GOSPEL JEWELRY

#1 · September 4, 2007, 1:38 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on September 4, 2007, 1:38 pm
Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>
GOSPEL JEWELRY

September 2, 2007

Evening Service

Text: Titus 2:1-15

One of the interests I have had since at least eighth grade is the stock market. I have no idea where or how this interest developed. My parents were not involved in any market, nor did they talk about it. I had no adult friend or mentor who introduced me to it. I just developed a fascination for it somewhere along the way.

Over the years, I have learned more about the different markets that are out there. There are distinctive differences between the way different markets respond to world news. One interesting distinction that is applicable to this Bible lesson exists between the stock markets and the precious metals markets. They tend to be at the opposite ends of the up and down patterns. When stock markets are up, precious metals tend to be down. When precious metals are up, stock markets tend to be down.

A little observation teaches us why this is so. When world situations are comparatively calm and stable then the demands for precious metals are lower. Assumptions are made that everyone will honor the worth of their paper currency. When there are global tensions, however, then the precious metals are in high demand. The reason is simple. When you possess a precious metal gold, silver, a gem you possess something that has real, intrinsic value. When there are global crises, then it may be financially safer to have the metal instead of the paper. As one current ad says, The value of gold will fluctuate, but it has never been worthless.

In addition to intrinsic value, gems and metals also have an aesthetic value. They are pleasing to look at, especially when crafted into a piece of fine jewelry or art. Lets face it, dollar bills are not all that pretty, even though they have been changing lately. Their colors are not bright and many of them are dirty, tattered, wrinkled, and wadded up. One does not see many necklaces, bracelets, or earrings made with dollar bills. When we want to adorn ourselves, we use those materials that glimmer and shine and show off their value.

What a beautiful thought verse 10 becomes, then, when we think of the kinds of precious metals and gems that people use to adorn themselves: that they may adorn the doctrine of God, our Savior, in all things. Have you ever thought of yourself as a fine piece of jewelry a gem or precious metal? If you havent, then you should, because in this letter to Titus, Paul gives some practical ways that believers can sparkle and shine so that the Gospel the Word of God; the doctrine of God can be beautified.

One of the meanings of adorn is to add something to for the purpose of making more attractive. Now, Im not going to stand here and tell anyone that I can actually make the Gospel worth more. There is nothing in all the world more attractive to us than the living Word of God. There is nothing greater in all of history nothing worth more than the sacrificial gift from Jesus for you and for me!

But this does not destroy the idea of adornment I just mentioned. The real beauty of a person will not be altered by the wearing of even the most expensive diamond. The condition of a persons soul will not be altered by strands of pearls. Nevertheless, the appearance can be enhanced by the adornment of jewelry.

This is how it applies to Pauls thoughts concerning the doctrine of God. The absolute beauty of Christ will not be altered even if we adorn him as gospel jewelry. Jesus will always be more valuable than anyone who adorns him. Yet, the appearance of the Gospel will be enhanced. Ive used it before and probably will again, but the sign Ive seen in one colleagues home rings true: An unhappy Christian cant convert a happy sinner. Gospel jewelry enhances the appearance of the doctrine of God.

What is this Gospel jewelry that is to adorn the doctrine of God? It is Gods own creation. Simple folks like you and me, and the kind of lives we live. We are the jewels to be set into Gods crown. Maybe this sounds plain and unimpressive, but we need to remember a few things about gems.

First, they are dug out of the ground. The starting place for even the finest piece of handcrafted jewelry is the toilsome work of some miner or other laborer. The earth does not readily give up its finest treasures. They must almost be ripped away from it before anyone can enjoy them.

So, too, Gods gems are not easily crafted. Our finest treasures lie beneath layers of pride, conceit, selfish desire, and the like. But God sent His laborer, His Son, to bring to the surface even the most deeply embedded gems.

Second, after digging out the gem, there is still much work that must go into it before it is ready for the setting. Raw gems and precious metals are not particularly attractive. No one really wants to go around with a clump of dirty rock hanging around the neck or wrist. So the beauty and worth of the gem is not readily known until it has been cleaned, smoothed, cut, shaped, and polished.

