner begins to talk about the destruction
of Jerusalem and the events that will surround it, but that He
says in verse 8, And He said, Take heed that ye be not led
astray. And He brings a practical exhortation
concerning the ever-present danger of false Christs and false teachers. Then in verse 9, he gives a practical
exhortation against this unhinging kind of fear. When you hear of
wars and tumults, be not terrified. There is divine necessity that
all of this should come to pass, and right through Our Lord constantly
intermingles these prophetic statements concerning the two
great realities, the overthrow of Jerusalem which ushers in,
as it were, the kingdom of God in its New Testament sense, and
then that greater upheaval when at the second advent He consumes
the world with fires of judgment and ushers in the new heavens
and the new earth. He constantly intersperses this
teaching with that which is intensely practical. And it's in this context
that I wish to address myself to the subject tonight, a practical
exhortation at the beginning of a festive season, taking one
of the practical exhortations of our Lord, which applies directly
in the context of the Second Advent, but which has principles
that go far beyond the immediate context. And you find this in
many passages where our Lord is enunciating a principle occasioned
by a specific situation. When he enunciates the principle,
it's one that applies not just in that one situation, but applies
in many similar situations. This is why some of his more
familiar statements, such as he that would save his life shall
lose it, is found many places in the scriptures. cutting off
right hands, plucking out right eyes, found many places in the
Word of God. So then, what I will attempt
to do is to look at the text with some reference to its setting,
open it up, and then apply it in a very special way to the
festive season into which we've come. Now let me state at the
outset, for we do have visitors among us who would not know this
by association, I am not a party pooper or a killjoy. I do not
believe that I have a constitutional tendency to party poopering or
to killjoyism, nor do I believe the scriptures teach that laughter
and wholesome festivity are somehow sub-Christian experiences. But
rather, as I have been exercised seeking the mind of God concerning
that word which we as His people might need in a special way at
this time, I speak out of the context not of a sour, party-poopering
spirit, but out of the context of a genuine pastoral concern,
first of all for my own soul and for yours. All right, will
you look with me now with that as introduction and background
at verses 34 and 36 of Luke 21. Our Lord is drawing to a conclusion
one of the prophetic utterances touching the second advent, and
he says, verse 34, But take heed to yourselves, lest haply your
hearts should be overcharged or made heavy with surfeiting
and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come
on you suddenly as a snare. For so shall it come upon all
men that dwell on the face of all the earth. But watch ye at
every season, making supplication that ye may prevail to escape
all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before
the Son of Man." As I've sought to analyze this exhortation of
our Lord, I believe it is accurate to say that it hinges, pivots,
flows out of, is bounded by, whatever terms you wish, two
very simple, but very intensely practical commands. The first
command is in the imperative of verse 34, but take heed to
yourselves, and the second in verse 36, but watch ye at every
season, making supplications. So we have but two points to
the sermon tonight, two major divisions. the first command
and the second command I didn't say first command meant that
would be confusing because those words have a different connotation
but the first command in the text and the second command all
right let's look at the first one and there will be a disproportionate
measure of time given to the first I believe it is more practical
and vital in the area of our concern notice first of all the
duty itself in general the duty stated in a general way, but
take heed to yourselves. And our Lord speaks in a verb
form which is a present imperative, that is, be ye continually taking
heed to yourself. Now what does this mean, take
heed to yourself? The word take heed is translated
several times in the New Testament by the words beware. Matthew 7.15, beware of false
prophets. Again in Matthew 16 and verse
11, beware of the leaven of the scribes and the Pharisees. So
this duty to take heed to ourselves brings within its orbit the connotation
of conscious, concerned alertness, particularly with reference to
possible dangers. You'll see a sign, beware of
dog. That means be alert to the possibility
of a four-legged animal who may do you harm if you get too close
to it. Now you see, we can be aware of things without having
to beware of those things. You wouldn't put a sign up, beware
of the cake in the cupboard. You might say, beware if you
touch the cake in the cupboard to your kids. So you see the
whole concept then is taking heed and being mentally alert
in the light of possible dangers that exist. And so our Lord in
the light of the circumstances that will surround his second
advent commands his disciples Take heed unto yourselves. Be constantly on the alert, the
