This week, we wrapped up the “What is Love?” series. In
this part we discussed 1 Corinthians 13:6. We are not to rejoice in evil or
iniquity but rejoice with the truth (the meaning in the original means
rejoicing when “truth wins out.” The Greek
study of the words for rejoicing not in evil is pretty straight forward. It
simply means not to find joy, elation or jubilance in injustice or something
wrong.
We
get a clearer understanding of this when we examine the truth we should rejoice
in. Like love, the truth must be looked at from God’s perspective. We may think
we do not find joy in evil. But there may be little ways that we do. For
example, have you ever had that guy blow past you on the freeway only to find
him pulled over a few minutes later? Now, be honest--You rejoiced a little bit. But that’s just justice, right? I mean he WAS
speeding, and he got caught. That is true. Actions have consequences, but we
should not rejoice when we see it happen. Again, we’ll understand more about
why as we understand truth better. Think of it this way: When we suffer
consequence appropriate for our actions, does God rejoice, or does He desire that
we not have to suffer that way at all? The answer lies in the fact that “while
we were yet sinners, Christ was crucified.” He has made a way for us to escape
the ultimate penalty for our sin – death and damnation, so we should wish for
others to receive that grace as well when their sin leads them toward
destruction, rather than being somewhat happy that they got what they deserved.
In
the book of Jonah, we find an example of someone who was used by God (albeit
reluctantly), yet struggled in this area. After Jonah’s life experiences
brought him to his senses and he obeyed God and spoke His message to Nineveh Nineveh
Poor,
Jonah. No one told him to stay there. He chose to stay. He was so eager to see God’s
wrath poured out on the people of Nineveh
Another
example was Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son. We know the story, but we want
to focus on the character of the older son. We studied a few weeks back about
how, when you read the parable carefully, you find that the older son was given
his inheritance as well at the same time as his brother. Personally, he had
nothing to be offended about. When the father rejoices in the younger son’s
return, the older son becomes angry. He wanted his brother to get what he
“deserved.” He wanted his father to reject the son. Then Jesus pulls all of this into perspective
in John 8. We are pretty familiar with what is says in verse 32 – that they
will “know the truth and the truth will set them free.” To understand the
meaning, we need to look at context. If we look at chapter 8 as a whole we get
a better idea of what the truth is.
At
the beginning of the chapter, we find the story of the woman caught in
adultery. The Pharisees bring her before Jesus to try and trap him. They state
that the Law demands she be stoned, but they also know Jesus tendency toward
compassion. When Jesus demands that the one without sin cast the first stone,
one by one they walk away.
Much
has been discussed regarding what Jesus was writing in the sand when He was
engaged in this encounter. I am sure that if it was important, the Bible would
tell us. There are, however, a number of interesting theories. One of my
favorites is that Jesus may have been writing the names of those in the crowd
who had been “acquainted” with this woman in the past. That would certainly
explain why they suddenly lost interest in punishing her. I have, counter to this, always believed it
had something to do with avoiding temptation. Jesus was a man, tempted in every
way that we are (yet without sin). He may have needed something to occupy his
eyes and mind to avoid sin. If the woman had been “caught in the act” of
adultery, she may not have been modestly clad.
After
all of them walk away, Jesus tells her that he does not condemn her and to now,
go and sin no more. The order of those statements is very important. He did not
tell her to go and sin no more so that she would not be condemned. The truth is
that grace comes first, and then sin falls away.
Later
in the chapter, Jesus has a discussion with the Pharisees about who His father
is and who their father is. They are infuriated that He implies God is His
father and they claim first that Abraham is their father and later that only
God is their father. Jesus’ response to their claim of being Abraham’s
descendants is telling in regard to the definition of truth. He tells them in
verse 39 that if they were children of Abraham they do what he did. What does
He mean by that?
Abraham
lived long before the Law. He lived by faith and grace. Abraham believed, and
it was credited to him as righteousness. He had no list of rules to be
justified by. Then in verse 56 Jesus says, “Your father Abraham rejoiced at the
thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.” That sounds a lot like
“rejoicing in the truth” from 1 Corinthians 13:6. When God took Abraham outside his tent and
showed him all the stars in the sky as a picture of the number of his
descendants, it was not just physical descendants God was speaking of. He was
showing him all of us; we who now live by faith and grace before God!
To listen to the entire sermon go to http://ahwatukeechurch.com/media.php. To learn more about Living Word Ahwatukee,
visit http://ahwatukeechurch.com/.