So it is with Gods gems. We must submit our lives to the hands of the lapidary the One who shapes and polishes us. Too often, our spiritual lives stagnate at this point. Sure, we have been dug out of the ground, but we dont want to go any farther. We refuse to be shaped and polished and made into that exquisite jewel. Why is this?

Often, it is because submission to this process seems degrading and painful. It places us in situations where it is difficult to be honest or faithful or loving or patient. Sometimes we refuse to be polished because self-esteem has been damaged beforehand. Nothing good will ever come out of your life, we have been told. So we do not expect anything, and keep turning away right at the point where we could be crafted into that precious adornment for the doctrine of God.

A friend in Omaha once told me a fascinating story of his wifes wedding ring. They married very young and did not have much money. But Ron scraped together enough to buy an inexpensive ring in one of the pawn shops. It was tarnished and not exactly round, having been damaged. But for many years, this ring has been worn by Rons wife. One day, she noticed that the diamond was loose in its setting, so Ron took it to a jeweler to have it tightened. The jeweler looked it over carefully and finally asked if he also wanted the ring cleaned up and reshaped. It would cost around a hundred dollars for this service. Why pay that? Ron asked. The rings not worth that much. But it is, replied the jeweler. This diamond and setting are easily worth over a thousand dollars.

This is a lot like Gods people. We become tarnished and not exactly round. Because that is what shows, the we forget what others are worth; others forget what we are worth; we even forget what we are worth. But God has not forgotten, because He looks beyond what we can see. Remember when the prophet Samuel was instructed to anoint a new king for Israel and was directed to the house of Jessie? The sons of Jesse were brought before Samuel: When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, Surely the Lords anointed stands here before the Lord. But the Lord said to Samuel, Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. (1 Samuel 16:6-7)

When we look at our jewelry, most of us see only what the surface shows us. If it is tarnished or damaged beyond our ability to restore and repair, then we presume it to be of less value. But the jeweler sees beyond the surface the outside appearance and sees the value of the jewelry beneath. God is at work with his fine gems, looking beyond the outward appearance and straight into the heart, which is the starting place for all of His work.

Consider the people Paul mentions and exhorts in the second chapter of Titus. Each group is plain and ordinary, even a bit tarnished and damaged. Yet Paul, like his Master, knows where the true value and beauty are found. He mentions the older men and women. Life can go to pieces in older age. We often assume that if we can weather the temptations of youth, then the attitudes and characters become set and morally secure in the later years. But age has its particular temptations. The recognition of decreased activity, narrowing circles of friends, physical and emotional problems can all combine and offer invitations to become bitter, cynical, and self-centered. Paul reminds us to be temperate, serious, sensible, sound in faith, in love, and in patience.

Likewise, the young men and women are encouraged to control themselves and to be models of good works. Young women are to love their husbands and their children. The young men are to be honest, even incorruptible. Moffat translates verse 7: Be sincere and serious in your teaching, let your words be sound and such that no exception can be taken to them. Even as goals and dreams for the future are being planned and executed, the young man or woman is to learn, remember, and apply the Word of God. This is important for the young adult, because at these ages, the young man and woman are seeking to find his or her place in the world. In the midst of this searching, Paul reminds young men and women to do those things that adorn the Gospel of God.

Paul then directs his comments to the servants, many of whom were actually slaves. Some were foreigners from conquered lands; others had been born into slavery. Wherever they came from, they were property possessions that were owned and used by their masters. What other group would have so little to offer in outward appearance? How could they adorn anything? Yet, what other group so typifies the kind of relationship we are to have with our Master? God could make even the poorest slave sparkle and shine.

So even slaves were to conduct themselves so as to adorn the doctrine of God by pleasing their masters. They were not to talk back or steal from their masters. The slave was to show himself or herself trustworthy. In so doing, they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.

All this is not to suggest that Christians are supposed to be docile, political pets who blindly accept the status quo of the world. Paul would never go for such a thing. Christians can never be satisfied with the cruelty and injustice of the secular and, sometimes, religious world. Christianity means a changed life, a changed mind, and changed actions.