alert with reference to yourself and in particular with reference
to dangers peculiar to you, even as disciples. And because he
speaks in the present imperative, he is telling us that there is
never a time when it is either safe or right to give ourselves
over to a spirit of spiritual carelessness. We are to take
heed to ourselves at all times and in all circumstances and
in every peculiar season. If we are aware that the devil
signs no two-week truce between Christmas and New Year's and
the few days before and after, If we're convinced He is still
our adversary, who as a roaring lion walks about, seeking whom
He may devour, we have reason to take heed to ourselves. If
we're convinced there is nothing in the Scriptures or human experience
which teaches that indwelling sin is somehow neutered in its
potential danger from December 20th through January 1st, Then
we need this exhortation of our Lord to take heed to ourselves,
and until such time as the world declares a truce in its effort
to conform us to its pattern, then this admonition is desperately
needed. The first command focuses upon
this duty of taking heed to ourselves, becoming aware of the potential
dangers that lurk within ourselves. Now notice, our Lord then focuses
upon a specific aspect of this duty. He not only states the
duty in general, but then there is a specific focus to the duty. Look at it. But take heed to
yourselves, lest happily your hearts be overcharged. In other words, the specific
focus of the duty has to do with the condition of our hearts. Now again, I remind you that
when the Bible speaks of the heart, it's not speaking in terms
of medical terminology, nor in terms of modern psychological
concepts. It's speaking in terms of such
passages as Proverbs 4.23, guard thy heart. Above all that thou guardest,
for out of it are the issues of life. As a man thinketh in
his heart, so is he. For from within, out of the heart
proceed. A good man out of the good treasure
of the heart bringeth forth good things. An evil man out of the
evil treasure of the heart bringeth forth evil things. Those are
quotes from Proverbs, from Mark, and from the Gospel of Matthew. So our Lord says the specific
focus of this perpetual duty of watchfulness, this taking
heed to ourselves, is the heart. And in particular, He says, lest
your heart be overcharged Now that's a poor translation. I
really don't know. It's one of the few places where
I can say so bluntly that the 1901 edition gives a poor translation. I believe it gives a poor translation
of 2 Timothy 3.16. This is a poor translation. The word literally means to weigh
down or to burden with. It's the word used in 1 Timothy
5.16. And this, I think, forms a beautiful
illustration of its meaning. 1 Timothy 5 and verse 16, dealing
with the subject of the church's responsibilities to widows, if
any woman that believeth hath widows, let her relieve them,
and let not the church, here's the word, let not the church
be burdened, that it may relieve them that are widows indeed.
You get the picture? He says he doesn't want the church weighed
down with an unnecessarily long roll of widows for which the
church feels responsible. It's the picture of someone taking
on additional responsibility that presses him down. It's the
word used figuratively to describe the state of the disciples when
they fell asleep in the Garden of Gethsemane. In Matthew 26
in verse 43 we read, their eyes were, here's the word, Burdened
down, weighed down with sleep. Now that's the word that's used
here. We are to take heed, that's the general duty, but the specific
focus of that duty is taking heed, being watchful of our hearts,
and in particular being watchful that the heart does not become
weighed down, the heart does not become heavy. And in the
Greek translation of the Old Testament, this is the same word
used in Exodus 7.14 to describe the state of Pharaoh's heart.
His heart became heavy. And what happens to a heart that
is heavy, weighed down? It is a heart that is unresponsive
to the voice of God. It is a heart that is insensitive
to spiritual realities. And in the context, our Lord
is saying, take heed to yourselves lest your hearts be weighted
down, lest they get out of touch with the great realities that
surround the second advent. You see, there's a sense in which
everything for which a Christian lives and to which he is committed
finds its pivotal expression in the things that will cluster
around the return of the Lord. That's why Paul could say of
the Thessalonians, you turn to God from your idols to serve
the living and true God and to wait for his Son from heaven.
Waiting for the Son from heaven is, as it were, a summary statement
of all of the deepest longings and aspirations of the true believer. It is an expression of all of
his most fundamental perspectives. He acknowledges he's a stranger,
a sojourner down here. He acknowledges that what God
has begun is but an earnest, and he longs for the full payment,
complete sinlessness, a renewed body, totally renewed mind to
see him and to know him as he is. He longs for a new heaven
and new earth wherein dwells righteousness, where the law
of God will hold total sway in him and in everyone that steps
on every square inch of God's earth. You see, that's why longing
for the Lord's return is often used synonymously of a Christian.
Remember Paul says, he's laid up a crown of righteousness for
me and for all those that love his appearing. For you see, genuinely
to love the appearing of Christ, is to have perspectives and longings
and ambitions that none but a Christian can have. Now it's in that context
of all that is intimated in the return of the Lord that our Lord
says to his own, take heed to yourselves lest haply your hearts
become heavy. weighted down, insensitive to
the great realities which are what you really are as a believer. Now having given to us the duty
in itself, the particular focus of that duty, the heart, lest
it be weighted down, now notice the particular, particular dangers
that our Lord mentions in the text. By what is he fearful that
the hearts of his disciples may become weighted down? Notice,
lest haply your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness
and cares of this life. Now let me just briefly define
what these three things are and then seek to demonstrate that
they are really things that fall into two basic categories. When
our Lord used the word surfeiting, what did he mean? Well, in the
Arrington-Gingrich lexicon, we have what after scrounging around
and everything I could get my hands on to find precisely the
meaning of this word I believe is accurate, and I quote now
these lexicographers. That's people that give themselves
to the task of understanding the meaning of words. This word
means, according to Arrington-Gingrich, both carousing, intoxication,
and its resultant headache and hangover, since it means dizziness
and staggering when the head refuses to function." You thought
hangover was a modern word? Our Lord used it. Literally,
if we were putting it in contemporary Americanese, we would say, take
heed, lest your hearts be overcharged with hangovers. the results of
profligacy, the results of overindulgence. And then he deals in the next
place explicitly with drunkenness. Now this is the standard word
for intoxication. Romans 13, 13, they that are
drunk are drunken in the night. Galatians 5, 21, the works of
the flesh are drunkenness. It's when a man no longer masters
his alcoholic intake. The alcohol has become his master,
destroying the faculty of the mind to function as God intended
it should function. And the third thing, the cares
of this life, is a phrase which means the anxieties peculiar
to life as it now exists in the flesh. Things innocent in themselves. Our Lord knows that we're living
in the flesh. And there are certain concerns with reference to life
in the flesh, food and clothing, and all that pertains to the
acquisition of the same, marrying and giving in marriage, and all
of these things that are both necessary and good in themselves,
but they become crippling anxieties. And our Lord is concerned that
the hearts of his disciples become insensitive and weighted down
and heavy and unresponsive to spiritual realities by means
of surfeiting, drunkenness and the cares of this life. Now do
you see the two natural categories into which they fall? The first
two fall into the category of excessive indulgence of legitimate
fleshly appetites and the second and excessive preoccupation with
legitimate temporal concerns. Excessive indulgence of fleshly
appetites, legitimate in themselves, and the preoccupation with legitimate
temporal concerns. And when a disciple allows this
to happen, what is the practical result? Look at the end of verse
34 and then verse 35. And that day come on you suddenly
as a snare, for so shall it come upon all them that dwell in the
face of all the earth." You see what he's saying? He says, you
become in principle just like the young God. They are not explained
in terms of those who love His appearing, whose whole lifestyle
is governed by the world that will be ushered in at the return
of Christ. They are like passion in pilgrim's
progress. They will have all now. Whereas
patience, who represents the Christian, is willing to wait
for the best in the world to come. So he says the practical
result of a disciple allowing his heart to be overcharged with
excessive indulgence of fleshly appetite and excessive preoccupation
with temporal concern is that he becomes in his perspective
like the rest of the world. That's why our Lord draws that
comparison. Now, having sought to open up
the meaning of the words, I want to make some very practical and
contemporary and relevant applications. First of all, application one
is an observation. It is evident that our Lord never
envisioned a life of asceticism for his followers. What in the world are you saying?
Well, just hang in there and listen. It's evident that our
Lord never envisioned a life of asceticism for his people.