Paul gives us the difference between authentic jewelry and costume jewelry. No matter how much it may sparkle and shine and make sunlight dance no matter how pretty it may appear to our eyes the glass diamond cannot stand up to the rigorous tests of the real diamond. Yes, the gem may outwardly appear pleasing to us, but unless the internal structure is pure and authentic, it will be crushed when the real tests come.

So Paul writes at the conclusion of chapter one concerning those who were not authentic: They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good. They are costume jewels, sparkling in their own words and glory. But, whether they are crushed in this life or not, the time will come when they are crushed before the throne of God. Their sparkle will be gone.

Authentic Gospel jewels are called to be obedient to God. Paul always emphasized obedience to God. Be wary of lumping obedience to culture and obedience to God together. They are not always so. In chapter one, Paul wrote against those who were unruly and deceptive. Even though they may have been obedient to their authorities and even to themselves, they were certainly disobedient to God.

Its no easier now than it was then. It seems that we can always be obedient if we stand to gain something, but if we have to place something before our personal desires, then it gets tougher. This is like the editor who got tired of the abusive letters he received after printing his editorials. So one day, he simply printed the Ten Commandments. A few days later, he received a letter which read, Cancel my subscription. Youre getting too personal.

Living obediently to God is personal. But living obediently to God is exactly what allows us to be changed by Him from the old, tarnished, beat up ring into a glorious piece of Gospel jewelry. Its what keeps us from being hollow, worthless costume jewelry and makes us the genuine article instead. Its what keeps our minds and our thoughts upon Him, so that we can know what Paul was talking about as he wrote that we are looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a people of his own, zealous of good works.

Like any precious jewel, we were bought for a price; that is, the very life of the Holy One sent to take our place on the cross. We have been purchased, so let us all now be an adornment: an adornment that is suitable to the beauty; an adornment that is a tribute to the beauty; an adornment that is an advertisement of the beauty; an adornment that is an enhancement of the beauty of the doctrine and the grace of God.

Rev. Charles A. Layne

First Baptist Church

PO Box 515

170 W. Broadway

Bunker Hill, IN 46914

765-689-7987

bhfbc@bhfirstbaptist.com

www.bhfirstbaptist.com
-- To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: abesermons-unsubscribe@welovegod.org   

Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>

GOSPEL JEWELRY

September 2, 2007

Evening Service

Text: Titus 2:1-15

One of the interests I have had since at least eighth grade is the stock market. I have no idea where or how this interest developed. My parents were not involved in any market, nor did they talk about it. I had no adult friend or mentor who introduced me to it. I just developed a fascination for it somewhere along the way.

Over the years, I have learned more about the different markets that are out there. There are distinctive differences between the way different markets respond to world news. One interesting distinction that is applicable to this Bible lesson exists between the stock markets and the precious metals markets. They tend to be at the opposite ends of the up and down patterns. When stock markets are up, precious metals tend to be down. When precious metals are up, stock markets tend to be down.

A little observation teaches us why this is so. When world situations are comparatively calm and stable then the demands for precious metals are lower. Assumptions are made that everyone will honor the worth of their paper currency. When there are global tensions, however, then the precious metals are in high demand. The reason is simple. When you possess a precious metal gold, silver, a gem you possess something that has real, intrinsic value. When there are global crises, then it may be financially safer to have the metal instead of the paper. As one current ad says, The value of gold will fluctuate, but it has never been worthless.

In addition to intrinsic value, gems and metals also have an aesthetic value. They are pleasing to look at, especially when crafted into a piece of fine jewelry or art. Lets face it, dollar bills are not all that pretty, even though they have been changing lately. Their colors are not bright and many of them are dirty, tattered, wrinkled, and wadded up. One does not see many necklaces, bracelets, or earrings made with dollar bills. When we want to adorn ourselves, we use those materials that glimmer and shine and show off their value.

What a beautiful thought verse 10 becomes, then, when we think of the kinds of precious metals and gems that people use to adorn themselves: that they may adorn the doctrine of God, our Savior, in all things. Have you ever thought of yourself as a fine piece of jewelry a gem or precious metal? If you havent, then you should, because in this letter to Titus, Paul gives some practical ways that believers can sparkle and shine so that the Gospel the Word of God; the doctrine of God can be beautified.