What's the life of asceticism? Well, it's one in which basically
you look upon earthly, in the proper sense, sensual pleasures
and occupations and delights as inherently inconsistent with
the pursuit of spirituality. That's what gave birth to monasticism. Marriage and all the concerns
and delights and responsibilities and cares of marriage is beneath
the highest standards of piety. Therefore, to take a vow of singleness
is to be most holy. A practical definition of asceticism
is that which understands the ascetic to say, matter is essentially
evil, therefore anything that pertains to matter, what I touch,
see, feel and enjoy, is beneath the dignity of advanced spirituality. You take in only as much food
as is necessary to keep the body going, but you don't make your
food enjoyable. You wouldn't serve it up with
parsley, a little sprig of parsley on top of the meat, just serve
up a chunk of meat, any old way. You don't make it pretty. You
don't sprinkle a little paprika on top of the rice to make it
pretty to the eye. You just serve up the old gooey globby rice.
You see, the ascetic looks upon anything that is inherently beautiful
to the eye, hence the hair shirt, you see, hence the plain clothing. You get the idea now? Some of
you who are philosophical and historians, you'll fight with
my definition, but you preach a while and realize how difficult
it is to take lofty concepts sometimes and get them down where
at least they help the people of God, and you'll excuse me
in a few years, I'm sure. All right. Now, if our Lord envisioned
the life of asceticism as the direct result of His training
of the Twelve, why would He have to warn them about excessive
eating and drinking and preoccupation with earthly concerns? If they
followed His teaching, these things would be out of the orbit
of their concerns. So the very fact that he warns
them is an indication he never intended that they should, in
obedience to his word, end up ascetics. No, no. He knew that the life to which
they would be called and in which they would live would be one
in which they had constant and legitimate contact with the world
of things, food and drink and cares of this life. And it's
an amazing thing that when you start going through, and I had
great blessing, I wish, that's one of the things I want to go
back and do some further study, just took my concordance and
looked up all the references to feast and to feasting in the
Old and the New Testament, and some wonderful things were done
in the midst of legitimate times of festivity in the Old and the
New Testament. How does God underscore the greatest
redemptive act of the Old Testament with the Passover feast and all
the festivities that surround it. How does he gather the nation
together three times a year? Three times yearly, all the males
were to go up to the special feasts there at Jerusalem. And
I've just been reading through, in my Old Testament reading,
I've come through the book of Ruth and I was struck with this
again. That beautiful redemptive act when God incorporated a Moabitess
into the line of the Redeemer. He's going to bring this Moabitess
Ruth into the very line of Messiah. And you know what he used? He
used a man's full tummy and light heart, who had eaten to the full
and drunk just enough to be really relaxed. And you read about it
in Ruth chapter 3. It's beautiful. Ruth is about
to go up and to make the proposal that was perfectly fitting within
the framework of that Hebrew custom, and I can't go into all
of those details. And her mother, being wise, says,
no, no, he's been working hard all day. Wait till he has eaten
and has drunk. Not gotten drunk, but has drunk.
And the scripture tells us in the book of Ruth, and it's a
beautiful picture of this thing. Let me read it because I would
only paraphrase it. I haven't memorized the exact
wording. in Ruth chapter 3 and verse 7 and when Boaz had eaten
and drunk and his heart was merry he went to lie down at the end
of the heap of grain and she came softly and uncovered his
feet and laid her down and it came to pass at midnight that
the man was afraid etc. and you see this noble man and
this noble woman being brought together in the providence of
God in a context of feasting. You see, our Lord's first miracle,
it was not performed in a funeral parlor, but at a wedding feast.
And much to the embarrassment of those who tried to say that
anything with alcoholic content is wicked per se, it just cannot
linguistically be supported. Our Lord did not make extra sandwiches
when they ran out. He made wine And even the steward
of the feast, who had the charge of the wine cellars, said, there's
been a mistake. We usually give the best wine
first, and then when people's taste buds are dulled by eating
a lot, then we serve the cheaper stuff. But they said, you've
kept the best stuff till now. And it says in the scriptures,
it was there. that he performed his first miracle
and manifested his glory. Then you have that great feast,
it says, that Matthew prepared for the Lord. He wanted to show
his love to Christ after the Lord had called him. And we read
in Luke chapter 5 that he prepared a great feast. And what did Jesus
do? He went to that feast and that
very feast and the presence of Christ at the feast became the
occasion of that great statement recorded both in Matthew 9 and
in Luke 5. I came not to call the righteous,
but sinners to repentance, and that our Lord did not sit off
as an ascetic is evidence when the Pharisees looked through
the window, they said, look at him, friend of publicans and sinners,
a glutton and a wine-bibber. In other words, I believe the
Lord was digging right in like everybody else. Without once
crossing the line into gluttony, our Lord knew what it was to
fast for forty days and nights, and deny himself legitimate food
in the pursuit of the Father's will. But when the Father's will
spread a table in the house of a rich man, and there was lobster
and caviar and there was roast beef and there was a breast of
capon and all the rest. I believe our Lord would have
gone and taken a bit of every single one and would have nudged
the person next to him and said, hey this stuff is great, have
you tried this? And would have, I say it reverently, would have
allowed his own holy taste buds to suck every bit of sweetness
out of every morsel that was prepared. The devil didn't make
your taste buds, God forbid. And Christ had a full and proper
set of despots that he used to the glory of God. He gave all
things richly to enjoy. Then our Lord uses feasts and
wedding feasts in his own teaching. Then he says to his disciples
in Luke 14, when you make a feast, don't just call your friends,
call the hall to the main. He says feasts can even be sanctified
through evangelism. All right, do I need to go on?
How is our reunion to the Lord pictured in the book of the Revelation?
The marriage supper of the Lamb. You see? So from Genesis to Revelation,
there is nothing to support this sub-Christian or anti-Christian
notion that there is something necessarily incompatible with
feast and festive times and spiritual progress. Our Lord understands
that. and knowing that the answer to
the problem of excess was not an ascetic denial that would
despise the gifts of God, he issues the warning, Take heed,
lest your hearts be made heavy with an excessive indulgence
in those things which are the gifts of God. Now this warning
of our Lord does not mean Of course, that we are to cut ourselves
off from the festive seasons and be distant and boorish. And
some of you need this because in your effort to please the
Lord, and I know how real this is, I went through a stage in
my own early Christian experience when I was a party pooper, but
I did it out of a sincere desire to honor my Lord. And I just
somehow felt that festivity and laughter and lots of food were
incompatible with the higher ends of the soul. And I hurt
people who showed their love by providing bountifully for
me, and I despise their gifts in a misguided zeal to be spiritual. I think some of you need that
word. If Jesus in any way is promoting asceticism, this passage
was utterly unnecessary. He would simply assume that those
closest to him, most exposed to his teaching, would know that
the whole orbit of feasting and festivity was foreign to the
will of their master. Well, that's the first application
I'd like to make, that Christ, in his teaching, never envisioned
a life of asceticism for his people. But secondly, our Lord
shows in this passage a profound and accurate knowledge of how
we function as human beings. The scripture says he knows our
frame. And this is the thing that has struck me in meditating
on the passage. Notice what our Lord does. He said, take heed
lest your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness.
Our Lord is saying that there is a direct connection between
the heart and the physical appetites. Lest your hearts be made heavy
with surfeiting. Our Lord understands that the
heart in some way involves the mind. If you love God with all
your heart, that involves the mind having some understanding
of who he is, thinking proper thoughts of him and towards him.
And again, without going into a clinical analysis, what's the
difference between heart and the mind and the soul and all
the rest? The Bible, frankly I'm convinced, does not give
us a clinical terminology in these areas. They're just two
basic divisions. The outer, the inner man, to
use the language of Paul, the outer perishes, the inner is
removed day by day, but there is this sensitive interplay because
we are one totally integrated whole. Remember how we saw this
in the book of Proverbs again and again. Where righteousness
is laid upon the people of God, the result is often said to be
health to the flesh, health to thy navel, and marrow to thy
bones. This sensitive relationship between
the spiritual and the physical, the mental and the corporeal.
Alright, now, our Lord understands that, and this is why He says,
Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts become heavy by an
inordinate indulgence of carnal appetite. Because you see, when
I eat too much, my mind becomes dull. And when my mind becomes
dull, my prayers become lifeless. And when my prayers become lifeless,
my spiritual life is crippled. And then I'm vulnerable to many
worse temptations. Our Lord understood that. Seldom
is an overly filled belly joined with a heart that pulses with
hunger and thirst after righteousness. And you see, there are other
forms of surfeiting that dull the mind and therefore affect
the heart. Now this is a warning some of
you need, and if no one else needs it, I'm preaching to myself.