One of the meanings of adorn is to add something to for the purpose of making more attractive. Now, Im not going to stand here and tell anyone that I can actually make the Gospel worth more. There is nothing in all the world more attractive to us than the living Word of God. There is nothing greater in all of history nothing worth more than the sacrificial gift from Jesus for you and for me!

But this does not destroy the idea of adornment I just mentioned. The real beauty of a person will not be altered by the wearing of even the most expensive diamond. The condition of a persons soul will not be altered by strands of pearls. Nevertheless, the appearance can be enhanced by the adornment of jewelry.

This is how it applies to Pauls thoughts concerning the doctrine of God. The absolute beauty of Christ will not be altered even if we adorn him as gospel jewelry. Jesus will always be more valuable than anyone who adorns him. Yet, the appearance of the Gospel will be enhanced. Ive used it before and probably will again, but the sign Ive seen in one colleagues home rings true: An unhappy Christian cant convert a happy sinner. Gospel jewelry enhances the appearance of the doctrine of God.

What is this Gospel jewelry that is to adorn the doctrine of God? It is Gods own creation. Simple folks like you and me, and the kind of lives we live. We are the jewels to be set into Gods crown. Maybe this sounds plain and unimpressive, but we need to remember a few things about gems.

First, they are dug out of the ground. The starting place for even the finest piece of handcrafted jewelry is the toilsome work of some miner or other laborer. The earth does not readily give up its finest treasures. They must almost be ripped away from it before anyone can enjoy them.

So, too, Gods gems are not easily crafted. Our finest treasures lie beneath layers of pride, conceit, selfish desire, and the like. But God sent His laborer, His Son, to bring to the surface even the most deeply embedded gems.

Second, after digging out the gem, there is still much work that must go into it before it is ready for the setting. Raw gems and precious metals are not particularly attractive. No one really wants to go around with a clump of dirty rock hanging around the neck or wrist. So the beauty and worth of the gem is not readily known until it has been cleaned, smoothed, cut, shaped, and polished.

So it is with Gods gems. We must submit our lives to the hands of the lapidary the One who shapes and polishes us. Too often, our spiritual lives stagnate at this point. Sure, we have been dug out of the ground, but we dont want to go any farther. We refuse to be shaped and polished and made into that exquisite jewel. Why is this?

Often, it is because submission to this process seems degrading and painful. It places us in situations where it is difficult to be honest or faithful or loving or patient. Sometimes we refuse to be polished because self-esteem has been damaged beforehand. Nothing good will ever come out of your life, we have been told. So we do not expect anything, and keep turning away right at the point where we could be crafted into that precious adornment for the doctrine of God.

A friend in Omaha once told me a fascinating story of his wifes wedding ring. They married very young and did not have much money. But Ron scraped together enough to buy an inexpensive ring in one of the pawn shops. It was tarnished and not exactly round, having been damaged. But for many years, this ring has been worn by Rons wife. One day, she noticed that the diamond was loose in its setting, so Ron took it to a jeweler to have it tightened. The jeweler looked it over carefully and finally asked if he also wanted the ring cleaned up and reshaped. It would cost around a hundred dollars for this service. Why pay that? Ron asked. The rings not worth that much. But it is, replied the jeweler. This diamond and setting are easily worth over a thousand dollars.

This is a lot like Gods people. We become tarnished and not exactly round. Because that is what shows, the we forget what others are worth; others forget what we are worth; we even forget what we are worth. But God has not forgotten, because He looks beyond what we can see. Remember when the prophet Samuel was instructed to anoint a new king for Israel and was directed to the house of Jessie? The sons of Jesse were brought before Samuel: When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, Surely the Lords anointed stands here before the Lord. But the Lord said to Samuel, Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. (1 Samuel 16:6-7)

When we look at our jewelry, most of us see only what the surface shows us. If it is tarnished or damaged beyond our ability to restore and repair, then we presume it to be of less value. But the jeweler sees beyond the surface the outside appearance and sees the value of the jewelry beneath. God is at work with his fine gems, looking beyond the outward appearance and straight into the heart, which is the starting place for all of His work.