There's usually one day out of the year when I can get all the
football I want. It came all the way through to just a couple
of weeks ago before I saw one college football game. My Saturdays
have been so full. And that's New Year's Day, but
you know, I've suffered from a form of football hangover on
January 1st that's left me literally with a mental hangover. I could
not pray the next day. I'd spent so much time watching
all those bowl games through the day that I was indisposed
to pray. And I've been shamed that I entered
the first day of the year with the hangover of a surfeit of
football games. Now, you may not be built the
way I am. But I'm confessing that that's been my experience.
And I vowed by the grace of God that this year that would not
be so. That I would determine that a certain amount of time
would be given, and that alone. Because the Lord says, beware,
lest your heart be weighted down with surfeiting. And that's why
the same scriptures that show that feasting and periods of
festivity can be seasons of great spiritual blessing, the same
Bible shows us that feasting and periods of festivity have
been times of great wickedness. You remember in the wilderness
it says the people ate and drank and rose up to play? Well, that
playing wasn't horseshoes. It was carnal indulgence. It
was widespread fornication. until God destroyed 3,000 of
them. Do you remember when Moses possessed?
It is when he lingered too long by the fruit of the vine until
he bore those two sons who became a scourge in the side of the
nation of Israel throughout all of its history. Do you remember
when the judgment of God was issued against that great king,
Belshazzar? It is while he feasted and drank
his wine that he was filled with a sense of his own carnal importance
and God says, you've had it, Buster. I'm going to show you
what you really are. You see, the same Bible that
shows feasting in a context of the highest reaches of sanctification
shows feasting and festivity in the lowest depths of debauchery. Our Lord understood that. That's
why he said, take heed. lest in the midst of legitimate
festivity involving unusual culinary delights, the passing over of
an unusual measure of delectable things on the taste buds, beware
lest your heart become heavy. And our Lord not only speaks
of how this will happen with reference to the excessive indulgence
of fleshly appetites. But with reference to this excessive
concern with temple matters, he shows that same profound understanding
of what we are. You see, this is the same root
word. It's in its verb form in the Mary Martha case. Here it's in the noun form. Remember,
it says Our Lord had to speak to Martha and say, Martha, Martha,
thou art anxious, that's the word, about many things, the
cares of this life. You see, the Lord knows that
the heart cannot be occupied with two totally demanding masters
at the same time. No man can serve two masters. He loves one and hates the other.
He says he cannot serve God and Mammon. What is Mammon? The God
of things. Now I'm speaking to some of you moms now. You've
got a reputation for really spreading the table. And some of you stand
in a peculiar place of temptation. In desiring to live up to that
reputation, you may lose spiritual ground over the next two weeks
of festive season. Now that doesn't mean you ought
to just serve up the hunk of meat any old way and save your
husband and the family and friends. I'm going to pray. Now that's
a cop-out. That's a cop-out. That's a kapha. Now some of you
who are naturally sloppy and insensitive aesthetically, don't
you twist the scriptures and say, Oh, pastor said we shouldn't.
No, no, no, no, no. Don't you do that. Don't you do that. But
what I'm saying is there's a very real temptation for some of you
to have your hearts weighed down with the anxieties of this life,
peculiarly at a festive season. Well, we just must make sure
that this is so, and this, and this, and this, and this, when
really, the things that form the difference between legitimate
concern for that which certainly would be honorable and would
show that you care for those that you're considering, and
that which goes the next step into just promoting your reputation,
it's those things that form the difference between legitimate
concern and sinful anxiety. And our Lord says, be watchful.
but lest your hearts be overcharged with the cares of this life. You see, the fruit of the Spirit
is what? Self-control. That means I control my desire
for what is neat and nice and pretty and tasteful, so that
that desire does not so master me as to fill my heart with concerns
that blot out everything which is the real answer to what I
am as a believer. Instead of pillowing my head
New Year's Eve or Christmas Eve with thoughts of the wonder that
God should send His Son for the likes of me, if I go to bed with
my mind all filled with agitation and anxiety as to how I'm going
to get that Jell-O salad done at such and such a time to get
it out of the fridge and get something else in, my friend,
you've forgotten the words of the Lord. If the coming of Christ,
the issues of redemption, the realities of sin and grace and
judgment and heaven and hell, there is never, never a time
in the will of God when those things should take anything other
than first place in our thoughts and in our concerns as the people
of God. Well, very briefly, I told you there'd be a disproportionate
emphasis on the two commands. Let's look at the second commandment
very briefly. Because if we get hold of the first, this will
flow naturally. Having given the negative in a sense, take
heed to yourselves that your heart be not overcharged. Well,
what are we to do then to keep the heart? as it ought to be
kept. Well, our Lord tells us, but
watch ye at every season, making supplication that ye may prevail
to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand
before the Son of Man. The duty has two parts to it.
We are to watch at every season, making supplication. And the
word watch here means to keep awake and alert. It means to
keep awake and alert, but watch, be alert, be aware of the spiritual
realities, be aware that there is a devil who still seeks to
devour you, a world that still seeks to conform you to its mold,
so there'll be one less burr in its conscience. And if the
world can only conform you to its mold for even two weeks out
of the year, it's happy for two weeks. It can be peaceful in
your presence, because there's no light to expose its darkness.
Be alert, be aware, be conscious of these things, to what end? That you might, at all seasons,
be found engaged in prayer. And the translation of the American
Standard is accurate. It's a singular, but watch ye
at every season. In other words, there is never
a season, Christmas and New Year season included, when I'm to
give up watchfulness. Watchfulness, which always drives
to prayer. For you see, I cannot be alert
to who I am and to who the devil is and to what my flesh is and
not be driven to prayer. I can't be. That's why watching
and prayer are put together. Matthew 26, 41. Watch and pray. And then the same word is used
in Ephesians 6, 18. Above all, taking the shield
of faith wherewith you should be able to quench all the fiery
darks of the wicked one. And then he goes on to say that
we are to do what? Watching thereunto with all prayer. Watching thereunto
with all prayer. You see, the two are together.
The only reason a Christian gives up praying is that he's, first
of all, given up watching. That's what causes a man to give
up praying. He's gotten out of touch with the real world in
which he's living. When you don't pray, what you're
saying is, I can make it on my own. And the scripture says,
he that trusteth in his own heart is a fool. Let him that thinketh
he standeth take heed lest he fall. In my flesh dwelleth no
good thing. Without me ye can do nothing.
That's the world of reality. That's where it's at. And when
you're watching, that's where you're at. You're in touch with
that world of spiritual reality. And that's why you fall upon
your knees, even at Christmas time. And you say, Lord, lead
me not into temptation, but deliver me from evil. My flesh is still
active in a festive time, Lord, even more active, because the
tendency of the laughter and the gaiety and the full stomach
is to forget these realities. Watch at all seasons. And that watching then will give
birth to prayer. And what is the issue that's
really at stake in all of this? Well, look what our Lord says.
That ye may prevail to escape all these things that shall come
to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man. Now, there's
a textual problem. Some of you may have an authorized
version which says that you may be accounted worthy to escape. the preferred reading by those
who adopt the generally accepted method of arriving at the most
accurate text. And I say that because there
are some who listen to the tapes who are attached to what's called
the textus receptus and feel that it has been providentially
preserved as the purest text, etc. I don't want to go into
all of that, but I'm aware of the issue. But you see, nothing
really matters whether the word is counted worthy or purveyed. The fundamental issue is untouched. Our Lord says the issue at stake
in this matter of watching unto prayer is negatively preservation
from that which will come upon the ungodly and the enjoyment
of that which will be the portion of the godly. That ye may prevail
to escape, that's negative. And to stand before the Son of
Man, that's positive. In other words, the Lord says
the issue at stake is salvation, my friends. That's what our Lord is saying.
The issue is your soul's salvation. What shall come upon the world?
The world whose perspective is not to be explained in terms
of anticipating His return. The world of Noah, as it was
in the days of Noah. Total preoccupation with the
temporal, the carnal, and the sensual. As it was when God took
Lot out of Sodom. Total preoccupation with the
sensual. Our Lord says, watch at all seasons. Praying, to what end? that ye
may prevail, that ye may be worthy to escape these things that shall
come to pass, judgment upon the ungodly, and to stand before
the Son of Man." This is a classic text on perseverance. Is it certain
that all of the true people of God shall prevail? Yes, but it's
also necessary that they prevail. The fact that it's certain doesn't
negate the necessity. You'll hear that often from this
pulpit because there are so few in our day who understand it.
It is certain that every true believer shall have sufficient
watchfulness so as to prevail against the spirit that would
lead him into a settled state of profligacy, drunkenness, cares
of this life. But if it's certain that every
believer shall not be overcome to the extent that he's identified
with the ungodly, it's certain that he'll overcome by the means
that God has ordained, watching unto prayer at all seasons. You see it? So that's God's word
to my heart, the beginning of the Christmas and New Year season.