Consider the people Paul mentions and exhorts in the second chapter of Titus. Each group is plain and ordinary, even a bit tarnished and damaged. Yet Paul, like his Master, knows where the true value and beauty are found. He mentions the older men and women. Life can go to pieces in older age. We often assume that if we can weather the temptations of youth, then the attitudes and characters become set and morally secure in the later years. But age has its particular temptations. The recognition of decreased activity, narrowing circles of friends, physical and emotional problems can all combine and offer invitations to become bitter, cynical, and self-centered. Paul reminds us to be temperate, serious, sensible, sound in faith, in love, and in patience.

Likewise, the young men and women are encouraged to control themselves and to be models of good works. Young women are to love their husbands and their children. The young men are to be honest, even incorruptible. Moffat translates verse 7: Be sincere and serious in your teaching, let your words be sound and such that no exception can be taken to them. Even as goals and dreams for the future are being planned and executed, the young man or woman is to learn, remember, and apply the Word of God. This is important for the young adult, because at these ages, the young man and woman are seeking to find his or her place in the world. In the midst of this searching, Paul reminds young men and women to do those things that adorn the Gospel of God.

Paul then directs his comments to the servants, many of whom were actually slaves. Some were foreigners from conquered lands; others had been born into slavery. Wherever they came from, they were property possessions that were owned and used by their masters. What other group would have so little to offer in outward appearance? How could they adorn anything? Yet, what other group so typifies the kind of relationship we are to have with our Master? God could make even the poorest slave sparkle and shine.

So even slaves were to conduct themselves so as to adorn the doctrine of God by pleasing their masters. They were not to talk back or steal from their masters. The slave was to show himself or herself trustworthy. In so doing, they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.

All this is not to suggest that Christians are supposed to be docile, political pets who blindly accept the status quo of the world. Paul would never go for such a thing. Christians can never be satisfied with the cruelty and injustice of the secular and, sometimes, religious world. Christianity means a changed life, a changed mind, and changed actions.

Paul gives us the difference between authentic jewelry and costume jewelry. No matter how much it may sparkle and shine and make sunlight dance no matter how pretty it may appear to our eyes the glass diamond cannot stand up to the rigorous tests of the real diamond. Yes, the gem may outwardly appear pleasing to us, but unless the internal structure is pure and authentic, it will be crushed when the real tests come.

So Paul writes at the conclusion of chapter one concerning those who were not authentic: They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good. They are costume jewels, sparkling in their own words and glory. But, whether they are crushed in this life or not, the time will come when they are crushed before the throne of God. Their sparkle will be gone.

Authentic Gospel jewels are called to be obedient to God. Paul always emphasized obedience to God. Be wary of lumping obedience to culture and obedience to God together. They are not always so. In chapter one, Paul wrote against those who were unruly and deceptive. Even though they may have been obedient to their authorities and even to themselves, they were certainly disobedient to God.

Its no easier now than it was then. It seems that we can always be obedient if we stand to gain something, but if we have to place something before our personal desires, then it gets tougher. This is like the editor who got tired of the abusive letters he received after printing his editorials. So one day, he simply printed the Ten Commandments. A few days later, he received a letter which read, Cancel my subscription. Youre getting too personal.

Living obediently to God is personal. But living obediently to God is exactly what allows us to be changed by Him from the old, tarnished, beat up ring into a glorious piece of Gospel jewelry. Its what keeps us from being hollow, worthless costume jewelry and makes us the genuine article instead. Its what keeps our minds and our thoughts upon Him, so that we can know what Paul was talking about as he wrote that we are looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a people of his own, zealous of good works.

Like any precious jewel, we were bought for a price; that is, the very life of the Holy One sent to take our place on the cross. We have been purchased, so let us all now be an adornment: an adornment that is suitable to the beauty; an adornment that is a tribute to the beauty; an adornment that is an advertisement of the beauty; an adornment that is an enhancement of the beauty of the doctrine and the grace of God.

Rev. Charles A. Layne

First Baptist Church

PO Box 515

170 W. Broadway

Bunker Hill, IN 46914

765-689-7987

bhfbc@bhfirstbaptist.com

http://www.bhfirstbaptist.com

-- To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: abesermons-unsubscribe@welovegod.org