I hope you don't consider it a party poopering word. It ought
to give a holy joy to all your festivities that perhaps you've
never known before. May I give you a little practical
word at the close? Some of this, I hope, has been
practical. Another practical word. Make this a test of whatever
you're doing during this festive season, how much you're eating,
how much and what you're drinking, and all the rest. Ask yourself,
try to do it periodically, how much football you're watching
on New Year's Day. Is what I'm doing right now making
that world upon which all my hopes are set, toward which all
my aspirations flow, is it making that world less real or less
desirable? If it is, you better back off
whatever you're doing. You better back off whatever you're doing.
But if with a conscience void of offense, you can feast and
your mind can flow to that time when you're going to be carried
to that great feast, the marriage supper of the Lamb. If you're
feasting with brothers and sisters in particular, if you can look
at that as sort of a little earnest of the feast to come. And if
at any point it would be natural for the Lord himself to be absolutely
central in conversation. to break into the midst of the
most light-hearted but sanctified laughter, and to say, let's give
thanks to God for holy laughter amidst holy friends who are on
their way to the holy city. My friends, that's not being
hyper-spiritual, that's just being real. That's just being
real. Two commands. The issues I trust
are clear. May God help us to absorb them
and to work them out. And if I'm speaking to some to
whom these things have just been strange talk, for I would be
foolish to assume that everyone here is a true believer. My friend,
I hope you've gotten a little taste of what it is to be a Christian.
See, to be a Christian is serious business. To be a Christian means
that the totality of your life comes under the rule and government
of Jesus Christ. It's not something you turn on
Sunday morning and turn off Sunday night, or turn on Sunday night
and turn off because it's Christmas time. No, no. Jesus Christ has
sovereign rights to intrude into every area of your life, every
day of your life, and every circumstance of your life. And if you're a
Christian, you're glad it's so. Because you can say, His yoke
is easy. His burden is light. I found
it so. I found it so. Do you welcome
the gracious yoke of Christ? If so, let's be found under that
yoke. And then maybe when we gather
New Year's Eve and have some testimony, some will be able
to share that this has been a holy, festive season by the grace of
God. And if so, then it's made the
labor in the word and in doctrine more than a delight and more
than profitable. Let us pray. Our Father, We are so grateful
that the scriptures of the Old and the New Testaments are the
sufficient and only rule of our faith and practice. We thank
you that they are profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction,
instruction, and righteousness. We thank you that its principles
are applicable to every age and to every circumstance in every
age. We thank you for the portion
we have studied tonight. We pray that the Holy Spirit
will write its truths upon our hearts. And, O God, give us grace
to walk in its light. Help us in these days of peculiar
privilege and danger that we may constantly take heed to ourselves. And, O Lord, in particular, help
us to guard our hearts, lest they be made heavy by an inordinate
indulgence of the flesh. or an inordinate preoccupation
with the things of this life. O God, help us to be alert and
watchful unto prayer, for we know that the issues at stake
are eternal. The stakes are high, Lord. O
give us grace to fight the good fight of faith. We pray for those
who will be in the presence of ungodly loved ones in these days,
Help them to know where that line is between entering in with
joy to legitimate earthly concerns and yet at the same time to manifest
that this world is not their home. Lord, only you can give
us the wisdom left to ourselves. We will err either by an indulgence
that is sinfully conformed to their lifestyle or by a drawing
back that will bring unnecessary reproach to your name. Lord,
who is sufficient for these things? Do help us and help your people.
We pray for the many of your saints that will gather in each
other's homes and to each other's tables. Oh, may these be sanctified
and holy times. May there be no gluttony, no
inordinate gorging of the belly that will lead to dullness and
will lead to spiritual lassitude. May there be no inordinate absorption
of drink of any kind that would bring reproach to you, that would
in any way dull the mind for prayer and for self-control over
all the faculties. O God, may there be no inordinate
preoccupation with external things, spreading tables and sharing
gifts. May all of these things be done
under the Lordship of Christ and in the direction and power
of the Spirit, that your name be praised and that your people
be edified. Hear us, O God, we pray, through
our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.